Book Review: Drift by Rachel Maddow

So I have read a good handful of books in the last few months. So I'll be doing a good number of book reviews and Drift by Rachel Maddow is the first! I have to say I was very excited to read a book by her because she is one of my favorite political commentators. She is brilliant and so well spoken and my favorite, is that she tells it like it is.

Her book is supposed to be a look at the military and how we as a country have become comfortable with the idea of war. She makes an excellent argument for it too, looking back at how when the President took us to war in the early century, it meant taking the entire country to war. The feeling of that action was reverberated through every American living in the country.

As time goes on though, Presidents felt that they were being stripped of vital rights as the commander in chief to go to war if they felt necessary because it had to go through Congress. It is extremely interesting to take a look at how some Presidents felt entitled to taking the country to war and how the alarm of the people seemed to be not as intense as years went by.

Here's the problem; I hated the book. I had such high hopes for this book and it didn't meet up. She ends up going on tangents and more personal stories of the politicians and they just don't make sense. It is as if she lost her way and maybe started coming up with stuff to fill the pages. It was honestly so bad I didn't finish the last 20 pages. Which is unheard of for me, I always have to finish a book.

If she writes another book, I will totally give it a read, but I hope it is better than this.

Out of five stars, I'd have to give it maybe two and a half.

Have you read Drift? What did you think?

Next up will be my review on Inferno by Dan Brown!

Quickie Beauty Post

I've been meaning to post this and now that I have the moment here it is! A little while ago I bought two products while shopping for stuff at the grocery store. I've got so many darn mascaras it is rediculous but it is the one beauty product that I rarely don't put on. I am always using it because it just makes my lashes look amazing. I saw the brush on the Great Lash Lots of Lashes by Maybelline and I had to give it a try.

The classic green and pink has been around FOREVER - I remember it being one of the very first mascaras I've ever used and that was way back in like the start of middle school. So I thought, lets take a trip back in time and see if this stuff is still as great as all the beauty magazines vote it as.

I'm in love with plastic brushes for mascara, it just works a lot better on my lashes than bristle brushes so that is why I was drawn to this. Also, the shape is unlike any I have seen before.

This next product is impossible to photograph because the writing on the tube is metallic but this is the Covergirl LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in 210 Blush Twist. This is a lovely pink with a bit of a metallic finish.

It feels nice on the lips and the pigment is great - but along with all the other balm sticks out there - not really as moisturizing as it claims. It feels it but I don't think my lips are really soaking anything up from it.

Hope you enjoyed this quickie beauty post!

Get any good products recently? Let me know in the comments below!

June Birchbox 2013 - Wanderlust

It is June Birchbox time! This month's theme is wanderlust which is cute since a lot of people are going to be on vacation for the summer. So these products are "travel friendly" and I mean with samples...they are all kind of travel friendly haha So lets jump in:

Firstly, we can address what everyone has been up in arms over - the redesign of Birchbox's brand. I think it was much needed. I think the design is a welcome change. I actually really like the new "B" and the white writing on the box is cute. Some people have been saying it's too plain - but sometimes simplicity is what a brand needs!

 

So this is my Birchbox! I have some mixed feelings about this one but lets dive in.

I don't have separate pictures of these because they are in my shower but first I'll talk about the two light pink items both by Davines. It is the Love Shampoo and Conditioner for harsh and frizzy hair - which I'm confused about because I don't have that and pretty sure my survey on Birchbox doesn't say it either. The company does have a website and other formulas though. I love the sample of the shampoo - that is what a sample should be but then we go right back to foil packets on the conditioner - which I'll admit is like 2 and half times the size of normal samples but still. These companies need to pull it together.

I hate the smell of both - it is like a fig sort of scent. However, my hair is in love. My hair is reacting so well to these products! I have so much volume to it and it is soft! I would like to just try the plain oil shampoo and conditioner but I was surprised by these two.

Full size shampoo - $24

Full size conditioner- $27.50

First is a foaming body scrub from Oscar de la Renta, which is a little random, it is called live in love and it is a nice scent. It is said to leave an ethereal floral scent. I'm not so sure about that only because it reminds me of a slightly less strong version of the cologne my dad wears. It is sort of a musky floral borderline grandma scent - and it is very strong. It gave me a headache!

Also - I HATE samples in this packaging - it is so pointless you really can't store it away and it is cardboard. Not impressed.

