All Time Low- Future Hearts

Hey, y'all! It's time for me to talk about another CD on my shelf! As always, I put my iTunes on shuffle, and the CD containing the first song that played is the one I'll be talking about!

NOPE. This is a very special CDs On My Shelf, where I discuss the CD that I've been eagerly anticipating for quite a while. AKA: Y'ALL, MY FAVORITE BAND'S NEW CD CAME OUT TODAY!!!!!!!!!

Release Date: April 7th, 2015

Genre: Pop punk, Alternative

When I bought the CD: Pre-ordered it! (But heard all of the songs about a week before its official release)

Track Listing

1. Satellite
2. Kicking & Screaming
3. Something's Gotta Give
4. Kids in the Dark
5. Runaways
6. Missing You
7. Cinderblock Garden
8. Tidal Waves (Feat. Mark Hoppus)
9. Don't You Go
10. Bail Me Out (Feat. Joel Madden)
11. Dancing With a Wolf
12. The Edge of Tonight
13. Old Scars/ Future Hearts

All Time Low is:
Alex Gaskarth- vocals, guitar
Jack Barakat- guitar
Zack Merrick- bass
Rian Dawson- drums/percussion

L-R: Rian, Alex, Jack, Zack

About All Time Low: 
[Stolen from my posts on their other CDs]
All Time Low was formed in 2003 when all four guys were still in high school. One day, they were all just jamming together and decided to form a band. Their "first" CD, The Party Scene, came out in 2005, but it's not really considered most of the time when discussing All Time Low's discography. They then released Put Up or Shut Up, an EP, in 2006. They have released 4 more CDs: So Wrong, It's Right in 2007, Nothing Personal in 2009, Dirty Work in 2011, and Don't Panic in 2012. All four members of the band have been in the band from the beginning, which I think is pretty significant for a band that's already 11 years old.

My Opinion about All Time Low:
[Once again, stolen from my posts about their CDs]
I talk a lot about how McFly is my favorite band... but I've failed to mention that I have two favorite bands... and clearly, All Time Low is the other one. If forced to choose between the two, I would choose McFly, but All Time Low definitely also holds the title of my favorite band. I've been listening to them since junior high, and they're the only band that has consistently been one of my top 3 bands since then. Even McFly can't say that. Alex Gaskarth is absolutely hilarious, and a total Harry Potter nerd, which I think is super awesome. He's definitely my favorite in the band just for that. And of course, everyone loves Jack. He's the crazy goofball, and no one can get enough of his hilarious antics. And the skunk hair. It will never die! Also, Rian Dawson and Cassadee Pope are actually the cutest couple ever. I approved immediately when I heard they were together. Adorable.

About the CD:  

As you will notice, this CD came out today! I've been listening to it non-stop and decided that it would be fun to actually choose a CD to talk about for once rather than choosing randomly. This CD is a really interesting one. I feel like there are a lot of different things going on with it. I have a hard time categorizing this within All Time Low's discography of music. There are moments when I feel like songs are very familiar, but others when I feel like this is a totally different sound for them. 

IMHO: 
I was beginning to get really worried about this CD. They released Something's Gotta Give, Kids in the Dark, Runaways, and Tidal Waves and I was very underwhelmed. None of them were bad, but they were all very expected. They definitely had ATL's normal sound, but without the excitement that usually accompanies one of their songs. Of the four of them, they're generally each perfectly good songs on their own, but when they were all released one after the other, I started worrying that the entire CD would sound the same. Fortunately, that couldn't be further from the truth. I'm not going to go into a comparison to other All Time Low CDs, because I do plan on doing a ranking of all of them soon, but I do really like this CD overall.

As always, I'm going to give each song a rating out of 10 and then give a brief explanation of why it got that rating. 

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*Disclaimer: I've only been listening to most of these songs for about a week. I usually don't post on CDs this soon after their release because it typically takes me a while to solidify my opinions on songs. So I was a little generous on this, and my opinions will probably continue varying for a while until I settle into my long-term feelings. *

Satellite- 9/10.

This one is really interesting because it features distorted guitar and vocals, which is really unusual for All Time Low. It's a little bit more gritty of a sound, which I feel is one of the new sounds that ATL introduces on this CD. And it features brief screaming. Not hardcore by any stretch of the imagination, but definitely rougher than the usual All Time Low song. 

   

Kicking & Screaming- 9.5/10. 

This has a sound that is fairly "Don't Panic" but with a good mix of the grittier Future Hearts sound. That's probably why I enjoy this song so much, because the Don't Panic sound is my favorite, and I really love this new, grittier sound.
   

Something's Gotta Give- 8.5/10.

I tried to categorize this song within the All Time Low discography, but found myself grasping at straws. Maybe it just sounds so familiar now because I've played it a lot, but it feels very All Time Low. I feel that the sound on this one is also a new sound that they introduced on this CD, and it's the exact opposite of the other one. That's all grit while this one is really smooth.
   

Kids in the Dark- 9/10. 

This song makes me think of Time Bomb and some other songs on Dirty Work. Fortunately, it's the good songs on Dirty Work. Even though it was released amidst some underwhelming songs, this one is really fun and I enjoy it.
   

Runaways- 8.5/10.

This one, I feel, has the same sound as Something's Gotta Give. It's very... glossy. I'm not sure that's the right word, but the vocals are very smooth and it's got a much softer sound than the grittier songs on the CD. There are a few electronic sounds thrown in and even the bass sounds softer. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this yet. I don't dislike it, but it's not my favorite All Time Low sound ever.
   

