Hi! With the year officially coming to an end in less than 48 hours, I wanted to get up a list of favorites that I had throughout the year. Most of these were included in a monthly favorites post at some point throughout the year, but some of them were not. This and the December Favorites post, which will be up by Friday, are the last posts in which Apps and Websites will have their own headers; the launch of the new design will feature both of these under the Tech section from then on out. I'm hoping to have the new design finished (or mostly finished) in a couple of weeks. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Beauty: LA Girl Pro Concealer, LA Girl Matte Liquid Lipstick and Glazed Lip Paints, Wet 'n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick, Carapex Renewal Facial Cleanser, Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash
This was both the year of LA Girl and the statement lip for me, because I finally found where I could purchase LA Girl products locally and I've been wearing a statement lip pretty much all year. I've been switching it up between the matte lipsticks, lip paints and the Silk Finish lipsticks all year. I can't help it though; the colors are all so beautiful I couldn't help but wear them. Usually though, I'll mix a couple of them because they all mesh really well together and give my lips the look that I want.
The Pro Concealer is my new holy grail concealer. That stuff had to have been made and blessed by Jesus because for such a low price, it does a lot for me. It has completely eliminated my need to use a primer on my eyes and it blends so well that sometimes if I'm being lazy, I'll just conceal my spots and leave but it still looks flawless. My skin's pretty fussy anyway but with face makeup in particular, after awhile of consistent usage my face usually starts to dry out wherever I apply the product. With this concealer, I haven't had this happen at all and I use it every time I do my makeup. I do notice some slight creasing under my eyes after I've worn this for an extended period of time, but if I were to use a good face primer and a better translucent powder to set it it'll probably improve.
The Pro Concealer is my new holy grail concealer. That stuff had to have been made and blessed by Jesus because for such a low price, it does a lot for me. It has completely eliminated my need to use a primer on my eyes and it blends so well that sometimes if I'm being lazy, I'll just conceal my spots and leave but it still looks flawless. My skin's pretty fussy anyway but with face makeup in particular, after awhile of consistent usage my face usually starts to dry out wherever I apply the product. With this concealer, I haven't had this happen at all and I use it every time I do my makeup. I do notice some slight creasing under my eyes after I've worn this for an extended period of time, but if I were to use a good face primer and a better translucent powder to set it it'll probably improve.
As for skincare, the Carapex Renewal Facial Cleanser that I reviewed back in August has also become a go-to product for my face. I noticed there were a few bad reviews on the Amazon page, which is actually why I picked it, but in addition to the fact that I've suffered no adverse effects, it's been great on my skin. When I use this per the directions on a consistent basis, I notice a difference in the texture of my skin, the amount of breakouts I have, and the dryness that I usually have to deal with. My face doesn't have that 'so tight it could crack' feel that it does when I wash it with soap or other drying face washes and it helps lock in moisture when I apply moisturizer or lotion afterward. The same goes for the Dove Deep Moisture; I used it for much of the winter and spring and every shower gel I've used after that hasn't even come close for me. It's very hydrating, makes your skin feel like a baby's bum, doesn't have a strong fragrance and it's affordable to boot.
Overall, I kept it pretty simple for makeup and skincare this year; my go-to look was a matte brown eye, winged liner and either a red or plum lip. The goal for 2016 is to be more adventurous and re-discover other eyeshadow colors....like the 7 million that I already own but ignore. lol
Overall, I kept it pretty simple for makeup and skincare this year; my go-to look was a matte brown eye, winged liner and either a red or plum lip. The goal for 2016 is to be more adventurous and re-discover other eyeshadow colors....like the 7 million that I already own but ignore. lol
Books: Storm by Carian Cole, Beyond Top Secret by Robin Lubitz, Breathe and Release by Katherine Hayton
I have to admit that I didn't really stretch my wings too much when it came to the books I read, which leads me into the admission, with no shame to be found (okay, maybe a little), that the majority of my reading content this year consisted of smut. LOL The books that made my favorites are the ones that stuck out the most to me, the ones that I had the best reading experience with this year.
