"Into the Woods" Review

So my most recent Disney Movie Club purchase was "Into the Woods"

It was a combination of 4 classic fairy tales including Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood. Then there was a bit of an original plot including a baker and his wife to mold all these classic stories together.

This movie was a complete musical (something I neglected to tell my boyfriend before it began... Hehe) and I have to say it really takes still and keen directing to have almost 2 hours of pure singing! However sometimes it did feel like it was a bit forced, I mean c'mon you don't have to sing eeeverryything.

The story begins with the anticipation of the Prince's grand ball which is a 3 night event in which everyone in the village dreams of attending. Here us where the beloved Prince Charming will be looking for his bride (In true Cinderella form of course). The first night we get acquainted with a local baker and his wife (they don't have names... I even researched it after to see if I missed their names but even on IMDb the cast list just says "Baker" and "Baker's Wife"

The first night of celebration we find out that the baker and his wife are baron due to a family curse... Thanks to an evil witch that lives next door. The witch pays them a visit this night to inform them of all this and what they have to do to undo the curse so they can finally start their family.

The ingredients to reverse the curse are...
1) A cow as white as milk
2) A cape as red as blood
3) A lock of hair that is yellow as corn
4) A shoe like gold

This is how every story can connect to each other without too much force in the movie so you see all of our characters head into the woods on their separate adventures and to eventually cross paths in some way. There are a lot of twists in this movie, and even when you think things are winding down something terrible and twisted happens!

Here's a bit of a spoiler for the story...



I am personally a big fan of "feel good" movies. I like it when everyone lives happily every after (sorry just a bit of a sap!) and this movie didn't exactly do that for me... I found it very morbid at twisted at times in ways I'm not used to Disney movies being...  I guess this is what happens when Brothers Grimm and Disney collides...

Little red riding hood was the story line that definitely kept closest to it's original tale. Little girl skips into the woods with a basket of goodies for Grandma... Meets a devilish wolf along the way (Johnny Depp) who manages to veer little red off her path and gobbles up both grandma and red. Thankfully they are rescued by... The baker which is a nice change of pace I guess.

Rapunzel's tale I found short and sweet- they really didn't take too much time on this one. Girl is locked in tower by evil witch (same one that lives next to the baker and his wife) - prince rescues her- witch tried to stop them but love prevails in the end and they live happily ever after! <3 (My kind of ending)

Jack and his magic beans really brought the suspense to the story. Just when you thought you'd seen the worse, another giant would show up! The classic tale of a boy selling his cow for magic beans that sprout to the heavens. He manages to steal money, a golden egg and the infamous self playing harp in which a giant dies trying to get it back. The giant's wife ends up coming after them shortly after for revenge... Nasty nasty results from this let me tell you...

And last but not least Cinderella... This story very much changed from the original one we know and love, a little brunette Cinderella gets the chance to go to the ball to meet the prince only to get nasty social anxiety and run off! (all.. 3.. nights) her outfit is laced in gold and she's very stunning but very very different from the classic. The prince searching for his bride was a very morbid part of the movie as characters were cutting pieces of their feet off ... To try to fit in the golden shoe... Gaaah I still get shivers thinking about it!!!

All in all this story was very well done, it all blended together quite well- nothing was overly forced or randomly placed so I will give credit where credit is due.. However I did not enjoy this movie.. To much sorrow for me.. Too much Grimm... Too much adultery at one point geesh...

April Ipsy Glam Bag Review

So this is my review of my April Ipsy Bag! ... So I've been giving it some thought and I think after next month (had to redeem my points) I am going to cancel my ipsy bag subscription... I am finding I have an excessive amount of lip glosses, odd coloured eyeliners I don't use and many blush samples... I'm looking forward to having the extra $20 a month (currency exchange was kicking my butt...)

Anyway! For now I still have my April bag! The bag itself was super cute (as usual) it had this wicker feel to it.

