Wishlist #4

1. 'Unicorn Droppings' nail polish ~ $9.00

2. The Lord of the Ring Sketchbook ~ $25.69

3. Teapot & teacup brooch ~ £9.95

4. Pokemon starter trio magnets ~ $8.00

5. Funky red skirt with sash belt ~ $33.20

1. I adore nail polishes and I'm really into Franken handmade polises at the moment. This one has been on my wishlist for some time now and I love this nail polish name, it's hilarious!

2. People who know me will know I'm a huge 'Lord of the Rings' fan and this sketchbook would be perfect to add to my book collection.

3. How adorable is this brooch set. I love to wear brooches to dress up outfits, they're such a statement piece!

4. Pokemon! Charmander was always my favourite pokemon and these magnets would make my fridge look so cute. My boyfriend wouldn't mind me buying them either as he is a fan of pokemon too.

5. I love wearing skirts because they're so feminine. This skirt is so funky and the big bow sash completes it, I really like the red pattern!

What's on your wishlist?

Screaming for a bit more

My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers #3) by Rachel Vincent

Rating: 2 out 5 hearts

296 pages

Buy it @ book depository
Released: June 2010

"Kaylee has one addiction: her very hot, very popular boyfriend, Nash. A banshee like Kaylee, Nash understands her like no one else. Nothing can come between them.Until something does.Demon breath. No, not the toothpaste-challenged kind. The Netherworld kind. The kind that really can kill you. Somehow the super-addictive substance has made its way to the human world. But how? Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked. And so is someone else…"

Review

First up I have to say that the blurb on the back of the book isn't like the blurb above. Well it is but instead of saying "Kaylee and Nash have to cut off the source and protect their friends—one of whom is already hooked. And so is someone else…" they actually have who that someone else is on the back!! In the book we don't actually find out who that 'someone else' is until about midway through but the back of the book has already given it away!! I was so angry because through the whole book I knew exactly who was addicted to the drug. From then on I don't really read the blurbs of series anymore because I don't want it to give away what the story might be about.

I thought the story was ok but I wasn't ever dying to find out what was going to happen next. The idea of humans inhaling demon's breath as a drug is really cool but the ending let me down a little bit. Mostly the book was a bit forgetful. Trying to write the review now is hard as I can't remember how I felt about the characters or the story. There was one thing that disturbed me was when Nash told Kaylee what the demon did to her and also what Nash had to give up to the demon, I got really upset for Kaylee and felt for her during those moments.

Otherwise I think it was an ok read but I'm just really disappointed. I think I'd still like to read the rest of the series but I'll wait a while before I get the next one. 

On the cover

Every cover I've seen so far from this series has a girl dancing in a pretty dress on the front and always a different colour. To me it looks like this is a book about Ballet not demons and drugs. A friend was visiting and I asked her what she thought the book was about just by looking at the cover and she said something about soul keepers.... seems like I know nothing about covers.

What I'm reading next: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Subtle Snow Nails

This is a tutorial of how I did my Subtle Snow nails for the January nail art challenge. To the left is the navy blue I used as a base colour for this mani. This is a gorgeous colour, it's from one of my favourite nail polish brands Chi Chi mainly because their colours are always brilliant and have cool names. This one is called "It's raining men".


This is a picture inside and below is a picture in the sunshine. You might be able to see there's a slight sparkle in this polish.

The next step in this mani is to paint the white tips. Find yourself a eyeshadow sponge brush or even a make up sponge. Paint the sponge with your white nail polish and then dab it on the tips of your nails and slowly work your way up your nail as shown in the below picture.

This was after one application using the eyeshadow sponge but I didn't feel it was snowy enough so I did the same things as before but worked a bit higher up the nail and made the bottom of the nails a brighter white.

So here is a picture after I finished applying the white and I was really happy with how it turned out.


The next step is to get the snowflake dots. To achieve this I used one of my dotting pens. I dripped some white polish onto some cardboard and then dipped the pen into the polish and dotted it onto my nails in a way to make it look like falling snow.


The two pictures below show you how to do it.

This is the final look after I had placed all my dotty snowflakes. I wanted to add that extra bit of sparkle to my nails so I added another one of my ChiChi nail polishes on top.


In the below picture you can see the colour I used on top, it's called "Paparazzi Princess". I took the picture out in the sun so you could see all the sparkles.

Let me know if you give this mani a try and tell me how you went.

The winged kids are Nevermore

Nevermore (Maximum Ride #8) by James Patterson
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
368 pages
Buy it @ Book depository
Released: August, 2012

"One last chance...for Max, Fang, and Dylan...before it all ends.
Are you ready for the final chapter? Are you ready for the ultimate flight? Because THIS IS IT. One last incredible, explosive adventure with an astonishing ending that no one could have seen coming."

