Love China Glaze polish!

China glaze nail polish

I am not usually one that usually reviews cosmetics, but I had such a good experience with this brand that I had to say something.

I recently bought some China glaze nail polish because I liked the color and it was on sale. This was my first time using this brand and I must say I really liked. The consistency of the nail polish was thick enough that it went on my nails smoothly, but thin enough that it was easy to apply.

It was fast drying so I didn’t have to wait to paint two coats. I painted two coats of polish mainly out of habit because my nails were shiny enough with only one coat.

Unlike some nail polishes that have a strong smell, this one did not smell too bad so I am assuming that it has a gentle formula of chemicals. Also, hubby did not complain about the smell when I was painting my nails. That is a plus!

The applicator brush was wide enough so that I was able to apply sufficient coverage to my nails while I was painting them.

Usually for me most now polishes chip after one day. This brand is probably the longest lasting that I have tried in a long time since it lasted three days.

I usually go without wearing nail polish, but I like to paint my nails every so often. I would buy more colors from China glaze brand because it is a very good product. And I would recommend this to my friends.

Click here to buy China Glaze For Audrey

Gone Girl left me feeling annoyed

Feb10

Gone Girl: A Novel

Gone Girl: A Novel is about Nick and Amy, two writers living in New York City who moved to Nick’s home town in Missouri after they both lose their jobs. On the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy is missing without a trace. The story is about the search for her while delving into the personalities of each person.

While there are several positive raving reviews about this book, I can only rate it as okay. I think this is one of those books that you will probably love or hate. The main reason for my lackluster rating is the fact that the ending was unsatisfying. I knew going in that it would not have a happy ever after ending (this is a thriller not romance), but I would have liked some closure.

As I plow through the first half of the book, I wondered when things were going to get interesting. Several times I checked my Kindle to see my progress. After an hour and a half reading, I was only 15% through. Two hours later, only 30% through. I usually read faster than that. I was afraid to skip ahead because I do not want to miss some important clue that will be crucial to the plot. Thankfully, the second half of the book moves along faster.

This book is told from the point of view from both sides: He said, she said.

Nick did not endear himself to me, because he seemed not to know how to handle difficult situations. I know part of that had to do with his upbringing, living with a misogynistic, borderline abusive father. He was spoiled by his mom in her own way probably to overcompensate for his father. It was a sad individual for whom at times I felt sorry. Then he would say or do say something that maybe wonder how much involvement he had with his wife’s disappearance.

Amy is in a sick, twisted category all by herself. Since she is missing, the reader learns about her through her journal entries. There is no doubt that her upbringing molded her views of what marriage life was supposed to be. Her husband continues to fail because he is not meeting the standards she has mentally set for him (without telling him of course). Her father and mother have this wonderful perfect relationship where they revolve around each other and nothing else matters. From her journal, the reader can see how determined Amy is, in a distorted fashion, to have the same type of relationship, only Nick is not like her father.

Marriage can be torture when one or both people wear mask to conceal their true nature. A sad truth that Nick has to face even though his character previously was able to deflect conflict and controversy.

There can be a thin line between love and hate, sane and crazy.

The author achieved her aim if it was her goal to write a novel to invoke strong reactions from her readers. I was ~~angry~~ annoyed at the lack of closure and frustrated by the injustice of it all.

Rating Scale of 1 – 5: ♥ ♥

Click Gone Girl: A Novel to buy on Amazon and let me know what you think.

Player “Steele” giving it up for love

Feb9

A Steele for Christmas (Kimani Romance)

I must be a glutton for punishment because I read another one of these “Bad News” Steele character books. As the follow up to Hidden Pleasures, brother Eli is the next Phoenix Arizona Steele to leave his player ways and settle down for one woman.

There was not much of a plot, but at least it was better than Hidden Pleasures (with its trumped up fancily packaged prostitution). In A Steele for Christmas (Kimani Romance), Eli is attracted to Stacey, a commitment-phobe woman who left Memphis after her fiancé broke off their engagement to marry her friend. She begins a relationship with Eli knowing he is known as a player. The rules of the game change when Eli needs a wife (read the story to understand). Playacting turns to the real thing for both of them, ending with happy-ever-after.

I figured out what irks me about these male characters (i.e. Steele men). They are all unabashedly doggish. They are players who see nothing wrong with sleeping with as many women as they can. I find their supposed “respect for women” a little disingenuous considering the fact that they are pretty much objectifying women for their own gratification.

The other problem I have is that the only way the guy realizes he is in love is the fact that he slept with her but the lust and desire has not abated but intensified.

Since I am sucker for romance novels, I will probably read the rest of the Steele stories, but with lower expectations. I was confused why I did not have the level of satisfaction with these books as with the Westmoreland series by Ms Jackson. I realize that I prefer a strong silent brooder to a smooth talking player looking for more notches in his belt.

Rating Scale of 1 – 5: ♥ ♥

Click here to purchase A Steele for Christmas (Kimani Romance)

Hidden Pleasures – not so satisfying for me

Feb4

Hidden Pleasures (Kimani Romance)
by Brenda Jackson

I was disappointed with the storyline of hidden pleasures. Usually every book that I read by Mrs. Jackson is awesome, great, wonderful romance. But with this book I feel as if she might have fell a little short of her target.

Galen bought a house that Britney wanted (it belonged to her birth mother who died). Then he told her, he would give the house to her in exchange for one week living with him. I did not like this premise at all because it was plainly obvious she was sleeping with him to get her house. It seemed to me that she was prostituting herself.

Not romantic.

Granted there was a lot of attraction between the two of them, but the storyline did not sit well with me.

Galen and his brothers were players going through women like water. The house was the only game he had to use to get Brittany into his bed. Considering how he was supposed to have such a way with the ladies, there should have been another way to convince her to sleep with him.

That being said, the story was too lackluster for me. After the finishing the book, I felt blasé. Usually after reading a Brenda Jackson book, I am energized. I did not feel the heat from this book. It can be tough coming up with plots that work. Some people might find this book extremely entertaining. But as for me, sorry Mrs. B, not the home run I thought it would be.

Rating Scale of 1 – 5: ♥ ♥

You can buy Hidden Pleasures (Kimani Romance) on Amazon by clicking here

I hate pranksters

Jan19

Naughty by Nature (The NAUGHTY AND NICE Series)

Scale of 1 – 5: ♥

In the book Naughty by Nature (The NAUGHTY AND NICE Series) Tessa is a prankster. Wolf is a billionaire and her unwitting victim. But some how they get together, fall in love, and have a happy ever after story.

I don’t like pranksters. Especially when they are screwing with people’s minds and think it’s funny.

To make matters worse, those stunts Tessa pulled were to get attention when people were ignoring her.

How immature is that?

She was very self-absorbed at times. It seemed incongruous with the way she treated Wolf’s ailing mother and the fact that she was a teacher. Not saying that self-absorbed people cannot be teachers, but the good teachers are usually more mature in their actions.

Although she had some redeeming characteristics, the pranking annoyed me to no end. I don’t even know why I read/talked this book.

Oh yeah. I read a couple books by the same author, and thought it cannot be too bad.

I was wrong. Tessa was ridiculously annoying. Wolf should have dropped prank girl for someone who was less attention hungry.

Maybe I am too hard on this book. Or maybe you love this author. Or you like pranksters. In any of those cases, you can buy this book on Amazon by clicking Naughty by Nature (The NAUGHTY AND NICE Series)

Let me know what you think…