My first sample was Good Morning- Honey Silk Facial Serum by Hey Honey

So this serum looks like thick pee when it comes out... It's this odd murky yellow in colour however I used it for about a week and really noticed a difference under my eyes. 

"This light and luxurious serum replenishes and protects your skin so you are ready to take on the day! Rich moisturizers and nutrients smooth and improve tone for bright, radiant skin. Excellent under makeup, or as a day/night cream. Silky finish and smoothing properties makes Good Morning an awesome makeup primer"

Second up is a new blush by Hikari Cosmetics

I don't wear blush... My cheeks are rosy enough as it is that I generally don't like using blush. I just end up looking like a barbie. The shade is Tango so it has a bit more of a orange tinge to it instead of a pink thank goodness!

"This blush is designed to highlight your complexion, it is weightless and can be used lightly for a fresh look or layered for a dramatic look. Guaranteed to last all day."

Next up is NUDE Dude Eye Shadow by theBalm Cosmetics

First of all the packaging is adorable! Certainly even if I hadn't researched it before and saw this in a store... I'd probably buy it! Aha
I received the "Flirty" shade (shimmery golden violet I guess)
The shadow itself goes on very faint I find, I like my eye shadow to stand out personally but y'know... People who like subtle shadow will like it. 

It apparently can also be used as an eye liner if you add a bit of water- I haven't tried this myself but it does intrigue me...

After that we have Satin Finish Lip Gloss by Starlooks.

So in the week that I was testing this product... I managed to lose it. Noo idea where it went... I think it's in a pants pocket somewhere... I hope I find it before I wash it...
This product to me personally wasn't that great. I am not a huge fan of lip glosses at all... I like lots of colour and prefer not having to reapply 16 times a day.. However it wasn't at all sticky when applying and it had a sweet flavor to it.

I received the shade "Cuddle" ... Or y'know brown..

"Starlooks Satin Finish Lip Gloss has a trule moisturizing, non-sticky formula available in 47 different shades."

And last but not least we have a Mini Lip and Cheek Tint by Mullein and Sparrow

This was a little weird on my cheeks... It doesn't go on smoothly like a powder (obviously) but man... was it ever  tasty on my lips and smelt absolutely devine!! This is definitely staying in my purse for balm purposes!

There we have it! My Ipsy bag for April and possibly one of the last bags I will be receiving. My favorite product was definitely the morning cream (pee colour aside). I really saw a difference in my complexion when I wore it and I appreciate products that have noticeable results! 

20% VITAMIN C + AMINO + HYALURONIC ACID SERUM Review

So I know I've ragged on receiving anti aging products in the past HOWEVER the timing on getting this product couldn't be better. I have at long last quit my job of 8 years and will no longer be in an environment which just destroys my skin! Being a cake decorator for 8 years, working with icing and working in a hat and hairnet has done nothing good for my body let me tell you! So now the repairing can start (both physical and emotional might I add). The first step is of course bringing a healthy glow back into my face!

Thanks to BrandBacker I had the opportunity to try out OZ Naturals 20% Vitamin C + Amino + Hyaluronic Acid Serum, it is meant to be an anti aging serum (I'm hoping all these anti-aging products pickle my face to stay the same forever) however the benefits I'm looking forward to the most is more radiant looking skin!

To check it out for yourself it can be found on Amazon !

I've started a pact to only purchase products that are made in Canada just so I feel like I may be making a tiny impact in improving our economy- this product is made in the USA however there's nothing wrong with grabbing something from your neighbor every once in awhile! OZ Naturals is a leader in natural skin care. They formulate the most effective anti aging products on the market and are cruelty free, paraben free, sulfate free, mineral oil free, lanolin free and gluten free. (my goodness that's a lot of things!!)

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Yeah... There's a lot of work to be done here...

I have a 7 day window to submit my review on this product- I will be really impressed if I start to see a difference in less then a week !

The applicator on this bottle is awesome! It looks like a turkey baster!

