Skins UK series 5 episode 1

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this series. I'm not a big fan of change and am a little put off by how they change casts every two years. For generation 2, it was easier to accept because of the link between them (Effy). Other than being in the same place, this generation seems to have no connection to the other two and, because of that, I felt no real desire to watch them. The initial pictures and promos were not that appealing. It wasn't until a few weeks ago, that more previews started being shown and it began to look interesting.

Skins US episode 2

I just finished watching episode 2 of the US Skins.

It was titled 'Tea' after the shows only original character. The episode itself was kind of blah- Tea likes girls but just doesn't find them stimulating. It's not much of a plot and it showed. It also showcased the actress's lack of acting ability, though I do have to say that I still like her character.

Hard Candy 1,000 Lashes mascara

I really hate Walmart, but I braved it the other day to see what Hard Candy stuff they had. I had actually forgotten about Hard Candy until I saw a video that mentioned their products. The shelves were pretty bare, so I only got the 1,000 Lashes Fiberized Lash Weave Mascara in Heart Throb Pink.

 It's hard to see, but the mascara tube looks like a lip gloss with the pinched flat end.

Hello Kitty palette review

I got my Hello Kitty stuff from Sephora.

They are very cute, though I have to say that I thought that the brush set would be bigger. It's also very shiny. The two pearly white Hello Kitties are the palettes. I got the Happy Fun (green) palette and the Super Fun (purple) palette. Sadly, these palettes kind of suck.

Happy Fun palette shadow and lip gloss

Katy Perry OPI nail polish

This morning I picked up one of the colors from the Katy Perry OPI nail polish collection called Not Like The Movies. Every place I've looked that has a description of it calls it a metallic silver. It doesn't look at all silver to me. It actually looks like a silvery purple in one light and then a greenish when you move it. There's also a sparkle to it no matter which direction you look at it. It's actually a pretty awesome color. It kind of reminds me of an oil slick in the bottle. It's not as dark on as it is in the bottle. It was incredibly light with just one coat and I had to put on 3 coats to get a good semi-dark color. I don't know how long it will last because I just put it on but, so far, I really like this.

 After one coat

 This is the best picture I could get that showed the green and purple. It also shows the green look on the nails.

The dual color on the nails.

Sugarpill Review

I first saw Sugarpill on a facebook ad. Then I saw a lot of gurus on youtube using it. It was so colorful so I ordered some right after Christmas. Then I ordered some more a week or so later.

The packaging is so cute. Even the box it shipped in was cute. I got different colored stickers in each box and I love the blue one. I also got a sample loose shadow in each box- both times Birthday Girl- and it had it's own cute packaging. I love the graphic on the palette box and want to keep at least one. It's actually good they only have one picture they use for that box because I'd have to keep all of them if they were different.

The colors of both the pressed and loose eye shadows are amazing. They are also very well represented on the website.

 Loose Shadow: Junebug and Goldilux

 Loose Shadow (sample): Birthday Girl

Palettes: Sweetheart and Burning Heart
(Dollipop looks purple, but is actually bright pink)

Swatches of the palettes without primer

Dollipop, Afterparty, Midori, and Tako

Flamepoint, Buttercupcake, Love+, Poison Plum

Swatches with primer (UDPP)

Flamepoint, Buttercupcake, Love+, Poison Plum

 Dollipop, Afterparty, Midori, and Tako

Loose Eyeshadow (dry, no primer)

Junebug, Goldilux, Birthday Girl

I have nothing like these colors. With the others, even the ones that look bright in the pan don't look as bright on. As you can tell, the pressed shadows look just as pigmented without any primer. The only one I had something like was Birthday Girl so I swatched those to compare.

Sugarpill's Birthday Girl, HIP's pink pigment, Urban Decay's Asphyxia

Birthday Girl is a little lighter than the others and less hot pink. It's also got a glitter look. While the others have a sheen, they don't have the sparkles that Birthday Girl. If you want a light pink that doesn't have that hot pink look, Birthday Girl is awesome.

I've only used a few colors so far- Dollipop and Love+. They stayed on my eyes for about 12 hours without coming off. They did stain my eyelids, but the next day it was fine.

Overall, I LOVE Sugarpill. I will definitely buy from them again. They are reasonably priced for the size. The loose shadows are bigger than the HIP pigments and cost the same thing. If you love bright colors, Sugarpill is amazing. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was that the Cold Heart palette that I didn't get has only one color that is not in the other 2 palettes. I also wish that there was a tracking option for the site because I'm obsessed with tracking packages I've ordered, but it's not something that would stop me from ordering.

