What I've Been Watching: December

Hi! I know last month's edition of this series was quite long, and I'm sorry. I wanted to make up for my lack of Favorites posts so when I had the idea to create something specifically to talk about what I've been watching, I had months of stuff I wanted to share. This one isn't quite as long, but I did watch a lot this month. I watched a mix of things this month, from documentaries to stand-up specials, cheesy romance flicks to crime-based shows. It was a healthy mix, so hopefully you'll find something in it worth taking a look at. So what'd I watch this month?

Gabriel Iglesias: I'm Sorry For What I Said When I Was Hungry 

The Irish Mob 

The Spirit of Christmas 

Border Security: Australia's Front Line 

A Family Affair 

Diary of a Chambermaid 

Ricardo O'Farrill: Abrazo navideño 

Beauties of the Night 

Meet the Blacks 

The Confessions of Thomas Quick 

Ralphie May: Unruly 

Penguins: Spy in the Huddle 

Hitler in the Andes 

Travelers 

My thing with stand-up specials has continued this month, as there are three entries on this month's list. Gabriel Iglesias' new special, I'm Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry, was funny although I have to admit it also sounded a bit.....self circle-jerk? now that he has the fame of a seasoned comedian. Maybe I read it wrong, I dunno. I still recommend watching it.

I also watched Ricardo O'Farrill's Christmas-themed special Abrazo navideño, which had cameos from a couple of the comics I mentioned in November's list, and it wasn't laugh-out-loud funny but amusing enough. There was a line about the Christmas special hopefully not giving him 1-star again, which led me to O'Farrill's first Netflix special, which has--obviously--one star. lol I'll let you know how that one was next month.

Finally, I watched Ralphie May's Unruly special and it had its moments of hilarity but the rest was amusing, if for no other reason than because of the way Ralphie May tells a story. He's aware of his non-PC style of comedy and admits to it without crossing the line just for the sake of doing so. That's what some of his special centered on so if light race jokes and the like aren't your thing, you might not want to watch. I liked it though. 

As for documentaries, the ones I watched were pretty heavy in terms of subject matter. The two that stand out the most for me were A Family Affair and The Confessions of Thomas Quick. The latter focuses on the long and twisted story of Thomas Quick, a man on record as Sweden's most prolific serial killer. After confessing to over two dozen murders, he later recanted his entire confession. That doesn't sound too uncommon; many killers do that. This story is a twisted one that involves mental institutions, repressed sexuality and false memories. It's a good one.

A Family Affair is a personal, often to the point of being uncomfortable, look at a family separated by the behaviors of its matriarch, the filmmaker's grandmother. He gets drawn into his grandma's world, to a level that makes him (and you, I promise) uncomfortable, but you wonder at the end how much of the story was revealed and how much of it was true. It's a mindf*ck at parts but it was really good.

Beauties of the Night is about five of Mexico's most famous burlesque dancers, all now retired, and what drew them to their former careers as well as what happened to them after they left the stage. You go into it assuming it's just about burlesque and the women's careers, but that's where you get misled and a much more personal story unfolds for all five of the women. They may have had burlesque in common, but life ultimately drew them in a myriad of directions, from activism to God's altar. I loved it and if there was ever a sequel in store for these former Beauties, I'd be here for it. 

The last documentary I watched this month was Hitler in the Andes, which explores the apparent popular conspiracy theory that Hitler wasn't killed on the date recorded in the books, but actually escaped to the Andes. I only recently--as in the last six months--became aware of the conspiracy theory that Hitler faked his death, and I've already seen two documentaries exploring the subject. It's a viable theory, as this documentary revealed some original video footage of the bodies of men suspected of being Hitler's body doubles. I'm not sure which side of the argument I fall on, but neither answer would surprise me much. 

Moving on, my animal documentary this month was Penguins: Spy in the Huddle. Different kinds of penguins were followed in this documentary in the period leading up to the breeding cycle, then it takes on new life as the babies are born, the parents leave and the babies learn to follow in their parents' footsteps as they grow. I love penguins anyway, but I especially love the subtle hints of personality and sass that they have, depending on the situation. Because it's so quiet though, it's easy for an asshole like me to create my own dialogue of what I think the penguins would say if they could. I'm easily amused. 

Now for tv series, the one that sticks out for me this month is Travelers. Eric McCormack heads the show as the leader of a team of consciousness time travelers. What I mean by this is that the present-day for the travelers is over 100 years in the future, so traveling back to their former bodies is impossible as none of them are actually born yet. So their consciousness travels instead, taking over the body of a host seconds before the host dies. I am guessing that the host actually does die, but that hasn't been explored too much as it is the host's body, not mind, that's important. Anyway, these travelers go back in an effort to stop the origin of the events in our time that almost entirely wiped out humanity in their time over a century later. I know I'm shit at describing shows lol, but if you're into sci-fi, tech or time travel, I think you'll like it. It's actually on tv in Canada and was just released on Netflix, so if you're my northern neighbor then you've already seen the show.  

The Irish Mob fills the void I've been having since I finished watching the other mob-based series on Netflix. The Irish Mob focuses on two different Irish mobsters per episode and I realized that I'd made a mistake in thinking they weren't as ruthless as Italian mobsters. In some ways, they're a bit worse. The Irish were who the Italians called when things needed to get a bit muddy and they needed outside help. I know there were significantly less Irish mobsters than Italians so I know it can't be as long of a series, but I wish it was a bit longer. 

