Home Decor: 8-Bit Chopping Boards

I am always shocked what treasures are buried within the chaotic ruins known as TK Maxx (Its literally TJ Maxx, for my American readers). Granted, if youve ever been in a Ross or Marshalls back in the states this place is like a 4 star establishment in comparison 😂

 But ANYWHO I recently went on a shopping adventure to Nottingham with my Friend and fellow California leaver Courtney (hey girl heyyy!) lol and it is actually thanks to her eagle eyes that I now own this gem of a cutting board 😍

8-Bit board from TK Maxx

What a deal right?! Since It was such a great find, perfect size and well made I decided to find where else these can be purchased and share the nerdy cookering love to all!....well in the UK atleast.. haha Sorry! Here are the few places I managed to find where these can be purchased AND on sale too:

(click on link to go directly to screenshot pages)
1: TKmaxx.com
2: Amazon.co.uk
3: Ebay.co.uk
4. TheFowndry.com **


** I only just discovered this website through this search, but if you've ever heard of Thinkgeek, this website is like a UK version! if you spend £40 or more you can get free shipping using the code FREE1002 or sign up to their newsletter and they'll send you a discount code for 10% off 👍

So there you go! What do you think? tacky or tasteful?? Personally i think its ♫FABULOUSSSS♫ Will be using this to prep some deep fried Mexican cheese and corn dogs tonight! 

SHIRO Cosmetics swatches and review

SHIRO cosmetics

Shiro Cosmetics recently celebrated their 7TH Year Anniversary, offering discounts up to 20% site wide(pretty much). I took advantage of this rare moment to pick up lots of eye shadows I had my eye on for awhile! BUT FIRST lets talk about the brand real quick.

Shiro cosmetics is a US based indie makeup brand that sells fandom themed eyeshadow, face and lip products. They also distribute nerdy nail varnishes, soaps and makeup from other indie brands through their site. All products are affordable and most are available in sample sizes. Their site is really easy to navigate and the best feature i found, personally, is being able to find products based off color, finish, etc. I prefer matte eyeshadows and this made finding the ones I wanted much more easier.

SO what did I get you ask?? I'll show ya! 

[P.S. they really do add candy to every order!😂 😍 and also 2 free samples! ]

Some may think the candy(or sweets) is a bit silly but actually i loved having it added! Was a little bit of home/childhood memories sent to me in the UK 💙I did finger swatches of each shadow . *Dont think I got enough product on my finger for the 'something sweet as pain' swatch. I get really nervous messing with looser powder. just. no. These probably aren't the best swatches as I went ahead and pressed all the shadow samples into pans. I was trying very hard not to spill product or use too much of it beforehand! Have I mentioned I dislike loose eyeshadows? lol (I'll show a bit of the pressing process and swatches at the end of this review)

mock up order on left and actual order bottom right.

Shiro cosmetics does flat rate shipping for international buyers. I wanted to test it so did a mock up order, adding various products to my cart. Flat rate can be both a blessing and a curse. Definitely works out if your ordering alot (not to mention with a discount code!)
I placed my order on May 1st, 2017. On May 9th  I received shipping confirmation along with tracking info. My order arrived on May 16th. It did say, at the time, on the website that it would take approximately 2 weeks to ship out orders from the sale, so considering that, I got them fairly quick! Overall I am happy with my order. Was disappointed with the performance of a couple of shades, but will just have to try building them up i guess!

And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed this review. Make sure to follow my Instagram and/or Facebook page for product insights, discount codes and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
To see how i pressed these shadows, scroll on down.......

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*Pressing Loose eye shadows into pans*

Heres a list of basic supplies you will need to press loose shadows:

• 70% (or higher if you can find it) Isopropyl alcohol/surgical spirits, also known as rubbing alcohol for my fellow American readers.
• *optional* vegetable glycerin 
• eye shadow pans or an empty palette if you have one
•  toothpicks or something small enough to stir
• napkins/paper towels
• something that can fit into the pan to press such as a coin( a 10 pence coin fit mine perfectly)
• eye dropper or medicine syringe

The next step is easy but messy and time consuming. * I prefer to use both the alcohol and glycerin since the glycerin makes for a good mixing medium with loose shadows. BUT you dont have to add it. the alcohol will do ok on its own.

