Book review: 'The Mist' by Stephen King

Published in 1980, this horror story was orignally published as a short story in an anthology, then as a novella and finally as a stand-alone paperback when the movie was released a couple of years back. I've not yet seen the movie, but the plot had always intrigued me. Actually, most 'end of days' stories and books grab my attention, but unfortunately most of them don't really live up to my expectations. In many ways, 'The Mist' is yet another forgettable addition to the already bloated apocolyptic genre.

A brief rundown of the story if you aren't familiar with the book is this: after a huge summer storm in Maine, USA, a mysterious mist evevelopes the town, trapping the lead character (and narrator) David Drayton, his son Billy (aren't all boys in movies and books called Billy?) and a bunch of other townspeople in the local supermarket. Strange monsters lurk in the mist, ready to put the poor townsfolk to a violent and bloody end if they dare venture outside. A kooky eccentric woman thinks sacrificing Billy will appease God, so David is stuck in a bit of a pickle as to whether he stays and waits for her and her growing band of followers to take his son or makes a run for it.

This is the second King book I've read, the other being 'Cell'. Both were easy to read, pretty entertaining and leave you wanting to know what happens next, which I think is why he's one of the world's most successful authors. However, 'The Mist' left me feeling annoyed and even rolling my eyes after the first half. For example, before the disaster strikes, we're shown scene after scene of just how much David is in love with his wife Stephanie. Sadly, after the people realise the smelly mist conceals hideous and bloodthirsty monsters, it becomes apparent that Stephanie who stayed at home rather than go shopping is probably dead. David is a bit sad. And when I say a bit sad, more he cuts his losses and moves on. About 5 hours after being trapped in the supermarket, he notices the sexy, young Amanda and begins fantasising about her. A few hours later, they sleep together, right afer he witnesses something quite violent too. I just thought the whole idea that a man who supposedly was madly in love with his now dead wife, is highly concerned about his son's welfare, and has just gone through several severe traumas has enough time and energy to begin a torrid affair. It's just so stupid and ridiculous, and the sceptic in me reckons it's just an excuse for a sex-scene. My eyes were rolling so hard, I could hardly finish that chapter.

The other reason I was annoyed by this book is that it DOESN'T HAVE AN ENDING! Like Cell, it finishes in a really ambiguous, "you imagine the ending" sort of way. We never learn where the mist and monsters came from exactly, despite some hints towards the local military testing facility. I wont say exactly how the book ends, but basically it doesn't really end, it just stops. In my opinion, when authors or directors leave the ending open, it screams "I really didn't know where this was going, and I got tired. You figure it out". You mean I've just spent $16 and several hours of my time with this book, and yet don't get to learn what happens to the characters you've asked me to be invested in? What a waste of time!

All in all, this story had the potential to be quite entertaining and clever, yet some of the stupid situations King writes for his characters and the lame-o ending really ruined it for me. I enjoyed it up until the David/Amanda tryst started and then it sort of descended down the slippery slope of Trash Mountain. Read this if you're stuck in a snowed in cabin with nothing else to read, otherwise, skip it and find something else to do.

New MAC and Jane Iredale

I've bought a few new things this week, including Laura Mercier Silk Creme foundation, however I think these two are the most interesting:

MAC Well Dressed blush & Jane Iredale Peach Sherbert PurePressed eyeshadow

The colour of Well Dressed is more accurate here

I know that MAC can be a bit boring and safe compared to the other brands out there, however I really have a soft spot for their powder products. My skin and eyes are very sensitive, yet I've never had a problem with MAC. So I stick with what I know!

Well Dressed is described somewhat ambiguously as 'Pink Lady Pink' on the MAC website. I would describe it as a cool, pastel baby pink which brightens my complexion without appearing obvious. I like how the satin finish adds glow and dimension without any shimmer and sparkle. It lasts all day on me, applies nice and even and best of all doesn't cause any rashes or acne!