Australia's Border Security is pretty similar to America's but I like theirs more, so I've been watching it over and over again. lol Meet the Blacks stars Mike Epps as the patriarch of the Black family in this comedic spoof of movies like The Purge. You'll see a number of Black comedians in this film, Charlie Murphy and Michael Blackson being among them, and a funny choice for a corrupt President in George Lopez but overall it's not gut-splitting hilarious. The Spirit of Christmas is my cheesy romantic Christmas flick about a woman battling a stubborn ghost in order to appraise the property he once owned and of course, falling in love with him. My biggest gain from this movie is my introduction to the deliciousness that is Thomas Beaudoin. Yum.

Diary of a Chambermaid is a remake of a remake about a maid's experiences while serving a number of rich families and their spouses. She seems to regard everyone as beneath her, which is ironic considering her own position, and ultimately falls in love with a reticent, scowling servant of the family she works for. It was okay but not chronological, which made it a bit confusing and the moments of silence are a bit too long, with not enough meaningful dialogue between some of those silent periods to make up for it.

Picks of the Month: Travelers, A Family Affair, Beauties of the Night and The Irish Mob

Throwaway Pick: Meet the Blacks

I know this was a rather long list, but this month was about trying to get more tv shows on my list a month so I'm sorry. These probably won't be short entries. lol I hope you found something that intrigues you from this list; is there anything you've already watched? As always, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you soon!

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Posts from the Vault #1

Hi! To bring things to a close and try to start the New Year on a (moderately) clean slate, I wanted to do a small collection of posts recently released from the vault. By that, I mean that there are late posts that my dumbass was finally able to finish and I'd like you to check them out but I needed a cool name for it. LOL There are also a couple of posts that aren't necessarily late but were unpromoted because I was already planning this post. There aren't too many right now but going into a new year, it's more unlikely you'd go this far back in my archives to find these reviews so I wanted to put them out there now. I think I might do this every six months or so to clear out the draft posts, I'm not sure yet. Anyway, here's the first collection of Vault posts from earlier in the year. 

Physicians' Formula Sexy Booster Cat Eye Liquid Eyeliner

Tales of Blood and Sulphur: Apocalypse Minor

Joyetech eGo AIO Experience

Kleancolor Classic Nude Eyeshadow Palette

Autumn Aesthetic 

Winter Wonderland

What I've Been Watching: December

I love the end result of all of these posts, partially because there are a couple of posts with a new style of review in them (the Kleancolor and eyeliner posts), one that I've never done before (the Joyetech pen) and the last two seasonal inspiration posts, which I'm really happy with. The last two items on the list were the current but unpromoted posts. So my obvious recommendation is that you check them all out, but if you'd like to remain current then the last two or three posts should suffice. Let me know how often you think I should do these posts--monthly, twice a year, once a year? I'm not quite sure how to play this just yet. See you soon!

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Winter Wonderland

Hi! I really can't believe winter is upon us already. It seems like just yesterday I was telling you in either the spring or summer inspiration posts that I couldn't wait for the colder weather but would probably complain once I got it (which has been the entire truth, I've been complaining since it got cold and will probably do so until the mornings aren't cold anymore and once we hit hell temperatures again, the cycle will repeat LOL), and here we are, with 11 days left in the year. With that being said, here is my sensory inspiration for winter. Some of the things I included on here may not be quite as relevant since Christmas is this weekend and I can't see you still having a Christmas-themed centerpiece on your tables in February lol, but the colors and accessories are still trademarks of the season to me. 

Beauty: Dramatic liner, smokey/glittery eyes, false lashes, red lips

Winter is when you can roll out all of the sparkly, smokey makeup looks that your face can stand and get away with it. It's the one time of year that the heat here lets up enough to do heavier, more glamorous makeup looks without product sliding off your face, so I like to take advantage of that when the opportunity presents itself. My skin lightens (and dries) significantly during the colder months, partially due to the decreased time in the sun, so it's important that the face products I use give me some color and vitality. On the days when I'm not wearing makeup though, the most important things to me are moisture, moisture and more moisture.



Fashion: loungewear and large, slouchy clothing, large knit beanies, turtlenecks, sparkly tops and dresses, velvet

Because my main goal (other than keeping warm) is to be comfortable, I've really been digging the stylish sloth look. lol What I mean by that is that per usual, comfort is a necessity. But rather than looking like a sloth with the bunchy, baggy sweats, bag lady sweatshirts and loose-fitting shirts all at the same time, I'd like to combine style with the sloth. On the flip side, I also love the sparkly, glittery fashions for the holidays. I'm not big on velvet, but for the holidays it seems appropriate. New Year's is one of my favorite holidays, and for me, it's also when the countdown to my birthday starts. lol

Hair: long, dark and bouncy hair/moisturized protective styles

For hair, I usually go back to wanting dark, long and bouncy styles. I like how my hair and skintone mix with black hair anyway, but during the winter months, I think the darker tones definitely suit me better. Because I'm so pale during winter, lighter hair washes me out something serious. I also like metallic accessories for the holidays, which really pop against black hair. Yes, the reasons are rather superficial but we're talking about hair. Let me live. lol I also like large flowers, glitter and/or stars, like in this collage, as hair accessories. I try to do the most on New Year's. As for my natural locks, moisture is also the name of the game. Winter wrecks havoc on already dry hair, so I just try to keep it moisturized and out of the way.



