I did both brush and finger swatches!
 |
| Swatches from the first row |
 |
| The rest of row one |
 |
| Row two |
 |
| Row three |
 |
| Row four |
 |
| Row five |
 |
| The finished look I created! |
When I first tried this product it literally looked like I had dumped a bunch of translucent powder on my hair, and I was worried it wouldn’t work itself in at all. After a couple of seconds of massaging my scalp and brushing my hair, the powder started to disappear, along with my oily roots! I was impressed with how quickly it blended in with my hair, and it didn’t make my roots look gray at all.
The smell was also really refreshing, and made my hair smell like I had just washed it, which is a huge plus when your hair is feeling a little limp and blah. It isn’t too fragrant, and I noticed that the smell lasted the whole day, and until the next morning when I washed my hair. I am a huge fan of nice smelling hair products, I don’t know what it is, but if something works well but doesn’t smell the best I’ll try and find something else that both works and smells nice. Call it one of my quirks, but I realize that it’s a bit ridiculous.
As well as being a dry shampoo, this powder also adds a lot of texture and volume to your hair, which is just what you want when it’s the second day and your hair is feeling a bit limp. I honestly will add the powder to my hair even on the same day I wash it if I feel like I need a little bit more texture. This really helps when I curl my hair and want the roots to have some volume since the strands are a bit weighed down from hair spray, and the fact that my hair tends to fall flat the minute I start touching and fixing it. My hair is able to hold its volume a lot better when I add this to the roots, and it’s also great when I want to do a messy hairstyle and need some extra texture!
Overall, I’m super satisfied with this product and have finally found a dry shampoo that works with my hair! I won’t be switching anytime soon, and I can even get away with washing my hair every three days if I don’t feel like washing it one day. I definitely recommend trying this product, especially just the travel size since it isn’t too much of a commitment. It actually lasts for a long time, too, which is great! I’m still on this little bottle and it’s been about two months now.
What’s your favorite dry shampoo?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a great day! 🙂
This is NOT a sponsored post, and all opinions are my own.
It is no secret that I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I have read all of the books and watched the movies more times than I can count, so when I heard about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I was extremely excited. I was nervous about how I would like it in comparison to the whole Harry Potter franchise, so I was definitely ready for the movie to come out! Since I went and saw it last night, I thought I would write a review on it, and start to get back in the swing of things here on my blog!
There are strong female leads
Tina and Queenie, the two main women of the film, as well as the president of MACUSA Seraphina Picquery, are all very strong females. Tina is very stubborn, and is successful in her career, even though she has hit a rough patch before she meets Newt, which is awesome to see. She isn’t talked badly about for wanting to have a successful career, and is encouraged by her younger sister, Queenie. They are both very supportive of each other, which is portrayed wonderfully. Queenie is not a career women, but she isn’t portrayed as “weaker” or “lesser” than her sister at all. We don’t really get to know Seraphina that well, but the interactions she does have with the main characters leave the audience with the sense that she is a very strong woman. She doesn’t let anyone push her around, and she is strong in her decisions and rules.
The world in Newt’s suitcase is beautifully made, as well as the beasts
We have seen Hermione’s expandable bag on the outside, but we never saw the inside. It was so cool to actually be able to see the inside of Newt’s suitcase, and see where all of his magical animals live. Of course since I absolutely love animals, that was one of my favorite parts of the movies. I’m really glad, though, that they didn’t show the inside of his suitcase a lot in the previews, so that it was more of a surprise for the audience. The creativity that was put into imagining the beasts and his suitcase was so incredible, and the fact that the magical creatures were still relatable to real animals was great. The fact that Newt Scamander had made his suitcase the way he did in order to save these magical beasts was also super touching, and a part of the movie that I absolutely loved.
Eddie Redmayne made an incredible Newt
I had only ever seen Eddie Redmaybe in Les Mis, so it was super cool to see him in something else! His Newt was super quirky, likable, nice, and strong, and he played him so well. He was exactly what you think a magical beast collector/saver/caretaker (?) would be like, but he also had a depth that played into his character development very well. Throughout the movie we learned a lot about him, and saw his softer side, rather than his initial blunt character. Above everything, he cares for his magical creatures the most, and feels a pull to save them, or anyone else in need. He was super relatable, and fit in perfectly with the other quirky wizards and witches we know and love so much.
The incorporation of Grindelwald, and other known families, was done very well.
Through what J.K. Rowling has hinted at, it was clear that this new series was going to include Grindelwald in some way. In the beginning of the movie, it is made clear that MACUSA is looking for Grindelwald after he has committed crimes, but it is unclear where he is at. I won’t give anything away, but the way in which they incorporated his story into this one was done very well. I’m so excited to learn more about him (and possible Dumbledore??) in the coming movies. We also hear a bit about a Lita Lestrange, so I’m interested to see if she has to do more with the coming movies, or if she’ll be included!
