All posts for the month December, 2018

Favorites: November & December 2018!

Hello and welcome back to my beautiful nerds traveling the vast universe! It is time for…

November and December 2018 Favorites!

Damn! 2018 is ending tomorrow and I do have a lot to say in this post and starting with Convention Favorite Moments!

Favorite Item Found: Jolteon Standing On All Four Legs! First item is that I found and it’s a plushie of Jolteon standing on all four legs. Normally the Evee plushies are found sitting but this one of him standing like my figure I have on my desk at work. I will be using this plush when I do my thunder gym leader again. Too bad the Umbreon in the same style was in a prize machine since I need Umbreon and Espeon to finish off the Evee collection. I will look around at Omni when March rolls around.
Favorite Interviews: Jennifer Hale, Sean C. W. Johnson, and Audrey Dubois! Next are the favorite interviews from Ranger Stop and Holiday Matsuri. First of all is that getting to interview more Power Rangers cast mates was great and hoping to get to do it again next year. Why I pick these two exactly is that with Sean is due to how after watching Light Speed Rescue it shows that we can still keep it in our time limit. Plus, I did get to ask about the small Easter egg with Mariner Bay from the 2017 film. While Audrey, on the other hand, she is a motivational speaker and it was great to know what she has done even though she was Trini for one episode. If you haven’t seen these interviews, I would say go back and see. While Jennifer Hale, on the other hand, we have not posted it yet but hoping soon since as I said in the review that getting to interview her finally made me happy. We wanted to sit her down for an interview since MegaCon Orlando 2017 and was still sad that they wouldn’t let us have one with her and hearing that she was a guest for Holiday Matsuri it was that chance we could get and did have. Once it gets posted I will let everyone know and even that new subscriber since she was happy with the Totally Spies panel from that MegaCon as well.
Favorite Moment: Christopher Kayman Lee and Me Wearing the Same Shirt! I had to include this because this was a funny moment that had happened during Ranger Stop and never had it happen until now and that is wearing the same shirt as a guest and that happened to me and Christopher Kayman Lee from In Space. This year I wore my Lost Galaxy Red shirt despite they didn’t invite anyone from that season this year but it was my other shirt from one of my favorite seasons and wore a makeup look using the Naked Heat pallet from Urban Decay to match my shirt. When I was going to talk about a possible interview, a photographer was there and was talking about a pic that was on his table with the guy who played Zane in In Space and then pointed our shirts out. I am still waiting for that photo by the way since I gave him my card. I will try and get the Skype interview since I have been busy with unpacking from the move and work of course, just stay tuned!

Beauty Favorites!

New Moisturizer: Burt’s Bees Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin! Lately I’ve been wanting to try new moisturizers since my skin has not been working much with Celestial so looked into the Burt’s Bees one for Sensitive Skin and so far so good it’s working out. It goes on pretty smooth and putting my primer on top is getting easier. Speaking of which!
New Primer: Makeup Revolution Baking Oil! I have been using the Makeup Revolution Baking Oil. I did mention in the Collective Haul I put up this morning that this was a recommendation from YouTube and I can see why it was a good one. I have dry skin and with how bad the cold has been this helps! It is a nice change by the way.
New Eye Shadow Pallet: Too Faced Gingerbread Spice and Zodiac Pallet! I got my Gingerbread Spice pallet through EBay. I know it’s kind of dangerous but I did get a pretty good one from Hong Kong. Jen Luv’s Reviews did say it smelled more like vanilla and I could smell it. I have done so many looks with this pallet and even had it with me during Holiday Matsuri for Friday’s and Sunday’s looks. Too bad you won’t get to see the Sunday one with what had happened with that interview. While the Zodiac Pallet, on the other hand, I know I need to play with it but I did make two good looks with that so far and I love what Kathleen did with it. I will do one with The Scorpio at some point in time.
New Lip Color: Mumbai Magenta from Trestique and Scorpio Moon from Colour Pop! I have to mention these two lip items since I have been wearing them a lot and that is the Trestique Lip Glaze in Mumbai Magenta and the Colour Pop Lux Lipstick in Scorpio Moon. I wore Mumbai Magenta during work and I think Ipsy for it. It’s not a liquid lipstick, it is more a stick type one since Trestique is known for doing stick products. I think it worked out with this one since liquid lipsticks can be messy. I like how pigmented it is but it can be a little drying. While Scorpio Moon, this was a unique color since it brings more of a rosy mauve to the color selection. Kathleen Lights needs to come out with more colors like these if she collaborates with Colour Pop because it was a fantastic lipstick.

Ipsy Review:

November: Now my thoughts on the last two bags of the year! November took a while to get to me because of my move and well it went to my old address due to being changed in the middle of the month.

SL Miss Glam Brush Trio: Better mention the first extra I got. I got a brush trio from SL Miss Glam that was offered and decided why not try them since I haven’t tried their brushes yet. I did enjoy these brushes since they were soft and they blended my shadow very well. I hope to get more brushes by these guys in future bags or purchases since Ipsy Offers do happen with many brands.
Marc Anthony Bye Bye Frizz Heat Protectant Cream: This was an awesome item! I will be putting off using my flat iron until I get my straightening brush but to the product itself. This kept my hair soft in the straight. It also smells good! I am buying the full-size of this item when I run out because it is better than a spray in heat protectant and it dries fast too since last time I used my flat iron I let my hair dry before putting the flat iron through and it did work out.
Huda Beauty Lip Strobe in Shameless: Sorry Jeffree Starr but I am liking Huda Beauty. I will try out Beauty Bakerie in the future but now I am liking this product by Huda. I did like the liquid lipstick I got a few months ago and this was another great product. I did hear how the shadows were hit and miss but the lip items so far are spot on.
The Balm Cosmetics Dewmunizer in Marydewmunizer: This was a really good product for its size. It was tiny and I thought it was the Huda Beauty lipstick but looked at it closely. I want to get the powder version of this to see how well it works on my skin since it’s a champagne gold colored highlight and those work well with my skin tone.
Jelly Pong Pong Cosmic Light in Pulsar: Another single shadow pigment and it’s from a brand that I haven’t gotten another product in a long time. This was a blue shadow with a metallic finish and I like it. It was easy to blend with the eye base I’ve been using. I have to use it more as time goes on. I wonder how well it will go with my blue cat ears.
Ciate London Mini Setting Powder in Hideout: I just finished this item recently and what I liked about it is that it set my under eyes very well but the the thing I least liked about it was it always ended up on my shirt! I know I should have used the sifter but to me that is too tedious and it’s easier for me to put my brush into the product instead of wondering where it went. I am not a loose powder fan I prefer pressed powders because it doesn’t get all over the place and doesn’t get into my eyes which this didn’t get into my eyes as much. I hope to try more Cite which I did with December too.

December: December had one more product and it was my first time seeing six products in Ipsy. I remembered there were times where it mentioned it is rare and this one the first time it happened.
Extras: Pacifica Liquid Highlight, Sugar Cosmetics Mini Bronzer, and Nomad Cosmetics Moonlight Highlight: These three extras really good but out of three I liked the Nomad Cosmetics Highlight. I know it was very small but it was easy to blend and glad to pick it up as an extra like the other two. The Pacifica one was pretty nice and easy to blend and very sparkly and the Sugar Cosmetics bronzer was also much pigmented when applied. These were pretty good extras that I have chosen and hoping to get more from these three in future bags.
Finding Ferdinand Blush in Skinny Dip: This was a pretty good blush. I liked it and glad it fits into a magnetic pallet. When I first got this in the packaging, I found it weird because I thought it was the hair mask I received and noticed it was flat. I did like how it applied and blended very well.
The Balm Nude Beach Shadow in Bootylicious: This shadow was another one added to my Balm Shadows and it’s from their Nude Beach Collection. This was a very easy to blend shadow and I liked how the pan in this one was bigger than the other two I have. I hope to get more shadows from The Balm and not only that I am planning to get the Nude Beach pallet since I am liking it and want to see how the pallet is like.
F. A. R. A. Brushes Tapered Blending Brush: This was an amazing brush! I enjoyed how much it blended my lid color and also my defining shade too. The bristles were soft and the handle felt like a pencil grip in my hands. I hope to get more brushes from this brand.
Coco & Eve Hair Nourishing Mask: It felt good to get another hair mask in the bag and man this one feels great! I notice that my hair feels softer after I use it and not sure the price but I will be using hair masks yet again. More hair masks in the bag please!
Ciate London Glitter Flip Lipstick: Another Ciate London product and that is their Glitter Flip lipsticks. I am so glad to finally try this lipstick since Beauty News talked about it and was interested. I was happy to get one and glad I put “Loved It” for Ciate. I am hoping to get more items by these guys and may buy more of these Glitter Flip lipsticks!
Dr. Lip Tint in Sweet Potato: This item is very nourishing and moisturizing but wishing it was in a pot instead of a tube. I had a hard time squeezing the product out and it was very thick so that is why I had such a hard time. I am sorry Dr. Lip but you should have used tins not tubes for this thing.

