Brand Spotlight: Essence - #2014BloggerChallenge

Hello Lovelies,

Now most of you may have noticed my love for high street/drugstore/cheap makeup, since it's a recurring theme in many of my posts. In particular I have been experimenting with Essence, which happens to be the cheapest brand I've found in Priceline. I started off with a few lip liners to expand my collection and then slowly started taking notice of a handle of their product. So far I've tried out the Sun Club Bronzer, their eyeshadows, lip liners, one eyeliner and their concealer.

Essence I think ranges from prices as low as $1.50 to I think $8/9, which is crazy cheap. It was surprising for such a cheap range that they actually had a decent payoff. I for one, love their lip liners and I did a full review of them here. The sun club bronzer is also really good and has an sweet scent of coconuts and although I think I may have picked up one that is not really my shade, it's slowly growing on my and I did a review on it here. The eyeshadows aren't crazy pigmented but they are quiet buildable and can add a really nice layer of sheer color.

There are many drugstore brands that I am in love with but I would have to say that if i wanted to try multiple product or really needed to replenish something in my collection I would definitely head to Essence. Sometimes it surprises me with how cheap their products are. I really want to try out their blushes next :)

What's your favourite drugstore/high street makeup brand?

xox

Cosplay Inspiration - Lisa Lou Who

Hello Lovelies,

As some of you might know, I'm a massive fan of almost everything pop culture related and I am in complete awe of the guys and gals that do cosplay. I wish I had the skill (in relation to creating the costumes) and the confidence to pull off such amazing characters. The other day I stumbled upon this wonderful cosplayer by the name of Lisa Lou Who and I fell in love with some of her costumes and I felt the need to share her with you all.

Costume: Harley Quinn

Series: Original Design, inspired by Sakizou

www.AndrewDHphotos.com

Jasmine, Thief of Agrabah

Player2photography

Daenerys Targaryen

JasonChauPhotography

Ana from Frozen

Fairshadow Photography

I love all her costumes and think she's incredibly talented at what she does, and seriously can't wait to see her future creations. She seriously inspires me to take a crack at cosplaying myself, although I seriously lack the sewing capabilities hehe. 

You can find Lisa at these links:

Wedsiter: http://www.LisaLouWho.com/
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/ItsLisaLouWho
Deviantart: http://lisa-lou-who.deviantart.com/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/ItsLisaLouWho/
Etsy: http://www.RaritysBoutique.etsy.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LisaLouWhoCosplay

What do you think about her costumes? And about cosplaying in general?

xoxo

Miscellaneous Mondays - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Hello Lovelies,

Some of you may know I've been reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn as of late and I finished it this morning and well even though it's over I can't get my mind off it. Simply put, this book quickly became one of the best books I've ever read. I loved every second.

Gone Girl is a psychological thriller about the disappearance of Amy Dunne on her 5th wedding anniversary and it's implications on her husband, Nick Dunne. The book is divided between the two characters, with real time action from Nick and diary entries from Amy. Before the disappearance both Amy and Nick were having some trouble's in their lives and especially in their marriage.

Both characters are created beautifully and are incredibly flawed people and each of their imperfections is part of what makes them so perfect for each other in such a weird and complicated way.

I'll try my best not to spoil anything since the twists and turns in this book is the reason why I was so hooked. I was changing my opinions and my alliances so quickly I didn't even know where the book was heading. The whole way through I felt like I knew the characters and I was drawn instinctively to their misfortunes.

Gone Girl had me yelling at every point of interest and I honestly couldn't put this down. I also wanted to tell everyone everything what was happening but every member of my family either wanted to read it themselves or wants to see the film adaption that's coming out later this year.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery/crime book, it's so perfectly constructed that I sincerely tap my hat to Gillian Flynn.  

What have you been reading?

xoxo

Weekly Lustables

Hello Lovelies,

Unfortunately this week I've ended it with a burst of a head cold, so I feel pretty sick, which is never good. I still have a handful of favourites to share with you all that I have absolutely been loving.

1-2. Date Night at Caravanserai - Every month, Alex and I go out to a nice restaurant and enjoy a wonderful meal. This month's pick was made by me and since I'd never had Turkish I was super duper keen. When we got there the sun was just setting and we were blessed with a perfect night. The food was sublime and I love everything on the platter! After dinner we drove around and stopped for ice cream, I picked peanut butter choc swirl and it was delicious.

