Winter Break/Thoughts on Grad School

I figured I would write a quick update. I always try to remind myself to do these but somehow the moment always eludes me.

As you can tell from the title, I’m on winter break. :D Sadly, it’s going to end in about two or three weeks but that’s okay. I’ve been doing what most people do: eat, sleep, laundry, feed my cats, and think about the new year. I’ve got a bottle of champagne and my favorite wine for when the day comes.

2019

I know coming into 2019 will be the time when I zone in on my second to third year of postgraduate school. I’ve basically fallen off the face the of the earth or found myself crawling out from under a rock depending on how you see it. Now that I am here, it’s doable but I don’t think grad school is for the undisciplined.

Grad School

This semester was the hardest I’ve ever done in my whole academic career and coming from someone who has taken seven courses at once in undergrad, it’s pretty fucking hard. At least I don’t have to wonder if it’s all worth it because I’m beyond that point. I’ve put out some of my best work and written in modes I never thought possible. I’m very proud of who I am as a person and I think academia has helped to nurture that.

It really helps that I’ve met a lot of likeminded people in my courses and on the London 2018 trip. These are my buddies I talk to everyday even though compared to them, they’re all bonafide teachers/professors.

More Travel

Shame on me but I still haven’t posted my London 2018 trip photos. The issue is I have thousands and a handful of videos that I have to curate. And since I have followers from multiple outlets, I wasn’t sure how to share it. I’ll get to it soon.

AWP 2019 is coming up. It’s in Portland, Oregon this year. I’ve never been to it but it’s all my grad school friends talk about, so why not? I’ll be going with my friend, Cyndi, and although people think you just walk around and have fun, I imagine we’ll be more occupied with bouncing from workshop to workshop learning everything we can. And there’s the bookstore. It’s going to be three football fields big. I’m excited but kind of scared, too.

New video coming soon

Well, I’m going to edit a video for you all now. It got interrupted months ago and never finished. It’s my results for the 23andme and genetics testing that you all have been waiting for. So see ya soon.

 

Holy Grail of Drugstore Mascaras: L’Oréal Voluminous Miss Manga

IMG_1487Description: L’Oréal Paris introduces new Voluminous Miss Manga mascara featuring the 360 flexor brush to build bold volume with high intensity from top to bottom. For the first time, L’Oréal Paris creates a flexible brush with a unique conical shape to catch those hard to reach lashes with an incredibly even application. The Mega impact Formula instantly builds volume for 15x lash (my box said 12x) volume in a flash. Top lashes are amplified and bottom lashes maximized for the ultimate wide-eyed Manga Look.

Where to Buy: L’Oréal.com, Ulta.com, Boots.com, Amazon.com, your local supermarket or drugstore

Cost: $7.99 MRSP but there’s a sale going on right now everywhere basically BOGO or 50% off (however you want to spin it).

Color/Shade Variety: 3 actually. Black Brown, Black, Blackest Black are all waterproof. The Miss Manga collection also has a Rock edition and a Punky edition.

IMG_1479Packaging: Super cute and relevant. It’s all plastic but the cap is a hot pink foil attached to the 360 flexor (flexible) wand and the base that houses the mascara product is black. The font and lettering is printed in a sky blue. The box is actually the cutest thing with wide-eyed manga decals allover the outer throwaway packaging.

The Brush: Conical brush with a notch on the wand that allows give during application. That’s how the brush is flexible. This brush seems to pick up way too much product on the tip so I would definitely wipe off the excess before application.

Promises to Do: Up to 12x or even 15x the volume supposedly with a wide-eyed effect. The small conical brush is supposed to be able to catch all of those little lash hairs on the inner corners of my eyes.

First Impression: Wow! The volume! I can see the difference right away and it delivered. I’m rocking the wide-eyed doe look. My lashes are extremely thick at the base and spiky at the tips. It dries really fast so I was able to layer up to three coats on before it started to look like a hot mess. One thing I noticed about this mascara formulation is that it holds the curl right where it is so make sure you take your time and curl your lashes exactly the way you want before application. The formulation is very thick and wet but it dries up quickly with no issue at all. Also, do not use a lash comb with this mascara once you’ve applied, it’s so stiff that the extended parts will break off!

Not much of a reader? Check out my first impression video below!

Layerable? Yes, but try not to go past 3 layers or else … well you’ll find out.

Flaky? Nope.

Holds Curl/Defines/Volumizes/Lengthens: Yes, the curl is held and maybe too well actually so there’s no room for curl modification. It defines well but since it does an even better job at volumizing, you’re not really here for the wispy, natural look anyway especially if it says Miss Manga on it. Now, my lashes look so amplified and flirtatious! It does lengthen but it took some work and I noticed you’ll need a lot more product to get it going compared to the other mascaras I have tried.

IMG_1489Cry Test: Held up just fine.

The Verdict: This is a great mascara if you take the time to curl your lashes really well beforehand and remind yourself to not use a lash comb after it’s dried. Don’t even try it. The effect is amazing and even if you’re not a volume girl, try this mascara out because it looks so good you won’t even need liner or eyeshadow if you’re running late. I also tried this on my lower lashes and surprisingly, it looked nice and applied well. I looked a lot like Elizabeth Olsen (yes, sister of the Olsen twins). I can’t wait to order the Miss Manga Rock edition and Punky edition to see how those look.

I hope you guys enjoyed this review and I’ll see you all next week!