SOULLESS BY GAIL CARRIGER REVIEW

Alexia Tarabotti is labouring under a great many social tribulations.

First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. 

Where to go from there? From bad to worse, apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire--and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. 

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plan embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

~~~

In this stunning Victorian paranormal novel by Gail Carriger, we are once more thrust into the Finishing School world, this time with almost entirely different characters and entirely different rules. While we are greeted by a few friendly (or, not so friendly) vampiric and lycanthropic faces, this novel isn't related to Carriger's Finishing School series, so be prepared for a wild ride about good ol' London-town. 

Alexia Tarabotti is 25 years old and a total disappointment to her family, not to mention soulless and in possession of a silver-tipped parasol which enables her to kill vampires. Kill 'em dead. She is a very interesting protagonist because while she doesn't have a soul and is totally independent & sassy, she's actually very self conscious and almost broken at the beginning of the story. Her family's disappointment goes beyond that of teasing and and exhausted looks, because she's basically ended up emotionally stunted (although that could be attributed to her not having a soul) and unable to appreciate herself in any way. Towards the end of the book, however, a certain Lord Maccon changes her mind in some very magnificent ways totally void of any social etiquette. I suppose he is a werewolf, though, so we can forgive him that. 

I love this book wholeheartedly. Gail Carriger's extraordinary elegance in her storytelling and plot weaving, and her humour reminiscent of Jane Austen's novels, make Soulless the brilliant book that it is. I do not use this Jane Austen comparison lightly, however. If you love Jane Austen and the paranormal or steampunk genres, you will simply adore this book. I know Carriger is inspired by Austen, so I can understand the similarities in humour, but it's more than that. Carriger writes with a talent and voice which makes me think of her as Austen, reincarnated. I'm not saying the's copying Jane Austen, either, because while her books are comparable to Austen's wit, Carriger has her own voice which she uses masterfully. 

I found myself laughing along with this book, enjoying our strong, decisive heroine's unconventional sense of humour. In this dark, seductive world of vampires and werewolves and preternaturals, Carriger applies clever humour to lighten the mood while never distracting from the main plot. Speaking of the plot, what?! I won't give any spoilers, but I will say this. You know those dreadful books whose plots seem jumpy and off kilter, like a record skipping as it plays? This book, thank god, is absent of that nightmarish quality I've found in an obscene amount of books. It simply glides, making complete sense even when the plot twists leave you staring at the pages with your mouth hanging open. That is probably what I appreciate most about this book. Carriger handles even the difficult, cheesy, or dark scenes with grace and elegance, making them flow smoothly from one chapter to the next, while keeping you on the edge of your seat in anticipation of naked werewolves and/or brutally tortured vampires. 

It is astounding how happy this novel left me. It left me so happy that I'm afraid to read the next book, for fear of everything going wrong. Especially because (spoilers!) there's a wedding at the end of the book that made my heart swell with joy as I read it. If you are partial to the Victorian era, beautiful/complicated men, strong heroines, and the paranormal or steampunk genres, you need this book in your life. You know what else makes me think you need this book? The fact that since I've read it I've been caught by random moments when my heart swells and my throat clenches, and I can't help but smile because I'm so damn happy. 5/5 stars, and I wish you all a Happy Blogmas.

COVERGIRL CLUMP CRUSHER MASCARA REVIEW

When it comes to mascaras, Covergirl kicks ass every damn time, and you can quote me on that. Clump Crusher is by no means a new addition to their mascara line, but I still want to get a review up now as next week I'll be doing a comparison post with this and the new Clump Crusher Extensions mascara. 

Firstly, I should probably say that if I was stuck on a desert island, this would be the one mascara I would take with me. A bold statement, I know, but now it's out there I can't take it back. It's not like I'd want to take it back, because the Clump Crusher is everything I'm looking for in a mascara. It gives me a decent amount of volume and length, blackens my lashes, and defines & separates like no other mascara on the market. Again with the bold statements, but I can't help myself!

My tube is old (embarrassingly old), but that does negate my ability to give you an honest review because even as this mascara slowly dries up, it still does an amazing job with my lashes. So, let's get reviewin'.

This mascara retails for $18.95AUD, and comes in the shades 'Very Black' and 'Black/Brown'. I can't comment on the brown shade because I don't use brown mascaras, but the black shade is indeed very black as the name would suggest. It's highly pigmented, but not so much so that you need to be worried about showing up to work or school one day looking like you've dipped your eyelashes in tar. 

