Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! It’s that time again!

Bests & Worsts of 2022

Man, 2022 started off strong and then ended rough for me, RJ, and Tobi. I felt as though that it not only was a year of transformation but also a major dumpster fire towards the end. I bet you’re wondering, how so?

Passing My Classes At A New School

Last fall, I was admitted into George Mason University for their Assistive Technology Master’s Program. I had to leave the U. Mass due to my grades falling below the recommended provisional status to stay! Also, they thought I couldn’t read. Yes, let that sink in, they thought I could not read especially basic directions! If I couldn’t have been able to read then how could I read the application and other things? Yes, I use screen readers to read things out to me even while typing but I do also have Braille devices to read things on and I felt that I was being underestimated and doubted that I could pass a Master’s Program. Even one of the professors thought I should get into a face to face type program for this type of degree but Florida discontinued theirs at FSU due to lack of interest/ I did give myself some time before applying again and improved my Braille reading on top of it and did start the application around August and managed to get everything submitted and while attending the NFB Virginia Virtual convention I found out I got in with easier provisions. I did manage to meet said provision and passed my first four classes with B and above and even passed this semester again despite all the crap I went through with Nicole! I am about to hit my second to last semester and hoping to graduate at the end of 2023.

Moving Two Times

So, Tobi moved in with us during the summer due to some drama back in the place he used to live in when our buddy Rayne was still alive. Once things happened, the in-laws turned into slum lords and man it is something that caused him to lose contact with them once he moved in with us. We were great when we transferred to a two bed and two bathroom apartment in South Daytona but never thought they would blame us for the roach infestation. Well, leading up to our lease renewal we had a leak that started at our bay window and I heard some pops happening and it was the spot where the leak was heading towards in the ceiling that separates the living room from our dining alcove and that collapsed! It took until then for them to come by and take a photo and then fix it when I reported this leak two days before! Once fixed, more roaches appeared after having small groups showing up. We had a feeling that they came from the apartment above and the one across the way that left trash out for weeks on end without taking it to the compactor on property. Even HelloFresh boxes were outside their unit for two and a half weeks while we were leaving. We moved in and did some fumigation thinking that we brought them into the new space but actually the base boards were not sealed properly! How did we know? Well, fast forward to Tropical Storm Nicole. We were supposed to go to Orlando for RangerStop and hoped that the storm would clear up in time for us to head down there and stayed home during the night it hit and waking up that Thursday, everything was calm and good. We were about to pack up some last minute things and hit the road. While RJ went to grab his stuff in the bathroom, I went to the kitchen to make my morning coffee and stepped in a puddle in front of the closet that had our washer and dryer combo and asked why was there water inside? RJ came out to see it coming in through the front, then went to see it coming through the back at our sliding doors and then through the walls in our bedroom. He woke up Tobi and that is when we had a huge problem on our hands.. I am still mad at the property we used to live in and how they handled it, especially afterwards where they knew about the baseboards not being sealed properly and they did try checking our’s but our stuff was in the way. To be fair, we still were unpacking and both RJ and I were working and Tobi’s stuff was among the items in the living room. As someone who has moved for years now, we don’t just move a backpack, we have our items, especially the stuff we bought over time, RJ’s items of course, also Tobi’s. We did toss out my old pull out couch I had since 2010 and glad we did because that thing was not comfortable. Anyways, we did move back to West Daytona and glad we found a place with two beds and two bathrooms within a short time and also what we were told by current property managers that people were jumping ship to current place due to how the apartments were flooded at old one and one of them did work there and talked about Erma causing cars to float. If you are reading this and wanting to move to Daytona Beach, I don’t recommend SailPoint Bay nor Marina Vista because these places are near a river that would cause flooding. Yes, I did ask about that before moving in and was told about flood walls built after Matthew, except during Nicole dams were broken and that caused a lot of issues where water came from Port Orange into our area where the bay meets/ THis is where proper draining should be in place, I think that was not cleared in time for the hurricane. All in all, we are in a better area and now hoping that no hurricanes hit in 2023!

Best Series On Streaming: Moon Knight

Now onto the list! First up is the best series we have seen on stream. It was a bit hard but I did enjoy Moon Knight. I think this was better than Miss Marvel because of how the story was written, the characters were portrayed, and how Egyptian folklore was even told with gods having avatars in humans. I also liked how everyone interacted with Steve and Mark since they were the same guy with one god but each guy takes over in different ways. Even though Miss Marvel was good, I agree that some things are a little off such as how Marvel is now, hoping, bring the inhumans finally! I can’t wait to see what will be in store for the next season if they make one for Moon Knight.

Runner-Up: Obi Wan

Star Wars continued with another series on Disney Plus with Obi Wan which tells what happened to Obi Wan Kenobi after the third movie. This was also good and did get the runner up spot. It was good to see the rematch between Vader and Kenobi at the end.

Worst End to a Book Series: Ing of Midnight, the Final Book in Midnight Breed

I  know! Gasp! I felt as though King of Midnight was not the best ending to a book series as you know Midnight Breed has been my favorite vampire romance series. I felt with the last few books, well the last two, they were lackluster with how they were written. King of Midnight felt more like an adult version of Sailor Moon and wished it was better.

Best Documentary: Train Wrecked: Woodstock 99

This year, I started watching documentaries and one of them happened to be the one on Woodstock in 1999.I remembered MTV talked about how bad Woodstock was and how they were there at certain times of the weekend. After seeing what took place during that weekend, I was shocked! I already knew about Limp Bizkit causing the first bit of issues where people went wild with “Break Stuff” where they actually broke things. Bad songs to perform even though at that time some people were listening to these bands with angry songs. Papa Roach did have “Last Resort” as one example. The craziness continued with Fat Boy Slim in the rave hangar where a van drives in during the set with some unfavorable things going on inside and ending it with Red Hot Chili Peppers’ set where people dropped their candles during the vigil that was dedicated to what happened at Columbine that year. It started major fires and it keeps going. If you need something to watch, I definitely recommend this documentary.

Most Boring Game Release: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

In the past, Pokemon usually had big releases especially with pre-orders. Such as HeartGold and Soul Silver having the figures of their respective legendaries on the covers, Black & White  having the chance to get Victini in Castelia City, getting posters with their sequels. And having midnight release parties for X and Y, while with Scarlet and Violet, there was not much. The only pre-order bonus I snagged were the floral backpacks from Pokemon Center. I wished there was more to these games since new features have been introduced and would have been fun to have some more extras. I do miss some of the extra items you can get such as figurines, heck I would love a pin or even a special hat in what color version you get. If they do another big release for the next games, I hope they would have a better bonus. I’ve seen better pre-order releases for other games on the Switch, heck even for the other systems than these.

Best Collectibles: Sanrio Classic Plushies!

Earlier this year, Sanrio had released classic versions of the beloved Hello Kitty plush in her old overalls we all knew and loved. I purchased the bigger version of her and man she came big. I was able to hug her as usual and then later on around summer, they released classical versions of their other characters. I bought one of Kuromi and Pom Pom Purin in their bigger versions of course! Yes, they were pricey but they were worth getting their beloved classic versions. You may be lucky in finding a few left since the FOMO is real where you if you spot it you must get. Once it’s sold out then it’s gone.

Best Keto Snack Option: Bacon Jerky from Star Walker Farms

As you know, I have changed my diet since 2020 and I have tried some good companies with keto options and gluten[free as well. This year, I have tried some that I have seen on YouTube that I noticed on Facebook and seen just on Facebook alone and glad I got to try and one company I finally slapped my debit card with Apple Pay is Star Walker Farms. I love me some beef jerky and so far have preferred Prevail Jerky the most due to how good their jerky is and even went for their eight pack finally and finished it recently! I was glad to see turkey jerky and that was delicious! Stryve is still okay but wishing they had better strips of their biltong. The one that got me curious was Star Walker and their bacon jerky and I tried one of them and oh man! It is delicious! It’s basically bacon cooked and dried and does have a bit of crispness but tender. I am wanting to try some of the others they carry and may do so in the new year since we are planning to go back to RangerStop next year and may carry some of the bacon jerky along with Prevail.

