New kitten!

I never update this blog, but I have to now because this is Jack and he's adorable. I adopted him on Thursday.

Sephora can take all of my money

Not putting too much effort into this post since I haven't even tried most of these products yet.

I was trying to get my Beauty Insider points up to 500. I was already buying DKNY Be Delicious (sort of...I'll get back to that) and Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliner in Perversion, so I decided to try a different blush. From a brand I've never used before. I ended up with Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dollface. And I reached 500 points! Which is really frightening because that means, once again, I've spent $500 at Sephora and that seems...Excessive. I don't want to think about that though.

 New bottle of Be Delicious vs. my old bottle. As you can see, the one I bought this time is much smaller. That's because, originally, I was going to buy Anna Sui Fairy Dance Secret Wish and at the last second, I decided to just stick with something I already know I love. However, since I still kind of want the other perfume, I decided to get a smaller bottle this time in case I decide I want the other one in the future.

I've been using Zero for years and I decided it's time to switch over to Perversion because it's a darker black. And if I'm using black eyeliner, I want it to be REALLY black, not kind of black. As you can see, Zero (top) is nowhere near as dark as Perversion (bottom).

I am REALLY excited to try this blush tomorrow. I never wear pink blush. Well. I rarely do. I mostly wear orange-toned blush. But I looked up the best blushes for fair skin and Dollface was one of them. Nars Orgasm was another, and I know that's a cult favorite, but this looked prettier.

So. What was the 500 Point Perk? Tarte Amazonian Treasures Collection!

I'm excited because now I can try even more Tarte products and if I like them, maybe I'll have a new favorite brand. (Urban Decay's products are incredible, but I'm still unhappy about the whole China fiasco.) This set comes with Pure Maracuja Oil (which I have read amazing things about), Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed, Waterproof Cream Shadow in Shimmering Moss, Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara and Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder.

I'm not a huuuuge fan of cream eyeshadows, but it may be nice as an eyeshadow base. Everything else sounds great though and I actually like Exposed a lot more in person than I do in pictures.

Sephora lets you choose three samples at checkout. I have two here and the other is a deluxe sample I used a promo code for. If they're any good, I'll buy full size versions.

I really like samples because they're small and I can take them everywhere. Anyway. Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish in Katie, Guerlain Maxi Lash Mascara and Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 (light).

I'm aware that the general consensus is that if a BB Cream isn't from Asia, it isn't good. And I'm not doubting it, but I figured that since it's a free sample, I can at least try it and see how it is.

Lastly...There's this. It's not from Sephora, I received it through Influenster.

(Sorry for the bright pink background, I had it on the back of my iPad this morning.)

Osis+ Dust It. First of all, I've read that this company tests on animals, so already it's a huge no. But aside from that, let's discuss what it is and if it works.

The idea is you sprinkle this powder onto your roots and it will give your hair more volume. And I'll admit, it does that very well. HOWEVER, now that I've had it in my hair all day, I have some complaints. The volume doesn't last. If you want to get it back, you have to play with your hair. And the more you do, the messier your hair gets. You can also FEEL this in your hair. It feels...Almost sticky. And it changes your hair's texture a bit. I don't really like that, so I won't be using it again. Even if I did like it, I wouldn't use it again after reading that they test on animals.

Shadow of the Eternals

I was browsing the Eternal Darkness tag on Tumblr the other day and I saw someone mention a "spiritual successor" called Shadow of the Eternals. Naturally, I thought it was a joke. Fans have been waiting for a sequel to Eternal Darkness for years now and I think most of us were under the impression that we would probably never get one. As it turns out, this is really happening!

If you have played Eternal Darkness, a lot of the locations in the trailer for Shadow of the Eternals probably look familiar. I'm sure that will change later on, but even if it doesn't, I'm not bothered by it. Part of what made Eternal Darkness great was that in each chapter, you revisited previous areas you had been to. You were able to see how those locations changed over time and I loved that.

