Happy October! This is my favourite month of the year!
I’m going to be launching a new weekly series (I’ll still write reviews or tutorials once a week) but in lieu of “Throwback Thursday” I’ve decided to start a series called “My Bad Romance” where I share stories about the people I’ve loved, lusted after, been crushed by, and inspired by. I’m gonna try to keep these stories in chronological order for better clarity.
My first ever giveaway is happening right NOW: So mosey on over to the previous post for more details on how to enter and what amazing beauty products you may have a chance of winning. Did I also mention that this giveaway is WORLDWIDE? Cause it totally is.
I feel as though I don’t follow enough blogs and that’s entirely my fault for lack of time. So please! Share me some of your favourite blogs for me to follow so that I can get to know more of you wonderful people!
Trying to define my personal style is kind of difficult, but I’d say that it leans more towards a punk Lolita with some glam thrown in here and there. In other words, imagine Joan Jett’s and Marc Bolan’s lovechild, my fashion look would be the outcome.
Now, I know how many love their designer duds, but I often find a lot of runway designers to lack the certain edge that I wish they’d have.
But there’s a San Francisco boutique that seems to embody every aspect of my fashion sense and I’m so thrilled that they have an online shop as well, DOLLS KILL.
Now this site isn’t for the fashion faint of heart. These are for girls who dare to look like they’ve spent all night dancing to house music and drink their ex’s tears mixed with their coffee and booze.
They recently had a sale on their site and I grabbed a few items.
I love this plain white Los Angeles tee, you can either dress it down with some ripped jeans, or give it a punk edge when worn with shorts and black fishnet stockings!
I also purchased a pair of white ankle socks, cause….I’m a sock addict, and another pair that are black and white.
Nobody is happier about the 90’s making a comeback, than yours truly. I LOVE, L-O-V-E…velvet tees! I had a brown and a red one back in the day, and I wore them so often they ended up getting holes and my mother gave them away (sob!), so when I noticed they had an emerald velvet tee I hit the cart button faster than Speedy Gonzalez on amphetamines. If I could wear just one shirt this whole autumn it would be this, but ya know, it’s not socially acceptable (unless you’re a rockstar), but I love this shirt so hard it’s ridiculous.
What new fads are you liking and what online shops do you love? Share with me your finds or sites!
For months I’ve been hearing such amazing things from this brand. From beauty gurus on youtube to Allure magazine, everyone has been raving about this brand. So of course I decided to take the plunge and try it out myself to see what the hype is all about.
I received 12 items in all, plus an eyeliner add-on because of the delay in shipping. I thought that was really nice of them, so kudos Colour Pop!
No Filter Concealer in Fair 5
I was truly hoping for a miracle with this concealer because everyone raved (especially Allure) how amazing it is at masking undereye circles and blemishes. Maybe my hopes were too high for this, but I didn’t think this was an absolutely amazing concealer. The colour match was perfect, I’ll admit that, but the consistency of the product made for a somewhat stranger and cakey effect that I only managed to fix by applying another concealer (the Wet N’ Wild one) on top and blending the excess away with a beauty blender. Maybe paired with another concealer this does its job, but alone it’s not that great. Although, I must admit that the results on camera look amazing (but in person up-close you can see where it creases).
Peachy Keen Super Shock Shadows in Crimper, Kennedy, Cornelious, and Bandit
Palette Pressed Powder in Outta Luck, Say I Do, Issues, and The News
Again, I’ve heard amazing things about their shadows and have been on the lookout for the best peach toned shadows, alas, while these shadows DO pack a lot of colour, both the Super Shock Shadows and Pressed Powder shadows wouldn’t really glide on the lid how I wish they would making for a somewhat patchy application. The consistency of these products felt somewhat chalky and I don’t know if that’s the reason why they didn’t apply as well as they should. However, they seemed to work better if I “packed on” the colour instead (which was more time-consuming for someone who’s always running late in the mornings!).
Super Shock Shadow in Party of Five, Super Shock Cheek in High Five, Eyeshadow Brush in #11, and Creme Gel Liner in DTLA
I really love the feel of this flat, eyeshadow brush. It truly picks up lots of colour so that you can apply your shadow in one quick swoop! The blush was a gift, and whilst it wasn’t a fit for me colour-wise, it was very pigmented and blended beautifully. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I’m a eyeliner affectionado. The Creme Gel Liner glides on amazingly well, and does set like a normal gel liner. Since it was a free item, they sent me DTLA which is a dark navy shade (I would’ve preferred either brown or black) but it’s a dark enough shade that it could almost pass off as black AND it was a gift so I’m not complaining!
