Gale Reads: Off-Campus Series by Elle Kennedy

 Hello everyone! Today is the last day of February & it's a leap year too! And I suddenly had an urge to write a book review so that's what I'm going to post for this week. =) 


Starting around October-November of 2015, I got hooked into the new adult romance genre especially the sports-related ones (football & hockey especially). I was in need of a refresher as I was reading a lot of heavy novels and I wanted something light & fun to read. I was searching on Goodreads for suggestions & that's when I saw The Deal that is book 1 of the Off Campus Series by Elle Kennedy. I got intrigued by the synopsis because my black hole in books are nerdy girls that has strong personalities. 


This series has 3 books so far & I'm not sure how many there will be in this series.

*all synopsis from Goodreads.com
 

 The Deal

he's about to make a deal with the college bad boy...

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she's carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush's attention, she'll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice...even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

...and it's going to be oh so good

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he's worked so hard for. If helping a sarcastic brunette make another guy jealous will help him secure his position on the team, he's all for it. But when one unexpected kiss leads to the wildest sex of both their lives, it doesn't take long for Garrett to realize that pretend isn't going to cut it. Now he just has to convince Hannah that the man she wants looks a lot like him.

The Mistake

He’s a player in more ways than one…

College junior John Logan can get any girl he wants. For this hockey star, life is a parade of parties and hook-ups, but behind his killer grins and easygoing charm, he hides growing despair about the dead-end road he’ll be forced to walk after graduation. A sexy encounter with freshman Grace Ivers is just the distraction he needs, but when a thoughtless mistake pushes her away, Logan plans to spend his final year proving to her that he’s worth a second chance.

Now he’s going to need to up his game…

After a less than stellar freshman year, Grace is back at Briar University, older, wiser, and so over the arrogant hockey player she nearly handed her V-card to. She’s not a charity case, and she’s not the quiet butterfly she was when they first hooked up. If Logan expects her to roll over and beg like all his other puck bunnies, he can think again. He wants her back? He’ll have to work for it. This time around, she’ll be the one in the driver’s seat…and she plans on driving him wild.

The Score

He knows how to score, on and off the ice

Allie Hayes is in crisis mode. With graduation looming, she still doesn’t have the first clue about what she's going to do after college. To make matters worse, she’s nursing a broken heart thanks to the end of her longtime relationship. Wild rebound sex is definitely not the solution to her problems, but gorgeous hockey star Dean Di-Laurentis is impossible to resist. Just once, though, because even if her future is uncertain, it sure as heck won’t include the king of one-night stands.

It’ll take more than flashy moves to win her over

Dean always gets what he wants. Girls, grades, girls, recognition, girls…he’s a ladies man, all right, and he’s yet to meet a woman who’s immune to his charms. Until Allie. For one night, the feisty blonde rocked his entire world—and now she wants to be friends? Nope. It’s not over until he says it’s over. Dean is in full-on pursuit, but when life-rocking changes strike, he starts to wonder if maybe it’s time to stop focusing on scoring…and shoot for love.

 MY REVIEW

COVER TALK:

I love the cover! I really like the fact that it doesn't show the face of the model. I really prefer to imagine my lead hero's face. And why would I complain with these bodies? Haha seriously though, many might think this is romance if they see the cover but this is only a tad more mature compared to young adult books but it's definitely not on the level of 50 Shades. I just think football players are stereotyped as hot & sexy so they used these as covers.

 

OVER-ALL THOUGHTS:

As a whole, I love the fact that all 3 of these stories are not "love at first sight" and all of the characters are interconnected in a way, thus making it a series. I also love the fact that the stories doesn't feel rushed even though it's not a thick book. The author took her time to show her readers how the main characters develops throughout the story. You will also see the development of the different characters that surround the main leads so you know that if ever Elle Kennedy decided to pursue & continue this series then you'll definitely be excited for it since you have already loved that character that is somewhat an extra of each book. For example, Logan from book 2 was introduced as Garrett's best friend in book 1. There's also Allie that first made an appearance in book 1 & also in book 2 before she became the lead of book 3. I really enjoyed reading how these characters interact with each other & gets updates for each book.

