MARCH FAVORITES ♥

I’d like to start off by saying that I hope that you all had as beautiful of an Easter as I did! ♥

Before my Easter break ends and I go back to work tomorrow, I figured that I should stop procrastinating and get up my Monthly Favorites post for last month before April is over! XD Since most of March was in Lent, I don’t have as many entertainment entries this time around, but there were indeed a few things worth mentioning.

Let’s get started ~

Book

Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross

Before Ash Wednesday I had spent a considerable amount of time deciding on my Lenten reading material this year, and most of my choices were books that I had already read before but felt that they merited a second time through.  St. John of the Cross is one of my favorite spiritual authors, probably because of his simple yet elegant style and of course, his poetics. 

          Dark Night of the Soul is essentially Christian mysticism in poetic form, and is composed of two parts: “The Dark Night,” and “The Ascent of Mount Carmel.”  I had read these works, along with his The Living Flame of Love for Lent two years ago, and enjoyed it immensely.  I feel that after reading through them again they have been even more beneficial than before.

          If you’re looking for an entirely different kind of spiritual reading, I strongly recommend it!

Film

The Last Unicorn

“I would enter your sleep if I could, and guard you there, and slay the thing that hounds you, as I would if it had the courage to face me in fair daylight.  But I cannot come in unless you dream of me.” –Peter S. Beagle

Beautiful book, lovely film.  A precious pearl from my childhood days, recently revisited!

 

Food

International Delight York coffee creamer

Just imagine creamy, refreshing peppermint chocolate swirled into your morning cup of coffee, and you’ll understand why this dairy coffee creamer secured its spot on my list this month.

Makeup

CoverGirl Aqua CG Smoothers moisturizing liquid foundation

Now that my facial psoriasis has cleared up and my skin is healing, I have been able to use a medium-coverage foundation as opposed to the full-coverage one (Revlon ColorStay) that I had been using before as the main element of my daily makeup routine.  For the past few weeks I’ve been using this one by Cover Girl and it’s quite nice!  It goes on smoothly, blends well, has no unpleasant scent or side effects, and really does help to keep my face soft and moisturized.  It’s a bit thicker than a BB cream, and is buildable if more coverage is needed.

Product

Thayer’s Cucumber Witch Hazel w/Aloe Vera

Soon after I had successfully gotten rid of the psoriasis patches on my face and neck, my skin became a bit oily and I started seeing tiny pimples pop up here and there, particularly on my forehead and along my jawline.  To help combat this and keep my skin clean, fresh, and toned, I picked up this all-natural witch hazel toner at my local Walgreens after hearing many positive comments on the Rose version of the same product.  I chose the Cucumber version because of the cooling, calming effects that I’ve known cucumber products to provide.  Astringents are too harsh for my sensitive skin, and my acne isn’t severe enough to use topical products such as Clean & Clear’s Persa-Gel 10.  For me, applying a toner twice or day (three times if I’m not wearing makeup that day) does the job just fine.

          I will note that this toner is very mild, however, and must be used in cooperation with a good cleanser and moisturizer.  It’s all about finding the specific skincare routine that works for you and your skin.  If I didn’t use certain other products along with this toner, I feel that it wouldn’t be anywhere near as effective.  The next product under this category that I plan on giving a try is Etude House’s Wonder Pore Freshner.

The Last Goodbye?

Greetings again, dear friends.

 

Last night, I had the immense pleasure of attending a midnight showing of the third and final installment of the beloved Hobbit trilogy, The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies.

You know me.  I am the very epitome of a fangirl.  I spent several hours after the film spazzing about this and that and everything beyond and in-between.  Smaug’s siege and destruction.  The battle scenes.  The one-on-ones.  The wraiths.  Elrond.  Everything about Thranduil.  Bard.  Legolas (despite the fact that he is a sassypants show-off like his father).  Those rams large enough to ride on up the side of a mountain.  Kiliel (I SHIP IT).  Bilbo's little nose twitch thing.  And lots of other things that aren’t coming to my mind as I write this.  Pretty much the whole movie.  It’s been a while, oddly enough, since I so heavily abused caps lock, exclamation points, and nonsensical emoticons.

After my inner (and outer…) fangirl calmed down to a stable state, however, I realized what my true emotions were in regards to the film.

            Tauriel: ‘…Why does it hurt so much?’

            Thranduil: ‘Because it was real.’

I have ventured to many distant lands.  Each one has a special place in my heart and mind that is a permanent part of my being.  Middle Earth holds some of my particularly fondest memories.

The point is that The Battle of Five Armies, another end to another fantastic adventure, will continue to haunt me with sentimentality and nostalgia for many years to come.

When The Return of the King released, I was still quite young and a bit naïve in the ways of the world, but now that I’m an adult and am burdened with my cares and experiences, I’ve learned to value these childhood fantasies and to approach them in a very different way than I did before.  The wonderful thing is, that I can always relive them.

          “There and back again.”

