And Then There Were None - Book Review

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

This book was quite a marvel. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you don't enjoy mystery novels, or murder, then this book is not for you. For those who are intrigued by it, then this is a must read. It is of course a classic. Agatha Christie is one of the best selling authors of all time. Only The Bible, and Shakespeare has out sold her books. And she definitely deserves her high rank, her writing was very different and intriguing. At first when I started this book, I was slightly confused by its format. I decided to give up after one chapter (NEVER DO THAT). My friend later told me how great the book was, so I felt inclined to try it again. I am so glad I did. 

This book is about ten people who received a letter from a mysterious figure asking them to come to some island to visit him. The strangers all arrived on the island, and this mysterious man was not there! They all got acquainted and settled in. On the first night, someone mysteriously died. A man at the prime of his health and youth just dropped dead. It was quite the shock to everyone there. They slowly realized this couldn't have been an accident, or even suicide. One by one, people were dropping like flies. The remaining group figured out the killer must have been among themselves. Living in constant fear, the group struggles to figure out this frightening mystery. 

There is a show called Any Number Can Die that was based off of this book. Of course that show is a satire comedy with loosely the same plot line. It is very good, but different from the book. I really recommend this book to high schoolers and older. It is an easy read once you get used to the slightly odd format. I absolutely loved it. It actually moved me so much, I had a dream that I was in the same predicament. 

There is a chilling poem that the plot line is based off of, and used multiple times in the book:

"Ten little Soldier boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were Nine.Nine little Soldier boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were Eight.Eight little Soldier boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were Seven.Seven little Soldier boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.Six little Soldier boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were Five.Five little Soldier boys going in for law; One got into Chancery and then there were Four.Four little Soldier boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.Three little Soldier boys walking in the Zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.Two little Soldier boys were out in the sun; One got all frizzled up and then there was one.One little Soldier boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."

Hope you give this book a go! If you've read it, comment and let me know what you think!

-Aida

Mary & Max

Mary and Max

This movie was such a spectacular piece of art. It was a lovely claymation that really grabbed my attention. It had that Tim Burton-esque quality to it, but not so much that it was dominating the film. This movie is about an Australian girl who has no friends, and her home life isn't quite pleasant. All she wants to do is to have a friend. She was curious about how babies were born, in America (because apparently in Australia they come out of beer). So she sent a letter to a random person in America, and it ended up being received by Max. He is an extremely introverted 40 year old man who sees the world differently. He doesn't quite understand how people work. They become great pen pals, helping each other in bad situations. They grow very close and fond of each other even though they have never met. This film looks like it could have a child like quality, but it has some mature content that is rather amusing to see in such a setting. There is quite a lot of symbolism in this film which is always nice to catch. This movie can be really depressing at times, but it is over all such a sweet film. I recommend this to anyone who likes claymation and Tim Burton type films. I can't wait to watch this movie again and again. It really isn't publicized enough! 

Also, there is a LOVELY song in this movie called Perpetuum Mobile by Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It is the main song to this film, and it is a beautiful piano piece. You wouldn't think that is all too appealing, but honestly I can't get enough of how inspirational and happy it can be. I absolutely adore it. I hope you all enjoy this movie, and if you've seen it please leave a comment telling me how you felt about it!

The Fault In Our Stars

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green was a phenomenal read. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute spent with this novel. I literally couldn't put the book down. It grabbed your heart and took it for a spin in the mind of a teenage cancer patient, Hazel. Green did a fantastic job of grabbing your attention without doing anything too dramatic. It was an easy read, but not your typical teen fiction novel. It contained the "star-crossed lovers" Hazel and Augustus. Don't roll your eyes at the cliche love story for there is so much more to this story. It shows the courage of a cancer patient. It shows how even someone as young as Hazel could face death without fear, but with understanding. 

Going into this novel, I already knew what it was generally about and heard many good reviews on it. Even though I knew the basis of the story, I was still drawn in to the magic of their lives. There were times in this story where I actually laughed out loud, and poured tears. 

This story shows how every cancer patient wants to be treated like everyone else. They want to be normal. Unfortunately that is the last thing they are ever given. They are constantly getting special treatment, being tip-toed around on, and given looks that are a few seconds too long. Hazel, our narrator, is a strong willed teenager girl. She just wants to be normal, but her abnormal lungs will never give her that. Her only getaway are in stories. One story in particular, An Imperial Affliction, really hypnotized Hazel. The author of that story really captured exactly how Hazel felt all her life. She idolized him, she really did. This book really made the reader want to read. Not only this story, but after I finished this book I really wanted to go out and read all the classics and just live in a library. And I am not the most avid reader.  I really appreciated that from this novel.