Ultra Matte Lip in Take Five and Alyssa
For the past year I’ve mostly been using Jeffree Star’s Liquid Velour Lipsticks every single day. I was a bit reluctant to try a liquid lipstick from any other brand just because I really, really love his a lot. BUT…I must say that I’m truly impressed! I picked the shade Alyssa which is a pinky-nude collab that Colour Pop did with youtuber Kathleen Lights, and it’s a very flattering shade for pale or fair skin! Take Five was sent to me for free, and it’s more of a pink shade but haven’t had a chance to try it yet. Overall, I truly love how the lipstick lays on my lips. It’s not cakey, nor drying. It’s actually very hydrating for being a liquid lipstick!
This was one massive haul and I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if you’ve tried any other products from Colour Pop or which ones are your faves! Would I re-purchase items from this brand? I’ll probably pass on the eyeshadows, but I’m going to definitely check out more of the liquid lipsticks and eyeliners!
What It Does: Remove makeup or can be used as toner
Verdict: I’m usually skeptic when it comes to pre-soaked cleansing cloths because I use a lot of liquid liner and mascara, and those never seem to work for me at all in getting rid of makeup. Not to mention that by the time you finish up the packet, the cloths are almost dry! This isn’t the case with these at all, as each cleansing cloth is individually wrapped, meaning that not only will they remain soaked and won’t dry out, but you can also pop some of these in your handbag for any makeup emergencies, or if you need to freshen up. I’m absolutely in LOVE with the scent (it’s a fresh cucumber scent, ie. very clean-feeling). Now, if you’re looking to use this to take off some serious eye-makeup, I suggest you use about three cloths. But I do prefer these over any other pre-soaked cloths I’ve used in the past.
Price: $9.99 for 20.
Where To Buy It: Shop-us.skinfix.com
Discount Code: Up until October 31st, you can use the following CODE: SKINALLURE at the checkout and will receive 30% Off on your purchase of $15 or more.
Sleep Well Beast is The National’s seventh studio album, and much like their previous albums they’re here to deliver us sadness by way of dreamy, layered music and moody lyrics. Many people either find this band brilliant, or utterly boring. And the easiest way for you to find out where you fall on the spectrum is to ask yourself this, “Do you like The Smiths?” Because if you do, then you’ll love the melancholy found in The National’s songs, but if you don’t, then you may feel like the suicidal-charged baritone of leadsinger Matt Berninger to be too much to deal with.
Usually all of The National’s albums are compared to Alligator because it was considered brilliant, and so subsequent albums have always had to try to outdo that one.
Like most successful bands, The National have found their winning formula, and it’s the following: Berninger’s tragic baritone voice half-singing half-murmuring anxiety-ridden lyrics over soft guitar chords, piano, rhythmic drumming, with a dash of strings and horns thrown in the mixture.
Now, Sleep Well Beast sorta sticks to this same formula as the previous albums on pretty much the majority of the tracks. Although some tracks have been amped up a little and feature a faster tempo with some subtle shouting ala Mr. November or Available, especially on the track Turtleneck where Berninger candidly let’s up know that he keeps the weed next to his bed.
Some of the strongest tracks from the album are Carin At The Liquor Store, The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness, Walk It Back, and Day I Die. To say this is record is dark and bleak is an understatement. It’s almost like watching the dissolving of a relationship, but trying not to be outwardly destructive about it, although you’re feeling like vomiting your heart as a way to get rid of your weakest organ.
This album is best for those who don’t mind drowning in sorrow and befalling some serious dose of emotion sickness. If you’re looking for something to cheer you up, look elsewhere. You’ll only find sadness in its purest, most beautiful, and bleakest form here.
Life is sad, and The National are here to remind us of that. But there’s a strange beauty in the sadness. We almost don’t mind feeling so depressed.
What It Does: Purges pores from oil, makeup, blackheads, and grime undoing any damage to your skin that could be caused by pollution and stress.
Distinguishing Factors: Unlike any other detox clay masks that leave your skin feeling dry and mega-tight, this one actually moisturizes your skin with the help of some soothing oils such as lavender.