I've wanted pastelly-nude peach eyeshadow for AGES, at least 10 months. I've tried a couple to no avail, the latest attempt is Peach Sherbert. It doesn't quite hit the mark but it's beautiful nevertheless. It's a warm peach colour with a very fine gold shimmer shot through. I wish it was more on the pastel side, but it's more of a warm peach. It's quite expensive for 1.8g and to be honest, it isn't anything amazing. It sort of falls out all over the pan at the slightest brush stroke. It does compliment my blue eyes quite well, but if and when I run out, I wont rebuy. It just isn't something I would desperately miss.

Here's some swatches:

Both them are very subtle, so good for those of us who sometimes suffer from a heavy hand. The second swatch (Peach Sherbert above, Well Dressed below) shows the shimmery finish of the eyeshadow and the satiny finish of the blush. They are both very spring-summer appropriate too, silly considering it's currently winter in Australia.
My makeup shopping list is currently longer than my arm. When I bought Well Dressed, I spotted a gorgeous pastel peach blush (whose name evades me now) but I know it simply must be mine one day. There's also several dozen eyeshadows as usual, the new Guerlain and Dior lipsticks have also stolen my heart. I have a job interview for a real, fulltime grownup job tomorrow so if I get it (ohhh I want it so much!), perhaps I might reward myself and be able to post a bit more too!

Aren't they cute?

I wasn't keen on brogues for a long time, but this nudey-pink leather pair with pretty weaving detail stole my heart. They were more expensive than what I normally buy, but I was good and laybuyed them which was a huge test of patience for me. Luckily, I'll get a lot of wear out of them since I've decided they'll be my new work shoes. They're nice and cushy and the leather should mould around my foot after a few wears. Such a nice change from my old, scruffy flour-encrusted trainers I wore to my old job! I even like the pretty bag with rope handles they came in:

Wittner shoes are always so beautiful. I'm not sure how I'm going to cope working a few stores away from a Wittner that not only sells the new stock but is an outlet for all the old-season stock too. My poor purse is whimpering already...

Sorry for my absence!

I've been on a tight budget recently, so I've had no new products to share with you. I did however start a new job at a high-street fashion label yesterday, and part of my job is to wear new and interesting outfits!  And I'm working a tonne next week too, which means makeup!

Here's a pretty dodgy pic of Monday's outfit of the day. I'm hoping to get a new camera, since the one I currently use is quite old and difficult to get nice photos from. I was just wearing black tights and ankle boots with this one, it was warm and comfy (like most of the things I like to wear).

Outfit of the Day (no. 2!)

Here's some quick and quite bad photos I snapped before running out the door this morning, I was in a rush, because I wanted to catch my manager before he left. You see, I resigned this morning! I have a new job at an Aussie fashion store that I love, which will give me an income while I do a 6 month certificate at a local TAFE. I accidently did a take on the stereotypical lecturer outfit: tweed shorts and crazy knit which actually has suede elbow patches! Excuse my silly face in the first pic...

I don't normally wear a white rectangle on my face, but I'm still a bit nervy about putting my face on here! I tried to get my black bag and leggings in, but they sort of just turned into a black patch. You can see gold Crystal Baby sitting next to Maybelline Baby Lips in the foreground. I was wearing my usual taupe lace up boots from Target. I wanted these shorts so much, and I'm glad I found a practical way to wear them in winter. This is such a comfy outfit too, and surprisingly cozy.

Breakdown: Target leggings, Dotti shorts (on sale right now!) Kookai top, Diva pendant, Zara knit (bought overseas).

Revlon Colorburst Review-Strawberry (06)

This was a bit of a surprise purchase for me. See, I much prefer lipsticks to gloss. And I really dislike shimmery lipgloss, they always look so obviously glittery on me. For some reason though, this new line of glosses from Revlon drew me right in from first sight. I tried for several days to convince myself I didn't need it, I would hate it and never wear it. Even though Australia didn't get the entire line, I still managed to find 5 colours that I wanted right away.

I decided to give in to temptation, but just buy one. Well, at least to start with! At $21AUD, it's at the upper end of the lower-bracket brand lipglosses, but the price is worth it. I chose Strawberry, a pinky coral which could be the lipgloss cousin of Vegas Volt. The shimmer changes colour under different light, but it seems to be silver/gold.