I read Storm during the summer, and it's stuck out for me ever since. I don't often review romance books here at all, which is why it just made my favorites list for the month and you didn't hear anything else about it. Anyway, the main character, Evelyn, really spoke to me despite her having gotten on all of my nerves at the beginning of the book. We had some of the same fears, doubts and quirks and it was nice to read a story like this from a perspective so similar to my own. During a blizzard, she gets stranded out on the side of the highway with a famous rocker, whose identity I believe she's unaware of at first. Enter Storm, who was sex on a stick and all kinds of yummy. Totally my kind of guy. It sweetened the pot a little too much that he was a great person on top of being gorgeous. Of course, the close quarters are brimming with sexual tension, and throughout the book they end up falling in love with each other. He's a bit too good to be true in real life, which is partially why I enjoyed reading about it so much. So for a gal like me, who isn't so unlike Evelyn, this book was all kinds of vicarious living and I loved it.
I read Storm during the summer, and it's stuck out for me ever since. I don't often review romance books here at all, which is why it just made my favorites list for the month and you didn't hear anything else about it. Anyway, the main character, Evelyn, really spoke to me despite her having gotten on all of my nerves at the beginning of the book. We had some of the same fears, doubts and quirks and it was nice to read a story like this from a perspective so similar to my own. During a blizzard, she gets stranded out on the side of the highway with a famous rocker, whose identity I believe she's unaware of at first. Enter Storm, who was sex on a stick and all kinds of yummy. Totally my kind of guy. It sweetened the pot a little too much that he was a great person on top of being gorgeous. Of course, the close quarters are brimming with sexual tension, and throughout the book they end up falling in love with each other. He's a bit too good to be true in real life, which is partially why I enjoyed reading about it so much. So for a gal like me, who isn't so unlike Evelyn, this book was all kinds of vicarious living and I loved it.
Beyond Top Secret is a government-themed thriller and I'm actually unsure of why I didn't review it here when I read it. I won this in a LT giveaway last spring and I absolutely loved it. In short, following a string of seemingly unrelated murder-suicides across the country, all by men on their 60th birthdays, a man formerly in the government fold gets drawn back in when he starts to connect the dots of each case. In order to get to the bottom of the case, however, he has to reconnect with both the woman he loved and lost, as well as the government past he worked to distance himself from. This book focuses on all levels of government, from local yokels all the way up to the White House, and each level increases the domino effect in the plot. It was a great book about government conspiracies and cover-ups, mental and physical warfare, and I highly recommend it.
Breathe and Release was the prize from another LT giveaway, and I'd requested it awhile before I received it so I had forgotten about the premise of the book. Bluntly speaking, this book was twisted as shit. This book follows an amnesia patient who has no memories but knows she has a husband who rubs her the wrong way and a stepdaughter who seems to hate her. She starts to shape a new persona for herself but comes to the realization that her new self clashes quite horribly with her old self, who she begins to come into contact with as some of her memories resurface. One of those personas is a victim with an emerging moral code, while the other was anything but. I don't quite know how to classify this book in terms of genre, but if you like books that can give you a good mindf*ck, Breathe and Release is more than capable of stepping up to the plate.
TV/Documentaries: Narcos, Bound by Flesh, Making a Murderer, Tyke: Elephant Outlaw
Netflix had some good stuff to offer this year, and one of those things was the original series Narcos, based on the rise and fall of Colombia's Medellin cartel. There have been a few other series over the years, both in Spanish and English, based on this cartel but this series seems to take an entirely different approach. I watched all of season 1 the week it premiered, and I was hooked after the first episode. I appreciated that for the most part, the series stayed true to the public account of events, I enjoyed the view into both sides of the story, and I enjoyed the gritty, realistic tone that the series took. And for some reason, I loved that the series was true to the original languages, rather than having the entire series be completed in English.
Bound by Flesh is a documentary that I watched last month about a pair of Siamese twins who were once part of the circus' upper echelon as children, but became emancipated from their stepdad/manager after becoming young adults. Despite the decision being the best one in terms of getting out from underneath the man's iron fist, it actually led to their downfall as celebrities of the time. It was tragic to see how their lives were never really their own but they ended up paying a steep price anyway. They were never able to find the love and happiness they desired throughout their lives, which I think is the real injustice. It shows the ugly side of show business, and even though it was sad, I'm glad I saw it.
Making a Murderer is a mini docu-series that just premiered and it was so damn good I didn't know what to do with myself when I'd finished it. I have to admit that I may have skipped a couple of episodes because I'm impatient and was trying my best not to Google the case while I was watching. I failed by episode 2. LOL But I've got the gist and will be going back to the episodes I missed in a few days. This follows the case of a man named Steven Avery, who was wrongly convicted of rape back in the mid-'80s but wasn't cleared until around 2003, only to be convicted, this time along with his underage nephew, a Brendan Dassey, of murder a few years later. This case as a whole is so complex and almost too crazy to be true. From the very beginning, it seems as though the police department has an axe to grind with the Avery family and will stop at nothing to get them put away. The level of incompetence in both cases is mind-boggling, but one thing that I like that the series did was allow the viewer to decide what they believed. The tone is more informative rather than slanted one way or the other and with something like this, I think an objective viewpoint is best.