Full size is $42

I really loved the color of the sleeve this time - mint is such a pretty color :)

Next up is a hair oil by Davines which is an Italian brand - yay for an Italian brand, boo for the 100th freaking hair oil I've gotten. I'm so damn sick of hair products it is ridiculous  I haven't tried it yet because I'm trying to get through my other samples but I'll let you know! I think Birchbox may have pushed the brand a little much though - would have been nice to see something else since I had the shampoo and conditioner already.

Full size - $40

This is a love/hate product. Color Club teamed up with Birchbox to make colors that represent the four offices they have all over the world. This is reign in spain and while the color is beautiful - the formula sucks. All the Color Club polishes I've gotten have been awful and some of the colors were terrible. It streaks and just doesn't really adhere well on the nail. Full size is $ 8 but skip and just go buy a polish from Essie.

This product by Youngblood fascinates me! This is the Hi-definition Hydrating Mineral Perfecting Powder and I've never really tried a "hydrating powder". When I tried this on my hand it almost felt like cool water! It was so awesome. It does a nice job of getting rid of shine and setting make-up too. It seems a little bit like all other hi-def powders out there though - and it won't be good for pictures because it is silica and white.

Full size is $36

What I did like though was they gave a set of post cards also inspired by their four international offices and the designs are adorable. I probably won't ever use them but they are nice to look at.

Normally, I'd like to say this was a good box but I wasn't impressed. I keep getting the same products month to month at this point - they are all just different brands.

 

Samsung Chromebook Review

Excuse me while I get my inner nerd out on the table - but I have been wanting to do this review for a long while. However, I let some time pass before I starting writing so I could really use it and know if I liked it or not. I still have it and I bought it back in March I believe so that should tell you something.

Here is my review on the Samsung Chromebook by Google!

Before we get started, I should give you a background on what a "chromebook" is. It isn't like every other laptop on the market, and no it isn't like an ultrabook either. Chromebooks are a line of laptops Google has created in conjunction with computer manufacturers like HP, Samsung, and Acer. What is special is that this device is solely an internet device. The operating system is literally the chrome browser. So everything you have and do is on a browser and stored in the "cloud" or in this case Dropbox and/or Google Drive.

These are not capable of using outside software, so if you want to use Microsoft Works or Photoshop or even iTunes - go look somewhere else. If however, you just want to wander around the internet aimlessly for a while and maybe write up some papers or do regular mundane stuff...then take a look!

Because everything is on the browser doesn't mean you can't write up a document, make a slideshow, or do a spreadsheet. You'll just have to use the apps in Google Drive; which are pretty comparable to other programs like it. I wrote an 8 page paper with research all on this machine with Google Docs and it was awesome.

So yeah, this machine is pretty much for storing documents in the cloud and the internet. No 3rd party programs wanted here. But honestly, when you think about all the activity we do on our computers today probably a good 90% of it is on the web browser anyways. I decided to dedicate my MacBook for my design work and school work because I can have my Adobe Suite software on there. But anything else I come to the Chromebook, it is the perfect hang out, bring anywhere, internet device.

So while there are a few different Chromebooks out there, the one I have is the latest Samsung version. Here are the specs:

Name: Samsung Chromebook

Price: $249

Weight: 2.4 lbs/ .7 inches slim

Screen Size: 11.6 inch

Memory: 16GB Solid State Drive (and 100GB of space in Google Drive free for two years)

Average Battery: 6.5 hours

Boot time: Less than 10 seconds

Other stuff:

Dual Band Wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n

Samsung Exynos 5 Dual Processor

VGA Camera

One USB 3.0 port and one USB 2.0 port

HDMI Port

Bluetooth 3.0 Compatible

So what are my pros and cons about it?

I love the size for one, it might seem really small at first but the screen is a great size. I watched all the episodes of House of Cards on it on Netflix and the picture was amazing.

I love the simplicity of everything. Gettings to apps is super easy and the mail and browser button are right on the bottom left of your screen. You can also change your background screen so it almost feels like you're on a desktop. All the Google apps are really helpful and you find out there are a lot more than you ever thought there were!

The keyboard feels a little less responsive than what I'm used to on my Mac but all in all pretty solid, and the I would say the trackpad while not smooth like the glass trackpads Apple puts on their computers; it's pretty good. Just remember it isn't Apple so no crazy finger swiping.

Lastly, it is a pretty fast machine, and I get almost 9 hours of battery on a single charge! Charging time is very quick too which is great. And it is $249. Can I just repeat that? TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY-NINE DOLLARS. That's awesome!

