Subscription Satelite: Glam Bag Plus September 2021

        Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I am back with another post!

Ipsy GB Plus September 2021

        The final bag is my Glam Bag Plus! I’m glad to get this last and it seems to be slightly better than my Glam Bag. This is going to be $28 a month starting next month and you get five full-size prestige to luxury brands in the drawstring bag. You also get to select three out of the five items on top of it. Let’s see what I got this month!

Il Makiage Color Boss Quad in Make Moods

        First up is another item from Il Makiage and it’s from their Color Boss Squad line and this time it’s an eye shadow quad. I remembered getting full-size singles from this brand and now I have a full-size pallet. I wished they described the shades in this since it only talked about how to apply on the page since you can go either wet or dry. I will use these since I already enjoy them and glad to have them in a quad.

Murad Clarifying Oil-Free Water Gel

        Murad’s back! Back again! I love this brand even if I must wait until it’s on sale during 21 Days of Beauty, which I will have a haul for that and in Hot Cash, stay tuned for those! This product is a moisturizer that helps acne prone skin and doesn’t cause pores to clog. What I like about this brand is that it’s amazing for sensitive skin. This is a day and night moisturizer which I can’t wait to use it. I am using two different moisturizers for day and night.

Nabla Shine Theory Lip Gloss in Renaissance

        Next up is a lip gloss from Nabla Cosmetics. I never tried these guys until I got three face products from them through Ulta recently. I decided why not try out their lip products. This is a lightweight formula that is not sticky nor gooey. Also, it’s a champagne shade that gives the lips a wet look. I was excited about this one since I heard good things about this brand through YouTube. So, essentially, yes, I had a YouTube made me pick it moment. I will be enjoying this!

Pretty Woman Fall Trio Polish Set

        My second item I picked was from Pretty Woman and I had a hard time choosing among the items in the first group until I finally decided this. I love nail polish and this is a trio of fall colors. The shades are a beige shimmer, a dark honey, and a burgundy in this set. At first, I didn’t want to pick due to not always wearing the beige and honey colors but I don’t mind trying new items. I will report back if I like these shades. I have tried this brand before and they do claim they are chip resistant but not on my hands!

Shades by Shan Bronzer in Walnut

        My final item is a bronzer from Shades by Shan! I do enjoy bronzers, especially the lighter colors. This is an easy to blend bronzer that is supposed not to look cakey. I will use this to try out something new. Hoping it does blend in well!

            That’s all for this post! I’m glad to try new things in my bag and happy to have Murad again since I love their skin care items. The Il Makiage product makes me super happy since I have a quad to play with. I will use the lip gloss on the weekends. Next up, will be my review on the makeup I used during RangerStop & Pop. Stay tuned!

Subscription Satelite: Ipsy Glam Bag September 2021

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I am back with a new post!

Ipsy Glam Bag September 2021

        My Glam Bag had arrived a day or two after my Allure Beauty Box. This bag comes with five deluxe samples and sometimes full-size items and costs $13 a month. Let’s see what I got this month!

BRTC Vitamin B Velvet Mask and Vitamin A Velvet Mask

       First up are a pair of sheet masks! I love sheet masks and glad to get these in my bag since it’s been a long time since I got sheet masks! These masks have Vitamin B5 which this one helps with sensitivity while the other with Vitamin A helps with moisture. I have to say is that I am glad I got these this month since my skin has been showing some sensitivity and dryness lately. I think it’s due to the weather since it’s been super wet lately and humid, so I will be using these to see how they help.

Ciate London Wonder Wink Mascara

        Next up is a mascara from Ciate London and it’s their Wonder Wink mascara. This mascara does the usual volumizing, curling, lengthening, and apparently defining the lashes. Also, this is great for all types of lashes, even the stubby ones. I can’t wait to use this and see how well it keeps my lashes long and voluminous.