Runner Up: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwiches by Chubby Snacks

This past year I finally got to purchase Uncrustables to hold me over until we moved into the newer apartment and did have to lose a lot of food after Nicole and got a new fridge once all of our food was tossed. The uncrustables did bring me some happiness and that was my miss for Chubby Snacks. This is a company that makes organic mini sandwiches with wheat bread and you can choose between peanut butter, sunflower butter, and almond butter with either grape or strawberry jelly or get the variety pack with all three butters and with all the jellies. One that they brought for the holidays with an option with chocolate hazelnut butter and OMG these are delicious! One thing though is to have a drink next to you because like with peanut butter sandwiches, you can get stuck with the chocolate hazelnut combo with these sandwiches. I highly recommend it!

Worst Subscription Experience: Hello Fresh

I know! Gasp! WWe tried out HelloFresh because Tobi had been sponsored by them through his Twitch Channel and we decided to help him out so he could pay bills. Me and RJ subscribed to try it out once and wished we hadn’t. I know my favorite YouTube personalities raved about this subscription and how good it was for meal prep, how it’s easy, and it was pre portioned for everyone. Unfortunately, their raves don’t line up with our rants. As in, reality is different from what you expect. The portions were not that big to begin with. We were given awesome sounding food such as meatballs with lemon couscous and mandarin beef bowls but the portions were small! Let me use my meatballs for example! When they sent me the beef it felt like a smaller pack you can get from Publix or Winn Dixie and that was supposed to make ten to twelve meatballs. The kind of meatballs you would make are the ones that come in the Chef Boyardee cans, as in tiny, round meatballs. I had Tobi make standard ones and they were big six meatballs and I ate the entire thing because RJ does not like couscous and that entire thing fed me up as one big meal when it was supposed to be a two person thing. Even when we filled out our profiles we were selecting for a family 1 to 2. And those portions can only feed one person if you eat the entire thing and the entire thing is filling. While splitting for two people, you are still hungry. I was still hungry after having the pork chops and salad thing RJ was given because his pork chops were small when I can get thick, boneless ones from Prine’s easily! Also, the pricing for something like this is not worth it either. It showed me the price breakdown and after eating some of the stuff it was not worth the pricing when you can get bigger packs of pork chops, ground beef, and other things for around the same price. Heck, four containers of couscous cost me $15 on AMazon alone.  Oh, also, the food did not react well with my stomach. I thought it was due to how much I ate of that entirety of meatballs and couscous but when I had the chicken and pasta thing the first night, I only ate half and I went straight to the bathroom! No bueno in my book! I do not recommend Hello Fresh to anyone guys, I am sorry! If you see anyone advertise Hello Fresh on YouTube like I do, just fast forward!

Runner Up: Glam Bag X from Ipsy

I loved Ipsy when I was a part of it for a few years and glad to get to try new products in skin care and makeup. When they brought on Glam Bag X, this was a new thing that replaced a tier that didn’t go so well. This one was great until the two for May and August. You get around seven to eight full-size prestige and luxury brands such as Sunday Riley, Alicia Keys’ skin care line, and even Quay which I chose those sunglasses as one of my things because of course I was happy to get them in my GBX instead of buying them online. It was great until this past May when I saw that my NudeStix blush stick was missing and had to ask for a replacement. The replacement arrived and it was another blush and lip tint I already got in my bag. Apparently they sold out and had to refund me. I was upset and will buy one at some point. I thought this would happen just once but I was wrong! August had Alicia Keys curating the bag and I made my choices and when my box arrived only half of it arrived. Tobi double checked the items and I was pissed! I took a screenshot of the page and sent it to Ipsy through Messenger and told them that only half of these arrived and they apologized. The First Aid toner sold out apparently but they were able to send me the replacements for the rest and my extra item and refunded me for the toner. If I am paying $55 for this tier, I am expecting to get everything in my bag not half of it and  I think Ipsy has the worst oversight for any issues that can arise when bags for any tier gets sent out. I did unsubscribe from Ipsy entirely and don’t know if I will ever go back but I am happy to get makeup and skin care I actually enjoy and have fun shopping for on the Ulta app!

I think I will end it here! This year did have some good things but of course we still have the worst. I didn’t include any movies because we didn’t catch much due to our busy schedules. Hoping next year will be better. Like I said we are trying again with RangerStop due to how we had to miss the entire weekend. We did book our room and now hoping we keep doing press and that it doesn’t disqualify us from not doing it this past year. I am thinking of getting VIP tickets so we can check out the events for VIP Pass Holders. What about the Omni Fandom Expo? According to their website, they couldn’t hold it this past year due to their schedules not aligning with staff members and I can see that being bad since our schedule was lining up due to my school work with some things too. I am hoping they do come back in 2023 since I have missed them and they were the only convention that sought us out early on and have done press for them ever since they started.  I am also planning to travel for my graduation if the winter storms are not as bad as this past Christmas. I did ask about the weather in Virginia in winter and was told they are mild. My co-worker did tell me it does get cold and I believe it. I will make sure I wear my George Mason hoodie since I picked one up so that I can do it when working hard enough. I did get myself a class ring at the start of the semester after my refund came in and got it to show I am halfway through the program and keeps me going while wearing it. 

For Nerdy Shique’s sake, I will be going back to YouTube! I have pre-ordered some makeup and am hoping to get a new makeup video up. I am sorry for not doing any new videos at the new place due to how crazy things got during 2020 and 2021. Hoping to have more content up before RangerStop and possible return to Omni. Now hoping someone doesn’t flag it like with the Naked Ultraviolet look video I made. Oh yeah! A troll asked for it to be taken down and they are not into makeup! There was nothing wrong with the video either. I am also starting reviewing books again and other parts of media to keep things fresh after unsubscribing from Ipsy, Allure, and Glossy Box. I will do some makeup stuff, I was planning to do one Cosmetic Controversy post and will be doing that at the start of 2023. So, stay tuned for everything in 2023 and hope you all have a safe New Year! Until next time!

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd univerSe. Time for a new technology post!

Braille Device Showcase

As an Assisitive Technology Instructor, there are times where new technology encounters happen. I have been into different technology as it comes out and have some of it and it is in the braille device group. After having these since last spring, I am able to talk about these and it would be great to pass on this information to other visually impaired people. I have a feeling that some of you may be wondering, isn’t braille dead? It’s not actually, all thanks to new devices being developed over time, note taking has made braille a writing system that is as important as listening to audio books. I even use it for reading since I am about to head back to school this month. Shall we take a look with what I have but first I need to put this in!

Disclaimer

Using these devices is based on my personal experience. Please respect my thoughts on each device and what I’ve experienced. What you experience is not the same as other people’s experience. You’ve been warned.

Chameleon from American Printing House for the Blind

First up is the Chameleon from the American Printing House for the Blind. This is one of the newer displays to arrive last year and when I got my college refund I decided to pick one up. I’m used to the Ps style keyboard after using the Braille Sense U2 and Polaris for a few years and this one is smaller than these and the others I will be talking about. Plus, it’s very lightweight which had me take tThe Mantis is on my radar but may have to wait for another time to get his with me to RangerStop & Pop. Learning it was pretty easy with the built-in user guide and the chords are different since it not only requires the space bar with some of them, I mean space bars due to having two of them, but also the backspace and enter which gives some variety and it’s pretty responsive with each of them. One drawback is that there is a circular button which is the back button with the thumb keys to go line by lineThe back button takes you back to the main menu. You have to be careful with this since I tend to hit this by mistake even while typing.I do like to use this as a braille display with my Windows laptop and phone for a quick note.