Finally, every year I have a tearjerker documentary I recommend, and this year Tyke: Elephant Outlaw was that tearjerker for me. If you're an animal lover at all, not only will this bring out that Kim K-worthy ugly cry, but it'll make you question what you may normally see as regular entertainment. Back in the mid-90s, an African elephant named Tyke was scheduled to perform in a show in Honolulu, but ended up going on a rampage inside the circus arena, sending everyone into a frenzy. This later spilled out into the streets of Honolulu and resulted in the injuries of several people and the death of her trainer. She was later gunned down by Hawaiian police. The documentary explores the circus community, both its advocates and critics, and really leaves you wondering what treatment the circus animals we pay to see are enduring behind the scenes. When I tell you I cried, I cried. I'm also an undercover softie and a loser, so maybe that was just my reaction. I still recommend it.
Apps: Amazon Kindle Reader, Influenster, Pacifica, Phonto, Soundcloud, Spotify for PS3
The reviews that I do the most, by far, are book reviews. I receive book files pretty frequently from authors and download quite a few on my own from multiple sites, but thankfully the Kindle Reader app allows me to read them all without having to go through tons of work to get them stored on my Reader Cloud. The most work I think I have to do after an author sends me a book is download the file to my computer, then send the file to my Kindle e-mail address, where the cloud downloads the book and makes it instantly available for me. It really comes in handy with me having so many books to keep track of at one time, It's not a new app by any means, but I think it's the best one to use if you like to read a lot. I also recommend the Chrome plug-in if you'd prefer to read on your PC.
I also do a lot of beauty reviews, so I need an app that both helps me keep track of new and popular products and serves as a middleman to help me get new things to review. Influenster does both of those things and helps me track my social media reach, which has been helpful for me. It's also been a helpful app because it allows me to practice reviewing and network a bit. The app was released for Android this year I believe, and it's been great.
Pacifica is the app that I go to the most for anxiety help. It's a very attentive app and it helps me in those anxious moments where I'm not quite as aware of why I'm feeling some kind of way, I just know I'm feeling a certain way. It helps me keep track of how I feel from day-to-day and if you want to help evaluate or figure out your daily stressors, diet and exercise as they relate to your anxiety levels, Pacifica is a good app to try.
I discovered Phonto earlier this year, and it's been a godsend for helping me step up my photo game. It's just an app where you can add fonts to your photos, but I'm a fonthead. I'm really new to the concept of mobile photo editing so I need apps that fit the free, easy to navigate and easy to use categories. Phonto fits all of those categories and has the bonus of allowing users to add their own fonts.
Soundcloud has become both my new Spotify and my most-used app. I mostly listen to chill, electronic and instrumental music these days, and Soundcloud seems like the best place to find it. I hardly ever use Spotify or any other music app anymore, because most of the artists I listen to are either on indie labels or for the most part are still underground, and as a result their music isn't on mainstream platforms yet. It's a great place to discover new music, new artists, and the best part is that it's all free. There are occasional ads, but they're short and don't take away from the experience. The only negative (if I had to find one) is that the majority of mainstream tracks, like the ones on Spotify, can't be found on Soundcloud because of copyright so there's that. Other than that though, I love Soundcloud and I'm looking forward to finding new music.
Finally, the Spotify app for PS3 & PS4 came out earlier this year and even though the PS3 version is more like a lite version of the PS4 console, it's still a great addition to the apps already in the PS Store. I wish they'd add Soundcloud, but there's not much point in putting forth the attention to create such a thing for PS3 now that the 4 is out. For a couple of years though, there was an add-on that allowed you to get around it and play your Soundcloud library from your console, but I looked earlier this month and the add-on was terminated some time ago.