Iby Beauty Carry on Two Face Pallet in Bon Voyage and Auberge

        Next up is a product that I did get the full product through Offers but I got this duo in my bag before buying the item. This duo contains a rose gold and a mauve shadow that also is good for the lids with rose hemp oil. I have used products from IBY Beauty for a while and even purchased their pallets through Ipsy and glad to get these to use if I want to do a two-shadow look or just break into the full-size pallet since that comes with nine shadows and fave products. I will see

Cokie Cosmetics be Bright Illuminous Concealer in Medium Beige

        Next up is a concealer from Cokie in Medium Beige. I think this is a bit dark so I may use it as eye primer instead. I did change my profile back to Light for my skin tone since they don’t have Light Medium as a choice. This item is supposed to be used to cover up dark spots and blemishes and the luminous elements are supposed to help with the blending and hiding. Again, I feel this is a bit dark so I will be using this for eye primer. Id di used to use foundation and CC Creams for that but will see how this goes since those were hard to put shadow on top.

SLMiss Glam M 15 Marble Blending Brush

        Final item is my choice and it is from SLMiss Glam I love these brushes because not only they are pretty but I do love the feel of them on my eyes and face. This one is a blending brush for the eyes and glad to get this one since I do love marble patterns. It is very soft so I will make sure it will be put to good use.

        So, that completes my bag! At first, I thought it was kind of okay but now looking at the items I am really liking the choices with the other items. I did change my profile so will see what October brings. I will try the face masks and the shadows for the most part. I will have to see how well the mascara works. Next up will be GB Plus! So, stay tuned!

Subscription Satelite: Allure Beauty Box September 2021

Subscription Satelite: Allure Beauty Box September 2021

Subscription Satelite: Allure Beauty Box September 2021

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe. I am back with a beauty box!

Allure Beauty Box September 2021

               It’s time for the Allure Beauty Box for this month! Don’t worry, no crappy blush serums this time with how horrible my makeup looked that time. This box contains six items for $23 that is based on brands that get featured in Allure Magazine. Let’s see what I got this month!

Sunday Riley Lighthearted SPF 30 Sunscreen

               First up is a product from Sunday Riley, this is the first sunscreen they have developed and it’s a pink toned one that goes on sheer without being chalky. The editors at Allure tried it on different skin tones and it is proven to be sheer. I must try this out for myself since I am getting into more sunscreens, especially mineral ones. I will be writing a review on what I used during Ranger Stop, which includes sunscreen so stay tuned for that. I will have to see how this feels. This retails for $35.

Raj Sha Liquid Gold Tonic

               Next up is a product from a brand I’ve never heard of and glad to try something new. This is a toner that exfoliates the skin and brightens it up while getting that dead skin off. It contains 5% glycolic acid and should be used every other day. I will have to try this since I do sometimes feel a little dried out and need some brightening during the week. I must use this when I don’t use my Murad exfoliating scrub. This retails for $50.

Acure Radically Renewal Serum

               The name is longer but I understand this is a serum from Acure, which is great to get a full-size of. It claims to help with fine lines since it contains retinol and turmeric. I have to see how this one goes because my skin can get sensitive at times. I am using the facial oil from my Glam Bag X that also has tomeryck as well and so far, it’s been going well. Let’s see how this one goes. This retails for $19.99.

Neat Dream Away Mineral Bath Salt

               Next up is a single dose pack of bath salts that is perfect for a week of standing on my feet waiting for my ride home from work. I also wished I had these after RangerStop. This envelope has salts made with lavender and eucalyptus to make it a dreamy bath. I will have to try these out since my body does ache after waiting for my ride sometimes and will enjoy.

Anastacia Liquid Lipstick in Trust Issues

               Last item is from Anastacia Beverly Hills and it’s their liquid lipstick. I never owned anything from this brand because I feel that it is overhyped. I did want to get the Jackie Eina pallet but it sold out through Ipsy apparently when they had it. This is a mulberry shade that stays put and is worn comfortably, which I know this will be put to the test since I do tend to eat a lot of snacks during the day. As well as drinking a lot of water on top of it. Let’s see how this goes!

               This box was not too bad since I do love getting skin care items a lot and with the fall coming through, it does sometimes cool down here in town. I wished I had the bath salts after our trip because my feet were killing me. No lie, when I got out of bed that Monday hoping to go to work, my ankles were hurting and I could not move. Therefore, by next year I will be in better walking shape. The serum and the toner are something I will use, especially the tonic on days I won’t use my Murad scrub. I will see how the items go. I will write a review on what I thought I tried so far from each box next month! In the meantime, next up is my Ipsy Glam Bag for this month!

