Spoilers--Two Movies, Two Nights: Night 1 X-men Apocalypse

This year we're not gifted with just one Superhero movie we get 5 or 6 if you count Suicide Squad and Rogue One.  So far Captain American: Civil War has been my favorite and with the release of X-Men Apocalypse, it's going to pretty much stay that way. 

While this probably the better of the three in the new trilogy, I'm annoyed at the continuity timeline. I'm aware that the last X-Men film pretty much rewrote the entire original trilogy, but I have so many more questions than answers after watching this and that's annoying. 

First off, why isn't Magneto older? Isn't he like 12 during WWII. He was in Auschwitz, this movie takes place in 1983, wouldn't he be like close to 50? Ian McKellen was about the right age back in 2000. Magneto can age that much and turn into Ian McKellen's Magneto in less than 20 years? 

Another problem, Scott Summers is a teen in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. That movie takes place in the 70's, but he's a teen again in 1983.? He was one of the kids who was rescued from the island at the end of the film by a HORRIBLE CGI Patrick Stewart, who might I add was already bald in the 1970's (per that film). Miraculously, James McAvoy regained a full head of hair in 1983 oh and could walk too. The walking could easily be explained by the drugs he was taking via the X-Men: Days of Future Past.   

Let's not forget that in the end of X-Men: The Last Stand, a walking, bald Professor Xavier and an old Magneto went to visit Jean Grey. I'm not as angry at the lack of continuity between the first trilogy and the second, because X-Men: Days of Future Past changed the timeline. 

This is one of my biggest pet peeves.... Stryker!!!He was an old man on X-Men Origins: Wolverine set in the 1970's, a young guy in X-Men: Days of Future Past, set in the 1970's and the same young guy in X-Men Apocalypse, set in 1983. So. how can he be old and young in the same decade? When I say old, he's like very old. Days of Future Past couldn't have changed the timeline that much.

Another continuity issue, but it doesn't actually relate to this movie, Emma Frost. She was on the island, as a teen with Scott, but them was an adult in X-Men: First Class??? Explain that to me...

Wolverine was a part of Team X in the 1970's and yet his skeletal structure was changed in 1983, according to this film. 

This movie wasn't as bad as the critics made it out it out to be. I love seeing Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine, I know we don't get him for much longer. Watching online, I'm worried about where they're taking his character in his final outing as Wolverine. I don't want to see a Rated-R "Old Man Logan" Western.  

There were some comic relief moments. Why doesn't Raven talk in the original trilogy? I loved Quicksilver, Jean, Scott and Nightcrawler. Wasn't Angel a Senator's teen son in Last Stand, there's that continuity thing again. I loved it when Scott said, "I hope we don't see him again," referring to Wolverine. I liked Jean. It was a bit creepy to see an old Logan and a teen Jean, considering in just a few years he's going to have the hots for her. 

I think that Oscar Isaac was a really cool addition to the cast. I know that my hubby loves his acting style. I think he's ok. I liked the character of Apocalypse and the first 30 minutes of the movie were very entertaining. I wasn't confused at all. I felt like more could have been done with the character, but I didn't feel like the movie was rushed either. Days of Future Past was too rushed for me. 

I really liked Eric/Magneto. I don't blame him one bit for his rage. His entire family was taken from him, not once, but twice. So was his daughter supposed to be "Scarlet Witch"?

I didn't understand the really lame end credit scene. I felt like it was just added in there at the last minute with no thought whatsoever. I felt cheated. If Apocalypse is dead and he's in cahoots with Mr. Sinister, I hope they revive Apocalypse.

Overall this wasn't a horrible film. I liked it and as soon as it's $5 at Target, it'll be added to my comic book film collection. Too bad none of the Avengers go on sale. 

I would rate this film 3.5 Pink Gerber Daisies out of 5. Those continuity issues just bug me!!! More questions and not enough answers. I need the answers, that's how my analytical brain works.

