Book & Beauty Review: Euphoria by Lily King

When checking out at my local book store, the sales attendant said that Euphoria was a great escape. I liked the sound of that. I often read novels to escape into other worlds- letting my imagination take over and paint a picture to the corresponding words on the page. Not only is Euphoria set in a different time period (the early 1930s) but it was also cast in a completely foreign (to me) part of the world... the secluded tribal lands of New Guinea. Definitely all the makings for an escapism novel. Clap. Clap. 

BOOK REVIEW: EUPHORIA BY LILY KING

When you first step into the world of Euphoria, it is hard to know who is guiding you. Who is speaking? From what view are you being introduced to the characters you will soon know so intimately? This becomes one of the things I like most about Euphoria. You gain perspective about personalities and events through multiple narrators, and it adds depth to the story. 

You also fall in love with the lady lead, Nell Stone, almost immediately. A self-made woman who has had a successful start to her career as an anthropologist with a best-selling book and enough grant money to fund her expeditions. Smart, beautiful and American, Nell has built a reputation that proceeds her. Her only downfall is that she married an idiot. Enter Schyuler Fenwick, an Aussie anthropologist who is severely jealous of his wife's success and exhibits his inferiority by overpowering her across all areas. He's an ass, and as the story unfolds there are no redeeming qualities. 

Luckily, there is one more anthropologist in their relative area. A gentleman named Andrew Bankson from Liverpool. Bankson brings sensitivity, intelligence and relatable humanness to the story. 

In an isolated area with three anthropologist dedicated to work that at times feels crucial and then questionable at best, we escape into the intricacies of human relations (both between the Westerners and the tribal people) with poetic conversation at times and profound realizations that can't help but touch the reader. The result is a deeply satisfying read that stays with you days after you've read the last sentence. Proof of a true escape. 

beauty review

Most of the book takes place on the remote island of New Guinea, casting a tropical radiance of dew and heat. Living amongst the indigenous tribes, life is simple and boiled down to Western luxuries as common as a cup of tea or a cigarette. Leading lady Nell Stone seems to have a subtle beauty that grows as you get to know her. Unconcerned with makeup or even the scary-looking wounds from a recent expedition, she is relaxed and any glow she gives off is her own. 

Inspired by our fearless anthropologist, we can construct a look that captures an innate luminosity with balanced enhancement. For this look, less is more. 

1. Start with a clean face. Mix face oil with foundation and apply evenly to face (including the eyelids). Use a touch more foundation where needed to cover spots or any redness. The oil helps hydrate the face and gives off a slightly dewy effect.

2. Using a goldish- coppery shadow, blend onto eyelids from lashline up to socket crease. Use a brush to blend away any lines.

3. Apply a creme blush to apples of cheeks and blend outward towards ears, and down into the hallow of the cheek. 

4. Apply a light layer of lip stain to lips in an imperfect way (going slightly outside the natural edges of the lips) for a more full effect. Blot off with a tissue, and add a layer of clear lip balm for shine and moisture.

5. Finally, apply a light layer of mascara to lashes- taking care to separate lashes for a more natural and bright-eyed look.

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Book & Beauty Review- The Martian

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

BOOK REVIEW

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

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

beauty review

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

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

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

Book & Beauty Review: The Vacationers by Emma Straub

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

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

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

BEAUTY REVIEW: The Desert Island Look

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

Here's how to get the look:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book & Beauty Review: Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

So, I've had this idea brewing in the back of my mind for a couple of months now, and today is the first post! I love books, and I love beauty. I was trying to think of a way that I could offer beauty content in a completely different way. I don't want to compete with the DIY videos on Youtube, or beauty hauls... I want to share my beauty advice alongside some really great (and clean!) products in a new and interesting way. Enter the Book & Beauty Review!

I love to read. I find myself devouring a book every couple of weeks, and get lost in the setting- learning about the characters and letting their personas and appearances take shape in my imagination. Most people who know me, know about my reading 'habit' (hehe) and often ask for my recommendations on what to read next. I'm also doling out beauty advice- helping people find the right products to address their needs and makeup to create their vision. In a very natural way, it seemed right to bring the two things I'm passionate about together in a (hopefully weekly) Book & Beauty Review. 

The Book & Beauty Review will include a book review, and I will also tease out a beauty look from said book which I will share, tutorial-style, so you can try the look too! The topics, the characters, the backgrounds, the settings will all vary. I hope you will join me on this new adventure, and please leave comments with any suggestions for books that I should review next. Okay, here we go!

BOOK REVIEW: Delicious! by Ruth Reichl

I had been on a kick about food/cook/recipe infused novels, and tried to get my fix with a couple of other books (one being Blood, Bones and Butter- excellent writing, but the storyline ebbed and flowed which made it hard to really get in to) before landing on Delicious! The title and the book cover gave me pause, but my local bookstore sales associate said it was getting good reviews, and so I gave it a whirl. 