Headspace: coziness, warmth, safety, solitude, inspiration

 As I'm going to get into a little more detail about at the end of the post, winter isn't necessarily the best time of year for me. I have seasonal affective disorder and a compromised immune system, among other things, and as a result I usually have to stay away from large public places while flu season is at its peak. As you can imagine, this does wonders for triggering my agoraphobia lol. Having to isolate myself during this time of year gets amplified by my seasonal depression, so I've tried to counter that by making my hibernation a haven of sorts. I try to make the best of it by creating a cocoon for myself where I can be comfortable, cozy and relaxed. But on the flip side, because I'm so limited during the winter, I can often get a ton of work done. My goal is to come into the year with as clean a slate as possible and inspiration for the next 12 months, which my hibernating helps with immensely. My execution of said inspiration doesn't always work out, but if my largest problem is that I don't have enough time to carry out all of my ideas rather than not having any, I can deal with that. If you'd like to see more about where I got my visual inspo from, here's this season's nod to Tumblr. I also used the tags bed fort, solitude and holidays on there so if you'd rather look there rather than at things specific to Christmas, knock yourself out.

Christmas Lover

Winter Wonderland

Christmas Love
Christmas Wonderland

--Christmas music, calming and ambient music

(I apologize for the playlists being on top of each other rather than side by side. They're side by side on my end in the editor, but for you they're loading on top of each other. I can't get the code right, so now they look wonk. I's sorry.)




This is an unpopular opinion, but I'm not a big fan of Christmas music. There are probably three Christmas songs I like, my favorite of the bunch being a classic. Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" (or Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, which is probably the title most people, myself included, are familiar with) is my all-time favorite Christmas song. Another unpopular opinion, and this one is definitely unpopular, is that I hate "All I Want for Christmas is You." I don't know how this became the holiday anthem, but I wasn't on the committee that made the decision because I definitely don't approve. I love a lot of Mariah Carey's music, but if all copies of this song were suddenly destroyed, I wouldn't lose any sleep. lol I know that I sound like a complete grumpy ass about it, but I think I've heard the song too much. One song I do like, however, is this cheesy 80s song "This Christmas," by Wham! because it's hilarious, it's not exactly a cheer-inducing song, but my local radio stations wear it out anyway. As a result, I love the irony.

Despite my attitude towards Christmas music, however, it's usually all I listen to for Christmas Eve and Day. It helps me get and stay in the mood and for those couple of days, I'm here for it. I just can't listen to it on November 10th, which is usually when my local radio stations blackout everything except Christmas music. I also can't listen to it after December 26th, because then it's no longer Christmas. lol Boxing Day marks the return to secular tunes, which are pretty much in the same vein as the ones I like for fall.

--briskets, roasts and stews, tamales, menudo, popcorn, barks and brittles, spiced nuts, fancy sweet treats, cocoa, egg nog

Sources:

 1. Slow-Cooked BBQ Brisket, Simply Scratch (the recipe used here is an amended version of Chowhound's)

 2. Peppermint Bark Fudge, Sugar Spun Run

 3. Slow Cooked Beef Stew, Greg Leason of Buzzfeed

 4. Decadent Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate, Sally's Baking Addiction

 5. Menudo, Hispanic Kitchen

 6. Cheddar Garlic Mashed Potato Casserole, Best Blog Recipes

 7. Mocha Truffles, Bon Appetit

 8. Southern Honey Glazed Ham, Flavorite

 9. Homemade Tamales, What's Cooking America

10. Cinnamon Sugar Pecans, Firefly Tales

*Extra: Hot Chocolate Station, Your Homebased Mom

This may be my least favorite season, but one of my absolute favorite things about it is the food and obviously, my favorite tool for cooking during this time of year is the slow cooker. My relationship with food started during the winter of an extremely rough year of my life, and I found that I could escape from the world and channel my emotions into the food I was making. While my family was out in the cold during winter, I was stuck at home, and cooking gave me an opportunity to welcome them home with something warm and comforting. As I got better at it and eventually discovered that this was a legitimate passion of mine rather than just a hobby, I found so many other events and times in which food is the unacknowledged glue holding everything together.

That's never more true than during the winter, at least in my family. Thanksgiving is the last time of any normalcy for awhile; there are two birthdays the week before Christmas, then Christmas, another birthday, New Year's, and my own birthday is a month after that. The family comes together most often during the winter, so there's a lot of cooking being done, which I use as an opportunity to test out recipes and spend some time with family. I show my feelings and love through the food I make, and I've yet to find another activity that gives me the fulfillment and satisfaction that cooking a meal provides.

When I cook for others, especially during the winter, my main goals are to comfort, warm and nourish. I know that sounds cheesy (that pun was unintentional), but those goals answer the mother hen clucking somewhere inside of me. Winter brings thick, rich foods to mind that stick to the ribs and warm the body, like roasts, stews and rich, slow-cooked meats. The slow cooker is your best friend during the colder months. It's low-maintenance, fills your home with incomparable and welcoming aromas and allows the flavors of your food to intensify as they spend hours bubbling and marinating together.

Many of the spices from fall carry over to winter, where they're used to provide fuller, more hearty flavors to an array of dishes. This is also the time of year when you're supposed to eat your body weight in delicious, season-exclusive treats you won't be able to get for another year. The fancy cakes, the rich pies, the new desserts you've never had before, those are treats I love during winter.

--heavier scent notes overall--woods and oaks, musks, fresh trees, spices (but in combination with sweet, tamer notes), vanilla and peppermint

All candles shown here are from the 3-wick candles from Bath & Body Works.

Fresh Balsam--fresh balsam, eucalyptus, fir branches, cedarwood

Tis the Season--red delicious apple, sweet cinnamon, cedarwood

Winter--white woods, pine needles, clementine, spiced cloves

Twisted Peppermint--peppermint, sugared snow, vanilla buttercream, fresh balsam, hint of musk

Creamy Nutmeg--nutmeg, cinnamon stick, sugared almonds, vanilla

Vanilla Bean Noel--vanilla bean, caramel, whipped cream, snow-kissed musk, sugar cookies

Mahogany Teakwood--mahogany, black teakwood, dark oak, frosted lavender

Sparkling Woods--amberwood, pear, bergamot, patchouli

Vanilla Snowflake--vanilla, iced fir, wintry mint, coconut flakes

It's usually too hot here for me to indulge in heavy scents for most of the year because it makes the air a bit stuffy, but winter is the perfect time to roll out woodsy and musky scents so I'm here for all of it. The crispness of the air really seems to mix well with these heavier notes, which I enjoy. They create a bit of warmth and a cozier atmosphere that I crave for this time of year.