Like my other Revlon lipgloss, Peach Petal from the Superlustrous line, the packaging feels and looks much more expensive than it is. It applies really well straight from the wand. No streaking or gloopiness. It's also nicely pigmented. There's really nothing worse than lipglosses that apply clear, no matter how vivid it looks in the tube. When I was swatching these, all of them save one impressed me and my little sister with their pigmentation. They certainly live up to the expectations conjured up by the name 'Colorburst'.

It feels comfortable on the lips, the shimmer isn't gritty or noticeable at all. It has no taste (unlike plastic-fantastic tasting NARS) and no obvious fragrances have been added either. Of course it doesn't wear as long as a lipstick, but it does hold up for about an hour and half with the occasional sips of water. Best of all, the shimmer is very subtle and adds dimension to the lips rather than a glitter effect. I do wish this line had a few "matte", un-shimmery choices though, as I feel shimmery lipglosses only suit me for evening or dolled up casual events rather than for everyday wear.

Pros: Widely available (I've seen it in Priceline, Target and some independent chemists), excellent colour selection, great quality with no obvious fragrance or taste, pigmented.
Cons: At the upper-end costwise for a chemist brand (worth it though, in my opinion!), Australia doesn't have the entire collection, no non-shimmery/cream formulations available.

                                                                                                          

                                                                                 

Favourites of the week..

There's a few purchases I've been really happy and surprised by this week. It's a bit of a dogs breakfast (no pun intended, read on..) with no overall theme, but hopefully there's something for everyone.

MAC's Vegas Volt is a product I'm sure most makeup lovers are familiar with, and now I know why. I'd been admiring it for several weeks, but my first and only MAC lipstick (Pretty Please) hadn't dazzled me and I was reluctant to fork out $36AUD for another. Pretty Please is in the lustre finish, and it's nice but doesn't inspire feelings of 'Wow, I need 12 more or I'll die'. But Vegas Volt was firmly stuck in my head, so when I received a department store giftcard for my birthday, I decided to take a gamble and try something new.

I nearly chickened out at the counter. Vegas Volt looked like an obnoxious bright orange, nothing like the safe pinks and peaches I usually stick to. And certainly nothing like the gorgeous, summery pinky-coral I'd been looking at online. But I put on a brave face and now I have a lipstick which sits proudly at the top of my 'favourites' list, next to Estee Lauder's Crystal Baby lipstick. The Amplified Creme formular is very similar to Crystal Baby-almost balmy. My lips dry out with most things, but these two lipsticks hardly dry my lips at all. Vegas Volt is very buildable in colour too. One coat leaves me with a very pretty pinky-red stain, where 2-3 coats is full on (but surprisingly wearable) coral. It's so easy to apply, with no need to faff about with a lipbrush. Best of all, it fades gracefully. MAC is sometimes seen as a bit lame and try-hard, but products like these show why it remains so popular.

Now for my second purchase. Topshop offered free international shipping over the Easter weekend. I'd been planning to do a biggish order since I'd got back from England, and this spurred me into advancing past the filling-the-cart-DELETE stage of procrastination I was caught in. Now I'm sure my mum wouldn't approve of me flashing my knickers online, however they are just so cute I can't help myself:

The regular bras didn't fit me very well when I tried them on in England, so I was a bit unsure as to whether this would be a good buy. These vintage-style 'bralets' as they are called are still quite hard to come by and expensive in Australia though, and I really, really wanted one! Thankfully, it fits beautifully and feels very well made too...important when you're on the "cup half full and a little more" side of things. I'm still unsure as to what exactly I'll wear it under. It almost seems too pretty to cover up! My 13 year old sister suggests pulling a Lady Gaga and not covering it up at all (no thanks). I hung it up proudly next to my tops in my wardrobe, instead of shoving in my underwear drawer, just so I can see it as I flick through my clothes everyday.

And the most exciting, the new arrival!

Seamus was my mum's mothers day present, but more importantly, a new friend for our old Pyrenean Mountain Dog (Great Pyrenees in the US). He's a chocolate brown labrador, 9 weeks yesterday. We love him to pieces, but he's so exhausting! Seriously, I worked for a summer in a child-care and he only a fraction less demanding than a 3 year old. Luckily his cute face and  amazing intelligence have kept him with a warm bed and meals!

Hope you're all well,

Rachel