MAC Mac Me Over swatches

I took a break from working on closing my business to get some stuff from the Mac Me Over collection. Considering how big it is, I actually didn't get that much.

The Lying Game episode 1

I finally got to watch episode 1 of The Lying Game. It started Monday, so I'm sure that's going to be its regular day for a while. I've already read the first two books in the series and I'm kind of interested in where the show goes because there are a lot of things that are different right now. I'm also curious about how it will compare to Ringer, the CW show with Sarah Michelle Gellar that has a very similar twin plot, but more adult.

I enjoyed the first episode. And, as a fan of General Hospital, I enjoy seeing the GH actors on other shows so I liked that Tyler Christopher was in it (and it looks like he's going to be in several episodes).

ABC Family currently has the first episode up so, if you're interested, go watch it.

Spoilers for the episode and book, too.

Smackers Get Glowin' swatches

I got one of the Smackers Get Glowin' sets mainly because I wanted to see what kind of quality they were. It's very obvious that these are for kids so I wouldn't really recommend them for teens or adults. For me, they would only really be usable as a browbone or inner corner highlight because they are so light. Still, they are cute for younger girls.

Pool Party Blues

Even More Nuance swatches part 2

I like the Nuance lipsticks. I got a few over the last couple weeks and, because of the Buy 1 Get 1 Free sale this week, I wanted to get the other ones. They go on better than a lot of lipsticks I have, though they can look a bit dry after a while without any sort of lip balm. The only problem I've had is that few of the ones I got are loose in the tube.

Anyway, I bought the ones I didn't have yet.

 Wine, My Favorite, Paprika, Dusty Rose, Plum Mauve

Even More Nuance swatches part 1

I couldn't help myself. Nuance stuff is Buy 1 Get 1 Free this week at CVS... so if you want some, now is the time to get it! Anyway, I got a lot of stuff yesterday- more than I want to put in one post- so I'm going to do it in two parts. This one will be eyes and the cheek trio.

 Cheek Trio in Apricot

Milani Haute Flash Lipgloss swatches

I got in my box that had the rest of the Haute Flash lipglosses. I had previously bought Flashy, but had liked it so much that I wanted the rest (there are only 4). I'm glad I did get the rest and it turns out that the one I was least interested in on the site is now my favorite of them. Though baby pink isn't really my favorite lip color, I love the sparkles in Star Flash. They are limited, so I don't know how long they'll be available.

Mini Urban Decay haul with swatches

I got a few random things from Urban Decay.

Jesse's Girl eye color collection swatches

I saw these Jesse's Girl eye color collection palettes at Rite Aid. I'm pretty new to Jesse's Girl because, while they seem to be sold at Rite Aid, I've never seen them there before. But I liked the baked eyeshadow palette I got from them and these were $3.99 each, so I got 3 out of the 4 they had. The one I didn't get was in blues because I don't really like blues on me.

August Birchbox

More Nuance swatches

I was pretty impressed with the Nuance stuff I bought earlier. It's not the cheapest line at the drugstore, though, so when I saw there was a buy 1 get 1 50% off sale on it, I wanted to take advantage of it.

 Eyeshadow Duo in Sheer Plum/Putty

The Lying Game review

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

4 out of 5

The Lying Game is a newish series by Sara Shepard, the author of Pretty Little Liars. The second book just came out this month and this one (the first) came out at the end of last year.

I've actually had this one sitting around since it came out, but haven't gotten around to reading it until now. This has been prompted by the fact that it is now a series for ABC Family that starts mid August.

The book is told in the first person by Sutton but it really follows Emma, her long lost twin, as she tried to find out who killed the sister she never knew. It could be anyone- Sutton's sister, her closest friends- and Emma's determined to find out what happened. She also has to learn about her sister and what kind of trouble she's gotten into with The Lying Game. Because the killer doesn't want anyone to know that Sutton is gone, Emma is easily able to impersonate her sister and starts using it to her advantage.

Ulta eyeshadows with swatches

I got my sales ad for Ulta that had my Rewards certificate on it and decided to use the rewards to try Ulta's eyeshadows. I've never bought one before because there was always something else I wanted, so this was a good time to try them. They seem okay, but not particularly pigmented. I don't think I'd actually buy any in the future.