Orbit Reader 40

To be honest, the Orbit Reader 40 is best for reading. This was the newest addition to the Orbit line alongside the 20+ and after purchasing this, I felt that I kind of regretted it and wished I got the 20+ instead because that had better reviews so far. I may get it this one down the road too, I will have to see how this year looks. It was pretty lightweight but the layout was different from the Chameleon since there were directional buttons along with the select key in the center of these arrow keys. THe arrow keys and the select key were used for certain menus and to select files that were on the SD card or a thumb drive. I can use the Orbit 40 as a display however it does not connect to everything it says it’s supposed to connect. Such as the Windows laptop with JAWS, it is supposed to use the Vario Ultra 40 as the emulation but it was not working even with the drivers you need, which I did install and still not working. Apparently, they are making their own but hadn’t seen any updates as of late, I will see if it’s ready in the next few weeks. It does connect to my phone and my Chrome Book very well though. Again, I rather use this for reading and get the 20+ and see how well that works. I(it’s sad that the smaller one has better reviews than the bigger one. Another drawback is that you have to download the updates, except the updates are hard to access. The best way of having them work is reading the directions they provide and just connect it to a Windows computer to install them.

QBraille XL 40

This one is more of a hybrid display because it is not only a Perkins style display but also a QWERTY style as well due to having keys you would find on a regular keyboard. I had Blind Services purchase this for me while still being in UMass Boston and my Mac Book they’ve gotten me didn’t have function keys due to the touch bar. I prefer having the physical keys since it’s hard for me to access the touch bar at times so I justified that issue. It works really well with the MacBook if you don’t have the function keys, apparently Apple has put them back on the newer Pro models which I guess that some people had issues as well with the touch bar or probably not liking it. If you’re wondering, the function keys on the Q Braille do work like they do on the Mac and would do the same if you use it with the PC. You can also use it to read books and for note taking and save onto the included SD card. One drawback though, the updates have to be downloaded from the internet and placed on the SD card. I suggest doing it on a Windows computer since it didn’t work on the Mac when it comes to downloading.

Braille Note Touch Plus

I will not try to talk too much about this one alongside the final one I will be talking about because I have a bog review on them both as a comparison and contrast post and best to see what I think about them since I’ve had this one close to a year and the next one, the Braille Sense 6, since fall after getting my Polaris upgraded during the summer. This is a tablet and a Braille display in one due to having a touch screen underneath the keyboard. This one has the apps a student can use such as Easy Reader, the Keysoft Suite, and more. It also has the Playstore for apps that can be used on top of it. Like I said above, I will be using this for school since I have some of my textbooks on Easy Reader which I will talk about more in the next review post.

Braille Sense 6

Finally, the newest addition to H. I. MM. S. and all I have to say is that this baby is faster than Polaris. Way faster! When I had my Polaris, it took about five minutes plus to load an app or file and usually that doesn’t take that long to do. I’m glad for the added speed and it is a very good upgrade from the Polaris since there are more things added such as Bookshare Download and having quieter keys. I will go into more detail with this and the BrailleNote Touch Plus since H. I. M. S. did have a webinar comparing this one with the BNTP except it was a bit unfair. To be honest, I did use products from this company for years but the BNTP has some things that are as good as the Braille Sense 6 and will talk about it in the review post.

Well, that completes this post. If you enjoyed these devices, I would say take a look by visiting different vendor websites. You can go to the company websites for Orbit Research, APH, H. I M. S., and Humanware but A. T. Guys, Emerald Coast, and ccc Vision Tech are also good places to check these devices out. And if you’re in Orlando at the end of this month, A. T. I. A. will be taking place and these companies do demo their devices in person. They even demonstrate at the American Council of the Blind and National Federation of the Blind conventions in case you can’t make it out to A. T. I. . What’s next? My Glam Bag for January! Stay tuned!

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! It’s that time again!

Bests & Worsts of 2021

Today marks the end of 2021 and man this year has gone very quickly! I hope 2022 is a better year since it is going to look up. I do have some categories to include in this year’s Bests & Worsts so let’s get to it!

Worst Thing of the Year: CoVid!

Obviously CoVid has been the worst it has been since it came over to the states a year ago and I wanted to give you all my thoughts. I was hoping, like everyone else, it would start slowing down and we could get back to a semi-normal state with the rise of the vaccine. Unfortunately, people were not getting vaccinated either because they were against vaccines, they were wary of it, but I do understand if you are allergic then don’t get it but seriously, herd immunity is a big thing and all thanks of not having enough people we do have new strands such as Delta, Landa, Mu, and now Omicron. If this keeps going, there will be vaccine resistant strains and we will be doomed. So, please get vaccinated and get the booster if you already have been vaccinated. Plus, we had a super spreader event or two happen, one took place at Holiday Matsuri where there people without masks in a lobby party and people got it. At least when we were in Atlanta, we went to our room for any down time to keep ourselves safe. Still, next year, I hope we don’t hit Omega and that vaccination will resist strand. I am still wearing my mask, same with RJ, but I want to be out of these woods like most people would!

Best Moment: Covering a Convention Out of State!

Ever since doing press back in 2013, I made a goal to at least to do a convention of state. I heard DragonCon was hard to get press, that was out the window, ComiCon that would be harder, Otakon and Anime Boston are still on our radar. Even RJ wants TennoCon in Canada. We did start off with RangerStop & Pop in Atlanta, Georgia. I asked and we got the passes. I am fixing the press kit though to make it simpler to look at our work over the years but this was a great opportunity for us. We may be taking a hiatus at the start of the year but we do have our room booked for RangerStop Orlando since it was a big cost but worth it! We got to enjoy a new city, new places to eat, and got to meet some of the people we did not get to meet at Orlando conventions such as Jason Leighbrecht finally! Also running into Paul Shrier. It was fun, hoping we can make another but we are going to be around for one Orlando one at least for 2022 if no CoVid issues arise! Also, Atlanta did spoil us and I do want to go back and visit Six Flags Over Georgia since I hear that is a blast! I confess, I have never been to Six Flags and I do watch people like ElToro Ryan, Defunct Land, and other theme park enthusiasts. Again, we want to go back, even for another Atlanta convention in the future or other places. If you’re at a convention and want to give us a chance, just contact us!

Album of the Year: Rise Against, Nowhere Generation

Next category is Album of the Year and I give it to the band Rise Against with their latest album, Nowhere Generation. I liked this album more than the Wolves album because it had really good tracks and it is almost

 as great as both End Game and Siren Songs of the CounterCulture. I hope some of the songs will make the next Ghost Note Symphonies volume which they need to do another one and soon.. I am planning to do a post on which songs I want to see on that.

Series of the Year: Loki

Yes, there have been new series popping up on the Marvel side but I would have to give it to Lokio. Yes, I gave Hawkeye a great review, Falcome & Winter Soldier was great and Wanda Vision was excellent, but Loki was the one that stood out to me. Hiddleston did an amazing job in this series and the cast was really great in how they did everything. Even though Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson interacting with each other was great, I still love the part of ruining his lunch explaining what the variant was doing. The ending hook was even great, which I can’t wait to see what season two holds.

Anime of the Year: Re:Zero

I have to give it to Re:Zero here because with the end of season two, the storyline is making us want more and we have a feeling that there would be more in the works!At least we got to see more of Amelia’s past and how she was able to become more confident. Hope to see that with the next season once that’s under way.

Movie of the Year: Shang-chi & the Ten Rings

I bet you’re wondering, why didn’t I put the new SpiderMan film on this Honestly, I liked this one a little more since it brought back the ten rings bit from Iron Man 3 a while back. I did like the fighting in this one and it did still have the Marvel comedy flare with it too. I admit I liked the sister wanting to make a place in the business by not being in the shadows. Can’t wait to see how Shang-shi becomes more involved in the Marvel Universe.

