May Ipsy Bag Review

This bag was a little dull for me. The bag itself was fine. The size and shape were very nice, but the colors were a little random, and this one felt a bit cheaper in quality than other bags I have gotten. I thought it would be more useful for actually traveling if it were a clear bag over an opaque fabric.

My favorite piece in this bag was the NYX Professional Makeup Soft Matte Lip Cream in London. These matte lipsticks are the only product that I have tried of NYX that I have liked. This particular color was a little more brown than I would normally take with my fair coloring. However, it is a nice warm neutral color. It smells so nice and feels creamy and smooth.

Going from my favorite to my least favorite, the next product was the FRECIPE Açai Berry Calming Mask and Pomegranate Firming Mask.

I LOVE the paper masks, however, I am allergic to an ingredient in this so I can’t use these for myself. I plan on giving them as gifts. They are always well-received.

Next, I have a few words about the EYEKO Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner Travel Size in Black Honestly, this was just another liquid eyeliner for me. They sortof blur together for me.

Fourth on the list is the Tarte Cosmetics Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder. I am always pretty darn impressed by Tarte. I am always excited to see Tarte in my Ipsy bag. This finishing powder is SO soft and fine. It doesn’t look or feel too heavy at all. This would be nice for photoshoots or for special events.

My final product is the SLMISSGLAM Sparkle Everyday Glam Beauty Sponge

Not much to say about this, it is a great tiny size for travel. It was also a really nice change to get a a sponge instead of a brush.

Senna Styles: Once Upon A Time- Belle

Once Upon a Time is coming to an end this summer, so I want to pay homage to it  by highlighting some of the fun outfits on the show.

One of my favorite characters is Belle. She is portrayed by the gorgeous Emilie de Ravin.

Award winning Costume Designer Edwardo Castro casts his own kind of magic on the style of Storybrooke. He once said in an interview “We’ve gotten an immense response from the public about her clothes. ”

Indeed Belle’s outfits inspire response. The are super stylish.

Her fairy tale dresses include three different variations of the famous yellow ballgown from the animated film. Just as glamorous are her everyday outfits in Storybrooke.

I wanted to try to recreate this simple blouse and skirt combination.

While much of the clothing on the show is designer. Belle’s outfits are much more achievable.

I wanted to see if I could replicate one of Belle’s outfits. So I picked this simple look from Episode 13 of Season 4.

I got a simple lace top from a thrift store and paired it with an adorable green skirt from Amazon. I went with a knee length over the mini.

For less than $20, I’d say it is a pretty cute outfit!

This was a fun challenge that I definitely hope to try again!

 

 

April Ipsy Glam Bag Review

First of all I ADORE the feminine girlish bag. This last year and winter has been hard on a lot of people, so the idea of a butterfly is really a nice symbol for this particular coming season. The rose gold metallic detailing makes it special.

The first up today is this herbal Lip Balm from Hempz. I didn’t care for this too much. I really don’t understand the appeal of hemp. To me, it’s a part of stoner culture, which you are either into or you are not. I am not.

Next came the  NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm: Finally a NYX product I love! I’ve been pretty cold towards NYX, but I love this creamy lipstick. It smells amazing, and I love the color

Next, comes Nomad Cosmetics Illuminating Highlighter in Midnight Sun I love that this is named after a month long sun in Sweden. I felt that went well with the theme this month. The packaging is adorable.

Theorie Hair Care Detoxifying Hair Mask was the next product. Charcoal products are a trend nowadays. Toothpaste and those nose strips and face masks. This is the first I’ve seen it in a hair product. I wasn’t a fan. Since charcoal is what they use to pump a stomach after poisoning, I can’t help but feel it’s a little weird to use it in beauty products. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong, but it’s not for me.

Finally, I received a Concealer Buffer Brush from Vasanti. The bristles are 100% synthetic, and cruelty-free, and very soft which is good enough for me!

April Book Review: Dreamer

I don’t want to give too much away so I will go ahead a post a spoiler warning!

As a big ol’ fan of L.E. DeLano, I’ve been waiting for this second installment since I devoured the first book last year. The story is that Jessa is a teenager who is a Traveler, meaning she can travel through other realities through mirrors.  She has dreams about one particular character who appears out of nowhere.

Lookie here! A trailer!

 

I was so excited to finally get it. Predictably, I read it in about two sittings. I greatly enjoyed it.