 I add 1-3 drops of glycerin into the empty pans (depending on the amount of product i have). then i put a few drops of alcohol on top and add the loose shadow and start mixing with the toothpick. Add more alcohol if needed to create an even looking "paste". next I let the paste set for about an hour or so and would check if it was mostly solid. if not wait a bit longer. once its starting to not feel too gloopy, id take my napkin and coin and would press down into the pan to soak up excess liquid and compact the shadow. then leave it to dry over night. Most came out really good but i had a couple of hiccups along the way.... 

 The purple shade with blue swirls ABOVE is the 'metamorphmagus' shadow and ive never experienced "separation". I'm guessing it had to do with what was giving it the color shift in it. I just stirred it up the best i could and in the end it was ok but i think it wouldve been best if i hadnt pressed that one. The other incident I had (forgot to take a picture of the pan) was pressing 'on love: eros' shadow. I accidentally put too much glycerin in it, not realizing i didnt have that much of a sample and it would  not dry down at all, after 2 days leaving it be 😥 its more like a cream shadow now (look BELOW at the swatch of it). I had accidents adding glycerin with a couple of other ones too but there was an opposite effect where the shadow seemed to have dried hard? if that makes sense. ive never had a problem with my method before so I dont know if i was just having an off day or these shadows have certain ingredients in them that dont mix well with glycerin...I'll be keeping a close eye on it either way!

SWATCHES:
each color was swatched with a brush first, then a finger for comparison.

LEFT:

1. Zoras Sapphire
2. Goron ruby
3. Ganondorf
4. The tower
5. Little brother
6. Philosopher's stone

RIGHT:

1. Metamorphmagus
2. Something sweet as pain
3. Dasvidaniya
4. On love: Eros

The swatch variants are pretty consistant with each other which is nice, but whoosh what a hassle I tell ya! haha I think im going to try making a Youtube review for this soon, maybe the other ones too. Im not sure yet, im very shy but trying to get outa my koopa shell abit more. Stay tuned Folks! lol

Crafting: Comic Book Z Palette

Now that I have a steady makeup collection growing, I've been thinking about getting one of those Z palettes to store single eyeshadows. But the thing is..I couldn't find ANY that fit into my aesthetic. They were either animal printed, mega bejeweled or just a bit too plain for my liking. So I went to good ol' pinterest to see if there were any DIY versions to test out and STILL nothing I liked!(though their were very interesting ideas on materials to use)  I ended up going to Youtube to see if I could find something I would like and came across a woman named Tachi Hogans making a Z palette from an old book. It turned out so cute and sparked inspiration immediately! Just think of all the possibilities...A harry Potter z Palette, or maybe a Coraline one..Howls Moving Castle maybe?? but they were a bit too small in size for what I wanted. Then it hit me...I need to make a Themed one to fit in with my Bioshock Bathroom of course! There actually is a Bioshock Novel called RAPTURE as well. I love the book (and highly recommend you read it!) but (1) its not a large book and (2)..I just could not bring myself to rip the pages 😅  I had a Hardback Comic book from a monthly subscription service that would be perfect because in all honesty...this new take on young DC heroes I forced myself to read was a PILE OF BANTHA POODOO.

SO let me show you how I was able to achieve this and without having to spend more than 10 quid to boot!

I started out by ripping 1 page out first to measure how wide I needed the opening to be, then I got some card stock and traced it to make a template. **one thing I should've done was glue all the pages BEFORE I used the xacto knife to cut the pages out. Not doing so caused difficulty with cutting straight lines and would've prevented the paper from moving so much** I left the very first page uncut and you'll see why further down..