Funniest Moment: Jordan of New Found Glory Dressed as Elsa from Frozen

I had to include this since we did catch New Found Glory at the House of Blues after one of the guests on Radio Dead Air announced everyone was starting to tour again. During “Let It Go,” I was not expecting Jordan to dress up as Elsa from the movie. RJ was confused with the Frozen clip when I explained that they did the song from the latest edition of From the Screen to Your Stereo. Heck, he would be Fiona if they were at the Hard Rock doing “Accidentally in Love.” He was also very dedicated doing the show with a cast on his leg after hurting himself in Pennsylvania. He wrapped LEDs around his leg for the glowing magic bits to go with the dress. Still makes me laugh when I listen to the song on my phone.

Best Convention Moment: Meeting Jason Fondt Again!

When going to RangerStip & Pop this year, it was the twentieth anniversary for Time Force, which got me really excited about going. Still sad that all six rangers weren’t there but it was worth meeting at least four of them and getting my copy of the series signed by them. Need to put the photos on Facebook since I put them on my external hard drive recently. Anyways, what I was not expecting was when I met Jason Fondt again. I met him during 2015 with Dan Southworth and he asked how I was able to enjoy Power Rangers despite being blind and told him it was due to the sound effects and how Time Force was my favorite season. I was not expecting to be remembered from long ago. He did recognize me but surprised I remembered the conversation. I do have that kind of memory. I do have the keychain he had given me on my key ring which I will never forget. Hoping Orlando gets some of the cast for next year since Atlanta is having Erin, hoping they can get her for Orlando as well. I will keep an eye out!

Merchandise of the Year: WarFrame, especially the Lotus Pendant!

This year, WarFrame has been killing it, especially with the new storyline they just did for the game. Even Matt Pat did a Game Theory episode on the game recently. I know I did put WarFrame on the Decade list even though it was short of ten years, I will mention it again soon. I have to give it to them for their merchandise this year. Digital Extremes has made a lot of new things when it comes to shirts, bags, even pins which I did go back for the portrait pins pack set one since I got the second one during the pre-order. We also have the shirts, the TennoCon pack, but one that stood out I did pre-order was the Lotus Pendant. It’s her logo on a chain which was pretty. I will be putting this in a WarFrame ita bag I’m planning to make when the space themed bag I funded on Kick Starter arrives. This is a nicely made pendant and it may be the centerpiece since the Lotus does take care of the operators in the storyline. I did enjoy the story that involved her this time and they do have a new shirt with her logo but may wait for another day to pick that one up. I did pre-order the patches for my ita bag though.

New Up & Coming Anime: Eden’s Zero!

I know some people feel like this is a rip off of Fairy Tail even with some of the character designs but it does have that same feel but with a space theme to it. We are still watching the first part of the season and this is one that should get a mention. I would say don’t knock it without a chance. That’s what I did with Fairy Tail and loved it, need to finish it still, but Eden’s Zero is something that should be given a chance too. Plus, the first theme is very catchy!

Outlook on 2022

Now that was a lot! I am looking forward to the new year! I am hoping things become better with the pandemic and hoping it ends and we can get back to a better normal. I did say I am starting at a new school since U.Mass Boston didn’t go so well. This is more what I want in a program when it comes to Assistive Technology since it focuses on the technology and it has a different certification dealing with the engineering aspects. I do like how technology works and how it could work for someone like me. I am going to be posting something on my thoughts about both the BrailleNote Touch Plus and the Braille Sense 6 and how I compare and contrast between the two since I have both. I would say look for that in the new year. I won’t forget about the blog, I am not sure with Nerdy Chique Transmissions since I haven’t posted much on there as of late. With the YouTube Channel, not sure about when I will post my next MakeUp Forgotten video, I still want to do that series but due to someone putting a copyright strike on my Naked Ultraviolet palette, that is causing me to be hesitant, let’s see what happens! I am still working on Rose Thorns of Love and will be pushing for a 2022 release once that’s edited and done. So, next year will be big. Make sure you follow us on Twitter! Next up, I will be talking about the different Braille devices that I’ve tried so far and what my experiences have been with them. Stay tuned!

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I am back with my second to last post for 2021 and it will be this one!

Favorite Items and No Items from Subscriptions 2021

So, I did this last year where I talked about my favorite products from my subscriptions. Will be doing this again but will do it month by month. Let’s see what I liked each month!

January

When it comes to January, Ahava seems to be the top form in my Glam Bag with their Mineral Hand Cream. I found this well moisturized and my hands soft after washing my hands. All thanks to CoVid, I loved how hand creams or lotions came in my bag. While with Glam Bag Plus, the Larus Denim Brush Set has been a lot of help when it comes to my brush game. It felt good to use one of the face brushes and that was the powder brush. I do mix my brushes together when it comes to using the different  brands and Larus has been one of my favorite brands. When it comes to BoxyCharm this past year in January, I did like the Farmacy Greens Moisturizer. I did enjoy the bronzer pallet I got from Ace and the shadow pallet from Ciate but the moisturizer beats them. I felt I got more use out of it since it was a day moisturizer and felt cooler in the day since it does get warm in Florida. Boxy in January 2021 was not too bad since I did cancel this past year.

February

February was an interesting one. With the Glam Bag, I did use the F. A. H. R. A. Brushes Flat Foundation Brush the most and found that this did blend my foundation. I think I used it more for bronzer since I found the control with a flat top around my outer corners of the cheeks. I think I washed this brush recently and it has been soft ever since. I canceled my No Make No Life box during February since I didn’t get my box until February when it was my January one. It pissed me off when I’m paying $45 for it to ship to me from Asia and yes, I understand the pandemic caused some issues in shipping but I felt like I was ripped off. I feel the item I liked most was the Pokemon collaboration with Lovisa and that is the blush stick which I got the Eevee stick. I brought this with me to Atlanta and it came in handy. I have been enjoying blush sticks since it’s easy to use without accidentally putting on too much. I am still on the fence of returning but I did sign up for another box during the year and will announce another at the end. February also brought in the new level to Ipsy with Glam Bag X as a replacement for GB Ultimate. I did sign up for this level since I get more luxury items instead of buying them from the store. I have to give it to the Patrick Ta Monochrome Moment blush in She’s So Adorable. This is a really nice blush and loved it so much that I got an add-on a few months later of another shade. I will keep using this blush! I don’t have anything in BoxyCharm since I haven’t used the pallet yet which I need to find. I did use the essence but stopped using it during this past year since I prefer facial oils. Now can you see why it was leading to a cancellation?

March

I would have to give the Banana Souffle moisturizer my favorite part for March’s BoxyCharm since I did enjoy the sample I got in my Glam Bag. I started using this when I found it in my room and was glad to find it and man it’s a good size. I have to be careful with what skin care products I pair this with since it can give off a tingling sensation unexpectedly.

April

Due to school, I didn’t have time to post my bag. Sorry!

May

I gave it to Linette Lapour perfume I got in my May bag. I like the scent because it is pretty sweet and glad it was a great size for a sample too. I will keep on using it as time goes on. I did cancel BoxyCharm and didn’t post about my April box due to crunch time and did withdraw from school at the time. Like I said, I canceled because it was getting boring and not only that they don’t pay attention to surveys which is weird with how they put up a survey to understand their members more and their interests. I am still mad when they said not to send me lashes anymore and they still sent them. Sorry Boxy, I may not come back this time.I also had to skip GBX to slow down the bags I’ve been getting. I was sad but it had to be done.

June

I started getting my subscriptions again in June and out of my GB Plus that month, the Christof Robin Hair Cream was amazing! It did help with the frizz during the summer since my hair tends to hate humidity. I live in a very humid state and I wished I also had it during RangerStop & Pop but I don’t think the tube would make it with me. But hey, glad I got to try it! I do have to give an honorable mention to the SL Miss Glam Rainbow Brush Set since I love this brush brand a lot and will continue getting their brushes. I think the only thing I have used from the Glam Bag was the First Aid Beauty Mask and felt it was calming until I lost the tube. I didn’t really use that weird Gwa Sha item since I didn’t see any directions that help. Not sure what had happened with the face primer sample and its replacement, alongside the shadow duo. I did use body lotion as hand cream at work. Besides the First Aid Beauty item, I think June;s bag was kind of disappointing. 

