Pretty Little Liars "Deadly" Book #14

Ok ok, so I can't believe we are on book 14 and we still don't know who A is!!

I am going to start by saying that I love the books and I love the show. The show is currently on a winter break and is coming back January 7, 2014. I can't wait!! So, to get my Pretty Little Liar's fix I had to read this book!  The book overall sheds a lot of light on things that happened in the past. We open the book with Allie so we get a little more insight about her. We find out some secrets about the mysterious guys (Phineas, the guy who helps Emily when she is pregnant)  in all of the girls lives. It's a pretty great reveal and I don't want to give that away with out you reading it for yourself. I did have some moments where I was like ' I can't believe I didn't see that'. It's honestly what keeps me going with this series.  She is a little wild and pulling for things where I think 'oh that's just ridiculous'  For example I think it was in two books back where Aria sees Noel Kahn's dad and he dresses up like a woman and you think it's this huge reveal but really the mom knows about it!! Ridiculous!! So anyway Aria has issues with Noel in this book because he lied to her and he was with Allie and you find out that they were closer then we thought so Aria is not speaking to him.  Hannah is dealing with the death of Graham and all the weird stuff that went down in the burn clinic. A manages to really screw up their lives and the girls think that they might end up in a prison in Jamaica for Tabitha's death.  There is a lot of energy that you feel very on edge like maybe they are going to end up there. Iris has gone missing and this isn't as big of a deal as I think it should have been. Come on a crazy person has escaped and no one really thinks anything of it!! A is really really hard on them in this book and really wrecks their lives.  So if you like to read about the girls squirming, then this book if something you will enjoy a lot!! We like Melissa in this book, she seems to be helpful along with Wilden. So lots and lots of topics are touched!!

If you are not familiar with the series but you watch the show, don't be discouraged that you can't read the books. The books are nothing like the show. The show has a different story line. The characters are the same personality wise but physically different. An example is Spencer is a brunette in the show and a blonde in the books. Also Emily has a sister in the books and I don't think I have seen a sister in the show.  If your interested in reading the books because you are a fan of the show definitely do so because the show will not ruin anything for you.

I have heard that Sara Shepherd has a contract to go up to book 16, so we know we still won't know who A is until then.  One thing I will say is that there are some major things revealed in this book but sorry we still don't know who A is. We assume it is Allie and pretty much know it's her but how does she do it? I think thats what we all are really waiting for. Is it a team who is in on it and how is it that she is always there without anyone seeing her. I'm hoping everything will be revealed because it's driving me crazy.

I overall was satisfied with the read but I am hoping that the next two books will tie everything together. I think we are all waiting for the answers and need them sooner rather than later. I wouldn't be surprised if she wrote another book this year but who knows!

Happy reading and please let me know what you thought of this book!!

Super Easy NYE 2014 Nail Tutorial!!

 I had to share some super classy and easy nails to try out this New Year!! It's classy with the nude nail but also adding a little sparkle with the copper penny!
In order you to achieve this look you will need a pretty nude color. I really like Essies' topless & barefoot.  It's such a gorgeous color and it's very opaque. I then decided to use Revlon's 'copper penny' and it is way prettier then the a copper penny.

It's really easy ! Just freehand with one swipe across the nail on the left and then on the right and you automatically get a very glam look!

Hope you have a very Happy New Year!! Happy 2014! Looking forward to a new year!

DryBar Buttercup Review

Look at this gorgeous Blowout in a Box!!! I was immediately drawn to this item when I saw it on Sephora's website.  I really was looking for a new blowdryer. I did feel like it was time to retire my blowdryer from college. It has been with me a long time and it does have a little retractable button so the cord is never in the way but it is time to retire it! I never thought that having an expensive blowdryer would make a difference but after having one I can say that yes it does. The old dryer was drying out my hair and it was taking  forever to dry!! This hair dryer doesn't blow as hot of air but it seems to dry my hair so much faster. It's honestly some pretty awesome technology.
So let me break down what's inside of the box.

I am going to let you admire the super pretty yellow color. I love it!! It's not an obnoxious yellow at all. I think it stands out beautiful and it puts a smile on my face every time I use it. The matching yellow brush is absolutely adorable as well!

The body of the blow dryer is very light weight. It's almost surprising how light it is in your hand.  The settings are very simple to use. There is a cool button that you can press for a burst of cool air. You can also just blow dry with cool air. You can blow dry in medium setting that is just slightly warmer or you can choose to dry at high heat. I use the medium setting tip my hair is about 90% dry and then I do the high heat and place velcro rollers to the top of my head for extra volume.  The cord is very very long but doesn't tangle. I see this as a plus!  The lint trap comes with a replaceable one and is also very easy to clean. 

