My Favorites of 2014

The brand new year has started, so here's my favorites of this past year!

Remember, my music favorites have their own post, and this year I'm doing a video about my book favorites, so you're only seeing the top book! Make sure to subscribe to my channel to see me post it this coming Wednesday!

BOOK

Batman: Night of the Owls

I'll go into more detail in my video, but basically I became a Batman fanatic this year, and it's all thanks to this amazing book. Nothing topped it, and it's remained at number one since May.

MOVIES

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Sitting at Number 1 once again is The Hobbit, with the last trip into Middle Earth, The Battle of the Five Armies. It's beautiful, it's powerful, it's sad. I love it. I laughed, I cried, and BOY did my heart get ripped out.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

This is perhaps my favorite Marvel film so far. It also rips your heart out, has enough hilarity to keep the film from being too dark, and tons of awesome action. Steve steps it up in this one.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

You wanna talk about getting your heart ripped out? Watch this film. We enter an alternate universe and BOY is it messed up. Best part? Batman cries. Only time in canon. EVER.

TV SHOWS

Girl Meets World

This wouldn't have sat at number one if we didn't have the Christmas special. But we did. And MAN! This show is AWESOME! We battle bullying, ignoring those of a lesser station, messed up family dynamics, honesty, and then, in the last episode for Christmas, see how it connects with Boy Meets World. I'm DYING for the next episode, and season 1 isn't even over!!!

Sherlock

I lover this show. I may have mentioned this last year, and I've mentioned it TWICE in monthly favorites, but I LOVE THIS SHOW. Sherlock is a modern take of the old story, and it is PERFECTION. Each season (which is 3 episodes long, DANG IT) gets better and better, and each episode gets better and better!!! I adore it so much!

Gotham

Now I'm WAY behind on Arrow (one and half seasons, anyone?) but I'm up to date on this AMAZING take on Batman. Now, the movies tend to be lacking in the accuracy department, but Arrow is so well done, I had to check this show out. I'M SO GLAD I DID. It's phenomenal, and like Girl Meets World, it's just getting started!!!

VIDEOS

(there's 5 so stay with me)

Always - #LikeAGirl

This video is powerful. It asks a big question: why is "like a girl" an insult? I love that this makes me think about it.

Maysoon Zayid - I Got 99 Problems... Palsy is Just 1

This video is a long one, so be ready for it, but it's worth a watch. Maysoon talks about battling Palsy and how she doesn't let it hold her back. I love it.

Lindsey Stirling - Dragon Age

Lindsey's known for her music and her dance moves, but this video is a little different. This time it's more about the amazing special effects. I love this video and found it really amazing, despite the short length. She really oneups herself with each vid, am I right?

ThePerksOfBooks - Confessions of a Bookreader

In case you missed the memo, but I've joined up with two online communities all about books, Booklr (Tumblr) and BookTube (YouTube). This is one of the MANY BookTube videos I've discovered, but I felt this one had to be shared, because it's funny and SO ACCURATE!!! XD

Simon's Cat - The Box

I also discovered this gem. Simon is a illustrator who decided to combine the worst of his four felines into Simon's Cat. Each video is hilarious, and when I want a laugh, I have to watch one of his videos.

MAKEUP

Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream

It is rare that anything truly matches my pasty skin. I have yet to find a concealer during the winter, but THIS matches my skin right now PERFECTLY!!! It's great for when my skin's all dried out, and provides quite a bit of coverage. I just can't use moisturizer, and make sure to let it set for about 5 minutes. But once it's set, it's locked in place and lasts all day! Best thing for my whole face since Revlon's Colorstay Foundation!

Mary Kay Eyeshadow in Emerald

I actually purchased this a while ago, but never really got around to using it. This year I won a bunch of Mary Kay makeup, and it's theme was greens and purples. I got this along with another item on this list, and another eye shadow. I really found myself reaching for it over and over. I'm definitely going to be using this more in the future, though with the heavy lilac and gold shimmers in it (not pictured) it's more of a spring and summer shadow.

Maybelline's The Rocket

Okay, this came out LAST year, but I did find myself loving it. However, it's a really wet formula, so The Falsies is still my fav, but this is the only other mascara I haven't ended up hating.

Mary Kay Lipstick in Mystic Plum

This is the other Mary Kay item I mentioned earlier, and BOY do I LOVE IT! Purple lipsticks were on trend this fall and winter season, and I've actually wanted one for a while. Got this one for free and not only is a beautiful, flattering shade, but it also incredibly moisturizing. That makes it perfect for my dried out lips I battle every season.

Boots Botanics Soothing Eye Makeup Remover

If you saw my post about how I have NEVER found a good eye makeup remover that doesn't burn my eyes or coat them in a film of oil (SO annoying), then you should know that this stuff must be amazing. And it IS!!!! I lover it and use it all the time on my makeup. It can even get rid of that stupid strong Rocket!!!

Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel Cream

Another thing I've had trouble with is moisturizer. My oily, acne prone skin is sensitive and practically nothing doesn't clog my pores. What doesn't affect all that tends to not moisturize, or prevent wrinkles at all. UNTIL THIS STUFF! I dunno what it's made of, but BOY does it get my wrinkles GONE! I've been battling crows feet for a while thanks to squinting in the harsh Arizona sun, but this, combined with constantly wearing glasses has made them decrease SO MUCH!!! I love this stuff, and a tiny amount mixed in with my regular moisturizer seems to do wonders for the rest of my face!

MOMENTS

Number One has GOT to be finishing Warrior! Okay, it's just a rough draft, but this is FIVE YEARS of HARD WORK and carpal tunnel right here! I'm so proud of myself!

Another highlight had to be seeing Lindsey Stirling live in concert again! I did it completely alone, and while it would've been a LOT better to see it with my friends, doing it alone really was pushing me outside of my comfort zone.

Also, note to self: NEVER go to a concert on an empty stomach again, you almost passed out.

My third and final moment: GETTING A CAR! THANK YOU RAY I LOVE YOU TO PIECES! Her parents got a new car, so they gave their old one to Ray, and she gave me hers! It's running fine now, and I love not feeling so trapped! Plus, with my new job if I get hunger I CAN GET FOOD!! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW AWESOME THAT IS FOR ME!!!

PERSON

Robin Williams

Losing this amazing man was devastating for me and the rest of this country, even world wide. He was so amazing, so wonderful, and yet a mental illness took his life. I will make sure to watch his final film with a smile on my face, and probably wiping away yet more tears.

RANDOM

A Very Different Little Mermaid

Finally here's the last item, from this past month, actually. Again, right click to open it in another tab so you can read the amazing talent of this person. They change up the tragic Little Mermaid fairy tale from Hans Christian Anderson, and instead make it about Ariel finding herself and her place in this world. It's really creative and powerful, have to recommend it!

That's it! 2014 is officially over and 2015 is here. Look forward my special music post coming soon, as well as my top ten books on my BookTube Channel!

I hope you had a good year, changed for the better, and that this year will be even better!

Monthly Favorites ~December 2014~

Hey guys, I'm doing my last monthly favorites of this year, and tomorrow I'll post my yearly favorites (if I remember and have the time, it might be 2 hours into next year). Anywho, onto my favs!

BOOKS

Insurgent and Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Due to the release of the Insurgent Trailer (watch my reaction HERE) I zipped through both Insurgent and Allegiant. I adored them both and found them surprising favs since SO many people don't like one or both of these.

Watch my Insurgent Review HERE, and stay tuned for Allegiant!

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Cress is the third and latest of The Lunar Chronicles, and it's the best so far. It was a tad slow at the beginning, but LOVED it when I got through the slow part. Stay tuned on my YouTube Channel for the full review coming soon.

MOVIE

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

O

M

G

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS MOVIE IS AMAZING!!! I love it Love It LOVE IT!!!!!!! Doesn't really top the second one, but I think it's a better wrap up than The Return of the King, and it's just so well done! It made me tear up and ripped my heart out over and over. So sad, so beautiful and SO AWESOME!!!!!

Look for a full review on my channel coming soon! (I took two weeks off, and I'm still battling an illness)

TV SHOW

Girl Meets World: Girl Meets Home for the Holidays

The Christmas Special

I really loved this episode because we really realize this is indeed a sequel series to Boy Meets World. They really show the parallels, and show what's been happening with Cory's family, as well as Shawn, my fav character in the original. It also sets up the rest of the series for a huge amount of growth for all the characters, and I can't wait for it to continue after the first of the year.

YOUTUBERS

LA Knight

Channel

Okay, this is kinda a selfplug here, because I'm mentioning my bestie, and not just that, but I edit practically all of her videos. I'm now in charge of this channel as well as my own, so PLEASE subscribe, though comments won't be answered by me, I'll be copying and pasting what LA sends me for that kind of thing. But editing and marketing is all me, so SUBSCRIBE PLEASE!!!

2NE1

Channel

Okay, so they're not YouTubers, but because of their YouTube channel they're worldwide. I am mentioning them here not because of new content, but actually something really sad. Bom, the pretty red-head that's behind the "N", is being attacked by the South Korean media (yes, their K-Pop). She spent a lot of her life in the US before she signed onto YG when she was in early to mid-twenties. And as a kid she saw a child die, how or the circumstances aren't mentioned, but she did, and it gave her depression and anxiety and the like, so much so she needed some antidepressants. When she moved back to South Korea she was unaware her meds were illegal there, and had they shipped from the US via her aunt. Well, they of course caught them in customs and she had to explain to the police what she was doing trying to get them. Nothing illegal, though, as it was a prescription, so no charges were filed.

