Pride Rock-Worthy Purchases

I am so serious when I say that these two items have changed the makeup game for me immensely. They deserve to be held over Pride Rock. Screw Simba.

.... So serious.

After you've tried really hard to do something right and it only comes out subpar, you feel pretty defeated, right? Well, it's the same situation with makeup. Try and try and your makeup's only "good enough." I know it just made me feel like I had no control over my face. Can I not use brushes and paints? Apparently not.

But low-and-behold, I dropped by Sephora and latched on to the first worker to acknowledge me. She sat me down and put a full face of makeup on me. The techniques she showed me should've been very obvious, but were mind-blowing "do'h!" moments all the same.

The type of brush you use makes ALL the difference. Size, shape, texture, and all. She also showed me what color I needed to cancel-out dark blemishes. It was all so helpful, and refueled the artistic side of me.

So in the midst of choking on the prices I saw at Sephora, I took my rookie butt to Target and picked up two $3 E.L.F. brushes: a small stippling brush for that airbrush foundation effect, and a small concealer brush that tapered at its tip. It helps to have more control and a better airy effect for the concealer you apply.

All I needed was foundation.

Now, all my sistas out there will know what I'm talking about when I say that it is one of the biggest hunts to find a foundation that matches our shade exactly. It's one thing to have to mix a little for when our faces tan in the summer, but just finding that initial foundation that doesn't make you look chalky or orange? That's a feat.

So I got to a point where I was mixing three or four products and just hoping for the best. Trusty Walgreens let me play around with the few darker-hued foundations they sold with their swift and easy return policy, but to no avail. I soon realized that I might've had to take the plunge and try one of Queen Latifah's foundations at Walmart. I secretly pumped damaged bottles that looked about my shade, and looked at the results in a compact mirror. In a hurry, I chose what I thought would be best.

AND IT WAS PERFECT!

The foundation above is the perfect shade, texture, etc! I love it! Actually, the photos of me on my new website and art blog have no filter, and I'm wearing that foundation. I've found Cinderella's Slipper, y'all! My color is Classic Bronze, in case you feel you might match me.

The second and last product will have a shorter story, but don't let that fool you! Its greatness deserves a novel in all honesty.

The eyeliner I currently use had started to dry out, and the brush that came with the gel liner was too risky: there was a 50-50 percent chance that I'd butcher my eyeliner due to that brush. Annoying. So I looked on YouTube and everyone swore by Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner in Troop. Picked it up at Sephora for $18, and thought it was a bit pricey... Until I used it.

Oh. My. Gosh.

It was everything right! It's very opaque, the brush-like tip never loses its shape, it's long-lasting (both the lifetime of the product and its daily wear), and dries as soon as it touches your lid. No more worrying about keeping your eyes closed to let the liquid dry!

It's glorious, and I think every woman with eyeliner issues should invest in it! I've heard it lasted some people six months when used everyday! Doooo iiiit!

A bit of a ramble, but I hope you enjoyed!

March 2014 Favorites: Viewables

Since I can be kind of picture-heavy, I've decided to do monthly favorites in sections during the last week of the month. Plus, it'll be easier to navigate doing a category per post rather than bunching it all together-- all pictures and sections. The categories will purely depend on what I'm into for that month.

Sounds good? Good.

Today, I'll talk about the things I've viewed this month that have really stole my heart:

Breaking Bad

Shut up. I know, I'm late... Extremely late... Hush...
Anyway I FINALLY finished Breaking Bad during my Spring Break, and IT. WAS. SUPERB.

I had pretty much all of the 5th season to watch, and toward its end, I was completely engulfed (per usual when I've decided to have a Breaking Bad marathon). Every time Netflix had a grace period between episodes, I'd yell "NOOOOOOO!! MOAR!! NOW!"

It's only natural.

The whole series was great, and the end was a roller coaster and masterpiece. I am over-the-moon about this work of art and every spec of brilliance involved in it from start to finish.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

This is another series I finally finished this month. I realized in the midst of a Netflix marathon that the whole show wasn't on Netflix.

