Thursday 3 July 2014

Review: bareMinerals Pretty Amazing Lipcolor

bareMinerals Strength (Vibrant Red), you can get this from most decent retailers, but I got mine from here

As someone who has had to suffer through more than her fair share of allergic reactions to makeup (A.K.A. Allergic contact cheilitis), I was pretty happy when I first heard about the bareMinerals brand. In fact, after taking home a tester from London's Clapham store a few years back, I'd say it's the only brand that I am currently happy to spend a decent amount of money on- hey, don't judge me, I work in retail!

The first thing you notice about this striking red is the sheer pigmentation- for what is described as an 'opaque' colour, it certainly gives you a statement look. Because of this, you find you don't need to keep going over your lips until you reach a good, even colour, so a little goes a long way (at least initially) and it doesn't feel too 'sticky'- unless you apply a lot. Which is silly.

On the downside, this stuff gets EVERYWHERE. It's the first time I've ever managed to somehow get lipstick on my teeth (I honestly don't know how), it came off on glasses and, yes, my boyfriend's face (although I actually did get a kick out of kissing him in random spots for a while before he realised). 


But hell, sometimes we can live with these things if it looks good enough for long enough- so I took the liberty of assuming you guys wanted to see how it actually looks. Bear in mind that in this photo, other than the Lipcolor itself, I am only wearing bareMinerals foundation (Fairly Light), Mascara (Curl and Lengthen) and eyeliner (Body Shop's Liquid Eyeliner in black)



Summary: This stuff is amazing if you're planning on looking like a doll all night. For those who plan on being living, human things, I would suggest perhaps some Lipcote or a good deal of blotting to make sure you don't literally paint the town red.

Friday 27 June 2014

New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trailer



In case you missed it- the big news this week, thus far, in the film world is the new release of Michael Bay's latest film trailer- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Not surprisingly, it reveals that the first live-action take on the heroes in a half shell since 1993 hosts a ton of explosions and Megan Fox. Honestly, I'm not sure whether I'm too keen on the much more technologically minded bunch that they're now being portrayed as, since I'm of the seemingly unpopular opinion that the cartoonish features we know and love from the TV series and 2007's TMNT are actually pretty endearing to our Turtle friends. Although I have to admit, Shredder looks pretty badass.

Take a gander at the trailer below and let me know what you think!






Wednesday 25 June 2014

High Street Highlights for Wedding Guests

You know you’re getting older when summer becomes less about festivals and exam results, and more about weddings. These days, weddings are becoming more extravagant, with each couple trying to out-do the next, with the main question being ‘how can we make this more memorable?’.
At the same time, the internet is becoming increasingly valuable as a research tool and with sites such as Pinterest- and the many, many blogs discussing how to save money on your Big Day- couples are also asking ‘how can we do this particular thing, but cheaper?’. Yet we still see the happy pair willing to spend thousands on clothes, when they try to save on everything else. Why do we do this? Is it really because the high street doesn't provide the same quality as the classic catwalk brands? Or is it simply the fact that we enjoy putting a name to beauty?
The guests are no different- often spending hundreds on the finest dresses to hug their newly, neatly trimmed figures to parade in front of friends and family. Because, let’s face it, when you believe you look good, you feel great and everyone has a much happier time when they’re confident enough to shake their booty on the dance floor, to cheesy Golden Oldies. With that said, I like to believe I'm a master of finding a bargain and, for me, the high street is where it’s at. So I've taken it upon myself to bring the simple elegance of wedding fashion to you, at a price that doesn't make your purse want to scream. 


Cream Stripe Midi Dress- A touch more daring than the usual, this dress is perfect for us petites as the vertical stripes lengthen the legs and also means the design is more eye-catching, without being too overdone- if you've ever had the joy of talking to a bride a couple of days before the wedding, you’ll know not to take attention away from Her Royal Highness. Trust me, you’ll know. This one rocks in at £35 which is a real steal.

 
Antonia Short Dress-  A beautiful little number that screams elegance in it’s simplicity. This dress is from Monsoon and is considerably more than our other choices at £119. It’s a little too formal to wear on most nights out, but if you’re heading to a wedding where you know the guests will make a lot of effort, this really would be perfect. It’s also a good length, allowing you to show those pins, as well as your waist.

 
 Beige Chiffon Maxi Dress- If you’re anything like me, with a tiny waist but massive hips, you know just how difficult it is to find something that balances out your body so it’s just right. Enter the maxi dress. The best thing about the maxi is how it covers up all the wobbly bits but still makes you feel confident and sexy. Chiffon is one of the more forgiving fabrics and you’ll be grateful for how light it is, if the wedding is in a hotter climate (or on a rare day of sunshine, if you’re in the UK). At £60 from River Island, it’s at just the right price for you to still feel relaxed about wearing it around food and alcohol.

I also realise there’s quite a few out there who aren’t big on the dresses and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that- the most beautiful person is one who feels beautiful! My personal prefence in this case is wearing a pair of light coloured trousers and a brightly colour wrap top. You can find these anywhere, from ASDA to Zara, so go and have some fun, out on the hunt!