Covergirl have also done a great job with the formula of this mascara. It isn't so wet that you have to wait around for a few minutes before you apply another coat, let alone walk out the door. Whoever was in charge of formulating this mascara has found the perfect middle ground between dunking your face in Octopus ink and scraping your lashes with a cactus. In conjunction with the slightly curved, short bristled plastic/silicon brush (which you should use both sides of to crush those clumps!), clumpy lashes will be a thing of the past. This also means that, for those of you who are partial to dramatic, voluminous lashes, there's no need to worry about spidery or goopy lashes. 

With one coat, I get amazing definition/separation, and some decent volume and length. With two coats, the separation and definition I achieved with one is preserved while I get even more length and volume. With three coats, I get serious length and volume. Like, wow. L & V city right here. I've also noticed that while it doesn't seriously add curl to my lashes, it won't make them droop even with three coats. If you're after some serious curl, this is something to keep in mind. I'd recommend the Bourjois Beauty'full Volume mascara if you're after something natural that also holds a curl. 

I think I'll call off this rave review before I start gushing, but I do seriously recommend this mascara as well as all other Covergirl mascaras. I give this a 5/5 stars, and will definitely have a tube of this in my collection at all times! Comment below, what's your opinion on this mascara? What's your desert island mascara? Happy Blogmas Day 2, everyone! 

MY CHRISTMAS BEAUTY WISH LIST 2015

Not my images, they belong to the respective brand websites

These stunning products are very out of my price range and completely unrealistic to even fantasise about, but that won't stop me. I don't expect to receive these gifts for Christmas, but it's really fun to just creative wish lists for the hell of it, you know? So here's my (pricey) Christmas Beauty Wish List for 2015.

1. NARS Eyeshadow Duo in Alhambra - $50AUD
I've read countless reviews of this duo and swatched it in-store at Mecca Cosmetica, and I must say it is stunning. It's beautiful shimmer isn't over-the-top, making it a perfect everyday eyeshadow. I've gotten to the point of staring longingly at pictures of it on my favourite beauty blogs. It's bad, guys. Oh, why can't I be rich and frivolous?

2. Jo Malone London Perfume in Wood, Sage, & Sea Salt - $185AUD
When this was first released, there was a lot of buzz on the internet. I haven't even smelt this perfume (you can't get it where I live, I believe), but from the thousands of reviews I've read it sounds like just the fragrance for me. I'm dying for Jo Malone to be sold at Mecca Cosmetica, but I doubt that will ever happen. For now, I'll be content with simply imagining the scent of this ridiculously expensive perfume.

3. Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer - $42AUD
I have to use my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer sparingly because it's so pricey, and I can only get it when it's my birthday or Christmas (I sound like I'm complaining, but that's very reasonable). Because of this, I'm always scouring the internet and shops for products that will do a better job. While I love my NARS concealer, this Urban Decay one has received rave reviews which would make me feel less guilty when it comes to buying it. It also just looks awesome, doesn't it?

4. NARS Eyeshadow Duo in St. Paul De Vence - $50AUD
I've been after the perfect peachy toned eyeshadow for ages, but I've been so spoiled by brands like Urban Decay and NARS that I can't find one in places like Priceline or Chemist Warehouse for a reasonable cost. Even my darling Chi Chi can't compete with St. Paul De Vence, which is saying something, because their Glamorous Eyes palettes kick ass. I know I don't need this NARS duo, which is why it is only on my wish list, and there is shall remain. It is pretty, though.

5. Zoeva Complete Eye Set - $80-90AUD
I was lucky enough to receive some Zoeva eye brushes for my birthday last year, and I absolutely adore them. So much so that I need ("need") a second set to give the first one a break, as those brushes are looking very tired and dirty. I've not tried face brushes from them, because I don't really use face brushes anyway, but I assume they're of the same high quality. It's also better value for me to go for an eye brush set rather than a mixed or face brush set, thus more justifiable to have more eyeshadow brushes.

6. Demeter Fragrance Library Colognes in Clover and Daffodil - $29.75AUD
I do love my fresh scents, and Demeter provides every one I could ever want. I don't need any, hence them being on my wish list, but the brand has so much hype surrounding them (particularly in America), that I really want to give 'em a go. It's a shame that to ever purchase them, I'd have to go to Sydney or order online from a website I don't know if I trust. Darn you, Demeter!

I hope you all enjoyed the first instalment of Blogmas for 2015. Let me know what beauty products are on your wish list down below, no matter how extravagant!

BOURJOIS ROUGE EDITION VELVET REVIEW

For the most part, Bourjois is a celebrated and beloved brand in the beauty world. They have brought out products that've reached cult status unbelievably fast; from CC creams to lip crayons and so on. Unfortunately, for me, the Rouge Edition Velvets are anything but cult products. To be perfectly honest, I liked absolutely nothing about this lip product. 