Games: PS3--Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends and Dynasty Warriors 8, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Mortal Kombat X
Android--Megapolis, Bingo Heaven, Virtual Families 2
No, most of these games aren't new, but most of the games I review aren't new so it's fine. lol Anyway, I've logged quite a few hours on Legends this year, leveling up both my primary and secondary accounts. I haven't had the good fortune to play DW8 just yet, but it's on the to-do list for 2016. I'm still not a COD fan, but this was one of the games I wanted the most because of the Zombies feature. As much as I love shooter games, I'm not very good at them (lol) so Zombies mode helps me practice. Finally, Mortal Kombat X made the list because I was waiting for this game to come out since I first heard about it, only to be disappointed in October when the news was released that the PS3 edition of the game was being terminated. So it wasn't something I played all year, but it was certainly something that I focused on for much of it. ha
Megapolis is one of the games in my daily rotation of mobile games. Yes, I have a daily rotation. Don't judge me. Anyway, I've been playing this game for a couple of years and see no end in sight. It's the daily rewards and gifts. lol Bingo Heaven is quite easy to explain. I love playing Bingo, I have less trouble getting on Bingo Heaven than I do Bingo Bash and I enjoy it. Virtual Families 2 is a long-standing game; I've been playing the original since 2009 sometime and when I went from Apple to Android I had to upgrade to VF2. There's nothing particularly distinctive about VF; if you like Sims I guess this is a simpler version of it. But I enjoy it nonetheless.
The goal for this year here is to obviously find some newer games to review. Instead of reviewing the same games that every other popular reviewer is playing, I'd like to find the dark horses and review those instead.
Websites: Pinterest,Tumblr, BrightNest, Instructables, Mogul, Levo
Pinterest really doesn't need much explaining. I've been addicted to the site for a few years as it is, but this year I used it much more frequently, as it's become quite the source of inspiration. The same goes for Tumblr. Both of these sites provide a lot of visual inspiration on so many fronts, but the notable difference is that a lot of times, you can find the source when using Pinterest, whereas Tumblr has tons of photos where the source is unknown. Pinterest has helped me with just about every DIY project I've undertaken, as well as other random hobbies throughout the year. If you're looking for inspiration on, well, anything, Pinterest is the place.
BrightNest is a sister site to Angie's List, the babysitting website, and it features projects on subjects that appeal to parents and homeowners alike. What I liked the most about this site was how the results you find are personalized according to the questions you answer after logging on, and you get matched with a list of articles that may have relevance or be useful in your life. Instructables is a DIY site that I found earlier this year and it's a smorgasbord of various DIY projects on a bunch of different subjects. The projects are unique, instructional if you're trying to learn something new, and in my case, really challenged me to try and be more creative with the projects I undertake.
Mogul is a website that I found earlier this year, and I'm so glad I did. The focus of Mogul's website is to serve as a resource for women and empower them in their professional endeavors. I was recently selected as one of the new 500 Global Ambassadors that Mogul decided to add to their brand, which was pretty awesome. I applied and really didn't think I was going to get accepted, either because I didn't apply in enough time or because I really didn't have much to offer, but I did. If anything, it helped me step up my game so that the title doesn't become meaningless. The site is chock full of an array of things, from various entertainment articles to motivational pieces, career courses and conversational forums. It's an excellent resource for women and it's a very positive environment from what I have seen.
Levo is another career-based website that I came across earlier this year after entering a contest that they were sponsoring. This site caters to both sexes, but it has tons of community-written articles meant to inspire, motivate and challenge professionals at various levels in their careers. One of my favorite features of the site is the monthly checklist, where 10 fun activities and holidays throughout the month are featured. It's helpful if you're a beginner and want to find your place, whether it be in life or in your career, and its helpful if you're already in a career but seek a different direction, or you can just share your story with the community if you like. If nothing else, this is a great site to start and strengthen your networking skills.
DIY: Desk organization, room decor, floral crowns, gifts, homemade snacks and treats, steampunk...anything
If you've read my Favorites posts from this year, then you'll know that desk organization has been on the vast majority of them. My desk was my pet project for much of 2015, and I'm still working on getting things just the way I like but overall it's shaping up. I was looking for something minimalistic but vivid in color that speaks to productivity and allows me to keep an eye on both blog calendars at all times. Maybe when I'm done I'll do a post on it.
Room decor was another subject that I looked at a lot during 2015. Since I still live at home, I have to limit my creativity to my room, which is hard when you have a home's worth of ideas to cram into a small bedroom. Storage seems to be my biggest issue, but it was important to me that I create a space that I am always at peace in. Between being frustrated at not having my own space and having anxiety as badly as I do, having a safe haven was of the highest importance and this year I really tried to combine comfort and efficiency in order to create that sort of space for myself. Pinterest and Tumblr were the biggest help for visual inspiration and tips so if you're looking to mix up your space, I'd try there.
