Veet & Meet *Day 9*

For Veet Suprem’ Essence Hair Removal Gel Cream

What It Is:

Hair Removal Cream.

Key Ingredients:

N/A [I lost the box]

How It Smells/Feels/Looks:

It has a horrid smell, but not as bad as the scent of fake tanner. I put the fan on in the bathroom and it doesn’t smell as much. Hair color smells worse than this. I’ve been using this product for years on my legs in conjunction with shaving and the smell only ever bothered me if I had stopped using it for a while. You get used to the smell. It is a thick white lotion that has a slick consistency. I smooth on a generous portion on my legs and watch my hairs shrivel and die.

Why I Like It:

The gets the job done and my legs feel so smooth after. I will just sit there and rub my legs admiring their hairless state. Yeah, I can be very weird. I believe that Veet could improve the scent off their products, but otherwise than that, they make a decent product. Nair burned my sensitive skin and made my legs itchy, and achy for days. Veet has never done this to me, even if I shave immediately after to shave what I missed. I always manage to get patches where I miss. Usually in the back of my legs. Veet is a solid brand and so is their product.

With Love,

 

Advertisement

June Reads 2016 *Day 8*

Another month has come and gone and I’ve managed to read two more books in that time. I am happy that I am still a book ahead on my Goodreads goal of reading 25 books in 2016. As I am writing this, I finished an ebook and am almost done with a book from my personal library. I am hoping to read at least four books in July and almost two books down is a good start to the month at only a week in. Here’s what I read in June:

L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this story. I feel like it is very unique and not just a celebrity endorsement. I don’t know how true this book was to her life story or TV show, but I enjoyed it. I look forward to reading the next book. I also have the first two books of the spin off series. I will definitely be reading them soon now. All of the characters are dimensional for the most part. People are complicated and Lauren Conrad got that part right. I found it to be believable that this could happen, however unlikely as it sounds. It was witty without over doing it and I cannot wait to read the next twisted web of lies and half truths.

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I absolutely LOVED this book to DEATH. It was laugh out loud funny and highly entertaining. I could really relate to all of the cringe worthy moments. I am also drowning in debt, but I don’t spend like her. My debt are all student loans and a car payment. I would never want to be in debt over a pair of Jimmy Choos! I can pay for those by saving up. Her spending was ridiculous, which was partly why this book was so fun. That being said, I found Rebecca to be petty at best and downright childish at worst.

View all my reviews

Now that I’ve reviewed these on Goodreads, I found out that I’m one book behind! It’s funny how in 30 minutes, I fell a book behind. Goodreads is strange. LOL. What have you been reading lately?

With Love ❤

Shatter Me *Day 7*

For OPI Nail Lacquer in Turquoise Shatter NLE 64

What It Is:

A shatter affect nail polish in a metallic turquoise.

Key Ingredients:

Ethyl acetate, alcohol denat., mica, isopropyl alcohol.

How It Looks/Feels/Applies:

It is a metallic, shimmery turquoise blue that could go more green depending upon the lighting and what color is peeking through. It makes my fingers cold, which is a little weird. The formula was thick and chunky which made it difficult to work with. It was impossible to get a thin even coat of shatter. It looked thick and not chic on nails.

Why I Didn’t Like It:

The formula of this OPI was horrible! OPI is usually very good and I bought this at the salon, so I know it is authentic. It dried up on me, which must be the bad formula on this one. I have my OPI Katy Perry Teenage Dream that is still going strong at over 6 years of use/being open.

It’s the glitter polish in the pictures. Anyways, I also have an OPI Gold Shatter that has an amazing formula. I think I got a dud or the color formula was a dud as a whole. Not sure which one it is. The formula was thick and gooey and no matter how hard I tried it always looked like a gross mess on my nails. I do not recommend this one from OPI. If you are looking for a shatter, I love the gold, metallic one. It is easy to get a thin even coat and it makes my nails look so princessy when layered over pink or purple.

With Love ❤

A Simple Time *Day 6*

For Simple Micellar Cleansing Water

What it is:

A perfect blend of multi-vitamins, skin loving ingredients, and gentle cleansers to cleanse the skin while removing makeup.

Key Ingredients:

Water, glycerin, chamomilla flower extract, citric acid.

How It Smells/Feels/Looks:

It really does look and feel like water. It has a slightly acidic smell. It reminded me of apple cider vinegar. It felt cooling on the skin and reminded me of makeup wipes (but applied with a cotton round).