The round brush is called the medium pint. It's a great size. I do like a slightly larger round brush but this works just fine. I have no frizz and no flyways when using this brush. My hair does not tangle easily and when using this brush I feel like I get a very professional blow out look.  The bristles are soft but stiff to touch.  

Now lets get into the products mentioned:

The Happy Hour Shampoo and Conditioner. I will not be purchasing the full size of any of these products. After using the shampoo I did not get a lather and did not feel as though it cleaned my hair very thoroughly. I felt as though it was difficult to remove the product from my hair as well. I basically wanted to shampoo my hair again!  The conditioner I did not feel it made too much of a difference. It's very thin and I prefer conditioner that are more creamy in consistency.

 

 As for the Hot Toddy heat protector and frizz fighter. I did not see too great of a difference in my hair. I like using the Macadamia products and that to me works better than this product. It has a very thin consistency to it and only a small amount is needed but it's not enough for me to give up the products that I am currently using and purchasing a full size.

Now this product I definitely will be purchasing the full size of. I think this was a major game changer. I put this in when my hair is about 90% dry and then use the round brush and do the blow out. WOW!! My hair looked like it was professionally blown out. Definitely made my hair look like it belonged in a Pantene commercial. It made my hair look shiny and strong and the blow out lasted almost 4 days. This for me is definitely worth buying!

Hope you enjoyed my review on the Buttercup and the accessories it came with. This is a product that I am overall very very happy with. I am so glad that I made the decision to purchase it. I love the color and also the way it has changed the amount of time I spend drying my hair. The lightweight helps with my hand not hurting while holding my arm up. I highly recommend this purchase!!

Please check out my video if you would like to see more on this product!

Bath & Body works has competition with Scentsy!!

So recently went to a party where this girl had 4 venders including myself for at home parties. I call them home parties not sure if that is what they are actually called but they are the ones where the lady comes to your house and she either tries to sell you some stuff or shows you how amazing something you don't need is!! Well this girl had a 31 something representative which was great and they have alot of utility totes etc. Then there was a scentsy vendor. I had never heard of it prior to being at this party.  Let's just say that I found a new obsession.  She had a bunch of warmers available.....

Side note about what they have available. They are basically scented wax that you put in a warmer and your home smells divine. I have had the Walmart kind before and it was alright but not something I became obsessed over. Well my girlfriend convinced me that these were way better. She was right! I ended up getting two warmers and 5 scents!

 I'm only showing the plugin  that I purchased and one of the scent packs. It's really adorable and it has a light so it really helps in the bathroom at night time. The light is bright enough that I don't have to turn on the light at night and I'm not stumbling all over the place.   This actually will be replacing most of my Bath and Body Works plug ins (pictured below). The reason being is that these scents stay the same and don't start off really strong and then fade. I have read so many horror stories about the plugins catching fire. With the Scentsy plug in there is an on and off switch so you can turn it off. The aroma of the scent is just beautiful and I will continue to use my scentsy warmers and discontinue the use of the plugins from Bath & Body works.

Although the plug ins at B &BWs are really cute they do have a life of 6 months so you have to repurchase them often. I did confirm this with a sales rep and she did state that they do have a life span of 6 months. Kind of a bummer if you really really like one and would like to keep it around for a while.  I will insert a really cute snowman that scentsy has, it's not a wall plug in but a super adorable warmer regardless.

That little guy is just too stinking cute!!

Let me go over the pricing and how I justify the purchasing of these! Most of the plug ins are $20 but if B &BWs are about 4 for $20 and that's when a sale is going on they are about $5 a piece. You will need to repurchase every 6 months and if you want more than one in your home you will be spending way more then the one time of $20 for a warmer that will last you probably forever. The only thing you need to replace are the light bulbs.  Secondly the fragrance packs are $5 and there are about 9 cubes that fit in the pack. I use 1 cube every 2-3 weeks.  If someone is hosting a party they can offer you a better deal. For example at this party that I was at she had 3 for $12!!

You be the judge and check out scentsy it might change the way your home smells!!

Adorable Little Girl Hair bows!!

I am obsessed with hair bows. Hair bows on little girls that is!! When I found out that I was having a baby girl I think one of the first things that I ever did was look at hair bows on etsy. I ordered a whole bunch of them! Now my little person is almost a year old and I wanted more bows! I like to match her outfits with the bows. I found that I was getting frustrated because I couldn't match them perfectly.