Readers will ADORE Finn. How do you not love an Irish green-eyed steampunk privateer from another dimension? We got a peek into the main couple’s meet-cute, which was my without doubt my favorite scene. It is a quite satisfying ending for everyone involved.

L.E. DeLano is endlessly creative and has a unique perspective with a dash of romance. I look forward to her work for years to come.

 

 

Book Review: The Sky is Yours

 

I really wanted to like this book. The author is a good writer, there is some beautiful and imaginative writing here. I can tell the author really poured her soul into this book. The first pages really drew me into the story.

It is set very far into the future. Dragons have basically taken over the world. These dragons never eat and never land on Earth. They are always flying through the air.

The style reminds me very much of The Book Thief, I think anyone who likes The Book Thief, The Maze Runner, or The Hunger Games would like this book a great deal.

I found the characters to be unrelatable and I was a bit bored by the flow of the book.  I think that many people would enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I was not one of them. It was just not my cup of tea.

Review- 5 Year Journal

I am a big fan of journaling. I think it’s a very healthy habit and I think it is very helpful. I think this so much that I actually have published a book of Journal Prompts. So whenever I have the opportunity to check out a book of journal prompts, I take it. This one was interesting because it was not just a journal, but a 5 year journal.

I liked the journal prompts that were offered. They were really nice for someone who is busy and just needs to take a few minutes before bed to write and reflect. The space for writing was a tiny bit small. If you write in full sentences you’re kind of out of luck.  My biggest complaint was how very SMALL the font was inside, it’s hard to read, and would be pretty impossible for some people with vision problems. I wasn’t a huge fan of the cover either. But I digress.  If you are not a very religious person, the questions might not be for you. It is very much aimed towards a Christian writer. That’s not a problem for me, but it might be for some people.

Review-American Wolf

Growing up, I was a huge fan of Julie of the Wolves, I read those books multiple times.

So when I saw American Wolf A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West, I decided to try it out.

This book to me is very scientific. The author is clearly very passionate and driven by the wolves and their survival.  The writing is very high quality.  It doesn’t really read like a diary of a wolf pack to me, as the video below describes.

https://www.cbsnews.com/embed/videos/american-wolf-author-on-the-complicated-return-of-wolves-in-the-u-s/

That being said,I felt that there is a little bit of a disconnect with the telling of this. It is very well researched and very detailed, but it lacks a little bit of the heart of the story. It isn’t for lack of effort, talent, or attention to detail. It is just the writing style.

This book to me is very scientific. The author is clearly very passionate and driven by the wolves and their survival.

It felt a little more like reading a News Article rather than the novel feel I was hoping for when I picked it out. if you are wanting to be very informed about the Yellowstone wolves, or are writing a paper about them, then absolutely get this book. If you are hoping to be entertained, I wouldn’t recommend it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: 30 Days to Joy

I love journaling. I love journaling so much, that I have done it for 20 years, and I even wrote my own book of journal prompts.  Perhaps it is that experience that made me a bit sour towards this book of prompts.

I felt that this was much too vague. I think that the reader/ writer needs a little more guidance in these prompts.  When I wrote my prompt book, it had 10 times as many prompts and many more questions.

The first prompt is really one that put me off, the question is what is the difference between happiness and joy? I actually said, “They’re freaking synonyms!”

I guess this would make a cute door prize of stocking stuffer, but at $10,you are really better off buying a blank notebook.

Book Review: Draw 50 Sea Creatures

I cannot draw.

LIke, I really cannot draw.

It’s not that I am not artistic, indeed I am quite artistic and creative, nevertheless, I cannot draw.

If there is something that could motivate me to learning how to draw, it would probably be a sea creature. I used to draw a stick figure equivalent to a dolphin a lot as a child.

My biggest criticism is the same I have with a lot of drawing books and diagrams, is that there always seem to be a step missing. Like a missing link between ape and man. This book uses 6 images to help guide the student, I feel like maybe a diagram between 5 and 6 would go a long way.

If you want something visual to guide you without a lot of frills, this is a series for you.

Book Review- My Rad Life Journal

This is a sister book to Rad Women Worldwide, I loved that book and have even used it in my classroom. I am a huge advocate of keeping a journal and of free-writing. Once again, I am impressed by the authors dedication to the empowerment of young girls and women in the making. Their website, which you can explore here, is great.

The thing I like about this journal is that they have really made the effort to make it special. There are writing prompts that are enough to make you think but not so much that it is exhausting (that is something I have experienced with other structured journals.) I feel encouraged to write all over it, paste in it, and shove it in my purse.