I'm an X-Men

ColourPop Your Eyes

Oh ColourPop, our relationship almost ended, but I decided to give you a second chance. I've already written two blog posts about their Ultra Satin Lip Color. Of the four colors I purchased, I love two, like one and hate the last. I have quite a few of the Super Shock Shadows. At the end of this post, I'll have pictures with color names and swatches. For descriptions of each color, I'll add the link to the ColourPop website. I may list the color description under each photo, but I won't spend a lot of time in this post discussing the colors.

First Purchase

I initially bought three shadow colors at $5 a piece. A bright hot pink because it looked fun, a metallic blue frosty color and a brown. A few weeks back, ColourPop had a 20% off everything sale, so I picked up quite a few more colors.

Second Purchase

One thing I hate about this, is that you can only purchase online. I like to swatch colors before purchasing them because I don't want to get stuck with something I won't use. You can't obviously do that if you're shopping online. I held off from purchasing ColourPop for that exact reason. Sure they give you a color description, and I purchase colors that I think will go good with my skin tone, but that doesn't always work out. During the sell, I bought about nine more colors, a highlighter in Spoon and two Ultra Satin Lip Colors.

The first time I purchased from ColourPop, I didn't buy that much, so my products came in a envelope, with a personalized note. One of the eyeshadows came in shattered. I heard that they are easy to repair because of their texture. I'm not a huge fan of their packaging. There isn't much protecting the eyeshadows from the hazards of the mail. 

It's very hard to describe the texture of these eyeshadows. They seem to be a bit squishy. They're creamy, not quite wet. It's all so confusing.

Some of the colors are hard to use. For example, I don't really know what to do with Slave to Pink. I can't use it as a transition color, because what is it transitioning to? I decided to try to use it as an all over my lid color, with eyeliner and mascara and it just looked like I had an eye infection, pink eye.... There is a ton of glitter/shimmer fall out from this color, Sugar and I Heart This (my favorites). The fallout isn't as bad if you pat your lids rather than drag across. But I still get shimmer/glitter specks in the outside corners of my eyes. 

Some of the colors are highly pigmented and that's great. Some of the colors are not pigmented at all and that's bad. I had to build up a color called Girly and after about two uses, I've hit pan. Even at $4 this shouldn't happen. Make sure that you keep the lid on tightly because the colors will dry out.

There are seven different pigments; Satin, Pearlized, Matte, Glitter Sheer, Metallic, Ultra Metallic, and Pressed Pigment. I'm not sure what the difference is between the pressed pigments and the other colors. They all seem to be pressed pigments.  The metallic/ultra metallic shades seem to be more pigmented than the pearlized and satin shades.

Applying the color is a bit awkward. I found that tapping it on with my finger works best. I don't use brushes with these eyeshadows when I'm covering my lids. I just dab my finger in the pot and apply. The cool thing about ColourPop is that they send you directions with tips on how to apply the eyeshadow and lipstick. They have recommendations on how to use the shadows with brushes. I do use a fluffy brush from Makeup Academy to pick up crease colors. Again, I tap on the color, I don't rub. I don't really care for using a brush with these shadows though.

I found that using the Painterly primer pot from MAC, doesn't work with these eyeshadows. at all and this is usually my go-to primer. I have one last MAC primer that I bought a while ago, but once it's gone, I'm done buying/using products from MAC. The best primer I've used with these colors has to be the Original Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer.

I'll use what I have, but I'm unsure if I'll buy anymore from ColourPop. I am curious about a few more colors and at their price point, I may give them a try. I wasn't impressed with one lip color and my Lyin' King Ultra Satin Lip color is changing in consistency. I'm a bit worried about the types of chemicals they use in their products. The idea of these shadows is very cool, but they're so awkward to apply and not much comes in each pot. They're pigmentation is not consistent and I don't believe the colors are described correctly on the site, as in the case of Hanky Panky.  