 Once the opening was deep enough to have pans in and be able to close, I took the first page that I didnt cut and made an "X" incision going from each inner corner then glued it down. This is to make the inside look sleek, getting rid of all signs of murdering all those comic book pages 😆 next I took a magnetic A4 sheet I found at Hobbycraft (for £3) and, using that card stock template, cut it down to fit inside. I was sure that the bottom didnt have any debris but alas something managed to slip in there and now I'm stuck with this weird little bump under the magnet sheet T_T



 Oh well its not hindering the pans, but it is annoying haha, and be mindful that the magnet sheet is SUPER ADHESIVE. Once its down it is a pain to get off without serious damage.

 Next I found some PERFECT AF images to decorate the front, back and inside. I went with a Dr. Steinman theme since in the game he is a Cosmetic Surgeon, So the front is pre apocalypse(like the novel) and the back is post apocalypse like the game! You can see that same poster when you explore the Medical Pavilion. I went with the tried and true mod podge method, although I again missed a step and should've mod podged the top BEFORE gluing the image to the book. This is what happens when you try crafting with the flu! haha

 Now for the Finale.....

Front(L) Back(R)

Inside featuring products from GeekChic Cosmetics(top row) Lunatick Cosmetics Lab and Apocalyptic Beauty (middle Row) Too Faced (bottom row)

Bioshock Brush holder and Z Palette

 Even with all the little mistakes I am super happy with the turn out! I have my very own custom made Z palette by re-purposing an unwanted Comic book. Frick yea 😍 haha. Has this inspired you to make your own? What book would you choose? let me know! and if you do create your own tag me in it I'd love to see your creations😊 ta ta for now xx

Apocalyptic Beauty Cosmetics: Swatches and review

(image from their Instagram) click here to go to their etsy shop!

Apocalyptic Beauty is an up and coming U.S. indie brand that sells vegan and cruelty free makeup products.You'll find a mixture of themed products when you explore her shop, such as Pop Culture references anywhere from Evil Dead to Skyrim and even Princess Mononoke! Ive been Following the owner on Youtube for quite some time and was so excited when she decided to sell her own cosmetics! (Shes very knowledgeable and gives great reviews on many different indie makeup brands). There are various sizes to buy and samples of most items as well. Lets take a look at some of the products that are available:

Loose eyeshadows

Highlighters and Lip Balms

Apocalyptic Beauty was gracious enough to take me on as an international promoter while they start out, so as of right now I have not placed an order YET, but was given samples to test out and create looks using them. I was not asked to write a review nor would I if I didn't like these products. #Honestyisthebestpolicy ! Below is a mock up order to show you what cost would be to send to the UK, specifically.(prices will vary of course, depending on your location) As usual, international shipping is a pain BUT if you use the promo code KAMEHAMEH for 15% off. it’ll help bring that cost down a bit. I’ve never tried sending products to MyMallBox (if you don’t know what that is seriously GOOGLE IT! Could change your life!) If you are able to use a forward mailing service the shipping will go WAY down. I need to test if you can do this with etsy orders. If anyone has please let me know! NOW lets move on to some swatches…..

6 eyeshadows and 1 highlighter

some lip-safe eyeshadow options available

brush swatches and finger swatches

"does that sound fine?" on eyes and top lip

wind-up bird, hypnotoad, and kami on eyes. wind-up bird on lips

brush swatch(L)finger swatch(R)

Mostly Harmless highlighter.Dimmed light exposure to showcase the color better on cheek

Heres some whimsical background info on the shades I currently have:

Kami - Light forest green with a stunning gold shift and loads of sparkle. If all the mystical creatures of the forest held a Mardi Gras, this is the eye-shadow they would wear to it.  Named in tribute to the films of Hayao Miyazaki.

Hypnotoad - Grassy yellow-green with an orange duo-chrome and violet sparkle.  The name is inspired by a popular animated series. Can you guess which one?

Wind-Up Bird - metallic yellow gold, invoking a chorus of gleaming metal canaries chirping as their gears whir.  Part of an upcoming tribute collection inspired by the works of author Haruki Murakami.