Why I Like It:

I liked the concept of this product. This brand of cleansing water did not work for me though. I felt like my skin was never clean enough while using this product. I use this on my face in the morning in place of soap and water, because I need a quick morning routine and I deep clean my skin every night. I always felt like my skin was still dirty afterwards. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling. I like the wipe version of this product better, but not better than other Equate wipes that I have tried. I’m using the Caudalie Cleansing Water now. I would try another drug store cleansing water.

With Love ❤

June Empties *Day 5*

I only have a handful of empties this month. I need to try harder to use up the things that I have instead of being afraid to be without it. If I use it up, I can repurchase it if I loved it so much. They are only things after all. I think July will be a heavier month for me. I’m concentrating on using up sample packets and items that are almost finished up. I’m also clearing my makeup collection this month, so maybe I’ll have some empties there as well.

Does anyone else have a hard time finishing up stuff?

Tootsie Roll Hot Cocoa

Loreal Revitalift Volume Filler Re-Volumizing Serum & Cream

Simple Micellar Cleansing Water

OPI Nail Lacquer in Turquoise Shatter NL E64

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre

Well, those are my 5 empty products this month. Does anyone else use up this little a month? Is this considered normal? My goal for July is 15 product empties. Can I do it? Find out in August!

With Love,

Lights, Camera, Lashes *Day 4*

For Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara

What It Is:

A 4-in-1 mascara.

Key Ingredients:

?

How It Looks/Smells/Applies:

It doesn’t stink like some mascaras. It has a scent, but it isn’t nauseating and it is not noticeable when applying. The wand is big with sort, spiky bristles. The mascara is black and the formula is on the drier side, which I prefer. This is also a decent sized sample.

Why I Like It:

I enjoyed getting this from Danielle as well as getting this in my Birchbox, since I really wanted to try it. I’m a mascara junky. I like the drier formula. It is wet without being so wet that it gets everywhere. The mascara really did nothing for my naturally long, thick eye lashes. Oh, you could tell that I was wearing mascara, because my lashes were jet black (they are naturally dark blonde to light brown) and I had little black flecks around my eyes. Yes, this  flaked on me. I wear mascara everyday to tame my unruly lashes. This was an okay everyday mascara. Definitely not a favorite and I wouldn’t repurchase it.

With Love ❤

Seeing Clearly *Day 3*

For Clearasil Daily Clear Refreshing Superfruit Pads

What It Is:

Salicylic acid 1% pads help prevent blemishes for radiant skin.

Key Ingredients:

Salicylic acid, water, alcohol denat., glycerin, fragrance, citric acid, raspberry juice, cranberry fruit juice.

How It Feels/Smells/Looks:

The pads are way too rough and scratchy on my skin. The liquid itself wasn’t too harsh on my face. It just caused some redness around my nose and on my chin. I used these at night, though so that didn’t bother me. I really liked the berry scent of these. It doesn’t cover the medicated smell, but it made it pleasant.

Why I Like It:

If they have this as a liquid toner, I will be buying it on my next trip to Walmart. I really liked this product, but the pads are just too rough on my skin. My dad liked these and thought that they smelt nice. So, I might buy these again for him, but they are not for me. If this does not come in liquid, I will purchase Burt’s Bees or this blue toner from Loreal that I used to love. They finally brought it back on the shelves!!!

With Love ❤

Baby Shampoo *Day 2*

For Johnson’s Baby Head-To-Toe Wash

What It Is:

A body wash made for babies.

Key Ingredients:

Water, sodium trideceth sulfate, glycerin, citric acid, sodium benzoate, ethyl hexylglycerin, fragrance.

How It Feels/Smells/Looks:

It is a yellow tinted gel that foams up gently and feels very moisturizing on the skin. It has the ionic baby scent that is pure perfection, although I wish it didn’t have the added fragrance.

Why I Like It:

I used this small bottle on my hands, when I wash them multiple times a day. My hands developed a rash from a UTI/Mastitis that I had and it raked havoc on my hands.This wash was very gentle on my hands and didn’t sting any of the cuts that I had from extreme dryness. I have a big bottle of this stuff that it almost empty that I use on Dean and I love how gentle it is on his skin as well. He had a newborn rash and a weekly soap bath worked on it. I give him a bath every other day and only soap up his hair and privates. I have since moved onto a different three in one product for him that it Minion themed. It is in Strawberry banana scent and is AMAZING. I love how sweet his hair smells after.

