Product 31: Smudgees

Smudgees is a great beauty secret any girl who wears eye make ups should have. Literally. It’s fantastic. They are little make up removers on a little stick. I’m glad that Schiller’s sells them.

Okay I will admit this product sampling took forever to write. But that’s due to my amazing Blinc eyeliner. Once it sets, I don’t get any smudge marks around my eyes. So the little touch-up stick for the eye makeup, just doesn’t get used all that often. And I wanted to be fair in the trial. So it took me a while.

But I love Smudgees. They are just that quick fix. They are all set to go. Just open, apply to the stray makeup and you look amazing again. Easy peasy. No need to have that smoky eye just falling apart and looking like what he cat dragged in.

Smudgees also has something going for it. Great packaging. They are so cute in their little packages in a demin print that say Smudgees on a brown faux leather mimicking a jean tag. It’s just adorable in a way. It’s simple but it could easily look awful.

Product 30: Eye Mask from Old Navy

One of my new favorite things is a slumber mask from Old Navy. To be honest, I always wanted one of them but I just never got around to getting one. But now that I used it once, I’m slightly addicted to it by grabbing it every morning.

For a birthday/Christmas gift from a very good friend, I finally got my elusive slumber mask in a great little travel set. So whenever I travel can have a pink fuzzy blanket, a slumber mask or have a little pillow; all of which can connect to my suitcase. Extremely convenient. Such an awesome gift.

Traveling via Megabus overnight meant I needed a sure-fire way to sleep. For me it meant the fuzzy blanket, my bears grasped in my hand under the blanket and the slumber mask. It was actually really great. I could shut out the world and get comfy in the seat. And I got a decent night’s sleep.

But the mask didn’t end up being just for travel. Unfortunately for me, I had a nasty bug that forced me to get some rest after work. With it being summer hours and I’m not a fan of sleeping during the early afternoon, the slumber mask was a way for me to fool my head into thinking it was nap time. So I could get a ton of extra sleep that I needed to help my body. Yay to the sleeping mask to rescue!

For some reason lately I keep waking up about two hours before my alarm. So as I just grab my sleeping mask and I can instantly fall back to sleep until my alarms (yes plural since I’m paranoid about over sleeping) wake me up. I’ve enjoyed just grabbing it.

Book 58: Kitty's Big Trouble

I was lucky enough to go from one Carrie Vaughn book to the next. I devoured the newest Kitty Norville novel, Kitty’s Big Trouble. It was the ideal way to spend an evening alone- to be completely engrossed into a book I love while being sprawled about a big red chair.

I was surprised how the themes carried over from Discord’s Apple to Kitty’s Big Trouble. Kitty’s Big Trouble in the ninth book in the Kitty Norville series while Discord’s Apple was a standalone book. Both books was about mythical Gods not staying in the realm of myth. Plus it was interesting to see how throughout both books you saw the idea, ‘Gods are powerful but they are still like normal “people”.’ But I loved how in this book, you saw Kitty’s reactions to meeting the Monkey God (Sun Wukong) and Mother of the West (Xiwangmu). She was shocked to see gods existed, mocked herself for being surprised (since she is a werewolf named Kitty), her trepidation to eating foods from the Gods and disappointment that it was only the best tasting food. That’s stuff I would do. But that’s why I always loved Kitty. I relate to her when she isn’t in werewolf mode.

But I loved this book. It’s back to full blown Kitty and the Midnight Hour Swing. The last couple books were good but not amazing like the first four books. But this one had what I loved in the early ones. The self-deprecation, the fun and awe of other magical creatures, and great characters. Plus it’s memorable. I hate to say it. Kitty Goes to War barely stands out in my head. But I won’t have that problem with Kitty’s Big Problem.

The only problem with the Kitty Norville books are the titles. They are just so blah. It’s easy to mock the book and know a good deal of what is going to happen. But the contents in the book is so magical that it makes up for the bad titles. Cause you want to see what happens to Kitty.

As I’m typing up this book, I realized I missed one of my favorite things about a Kitty Norville book-the werewolf perspective. I love that perspective yet at the same time, I wasn’t missing it in the book. I don’t think it would have fit. For Ben to change, that made sense but it didn’t make sense for Kitty to shift. It took me a day to realize it was missing from the book. By taking so long to register in my brain, I really wouldn’t say it’s a complaint.

This was a such a fun book. I would definitely recommend this book . Thank you for another magical book in the Kitty Norville Series. Also thank you for giving me one of my favorite moments by having a vamp calling Ben, “Mr. Kitty”. That was classic and makes me want a significant other get called “Mr Kathy” but of course I have to do something to warrant the name. Can’t just call a guy “Mr. Kathy” without having basis.

Book 57: Discord's Apple

I just read a wonderful Carrie Vaughn book called Discord’s Apple. This book surprised me in so many different ways. But I loved the creativity that blended together Greek mythology with other fairy tales in a modern setting It was so well done that it didn’t feel bad.

I wasn’t expecting to get Discord’s Apple over Fourth of July Weekend. Instead I was planning on getting Carrie Vaughn’s new book, Kitty’s Big Trouble. But alas, my book store failed me with that book but pleasantly surprised me with Discord’s Apple in paperback. I’m a bit of a stickler when it comes to buying books, no hard cover books except in very rare occasions of ‘I have to have this’ or if priced at the same price of paper backs. When I first read the preview chapter in one of my Kitty books, I liked Discord’s Apple but I didn’t have to have it so I’ve been waiting.

