Rimmel Wonder'Full Mascara with Argan Oil | Review

As much as I love mascara, I don't have a lot of opportunities to try different ones because I like to have some sort of budget for makeup. Unfortunately, my two favourite mascaras (Maybelline Full 'N' Soft & Rimmel Extra Super Lash) had dried up, so when I went to repurchase them I decided to grab Rimmel's Wonder'Full mascara too.

The first thing that I noticed about this mascara was the gorgeous packaging; it's stunning. Companies that really pay attention to how their products look are going that extra mile to make sure their products get noticed. Another great thing about the packaging is that when you twist the cap shut it clicks so you know it's very secure with no chance of spillage. The packaging looks and feels like a high end mascara, I'm very impressed.

The rubber wand works really well, and although it's got quite a cumbersome size you do get a nice amount of volume because of the shape. A quirky idea that I think works quite well is the bendy wand. The bendy wand helps grip your lashes, and although I doubt there'd be a massive difference if it wasn't flexible, it's a nice touch! I really can't fault the aesthetics, so let's move onto the formula of this mascara.

It's so smooth, and there's absolutely no clumping. I've been using it for about three weeks now, and I'm still extremely impressed every time I use this mascara. A perfect everyday mascara, one I'll be sure to repurchase once I finish my current tube. I hope Rimmel never discontinues the Wonder'Full mascara because it's brilliant! I'd love to see a waterproof formula of this as well.

If you own this mascara, let me know what you think of it in the comments below! What other mascaras on the market should I review next? I hope you guys enjoyed this review, I love you all, and I'll talk to you very soon.

~Ciao!~

The Drake Chronicles Tag | Book Nerd Monday

Hello lovelies! We all knew the day would come when I'd create a Drake Chronicles tag. It's my favourite book series of all time, and I feel like it's finally time for me to make a tag. I can't believe it's taken me this long! Oh well, shall we?

Question 1) Who's your favourite character(s)?

Definitely the cousins! Lucy Hamilton & Christabel Llewellyn are the sassiest, most amazing characters in the whole god damn series. I identify with both of them so much, and desperately want to play either of them if a Drake Chronicles movie/TV show pops up. I can dream, right?

Question 2) Who's your least favourite character(s)?

This is tough, because I love all the characters. Even the mean ones, because they're so well written and important to the story. I guess, if I had to pick, my least favourite character is Miss. D__ (outforbloodfindname). Her being revealed as the villain at the end of Out for Blood was such a 'huh? Um, okay...' moment, and I feel like she wasn't as well written as every other character in the series.

Question 3) Who's your favourite couple?

Lucy and Nicholas or Quinn and Hunter. Lucky & Nicky get on each other's nerves all the time, and that brings amazing comical relief to the books when the whole impending doom thing gets a bit too much. The same goes for Quinn and Hunter! Plus, hot guys, sassy kickass girls. What's not to love?

Question 4) Who's your favourite Drake boy?

Well, shit. I didn't think this tag idea through. ABORT! ABORT! I don't wanna pick a favourite, but for the purpose of this tag I will. I'm going to say Duncan or Nicholas, because Duncan is as antisocial as me, and Nicholas is... well... Nicholas. 

Question 5) When did you fall in love with the series?

I feel in love somewhere around, "Normally, I wouldn't be caught dead at a field party." Incase you don't know, that's the first line of the first book.

Question 6) If you could kill off any character who stayed alive in the final battle (in Blood Prophecy), who would it be?

Why I decided this questioned would be a good idea, I know not. Nevertheless, I wanted Dawn to die (obviously). That bitch deserves a fate worse than death, but she's also so entertaining that I'm kind of glad she didn't die. Is that messed up?

Question 7) Would you be a Helios Ra hunter, plain ol' human, Host, Hel-Blar, Na-foir, or Raktapa vampire?
If I've missed out a species in this question I'm going to be so pissed off. Anyway, I like to think I'd be as kick-ass as a Helios Ra Hunter. Or a Drake. I can't make up my mind, so that's the best answer you're gonna get.

I hope any fans of this series, or of Alyxandra Harvey, enjoyed this post, and I hope anyone who hasn't read her books will go check 'em out. They are seriously amazing! I'll talk to you little pixies on friday!

~zì jiàn!~

Spring Has Sprung Tag | Miscellaneous Friday

Hi everyone! Sorry for getting this up so late in the night.  Basically, I kept procrastinating to write this post because I didn't have any good ideas, and now I'm resorting to doing a tag. Why the hell not? Tags are a tonne of fun to do. Anyway, it's spring in Australia, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do the Spring Has Sprung Tag! I feel like I'm on a roll with these tags lately, I'm really lovin' 'em.