Books: The Stolen Marriage by. Diane Chamberlain! I have to give this to The Stolen Marriage by. Diane Chamberlain because I enjoyed every minute of it. You guys know I do love World War II history and this book told it from the American side and how the Polio epidemic happened in Hickory. I loved Tess throughout the story and how her character had to change but she didn’t want to change it throughout the story due to how wanted to be a nurse so badly and the Polio epidemic happening shown her true strength in the book.

Candy: Sour Patch Kids Candy Canes! Well, since it was Christmas I went on a major candy cane binge and I got so many of them which will take a while to finish despite the holiday being over. I have gotten two boxes of the Trolli ones from Amazon which I should have cancelled but at the same time did enjoy how light in flavor they are. I may have to keep on getting to the sour parts on the inside. I do enjoy the Sour Patch Kids ones since those were pretty sweet with a sour edge. I guess my Christmas spirit got the best of me to get into candy canes yet again.

Well guys that is it for this Favorites. 2018 has brought me new things to enjoy and so many things to talk about for the Bests & Worsts of this year for the next one. So stay tuned for that one!

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by moonleopard85 on December 31, 2018 • Permalink

Posted in anime, beauty, conventions, Favorites, Food

Posted by moonleopard85 on December 31, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/12/31/favorites-november-december-2018/

Haul: Collective December Beauty Haul!

Hello to all of my beautiful nerds traveling the vast universe! I am back and this time with a collective beauty haul!

Disclaimer: I bought these products with my own money and got a few for Christmas, so please respect what I purchased or got for Christmas!

So, I have not done a beauty haul for a long time on here since I either do it on my Channel or not do one at all since I tend to forget or just too busy. It feels like towards New Year’s I am not too busy even though I am working now. I did buy most of these products with my paycheck I am admitting here and other items were with my Ulta card for two items I think. Let’s get into it!

Ipsy: It’s been a while since I’ve ordered from Ipsy and two items have not arrived yet but will still talk about them and will do the same with one or two sites. Let’s get to it.

Luxie Rose Gold Detailed Face Brush Set: First is a Luxie brush set and it’s their Rose Gold Face Detailed Brush Set. You know my favorite metallic color besides silver is rose gold and when I saw this set being offered on Ipsy I had to get it and plus for the longest time I wanted to get myself a Luxie brush set after trying out their brushes through my Glam Bags. This set is originally $42.00 and it was $19.00 on Ipsy which is a good deal when these are expensive brushes to begin with, not like those really expensive Artiste brushes we always heard about but the name is Luxie after all. This includes five brushes and they are the Flat Blender Brush 110 which I am using for my color correcting concealer which is said perfect for that. Round Makeup Blender Brush 120 which I can apply creamy eye bases which is no bad idea and might do that when I start using the NYX White Base again. Angled Makeup Brush 130 which can be used for cream contour or concealer. When I saw this brush when I got it I felt like I can use it for carving out my outer parts of my cheeks with my bronzer since I tend to do that with my out of work looks. Tapered Blender Brush 140which can be used for concealer around the mouth and under eyes. I remembered getting the Wonder Woman designed one and going to use this for setting powder because I had a hard time using it for my under eye concealer and would be better for powder. Flat Angled Blender 150 which is best used for cream contouring especially around the cheeks and nose. I think I would use this for concealing as well or just powder contour. I did find the one I am using for the color correcting very soft and glad I got this set and liking what I am using so far!
Nomad Around the World Pallet Light Infusion: Next is the Nomad Cosmetics Light Infusion pallet from their All around the World Collection. Whenever I heard people getting shadows from these guys I wanted to try them for a while and when I saw this highlighting pallet on sale I decided why not try out the highlighters since I got one of the deluxe size ones in Moonlight. This pallet was $27.00 originally but got it for $21.60. Not bad even though it could have gone lower in my opinion except I could see why they put it at the price they did and that is the pan sizes are huge in this thing! You get four highlights and they are Positano Sunrise which is a blushing highlight shimmering soft peach with topaz pearl finish, Punta Del Est Sunlight which is an intense illuminator a bright yellow with a gold pearl finish, Hanalei Sunset is flushed highlight in a glowing rose rose pink with a opal pearl finish, and Co Pha Ngan Moonlight is a holographic illuminator in duo chrome glow with a sapphire pearl finish. How pretty sounding are they. I did try the second one on my face and they are pretty easy to blend by the way. I did use Moonlight, the deluxe one I have, and that was also pretty easy to blend too. I am starting to like Iby Beauty Essentialist Brush Set: Next is something I haven’t received yet in the mail but it is another brush set and it’s from Iby. When I first got back to Ipsy I got one of their eye brushes in my July bag and when I saw this brush set for $18.00 it was a pretty good steal. This set comes with six brushes and a case and the brushes include a powder brush, an angled blush brush which also can be used for contouring, liner brush, eye shadow brush, and eye fluff brush for blending shadows, crease shadow brush, and a little bag to go with. I can’t wait to see these brushes and use them with my makeup since I did love the shadow brush I got before and if I like these brushes then will get more through Ipsy.
Ittse Six Shadow and Pallet Set: Last item is something from the brand Ittse. I tried these guys out when I got a shadow from them in either August or September and it’s not bad of a brand. This is a magnetic pallet with six neutral shadows in Film Noir, a matte wine, changing to Flats which was the first shade I got, matte nude, Sweater Weather, a grey olive green, Velveteen, a light marigold, Suede Booties: shimmery brown, and Irish coffee, a matte taupe. I can’t wait to use this since I did but Changing to Flats and it’s in my Z-Pallet at the moment and see how their other shadows feel.

Colour Pop: Remembered during my Holiday Matsuri that I went onto Color Pop’s website to shop round? Well, I did get a few things since they had a 40% off sale on pallets and 33% off their Lux Lipsticks. I got two pallets and one lipstick.