I would give ColourPop 3 out of five Pink Gerber Daisies. There were some hits, but there were also quite a few misses. Here's the link to the ColourPop website for color descriptions and products.  Below are pictures of the shadows and swatches of each color. ColourPop

Pearlized Finish

Partridge Saddle Brown

Tink Charcoal Grey and Glow Vanilla

Matte

Acron Cool Beige and Mixed Tape Cool Grey

Pearlized Finish

Vanity Fair Silvery Taupe and Girly Creamy Vanilla

Pearlized

Hanky Panky Soft Cool Taupe

Matte

I Heart This Cool Silvery Taupe (A favorite)

Slave to Pink (Broken)

Sugar (a favorite and Metallic) 

Fairfax

May "Unbagging" 2016

It's that time of the month again, it's time for my Ipsy May "Unbagging". I'm so late to the party,  it's a hectic time at work for me right now. I need to make sure I do the job I get paid for, so this  has to take a backseat. I just wanted to make sure this is posted before June 1st, it's May 29th so I'm still good. I just got back from watching X-men Apocalypse and while yes, I'm tired, I sort of caught a second wind at 1:17 a.m..

First off, some of my friends/coworkers have given up their monthly subscription to Ipsy. They were tired of paying the $10 a month for things they weren't going to use or for things they didn't enjoy. So now they're using that $10 a month at Sephora to get things they actually want. I paid the year off so I'm stuck, but I'm not quite at the point where I'm annoyed at my bags just yet.

I kept my promise to myself and didn't peak at my bag beforehand, however this month's products were a disappointment. I though the best thing to come out of the bag was the lipstick, but in a few moments you'll find out why it isn't.

This month's theme was Destination Chic. The bag itself was adorable. It looks like an envelope with iconic world monuments all over the front and back. I hope that makes sense. It closes with a button front instead of a zipper. The bag came in a few colors. I think pink, but I know for sure blue and purple. I got blue. Now the contents.........

I received a full sized lipstick from Mellow Cosmetics. Somehow this name rings a bell. It was in the color Nude. The site says it's a long-wearing Creamy Matte Lipstick. I disagree. It is a matte for sure, however it is neither long-wearing nor creamy.  It goes on dry, tugs at my lips and the worst part is that it bunches into a ball in the corners of my mouth. I can not find, on the FAQs page, 

if these products are cruelty-free. I like the color and I believe it is similar to the color Anna, by Nars. I'm not saying that this is a dupe, because the textures are completely different. I would have continued to wear this lipstick, but I checked up on their ingredients. This lipstick has Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, a an anti-caking agent. Obviously it doesn't work because it cakes up in my corners. This ingredient is on the list of toxic ingredients in make-up. It's a neurotoxin that can affect the nervous system. So in the trash she goes, If you're still interested in checking out this product, Mellow Creamy Matte Lipsticks are $13.  Mellow Cosmetics

I also got the Smashbox X-RATED mascara. This is a bitty sample size because a full size runs for $22. I wasn't impressed with this mascara. I like the Full Exposure mascara better than this one. I didn't feel like it plumped up my eyelashes. I don't know if Smashbox is cruelty-free or not. I went onto their website and it's a disorganized mess. There is just far too much going on. I'll probably never purchase one on my own. If your're still interested, here is the Smashbox site. Smashbox  Hell, even the URL is a mess. 

The one thing that I got and love is the Hanalei Lip Treatment from the Hanalei Beauty Company. Kauai has been my family's vacation spot for many years. A part of my heart is in Kauai. Hanalei Bay is right up the street from where we stay when we visit. The lip treatment tastes sweet on the lips. I used it after my sugar scrub treatment. A full sized lip treatment in $25. Needless to say I didn't get a full size. I got a tiny sample. The website claims that this is "Hawaii's best kept secret". Hanalei Company

In this never ending bag of duds I got the Hikari Cosmetics bronzer in Radiate. The bronzer is way to warm for me. It's in a quad and looks to be a full sized shimmer bronzer. The sections with the shimmer were a little rough when I swatched them. The non shimmer colors were more velvety. I guess you could try to use one color at a time, but each square is super tiny so good luck trying to get your brush to pick up only one color. According to the site, you are suppose to swirl your brush around the entire palette. I have to be honest and say that I haven't used this bronzer. While these products are apparently cruelty free, according to their site, they do use the toxin Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate. In the trash this product will go. Hikari Cosmetics