July

It’s hard to say which item was my favorite from July’s Glam Bag. The only thing I thought was just okay was the First Aid Beauty Hello Fab Coconut Primer Moisturizer. I did say in that post that you don’t get that many results from the sample alone, I was hoping this would be something on the 21 Days of Beauty radar but it wasn’t. I do enjoy First Aid, I may have to get the full-size of this moisturizer to see how well the product goes. It does prime my skin for sunscreen though. 

August

August welcomed Allure Beauty Box back to my monthly routine. To tell you the truth, I missed this box despite how boring it got before, now it got better over time from what I’ve received. I even traveled with a few things from my subscriptions which made it easier for Atlanta by the way. Can I say something that did suck from this box and that was the Beautinique Blush Serum in Magenta Sky. Oh god! That was the worst product because it gave me angry, red stripes rather than a cute flush. It would have been better if it was muted or a lighter pink like Living Doll from Hard Candy. I am using better cream blushes after tossing this product because it was just horrible! If Allure puts this brand back into a box, no blush serums or to the brand itself, make a powder blush please! If you want to do a serum, make it a flush rather than a strong one. I do give major props to the F.A.R.H.A. Brushes Rose Gold Blender I got in the Glam Bag which was a winner during Atlanta. I took the Urban Decay shadow in Charger to go with the new shirts and using this shadow brush made it blend very well. I did have a weird event where near my inner corner my shadow was wiped away and I know why, I cleaned too close for comfort and stopped doing that since my shadow tends to go bye if I did that. Glad I got this brush! And with Glam Bag X that month, I gave it to the About Face Face Powder in Smother! For GBX for August, Halsi had her hand in giving out her brand and she put in the highlighter in Smother and it is very smooth when it goes on. It is an icy lavender from what I remembered. It is pretty pigmented. I sometimes reach for this one more since it is in one of my Caboodles on my vanity and I can run my WayLink when I need to to see if I got the right item. I hope to get more shades in this product!

September

September brought on new brands for me and that was Nabla. I got interested in this brand all thanks to Angelica Nyquist talking about them and Ulta started carrying them. some of their products did hit the 21 Days of Beauty Radar for me and did get them. THe item I got in my GB Plus for September was their lip gloss which was a shimmery gold. It’s been a long time since I got a gold lip product and it was pretty! I had to wear it during my off time but it felt good and I may get more shades from this line or wait until the next 21 Days of Beauty if they are in the next one for half off. I also did enjoy one of the Pretty Woman polishes since I wore one during THanksgiving break since it is a fall trio after all. Wishing that it does not chip so easily on one hand though. I think the only thing I used from the September Glam Bag was the brush I chose that month which was a marble design brush. It blended my shadow very well. By the way, the brush is from SL Miss Glam! Anyways, for Allure, I would have to give it to Acure for their serum because it has helped my skin stay hydrated during September.

October

With October’s Glam Bag, it was a skincare wonderland which I have been noticing with my bags lately. I am not complaining but at least with this one, I would say my favorite item was the Shasin Rabbits Cleanser. I have been enjoying K Beauty items even with Tony Moley the most. This was a good sample and it didn’t irritate my skin either even with it having charcoal in it, it just gave me a nice clean. I hope to get more items from this brand. With GB Plus, I give it to the Araceli Gel Pencil Duo, I only used the rose gold pencil from this for any looks that would require this to match. It does glide on. I wish to get more rose gold pencils than black ones. I do love rose gold! With Allure, I would have to give it to the First Aid Beauty Cleanser because I feel this worked out better than the Hello Fab Primer Moisturizer. I liked how it didn’t mess up my skin since this brand is known for being sensitive skin friendly. I may have to get a full-size of this during a 21 Days of Beauty!

November

November brought on new things for me to try but didn’t try them all. For Allure, I give it to the Eyeko Lash Curler. I have enjoyed items from this brand and this is a favorite by far. I have been enjoying using lash curlers before putting mascara on and this is one of those I love to reach for in my kit. You can’t go wrong with a lash curler and glad they included this. I also want to give an honorable mention to the Tarte Quick Stick in Rose Gold and Black because I got the Taupe one recently. I love shadow sticks and so far this one is a good one too! From GBX, since it was up for November, is the Huda Beauty Diamond Balm in Seductress! This is a really good product and it does give a nice quick shine without being heavy on the lips. I just took this with me when I went to a Christmas party to go with my one shadow look that night. I definitely want to re-purchase this when I run out! While Glam Bag, I give it to the CTS Calming Toner. This was very calming and it did last me pretty well during the month. I didn’t have much of a break out and it did help me remember to put on toner during the morning only.

December

I didn’t use much of my Allure box but so far I do like some of the products. I do have to say the Neom Body Butter did make my hands feel good so far and I need to keep using it and same with the other products. With GB Plus, you may find this surprising but I do like the Anastasia Dip Brow Gel. At first it made my bros itchy when trying it on but most products off the bat can cause weird things but it calmed down after wearing it a few times more. It does keep my brow hairs in place so I will try a darker color since their idea of Chocolate is different from NYX. Not too bad! And the Glam Bag, the Pistache Hydrating Cream was nice but gone too quickly because I feel that there was not enough in the tube. Would be better as a GB Plus product so it would be full-size but it was good to try out. I may have to get another tube of this in the future.

Wow! That is one full year of things. I know it sucks that I had to let go of No Make No Life and BoxyCharm but if you’re waiting for a box for close to a month, I think you;re better off just leaving it. I love No Make No Life for the idea of K Beauty and Japanese products but the shipping was not worth it especially if it won’t come until the following month. And BoxyCharm, if you’re going to have members fill out surveys then pay attention! Also, I felt like some of the products I got were more of leftovers from Ipsy, plus now they are partnered with Ipsy, so I rather stay with Ipsy even though looking at my last few bags of 2021, Glam Bag Plus and X have been blowing it out of the water so it needs to catch up. I do like the idea of trying new things out in sample form before buying. Isn’t the point of sampling? I did just join Glossy Box because of Theresa is Dead and I used her code to get my first one for $16 and hoping that won’t be too bad, It did catch my interest over time and yes you do get samples but I don’t mind sampling something before getting a new item to try out or the full-size. I will stay with Allure because they have gotten better and I do like some of the items they brought into the box. I need to use my stuff from December but I got RJ’s cold during Christmas and have been sneezing and coughing so it would be hard for me to do my makeup if I was covered in snot. Next year, with makeup, it will still be the same since I rarely buy things as much as I used to at Ulta or Target or anywhere else since I have so much skin care and makeup items. What is next? Bests & Worsts of 2021!

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I’m not feeling well due to RJ getting sick, don’t worry it is not what it is, it is just a cold. I do have a review for the post holiday!

Hawkeye Review

Disclaimer

This review is based on thoughts and opinions of the dead writer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts on this mini series. You’ve been warned!

So, Hawkeye came out and just finished in time for Christmas. RJ and I have enjoyed this series and let’s see what it’s about!

Synopsis

Christmas has arrived in New York City and Kate Bishop was hoping to enjoy it with her mother while Clint Barton hoped to do the same with his family. They were wrong! After finding out her mother found herself a fiance who went to an underground auction, she takes something that was on bid, the Ronin suit which catches major attention, including Clint’s. Now Clint has to take on old enemies in the city before making it home for Christmas, including the daughter of one enemy and of course Kate finds out some news about her mother she was not expecting as a gift. Will they save New York before Christmas?