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! It’s time for our convention review!

RangerStop & Pop 2021

So, last month RJ and I traveled to Atlanta for RangerStop & Pop 2021 and it was amazing! It was our first time doing an out of state convention since it was a goal to do one after our first start at MetroCon back in 2013. Besides the convention, I will also be talking about the trip and some of the places we ate at to give the full experience. But first is our disclaimer!

Disclaimer:

This review is based on thoughts and observations from the lead writer and her co-producer. Please respect their thoughts and opinions since they have gone through a lot through this trip.

Flight and Arrival

First is our flight! Instead of taking a road trip we decided to fly and it was easier with that. I booked with Delta since Southwest was not flying out of Daytona and American Airlines was adding an extra stop which cost extra to book. Glad Delta had a straight shot and it was an easy flight. The pilot did help me onto the plane since I did have my cane in hand. It was heartwarming to see the plane take off from the airport and heading north. When we arrived, that was when it was a bit rough. I did book a car on Priceline but when we got there and hoping to pay for the car at the desk, they did not mention a deposit had to be paid at the desk either. So, RJ did have his AAA discount and got a car from Hertz at last minute. So, we didn’t get any penalties for not getting and paying for the car from Dollar Rent a Car. I would say go with Hertz or Enterprise if you’re renting. I did check into the hotel over the Marriot to make sure we didn’t get there in time. At least we did and just spent all of Thursday evening in our hotel room. Which hotel is next!

Hotel

The Weston Buckhead was nice to stay at and we did wipe it down when we got to our room with anti-bacterial wipes to add some more cleanliness. What was interesting is that the hotel also had subterranean parking in the garage since there are times where parking can be a problem. I remembered this being an added issue at the World Center in Orlando during 2018’s Holiday Matsuri. Unfortunately, Florida is swamp land all over so that can’t be something to do but at least we had an easier time finding parking spots throughout the weekend, even near the elevators leading to the lobby area. The convention did take place on two levels for panels and the vendor room and press room which made it very convenient. Besides the convenience of the convention, the hotel was also surrounded by local restaurants and stores like Target, Kroger, even two malls. It made it easier for getting food delivered from local places. I did like how Uber Eats and Marriot did have a deal where you can get extra points for ordering take out. We did go out to a few places for food and will mention that next!!

Food

Like I said, there were a lot of local places around the area. It sure beats driving to different parts of town that are father away. We did get water from Kroger nearby but did get food from a few places. We did get food delivered from Corner Bakery and Farm Burger. The Corner Bakery had usual breakfast items such as pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, and I even ordered a cookie to snack on later Saturday. It was good! With Farm Burger, on the other hand, RJ did not like how the menu didn’t give that many choices like the extension of Culver’s but it did have things we tend to go for at some places here in Daytona. I did have a Create Your Own Beyond Burger which was really tasty. RJ did have the double bacon burger which he did enjoy. We did split an order of fries and onion rings. We did enjoy the onion rings and they were crunchy in a good way instead of soggy. For Sunday’s breakfast was good since we had DaVinci’s Doughnuts which were like Doug’s Donuts where they do gourmet and regular donuts. They also serve coffee. The donuts were small but filled you up after a few. We did have a nine pack to split. I did enjoy the maple and bacon one, cannoli, salted caramel, and forgot one more I had but they were good. I know we will have them again whenever we go back. And the best place I saved for last. As you probably know, RJ and I love Japanese food and two years ago our favorite place in Orlando, Aki, shut down due to their location being sold and had to close for good. It was very sentimental to us both and it was our all-time favorite authentic place, even when they served their food at the Japanese festival there. The place we found in Atlanta Friday night was Rousan’s. It was close to the hotel and man it was tasty! We ordered the Rock & Roll sushi, a chicken skewer alongside a pork one, and some vegetable tempura and Takoyaki. For anyone new to Japanese food, they are octopi’s dumplings that are breaded with bonito flakes and sauces. You can get a snack pack in Japan with these dumplings that I saw in one video. We did order our favorites we loved at Aki, RJ had the pork curry while I had the katsu don which is a rice dish with pork, scrambled eggs, and onions with sauce. They got it right since most places hardly do. The place that was supposed to replace Aki did their katsu don with tempura vegetables and pork and rice, while another place had their stuff separated and the rice in one bowl. Nope! Rousan’s did theirs the traditional way and should be that way as well. I hope we do get to go back and have more food from this place because they really hit the heart with their delicious food! I did post on Facebook that Atlanta has spoiled us with their local places. Kroger did have pretty good food like subs and chicken plates as well.