Skins US

I discovered Skins during the first series when I was looking for shows like The OC. It was nothing like The OC. Instead it reminded me a little of the short lived Life As We Know It. But I got hooked by the characters and the drama. I've watched every series thus far and enjoyed most of it (the exception being series 4). When I found out about MTV making their own remake of Skins, I was very very skeptical. From the early commercials, it looked like an almost scene-for-scene remake of series 1 and I thought that was stupid and unnecessary. I just didn't see why they would remake an already existing series instead of create completely new characters and situations, even using the Skins name.

I've been a little excited about it lately (I'm also more excited about series 5 in the UK as well). It's supposed to go away from the content of series 1 and do its own stuff. I guess it's going to have as many episodes as a regular US season is, rather than just the 8 that were in series 1. Personally, I thought 8 episodes wasn't enough to really get into the characters.

I didn't get to watch it last night, so I watched it this morning. From the description, this is the exact episode 1 from series 1 in the UK Skins, with only half the names being changed from the original. Of course, I don't have time to do a side by side scene comparison and it has been a while since I watched that episode, but if anyone wants to watch it, it is available on Netflix streaming.

The biggest changes in this show are Tea, the lesbian cheerleader, instead of Maxxie and how they wrote Cadie (the Cassie character from series 1). Other than a few minor things, like the Cadie/Stan scene at school, it really was practically identical in this episode. Because of that, I can't really critique the episode story other than to say that I think they could have done something different than copy it. The actors are the big thing here, as well as the tone of the show.

To make this easier, because a lot of it is comparison, I'll just bullet point it.

• The character I liked the most is Tea. I think she's a good addition to the show- far more interesting than I found Maxxie to be- and I'm really good with that change. 
• As of this first episode, the character I don't like is Cadie. Instead of the whimsical character of Cassie, she's just crazy. If the show weren't a remake of UK series 1, I wouldn't be bothered by this, but why would you bother to use existing characters if your characters aren't going to be the same. Maybe it's because of the almost exact replica of the episode and I might start to like her when it deviates from the original. I do reserve the right to change my mind about her later.
• I do like the other characters, some more than the originals and some less. James Newman's Tony is not as charismatic as Nicholas Hoult's Tony. I definitely like Rachel Thevenard's Michelle much better. I never liked Jal, so Daisy is a big improvement. The rest I like about the same. As time goes on, I may change those opinions, too.
• Overall, I think the show manages to capture the feel of the less-censored UK Skins. They did a good job of giving the viewers the impression without the showing. The biggest example is the woman Tony would watch through the window. While she was naked, she was covered by the window frame. The only thing that threw me off was the bleeped "fuck" that happened twice that I counted. Honestly, I'd prefer they say "shit" or something else they can actually say on TV instead of throwing in "fuck" but having to bleep it. Possibly a DVD release won't be bleeped.
• Some random things I noticed: The song Tony sang for choir was the same as the theme for The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Tony also looks a little like Penn Badgley.

I've got to say that I don't hate the show, though I can't say that I love it right now. I just don't want to watch the same show with different people and hope this is the only episode they copied. As long as it deviates from the source material, I think I'll enjoy it more. I am going to continue watching- at least for now.

Hot Topic Nail Polish Review

Someone gave me this nail polish. I should have known it wouldn't be great because it's from Hot Topic. I'm not sure if it even has a brand. There is also no color name on the bottle. But I like the bright blue color.

The first time I tried it, I didn't put a base coat or a top coat on it. It went on pretty easily and dried quickly. It was matte and I actually really liked the look. It started chipping right away and just a couple days later it was completely gone.

Next time I tried it with a base coat and top coat (Sally Hansen Double Duty). It actually went on worse with the base coat- not as smooth or even. But with a few coats it evened out and looked pretty good. I put a top coat on which took away the matte finish. Still, I liked the color. It lasted a little longer than it had the previous time, but as soon as I took a shower, it started peeling off. It reminded me of the Tinkerbell Bo-Po peel off nail polish that I had as a kid. It just folded over and came right off at least half my fingers.
*Edit 1/20/11: After having my nail polish just peel off with a different brand, I have to think this is the result of the Sally Hansen Double Duty and not the Hot Topic nail polish.*
 
I really hate that this nail polish does not last because I like the color. I also have a neon green I haven't opened. If you wanted to have this on for the night only, it'd be great. They're only $2.99 on the Hot Topic site and they have things like black light polish, glitter polish and scented polish. But if you want to wear it for more than one day, it sucks.

