She's G.A.L. blush brush review

I hadn't intended to review the She's G.A.L. blush brush, which is why I don't have a picture of it in the package. But I really felt like it after using it.

First off, the packaging is that awful sealed plastic that is so hard to open. But I'm used to buying electronics and stuff that comes like that so I have plenty of scissors.

It is such a cute brush. I love the purple tip on the bristles. Sadly, the cuteness is as good as it gets for me. The bristles felt kind of like a thin, softer version of fishing wire. They weren't soft at all. I've gotten other cheap brushes (this was $9.99) and they were fine, so that was not an acceptable reason for this one.

I tried to use it in a brand new blush (MAC mineralize blush in Giggly) and it kicked up so much dust, but none of it got on the brush. I tried to it put on, and the color was pink enough that it should have shown up if there was something on the brush, but there was nothing there. This is just a bad brush.

My favorite teen movies

I was listening to Cosmo Radio a few days ago and there was an interview with Molly Ringwald. Of course, there were some questions about her 80s movies and it got me thinking about my favorite teen movies. My teens were in the 90s, so most of mine are from then.

Easy A is my most recent favorite teen movie. I thought this one was smart as well as funny... much different from the current Disney-type teen movies that have been coming out.

Starry palette swatches

I got these Starry flower-looking palettes at Rite Aid for $5.99. They were on the seasonal display rack, so I guess they are limited but I don't know because I can't find a website for them.

I actually think these are worth getting, even if a few of the colors are repeated across the palettes. The shadows are pretty good and the blushes are decent... but the lip gloss sucks (They felt so sticky I didn't want to swatch them on my arm).

Illamasqua Toxic Nature Cream Pigment swatches

I almost didn't get any Cream Pigments because I wasn't thrilled with the liquid metals. I loved the colors, however, and I loved all the early reviews I saw of them.

Urban Decay Rollergirl swatches

I almost didn't get this palette because I hate that Urban Decay puts the same shadows in almost every palette so you end up with several palettes and only one or two different shades. I did decided to get the Rollergirl palette with the 15% off coupon at Sephora because I liked that it came with the Lip Junkie lipgloss (I've never tried one before) and the Whiskey 24/7 liner. I also only have one of the four colors, though 3 are available in other palettes or alone.

I really like the 70s design of the package. I also like the name in general... it reminds me of Boogie Nights.

Tokidoki Sodashop Palette (and others) swatches

Tokidoki has got to be the cutest brand ever. It totally appeals to the part of me that still likes anime. I've never seen any of it, but the brand has a whole lot of other stuff besides makeup. I never paid attention to it at Sephora until recently because I love the brushes. So I picked up the Sodashop palette, a Perfetto eyeliner and the Pittura brush set.

Sodashop Palette

Drugstore swatches

I got a few things at Walgreens this week that I wanted to swatch.

First, I picked up the Milani 3D Glitzy Glamour Gloss in Stylish. It's not new, but they have an endcap display of Milani, so I always notice it.

Inglot swatches and first impression

I placed my very first order with Inglot over the weekend. I've been hearing good things about them for a while, but they only recently opened an online store. I honestly have no idea what I did before online shopping because I hate to order over the phone. So, with the addition of an online store, I was able to try Inglot. Right now they only do online ordering to the US and to Australia.

The website was slightly confusing at first. Instead of the online store being right there, you have to click on it in the top menu bar and it opens up another window. From there, you can start ordering.

They have a lot of options- face, lips, eyes, brushes, etc. What I decided to go with is the Freedom System. It allows you to pick the size of your palette as well as the colors that go in it. For my first time, I didn't want to go crazy so I picked the 3 eye shadow square palette. There are also ones that are bigger and even one that is a 2 square one. Then I picked the three shadows that I wanted.

Kitty pics

I felt like posting cute kitty pictures. Most are mine, but a few belong to my sister and my parents.

Scream 4

I saw Scream 4 on Sunday and I was actually excited to see it.

When I first heard they were making Scream 4, I thought that it was going to be something like Scream 3. I loathed Scream 3. What the hell was with a long lost brother neither we nor Sydney knew anything about? But as I heard more about it and the list of people in it grew, I started to become more interested. It seemed like the closest to the original.

I liked the original Scream, but I did get a little burnt out on it. I worked at the movie theater when that was out and I spent many a time hiding from work in that movie. So, while I liked the movie, I don't think of it as a movie of my youth. I think of it when I think of the job of my youth.