Guests & Vendor Room

The vendor room was good at this version of RangerStop. I felt I got more items during this one and had more to look forward to and find. I was not able to get any itaa bag items as I hoped but did find a few things like new coffee mugs to have my morning coffee in before heading for work during the week. We did find a stand that sold seasons of Power Rangers and we did pick up SPD, Lost Galaxy, and Wild Force. RJ was hoping to find Beast Morphers since some of the rangers were guests from that season. I was glad to get my paws on Wild Force since Netflix no longer had it and was sad not able to see it before it was taken off. Now I get to finish up the series and get it signed by the cast whenever they get invited back for either Atlanta or Orlando. The guests were amazing throughout the weekend and placed around the vendor room like in Orlando. We were able to meet the Time Force cast. Well, day one was when we met Kevin who played Trip, Deborah who played Katie, and Michael who played Lucas on the show. I did get to meet Jason Fondt on my own since RJ was busy in the press room. Unfortunately, Erin Cahill and Dan Southworth were not able to make it but hoping to meet them at a future RangerStops. We did also bring something for one of the anime guests which happened to be GetBackers for Jason Leigh Brecht to sign. I was deciding what to bring him after seeing him on the list of guests appearing and remembered he was on GetBackers as Ban. I did find the FullMetal Alchemist movie in the same box since we haven’t unpacked all the anime DVDs from the move. I figured Jason hadn’t signed GetBackers and I was right, he was surprised to see it and told Elizabeth Maxwell and Leah Clarke that it was one of his first works. We did talk with other guests including Johnny Yong Bosh and we did have a run in with Paul Schrier after being in the press room on Friday and ended up on the same elevator as Mercury Ranger Friday after dinner. We did visit Artists Alley and we will be sharing links from their tables so you can check them out. Just go down below. If you’re a screen reader user, you will be able to get to the Artist Links heading at the end of this post!

Panels

Like with Orlando, there were panels but on Friday and Saturday since we had to leave early Sunday get the rental car back. We did get video of panels but I do have a separate post about some of the panels I took notes on Saturday. I didn’t want to try recording anything after having focus issues years ago. RJ did get some press videos so wait for those videos when they are uploaded onto our YouTube. I did like how there was a voice actors panel since they were also including actors from My Hero Academia. It felt good to attend panels again after a year and a half without attending conventions. Just follow us on Twitter @ Nerdy Shique for the latest posts.

Verdict: Convention Accomplished!

This convention felt a breath of fresh air after being without conventions for over a year. I was glad we got the opportunity to do press at an out of state convention. It gave us a new environment to explore. I will do a post on things we have learned from our travels to Atlanta to help us when we come back and go to future conventions. We do have goals to attend OtaKon in Maryland and Anime Boston in Massachusetts. Heck, if we get to go, Canada for Con Bravo and TennoCon.I do have to give it to the volunteers because this was another convention that I had sighted guide. I remembered back at the Orlando version, some of the volunteers did help me get around the area since it’s hard to see the line ropes and where panels are located. Seeing that volunteers took the extra few minutes to give me sighted guide helped a lot. I wished most other conventions would give their time to do that. Thank you RangerStop for that and even Omni who also did that as well. The convention was also set up very well with being on two different levels for panels and vendors which made it easier to find and go where needed to be. Plus, It was more spacious in the halls than the Wyndham in my opinion. I hope we can get another opportunity to do another convention away from home. Heck, I still want to head back to MetroCon in Tampa. I do have one thing to say about improvements.