Missing You- 8.5/10.

Once again, I get the Something's Gotta Give vibe from this one. It's obviously very different from Something's Gotta Give, but it has the same, softer, poppier sound. Even though it's fairly out of place in ATL's discography, it doesn't really sound out of place. It's got a kinda folk-pop vibe that I actually kinda like.

   

Cinderblock Garden- 9.5/10.

This song sounds very All Time Low. That probably sounds odd to say, since these are all obviously songs by All Time Low, but I feel like there are so many elements in this song that are so essential to All Time Low as a band.
   

Tidal Waves (Feat. Mark Hoppus)- 7.5/10.

This is another one with the softer sound. It's also my least favorite. It has some Nothing Personal elements because of the electronic sound to the chorus, but it's nowhere near as exciting as Nothing Personal. I just feel like the song never really builds to something. It just kinda flat-lines.
   

Don't You Go- 10/10.

I love this one. It sounded very familiar but not because it was similar to All Time Low songs. It is a little, but Alex's vocal style reminds me a little of Billie Joe. This definitely has more of the grittier Future Hearts sound, and I love it. It has a splash of Dirty Work, but in a good way.
   

Bail Me Out (Feat. Joel Madden)- 9/10. 

This song just makes me think of Good Charlotte. And not just because Joel is on it. I feel like the music is also very Good Charlotte as well. It definitely has some of the softer sound to it, but the fact that it's mixed with a Good Charlotte-esque sound elevates it above the other songs with that vibe.
   

Dancing With a Wolf- 10/10.

This. Song. Hands down, my absolute favorite song on the CD. It's got the grittier sound to it and it's just so great. It's got just the slightest tinge of an electronic sound to it, which is actually super cool. It's just so fun and such a jam song.
   

The Edge of Tonight- 8.5/10.

I had to give this one a little time. Initially, I was like "Nope, too much pop. Don't want to listen kbye." But the chorus is really great. Overall, the song definitely has that softer sound, but the chorus almost makes up for the overly poppy verses.
   

Old Scars/ Future Hearts- 10/10.

The sound on this one is extremely similar to the one on Satellite. They're the most gritty songs on the CD and I love it. Also, I keep feeling like Alex's vocals have a Billie Joe-esque sound on this CD. I'm not sure why. But yeah, this one is really great. I think ATL should explore this grittier sound a bit more. I'm a big fan.

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Favorite Songs: Dancing With a Wolf, Don't You Go, Old Scars/ Future Hearts

Least Favorite Songs: Tidal Waves.

Video! 

Kids in the Dark music video

Something's Gotta Give music video

Rating: 8.5/10. I know that this isn't exactly the average of all of the ratings, but it's certainly the most common rating. I like this CD, but I have some mixed feelings about it. I'm definitely going to be jamming to it and blasting it for quite a while, because I do genuinely like it, but I really wish that they had explored the grittier sounds more because those were really great.

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Most Anticipated Books of 2015!

Hey, y'all! So I originally was not going to do a post about my most anticipated books of 2015 because I didn't think I had enough to post about, but upon further investigation and after watching a couple "most anticipated books of 2015" videos, I remembered some books that I'd previously forgotten were being released. I also found out about a few books that I'm now incredibly excited about.

I'm going to be talking about these in chronological order by when they're going to be released. A couple don't have official release dates yet, but I have a general idea of what time of the year they're going to be released, so I'll just put them wherever I think they belong.

The Mime Order

by Samantha Shannon

Release Date: January 27th, 2015

The first book on this list is also my most anticipated book of the year. I want this book in my hands like right now. The Mime Order is the sequel to The Bone Season, and is the continuation of The Bone Season series, which is supposed to be 7 books long. I read The Bone Season at the end of November, and I fell completely in love with the world and characters. I can't wait to see what happens next, because I was a bit worried about how it ended.

Playlist for the Dead
by Michelle Falkoff

Release Date: January 27th, 2015

First of all, can we just look at this cover?! So gorgeous. Anyway, I'd actually forgotten about this one and saw a Booktuber talking about it and had to go ahead and add it on this list. The premise of this book reminds me a lot of 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, which is one of my all-time favorite books. Basically, the book centers around the suicide of the main character's best friend and a playlist that the best friend left, with the note "listen and you'll understand." Part of me feels like this is going to be a not-as-good 13 Reasons Why, but I'm still intrigued and want to pick it up.

A Darker Shade of Magic

by V.E. Schwab

Release Date: February 24th, 2015

First of all, can we just talk about how absolutely gorgeous this cover is? I just sat frozen, staring at it, the first time that I saw it. So prettay! Anyway, this book just sounds amazing. Parallel Londons, magicians, and worlds that sound like they have a dystopian feel? Sign. Me. Up. This book sounds absolutely incredible. 

Instinct

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Release Date: March 31st, 2015

If I were to rank these books by my excitement, this one would probably be lower on the list, simply because I haven't read anything from the series yet. I've been collecting the books and obviously plan to read them at some point, but since I haven't read the other books, my excitement for this book is currently at "oh cool, new book!" and not "I MUST HAVE THIS BOOK NOW." That aside, this series does sound really interesting. It's pretty underrated, but anytime I see someone talking about it, they liked it. Plus, Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of the biggest fantasy writers right now. She knows how to write fantasy.