Well the media just discovered it 10 years later, and they've been haranguing her and lying about her being a drug dealer, so the point she's left the TV show she was on, and refused to play with her fellow members. This really hurts my heart, since she's just someone with depression trying to treat it. It's so messed up. If you saw their latest performance, the other three performed without her, and during Come Back Home, it sounded like they were singing to her to come back because they love her and they're behind her. So I'm pointing them out and asking ya'll if you don't want to subscribe to at least leave some love for Bom in the comments, so she knows worldwide she has support.

TUMBLR BLOG

This is a new section because now I'm not just apart of BookTube, but Booklr, which is the book blogs on Tumblr. So here I'll feature someone I follow in this section!

negative-pessimist

Blog

Negative-Pessimist is someone I've really kinda latched onto. I think she thinks I don't like her and that I can't possible worry about her, but I do. A lot. Because she's awesome and suffers depression, so she really doesn't think highly of herself. But she's amazing, posts cool things, and champions others all the time, which makes me think she's better than me every day. So, Rae, YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

VIDEOS

These two videos are linked together. The top one is a music video of the largest live nativity in history, and the bottom is from the group that put the music video on. Since this month was about Christmas, I wanted to share these two beautiful videos about the real gift of Christmas. :)

This video is another beautiful video from Michelle Phan, who likes to rip your heart out and make you bawl with feels. This is about how your dreams are valid and you need to take care of yourself and your dreams, combined with more of Michelle's amazing artwork. The feels, man. They're awesome.

MUSIC

1. Lips Are Movin by Meghan Trainor

Everytime I was going a little crazy with all the Christmas music I listened to this song. I always danced around to this song, I can't help it, it's too awesome!!!

2. Santa Tell Me by Ariana Grande

So my dad has a tendency to play super religious Christmas music at the drop of a hat, and he really burned me out this year. So while there were a few that I adored hearing (see video fav #1 that's really the top song this month), I mostly turned to songs like this, and this being new, I adored it. Watch, next year I can't stand it. I'm weird that way. :)

3. Kiss Me Babe, It's Christmas Time by Owl City

Another new, cute, random Christmas song I adored this month was this one by Owl City. It's really remarkable other than I kept it on repeat and loved it. :)

RANDOM

(they're kinda big)

(right click to open in a new tab so you can read it cuz you NEED to)

For those of you too lazy to read it, or want to know what it is, this is titled "Very Different Little Mermaid". Instead of her trying and failing to kill the prince and get him to marry her since they don't know each other, she takes a different path. Now, in the original (not Disney's) every step HURTS. It's like knives stabbing her feet. And in this, she instead chooses the pain and remains on the land she was dying to see, and decides to travel. It's sweet, wonderful, and ingenious. I love it.

Again, click to read. This is a powerful post I found last year, and decided to 1) reblog and 2) share here. It's a moving piece about the really meaning of Christmas with Scrooge McDuck. It's so awesome and I always cry reading it, just like Scrooge does. The final panel really shows how it's easy to judge, and you need to not.

Whew! That's my December Favorites! I need to work on my Year Favorites now, so stay tuned for that! And remember, I focus on books on my YouTube Channel, so check it and see what I got for Christmas, as well as my book favorites. I'm even going to do a Book Awards on my channel!

Hope you had a Merry Christmas or whatever you celebrate, and a safe New Year!

:)

books-cupcakes December Book Photo Challenge Week 1

Hey guys!

So as promised, here's the pictures I posted on my Tumblr along with some more details about why I picked them.

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR RAVE MASTER BY HIRO MASHIMA AND RANGER'S APPRENTICE BOOK 3 BY JOHN FLANAGAN

Day 1: Currently Reading

On the left is Cress by Marissa Meyer. Got a tad bit bored with the world. There's the big plot hole brought up in Cinder, as well as some pansy characters who are driving me batty. Want more details? Check out my Cinder Review and make sure to tune in on Friday for Scarlet!

On the right is Clariel by Garth Nix. This is the fourth book released in Abhorsen series, and is a prequel to the trilogy. I just started it (I'm on page 6) but I'm loving it so far. The world is so rich and the characters are fabulous!

Day 2: Favorite Series

I don't have just 1 series. I have two that sorta tie for very different reasons. On the left is The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. This is the most beautiful series I've ever read. Over and over the language blows me away, making everything else read sloppy or wordy. It's just phenomenal, and it being the greatest fantasy ever really helps.