At first the writing (especially the 'food writing') felt a little try hard, but I let my judgements go, and found that I really enjoyed getting to know the quirky, immature, yet very talented main character- Billie Breslin. With a tragic past, and some well-appointed baggage to go with it, the depths of Billie's personality (and her history) are revealed to the reader in phases, brought out by different people and situations as you make your way through the book. The complexity of her character is alluring, but the real fun begins when her whole world falls apart and she discovers a secret room in a historic mansion in Manhattan. 

Without giving too much away, her secret room discovery ropes in a whole new set of characters through filed correspondences of a time past. This shift turns the book into more of a historical fiction piece- revealing attitudes, situations and behaviors of a difficult and important time. These characters are enchanting and effortlessly pull you through the book, wanting to find out more. 

The final chapters of the book connect everything- past, present and future- into a satisfying coming-of-age story about a woman who finally accepts her secret talents and through the support of those around her, comes to celebrate and share the gifts that she's been given.

BEAUTY REVIEW: Billie Breslin from the novel Delicious!

As the main character and narrator of Delicious! Billie paints a picture of herself as an average California girl. Not pretty, but not un-pretty. Normal. She is so enamored with her older sister Genie's beauty and perfection, she doesn't know how to accept and love her own beauty. It takes two years in Manhattan and a lot of persuasion from her more stylish work friends to push her towards finding her best self in her self expression. Luckily, she does. It starts with a wardrobe makeover, which doesn't fit the standard chic glamazon transformation we are used to (ie: Andy in the Devil Wears Prada), but she finds her own quirky style that makes her feel confident in her own skin. Next, she is referred to one of the best hairstylists in the city and putting full trust in this acclaimed expert emerges a totally different version of herself. And she loves it, as does everybody else. Her makeover is complete when she has her makeup done, and we better understand her features and how her makeup enhances them. 

I'd called her makeup look 'Burgundy Romance.' Purple and brown hues are swirled into her eyelids to compliment her brown eyes, while subtle pinks accent her cheeks and lips.

GET THE LOOK

1. Start with a tinted moisturizer to even skin tone. Pat on concealer where needed to cover and blend any imperfections. Keep the face coverage light. Billie is a Cali girl who doesn't want the makeup to wear her. I recommend using Suntegrity's 5-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer ($45). It leaves the skin dewy and adds just the right amount of coverage/ tint while protecting with SPF.

2. Next, with a quad eye shadow palette, use the brown shade at the outer corners of they eye and blend inward towards the inner corner- pulling the color across the lid, but focusing the majority of the color at the outer corner. Then, swirl upward toward your natural eye crease to blend. Use the lightest color next and apply from the inner corner, sweeping across the lid to blend with the darker color. Now, take the darker purple hue and smudge it into your lash line with small side-to-side motions. Add a coat (or two) of black mascara.

3. Select a slightly pink/ dusty rose colored cream blush and warming it with your fingertips, apply to the apples of your cheeks and sweep out and up towards the tops of your ears. Apply one or two layers, but blend out and down to keep the look more natural and subtle.

4. Lips are last. Billie is just getting into makeup, so the thought of lipstick is a bit much, but she feels comfortable sporting a lipgloss that is a shade or two pinker than her natural lip color. Choose a lipgloss that enhances your natural lip color slightly and apply a quick coat- blotting your lips together to rub it in evenly. One final tip is to take a touch of the lipgloss and dab it on the top of your cheekbones (blending down and out). It adds a touch of shine and helps lock in the color on your cheeks.

Ready to try Billie's look?! Shop these pure products:

Resi in Rosé

Rose is the hottest color of the season, and not just because it pairs nicely on a hot summer day with fresh fruit at a park picnic. Pink has had a strong run this spring, pulling it straight through into summer with some staying power. Even bridal looks are edging toward a more 'pretty in pink' makeup look, and I'm a huge fan! Universally flattering, pink in various shades brings out a youthful glow that counters our current obsession with bronze and contouring. It is far more subtle and fresh.

When Resi Stiegler, Jackson Hole native and US Ski Team downhill racer, was in town just long enough to schedule a shoot, photographer Lindsay Linton and I jumped at the opportunity to showcase her natural beauty and the lush backdrop of Cache Creek. Edging toward editorial, I exaggerated the pink eye and cheek- connecting them with long strokes. I also used a pink lip liner to create more definition on the under eye and then blended it with a touch of bronzer eye shadow, which made Resi's stunning blue eyes pop. 

Here is the full breakdown of all the products I used (clean and pure!):

Photos by: Linton Productions