Stiletto

by Daniel O'Malley

Release Date: June 30th, 2015

This is the second book in The Checquy Files, and the sequel to The Rook. I'm really excited for this book, even though I haven't read The Rook yet. It's one of the first books I plan to read in 2015, so hopefully I get to that soon and can get really excited about this book. The series sounds really interesting, and right up my alley. So I'm really looking forward to getting into these books.

Lair of Dreams

by Libba Bray

Release Date: April 14th, 2015 July 7th, 2015

This one's pretty high on my excitement meter. I absolutely loved the first book in this series (trilogy? IDK) and I cannot wait to read this one. Especially since it's even longer than the first one. Yay, big books! Anyway, I wasn't super excited about how the romance left off at the end of the first book, so I hope that it gets fixed in this book. Also, up until recently, the release date was in April, and now it's been pushed back until July. I am not happy.

Armada

by Ernest Cline

Release Date: July 28th, 2015

Once again, I love this cover! It makes me think of book covers from back in the 70s/80s. Anyway, I absolutely loved Ernest Cline's first novel, Ready Player One, and it sounds like this one is going to have the same vibe. Sci-Fi, video games, dystopian worlds, what more could I ask for? So excited!

The Rest of Us Just Live Here

by Patrick Ness

(No Cover Yet)

Release Date: August 28th, 2015

Patrick Ness seems like such a unique writer. He has a really interesting writing style, and he seems to come up with so many incredibly interesting concepts. In The Rest of us Just Live Here, the main character is just a normal person who lives in a world with crazy paranormal creatures. But he/she (I haven't seen anything saying one way or the other) isn't one of the people fighting these creatures, but rather just a normal person who knows people who fight the creatures. That just sounds really unique and cool.

Lady Midnight

by Cassandra Clare

(No Cover Yet)

Release Date: September, 2015

I love Cassandra Clare. I love the Shadowhunter world. I really wish that she would release The Last Hours first because the characters seem more interesting to me, but I'll read absolutely anything that she releases that's in the Shadowhunter world. 

Untitled (Ms. Peregrine's Peculiar Children #3)

by Ransom Riggs

(No Cover Yet)

Release Date: September, 2015

Originally, this wasn't on my list because Goodreads said it wouldn't be released until 2016. But I checked back the other day and it said September 2015! Yay! I'm not sure if this will be the conclusion of a trilogy or the continuation of a series, because Ransom Riggs hasn't exactly made that clear, but whichever it is, I've enjoyed the series so far and can't wait to see what happens next!

Carry On

by Rainbow Rowell

(No Cover Yet)

Release Date: October 6th, 2015

When I heard that Rainbow Rowell was releasing this as its own book, I got so excited. I'm assuming that since it's actually titled Carry On, it will be Cath's fan-fiction, but I've also heard people saying that they thought it was going to be a "canon" Simon Snow novel. I'm just going to stick with the "Legit Carry On" theory, and hope that's what it is, because I would absolutely love to read that. So excite!

Winter

by Marissa Meyer

(No Cover Yet)

Release Date: November 24th, 2015

I haven't read The Lunar Chronicles yet, but it sounds like something I would absolutely love, and it's really high up on my TBR. I'm definitely going to be finished with the first three by the time this comes out, and maybe even with Fairest, the prequel. I'm just beyond ready to get into this series.

Passenger

by Alexandra Bracken

(No Cover Yet)

Release Date: 2015 (probably late fall)

This is the first book in a new duology about a teenage girl who accidentally discovers that she can time travel and goes on a treasure hunt across continents and time. And that just sounds really epic.

So, those are my most anticipated books of 2015! What books are you looking forward to in 2015?! Let me know down in the comments!

I've started doing Booktube a little as well, so if you want to check that out, you can click HERE. I plan to post most of my videos to my blog, but just in case I miss one or decide not to post it on here, that will keep you up-to date. 

I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon!

2015 Reading Challenges

Hey, y'all! So at the beginning of 2014, I was just getting into reading regularly again, and I created a couple challenges for myself. The first was to read at least 1 book a month, and the second was to complete the 2014 Summer Reading Challenge (click the title to check it out). Surprisingly, I completed the challenge of reading 26 books within 3 months, but I didn't read one book every month. Although, as of now, I've read 56 books in 2014, so I feel like the fact that there was a month where I didn't read a single book should just be overlooked.

Anyway, for 2015, I'm giving myself 3 challenges, ranging from very vague to very descriptive. And I decided that sharing these challenges on my blog will help me to actually go through with it. Because if I don't succeed, I have to explain myself. So let's just jump right into it!

Challenge #1

Read 50 Books

I think that 50 books is the most over-done reading challenge, but it's also the most doable-but-challenging for me. I've read 56 books this year, and didn't even read anything in September, so I feel like I can definitely achieve this. I almost want to set my challenge to 60 so that I subconsciously succeed even though I tend to procrastinate.

Challenge #2

Read at least 5 books that have more than 700 pages

I really enjoy big books, but sometimes I get really intimidated because big books just seem so epic and I feel like I need to make myself read more big books. Although I did choose a picture of A Song of Ice and Fire, I don't necessarily intend to read these 5 books. My goal is to read the first 2 books of the Kingkiller Chronicle at the beginning of the year, and then eventually read A Song of Ice and Fire. Yes, that would make 7 books, but I don't want to make my challenge too much for me. In the end, I'll be happy if I read 5 books over 700 pages, but I would be even happier if I finish all 7!

