My First Coastal Scents Order and UD Naked Palettes Dupes

Hey everyone,

Was super excited when I got home from work today to discover the spoils of Black Friday online shopping had finally arrived.

Ordered the two Revealed Palettes, a blending brush and two single shadows or "Hot Pots."

The two Revealed palettes I have been wanting to pick up for quite some time as I have heard a lot of people say that they are dupes for the three Urban Decay Naked palettes. You can check out several blog posts about this here, here and here. I really like these palettes and have been using them literally every day since I got them a about a week ago. There are some shades that are a bit chunky or powdery, but overall the shadows are very bendable and I like the texture and overall feel of them. Normally these palettes retail for $19.95 each.

So far I am really loving the hot pots, I bought mine in Flesh Tone which is described as "a neutral pale, beige hue with a golden shimmer finish", and Dark Chocolate which is a "warm, deep taupe hue with a satin finish." They are super creamy and bendable and I think that they are just absolutely incredible quality for the price. These individual shadows are only $1.95 each at full price, I got them on sale for 50% off so they came out to 97 cents each. They are very comparable to Mac or Makeup Geek eyeshadows. Certainly worth trying.

Both the individual shadows and palettes have pretty decent lasting power on there own and longer when paired with a primer. The longest I have worn these were for 12 hours, maybe longer, and they held up to the challenge of my long and busy days.

Finally, I picked up the Pro Fluff Blending Brush because it looked vary comparable to the Mac 217 and I figured I would give it a try. Full price is $4.95. It works really well to blend my transition or crease shade and it doesn't make my shadows patchy or anything. It is made from goat hair so if that is a problem for you, letting you know. The hairs are a bit scratchy but I used a bit of conditioner on the brush and it didn't scratch any more.

Keep in mind that Coastal Scents do have sales fairly often so if you are looking to try something there is a high chance you can get it for cheaper.

So overall I am loving the results of this order. I hope you got some useful information or tips out of this review and talk to you later.

<3 Kimmie

Holiday Makeup Haul

Pretty excited because this year was the first time I had money to really spend around the holidays and splurged on getting myself some of the holiday collections. This was over a couple weeks of collecting stuff. Enjoy :) 

Tarte Bon Voyage kit from Sephora. You get 20 eyeshadows, a full sized lip gloss, full sized lip stain, a sample of Lights Camera Lashes mascara, a sample size limited edition cheek stain, sample marajuca oil and sample of the finishing powder. The shadows have good color payoff and are smooth. Haven't tried much else yet out of the set though. Full review on Temptalia here.

   

This is the Too Faced Everything Nice palette and I have been loving it. Occasionally the shadows blend weird but I love the color variety and it comes with the Chocolate Soleil bronzer which I have been loving along with the Papa Don't Peach blush. Full palette review on Temptalia here. 

Too Faced La Belle Carousel. This one the packaging is just so ridiculously cute. I love how you have seperate little sections that you could take on the run. You get three eyeshadow quads, two blush/bronzer duos and a sample of the Better than Sex mascara. Check out Temptalia's review here.

bareMinerals The Magic Act Palette. Can't express how much I have been loving this palette, I have pretty much been using it every day since I got it and it has been spending a lot of quality time in my purse lol. I talk about one of my favorite looks with this palette here. And Temptalia does a full review here.

bareMinerals READY Convertible Eye Shadow Palette 2014. This palette is pretty fun because you can move shadows around and take out the little section and throw it in your purse. Karen from Makeup and Beauty blog does a review here.

Benefit Cheeky Sweet Spot. This one I was pretty excited for because I don't own any of the Benefit Box o Powders and in this palette you get Dandelion, Bella Bamba, Sugar Bomb, Rockateur, Coralista, Hoolah and a sample of Watts Up highlighter. Full review here.

Mac Holiday Keepsakes Plum Eye bag. This bag was actually a gift from my sister because I was obsessing over the eyeshadow duo and the lighter shade "Triple Impact" in particular. It is the most beautiful eyeshadow I think I have ever seen. It is a described as "Opalescent Pink" but it also has shades of purple and blue and it is just so incredibly beautiful. See swatches here.

