New obsession: Movies!

I don't go to the movies very often. I only go if there's a film that I know I'd like or one that tumblr got me really excited for (Spiderman, Avengers, etc.) 

However, I was really bored one night and decided that I wanted to watch a movie, so I decided to rent Mirror Mirror, which is  movie I've wanted to see for a while. It was a really nice twist on a fairy tale, because for once Snow didn't need saving, she saved herself. Female empowerment is always a good thing, especially in the form of a disney princess. And Lily Collins' eyebrows are to die for!

The next movie I rented was Pride and Prejudice, a movie I've been meaning to watch for a while. I could never get that into the book, which is a shame, but the movie was absolutely amazing. The acting was flawless and, again, the main character is a strong independent female, so the whole female empowerment is a nice thing to see again.

Then I rented Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, which are two of my favorite movies because Harry Potter is my entire world. 

After those two movies, I rented The Breakfast Club which was, again, a movie I've been meaning to see for a while. I have to admit that the only reason I wanted to watch The Breakfast Club was because of an amazing fanfiction that was based off of it. But the movie was really adorable and I enjoyed it a lot! 

Now we get to 2 nights ago, when I rented It's Kind Of a Funny Story. Again, it was another movie that I've been watch for a while. It was great! However, I don't think they portrayed depression correctly, but overall the movie was really enjoyable. It was deep but lighthearted, relatable and "out there" all at the same time. It was definitely fun to watch!

Lastly, we get to last night's movie which was Fight Club. Let me start off by saying that this movie was not what I expected it to be at all. I expected it to be some macho man thriller about people beating the crap out of each other. Oh boy, was I wrong. I have to say that this film is the most intellectual film I've ever seen. It's so deep and inspiring and right on. You relate to all of the words of wisdom so much, and there are some things that really make you think about yourself and about the world. Plus, the end was total mindfuck (pardon my language), which is something I always enjoy. Also something cool about the film is every once in a while they'll flash something, whether it be a clip from porn or something really gory, for a millisecond. That way your brain registers that you've seen something "off", but it's over before the image can get to your eyes. So while you're watching the film, you have the overall feeling of discomfort and you don't exactly know why. Well,  I just told you why. Like who would ever think of something like that?! Gah it's so brilliant!

Anyway, all of these films are absolutely amazing.

Watch them all (especially fight club)

I'm definitely turning into a film junkie :)

Have you guys seen any good films lately?

xxx,

Ashley

p.s: I rent all of these films from iTunes for $2.99, which is cheaper than the $4.99 of On Demand!

Compare & Review: My Foundations!

Something that I've always done is buy new products I don't need. I'm the worst with foundations. I started out with my Clinique Super Balanced Makeup, then I got Chanel Vitalumier Aqua, then there was the Stila Tinted Moisturizer, and finally the Nars Sheer glow. Why the heck I have so many bloody foundations, I'll never know. 

Anyway, I decided to swatch and compare all of the foundations I currently have and review each separately. Here we go!

From Left to Right*:

Clinique SuperBalanced Makeup in Breeze

Chanel Vitalumier Aqua in B10

NARS Sheer Glow in Deauville

Stila Tinted Moisturizer in Bare

From Top to Bottom*:

Clinique SuperBalanced Makeup in Breeze

Chanel Vitalumier Aqua in B10

NARS Sheer Glow in Deauville

Stila Tinted Moisturizer in Bare

Let me start off by saying that all of these foundations wear beautifully, with or without primer. They all last through an entire school day + work or therapy. 

Let's start with the first: Clinique Superbalanced makeup.

This foundation is hands down the pinkiest foundation I have. It has medium (buildable) coverage and it gives a really nice glow to the skin. However, it does oxidize to a solid pink color which doesn't work out with my skin too well. I have more yellow than pink in my skin, although I do have some pink, the way that this foundation dries is a bit too much. However, I love the coverage and the finish that this foundation has. It's a brilliant foundation to "start off" with, and it's the cheapest of the bunch, priced at around $22. 

I would give this foundation a 6 out of 10.