On the right is The Black Jewels by Anne Bishop. This series is hilarious, heartbreaking, infuriating, awe inspiring, all at once. It really makes you think about gender roles, and how much of it is crap, as well as what we as a people can do to one another. I love it so much and while I have a lot more of Middle Earth to explore, for Black Jewels, that's it. It's over. :(

Day 3: Overrated

I chose Nevermore by Kelly Creagh. While the cover is quite beautiful I can't stand the main character, and the plot is dull to me. I really wanted the fantasy to be all over this book, and it isn't. In fact the best part is the prologue. After that I didn't enjoy it very much at all. This isn't a well known book and not everyone is talking about it, but Ray really built it up for me, and this is a book we were will never agree on. I don't like it, she loves it. It's a favorite for her, it's almost a waste of space for me.

Day 4: Favorite Title

Now I don't have a favorite title. I love books, and I love almost every title I've ever heard. Even 50 Shades of Gray is a good title. So picking a favorite is impossible. HOWEVER this is one book where the CHAPTERS blew me away. In fact, there isn't a single chapter title in this I don't like, and most chapter titles can be strange, not make sense, or just blah to me. These are my favorite. I even had to pause and fangirl over the brilliance of the chapter where Anakin and Obi-Wan are fighting, and it's called Chiaroscuro, an art technique of extreme light and darkness playing against each other. I mean, COME ON THAT'S BRILLIANT!

Day 5: Plot Twist

I actually don't OWN the best plot twists in books that I could think of. BUT THIS. RIGHT HERE. OMG. So basically the group of main characters are using this giant crystal to show one another their favorite memories of people, places, and events. It's sweet, touching, funny, beautiful. It's how Haru learns one member is his brother in law (he saw the marriage AND what happened that night ;) ). And right when the character who's missing her memories steps up, THIS HAPPENS. I gasped and stared in horror at this image for a while, and the ones that followed where just as terrible. Cuz the crystal activated and showed what had been happening while the group was gone. TALK ABOUT A PLOT TWIST!!!

Day 6: Snowflakes

I didn't have almost any Christmas Decorations (my dad STILL hadn't pulled them down) and it doesn't snow here. Like, EVER. But I have this bucket that I pulled out and chose the books that first came to mind when I think of snow. East by Edith Pattou is a fairytale retelling of East of the SunWest of the Moon (I think that's it if not TELL ME RAY). The story follows this girl who is tasked with staying with a bear that becomes a man every night. So long as she can sleep next to him without touching him, or looking at him at night for a year, the spell that changes him into a polar bear by day is broken, and she gets a crap ton of money. She fails, and he's swept up to the far north and she has to rescue him. So lots of snow.

On the right is The Ice Bound Land by John Flanagan, book 3 in the Ranger's Apprentice series. Will and Cassandra have been taken as slave to Skandia (Scandinavia in our world), an icy land, and Horace and Halt have to rescue them or else lose them forever. This takes place mostly in the winter, so lots of working and walking through snow and stuff. :)

Day 7: Happily Ever After

I don't read many books that have this, as I don't read a lot of Fairy Tale Retellings. I could've shown my very beat up copy of The Brother's Grimm Complete Fairytales but I didn't want to. Instead, perhaps the best ending to any series I've ever read is in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Epilogue: Nineteen Years Later. It's sweet, and wonderful.

That's what I did last week. I'll be sure to post another one next Monday with this weeks pictures.

:)

My Month in Pics ~11/1/2014 - 11/31/2014~

I told you I'd do more posts!

So I could've done this before I went on vacation but didn't want to. Plus I didn't have that many pictures. I was lazy this month. :)

BUT! I'm doing it now! Here's a crap ton of photos what I did last month!

This was actually from October. It's the pumpkin patch where I got those cute little pumpkins! Speaking of which, my mom wants to paint them silver cuz they'll last a while longer thanks to the dry weather we normally have.

So I HAD to take a picture because I managed to do the dutch braid, or braided crown! I watched a video from BubzBeauty and she finally explained it slowly enough to actually do it! I've only worn it once, but I may have to do it again soon! :)

I HAD to share this because EVERY book in The Heroes of Olympus, INCLUDING the final one end on cliffhangers. So that tag was JUST PERFECT!

On Twitter I had two cool notifications. The one about Whitney...that's pretty much how I felt. Too old to understand just what she was doing, but young enough to find it HILARIOUS! Her cat is just too funny!!!

And after reading and tweeting about Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores, the author favorited and replied to me! EXCITING!!! It's hilarious, check out my November Wrap Up to learn more.

Oh man, I just sat there for about an hour, dying to read all of them! :)

This was my Thanksgiving dinner, which was actually the rehersal dinner for my cousin Erin's wedding. Megan/IK Scott was to my left and my cousin Amber was taking lots of photos and even a video of it. It was really good! :)

And there's Erin and her new husband Dominic! CONGRATZ CUZ!!

And me and Megan chilling outside the temple while my family figured out if we were going to be in more pictures or not. :)

And that was my month! Mostly chilling, reading, and then going to a wedding! :)

How was your Thanksgiving?

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