Category: Uncategorized

Poetry: Siren

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girl

You were devoured by her eyes.

I saw how you allowed her to grasp your heart.

She reeled you into her world.

Persuaded you to fall into her bed.

You prayed for that moment to never end.

I could sense her in your mind,

While you slithered in my bed.

I could hear her voice while you slept.

Slipping her name from your tongue.

She bore her power into your mind.

She swims in your veins.

I could smell her scent on your flesh.

That mixture of musk and peony

It clung to you so well.

I saw how she held onto you.

How you followed in her steps.

You prayed for time to stop

As she kissed your silky lips.

I knew it all along,

The reason for your neglect.

You were devoured by her eyes

As I hid behind a veil of icy lies.

All I wanted was to reject, the burning truth.

But her presence was ever more in flesh

And there was nothing left for me to do.

But to give into the murderous truth.

By: Azzurra Nox

 

3 Easy & Awesome Last Minute Gifts!

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There are two kinds of people when it comes to the holidays, those who have all their holiday shopping done before December hits, and those who are still scrambling around last minute looking for the perfect gift. I’m a combination of both those people, because for the friends and family members that I don’t have trouble buying gifts for, I usually get those early on, but for those people that I don’t know what to get, I end up procrastinating in hopes that I’ll be illuminated with an amazing idea (usually it comes, most often times, it doesn’t). So, if like me, you’re sitting there three days before Christmas panicking on what to get that certain someone that’s hard to shop for, then have no fear! I’ve compiled five ideas that will be sure to make your shopping experience less stressful!

Fandoms

Does your friend or family member love a certain TV show or book series very much? Then there lies your answer for the perfect gift! If your bestie can’t get enough of those trouble-making rascals on Stranger Things, then how about getting her a Stranger Things mug or T-Shirt? Is your dad a big fan of Game of Thrones? Then how about getting him a beer mug in theme with the show? The awesome thing about fandoms is that if the person you know is a huge fan, they’re bound to love anything you get them that is related to it, no matter how expensive or cheap it may be!

Monthly Subscriptions

Don’t know what to give someone? Well, there are so many monthly subscriptions out there for all interests! There’s a monthly subscription box for any interest and hobby! With so many boxes to choose from, you’re bound to find one that’s perfect for the person you’re wishing to purchase a gift for, and the amazing thing is that this gift will be year-round! Here’s a small selection of some amazing boxes out there!

For the book lovers: https://www.bookofthemonth.com

For the health freak: https://naturebox.com

For the sock lover: https://www.lootcrate.com

For the tea obsessives: https://www.cratejoy.com

For the coffee addict: https://beanbox.co/?promo=MYSUBADD16

For the makeup guru: https://medusasmakeup.com/pages/monthly-box

Charities

If the person you’re trying to get a gift for is the sort of person who has everything, then how about donating an x amount of money to one of their favourite charities? After all, for the person who has it all, they may appreciate your token of generosity on their behalf! Find out what charities or causes your friend or relative is most passionate about and donate to that. Below are some of my favourite charities:

Oceana: http://oceana.org/ (a charity that focuses on keeping the oceans clean & helping preserve marine life)

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Program: https://afsp.org/ (a charity that helps those with mental illness/suicidal tendencies)

Write Girl: http://www.writegirl.org/ (a charity that helps empower teen girls in Los Angeles in their writing endeavors

I hope this short list was helpful in any way to jump-start some brainstorming ideas for gifts! Let me know what you think!

By: Azzurra Nox

Poetry: For You Always

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I suppose I had hoped that my memory would’ve crippled you

Not to move on.

Instead, I see you smiling with your wife.

Your children remind me so much of you, with those

crooked smiles and messy curls.

I guess I just wished you had wanted those things with me,

Instead of her.

I break my phone’s screen so that I don’t have to witness your happiness

Without me.

By: Azzurra Nox

iphone-cracked-screen

Review: Burberry’s My Burberry Blush Fragrance

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burberry

Burberry is as much British as high tea and the Queen, just take a look at their signature tartan packaging. Based in London, before the brand was known for their fragrances, it was originally known for its iconic trench coat as far back as 1856! This new fragrance is a homage to the iconic coat and the women of that era, that were both feminine but progressive.

Size: 1.6-oz./50-ml.

Price: $90

Fragrance Family: Floral

Top Notes: Pomegranate and Lemon

Middle Notes: Geranium, Crisp Apple, and Rose Petal

Base Notes: Jasmine and Wisteria

Time of Day: Daytime/Early Evening

What’s It Smell Like: A romantic stroll in a London park.

Verdict: I have to admit I haven’t always been a fan of Burberry’s fragrances in the past, but ever since they’ve released Body and My Burberry a couple of years ago, I’ve totally been onboard with the new fragrances. This one is exceptionally feminine, but in no way is it safe. It’s a bit flirty without being too obnoxious, and simply smells divine. If you ever wanted to smell like a sweet British garden with a hint of posh (think Baby Spice meets Posh Spice), then this fragrance is right for you!