Question 1) What are some spring trends you're looking forward to the most? 

I'm a big fan of hippie bohemian printed dresses (could I be worse at describing them?), and they always seem to come out in spring. These aren't necessarily a trend per se, but oh well. Love 'em!

Question 2) What's your favourite spring clothing piece?

I love to wear rolled up jeans with a nice airy dress. Unfortunately, spring gets pretty hot in Australia, so I can only wear my ol' rolled up jeans for so long!

Question 3) What do you do during your spring break?

Okay, this is an American thing, right? We don't have 'spring break' in Australia, it's just school holidays. Anyway, I watch Doctor Who. However, that's no different from any other day. If you're talking spring themed things, then I don't do much. I like going for really long walks with my friends and hanging out at parks, just little fun things. 

Question 4) Is it warm or cold during spring where you live?

It's usually quite nice, but it can get very hot, which sucks as I prefer the winter months. Wait, didn't I answer this already? Yes, it gets very warm. Although that makes my skin happy (cold weather wreaks havoc on my skin), it doesn't make me too happy.

Question 5) What's your favourite spring lip colour? 

I must say I do love a nice rosy pink. I don't go for bold colours, so a subtle rose looks lovely and natural on my lips!

Question 6) Favourite spring nail polish? 

My favourite colour to wear on my nails all year round is green, and I'm not changing my answer just because the seasons change. Wow, I'm such a rebellious teen.

Question 7) Favourite spring colour? 

Okay, what's the deal with this question? Do people change their favourite colours for each season just because...? My favourite colour is green. Seriously, though, what classifies a 'spring colour'?

Question 8) Favourite Starbucks drink during spring?

I need to find some Australian tags, because we don't have Starbucks in Australia. I don't know what the Aussie equivalent of it is, maybe The Coffee Club? Don't ask me! I stick to my iced coffees all year round, and I'm really not much of a beverage kinda gal. 

Question 9) Do you add colour to your makeup for spring?

I love spring because you can get away with lovely greens and purples on your eyes, which is something I tend to do to make my brown eyes look a lot less boring. I don't like to use a lot or colour, just a little. As you've probably guessed, I'm not very adventurous when it comes to makeup.

Question 10) What are you most excited for about spring 2014?

Definitely Floriade 2014. It's a beautiful flower festival kind of thing where I live that runs for a month. I try to go every year because the flowers are beautiful, the music is awesome, and there's just a lot of fun activities to do. It's actually a lot better than how I make it sound! 

Floriade Nightfest!

Sorry for this abrupt and pretty shabby post, but I thought I'd better get something up quick because I'm trying to get better at putting up blogposts in a timely manner. Can you even call this a timely manner? Probably not. Anyway, feel free to do this tag! I found it here. I hope you all enjoyed reading about my favourite spring things, I'd love to read about yours in the comments below!

~Au Revoir!~

Vampire Academy RANT | Book Nerd Monday

Hello, everyone! So, if you're a fan of the Vampire Academy book series by Richelle Mead, you'll know that in 2013 Dan & Mark Waters collaborated to create a movie. In February this year, it was released in Australia, and like any other loyal fan of the books, I went to check it out. You can see my initial reviews of it here & here, but I must admit my thoughts on Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters has changed. When I reread those posts, I realised that I held back a lot, so this review is going to be my 100% honest thoughts on the movie. I waited this long because I there's not a lot of fanfare around the first movie, and we've also finally heard about the Vampire Academy movie sequel. I'm going to apologise for all the negativity upfront, because I've always been an advocate for not out 'n' out bashing book-to-movie adaptions.

I'm just going to run through each thing that pissed me off about the campaign, movie, possibility for a sequel etc., and see where that takes us! So, the first thing I'm going to talk about is the advertising, in particular the terrible posters that were created. Fluro fucking green & pink was possibly the worst colour scheme for the Vampire Academy franchise. It made it seem so childish and girly! That's appalling, because there are rarely any girly moments in the books, and I was just so disappointed. Literally everything about the advertising campaigns disappointed me, don't even get me started on the trailers.

Actually, let's talk about those god-awful fucking trailers. No one would classify the Vampire Academy books as mean girls x vampires, so who the fuck thought to advertise the movie like that? Seriously! The editing and cutting together of clips was shitty at best, and I just couldn't be more angry that a better team wasn't in charge. To be 100% honest, the fans should have been in charge of trailers, posters, all that jazz. Hell, we could have written a better movie.