A big ol' FAT "boooooooo."

Once my laptop was fixed, I went ahead and looked up the last chunk of episodes when I had the time. It was a very good choice to make, because the further it went along, the more I fell in love.

The ending was good, but I was honestly taking everything in because it's just such an awesome series!

In a nutshell (as best as I can describe), the show's about two young alchemists (people who can take chemistry matter, rearrange its molecules, and create something else or remold it) who try to bring their dead mother back. Bringing someone back from the dead is thee ultimate alchemist taboo, and they pay dearly for it.

So they go on a journey to find a way to make things right, and learn if it really is possible to bring back the dead.

My synopsis doesn't do the show justice at ALL. Each episode layers into more thought-provoking, and philosophical levels of awareness. The characters develop beautifully throughout, and there's plenty of twists and turns, and even tears (I've lost count at five... I've cried at least five times watching this series).

I'd highly recommend it! (P.S. I'd advise you to watch the first four episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist first, to kind of grab you in from the get-go and explain things a bit faster in the beginning, THEN start watching Brotherhood from start to finish. I did this on accident and loved the route it took me)

source: google images

This picture may not be giving the show its full effect... So here's my two favorite theme songs from the whole series (including what I've seen of FMA):

and

Loooooove it!

The Last of Us: Markiplier's Gameplay

So I'm into well-written zombie things now.

The Last of Us is a plot-heavy, moving, brilliant, video game (on the PS3 counsel) about the zombie apocalypse.

I know. My generic summary equals BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, SAME OL' ZOMBIE ISH. But wait! The reason I love this Let's Play so much is that it's so rich in its storyline. The characters develop, and are flawed. They aren't heroes... They just are trying to survive and make the best decisions during their conflicts (if they have a say in the matter, that is). I love how "statistic-y" this storyline is with its different kinds of zombies (bloaters, clickers, people that are newly turning, etc) and their ambiguous reasons for why each zombie exists as they are. 

Markiplier's commentary throughout keeps the watchers engaged with the story line, too. He brings up points and short discussions throughout his gameplay (I watch him all the time anyway, so there's that bias).

Things are getting.... Sad.
(source: youtube screenshot)

A clicker is a-comin'!
(source: youtube screenshot)

There's no slow start to this game. It kicks-off with a knee right in your feelings. And hey, if you'd rather watch the storyline and not Markplier (weirdo), then there are people on youtube who've recorded all of the cutscenes and played straight through with no interruptions to keep the story streamlined. Some people have it on easy, some had just the cut scenes... I'd suggest watching the one a little over 6 hours if you'd rather not hear commentary and not miss anything.

And if you'd like to skip all of this, there's been news for an actual movie based on this game in the making!

Ermo (1994)

I came across this movie on Netflix and the one-word, unknown, name caught my eye as well as the crazed-looking lady on the thumbnail.

Reading the synopsis, I found out that the movie is a satire on Western consumerism. A "keeping up with the Jones'", if you will. 

Set in rural China, a lady named Ermo tried to make a living for her sick husband and little boy by selling twisted noodles on the street. Her "advertisement" for her twisted noodles becomes a mantra throughout the film. 

Eventually, she gets a ride with a neighbor into town, and finds the biggest TV anyone around has ever seen.

Knowing her neighbor/rival even has a TV, she wants to get one, too (and stop her boy from going over to her neighbor's hour to watch television).

It becomes her focus. Her obsession as her husband worries about her priorities when he wants to put their money into their house instead.

How does this story end? Does she make the money? What kind of mess does Ermo get herself into while being possessed by consumerism?

Watch and find out-- sucked me in deeper than I thought it would. Couldn't bring myself to turn it off once it got a few minutes it.

I'm glad I finished it.

A little lengthy, but I hope you guys have enjoyed my favorite viewables for this month!

I'll try to get the next category up sometime this week. More-than-likely food'll be up next. ;)