Needs for Improvement

Not all conventions are perfect but the only thing I have a bit of a gripe is that the websites for Orlando and Atlanta are hard to navigate with access software and they need to be worked on. Before this convention, I took a course through American Printing House for the Blind on how to create accessible documents. If you haven’t noticed but I have used what I learned to make the posts easier to navigate and read here even when you use access software. One thing the course does stress is the creation of headings which makes navigation easy. In Jaws and NVDA, we have the Headings and Links lists where a list compiles headings and links into an easy to navigate area to go from one heading to the next and the same with links. I notice how my screen reader tends to go to the bottom headings instead of the center of the website if I need to look at something. Another thing too is that when looking at the guests there were links that didn’t show their names but some letters and a few numbers next to their pictures. I can’t see photos but did get taken to their IMDB page. The only person who had their name next to their photo was Karen Ashley except that was not a clickable link. I would say it would be easy to have Guests as a heading and their names as clickable links for both sides of the websites. Best to create these things in word and then transfer over to the website creation. I did try contacting the team but didn’t get an answer, so hoping anyone on staff that is reading this, I am willing to talk about making the website accessible. Especially when accessing the events schedule even with he QR codes that were embedded on the badges, which that is another thing that needs improvement because not everyone’s devices could access them. RJ’s phone was able to access the schedule just fine when my phone couldn’t when it is an I Phone 12. I did meet with one of the other people who were promoting their convention in Artists Alley that he had issues also scanning the QR code. Not sure if it was device specific but it should be able to be scanned by any device, tablet or phone even with the latest software. Not sure how the event schedule was formatted but that is another thing that should be accessible to screen reading software. Again, I am available for a talk about accessibility!

Artists

I did mention that we dropped by Artists alley and with the return of cinventions, we want to include the artists that appeared at this convention so we can help them in being promoted. This also includes conventions that also promote themselves in the artists area as well. So, check these guys out with their links down below!

Dragon Wick Embroidery Facebook Page

Dragon Wick Embroidery on Instagram

InyoFace Art

@ Axel Error – This is their Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr handle in order to find them on the internet.

Artful Sunshine

PD Sean

K20custom

Morphin-Toku-Society On Instagram

Tim Bree 3D

Elsewyr Shoppe

Shannon Manor

Super R Illustrations

Joe Lisi

Burning Spear Comix

Tuskegee Heirs

Papa’s Stuff

Lady J Cosplay

Big Gold Belt Media

Geek Dunn Ryte

Elector Z Cosplay

HBCU Con

Metrotham Con

The Crafted Dragon: 334-462-3829, ask for Judy.

Alchemist of Avalon

Well, that is it for this review. Again, thank you staff at RangerStop & Stop for giving us the opportunity to cover the event. Hoping to come back next year or even just appear at Orlando again. Next up will be my Allure Beauty Box for a convention break before we start getting our videos up.

Convention Quadrant: RangerStop & Pop 2021 Review

Convention Quadrant: RangerStop & Pop 2021 Review

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I am back with a new post. 

What We Learned from Traveling to Atlanta

 I am still writing the RangerStop & Pop review, must add the links for the artists that appeared at the convention, so I decided to do this one as a buffer before that one. So, it was our first time traveling to a new state and city and we did learn some things and wanted to share with you guys in case if you need additional tips and might want to hit a convention out of your own state or country if you haven’t already. Let’s see what we got!

Create a Check List!

First up is creating a check list. During the packing process, I felt like I was packing all I needed and same with RJ but day of the flight we realized we left some items. We left our name tags I had created last year thinking we would cover press at one convention but never got that chance, so we finally got it and left them behind. RJ left his electric toothbrush and toothpaste which electric toothbrush! Also, realized he left his copy of Devil May Cry 5 so he could have it signed by Johnny Yong Bosh. I am thinking for now on I will have a checklist to make sure we packed everything for an out of state or inside Florida convention. Ever since we became a full-on website, we can’t forget the important items to use for our press ventures.

