Colourpop “Sweet Talk” Makeup Look

Recently I made a Colourpop order with some birthday money and was dying to create a springy, peachy look using some of the things I got! For this look I used the “Sweet Talk” Palette and Pressed Glitter in the shade “Hungry Ghost” on my eyes.

I used “Work It” for my crease/transition shade,  “ICYMI” and “West Side” on the outer corner and lower lash line, & “Catch Me” to highlight the brow bone, all from the “Sweet Talk” palette. I applied NYX Glitter Primer and then patted on “Hungry Ghost.”

To keep with my peachy theme I used “Luminoso” baked blush from Milani and Buxom Full on Lip Polish in the shade “Sandy.”

I love how this look came out, and I love the fact almost all of the products I used are affordable. Colourpop makes beautiful products and I just had to get several things from their recent Spring collection.

Have you tried Colourpop? Let me know what you think in the comments!

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Book Review: The Lies We Told by Camilla Way- 5 Stars

Find it on Goodreads & Amazon

This novel follows two stories, one present day and one set in the 80’s that eventually collide and at the root of it all is a girl named Hannah.

In the late 80’s a couple desperately wants to have a baby. So when their dream finally comes true, they don’t want to believe that something is wrong with Hannah. Even as a little girl, she found joy in hurting people. Her parents want to get her help but it might be too late…

In present day, a man named Luke is missing. His girlfriend Clara can’t help but think something terrible has happened. Everyone else seems to think he’s just off drunk somewhere and will show up sooner or later, but Clara knows Luke, and this isn’t right. So when Clara begins to talk to people from Luke’s past she realizes she might not have known her boyfriend that well after all…

These two stories are told in alternating chapters but once it becomes clear how they are connected my jaw dropped! This book is FULL of twists and surprises. Many of the characters are unreliable and dysfunctional so it’s hard to distinguish what might really be going on and who is being honest.

The Lies We Told is chilling and fast paced making for a quick read! Definitely pick this one up if you’re a lover of thrillers!

BoxyVibes: April Boxycharm Review!

I love getting Boxycharm every month! This month was a really vibrant, fun, festival themed box. I don’t go to music festivals but you better believe I’ll be wearing all these fun vibrant colors when I take my toddler to the library! 😉

Brushes are something every makeup lover can’t get enough of, at least for me, so it’s great getting them from Boxycharm as opposed to buying them separately. Luxie Beauty brushes are great quality and really cute! This “Summer Daze” set comes with the #209 Large Shader, #245 Small Shader, and #512 Small Contouring brush and retails for $28.

Eyeshadow palettes are my weakness. Look how beautiful and summery this PUR Festival Pressed Pigment Palette looks!

This palette contains twelve shadows: mattes, shimmers, and pressed glitter pigments that are all gorgeous.

I like how there are some neutral tones, like the matte browns and shimmery coppers, but there’s also bright pops of color and of course, the pressed glitters, to create a bolder look! This palette retails for $36.

Next up is a lipstick from Kristofer Buckle. This is the shade “Bardot,” a beautiful nude/mauve shade that pulls a little brown on me but I LOVE it. It’s creamy and doesn’t dry my lips out. It’s a great go-to lipstick for when you need to look pulled together. It retails for $18.

I also received a Starlooks Ultra Gem Longwear Eye Pencil in the shade “Celestial.” This is really pretty and a fun way to add a pop of color to a look. It retails for $19.

The last item I received, and the only item in the box I don’t like, is the Artist Couture Diamond Glow Powder in the shade “Summer Haze.”  I did not swatch this product as I will probably give it away, but it’s a loose golden toned highlighter. I prefer pressed powder highlighters so I will not use this one. It retails for $27.

Boxycharm costs only $21 a month and you received 4-5 full size products each month. The overall value for my April box is $128! This is a great value and I will use and enjoy every product except for the loose highlighter.

Do you subscribe to Boxycharm? If you’re interested, follow my link and use my code to sign up!

https://www.boxycharm.com/refer/Whitn-QPNTHJXU

Whitn-QPNTHJXU

Book Review: The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick- 4 Stars

Find it on Goodreads!

Martha Storm grew up reading mostly encyclopedias at her father’s insistence, even though her mom and grandma would sneak and tell her the occasional fairy tale. Martha loved listening, reading, and writing her own fairy tales, but unfortunately her life has turned out to be the complete opposite of one. She’s always taking care of others and never does anything for her own enjoyment until she is mysteriously gifted a book of fairy tales that read suspiciously like ones from her childhood…

Soon Martha connects with Owen, the bookseller who sent her the fairy tales, and sets out on a journey to uncover some family secrets and find her love for creating stories once more. I enjoyed this story so much but found myself getting irritated with Martha at times for being such a doormat to others!

