Tuesday, January 27, 2009

3D in 2009

Before spending the unfortunate time and money to see Valkyrie, a movie was previewed that caught my attention for both bad and good reasons. Any horror fan will probably have th same thoughts when I say the title My Bloody Valentine 3D... "Bastards remaking ANOTHER classic"... "Ooh, but 3D sounds nice"...

Well after days of whining I finally convinced Ray that we had to go and I will even pay... and as far as I am concerned BW owes me $20 haha! We got there atleast 15mins early to hopefully ensure good seats, and it should have been a red flag when the theater was empty and by the introduction statement "Please put on your 3D glasses now" there were only eleven people, including myself and Raymond.



First impression is the movie had a horrible flow and immediately jumped into action. No suspense, no needed buildup, but a mining pick threw the back of a kids head with a CGI animated 'eyeball' impaled on the tip. Fun to watch thanks to our overpriced snazzy single use glasses, but bad for a movie.

After this meaningless introduction of gore thanks to disposable teenagers, the scene closes with a group of fleeing survivors running to their truck outside the mine, making the decision to leave behind a fallen friend at the entrance. This kid Tom lives to see another day though because a group of parents are on the killers tracks and have a shooting showdown.



Years later Tom returns back to his feared hometown to sell the mines owned by his late father. While meeting with old friends and dealing with the mines, murder starts up again in the town leaving them to think that the killer has returned from the grave or a copy cat is in action.

Again, this had a horrible flow. The plus side with this movie is it actually had a good idea to refresh the original, but it seems like it got in the wrong hands. The acting was bad, but I will say that they had a weak script to work from. This is an obvious example of a pushed out movie that was only geared to make theatrical benefit without caring for a lasting impression. This is unfortunate because it had potential to be something really good but will make a horrible rental and I question the judgment of any individual that would consider purchasing it from their personal collection. Also, to rub some salt on the wound the gore was repetitive or fully computer animated... both are big no-no's in my book.

Im waiting for your review BW... waiting...

The Attic

This is a total chick thriller, and I loved every minute of it. Beautiful and well dressed actress Carrie Snodgress took the lead role as Louise, the aging and troubled local town woman. Nineteen years prior to the point in the movie, her soon to be husband went missing on their wedding day. Some speculate he got cold feet, but Louise did not doubt their love and was sure there may be a more tragic explanation.



Because this haunts Lou, she has become an alcoholic and is now facing early 'retirement' from her job as a librarian due to a previous mental breakdown at work. Aside from these hard to cope with issues, she also is at the will of her abusive handicap father who undermines her daily and is over controlling. This has left Louise without much for a social outlet and held her to the home to suffer in her own flowing insanity.



Over the next hour you watch the story play out and unfortunately an ending that is expected. Because the film is rather straight to the point, I can't rave, but I will admire. Louise's acting was so dramatic, so classic. The soundtrack was simple but worked with the movie, and is still lingering in my head.

I would recommend this for a lady feeling emotion. Great flick for those surviving the 6 day bleed and want something to cry about.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Gah

Even more behind than usual. I did manage to get pictures of swatches, but I didn't get around to making an official blog. I should be receiving my needed computer parts tomorrow afternoon so soon I will be back on track and on my own familiar system.

Though there was an accomplishment tonight. I made raviolis with partial wheat dough and a basic cheese filling since Ray is so picky anymore. This was my first time making them on my own, not to mention I was racing against the clock to have dinner done, so I didn't really get any pictures but did snap a quick one after rolling out(this method is a lot better then freehand!). If anybody is interested in the recipe let me know, I would list it now but I am getting a headache :(

Friday, January 16, 2009

Put't in mah mawth!

Yay, I went on a sugar craze this morning and finally did a recipe I had been wanting to for years considering it is almost useless to get in the states unless you want to pay extra for it being internationally stocked or get it from a fine candy store. I made honeycombs and did half of my amount dipped in milk chocolate -=angels singing in the background as they string their harps=-... but most importantly, I want to share the love and make sure everyone else makes them as well! Downside though is this candy should be consumed within about a 24hr period because it gathers moisture, which makes it very chewy and that uncomfortable stick to your teeth 'no no'. Usually this isn't a downside, but my love Raymond won't eat sweets anymore so any dessert I make is dependent on me to consume haha.

This recipe is fairly small, and you will notice that I have odd measurements so you can double the recipe for practical use or work with it as I did.

