Miraculous Thoughts: Ladybug and Cat Noir

Hello my dears! I apologize for my lengthy absence, my attentions have been elsewhere. My mind has been a jumble as I begin to prepare for Connecticon this summer along with a bunch of other projects that I've been working on.

It's worth noting that I started posting some videos to youtube, if you would like to check that out you may do so here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNPaBj4dk07vVa09iAEBBcg

 I also now have all of my links (my social media, blogs, youtube, instagram accounts) on my tumblr! So check that out! heichouswitch.tumblr.com .

While browsing Netflix last week in search of a new show to watch I came across Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. In short: I was super pumped! I had heard a lot about this show as someone who is a fan of of the Disney XD shows Star Vs. The Forces of Evil and Gravity Falls. I was also introduced to this show before it was ever released. A few years ago, my friend Cara showed me an anime trailer for this show because she was really excited for it (and she thought that cat noir looked beautifully gay in his costume). I had tried to catch the show on Nickelodeon, its American home as well as on their streaming site but I hadn't had any luck so I gave up until I found it on Netflix. Such a lovely surprise!

Going in, I didn't know much about the show to be honest. I just knew that it was about a crime fighting duo in France called Ladybug and Cat Noir and it looked pretty cool. I was a little embarrassed at first to be so excited about this show because let's be honest - upon first glance it does seem like its pretty childish. Not any sort of mortifying embarrassment, just the amount from admitting as an adult woman that I occasionally watch My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. But nevertheless, I delved in with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised.

Yes, Miraculous can be a little cheesy at times but it is cheesy in the best way. It is a French 3D CGI animated cartoon that collaborated with the Japanese company Toei Animation (responsible for the likes of Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball).

 It is about a girl named Marinette Dupain-Cheng  (no not Marionette, Marinette) who has a huge secret - she can transform into a crime fighting magical girl called Ladybug complete with a spandex red with black spots bodysuit and an eye mask. Her partner (of which she does not know his actual identity, nor him hers) Cat Noir is none other than her crush Adrien Agreste. A man named Hawk Moth is shown hiding out in a dark tower surrounded by butterflies; he is their nemesis. Hawk Moth is bent upon stealing Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses (a miraculous is what the source of their power is called), in the process he dispatches Akuma; butterflies that deliver dark power to someone suffering from anger. These butterflies posses their target and feed upon these feelings, then uses them to transform the person into an evil super villain to rein destruction upon Paris. It is up to Ladybug and Cat Noir to stop these Akuma all the while saving the person possessed.

 

As I have mentioned the show is set in Paris, France - the setting is a huge part of the story as well as its magic (no pun intended). The creator has stated that they wanted to really capture the magic and beauty of Paris in this cartoon and they did a fantastic job. The animation s beautiful and it depicts Paris as a lovely place. Plus all of the characters have pretty French names, which to be honest I have fun saying.

I am just about halfway through season one (season two is hopefully coming out this year) and although I haven't finished it yet, I really wanted to share my thoughts so far. I will first start with the good - what I like about this show and what it is doing right.

 

My favorite aspect of Miraculous of course, is the entire magical girl concept. I am a huge lover of the magical girl genre and it makes me so happy to begin seeing it more on American TV.  Ladybug is a pretty self sufficient and strong hero. I honestly think a lot of the time she doesn't truly need Cat Noir but the show wouldn't be as great or as balanced without him. She is not a damsel in distress, more often than not Cat Noir gets himself into trouble and she ends up having to help him. She gets things done, properly saving people and de-evilizing the akuma.

As a person, Marinette is also a wonderful character. She is intelligent and seems to do well in school (when she doesn't skip out to fight evil that is) and she seems to have aspirations in fashion design. She is ambitious and has an idea of what she wants in life. Sure, she has a crush and wants love but she has other wants in life and she goes for them. Christina Vee who voices her in the English dub (also known for her work as Sailor Mars in the Viz Sailor Moon dub) does an amazing job.