Next on my list, is the director/writer team. Sure, Mark Waters did a fucking brilliant job on Mean Girls. That movie is beloved by all ages! Dan Waters wrote the wonderful script to Heathers, another classic. However, lets keep in mind that those movies are predominantly classed as comedies, so asking them to work on quite a dark, romance & villain filled movie was ridiculous.The only thing more ridiculous was having them work together. I knew, straight from the get-go, that despite the brothers being well loved in the film industry, they just couldn't pull off this movie. Sadly, I was right. "sweet, sassy, molassy"? What the fuck! Rose Hathaway would never say that, nor would she an Mason have a dumb secret handshake. I just. I can't. So many poor decisions. 

Casting. Casting, casting, casting. I'm at a loss. Sure, Dominic Sherwood is hot, and there were many beloved actors in Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters. I feel sorry for them, because no matter how much I try, I don't feel a smidge of love for this film. I did when it first came out because I was incredibly thrilled with the prospect of seeing all six books turned into film, but my opinion of the last six months has definitely changed. It's silly, but physically all the actors/actresses looked wrong for the parts they played, and I couldn't see them as those characters, I didn't feel emotionally attached to the characters at all. What that means, is that I wasn't emotionally attached to the movie, and therefore wasted money to see it. 

My annoyance with the casting situation has absolutely nothing to do with the actors themselves, just that Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters painted the wrong picture of Richelle Mead's books, and I for one think a different cast might've have the movie more appealing. For example, Zoey Deutch made Rose seem a lot less tougher and more petite/girly than the character should be. Lucy Fry (a fellow Aussie whom I love dearly) just wasn't Lissa, and don't even get me started on the fact that Dan Waters literally changed her nationality (many characters' nationalities were changed btw). Danilo Kozlovsky looked nothing like the drool worthy 24 year old Dimitri, no matter how qualified or respected he is as an actor. I'm not going to talk about specific actors & actresses anymore, because it's quite a mean thing for me to do and I don't like putting stuff like that on my blog. I do talk about movies or books I haven't liked, but I don't want to go into detail about specific people because.. well, I don't (yes, Jesse, finish on a strong note?).

I'm going to mention a really obvious thing now. Something that breaks my heart, and something that pissed off every fan of the books that has a brain. The movie was nothing like the books. Half the mythology and history of vampires as well as the history of our main characters was changed, which is something I can't get passed. Our heroine, Rose, and her best friend Lissa are on the run for almost two years, not just one. That extra year is significant. *growls* Something else that pissed me off was how the characters were made to look, as in they looked nothing like how they were described in the books. Mia has long blonde ringlets & blue eyes, and is very tough and mean until the second book. Boy did they get that wrong. I actually love Sami Gayle, so I'm blaming the writer, director, & costume department. Lastly, on this specific subject; Moroi are slender, pale & tall. Yes there are exceptions like if a Moroi is of a different nationality they won't be pale, and sometimes they're not tall. But they always have quite a small, thin build. Let's just say that that scientific fact about Moroi was tossed out the window. 

Yes, I am annoyed about the movie. But that's not what spurred me on to write this post, especially so late when there's not a lot of buzz surrounding the VA franchise. What made me want to write this post, is this ridiculous update:

From the start, the Vampire Academy social media sites have been absolutely appalling. We barely ever got decent information from them; always having to listen to bullshit lines like "We know we said there'd be news, but you'll have to wait another month! LOL, sorry! If you're a real fan you'll understand!" There's so much wrong with that statement, and if I ever meet the people in charge of the VA social media, I'm gonna kill 'em. Rude, passive aggressive, and subtext filled remarks that start with "If you're a real fan..." aren't necessary, and they piss us all off. Sure, I'm not a diehard fan, and I have found many many paranormal book series I like better than VA, but I know the books much better than some corporate guys in suits. 

"We didn't receive the required contribution"? Are you kidding me? You guys asked a bunch of young adults and teens to raise $1.5 million dollars. Most of us would struggle to pay $20. Frankly, I'm appalled and annoyed and every other word beginner with a. It's ridiculous because the majority of us are in high school, college, or university. How can you possibly expect us to pay you guys $1.5 million dollars? 

One last thing; the script was extremely cringe-worthy. I can't count the times I would physically recoil in my seat during the three times I've seen Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters. Here are some real gems:

"Sweet, sassy, molassy." That's not how teenagers talk.

"My skin is clear and so is my mind. I may be dead, but I have never felt so alive" Rhymes? Really?

"How long have you been in crush with him?" Again, that's not how teenagers talk.

If you have any other things you want to rant/vent about or point out, please leave your thoughts in the comments! I would really love to read what other fan's have to say; if you agree/disagree, what things you would've changed, all that stuff. Until next time, I love you little pixies!