The Velvets retail for $24 AUD and are available in (I think) 7 shades here in Australia: 02 Frambourjoise, 03 Hot Pepper, 04 Peach Club, 05 Ole' Flamingo!, 06 Pink Pong!, 07 Nude-Is, and 08 Grand Cru. I picked up the shade Grand Cru, and although it looks bright & orangey in the photo, it is in fact a deep slightly berry-toned red. 

Firstly, the Velvets are extremely overpriced. I really need to establish my frustration at paying $24 for a product that, everywhere else in the world, you could probably get for about half that. I would be able to come to terms with the cost if the product was amazing and synonymous in quality with brands like MAC or L'Oreal, but it's probably the worst lip product I've ever used. And the bar is set very low. 

When I swatched Grand Cru on my hand, I was immediately surprised by its patchiness and lack of pigmentation. (I forgot to take photos, bad beauty blogger, I know!) But I soldiered on because a lot of the time you simply can't tell how a lip product will perform unless you smack some on your own lips. So, I did just that. Or, at least, I tried. 

Prior to application, like normal, I exfoliated and moisturised my lips to achieve the best possible outcome. As hard as I tried to achieve that outcome, Grand Cru simply didn't want to cooperate. It was so patchy and crumbly (think: Arnotts Arrowroot biscuits) that I just stood in the mirror for a good five minutes thinking, What the fuck is this? So, I applied another layer, hoping that would ease the patchy outcome of my first attempt. It didn't. In fact, it made it worse. This formula was so bad that the more I tried to fix it, the more it crumbled, disappeared from my lips, and sunk into the lines around my mouth. I don't even have lines around my mouth. 

I did a transfer and smudge test after giving up on looking presentable, and the results were okay. This product does transfer and smudge a little, but not so much so that you have to constantly worry about getting red all over your face and clothes. Another positive aspect (well, positive in relation to all the horrible things I've already written) of the Velvets is the staying power. The product lasted a good three hours on my lips, with the absence of eating. I did have to drink my water through a straw, though. 

I am so sorry this review is so negative, but I do have to share one last tidbit with you. I'd like to talk about the smell of this product. It is reminiscent of cat piss, hospitals, and fairy floss. Doesn't sound very appealing, does it? It's not extremely strong, but it does hang around for about an hour after application. 

While I absolutely hate this product, I know that for the most part this range has been a hit. It could just be the shade Grand Cru causing everyone nightmares, as I've heard rumblings that this one shade has been the one to let down the whole line, but then again I can't share my opinions on that because I've not tried the other colours. This product was a serious disappointment, but I know from other bloggers' reviews that the other shades in the range seem to come highly recommended! 

Application: 1/5

Staying power: 2.5/5

Smudging/transferring: 2.5/5

Pigmentation: 1/5

Shade true to the packaging: 3.5/5

Scent: 0/5

HIATUS

I suppose I should address the elephant in the room...

I have not actively posted on Gypsies & Pixies since February 2015. In the last 8 months or so I'm pretty sure I've only posted three times, and none of those posts were very substantial. I'm not exactly sure what this post is, but I suppose I'm finally acknowledging my blogging hiatus and apologising for leaving both my readers and myself in the lurch. 

This year has not been one abundant with creativity like the years before. I haven't felt as depressed or anxious as I had been, thus my need for creative outlets lessened. As much as I enjoy blogging, I simply had no craving and felt no need for it. Creativity is an outlet, one I utilise in times of crisis and inspiration, but it is never something I want to force myself to do. While the relationship I have with my blog and readers goes both ways, I simply haven't put any time into maintaining said creative relationship.

I enjoy blogging about beauty and books and such. I especially enjoy the freeform, fairly unstructured platform, seeing as it's a breath of fresh air from strict school work. It's just fun, you know? Although I still hold myself to a certain standard on Gypsies & Pixies, that standard is more of a guideline. A guideline that, as of late, I have altogether ignored. And I'm truly sorry for not putting out more content on this blog.

2014 Blogmas and then my blogging spree in January took a lot out of me, and it's taken a long time for me to have any desire to blog again. My hiatus has been a chance for me to take a step back from this platform, and I deeply appreciate that chance because after January, I almost despised this blog. I possessed an equal amount of love for it, too, don't worry!