I'm also pretty good at separating a sequel from the original (like Crow II and S. Darko) and enjoying it for what it is without comparing.

Anyway... I liked Scream 4. Here are some reasons why:

• I liked seeing the original 3 characters after 10 years. It's like the Sweet Valley book- I want to know what happened to them.
• Emma Roberts was surprisingly good. While some of the acting wasn't that great (like the ex-boyfriend), I thought she was really good and believable through the whole thing.
• It was not, as Shenae Grimes's character says, "torture porn" like the currently popular movies like Saw. Other than one part, it wasn't even particularly gory. I don't have anything against gore if that's what I'm looking for, but I hate when movies are considered scary just because they are gross.
• It had some funny parts, like the beginning. I like a good mix in my movies, whether it's comedy and horror or comedy and action.
• While it was obviously modeled very closely after the first Scream, it had enough difference that I didn't know exactly what was going to happen. It also had enough similar that I could enjoy the references to the original story.
• I did not know who the killer was from the beginning of the movie. I spent a lot of time changing my mind and only figured it out right before it was revealed. And I was pleased with the outcome.

I did have one problem, though. How come it is so hard to attack the killer? If it were me, I'd carry a gun and as soon as I saw the killer in front of me, I'd shoot. But, even if I couldn't do that, how hard would it be to overpower the killer? Everyone that was a possible killer was not big enough that a police officer shouldn't be able to take them.

Nostalgia for Nickelodeon

I don't really know what's gotten into me lately. I've been really big on my nostalgia for the 90s (and some late 80s) these past few weeks- basically my Jr High years. So I was thinking about how I used to love Nickelodeon. Its teen block was amazing and so much better than TeenNick now (which only shows like one or two current shows, but are supposed to start showing some 90s shows sometime). Anyway, here are some of my favorites.

Just like everyone else, the one I remember most is Clarissa Explains it All. And of course, like most people, I wanted to dress like her too. As soon as it was announced on DVD, I preordered it.


Of course, I remember the original opening as well but couldn't find it on youtube. It is on one of the episodes on the DVD, though.

I also had this book, full of things like Good Names for Horses and Why I Hate Barbie.

Urban Decay swatches

At the end of March, Haute Look finally did another Urban Decay sale. And luckily their 8am start time is actually 10am for me and it's much easier to be waiting, so I was able to get everything I wanted for just $30.

Eyeshadow

Blush

Too Faced Romantic Eye palette and Candlelight swatches

I picked this up with a 25% off coupon for Ulta. I was actually considering getting one of the Urban Decay palettes, but I realized that I had several of those and none by Too Faced. I've also heard really good things about some of their other ones and the girl that I talked to at Ulta raved about the Romantic Eye palette.

Very first Birchbox

I got my first Birchbox last night.

For those that don't know, Birchbox is a monthly sample service. For $10 a month, they send you 4-5 deluxe beauty samples. I signed up for it last month after hearing a lot about it on youtube.

 This card lists all the products that are in the birchbox. I've actually never tried any of them and there are a few skincare, which is good because I'm looking for new stuff.

Boo

According to TV Squad, All My Children and One Life To Live have been canceled. ABC will have gone from 3 soaps to 1 (General Hospital) by January. They will be replaced with View clones, one ridiculously called 'The Chew.' I just don't think I could watch a show called 'The Chew,' nor could I ever tell anyone about it because I would feel silly just saying the name.

I'm especially upset about OLTL. I had quit watching AMC a long time ago and personally felt it really was bad. But OLTL had some really good elements. It was one of the only soaps that made good use of their older cast members- they seemed to be aware that people loved their core characters and kept giving them good storylines instead of shuffling them off to the background or getting rid of them altogether. They had some of the best relationships between characters, like Vicki and Dorian.

I hate that soaps keep getting canceled, even the ones I don't watch. It makes me scared for the ones I do watch (which was OLTL and GH, but I guess will only be GH soon), or the ones I have watched before and may want to go back to (Y&R and Days). I only really started watching soaps after I got out of high school and had time during the day, but that has been over 15 years. I feel like I know the characters and don't want to see them go.

I haven't felt this bummed out by a soap cancellation since Port Charles.

My favorite soundtracks and soundtrack songs

The theme this week for American Idol was 'songs from the movies.' I haven't been particularly impressed with American Idol this year (though I kind of have a few I'd rather see win) and kind of feel that it peaked with Adam Lambert. But it inspired me to think about what I would have picked as a soundtrack song if I had been on AI... then that lead to what are my favorite soundtrack songs?