Another characterization that I really like is Cat Noir/Adrien. Cat Noir is funny and charming. He is a goofball that doesn't take himself too seriously. He is confident without being egotistical and he treats ladybug with respect. Sure he flirts a lot but he never disrespects her, most importantly he never disrespects her for being a female superhero. He never acts like she needs to be protected or saved which I really appreciate. He treats her as his equal. My favorite part of Cat Noir is his endless amount of puns. As someone that tells mom jokes (my specialized sense of humor, which essentially are dad jokes but I'm not a dude), I really get a kick out of his jokes. It makes me laugh every time he calls Ladybug "bug-a-boo" or makes a cat pun. It also doesn't hurt that an anime voice actor I love, Bryce Papenbrook (Kirito in Sword Art Online, Eren in Attack on Titan, Masaomi in Durarara, and Rin in Blue Exorcist) voices him.

Cat Noir I thoroughly enjoy, but Adrien I think really adds a sort of unique perspective to the show that I think is good for children. He is a model, but he isn't egotistical or stuck up. He is kind and isn't mean to anyone just because he is in magazines and is popular. I think this is an important message to children that watch the show. He also portrays the life of a neglected child/teen.

 His father, Gabriel Agreste isn't a good father. He doesn't spend time with Adrien, favoring his work as a fashion designer over his own son. The man is extremely stoic and cold not to mention controlling. Adrien can't really do much of anything without his father's approval. His father's assistant Natalie is often cares for Adrien. On Adrien's birthday he couldn't be bothered to even purchase a gift himself or spend time with his son. He was extremely against him having a party to celebrate his birthday as well. Adrien laments a lot about how he feels about his father never being there for him especially since his mother had died. Though this is a sad story to tell, I feel like it is a good thing. It will help to give children in similar situations something to relate to and maybe feel a little less alone.

Alya

Miraculous does a great job at including different races too. Just because the show is set in France, it doesn't mean that there are all Caucasian or strictly European looking characters. Marinette herself is half Chinese; her father is French while her Mother is Chinese.Next there is Alya Cesaire, Marinette's best friend. Alya has darker, brown toned skin that seems more so on the tan side. There is also Nino Lahiffe, Adrien's best friend. Neither's character has had their race or ancestry specified but it is refreshing to see some diversity.

Nino

Now onto the bad part - the things I dislike about this show and the things wrong with it.

One major complaint that I have with this show is that there is no introduction. There may be more information towards the end of the series or even some OVAs but what is troubling to me is that we get no explanation at the beginning of the series about how Ladybug and Cat Noir came to be. We are just expected to accept things as they are with no reasoning. Who is Hawk Moth and why does he want the other miraculouses and why does he want to defeat Ladybug? How did Adrien and Marinette come into their powers? One of the best parts of a magical girl anime is the heroine's discovery of her powers and this is completely missing from Miraculous. Also - the fact that there are other miraculouses hasn't been explained (or isn't until later in the season), I only know that there are more thanks to the fandom.

The next thing that I have a problem with is lack of character development. As the show goes on I am not seeing any sort of development in character. I expected to see Marinette possibly gain courage around her crush, or maybe Ladybug and Cat Noir to trust each other more - even strengthen their powers. But there is none of that, everything remains the same. Another thing that irks me is the repetativeness. It is indeed a "monster of the week: type show like how Sailor Moon became at times. It is overly repetative though down to all of the catchphrases and lines which never seem to be said differently. At least in Sailor Moon we get different tones. But lines like "Pound it" and "Bye bye little butterfly" never seem to differ to me. This show is said to have been made so that each episode stands alone but that isn't a good tactic for a show. Even shows such as Steven Universe and Adventure Time, especially Adventure Time which were meant to have random episodes eventually grow into plot. This show has so much promise, it could be exceptional if it stuck to some plot and development.

Anyway, that is all I really can think to say about the topic. If you want to see for yourself, check out Miraculous on Netflix!

Xoxo

Heather Zombie

Shikshook Cocktail Shaker Kit Review

Disclaimer: I received this product in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own completely honest ones, I would never bs my readers 💜.