If you'd like to go natural for your deodorizers, you can take some regular unscented potpourri and bake them on a regular baking sheet for a few minutes with some cinnamon, cloves and orange. The scent comes out while they're baking, but placing them in small sachets around the house will ensure the scent sticks around. I boil my potpourri in a pot of water, and this also fills the room with scent. Some sites recommend adding fresh ingredients, like cinnamon sticks, pine or oranges, but I think fresh pine might be a little strong if used by itself.

--holiday-inspired and glam decor accents, accessories that create a feel of coziness, personalized gifts for others

Projects:

  1.  DIY Flannel Blanket, StoneGable

  2. Hot Chocolate Bar, Jeanne Oliver Designs 

  3. No-Sew Sweater "Poncho", A Beautiful Mess

  4. Glittered Champagne Bottles, Today's Creative Life

  5. String Light & Ornament Display Container, One Crazy House

  6. Glitter New Year's Candle Decorations, Celebrations

  7. Candy Cane Vase, Living Well Spending Less

  8. Twinkling Branch Room Dividers, Instructables
  9. White Christmas Mason Jar Luminaries, Ginger Snap Crafts
10. Christmas Candy Filled Containers (I found this on Google)
11. Pinecone and Lighted Pine Wreath Centerpiece (I found this on Tumblr)

Obviously, holiday-related decor items and accessories are some of my favorite projects to DIY for winter. I have simple tastes in the basic stuff, like furniture, wood finishes and the like, but I like pops of color, print and seasonal touches through the accessories that are displayed throughout the bedroom or home. It's a lot easier to switch things out when you keep the main components simple, allowing for the other accessories to give your home the seasonal touch you're looking for.

Seasonal elements that I like bringing into winter DIY projects are Christmas ornaments and candy canes, pinecones, icicle lights, small light strings, glitter, and flowers. I like a mix of glitz and glam from the holidays with rustic elements, like pinecones, acorns and pine leaves. Adding on to the comfort theme I mentioned up in the 'See' portion of the post, a project I'd really like to do is the blanket poncho. I'm all for leaving the house in a blanket but of course people will look at you weird, so if you can make it fashionable, I'm here for it. I like the versatility of blankets as outerwear--you can use them as ponchos, scarves or capelets. Using a throw blanket brings a little comfort from home with you and it's warm to boot. I love using the hot chocolate station as a decor piece, but if you'd also like it to be functional, take some tips from Your Homebased Mom's project that I have up in the Taste section.

I love doing holiday-related projects but my absolute favorite kinds of DIYs for this time of year are Christmas gifts. There's never a lot of money around the holidays so last-minute, cheap-as-shit shopping has unfortunately become my thing. My siblings have expensive tastes now that they're older, so rather than not getting them anything because I can't afford it, I try to make them something that I know they'll like, something they can use. I like the concept of personalized gifts anyway; it's my cheap ass rebellion against the commercialization of the holiday and allows me to put some thought into what I give people.

And that's what comes to mind when I think about winter. To be honest, this was probably the hardest one for me to do because winter is my least favorite season, despite it housing one of my favorite holidays. Winter is typically really difficult for me to get through for quite a few reasons; financial strain, my seasonal depression and the constant threat of illnesses are just the main three factors. As a result, it's hard for me to gather inspiration because usually, I'm counting down the days until spring is on the horizon. But that's another story for another day.

I tried to combine the feel I would like to have for winter with the things that I do like about it in an effort to try and get myself in the right mindset for the holidays and that's where this inspiration board came from. Even though it's not usually the best time of the year for me, I hope you have a fabulous holiday, whether you celebrate with family, friends or alone, and that you were able to find something to inspire you for winter. See you soon!

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Maybelline Colossal Big Shot Volum'Express Mascara

Hi! A few weeks ago, I got selected for a product trial of the Maybelline Colossal Big Shot Volum'Express mascara. That was a mouthful, lol. At first I thought it was PINCHme, a site I've been subscribed to for a couple of years, but after reviewing my account, realized it couldn't have been them. I don't recall Influenster sending it either, though. That's not a good look. lol I'm sorry. Let's get to what I do know--my thoughts on this product.  

What is it? Maybelline Colossal Big Shot Volum'Express Mascara

Where is it sold? It was in pre-release at the time I received it, so a price was not available

What are the benefits? The Big Shot mascara is said to provide fully loaded volume to the lashes, from root to tip, with just one coat

Maybelline makes the majority of my favorite mascaras and I was in need of a new one, so when I was selected to try out the product I was all for it. Here's what the product and a close-up of the wand look like:

The wand is rather simple, but I've noticed that the product does tend to clump at the tip (There was no way for me to say that sentence cleanly. I'm sorry I'm so immature lol). The photo below is a before and after shot of my lashes from above and in profile so you can see the difference that the mascara makes. There are no filters at all on any of the photos; I'm wearing concealer in both shots and a light shadow in the second. Anyway, here are some uncomfortably close shots of my eyeball.

The mascara looks like it has much more impact from the profile, as my lashes do look much more volumized. I will say that it looks more intense on camera than it does in person. I had to crop the second after shot but even though I'd just applied the mascara, it was already flaking. You can actually see a bit of it underneath my bottom lashes, and you can see the transferring on my top eyelid. I hadn't had the mascara on for longer than 5 minutes when I took this picture and there was already flaking, so be warned. It wasn't all bad though. Let's talk about what I liked.