Dipped in chocolate (you can tell in the middle piece that the chocolate overheated, its okay.. I enjoyed it regardless haha)


Texture closeup


1/8 cup Honey
1/4 cup Light Corn Syrup
1 Cup White Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/8 cup water

First off is preparation, carefully line an 8x8 pan with aluminum foil and be sure to gently press all edges so that the appearance is fairly smooth(otherwise the candy will get between the cracks and become difficult to peel away). Next gently sift the baking soda into a small bowl and set it aside near the area you will be working in for convenience. If you have a candy thermometer, it can be very helpful though I was able to successfully make this treat without(though I will admit my first batch was a dud). Also keep in mind that this will generally triple in size once the baking soda is added, so use a pot a little larger then you would think, and it is very helpful if it has a long handle for the pouring stage as it will require you to work quickly with a boiling mixture that can cause severe burns if mishandled.

Over medium heat combine the honey, syrup, sugar, and water until the sugar has mostly dissolved. Do not stir vigorously as you want to avoid a lot of side splatter so that the sugar does not crystallize along the edges. At this point, stop stirring the mixture and allow in to gradually boil until softly past a light amber stage. If you have a Thermometer I believe this should be just before 300d. Remove from heat and pour in the baking soda and rock the pot to help incorporate the soda, or you can use a wooden spoon if preferred. Only stroke this several times and then immediately pour into your lined pan and allow to cool.

Once this has cooled you can lift the foil with candy from the dish and slowly peel the foil off to discard. For controlling reasons because this will crumble when divided, take a long piece of plastic wrap and loosely fold it over the honeycomb so that you can gently break pieces with the force of your palm, or with a quick palm strike with a knife to get about 1-2" amounts.

At this point you can enjoy the honeycomb, or dip it into your choice of chocolate for decadence. Remember that if you do enjoy chocolate(which I HIGHLY suggest!) that you can dump any left over crumbs into your remaining chocolate and they are also spectacular with no waste!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Mineral Cosmetic Overview

After my last review I have been dying to update with a new post on the rest of my favorite makeup. I covered most of my mineral cosmetics, though as you have read I have 3 more orders on the way from Archetype since I am SO impressed! Also, you will notice that I reposted the same Archetype colors because I was able to adjust my camera settings and now the color is close to true without the use of fine tuning on my photo shop program... which means a bit more dimension.

Let me note that my color reviews is for the appearance on my skin tone. There is review and comparison to the listed colors on the site, but these are my take on the colors as shown with pictured swatches. I purposefully include in each photo the color in and out of focus in attempt to show dimension. These are taken on the inside of my arm, but you will notice some differences with texture due to different areas on my arm. Some glitter also drifts in store when made or when sampled, so if you see a few misbehaved specks please work with me :) Also, prices are from site and are only for Eye Shadow, these sites also feature foundation, blush, lip products, and other great cosmetics!

I am also including a coverage with the eyeshadow as I know many women have particular preferences. I personally prefer sheer colors, where as my close friend prefers deep intensity. I have a letter to represent a general idea with each category of coverage.

A: This is a blendable and easy to build. Works perfect as a sheer highlight, but can easily be applied with a heavy hand.

B: This color is best sheer. This does not build well and become uneven if heavily applied.

C: This color is intended for intensity and may be best applied wet. Sheer coverage is near impossible as the color tends to begin uneven.

Fyrinnae Cosmetics
Website
Great customer service and dimensional colors!
Sample Size: $1.50 (Generous 1/4t comes in 3 gram)
Full Size: $5.25 (Heavily packed in 5 gram)



Polar Bear: Great for an intense hightlight for the brow, especially for a bronzed summer look. This color is a sheer gold with a very subtle shimmer pickup of soft peach. You will notice my skin shade as a background to the color, only the top gold is the shadow lightly applied. A


Selkie Skin: This is a nice color that would work an almost anybody as it has a very versatile appearance. In container this is a soft taupe, but when applied it becomes a a very deep gray based taupe with silver shimmer with tint of light green and peach glitter for dimension. A and C If lightly applied you will have a nice silver shimmer, but if you get heavy in any area it will have an deep gray taupe background. So if carefully done this is actually beneficial.