Hope you enjoyed my first ever haul post. Hugs from my computer to your,

<3 Kimmie

Love at Stake Series Review

Hey guys, I'm back to do another series review for you. *Yes, it is another romance novel series* This one will be pretty short because I mostly just wanted to get something out for you guys and as I said in my last post I have been swamped lately. So here we go!

Much like the Dark Hunter series which I reviewed the Love at Stake series is also based in the paranormal/supernatural genre. However, this series bases mostly in just vampires and wear animals and doesn't expand too much outside of that zone. Even though the world it is set in isn't as complex as the DH world, it is still a fairly interesting and a bit more relate-able considering it is mostly based in New York.

This series is more on the comedic side of things, it definetly makes you laugh with the humor in the writing. There are currently 15 books in the series, including two novella/mini story books. Check out the complete reading list and summaries here. My favorite books so far in the series are "How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire" and "All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire." They all have pretty punny titles.

Generally, I feel like this series would also target the same audience as the Dark Hunter series. Side note: the three main romance novel series that fall in this paranormal catagory are: the Dark Hunter series, Love at Stake series and "the Others" series. I may wind up doing a post on my favorite romance novels/what is on my kindle/bookshelf. Let me know if you think that would be fun.

Overall, the characters are pretty well developed with decent backstories. While the basic outline of the sories can be generic or a bit "jolty" (some books I feel end too fast or just don't 100% follow through). But in the end this is a decent series if you are looking for a fun, whitty read.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

<3 Kimmie

Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon Review

I think it is safe to say that anyone who is even remotely familiar with the horror genera has heard of the iconic character “Hannibal Lecter,” more commonly known as “Hannibal the Cannibal.”

But, what you may have not known is that the movie that made this character so iconic and forever instilled Anthony Hopkins in the thriller hall of fame, is actually the middle in a trilogy. The movies in chronological (timeline) order are: Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs and finally, Hannibal. Side note: these are only the films with Anthony Hopkins portrayal of Hannibal. There are several other films about the character of Hannibal including “Hannibal Rising” in 2007. And another side note: I have yet to watch Hannibal yet, so I will most likely post a second half to this review after I watch Hannibal. As my usual MO this will go: brief overview of the movie and main points, the villains, high and low points and my overall opinion. So sit back and relax as we dive into the world of the chilling Hannibal.

 Red Dragon, was released in 2002 and was actually the third movie to be released, 11 years after Silence of the Lambs in 1991 and one year after Hannibal in 2001. Red Dragon features Edward Norton as the hero, former FBI agent Will Graham and Ralph Fiennes (more commonly known as Voldemort) as the villain Francis Dolarhyde a.k.a. the “Tooth Fairy” as he is referred to by the FBI. The summary on IMDB says “A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down "The Tooth Fairy", a mysterious serial killer; aiding him is imprisoned criminal genius Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter.” The movie opens with a short sequence of how Hannibal got caught, arrested and imprisoned after being found out by Graham and almost killing each other and then the fun ensues. You also get to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman as a nosey paparazzi who gets set on fire.

Moving onto a brief overview of Silence of the Lambs. The official summery says “A young F.B.I. cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.” This movie shows a young Jodie Foster as F.B.I. cadet Clarice Starling who tries to get Hannibal to help them catch killer “Buffalo Bill” before he can kill a senetor’s daughter and use her skin to finish making his, ahem, skin suit. As disgusting as it sounds, you actually see very little gore. As the case progresses Clarice finds out that Hannibal actually knows the killer and Buffalo Bill used to be one of his clients DUN DUN DUUUUUN.

Let’s talk about the villains. One, Francis Dolarhyde is obsessed with this painting of a dragon and is convinced that by killing these married women that they are being “reborn” and he becomes more a part of this dragon. Did I mention he has some serious issues after being verbally and mentally abused by his mean grandma? No? Well that explains a large portion of his issues I’d say. Anyone who says that Voldemort is Fiennes best roll needs to sit their bum down and watch Red Dragon because I beg to differ. Don’t like thrillers but just like Ralph Fiennes? Well you get to see his completely naked, aside from tattoos, backside…TWICE! So hey there is fun for everyone!