What I liked: 

--The darkness and intensity of the color

--Provides the lashes with volume

--Easy to remove

One of my favorite things about Maybelline mascaras is that when they say a mascara is black, they mean it. The black is very dark and intense, and this doesn't diminish as you make your way through the product. It may not be as wet of a formula halfway through as it was when you first opened it, but it's no less dark. 

After applying, does the mascara actually give the lashes any volume? Yes. I have noticed that the impact of the volumizer depends on how you apply your mascara and by that I mean whether you apply the mascara from underneath or over the tops of your lashes. I think you can get the most impact by doing it both ways, because the volumizing/curl benefit can shorten the lashes quite a bit. This would be a good mascara to use if you wear fake lashes; its dark enough and provides enough volume to blend your lashes together with the falsies. 

Because I use so much mascara--and I say this in every mascara review lol--it is important to me that not only should the product last all day, it shouldn't be like removing super glue to get it off at the end of the day. Thankfully, this product is fairly easy to remove if you have good removal wipes or oil. It tends to clump when the product is breaking up on the lashes, so I'd hold the wipe or oil-soaked cotton to the lashes for a few seconds before starting to massage it off. 

What I didn't like: 

--Tends to smudge and flake a lot

--Not a lengthener so it can make naturally curled lashes look shorter

--Prone to clumping  

Holy smudgefest this mascara can be messy. If you have long lashes expect a little transfer on your eyelid or underneath the brow if you open your eye all the way. I noticed a ton of smudging on the lower lashline though, and I can't figure out if its a wand thing or a product thing. It smudges every time I use it and it drives me nuts. The flaking is another issue; sometimes it flakes almost immediately, like in my After shots up above, but usually I notice that after a couple of hours, even if I'm not sweating, my undereye area is usually a gray, flaky mess. I noticed that when I use another mascara on top, it kinda helps lock in the Big Shot but there's still a bit of flaking later. I also noticed that when I applied it only on the top lashes, there was still some product transfer and smudging to my undereye area a couple of hours later. Keep a Q-Tip handy while you're applying it and some concealer in your purse for repair work throughout the day.

Because the primary benefit of this mascara is the volumizing quality, I wasn't expecting it to lengthen the lashes but because mine already have a natural curl, this almost made my lashes look shorter, like they were curling into themselves. For those with straight lashes, though, this would be a good pick. For those with short lashes (and yours are either naturally curled or you curl them later) though, I'd use this in combination with another mascara because the volumizer shrinks the lashes a bit.

 Something I've noticed at all stages with this mascara is that it clumps. It clumps during application so I'd advise trying to get any excess product off of your wand (especially at the tip when you apply to your bottom lashes) before applying it and brushing your lashes evenly. I like spidery lashes and I know this is a total oxymoron but I don't like clumpy spidery lashes. When I layer this mascara with others, I've noticed the clumping isn't quite so bad and it helps me brush out any existing clumps. I notice the product starting to do this throughout the day as well; when the mascara starts to flake it comes from the tops of my lashes, so there'll be clumps at the roots of the lashes, but the tips will be entirely bare. It's the same story when I'm trying to remove it--it'll bunch up at the root of the lash, but the tips of my lashes are nearly bare. 

Overall, I like the Big Shot mascara but I'm not super impressed. The formulation of both the Colossal Cat Eyes and Falsies Flared mascaras, my two favorites from this brand, are both better in my opinion than the Big Shot. Technically speaking, the product does work. The black is dark and intense, it does volumize the lashes, and doesn't tug them out when you remove the product. I've noticed that when I wear a lot of coats, this wears much better, flakes a lot less, and looks more intense.

The problem is, the product begins to remove itself, usually before you're ready for it to do so. Nobody wants to deal with a flaky, smudging mascara all day every time they use it. I still recommend the Big Shot, but I'd also recommend using this in combination with lengthening mascaras or even with the two that I mentioned above. If you're into spidery or intense mascara, this one would be good, if you're willing to work a little to counter the cons. If you prefer light-maintenance makeup that you don't need to repeatedly touch up on, then the Big Shot may not be for you. 

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What I've Been Watching: September--November

Hi! If you've checked out my recent posts within the last few months, you'll know that this section of the blog might as well be a desert. I realized quite a few years ago that reviewing what I watch isn't something I'm good at. I started out on this blog doing soap 'reviews,' but really I was just giving my thoughts on the day's episode. I did a shit job of actually reviewing the episodes. I started All Things Vintage some time later, doing classic movie reviews, and eventually realized that this too was not something I excelled at. I tried again, this time with tv shows, a couple of years later here on RRNT. This failed as well, so I switched it to online exclusives, which also--as you can plainly see--didn't work either. You would figure that by now, I'd have gotten it through my head that maybe doing tv reviews isn't my bag. I finally get it now though. lol 

So reviewing tv and movies isn't my thing. But I did find something in the same vein that did work for me--recommendations. I wanted to talk about the things that I watched without having to worry about trying to sound like career tv/movie critics. I'm just a long-winded broad who watches shit online, ya know? I can't keep trying to fit a square into a triangle. At some point in the last couple of years, I started including a section in my Monthly Favorites posts called "What'd I watch this month," so that I could list the documentaries that I'd watched and give them a brief mention. I've decided that rather than trying to review the tv shows individually, I'd create a new series called "What I've Been Watching," so that I can give a list of what I've been watching and give some recommendations. I'm still trying to figure out the schedule for these particular posts, so bear with me while I see what works. Since I haven't done a Monthly post in quite some time, I thought I'd do one of these because I've watched some really interesting things over the past few months. This is going to be long, so get a snack before you continue. I hope you enjoy! 