Challenge #3

The TBR Jar Challenge!

So Katytastic had this really great idea for a 2015 TBR Jar challenge, and I decided that I wanted to do it as well. So, up until now I've just had a TBR jar, and every once in a while, I'd pull a book out of the jar and read it that month. However, Kat's TBR jar challenge is a little more exciting. So basically, rather than putting books in the jar, you put challenges in the jar, and you pull one out each month. This is especially great for me for the same reason it's good for Kat- we're both mood readers, and don't like to be super constrained to a specific book. So, I'm going to go ahead and tell you about the 12 challenges I've created for myself, as well as some rules I've given to this challenge.

Rules:

- Re-reads cannot be used to fulfill a challenge unless specified in the challenge.

- I'm not allowed to buy a book with the purpose of completing the challenge unless specified in the challenge.

- Challenge must be completed by the end of the month or it doesn't count.

Challenges!

1. Start a series!
2. Jump on the bandwagon- Read a book that everyone except you has already read and loved.
3. Read a book that's already on your "TBR med interest" shelf on Goodreads (Explanation: the books on the med shelf are books I want to read but tend to be overlooked for other books).
4. Read a book from a genre you've been neglecting lately.
5. Read a book that you've owned for a year, but still haven't read. (AKA a book you've been putting off)
6. Read a book that was published before 2000.
7. Read a book by an author you've never read before.
8. Read at least 6 books this month. (I'm allowed to re-choose a challenge ONLY if I'm in the process of reading A Song of Ice and Fire. Because I'm not going to force myself to try and read all of them in a month. Nope.
9. Re-read a favorite! Better yet, focus on re-reads this month, if you can!
10. You're a music major-- read a musical book!
11. Treat yo' self! Buy a book you've been dying to read and read it immediately!
12. Read a book from your 30 Books Before 30 list!

So, those are my reading challenges for 2015! I've got some resolutions for 2015, but I'm not sure if I'm going to share them on here. I wanted to focus mostly upon my reading challenges for my blog. Are you attempting to complete a reading challenge in 2015? Let me know in the comments!

I've started doing Booktube a little as well, so if you want to check that out, you can click HERE. I plan to post most of my videos to my blog, but just in case I miss one or decide not to post it on here, that will keep you up-to date. 

I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon!

Paramore- Brand New Eyes

Hey, y'all! It's time for me to talk about another CD on my shelf! As always, I put my iTunes on shuffle, and the CD containing the first song that played is the one I'll be talking about!

Release Date: September 29, 2009

Genre: Pop punk, Alternative

When I bought the CD: If I remember correctly, I got it when it came out.

Track Listing

1. Careful
2. Ignorance
3. Playing God
4. Brick by Boring Brick
5. Turn It Off
6. The Only Exception
7. Feeling Sorry
8. Looking Up
9. Where the Lines Overlap
10. Misguided Ghosts
11. All I Wanted

Paramore lineup on this CD:
Hayley Williams- vocals, keyboards
Josh Farro- lead guitar
Taylor York- rhythm guitar
Jeremy Davis- bass
Zac Farro- drums, percussion

L-R: Taylor, Josh, Hayley, Zac, and Jeremy

About Paramore: 
Paramore has been a band since 2004. So far, they've released 4 CDs: All We Know Is Falling in 2005, Riot! in 2007, Brand New Eyes in 2009, and Paramore in 2013. The band has gone through several lineup changes. I mean seriously, their Wikipedia page has an actual TIMELINE showing the changes:

However, the timeline is partially inaccurate, because Hunter Lamb did NOT play on Riot!, and Taylor York didn't join Paramore until later, and I believe it was 2009. Josh Farro played all the guitar parts on Riot!, and Taylor was a touring member until just before Brand New Eyes.

My Opinion about Paramore:
Paramore was the first alternative band I got into, and they're actually what caused me to begin listening to alternative music. In the gap between Brand New Eyes and Paramore, I didn't listen to them quite as much and they fell down a bit on my list of favorite bands, but they've always been among my top 10 bands, and have been a staple in my ever-changing list of favorites.

About the CD:  

This was the first Paramore CD with Taylor York, and the last one with the Farro brothers. Some of the songs were actually part of the reason that they left the band. Hayley and Josh had dated and broken up, causing Hayley to write songs about it as well as writing some songs that the brothers didn't really agree with. It caused a lot of tension, and with other factors, eventually caused them to leave. Which, as we know, was very traumatic to Paramore fans everywhere.

IMHO: 
I don't think I'd call this one of my favorite Paramore CDs. It's one of those CDs with some really amazing songs, and then some songs that I've maybe listened to 5 times ever. If that. And pretty much every song on the CD falls into one of those two categories.

As always, I'm going to give each song a rating out of 10 and then give a brief explanation of why it got that rating. 

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Careful- 7.5/10. This is one of the only songs that falls somewhere in the middle for me. I thought it was one of my least favorites on the CD, but as I listen to it again, I realize that it's pretty middle of the pack. It's not great, but not as forgettable as some other songs on this CD.

Ignorance- 10/10. First off, the music on this is just really awesome. Hayley's vocals are awesome as always, and the lyrics are really great too. It's just a really great combination of everything.

Playing God- 10/10. This is possibly my all-time favorite Paramore song. I haven't really thought too seriously about what my favorite Paramore song is, but I know that this would be in my top 5, if not right at #1. The lyrics in this song are so phenomenal. There are so many lines that I absolutely love.