Monday 23 June 2014

Beyond: Two Souls Review

There are two things you need to know before I go into detail, here: First of all, I am a huge fan of both Heavy Rain and Fahrenheit. Secondly, when I found out that David Cage had not only cast Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe in the main roles, but was using their likeness and developing his marketing around them, I was deeply disappointed.
Not because they’re bad actors- on the contrary, they are excellent and deserving of the meaty roles provided here- but because, for me, gaming is about total suspension of disbelief, which is much harder to accomplish when a person’s status is thrown at you from the moment the game was announced. It irritates me when a film is marketed using big names to attract audiences- it puts me off a game entirely when it’s used in the same way.
On this occasion, I will hold my hands up and admit I was wrong in this belief, because all the actors in-game did their job remarkably well, with what I would describe as very few slip-ups, if you can call them that, none of which are really worthy of mentioning here and certainly none that could be described as their fault. Indeed, compared to the acting in Heavy Rain (complete with…interesting accents), we’re practically spoiled.
Unfortunately, the game surprised me a second time by being disappointingly average from a gameplay perspective.
From previous experience, I was expecting a couple of issues with the gameplay; the first one being what I would call ‘Cage Teeth’, where the mo-cap is so heavily relied upon that the teeth look oddly out of place when a character smiles- or shows any strong facial expression- making them look like they’re about the sneeze (have a Google, it’s hilarious). Another would be the walking around in circles to bring back  that DAMN PROMPT- something that is made all the more frustrating because, for some reason, the characters are unable to turn on the spot and increasingly damned by the new control function used in Beyond: Two Souls.
The controls are something that are truly introduced during ‘Welcome to the CIA’, which is one of the better chapters and a brilliant example of how a game’s story and tutorial can be combined to great effect. The basic concept is that there are no obvious directions for the player to follow, meaning that gamers are to infer what action is needed based on the movement of the character. This is a lovely theory but not one that could be used to great effect here, since there are often times when a character will look like they’re moving in one direction, when actually it turns out they were going the opposite way and the camera angle had distorted this. Or I was just unsure which appendage I was following- there were times I thought our dear Page was going to duck, when it turned out she was actually trying to block and vice-versa.
This is all part of David Cage’s plan to turn gaming into ‘interactive movies’ which, to be honest, I already kinda believed they were. I'm starting to get the idea that, if Cage likes making films so much, why doesn't he go and direct some films? His stories are brilliant, original and enticing, with enough explosions to appeal to the masses but in terms of the game? I kinda felt like I wasn't playing for the most part. In fact, during ‘The Hunted’ I decided to set my controller down for a while and see what difference it made- which was none. The movements were carried out a little more clumsily than if I had made an effort but the result was the same.
beyond3
This leads me to my biggest qualm of the whole experience- the game isn't as fun as it could be because there’s absolutely no risk involved. Our main protagonist gets pretty beaten and bruised, but she seems pretty unhappy no matter which ending you get and there is such a lack of insight or development from supporting characters it’s pretty hard to feel anything whether you save them or not. In short, you never feel panicked or rushed, other than in ‘The Condenser’, when Jodie is being attacked by entities both in their own form and by possessing dead scientists- a moment that firmly places Two Souls into the ‘thriller’ genre and is guaranteed to wake you up, again.
I think I would mind this less if Beyond hadn't had so much potential. The most interactive parts of the story involve Aiden (who I thought for most of the game was called Ivan), who you can play as evil or passive. Don’t like someone? Possess them or choke them-It never seems to hold any repercussions! In fact, of all the characters, I think I like Aiden the most- probably because he doesn't talk, but actually gets things done. He’s closely followed by Stan in ‘Homeless’, who arguably shows the most humanity in the entire story- but seems to quickly be forgotten about, despite the fact that he’s the only guy who comes and visits you in hospital. Little rude of you, Jodie.
The non-linear narrative does nothing to serve the story, in fact it feels as though we’re missing vital parts of the plot. This is something that is enhanced by the odd combination of life-events. We have plenty of ‘why can’t I be like other kids?!’ moments and very few moments of actual development. I also felt that there were quite a few chapters that not only felt out of place, but almost entirely pointless- has anyone figured out why we have both ‘The Party’ and ‘Like Other Girls’ but only one chapter like ‘The Mission’?
The latter is truly the highlight of the game, for myself, arguably because you feel like you are actually contributing to the story. Aiden is put to good use and there’s an interesting turn of events, making this a pivotal chapter in the game. I'm also a big fan of having the option to sneak (or go in guns blazing, all-singing and dancing- a personal preference) so it felt nice to be given a little more free will, here. There were still some off-putting moments, however- like how Jodie suddenly develops a conscience, but not before taking a small child into the centre of a war zone- then telling him he needs to get somewhere safe.
I was also pretty perplexed by the position ‘The Embassy’ held in the story, since I felt that a chapter which showed Jodie’s place and importance in the CIA deserved to be a bit more central to the story- not shown at the beginning like some sort of teaser. Although, this could be the director’s reaction to criticisms of his earlier work in Heavy Rain, which took a while to get going, so it seems that story progression is still something that needs a little work from one of the most popular game creators in the world.
It’s true that these would all be unfair criticisms- if Beyond: Two Souls wasn't being sold for upwards of £40. Even AAA blockbusters on blu-ray don’t go for that much, so you really have to bring something special to the table when creating something for that selling price. I also feel that the game would have done so much better if the designer hadn't been trying so hard to match common cinema-seller techniques. The cinematics are beautiful, the graphics pretty decent (though that’s to be expected in the current generation of gaming) and the story wonderfully unique, if a little odd at times. The main problem here,I think, is that somewhere along the way, David Cage forgot his audience- and, that, dear readers, is how you lose two stars in a review from a keen gamer.