Hi everyone! Today I will be reviewing the Shikshook cocktail shaker set. I was really excited to try this one! I recently turned 23 and though I have been making cocktails since I turned 21...I'm horrible at it. Not only did I not have a cocktail shaker, but the jigger will help me become better with my alcohol proportions.

The struggles of being a cat lady - velvet becomes a hair magnet.

 This set comes with a 3 piece cocktail shaker, 2 liquor spouts, a jigger and a velvet pouch to keep it all in. It also comes with a free eBook which the seller delivers to you via email.

All pieces seem to be stainless steel and quite sturdy. I used the cocktail shaker to mix Midori and 7 Up (a staple cocktail in my home) as well as non alcoholic Tang drink powder with water. The latter I mixed to test how well the shaker combines everything. It mixed well though while shaking I was a little worried that the top would come flying off so I awkwardly held down on it. I should note that the Tang was mixed thoroughly without any remnants of the mix at the bottom pouring from this shaker is wonderful; it has holes in the pourer in order to keep it from splashing everywhere.

The jigger easily measures an ounce and a half ounce of alcohol for perfect cocktails.

Overall I really like this set, the velvet bag and eBook are wonderful bonuses. I should also add that this set comes with a lifetime guarantee. You can purchase this item here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C0RCOHM/

Xoxo

Heather Zombie

Jouvenet Illusion Concealer Palette Review

Disclaimer: I received this product in exchangefor an honest review. All opinions are completely my own. I am always honest to my readers 💜.

Hello lovelies! I am very excited about today's post! I will be discussing the Jouvenet Illusion 15 color concealer palette.

It not only comes with the palette, but a stipple sponge, double ended brush and an eBook on contouring. Honestly this palette is worth buying for the brush and sponge alone! Both are very cute. The brush has light pink bristles with a black handle - cute but sleek and professional looking. The sponge is bright pink and looks just like the Beauty Blender. I have never tried the original Beauty Blender; I have however tried several dupes. This is by far the best dupe I have come across. It is extremely soft! I thought my current stipple sponge was good....boy have I been missing out!

The palette includes a card with basic instructions/tips on contouring and highlighting. This is great for the beginner at contouring. The palette packaging is a light weight sleek black plastic with Jouvenet's logo stamped on the front in gold. I really like the packaging, a lot of palettes can be unnecessarily bulky; this one easily will fit into one of my train cases. It looks professional so I would not be embarrassed to have this packaging in my pro kit to use with clients.

First impressions: 

I swear my wrists aren't as big as they look here .____.

There are 15 different concealer shades as promised, including some correcting colors. The correcting colors include a cool toned yellow,a cool toned green and a cool toned pink. I had hoped the pink would be as lavender shade, as I have been wanting to try using as lavender concealer for a highlight. There is a white shade for highlighting. The range of shades is good, I just wish it had a lighter shade for people like myself with very fair/porcelain skin so that I could use it as a concealer as well. I do have a lot of redness in my skin though so I can see myself using the green shade a lot.

Once used: 

I look so odd without my glasses ;___;

Dem lashes!!

The consistency is very creamy and great for dry skin.These blend so nicely and they are pigmented but not too pigmented to the point where you will be left with streaks all over your face. They can also be sheered out for a subtle look. Once applied I realized that these shades are warm toned which at first looked strange with my cool toned skin. If you have cool toned skin as well, just blend well and once your look is finished it should look fine. The white shade is the one shade that could be more pigmented. It does apply sheerer and seems to have sparkles in it. It works as a highlight though is more suited for skin tones darker than mine.

I used the yellow shade under my eyes beneath my foundation and wow! It really brightened up the area, I was very surprised!

As for how it lasts, I applied these concealers as correcting colors and contour at about  9:30 am and removed all of my makeup around 5:00 pm. Before I went to remove it, the concealer was still there!

The brush is just as soft on both ends, but I wish the larger end was a bit more flexible, but I guess you wouldn't want it too flexible. The stipple sponge is awesome and blends well without soaking up much product. Plus it is very soft on the skin.