I have what I believe is bordering on an obsession with floral headpieces. I love floral headbands, love the smaller boho floral crowns, but the accessory I wanted to conquer the most was the huge floral crown. They're very attention-grabbing and therefore aren't for the faint of heart. For someone like me who thinks a little too much about what other people say, the last thing I want to do is bring more attention to myself. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to own one for every major holiday. The DIYer in me would rather make than buy one, so I've gradually begun gathering inspiration and learning methods for crafting different types of crowns throughout the year.
I love the personal and original feel of a homemade gift. I enjoy receiving them but I especially love making them. I love giving out birthday and Christmas gifts, but some of the most fun ones for me are the random, just because gifts. But I admit my intentions are partially selfish; it's fun for me to be more creative with the things that I try out and the opportunity to make a homemade gift does that for me. I challenge myself to be more creative and ambitious with the things that I make and when they turn out well, not only is the recipient satisfied but then I can mark that thing off as another thing that I've learned to do. Double win.
Now while I don't often feel intimidated by regular cooking anymore and don't need much guidance for most of it, I am often intimidated by having to bake. Ironically, baking is actually what I'm most excited to do. I love making sweets; they represent warmth and comfort for me, especially during these colder months. I think my favorite thing to make is pie. Which is fine, except that I happen to hate pie. LOL Luckily, my family loves pie--and any other sweet treat, really--so they don't mind eating the failures. And there have been quite a few. I just had one last week. lol I also like the concept of making my own snacks. I'm trying to move toward healthier snacks, and I like the thought of being able to make my own. I've had several failures with that too; the last notable one being the granola I wanted to make during the summer. But practice makes perfect, especially when baking, so I'm going to keep practicing.
I've had an interest in steampunk since before I knew there was an official name for the sub-culture. If you're not hip on what steampunk is, it's a lovely mix of Victorian elements and the future, mostly with engineering or transportation pieces. Many steampunk purists would hate this example, but if you want to see a bit of what it is about, watch League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Sherlock Holmes and Van Helsing are also said to have some steampunk elements. Anyway, immersing myself in the culture has been one of my favorite pasttimes this year. Pinterest, being the haven for all the things that it is, is an excellent place to get both information and visuals if you're interested in steampunk.
My goal here is to pick up the Pinterest Project again and start adding more projects that I've done or followed; the DIY tag is painfully bare right now.
Things: Recipes, blog design, sfx makeup, 3-device HTML switch, OneTab add-on for Chrome
Netflix had some good stuff to offer this year, and one of those things was the original series Narcos, based on the rise and fall of Colombia's Medellin cartel. There have been a few other series over the years, both in Spanish and English, based on this cartel but this series seems to take an entirely different approach. I watched all of season 1 the week it premiered, and I was hooked after the first episode. I appreciated that for the most part, the series stayed true to the public account of events, I enjoyed the view into both sides of the story, and I enjoyed the gritty, realistic tone that the series took. And for some reason, I loved that the series was true to the original languages, rather than having the entire series be completed in English.
Bound by Flesh is a documentary that I watched last month about a pair of Siamese twins who were once part of the circus' upper echelon as children, but became emancipated from their stepdad/manager after becoming young adults. Despite the decision being the best one in terms of getting out from underneath the man's iron fist, it actually led to their downfall as celebrities of the time. It was tragic to see how their lives were never really their own but they ended up paying a steep price anyway. They were never able to find the love and happiness they desired throughout their lives, which I think is the real injustice. It shows the ugly side of show business, and even though it was sad, I'm glad I saw it.
Making a Murderer is a mini docu-series that just premiered and it was so damn good I didn't know what to do with myself when I'd finished it. I have to admit that I may have skipped a couple of episodes because I'm impatient and was trying my best not to Google the case while I was watching. I failed by episode 2. LOL But I've got the gist and will be going back to the episodes I missed in a few days. This follows the case of a man named Steven Avery, who was wrongly convicted of rape back in the mid-'80s but wasn't cleared until around 2003, only to be convicted, this time along with his underage nephew, a Brendan Dassey, of murder a few years later. This case as a whole is so complex and almost too crazy to be true. From the very beginning, it seems as though the police department has an axe to grind with the Avery family and will stop at nothing to get them put away. The level of incompetence in both cases is mind-boggling, but one thing that I like that the series did was allow the viewer to decide what they believed. The tone is more informative rather than slanted one way or the other and with something like this, I think an objective viewpoint is best.