Jabot Never-Ending Cream Blush

Jabot Cosmetics is a fictitious makeup brand on The Young and the Restless. Recently, it was made into a real makeup and skincare brand. They don't have tons of products yet (7 skin care and 5 makeup) and the Ulta display didn't have all of them, but I wanted to see how they worked. I only got one thing because they aren't super cheap. According to their website, the products range from $15.50 to $35.50, though I paid less at Ulta than the price listed on the site by $2.50.

MAC Colorizations double feature swatches

I bought 2 of the Double Features in the Colorizations collection, one online because I knew I wanted it and wasn't sure the counter would get them and the other after I swatched all of them in the store. In the end, I got Double Feature 1 and Double Feature 4. I almost got Double Feature 8, but the colors are orange and blue- Auburn's school colors- and I would not have been able to wear it all fall without someone thinking I was a football fan.

 Double Feature 1

Nuance swatches

I finally found a CVS that had Salma Hayek's Nuance line. I've been looking for it for weeks now and, of course, had to go out of my way to find it. I only got one lipstick and one eyeshadow quad because I wasn't sure I'd like them.

Milani Paint and Haute Flash swatches

Milani's website was offering free shipping through 8/5, so I bought the Milani paint palette and a Haute Flash lipgloss. Both are limited edition and I've been unable to find them anywhere in stores. I think the paint palette was exclusive to CVS and I have no idea about the Haute Flash lipglosses because I've never seen them in stores. I liked the Haute Flash lipgloss so much, though, that I bought the other three before the free shipping ended.

Stila Living the Life in Laguna swatches

Despite not really liking the Stunning in Sayulita palette, I thought I'd give another beach palette a try. I really liked the colors of this one.

Too Faced Smokey Eye palette swatches

Cute Hello Kitty lipgloss and lip balm

I was at Walgreens this morning and saw some Hello Kitty stuff. Among them were a pack of 4 lipglosses and a keychain lip balm.

It's the same shape as the eos lip balms. I expected it to be waxy like a cheap lip balm but it really wasn't. I don't know how moisturizing it is, though, because I just got it and only tried it once.

Books of July 2011

Born at Midnight by C. C. Hunter - Review here 4 out of 5

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes - Review here 3 out of 5

Wake by Lisa McMann - Review here 2 out of 5

Demon Chick by Marilyn Kaye - Review here 2 out of 5

Shadow Demons by Sarra Cannon - This is the 4th installment of the Peachville High Demons series- a self-published series available as an ebook only. This is one of the better series that I've read this year and this book is no different from the others. The story starts picking up for the next (and final) book so we find out a lot of stuff we didn't know. The only thing negative I could say is that they are really short. Because they are ebook format, I don't really know how they would translate into the pages of a physical book, but they take no time at all to read. Still, with the most expensive of the books being $2.99, it's not bad. I just wish it lasted longer because the story really is good. 4.5 out of 5

Twisted by Sara Shepard - Twisted is book 9 of the Pretty Little Liars series. I thought it was over at book 8 and had no idea there were new ones until the day after this one came out. I had some reservations about continuing the story because it really did seem over, but it's got the same soap opera goodness that the others had. For some reason Hanna seems to get the worst of it, but they all have secrets that they are keeping. We do find out the group secret as well as Emily's personal secret, but Spencer's is still hidden. Overall, if you liked the others, you should like this one too. 4 out of 5 

Chime by Franny Billingsley - I don't normally like the small village in the past with magic books. I was suckered into getting this by the pretty cover. Once I got past the beginning and got used to the language, though, this was actually a really good book. I liked Briony. She was a smart and interesting main character. The secondary characters could have been better, but I thought it was really well done. I figured out what was going on pretty early, but I wanted to see how Briony figured it out. 4 out of 5


Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep - This was a really quick read and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't exceptional. It was a little cliche in parts, too. I did like that there was no super love story in the book, though it seemed like it set the stage for one in the future. 3.5 out of 5