My only major complaint is the pan size..I wish they were bigger!!! I'm seriously afraid of running out. I know I definitely want to buy a set to use in my kit on my clients when I am able to and maybe even get one as a backup for personal use. And for the price, you can't really beat it. This set is an absolute gem and I love it!

Check out Jouvenetbeauty.com to check out their products. You can buy this contour set via Amazon here:
http://www.amazon.com/Concealer-Jouvenet-Foundation-Instruction-Highlight/dp/B01BL1ZL8M

I hope you all enjoyed today's review! I know I was more than happy to write it. Have a great Sunday funday!

Xoxo

Heather Zombie 💜

Valentia Royal Rose Hydrating Serum

Disclaimer: I received this product in exchange for a review. All opinions on this post are 100% my honest ones. I do not lie to appease any brands, I always have the best interests of my readers in mind. ^____^

When Valentia invited me once again to try a product of theirs I was happy, as I love another serum that I have tried by them. When I found out it was a rose serum, I was ecstatic! I love roses and everything about them - how they look, the silliness of the petals and especially I love their scent (hint, hint to my boyfriend....who probably will never read this).

This serum does have a lovely rose scent, but it isn't over powering and it doesn't smell synthetic. The bottle states that essential oil taken from the petals of Damask roses were used. It boasts to nourish, calm and cool skin for a refreshed and youthful look. It is also worth noting that the serum is paraben and alcohol free. Does it live up to these promises?

Yes! This is a lovely light weight serum. Though I haven't noticed a drastic change in my skin from using, I have noticed that it is more hydrated. This serum is wonderful for moisturizing, as pretty much every rose product I have tried. Having dry skin, this is yet another reason for me to love roses.

Hope you enjoyed this little review! You can purchase the Valentia Royal Rose Hydrating Serum here:
http://www.amazon.com/NEW-Hydrating-Sensitive-Damascena-Niacinamide/dp/B01AHVGZNM/

Xoxo

Heather Zombie

Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 1

Finally, Game of Thrones has returned!!!! I feel like I've been waiting forever for it to come back on, the wait has been even worse with that cliffhanger of season 5. I probably don't have to warn you, but this post is loaded with spoilers, so read at your own risk. Now I am attempting to remember what occurs from memory and sharing my thoughts. For once I felt like I was left with more questions than the answers I craved.

Let's start with Sansa and Theon/Reek. Both Theon and Sansa survived their leap from the castle and run off into the Woods to escape Bolton's men and dogs. They leap through frozen water and find a hiding spot...well that didn't last long. The men find Sansa and forcefully grab her. When all hope seems lost Brienne appears! Her and Podrick fight Bolton's men and slaughter them, saving Sansa's ass. Brienne then pledges her service to Sansa and Sansa accepts. I was actually really hoping for Sansa and Theon to be separated asks for her to have to learn to survive on her own. I'm so sick of damsel in distress/ weak and whiny Sansa. Grow some balls, girl!! I was extremely irked by her protest against going into the frozen water....like seriously? You would rather be viscously ripped apart by dogs? Ughh Sansa. I hope now that she has Brienne maybe Brienne can teach her to take care of herself and to stop taking shit.

When we last saw Daenerys she had been whisked away by Drogon after that battle with the Sons of the Harpy. She is in the middle of nowhere and Drogon is injured/doesn't want to be bothered so Dany is on her own. Suddenly she has a run in with surprise - the Dothraki of the latest Khal, Khal Jhaqo and his Khalasar. She drops her ring in hopes of leaving it as a clue for someone to find her. The Dothraki take her prisoner, binding her wrists and forcing her to walk on foot. Many of the pigs men made disgusting and derogatory comments to her. Let me tell you...I was beyond pissed off at this. Nobody disrespects Khaleesi!!!! Dany was smart and held her tongue until she was taken to the Khal, where she revealed who she really is and refuses to lay with him. Finally he shows her the respect she deserves.....but then she is told she must spend the remainder of her days with the other widows of Khals in Vaes Dothrak. I'm really curious as to what this is and how she will get herself out of this. Meanwhile Jorah and Dario are out looking for her.