Lux Lipstick in Scorpio Moon: The lipstick I picked up was one of the Kathleen Lights zodiac Collection lipsticks. With her Zodiac collection she released two Lux ones and I loved the Lux ones more than the other lip products they have come up with, not more than the glosses but the other lip items. These are super creamy for what you get and the packaging is amazing too. Scorpio Moon is a rosy mauve shade and I did looks wearing this lipstick and people said it looked amazing on me and I never thought I would rock a color like this but apparently people thought I am able to. I wanted this shade for a while and was kind of scared due to how dark it sounded according to Kathleen but bought it to see how it went and it is going very well for me. I almost thought about getting Juno Mars which is a peachy nude but I got this instead and the two pallets.
I have been eyeing this thing for a few months ever since it came out and when I heard about the sale I picked it up. People said that they found some hits and misses in this pallet but so far so good it has worked out for me. I did a fiery gold look when I went out to the mall last Saturday to return something I have ordered at JCPenney and get my mom some gifts. I used The Cancer all over my lid, The Aries to define the eyes, The Leo in my crease, and The Gemini for my brow. Then I decided to pair the pallet with the Dream Street Pallet with the blue shades from that with The Pisces all over my lid then Mermaid Boy from DS to define, Water Bearer in my crease and then The Aquarius in my brows. Then lined them with my blue pencil. I took a picture of both looks for What’s Up In Makeup and got the most really good comments for the Fiery Gold look due to how I can play with the bolder shades without being afraid of them. The Blue Look did get positive and slight negative ones. If you’re in this group, all the admins do watch for negative comments and well recently I was a victim of being makeup shamed by having one of my pictures taken and put on on a makeup shaming group that was private from anyone else. That member did get kicked out which is a major risk and they do say don’t use someone’s pic to shame them. It didn’t stop me from posting since but after seeing some comments on my second look with the Zodiac pairing with Dream Street is that some people asking if it was something real and someone else was asking what I was using as my eye base and my brushes. I tend to buy brushes from Amazon and now Ipsy again which I was using my SL Ms. Glam ones I got as an extra last month and the one brush from this month. Of course I have been using Soft Ocher from MAC’s Paint Pot line which those are really good eye bases for the price that get charged for. I did love the blue look I came up with and even someone commented that they wish to use blue shadows despite how bold they can be. Don’t be afraid. I have to use the other shades in this pallet since I want to use The Scorpio which was the shade that sold me on this pallet.
Chasing Rainbows Pallet: Final item I got is the Chasing Rainbows pallet which is the newest pallet in the fifteen pan pallets Colour Pop has released. I almost bought this from Ulta but didn’t get it due to no colou descriptions for the shades because as a blind person it’s hard for me to justify buying some pallets that have these descriptions. Yes I do get pallets without it but when I saw this one on Ulta I felt like they only put shade names not the colors to each one since I heard Beauty News talking about this pallet. I was glad Colour Pop put the colors with the shade names and they were interesting with what was in this pallet. You mostly have red brown shades, two bluish shades, and mostly different shades of purple and one taupe, plus one coral, one peach, and one ivory. I know it doesn’t sound like a rainbow pallet but it is mostly a shadow version of a rainbow. I did use the purples with one look and the red browns for another and they are pretty pigmented for what I paid for with the sale. I would say they could have added another row of colors to this to make it more shadowy or even add a few dark greens and a navy blue at least and one grey. All in all, it did turn out pretty well and glad to pick up this pallet during the sale due to how different it is from all the neutral pallets I have gotten this year. Way to go Colour Pop!

Ulta: These purchases were done at different points of December! I will start with the pallet I got for Christmas!

Urban Decay Naked Cherry: This was the pallet I got for Christmas from my dad. Before I moved I made my Christmas list and put this one on there since it was a newer naked pallet. As you know that I have been collecting the naked series and when I heard about this one it was pretty unique from knowing that this is more of a berry type pallet with a peach in it. I have to give props for Urban Decay for going into berry tones since they have been becoming bigger over time and it is an extension of the Aphrodisiac pallet they have done earlier this year which I need to get at some point in time but this one felt like the other pallets in the range. I did have a great look using some of the mattes in this pallet and I do like how they played with burgundy in it and not only that adding a cranberry to it. I heard about Naked Reloaded which is the first naked pallet but being re-done with newer shades and some people are not liking it but I am going to see about the shades because it may be interesting to see what they have done with the re-vamp. Also, Naked Honey and Naked AF is the next two to come which I am waiting to see what happens next with those in what will be placed.
NYX Duo Chromatic Lip Gloss in Gypsy Dreams: I wanted to get one of these glosses for some time and couldn’t use my card since it did some weird thing by reducing the limit as I tried making the purchase. I am glad I did wait for purchasing this item since it’s been a long time since I got a NYX lip gloss. I loved the Butter Gloss formula and the Intense Butter Gloss formula and the newer lip glosses weren’t interesting to me until they came out with the lip gloss versions of the Duo Chromatic Highlighters that I still have and love. I got Gypsy Dreams since it was the most interesting of the colors since it’s a lavender with a blue, gold, and silver glitter mix. I liked it for how it shifted. I may get more since some of the other shades caught my ear. I may pick them up from the NYX website or Ulta again.
Cover Girl Chocoholic True Scented Nude Pallet: Besides the Duo Chromatic lip gloss, I also got this, this was the same night as the Colour Pop order because Ulta was doing a free gift with purchase idea. I heard good things about this pallet and it is supposed to be like the Chocolate Bar pallet from Too Faced with with the chocolate scent. I definitely smelled it as I pulled it out of the box when it was accidentally sent to my parents without double checking the address. It smells just like milk chocolate but you only get half of the shadow amount as in eight shadows rather than sixteen. I can deal with this and plus this is the very first eye shadow I ever tried from Cover Girl. I am not kidding about that because I heard the shadows are a bit hit or miss and I almost wanted to try that one duo eye shadow stick but the colors didn’t grab my interest as much. Oh well, I did hear this eye shadow is pretty good and will see how it goes!
Makeup Revolution Mint Chocolate Pallet: I know I am going chocolate crazy, doesn’t help with the Hershey’s candy canes I have been eating that Saturday either. I heard good things about this eye shadow pallet and decided to pick it up and it’s been a while since the Emily Edit pallet I got and I still love Makeup Revolution and not giving much love to their shadow pallets. This pallet is the same format as the Chocolate Bar pallet from Too Faced but this is mint and chocolate inspired and it supposed to have a mint scent from what I read for the shades but don’t smell it since it was described to be medicinal which I can smell. I don’t get why Too Faced didn’t create their own mint chocolate pallet like Makeup Revolution has but glad I got this and will be doing a look with it for New Year’s.
Bonus Gift: Ulta Three Sided Eye and Face Pallet: Like I said it was Gift-With-Purchase and that is the Ulta Three Sided Eye and Face Pallet. It’s been a while since I got anything from the Ulta makeup brand and glad I did with this gift. The sets didn’t appeal to me as much as they did last year and no shade descriptions, really Ulta? Hey, at least I got this for free and you needed to spend $35 in makeup to get this and that’s what the total became to be for these items. This item comes with twenty-one eye shadows, two bronzers, two blushes, and two highlighters and a mirror in one cute clutch. It looks like a planner when it comes to you and very compact. Maybe I should travel with this little thing if I know the shade names that is.
Makeup Revolution Baking Oil: I have tried a new face primer and this was a recommendation from Abby Aspen O’Keefe on YouTube. When she mentioned how this helped her dry skin I had to try it out myself. It does help keep my makeup on and it does keep my face moisturized alongside the Burt’s Bees moisturizer I’ve bene using lately. Interesting thing is that it does help make my skin look amazing with my makeup. I will definitely purchase again.
NYX High Definition Photo Concealer Wand in Light: I know I usually go for the Concealer Pots but Ulta did not have them anymore which makes me mad. So, I got the concealer wand since it’s easy to know what Light is in NYX. I will probably get my concealer on the NYX website but for now I will try this out and see how it goes since the other concealers I looked at were complicated in description. Why Ulta/ Why did you stop carrying the Concealer Jars from NYX?
Essence Lash Princess False Extreme Mascara: I had to get another Lash Princess Mascara because mine was drying out. The last time I used my tube was during Holiday Matsuri and glad that it’s done and now got this one. I don’t think I have tried the False Extreme yet since I have used the Angle Falsies from either Cover Girl or Maybelline, not sure which one, but notice how my lashes look amazing and I heard the false lash formula in the Lash Princess is better than the Volume version. I will see how it goes.
NYX Keeping It Tight Liner in Nude: I needed a new nude eyeliner since the Maybelline one I have been using made my eyes water slightly and it was hard to sharpen all the time. I got this one since it is not only an automatic liner but it was one of the only ones I can find. I heard Rimmel makes a good one but Ulta doesn’t carry RImmel anymore so I may try that one later and Wet N Wild has one too and haven’t found it yet. This will be a good one to try out.
Wet N Wild Setting Spray: Running low! Next!
MAC Paint Pot in Laying Low: As you guys know I am using the MAC Paint Pots as my shadow base and saw this among their colors. It is a creamy beige and was surprised that no one has talked about this one with Soft Ocher and Painterly. I also remembered with the eye bases that NYX made is that they do have a creamy beige color to choose from. I am going to see how this goes with my eye shadow.
Urban Decay Elements Pallet: I found this on sale on the Urban Decay website and then went to Ulta and found it half off too on there and picked it up. I wanted to get this pallet at first when it was $52 and saw Nicole Quinn do a review on it and was intrigued by it. I didn’t put it on my Christmas List since I already had Naked Cherry on there and decided to see about a sale and guess what? I love the shade names and descriptions of each one and glad to add another colorful pallet because we hardly see them until holiday times. I know BH Cosmetics and other brands do have some but I don’t buy them but I may consider them. I can’t wait to play with the Elements pallet, plus rocks and minerals are my favorite things to study in Geology.
Hot Tools Straightening Brush: Now onto a hair tool! Reason for this purchase. Since I got the Marc Anthony Leave in Heat Protectant Cream I fell in love with straightening my hair again. I love the smell of it and it did help my hair in being much moisturized and the issue I have is that my hair wants to curl up even when I turn up the heat but don’t want to turn it up at the highest due to my hair being damaged in some areas. I got this brush to help get my hair straight. I figure to use the brush first and then the flat iron to get the straight to happen. I almost got one from a company called WIggo and it was about $18 but when I saw hot Tools being five dollars less but had a better rating than the WIggo one and decided to go with this one and use a 20% off. I hope this works out because it annoys me to see some wave in my hair after straightening it.
Marc Anthony Anti-Frizz shampoo and conditioner: Final items from Ulta for this month, sorry for the long list but I got coupons to use and discounts happened. I am starting to run low on my shampoo and conditioner and I have no dandruff at the moment and when I saw the Jumbo Hair Event on Ulta, I almost thought about getting the Matrix Anti-Frizz shampoo but decided to see about Marc Anthony since I love their items. I love the price points they charge for this brand because you’re not breaking the bank and they are salon quality and it helps my hair calm down. Too bad they don’t have the Heat Protectant Cream. I decided to pick up the Anti-Frizz Shampoo and Conditioner since they have pretty good ratings and my hair does frizz up time to time and some damage on the right side of my head still exists. Hope it does work out for me!