With Love <3

America Runs On…Julamorous Day 1

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to Day 1 of Julamorous, where I post everyday in July. I hope I can stick with it. Most of the posts will be scheduled to go up ahead of time, since you never know with a baby. I hope you all enjoy it. Now, to the product review! I’m sorry I don’t have a pic to go with it, so enjoy my nails!

For Dunkin’ Donuts French Vanilla

What It Is:

A K-cup coffee pod that brews drinks to perfection (by manufacturer’s standards).

Key Ingredients:

Coffee. 🙂

How It Looks/Tastes/Smells:

The coffee came out solid black looking and smelling strongly of french vanilla. It tasted a bit burnt/strong with only coffee creamer and 1 equal packet, so I added another equal packet. It vastly improved the flavor. I think the flavored coffees are supposed to be mixed sweeter than how you normally would have your coffee. I like mine a bit bitter.

Why I Like It:

I enjoyed this flavor, but I would much rather use my 1 USD coupon on hazelnut or a dark roast coffee. I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy this flavor. I just prefer non-vanilla flavors. It was a good cup of coffee though. The quality was there and on average, better than what you would get in the store.

With Love <3

 

Dreamland

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just recently this month finished this book that Danielle gave me as a present. It is different than any other Sarah Dessen book that I have read before and I have only read a few dark books in the past. This was truly a great book and I highly recommend reading it for yourself, but don’t expect the usual Dessen plot. It has a wicked twist to it that will leave you wanting more of this dark style. The next book that I will be reviewing is the second book in the Peachville High Demons series, since I have already finished that one as well. Elixir is not that far behind!

DISCLAIMER:

I promise to be brutally honest with my opinion, but it should not be taken as fact. Any reader should read it for themselves, before they decide if this book has any merit or not. Do not judge this book biased solely on my opinion. If you do, you might miss out on a great read. You never know. It could happen. My review may contain spoilers, but I really strive to be spoiler-free. I was given this book as a present from my best friend. This book was not suggested to me by the author. I have no affiliation with the author or his/her publisher.

Main Character(s):
Caitlin is such a strong character even at her weakest points. She was inspiring to me. How she could piece back up a life broken to create a new one for herself was simply amazing. She is the best main character that Sarah Dessen has ever created so far. I love how she is this smart, sweet, funny girl that reduces herself next to nothing, thinking that she deserved it. That she wanted to be invisible, when all she wanted was to feel special and different from her sister. She didn’t want to be in her sister’s shadow anymore and she fell in love with the wrong guy.
5 out of 5 stars

Evil Antagonist(s):
Honestly? Her boyfriend seems like an evil character to me. Yeah, Rogerson is sweet and knows everything, but he is also a sick, sadist jerk of a guy. He sells drugs and beats women. She should have run away from him at the first sign of abuse, but he was so gentle and apologetic after. He knew just how to push her buttons to make her stay and be in “dreamland”. He was very realistic and it seems to be that this is most reflective of how abusive relationships really are. It’s not as easy as everyone thinks to leave an abuser. They make you love them and feel like you cannot leave. He made her feel like she couldn’t be without him like she only existed with him around.
5 out of 5 stars

Minor Character(s):
Gotta love the best friend character. Rina is so funny and I love her attitude. She has so much boy drama that it is really funny. She doesn’t know though. I think that if she wasn’t so wrapped up into herself, she would have realized that something was wrong with her best friend. I mean, how could you not know that something was wrong? I always know when something is wrong. It’s like you see your best friend and you just know. So, I honestly do not believe that that part of the friendship was believable. Sorry. I get that Rina makes life interesting for Caitlin, but if Rina was this self-centered in real life, they wouldn’t be friends by now.
4 out of 5 stars

The Plot:
I thought that this would be your usual Sarah Dessen novel. Girl has problem. Girl meets boy with a problem/past of his own. Girl falls in love with boy. Boy breaks girl’s heart. Girl and Boy get back together after a misunderstanding and happily ever after. I like how she broke her own mold here and gave her readers something different. I’ve been craving for something different from Sarah Dessen for a while and this book really hit the mark. I understand that this isn’t a new book of hers, but I just got given this book and I am so glad that I was. It shows that Sarah Dessen can do more. I wish, every few novels, she will continue to put out books that have a unique plot and not the predictable one. There is more than just the plot that makes a Sarah Dessen story unique and hers.
5 out of 5 stars