~zì jiàn!~

NOTE: AGAIN, apologies if any of my readers feel that I was a bit strong in my rant/review regarding Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters. When I've previously talked about VA, I haven't been 100% honest in what I thought of the movie, so I felt it was finally time I did that.

Ultimate Book Tag | Book Nerd Monday

1) Do you get sick while reading in the car?

Yes! It's awful! I can't even look at my iPod screen or glance at a book without feeling ill. God dammit. 

2) Which author's writing style is completely unique to you and why?

Probably Stacia Kane's writing style. Her books are just so gritty and real, and very dark. I admire authors that write these sorts of books because they've gotten a little bit of a bad rap over the years. 

3) Harry Potter series or the Twilight Saga?

I've never read the Harry Potters in my life, and don't plan to (sorry, sorry, sorry!). I tried reading Twilight a few years ago and nearly died from how terrible it was. Couldn't get through it!

4) Do you carry a book bag? If so, what is in it (besides books)?

I did, but now I'm doing homeschooling (working towards it, actually), so no more school bags for me! Wait, is this an American tag? In Australia they're just called bags...? We're lazy. Note: Take a book to read with you everywhere.

5) Do you smell your books?

Yes. All the time. Old books, new books, little books, big books. I love the smell of books, and I saw a Tumblr post a while ago about book perfume. Heavenly.

6) Books with or without illustrations?

Either or, I'm not very picky. When I'm reading fairytales or classics, I do prefer illustrations because it's so much more fun!

7) What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn't quality writing?

Vampire Academy. Fallen. Hush Hush. Wings. Evermore. You know, those types of books? When I first started getting into the paranormal genre, they're the books I read. I regret it, because they're really not very good. 

8) Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood?

Not really. Although I used to like walking around with fairytale books pushed against my chest like high school girls in movies because I wanted to be in high school. Oh, five year old Jesse, could you have been any more naive?

9) What is the thinnest book on your shelf?

*Looks" My old copy of The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter. Woo!

10) What is the thickest book on your shelf?

I feel like this is a jab at my weight. Is this my little brother asking this question? Anyway, my copy of every piece of Edgar Allan Poe's work is massive. 

11) Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as an author?

Um, you must be new here. I'm Jesse, pairing author, nice to meet you.

12) When did you get into reading?

I've always loved reading, or being read to when I was a lot younger. 

13) What's your favourite classic book?

Um... shit... There's too many! Maybe Alice in Wonderland or Jane Eyre.

14) In school was your best subject Language Arts/English?

Although I've always loved those subjects, they turned to shit this year. My best subjects were anything but maths, P.E & science.

15) If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated, what would you do?

I don't let people buy me books unless it's my parents and they ask for a list, simply to avoid that exact predicament.

16) What is a lesser known series that know of similar to Harry Potter or the Hunger Games?

The Blood of Eden trilogy by Julie Kagawa, the Ashes trilogy by Ilsa J. Bick & the House of Comarrè series by Kristen Painter. All great reads!

17) What is a bad habit you always do (besides rambling) while blogging?

I just tend to go off on stupid tangents all the time, and I find it really hard to stay focused when reviewing books. By the end of a review, I just fizzle out. 

18) What is your favourite word (ha, I added a 'u'. Yay for Australian spelling)?

Dude.

19) Are you a nerd, dork, or dweeb? 

I am a complete nerd/geek. I geek out over Doctor Who, Marvel, Star Wars, LOTR. All that lovely stuff. Oh, and books and Supernatural and Sherlock. The list is never-ending, and I need to calm down before I get whiplash.

20) Vampires or fairies? Why?

To read about, definitely vampires. Fairy books are always so prissy and romantic; yawn. 

21) Shape-shifters or angels? Why? 

Neither, they both bore me and I'm yet to find an angel/shifter book that isn't all about love. Again, yawn!

22) Spirits or werewolves? Why?

Spirits over werewolves, any day. Werewolves are one of my least favourite paranormal beings to read about.

23) Zombies or vampires? Why? 

Zombie books scare the shit out of me, but definitely intrigue me. I blame my friend Finn. But I own a shit tonne of vampire books so I'm obligated to choose vampires as my answer. 

24) Love triangle or forbidden love?

I hate this question more than I've hated any tag question in my life. I hate both, so I'm going with love square. Way more fun.

25) Full on romance books or action packed with a few love scenes mixed in?

Action packed with a few love scenes mixed in, because they tend to be a lot more funny, a little more based in reality, not fucking stupid, and full of angst. Angsty romances, that's where it's at. 

Tag, you're it! Feel free to do this tag yourself, it's a lot of fun. I love you all!

~zì jiàn!~