E. L. F.: Thank goodness I am at the final place for beauty! I have a fun story about E. L. F. and that is when they did their Free Shipping sale and bought my items I found out recently that my order was not put through. Somehow the PayPal end did not communicate with E. L. F. and had to call both sides about it. So, had to reorder everything except I changed one item!

Metallic Flare highlight in Rose Gold: I was getting a different highlight but saw this as a new product and had to get and that is the Metallic Flare. I enjoyed their Shimmer Whips and tried enjoying the Baked Highlight I got in a bundle and their Shimmer pallet I do love. This will be an interesting try since when I saw NEW I had to try it.
Primer Infused Bronzer in Always Sun kissed and Primer Infused Blush in Always Rosy: I heard good things about these Primer Infused face products and how pigmented they are. E. L. F. is known for having very pigmented products and sometimes their formula is meh or hit or miss. I decided to try a bronzer and blush from this line to see how well it works. I figured always Sun kissed would be a light shade to go with my skin while Always Rosy from the blushes can be a good one to try for my first time.
Luminous Blush in Rose: Another blush and this is supposed to be new too. I decided to try the rose shade over the pink since rose colors do look good on me.
Modern Metals face pallet. I know another face item and this is from their Modern Metals collection. I was not feeling for any shadows from them this time so this was something that caught my eye. It has three blushes and three highlights so good to try something new.
Daily Hydration Moisturizer: I did say I wanted to try new moisturizers and this was one of them. I never tried E. L. F.’s skin care which I heard hits and misses with some items but hoping this will work out with my skin especially with how cold it gets here since I am thinking that is why Celestial doesn’t work as much.
Brow and Lash Gel: Needed a new one for my work makeup kit!

Well, guys, that is it for this entire haul! I know it was long even with the Ulta part but hey I wanted to share with what I got. Beauty is what I love and it’s been forever that I have done a beauty haul on here. Hoping I get to add another haul post so stay tuned! Until next time! Stay tuned for the next post which is my favorites for November and December!

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by moonleopard85 on December 30, 2018 • Permalink

Posted in beauty, haul

Posted by moonleopard85 on December 30, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/12/30/haul-collective-december-beauty-haul/

Books: The Stolen Marriage by. Diane Chamberlain

Hello to all of my beautiful nerds traveling the vast universe! I am back with a new book review!

The Stolen Marriage by. Diane Chamberlain!

Disclaimer: This book is based on thoughts and opinions of the lead writer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts and opinions on this book.

What Is It About? In this book, we meet Tessa, someone who is a young woman during World War II who has everything going for her life. She’s studying to become a nurse and engaged to an up-and-comingdoctor and childhood friend. On a visit to Washington D. C. while the fiance is away, she ends up meeting Henry Kraft visiting from Hickory, North Carolina and she and her best friend, Jenna go out for a night with drinks and all-of-a-sudden she ends up in bed with Henry. Her fears come out when she is pregnant with Henry’’s child and leaves her family behind to marry him. During the marriage, she gets treated as a stranger in the small town and seen as the little tramp only marrying into the Kraft family for money but it was mostly a business transaction.

While being married to Henry,, Tessa starts finding out about some secrets like why Henry lost his fingers and how he was rescued to how a wad of money ended up in the bottom of a wardrobe, and so on. Will she find out some secrets while living under the scrutinizing eyes of her mother-in-law?

Thoughts: This book was a really good read. I got to see some things beyond World War II that I wouldn’t have seen since the town of Hickory was an actual place that went through the Polio Epidemic as the war ended. As we all know is FDR did suffer from Polio himself while being president during the second World War and was wheelchair bound which if you seen Pearl Harbor they weren’t messing around and the actor did a good job at it. Back to the book of course, I did like how the story started itself off as happy couple living in Baltimore and then when Vincent goes off that is when time draws out. The war effort is a long wait for a lot of people especially in the medical field since at the time Polio was starting to show and it was a big theme throughout the book because of how it shown up later.

When Tessa and Henry met it felt like different sides since it felt like they were going to end up together but in a different way. Yes, it starts off as a one-night-stand and then the pregnancy takes place and Tess leaves and when she catches up with Henry things change, like he was different all of a sudden, as in he went from sweet Southener boy to complete stranger which that can be shocking when your One Night comes to find you at work. I did like how Tessa described her downward spiral of losing her own self because while living at the In-law’s home she was being watched and not only that being gossiped about which is big in smal town in time like that. I do like her interactions in trying to make nice with Lucy, Henry’s sister, even though she tries very hard but Tessa knows that she would gossip to her friends about her, like with the part about driving a car.I think the best interactions wold be with Henry’s mother, Ruth the most because she was expecting a different girl to marry her son and now has to put up with Tessa. I would have to say this was a major test for Tessa because she has to grit her teeth and bare withing under the same roof with Lucy and Ruth until things take place around them.This story shows how strong a female character can be when facing adversity from the family and a community in a small town and all she could hope for is finally getting out of there and being a nurse. I can relate with her since I just moved from a big city to a smaller town to be a teacher right now and see how much better it became due to the change of scenery. In the end, this was a really fun read.

Rating: Five Star Paw Prints Out of Five! With all of the World War II novels I have read throughout my Net Galley membership this one has been the best. I have seen books where the lead woman character has risen above like Kasha in Lilac Girls getting over her days at a work camp and having a bad leg injury after a hideous test, alongside caroline getting through her relationship with Jacques and finding out that his wife was alive, even Mary in Everyone Brave Is Forgiven where she has to survive the bombings of London and almost drowned as of the result of it. Alse, the women in Karolina’s Twins shows even more bravery and survival. Here we see it with a Polio Epidemic starting to show and Tessa surviving through it along with a small town with a family who has different religious beliefs from her own and trying to live with a husband that has secrets that lead to it failing. Strenght and bravery through the second World War in women has shown in many ways and I have seen it through here because Tessa had put a smile on her face through adversity. I hope to read more books like this because it shows that even if a war is so bleak but people still come through and survive in the end whether it is through a bombing raid or helping people get through a really bad disease that shows up in a small town. I want to read about the Polio Epidemic in Hickory since Diane Chamberlain The SSstolen Marriage by/ Diane Chamberlainhmentioned some of her sources and it would be interesting to see how the actual story happened with the people who lived there. What I found it more interesting about it was the street name changes after the war to confuse enemies. I didn’t know about that until read the dedication. I suggest this book to anyone who wants to read more Historical Fiction set in World War II.

Well that is it guys! Don/t worry, I have not forgotten about the Holiday Matsuri coverage. I am still going to get the videos up as soon as I can. I definitely have a haul post and a Bests & Worsts coming up, also my Faves of November and December coming up. So stay tuned everyone! Until next time stay beautiful while traveling the universe!

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by moonleopard85 on December 27, 2018 • Link • Permalink

Posted in Books, Reviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on December 27, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/12/27/books-the-stolen-marriage-by-diane-chamberlain/

Convention Impossible: Holiday Matsuri 2018!