I also love the author's writing style. She writes in a way that you feel like you are watching it as a TV series. I love the dialogues & the jokes. Nothing is forced or too cheesy, at least for me. I know there are cliches there but it was used so perfectly that I didn't care that much haha. If you love a new adult romance and also love football players then this is definitely a good series to start.

I definitely give this entire series a 4.5/5 RATING, I didn't give it a 5 just because the storyline per se is predictable. I really hope Elle Kennedy will continue this series. =)

What's your favorite New Adult Romance or sports related book? Please share them in the comment section below so I can add it to my TBR list. =)

Thank you for dropping by!

Product Review: Urban Decay Primer Potion

Hello everyone! I hope all of you had a great week. =)

Today, I will review the very popular Urban Decay Primer Potion eyeshadow base. I was able to get a deluxe sample together with my Urban Decay Smoked palette when I purchased it last year. I was so excited because the only time I was able to try it was when one of my friends gave me some on a pot but that didn't end up well so I thought it might be because it was already exposed to the air. So now that I have one in its proper container then I would definitely be able to test it out. 


Now, I have oily skin & my eyes are hooded plus I live in a country that is always humid so I really need a good eyeshadow primer that will help my eyeshadow to stay put & not crease on me. I am always for a lookout for the best one whether it is high-end or drugstore.

*photo credits to owner .. I don't have my own photo because I threw out my tube when it broke.

According to Urban Decay website:
"Eyeshadow Primer Potion is coveted by makeup artists and makeup junkies alike because it guarantees more vibrant eyeshadow that lasts for 24 hours and NEVER CREASES! Once you experience its powers (plus how smoothly it glides on – an added bonus) you'll never want to live without it."
  

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT:

- Makes eyeshadows stay longer on my oily lids without creasing.

- Makes eyeshadows more vibrant compared to if you don't use any base.

- Dries translucent so it won't affect the color of your eyeshadows.

- Texture is good for making pigments cling to your lids.

- No drying time needed before you apply your eyeshadows.

- I think the price is okay if this will work for you. It is pricey but I think you will get a lot of good use for it since you don't need to use a lot for every use.

- It now comes in a squeeze tube. Very easy to squeeze out product & you have good control on the amount you want to dispense.



WHAT I DON'T LIKE:

- This clumps so bad on me. I really can't have a smooth surface especially on the outer edge of my eyes. It looks like dead skin cells and I can't blend it out & just looks worst when I try.

- This is not good for dry & mature skin. This clings to dry patches & wrinkles. 

- I can't use this on my lower lashline under my concealer as it clumps together.

- Very hard to spread out. I always end up tugging my eyelids whenever I apply this.

- My tube broke around the tip area after a couple of months. I'm not sure if the quality of the packaging is poor because this is only a sample or if the full size is still like this.



OVER-ALL RATING: 3/5

This is an average quality product for me. I like my Etude House Proof 10 eyeshadow primer over this & that's like half the price. If only this spreads better & doesn't clump I would have loved this and give it a 4/5 as it did make my eyeshadow more vibrant and increases the longevity of my eye looks. I guess this is better for those that doesn't have any dry patches around their eyes.

WILL I PURCHASE THIS AGAIN? Nope. This is the same issue I had when I tried it years ago. I rarely reach for it because of my struggle to smooth it out all over my lids. I would prefer not to use any primer at all and that's saying something. I'm just lucky that I didn't get the full size coz that would be a waste of money.

I know this is a cult favorite and you might like it. I also don't know if I just got a bad batch. Nevertheless,  we'll all have different opinions about certain products because of different conditions. I would suggest if you haven't tried this yet, go ahead & buy coz it might work for you. But if you are on a budget & doesn't want to spend too much, I really believe the one from Etude House is really comparable and it spreads a lot better too.


What are your favorite eyeshadow primers? Please let me know so that I can try them out. =)


Until next time. Thank you for dropping by!

Review: NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation

Hello everyone! Happy Hearts Day to all of you! :)

Today, I am going to review one of NARS foundation. This is the 1st NARS foundation that I have tried so I don't have anything to compare it to. I have been testing this for a couple of months now, I use it every weekend when I go out. I haven't been wearing any makeup on a daily basis for 6 months now because I work night shift & I usually prefer to sleep in than wake up early to get ready haha. Anyway, I was able to avail a 5ml sample of the NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation in Ceylan late last year. Someone was selling 5ml sample sizes of her high end foundations for less than Php500 so I decided to grab the chance & try this foundation since I have been curious with it for so long. I just can't get myself to spend more than 2k for a bottle of foundation that I'm not sure if it will work for me as this has a lot of mixed reviews online. 