Verdict: I’m a huge fan of face masks and any time I take a bath I’ll do one cause it’s the only time I have the patience to wait out the full time you need to keep a mask on to reap its benefits. This one has a minimum staying time of 5-10 minutes. I left it on for about 30 minutes. Having said that I LOVE that this mask did indeed unclog my pores and lifted dead skin cells and oil from my face without making my skin feel uber dry. The botanical oils used in this mask leave your skin feeling moisturized and refreshed, but also very, very clean. This is definitely going to become one of my staples to use at least once a week. This mask is perfect for all skin types (even oily like me! The hydrating oils DO NOT make you breakout in any way!). You’re left with beautiful, supple refreshed skin as though you had gone to get an expensive facial or ya know, slept for ten hours. And we can all get onboard with that.
What It Does: Creates full, long, refined, sexy teased lashes.
Verdict: Let me just say that I’ve always been a huge fan of Covergirl cosmetics. In fact, they were the first brand I turned to when I began my venture in makeup at the tender age of twelve, with their Covergirl Lipslicks Lipsticks (not sure if they still have this line, but it was a line of lipbalm glosses that offered sheer colour for the lips). Now, having said that, this product is simply AWFUL. The lashes barely get coated with enough product to lift them, and the bristles themselves aren’t sturdy enough to lift and coat the lashes, so it makes for a weird application. Once you do turn the wand over to use the teasing side of the brush, it doesn’t do much but create a mess because since the bristles aren’t sturdy enough they never truly define nor separate the lashes. The best place for this product? In the trash. If you happen to have this product and it works for you, then kudos, but it seriously did nothing for me and it was so terrible that I just couldn’t see myself using it again.
I’ve only recently subscribed to this beauty box (two months to be exact) and it’s become my favourite! What makes this box different from the others? Well first of all all the products in it are cruelty-free AND vegan. And secondly, all the products in the box are FULL-SIZE products, not dinky tester/sample sizes, and each month you receive 3-5 full size products. How amazing is that? And last but not least, what sets this beauty box apart from all the others is the fact that it’s got some seriously edgy products and colours. If you’re one who wishes to play it safe, then this may not be the best beauty box for you, but if you love glitter and makeup with some serious attitude, then this is the brand for you!
What I got this month:
Metal AF Lipgloss in Cherry Pie (retails for $11)
False Eyelashes in Heavy (retails for $9)
Totally Baked Eyeshadow in Whatever (retails for $9)
Eye Dust in Ultra Violence (retails for $8)
Total value of the box: $37
Actual price of the beauty box: $15.95
Metal AF Lipgloss in Cherry Pie
I was really hoping to get this lipgloss (which is odd since I’m usually NOT a fan of lipgloss), but the colour is absolutely GORGEOUS (it kind of reminds me of Urban Decay’s Gash lipstick), but unlike other lipglosses, this one isn’t tacky, sticky, nor does it fade. Oh, and did I mention that it’s highly pigmented, cause IT IS.
False Eyelashes in Heavy
I’m not a fan of fake lashes because I often find little use for them in my everyday life, but I do like to use them on occasion if I’m doing a photoshoot. These look absolutely pretty without looking trashy.
Totally Baked Eyeshadow in Whatever
This eyeshadow is truly pigmented and very blendable. I also love this shade cause it’s good to use as liner or in the crease for a smoky eye-look.
Eye Dust in Ultra Violence
This shade is so pretty and the sparkle is subtle, not too heavy. This is the lavender shade that Wednesday Addams would reach for if she was trying to feel girly but still wanted stick to her edgy goth roots.
Which of these products would you love to try out? I’m very pleased with this month’s selections and can’t wait to see what Medusa’s Makeup has in store for September!
Writer’s know all about comfort zones…we live to destroy them. We chop up our protagonists’ lives and scatter their pitiful feelings to the wind just to sweep up the pieces and solder them back together into hell-fired heroes and heroines. It’s a very messy, emotional process, and yet, it has a simple equation:
Character – Something Valuable = Fear
Fear = Conflict
Conflict = A Helluva Good Story
In today’s ego-based economy, where what we possess determines our worth on the class scale, people break into a cold sweat at the possibility that ‘Something Valuable’ might be taken away from them and diminish their social status. Especially, if that ‘Something’ is fleeting and intangible, like their comfort zones. Americans have seen a lot of change over the past sixty years. The abolition of racial segregation; equal rights for women and minorities; the legalization of same-sex marriage. All of these movements have brought about great strides to empower the oppressed. It’s hard to imagine that some view these victories as defeats. After all, when power is given to one person, it must have been taken from someone else, right?