I love it! This is my favorite part of this product. Even after the serum is gone I have full intentions of reusing the bottle again and again! Perhaps for more beauty products or perhaps I will baste the world's tiniest turkey.. I haven't quite decided yet!
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After a few days of using this serum, I do have positive things to say about it. I have started noticing small differences in my skin, I THINK I have a bit more glow going on now (the lack of backshifts is probably helping too)

See! See! We're getting somewhere now! I notice it the most difference under my eyes!

My only critiques on this product would be that my skin feels really sticky after I apply the serum, however a little bit of moisturizer fixes that problem (and it reminded me not to forget which was nice!!)
Also the regular retail price is rather steep... However I suppose that's the price you pay for the most effective anti aging products on the market that's cruelty free, paraben free, sulfate free, mineral oil free, lanolin free and gluten free!! (Phew... Again)

This review is powered by BrandBacker however I assure you I speak all truth!
                               

Princess Elsa Birthday Cake

So I've been debating for awhile now to get back into the nicer side of the cake business. I crave those custom orders and being able to put the time into them! Today I finally took on a little project to start updating my skills again!

I set up a kijiji ad to try to jump start things, and I ended up talking to a woman about a princess Elsa cake from the popular Disney movie Frozen. Unfortunately I think the price point I gave her was a little too steep and we never made any confirmed plans. However once the thought was in my mind I couldn't stop thinking about it! So for my family's Easter dinner I made her!

Since I was mostly concentrated on the design of the cake, I just used a cake mix to make that part quickly, the cake is way smaller then I would have liked it to be because of this... Oh well she's still pretty cute! If I can get a couple of orders out of this beauty then I will start using my prized cake recipes that I KNOW will make a big full dress for my girls.

The snowflakes were made in advance out of royal icing and left for 2 days to dry.

Also the other white accents were made from royal icing but they were done on the spot.

I'm not a huge fan of fondant but I felt like just icing this cake wouldn't do it justice! So I sucked it up and found 2 different shades of blue and made them adorably Frozen like!

Hopefully this will jump start a little bit more cake business and I can showcase even more projects in the future!! To see my older work check out my facebook page! facebook.com/CaeksByNicole

March Ipsy Bag Review

So I'm a little late on this review!! It's been a crazy month! However better late then never I suppose! This months Ipsy bag is absolutely beautiful! Full of colour reminding me of the tropical vacation I just returned from!

First up this month is the...

Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Creme Oil: 
I don't blow dry my hair very often since my job doesn't really allow for nicely done hair, but I used it once and the creme smelt awesome and it made my hair nice and soft!

Next we have...

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Anti Aging Mattifying Lotion:
Well... I hope at age 23 I don't need an anti aging cream... However! The cream is very smooth and thick, not greasy at all and dried almost instantly. For some reason I was surprised this product was so nice- I guess I was just vindictive over the anti-aging part... I'm not old Ipsy...

NYX Butter Lipstick: 
PINK, Very Very Pink! It almost glowed when I put it on! But despite it's glowing qualities the lipstick held up- it was on for about 3 hours before it started to lose it's luster. I like that in a lipstick- I seem to produce an excessive amount of saliva so wearing lipstick has proven to be a challenge...

Marsk Mineral Eye Shadow- Shade: Lucky Penny: 
The shade that I recieved is a very dark copper colour. I really don't like the container that this came in.. It's hard to open and difficult to apply the eye shadow. But once it's on I will admit I do like the shade.

Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter: 
This is by far my favorite product this month! The shade is Ivory which is perfect for my pale pasty skin (even after a week in Cuba) and the pencil just makes my eyes glow! The only down side to this product is that it's a very thick pencil.. I don't have a sharpener big enough for this, so once it's dulled- It's done...

So I've been getting Ipsy bags for about 7 months now and although this is my favorite bag so far and I'm excited to reuse it! There were more products that I was indifferent about then excited about... So I'm a little disappointed this month, hopefully next month will bring me something exciting! C'mon Ipsy! It's my birthday month!