Pro's

Coverage

Price

Finish

Con's

Pinkiness

Onto the Chanel Vitalumier Aqua foundation! 

I freaking adore this foundation. I really, really do. It's one of my favorite foundations in the world. It's the perfect mix between yellow and pink for my skintone, it has a light to medium coverage that's very buildable, and it leaves the skin looking so healthy. It barely looks like I'm wearing makeup! I always feel so comfortable wearing this foundation because it doesn't feel thick but it really gets the job done. However, I can't justify spending $50-$55 on a foundation. I bought it for my birthday and, honestly, I'll probably buy another this year as well. But it isn't something I would pay with "pocket money". However, it has been 7 months and this foundation is still going strong, so maybe spending $50-$55 is worth it. Since I got fired last week (i know) and I don't have much "pocket money" until I find another job, repurchasing this foundation will have to wait until my birthday. It is, however, one of my very favorites.

Pro's

Coverage

Finish

Color

Label (come on, it's chanel!)

Con's

Price

Next is the Nars Sheer Glow Foundation 

I've already done a review on this foundation, which you can find here, but I thought I'd go into the details of the foundation a little more. To start, this product retails for $44, which is a lot. However, you get a lot of product in this guy, a lot more than you would the Chanel Vitalumier Aqua, so the amount matches up with the price (sort of). For me, it's much easier to shell out the $44 when you're getting more bang for your buck! It gives medium coverage, but you can definitely build it up to give full. This foundation covers all of my acne scars and takes the redness out of any current spots, it gives the skin a healthy glow, and it dries very similarly to the Chanel foundation, meaning that it has the perfect balance between yellow and pink for my skintone. It does dry a bit darker, but it's barely noticeable when  on your face. This foundation comes in a lot of different colors and, for those with oilier skin than myself, they make a "Sheer Matte" line that is the same formula, only matte.  This is one of my favorite foundations, and it's one that I'll be keeping in my kit for sure!

Pro's

Coverage

Finish

Color

Amount of product in the bottle

Con's

Price.

And, finally, the Stila Tinted Moisturizer. 

I talked about this tinted moisturizer in my last Friday Favorites, which you can read here, so I'm not going to go too much into it. Basically, this is a really nice tinted moisturizer. It has a lot more yellow than the other foundations, as you can see in the picture above, but it gives just about the same coverage. It just evens out your skintone, so you can see your skin peeking through, but it doesn't hide any broken capillaries or redness from spots. It feels nice on your skin once it settles in and has a really nice wear, with or without primer. This product is under $30 and can be found where ever Stila is sold.  

Pro's

Price

Coverage

Color 

Finish

Con's

Coverage is very light.

All in all: These products are all amazing. However, I'll be repurchasing the Nars, Chanel, and Stila products for sure. Nars and Chanel for all year round, Stila for lazy days or summertime. The clinique is a bit too pink for me, but it's still an amazing foundation nonetheless.

Next time you're in Sephora, definitely check these products out!

xxx,

Ashley

*All photographes where taken in natural lighting

Compare & Review of: Covergirl Eye Trio's "Shimmering Sands" & "Cafe Au Lait"

If you've ever seen Nikki Phillippi's videos, you'd know that she absolutely loves the CoverGirl Shimmering Sands Eye Trio, which you can get at the drugstore for under $10. That trio is gorgeous. It has shimmery neutral colors that are really pigmented, aren't chalky, aren't patchy and they all blend together beautifully. This trio is perfect for an "Every day school makeup", which I will be doing a tutorial of on my YouTube channel when we get closer to school! Anyway, because this trio was such a hit, I decided to pick up another Covergirl trio in Cafe Au Lait

Left: Cafe Au Lait

Right: Shimmering Sands

In the pan, the colors look like a toned-down version of the Shimmering Sands trio. However when you swatch it, it comes out really, really, really chalky. See below.