Finally, every year I have a tearjerker documentary I recommend, and this year Tyke: Elephant Outlaw was that tearjerker for me. If you're an animal lover at all, not only will this bring out that Kim K-worthy ugly cry, but it'll make you question what you may normally see as regular entertainment. Back in the mid-90s, an African elephant named Tyke was scheduled to perform in a show in Honolulu, but ended up going on a rampage inside the circus arena, sending everyone into a frenzy. This later spilled out into the streets of Honolulu and resulted in the injuries of several people and the death of her trainer. She was later gunned down by Hawaiian police. The documentary explores the circus community, both its advocates and critics, and really leaves you wondering what treatment the circus animals we pay to see are enduring behind the scenes. When I tell you I cried, I cried. I'm also an undercover softie and a loser, so maybe that was just my reaction. I still recommend it.
Apps: Amazon Kindle Reader, Influenster, Pacifica, Phonto, Soundcloud, Spotify for PS3
The reviews that I do the most, by far, are book reviews. I receive book files pretty frequently from authors and download quite a few on my own from multiple sites, but thankfully the Kindle Reader app allows me to read them all without having to go through tons of work to get them stored on my Reader Cloud. The most work I think I have to do after an author sends me a book is download the file to my computer, then send the file to my Kindle e-mail address, where the cloud downloads the book and makes it instantly available for me. It really comes in handy with me having so many books to keep track of at one time, It's not a new app by any means, but I think it's the best one to use if you like to read a lot. I also recommend the Chrome plug-in if you'd prefer to read on your PC.
I also do a lot of beauty reviews, so I need an app that both helps me keep track of new and popular products and serves as a middleman to help me get new things to review. Influenster does both of those things and helps me track my social media reach, which has been helpful for me. It's also been a helpful app because it allows me to practice reviewing and network a bit. The app was released for Android this year I believe, and it's been great.
Pacifica is the app that I go to the most for anxiety help. It's a very attentive app and it helps me in those anxious moments where I'm not quite as aware of why I'm feeling some kind of way, I just know I'm feeling a certain way. It helps me keep track of how I feel from day-to-day and if you want to help evaluate or figure out your daily stressors, diet and exercise as they relate to your anxiety levels, Pacifica is a good app to try.
I discovered Phonto earlier this year, and it's been a godsend for helping me step up my photo game. It's just an app where you can add fonts to your photos, but I'm a fonthead. I'm really new to the concept of mobile photo editing so I need apps that fit the free, easy to navigate and easy to use categories. Phonto fits all of those categories and has the bonus of allowing users to add their own fonts.
Soundcloud has become both my new Spotify and my most-used app. I mostly listen to chill, electronic and instrumental music these days, and Soundcloud seems like the best place to find it. I hardly ever use Spotify or any other music app anymore, because most of the artists I listen to are either on indie labels or for the most part are still underground, and as a result their music isn't on mainstream platforms yet. It's a great place to discover new music, new artists, and the best part is that it's all free. There are occasional ads, but they're short and don't take away from the experience. The only negative (if I had to find one) is that the majority of mainstream tracks, like the ones on Spotify, can't be found on Soundcloud because of copyright so there's that. Other than that though, I love Soundcloud and I'm looking forward to finding new music.
Finally, the Spotify app for PS3 & PS4 came out earlier this year and even though the PS3 version is more like a lite version of the PS4 console, it's still a great addition to the apps already in the PS Store. I wish they'd add Soundcloud, but there's not much point in putting forth the attention to create such a thing for PS3 now that the 4 is out. For a couple of years though, there was an add-on that allowed you to get around it and play your Soundcloud library from your console, but I looked earlier this month and the add-on was terminated some time ago.