Due to this being a hectic school year, I've also had a very heavy workload. You guys know those rumours you heard about homeschooled kids getting it easy? They are so wrong. Blogging and any sort of creativity have been put on the back burner while I focus on school. But, seeing as I'll hopefully be done with school mid-November, I'd like to think I'll be able to focus on Gypsies & Pixies once again. 

I can't promise that, and I'm not going to. I enjoy beauty and lifestyle blogging, but I've grown out of love with it this year. That's not to say I don't appreciate my blog and everyone who reads it, just that while I am definitely getting back into the swing of things as high school comes to a close, Gypsies & Pixies won't be my first priority. 

Now, after all this talk of not blogging, I do have an announcement. I've started a new blog. I still love Gypsies & Pixies, and I will start posting on here soon, but for now I need a different type of outlet. My new blog is called Candid Jesse.

Candid Jesse is a compilation of thought dropping, free thought, and all that good stuff. I've got a lot of material saved up from over the year that I didn't know what to do with, so I thought it'd be a good idea to make a blog out of it all. I've been posting for a week now, and will be posting twice a week until I run out of stock piled posts. Then, I hope to continue with my regular schedule, but I can't make any promises.

I love Gypsies & Pixies, and as soon as the school year is over I will get back on it's band wagon, but for now I would sincerely appreciate it if you all stopped by Candid Jesse and checked it out. 

As always, I appreciate you all and will talk to you very soon. I actually mean it this time! xx

SUGAR | A POEM

Sugar | a Poem

In a strange way I sort of miss you

I miss your comfort & your warmth

I miss how you could take all the pain away

For that, I would always find you.

As if you were him and I were his,

We had something no one but us could break

And oh how it broke

Oh, how your absence has shattered me.

People say that once you walked out on them, 

They awoke with a newfound clarity

No longer a stupid kid in a lolly shop,

They got to have their own adventure.

I know I was right to let you leave

Even if you didn't let me have an adventure 

But, god, how it hurts to still be in this shop

Where I cannot eat a thing.

STARTING A YOUTUBE CHANNEL?!

I feel like everyone has started a Youtube channel by now, but I also feel like it's something I have to do. I've been planning and planning for months now; creating channel art, organising videos, you name it I've planned it. I have a habit of putting off exciting and fun things by doing all that boring stuff beforehand because I'm nervous about how it will turn out.

Well, now the moment is finally here! The videos I've prerecorded so far are by no means perfect, but I'm still extremely proud of myself for just giving it a go. I'm the type of person to avoid having a good time because of the possibility that said good time would turn out to be a bad time. That makes me sound hella boring, but I promise my videos won't be!

The only thing that sucks is I can't make a custom URL yet. It's just a bunch of letters and numbers in no proper order, lookin' real dumb. Anyway, my first video is about the friend zone. In sort of point-counterpoint style in relation to the blogpost I wrote about the friend zone! I hope you all like it! I can't tell you much about what videos I'll be posting on my channel - whatever comes to mind, really! Book reviews, favourites, makeup-y things, rants, opinion stuff, poetry, the possibilities are endless.

Thank you for sticking with Gypsies & Pixies even though I haven't updated in forever! I love you all, little pixies.

CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfm4tbJhOD0kZo3VHKuwq7g

MEET RORY

Kim K butt

Look at her.

Just look at her.

Are you done looking at her yet? Okay, read on. 

My family has almost always had animals in the house. To be honest, I'm not sure why that is because we all complain about our pets far too often. Anyway, our old Kelpie, Boots, had to be put down in mind-January so the house has felt a bit lonely. We do have a cat, Messi (ugh, my brother named him after a soccer player), but my mum really wanted another dog. Enter, Rory.

My mum and I drove to Cooma to look at her and her brother. I really wanted the boy, because male dogs are a little less fussy and generally easier to care for in my opinion, but mum wanted another girl in the house. 

I, however, won on the name. Yes, I did name her after a Gilmore Girls character.

Rory is a kelpie, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise. 3 of the 4 dogs we've had have been kelpies, as they're very loyal, laid back, and generally awesome dogs. She's only 7 weeks old, and absolutely tiny, which I fucking hate. I'm sorry, but puppies are just as much of a pain as toy adult dogs. 

Anyway, that's pretty much it for today's post. I know that I've not exactly come back with a bang after my blogging hiatus, but I promise I'll get back into the swing of things soon! If anyone has any puppy-related questions or tips, leave them in the comments below. 

