Book Review: "Between the lines" by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

If you know me in real life, you'll know that I read. A lot.

99% of the time, I always have a book on me.

Or I just finished a book.

If you're on the internet, you'll know that people get really attached to books. (Harry Potter, oh yeah)

The characters become their friends, the story becomes part of their lives, the lessons the characters learn, we learn. Books that we love have a huge impact on who we are and what we do.

If you don't understand that, then read Harry Potter and get back to me.

Anyway, the book I'm talking about today is called "Between the Lines"

This book is about a 15 year old girl named Delilah who never fit in. She isn't popular, she doesn't have many friends (except for her BFF Jules who, according to Delilah's mother, looks like a vampire), and she's obsessed with a book.

But this book isn't a "normal" book that 15 year olds read, it's a fairy tale. 

The story is basically about a prince named Oliver who has to save the love of his life from an evil guy, and he has to overcome a lot of obstacles and yada yada yada they live happily ever after.

Delilah finds herself relating to this book more than she relates to the "real world", and she develops a fondness towards Oliver.

However, she never expected him to talk to her.

The rest of the book is basically about their developing relationship, which I'm not going to spoil for you guys. 

This book was amazing.  I read it in under 2 hours because I couldn't put it down for one second. It's written by Jodi Picoult, who is one of my favorite authors, and Samantha Van Leer, who I've never heard of.

It's written beautifully, the plot is amazing, the character development is beautiful, and I, personally, find myself relating to this book a lot. 

Not to the fictional characters talking to me. 

Another perk of the book is the chapter formatting.

It obviously bounces between Oliver and Delilah, but you also get to read the actual fairytale that Delilah loves. So you're falling in love with the characters, but you're also reading another story.

2 in 1 book OH YEAH.

I was really happy with the way the book ended too, which is always nice.

It's also nice how the book kind of messed with my emotions. You may not like that, but I love when books make me feel 50 different things at once.

Pro's:

Writing

Character Development

Plot

Chapter formatting

Pictures

Author 

Con's:

I seriously cannot think of any.

All in all: Get this book. Get it now.

xxx,

Ashley

Photos by Brittney

My sister has always had an eye for catching little things about me in a picture. Some are good, some are bad. I thought I would share with you some of my favorites from this summer so far.


Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
Check her out on:
Twitter (@britt_yorks)
&
Tumblr (lovewill-killyou.tumblr.com$

Xxx,
Ashley

Benefit Hello Wow Oxygen whatever Foundation Update!

Remember the review I did on the Benefit foundation a while back?

Well, I'm here to amend it. 

I'm going to an event tomorrow and I'm way too pale to wear my Nars Sheer Glow, so I searched my stash and found another sample of the Benefit foundation in the color Champagne.

Thinking "why not" I put some on one cheek and stood away from the mirror. 

Let me tell you, it looked flawless.

It didn't match my skintone 100%, but it matched 98 or 97%, which I haven't found in a foundation besides the Nars one.

Everyone on YouTube is always talking about their "summer foundation" that they use, obviously, in the summer. I've never had a summer foundation and thought it was quite pointless to use a foundation only a few months a year, so I used my MAC MSF Natural as a base and went on with my day.

The problem with powder is it looks, well, powdery. Very powdery. It looked very fake looking and I didn't like it one bit, so I'm really thankful I found the sample of the Benefit one. 

This foundation is small enough that it's good for travel, it has enough product that it should last me for at least a month and a half, and it compliments my tan nicely. 

The orange in it that I didn't like before works lovely when you have a nice color to you, so it all works out in the end.

I still love the coverage and the dewey glowey finish it gives. 

Will I purchase a full size one? Possibly. 

Will I purchase a full size one this summer? Most likely not.

If I haven't found a foundation that's reasonably priced, has good coverage, and compliments my tan by next summer, this one will be an instant buy.

Pro's:

Coverage

Color (when tan)

Finish

Price (cheaper than the NARS one)

Con's:

Color (when not tan)

All in all: Fantastic product for those darker than I am. Not so amazing for pale skintones. 

Great with a tan.

Definitely grab a sample next time you're in Sephora or near a Benefit counter.

This foundation is worth trying!

xxx,

Ashley

Book Review: "Grl2Grl" by Julie Anne Peters

Hi guys,

So I literally just uploaded my book review on "Grl2grl" by Julie Anne Peters, which you can watch here!

I just wanted to write my pro's, con's, and conclusion about the book here!

Pro's:

The writing is beautiful

Character development

Because of those two things, you really find yourself getting attached to the characters and wanting (expecting, even) more.

Con's:

The stories are really short.

You don't get what you pay for.

All of the relationships in this book are the same (lesbian relationships, with a transgender story thrown in there), so everything gets kind of repetitive after a while.

The stories are really short, leaving you disappointed and wanting more than you got.

All in all:

Read this at the library. Don't spend money on this book.

This isn't a book I'd buy again because it left me really, really frustrated. 