Imagine Bobo has two bananas and Lulu has one. Bobo has the most banana power. So when Kiki comes in, holds up the newly passed Equal Rights Amendment and gives Lulu a banana raise, there’s much rejoicing. Now we’re all equal! However, despite losing nothing, Bobo feels less powerful, even threatened, because Lulu has ‘moved up to his level.’ His financial situation now improved, Lulu has inadvertently affected Bobo’s comfort zone. This might cause Bobo distress, even anger him. Lulu now becomes the unwitting target of Bobo’s misguided fear, leading to a display chest-pounding and poo-throwing. Great friction for fiction. Bad for Human Resources.
So what is this ‘Something Valuable’ that has the country at odds right now? For a self-riotous few, it is as narrow-sighted as their outdated beliefs and comfort zones of intolerance. The events in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend are a painfully accurate example. Ultra-conservatives are exhibiting the same messy, emotional symptoms of a character in conflict:
Entitled Americans (Alt-Right) – Freedoms & Rights (Power) = Displaced Fear (Discrimination)
So how do we tame the volatile stray that’s barking inside these terrified Alt-Right ideologists? How do we get them to understand the unshakable truth that nothing is being taken away from them? Their precious freedoms are as intact as they’ve ever been. The only difference is, back in the ‘good old days’ they could unethically enthrone themselves on top of the social hierarchy without raising eyebrows. It’s 2017. Now people are raising their eyebrows, their voices and their protest signs and ultra-conservatives don’t know how to handle the pushback.
The Alt-Right’s refusal to acknowledge these changes is what’s led to their own paranoid schizophrenia. Building a pillow fort with Confederate flags in their living room while chanting ‘blood and soil’ does not change the fact that the South lost the Civil War. No doubt we still have a long road ahead, but most Americans have come far enough to declare that people are not property or punching-bags or ladder rungs. The Alt-Right have padded their egos using this superiority complex to punch and fluff the minority ‘cushions’ under their derrieres. But now they are the ones under the sharp focus of (gasp) discrimination. Discrimination against inequality and violent rhetoric.
This bad behavior is being strung up as an intolerable example on social media. And the Alt-Right is feeling the acute discomfort of that mass public rejection. Evolution hard-wired humans to ‘think like the flock’. If you didn’t, you died. That’s led to rationalizations like, ‘slavery is acceptable’; ‘sexism is scientifically proven’; ‘desecration of your neighbor’s faith is honorable.’ This brain-washing machine was, unfortunately, left on the spin cycle for most of humankind’s development. And, it seems, our current POTUS’ development as well. But that’s a rant for another day.
Although intolerance is still gnashing its teeth, the ugly beast is slowly backing itself into a dead end alley. People are talking. People are coming together – just sometimes with too much force. In dealing with every aspect of this divide, the lives sacrificed are unnecessary. It is a loss felt deeper because of the senseless violence. But I hope the country will remain optimistic. The fiery conflicts we see on our television screens at night are proof that we’re squeezing in on the Alt-Right’s comfort zone.
There will be more heated exchanges, more blood, more tears, and this is why the pending years of America’s next big ‘growth spurt’ are going to take all the patience and compassion we can muster. We must continue to lead by example and breathe through those dark, infuriating moments to come; to look to the core of the problem before we become a part of it too. Because the biggest challenge is not the danger of taming a cornered, belligerent mongrel – it’s convincing the damn thing to turn around and see that there were never any walls to begin with.
If the name Val Emmich sounds familiar to you, it’s because you may have recently seen him on HBO’s Mick Jagger’s and Martin Scorsese’s produced TV show Vinyl, about a record executive in the 1970’s. Or you may remember him from other popular TV shows such as Ugly Betty, 30 Rock, and Cashmere Mafia. Or you may have stumbled upon some of his songs whilst watching an episode of Teen Wolf.
More recently, you may find Val Emmich in the bookstore in the form of his debut novel, The Reminders.