As I mentioned in my previous post, I tend to judge films very subjectively.  That’s just how I am.  I wouldn’t necessarily call myself my Tolkien purist, but I am in agreement that this movie is in no way perfect in relation to the book.  There are so many things that I could pick at and whine about, but honestly, this movie was so epic that I feel like I can overlook those things quite easily, for the most part.  There are several things that I wish weren’t left out and certain things that I would change if I could, but that’s not what this post is about so I won’t go there.

The book is the book and the movie is the movie.

This movie made me feel so...inspired.  As an artist and a writer, this is a most beautiful feeling.  Battle of the Five Armies was entertaining from start to finish, with nonstop action and continuous development of both character and story.  I’m quite surprised, honestly, how much was covered in just two hours and a half.  I am impressed.

It goes without saying that this is something very near and dear to me.  What I have been able to articulate and put together to form this blog post barely scratches the surface of my thoughts on this topic.  There is so much more that could be said.

            “To these memories I will hold
            With your blessing I will go
            To turn at last to paths that lead home
            And though where the road then takes me
            I cannot tell
            We came all this way
            But now comes the day
            To bid you farewell.”

            —“The Last Goodbye,” Billy Boyd

Despite previously declaring that Battle of the Five Armies would be his last film within the Tolkien universe, director Peter Jackson recently stated that he would “probably” be up for another journey in Middle Earth.  Mr. Jackson, I’d definitely be up for that, too.

So is this really the last goodbye?

Personally, I’m going to hope that this isn’t the case. I think that the greatest stories are the ones that are never-ending; the ones that will forever be immortalized within the hearts of those who believe that there are much higher things in this existence, even if some of those things are just in our imaginations.

 “Still round the corner there may wait

A new road or a secret gate,

And though I oft have passed them by,

A day will come at last when I

Shall take the hidden paths that run

West of the Moon, East of the Sun.”

“The Road Goes Ever On,” J.R.R. Tolkien

OCTOBER FAVORITES ♥

Hello everyone!  How are you all doing?  I hope that you are enjoying autumn as much as I am. 

Siiiigh.  October is the most beautiful color ever, isn’t it?

So!  I’ve decided that I want to try new things for my blog…instead of just posting boring updates and event coverage.  I’ve got some fun posts lined up for the next few months.  First on my list of new ideas: monthly favorites!  Because I know you all are just dying to know what I’ve been eating (or in this month’s case, drinking), reading, watching, listening to, and putting on my face.  Right?  Ha ha ha.

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Let us begin with the food/drink category, shall we?  This month it is a tea; my absolute favorite tea for fall.  TAZO’s Baked Cinnamon Apple.

I’ve tried many, many apple teas.  A few were good, and some were just NOPE.  They either were too mild, had too much spice and not enough apple flavor and/or an overwhelming orange peel taste.  This one from Starbucks’ brand TAZO is cinnamon apple perfection.  It’s like autumn packed into a teabag.  I’m on my second box already!

 

A few months ago I talked about my efforts to read more.  Ahem.  Well.  I haven’t been reading much else besides my textbooks, BUT, I did finish one awesome book a few weeks ago.  Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.

 

Just asdfghjklk.  This book was so ridiculously entertaining and addicting.  Hilarious.  Real.  Fantastically nerdy.  Instead of gushing about it all over again…if any of you are interested, you can read my review of Fangirl here.

 

 

 

On to a TV series.  Nope, it’s not Once Upon a Time, surprisingly!  And it’s not Walking Dead, either!  (Uuuugh.  WHY is this a thing? ಠ_ಠ)  It is, undoubtedly, Lark Rise to Candleford.

What can I say?  Good period dramas are my one weakness!

 

Fans of the show will get that reference.  Bang.  I’m so hilarious.

 

 

 

 

Now then…the moment you all have been waiting for.  Those of you who know me well know what’s coming.  Music.  What I have been listening to non-stop for the past four weeks.  My latest obsession.

K-pop.

 

You just thought of Gangnam Style, didn’t you?  Get that out of your head!  No.  No no no.  I mean SHINee (Taemin is such a cutie patootie! *fangirl*).  I mean Super Junior (I would marry Kyuhyun's voice if I could! ≧◡≦ Good gracious).  Now, I’ve listened to a toooon of k-pop, but those two are still on top of the list for me.  SM Entertainment is doing something right, that’s all I have to say.  It all started with SHINee’s epic Lucifer video, and from there my interest in k-pop exploded like hanabi.  Years ago, when I started watching Anime, I really got into j-pop, and one of my favorite artists was BoA Kwon.  I’ve been listening to her a lot lately as well.

 

K-pop is more than just the glitzy style that might be perceived by a new/casual listener.  Speaking in particular of the aforementioned groups, these guys have REAL TALENT.  They have beautiful, well-trained voices, and they all can dance like bosses.  And, the lyrics and dances aren’t overly sexualized.  I’m really getting quite sick of our mainstream music over here in the U.S.  I rarely listen to the radio anymore.  An awesome new song will pop up every few months maybe.  (*cough* Castle of Glass *cough*)  But still, the song more than likely has smutty lyrics and/or music video despite having a catchy tune. (Just Give Me a Reason, anyone?)

ANY-WAY.  I could probably write a dissertation on this topic, BUT, I’m not going there!

