Book & Beauty Review: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

If you have read or seen Eat Pray Love, you are well acquainted with Elizabeth Gilbert. A talented writer with a well defined voice that makes you feel as though you are in her inner circle and she is sharing her most intimate thoughts with only you. Her new book, Big Magic, is more of the same- deep realizations shared in her signature humorous dialog with some heavy hitting truths that are soul resonating.

BOOK REVIEW

Big Magic feels and reads like a TED Talk- which will either annoy or inspire you, and probably do both. And the inspiration part is worth it. From the beginning Gilbert takes us on a journey to explore and explain her creative process using stories and analogies. The stories illustrate her theory of Big Magic and how it works. She shares her experiences with ideas (big and small) that seem to visit her and ask to co-create. If she is open and ready- bam! they become a team and start to work to bring whatever that idea is into material being. If not, the idea moves on to someone else- still seeking to be created. It is a beautiful way of seeing the world and our role to co-create with ideas of inspiration. It also helps to show us we are not meant to attach to just one idea, but to remain open to many ideas and stay in creative flow throughout our lives in participation with them.

A must-read for creatives types, Big Magic uplifts with stories of success and guides us through the trials of fear and failure to a powerful place of understanding. 

BEAUTY REVIEW

Off on Spring Break? This book is a great companion read. Short chapters and lots of fun stories strung together with Gilbert's wise realizations. Just be sure to pack a bottle of water and some sunscreen because you may get pulled in while at the beach and lose track of time. Here are my suggestions for safe and effective sunscreens:

THE HONEST COMPANY SUNSCREEN SPRAY SPF 30 ($13.95)

SUNTEGRITY BODY SPF 30 ($36.00)

SUN BUM SPF 30 FACE STICK (14.99)

COOLA BABY SPF 50 UNSCENTED SUNSCREEN MOISTURIZER ($36.00)

Book & Beauty Review- The Martian

The Martian by Andy Weir is one of the best books I've read in 2015. It is humorous, intelligent, touching and educational- I learned a lot about Mars and space! I'm not your typical sci-fi reader, so this book may seem out of place for me to review. The truth is, I'm not confined to genre when it comes to a good book, and this one climbed the charts like a rocket (hehe). Creating a beauty look to go with this book was also a fun challenge. It required a bit of imagination, and I think author Andy Weir would appreciate that.

BOOK REVIEW

Sometimes the first line in a book truly and utterly sets the stage for the rest of the book, and The Martian did that quite successfully with this opening line from main character Mark Watney: 'I'm pretty much fucked. That's my considered opinion. Fucked.' Watney enters this line into his log after discovering he has been abandoned on Mars by his crew. The thought of being stranded alone anywhere is pretty intense, but as we learn, Mars isn't exactly as hospitable as you think. It is an extremely cold planet with subzero temps, and little to no atmosphere- creating a vacuum of silence. There's no running water (update: NASA confirms that there is flowing water on Mars!) and the air isn't set at the right combo of oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen to be breathable to a human. 

Luckily, the people at NASA are very smart and sent many devices for Mark and his crew's mission that are suited to the Martian environment, and ultimately are used in ways not initially intended to help him survive. His scientific mind as well as some much appreciated props from NASA help to unfold a story of survival that thrills, entertains and ultimately touches the reader. I ended the novel in laughter and tears. A must read, sci-fi geek or not.

beauty review

You may have expected a rouge look consistent with the Red Planet for this beauty review, but I was more inspired by the actual environment I learned about through reading the book. Mars is very cold, sterile and almost icy with loneliness and isolation. No plants, or animals. Just cold dry air, and soil. So, I decided to create a frosty look. Something Mark Watney would agree suits the Martian climate.

Watch my video tutorial below to see how I created this cool Martian look, and shop the products at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

(PS- I am still working on my video setup and production, so bear with me as I sort it out and expect it to get better over time. Thanks!)

Book & Beauty Review: The Vacationers by Emma Straub

As summer rounds the corner and nears its end, it felt very appropriate to indulge in a summer fling. A beach read fling, that is. You know what I'm talking about. A summer read that feels more like you are reading a movie than a literary complex or inspiring novel. This is exactly where I would place The Vacationers by Emma Straub. 

BOOK REVIEW: The story was predictable and the characters pretty classic. It all centers around a middle- upper class family from New York City who take a family vacation to Mallorca, Spain. They bring their emotional baggage, expectations, a long-time girlfriend of the son, and their best gay couple with them. For anyone who has been on an international family vacation, it certainly hits a familiar cord. 

While the story itself isn't great, the writing is. The flow and use of perspective- which both seamlessly move from one character to the other at different stage of the story is pretty remarkable. By the end, you really are invested in what happens to the characters and find a satisfying finish. This isn't a book I would hands down recommend, but if you are looking for a light read during a vacation or plane ride, this is a good fit. I would also suggest aspiring novelists read Emma's work. Her voice and manipulation of the omnipresent narrator are pretty impressive and something I feel would inspire.

BEAUTY REVIEW: The Desert Island Look

There wasn't much description around the appearances of the characters in The Vacationers, and so your imagination is left to fill in the blanks. I immediately went to my own interpretation of what I call 'The Desert Island' look. It uses the basics- the essential products you would want if you were stranded on a desert (or tropical) island. The key to this look is to keep everything pretty subdued and only offer a hint of enhancing what you've got. In other words, break out the highlighter and bronzer! 

Here's how to get the look:

1. Start with a tinted moisturizer and apply fully to face and down neck. Add an extra layer to your nose or any other areas that might be slightly red.

2. Use a cream or powder highlighter in the following areas: inner corners of the eyes (swept out across the lid), brow bone, cheek bone (swept out and up toward ears), just above the eye brows, and a dab on your cupid's bow. 

3. Blend a cream blush in a caramel shade into the apples of your cheeks and sweep up and out toward your ears.

4. Using a fluffy brush , dip bronzer onto the brush and blow off excess. Then, sweep in the hollows of cheeks up and out toward ears. Repeat application to brush and sweep across jawline, underneath and down neck. Repeat application to brush once more and sweep across hairline on the forehead from the center down toward ears on each side.

5. Add a coat of mascara. Keep it light and natural looking.

6. Swipe on some lip balm with a shiny finish.