The plot is pretty straight forward, it’s told in alternating voices (something that Jennifer Niven loves to do in her novels as well), between Gavin Winters, an actor of a semi-popular TV show that has recently lost the love of his life and Joan Lennon Sully, a precocious ten-year old girl with a fascinating but rare neurological condition that allows her to recall every single detail of her life since the age of four.
Gavin and Joan’s lives meet when Gavin goes to visit his old college friends in New Jersey, as a way to escape a scandal in Los Angeles and in the meantime try to forget his time with his partner Sydney since the memories are too painful for him to move on. Meanwhile, Joan struggles with the notion of being forgotten after her grandmother has difficulty remembering her because of Alzheimer’s disease and yet can still recall all the lyrics of her favourite songs, which prompt her to believe that in order to be remembered she must write an amazing song just like John Lennon (her hero and namesake). Once Joan learns that Gavin used to be a musician, she attempts to persuade her into helping her write a memorable song if she in return shares with him her memories of his late love. Together, they forge a very dynamic and amusing bond.
The novel’s strength is that is has us pondering the importance of memories. Is it a curse to forget or is it an even bigger curse to remember? Ultimately, the reader will come up with their own conclusions on that as the characters each demonstrate the pros and cons of both of those throughout the novel. If you’re a music lover (in particular a Beatles fan) you’re going to love all the tidbits about them strewn throughout the novel. I particularly enjoyed being able to see the world with child-like wonder as Joan and then seeing the world from the eyes of an emotionally broken character such as Gavin. One of the best moments in the novel is when the two of them end up on the Mindy Love Show (that for some reason reminds me very much of The Wendy Williams Show) and how that goes drastically different from how both characters thought it would go, but as a reader it was hilarious although you’re left sort of cringing for the two characters at the same time.
If you’re hoping to get immersed in a music-filled ode to memories and the power they hold, then The Reminders is right up your ally. It’s a fun, light, but also thought-provoking book about love, loss, and what is worth fighting for, that will leave you missing the characters once you’re done.
Short Q & A with the Author:
Your book focuses on the importance of memory –what is one of your favourite childhood memories?
Joan in the book has an exceptional memory, but unfortunately my memory is terrible. I don’t have a specific favorite memory that sticks out in my mind but I remember moments when I was hanging out with friends and we’d laugh so hard that our stomachs would be in real pain. I haven’t had one of those painful laughs in ages and I miss it.
As an artist –the art of creation means that whatever you create will outlive you. Since you’ve dabbled in various mediums, which one do you think is the most representative of you?
At this point, if I stopped making art tomorrow, my music would be the thing that probably best encapsulates me as a person. Mainly because there’s so much of it and it spans more than half of my life, so you’d have a pretty comprehensive look at what I care about and how I’ve changed over time. But to get the truest sense of me as a person, I think you’d want to look at all my art together, in its various forms. It all tells a different part of my overall story.
The novel seems to be an ode to The Beatles, so it’s obvious to ask what is your favourite Beatles song?
I don’t have one and I’m suspicious of anyone who can choose just one. I can’t even pick my favorite album. What I love about them is their variety, the scope of their achievement. This relates to the previous question. The Beatles are a big, messy, evolving thing that becomes more complex and rewarding when taken as a whole. I’m sorry to dodge the question, but it’s the truth, I can’t choose. Nor can I choose a favorite member of the band. Contrary to what one may think from reading my book, it’s not necessarily John Lennon. I love all four of them and I love how they balanced each other out and formed a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts.
The whole time I was reading, The Reminders, I kept thinking about how Matt Bomer would be perfect for the role of Gavin Winters in a movie adaptation. Who would you think would best portray the character?
I think Matt Bomer would be great. I hadn’t thought of him. Well done. The novel has in fact been optioned for a film and when I flew to Los Angeles to meet the creative team they asked me this same question and I didn’t have an answer. They mentioned Ryan Gosling, probably just to get the conversation started. I thought that would be interesting. My wife would want it to be Gael Garcia Bernal just so she could meet him.
I think that anyone who’s read The Reminders, will agree that the real scene stealer is Joan, the little girl with the incredible memory. I really enjoyed reading her chapters and wonder if there may be a possible future for her in later books or not?
Anything is possible. I don’t have any plans for a followup right now but I’ve been getting this question a lot and I’m flattered that people would be interested in reading more. Maybe down the line. I’ve already started writing a new novel with different characters and so that’s my focus for the time being.
The Inkblotters 