THoughts

This was a really good mini series especially to watch around the holiday season. To tell you the truth, we did catch up with some of the Marvel movies with Black Widow and Ten Rings to get an idea of what would lead to SpiderMan: No Way Home. I know I didn’t review Falcon & Winter Soldier and Loki but I did have a lot going on and I would fangirl during my review of Loki, which you all know, I love Hiddleston as Loki and even got some merch. I feel that this would be better to do the review since it did give us good entertainment during Christmas time, even with Eden’s Zero which is Hiro Mishama’s new project, which you will have a review of in the future.

This mini series did pick up very well where Black WIdow left off at the post credits scene since it pointed out Hawkeye in that scene. Makes sense it did take on the story before End Game and gives us what happens to Natasha’s sister in the post scene which of course she does appear in the series to take revenge. At first, I thought it took on too much with the enemies since we not only get the Tracksuit Mafia but we get introduced to Maya, whose father was killed by Ronin. What I didn’t find out was that Maya is deaf he actress is really deaf but she knew how to act in this series. My co-worker revealed that Disney has hired people to make sure they are acting well when it comes to playing people with disabilities. It is important since there were some issues in the past where interactions and how people acted with the disability weren’t doing it as some hoped. One example Ben Affleck Daredevil vs. Charlie Cox Daredevil. Yes, they got hit by chemicals that enhanced the senses more and One important part is of course the cane work. I haven’t seen much of the Charlie Cox series but I will see it with audio description, but one thing I did like about Hawkeye is that they had the interactions with Maya go well with everyone. As in, how they signed to her and how she responded, which included signs and lip reading. Even Jeremy Rener had to take it on when meeting her which he also did well. I was really impressed since people with disabilities in media need more representation and need some guidance even if they are acting or not and should guide the actors to interact or be the character themselves. Way to go Marvel and Disney, that is a major plus in my book. But the enemies do make sense in this series since of course it is New York and we have to bring people from the past to fight our heroes, which that’s next!

The interactions with Clint and Kate were amazing. At first, we get the whole, “What the heck are you doing here?” Like most heroes would have, for instance even Batman had the same thing going on with all of his Robin hopefuls. But as the series goes on, it shows how well they work together, especially building the arrows! Kate does make a point, Clint is one hero that doesn’t need to save the day with lasers or having to fly. They just use arrows! WHen you look at it, Green Arrow was the same way with his series over on the DcW. Who needs lasers when you have an arrow that can shrink people with Pym Particles? 

Rating: 5 Shooting Star Paws Out of 5

This was a really good mini series for what it showed. It did bring in what took place during Black Widow and after that since of course things get serious in this series. Yes, I did see that the enemies were a bit much but as the series went on you do have to face the past in order to take out enemies. I can’t wait to see what else happens with Hawkeye since we are getting more Marvel movies in 2022, one of them being Dr. Strange 2 which makes us happy! We have not seen Eternals but we are waiting for that to hit Disney Plus. I hope to see another series for Hawkeye since there is supposed to be a second season for Loki and Falcon. I want to see how Late trains all thanks to Clint and who knows if we see the next season or in another movie. Who knows?

That is it for this review! It feels good to get these out once in a while as a break from makeup! WHich next I will be doing with my favorite items from my boxes! Stay tuned!

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I am back with the last Allure Box of 2021!

Allure Beauty Box December 2021

This is the last box of the year and I’m glad to be back with them. As you guys know that I quit BoxyCharm earlier this year due to their disregard to my not marking lashes and they sent me lashes and also I was beginning to get bored with their box. When I saw this box pop up again I decided why not get back into it and it has gotten better. You get six items based on what gets included in their magazine and what editors love. You get a range from prestige to luxury and get a mix of full-size and deluxe which is pretty nice. I like the idea of getting deluxe sizes of some items to try to get an idea of what the full-size item is like. THis is $23 a month and let’s see what I got!

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner

First item is from Charlotte Tilbury. I never tried this brand due to how pricey some of the products are and hearing that I would be getting a lip liner in this month’s box through email I was excited. Not only that you got to choose a shade as well. I was happy about this since it gives me the chance to choose something. Yes, BoxyCharm and Ipsy lets you choose your shades but at least if it’s not working, I was able to call in when the survey was not working on the website. I love their customer service at Allure, they know what they’re doing. This company was created by New Zealnder, Charlotte Tilbury, who is known for doing celebrity makeup on Kate Moss and Jennifer Lopez. You get to choose from Pillow Talk the original, Pillow Talk Medium and the Intense version. I chose intensely since the girl over the phone said it’s more of a brick red and I know how to make that color look good!I will have to see how this goes and definitely give this product a chance since I rarely use lip pencils like I had in the past, so let’s see how it goes! This value is $22.

Beauty Stat Moisture Boost

With December heading into Christmas, it is getting cooler even here in Florida with the past rainstorms and glad to see this in my box. This is a full-size beauty cream that helps with moisture and glad to get some more moisturizing items. This does come with ceramides to help with the moisture and this is great to get!  This retails for $50.

Zero Cosmetics Lightning Wand

Next up is a roller ball item! If you remembered items that came as a roller ball such as perfumes to lip glosses, this is a skin care item that helps brighten skin.This contains Transazmic Acid that helps with that brightness and appearing in more products lately. This also contains Vitamin C and licorice root in this serum which can be used day and night. This can be used on hyperpigmentation where someone has sunspots and post acne spots. I do have a few post acne spots that won’t go away so I will use this on that! This retails for $20.

Floss Beauty Shadow Quad in Just Peachy

Next up is a product from Floss Beauty! You could either get this or one from Ciate I believe but I got this. I do like how in Allure that you don’t get the same product twice. I like that! This contains different peach shades that are matte and shimmery, which is perfect for day and night! I will definitely try this out for a nice neutral look if I’m wanting it. I will also pair it with a brown liner to match! This retails for $24!

Neolastin Eye Cream

Another eye cream for my collection so far, which I am starting to use when I wake up early in the mornings since I look so exhausted at 4:45 to get ready for my paratransit to get me. It’s very light and not too heavy for the eye makeup to be smudged. ALso it’s dermatologist recommended to and detects any lines. I thought I found a few lines around my eyes since I do wear glasses daily but now taking these eye creams more seriously. I’m glad to get another one of these in my box especially with winter now here. I will see how well it works around my eyes over time since my skin does feel dry year round. THis retails for $95! Whoa!

Neom Organics Perfect Night’s Sleep Magnesium Body Butter

Last item in the booklet is this body butter. This is a treat for the arms and legs which my legs have been really dry for a few years. I do enjoy using body butters to help with my skin. It’s also scented with lavender and jasmine. Yum!

That completes this box! I’m really excited with what I got this month! It’s perfect for the winter with the skin products since winter can be brutal wherever you live, especially in the Northeast states, trust me my cousins are glad we don’t get snow nor ice. I will definitely be using the items from this box! I can’t wait for what the January box would include! Let 2022 bring another year of items! Next up, I may have a review coming up and of course will have the Bests & Worsts of 2021. Stay tuned!

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

Glam Bag Plus December 2021

I am back with another subscription and this time it’s Glam Bag Plus! It’s the last one of the year and this one I went to more skin care and you will see how and why. THis bag is $28 a month and you get more full-size items and get to choose three out of the five items. I wished they didn’t make the last grouping crappy but the item I chose is something very useful, let’s see what I got.

Kate Somerville Expholikate Moisturizer

First up is a product from Kate Somerville I never expect to be in this bag! I would expect this in a Boxy Lux or even Glam Bag X but this was in my GB Plus! This is a moisturizer that contains lactic acid, glycolic acid and fruit enzymes that not only help get that dead winter skin off but also hyaluronic acid to help with moisture. It’s useful morning and night with a thin layer which makes sense. My skin has been really dry so I will be glad once I start using this! Thank you Ipsy! This retails for $70! I am not joking!