Kaboom

I've been a fan of Gregg Araki's for years. I saw Nowhere when it came out on VHS (still no DVD... kind of annoying), The Doom Generation right after that and have been a fan ever since. It's been about 10 years since he had something that was really his and I'm excited.

Sadly, I don't live in a place that gets limited release movies. I also don't have cable with On Demand (I was told that it would be playing on IFC On Demand) and have to see if my parents have it. And as far as I know, there's no US release for a DVD planned. There is apparently going to be a French one in March. I might have to get it (I already have a French copy of Nowhere on DVD) even though my Region 2 options are limited.

I also have to get the US release poster.

I already have the French one.

Sugarpill Look

I've had my Sugarpill palettes, Burning Heart and Sweetheart, for a week or so. I've also ordered Junebug and Goldilux, so I'm going to wait for those to swatch them. But I used them today for a look so I thought I'd take a few pics. I love this stuff and I can't wait for my loose shadows to arrive. I fell in love with Junebug in all the tutorials I've seen and can't wait to use it.

It's pretty basic. Dollipop on the lid, Love+ on the outer lid, crease and lower lashline, Tako as a brow highlight (I still had Love+ on the brush when I added Tako and blended it down)

Also used: Urban Decay Primer Potion, Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero on lashline and waterline and Urban Decay Polyester Bride on the inner corners

Hello Kitty at Sephora

I just got off the phone with Sephora.

I had to place my order over the phone because the website crashed. So did the system they use over the phone. But they called me back when it came up to finish my order. It was the most trouble I've ever gone through to place an order for something. And it was because I wanted the Hello Kitty stuff that just came out.

I had signed up to get an email telling me when the line came out. I didn't get an email, but happened to check the site and it was there. I picked up the brush set, compact mirror, the roller ball fragrance, and the two palettes. Really I tried to get the stuff that actually had Hello Kitty rather than just the name. I wanted the big Hello Kitty fragrance with the spray bottle, but it was a little much considering I was getting the other stuff. I did ask if they were limited and the guy on the phone told me they were permanent line, so I can wait.

The Songs in My Head

I've been listening to the radio a lot lately. I have Sirius at work and on my phone. A lot of the time I listen to Cosmo radio, but sometimes I don't want talk. In that case, I listen to First Wave. For the most part it is eighties alternative with a few from the seventies or nineties. I've discovered some really great songs that I love.

Kiss Off- Violent Femmes

Metro- Berlin

Don't Let's Start- They Might Be Giants

I do actually listen to newer music, too. One of my favorite new bands was one I didn't expect- The Pretty Reckless. I don't usually have much faith in actresses turned singers, but Taylor Momsen is an amazing singer.

Products I don't like

I try to be careful about what I buy. I hate to buy something and barely use it or find that it doesn't do what it said it would. But it happens and I'll share a few of those things now.

Skin Care

• Pretty much any Neutrogena face product: I have really sensitive skin, especially on my face. I have never once tried a Neutrogena face product that did not break out my skin. I was really excited when the Wave came out because I love the design of it, but the pads made my skin terrible. So did any other face cleanser or cream I used. 
• Benefit Eyecon: It's supposed to fade dark circles and smooth fine lines. It doesn't do that for me. I've been using it for a month with absolutely no change. My eyes are just as dark. My lines have not decreased. It doesn't hurt, but it doesn't help.

Makeup

• CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain: I got mine in Nude Kiss and maybe it's just too light, but I never get any color out of it. It dried out really quickly and doesn't feel good putting it on. It does smell good, though.
• Bare Escentuals Brushless Mascara: I just did not like the way this went on. I also thought it looked messy.

Nails

• Sally Hansen Color Quick Nail Color Pen: This wasn't any easier to use than the regular kind of nail polish. It is fast drying and would start to get tacky before I finished a nail so the color went on poorly. I can also see the brush getting nasty.

Hair

• TRESemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo: It just made my hair sticky and even more unclean feeling than before I used it.

Home

•  Shoes Under: If you have anything buy tiny shoes, this will not fit them. I thought it would have hard sides but it doesn't so it looks nothing like the neat box the pictures show. 
• Chef Basket Deluxe: This is would work if you had a pot just the right size for it (both of mine were too small) and if the food you are cooking is large (spaghetti noodles slid right through the holes). It was also hard to dump out the food once it was done cooking. I spilled a lot of noodles on the counter.

A different color

It's only been a few months but I'm saying goodbye to my blond hair.