Now Halloween is here. My all time, most favoritist, bestest time of the year! And I only had one hair bow for my daughter!! I searched high and low and I just could not find the right bow. They were either too gaudy, too big or just not cute enough! So here are some that I came up with!1

I went a little crazy!! I had so much fun making them I just couldn't stop! I even made a Thanksgiving/Fall one! My husband saw that I was making them and said what are you going to do with all those. I couldn't even believe that he had to ask but it did give me the idea that I should sell some on etsy!!

So here is my link to my etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/listing/167027276/adorable-halloween-little-girl-hair-bow?ref=listing-shop-header-4

Now I am truly hooked and I plan on getting some Christmas ones up there!!

Rose Madder by Stephen King

I initially heard about this oldie but goodie when I was reading an AMA on reddit.com. If you are unfamiliar with this website you should definitely check out this website. One of the sections on this site is an ask me anything. What's great is that sometimes you get celebrities and sometime you get someone who writes letter to people in prison, ask me anything. So it's really interesting and one day Stephen King happened to be on there. I'm assuming he went on there because he was promoting his new book Joyland (have not read this yet). I was intrigued being that I am a pretty big King fan. I love pretty much all the books that he has written. During the AMA everyone kept referring to his Dark Towers series which is pretty good and has it's own following but I've heard of it before. Rose Madder was mentioned several times and I have never ever heard of this one. People had stated that it changed their lives after reading it so of course I had to check it out. It's a book he wrote in 1995 but takes place in the 80's.




After hearing all these great reviews I was very excited to get my hands on a copy. I will not at any time give away anything in my review and this review is strictly based on my own opinions.
King really delves in on domestic violence in this book. It's fairly graphic and intense at times so if you don't have a strong stomach it might take a lot for you to get through some of the parts. The main character shares her journey after leaving this man who has abused her for 14 years and how she might finally begin living life again only to find out that he is out to find her. There is a constant fear throughout the book that you need to watch your back. There are some parts of the book that are a big wordy and you catch yourself saying 'ok come on' or ok I get it can we move on. King explains and paints pictures very vividly for you in this book. King also takes the main character through a superficial world which helps the character out. This part of the book is a little strange and I think King wants you to interpret it how you want to.
Overall, I wouldn't say that it's my favorite King book. I believe it's worth a read if you are a fan. The book is close to 400 pages so it's time consuming but only because there is so much explaining and picture painting that you can see the world through the main characters eyes. The story does not move very quickly so if you are looking for action packed and things happening all the time then this book is not for you. It's really well written and great character build. Interesting story line with occasional graphic scenes but what else would you expect from King?!?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Divergent Book Series

So I'm a total sucker for this type of series.  The Hunger Games by Susan Collins, was definitely what started it all followed by the MazeRunner by James Dashner. These are all great series that fall under the category of dystopia.  I've become obsessed and I feel that so many series have come out that are focused on these types of worlds.

This story is again following a teen.  I don't have a problem with that but like other series that are similar this is the common theme among this genre of books.  The world is again set in the future and it's set in Chicago which is very exciting for me because it's my hometown so when they refer to buildings and streets I know what they are talking about!

The main character is faced with troubles that can possibly change how the world will function moving forward. There is alot of action. The action is not quite as intense as Hunger Games or the Maze Runner.  I felt that there is more emotion involved rather then just fighting.  Character development is wonderful in this story because you get so involved with each of the characters.  You are fully invested in these characters by the time you are done reading the second book and you want to know what is going to happen next.   Lots of times you feel almost tired with a series and sometimes think that there may not be a need for a third but with this series you are very excited for the next book.  The books seemlessly flow into one another.  There is no repetition but the author does a great job reminding you in case you may have forgotten a certain detail.

In this series there is a "bad guy" and there are mind simulations that challenge our characters.  Each character has different fears and challenges to overcome difficult situations.  You will get to find out what Divergent is and the meaning of it.

In case you were wondering there is a romantic relationship that develops. It wouldn't be a great series if there weren't!  Sometimes this gets alittle annoying because the main character is such a damsel in distress.  I feel there is no way in real life any guy would put up with so much crap but of course that's why books are better than real life!

Overall, this is a great story and will keep you interested in the storyline.  Please do not be turned off that this is a young adult series because the author does a wonderful job of catering to an adult audience as well!!

Can't wait for the third one!!!