The last thing I got that I didn't care for either was the Hungary Hair Oil from Eva NYC. This product didn't come with instructions. I always look on the company websites for the products that I get in my bag, but it would be nice to get a little something with directions about each product. You can use this oil on wet or dry hair. You pour a little (and I mean tiny) amount on your hands, rub together and them rub on your hair. I tried this Saturday. I already washed my hair in the morning, so I used it on the ends of my already dried hair. I typically have oily roots and drier ends. I wasn't wowed by this product and it's something that I wouldn't buy on my own.  I have seen these products at Target and Walgreens. A 1 oz. treatment in $8 and a 3.38 oz. treatment is $20. I won't really use this product because I don't have the thickest hair either, I guess I'm just thin and greasy. Sometimes I use coconut oil infused with lavender on the ends of my hair and for me that works just fine. Eva NYC

Overall, this bag was a dud. I am keeping my promise to myself and I won't look at June's contents beforehand.

This blog is dedicated to my friend Julie who was laid to rest yesterday.

ColourPop: Ultra Satin Lips Part Deux

A few months ago ColourPop released their new Ultra Satin liquid lipstick. I heard this launch was in response to how drying their Ultra Matte formula can be on the lips. The original 16 colors were launched back in February. I purchased two colors: Rabbit and Lyin King. These two colors were amazing. I wrote a blog about them back in April. I took both colors to Florida and I really liked them. I know they aren't lost lasting, they do transfer, and I'm OK with that. It's not a big deal to reapply.

A few weeks ago they added seven more colors to the line.

Flash forward to today. About 2 weeks ago, I opened my email and was gifted with a 20% off ColourPop night. Their prices are already really reasonable, nothing is over $10. But to get a 20% off night, I couldn't pass up the chance to purchase some more items. They were also offering free shipping with a $30 purchase. Spending $30 is a very easy thing to do. Usually shipping is a flat rate of $4.99. Because of the discounts and free shipping, it took me two and a half hours to even get on to the site. It was jam packed with people waiting to shop. Oh what an ordeal, the wait time was excruciating. 

Anyway, I purchased two more colors for $4 a piece. I bought one from the original launch called London Fog, a cool-toned blue red and Littlestitious, a pastel dusty pink. London Fog is a beautiful color. I wanted to purchase it  when I purchased Lyin King and Rabbit, but I think that this one was sold out at the time. Littlestitious was one of the seven new additions from a few weeks ago. 

First off, I can definitely tell the difference between the formulas. Lyin' King, Rabbit and London Fog have a thicker consistency than Littlestitious. Lyin King, Rabbit and London Fog all felt creamier than Littlestitious.    

Littlestitious is very tacky on the lips and bunched up in the corners of my mouth. I don't jnow if it was a bad batch, but the smell was just awful. I sometimes lick my lips snd this is a lipstick I don't want anywhere near my mouth. This new shade, reminded me of the Kat Von D Liquid lipstick. The color is similar to Lovesick, but a tab bit lighter. You can actually even tell in the swatch that the texture and consistency is different. The product doesn't really pick up on the doe foot applicator very well either. Because it's a lighter shade,  a second coat is highly recommended.

I have to say that I am not a huge fan of Littlestitious. I'm not a fan of the smell or consistency or how it feels on my lips.  Could this have been a bad batch? Did they give the 20% discount to get rid of old inventory? Who knows. I'm very happy with the other three lipsticks, this one flop isn't going to deter me from repurchasing in the future.

There are still a few colors that I'm interested in trying out. Unfortunately the only downside is that I can't look at/test the color beforehand and can only go off the description on the site. 

For more information about ColourPop check out the link. ColourPop

Go See Captain America: Civil War

OMG, Wow! What did I just see and can I see it again? I just got back from watching Captain America: Civil War, and what a war it was. This is by far my favorite Captain America outing. The first movie, let's face it, was a snooze fest. The second, Winter Soldier, was 100 times better than the first, and this one just blew Winter Soldier out of the water.