Second, Buffalo Bill. Personally I feel like Buffalo Bill isn’t as present in the story line as Dolarhyde is in Red Dragon. You don’t see as much of his backstory and I feel like there isn’t as much depth to his character as there could be. However, that does not mean there is no insight whatsoever. You do wind up finding out more reasoning behind why he is hunting the women, but I won’t spoil that for you.

Finally, Hannibal. Hopkins transforms into a cold and calculated killer flawlessly and his performance is absolutely chilling how well he did this role. I now understand why he received so much recognition over these films. What I like is that Hannibal isn’t the kind of villain who is going to run up and shoot you in the face, he gets inside your head and toys with your mind.

My final opinion: The only downside is the length of the movies for me. At a 118 and 124 minutes they are not short by any means and for some it may be difficult to sit through a movie that long. Also, the movie isn’t anything like a Michael Bay film with crap blowing up every two seconds, you have to commit to watching the movie because it is a slow build up. Overall, these movies are amazing psychological thrillers that are worth the watch. If nothing else, check out the main of the three: Silence of the Lambs. The characters are so complex and Hopkins shines, in a sense, and I can’t believe I hadn’t seen any of the movies until a few months ago (I must have been living under a freaking rock!) Two thumbs up in my book.

Dark Hunter Series Review

Imagine entering a world where all the demons, beasties and gods and goddesses that we learned about in mythology were real. In Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series, she develops the most incredible world of myth’s, magic and fantasy. In her world the Greek God, Apollo developed a race, which he called “Apollites”, which he felt were superior to humans. However, when a couple Apollites killed his pregnant mistress, Apollo, in a fit of rage, cursed all the Apollites to die a slow, agonizing death at the age of 27 (the age of his mistress). Eventually the race discovered how to steal human souls to prolong their lives.

In response to this new threat on humanity, Apollo’s sister Artemis, created a group of warriors called “Dark Hunters”. Dark Hunters were created when someone died and their soul cried out for revenge, Artemis would grant them that revenge and immortality in exchange for their soul and becoming an eternal warrior.

The Dark Hunter series is one of my favorite books series of all time. Sherrilyn Kenyon is a brilliant writer who can make you laugh out loud, cry and truly become invested in the characters and their journey. The world that Sherrilyn has created within the pages of her books is incredible to say the least! The extensive amount of research she must have done to blend so many different myths and cultural lore is mind boggling.

If you like myth, fantasy, suspense, mystery, action or romance, or all of the above, you will definitely love this series! For all those out there reading this review, keep in mind these books are romance novels, meaning they do have sex scenes. If you don’t like those kinds of books then I am sorry, or you could just skim over those parts. Unlike a lot of romance novels I have seen out there, the ones I read are focused more on the story line and plot. I love the fact that the scenes that she does put in actually kinda further the plot a bit and they don’t consume it or take it over.

I honestly cannot say enough good things about this series; I just truly love it so much. I own all the books, even the companion. The only downside for some people could be the fact that it is a romance novel, I know a lot of guys who tease me and call them chick novels or smut novels, but whatever.

All in all, if you are looking for an amazing mystery, paranormal, fantasy novel and are willing to put up with a few sex scenes then you should definitely check out this series.

Thing Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Book Review

Things Fall Apart is a wonderful African Literature novel that discusses the lifestyle of an African village, Umuofia and the struggles of the main character Okonkwo. The novel also discusses the impact upon African indigenous tribes and religion when the imperialists and missionaries moved into Africa to “educate the savages.”

I really like this book, even though there are some really screwed up parts, it is a brutally honest representation of what life was like.

The book centers on Okonkwo, a powerful man and warrior in this village who has three wives, two titles, several children and a large compound.  Okonkwo is the kind of man who rules his house with a heavy hand. He despises laziness and really anything that reminds him of his father who died shamefully and in debt. (Okonkwo has daddy issues.) However, his fatal character flaw is that he is so overly masculine, he beats his wife when it isn’t “justified” by their culture, but just because he is upset and he refuses to let himself show any emotion.