I wanted to know more about the characters and how they dealt with the situations. I wanted to see them come out and develop relationships with new people. But the stories end in such an abrupt way that it's frustrating and leaves you feeling like you were ripped off.  

This book will now sit in my collection collecting dust because if I read it again, I'll get even more frustrated.

xxx,

Ashley

Shoe Wishlist: solestruck.com

Hi guys!

So, I've been browsing Jeffery Campbells ever since my best friend Amanda got her Litas.

So, today I went on Solestruck and looked at all of the shoes. I'm getting paid next week, and I'm strongly considering picking up some new kicks. 

Yes, I'm aware that these shoes are expensive. But, I'm really looking to expand my wardrobe and finally figure out my "personal style". I'm 100% willing to splurge on shoes because I:

1) Don't want (or need) any new makeup.

2) None of the clothes in the shops interest me right now

3) I would absolutely get a lot of wear out of whatever shoes I decide to splurge on.

Also, I'm going to be selling/donating/giving away a lot of shoes, some of which I may sell on a blog sale, so keep your eyes open for that. If not, I'll post pictures of the shoes I'm selling. Or I'll sell them to a thrift store. Either way, I seriously need to clean out my closet.

Half of the shoes I own are "cheap" and/or shoes that I haven't worn in years, so they're just taking up space in my shoe closet. 

EITHER WAY:
I want shoes I'll wear often. Shoes I love and shoes that are comfortable, classy, and practical. 

So, without further ado, my solestruck.com wishlist.

Jeffery Campbell Litas in Black Distressed Leather. $159.95

I want these Lita's in Matte Black Leather. Online, these look like the matte black, but I have to ask mandy when she comes back. 

Unif HellRaisers $164.95

These come in a bunch of different colors, so I'm not set on exactly what color I want, but I have a lot of options with these shoes. I heard about them from Bunny, who absolutely adores hers. 

How gorgeous are these sandals!? These are the Dolce Vita Idra, which retail for $159

However, where I live it's cold 1/2 of the year, so I wouldn't get a lot of wear out of these sandals. If I lived in LA, Florida, or somewhere warm, these would be an instant buy.  But since it isn't summer 24/7, I'd rather stick to my $30 Jessica Simpson sandals. 

Sam Edleman Adena. These shoes retail for $150, and they're stunning. They're a bit more toned down than the Unif Hellraisers, and they're also a bit more feminine. But with an edge. Which I love.

I could wear them all year round, which is nice. GAH I'm drooling, they're so pretty.

So, those are the shoes I'm looking at buying! (minus the sandals, I just wanted to put those in there cause they're freaking beautiful)

I don't exactly know which shoe I'll get first, but I'm hoping that I can own all of these one day!

xxx,

Ashley

Maybelline Lash Discovery Mascara: Day 2

Hi guys!

I've realized something about the maybelline lash discovery mascara between last night and now.
Last night I was absolutely obsessed with it (still kind of am) but when I put it on for work this morning, I wasn't too pleased.
The mascara wand left a line behind my lashes, which would have looked like eyeliner last night, but since I'm not wearing any eye makeup it just looks weird.
So I've decided to change my verdict.

This mascara still does everything I said last night. My lashes look amazing today, however this is the perfect mascara for the days when you're not wearing any makeup. It makes your lashes look more defined, because of the line it leaves on your lid.
But this mascara isn't one I'd wear when I'm wearing a full face of makeup, just because I don't want to risk messing up my eyeliner.


All in all: still great, but not my favorite.

Xxx,
Ashley




(ps sorry this is weirdly formatted and kind of rushed, I'm writing this on my phone!

Maybelline Lash Discovery Mascara Review & Photos!

Hi Guys!

I don't know about you, but I think that lower eyelashes are sometimes neglected in the YouTube community. You hear about mascaras that work amazingly well for your upper lashes, but what about the baby ones?

Through Bunny (click here for her channel, she's the best!) I discovered the Maybelline Lash Discovery Mascara. It's an itty bitty baby wand that, according to her, catches and defines every single lower lash. 

I was surprised to hear about it at first, a drugstore mascara that worked well on your lower lashes!? Awesome! But, how did it work on upper lashes? 

We're about to get very up close and personal.

I just filmed my first installment of the "Naked Pallet" eye looks and decided to try out the mascara. I'm highly, highly impressed! Although the wand is super duper small, it volumizes  and lengthens your upper lashes. As for your lower lashes, Bunny was 100% right. It does catch every single lash, even with the small brush, coats them in the perfect amount of product, and defines them. 

However, I'm lucky enough to have naturally thick and long lashes. But, I think that if you have shorter or thinner lashes, this mascara would be perfect for you! 

I bought this product at my local CVS for $9.79. It also comes in a waterproof formula, which I'll definitely be using. 

The mascara makes your lashes stand out, and can also be used to achieve a "natural" look.

This mascara is definitely one of my favorites, right behind the Almay "Get Up and Grow", which is my #1 favorite for 2 years running!

All in all: If you're looking for a good drugstore steal, get this now!

xxx,

Ashley