daiso charcoal natural pack face mask

Look at this cutie!

Two weeks ago, when I was decided upon going on a cosmetics haul, I stumbled upon this item. I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this page - I think I was searching for some sort of facial cleanser - but I'm glad I did. I'm always up for trying new and unique items, and this is definitely "new" (as in, it's new to me) and unique!

Even though I received this in the mail a week ago, I didn't try it until last night. Why, I'm not sure, but I figured, I wasn't going to let this collect dust any longer!

sephora - "part of your world" eyeshadow palette

That's right, folks.

For whatever reason, and this must be a first-world problem, because...well, really, especially for the past year, any time I get paid, I just go crazy with my money. I had a lot more to spend with this past paycheck (all thanks to my move), so I spent so much of it on makeup from Sephora and Ulta. Now, I'm really stingy with spending money on cosmetics. I realize the better stuff is more expensive, so any time I do go to a higher-end shop, I make sure to get some free swag with my purchases. I am going to get my money's worth of stuff, and I sure did that this past Friday.

I'll get to the majority of my swag probably tomorrow or Saturday, but today... well, you see that picture. Any 80's/90's girls who are reading this just might be gawking hearing about a name-brand "The Little Mermaid" makeup set. There aren't too many higher-end brands who sell Disney products. MAC had the "Venemous Villains" collection back in 2010 (I still use my Cruella de Vil eyeshadow and lipgloss), and lately Sephora's been releasing various Princess collections (Cinderella & Jasmine). According to various sources, Ariel's collection will be the last by Sephora. I'm surprised, because I know they make money from this. These type of things sell out in a heartbeat. Who knows, their loss might be someone else's gain.

I find it a bit off that this was released within the past month. I figure they would have released this around the time that "The Little Mermaid" is going to be released on blu-ray/3D blu-ray for it's Diamond Edition. I'm not complaining too much, though; I'd rather spend my money in increments than all together. (I'll be spending... probably no more than $40 on the steelbook blu-ray from Zavvi, so I'd rather spend $30 now on this and $40 on that later!) This, of course, reminds me that this film won't be re-released in theatres due to the lack of success of previous Disney re-releases. ("The Lion King" was the only successful re-release, which doesn't surprise me. I have a feeling this would have been profitable, but I guess we'll never know.)

tonymoly - latte art milk-tea morning pack

Last week, I decided I need to get back into a habit of properly cleaning my face. I have Clinique, but I was only using it every now and then. Sunday night, I went out and bought a Clean&Clear set (a deep cleaning toner and a foaming cleanser) to use at night, while I use my Clinique set in the morning.

Friday, I went around searching for various facial products. I don't mind trying out different brands, as long as I carefully look over them to make sure they won't hurt my skin. (I have fairly sensitive skin.) I've been interested in trying out more sleeping/night/morning packs; I once used Tonymoly's Intense Repair Dual Effect Sleeping Pack, and I fell in love with the results. After reading the reviews and the information a bit more, I decided to try out Tonymoly's Latte Art Milk-Tea Morning Pack!

#moviereview - pacific rim

(HTML stars don't post well on my work computer, I'll fix this asap.)

(4 1/2 stars)

While this wasn't the most anticipated movie of the summer, a huge surge of positive word-of-mouth has increased this film's popularity and anticipation.

I'm a huge Guillermo del Toro fan. I'm a fan of his Hellboy movies, as well as Pan's Labrynth. I'm a big fan of much of the cast (Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, Ron Pearlman, Mana Ashida). I'm a sucker for loud action movies. (Let's just say I'm a bigger fan of Transformers than I'd like to admit at times.)

I think I first heard about this movie a year ago, around the the time of Comic Con 2012. Back then, of course, I was high off of excitement for Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness, two of the most anticipated 2013 summer blockbusters. I knew that this movie would be good - I trusted the director and the cast - but I excitement, at the time, wasn't at the level as it was for other films. In March, there was a preview shown at WonderCon, and ever since then, my excitement has been in full gear.

For the past couple of weeks, various critics and celebrities have been able to attend special screening/premieres of the film. Kanye West's tweets about the movie increased my excitement, if that was even possible by that point. I follow a few critics/reviewers on Twitter, and while of course there are a few "negative nelly's" floating around, many people have been praising the film.

[spoilers ahead]

#moviereview - the internship

★★★☆☆



I've been very curious about seeing this movie, especially since it's trailer is playing in front of all movies, and it's being promoted all over TV. I wasn't sure when or how I would see this movie, but thankfully, Gofobo sent me two tickets to see a screening of this movie last night.

[spoilers ahead]

#moviereview - The Hangover Part III

★★★★☆

Our journey with The Wolfpack has been quite and adventerous and exciting ride.

Four years ago, we were introduced to Stu (Ed Helms), Phil (Bradley Cooper), Doug (Justin Bartha), and Alan (Zach Galifianakis). Alan, the lone wolf, adopted the three friends into his group, creating what we know as "The Wolfpack". Their adventures are wild and crazy, and the people they meet are an eccentric bunch, ranging from escorts to international criminals to InterPol agents.

[spoilers ahead]

#moviereview - Star Trek Into Darkness

★★★★☆

I do wish more films were filmed with IMAX cameras.

Yes, IMAX screens are huge and the sound is loud. So many people I know hate IMAX because the screen is so large. I had only seen a handful of films in IMAX prior to 2008, with most of them being Harry Potter films, but when I heard that "The Dark Knight" was being filmed with IMAX cameras, I was intrigued.

