Getting down with The Get Down | Review

Hello!

As extreme as this might sound, I think I have never loved a tv show as much as I love The Get Down. I am a person who is very critical of the media I consume, because everything from magazines to tv shows has an impact even if we think it doesn't, because more often than not, this media we are consuming are catering to white, ethnocentric ideals, aesthetics, etc etc. I have jumped from series to series and as much as I try to appreciate them without their problematic aspects (racism, homophobia, misogyny) they always stick out to me and make me think that what I watch is a representation of what I am, what I like. Having said this, The Get Down is everything I'm looking for in a series.

The Get Down is set in the late 70's, telling us the beginnings and evolution of what we now know as hip-hop, rap, break-dancing, street art/graffiti and how they were all linked and how they spread in the Bronx. But mind you, this is not just for the fans of these genres, for the fans yes it will be nostalgic, amazing, every other good adjective you may think of; but I re-watched this show with a friend who doesn't like any of these styles of music, and he absolutely loved the show too. It has an astounding capacity of gripping you since the first seconds of the first episode until the last seconds of the last one. Not kidding, when I first watched it and when I re-watched it I saw all the episodes in a row, it was that good to me.

So like I mentioned, the action is set in the Bronx, and the tools we're given to weave around this decrepit neighbourhood are old documentaries that fit in perfectly to show us the true reality of some events; Grand Master Flash and the Fantastic Four Plus One, that'd be Ezequiel Figuero, Shaolin Fantastic, Dizzee Kipling, Ra Ra Kipling and Boo Boo Kipling. From abandoned buildings in the Bronx to gay bars in Soho to thrilling underground parties all over the city, action is guaranteed in the show. The cast is so talented, and some people complain about Jaden Smith but I actually loved his performance? I think it just fits in with his character. But the rest of the cast. Oh boy. I had seen Shameik Moore's performance in Dope and fell in love with him but in The Get Down he was simply amazing, I foresee great parts for him the future. Zeke Figuero's character was the main one, and although he's really powerful, I feel like he never stole the show, and the writers found a perfect balance so that they could all shine. Some characters were not as explored as others but that's what I'm waiting on for the 2nd season. Contrasting with the underground, hip hop vibe of the Fantastic Four Plus One, we have The Soul Madonnas, the group of ladies that stole my heart. We have Mylene Cruz, Regina and Yolanda Kipling, and man do I love my women of colour. They're gorgeous, sing like angels and I love how their different personalities intertwine, it's amazing seeing a good group of ladies without the toxicity and cat fighting. All these characters seem to have fairy dust sprinkled all over them even through the hardships of growing up in such a tough neighborhood and in poverty. The show doesn't have the need to make their lives a tragic sob story to make it interesting, but rather turn it into a story about courage, leadership and hope.

What this show also excels at too is the capacity to mix the historical aspects to other elements of hip hop and whatnot. As a person of colour who is part of the LGBT+ community, it meant a lot seeing beautiful diverse people on screen, rocking afros and every shade of black there is, hearing the different accents and languages, and seeing other PoC exploring their sexuality and people on screen saying that "it's okay", there's no judgement, just colourful, unapologetic queerness. I simply loved the approach to what is such a big topic and also the beginnings of a culture, you almost never see LGBT+ representation on screen besides white gay couples or lesbians that get killed off or other sad stories. It's never this beautiful or happy. All in all this show is amazing at breaking stereotypes. We get shown black men crying, being emotional, exploring sexualities, being nerds. Where else would you get that? Besides angry, muscular black men yelling and shooting guns, or tough gang members, what representation do our black men get? Basically none. The show just captures the heart and soul of the Bronx with all its colourful population, street violence, but also all the music. Oh my gosh the music. No other producer could've done it that well. It's been days and I'm still humming every song from the glorious soundtrack.

The sets, the political statements, the music, the cast, the wardrobe, no matter how flamboyant it gets, it just captures the true essence of those decades, and I love every single second of the show.

Rating on IMDb: 8,6
My rating: 9

● Inês ●

Candy Nails | Kiko Milano Limited Edition

Hello!

Nails aren't and have never really been my thing, although I always like to have them painted, I just never was that kind of girl to have them done, so I appreciate those nail polishes that have an easy application and last long because I'm lazy and honestly who has time to be constantly changing up the colour as soon as the old one starts to chip?

So I've never really payed attention to nail products, but the Kiko nail varnishes have always caught my eyes since I heard so many great things about them. The other day while I was searching through the store looking for the new collections, I came across the Candy Nails collection and decided to pick some colours up to try them. I went with Frozen Smoothies in Fair Persimmon and Candy Canes in Fun Guarana because with Spring and Summer coming along they seemed more appropriate, as well as a strengthening base coat since my nails break easily. I first applied the base and then went on with Frozen Smoothies and the colour went on so opaque for such a light colour! I didn't even need to apply a second coat which I really loved. After it dried down (which was fairly quick!) I applied Candy Canes which is a clear polish with little white, orange and pink particles. This looked so amazing on top of the peach colour, but I bet it looks lovely as well on it's own for a simple but fun look.