I love books about books. They are just so charming! I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for my copy of this book.

Beauty Review: VIIcode Skincare-Oxygen Eye Mask

VIIcode (pronounced ‘vee too code’) is a skincare company that focuses solely on eye products. I have been trying out these Oxygen Eye Masks for a couple weeks now and wanted to share my thoughts!

These are meant to be worn while you’re sleeping, for up to eight hours, which is perfect for a busy mom like me! I do enjoy wearing eye masks during the day but running around chasing a toddler it’s just not practical to wear them and get the most benefits from them during the day.

The first time I tried these I was recovering from the flu and thought it was a prime opportunity to see how they work. They are super easy to apply, feel lightweight, stay in place, and are comfortable to sleep in. I was afraid I would feel them on my face and not be able to sleep but it wasn’t a problem at all. They stayed in the same spot all night even through my tossing and turning! My eyes definitely looked and felt tighter and smoother when I woke up and removed the masks! It’s also such a nice treat to apply these at the end of a busy, hectic day and enjoy how cooling and relaxing they feel.

Before application

Comfy and easy to apply!

After removing the masks

 

The box comes with enough masks for six treatments for $58 and you can use them three times a week. This is pretty pricey but they do a great job and feel wonderful once you apply them! According to their website, these eye masks claim to instantly refresh the skin, minimize visible signs of aging around the eyes, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and instantly moisturize and soothe under the eye area. I still have a couple packs left to try so I can’t yet attest to the minimizing of aging signs or fine lines but I have noticed that my skin is refreshed and my under eye area has stayed hydrated and smooth for days after using the masks.

Thank you to Elle with VIIcode for sending me these masks to try!

Where to find VIIcode:

Instagram: @viicodebeauty

Website: http://www.viicode.com/index.php/

Oxygen Eye Masks: http://www.viicode.com/index.php/night-gel-under-eye-mask-for-wrinkles-around-eyes.html

 

 

 

Lime Crime Venus III Palette

Recently I ordered the Lime Crime Venus III Palette when Ulta had them on sale for half price!

I love purple/berry toned eye looks and this palette is simply stunning in person. The color story is so feminine and romantic but you can also make it more dramatic.

Here are the swatches from top to bottom:

• Beloved
• Bliss
• Paradise
• Ecstasy
• Rapture
• Heavenly (applied damp using setting spray)
• Beam
• Dreamy

Now for the look!

I used Dreamy as my transition shade, Bliss in the crease, Ecstasy in the outer corner, & Beloved on the lid with Heavenly patted on top (this shade is a pretty sheer, iridescent rose gold that I found works best as a topper.) I used Rapture in the inner corner and on the lower lash line I mixed Bliss and Ecstasy. There isn’t a good matte brow bone highlight shade in this palette so I used Tempera from the Anastasia Modern Renaissance. To complete the look I used the Wet N Wild Rebel Rose creme blush, Chanel Plisse Lumiere de Chanel highlighter, and MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Rouge Lipstick in the shade C211 – Rose Wood.

Overall this is a beautiful palette with plenty of variety to create a lot of different looks. The shimmers and metallic shades are vibrant and sparkly, and the mattes blend wonderfully while still maintaining the pigmentation you see in the pan. I only wish it had a matte or satin cream shade for highlighting the brow bone, but being a makeup lover I have plenty of other shades like that to choose from in another palette.

Do you have this palette? What are your thoughts on Lime Crime shadows? I have two other palettes by this brand and think they are quality across the board!

 

Book Review: Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier- 4 Stars

Find it on Goodreads!

 

Trigger warning: rape, abuse

 

Wow, this was a really twisted and depraved story.

Sixteen year old Angela Wong and Georgina (Geo) Shaw are best friends, attached at the hip, until a man five years their senior comes in between them. Geo and Calvin are inseparable, but it’s a tumultuous relationship. Calvin is abusive and controlling, but Geo can’t let him go, until one night when everything changes and Angela goes missing.

For fourteen years, Angela’s family wondered what happened to her, and only two people know the truth, so when it’s brought to light that Calvin is the Sweetbay Strangler and Geo was a witness the night Angela died, Geo is sent to prison for five years. But, is what’s revealed the full story, or is Calvin and Angela still harboring chilling secrets?