This book was amazing in the end. I was just captured by it. The creativity. Plus it made me want to read the Aeneid and the Illiad. I really want to know Sinon’s journey. I know the events of the Trojan War but it’s always nice to actually read the events. Somehow, I read the Odessey a half dozen times but never read the prequel to it.

I absolutely loved the balance in this book. It was great to see how Miss Vaughn brought in Sinon, Hera, a Warehouse 13 vibe, King Arthur and Merlin, and set it into a militaristic future. In so many ways that’s a diverse elements to try and play together. But it works through the use of plot and flashbacks. The characterization was great. I connected with Evie as she tried to figure out everything including trying to trust Alex/Sinon since after all he is known as the liar throughout history.

The only thing that I am not sure I’m in love with was the ending. It was what I wanted in the end yet it fit in too well. It’s one of those rare things where you get everything you thought you wanted and yet you are deflated. But I don’t want to see the ending be changed in many ways since it was the happy ending. I guess it’s because it tied things up almost too neatly.

I adored this book. It was fun and educational. I couldn’t wait to see what was happening and loved the flashbacks (which ties together the timelines and hints into the different characters). It makes me want to read more too. What more can a girl ask for… I know another book involving Alex/Sinon and Evie.

Book 56: Right Hand Magic

Right Hand Magic by Nancy A. Collins was a book that had a magical atmosphere around it. I say that sincerely. The world of Golgotham was so spectacular with a feel of both old world charm and supernatural gritty edge. To place that in the middle of New York City was well slightly genius since you wouldn’t think about it. The rest of the book was solid although more of a fluff easy read.

The thing that captures you with Right Hand Magic is the setting. A small neighborhood of New York that is pretty much untouched with age since the eighteen hundreds. It was lively and fun. Plus to have the fact the entire neighborhood was nothing but supernatural characters were fun. Centaurs and Satyrs run the cab services since automobiles are banned. There are magicians and witches on every corner thanks to the high Kymeran population. There are even some ghouls and leprechauns.

Then the rest of the book just sort of follows. At times the plot can be a wee bit predictable with an villain who tells his secret plans, a love story (well two really but one is more just kitty love), and girl getting her footing in the way of life. But it was still a really enjoyable book. Halfway through the book, I went to search to see if there were more books about Golgotham (there isn’t yet but Left Hand Magic is in the works).

I also liked the characters. There is Tate, the human artist who moves into Hexe’s boarding house in Golgotham. Hexe is the friendly hunky hero of a land lord who shows the nump (human) around the neighborhood in between clients. Then there is Lukas, the were-cougar, who got kidnap by the magical mafia and force to fight until he escapes and nearly kills Tate. Lukas also becomes a tenant to the boarding house due to his wounds from the Malandanti and you can see his soul and how he’s just like most teens.

Right Hand Magic does have some great moments. Either she just puts in a word or two that just makes you go good word (snarky in one case) or good description. Plus this book reminded me of something. Were-cats aren’t the only things that purr when they are happy.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The atmosphere and the set up is what makes the book.

Letter 46, 47, and 48

Letter 46: Letter of hello

Letter 47: Letter of touching base

Letter 48: Thank you note Kat style.

Book 55: Enterprise By The Book

I just finished another Star Trek book, this time it was Enterprise: By The Book by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch. This was an unexpected treat for me.

I was not expecting a fictional book when I got the book. In fact I was expecting that it was a reference book to the Enterprise series. That’s what I get for not doing any research and letting titles do all the enticing (I got the book from a free book giveaway from my Star Trek role playing site). So when I opened up the box of books, I was a little surprised to see that it was fictional book. I just put it on my shelf until the mood struck me.

Since I was in the mood for Trek and had a ton of fun at a Star Trek Convention thanks to two Enterprise actors (Conner Trinneer and Dominic Keating), I decided to dig into By The Book. The title ended up being a little misleading. A little hard to do a first contact by the book when there isn’t a Prime Directive and a book to follow for first contact situations.

One of the things I really liked about By The Book is how well the characters read. I literally had Scott Bakula’s voice giving me Archer’s, Keating’s British accent for Lt. Reed, and Conner’s take on a Southern accent for Trip, and the list goes on. This went on page after page. I love that when I read novelizations related to TV shows. They should sync up well and this one does.

It’s interesting that my last two Star Trek books are related to first contact situations. While first contact is a huge part of Trek, it’s ironic that my last two books take the same theme and run with it in two different directions and have opposite limitations. Over A Torrent Sea had the Titan crew being limited by the Prime Directive and their abilities to communicate in the first contact situation. But since Enterprise takes place so much earlier on the Star Trek timeline, there isn’t even a Prime Directive and the Enterprise crew is winging it.

First contact doesn’t go over easily for the crew. In fact it was pretty disastrous after Archer spoke out turn to the Fazi. So that leaves him scrambling on how to fix things. Plus there was a second race on the planet to deal with in the first contact situation. So the Enterprise crew is trying their hardest to learn everything that is necessary about both races in order to salvage and have a successful first contact situation.

One of the things I really liked about the book was the use of a roleplaying subplot. I thought it was a fun little distraction for me and the crew members involved. Of course I was drawn to the idea that little game in part because of my own interests (since I do role play Star Trek). But I also really liked how it showed the crew interaction away from the bridge. Initially it had two show members and two non-show members, but then Hoshi’s duty/workaholic ways pulled her away from the game. So it became three non-show members and Mayweather trying to make their ways through Mars and gather pieces of a Universal Translator. But it was great to see how involved they got from the game and how their different skills/ideas really added to the game. It was like watching a mini away mission inbetween the major action of the book.

All in all a fun read if you are into Star Trek.