Hello to all of my beautiful nerds traveling the vast universe! It’s time for our Convention Impossible post on Holiday Matsuri. It’s going to be a hard one this time around which I know there will be some Needs for Improvement.

Disclaimer: This review is based on thoughts and observations from the lead writer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts on the convention and its rating because not everyone has the same experience especially with this convention.

Oh man! Where to start! This year we had a different experience from past years since it felt like the convention gone and went without even knowing. We did stay at the World Center like last year and I felt like we spent more time in the room than the con itself. Let me talk about the hotel.

Hotel: Like I said above, we stayed at the World Center and we spent some time before heading there by getting some shopping done for the weekend as in getting food to eat in the room and getting checks cashed because apparently there was a security breach that took place and best to use cash at the hotel areas itself rather than your card. Trust me, being hacked is not fun. So, we got to the hotel and the parking was packed! Apparently, besides Matsuri, there were two other events taking place and it was a military ball type event and a business convention in one of the wings. This does happen at some venues where some events take place at the same time, especially with conventions. Good examples, the cheerleading competitions during MegaCon when they were held in March, Omni Fandom Expo taking place at the same time as Florida Anime Experience when they first started, even a beauty pageant took place at the World Center as Omni Fandom Expo taking place, these are a few but these three going on at the same time caused parking to be full and Gondras was told to park at the outlets and take the shuttle but he did find a parking spot. We were glad we had East Tower this year with our room and it was a one bed and one couch situation. I did remember that leading up to the convention that they talked about rooms being sold out and the Queen Bed rooms were taken by then and I have a feeling people from the other two events were also staying in those. So glad they extended stay slots at other hotels in the area to cater to everyone. We were afraid that Hol Mat would be moved next year but heard that it won’t so who knows where we will be next December. I did point out Gaylord Palms but realized that they have their Ice exhibit and that would be an issue to hold Hol Mat there unless they give discount tickets to attendees, just saying. We did have a great stay this year and man that King Size Bed was comfy. Also our roomie was great too! At first we asked on the Hol Mat Housing Group to find new roomies and the first cancelled due to financial reasons which does happen, second one what friends coming, and third person was a major charm! She was awesome and she is a big Tales fan and she did host a trivia panel which I will get to later!

Game Room: I have to point this out because this year’s Game Room was very impressive this year and better than years before. Not only it featured your classic cabinets that you tend to see at this convention but we also had Japanese games including the famous Gundam pods! If you haven’t been to Japan in the Otaku areas, it’s basically a Gundam cockpit simulator game where it’s in an arcade that you have people dressed as the attendants in the Gundam anime series and you get to be in the pods where you get to pilot Gundams ranging across the vast series. Gondras wanted to play this thing so bad if we ever got to go to the arcade with it and they brought it here except he didn’t fit in it due to how tall he is. That did make him happy that they brought it to a convention of all places where a lot of fans would roam around. Also, there was the Rock Band set up which not only had the classic songs but there were a few more added in. Besides this room having games inside there were games spread out in the convention itself like Music Tag near the vendor’s room which I will get to now…

Vendor’s Room: I liked it better this year than the last. How so? Not only it felt bigger but the vendors were better this year! As in there were more variety in merch than it has been before as in plushies, apparel, even artists for instance which I felt like I bought more items from as usual since I do love handmade items since they are more unique. Some of these items include a seatbelt type belt for your pants featuring Happy. You know I love the kitties from Fairy Tail and haven’t gotten much of Happy lately and glad to get this because this is a comfy belt! As in, you just have a cloth strap versus leather which to me leather belts do become uncomfortable even while being Lucy thank you very much! I should have taken a card from this vendor because I would want to see if they can make a plain black one. I also did find my favorite seller who had the cat ears and tails. She did give me a discount again which made me happy and did pick up two of her newer furs which one pair of ears and tail had pastel spots all over and pink bows with the bells and I didn’t mind having that on my ears because they matched better with the pastel spots. As you know, calico kitties are one of my favorite types of kitties. While the other pair is more interesting which is a very fluffy fur that is in red with silver striping. I didn’t get the bows and bells, which I should have asked, maybe I should message her about that but it was so soft that I did hand her the money for them too. I love her ears and tales and I suggest buying from her. I did run into Japanese Snacks Guy at the front of the room which he had a really good spot. He had new items which are these long gummy things. They remind me of those jolly Rancher bars I remembered as a kid which I wished I could find them again but as a gummy. I haven’t opened them yet since I have been munching on candy canes all thanks to my L cosplay! I am not kidding, after Hol Mat, I have not only my remnants of the Hershey’s candy canes but two boxes of Sour Patch Kids canes, a box of soda flavored which features Crush, Dr. Pepper, and A&W Root Beer canes which the A&W got my interest since that is my fave root beer ever! And now waiting on a shipment of Trolli Brite Crawler ones which I did order a box through Shipt and they taste good! They aren’t overbearing sour since the sour powder is inside. Anyways, I did get another pack of Hi-Chew which is green apple, I did like this flavor from long ago when I first got into them and got a bag with multiple flavors. I still have my stock just in case I need something to chew on even at work and that is not gum. Also, I did get something chocolate but only one item since I still have a big container of mint bark and a chocolate bar thing from Gondras’ job and my chocolate container filled to the brim. They are these chocolates I did love but this time different types of strawberries which is going to be interesting. Other items I did get were for holiday parties, I did get a Charmander for a toy drive party but didn’t go due to really bad weather rolling through Daytona Thursday, even a tornado warning happened and had to stay in the building, and got a Groot keychain for a White Elephant gift thing for the staff party and was entertaining seeing that get passed on for a gift steal. I also got a new Jolteon plush which you guys know I cosplay as my own Thunder Gym Leader and I had a plush from Disney of Jolteon but it was a chibi form one. This one is him on all four legs like my little figure on my desk. Trust me I couldn’t resist since the only Evees I have left to get are Umbreon, which I have a Dark Trainer in mind, and Espeon, which I haven’t done a Psychic trainer yet. I will have to wait for Omni to see if anyone sells an Umbreon in the same style as my Jolteon which the interesting thing there was one but in a prize machine. I did almost have Gondras get me Umbreon as a belated birthday present but I wanted the Pikachu with the Rawst Berry instead because I didn’t know when I could see that one ever again. And Gondras did get something and that was Keith Silverstein’s autograph on his Persona games. When we heard Mr. Silverstein being at the con, Gondras wanted to bring him something that was rare and it was these games he got from Cyber Tron Gaming here in town, which is a game shop that sells vintage games and some anime too. Which by the way…

Guests: Oh man the guests! Did we interview? Yes! The only one we didn’t interview was Zach Callison because by the end of the weekend according to his Liaison that he was done for the weekend. Hoping we can get a Skype interview since we have a line to get to for that with some people from Ranger Stop, I did Tweet Zach to see if he can do it with us and haven’t heard back. We did get to have a video interview with Brittney Karbowski which was great, I know we did interview her years ago at MetroCon but had to transcribe it and now that we do video ones it worked out. And we did interview Jennifer Hale finally! As you guys know we wanted to do it at MegaCon 2017 but since everything going down we didn’t get it and since this was another chance for us we did get to sit down with her for one and it was great! We will get the videos up as soon as possible if we can since I am really busy with work and Gondar’s is to, we will try to get them up as soon as we can so stay tuned on Twitter!

Panels: We didn’t go to many this year. I did say we spent most of our time in the room and I felt bored. I know it’s sad since panels are the greatest part of the convention experience. Not only that this year we didn’t have a real coverage schedule which I will get to that later due to press not being as organized as it has been. I admit I was on Colour Pop and Ulta’s websites shopping since Ulta was doing a gift to spend $35 to get a free gift from their brand. I did make it and it’s at my parents’ place, I am thinking of doing a collective haul of beauty stuff since I did buy clothes for work and fleece jackets too since it was freezing here for a bit. And Colour Pop did a 40% off pallets and picked up two I was eyeing on and a $30 off their Lux Lipsticks which I got one I wanted. So, yeah I was a bit bored. We did go to two yaoi ones, well me with Vivi and Tobi. We went to Yaoi after Dark and Yaoi on Ice, the Voice Actors panel on Saturday which Nerdy Shirts did record from the start which we were late due to something that took place. And the Funimation Peep Show. I told you guys not that many and wishing we did go to more or at least had a set schedule this year. I did try submitting Blind Perspective but didn’t hear anything about it, I think it was not approved being it a writing panel. Oh well, I don’t think it will be a panel I will submit again, I do want to bring Blind Experience though since that was a success even though some people did tell us it wasn’t that great. I think it is a success in my eyes and people did enjoy it during Hol Mat 2013. Let’s see what 2019 brings. I did forget to mention the Tales Of Trivia Panel, that was also a fun one since all thanks to playing Xilia 2 for the most part with Gondras, I did get to answer the questions on that game. I did win the Mila and Jude keychain or shall I say phone charm.

