Rainy Day Playlist

 Photo: Tumblr

It's officially autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, and with that comes, inevitably, the rain.

i. Oceans - Coldplay

ii. Give Me Love - Ed Sheeran

iii. Missing You - Imogen Heap

iv. Skinny Love - Bon Iver

v. Start a War - The National

vi. Mykonos - Fleet Foxes

vii. Comes and Goes (In Waves) - Greg Laswell

viii. Towers - Bon Iver

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Vacation Beauty Haul

Revlon Lip Butters in Red Velvet and Strawberry Shortcake - CoverGirl LipPerfection Lipstick in 305 Hot Passion

The supermarkets at the Dominican Republic have a lot more makeup stands than most department stores here (CoverGirl? Milani? A whole stand of Revlon? Count me in!) Needless to say, I went a bit crazy and had to be restrained not to buy everything in sight. And I know I'm late to the lip butter bandwagon, but here they're ridiculously expensive and only four colours are available. 

 

 CoverGirl Lashblast Mascara - Milani XL Bronzer in 03 Radiant Tan

 OPI Nail Polish in Do You Lilac It?

Rubinesque Paintpot - MAC 217 Blending Brush - Rebel Lipglass -MAC Cleanse Off Oil

And last but certainly not least, I did some damage at MAC. Now, this is more than I've ever spent in makeup, but I justified it because MAC is ridiculously expensive here and in the DR the prices were as near as the US ones that I could get. I actually wanted to get Rebel in lipstick form, but the lady at the counter said that they hadn't been stocking that for a long time.

Do you tend to spend more money on things for yourself when you're on holiday? (I know I do!)

x Monica

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My Travel Makeup Bag - Caribbean Edition

So I just came back from my two week vacation. I went to the Dominican Republic to visit my parents - we moved there 10 years ago because my dad got a job there, and 5 years ago I came back to Chile to study and hadn't been back since. 

Now, even though I went in the middle of "winter" it was still horrendously hot, so that's what I kept in mind as chose what to bring with me to the trip.

What I brought with me:

-Lancôme Quad
-MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20

-L'Oreal Mega Volume Collagene Waterproof Mascara
-ELF Eyelid Primer

-Essence Eyebrow Designer in 02 Brown

-Esika Kohl Eyeliner in Turquesa Vital

-Arens Blush

-Cyzone Clear Gel

-Esika Colorfix Maxtime Lipstick in Fuscia Express

-Lip Out Loud Super Shiny Gloss in 04 BFF

-Avon ColorTrend Lip Crayon in Rojo Sexy

-Oriflame Lipgloss in Feel the Love

Tools:

-Four brushes: one eyeshadow brush, another one for concealer, one for bronzer and one for blush.

-Eyelash curler

-Pencil sharpener

What I wish I'd brought:

- Some powder. My Rimmel translucent powder is too flimsy and that I don't think it would've survived the trip.
- A perfume,which I didn't pack because I thought my luggage was going to be over the weight limit.
- Less lip colours. I barely wore anything on my lips other than my lip balm, so those were a waste of space.

Overall, I was please with the majority of the stuff that I took, except for a few items. 

Are you going on holiday sometime soon? Where?

Monica x

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What I've Been Up To

As always, I'm very sorry for not updating more often. Right after I finished my internship I took I plane and came back to a place that I didn't think I would ever come back to - the Dominican Republic. I lived here for five years and vowed to never come back. And yet, here I am. How things change.

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Fanmix Yourself

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Image: Tumblr

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The Mortal Instruments Movie Review

The official movie synopsis (from IMDB):

Set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray (Lily Collins), discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother (Lena Headey), Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures. Based on the worldwide best-selling book series.

Let me start by saying that I love the book series, and I was really excited when they announced that they were turning the first book into a movie and launching a possible franchise. I thought that the casting was on point - Jamie Campbell Bower was exactly as how I envisioned Jace to be. And the fact that Cassandra Clare was really involved in everything made me think that they were going to make good choices, plot-wise. 