But I Like Frogs: Color is intense and not for the faint at heart! This is a rich blue with a heavy cover of green glitter. A


Wicked: Lovely color and not as intense as it seems in jar! Color is a sheer deep but vibrant purple with turquoise glitter. B


Ultrasuede: Intense matte chocolate brown, almost black. Blends fairly well, and works as a wonderful eyebrow shadow for Brunette to Black. C


Okapi: This is another fairly dark color, so it would be recommended for those looking for intensity with dimension. Color is a darkened velvet plum with gold and peach glitter. C


Sluagh: This color makes a gorgeous depth in the crease! A beatiful muted raisin color with gold glitter and peach shimmer. A


Anaconda: Very deep matte green, almost a muted black. Blends fairly well. C


Aroma Leigh Cosmetics

Website
Great site to check as they are usually having discount sales!
Sample Size: $1.30 (About 1/16t in bag)
Full Size: $5.75-$8.00 (These come in 5 gram)



Marigold: This is my favorite color as a highlight. Color is a sheer peach wash with a subtle gold and peach shimmer. Works beautifully with almost any other color. My skin color can lightly be seen as a background with this sheer color. A


Blue Hue: Very interesting color and definitely for an outgoing lady as a highlight as it kind of reminds me of a cyber look. In jar it is white, but when applied it because a sheer white wash with a vibrant blue shimmer. You will notice my skin as the background to the sheer color. A


Underworld: Very dimensional color and is another favorite of mine. This is a rich raisin color with a soft pink sheen of shimmer and blue glitter. A


Rockbottom: This color is closer to a red touched brown so it is very versatile, and it has a touch of copper shimmer. A


Sabine: As I would incorrectly say, this is from the 'Betty Nor' collection ;P This is a rich velvety chocolate brown with soft gold shimmer and complimentary purple glitter. C


Earthen Sage: Amazing duo color eye shadow. Base color is a softened terra cotta with an even layer or green shimmer. A


Holy Grail: This is a very nice neatural for us tame ladies! Background color tends to reach an intensity of deep olive while there is an even layer of subtle gold shimmer. This is actually a mix of A and C. If lightly applied you will have a nice golden olive shimmer, but if you get heavy in any area it will have an olive background. So if carefully done, as seen in my previous post, this is actually beneficial.


Graphite: A deep matte gray with blue undertones. Unfortunately I want to point out this does not blend well and is not the most flattering, but on a positive note this would make a great pigment to use for death with fx. C

Archetype Cosmetics
Website
Little slow on shipping, but worth it!
Sample Size: $0.25 (Low price for 1/8t in bag)
Small Size: $3.75 (General amount in 5 gram)
Large Size: $7.00 (Large amount in 10 gram)
XL Canister: $9.75 (To be confirmed)



Poison Pen: This would look amazing paired up with Aroma Leigh's Holy Grail! This has a very subtle olive base with an intense over layer of gold shimmer and glitter.A


Death's Head: Another great neautral but this time with an extra touch of glitter. Very nice chocolate brown with green and gold glitter. A


Samhain Eve: This is a very flattering taupe with a muted lavender touch with silver sparkle. A


Beetlewing: This base is also a taupe but leaning to the blue touched grey side with an intense sparkle in green and silver.A

SheSpace Cosmetics
Varied selection of colors with lots of glitter
Website
Sample Size: $0.50 (About 1/8t in bag)
Full Size: $4.00 (General amount in 3 gram)



Into the Night: This is a blackened deep olive with intense gold sparkle. For color payoff use heavy base. A


Convicted: A raisin base with a nude shimmer with intense highlights of blue and green glitter with some peach. For color pay off use heavy base. A

Monday, January 12, 2009

Aroma Leigh Day!

I have a few job applications to drop off, so I wanted to look a pinch above normal, but not overdone, so I decided to whip out an eye shadow duo that looks divine. As usual, it was impossible to capture the dimension of the shadow so the pictures are a bit dull in comparison to how it actually looks.