Following Okonkwo, you can see how he struggles with himself and how he feels he must keep up this appearance of being overly masculine to be everything his father isn’t. He has this whole struggle of man vs. self, man vs. society and man vs. destiny. Okonkwo’s struggle is seen at many points throughout the story and in the end I feel like it is what leads to his downfall because he is so rigid and unable to adapt that he becomes obsolete when the western culture moves in. So if you like historical fiction and viewing other cultures then you should definitely give this book a try.

I did want to make one note, this book does include scenes where Okonkwo beats his wife and there are traits of sexism, however I ask you to keep in mind that this novel is set. The entire world was sexist towards women so you have to take that with a grain of salt and realize that Achebe is merely portraying the culture as it was.

Cry Baby - Movie Review

Hey everyone! So I wanted to do a quick review about a movie that I got to watch the other night for the first time. Cry Baby staring Johnny Depp and Amy Locane.

It was very well done at dramatizing what life was like during that time and I thought that it was a very interesting movie and story line. I did really like the movie and this is all just my personal opinion and reaction to the movie.

The story focuses on the two opposing groups: the Drabs (a.k.a. Greasers/low end kind of people) and the Squares (Socs/preppy, well brought up people) in a similar way to other movies like the Outsiders. In the beginning of the movie the female lead, Allison (Locane), says "I'm so sick of being good" and walks over to talk to Cry Baby's (Depp) gang. So at the beginning we see the good girl wanting to go over to the "bad side" and the "bad boy" starting to fall for her. I feel like this whole "falling for each other" thing happened way way to fast within like the first 30 minutes. It was like "oh your different I love you so much even though I pretty much just met you."

At first I really just could not get over that dramatization and just how cheesy the acting was. In fact almost the entire time I was sitting through the movie I kept going "....Huh? What?" due to the dramatization. It is really cheesy and I feel like the acting was a bit overdone and just ".....what?..." worthy. However, this actually came together very well and actually works for the movie and its storyline.

When it came to characters, Amy Locane's character Allison kind of pissed me off a bit. If you think about it she was a tad slutty. This woman rides off on the back of a motorcycle with a boy she has only had one short conversation with and then makes out with him and says she loves him and...you get the picture. Then, something happens (not going to spoil it if you haven't seen it), and she instantly goes back to her ex who is responsible for the event that I won't mention. But she just runs back to him despite her grandma, who used to be super anti-drab, telling her to think it over. THEN, she goes back to Cry Baby less than 30 minutes later in the movie!

Cry Baby's character was really interestingly put together about why he cries one tear each day, essentially in tribute to his parents. Plus, Johnny Depp is just plane amazing in this role. (Johnny Depp as a greaser, seriously! Drool fest!)

One of the other characters I fell in love with watching this movie was Traci Lords as Wanda Woodward. I just love her attitude and spunk and HER CLOTHES!!!! She is absolutely beautiful and I kind of wanted to be here after watching the film.

Overall, I really liked this movie, it just takes a bit to get past the over dramatizations and cheesiness. I would really recommend this if you haven't seen it yet!

Doctor Who Season 1

I officially completed the first season of the Doctor Who reboot with Christopher Eccleston.

I have to say I really liked it. At first I wasn't sure what I thought about it and it took me till about the third episode in to really get into the show and to find myself wanting to know what happened next. The characters we meet are fun and exciting even though a lot of people screw up in various episodes. I really liked Jack Harkness, the whore of the universe lol. He flirts with everyone and screws everything that moves haha but he adds a good balance to the gang.

As for the Doctor and his companion: I liked Eccleston as the Doctor and how bipolar he was because it shows how haunted he is by his past and but he still tries to be fun and happy despite everything that he has been through. As for Rose, I think she can be a bit annoying at times but she has good chemistry with the Doctor.

I'm really looking forward to the next season and seeing David Tennant as the Doctor since he is a favorite for a lot of people.