These were all 4,90 euros and I'm thinking of getting a ton of other colours because they have such a huge variety and I must say I'm so in love!

 ● Inês ●

Tony Moly Product Review

Hello!

I've been obsessed with korean beauty products lately and just really trying to learn a bit about everything, the brands, the ingredients, the results they have, so as soon as I stepped into Sephora and saw that big shelf saying Tony Moly, I knew I would be dropping a few bucks that day. If you have any knowledge at all about the korean beauty industry you'll know that this is one of the biggest brands in the game, especially known for the extremely cute packaging. At the time, the ladies at Sephora were putting up the first stock of products so they didn't have as many things as they'll have in a couple of weeks, but I'm impatient and had to get anything as soon as I laid eyes on them. And thus I ended up leaving with only two products although I keep checking on my local Sephora to see if there's anything new (I really want to try some of their HydroGel Masks!). 

The first thing on that Tony Moly stand were eggs. Yeah, eggs! Or rather, facial masks with this cutesy packaging. I was intrigued, and chose this one from the Egg Pore line. This mask in particular focuses on pores and blackheads, although the others focus on pores too, they're more suited for people with larger pores, which I don't really have. 

So, getting into the product itself, when you screw the top you have this little container with an orange lid to mimic the inside of an egg. The smell is absolutely gorgeous, it almost makes me want to eat it. It's sort of citric-y without being overbearing, which I appreciate. The consistency is not that thick, it's more like jello, and it has little yellow-y beads that are meant to exfoliate. The first time I tried it, it worked wonders, I kid you not! You're supposed to put a layer of the product on your problem areas which for me is on the nose basically, and rub it gently into your skin for 2-3 minutes until the product turns into a more opaque white colour, and then simply wash it off with lukewarm water. The day after I used this I was constantly reaching for my boyfriend's hands so he could feel how soft my nose felt, because this thing unclogged all of the nastiness that may have been hidden. If you have concerns regarding large pores or blackheads, this line will work wonders for you, and it is fairly cheap (8 to 10 euros if I remember correctly) for the amount of product and the wonders it works!

 And next we have this. Isn't this. The cutest. Eye cream. Ever? I have been on a long search for a good eye cream for a while now, and I know I'm young but since I wear makeup a lot (now less than I used to because honestly I prefer to sleep in the morning rather than waking up half an hour early to beat my face), and eye makeup too, so I tend to tug at my eye area more than what a person would normally, and my eyes tend to look a bit puffy in the morning so I was searching for something that would help. For someone as young as me, it's a tricky task. There are tons of eye creams out there but 1.) they're super pricey, 2.) they're targeted towards more mature skin, and even if it doesn't say they're for older people, if you're young and use some of them, they may actually cause premature wrinkles since you're packing your skin with stuff that isn't needed. And then Panda's Dream came to the rescue, because honestly pandas look cute with their dark circles, but I don't!
The packaging is obviously a panda, and when you pop the top off, it has a protecting lid which I really really value because then I know the product won't be affected by the environment and won't get in touch with unwanted stuff. You then have to screw the blue stick out and it has a really light fruity scent to it and when it comes in contact with your skin it feels immediately refreshing and cooling so it's perfect to wake you up in the morning, and it also feels like it's hydrating the very thin skin around the eye without feeling greasy or too thick like those old people eye creams sometimes feel like. It cost me around 11 euros which is a fair price for the product if you ask me! As soon as I incorporated the product into my skincare regime, I noticed that my eyes have been looking less puffy and brighter which was what I was looking for!

All in all I must say I'm in love with these two products and am really looking forward to trying more from this brand. They also have the cutest lip balms and hand creams which are always a handy thing to have around in case you're not interested in anything to add to your skincare routine!

● Inês ●

Deadpool Review | Is CGI needed?

Hello!

With all the anticipation surrounding Marvel’s new take on the super-hero franchise, Deadpool had a lot at stake. Thanks to clever advertisement, ranging from its several trailers, to posters splattered all over the world, Marvel fans were definitely getting hyped up, including me. So can we say that it met our expectations?