Gorehound - dark chocolate brown with red undertones and blue sparks.

Well I don't know about art but I know what I like
I'll be a surfin' in your good on a Saturday night
Yeah the devil with the blues, just blew that song
I go crazy and crazy, going, going gone!

"Gorehound" is named in tribute to The Cramps.

Gimme Back My Hand! - A rusty red-orange that, when rubbed across the skin, bursts into a blue-brown dipped in flames. Oh those dirty bastards... "Gimme Back My Hand!" is part of the Evil Dead eyeshadow collection.

Does That Sound *Fine*? - Light brown eyeshadow with a subtle green iridescent shift. Its questionable how *fine* Ash was in Evil dead 2. In Mirror Ashs words. I don’t think so. We just cut up our girlfriend with a chainsaw…"Does That Sound *Fine*?" is part of the Evil Dead collection

Mostly Harmless - A glowing blue highlight.  "Mostly harmless" was the full text of the entry on planet Earth in the Guide.  This is the highlighter in the Don't Panic collection, inspired by Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

It took me longer than i liked to get this review finished. The UK colds and flus are frequent and no joke I tell ya. They wreck my weak american immune system!😂 as you can see the eyeshadows are pigmented and theres various shades available already. Rhapsodii(Alisha Atkins), the owner, adds new products frequently to her shop so keep an eye out for them on her IG, Facebook or Youtube!

Crafting: affordable bat signal decor

Since its March, stores are stocking all kinds of Easter basket items, and boy did i come across a little gem! lol. One of my walls is (supposed to be) decorated with Batman memorabilia so Ive been on the hunt to find interesting things to use on the wall. While strolling through B & M this caught my eye:

2.99 from B & M

Isnt it just the cutest 😍 its so tiny... I HAD TO HAVE IT haha. So now was the part on how i was going to display this little thing. i couldve just put it on a shelf... nah too easy.. not for this weirdo!😂 I had the brilliant idea of attaching it to the ceiling to shine on a section of the wall. I rummaged through my craft junk and found a command strip, leftover cardboard, and the hot glue gun. LETS DO THIS. The bottom of the bat signal wasnt flat so thats why i needed cardboard, to give it a flat surface to attach the command strip to. Now what i didnt expect was that 1 strip would not be enough. For something so small I actually needed 3 of them. Thats gravity for ya folks!

After managing to get it to stick. i waited patiently for the sun to go down to test out the new addition. ohhh how much i love it. look at it highlighting that riddler cane 💓 Is it practical? NO..do I love it?..YES! I need a bigger one i think! haha but this one will definitely do the trick for now xx

Crafting: Wall Mounted Nuka Cola Bottle Opener

Im starting to FINALLY revamp my kitchen in Fallout theme and super happy this craft turned out so well! Was inspired to make this when strolling through The Range and came across wall mounted bottle openers. (for only 2.99!)

So if your interested in how this came to be check out more below :D

I started out by removing all the screws and sanding the wood as the lettering on it was raised a bit (needed to in order to have a flat surface to repaint). Next I used primer spray and let it fully dry. *Always a good idea when painting, especially porous materials like wood*
 Then moved on to repainting the wood a nice red color. while it dried i printed out my Nuka cola girl. Put 2 layers of mod podge over the image, let that dry then used a xacto knife to carefully cut out the parts i wanted. Once that was dry i glued the cut outs onto the wood and put a full layer of mod podge over that. After an hour letting it dry( word of the day isnt it?! lol) i screwed back on the opener and cap catcher (with a minor scratch accident in the progress lol). After that it was time to hang it up!
*I already had most of the materials I used on hand so instead of screwing it to the wall I used some left over command strips. Also would have preferred using a spray sealant as the mod podge seeped into the grooves!*
This was a very easy/affordable craft to achieve. If this inspired you to make one tag me! id love to see. I cant wait to make FO bottle caps to display with mine <3