Verdict: Convention…abor…Complete! I am saying why! I felt like this convention was almost an Aborted this year due to some things going on but I give it a Complete because I have noticed some staff were working harder than others and I will explain in Needs for Improvement!

Needs for Improvement:
Hotel NFI: Don’t Plan SO Many Things At Once! I know this is something that does happen but I feel like the hotel was overbooked for events this year and as said above that included a business convention in the western part of the hotel, the Military Ball, and Hol Mat. This caused a major parking problem and I felt like due to the overbooking not everyone could park at the hotel even when you were a person with a room. I did see that on the group were there was supposed to be more parking areas but it wasn’t noticed. Even motorcycles took up an entire space! There should have been parking slots for motorcycles instead of having the riders do that. With the Outlets parking, I don’t think anyone of us who owns a car would have enjoyed it. ZI did see one of our friends did have to park there but being towed is not great either. SO, my message to World Center, don’t overbook when you know hol Mat is there for you guys. Not only that for anyone who wants to hold an event in Orlando at the same time as a convention, there are other places in town that you can hold events and some of them are pretty big like the Caribe Royale where Hol Mat was at, Rosen Shingle Creek, Rosen Center, Holiday Inn Across from Universal has a decent size ballroom, I can go on, even the Florida Mall Hotel is pretty big with how Omni holds their events. I would say do research in holding events at other places please, there were so many people coming to this thing, plus some people did say they had complaints about some of the Military Ball attendants, which I haven’t heard much of.
Attend Your Meet Ups! I have been hearing about how meet ups are being held and others just had people bail on them, this is according to Vivi. I understand the convention is filled with shiny things that you can be distracted by but having a meet up with people that you schedule on a group is something important from what I have seen. I remembered people posting meet ups for Naruto, My Hero Academia, even a Lolita one and these are planned ahead in time and scheduled with the convention and it not happening is something that says it was not cared about. I know Vivi was excited for the Yuri On Ice meet ups and the Lolita Meet Up because she ordered an actual cord for her first time and it’s sad to hear that it didn’t go well, it was just crafting and some people almost came in but didn’t go in since it wasn’t really a meet up. I guess I am glad that I didn’t go through a meet up, I bet if I were to cosplay as Sue or one of the Wild Pussy Cats from My Hero Academia and find out the meet up wasn’t happening at last minute where people just left I would be mad! I am not sure if that still happened since that would have been fun to witness.
Press.pardon my French…WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU GUYS!? Sorry guys, I had to ask because the past few years Press was really organized ever since we have started getting the press pass with them and thought they were a good con to go to since we have seen great and unique events, meet up with awesome guests and hoping to interview them. I was glad we got the interviews this year and I noticed that the Guest Relations people were working harder since they had to take care a lot of people and working with press for possible interviews like us. Press this year….I know they had higher demand…I know they probably have been swamped…but I was lucky to meet someone who helped in getting us in. I haven’t seen bad organization since JACON 2009 actually. To tell you the truth, I preferred Press at Hol Mat to be more organized as in first of all having a set schedule to cover events which was great, it helped get more coverage out there even on our channel where we had so many videos, like our coverage from last year and the year before, not only that it kept us going to more events too that we never got to see. I also enjoyed that! We also got great pics from the Cosplay Runway over the years and now this year we didn’t go due to our interviews which was fine in my book. This year without that set schedule, yes we got to be a bit more slack but I missed it especially doing the Google Hangouts which the past two years we got to sit down with the Press Staff, even last year was the best Hangouts because I got to talk to the other teams that were covering Hol Mat but now this year I am wondering who else got approved besides us or shall I say who else got handed Press Passes? We didn’t get to meet anyone from Press unlike last year where we got to meet some of the other Press teams in person. See where I’m going? I know Press can have high Demand and I can see why with this year but not being able to see who else is doing it with you makes it like you’re the only ones doing it. I am glad that whoever has known what we do remembers us, even the staff member who has responded to my post about my giving away some of my manga due to the move knows about us all thanks to her daughter. That is why for 2019 starting with Omni Fandom Expo we will have better promo materials since we have worked hard especially this year with Omni, interviewing APl DeAp at the NFB Convention, Ranger Stop, and now with this one I felt not so much work. I am sorry guys but with my rating with what I was about to say was almost an Aborted because I felt this convention felt disorganized and Vivi pointed out that attendees weren’t as friendly in person as I have seen more people talking on the group and once the con does happen not a lot of people talk in person, it just becomes a huge standoff mess. I did have fun with our roomie though during her panel since it was a trivia thing and hoping to get to stay with her again maybe for Metro and we are looking into a room for Omni next year since working now we can do hotel stays a little more often. Also was supposed to meet another person I have met on the board but she was in line for something. I know big tangent…next point…
Watch Out for Disabled People! What do I mean by this, I had my cane cracked by someone during the con? I know, gasp! Okay, the story is that Gondras and I were heading over to the voice actors panel on Saturday and on the way there someone walked up and walked and in front of my cane but in the worst way, it was halfway up the cane and tripped over it and caused it to crack. I wasn’t hurt nor the person and it caused the cane to twist and cracked one of the joints where it collapses. We did get it duct taped Sunday because using an umbrella was not easy for me, I even ran into a wall since I missed my cane so much and almost cried Sunday because of it helping Gondras carry stuff to his car. This was something that still made me mad and bid felt like I lost a best friend when my cane cracked. Even the mobility instructor was annoyed when I told him about what had happened when I went to get a new cane, I didn’t show up with my taped one because I felt awkward so I show up with my short cane I had since my college days. I know the con was crowded but when I am at cons using my mobility skills people step aside! Even people with guide dogs, wheelchairs, and even crutches get that treatment too but what I went through was even worse. The person who tripped even said, “I didn’t know!” I was appalled when I heard that because here is the thing, all thanks to the comic Homestuck, people have cosplayed the blind character in that even back in 2012 when the comic had a major spike in popularity and people thought my cane was a prop and I was cosplaying the character when I now the comic with the troll side having candy corn horns. I even remembered seeing someone with huge horns from that comic, I think they did a better horn design for their character they were doing. Anyway, I cosplay as characters like Lucy, my many Pokémon characters even my variation of Link, and so on and my cane is always with me. Plus, it is my symbol of being someone in the bind community getting to enjoy a convention like a sighted person and doing press for it. So please guys, watch out for people in wheelchairs, guide dogs since there was a story that Vivid Barnacle read that someone had their service dog get hurt really badly at a con to use as an example, and watch out for blind canes because they’re not props and blind people are real! Yes Homestuck did have one in comic form but we are real!
Please Wait to Celebrate After the Con! What I mean by this is that I did notice that there was a meet up at Volcano Bay three weeks before the con or was it four weeks, can’t keep count but still it was planned during my moving weekend. It is great to have meet ups outside of the convention and good to party but best to save it during a time after the convention or during like how AFO does it with any volunteers. During the last three weeks before the convention it should be taken as a way to plan and make sure things are finished as and secured for the con, plus I think that would’ve been a better Saturday to do the Google Hangouts for Press too since I did get my internet in and would have spent the time before my dad shown up to take me for my grocery trip talking to the Hol Mat Press Crew and when the con is over then you can go to Volcano Bay or have dinner somewhere. I did notice that not every convention goer could go to this thing, like I said I was moving that weekend, so best to just save any big party things for after or at least during the convention to do a pat on the back thing for a job well done. The convention weekend is the real test of how the event goes rather than thinking it will be great in advance. That’s my opinion on that.
Need Better Security! Even With the Rooms! Apparently this year there was a lot of stuff being stolen, even a projector was stolen from someone’s room. I am glad no one went to our room or Vivi’s and Tobi’s room. I would be pissed if someone stolen my Braille Sense Polaris because that thing isn’t cheap! There should be better security at this thing since we have seen so many things happen at cons and now this taking place I feel a little unsafe with Hol Mat knowing that people broke into hotel rooms to take things. It’s sad that people are willing to hurt others to get their stuff, one thing is it’s not right, just save up for that product you want and then buy it. Someone else’s stuff is not yours people and plus you are risking your freedom for jail and being banned from the con itself. So, please better security.