With my eyes I put Marigold over the entire lid to my brow, and then Holy Grail heavily applied to my crease and then softly blended up towards my brow as well as down to my lashline. If applied with a heavy hand, the Holy Grail has a deep olive background with a golden glitter as you can see with the crease... It took me a while to get a good application down with this shadow, but I love how it looks like I am wearing more then I actually am! My eyebrows I used the left over liner from each side, and then blend it with a clear mascara so it appears more natural and blends with the hair. My eyebrows are a nightmare though because I have a calic on my inner left brow(also have a nice calic at my widows peak so my hair is impossible to style when up). My lips I did a basic outline in Mauve and then did a sheer coat in Zest. About my picture.. Yeah I know... I am not making any faces, heavily made up, or covered in blood and gore.. this is probably the plainest I have ever photographed and I am not sure if I like it haha

Face:
Bare Minerals Foundation in Light
Lips:
NYX Lip Liner in Mauve
Aroma Leigh Lip Gloss in Zest
Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Aroma Leigh Frost in Marigold
Aroma Leigh Hue in Holy Grail
MAC Fluidline in Black Track (also used on eyebrows)
Cover Girl Super Thick Lash in Black
Cover Girl Clear Mascara

No Flash:


With Flash:


Full Makeup Shot: (When I was growing up I was nick named 'ojos grandes' by the father of my Spanish friends.. still a very fitting name haha)

Friday, January 9, 2009

My Favorite

Today is an impressive day! I just got in the mail Fatal Addiction: Ted Bundy’s Final Interview on VHS. This is very limited copy and I got one for an absolute steal, so needless to say I am really excited. Downside? The tape has some wear and has a high pitch squeal for the first 5 minutes, and even sounds horrible when rewinding. Anybody know if there is a way to realign and fix this? Is anybody familiar with copying VHS format to DVD through a computer or anything? I would like to have a solid personal copy for myself and not fear that this is a single view.

For starters, I have always had a preference for Ted Bundy when it comes to serial killers... Without doubt he has to be a favorite. Somewhere between his good looks and morbid lifestyle he had me… but then again I am a sick lady. I really wish he was still alive because I would likely write to him and get to know him better. That is the hardest part for anybody with a fascination for killers is that they are often dead.



This VHS is dedicated to “The Fight Against Violent Pornography”... how funny is that?! The tape starts with the interviewer talking with another man in regards to the talk he had with Bundy, and the after effect considering the interview took place the day before his execution. Finally they clip to the interview... Ted is reviewing how things led up to his murders. He reviewed that he came from a fairly stable Christian family, but like other young boys he would play on the streets at a young age and would find interesting items in garbages or various areas and some of these items made an imprint on him. Ted found an assortment of pornographic magazines, violent photos from detective magazines, and hardcore pornography. All these things bound together sparked his attention and he found excitement from them… so over time he began searching for more hardcore pornography as he felt that porno was his addiction, as he was constantly trying to find better and harder material. Finally, he admits that he came to a point where he realized that the next step in his sexual progression is to find women to perform these acts on, and he ended up spiraling into his desires which led to murder.

He also briefly discusses how graphic television has become, especially horror movies, which I find to be amusing because in reality I bet he was jacking off in his cell over it. Actually seeing Ted’s reaction to questions, his thoughtful answer and passion from his statements was mind blowing. When discussing particular matters like his first murder he would close his eyes and pause for a moment. The interviewer later stated that he felt like Ted was being sympathetic of his actions, but I think he was just reliving them considering he often had a quick smirk or lack of guilt in his eyes. Bottom line is, he enjoyed what he did, otherwise he wouldn’t have done it.

I absolutely hate the Christian ending to the interview, which reminds me how much people piss me off. We are growths and just playing a forgettable part in the world, so trying to comfort someone in a weak position with a lie like religion infuriates me. Ted said time and time again, he was raised ‘Christian’ and to know what is morally considered right and wrong. There is a breed like him sprouting up all over the world, it was not just one thing that made him who he is. People don’t like to see the fact that Ted is just Ted. Every one of us is different and unique, but we all have a drive inside of us that fuels who we are. Christianity is not going to save anybody from their own nature.

Though this video was shorter then I would have liked(which isn't hard, I could watch these non stop), this was without doubt worth it and I am SO happy to have it in my collection. On that same note, I am curious what killer or violent individual other people are fascinated with and why… in the mean time I will be cuddling with this movie in bed ;)

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Cannibal

Wow, I just finished watching a movie that drifted on my Netflix account for months and was sent due to the fact that I wasn’t paying attention to my que, otherwise I would have continued to push it back in place because it didn’t SEEM amazing because I have been out of my movie loop… Well, this kicked me in the ass. This is a close story to the cannibal influenced murder by Armin Meiwes, and was damn impressive.



The plot of this movie is simply put and only documenting what is known during the time of the murder, so it is not in depth but rather straight to the point. Also a nice highlight to keep in mind is that this film is similar to Nekromantik in some style, especially because there is very limited dialogue as the movie is meant to be a visual piece.