It was such a pain to maintain a color that light. My hair is naturally brown and I really don't want to have to work so hard to keep up a hair color. I dyed it so much for this color (and it never got exactly how I wanted it) that it started breaking off. So I'm going darker.

I picked Natural Instincts because it's a non-permanent color. I'd probably be bald if I did anything more to my hair. I also haven't had dark hair in a long time and this way I don't have to live with it if I don't like it.

NYX swatches

I stopped by Ulta on my way home last night and picked up some jumbo eye pencils, a lip pencil and lipstick from NYX. I don't have much from NYX, but I really do like their colors.

 Jumbo Eye Pencil: Purple, Pure Gold, Electric Blue

The colors look really good. The gold is a little shimmery. The only problem I had is that the purple doesn't look purple at all when you look at the pencil. It looked more royal blue. It did go on purple, though.

I'm used to a lot of color on my eyes, but I usually don't have much color on my lips. I wanted a red, though. I wasn't really sure if it was the look for me and didn't want anything too expensive. NYX has some really good red colors and this is what I got.

 Lip Pencil: Plush Red

Lipstick: Chaos

Urban Decay swatches

I got a chance to swatch the Urban Decay stuff I got in yesterday. I'll have to try to replace some of the pics because I've been having to use my phone camera right now and it's not great.

 Matte Eyeshadow: Narcotic and Chronic (first with UDPP and then without)

 Smoke Out eye pencil: Purple Haze and Mary Jane

 The bottle for the loose pigments. The bottle has its own brush to apply the pigments. It's still messy, though.

 Goddess, Graffiti, X, Asphyxia, Baked, Smog

 Yeyo, Shattered, Shag, Protest, Rockstar, Gunmetal

And even though I didn't get this with the rest of my stuff yesterday, I thought I'd go ahead and swatch the Black Palette I got earlier.

The colors are: Black Dog, Barracuda, Jet, Sabbath, Cobra, Libertine

 Without primer

 With UDPP

A Good Deal on Urban Decay

 I guess this will be both a haul of Urban Decay and a review of a website.

I saw an advertisement for Haute Look on facebook's sidebar and signed up. It's one of those member sites that are free to join and they do discounts randomly on various brands. Some things aren't that good of a deal, like the Stila travel palettes that they charged $10 each for and so does everyone else (I still bought the palettes because they weren't more expensive).

Other times they have good prices on things. This particular time I bought from them, they had $2 Urban Decay products. Like all these sites they have limited quantities and they let you hold something in your basket for 15 minutes before removing it. I waited around for 15 minutes for some things but I still kept missing the brushes so I didn't get any of those. What I did get was a bunch of pigments, a few matte eye shadows and a few Smoke Out eye pencils. I got every pigment they offered (12 of them) and two of the shadows and liners. I actually was going to order more but there was a limit to how much I could have in my cart.

I like Haute Look. I particularly look at the brands that I know, but they have a lot of other makeup brands as well as other things like home stuff, clothes and shoes (which I don't know much about so I can't say anything for how good of a deal they offer). I've had to call their customer service about an order and they were very helpful both on the phone and the live chat. The only thing that sucks is not being able to get something because they ran out or it's in someone else's cart.

e.l.f. Studio Complexion Perfection

I've been using the e.l.f. Studio Complexion Perfection powder for about a week. It's got four different colors that are supposed to even out your complexion, which was something I was really interested in. I naturally have an incredibly red face. I actually use green tinted primer just to take some of that away. And this product was only $3 at Target.

And I have to say that I really like it. My face doesn't look nearly as red, even today when I forgot to put on primer under my foundation. The powder wasn't chalky on my face, but kept my face from looking shiny later in the day. Previously I had been using the Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder and my face would look greasy halfway through the day. With the elf one, I don't have to worry about having to reapply powder several times during the day.

It is kind of messy. As soon as I put my brush into it, dust started flying up and the case got really messy.

But overall, I think this is a great product and for $3 it wouldn't be bad just to try out and see if it works. I will definitely get this again.

A New Year

It's the first day of 2011. I had the day off work. I didn't have to go anywhere or do anything... so I spent the day cleaning. Truthfully I didn't get as much done as I wanted to, but I do have a spotless kitchen counter and a mostly clean guest room amongst other things. But this was all part of my new year's resolution, which is basically to get my shit together.

I also have another new year's resolution. I'm going to try cooking more. I almost never cook now so even one day a week is significantly better than what I'm currently doing. There are tons of cookbooks in my kitchen just waiting to be used. I also got a Xpress Redi Set Go Cooker for Christmas.

Hopefully I can do at least this much.