3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Now I haven't finished this yet, but I will most likely finish it today. I cannot shut up about this book, I've been wanting someone to talk to about it but everyone in my family wants to see the movie when it comes out, so I can't really wreck it for them. The story has really stumped me and that's it's main reason for intriguing me and keeping me from putting it down. I love it and can't wait to see how it ends but at the same time, I don't really want it to end.

4. Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk - Finally I got my hands on this little baby and well there's not much to say that you haven't already heard. It's incredibly creamy and I love the pigmentation. Definitely going to become a staple!

What have you been loving this week?

xoxo

January Favourites 2014

Hello Lovelies,

These are some of the things I've been absolutely loving during the month of January :)

FAVOURITES MENTIONED
Garnier BB Cream in Oily/Combination Formula
Garnier Perfect Blur Primer
Elizabeth Arden Shimmer Powder in Nude Shimmer
Maybelline Color Whisper in 65 Pink Possibilities (Read Review Here)
LUSH Snow Fairy Shower Gel
American Authors
Best Day of My Life - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y66j_BUCBMY
Luck - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3UBv6nxu8Q

What have you been loving this past month?

xoxo

January Reads - #2014 Blogger Challenge

 Hello Lovelies,

If you've been keeping up with my Weekly Lustables you can notice a trend, I've been reading more than one book a month! I hardly ever find the time to read but now I read three books in the month just pass. I'm really happy with my selections and all these books were amazing and exactly what I needed for January and to kick me back into reading more. (It's one of my secret goals for this year!)

 

1. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon 

Such a gorgeous read with such a satisfying ending that left me so fulfilled. It's the story of a boy, Daniel, who unravels the shroud of mystery surrounding a French writer while transitioning into manhood. I loved seeing everything unfold as well as following Daniel's personal story. Particularly I loved the romance aspects, both in the writer's mystery and Daniel's life, they were crafted perfectly and I was consumed by a wave of emotions. Did I mention the ending? Yeah it's super duper amazing!!!

2. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
After reading The Shadow of the Wind, I craved for something a little more light hearted and this was recommended to me by my sister who said I would love it. Low and behold, I could hardly put this one down, sometimes Alex had to pull me away from it! Now I'm so afraid of spoiling things so here's the decription of the book from Good Reads,

"Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be."

It's a definite must read and is a perfect work of young adult fiction that isn't too cheesy or predicatable.

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
I'd been in the mood for a chick flicky book in awhile, and this was a pretty good fix. I enjoyed it but it's predictability and cheesiness was a little distracting that sometimes felt that Anna wasn't even a relatable character. Still a nice read though, very happy and cute and a general feel good book. The general gist of the novel is that Anna is sent to Paris by her father for her senior year of high school so that she is cultured, she hates this since she is leaving everyone she loves. Her angst disappears when she meets the alluring and charming yet already taken St. Clair. I'll leave it at that, but their story is so incredibly cute and I did aawww a handful of times.

What have you been reading lately?

xoxo

Miscellaneous Mondays - Her (2013)

 

Hello Lovelies,

Recently I've been thinking of starting a new series of posts that incorporates my love for pop culture and all things film, tv and music. Miscellaneous Mondays will do just that, I hope to do it every week but it might end up being an occasional thing since University is starting back soon, eep! 

I'm sure most of you have seen or at least heard about Her since it's been nominated for 5 Oscars (woah!) and has a pretty amazing cast. (Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson for starters)Before heading into this film I was a tad skeptical since it's themes were a tad strange. The film focuses around the life of Theodore, who is a lonely writer who spends his days writing lovely heartfelt letters for complete strangers. Through the film he develops a romantic relationship with a new operating system that is created around his personality and grows and develops as it learns more about the world through its user. His OS turns out to have the voice of a female, Scarlett Johansson none the less, and Theodore slowly falls in love with her and her love for the world and curiosity, and it helps him to discover happiness in life again after the separation with his wife.

I'm not quite sure about every one else who watched this film but initially I felt really uncomfortable about their relationship but as I kept watching I became less squirmy and became engrossed in their love. I have a feeling that this movie might be a metaphor for percieved strange relationships that exist in our society and how they should be accepted since it is the same love no matter what the casing. The characters were beautiful and I especially loved the OS, Samantha, since she was so amazing and kept gradually developing into this beautiful yet flawed AI (Artificial Intelligence). Theodore's character also develops and by the end of the film he has been on this amazing journey that really makes him evaluate his flaws and how to work with them so to have a life filled with happiness.

I'll avoid trying to spoil it for those who haven't seen it, since it's definitely worth a watch. 

What have you watched recently?

xoxo