We are shown little of Arya - she is still blind and shown begging on the streets. This was her punishment for defying the order from the faceless man last season. The other girl from The House of Black and White attacks her and orders her to defend herself which she cannot yet. In a way I felt it was nasty of her to beat the crap out of defenseless Arya but on the other hand, she's doing her a favor by trying to teach her to cope and defend herself.

Jon's story - or for now lack there of (he's coming back guys!!!!) made me want to cry. Ghost knows he's gone and alerts the few loyal night's watchmen to his body, including Sir Davos. They along with Ghost and Melisandre lock themselves in a room with Jon's body while they figure out what to do against that fucker Alliser Thorne . Thorne basically tells them to surrender or else. I hope he gets what's coming to him. The biggest wtf of the episode is where we see the scene with Melisandre by herself. She stares into the fire flames with melancholy and begins to disrobe. She stares into a darkened, clouded mirror. One minute she's her beautiful youngest self....and then she is shown as a very old naked woman. That was a bit....unnecessary to see ._____. I didn't want to see old lady boobs and cooch. I wonder what that was all about - losing her power? We have seen her naked before but never that old. I am hoping she will use her powers to bring be k Jon. At this point I don't think he will rise as a white walker like some believe because his body is closely guarded.

Cersei and Jaime reunite and she learns of her daughter's death. As much as I hate Cercei, I felt sorry for her. She has lost everything. Or maybe I just feel sorry for Jaime and Myrcella. Though she was a bit of a brat, Myrcella was innocent and didn't deserve to die. Damn you, Ellaria!!

Speaking of Ellaria - she murders Prince Doran and the sandsnakes kill Trtstane and their men. She vows Dorne will never again be ruled by weak men. I do have to say I really like the sandsnakes, but I'm not a fan of Ellaria at the moment. She's fucking ruthless though!!


Margaery is still held by the cult like religious psychos (thanks Cersei you bitch). She won't admit to any sins but I feel she is in deep trouble. Will she be forced to take the walk of shame like Cersei?


Tyrion and Varys are still in Mireen and observing the city crumble after Daenerys' departure. There are some troublesome things such as the Sons of the Harpy still at large and some new extremists.

I think that's everything, wow a lot happened...but I still need to learn more!! I can't wait until next Sunday! One thing that really irked me was previews pre-show and last season's recap sucked up nearly 10 minutes and it ended with about 5 minutes to spare.  Come on HBO, stop stealing my GOT!!! Until next week (hopefully). What were your thoughts on the episode? Comment and let me know!

Xoxo
Heather Zombie

P.S. - Who has seen the latest Steven Universe trailers? I'm terrified for this latest event....someone's gonna die ;_;

Lashes and Cosmetics Eyelash Products & Bag Review

Disclaimer: The products in this review were sent to me by the wonderful and generous Lashes and Cosmetics company in exchange for Amazon reviews. I am not being paid to write this, writing about these products on my personal blog is my own choice. All opinions are 100% my own, I would never lie to you guys 💜

Hello lovelies! Today I have some more products from Lashes and Cosmetics that I wanted to review for you! They have a good amount of products that seem awesome so I wanted to try them out for myself. Based on my experience with them so far, I would recommend them; all products they have sent me have arrived quickly not to mention their staff is super sweet.

First up is this clear vinyl makeup bag, which you can buy here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CO9LNVO

I love this bag! The plastic vinyl does not feel cheap, it is quite sturdy. It us as really good size and fits more than it would seem to. The main body of the bag zips shut. There are 3 pockets on the front and one on the size which snap. It has handbag like handles with a rubber gripping on them. It also has a detachable and adjustable shoulder strap.

For size comparison I put my tablet and a full-sized Bath and Body works spray in the main zippered compartment. I put my Naked 3 palette in the side pocket for comparison and my Colour Pop ultra matte lippie and lippie stick into one of the front pockets. This bag can hold a lot! There is only one slight thing I find troubling about this bag, it's the snaps on the pockets. Be careful with opening! They snap shut tightly and a few times I was afraid that I would tear the plastic. But this bag is sturdy enough to where I didn't harm it at all. This would be great for carrying extra products or tools to a client's home; I may even use it at Connecticon.