So what could my cons be?

In the start it would reboot and restart itself a lot. There is an easy fix to this. There are 'channels' like beta, developer, stable. I changed my channel to beta from stable and I haven't had the problem since! But it was a pain in the butt to have it happen.

Also, the screen isn't fantastic in certain angles. It is a matte finished screen which I think is why but not my biggest qualm.

Something personally for me, is that I can't seem to write blog posts on Wordpress on my Chromebook. The site freezes up and pictures are the worst when you have to move them around on a post while writing. It is a terrible experience so I just do my blog stuff on my Mac.

[caption id="attachment_2204" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Back of device with the ports[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2205" align="aligncenter" width="640"] side profile[/caption]

Finally, I think for the price what you get is pretty standard and reasonable but I hate that it is a wifi only device. That said, because the whole computer is based on the web browser you literally can't do anything if you don't have internet. With a Mac for example you could at least do stuff around the desktop and in programs.

I have to check but I believe with some of the Chromebooks you can buy a data package from Verizon to use but who really wants to shell out that money?

All in all I give it an 8 out of 10 and would definitely recommend this to anyone who isn't looking for a high powered machine!

Go here to read more about this Chromebook and the others available Chromebooks!

Shop names and heat waves

Well guys it has been awhile and I figured I'd give you an update. It has been hot as hell recently here in Connecticut. It has cooled down in the last few days but it was really hot. It has been nice to be outside running around though. 

I have been trying to get to work done for my certificate and it was slow going for a little. I'm behind by 2 weeks but I should be able to catch up. I really do enjoy the work I'm doing but the more it goes on the trickier it has been getting! 

I got a full time job recently! I'm going to finish out the school year where I am but I am now a head dance and art teacher at a childcare place for kids six and under. It should be fun and I start two weeks of training in July and we open in August. It isn't exactly what I want to be doing, but it will bring in the money I need to start paying loans and such. 

I have been trying to get more serious about my design work and I want to open up a shop online one day. I have been trying to really think of a name for my company. It hasn't been easy to come up with but we'll see. I really want it to be a dynamic shop where I sell digital designs as well as prints and maybe even someday t-shirts and jewelry. Who knows. I have a lot of dreams! 

I am planning on putting pen to paper and planning out some posts. I have a summer clothing haul coming up and some quickie reviews of some make-up as well as my review on the Samsung Chromebook which will be out tomorrow! 

Night all!

Target and Sephora Haul

So I have done a little bit of shopping recently and I wanted to share my treasures with you!

First I went to Sephora to buy my bosses daughter a birthday gift, but you know me, once I'm in there I really struggle to leave empty handed. My skin has been the devil recently with the warmer weather. It's been really hot and muggy which means a lot of sweat and my face is usually more oily in the summer.

So I decided to pick up some moisturizers to try out and a cleanser. I am getting through a cleanser by Aveeno right now but once that's done I'm going to try First Aid Beauty's Facial Cleanser. I also picked up a small tube of the Ultra Repair Cream. The tub is $48 and I couldn't bring myself to spend that. 

I haven't tried the cleanser but I really like the moisturizer, it is light but gives my skin just enough moisture. I think it is a good balance for the summer and for my picky skin. The cleanser was $20 and the moisturizer is $12 for 2 oz.

Then I wanted to give the Josie Maran Argan Infinity Cream Intensive Creamy Oil. This is a doing everything and anything product. It starts as a cream and when rubbed turns to oil, but you can use this for any number of things. Here is the description from Sephora.com:

"One creamy oil, infinite possibilities. This makeup-artist must-have delivers all the moisturizing benefits of argan oil in a portable, nongreasy, creamy oil form. The innovative formula starts as a cream and melts into an oil, making your complexion more luminous while tightening facial contours and preventing inflammation. Use it to hydrate and gently soothe undereyes, smooth flyaways, keep eyebrows in place, and condition lips. Mix it with powder blush or eye shadow to instantly transform it into a cream."

I did give this a try as a night time moisturizer but I think it was too much for my skin, I got a little tingly and I got quite a few breakouts. I think this would be a great winter moisturizer but too heavy in the summer for me. However, this is an amazing body moisturizer and great for the lips. It isn't a huge tube so I wouldn't use it all over but it is good for your hands and lips and any bumpy spots. It was $28 but totally worth it and the tube is 2.2 oz.