Brick by Boring Brick- 10/10. Hayley's vocals are just really cool on this one. I really love the lyrics on this one as well, especially in the chorus. I don't often think about lyrics in a song (typical instrumentalist) but I've mentioned Hayley's lyrics 3 times already. Hayley writes great lyrics.

Turn It Off- 8/10. Honestly, Hayley's vocals and lyrics in the chorus are what I really like about this song. It's not my favorite on the CD, but it's better than most of them.

The Only Exception- 9/10. I think this song had a little too much hype as a single. Everyone seemed completely enthralled with it. I really enjoyed it too, but I felt like everyone made a bigger deal of it than they needed to. It's beautifully simple, and I really like that.  And of course, Hayley's vocals and lyrics are on-point.

Feeling Sorry- 7/10. I get this one and Looking Up confused constantly. The entire song feels like it's going nowhere. It does have a nice high point, but the rest of the song seems pretty flat.

Looking Up- 7/10. I get this and Feeling Sorry confused, and they have the same problems as well. I just feel like most of this song is flat. Once again, there are a few seconds near the end that are nice, but overall, meh.

Where the Lines Overlap- 6/10. If I were to describe this song in one word, it would be boring. I can never remember how the song goes until I listen to it. It's forgettable and boring.

Misguided Ghosts- 6.5/10. Like with Where the Lines Overlap, I always forget what this song sounds like. I gave it a slightly higher rating because I like it better than Where the Lines Overlap, but they have basically the same problems.

All I Wanted- 10/10. Those lyrics. Those vocals. Wow. I have nothing else to say about this song. Just wow.

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Favorite Songs: Playing God, All I Wanted, Brick by Boring Brick, Ignorance

Least Favorite Songs: Where the Lines Overlap and Misguided Ghosts

Video! 

Playing God music video

All I Wanted video

Rating: 8.5/10. It makes me really sad that this CD has so many really amazing songs, but so many not-so-great songs mixed in with it.

Hope you liked my newest "The CDs on my Shelf" post! Have any questions? Do you like Paramore? Let me know in the comments!

I've started doing Booktube a little as well, so if you want to check that out, you can click HERE. I plan to post most of my videos to my blog, but just in case I miss one or decide not to post it on here, that will keep you up-to date. 

I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

Thanks for reading! If you like my posts, I'd really appreciate if you'd subscribe/follow so that I know you're enjoying what I'm posting! See y'all soon!

NEW e.l.f. Professional Eye Shadow Brush?!

Ok, maybe I got a bit dramatic with the title, but for me, it's a big deal! One of my favorite beauty vloggers, EmilyNoel83, goes on and on about e.l.f.'s Professional Eye Shadow Brush and how great it is at packing on the color, which caused me to buy it. And at a dollar, why not? Upon buying it, I discovered that it actually is a great little brush!

So, imagine my disappointment when my ferrule detached from the handle! I tried several times to wedge it back in, but it wouldn't stay. I don't have any heavy duty glue with me at college, so I figured the best thing to do would be to buy a new one while at Target. When I picked it up, I thought it looked just a bit different, but I figured it was just because I'd had mine for so long. I also picked up a blending eye brush, because Emily has also highly recommended that one as well as the crease brush (which was sold out). 

However, when I got it home, I realized that there were actually significant differences between my old eye shadow brush and the new one. I'll tell you the differences and then tell you if I think this improves the brush, lessens the quality of the brush, or doesn't really make a difference.

New brush on top, Old brush on bottom

Old brush on the left, New on the right

In my opinion, this is the most significant difference. The bristles on the new one are definitely a different material than the old one. They certainly feel synthetic. I don't think this change has made that big of an impact on the quality of the brush, but I do like that the new bristles are softer. The only negative here is that even though the bristles have changed, the new brush sheds just as bad as the old one does.

As you can also see in the picture, the bristles on the new one are much more tapered than on the old one. The old one has just the slightest taper left to right, as well as a slight taper front to back. The new one has a significant taper from right to left, as well as a significant taper front to back. On top of this, the bristles on the new one are also shorter than on the old one, and added with the taper, this makes the bristles just too short. I found myself getting more of the ferrule on my eye than the actual bristles.

Old brush on the bottom, new on the top

Another noticeable difference is that the new brush is a bit shorter. I don't think this significantly changes the quality of the brush, but I do think it's a step in the wrong direction, because with a shorter brush, I feel like it's easier for your hand to accidentally get in your way when applying eye shadow. With a longer brush, you can maneuver it different ways more efficiently.

Old brush on the left, New on the right.

As you can see, the new brush's ferrule is a bit more pinched, and the bristles are more tightly packed in there. The old brush is a little thicker, as well as being more fluffy. This, in my opinion, changes the brush quite a bit. The fluffier brush can spread out the color more easily, but the thinner brush is better at applying to a single target area.

 Overall, I think that e.l.f. has done more than just tweak their Professional Eye Shadow Brush. The new brush is completely different from the old one. Overall, I definitely prefer the old one, because I feel like it was just better overall at applying eye shadow. Looks like I'm going to have to find some glue, because I'd rather use my old brush.

I can't say much for the blending brush, but I did notice that it was marked as new, and the bristles feel the same as the new Professional Eye Shadow Brush, so there might have been other changes made as well. I'd also assume, that since these two were changed, the other brushes in the Professional line might have been changed as well, so I'd definitely watch out for that.