Where To Buy It: https://www.sephora.com

By: Azzurra Nox

Poetry: Late

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cakegone

I’ve arrived too late.

You’ve used up all your love and

outrageous displays of affections on someone else.

So that when Valentine’s Day passes by,

There are no flowers or romantic adventures.

You tell me, “I’ve done this all before—I’m tired.”

But you’ve done nothing with me

For me.

I’m left picking up the crumbs,

cause I’ve come too late.

And someone else has already eaten my cake.

By: Azzurra Nox

Review: Sugar Pill Liquid Lip Color in Trinket

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What It Is: A long-lasting liquid lipstick

Perks: Cruelty-free and made in California

Verdict: I’ve tried out several liquid lipstick brands since they’ve gotten popular over the past year or so. I was looking forward to trying out Sugar Pill cause I’ve always been a fan of the brand, plus I’ve been trying to find the perfect rose gold shade with subtle glimmer. The colour I got, Trinket is simply gorgeous! The awesome thing about this specific liquid lipstick is that when applied, the colour is a rose shade, but once you press your lips together, the gold shimmer is activated. So, the more you smack your lips together, the more gold shimmer will be visible. It’s a very flattering metallic shade, and it can be worn both casually or for an evening night, especially now with the holidays, the gold glimmer will give you that much needed holiday vibe without going too overboard. As for the formula, it is lightweight, but long-lasting (and when I say long-lasting I truly mean it! I can apply this lipstick at 7a.m. and not need to reapply even once and it stays put till I remove it around 9p.m.). Another plus is that the formula doesn’t dry out your lips, your lips actually feel uber hydrated throughout the day (a much-needed bonus during the harsh winter temperatures!). So give this shade a try, and liberate your inner sugarplum fairy!

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Price: $18

Where To Buy It: I got mine at the Dolls Kill site (https://www.dollskill.com/) or https://sugarpill.com

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By: Azzurra Nox

My Bad Romance: The Southern Gentleman

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desert

We met in July. I was there to see your bestfriend perform, but after the gig you asked me if I wanted to go out for ice cream. We soon found out that the only place that serves ice cream at midnight is a Denny’s Diner, so there we spent over two hours just talking about everything and anything. I loved listening to your voice. Your Texan accent was warm and inviting. We laughed like we had been friends forever.

It was perfect.

The first time you kissed me, you first stopped to kiss my nose. I smiled at the gesture. I thought that you were different. I thought that it felt nice to be in your presence. And my hand fit perfectly with your own, forever linked.

We were in Oklahoma hiding in the closet with a Tornado approaching our hotel room. My heart was racing, but you held me close and strummed your guitar, singing to me, “Riders on the Storm,” as the winds increased. Tears were streaming down my cheeks, I thought our building was going to lift up just like Dorothy’s home in The Wizard of Oz, and seeing my fear you held my hand and whispered, “We’re going to be okay. Even if this could be our final moment, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

We were at a gas station in the desert when your bandmates were filling up the van’s tank and Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” came on the radio. You grabbed my hand, and singing the lyrics to me, pulled me out of the van. I laughed as we danced under the hot desert sun. Your crooked smile made me melt, and once again I thought that everything about that moment, about us, was perfect.

And for a while it truly was.

Until.

This is the part of the story where it takes a detour for the worst.

Until you grew weary of me wanting more. Needing more. And it crushed my heart when you handed me a ring for my birthday but punctuated, “It’s not the sort of ring you were hoping for, you know I’m not ready, yet.”

But that yet kept weighing on me. Was it really a yet, or were you just buying time? I began to believe that you didn’t care. I was certain that you were getting bored or maybe exhausted of me.

Then one February night, I saw my phone with all your texts and voicemails. You had spent most of the day trying to reach me because you were going to break up with me.

Something deep inside of me broke. And like Thom Yorke in “Karma Police,” for a minute there I did lose myself. I spent my nights driving around L.A. listening to songs on repeat as I tried to find a way to get back to you. I’d text you obsessively. Sometimes I was sweet, other times I was angry. I reached a point where I didn’t care whether the attention I was receiving from you was negative. I was starving for any tiny morsel. Your hate would’ve been better to me than your indifference. And all I could think about was how much I missed you. I started to hate you because I didn’t like this new person I had become. But at the same time, I didn’t know how to be different. I spent two years trying to forget the twenty months we spent together.

You hollowed me out. Sometimes, I feel as though if anyone peers closely into me they can see just how much I’m lacking. That they can see how all my cracks haven’t been placed correctly, that I’m not fixed. And maybe I never will be.

This is the new me. Not newly minted, but an amalgam of broken pieces haphazardly glued together, trying to pretend that I’m okay.

I’m okay.

I hope that wherever you are, you’re okay too.