Lastly, I picked up a new lip gloss because honestly, I cannot help myself. I've loved the Korres brand, their scents are incredible and I love that they are natural. I've had the tubs of the lip butters so I wanted to try something different in a bright color so I picked up the Pomegranate color in the lip butter glaze. It is an orange with a tint of pink so I guess you could say coral. I love it, it is so smooth and not sticky and pretty pigmented if you layer it. It retails for $14 and I really want to try Laurel which is a light peachy pink color.

So onto the Target goodies! I didn't get only cosmetics though, but that's the great thing about Target; you can find so much there! I really want to jump into their women's section there are so many cute dresses and bikinis!

First up is a padfolio by Nate Berkus. I want to write down my ideas on paper most times so I thought this would be a good way to take notes. I don't really need the pad of paper inside but I have a ton of loose notebook paper and the clip board part will come in handy.

I love this bright yellow pattern - it just makes me feel happy!

Then I decided to get this awesome notebook I saw there. It feels so nice and professional and I like the layout of the pages a lot. I'm not sure what I'll use it for yet but I was thinking maybe use it as a customizable planner.

Now on to the beauty stuff - which isn't much more than skin care - I guess I'm just on a kick right now.

I've missed using face wipes and I know I tried Simple's wipes before but I thought I'd give them another try.

I've just used the last of my Korres Wild Rose and Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial - a.k.a one of the best night-time moisturizers I've ever used. However, it is a whopping $48 and like I said before, I can't spend the money. So I decided to give Neutrogena's Naturals Multi-Vitamin Nourishing Night Cream. I am very into natural skincare so I am excited to give this a try. It sells for about $14 which isn't bad compared to $48!

Finally, I found an EOS lip balm that is Pomegranate Raspberry - while pomegranate is okay I'm in love with raspberry anything so I had to get this. I'm currently using the Honeydew one? it is the light green one, but I love this lip balms!

That is all for now! Look for my next post which is going to be a review of the Samsung Chromebook by Google!

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

May Birchbox!

Yay for Birchbox time! I'll say that there was some mixed feelings originally going in but I'm pretty happy with this month's box!



 

The first product is a dry shampoo by Klorane, it is an extra-gentle dry shampoo with oat milk. I'm getting a little bored of the dry shampoo craze and it is one of those products Birchbox has been pushing a little too much. However, I do really like this product. It smells amazing, I can't even begin to describe it. I wouldn't say it's the best dry shampoo out there, but I might consider buying a full size. A full size retails for $18 - not too bad. If you spray too close and don't shake through your hair, it will leave a white cast but easy to get rid of. 

I thought this next item was a cool add on to the box. They don't list it as a lifestyle extra which is weird, they just list the main products. They sent an Acroball Pure White hybrid ink pen. The gimmick is that it is gel ink but works like a ballpoint pen and there is no smudging. I got a bright blue pen and the color on the pen correlates with the color of the ink which is cool. On the back of the card is a $1 off coupon on a 3, 4, or 5 pack of the pens. Also, there is a code you can scan with your phone to enter to win a trip to New York Fashion Week, free pens and a shopping spree.

I am very into this next sample, which is the Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner. "Inspired by traditional Indian formulas, this velvety liner glides on easily and lasts for hours". I completely agree with this statement. It is so creamy and smooth but once it is set on your skin it does not smudge. A set of 4 mini pencils is $21. The four set is exclusive to Birchbox and has 4 colors - Suman (a rich classic black - the one I got), Jamun (a deep plum), Raina (a smokey grey), and Saletti (an eye-popping navy). I would kill to try to grey and navy! You can buy single eyeliners for $11 but some colors are different.

The last two products I got were in the new cardboard box sleeve. First is the Classic Face SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face by Coola. I had been skeptical because I usually have seen this apply on others very white. But I tried this on the back of my hand and it wasn't white and it blended beautifully! The description says, "This mineral sunblock is infused with organic anti-aging ingredients like evening primrose extract and borage seed oil". A full size is $32 which I think is a little steep but if I got another sample of this in the future I would not be disappointed!

Lastly, I got a sample of the Marvis Classic Mint Toothpaste, which I LOVE! I am sold and will be buying a full size which retails from $6 to $10.50. It is an Italian toothpaste which I kind of love because I am Italian. This wasn't too severe in taste and my teeth felt so clean after I used it!

All around not a bad box, the sample sizes were really nice, and there were no packets!

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Did you guys get anything different in your boxes?