Hourglass Ambient Powder (Pictures and Application)

If you haven't been pounded by the incessant hype surrounding these Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders, there is a slight chance you have been living under a rock (that or you're just not that into makeup and you've stumbled on to the post by accident)

I was so excited when I got mine from Sephora earlier on in the year- yeah the blog post is YEARS late... at least you know it will be a through review. I love the sleek packaging but with the $45 price tag, I wouldn't be surprised if it was dipped in gold

The appeal of these setting powders is that they are supposed to diffuse a light onto your skin, giving you a gorgeous airbrushed finish.

I got mine in Radiant Light. I figured it was a nice way to dip my toe in it because I wasn't 100% sure how it would look on dark skin. If the tone was too harsh, I would just use it as a highlight.

Believe it or not but there are actually TWO swatches on my hand. On the top is a heavy concentrated swatch, unblended. On the bottom, I blended it in with my skin, it melts into my deep skin tone. On my face, I do like that highlight it gives me (I keep in concentrated on the center of my face) because it does give it a natural radiant glow. But as far as actually SETTING my makeup, it kind of fails. I have to layer it on top of another powder, especially when it comes to setting creamy concealers.

All in all, I don't think it was a fail... I HAVE had better though.

The Queen movie review

So, if you know me, you may be familiar with my slight obsession with English monarchs. I ordered The Queen off of my Netflix DVD queue because it is a movie about Queen Elizabeth. Played by Helen Mirren, the movie showcases the Queen dealing with the nation after the death of Princess Diana.

I was absolutely fascinated by the idea of that the movie because Princess Di's death did not only affect the U.K., it threw the entire Western world in a tizzy.

I vaguely remembered the news coverage as a child and now, as an adult, the this movie offered a glimpse into the household that might had to deal with an immense amount of grief while still being in the public eye.

Too bad it was boring as all hell.

Well, 'boring' isn't the right word. I appreciated Mirren's performance but the story arc itself was just super understated and slow. And I can enjoy a good understated film (Lars and the Real Girl anyone?). I guess I just hyped myself up thinking there was going to be a bit more drama and female empowering monologues/speeches (I mean it is about the queen of England).

All in all, I know this isn't a super in-depth review... I just wanted to come on here and rant about my disappointment. It was a fair movie though. It wasn't horrible... just underwhelming. 
  

The Red Queen Book Review

So I just finished reading The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory. I'm a sucker for a good Gregory novel because I have this weird fascination with English monarchs. I would blame Game of Thrones but I think I became entranced when I saw The Other Boleyn Girl (a movie based on a novel by Gregory.)

If you've read The White Queen, you'll already be familiar to the traitorous and cold-hearted Margret Tudor.  The Red Queen tells her side of the cousins war (which is actually inspired Games of Thrones) and you surprisingly start to side with her claim to the throne- well, at least I did.

The pious child bride bore her first and only son Henry Tudor when she was just 13. You start to understand that her piety is the one thing that makes her realize her self worth in a society that deems her 'less than' because of her gender, regardless of her high born status. Her estranged mother convinces her the one thing she can do for the family is to continue the name by bear children.

Gregory does an excellent job spinning what seems to be a back-stabbing friend in The White Queen into a tormented young mother determined to get her son on the throne. Even with all that said, Margret is still a less likable person than Elizabeth, but i guess that is no fault of her own when you see the childhood (or lack thereof) she experienced.