Games: PS3--Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends and Dynasty Warriors 8, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Mortal Kombat X
Android--Megapolis, Bingo Heaven, Virtual Families 2
No, most of these games aren't new, but most of the games I review aren't new so it's fine. lol Anyway, I've logged quite a few hours on Legends this year, leveling up both my primary and secondary accounts. I haven't had the good fortune to play DW8 just yet, but it's on the to-do list for 2016. I'm still not a COD fan, but this was one of the games I wanted the most because of the Zombies feature. As much as I love shooter games, I'm not very good at them (lol) so Zombies mode helps me practice. Finally, Mortal Kombat X made the list because I was waiting for this game to come out since I first heard about it, only to be disappointed in October when the news was released that the PS3 edition of the game was being terminated. So it wasn't something I played all year, but it was certainly something that I focused on for much of it. ha
Megapolis is one of the games in my daily rotation of mobile games. Yes, I have a daily rotation. Don't judge me. Anyway, I've been playing this game for a couple of years and see no end in sight. It's the daily rewards and gifts. lol Bingo Heaven is quite easy to explain. I love playing Bingo, I have less trouble getting on Bingo Heaven than I do Bingo Bash and I enjoy it. Virtual Families 2 is a long-standing game; I've been playing the original since 2009 sometime and when I went from Apple to Android I had to upgrade to VF2. There's nothing particularly distinctive about VF; if you like Sims I guess this is a simpler version of it. But I enjoy it nonetheless.
The goal for this year here is to obviously find some newer games to review. Instead of reviewing the same games that every other popular reviewer is playing, I'd like to find the dark horses and review those instead.
Websites: Pinterest,Tumblr, BrightNest, Instructables, Mogul, Levo
Pinterest really doesn't need much explaining. I've been addicted to the site for a few years as it is, but this year I used it much more frequently, as it's become quite the source of inspiration. The same goes for Tumblr. Both of these sites provide a lot of visual inspiration on so many fronts, but the notable difference is that a lot of times, you can find the source when using Pinterest, whereas Tumblr has tons of photos where the source is unknown. Pinterest has helped me with just about every DIY project I've undertaken, as well as other random hobbies throughout the year. If you're looking for inspiration on, well, anything, Pinterest is the place.
BrightNest is a sister site to Angie's List, the babysitting website, and it features projects on subjects that appeal to parents and homeowners alike. What I liked the most about this site was how the results you find are personalized according to the questions you answer after logging on, and you get matched with a list of articles that may have relevance or be useful in your life. Instructables is a DIY site that I found earlier this year and it's a smorgasbord of various DIY projects on a bunch of different subjects. The projects are unique, instructional if you're trying to learn something new, and in my case, really challenged me to try and be more creative with the projects I undertake.
Mogul is a website that I found earlier this year, and I'm so glad I did. The focus of Mogul's website is to serve as a resource for women and empower them in their professional endeavors. I was recently selected as one of the new 500 Global Ambassadors that Mogul decided to add to their brand, which was pretty awesome. I applied and really didn't think I was going to get accepted, either because I didn't apply in enough time or because I really didn't have much to offer, but I did. If anything, it helped me step up my game so that the title doesn't become meaningless. The site is chock full of an array of things, from various entertainment articles to motivational pieces, career courses and conversational forums. It's an excellent resource for women and it's a very positive environment from what I have seen.
Levo is another career-based website that I came across earlier this year after entering a contest that they were sponsoring. This site caters to both sexes, but it has tons of community-written articles meant to inspire, motivate and challenge professionals at various levels in their careers. One of my favorite features of the site is the monthly checklist, where 10 fun activities and holidays throughout the month are featured. It's helpful if you're a beginner and want to find your place, whether it be in life or in your career, and its helpful if you're already in a career but seek a different direction, or you can just share your story with the community if you like. If nothing else, this is a great site to start and strengthen your networking skills.
DIY: Desk organization, room decor, floral crowns, gifts, homemade snacks and treats, steampunk...anything
If you've read my Favorites posts from this year, then you'll know that desk organization has been on the vast majority of them. My desk was my pet project for much of 2015, and I'm still working on getting things just the way I like but overall it's shaping up. I was looking for something minimalistic but vivid in color that speaks to productivity and allows me to keep an eye on both blog calendars at all times. Maybe when I'm done I'll do a post on it.
Room decor was another subject that I looked at a lot during 2015. Since I still live at home, I have to limit my creativity to my room, which is hard when you have a home's worth of ideas to cram into a small bedroom. Storage seems to be my biggest issue, but it was important to me that I create a space that I am always at peace in. Between being frustrated at not having my own space and having anxiety as badly as I do, having a safe haven was of the highest importance and this year I really tried to combine comfort and efficiency in order to create that sort of space for myself. Pinterest and Tumblr were the biggest help for visual inspiration and tips so if you're looking to mix up your space, I'd try there.