Left: Shimmering Sands

Right: Cafe Au Lait

Swatches of Cafe Au Lait

Yes, these colors are decently pigmented, but you can see how chalky and patchy they are. And that's only on the hand! When you put it on your eye, you can literally see patches of skin. Not a hot look for anyone! The colors are really hard to blend, they're chalky, they're mildly pigmented. This trio is basically everything that the Shimmering Sands trio is not. It retails for around the same price, but it's absolutely NOT worth it at all.

Sorry for the blurry shot of the Shimmering Sands swatch!

Even from the blurry shot, you can see how smoothly the Shimmering Sands colors swatch. They go on evenly and they have really nice pigmentation.

Shimmering Sands

Pro's:

Pigmented

Go on evenly

Blend together

Can use each shadow individually, or you can achieve a really nice everyday smokey eye.

Easily accessible 

Price

Con's:

None

Cafe Au Lait

Pro's

Price

Easily Accessible

Colors (in the pan)

Con's:

Pigmentation

Chalky

Don't blend easily

Don't have a lot of options 

All in all:

Get the Shimmering Sands

Run far, far away from the Cafe Au Lait

xxx,

Ashley

Friday Favorites 7.20.12

So, I was going to take a picture of my Friday Favorites today but I'm way too lazy.

Either way, here are my favorites for the week!

- Stila Tinted Moisturizer in Bare

- Maybelline lash discovery mascara 

- Too Faced Natural Eye Pallet (Velvet Revolver & Sexpresso)

- My leather mini journal!

Stila tinted moisturizer:
As I explained in my last video, which you can find here, I have a serious love/hate relationship with this product. I got it when I went to IMATS New York in April because the guy said that it gave more coverage than the Laura Mercier one. However, when I brought it home and actually tried it out I absolutely despised it. It felt really thick and gave basically no coverage. What a waste of $15! However, when I pulled it out this week and tried it without a brush, I loved it. Yes, it still felt a little thicker than a "regular" tinted moisturizer, but still thinner than a foundation. The coverage is really buildable and it gives your skin a healthy, not greasy, glow. I've been using it every single day this week and I've been enjoying it a lot! :)

Maybelline Lash Discovery Mascara:

Definitely my favorite mascara of the moment. Not too much to say about it, because I've already done a full review on it, which you can find here!

Too Faced Natural Eye Pallet:

This pallet was given to me by my friend Grace's mum for my birthday, which was beyond sweet! It was actually something I was planning on buying for myself! Anyway, this pallet is amazing. On the left side of the pallet there are 3 "base" or "highlight" colors, ranging from a matte white, to a light champagne, to a pinkey color. And on the right side, next to each base color are 2 "actual" colors that you use as your makeup look. My favorites have always been Velvet Revolver and Sexpresso, which go with the matte white highlighter. All of these colors are matte and make the nicest, but dramatic, smokey eye. I'm actually wearing that combo today and I've definitely fallen back in love with it! Look out for a full length review and pictures coming up!

My Leather Mini Journal:

I picked this up 2 weeks ago because I'm obsessed with journals. I don't keep a journal, I don't draw, I don't write often. However, I'm absolutely obsessed with collecting journals. I actually have 10 sitting in my room. Anyway, I picked up this journal cause it looked kind of vintagey (it isn't) and it was small enough that I could carry it around with me. I've been making myself use this journal to:

write down to-do lists

write down video ideas

write down blog post ideas

write down products I'm going to finish 

write down products I want to buy

etc.

And it's really come in handy. This little guy has been "keeping me in check" and, whenever I check something off of my to-do list, I always get super happy and proud of myself!

Those are my friday favorites! Sorry there were no pictures :/

xxx,

Ashley

Friday Favorites: July 9-13 2012

I haven't done one of these in so long! 

I need to get into the habit of doing them again.

Meep!

Please excuse my hand in the last photo!

My favorites for this week are as follows:

NARS Silk Road Eyeshadow Duo

Mac creme blush in uncommon *discontinued

Origins Clear Improvement face mask

Organic Hair fertilizer 

Mac prolongwear concealer in NC 20

CARGO Eye brightener

And my song of the week is:

Lightning by Alex Goot!

See you next week for another Friday Favorites (I'll try to remember! :D)

xxx,

Ashley 

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