Well guys that is it for this year’s review. I know a lot of people had fun during this weekend but I felt like even though we were Press doing what we do but I felt like this year was not the year that we had more work as Press. I did mention above on asking what had happened. I know conventions are supposed to be fun but I did say in my Ranger Stop review that I enjoy doing press and looking at this one I felt like my experience at Hol Mat was not as great as it had been last year and with 2016. I understand there being a higher demand in one department but Press could have been better handled. We did try to salvage what we could, we did enjoy our roommate which she was fun and she did have to volunteer during the weekend. Are we coming back? It looks like not so much at this point. I did answer someone asking who is going to what in 2019 and we just got word about our Press Passes for Omni Fandom Expo which is a great Christmas gift and hoping to get a room next year for that since I do live here in Daytona now. And of course Ranger Stop since that was a major blast this past year even getting to interview some of the guests this year. Vivi did mention MetroCon which I want to go back to due to how that one was our first Press job of all time and it’s been years since we’ve gone back to them. AFO…it will take us forever to meet their press requirements of how many followers which I wish we could have a bypass on that when we have done a lot of work already and do have still have a small following and Reuben Langdon is on our list for interviews we want to do. Let’s see what 2019 brings with our Press work!

Note: I know it seemed biased with this review but people experience different things and this is how I felt about this year’s event. I want to thank Jerad from Guest Relations who worked hard in getting us the interviews that we were able to do and Trina Wilson for helping us get our press passes when we didn’t get much of a response when it comes to how many applications they have received this year. If anyone from Hol Mat’s staff reads this, sorry for being harsh but I was pretty honest and observed what I have been even before the convention itself, it is a big “IF” in coming back. Thank you for understanding.

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by moonleopard85 on December 24, 2018 • Permalink

Posted in anime, Cartoons, conventions, cosplay, Panels, Personal Experience, Reviews, Television, Travel, Video Games

Posted by moonleopard85 on December 24, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/12/24/convention-impossible-holiday-matsuri-2018/

Books: Marked by. Benedict Jacka!

Hello to all of my beautiful nerds traveling the vast universe! I am back with another book review!

Marked by. Benedict Jacka!

Disclaimer: This review is based on thoughts and opinions by the lead writer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts and opinions on the book ahead.

What Is It About? In this ninth installment of the urban fantasy series, Alex Verus, Alex becomes a member of the Junior Council and no one’s too happy about it especially with him and in order to protect his friends he has to be a big force of power. First, he finds out about important relics being released into the world by dark mages even by Richard Drake, the one who raised him, and when he finds out that the Light Council wants to negotiate with the ones who released these items and have to use his wit to keep the balance between the Dark Mages, Light Council, and the Adepts together or it will be bloody.

Thoughts: To be honest, after reading the eight previous books which took me a while to read this one, I found this one being too fast and too short and a little bit more focused on Ann’s and Alex’s relationship. I do love the series don’t get me wrong but seven out of the other eight were really good and were more entertaining because it included the characters more as each story was written and told. This one I had felt like the events were more jumbled up and had too much going on and just cut it short at sixteen chapters and yes Ann did have one of these items that Alex found out about but I felt like the story with it could have been told a lot better. Even though this series is a nod towards the Dresden Files which this series is set in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world since they did have to use gates to travel and did point it out in the first book in the first chapter or so, I think this book could have been written better. Heck, even the book before this one, Bound, was way better than this one even though it shows Ann taking the relic towards the end of it but could have done better. Not only that, I felt there was not enough Vari and Luna in this book either while I read it, I felt like the final scene with the both of them and the Tiger’s Palace were just it since they are a part of the driving point. I am hoping Jacka does another one and doesn’t make it too short. I felt like it could have added more and yet I can understand that if the tenth book were made that there should be some material left for it. Let’s hope so.

Rating: 3 Star Paw Prints Out of 5! Even though I gave it a five on Good Reads by a small accident but to look back on it this is how I really felt about the book. I love being honest with my reviews and I wasn’t being too nitpicky with this review either. I am hoping Book Ten becomes a better story and I can’t wait and see how he does the continuation from where Ann and Alex had their talk and a small love scene and how that will work out through the rest of the books. I hope to get to read it too unless Berkely has something to say. Which I want to put this here and that is Berkeley, I want to read more of your titles, I feel like I’m being dismissed and not getting a fair chance in getting to read more. Trust me, I am still miffed about not being able to read Brief Cases which I look up to Jim Butcher a lot since I am a writer myself. So, just give me more chances and I don’t sugarcoat my honesty either since I can give you guys my honest word on the books I read, I mean Heroine Worship and Siege Line were based on my honesty and observations and that is what I always put in my disclaimers since it is based on thoughts and observations from me. I hope to read more books from your company. Thank you!

That is it for this review! I will be back with my Holiday Matsuri review since there are things to talk about and of course our videos. Stay tuned!
Marked: An Alex Verus Novelh

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by moonleopard85 on December 18, 2018 • Link • Permalink

Posted in Books, Reviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on December 18, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/12/18/books-marked-by-benedict-jacka/

Beauty: Ipsy December 2018!

Hello to all of my beautiful nerds traveling the vast universe! I am back from Holiday Matsuri 2018 with a new post and that is…

Ipsy December 2018!

Yes, I got my Ipsy this month and it was delivered while I was away in Orlando. I was happy to get it early since I did get the three extras this time but it was an early shipping this time since last month it took forever to get to my parents’ place and Gondras had to get it for me. Now it has been delivered to my new address here and glad to talk about it!

Extras: Pacifica Liquid Highlight, Sugar Cosmetics Mini Bronzer, and Nomad Cosmetics around the World Glow Powder! First is my extras and I think I got some good ones this time? What I like about Ipsy this time is that you can purchase extra products from brands that aren’t in your Glam Bag that month and you can either get a full size item for $12 or three deluxe ones for $3 each and decided to do three deluxe sizes. I went with a Pacifica Liquid Illuminator since it’s been forever that I got anything Pacifica and want to get back into their brand since I do love their eye shadows and when I saw this I was happy and wanted to see how it goes. Next is a Glow Powder from Nomad Cosmetics which I have heard really good things about their shadows since they always give them out but never got one. I got the the highlighter in Moonlight and I did buy the pallet that comes with four highlights to try them out which is going to be fun when that arrives! And finally, the mini bronzer from Sugar Cosmetics. I have been loving this brand ever I got their stuff in my bags and when I saw there was a bronzer by them I knew I had to try it. It is light from what I read which a good thing is since the other one was darker and don’t want to mess with a darker bronzer when my skin is light to medium.