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie! It does make me long for more about the characters we know and love in Harry Potter, but I’m super excited to see how the characters from Fantastic Beasts progress and develop.
I feel like I’ve been doing a lot of reviews lately, but it’s because I’ve been branching out and trying new products, when in the past I would get stuck in a rut of buying the same product over and over. I actually hadn’t planned on doing a review of this product, but I ended up loving it so much! Elf is such a great brand because their makeup is really affordable and great quality for the money.
I’ve been using the Boots eyebrow pencil from Target, and when I went to go get another one, they were out. My poor dad was with me at the time, and he tried so hard to find the pencil I was looking for, bless his heart. I put him out of his misery and just decided to try out the Elf pencil. I didn’t really know much about it, and honestly I was not expecting much at all and thought I would end up replacing it when I went to a different Target.
I’m actually not quite sure what the whole “instant lift” part is supposed to mean because I don’t really notice a lift in my eyebrows at all, they just look like a nicer version of my eyebrows, haha. The packaging of the pencil reminds me of the Mac eyebrow pencils since it’s a twist pencil, and the product itself is very similar (for much cheaper). Overall, the packaging does not feel cheap at all, and the spooly is very nice!
I also like the overall size of the pencil, and it’s very easy to grip because it isn’t too thin at all.
Here is a closer look at the product. The only thing that was a little challenging at first was the fact that the pencil isn’t as opaque as other eyebrow pencils I’ve used in the past. It just takes a little bit extra to get it as dark as I like – not that I even like it that dark – but it isn’t like other pencils I’ve used before. At first I didn’t like this, but after using it for a couple of days it’s actually kind of nice because it’s easy to fix mistakes!
I also really like the quality of the product, and the whole formula of it. Some of the pencils I’ve used are kind of waxy and feel like they weigh down my eyebrows, but this one definitely doesn’t. It blends really well and ends up looking very natural. Maybe that’s what they mean by an instant lift, because it doesn’t clump your eyebrows together?? We just might never know.
Here is another look at the spooly. I really like the size of it – it’s a lot bigger than other ones I’ve used before! It’s also nice that it’s covered with the plastic lid. It is a bit rougher than usual, but it makes the product blend really well with my actual brows.
Overall, I am super happy with this pencil, and I would definitely recommend it for those who want natural looking eyebrows, but still want to make them pop. I honestly used to be one of those people who never understood why you would ever fill in your brows, but I’m so glad I started to. I was always just worried that it would make my face look ridiculous, but if you don’t go too overboard, it just enhances your natural brows!
Okay, can we just talk about the packaging?! The whole collection has the prettiest boxes and bottles. They ombre coloring with the gold lettering is so gorgeous and gives off the impression of high quality right from the start.
The bottle itself is also so pretty. The applicator is a little off-set wand, so I just apply it directly to my under-eye area and blend it in with my damp beauty blender. This product goes on very easily, and blends out so well. It also doesn’t crease at all throughout the whole day, and lasts for 12 hours! It doesn’t advertise that, but mine has been lasting for the whole day while I wear it. I set it with my Elf translucent powder and it does not budge.
Only one layer is needed to cover my dark circles, which is really impressive! My dark circles are very dark no matter how long I sleep, which is very frustrating. I can never seem to get rid of them naturally, so my only option is to cover the suckers up. This product does that flawlessly, though, so I’m very happy with it!
The only “bad” thing I found about this product was the smell. When I first opened the bottle, it smelled kind of chemical-y, or like nail polish. I was initially worried about putting it on my face, but I didn’t have any problems with it whatsoever, and I have now gotten used to the smell.
Have you tried anything from this new collection yet?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
When I was younger, The Jungle Book was one of my favorite Disney movies since I love animals so much. I was fascinated by the colorful jungle in the movie, and all of the interesting characters who made the movie fun. When I found out they made a live action version of the animated movie, I was ecstatic. I re-watched the animated one and brushed up on the book in order to be ready for the new one. My friend, Joycie, actually won tickets to go see an early showing of the movie, and she brought me with her! It was so cool to see the movie early, and I thought I would do a review of it (with no spoilers!) since I love the original one so much.
I couldn’t believe how real all of the animals looked – it seriously looked like they used actual animals to film the movie. The scenery was also really incredible and felt like you were right there in the forest with Mowgli. It’s really amazing how real they can make movies look anymore! The movie as a whole was just generally beautiful because due to the gorgeous graphics – they couldn’t have done it any better, in my opinion! I also can’t explain enough how adorable the wolf cubs were.