Narcos Season 2

Very British Problems

I shouldn't even have to go into detail about why Narcos was on the list for September. This is an amazing show and I loved Wagner Moura's performance as Pablo. I know he got a lot of shit for being Brazilian and portraying one of the most famous Colombians in history, especially because of the Colombian-based show, but I actually thought he did a superb job. I was upset because obviously Pablo's going to die so Wagner will be leaving the show, but I've become a big fan of his work. I think I might rewatch the series soon. I successfully got my uncle and his wife hooked on it and if I can get you hooked on it too then its a win-win for everyone.

I think there's an English gal in my brain somewhere, probably because of all of the books I've read that are set there, so I wanted to watch Very British Problems. Each episode features a different theme, with commentary by various Brits on how it said theme affects their society. Some of the themes are a bit vague and describe quite a few Americans, myself included, but others seem to be uniquely British. I've watched both seasons of the show and I think I liked the 1st season better, but overall the show is an entertaining look into another country's way of thinking. 

Border Security: America's Front Line

The Fall Series 3

Easy

Street Food Around the World

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories

Jack the Ripper: Prime Suspect

Dowry Law

The Ranch Part 2

I love the Border Security series; I've already seen Australia and Canada's seasons and America's was recently added, so I checked it out. I didn't realize it was so hard to enter or leave a country, and it's always amusing to see the banned shit people try to bring back.

I have been waiting for the third series of the UK drama The Fall for a good minute now. This is probably the final season of the show, and even though I wasn't disappointed, I will say I found the ending a little anticlimactic and open-ended on many fronts. This is a dark, intense drama where not everyone has their HEA and I don't often rewatch more serious programs, but I'm down to rewatch this one.  For me, this was one of those shows that left me feeling like, "What do I do with my life now?" when it was over. If you're into murder-suspense dramas but want something a little different from American series, try out The Fall.

Easy is a Netflix Original anthology series and it's unlike any other original show I've seen on the platform before. Easy is set in Chicago, and each episode focuses on the intimate happenings of a different couple in that area. Most of the characters are loosely connected, but a different couple gets their shine in each episode. It has a quite eclectic cast, from Malin Akerman and Orlando Bloom playing new parents entertaining the idea of having a threesome, to Elizabeth Reaser's breadwinner wife trying to bring some excitement back into the bedroom. There's even an episode entirely in Spanish and I kinda loved that. Intimate issues that all people face at some point in their lives are explored in a comedic but refreshing way and for the most part, I highly enjoyed the series.

Street Food Around the World is a show centered on international street food and the culture behind those dishes. The host can grate on the nerves a bit with the bad jokes, but overall if you're trying to get some exposure to international dishes this is a good show to watch. I like it for both the culture and food, but even if you like one more than the other you should be able to find something you like about the show.

Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories is a Japanese anthology series set in an overnight diner in Tokyo. Each story focuses on a customer who finds their way into the diner, and the chef wears a number of hats, the primary one being confidante. There's an array of things in this series, from family estrangements to lost loves, but the glue holding the show together is the diner and the food. Each episode also focuses on a different Japanese dish served at the diner and if you pay attention, you get the gist of the recipe as well. I loved that the series took the time to show the power that food has--it can bond people, bring comfort, bring up old memories, help people reconcile, and in one episode, was what caused the estrangement. It's a really understated series and I hope they bring it back for another season.

Jack the Ripper: Prime Suspect brings a new prime suspect into the light, and a pretty compelling case is presented as to who people now suspect to be the infamous Jack the Ripper. A few new avenues are explored and with the development of both technology and crime-solving techniques, a full profile of the Ripper's suspected identity emerges. A great amount of effort was put into trying to salvage what evidence was left behind, and if you're into true unsolved crimes I think you might find this documentary intriguing.

Dowry Law is a documentary attempting to bring light to an issue often ignored outside of India, the increasing number of dowry-related murders. The face for this documentary is a young doctor who, like many before her, was said to have killed herself despite not showing any signs of distress or depression beforehand. The documentary goes pretty in-depth with interviews from the woman's in-laws as well as others caught up in both sides of the dowry dilemma. This is a problem that needs to have more mainstream exposure and as a result, this definitely worth a watch.

I can't remember when the first part of The Ranch premiered, but I was waiting for this second half and I was a little 'ehh' about it when it was over. For those who miss the feel of a multi-cam, traditional sitcom but with less language limitations, The Ranch may be good, but it's chuckle-worthy, not LOL funny so don't go into it expecting that. I feel like maybe they want it to be this mix of comedy and more serious moments, but the serious moments sometimes either don't know if they're taking themselves too seriously or not seriously enough. It's still entertaining enough though, and there's a surprise That '70s Show reunion towards the end of the season.

Queen Mimi

Sofia Nino de Rivera: Expuesta

Carlos Ballarta: El amor es de putos

Paranoid Series 1 

Witness

Kathleen Madigan: Bothering Jesus

Iliza: Confirmed Kills

The Real Beauty & the Beast

Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction?

Queen Mimi is about the colorful life of Mimi, a California woman who, for many years, lived in a laundromat and made friends with the employees and patrons, some of whom later became famous. Nobody really knew her backstory or how she came to live at the laundromat, but this documentary, filmed over a five-year-period, gives the viewer a peek into Mimi's life, both the good and the bad. This is one of those documentaries where you come into it thinking it's going to be about one thing but it unfolds into something much deeper, something greater and that's why I enjoyed it so much.