What I liked:

-The scenes at the Institute. Visually, they were beautiful. 

What I hated:

-That they didn't turn Simon into a rat.

-Magnus didn't appear as much.

-The music. In my opinion, the scene where Clary and Jace in the greenhouse was completely ruined by the cheesy song choice. 

-The runes. They looked weird. 

-Small inconsistencies, like the fact that Luke shouldn't have been able to grab the Shadowhunter sword.

I guess I understand why it didn't do very well, box office-wise: it lacked, for me, the charm of the book. The moments that make you want to throw the book out the window (the ones who have read it know what moment I'm talking about) are really downplayed in the movie - I actually would've missed it if it hadn't been for the audible gasp that my friend (who knew nothing about the series) made.

Overall, I was really disappointed with this movie. It just lacked charm and ran too long, specially the battle scenes. I actually regret going to the cinema to see it, I should've just waited until it appeared online. 

Have you seen the movie or read the books? What did you think of them?

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Beautiful Chaos Review

Beautiful Chaos by Kami García and Margaret Stohl is the third book in the Caster Chronicles. It continues the story of Ethan Wate and his Caster love Lena Duchannes after her Claiming disturbed the Order of Things. Here's the overview (from Barnes & Noble):

"Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?"

My opinion:

There's no nice way of doing this, so I'll just say it: this book is boring. Incredibly boring. As in, I only finished reading it because I feel bad when I don't finish books I've purchased myself. It took me a long time to read, mainly because I really felt it was going nowhere.

I bought the first three books on Amazon a while ago (it came in a really beautiful package), and I really regret spending that much money on them. I thought I was getting a really good deal, but that was based on the fact that I was going to actually like the series. I really liked the second book, so it's disappointing that the third one went back to the same slow-paced dullness as the first one. There's a fourth book in the series, but, needless to say, I won't be buying it. 

Have you read the series? What did you think about them? 

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UK Wishlist

I'm so so sorry for not updating. Between the last months of the semester, exams, Christmas, and the internship that I just started, I haven't been able to do much other than keeping the house relatively clean and sleeping. 

I've never been one for New Year's Resolutions, but I'll try and get back into the blogging mindset. And now, onto the post.

So a friend of mine is going to what it's pretty much my dream trip - London, Paris and Rome for three weeks. She'll spend most of the time in London, so that means that I'm sending her straight into Boots and Superdrug and Topshop and getting me some British drugstore/high street beauty favourites that I've seen nearly every blogger rave and that I've always wanted to try.

1. Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light.
2. Sleek Blush in Flushed. 
3. Soap & Glory Flake Away Body Scrub.

4.. Topshop Nail Polish in Pool Party.
5. MUA Eyeshadow Palette in Undressed.

6. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transparent.

What do you think I'm missing? What are some of your favorite products that you can only get in the UK or are hard to get hold of outside of the UK?

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Mask of Magnaminty

 

I have seen the future, and in it, my entire skincare routine consists of Lush products. And my wallet isn't very happy about it. I've seriously been loving Lush stuff these past months, starting when I got Grease Lightening. But now I've come to rave about another skincare product that actually gets a lot of love online - the Mask of Magnaminty.

 

A friend of mine actually bought it, and gave me about two or three masks worth. Before I started using it I used to get really big pimples that generally left horrible scars, but ever since the first use I've been amazed at how clear my skin has been. So when I realized that I didn't have much left from what my friend gave me, I rushed to Lush and bought my own pot. It doesn't come cheap (here it was $5.900 Chilean pesos, about $12 US dollars, for the small pot of 4.4 oz), but I think it's worth it.

 

Since it's not one of their fresh masks, this one lasts up to four months, and you really don't need a lot to cover your whole face. I usually leave it one for about 15 minutes and then gently rub it before taking it off in the shower.

The only thing I don't really like is the smell - at first I thought it had gone bad (I even asked my friend if it was near the expiration date), but I ended up getting used to it after the second use.