In my opinion, if you can find e.l.f.'s old Professional Eye Shadow brush in stores, I'd suggest you pick it up and pick up some backups, because I'm not sure how much longer they might be on shelves... if they still even are.

7 Day New Years Challenge 2014

Hey, y'all! Since it's New Years Eve, I figured I should do the New Years Challenge! It's only 7 questions/days, but there are several lists, so it took me a while to come up with the answers. Enjoy!

Day One - Ten things you did this year.

1. Turned 19, which was the age I always wanted to be when I was younger. Why I wanted to be 19, I have NO idea, but I always wanted to be 19. 
2. Started my first retail job. It was also the first job where I actually got to spend my money on myself (my first job was part of a financial aid package for school).
3. Decided on a major! Music/Psych combo!
4. Got serious about blogging. I'd blogged before, but never to the level which I do now.
5. Dyed the tips of my hair and my bangs bright red. Gone, but never forgotten!
6. Discovered several musicians who are now staples in my iTunes (Sleeping With Sirens and Pentatonix are two prime examples)
7. Got so insanely addicted to Youtube and discovered Youtubers who are now major staples in my life. This time last year, I didn't know who Danisnotonfire was. Seriously, Kristen?!
8. Started living with my two best friends. It's pretty much the best living situation ever.
9. Got Netflix and realized how perfect it is at life.
10. Miraculously passed 2 more semesters of college!

Day Two - Top five songs of the year.
This is in no particular order (seriously, I couldn't do that), and I limited it to only 1 song per artist.

1. Still Into You by Paramore. This was the hardest to choose, because there are so many tracks from their album that I love. It was between this, Grow Up, Ain't It Fun, and Anklebiters. This one had literally one more play than the other 3, so I chose this one. 
2. Save Rock and Roll by Fall Out Boy Feat. Elton John. I went back and forth on which track from their album to choose. It was between this one, Young Volcanoes, and The Mighty Fall. In the end, this one has been on repeat for the longest. I love it.
3. A Love Like War by All Time Low Feat. Vic Fuentes (of Pierce The Veil). This is such a great song, and I love Vic Fuentes. Having him on there just makes it that much better.
4. Can't Hold Us by Pentatonix. PTX Vol. II came out this year, and I've been greatly enjoying it. All the songs are great, but this one is a big standout for me.
5. Love Is On The Radio by McFly. The latest single by my favorite band. It's been playing on repeat ever since it was released.

Day Three - Five favorite photos of 2013.

Mount Rushmore (July)

Dorm room (August) before all the posters!

Me & my roommates on the first day of class (August)

Jazz at the Levitt Shell! (September)

Roomies! (September)

Day Four - Three people who influenced you this year.

1. My academic adviser. She taught a psychology of music class, and it helped me to realize the direction I wanted to go with my major and in life.
2. My roomies. They made me do stuff even when I didn't want to, which is a big reason I survived this past semester.
3. My parents. Mostly obligatory, since I live with them! 

Day Five - Five things that have changed this year.

1. My major. Well, kinda. I'm still doing music, but I'm doing both music and psychology now, which was unexpected.
2. My friends. Again, this is only somewhat. Some of the people I was close with last year just aren't people I enjoy being around anymore. People who I considered to be very close friends are now people I don't even talk to because they completely shut me out and were jerks. But now, I know who I can actually trust.
3. Blogging. This has become a big part of my life since the summer, and it's a great change!
4. My living situation. I'm living with people I get along well with, and it's a very happy change.
5. Me. That's so basic and cliche, but it's true. Although it feels like 2013 has gone by really quickly, when I think back to this time last year, SO much has changed, and I'm a different person than I was last year.

Day Six - Top five movies of the year. 
I've barely seen any of the movies that came out this year... I'll list the ones I liked, and then give you a list of all the movies I want to see from this year.

1. Insidious: Chapter 2. I usually don't like sequels, but I really enjoyed how this one played with time, and began with you being really confused and allowing you to figure it out as it went along.
2. Evil Dead. As good as the original? Of course not. But it was nice and gory and I liked it.
3. Warm Bodies. I actually forgot I saw this because it was so long ago, but I did actually like it. I can't remember a ton about it except that I liked it.
4. The Lone Ranger. This wasn't necessarily a good movie, but I barely saw any movies this year, so I figured I should include it. And I love Johnny Depp regardless of what he does. 

Yeah, those are the ones I saw. Now here are the ones I wanted to see: The Hobbit 2, Frozen, City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments), The Great Gatsby, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, The Conjuring, Ender's Game, Dallas Buyers Club, The Purge, and The Bling Ring.

Day Seven - New Year’s Resolution

I have a few, but my main resolution is to be better about blogging on a schedule. I've made an official schedule on the new "About Kristen's Brain..." section of my blog, which has a little about me section, as well as a section about the blog. If you'd like to check that out, you can click HERE. I'm going to try and stick to that as much as possible. There will probably be more posts than that, if the idea strikes, but I won't know that until then. 

What I DO know, however, is that TOMORROW will be the release of my fanfic teaser! Obviously I haven't told you what it's a fanfic of, but all in good time! I was going to give you a hint, but I always FIND it hard to do hints without giving it away. See, while some diehards might have understood that hint immediately, the majority of people have no idea what I'm talking about. And I siriusly can't come up with a good hint, so you'll just have to see tomorrow!