I have what I believe is bordering on an obsession with floral headpieces. I love floral headbands, love the smaller boho floral crowns, but the accessory I wanted to conquer the most was the huge floral crown. They're very attention-grabbing and therefore aren't for the faint of heart. For someone like me who thinks a little too much about what other people say, the last thing I want to do is bring more attention to myself. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to own one for every major holiday. The DIYer in me would rather make than buy one, so I've gradually begun gathering inspiration and learning methods for crafting different types of crowns throughout the year.
I love the personal and original feel of a homemade gift. I enjoy receiving them but I especially love making them. I love giving out birthday and Christmas gifts, but some of the most fun ones for me are the random, just because gifts. But I admit my intentions are partially selfish; it's fun for me to be more creative with the things that I try out and the opportunity to make a homemade gift does that for me. I challenge myself to be more creative and ambitious with the things that I make and when they turn out well, not only is the recipient satisfied but then I can mark that thing off as another thing that I've learned to do. Double win.
Now while I don't often feel intimidated by regular cooking anymore and don't need much guidance for most of it, I am often intimidated by having to bake. Ironically, baking is actually what I'm most excited to do. I love making sweets; they represent warmth and comfort for me, especially during these colder months. I think my favorite thing to make is pie. Which is fine, except that I happen to hate pie. LOL Luckily, my family loves pie--and any other sweet treat, really--so they don't mind eating the failures. And there have been quite a few. I just had one last week. lol I also like the concept of making my own snacks. I'm trying to move toward healthier snacks, and I like the thought of being able to make my own. I've had several failures with that too; the last notable one being the granola I wanted to make during the summer. But practice makes perfect, especially when baking, so I'm going to keep practicing.
I've had an interest in steampunk since before I knew there was an official name for the sub-culture. If you're not hip on what steampunk is, it's a lovely mix of Victorian elements and the future, mostly with engineering or transportation pieces. Many steampunk purists would hate this example, but if you want to see a bit of what it is about, watch League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Sherlock Holmes and Van Helsing are also said to have some steampunk elements. Anyway, immersing myself in the culture has been one of my favorite pasttimes this year. Pinterest, being the haven for all the things that it is, is an excellent place to get both information and visuals if you're interested in steampunk.
My goal here is to pick up the Pinterest Project again and start adding more projects that I've done or followed; the DIY tag is painfully bare right now.
Things: Recipes, blog design, sfx makeup, 3-device HTML switch, OneTab add-on for Chrome
Of course, since I was into making sweets and snacks this year, I spent a lot of time checking out recipes to figure out what it was that I wanted to try. This is going to sound odd, but I love reading recipes. It intrigues me to no end to see how exact measurements of items that alone, have no significance, but come together to create something amazing. It's also fun to learn what tweaks to make, what other additions can be made to the base recipe, to put your own spin on the end result.
Clearly, blog design has been an ongoing project of mine, with the results of said research hopefully ending in a design that, if nothing else, fits my theme a little better than this one. I like blog design, but I have to admit that I'm neither in love or particularly good at it. So it's kind of funny to me that it's taken up so much of my time this year. With any luck, it'll be fixed sometime within the month of January and with the free time I'll have after its finished, I can put more effort into my posts.
I've always had a thing for Halloween makeup, but the creativity of YouTube has helped me to challenge myself to try out new things. The past couple of years has brought out an interest in fX makeup, which was a new one on me considering that I hate gore, but there it is. I'm really intrigued by creating fX makeup with basic supplies, so I've been practicing what I've learned so far off and on all year.
My mom picked up this 3-device HTML switch for me this summer that I've been in love with ever since. I'm still unsure whether or not I'll review it separately, but if you have multiple devices that require HDMI cords, I'd suggest picking up one of these switches.
OneTab has been saving my ass all year. I have a really bad habit, especially in Chrome, of having 20-something tabs open at once, which obviously takes a toll on the memory and performance of the program over time. In addition to having all of those tabs open at once, I'm also prone to having the same windows open for days, sometimes weeks at a time. OneTab is an awesome add-on that allows you to condense all of your open tabs into one tab, where you can lock the tab group and re-open them at will without losing the link, you can star them and open them again later as a group, or you can export various links and email them. If you're a student or blogger, this is a very useful tool to have for your work.
So that's it for my favorites this year. I hope you enjoyed, even though it was insanely long. I also hope wherever you are that you have a fabulous New Year, spent doing what you want to do and being happy--and safe!--doing it. New Year's Eve is the ultimate FOMO creator and the older I get, the more I refuse to fall into it, despite New Year's being my favorite holiday. However you choose to spend New Year's, I hope you spend it happily and safely. I'll see you soon!