 

Instead, here's some SHINee "A-yo" to brighten up your day.

 

 

 

 

I’ll end my October favorites with a makeup product.  I’ve tried a few new things here and there, including Milani liquid eyeliners and Sleek (UK) eye shadows.  I really love both of those, but my pick for this past month would have to be Revlon Colorstay liquid foundation.  This.  Stuff.  Is.  Awesome.  I don’t know why I had never bought it before, especially since many of my friends love it, and I’ve read/watched so many reviews praising the product.  I’m so glad that I’ve finally gotten around to trying it, because it is without a doubt the best liquid foundation that I’ve used so far.  It is a little pricier than most drugstore foundations, but I think that it’s well worth it.

 

I might write up a review for this product.  Let me know if any of you are interested in that. :-)  And just for your reference: the foundation shade in the crappy photo is Medium Beige.

 

 

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And that concludes my first-ever monthly favorites blog entry!  Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any comments or suggestions for future posts, or if you have questions about any of the things which I have discussed here.  Thanks for reading! ^_^ Happy November, and God bless! ♪ ♫

 

HYRULE HISTORIA

Yesterday, I acquired what very well could be the crowning jewel of my nerdery collection: Dark Horse’s HYRULE HISTORIA, a.k.a. 271 pages of breathtaking The Legend of Zelda goodness.  I received the book as a surprise gift from my amazing boyfriend—thanks, babe! ♥

 

The book is not only flat-out gorgeous, but also HUGE!  My boyfriend only paid roughly $20 (off of Amazon) for it, so I wasn’t expecting it to be so big!  It was certainly a pleasant surprise.  It’s a good-quality book with thick pages and a durable hardcover.

 

 

 

 

As the title suggests, the book chronicles the History of Hyrule throughout the Zelda series by beginning with Skyward Sword in a section titled “The Legend Begins”, and ending with “Creative Footprints”, a section that documents 25 years of artwork, with beautiful, full-color pages all along the way.  The book also features an intro and a conclusion by Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma, respectively, and a 32-page manga that tells the story of the goddess Hylia, the first Hero of Time, and the origins of Hyrule, and was lovingly drawn by the amazing duo Akira Himekawa.  I would have paid $20 for this manga alone!

 

For those of you who don't have the book (yet?), here are some scans (courtesy of Glitterberri), to give you a little preview:
 

 

 

AND, if you really want to go all out, there is also a Special Edition, of which there are only 4000 copies in existence. You can read about that here.

 

What a treasure.  No Zelda fan should be without this book.  Reading it made my heart ache with joy.  The Legend of Zelda has been such a huge part of my life, and my childhood memories of playing the games with my dad (and the rest of my family, too) are some of my most cherished.  I can’t wait to pass on things like this to my own children.  And I eagerly await what Nintendo has in store for us with this beloved series.

 

One thing is for certain…I will forever be a Zeldarian!  HYRULE HISTORIA now has a special place on my shelf and in my heart.

 

 

(P.S. The Makar plush was lovingly handmade by me. ^-^)



 

"The Hunger Games" Movie Poster

Oh my goodness; I can't wait to see this movie! :D If YOU haven't read The Hunger Games trilogy yet and you love to read, get your lazy little tush over to your local library or pick up your own copy at Barnes 'n' Noble--whatever, just READ IT! Three of my most favorite books of all time. I STRONGLY recommend them to friends and aquaintances and everyone always ends up loving them.

<---Anyway, this is the first official poster for the movie. :)

You can read my review for The Hunger Games as well as any other books that I've read at Goodreads.com here: Aianarie's review of The Hunger Games

THE BOOKS:

Aianarie's Book of the Month: July

This month I had the very difficult task of choosing between two books that I absolutely loved, both of which deserve complete recognition. These two books were Stolen by Lucy Christopher and Linger by Maggie Stiefvater. These books blew my mind in storyline, substance, style, characters, and both had memorable endings. For my July Book of the Month, however, Linger slipped ahead.

First off I’ll mention that I picked up the recommendation of Stolen from Maggie Stiefvater, so yeah. I owe her that. It was a fantastic story. You can read my review of Stolen at my Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3683656

Although it definitely helps, I don’t think you have to have read Shiver to enjoy Linger, but I recommend reading Shiver if you haven’t. One of the best books I’ve ever read, way up there with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings on my list of favorites.

If you have read Shiver, you will find that Linger is an excellent sequel. Like the first book, it is lyrical, subtle; with metaphors of beauty only capable by Stiefvater. Characteristically, the humor is delightful, and of course, the romance is near flawless. Sam and Grace are definitely my favorite book couple.

An interesting aspect of this book is the addition of Isabel and Cole as first-person characters. That makes four speakers, which adds interesting depth to the story. It may sound confusing to some, but Maggie has done an excellent job of writing from the perspectives of four very different teenagers, and I didn’t find it difficult to follow along (like some people complained about in Shiver).

The ending leaves you breathless, heartbroken, and anxious about the third book, Forever (coming next summer!). That book is going to blow my mind. I can feel it.

Linger is pure and beautiful; full of hope and promise, like a flower growing out of melting snow.

Five stars.