Doesn’t Hurt to Pay for Extra Room

What do I mean by this? Well, we had a bit of a small space when we got on the plane and of course had double beds at the hotel when it was just the two of us. I didn’t know that Comfort Plus on the plane meant we would be a part of First Class and would have more space to stretch our legs and arms due to how compact our seats were. I did try to get aisle seats for RJ, worked for the trip going but not the one back. I did feel some claustrophobia when we got into the airport after landing in Atlanta. So, we will be looking into First Class next time. While the hotel room, we did remember how we did have that sweet King Size during Holiday Matsuri 2018 and it was perfect. It looked like a bit extra but should’ve upgraded after seeing that option but felt more at budget. I guess I will investigate the king beds if it’s just us for now on.

Just Rent a Car in Person

So, all thanks to Nightly News, I figured to rent a car in advance due to how much people are starting to travel again and heard how rental cars would be scarce and expensive to rent. So, I downloaded Priceline and hoped to get a good deal and pay at the counter. What we thought was a good deal ended up having a deposit we were not expecting. So, RJ had to rent from Hertz and glad he had his AAA discount! Good thing that it was not penalized that we didn’t pick up the car in the end. For now, on, we are either renting in person when we get there or if we are placing a reservation then I will make sure I have the AAA discount code with RJ since he is driving the vehicle and I can’t of course! I may use Priceline for airline deals instead.

Get In Shape Prior to Travel

This is best for conventions since you will be on your feet most of the day or walking marathons all over an airport. I am going to focus on this since I was bent out of shape and even my feet were killing me and had to miss a day of work because I couldn’t walk. I used to be in good shape and able to walk all over just fine but after not being able to go to the gym after graduating years ago and of course the pandemic, I lost the ability to be on my feet very well even with this convention. I am always used to sitting at a desk all day and that didn’t help, and my watch even cried at me on Sunday after having a greasy burger for a high heart rate, that is why I will be doing my best to prepare myself for the next convention by being able to move and take the stand alerts more seriously. Once the gyms start opening again, we will be heading there again.

Add Something to Suitcase for Distinction!

What I mean by this is that is that everyone can have the same suitcase. A year ago, I had to replace my suitcases, yes, I had more than one due to my mom giving me the set of suitcases we used on the cruise back in 2007 and I used them and wrecked them. Our buddy Kristen even had a moment where the bar where you hold when pulling the suitcase broke during one convention, Holiday Matsuri by the way, and they left the bar in the parking garage. When we passed by it, RJ asked me if I want it back and said no and got rid of the suitcase. The final one broke after going to RangerStop 2019 in Orlando and decided it was time to buy a new suitcase. I got myself a Walmart card and got myself a purple rolling suitcase and was not expecting that most people would go for the same! Even Molly Berk also gets different colored ones for her mom to spot wherever they land. Apparently, more people had purple suitcases to do the same thing since everyone would have the same black cases and RJ saw other purple suitcases besides mine and found it after twenty minutes. I will be putting a Sanrio luggage tag on mine so it would be more distinct due to how bright it would be against my suitcase. Putting a distinct mark would help in finding the luggage since the tags they put are hard to find and sometimes the suitcase can fall in a different angle down the belt.

Double Check Battery Charger Packs

During the trip, RJ’s big battery charger ended up being broken. This tends to happen since I’ve noticed how my little Pikachu charger was no longer working when it came to charging my I Phone and didn’t want to go and test that on my lovely 12. It’s best to check and see if the battery pack is working fine before you travel and holding a charge while something is plugged in because parts do wear out over time and would help from waiting until you have some free time during the convention to go to Target and get one, which we felt we had hardly any. Which that grins me to the next tip.

Check Shipt Early On for Business Hours!

When we got to our hotel, we were exhausted from the flight and getting the rental did take a lot of time due to getting the long line and decided to see about getting items delivered the first night since we didn’t want to hit any stores now. I tried Shipt with Target and saw I was too late and same with other places. If we go anywhere and I need to use Shipt, I will make sure I do it early enough and get it delivered during dinner if we order in.

Well, that is it for this post now! This was our first trip out of state and who knows where it will lead us next with other conventions. We do have other goals to hit conventions in other parts of the states and even Canada but don’t mind the ones here in the Southeast even more in the 

Atlanta. Next would be our review on RangerStop & Pop as a whole, still working on getting the links and doing my accessibility skills for anyone who is using a screen reader. Just follow us on Twitter @ Nerdy Shique for the latest updates! Until next time!