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Review: Origins Clear Improvement

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Masks have always been my so-called beauty crack (meaning that I could never have too many stashed away!). Although face masks are all the rage lately, I still prefer clay masks overall (mostly because apparently I am extremely impatient and can’t seem to wait 10-15 minutes without doing nothing at all). At least with clay masks I can still do other beauty regimens (like painting my nails!). I’m all about multi-tasking. I may also love clay masks more because I have naturally oily skin, and always feel like this sort of mask truly combats in soaking up some of my natural oils without drying out my skin.

What It Is: Active charcoal mask to clear pores.

What It Does: Unclogs and clears pores.

Active Ingredient: China clay and Charcoal

Verdict: As I mentioned above, I simply love clay masks because they always leave my skin ultra-clean and refreshed. I’ve always been a fan of Origins products, so was very psyched to receive this product in my Sephora Play monthly subscription for November. This mask is simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It will make your skin feel brighter and smoother in less than ten minutes! This mask is especially effective for those who like me have oily to combination skin, but it’s gentle enough for even sensitive or dry skins to use as well as this mask (unlike some other clay masks) doesn’t leave my skin ultra-dried out but rather it leaves it feeling supple, hydrated, but not oily. In other words, it’s the equivalent of drinking a tall glass of crisp cucumber-lime water. A more effective way of using this product is to first use a warm, wet towel pressed against your skin to help open up the pores and then to apply a thin layer of the mask all over your face, concentrating mostly on your T-zone. This mask is gentle enough to use twice a week or you can use it on trouble spots more times throughout the week.

Price: $27

Where To Buy It: https://www.origins.com

By: Azzurra Nox

My Bad Romance: The New Yorker

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Thw Wonder Wheel, Coney Island, NYC 2002

It was a hot, Coney Island summer and we were headed towards the Wonder Wheel. Hands entwined as always, as I pulled off pieces of candy floss. The sugar melted in our mouths, sharing sticky kisses. We laughed feeling lucky for that moment. We had fallen in love in April, and although it was merely July (three months later) we felt like we had been together forever. We were inseparable. No one else mattered to us but each other. We lived on kisses and sugary sweets. We had no regard for day or night, we were always awake, always up to something.

“You know there’s an old gypsy tale that if you ride the Wonder Wheel with someone else, you’ll be together forever,” he said to me, his dark hair blowing into his eyes.

“Are you sure you wanna be stuck with me forever?” I joked.

But I couldn’t imagine my life without him. He was the one person I loved to talk to at any hour of the day, and even when we’d spend the day watching Asian horror movies and eating takeout I’d never get bored.

Like two enthusiastic kids, we got on the Wonder Wheel, feeling like we were on top of the world. Everyone below us was so tiny, and he kissed me at the top of the Ferris Wheel. I could’ve lived in the moment forever. I wanted to live in that moment forever. I wished the night would melt into my veins, and that I could swallow the stars.

“I love you,” he murmured. A phrase he’d tell me so often during the day, and no matter how many times he said it still managed to make me melt. I’d wake up with his uttering his love, and drifted to sleep with him declaring it one more time. I could feel his love embrace my whole being. My heart was full. It had never felt so full before.

And then one day catastrophe happened.

Because fate is unkind to lovers. Fate tore us apart, and ever since my heart has never felt full again. Like those people who can still feel their limbs after amputation, I too, feel this phantom love. Other times I’m just aching for the part of me that isn’t there because he had become so essential to my being.

I often think about that moment at the Wonder Wheel. A part of me hopes that the superstition is true. That fate can be bent and he’ll find his way back to me. Or that time can be rewound and I can find myself back on the top of the Ferris Wheel, our lips sticky with sugar, sharing kisses, sharing breaths, sharing dreams.

By: Azzurra Nox

Review: Meg Rhythm Gentle Steam Eye Mask

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I was recently gifted this product from the Allure Enthusiasts program. I wasn’t sure what to initially think of this product, since I’ve never considered purchasing something similar before. But alas, I figured I’d give it a shot and see what the hype was all about (after all could 500 million buyers be wrong?). This product is made in Japan and each box contains seven eye masks (one for each day of the week?). The heat generated by this eye mask is approximately 104 degrees F.

eyemask

What It Is: Relaxing Eye Mask

What It Does: Promotes relaxation through the use of warm steam and lavender scent.

Verdict: I tried this on after a particularly tiring and cold night. The scent is very potent (meaning if you love lavender then you’ll love it, but if it annoys you, then it’ll seem pungent). I personally enjoyed the scent and helped me to relax. Being perpetually cold and at times suffering from head colds, the eye steam aspect of this mask was what I loved the most. The box says that the warming effect only lasts 10 minutes, but it actually was more like 30 minutes for me. Wearing this eye mask is like being lulled in a soft cuddly embrace and makes you feel like you’re truly getting pampered. Needless to say, I quickly fell asleep soon after.

Price: $10.99

Where To Buy It: Amazon

By: Azzurra Nox