The quality of IMAX cameras is absolutely beautiful. The quality, both audio and video, is crystal clear. The images fill up the entire screen, leaving no black bars on the screen. I feel immersed in the movie as I watch these scenes that are filmed with IMAX cameras.

I was very happy when I heard JJ Abrams was using IMAX cameras to film "Star Trek Into Darkness". He was very happy with how the IMAX scenes in "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" turned out (he produced that film), and he loved the format.

Anyways, enough about my love of IMAX (though it will be brought up again in this review, but pertaining to those scenes in this film)...

[spoilers ahead]]

#moviereview - Iron Man 3

 ★★★★☆

(4 ½ stars)

Phase Two has begun. 

[spoilers ahead]

#moviereview - The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

 ★☆☆☆☆

Every year, similar movies are released within a few months of each other, and usually, while they share similar traits, they end up being very different. Well, maybe not every year. Last year, there was "Mirror Mirror" and "Snow White and the Huntsman". This year, there's "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone" and "Now You See Me". 

I have a feeling like, with last year's two similar "Snow White" films, the latter will be the better film. 

[spoilers ahead]

#appreview - Yahoo! Weather (iPhone)

Today, I'd like to talk about this app I recently found called "Yahoo! Weather". It's probably the coolest and best weather app I've ever seen.

I will be posting a lot of pictures of this app, only because I love it, and I think you'll love it, too.

#moviereview - The Company You Keep

I bought the book right before I saw the movie.   ★★★☆☆

The other day, I mentioned how I liked being in a movie theatre with only a few other people. I'm not sure how I felt last night being the only one in the theatre to see "The Company You Keep".

I don't watch too much TV these days, and when I do, it's to catch up on whatever I've decided to record on my DVR. I've seen a few commercials for this movie here and there, and I've seen people comment on other sites about a lack of commercials for this film, so I know the general population probably won't know this film exists. Then again, it's only playing in about 700 theatres in it's widest release, and I doubt the film will have an even wider release.

Now, onto the review...

#moviereview - The Place Beyond The Pines

                                                             ★★★★★

I'm start by saying this: I loved this movie.

Nashville is starting to get more and more limited release films, but we didn't get this film until it has it's nationwide release, so that was two weeks after it's initial release date. Yes, I could wait two weeks, but I was becoming more and more antsy as the days went by.

"Only two more weeks!"

"Only one more week!"

"Is it Friday yet?!"

Well, this past weekend was hectic, so I didn't get to see it until yesterday morning. (I'm glad I went to the matinee. I'm a happy girl only paying $8.50 for a movie!) It's been a long time since I've been to a movie with an almost empty theatre. I like watching movies with crowds because... well, I'm an observer, and I love hearing and seeing lots of people's reactions to movies. It was nice being in a theatre with five other people.

Anyways, onto what you all really want to know...

[minor spoilers ahead]

#appreview - "HAPPINESScam"

In honor of Tokyo Disneyland's 30th Anniversary ("The Happiness Year", as they're calling it), TDL has released a new camera app, "HAPPINESScam"!

I don't remember how I stumbled upon it, but I'm glad I did. You can add Disney-themed backgrounds to your pictures! Whether or not you're actually at any of the Disney parks, your pictures will transform into creative pictures based on areas at the happiest places on Earth.

Because this is a Japanese app, it is entirely in Japanese. I can read some characters in Japanese, but honestly, I can speak it better than I can read it. (Note: I'm better at random words than I am at actual sentences.) After fiddling around with the app, I am here to show you how to work this app!

"The Happiness Year"

#moviereview - "evil dead" (screening)

Happy Easter! I hope everyone has a wonderful day! 

So, this past week, Gofobo sent me passes to go see a screening of "Evil Dead"! 

Isn't she lovely?

★★★★☆

I have actually never seen any of the "Evil Dead" films. I knew they were horror films, which is probably why I had never seen them. Sometimes I'm in the mood to watch horror films, and when I am in the mood, I'm very particular about the ones I do watch. I usually don't like to be too scared. 

I invited one of my co-workers to attend the screening with me, and we ended up getting to the theatre over an hour early. We were lucky enough that, as a "consolation prize" to getting our cell phones quickly snatched up, we were able to get goodies for attending the screening! 

 Postcards! Very appropriately labeled.

 A poster that will never hang where I live.

 T-shirt! My city, Nashville, is of course not on this list.

 T-shirt!

 "Evil Dead" was a really good film. The scares, the thrills, the gore... It just kept coming and coming. It really does not stop from beginning to end. There were some moments where I was on the edge of my seat and I was thinking, "It's too quiet! Just come out, whatever is in the shadows!" 

I will warn everyone: this film isn't for those with weak hearts or stomachs. I know I may sound like a Disneyland ride, but it's true. There are plenty of horror films that have grossed me out, but this one... I legit gagged. I definitely wasn't expecting this film to be as graphic as it was, but I suppose that's what I get for not seeing the original film.

This is a film I wouldn't mind watching with a group of people around Halloween, and perhaps Halloween only. It's a great horror film. I'm glad to see early reviews are good for the film, because it's different and better than other horror films that are being released these days. 

If you're a fan of horror films, or don't mind seeing them, go see this! If you absolutely do not like horror films... Stay far away from this.