Review

My final thoughts after reading this were that I'm a tad disappointed with the ending. I know it would be really hard to try to end a series that has been going for quite some time. I can't tell you if the world gets saved or not because that would ruin everything if you haven't read this. I have to say though that I guess the ending was ok. At one stage I thought Patterson had taken the easy way out by killing off the main character and saying that's the end but luckily he didn't.

I remember the feeling I had when I read the first book in the series, it was exciting and I had never read anything like it before. After about the fourth or fifth book it was starting to lose that charm. With the main plot of each book being about mutant teenagers saving the world, it gets a bit old very quick. So I have to admit I'm glad that the series was coming to an end. Usually for any series ending there's a sense of sadness as you will never read about these characters again or join them on their adventures but I didn't feel sad. I felt like it had run it's course and was ready to end.

I read my review for the previous book Angel and realised how much I really liked it. Unfortunately this isn't how I felt with this one. I've been reading the manga versions of this series and it's been really good, I've enjoyed reliving the past with pictures.

On the cover

For me this cover symbolises the end because it's so washed out and the colours are dull except for the small splashes of red, blood maybe?

What I'm reading next: My Soul to Keep by Rachel Vincent

January Nail Art Challenge

I saw this challenge on Instagram and thought it looked like a bit of fun. I didn't see this until the 4th so I missed out on doing the Ombre nails so I started with the Sparkles.

These are my Sparkles nails - cute and simple

These are my Pastel nails using one of my Franken polishes hand made by Terrestrial Nails called "Piggy" 

These are my Animal Print nails. I did these early on a Friday morning before I started work so I did them really quickly and they're really messy! If I had time to do them I would've liked to do leopard print nails as I've never done them before.

I decided to do Navy & Subtle Snow nails together and I will post a tutorial of these nails at a later date so look forward to seeing that. It's very easy!

I'm about half way through the challenge and I've enjoyed doing it so far. The only thing is that I have to do my nails more regularly than I normally would. I usually paint my nails once a week where as I'm almost doing them twice a week while doing the challenge. 

If you like doing your nails you should definitely try doing the February Challenge when it's posted on Instagram. I post all my nail art pictures of my Instagram, my username is love_sami if you would like to follow me.

Nought on romance & a Cross on adventure

Noughts & Crosses (Noughts & Crosses #1) by Malorie Blackman
Rating: 3 out of 5 hearts
479 pages
Buy it @ Book depository
Released: October 2006

"Two young people are forced to make a stand in this thought-provoking look at racism and prejudice in an alternate society.

Sephy is a Cross -- a member of the dark-skinned ruling class. Callum is a Nought -- a “colourless” member of the underclass who were once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early childhood, but that’s as far as it can go. In their world, Noughts and Crosses simply don’t mix. Against a background of prejudice and distrust, intensely highlighted by violent terrorist activity, a romance builds between Sephy and Callum -- a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger. Can they possibly find a way to be together?

In this gripping, stimulating and totally absorbing novel, black and white are right and wrong".

Review

I have wanted to read this one for ages. Many years ago I took it home and couldn't get into it, then one day the audio book version was sitting on the shelf at the library and I thought I'd give it another go. It started off good but before long I found myself getting a little bored. The idea of an alternate world where dark-skinned people govern over the pale-skinned people was really interesting and gave lots of insight into racism and prejudice in society. I enjoyed the main story line but I didn't connect with the characters and I felt they weren't that well developed. Sephy was really irritating in the beginning and she didn't get any better towards the end. Callum was likable, I think because you can really feel what he's going through.

I felt like the romance between Sephy & Callum wasn't there, there was no spark and I didn't get any of those butterfly in the tummy feelings. The adventure was also lacking, a few things were a bit predictable and usually I don't pick up on things. Overall, it was a little bit of a let down.

The ending of the book was really disappointing, I'm a sucker for a happy ending and that's not what I got. I get that maybe the book was trying to show that society can be really backward and that you can't get away with doing bad things in your past, But I wasn't expecting that ending at all. I understand what the book was trying to achieve but for me I didn't really fall in love with this.

I had such mixed feeling after reading this, I didn't know what to think then and I don't know what to think now. I'll still read the next one to see what happens next mainly because I'm curious where the story will go.

{I'm probably not the best person to review this and I hate to say anything bad about a book that an author worked so hard to write but this is just my opinion, you should still give the book a go to prove me wrong}

On the cover

Oh I get what you've done here with the colours, Black crosses & white noughts. The cover is a little boring though, kind of like the book.