This must have been the month of stand-up specials for me, as I watched not one but four different stand-up shows this month. I really like that Netflix is giving stand-up comedians their minute with Original specials and while I don't usually watch them, I think I needed the laugh this month. Sofia Nino de Rivera: Expuesta was funny as Sofia has a habit of lightly harassing her audience but somehow bringing the real humor back to herself and the craziness in her family. Carlos Ballarta was funny for its observational humor and his thoughts about Mexico. I live on the Texas-Mexican border so there were quite a few things in the special that I understood. Kathleen Madigan's was funny for the commentary on her family, namely her parents, and Iliza's was funny for her weird voices, the bit on mermaids and a funny, if not drawn-out, look at what she wants to see on Shark Tank.

Paranoid is a UK mini-series following a trio of detectives trying to solve a murder with their supervising officer breathing down their necks. The murder of a mother in broad daylight, surrounded by people at a playground and right in front of her young son, sparks terror in the small town and its citizens, who weren't used to this level of savagery. But what initially looks like the actions of a mentally ill murderer explodes into a much larger story about Big Pharma, and I was quite pleased to see Danny Huston in the cast. My absolute favorite part of this series was the smaller arc of one of the detectives having work-induced anxiety. It spoke to me and while I hate that anxiety is today's latest bandwagon disorder, I love that it was included in this story, which has roots in pharmaceuticals, which are often prescribed in large doses for those of us dealing with it.

Witness revisits the murder of Kitty Genovese back in the '60s. If you weren't aware of the case, Kitty was murdered in New York one night, supposedly with no less than 20 witnesses in the proximity, and despite them hearing her screams nobody called the police. I don't believe the murderer was ever caught. But this documentary, told by her younger brother as he independently revisits the case, shows just how many details were either omitted or deliberately released inaccurately by the media. It paints the entire investigation and our view of police departments and the media in a new light as the truth of what happened to Kitty Genovese that night finally comes out.

The Real Beauty and the Beast tells the true story that inspired the Disney fairytale, but as is often the case, truth was more tragic than fiction. Petrus Gonsalvus had a condition we know now as hypertrichosis but back in the 1500s, the condition caused people to believe the afflicted were human/beast hybrids. They were often ostracized and humiliated and such was the case with a young boy named Pedro Gonzalez, until the king took him under his wing and converted him into a well-educated noble. This explores whether or not the fairytale was based on truth, as well as the research efforts into hypertrichosis and how it affects people living with it today.

Finally, the paranormal buff in me couldn't resist watching this mini-doc on the supposed first alien autopsy. As with everything about aliens, the autopsy has to be taken with a grain of salt. People from both sides of this argument speak on the autopsy, from those supposedly sworn to secrecy about the aliens to those who believe it was a huge work by the government and the cameraman who filmed it. Unfortunately, the last bits of truth are slipping through our fingers as most of the people who were around for the event have since passed away. So at this point, you have to decide for yourself whether or not the autopsy, which is shown in the documentary, was true or not.

I'm sure you finished your snack some time ago--I warned you this would be a long post--but this is what I've been watching throughout the fall season. I still have my complaints with Netflix as a platform on the whole, but I've always enjoyed their documentary offerings and their original content is improving in leaps and bounds. I hope you were able to find something new to watch from this list (it would justify the length of this post...in my mind, anyway lol) and I'll see you soon!

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You Be-Natural

Hi! You're probably going to be seeing a lot more of me as I've ended the majority of my year over at ATV, so get ready to get very tired of me very quickly. lol I'm subscribed to a site called Naturally Curly, and every few months they have a month of giveaways, with new products being up for grabs every day of that month. I've been entering the site's giveaways for years--and I mean years--but never won. Until last month, when I finally won something! lol When I was contacted by the company for my address, I didn't even remember what contest I'd entered--probably a hint that I enter too many--but I found out that I'd won a small bundle of products from Luster's You Be-Natural line. You Be-Natural is a line of haircare products geared toward those with Natural hair and those who want to either bring out or enhance their natural curl patterns. The products are meant to hydrate and moisturize both the hair and scalp and caters to those with both soft curls and tight coils. Before I get to the review, let's talk hair for a minute. (Or you can skip on down to the little divider if you're just here for the review.)

For the longest time, probably because I wasn't Natural, I wasn't sure what curl pattern I had because it varied. I was on the creamy crack for a good portion of my life because that was the only way that both my mom and later I could manage my hair (I had a lot of hair as a kid), so I was never able to see a consistent pattern. My hair has always been frizzy but between perms, it always had a deep wave, so I just figured that was its pattern. After I went completely Natural last year and did my chop in February, a completely different pattern emerged. Some parts of my hair were so tightly coiled that they were probably closer to knots than curls, while other parts were just frizzy and had no set pattern. I couldn't find an answer from the different curl pattern tests, including Naturally Curly's, and I couldn't find many articles by chicks with a similar texture until sometime this summer, when it was a little more obvious.

I figured out that I fall somewhere in the middle of a 4b and 4c curl pattern, which would be a combination of a coily & crimpy and coily & undefined pattern. My hair doesn't retain a lot of moisture, so it is insanely dry a lot of the time and because it's so tightly coiled at the roots it has to be wet in order for me to comb through it. It is very prone to breaking, shedding and shrinkage, so I wasn't even able to see that my hair had grown from the chop until late summer. I'm pretty good on my hair now; I don't use heat on it at all except for when I straighten it, and since February I've straightened it twice. I deep condition it twice a week and shampoo it once. Once a month or so, I'll use a clarifiying shampoo to remove any buildup, but I follow that up with a leave-in conditioner to put some hydration back in my hair. I always let it air dry, usually under a silk cap so the conditioner or oil I've put on my hair has time to set. The first day or two are usually fine, but after that, my hair goes right back to the kinky, coiled desertland it usually is.