 This 5ml bottle costs Php 450

Per NARS website: 

"Full, natural-looking coverage with unexpectedly weightless, 16-hour wear. Highly pigmented and perfectly balanced, this breakthrough formula builds and blends effortlessly with just one drop—the result of exclusive innovation uniquely designed to deliver long-wearing full coverage, weightlessly. Shake, pump and blend in sections for complete coverage that's completely natural looking."

This has 20 shades available.

Comes in a 1oz bottle with a pump.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS FOUNDATION:

- Buildable medium to full coverage that still keeps it lightweight feel. Even if I build it up to full coverage, it doesn't feel heavy on my skin. I usually forget I was wearing anything on my face because my skin feels it can still "breathe"

- I love the consistency. A small drop can cover my whole face & it will give medium coverage too. This 5ml bottle still has a lot of usage left since I just need to use a small amount each time.

- Doesn't irritate my sensitive skin. I didn't itch & break out. Although I'm not sure if that's because I didn't use it everyday, but still it didn't cause me to have any acne right after use which sometimes happens to me when I use heavy foundations.

- It doesn't smell like paint. This has a very light scent to it & it doesn't bother me.

- Hygienic. If you buy the full size bottle, it has a pump! We all know NARS foundations don't come with pumps and you need to buy a separate one. But this one already has one & it disperses half a drop so that you have control on the amount of product to use.

- This looks very natural on me because the finish is demi-matte, it still looks like my skin but better specially if under natural lighting.

 1 layer of the foundation

- It doesn't control my oils especially on my T-zone (I do get oily after the 3hrs mark) but luckily it just looks dewy looking and does not make me look like a grease-ball

- NARS is a cruelty free brand even though it has a parent company that is not. This is a personal preference so do bear in mind that personally it is okay with me as long as it is proven that the brand itself doesn't test on animals.

Here's some shots in natural lighting with full face of makeup:

Foundation is set with Ben Nye Banana powder for added oil control.


WHAT I DON'T LIKE:

- This clings to dry patches like no other. I have combination oily skin & this tends to cling to the dry skin on my cheeks, on the sides of my nose & in between my eyebrows. It doesn't look good.

- This also settles on my crater-like acne scars & fine lines around the eyes making them more obvious.

- This doesn't have a great oil control which I really need since I work for long hours and I live in a place where it has humid weather most of the time.

- This oxidizes on me! Ceylan is a shade or 2 lighter than my skin tone upon application but this gets darker as the day goes on. I usually look a shade or 2 darker after 8-10 hours which made me look "dirty" and uneven since my neck is lighter than my face.

- Sometimes give a masked effect on flash photography even though it doesn't have any SPF. I look too white like a geisha :(

Low lighting with flash photography from cellphone

-This foundation slides around on my face especially on my nose area whenever I am wearing my glasses which is 98% of the time.

- this is expensive.


OVERALL VERDICT:  3.5/5

I do love it because it is very lightweight & my skin feels comfortable when wearing it plus it doesn't make me breakout. I will definitely wear this foundation if I'm just going out for a short time & I am not getting photographed on low light situations like inside a bar. This is definitely for people with normal skin type & wants a natural looking foundation.


WILL I BUY THIS AGAIN? No. I don't think I am willing to spend that much money on a foundation that only looks great for a few hours. I tend to be out around 10-12 hours per day & I want my makeup looking fresh  until I need to remove it at the end of the day. My BB creams tend to last & wear better than this one. Also, this oxidizes badly on me. I don't think this is great in humid weather since it melts quite easily.


What about you? Have you tried this foundation yet? What are your favorite cruelty free foundations that is good for oily skin & summer? Please share them with me on the comment section below ^_^


Thank you so much for dropping by!

