Kristin Hannah: Fly Away (2013)

PURCHASED

Hi! I can't believe I'm already writing a review for Kristin Hannah's Fly Away. It's felt like forever since I read the book's predecessor, Firefly Lane, but it's only been a month, and I've read three books - and part of my own - in between. I thought I would have read plenty more books before sitting with Fly Away,  purely because Firefly Lane left such an impression on me. 

And I probably would have done that if it weren't for my mom, who fell in love with Firefly Lane after I recommended it to her. Unlike me, she was eager mere minutes after finishing the book to jump into its sequel. As such, I bought Fly Away much sooner than planned and, well, read it. 

You can read my review for Firefly Lane here, but in a nutshell, this book held so deeply with me that I had nearly nothing negative to say about it. The story was heartfelt and painfully real. I wasn't sure how Fly Away would stand up to it. 

With that being said, I think Kristin Hannah did a magnificent job, though as is per usual with sequels, the first is always the best. 

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Goddess of the Sea" (LE) [Alluring Aquatic 2014] + Comparisons

PURCHASED

Review #2! The second lipstick I picked up from MAC's summer 2014 collection, Alluring Aquatic, is "Goddess of the Sea," a limited edition cremesheen. I was most excited for this lipstick, because I know and love the cremesheen formula and don't own many purple lipsticks.

I have to say, taking pictures for this review was a pain today, because the damn sun kept dipping in and out of the clouds. For a while I thought all the pictures I took would be of awful quality due to the darkness in my room. Hopefully you won't find them too disappointing, haha.

Moving along.

Lips: MAC's Lipstick in "Pet Me, Please" (Frost) (LE/Repromote) [Alluring Aquatic 2014] + Comparisons

PURCHASED

Hi again! Yesterday, I posted a sneak peak of the products I purchased from MAC's summer 2014 collection, Alluring Aquatic, and I mentioned that I would get the reviews up for the lipsticks as soon as possible. Well, today is the day! I'll be starting with the lipstick that I tried out first, "Pet Me, Please."

"Pet Me, Please" was released once before with MAC's 2010 Fabulous Felines collection. I was not even using makeup at the time, so I can't comment on that collection or the performance of the original "Pet Me, Please." I simply want to point out that this color is not brand new, though it is limited edition once again.

"Pet Me, Please" is the second lipstick I purchased from MAC in the frost finish, and I was reluctant to purchase it originally because of that. I haven't reviewed my first frost-finish lipstick but, in a nutshell, it can feel quite drying on my lips, which sucks since I'm not a fan of layering lipsticks. I was afraid "Pet Me, Please" would follow suit.

Thankfully I was in for a pleasant surprise!

MAC's Alluring Aquatic Sneak Peek

Hello! MAC released their summer 2014 collection - Alluring Aquatic - online this past Thursday, and I managed to get the three products I wanted with overnight shipping. So I got my order in the mail yesterday and wanted to post pictures of everything as soon as possible, since much of the collection sold out on the MAC website within an hour or so of going live (typical).

Unlike my previous 'sneak peak' post, which was done for Playland, this one won't discuss comparisons or first impressions. I won't be doing a master post for this collection, either, since I only got three products, of which two are very different lipsticks. There will only be this post with swatches, and then the detailed reviews for each product which will follow shortly after.

My final shopping list included the following: "Pet Me, Please" and "Goddess of the Sea" lipsticks, and "Aphrodite's Shell" Extra Dimension bronzing powder.

Gillian Flynn: Gone Girl (2012)

PURCHASED

Hello. I feel like I'm late to the whole Gone Girl craze- I mean, for a while it was the book that would continuously pop up here and there because of how "amazing" it was (Gone Girl veterans - see what I did there?). And then there's me, who enjoys all genres but has a soft, warm spot for mysteries, horrors, and psychological thrillers.

Still, I never felt the urge to read Gillian Flynn's bestselling thriller until now. Actually, I never had the urge to read it period. I just didn't know what to read after Heartbroken. Lo and behold, Gone Girl was sure to sneak in - again - as I searched for books, and I decided I'd give it a go.

What can I say? No, really, what can I say? I have very strange, cycloned feelings about this book, and I've been dreading this review since the moment I finished the last chapter on the train yesterday morning. What will I write? How do I summarize my thoughts on this book?

Because, truthfully, everything about everything is complicated when it comes to Gone Girl.

The IceBlock [20]: What's the opposite of up?!

Once upon a time, I was in high school, optimistic about the future, and naive. I thought about my birthday, I thought about my where-I-want-to-be's for after college, and I thought about all the time I had, for I was ahead. Yes, I started school a year early, and I would jump-start the rest of my life that much sooner. I decided on a number, and that number was 23. Twenty-three.

Once upon a time, I was a college student with a full scholarship, wondering how many credits I could balance at once, figuring out all the different degree paths I could take, having a taste of companionship, yet still naive, for I still felt optimistic without real thought of what was coming. I felt like the next step would make itself known when the time came. I had patiently calculated a number, and dutifully knocked it down one by one at each arrival of night. ~1470 days 'til I do...

Once upon a time, there was no more once upon a time, for the time was now. I was a year ahead. Now I've spent two years making little to no progress [so it seems]. I'm mostly a pessimist. And that stupid number sat on my priority list for so long, that it developed this kind of importance that makes this year carry a weight capable of shattering a spinal disc or two [I'm pessimistically weak, remember?]. 1470 days? Uh, how about 52?

Oh how time flies!