The Setting:
I am really enjoying the descriptions in this novel. It seems like she did more describing in this book, probably because there seems to just be more places to describe. I like that this book goes to a lot of different places and we got a lot of visuals. I like to immerse myself into whatever novel I am reading and some books make that really hard when they only put detail into the outfits. Dessen does so much more and makes the place really come alive for me. It makes me excited to reading again like I used to.
5 out of 5 stars

The Dialogue:
Dessen always keeps the dialogue fresh with each and every book that she writes. She creates the dialogue based on the character. If the character is childlike and uneducated, she doesn’t make him/her sound like an adult. I like that the character’s voice is unique to that character only. I don’t like cookie cutter characters that all seem alike except have different names and look different. Even the adults all of their own unique way of talking. This book has been a really refreshing read.
5 out of 5 stars

Engaging Surprises:
There were quite a few surprises in this book that you really never see coming. You never saw the abuse that would happen and get worse as the book went on. You never saw a particular character leaving right up and never saying a word. You never thought that such a strong female character would put up with such abuse, but you never see a lot of things coming in real life until they are upon you. I really like how this novel imitates life in that way. This book was a really emotional story for me and one that I could relate to, even though I was rarely hit. It’s the emotional abuse that I really connected with and Dessen presented it as a reality, not a fantasy.
5 out of 5 stars

Climax:
The emotion was mounting, when the Climax came around and everything fell like glass shattering to the pavement. I couldn’t believe what this whole book has been building up to, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. Every abusive relationship has its final explosion, where everything comes to a head and its either life or death. I never thought that Sarah Dessen would ever write about a topic like this and that she would execute it so flawlessly like she had always been writing things like this. I want more.
5 out of 5 stars

Emotional Response:
I cried many times, when reading this book. I just could relate to the character so well that I felt her pain and her confusion. I know what feels like to want to belong somewhere with someone, but sometimes, that person isn’t always how they portray themselves to be. Sometimes, the person you have loved forever somehow turned into a cold stranger that you no longer know. It’s hard to let go of someone who made you love them and then hurt you, whether it is physical or just emotional. Sometimes the deepest scars are the ones that you can’t see.
5 out of 5 stars

Ending:
The ending wasn’t all that surprising, but it was a bit predictable in a way. It still wrapped up into a pretty little bow instead of a bit of a mess that I would have wanted it to end like. I don’t understand why Dessen has to have a happy ending. She could have left it at Caitlin recovering and growing stronger, instead she had to say how her sister was jealous of her and her freedom and how she had the better life with no expectations. The ending could have been better in my opinion. Since the novel was a mess of emotions, I expected it to end in a mess.
3 out of 5 stars

The Writing:
Sarah Dessen’s writing is something special. I have always loved her writing style and this book is no different. I actually think that I love it even more in this book, since she takes a whole different plot approach. Does she have grammar issues here and there, yes, but what book doesn’t? Editors cannot catch everything you know and some mistakes are due to the printers. Her writing has always interested me and it will continue to do so.
4 out of 5 stars

The Artwork:
The cover isn’t anything is write how about at all. You get the turmoil that the main character is in by the cover, but not much else. To be honest, if this book wasn’t bought for me, I might not have bought it based on the cover alone. I like appealing covers and this one just did not appeal to me and doesn’t really go with the whole story either.
2 out of 5 stars

Genre:
I don’t really think that this was chick lit like her usual genre. It is a bit darker more like a troubled romance with a growing up element to it. I still think that this is suitable for mature teenagers and adults alike. I really enjoyed this new twist to Sarah Dessen’s usual chick lit offerings.
5 out of 5 stars

Title:
I think that the title “Dreamland” is very suiting, since the title is mentioned is the book itself and the main character has a dream journal that she uses as a journal to her sister. Not many titles seem to actually connect to the book and I like that this one does on so many different levels.
5 out of 5 stars

Overall, I give this novel a shocking 4.5 out of 5. So, I could go either way on this one. I could make it a 4 or a 5, but I think that it deserves a 5 star rating, even with its minor imperfections. Hey! Nobody’s perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I haven’t enjoyed a novel like this in a long time. I don’t give out many 5 stars, so you know this novel has to be good.

With Love,

View all my reviews