 

 Mask of Magnaminty

LUSH USA ($12.95)

 

What's your favourite Lush product?

My Nail Saviours

              

               As a nail polish junkie, I used to do a really bad thing - I took off my nail polish with my nails, which only resulted in horribly uneven and fickle nails. Needless to say, nail polish chipped off immediately and my nails broke constantly. One day I decided enough was enough, and bought Growth Spurt at a local nail salon. After putting on a coat or two every two days for about a week I saw a lot of improvement, and so it became a staple of mine - I use it as a base coat every time I change my polish, which is every week now. It's lasted me a long time considering how much I use it, and I think I'll be repurchasing it when it's finished - it's a great product at a great price (here in Chile it's considerably cheaper than the OPI version).

              The reason why I scratched off my polish in the first place was because my nail polish removers always left my fingers dry after I used it. Enter this funny-looking bottle: FYO is acetone free, and it also has keratin and almond oil to keep your fingers hydrated. After ten minutes of  trying to figure out how to use it (you turn the top part counter-clockwise and then you pump out the product into a cotton pad) I was marvelled - it took off polish quickly and it didn't dry out my fingers. I've already used half of it and I will be repurchasing after I finish it.

And that's it! What are your staple nail products?

 

//

Soy alguien que está obsesionada con los esmaltes de uñas, y antes hacía algo muy malo - me sacaba el esmalte con las uñas, lo que solo resultó en uñas débiles y horribles. Todos los esmaltes no me duraban nada y se me rompían las uñas a cada rato. Un día decidí que ya estaba bueno, y compré Growth Spurt en Intersalon. Después de ponerme una o dos capas cada dos días como por una semana, mis uñas mejoraron muchísimo, así que ahora lo uso cada vez que me pinto las uñas, como base. Me ha durado mucho considerando lo mucho que lo uso, y creo que volveré a comprarlo cuando lo termine - es un muy buen product a un precio muy asequible (acá en Chile es mucho más barato que la version OPI).

 

La razón por la que me sacaba el esmalte con las uñas en primer lugar es porque siempre que usaba el quitaesmalte, los dedos me quedaban demasiado resecos. Y de ahí apareció esta botella rara: FYO es un quitaesmalte que no tiene acetone y que además tiene keratina y aceite de almendras para hidratar los dedos. Después de estar diez minutos tratando de averiguar como se abría (mueves la parte de arriba en el sentido contrario del reloj y después apretas la tapa para abajo con un algodón para que salga el producto) estaba encantada - remueve el esmalte rápido y no te deja para nada los dedos secos. Ya llevo como la mitad y definitivamente lo volveré a comprar cuando lo termine.

H&M Home Wishlist

I recently learned that H&M has a home section (of course, it doesn't exist here in Chile) but that didn't stop me from going on the website. Now I want to buy most of the items in stock, but these are my favourites:

Penguin Cushion // Napkins // Towels // Jar // Teal Pillow // Dishcloth

 

What's your favourite item?

Spring Inspiration

I know all (or nearly all) of the blogs that I follow are excited for the arrival of autumn, but here in the southern hemisphere we're getting ready for spring! Apart from a horrible allergy that I get every spring, I'm looking forward to longer days and more sunshine.

Source: Tumblr

Empties No.1

I have so much stuff piled up that I'm going to split these into two posts! So here's the first batch of products that I've used up:

 

- Bodycology White Gardenia Shower Gel & Foaming Bath. I really liked the scent of this, but it didn't lather that much.
Repurchase? If it were on sale, I would.

- Whoosh Shower Jelly. The concept of a shower jelly baffled me a bit at first, but after you get used to it and learn to take small amounts so that it doesn't slip and fall all over the tub, I fell in love with it.
Repurchase? Yes, already did!

- L'Oreal Pure Zone Toner. I really didn't like this - I didn't think it did anything for my skin and the scent was so strong it made my eyes water.
Repurchase? No!

- Garnier Skin Naturals Day Moisturizer. I didn't like this one either - it left a weird residue after putting it on.
Repurchase? Nope.