NYX BUTTER LIP GLOSSES

L-R: Red Velvet, Tiramisu, Devil's Food Cake

L-R: Red Velvet, Tiramisu, Devil's Food Cake

My second post-hiatus blog post! I thought I better kick things off with a review, seeing as even when I was posting a lot in December and January, I didn't post nearly as many beauty reviews as I would've liked to. Today's post is (obviously, it's in the title) a review of the Nyx Butter Glosses.

I know I'm very behind the times here, and that these glosses have been a big thing in the beauty world for who knows how long. I'm pretty sure every blogger and their dog wrote something on these beauties at one point, and I can definitely see why. I picked mine up at Target because over the Christmas period, they brought out a special 3-pack of them that was cheaper than buying three individual glosses. I'm pretty sure they still stock these packs as, so if you check out Target you might be able to get your hands on one. 

Anyway, these glosses are awesome. That's basically the gist of things. If you take away one thing from this post, be it that statement. I do have a one or two with Devil's Food Cake and Red Velvet, but that's mostly just down to personal preferences. 

I'll start off with pigmentation, something with a lot of glosses seem to struggle with. They never seem to be able to hit the nail on the head, and I'm left a bit disappointed because the effect is lacklustre or OTT. I don't have to worry about that with the Butter glosses, because they have great pigmentation for what they are. The pigmentation is exceptional for a gloss, but they're not nearly as pigmented as lipsticks. Red Velvet is probably the most pigmented out of the three shades.

My favourite thing about these glosses, if I had to pick just one, would be the texture. They're buttery smooth (ha, puns) and don't feel disgustingly sticky like a lot of glosses. You know when you eat pizza, and there's the stringy cheese that looks really funny when you pull away one slice? Well, that's  a good thing with cheesy foods, but the amount of times I've experienced that with glosses (particularly Chi Chi lip products) is just weird. Thankfully, because of the silky texture of the Butter glosses, I don't have to worry about that. 

I do have to point out that, depending on the gloss, you tend to not get an exact colour match to the packaging. That's no big deal, and Nyx actually got it near-perfect, but I thought I'd mention it. Red Velvet is supposed to be a red, but for the most part it will show up pink on my lips. That's kind of frustrating, because I was after a red gloss, but I really don't care anymore. Embrace the pink lips. Tiramisu is my go to MLBB colour, with it being the perfect dusty pink. Devil's Food Cake applies as a sorta muted, dusty purple on my lips, but can be built up coverage-wise for a vampy look. 

Application wise, these lip glosses are patchy at first. I don't have this problem with Tiramisu, but I really have to work the other two glosses into my lips. That is probably the major flaw with these glosses, as I have other lip products that I can just whip on without a mirror. It might have something to do with the formula, which is although very smooth and lovely, also slightly gel-like. 

Finally, how long lasting are the Butter glosses? Well, they're glosses, so you're obviously not going to get more than 1-2 hours tops. Pretty average wear time for a gloss, so I don't have much to say about them. If you won't be eating or drinking, you'll easily be able to go 2 hours before needing to reapply, and I think that's pretty good. Red Velvet does seem to last a little longer on the lips that Devil's Food Cake and Tiramisu. 

All in all, these glosses exceeded my expectations and have been welcomed into my little makeup collection with open arms. I'm very impressed with all three shades that I have, although Devil's Food Cake isn't quite on par with the other two, and will probably pick up more in the future. Nyx seems to always kick ass in the lips department, so I'll have to try some of their lipsticks too. What do you guys think of the Butter glosses? Do you have other favourite Nyx products I should check out? Comment below!

I'M BACK!

Hooray! Did you miss me? I can tell ya that I really missed blogging. Interacting with readers and other bloggers, writing blogposts, the whole kit 'n' kaboodle. I feel like I've just come back to school after the holidays, you know? I'm seeing everyone for the first time in weeks, and I'm pretty out of my depth because I don't know who my teachers are or what classes I have.

Can you tell I've not blogged in a long time? I'm just getting back into the swing of things, so I guess this post is just to say hey! It's okay, I'm not dead or anything. I promised I'd come back, and I keep my promises. 

Mostly. 

Sometimes. 

Okay, rarely. 

I really enjoyed posting everyday in December and January, but I'm back at school (insert groan here), so I just don't have the time. I'm going to try posting three times a week; on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and see how well I get on with that. 

I've reread this little post about a thousand times now, and I can't stop myself from cringing. This is why you don't take blog hiatuses longer than a week, tops. Otherwise, it's like the rug is pulled from under you when you return. How do I publish a blog post, again? How do I add a picture? HOW DOES ONE DO THIS BLOGGING THING?

Anyway, with this new chapter of my blog I'm setting myself some new goals. Like, to never miss a post. Also–