2016 Reading Challenge

As I am writing this, there are fireworks now going off all around here for the welcoming of the Chinese New Year. Since I am a quarter Chinese, my family do celebrate but this year everyone is just tired from their hike in Mt. Pinatubo so we just had Chinese food delivered for dinner haha... Kung Hei Fat Choi! ^_^

Anyways, back to the main reason of this post. I would just like to share my 2016 reading goals. I was unable to achieve my goal last year since a lot had happened and I don't have enough time to read as many books as I want. So this year, I have 2 main goals:

1. To try more authors & genres (I have been good with this one so far).

2. To read a minimum of 50 100 books in 2016. Re-reads not counted. I have decided to up the count since I have already read a lot & it's only mid of February, also I include novellas in the counting so I think it's fair to put a higher number.

I have been trying to monitor my reading at Goodreads but my tracker doesn't move and it is still in 0% even though I have already read a couple of books since January. So I have decided to track my reading here as well in this post. I'm on a roll!!! =)

1. The Score by Elle Kennedy
2. Magic Stars by Ilona Andrews
3. Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews
4. The year we fell down by Sarina Bowen
5. The year we hid away by Sarina Bowen
6. Blonde date by Sarina Bowen
7. Sacked by Jen Frederick
8. #Nerd by Cambria Hebert
9. #Hater by Cambria Hebert
10. #Player by Cambria Hebert
11. #Selfie by Cambria Hebert
12. #Poser by Cambria Hebert
13. #Lovers gonna hate by Cambria Hebert
14. #Holiday by Cambria Hebert
15. The Perfect Play by Jaci Burton
16. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally
17. Breakaway by Catherine Gayle
18. On the fly by Catherine Gayle
19. Light in the lamp by Catherine Gayle
20. Delay of the game by Catherine Gayle
21. Double major by Catherine Gayle
22. Taking a shot by Catherine Gayle
23. Wallbanger by Alice Clayton
24. Dropping gloves by Catherine Gayle
25. Comeback by Catherine Gayle 
26. One starry night by Olivia Cunning
27. Sweet Home by Tillie Cole
28. Across the line by Kate Willoughby
29. One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy
30. The Playboy & the Single Mom by Alexia Adams
31. The Vintner & the Vixen by Alexia Adams
32. Tapping the Billionaire by max Monroe
33. Lick (Stage Dive #1) by Kylie Scott
34. Play by Kylie Scott
35. Lead by Kylie Scott
36. the Slam by Haleigh Lovell
37. The consequence of loving Colton by Rachel Van Dyken
38. Deep by Kylie Scott
39. Mister O by Lauren Blakey
40. Tempt Me by Olivia Cunning
41. Take Me by Olivia Cunning
42. Touch Me by Olivia Cunning
43. Tie Me by Olivia Cunning
44. Try Me by Olivia Cunning
45. Tease Me by Olivia Cunning
46. Share Me by Olivia Cunning
47. Almost paradise by Olivia Cunning
48. Tell Me by Olivia Cunning
49. Rush by Shae Ross
50. The Matchmaker's Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken
51. My Perfect Mistake by Kelly Siskind
52. Hearts Attached  by Scarlet Wolfe
53. Score by Christine Bell
54. Fly with me by Chanel Cleeton
55. Player by Aubrey Irons
56. Idol by Kristen Callihan
57. Overruled by Emma Chase
58. Sustained by Emma Chase
59. Side barred by Emma Chase
60. Appealed by Emma Chase
61. Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh
62. Full Count by C.A. Williams
63. Friends without Benefits by Penny Reid
64. Love Hacked by Penny Reid
65. Beauty & the Mustache by Penny Reid
66. Ninja at first sight by Penny Reid
67. Happily ever Ninja by Penny Reid
68. Scenes from the City by Penny Reid
69. Red Card by Carrie Aarons


Please do post your suggestions for good reads in the comment section below. I am always on the lookout for the next book to add on my To-Be-Read (TBR). ^_^


Thank you for dropping by!

Hello everyone!

Happy 2016! 

Are you all surprised with this post? haha actually I'm not even sure if any of my readers are still here to read this... especially my future posts if I do try to come back full time in the blogging world... BUT I really miss writing reviews and sharing my thoughts about the things I have tried or have watched or have read... so I have decided that even though it's almost 2 yrs since my last post, I will try again to come back & post reviews weekly. I am crossing my fingers that I will be able to keep this schedule since I am currently working night shift & only have weekends off to write a post, but I will definitely do it!

I hope everyone will join me again as I try out products after products, read a lot of books & watch a ton of Asian dramas. =D

Thank you!
Gale