- Neutrogena Oil-Free Makeup Remover. This was a terrible makeup remover. As a waterproof mascara user I've been searching for a good makeup remover, and this is not it! It never fully took off my mascara - I always woke up the next day with panda eyes, no matter how many soaked cotton pads I used.
Repurchase? No!

- MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NC30. It had good coverage and was moisturizing enough, but I still didn't love it enough to make it my holy grail concealer.
Repurchase? Maybe someday.

- Cala Aloe Vera Make-up Cleansing Tissues. I wasn't really impressed with the way they removed my makeup, plus they sometimes felt like I was cleaning my skin with sandpaper. 
Repurchase? No.

Have you used any of these products? Don't you hate having to pile up empty stuff for these kinds of posts?

ASOS Wishlist

I had been a good girl until yesterday, when, bored and in need of a break from studying, I caved and went into ASOS. This (of course) only resulted in me wanting to buy all of these:

 

 

 

1///2///3///4///5///6

 

What have you been craving from ASOS?

 

How Much Does Your Face Cost?

I saw this post a few weeks ago in Eyeshadow Addicts Anonymous's blog, and I thought I would give it a go!

THE RULES: Add up the total cost of all cosmetics used to complete a typical day look, excluding skincare and brushes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FACE

1. MAC Studio Finish Concealer. $17.000.

2. Rimmel Powder. $3.200.

3. Garnier Roll-On. $5.000. 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Petrizzio Bronzer. $3.990.

5. Essence Cream Blush. $1.290. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EYES

6. Avon Quad. $4.990.

7. Essence Eyeshadow. $1.290.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. L'Oreal Volume Lash Mascara. $6.490.

9. Rimmel ScandalEyes Eyeliner. $3.200.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIPS

10. Oriflame Lipstick. $1.490.

 

TOTAL: $48.040 Chilean Pesos ($95.17 US Dollars or $59.72 British Pounds)

 

I've got to admit, I wasn't scared of doing this, but holy moly! I can't believe that nearly all of the items are from the drugstore and it still adds up to so much. I'm officially appalled.

 

How much is your face worth?

 

Books to Read

 

I've been on a spending ban for quite a while now, specially when it comes to books. I have this huge pile to read, and with going back to uni there come other expenses (mainly printing) that need to be prioritized. So this is the list of books I'll be reading before I buy any more. If you want a review of any of them, leave a comment below! :

1) The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I only bought this one because I wanted to buy a new book (here in Chile the selection of books in English is terrible) and I had just seen Easy A.

2) The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I was halfway reading this about a year ago while at the beach, when a wave hit us and the poor book got wet. Because it's so huge it spent at least a two weeks out in the sun before drying out completely, and by that time I had already started reading something else and forgotten nearly all of the story.

3) The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. I also started reading this one, but I'm a traitor when it comes to books - I just change whenever I find something more exciting to read.

4) Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. This was my Christmas present. I had started reading Les Mis while I was at school, but since it was a library loan it meant that I had to 'return' it and check it out again every three days, I gave up. Now that I have my own copy I can finally read it at my own pace!

5) London Bridges by James Patterson. I found this one on a sort of car boot sale, it was the only book they had and it happened to be in English, so I quickly picked it up. I've had it for a couple of years, though, and still haven't cracked it open, and that needs to change.

Do you have any books that you've been planning to read but are still sitting on your bookshelf?

Motivation: Paris

I'm back at university and taking six career courses instead of the usual four plus other more general courses. Taking the six courses was the only way to make sure I don't fall behind one semester - it's going to be a lot of work, so I need to remind myself that it's all going to be for a greater cause: I want to go to Paris as an exchange student for a semester.

Image credit: Tumblr

Street Style Icon: Leighton Meester

There's no doubt that Leighton Meester became a fashion icon for her portrayal of Blair Waldorf, but, personally, I like her street style better. She wears very simple combinations that can be dressed up or down depending on the situation. Here are a few examples:

Images credit: leightonmeester.us