Firstly, we have to acknowledge the fact that unlike other blockbusters, Deadpool had a considerably smaller budget, actually, several jokes were made about it throughout the movie, breaking what is called the 4th wall. In what money it may have lacked, it compensated in its cast, writing and directing. From the start, we immediately get the idea that Deadpool will not be our average super-hero, he even makes sure and repeats himself a lot to make sure we don’t get the wrong idea about him, he's an anti-hero. He is witty, he’s dynamic, he has lots of charisma, so much so that even if you start by being weird out by his silly puns, or even a bit thrown off by all his profanity, you end up liking him anyway. The movie is not outstanding in a way that it falls into some old movie clichés, but is still tremendously refreshing. Wade Wilson is not lawful, he goes on murderous rampages simply to get revenge, but weirdly enough, you can still see the good in him. You could say that he is a chaotically good character, being both humane and lax.

It's during the said action scenes that we can see the CGI kicking in. Are they necessary at all? In this case, yes. Although it is noticeable sometimes to the more trained eye, you're willing to overlook it for how action packed and awesome these scenes are, how on the edge of your seat they will leave you. Some scenes would be impossible to film had they not have used digital imaging. Is CGI a prerequisite to movies? Not at all. Great movies have been made without it, and even if you find them somewhat distracting, now we get to fully express our imagination through it, making epic fights look more amazing and credible with it, for example.

Concluding, Deadpool definitely met the high standards people were raising about it, with a talented and charismatic cast and crew, we even get the pleasure to witness the typical Stan Lee cameo, and besides all that CGI played an important role in it. Personally, I think we haven't seen the last of Wade Wilson and what is set to be one of the anti-heros that will mark a future generation of Marvel lovers. I loved the movie so much I had to see it twice at the theaters, and bought the soundtrack, so make sure you go check it out if you're not sure if you want to see it or not!

IMDb rating: 8.6/10

Peronal rating: 8/10

● Inês ●

Let's get Naked! - Naked3 Review

Hello!

I finally did it! I am so excited that I finally got the courage to splurge on a palette that everyone raves about in the beauty community, and that I actually have wanted for months and months! I honestly just never got the guts to pick it up because of its price. I think that by now we're all pretty acquainted with the Urban Decay Naked Palettes, aren't we? There are currently 4 that have been launched, and I was sort of torn between this one and the Smoky palette. Honestly? My thoughts just kept flying to this one whenever I wondered which one I'd get. The first and the second one just never had that much appeal to me? I've been going to that weird Spring phase when you just feel like wearing pink all the time, and better V-day present to myself other than the Naked3? Right? Right!

First of all, the packaging had me drooling. Rose gold is my colour, and I love that it is its theme. The box it came in has very pretty details in golden, and it has a pale pink colour all over it. I also adore the sides of it, since they sort of come out a little? This sounds weird, but I love to touch them and feel the texture. The back of the box just talks a bit about the shadows, shows them, and their names, and talks about the different finishes they have. The whole design of the box is very pleasing. The first thing that popped up to me, was a little leaflet about the Urban Decay primers that I have heard about so much. Obviously, they try to tell you that your eye makeup will work better with them and all that and I was like "Hm yeah sure, I just bought a 50 euro palette, no way I'm buying a 30 euro eye primer!" and I was pretty shocked that it actually had 4 different samples of UD primers?! I had never seen an unboxing, I honestly just thought we got that product and that was it! I tried them as soon as I could and... maybe I am going to eventually splurge on them too, since they work so well.

The palette itself feels plastic-y and metallic-y. Sometimes when I'm opening it I'm scared that something inside will move or come out, and break. I do appreciate that it clicks when it closes just so I can breathe again like "Ahh, everything is safe". Maybe that's my broke-ass being paranoid because I have never had a high-end product like this and I want to cherish it! But let's take a look of the inside!

This palette has 12 shades that go from a very shimmery white/rosy colour, to a dark shade with red reflects. Some are more powdery and others are softer, but overall, the quality is amazing. It also comes with your typical dual ended brush for applying and blending the shadows, it's great for when you're in a hurry, and the fact that it has a mirror is also a plus. About the shadows themselves, these are all shades that you could use on an everyday basis, I might be speaking for myself just because these are just up my alley, but I honestly can't see how someone would not like them. They suit pale, medium and dark tones so so well, and are perfect for this season. It was launched quite a while now, so maybe it's old news to you, but if you don't have it yet, and you want to grow your makeup collection, this one is definitely a must have! It's well worth the splurge in my opinion. It swatches beautifully, just with one swipe look at how beautiful it comes up! I had swatched it already in Sephora, but I was even more happy about seeing it with better lighting than in the store. 

Verdict: the Naked3 definitely lives up to its fame. The shades are gorgeous, the colour pay-off is amazing, they blend like a dream, you definitely get your money's worth. It costs about 50 euros in the portuguese Sephora, and if you feel iffy about spending so much maybe ask it as a birthday or Christmas present! I'll definitely be buying (or saving up to buy!) more UD products, maybe the eye primers or something from their Gwen Stefani colab? So much to choose from! Have you ever tried UD products? Do you own any of the Naked palettes or wish you owned?

● Inês ●