I mentioned all of that to explain exactly why I needed to find some new products for my hair and so that if you were confused about your curl pattern but your hair sounds similar to mine, you'd know what your curl pattern was and what types of products you'll need for it. Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the fun part--what I won! 

Botanical Moisture-Lock Curl Lotion, $8.98

Benefits:

          -locks in moisture

          -softens hair

          -elongates tight curls

          -helps with frizz 

This lotion is supposed to be a daily moisturizer with quite a few benefits if used daily. Daily usage is supposed to soften the hair cuticle, giving it some protection against damage and dryness, fighting frizziness and loosening tight curls. I've used this a few times since I received it and I haven't noticed any benefits yet, but I've been applying it after washing or conditioning my hair in hopes that it will retain at least a bit of moisture. It does seem a little softer to the touch for a day or so afterward. I've used this on my niece after her hair is washed, and it's pretty much the same story. It's not spectacular but it does soften the hair and that makes it a little easier to manage while you're brushing the hair out. 

Botanical Edge Tamer All Day Hold Gel, $4.98

Benefits:

     -no flakes

     -holds all day

This gel is soft but still solid to the touch so I was worried that it wouldn't be pliable, but it is. It's not a watery formula at all so if you're used to old school runny gel you won't have to worry about that here. A little of the product went a long way with my baby hairs as I didn't have to pile on a lot of the gel to get them to lay down. When I first applied it, I liked it a lot. It didn't leave dry flakes behind or give the front of my head that shininess that comes with a lot of hair gels, which I liked. 

Unfortunately, it also doesn't hold all day. If you have fine hairs that frizz or coil when you're hot (or in a hot/humid environment), this gel probably won't hold for longer than a couple of hours. When I went to reapply, I noticed that my hair was a bit stiff so I'd suggest wetting your toothbrush or comb a little then reapplying the gel so that you can reshape your hair. Maybe using a light spray on top to set the gel would help it to work a little longer but for me, but it definitely didn't hold all day. 

Botanical Curl Shaper Custard for Tightly Coiled Textures, $9.98

Benefits: 

     -best for coarse or tightly coiled curls

     -stretches and lengthens tight curls

     -reduces frizz

This was the creme I used on my hair, more so in an effort to bring out a defined curl pattern than anything else. After I washed my hair, I used the lotion on it first, then sectioned it off and used this creme for a regular twist out. After twisting each section regularly, I then twisted it around my finger to form a spiral and left it alone overnight. Since I'm usually awake all night, I just put a satin cap on over it and went about my business. The longer I'm Natural the less moisture my hair retains so it dried pretty quickly but the creme took longer to absorb. The resulting twist out was much better than the last few times I'd tried to do one.

The first day was probably the best, as the curls were the most consistently defined and the texture was the softest. Every day after that, I saw more shrinkage, more frizz and by the third day, the defined curls were once again hidden behind a field of coarse frizziness. If your hair texture is similar to mine, I would suggest using this creme immediately after drying the excess water off of your hair because my ends had already started to dry when I got started, so those came undone first. I'd also recommend using small sections so that the curls last a little longer. 

Botanical Soft Curls Curling Creme for Soft Curly Textures, $9.98

Benefits: 

     -best for loopy & spiral curl types

     -moisturizes curls and keeps them well-formed and defined

     -hydrates hair

I used this creme on my niece, whose hair is similar to mine with the tight curls, but hers is a bit softer than mine because she's mixed. My brother is black (obviously lol) and has what I call Brillo hair, and her mom is Mexican and has thick, wavy hair. As a result, my niece has these beautiful, springy coils but like mine, her hair has to be wet in order to properly comb through them because her curls are often a little dry and prone to tangle. Thanks to her mama's genes her curl pattern is naturally defined, so I thought this creme would be better suited for her hair than the one I used on mine. After her bath, I just detangled her hair, sectioned it off and applied a little creme to each section before twisting it around my finger to form a curl. We let it dry uncovered overnight and those particular curls stayed put for a couple of days as well. Her hair was much softer, the curl pattern even more defined than usual, and the frizz was just at the edges rather than at the ends like it usually is. The edge gel didn't work for her hair either though.

Overall, the You Be-Natural products that I won are good products. For the most part, they do what they say they'll do with creating more curl definition, making the hair softer and more manageable and keeping the hair hydrated. What it fails to mention, however, is that these benefits are only for a short period of time. If you want to maintain these benefits, you have to put these products into a daily or twice weekly regimen. For ten bucks a pop though, I would have liked the softness and improved texture to have lasted a little longer. If you don't go overboard on how much product you use, these might last you awhile.

Even though I wasn't completely satisfied, I'd still recommend these products to those who are Natural and in the learning process with their hair. If you're confused about your Natural texture because you're still transitioning, these products will bring out the definition you're looking for. If you have long hair and require a lot of product, however, I'd suggest something else because you'll probably run through these amounts fairly quickly. I'd also recommend this if you have Natural children and just want their hair to be more defined and hydrated on a daily basis. None of these products clog the hair or scalp and they're easy to put into a daily regimen. You may not want to do twist-outs every day (I certainly don't lol) but even if you don't, these products mostly do what they say they'll do. My mom said she's seen the You Be-Natural line at Sally's and I've been seeing some new products in the line pop up at Dollar General, but I included the links from Luster's site directly if you're interested in buying them. I also saw them on Amazon when I was trying to find the prices for the post. 

But that's it for me today. For my other Natural chicks out there, how much do you typically put towards your haircare products? I hope you enjoyed this review and I'll see you soon!

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