The acting was smart and funny. The movie was a whole lot of fun. Robert Downey Jr. is an amazing talent, as is Paul Rudd. OK really they were all amazing, even the new Spidey! Elizabeth Olsen is my favorite Olsen and I grew up watching Full House. Chris Evans's arms, OMG Superman has some stiff competition. I'm still unsure about Vision and his vision, he reminds me of Dr. Manhattan from the Watchmen and the Silver Surfer from The Fantastic Four. All three are a bit boring and sound the same. Other than that, I loved all the actors in this movie. I'm not a huge fan of Scarlett Johansson, but this movie made me like her! Well, her character at least. Remember when Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans were in the Nanny Diaries together? I digress. 

The inclusion of Spider-Man made me excited to see him again. I'm so glad Sony is allowing Marvel to use their character again. From what I saw tonight, Marvel did a great job with him. I couldn't bring myself to watch the new Amazing Spider-Man movies (they should really be called the Amazingly Lame Spider-Man movies). It was too soon for a reboot and like the argument over which Batman is better, Tobey Maguire is the better Spider-Man. Again thank you Sony for letting Marvel borrow their character. You obviously didn't know what to do with him, maybe Marvel can fix what you broke when you made The Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 3. I'm actually excited to see Tom Holland take on the role. 

The writers should be praised and given a raise. They had so many characters to write for and they did a really phenomenal job. Nothing in the film seemed forced. We had so many different story lines to watch, but unlike Batman V. Superman everything worked well together, everything made sense. 

Paul Rudd, I have loved you since Clueless. Paul has impeccable comedic timing similar to that of Robert Downey Jr. Other than Chris Evans's arms, he is the best thing in the movie! 

Let's face it Iron Man started off really strong and just went downhill after movie #1. The same thing happened with The Avengers.  Poor Thor and the Hulk, their movies just sucked. Captain America has progressively gotten better. I know Iron Man aka Robert Downey Jr. is finished with his solo films, but does this movie mean there will be another Captain America movie in our future? 

The moral of the story --- what would you do for friendship? What lengths would you go to protect your friends. OK this isn't really the moral of the story, but it could be. It's also about the world government and it's incessant need to control everything. But really though, who cares about the moral, the action was enough to keep you watching,

This was way more than just a Captain America movie. It was a fun ride and I can't wait until it comes out on DVD. I really need to start adding to my Superhero DVD collection. I want all of the DVDs, even the bad movies. I actually want to watch Captain America: The First Avenger again. I tried to watch it when it came out, but it put me to sleep. 

I'm going to now use my Jedi mind tricks on you:  You will now go see Captain America: Civil War and enjoy it! Sorry it's three in the morning and I'm tired. I'm not rereading this post, so if I have grammatical errors, which most likely I will, I'll fix them when the sun comes up.

Captain America: Civil War gets 4 1/2 Pink Gerber Daisies out of 5.

XOXO see you again soon, take care and goodnight. 

"Unbagging" April Dreams

I'm sitting here watching my new favorite show on Netflix, Arrow. I've been home from work for a week, very ill.  I wish this post would have gone up sooner. But, I was zapped. I had no energy, I slept all day and sweat all night. My tonsils were so swollen, I couldn't swallow, or let alone type. It's already May and this month's bag will be rolling out soon. I promised myself that this month I'm was not going to look at the contents beforehand.

This month my Ipsy bag was amazing! I didn't really care too much for the actual bag itself, but the contents this month have been my absolute favorite! I don't really care to the tie-dyed thing and the colors just weren't my thing, but in the end, does the bag really matter? No, it's whats "inside that counts". I love that this month's theme is "dreamers" I love to dream and sleep, especially when I'm sick.

The first product that I received in my goody bag is something that I will definitely use every day. It's a black eyeliner from a company called Starlooks. It's called the Luxe Longwear Eye Pencil, in Jet. It is most definitely jet black, which I love and I know I'll use. I love that this liner is so long wearing, I couldn't even wipe it off with coconut oil. This eyeliner glides on so smoothly. I wore it with my ColourPop eyeshadow in Sugar, an icy blue. It looked amazing and it didn't smear in my crease. Sometimes my eyeliners will crease in the far corners of my eyes. The black stayed vibrant. I really love the way this eyeliner went on and how long it stayed looking freshly applied. The eyeliner retails for $16. I couldn't find whether or not this particular brand is cruelty-free, so I will not purchase it on my own unless I can find out of it is CF. Gotta love those bunnies and puppies!