Finding Ferdinand Blush in Skinny Dip: First item is the Finding Ferdinand Blush in Skinny Dip. This is a mauve blush which I was pointed out to be fit with more mauve and rosy blushes but I thought it was a wrong match with an Avon one but I am trying this one out to see how well it goes. It comes as a pan to put into a Z Pallet from the looks of it and can’t wait to try this item out since it is a pretty good size pan. According to the claims it’s supposed to last long day and made with Kaolin and Mica to help with blending and staying on long all day. Plus it’s supposed to be streak free. I will have to put this to the test and see how well it goes.
The Balm Nude Beach Eye Shadow in Bootylicious: Next is an eye shadow by the Balm and it’s from their Nude Beach pallet and the shade is known as Bootylicious. I remembered getting these shadows in past bags and they were tiny! This one has a really good pan size and glad to get it. This is a bronze shade with red undertones and it is supposed to blend like a dream. I did hear that the Nude Beach pallet is supposed to be a good one, who knows I may get it at some point. Funny thing is that when I did the I Copied a YouTuber’s Look I copied and that’s Jacob and he used the Nude Beach pallet from The Balm and I used Be Gorgeous for the most part. Will this shadow convince me? Let’s see!
F. A. R. A. Brushes Tapered Blending Brush 35E: Next is a brush and you know me I am a brush lover! This is a brush from a brand I never heard of and it’s F. A. R. A. H. Brushes. I have used brushes from Coastal Scents, Luxie, and now SL Miss Glam but this is a new brand and glad to test out. Apparently this is something everyone has received in their bags this month and it is a tapered blending brush. This is meant to blend eye shadow all over the lid and I can’t wait to use this for that since I do love to blend my shadows when I have that all over lid look. If this goes well, I may try out a set.
Cocoa & Eve Super Nourishing Coconut and Fig Hair Mask: Next item is a hair mask by Cocoa and Eve which I haven’t gotten a hair mask in forever! This came in a tube and it smells good! I wished I used it tonight when I washed my hair after wearing my Santa Hat and L wig. Claims include that it helps dyed, damaged, and heat treated hair which I do use my flat iron sometimes and do have damaged areas. It does have Bali coconuts in this to help make hair smooth and glossy, the fig and shea butter essence helps soften hair without weighing it down. This sounds amazing and can’t wait to use since I have to use it after washing my hair.
Ciate London Glitter Flip Glitter Transforming Liquid Lipstick in Infamous: This was the product I was really excited about and it is from Ciate London and it is the Glitter Flip Liquid Lipstick in Infamous! I heard about these and these are where you put it on and wait a bit and then press your lips together to have a bold glitter effect to them. I wanted one for the longest time and glad to get one here in Ipsy. I am still using the setting powder which I did take with me to Holiday Matsuri by the way and that jar will last me more than a month. This one will too!
Dr. Lip Color Moisturizing Tint in Sweet Potato: Final product and it’s from another brand I never heard of and that’s Dr. Lip. It looks like it is a brand with lip nourishing products and this is a moisturizing lip balm in a tube and right off the bat it’s hard to squeeze out. This is like a gloss but its colorless when you put it it on and it’s made out of Lanlin and plant extracts which helps so far with the nourishing. And the tint part which it says it’s not a tint is from the sweet potato plant which I do love my sweet potatoes. Mew! So far so good it feels good and will have to keep wearing this as time goes on.

Well guys that is it for this month’s bag! It was a surprise to see six products this month and me and another Ipsy subscriber thought it was due to the holidays that they were doing this. I like it! It did end 2018 very well and I can’t wait to see what January brings for the start of 2019! I am planning on subscribing to Boxy Charm again in the New Year because I also miss it and they have been giving pretty good items too even eye shadow pallets and face pallets? Sign me back up! For now, kitty gets to play with her new makeup!

That is it for this post! Stay tuned for my review on the ninth book in the Alex Verus series along with our coverage from Holiday Matsuri this year! There is a lot to talk about so stay tuned.

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by moonleopard85 on December 17, 2018 • Permalink

Posted in beauty

Posted by moonleopard85 on December 17, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/12/17/beauty-ipsy-december-2018/

Interviews: Kat Sutherland from Mighty Morphen Through Turbo!

Hello to all of my beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast universe! I am back with the last bit of coverage of RangerStop 6!

Interview with Kat Sutherland from Mighty Morphen through Turbo!

To save the best for last and that is our interview with Kat Sutherland who appeared during Mighty Morphen as a cursed cat working for Rita. I am not kidding and I remembered those episodes too. It was right around Kimberly started losing her powers. After Kim left Kat does pick up the powers and becomes pink ranger for the rest of the mighty Morphen run through Turbo. What did I ask Kat? Find out in this video!

Well everyone that ends all of our coverage for this year’s RangerStop. I would like to thank Mike Ginn, Sean C. W. Johnson, Audrey Dubois, and Kat Sutherland for letting us get to have a few minutes during their busy weekend to interview them. Hoping we get to interview some of the others we got to meet but didn’t get to interview and would be over Skype including Christopher Kayman Lee, Steve Cardenas and the Mega Force team and anyone else I forget to mention. I also want to thank Jonathan who heads Press at RangerStop for letting us have this opportunity and hoping to get to do it again since it was a blast! THANK YOU!

Now that convention is done it’s time for Holiday Matsuri 2018 and can’t wait to see what this convention brings to us! Also, stay tuned tomorrow or Tuesday for my review on Marked by Benedict Jacka! Until next time! Stay beautiful while traveling the universe!

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by moonleopard85 on December 10, 2018 • Video • Permalink

Posted in conventions, Interviews, Television, Travel

Posted by moonleopard85 on December 10, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/12/10/interviews-kat-sutherland-from-mighty-morphen-through-turbo/

Interviews: Audrey Dubois from “Day of the Dumpster” at RangerStop 6!

Hello to all of my beautiful nerds traveling the vast universe! I am back with another interview!

Audrey Dubois from Mighty Morphen “Day of the Dumpster!”

No, that is not a typo! Audrey originally played Trini in “Day of the Dumpster” which was an interesting fact. Why wasn’t she still her? Well, tried asking for more money is not the way to go back in the 90’s. What did I get to ask her? You will know in a minute with this video!

That is it for this interview! Next will be our last one from Ranger Stop and that is with Kat Sutherland from mighty Morphen, Zeo, and Turbo. Stay tuned for that and also my review on the latest Alex Verus book by Benedict Jacka. Until next time! Stay beautiful while traveling the universe!

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by moonleopard85 on December 9, 2018 • Video • Permalink

Posted in conventions, Interviews, Television, Travel

Posted by moonleopard85 on December 9, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/12/09/interviews-audrey-dubois-from-day-of-the-dumpster-at-rangerstop-6/

interviews: Sean C. W. Johnson from Light Speed Rescue!

Hello to all of my beautiful nerds traveling the vast universe! I am back!

Interview with Sean C. W. Johnson from Light Speed Rescue!

Time for another interview and this was one I wanted to do for a while since I have seen the season and that is with Sean C. W. Johnson who played Carter Grayson on Light Speed Rescue. As the convention got closer and I was packing more and more I was watching this season even though I also watched it for Jennifer Yen who started Pur~Lisse years back. I would love to interview her some day since skin care is important but glad to interview Mr. Johnson as well. What did I ask? Not only the usual but also about the Easter egg towards Mariner Bay in the 2017 Power Rangers movie and did try doing the Light Speed hand movements for the morphing phrase since if you see with last video if we interview any rangers they got to do the call from their respective season.

What is next in interviews? One cast member you probably haven’t met yet and got to interview her at Ranger Stop and that is Audrey Dubois who originally played Trini in the episode “Day of the Dumpster.” Stay tuned for that since the coverage is almost finished to make room for Holiday Matsuri 2018! Until next time stay beautiful while traveling the universe!

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by moonleopard85 on December 8, 2018 • Video • Permalink

Posted in conventions, Interviews, Television, Travel, Uncategorized

Posted by moonleopard85 on December 8, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/12/08/interviews-sean-c-w-johnson-from-light-speed-rescue/

Interviews: Mike Ginn from RPM!

Hello to all of my beautiful nerds traveling the vast universe! Welcome back! I am now continuing my RangerStop 6 coverage!

Interview with Mike Ginn from RPM!

It is the start of the interviews and man it was fun interviewing people from some of the other shows and the first is Mike Ginn from RPM! He plays Jem who is one of the android twins and Gold Ranger between the two. What did I get to ask him? You will see here!

What is next in the interview series? Why it’s Sean C. W. Johnson of course! You can keep up with us on Twitter @ Nerdy Shique! Until next time!

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by moonleopard85 on December 7, 2018 • Permalink

Posted in conventions, Interviews, Television, Travel

Posted by moonleopard85 on December 7, 2018

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2018/12/07/interviews-mike-ginn-from-rpm/

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Nerdy Shique Universe

All posts for the month December, 2018

Favorites: November & December 2018!

Haul: Collective December Beauty Haul!

Books: The Stolen Marriage by. Diane Chamberlain

Convention Impossible: Holiday Matsuri 2018!

Books: Marked by. Benedict Jacka!

Beauty: Ipsy December 2018!

Interviews: Kat Sutherland from Mighty Morphen Through Turbo!

Interviews: Audrey Dubois from “Day of the Dumpster” at RangerStop 6!

interviews: Sean C. W. Johnson from Light Speed Rescue!

Interviews: Mike Ginn from RPM!

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