First, there are a few soundtracks that I love that I just could not pick one song from.

The Craft has to be my #1 top soundtrack. I love pretty much every song on this CD

BSC Blast from the Past

After reading the new Sweet Valley book, I started looking back at some of the things I used to love when I was a kid. One of the places it led me back to was the Baby-Sitters Club. I started reading them when only a few were out and I couldn't wait for the new ones to come out. I even dabbled with Baby-Sitters Little Sister a few times. I also remember endlessly practicing the block letters that were in the logo (which is not part of the newest reprint).

I loved this cover and wanted Stacey's clothes so bad.

Unearthly Review

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Angels are the new thing and I decided to jump on that bandwagon.

I feel like this is what Twilight could have been if it had been written a lot better. Especially in the beginning of the book, I definitely got a Twilight feel, but everything was much more dynamic. And after a while, I quit comparing the book to other books.

Clara is part angel with a purpose. She only has to find out what it is. Eventually, she finds out enough to prompt a move from California to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. At school, she meets to object of her purpose.

Lime Crime Swatches

I've ordered from Lime Crime three times already. I received my most recent order in March, so I wanted to swatch the new ones along with the others I have.

My newest purchases were two of the three lipsticks from the new Pop Romance collection- Mint to Be and Coquette. As awesome as New Yolk City looked in the pictures, I just can't imagine myself wearing yellow lipstick so I skipped that one. I also got the Candy Eyed Eyeshadow Helper eyelid primer.

I also have Magic Dust eyeshadows in Lime Criminal and Mischief Managed and lipsticks in Great Pink Planet and Cosmopop. I believe the lipsticks had undergone reformulation since I bought these two at the end of November.

Awakened Review

Awakened by PC and Kristin Cast

Maybe I've just become immune to the House of Night, but I actually didn't think this was the worst the series has to offer.

Spoilers Ahead

Zoey starts off the book being a whiny baby. She wants all the benefits of being the super special fledgling high priestess specifically chosen and blessed by Nyx, but she doesn't want any of that pesky saving the world business to be her responsibility. So, even though Neferet got the blessing of the council and was reinstated as the high priestess at the Tulsa HON, Zoey wants to stay of the Isle of Sky and hide from her responsibilities. And everyone there is willing to indulge her.

Cargo Jet Lag Concealer Review

I bought the Cargo Jet Lag concealer, hoping it would reduce my dark circles. I bought mine at Sephora in February, but the Sephora website says they don't carry the Cargo brand. So I don't know if it is in stores now.

Sweet Valley Confidential Review

Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal

I'm not really sure why I wanted to read this. I read Sweet Valley Twins (and I loved them) but I never really read SVH or SVU outside a few of them. In fact, I could probably count on my fingers how many I read... pretty much just the evil twin books (I think books 95-100 and 2 or 3 magna editions), the first two family legacy books and the first SVU book.

Still, I'm fascinated by this kind of book. I'm always interested in seeing how the author decides the characters have grown. And I am familiar with the core group of people. One thing I wasn't familiar with was the past events that took place during high school and college, so I don't know how accurate those were or if they were reimagined for the purpose of this book.

Books of March 2011

What a Demon Wants by Kathy Love - I got this for free on the Kindle and I'd never read Kathy Love before. She's not really my type of paranormal romance writer- bordering between romance and erotica- so I can't say I love the book. There was a threat of danger to the main character that required her to have a bodyguard. She and the bodyguard both have instant, erotic connection. The connection and them getting past their issues take up most of the book. The thread of danger and who is after the main character is almost an afterthought. And it was incredibly easy to figure out who it was based on the limited characters in the book. It wasn't something I'd want to pay for but it was a light, quick read. 3 out of 5

A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang -  It's been a while since I read something that was strictly Urban Fantasy, having focused more on YA and PR instead. I was kind of burnt out for a while but decided I wanted to jump back in. This was the best book I could have done that with. Abby's boss goes missing and an incubus shows up on her doorstep looking for his missing sister. There's something going on and Abby is kind of pushed into trying to figure it out. There were a few problems with the book but I thought they were easy enough to overlook because I got really caught up in the story. 4.5 out of 5

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford - Review here 3 out of 5

Fairy Tales in Electri-City by Francesca Lia Block -  Review here 3 out of 5

Torment by Lauren Kate - Review here 2.5 out of 5