Augustus Waters is a character you will never forget. He was instantly drawn by Hazel in a support group for cancer patients. Augustus had a prosthetic leg, but he never let that hold him back. He truly just wanted to live his life with no regrets. He was happy. He made Hazel happy. They had an instant spark, and remained together. They had their ups and downs just like any other couple, but they were magic. They both understood each other, even for their differences. They just wanted to be together. But they both knew with cancer, they could never live a perfectly normal happy life together.

I truly recommend this book to anyone. It does contain some mature content, but other than that it is a wonderful novel. If you know someone who isn't very fond of reading, give this to them. That is what my friend did for my birthday, and I can't thank her enough. This book allowed me to read with pleasure. I always thought I hated reading, which appalled many people. But really, I was just reading the wrong books. I tended to go for the typical teenage crap with a cliche girl who doesn't know what to do with her life, whether to choose the shoes or the lipstick. It wasn't enough for me to grab onto. I never cared for these things. But this story really got to me, and I really do recommend it. It is the perfect gift to give a friend or loved one. Give it a go, and let me know what you thought of it! 

-Aida

Gold Summer Look

 This look is perfect for a night out, or even a day to day look depending on your preference. I really love this look because the gold really makes my eyes pop. Gold is a great color to use on most every eye color. It brings out the different flecks of light in your eyes. Sometimes I don't even put the darker colors in the outer v or crease because the gold is SO vibrant by itself. The darker eyeshadows tone it down a bit to keep it more sultry.

First thing you want to do is prime the eyelid, of course. Then you want to apply the NYX Jumbo Pencil in French Fries all over your lid. This will act as a base for the rest of the look. It makes the gold eyeshadow really pop.

Then you want to add the eyeshadow Oraculum from the Alice in Wonderland palette all over your lid. You can use any gold eyeshadow, just make sure it is very pigmented. This just happens to be my favorite gold eyeshadow.

Now take a deep bronze eyeshadow and apply it the the outer half of your eyelid. In this tutorial I use mainly the Naked palette, so I used the color Smog for this step.

Then use a dark brown shimmery shade and apply that in your outer v and crease. I used Darkhorse for this step. You want to be very careful with this step because you can easily mess up the look if you put too much in the crease. Use a light hand, and apply as much as you want. It depends on your preference.

Now if you decide that this look isn't dark enough for you, you can take a shimmer black, Creep, eyeshadow and apply it the the outer v for some extra definition. I usually only do this step if I am going out.

Now take the gold eyeshadow (Oraculum) and apply it to the inner corner of your eyes to make them pop! Take the bronze shade (Smog) and apply it in the middle bottom lash line. And take the dark brown shimmery eyeshadow (Darkhorse) and apply it to the outer half of the bottom lash line. This creates a smokey sultry effect to the look.

Now I would take any eyeliner you are most comfortable using. I have been in love with my M.A.C. Black track for years now, so I will use that for this tutorial. If you want to invest in a good gel liner, I really recommend it. I have had absolutely no problems with it in the past few years I've been using it. Now you want to create a wing tip eyeliner shape. You can of course skip the wing if you don't like that, it is just a preference. To me the wing makes the eyes have some extra glamor to it and creates a cat eye effect.

Then apply your favorite black eyeliner to your tight line and water line. I used the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On eye pencil in Zero. It is a very good pigmented black eyeliner, but be careful because it tends to start melting off your waterline after a while. That can get very annoying, but just carry around a q-tip and wipe it right off.

Now take any mascara that makes you feel confident! I am in love with The Falsies Volum' Express mascara. It does wonders for my lashes even with one coat (which is how much I used for this look).

And finally if you want, you can apply a highlight color to your brow bone. To stick with my Naked Palette theme, I used Virgin on my brow bone.

This completes the look, I hope you enjoyed it!

The following contains some pictures and swatches of the products I used in this look if you want a more visual side of things! It is in no certain order.

NYX Jumbo Pencil in French Fries

The Falsies Volum' Express by Maybelline 

Oraculum by Urban Decay in the Alice in Wonderland Palette

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero

Zero Swatch

Smog by Urban Decay in the Naked Palette

M.A.C. Gel Liner in Black Track 

Darkhorse by Urban Decay in the Naked Palette 

Naked by Urban Decay in the Naked Palette

Virgin by Urban Decay in the Naked Palette

Creep by Urban Decay in the Naked Palette

-Aida

Hey kids,
        This is my first attempt at a blog. Not really my ideal way to go, but I really enjoy reading blog posts so I thought I would start up my own. I am a crazy makeup addict, and love fashion. I also live and breathe art, so you might see some of that soon. I hope to keep you guys interested, and please let me know if there is something specific you would like to see!

   -Aida