Seraphine Botanicals Lemon Balm Plus Thyme Lip Scrub

As the cold weather moves in, well the humid and muggy weather moves into Florida, lip scrubs are more abundant, especially for you guys up north. THis one came from Seraphine. It contains golden sugar in this one alongside rosemare hemp oil and jojoba to help with the lips. I hope this will feel good as much as it sounds since I do enjoy things made with rose hemp oils. This retails for $26.

Canalogica Facial Oil

Next up is a brand I never heard of and it’s the first item I chose. This month I kind of went more with skin care with the first two items due to hitting winter and I did run out of facial oil. The sample from Allure did not hold me much but I was glad to see this in the first group of items. I do like this so far since I’m already using it and my skin doesn’t feel so dry. I didn’t know it was a morning and night skin care item but it does have plant oils such as rose hemp oil and oregano flower oil. I can see where I smelled some sort of spice as I use it. I will start using it in the morning as well. THis retails for $50.

Sur.Medic+ Super Hyaluronic Acid Cleanser

Next up is a facial cleanser from a brand called Sur.Medic+. Never heard of these guys but saw this and decided why not give this a try since I do use cleansers in the shower. This not only helps with moisture but also helps protect with barrier balance and doesn’t irritate the skin with hyaluronic acid molecules and amino acids to not only remove makeup but also dirt. I can’t wait to use this since I have other cleansers waiting. I am also using the one I got in my Allure Beauty Box last month. Will have to see how this goes! THis retails for $20.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Gel in Chocolate

Final item is from Anastasia Beverly Hills and it’s their Dipbrow Gel in Chocolate. I have heard how the brow products from this brand are up there with IT Cosmetics and Benefit. I started using this when I got my bag since my brows become more tamed and would be easier for the work day. My brows feel better but I do have one drawback though, my brows do feel a bit itchy with this stuff on. It’s not normal because I don’t feel anything with my normal brow products, especially the NYX Pomade I use on the regular. Not even the Pomade pencil from them doesn’t make my brows itch. I may have to keep using it to see if it’s just that. If it is, then no way I will purchase this regularly. THis retails around$20.

That is all for this Glam Bag. I think I prefer having more skin care related things during December. Like I said, there are times where there are cold snaps in Florida and my skin does get hit. I am enjoying the facial oil but not the brow product. I did try the lip scrub, I have to continue using it to see how I feel about it. Next will be the Allure Beauty Box! Stay tuned!

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe. I am back with the first subscription of the month!

Ipsy December 2021

It’s the last Glam Bag of 2021 and man it was fun getting most of the products this year. I kind of feel like as I’m getting older they are changing the line up to fit with more skin care which I need some more hydration. This bag is now $13 a month and you get five deluxe to full size items from brands ranging from drugstore to luxury. You also get a makeup bag to carry your makeup needs or for travel purposes. Let’s see what I got this month shall we?

Dragon Beauty Lip Job Lip Liner in 6.0CC

First up is a lip liner pencil from Dragon Beauty. I know Nikita Dragon is controversial on the web but at the same time trying out her cosmetics is not a bad thing. I wanted to try some of it before and wasn’t sure where to start but glad Ipsy gave me this lip liner. It is a deluxe size one, does not tell me what exact color but this is a multitasking product which helps with contouring the lips. I know for one thing it does help lip products from going all over the place and it’s been a while since I touched a lip liner so it won’t hurt to give this a try.

Grace & Stella Hyloronic Acid Serum

Next up is a serum from Grace & Stella. I like the idea of getting serums since I prefer the ones to help with dryness and glad to receive this one in this month’s bag especially when it gets really cold around here. Even though it is muggy as heck this year for December. This serum contains this acid which helps pull moisture into the skin and helps it with staying plump. It’s best to use it both in the morning and night, which I already do with my Good Molecules one. I’m glad to get this for this month and can’t wait to try it out!

Heimish Marine Eye Cream

Another eye cream in my bag and this time it’s from a brand called Heimish. I never heard of these guys until I found out that this will be in my bag this month. This product contains marine water, fermented seaweed extract, niacinamides, and peptides to help wake up tired eyes. I have to be careful with anything with seaweed and if this is an extract then I’m hoping it doesn’t cause my skin to react badly. I will have to see how well this goes.

Pistache Hydrating Cream

Next up is my choice item! I decided to get a moisturizer from Pistache! I figured it would be different from all of the makeup products that were up for grabs and decided to go for the skin care item instead. Let’s see what this product claims to do! This is a moisturizer that contains pistachio oil and helps with the skin since Vitamin E is part of this oil and it’s used to keep the skin smooth and moisturized. Someone did review this saying it is a bit heavy but I have to try this out and see how it goes. 

Pixi Beauty Glowly Powder in Creamy Gold

Final item is from Pixie Beauty and it’s a highlighter. This is filled with light reflecting micah and soft gold powders as well for a glow. I have tried their glow blushes where you have one side highlighter and the other as a blush but I tend to mix the two. I can’t wait to try this out especially for holiday party looks since I have two coming up this coming week. I will have to try it out and see how it goes!

THat completes this month’s bag and I do have to say it was a good balance where I got two makeup items and three skin care products. I will have to see what the choices are for next month since it is the beginning of a new year. Let’s see what Ipsy holds for next year and the next bag I am waiting for is my GB Plus and Allure Beauty Box! Stay tuned!

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

RWBY Volume 8 Review

I know another detour but this time it’s a review again! I will get back to RangerStop & Pop’s final post which I did put up in the press room videos on our YouTube but with the announcement that I want to wait a little to come up with my words. So, I figured doing this review would be a bit of a buffer due to finally finishing the eight volumes in RWBY. Why did it take so long? Well, I was busy in between the episodes coming out and of course our trip to Atlanta took place and more things took place in between. We did meet Jason Leighbrecht from this series which was awesome and now get to review it. I was hoping to save it when the next volume ends but apparently it’s delayed until next year. Let’s start with the disclaimer shall we?

Disclaimer

This review is based on thoughts and opinions from the lead writer of this blog. Please respect what she thinks on this volume because it won’t be the same as yours. You’ve been warned.

WHat Is Happening?

Since the end of Volume 7, Ruby and the gang have been going through a lot and that includes what they have to deal with in Atlas. With Penny now being the Winter Maiden, Cinder is even more determined to claim the Winter Mantle even more even if it means killing her while Team RWBY along with Jean, Ren, Nora, and all of the people they have met in Atlas must help the people from facing even more drastic but James Ironwood has come under the craziness of Salem and wants abandon Atlas in order to open the vault. Will Ruby and crew be able to save Atlas before it falls?

Thoughts

Oh man, I think this has been the best volume from what I’ve seen or at least the better one of the past few I’ve seen. I think the staff at Rooster Teeth has done a better job since the final few episodes were great. I wish they had audio description though since it would help me watch these episodes even with Volume 9. ROoster Teeth, please do audio description! Anyways, I like the theme song more than the past volume’s theme song because it fits with the tragedy unfolding in the series. I also liked how Penny handled her newer powers as well since she is a cyborg with a soul after all. She did kick the powers in pretty well especially when she was protecting Ruby in one of the early episodes. They weren’t kidding when they say not to mess with a Maiden even when they have friends. I did find it interesting that this volume did show Cinder’s back story in how she became to be. I can see why she went evil since she was essentially an orphan that became broken and couldn’t take being pushed around. She did take on a leader role towards the end of the volume though in order to continue Salem’s work. I thought Salem would kill her for taking on things without orders but that wasn’t the case. I wonder how Salem would continue with the next volume because things went to major shit, pardon my french there.

I did like the reveal of the Spear of Creation’s spirit though. I can’t find who voiced him but I think I like this spirit more than Jin, who was the Relic of Knowledge’s spirit. Basically with Relic of Creation, Ambrosius has to be given a task in full detail with schematics to create what the user wants. It can be simple or complicated but he will do it except one at a time. Except he can’t bring anyone dead back to life. Creation does make sense for Winter since you can create things in the snow and of course with most holidays people do create things. I am not sure what has happened with Summer and Fall Relics since the Fall Relic is still hidden after Cinder gets the powers and Summer has not been revealed yet. WHich I will talk more about in what I want to see in the next volume.