The first section will be posted Saturday, January 4, in accordance with the new schedule. It's something I've been working on and editing for quite a whole, and I really hope y'all enjoy it!

Also, as an added bonus, I think I'm going to make a post about my favorite CDs that came out of 2013. If it's not within the next few days, it'll probably be the CDs On My Shelf post for next week!

Hope y'all have a very happy new year, and I hope to see y'all back here again tomorrow and in the next few days!

Exciting Announcements/ 2014 Is Gonna Be Awesome!

Hey, y'all! Now, it may not look like much has changed, but this blog has just gone through an extensive overhaul! What happened, you may ask?

This is now my ONLY blog.

Wait, what? But you have "CDs On My Shelf" and "One Day Tumblr Challenges" and "Adventures of a Makeup Noob"! What happened to those? In short... nothing. Except Adventures of a Makeup Noob. That one bit the dust. Most of its posts were on here already. But I digress.

All of my posts are completely intact. They have simply been transferred over to this blog. As you can see at the top, there are tabs up above labelled "One Day Tumblr Challenges" and "CDs On My Shelf." These two blogs have been absorbed into From Kristen's Brain. On each of their individual pages, you will find a list of the posts within that section, with links to each individual post, as well as a link to ALL the posts in one place. My "Adventures of a Makeup Noob" blog has now become a smaller "series" on From Kristen's Brain, since it will have more infrequent/ unscheduled posts. 

Since this blog has completely absorbed the other ones, you can find all of the posts from "From Kristen's Brain...", "CDs On My Shelf", and "One Day Tumblr Challenges" in the Blog Archive in the sidebar. Their original post date has been retained, so all 3 have been intermingled. All of my blogs (save Makeup Noob) are still available for viewing for now. I'm not sure how long I'll leave them up for- they might be removed soon.

I hope y'all enjoy this change, because it's a bit easier on me. In the next few days before the New Year, I'll be working on my fanfic that I promised you. My plan is to release the teaser on January 1st, and from there, I'm going to choose a day of the week to release sections (I can tell you now, it'll probably be Saturday). I plan to release them every 2 weeks (Or maybe every 2nd/4th Saturday?). I'm also in the process of creating a schedule of when different things get posted, to get at least a little organized with my life. When that's done, it will be posted under a NEW top tab (which may or may not be finished by the time you read this. It's next on my to do list). This tab will be called "About Kristen's Brain..." and it will be an about me/about the blog page. So, that's what's going to be going on in the next few days. 

I'll see y'all again in a couple days. Thanks for reading, y'all.

Blogging Project Runway?

I haven't blogged Project Runway in a good long while, and I also haven't ever been able to finish a season. (I know, I'm terrible) But I might blog this new one. Not for sure. I'll definitely be watching it, as it's my favorite show, and I might blog the first episode just to see how long it's going to take... but I'm not sure if I want to make it an on-going thing. Any takers?

Whodunnit? PREMIERE!

So, my plan was to not post on this blog anymore... but I don't think that's going to happen, at least not right now. I think that this blog is going to end up just being me kinda just reviewing things, and not JUST Project Runway. I'm also gonna take a second to promo my blog, The CD's On My Shelf, where each post is about a random CD on my shelf. Click HERE to check it out!

OK, on to the main event. I was really excited to see this show, because it seemed like Clue meets And Then There Were None. And that's exactly what the show gave me! I expected it to be really cheesy, but they really kept the cheese to a minimum, although it wasn't entirely left out. I'll talk about my suspicions later, but for now, I'll just walk you through the show a bit. I will caution you with a *SPOILER ALERT* because I'm about to talk about the first death.

The contestants all meet each other and mingle a bit. They all know that they are going to compete in some sort of mystery competition, but have no details. Giles, the butler, introduces himself, and tells them that when the bell rings at half past the hour, they will all re-convene and the contestants will learn what the game is. For now, they are shown to their rooms and are allowed to explore a bit. Suddenly, they all hear a crash, and run into the living room to find the large fish tank broken, and Sheri lying beside it in a pool of water, being electrocuted from frayed lamp cords. (Quick note, in case you're unaware, this is NOT real. The people do not actually die, and the crimes are just staged to appear that they have). Giles runs in and shuffles them into another room and explains that a killer is among the contestants, pretending to be one of them, and that one by one they will die, and the remaining contestants will have to solve the mystery. The contestants will then get the opportunity to investigate either the scene of the crime, the morgue, or the person's last known whereabouts.

They break up into fairly even groups for each place. The 3 who go to the morgue discover an old-fashioned bullet in the back of Sheri's neck. The 5 at the scene of the crime discover that the fish tank's front side was the one that shattered first, and see a large round bloodstain on the rug. The 4 at the last known whereabouts, Sheri's bedroom and bathroom, discover a message written on the mirror in the bathroom (written so that it can be seen with steam, but disappears when the mirror clears). The message tells Sheri to go to the fish tank because the person had vital information for her. This is the part I found the cheesiest, since it's an old trick and no one would ever really fall for it.

The contestants all regroup to share information, and tensions begin to surface. After their lunch, they have another challenge to discover more information. They're each given a key. They notice the 13:17 on it, and start looking at clocks. Lindsey goes for the bible. They think they find the correct verse, and go searching, but Ronnie then notices the 2 crowns on the other side of the key, and looks for 2nd Kings 13:17, which gives them a clue about the east window. Ronnie looks out the window and sees that a panel is missing and that there's a plastic chest outside. When they run and unlock it, they find a crowbar and a slingshot inside. However, not everyone is there to see this, and the contestants who see it keep it to themselves.