Next up is the Mascara set sampler with bonus eyeliner.

You can buy this here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BZCRMAW

The set comes in this cute and convenient case; I really like the case as it makes it easy to toss the products into my bag and go. I think this would be a great addition to a cosplay bag.

  Inside the case, there are four different mascaras as well as a mirror. The mascara varieties are thickening, volumizing, fiber and lengthening. The eyeliner doesn't fit in the case; it is a liquid felt tipped one. The tip is a bit thicker than I prefer but it is opaque, dark and glides on well.

Stupid camera wouldn't focus right >.<

The mascaras do work well! Please ignore my uneven eyeliner; I was exhausted and felt like crap when I applied it. Each mascara has a different brush and I really did see a difference in each one.

Here is the lengthening mascara:

Lengthening:

Volumizing:

Thickening:

Fiber:

This was my very first time using a fiber mascara, I have always been on the fence about them; seeing girls with spider leg looking eyelashes and hearing horror stories about scratched corneas. If you are careful and don't get the fibers in your eye you should be fine. That being said the results were crazy and better than expected. My lashes looked like falsies!



Bridal False Eyelash kit - Monday Thru Sunday eyelash kit

You can buy this here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TZ04J80

This set comes with 6 pairs of false eyelashes, curved tweezers, glue and some microbrushes. It also comes with an instructional card. The eyelashes themselves are great; I love that they're in a range of drama and styles and the fact that the band is clear. The tweezers are nice and sturdy and great for applying the lashes.

Sadly, the glue didn't work for me. I'm sure I followed the directions correctly; I don't know if the glue just set too quickly or if it isn't tacky enough. I could not get the lashes to stay with this particular glue. I'm also not as fan of the fact that its black, let's be real I get lash glue all over the place when I apply lashes to myself - that's the crappy part of being a glasses wearer and having to take them off to apply makeup.

Even though I didn't like the glue, I love the rest of the set and I would recommend it for the lashes alone!

I would recommend each product, my favorite is the bag. It holds so much! I've definitely been using it a lot. And I see myself using the mascaras and eyelashes a lot for when I go out.

Xoxo

Heather zombie 💜

KC Republic Makeup Brush Drying Towers Review

Disclaimer: I received the products in this post in exchange for a review on Amazon. This is my complete honest opinion, I refuse to lie to my readers. This was also my choice to post this review here.

Today I have an awesome pair of products to show you all! They are the KC Republic makeup brush drying towers from Lashes and cosmetics. I have a LOT of makeup brushes and it is always a pain for me to dry them. I typically would put them into cups to dry...but then I would have to wait forever for therm to dry and worry about water messing with the glue and loosening bristles. Yeah, fun stuff! So when I was given the opportunity to try these I jumped at it.

The towers arrived packaged like so. They did need assembly but they were very easy to assemble; I like that I can disassemble these and put therm back in their respective boxes when not in use.

Ignore the bubbles that appear on the pieces, it seems there was a film attached that I forgot to remove ._______. . The pieces are made of acrylic plastic though one of the pieces is cardboard with plastic.

This is the square shaped tower, it holds 26 brushes and as you can see it has a variety of holes of different sizes for  brushes to sit in.

The circular tower assembled. This one also has a variety of holes and holds 14 brushes. 

The towers are sturdy and don't wobble when put on a flat surface. They also look great. 

How do they fair when holding brushes? I washed my makeup brushes and put them through the top fave down. It grips my brushes very well! I don't have to worry about them falling through and now my brushes can dry faster!

Overall, I am very impressed by these makeup brush towers and they work wonderfully. I'm not only happy to use these for my own brushes, but I'm also excited to use them to hold my makeup brushes while working with clients. I could also bring these to Connecticon with me to help me while applying makeup for my cosplays! 

You can purchase both towers on Amazon via these links: 

Circular Tower: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BTC0O44

Rectangular Tower: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BN1OMO4

Thank you to Lashes and Cosmetics for sending me these wonderful products to test out!

Xoxo

Heather Zombie <3