The swatch on the top is a couple of layers of the bronzer, so it’s definitely build-able if you need a darker shade.
What’s your favorite bronzer?
Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day! 🙂
I read the Selection series by Kiera Cass when it first came out, so I was really excited to see that she had come out with a spin-off series. The first book in the new series is called The Heir, and is about the daughter of King Mason and Queen America, who are the main characters from the original book. Eadlyn – the daughter – has to have her own Selection (where 35 young men enter to possibly woo the princess into marrying one of them…basically The Bachelorette for royalty) in order to distract the public from their growing discontent. I was glad there was a larger purpose to this Selection, but it soon became clear that that wouldn’t be the main focus of the book.
It is unclear what Cass was wanting to achieve in this book; to try and get the message of the public’s growing anger with the monarchy, or Eadlyn’s anger about the selection. While at first it seemed like Cass would really focus on how angry the public was about the hard financial times the country seemed to be facing, she seemed more concerned with showing how bratty Eadlyn was, and how poorly she treated those around her. The first Selection series was about Mason and America – both very down to earth characters who I did not think could create a child like Eadlyn. She treats her maid, whom she claims to be very good friends with, horribly, and is very unhappy with having to go through the selection, even though it is to distract the public long enough for her poor father to find a way to help out his struggling subjects.
Cass seems to use Eadlyn’s feminist mind set to excuse her poor behavior, and public shaming of the men in her selection, but it just ends up being way too forced. I totally support strong female leads in books fighting for women rights, but Eadlyn is simply portrayed as being a snobby princess used to getting her way, yet complaining about how hard her life is. She is a fraternal twin with her brother, Ahren, whom was born seven minutes after her. The laws of her country dictated that even though she was technically older, Ahren was to be king due to his gender. Because their parents were so revolutionary, and America was a big advocate of women’s rights, they made it so the eldest child was to be the ruler, regardless of gender. Go them, right? Well, according to Eadlyn, very, very wrong. There is not a moment in the book when she isn’t complaining about how she’ll have to be queen one day, or how she is expected to get married soon. I get it, no one should be forced to marry young, but that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t make the best of her situation, and find a man she is actually happy with, and not some random person she’s betrothed to. She has the choice between thirty-five different men who she never would have met, had the selection never happened. She could at least try and look on the bright side that she gets a choice – something that not all the royals before her had.
I love that Kiera Cass is trying to make feminism a big theme of the book. I think more and more support for women is needed, but I do not like how it was executed in this book. Instead of Eadlyn portraying a strong woman, she is petty and cruel to those around her, especially the young men partaking in the selection. I wanted so badly to root for her and her feminist ideals, but I just ending up staring at the book like this a lot:
She questions why the public hates her, yet she gives them absolutely no reason for them to like her (i.e. at least having some sort of conscience). She insults the boys at every turn, and looks down upon people with “lower” statuses than herself. I found it hard to root for her at all, and instead was rejoicing when her brother tells her off at one point. I had such high hopes for this book since the first series had a strong woman lead, but I was deeply disappointed with this one. Eadlyn is not empathetic at all, and it was so hard to relate to her. Cass made it seem like women have to be completely rude and controlling in order to get anywhere in life. While we women have to be firm in many situations, we can also be human in order to be successful. I’m hoping Cass made us readers feel this way about Eadlyn for a reason, and maybe we will be able to see a drastic change in her for the next book, but for now I am simply disappointed. Feminism should not be portrayed as needing to be so independent to the point where women have to be cruel to anyone who tries to be remotely nice or helpful to them
All of the romance in the book is shadowed by Eadlyn’s attitude towards the whole selection. She treats the selected horribly, which in turn makes the public dislike her even more. There is also the “issue” she has with literally anyone seeing the real her, or trying to get close to her. I didn’t understand what the big deal was with people even asking her how her day was going, especially when she raves about how great and close her family is. The whole book was just a little bit off and forced to me, and it made me really sad. I had such higher expectations and I was definitely let down.
I hate giving bad reviews to books and movies, but honestly The Heir was not the greatest book in my opinion. It did have it’s moments, and for those I just might read the next book, if only to keep up with America and Mason. But by the end of the book, I was definitely questioning why I ever picked it up in the first place. It was very disappointing that this book was a let down, because the first series was really great, and I believe Kiera Cass really is a good writer. Hopefully the next one is better!
Have you read this book? What have you been reading lately?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
 |
| #highlightonfleek |
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend reading it because you will not be disappointed! I think Sarah Dessen’s books are also really good for people who don’t read too much, because they’re really easy to get into and are usually a pretty quick read.
I also made a video about my review of this book, so you can check it out below! 🙂
What have you been reading lately?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