It's now time for the contestants to go and make their predictions as to what happened, and who the killer is. They go into a room by themselves and talk to a camera, explaining how they think the murder happened, and who did it. Afterward, they all sit down to dinner, and Jiles comes in to deliver their fate. Sasha is told that she came closest to discovering the correct answer, which is this: The murderer snuck into Sheri's room while she was showering and wrote the message on the mirror. Upon getting out of the shower, Sheri saw the message, put on a robe, and ran downstairs. The murderer was outside, having taken out the window panel already. The murderer shoots the bullet into Sheri's neck with the slingshot, and it hits her spinal cord, killing her instantly. As she falls, her head hits the fish tank, cracking it. As the pressure builds up, the murderer stashes the slingshot and the crow bar used to break into her room, and then returns to his or her room, or whatever location they were "exploring". The pressure inside the fish tank finally causes the glass to shatter, making everyone run to see what has happened.

Many contestants are now worried that they will be the next to be killed, because being the most incorrect and being eliminated from the competition means being the next person to "die". The contestants are now all told their fate by opening envelopes. The card inside says either spared or scared. Only Don and Dontae receive scared cards, meaning that they are the bottom two and did the worst at solving the mystery. The guests all go to bed. They are awakened at around 4:30 AM to the sound of the mansion's alarms blaring. They all run outside and Jiles does a head count. *SPOILER ALERT* They discover that Dontae is the one who is missing. Suddenly, Dontae runs out of the house, his pajamas on fire! He jumps into the pool, but it is too late, as his body is seen floating 'lifeless' in the pool, and the promo for next week confirms that he is, in fact, 'dead'.

Okay, time for me to get into the contestants and what I think about them!

First off, a general note about the contestants in general: I'm definitely more suspicious of the ones whose jobs are not related at all to crime/ police/ investigating/etc. It makes sense to me that Adrianna, Don, Dana, Dontae, Kam, Ronnie, Sasha, and Ulysses are there. The others, I'm not so sure about. I feel like since some contestants are telling us that they're hiding the fact that they work in crime (like Don, Dontae, and Ronnie), that those who DON'T claim to work in that field may be hiding something too.

Adrianna: Like many of the contestants, I don't like her. And I want her to be the killer. But my gut tells me she's not. I think that if she was the killer, she wouldn't have tried running things from the get-go, or shoved herself into conversations. The killer would be more subtle. Unless she knew someone would think that. However, the fact that she was convinced that the corner of that chest was involved, and convinced that Dontae was the killer, and that both were wrong... that's kinda suspicious.

Cris: I'm not sure what to think of her. I'm automatically more suspicious of her because her because she's an ex-beauty queen. Ex? What does she do now? I guess she gains a bit more credibility since her dad was a cop.

Dana: The fact that she's a cardiac nurse gives her a bit more credibility for me, but I'm just not sure yet whether I trust her.

Don: For me, the fact that he's hiding that he's an ex-cop makes him seem more credible and causes me to trust him more. I think he's definitely not the killer, but who knows, I may be totally wrong!

Geno: I don't know why, but I just don't trust him. It seems a bit suspicious to me that he would push away the alliance that Kam and Ulysses offer. It seems like he's trying to do it all on his own, and so far, that seems like a stupid thing to do... unless you're the killer.

Kam: I really like Kam! But he's also one of the ones I'm most suspicious of. The fact that he immediately jumps to ally with someone suggests that maybe he knows that everyone else is trustworthy. Or, that he just thinks quickly, which seems more likely. But it may be part of the act for the killer to come off really likable!

Lindsey: I'm actually pretty suspicious of Lindsey! My main suspicion is because of the key challenge. She didn't think of the bible until after everyone had thoroughly investigated the clocks, and other things. I know a lot of preachers' kids, and whether they believe the same as their parents or not, that bible is going to be their first thought, WAY before checking a clock.

Melina: She seems like a really genuine and trustworthy person. Her reactions to things seemed really legit, but it could just be really good acting. My only suspicions come from how entirely convinced she was that Don was a cop, even before he used a lot of cop lingo. Most people would just drop it after a while, but she's convinced even though he failed epicly!

Ronnie: IMO, one of the most trustworthy in the competition. I'm almost 100% sure he's not the killer. But he has good analytical skills and I definitely think he's going to go far.

Sasha: I'm not sure what to think of Sasha. At first, she didn't believe Dana about the bullet, but then later, she includes it and gets closest to what actually happened? I'm not so sure about that. But if she's not the killer, she's definitely a good ally to have.

Ulysses: I'm not sure what to think of him. I think I trust him, but is there really any way of being sure? As of right now, he's high on the list of people I like, and low on suspicion. But I really don't know. And seriously, who names their child Ulysses?



The other suspicions: I've seen Clue way too many times and read And Then There Were None way too many times to just believe that everything is as it seems. I still think that it's very possible that we have an And Then There Were None situation, where a death is a red herring, and someone who dies is actually the murderer, and the last two alive each think the other is the murderer. I also think it's very possible that we have a Clue/ every other mystery ending, where the butler did it. I'm not sure how much I trust Giles!

That's it for this episode! Hope you enjoyed my review. Let me know what you thought of the show, the people, and my suspicions. See you next week, mortals!