Earlier today, I sent a message to my friend asking her to help promote the crowdfunding campaign for SotE. I'm going to quote that message here, just to save some time rather than retyping it all again. Keep in mind, this was an informal message so it may not be very well-written, but you should still be able to get a grasp of why this game is so important to the survival horror genre. As a huge fan of Eternal Darkness and horror games in general, I am desperate to see Precursor Games succeed with this campaign.

"I don't know if you ever played Eternal Darkness on the Gamecube, we've never talked about it. But if you haven't, it was a REALLY amazing survival horror/psychological horror game. (Ask anyone who has actually played it. Amazing.) It's inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's work, so it deals with insanity. You play as a different character in each chapter, spanning across thousands of years, all their stories are intertwined.

To fight enemies, you could either use melee weapons or guns (specific to each time period and location) and magic. In order to use magic, you would have to find spell scrolls and runes.

The REALLY interesting part of Eternal Darkness was the inclusion of sanity effects. As your character went insane from looking at the enemies they faced, different things would begin to happen. The walls would bleed. You would hear screaming in the background. The rooms would tilt. The game also broke the fourth wall by appearing to give the player a blue screen, muting the TV, deleting save data, etc.

Fans of Eternal Darkness have been waiting years for another game to be released and it would be such a shame if this game didn't get funded. In terms of storytelling, it's right up there with Silent Hill (though its plot is nothing like Silent Hill's). It is also one of the most unique games in the survival horror genre because of the sanity effects. And Eternal Darkness was REALLY unsettling/scary, so I can only imagine what Shadow of the Eternals will be like, especially since they can do so much more with games now than they could in 2002."

As you can see, Eternal Darkness is a game I think very highly of. It's tied with Fatal Frame and Silent Hill 2 as my favorite survival horror game ever (it's impossible to choose between the three of them).

Shadow of the Eternals is going to be episodic. I know some people don't like that. To be honest, I'm not a fan of games like that either. I would rather have the entire game at once. And with a game like this (one I have been waiting/hoping for that I know I'll love), I would rather have a physical copy than a downloadable copy. There is a positive side to this though. The developers are actually going to listen to what the fans have to say and implement their ideas into the game. So if there is something that needs to be fine-tuned after playing the first episode, you can suggest it to the developers and they'll work to make it better. You can't do that with a game that has already been released in its entirety.

SotE is going to be released for the Wii U and PC, supposedly around Q3 of 2014, IF the fans support it enough. You can donate to the project here and help make this game a success.

Audrey Hepburn - Vanity Fair May 2013

I have never read Vanity Fair in my life, but as soon as I saw Audrey on the cover, I had to buy it. She has been one of my favorite actresses ever since I first saw her in Charade. On top of that, she was a style icon and a great humanitarian.

Lunafly - Fly to Love

So first of all. Even though I think all their fans already know about this. This album actually includes two CDs. One with their Korean songs and another with the English versions of each song.

There is a photo book inside the case. It has the lyrics for every song. Korean songs are in 한글, of course, and the English versions are romanized. (I would like to point out how awesome it is that Sam wrote all the English lyrics. I like it when artists write their own songs.) Sam’s thank you section is in English, Teo and Yun’s are in 한글.

The album also comes with a photo card for each member and a Lunafly decal. I had no idea that was included, so it was a nice surprise to see them in there.

The album case is vibrant and very eye-catching. They did a great job on it. I love their styling, too.

Every song on Fly to Love is amazing, whether you’re listening to them in Korean or English. Lunafly is such a talented group and I really cannot say enough about them.

Fly to Love is available on iTunes, but you should really just buy the actual album from YesAsia if you’re able to because it’s beautiful and definitely worth owning.

Lauren Oliver is really good to her fans

She agreed to sign bookplates for everyone who pre-ordered Requiem. And mine arrived today. :)

Jurassic Park 3D

I have always been of the opinion that 3D movies (and games) are just a cheap gimmick. A fad that will eventually fade away. Hopefully someday soon.