In the movie you follow ‘The Man’ (who is meant to be Armin) place multiple online ads in attempt to find a person that understands his fetish for flesh and will allow him to kill and devour ‘The Flesh’. After many failed attempts, ‘The Man’ finally finds another gay interested man and after detailed discussion it is decided that they should meet and have their finale in Armin’s home, where they complete their desires.

This movie is not for the easily offended or homophobic because you will see a lot of blood, and a lot of dick… This is unfortunate because I know people that would love the gore in this film, but would turn their cheek at the first site of cock. Seriously, the gore in this film absolutely amazed me, and I am a total special effects critic. The gore alone is a solid reason to give this a view, but for a unique story you will have to go in with an open mind otherwise it will be hard to follow the plot. I was far from expecting what I was going to see because I did not know the story in detail, so for me it was very exciting as this was my first view of how things happened during the actual murder. If you are feeling open, watch it!

Monday, January 5, 2009

B.W's Fault



I want to see everyone else! My straight on shot tends to be Fiona Apple so this varies a bit, but I can see a comparison with Christina Applegate

Archetype Cosmetics Intro

Those getting used to my horror reviews will be a little turned away, but hey, this is my blog! I received my order from Archetype Cosmetics on Saturday January 3 which was originally placed on December 2nd, so their 3 to 4 week shipping scenario is still in effect (I consider myself lucky though because a handful of gals have waited months).

Archetype Cosmetics Site

$0.25 - Sample Bag (Generous amount!)
$3.75 - Small Pigment
$7.00 - Large Pigment
$9.75 - XLarge Pigment

Shipping is also very reasonable starting at $1.75 First Class Mail


Overall I received a full size of Gloomy Sunday, and Beetlewing with an assortment of samples in Bela’s Grave, Transylvanian Concubine, The Gargoyle Tree, Death's Head, Poison Pen, and Samhain Eve. Several of these did not fit my taste and were passed on to my friend Winter who is my polar opposite in makeup(great because if a color doesn’t work on one of us, it will on the other), so this will be a brief review. And let me note I am impressed! I placed another order last night, and have a few that will be passed from Winters waiting order so I will soon be to my neck in Archetype Cosmetics and updated reviews... Yay!

The colors look beautiful indoor or outdoors, and are very versatile so they can be dressed up or down for occasion. The colors build well so you can have an even sheen to full intensity, and blend perfectly so they do not cake on like some cosmetics. One thing to note is that the colors that have sparkle or glitter are not fooling, and unfortunate for myself because I prefer matte to low shimmer so some of these I have to feel outgoing to wear. Because of the sparkle, without second thought I recommend that you use Urban Decay Primer Potion as a base to help keep the shimmer in place. Following that guideline I wore Samhain Eve yesterday in the crease and it blended beautiful with my highlight base color of Marigold from Aroma Leigh. The glitter from the shadow also stayed in the desired area with only a few specks on Marigold, and I did not get any fall off on my cheek!

Also, if closely reviewed it appears that all the shadows that I received have a soft peach/pink undertone to the shimmer, which strangely looks really nice and adds dimension to the color. Don’t let that intimidate you either because I myself am not a pink person but whole heartily approve. Also, the colors appear to vary in different lighting due to the dimension and shimmers, so my reviews are a mix in varied lightings.

It was absolutely impossible to get these colors pictured, so I had to tweak the tones of the pictures to try and get a close match of how it really looks in person. For dimension you can see the glitter and shimmer pickups in the short video clip. You can mostly see the sparkle highlights when the camera goes out of focus on the previous color. UDPP used as base and colors in order Beetlewing(to pink and looks closer to the actual Samhain Eve, but you can really see the green shimmer), Poison Pen, Samhain Eve(far to brown), and finally Death's Head.




Beetlewing: The base color is a taupe leaning to the bluish grey side. This has shimmer in silver and even sparkle in green.


Poison Pen: I really like this color, though for some reason it is suddenly missing from the website so I could not get a full size in my new order. Base color is a deep golden olive with a gold shimmer.. This is absolutely ideal for people that stay towards warm colors, like myself, and is great on olive skin.


Samhain Eve: This is the ideal taupe with a sheen muted purple and silver sparkle. Site says moderate amount of sparkle but I think it is more than enough haha.


Death's Head: Base is a creamy brown with a sheer overlay of soft red shimmer, and gold with green sparkle.

Saturday, January 3, 2009