Acting

I have to say the acting is on point this volume due to the situation the characters have gone through this time. I kind of am hearing the voice for Ruby cracking though since she may be getting older but I have noticed some instances where she’s yelling that her voice goes a bit higher but a forced higher pitch. I think it would be better if the actress doesn’t force it. I understand Ruby is supposed to be the youngest but she is growing as the series continues. I did see a comment on one video where someone said if they made a video game they want to voice Ruby. I do have to give major props to the rest of the cast, especially with Taylor McKnee who voices Penny. She played her conflicted self and nice self throughout this volume without a problem, especially the points where she got hit by a virus and passed on her powers towards the end. I know it’s sometimes hard keeping the character going even in a series like this but Taylor did it very well. Everyone else was still the same since they did keep everyone, even Jason Leighbrecht since he is now Qrow. Someone did say in one comment that Qrow sounded awful to them but gotta remember that VIc Mignogna did get fired from the series. You can watch Illuminati’s video on Funimation which talks about Vic in that and did point out how he was let go from Rooster Teeth. I think Jason did a good job and can’t wait to see what Volume 9 may have in store for Qrow and the rest of the characters.

What I want to See Next?

I am hoping that Volume 9 will finally reveal Summer because we are at the point that not only do we have the Winter Maiden pass onto another host but we already know Spring and Fall, where’s Summer? Is she hiding in Vakuyo or in a different town that they need to go to? I have a feeling that they are in Vakuyo and it would be interesting to see if they help Ruby and crew once they arrive since that is the next destination after all. I am also wanting to see what has happened to Ironwood since he had his butt kicked for abandoning Atlas and was going to have it fall. This is what happens when you let Salem in, dude. Come to think of it, it went the same way with Lionheart in volume 5. My question now, will the new Winter Maiden hide or will she be able to help more since everything is going nuts in Remnant? I hope so since Penny helped out a lot, why not the new one? 

Rating: 5 Shooting Paw Prints Out of 5

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

RWBY Volume 8 Review

I know another detour but this time it’s a review again! I will get back to RangerStop & Pop’s final post which I did put up in the press room videos on our YouTube but with the announcement that I want to wait a little to come up with my words. So, I figured doing this review would be a bit of a buffer due to finally finishing the eight volumes in RWBY. Why did it take so long? Well, I was busy in between the episodes coming out and of course our trip to Atlanta took place and more things took place in between. We did meet Jason Leighbrecht from this series which was awesome and now get to review it. I was hoping to save it when the next volume ends but apparently it’s delayed until next year. Let’s start with the disclaimer shall we?

Disclaimer

This review is based on thoughts and opinions from the lead writer of this blog. Please respect what she thinks on this volume because it won’t be the same as yours. You’ve been warned.

WHat Is Happening?

Since the end of Volume 7, Ruby and the gang have been going through a lot and that includes what they have to deal with in Atlas. With Penny now being the Winter Maiden, Cinder is even more determined to claim the Winter Mantle even more even if it means killing her while Team RWBY along with Jean, Ren, Nora, and all of the people they have met in Atlas must help the people from facing even more drastic but James Ironwood has come under the craziness of Salem and wants abandon Atlas in order to open the vault. Will Ruby and crew be able to save Atlas before it falls?

Thoughts

Oh man, I think this has been the best volume from what I’ve seen or at least the better one of the past few I’ve seen. I think the staff at Rooster Teeth has done a better job since the final few episodes were great. I wish they had audio description though since it would help me watch these episodes even with Volume 9. ROoster Teeth, please do audio description! Anyways, I like the theme song more than the past volume’s theme song because it fits with the tragedy unfolding in the series. I also liked how Penny handled her newer powers as well since she is a cyborg with a soul after all. She did kick the powers in pretty well especially when she was protecting Ruby in one of the early episodes. They weren’t kidding when they say not to mess with a Maiden even when they have friends. I did find it interesting that this volume did show Cinder’s back story in how she became to be. I can see why she went evil since she was essentially an orphan that became broken and couldn’t take being pushed around. She did take on a leader role towards the end of the volume though in order to continue Salem’s work. I thought Salem would kill her for taking on things without orders but that wasn’t the case. I wonder how Salem would continue with the next volume because things went to major shit, pardon my french there.

I did like the reveal of the Spear of Creation’s spirit though. I can’t find who voiced him but I think I like this spirit more than Jin, who was the Relic of Knowledge’s spirit. Basically with Relic of Creation, Ambrosius has to be given a task in full detail with schematics to create what the user wants. It can be simple or complicated but he will do it except one at a time. Except he can’t bring anyone dead back to life. Creation does make sense for Winter since you can create things in the snow and of course with most holidays people do create things. I am not sure what has happened with Summer and Fall Relics since the Fall Relic is still hidden after Cinder gets the powers and Summer has not been revealed yet. WHich I will talk more about in what I want to see in the next volume.

Acting

I have to say the acting is on point this volume due to the situation the characters have gone through this time. I kind of am hearing the voice for Ruby cracking though since she may be getting older but I have noticed some instances where she’s yelling that her voice goes a bit higher but a forced higher pitch. I think it would be better if the actress doesn’t force it. I understand Ruby is supposed to be the youngest but she is growing as the series continues. I did see a comment on one video where someone said if they made a video game they want to voice Ruby. I do have to give major props to the rest of the cast, especially with Taylor McKnee who voices Penny. She played her conflicted self and nice self throughout this volume without a problem, especially the points where she got hit by a virus and passed on her powers towards the end. I know it’s sometimes hard keeping the character going even in a series like this but Taylor did it very well. Everyone else was still the same since they did keep everyone, even Jason Leighbrecht since he is now Qrow. Someone did say in one comment that Qrow sounded awful to them but gotta remember that VIc Mignogna did get fired from the series. You can watch Illuminati’s video on Funimation which talks about Vic in that and did point out how he was let go from Rooster Teeth. I think Jason did a good job and can’t wait to see what Volume 9 may have in store for Qrow and the rest of the characters.

What I want to See Next?

I am hoping that Volume 9 will finally reveal Summer because we are at the point that not only do we have the Winter Maiden pass onto another host but we already know Spring and Fall, where’s Summer? Is she hiding in Vakuyo or in a different town that they need to go to? I have a feeling that they are in Vakuyo and it would be interesting to see if they help Ruby and crew once they arrive since that is the next destination after all. I am also wanting to see what has happened to Ironwood since he had his butt kicked for abandoning Atlas and was going to have it fall. This is what happens when you let Salem in, dude. Come to think of it, it went the same way with Lionheart in volume 5. My question now, will the new Winter Maiden hide or will she be able to help more since everything is going nuts in Remnant? I hope so since Penny helped out a lot, why not the new one? 

Rating: 5 Shooting Paw Prints Out of 5

I found this has been my favorite volume and hoping that they keep up like the first three volumes had. The acting was amazing and I hope that they keep up the acting as well. I am glad they are delaying the next one since it gives the crew more time to work on the next part of the story and I don’t like a rushed story, which is how I felt about Volume 4 and 5. Let’s see how that goes!

I will end this post on that and can’t wait what Volume 9 brings in 2022. As promised, I will wrap up the RangerStop & Pop posts since I’m still reading a few books that need to be read from NetGalley. Stay tuned!

I found this has been my favorite volume and hoping that they keep up like the first three volumes had. The acting was amazing and I hope that they keep up the acting as well. I am glad they are delaying the next one since it gives the crew more time to work on the next part of the story and I don’t like a rushed story, which is how I felt about Volume 4 and 5. Let’s see how that goes!

I will end this post on that and can’t wait what Volume 9 brings in 2022. As promised, I will wrap up the RangerStop & Pop posts since I’m still reading a few books that need to be read from NetGalley. Stay tuned!