The next thing that I absolutely love is the Highlight Trio from City Color  Cosmetics. I have worn this quite a bit since receiving this in my bag. Oh how I love it! It glides on so smooth, like velvet. It actually feels like velvet to the touch. The three colors are gold, icy white and rose gold. So far I've used the white and rose gold. I haven't used the gold, I don't think it's going to look right with my skin tone. I prefer to use them with primer, foundation, and blush. I make sure to always use a setting spray. I like to use the Urban Decay setting spays to help me sent my makeup. I did use the trio without foundation and primer and it doesn't last as long. The retail price for the trio is $8.99. There are too collections, one for lighter skin tones like mine and one for darker skin tones. I read that these are cruelty-free! I'd buy this for $8.99!

Highlight Trio

I was also very excited to get the Tarte cosmetics LipSurgence Lip Cream in Wonder. This is the most amazing color for Spring! Apparently Tarte is a an approved cruelty-free line. I do question the validity of this because I have heard otherwise! Wonder retails for $24. Mine is obviously a sample, not a full size. It does glide on smoothly, but make sure your lips are smooth and moisturized because little lines will show up! The color is described as poppy (a warm pink tone) and is the darkest shade in the lip creams. Make sure to use a liner because the color will bleed. I wore this to work the other day and sure enough, the color feathered and got into the lines in my lips. I generally use the NYX clear color so that I don't have to by a liner for every lipstick. This is not a long lasting color, so be prepared to reapply. I wore it out to eat with my mom and the color most definitely came off.  I would
purchase this product and I'm happy to have the opportunity to test it out beforehand. It's a great everyday color for spring.

Oh this brush, how I love this brush! A crown fit for a queen! This is the C427 Duo Fiber Blush Brush from Crown Brushes and I have been using this nonstop with my blush. It does pick up quite a bit of product, so be light handed. It retails for $23.73 but on the Crown Brushes website you can pick it up for $9.49. This is another case of "I can't find if this is a cruelty-free product or not". I will not purchase from a company that is not cruelty-free. The bristles are so soft to the touch and feels amazing on the face!

The last thing that I got in my bag were two of the pur~lisse sheet masks. I see sheet masks at Sephora  near the register and this is something that I have been wanting to get my hands on for a while. I have heard about this brand, but I was never really interested in trying the line. But, I'm glad that I had the opportunity to give it a go. Obviously two masks were sent.  I already used the Blue Lotus + Seaweed mask. It was an interesting experience. First off I looked like Leatherface. OK, that's to be expected. It's what's underneath that counts. It was a little awkward adjusting the mask to my face. Not impossible, just annoying. I felt that the mask was going to fall off, it didn't though. It smelled pretty too. You start with a clean face, apply the mask, wait 15-20 minutes and then take it off. According to the site, you don't rinse, just massage into your skin to let it absorb the essence. One application doesn't equal results. After the hideous mask, my face did feel nice. You can put the mask in the freezer to calm puffy looking, tired skin or steep it in hot water to open your pores, this is all according to the site.  I have photos below of the actual mask on my face. I did neither of the options recommended on the website. The masks retail for $8 and the company claims to be cruelty-free.

This was by far my favorite Ipsy bag. Like I said above, I hope I said it above, I'm not sneaking a peak at May's bag. I'm going to try to hold off until the bag comes to me in the mail. Some of my friends have started subscriptions too. I have a coworker who is subscribed to three boxes/bags, Ipsy, Birchbox (my 2nd choice) and Glossybox. I think I'd be too overwhelmed! For now, I'm sticking to Ipsy, as long as they don't send me nail products! Anyway, I hope all of you are healthy,  because I wasn't, and wise! Thanks for listening to me rant! Until next time XOXOX

Trying on the mask. One day before getting sick!

Swatch of the Lip Cream from tarte

Swatch of the eyeliner

Swatch of the Highlighter colors