What I'm listening on Audiobook to next: After by Morris Gleitzman

Awesome year of movies

So the long awaited movie has been released "The Hobbit" hit the cinemas in Australia on Boxing Day and unfortunetly I couldn't see it Boxing Day as I was with family but I went to see it the next day and I'm hooked, My Lord of the Rings craze is back!

I thought I'd share some movies that were released last year and I thought were awesome!

 Rock Of Ages

This movie was me all over! 80's rock musical with my newest girl crush Julianne Hough as the main character. I have watched this multiple times since I saw it at the movies.

The Hunger Games

One of my favourite books I read last year was also one of my favourite movies. I think they did a great job with the movie adaptation and can't wait to see the others in the trilogy.

Pitch Perfect

Another musical type movie which was hilarious and the music blew me away. Rebel Wilson is at her best, great casting!

21 Jump Street

Jonah Hill is the bomb in this, he is so funny! And then there's Canning Tatum, who doesn't love him. I've never seen the original with Johnny Depp but this one had me in stitches!

The Watch

I had no idea what this movie was about but it had me laughing so hard that my cheeks hurt! 

Putting these four actors together was pure genius!

The Avengers

Bringing together some awesome superheroes in this action packed movie did it for me. 

I've seen each of the superheroes own movies and enjoyed all of those also. Plus I get to see two hot Chris' in one movie.

The Amazing Spiderman

Another Marvel superhero, this reboot was so awesome! There was lots of story, action and romance, I loved every second of it! The villian was also wicked plus Andrew Garfield fits the suit well ;-)

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

This was another one that came from left centre, I had no idea what to expect and what I got was awesome-ness! Abraham Lincoln fighting Vampires, how cool is that! Lots of slo-mo and action that packs a punch... in the teeth {pun intended}

This Means War

Another great movie that meshes comedy, action & romance into one great ball and throws it at our faces! This is one for the girlfriends to see with their boyfriends.

The Dark Knight Rises

Batman is back and with some awesome baddies! Catwoman & Bane, two truly wicked characters from the Batman series. And Anne Hathaway as Catwoman is what makes the movie!

Skyfall

Daniel Craig is back as Bond, James Bond. As always with Bond there's fast cars, fast paced and fast women. What's not to love about Bond?

Ted

This is one of those movies where you think 'a talking crude teddy bear, yeah right lame!' but actually it was watchable, VERY watchable! It actually has a good storyline and makes sense, plus it has "Family Guy" humor so you can't beat that :D

Men in Black 3

The guys are back for another alien packed ride. I loved the first one and thought number two was ok but this one really surprised me. A fantastic storyline and after a few parts that weren't all that funny, the humor picked up again and I found myself really liking it!

So that's it for now, Are there any movies that you really enjoyed last year?

 

Books i'm pining for January

"Books I'm pining for" is a feature for new and old books that I want to read. So I thought I would share with everyone these books and to find out what books you are pining for. I missed out on my November books so enjoy these!

Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

I've wanted to read this one for ages now, I think it's time to read another Dystopian book.

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Initially this wasn't on my 'to read' shelf but I've heard some great reviews about this and it sounds good!

Anna dressed in blood (Anna #1) by Kendare Blake
Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

How can you not want to read this after reading that blurb, also the second book in the series is out now so it would be a good time to read the first.

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

This book sounds really interesting and I just love that cover, the red shoe and the title font are wicked!

I am not a serial killer (John Cleaver #1) by Dan Wells
John Wayne Cleaver is dangerous, and he knows it.

He’s spent his life doing his best not to live up to his potential.

He’s obsessed with serial killers, but really doesn’t want to become one. So for his own sake, and the safety of those around him, he lives by rigid rules he’s written for himself, practicing normal life as if it were a private religion that could save him from damnation.

Dead bodies are normal to John. He likes them, actually. They don’t demand or expect the empathy he’s unable to offer. Perhaps that’s what gives him the objectivity to recognize that there’s something different about the body the police have just found behind the Wash-n-Dry Laundromat---and to appreciate what that difference means.

Now, for the first time, John has to confront a danger outside himself, a threat he can’t control, a menace to everything and everyone he would love, if only he could.

Maybe sounds a bit like Dexter and that could be the reason why I want to read it...

The Fault in our Stars by John Green
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Another book I've been hearing lots of good things about and I really enjoyed the John Green book I read so I'm looking forward to this one.

Ten by Gretchen McNeil
SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. House party.
White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

Ooo sounds like the perfect book to curl up with and get a good scare!

Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits #1) by Katie McGarry
No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

I love a good romance story and a bad boy thrown in for good measure.

What books are you pining for?