However, I could not pass up the opportunity to see Jurassic Park in a theater again. I first saw it 20 years ago, during its original theatrical release, and I remember being completely in awe of it. Jurassic Park is what made me love dinosaurs and it's something that, to this day, I still hold dear in my heart. Now, seeing it again today in a theater after 20 years, I can say that those feelings haven't changed. I was overwhelmed by every aspect of the movie. The score, the acting, the cinematography, the DINOSAURS. It is all still so breathtaking and amazing to see come to life on a big screen. Steven Spielberg is a genius. No one else could have made this movie what it is. And all of the actors did a remarkable job. When I was younger, I watched every movie Joseph Mazzello ever made because he was such an incredibly talented actor, even at such a young age. And even now, he still is (as you can see in The Pacific). I don't think I need to say how perfect Sam Neill was in his role, I'm sure everyone already knows.

After all this time, Jurassic Park has not lost its magic. It is the type of film that can easily make a dinosaur enthusiast out of anyone, regardless of age. Seeing them come to life on screen is incredible. The raptors have always been my favorite dinosaurs in the movie, but there is no denying how iconic the scene with the T-rex is, as he takes that fence down with his giant claws and walks out onto the road. Also, watching Dr. Grant drape himself over a Triceratops, feeling it inhale and exhale, with a smile on his face, is enough to make me smile, as well. Because I would have the exact same expression if the roles were reversed.

Jurassic Park is one of the few movies that I can still watch over and over and never stop being amazed by it. It will always be one of my favorite films and I am so happy that they decided to give it a rerelease, even if it is in 3D. And to be honest, it was VERY well done. There were not just a few 3D effects scattered throughout the movie, the entire thing was redone. The standout scene, for me, was when Tim is stuck inside the car after it falls into the tree. Each branch extends out from the screen and it looks great.

That being said, I did have a few issues with it. The one Jurassic Park-specific issue I had is that they didn't really utilize 3D in the scenes with the T-rex. When it is chasing the jeep, the would have been the perfect scene to throw some 3D effects in and they really didn't. They did make great use of the raptors later on though.

All my other complaints are about 3D in general. The glasses distributed did not fit well over my own glasses and it was uncomfortable to wear them because of it. Most scenes that included 3D effects seemed very out of focus and I felt as if I had to squint my eyes to see more clearly, but of course, that didn't make the images any sharper. It was very difficult for me to look at because it bothered my eyes so much. All in all though, the movie looked amazing and if you get a chance to see it in 3D, you really should. Even just to see it in a theater setting again.

The Museum of Natural History and Breakfast at Tiffany's

I have been waiting for years to go to the Museum of Natural History. Dreaming about the fossil halls. On Saturday, before seeing Breakfast at Tiffany's on Broadway, I finally had a chance to go. I took a thousand terrible pictures, so that's basically what this post is going to be. But first, I would like to say something about Breakfast at Tiffany's.

The play was NOT as awful as the reviews made it out to be.

It is based on the novella, not the movie. So as unlikable as Holly Golightly is if you've seen the movie (even Audrey Hepburn, one of my favorite actresses, was barely able to save that character), she's even more awful in the play. And it's not Emilia Clarke's fault. She did what she could with that character. My only complaint is that her accent was SO put on and difficult to understand...And the tone of voice she used was very shrill. But again, the character calls for that so I can't even hold it against her.

Breakfast at Tiffany's is very character driven. There is no action in the plot and I think that is why a lot of people who reviewed it said it was not good material for a stage adaptation. However, I think character driven stories are perfect material for plays and I did not find it boring at all. In fact, Cory Michael Smith was very entertaining and he delivered his lines beautifully. He has great comedic timing and I look forward to seeing more from him in the future.

Unfortunately, as I already assumed last month, a closing date has been set for Breakfast at Tiffany's. The last show is April 21st. I'm grateful that I was able to see it before then.

Onto the pictures.

I couldn't find a stuffed raptor at the museum gift shops, so I just bought foreign food instead in a fit of rage and self-pity.

I will be seeing this on May 25th. Really excited.