When more bodies are found murdered and dismembered just like Angela’s, police are convinced the Sweetbay Strangler has struck again after escaping prison, and only one person can help solve this case, and she’s not telling the whole story.

This story was definitely sick and twisted, and begs the question, are addictions and behaviors hereditary or learned? There is so many shocking moments in this story you won’t be able to put it down! This novel isn’t for the squeamish as it’s pretty dark and graphic, and I found myself at times wanting to stop reading because of that fact, but the story-line was so compelling I made myself keep reading as I just HAD to know the ending!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, the author, and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Order your copy from //ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=wordswisdomwh-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1250154197&asins=1250154197&linkId=d63d317c44d74653182be5f6467fff75&show_border=false&link_opens_in_new_window=false&price_color=333333&title_color=0066C0&bg_color=FFFFFF“>Amazon!

 

 

Book Review: Saving Meghan by D.J. Palmer- 4 Stars

Can you love someone to death? 

Some would say Becky Gerard is a devoted mother and would do anything for her only child. Others claim she’s obsessed and can’t stop the vicious circle of finding a cure at her daughter’s expense. 

Fifteen-year-old Meghan has been in and out of hospitals with a plague of unexplained illnesses. But when the ailments take a sharp turn, doctors intervene and immediately suspect Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a rare behavioral disorder where the primary caretaker, typically the mother, seeks medical help for made-up symptoms of a child. Is this what’s going on? Or is there something even more sinister at hand?

Add it on Goodreads!

Saving Meghan is a medical courtroom thriller chronicling the hunt for diagnosis explaining Meghan’s illnesses. Her mom Becky is completely devoted to finding out what has plagued her daughter for the past few years, but her dad, Carl, doesn’t really believe Meghan is sick. Becky’s mom used her and her sister Sabrina to lie for her, enabling her to receive disability for made up symptoms all throughout their childhood, so it just seems likely that all those years of abuse and trauma are affecting Becky now in adulthood and it’s manifesting illnesses in her daughter.

Munchausen syndrome by proxy stories have always intrigued me, and this novel takes readers on a wild ride through the lives of Becky, Carl, and Meghan. Although a psychiatrist and a gastroenterologist strongly believe this is what is wrong with Meghan, another doctor  suspects a rare disease he has seen first hand with his own child. What follows is a fight to save Meghan’s life and her health. Told in multiple POV’s, each chapter will have you questioning what you really think it wrong with Meghan. It’s fast paced, full of suspense and family drama, and is so thrilling you won’t be able to put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for my advance copy of this book.

Saving Meghan will release April 9th!

 

Book Review: 29 Seconds by T.M. Logan-4 Stars

Add it on Goodreads!

 

If someone told you they could make a person just disappear and all you had to do was give them one name, would you? Sarah has to ask herself this very question after saving a young girl from being kidnapped, causing the girl’s father to feel he is indebted to Sarah.

Sarah instantly knows whose name she would give- her boss. He’s a condescending sexual predator who will only promote Sarah if she sleeps with him. But could she really control someone’s fate so easily? She is raising two kids on her own while her husband is off with another woman and she really needs her job, but at what price? Could she handle the repercussions from the aftermath of giving up the name of her boss to be rid of him?

This was such a unique and thought out story that kept me on the edge of my seat. I really appreciated how the author chose to end the book in a way that highlighted how strong and brave of a woman Sarah is!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my copy of this book!

Book Review: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides- 5 Stars

Find it on Goodreads!

 

 

 

 

Alicia has been in a mental health facility for six years after shooting her husband in the face and refusing to speak since that fateful night. Theo, a psychotherapist, is enamored with her case, and convinced he can get her to talk. Told in chapters that alternate from past to present, with Alicia’s diary entries sprinkled throughout, readers are swept up in a story that is so shocking, confusing, and twisty, you will be at a loss of who to root for and who to hate. What happened to Alicia that has caused her to choose to be mute? Does Theo have ulterior motives or does he really just want to help her?

I love thrillers with unreliable narrators and this one doesn’t disappoint in that aspect. I didn’t have the twist figured out until it smacked me in the face and my jaw DROPPED! This book really puts you right into the mindset of the mentally ill and it’s quite frightening to experience what they are dealing with. This was a fantastic debut from the author and I highly recommend.

Do you like psychological thrillers? If you’ve read this one, what did you think?