Transformers Review

Transformers: Age of Extinction

I study Film and TV at Uni so, during summer, I figured I might as well keep taking the Uni's suggestions and write reviews of movies I see.

I went to see Transformers: Age of Extinction last night on a whim because there was nothing else on at the time we arrived. I had seen the first two of the franchise when they came out and I never really cared for them but I gave this a go anyway. 

The film revolves around an inventor, played by Mark Wahlberg, who stumbles upon Optimus Prime 5 years after the war in Chicago. He restores Optimus to working condition and then, basically, a lot of things happen to him, his beautiful daughter and her boyfriend because of their new found association with the Autobots. 

I enjoyed the first hour or so of the movie. However, I'm a pretty pathetically sensitive person so a few hours of constant action and suspense is just an overload for my emotions that I don't really care for. I did check my phone 1 hour and 30 minutes in thinking to myself 'Good, only another half hour left'. Waw, was I wrong. 

 The action packed aspect of the movie was constant throughout with occasional plot assistance and funny jokes. The comic relief aspects of the film were particularly endearing to me because I was rather bored of all the unnecessary violence. 

If you're happy to watch films with no substance because you just like visual effects and alien wars then go and see it. By now, I think we should all know what to expect from a Transformers movie. We shouldn't all expect to be moved by the plot or inspired by the characters. The Transformer movies offer 2-3 hours of exciting CGI work, a bit of protagonist heroism and action. That's it. Take it or leave it. 

Here's some Positive and Negative things I thought about the film because I've even gotten bored just writing about the film. Sorry!


Positives:

The only way the visual effects could have improved is if the transformers were real, came to Earth, had a little battle and Michael Bay had been there to capture it on camera.

Tessa, the character, was hot and a played by a better actress than her predecessors (In general, lots of female eye-candy with no real purpose were included).

I wasn't saddened at any point by the loss of a character I've grown attached to. (Is that a spoiler?)

There's a lot of bad ass cars to amuse audiences. 

Mark Wahlberg is actually pretty decent in this. 

I think Optimus Prime is a sweetheart.

Negatives: 

The plot lacked any real depth (but isn't that what you expect going in?)

It's about an hour and a half too long (really, it's exhausting after a while)

They randomly move from America to China... because they realise it's getting a little bit boring. So, why not just add funny cultural differences to lessen that bore factor?

They're clearly just manipulating the use of China as Hollywood's largest emerging market. 

A rather weak attempt to justify the use of dinosaur transformers (everyone knows they just wanted it to look more cool)

The ending suggested there's room for more films to be made. 


I started out writing this thinking it was a good idea, but it's so negative. I apologies for the negativity, this film just wasn't really for me. 



-Tessatata xoxo 

The Fault in Our Stars Review!

Book and Film!Book: 

The first time I heard of The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS) was in 2012. I was living and working in Xinjiang, China with two other girls. We taught English during the day and read a lot of books and watched a lot of films in the evenings! My two flatmates were big big youtube fans and loved the Vlogbrothers, thus their love for John Green's literature came very naturally to them.

I initially heard about the book when my flatmate got the 'pain demands to be felt' quote tattood onto her leg. Without any context that was an odd one for me to understand, so she told me it was from her favourite book (then my flatmates proceeded to talk about John Green for days) and I eventually got round to reading it. I love the book, I know a massive proportion of it's readers really connect with the story in lots of ways and I did too. 

The novel centres around two American young adults, Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters, who have both experienced Cancer. Hazel is living a long term  battle with lung cancer, which results in her being ill and unable to 'keep up' with others her age on various occasions in the book. Augustus Waters is a survivor of cancer who meets Hazel when he attends a support group as an act of solidarity for his friend Isaac who is about to undergo a life changing  operation. The story follows Hazel and Augustus as they fall in love with each other and face the challenges that many ill, or healthy, people experience in life. One of the main themes in the book is acceptance. I say that generally as it means acceptance of situations, other people and life in general. Augustus is determined that his life is only significant if lots of people remember and mourn him. Hazel is understanding of her lot in life and is happy with what she has. The story is (in my opinion) beautifully written, especially for teenagers enjoyment, and captivating from the start. It's witty, inspiring and sad throughout and I am very pleased to have read it (twice). 

Having read TFIOS, I have moved on to read many other of John Green's books because I enjoy his writing so much. I like that his characters are unapologetic in their forms and that their personalities have so many faults as well as pros. Overall, the book is a very easy read (In an enjoyable, positive way) and I highly recommend it. It'd be a really nice summer read by the pool or in the evenings sitting out in the garden etc. Though as a little warning (I'm a massively emotional person and my tear ducts have a mind of their own) I'd maybe stay away from the mascara when you're reading this! 

Film:

I went to the cinema to see this on Monday! I went on a nice outing with my brother and mum who have also both read (and loved) the book. The film was pretty honest and I'd say it's a close representation to the book.  I think the casting was pretty great. Hazel was a really close match to what I had imagined, so was Isaac. Augustus was a little more dreamy in my mind but having re-evaluated the situation I actually think he was fantastically portrayed and I have nothing bad to say about that casting choice! The mother in the movie was made really quite funny and I really enjoyed the interpretation of her. 

Sadly, I missed the first few minutes of the film (damn that lack of parking near Cineworld) so I can't be 100% accurate but I'm pretty sure the film missed out Hazel's extrovert friend and the lovely quote that explains the title of the Book/Movie. Other than that, I don't really have any massive flaws to mention. They kept the chronology of the book, which I'm sure many readers will have enjoyed. I don't want to give away any spoilers so I won't say too much but I'd say I'm really happy with the adaptation! 

If you haven't read the book then I'm sure you'll still enjoy TFIOS movie. It's cute, the acting is really well done and for a love story it wasn't too corny for me! (I sat throughout the whole of the Divergent film sighing to myself at the predictability and cornyness of the romance, sorrry!). I did shed a few tears at the film, not as many as the book but to be fair I had a horrifically annoying person behind me in the cinema shouting profanity at really emotional and lovely scenes which was a bit of a mood kill. 

Overall, I do recommend both the film and the movie but if you're only into one of those mediums of entertainment then just pick your favourite and enjoy a lovely story! 

If you've read the book or seen the movie do let me know your opinions in the comments, I love hearing other people's views! :)  You can also follow me on Bloglovin if you fancy <3 

That's all from me, I hope you have a really lovely day. 

-Tessatata xoxo 

Lip stuff review: EOS, Chapstick, nivea and more!

My lip balms and sticks!

So, I thought I'd do a review of the lip balms (and some lip sticks) I'm using at the moment. I'm such a big fan of trying out lip balms because usually they smell fantastic and make your lips smooth, which is awesome. 

I apologise for their conditions, they're usually lying in my make-up bags which tend to have leaking powders or foundations, whoops!

Nivea Lip Butters

I got these lip butters in a Nivea gift set at Christmas, as you can see I haven't used them very much. They're both a bit too thick for me. I tend to apply lip balm A LOT throughout the day because my lips chap so easily. I also just like having my lips smell good throughout the day because I'm weird like that. The Nivea lip butters don't really work for me because when I put them over lipstick (which I wear every time I wear make-up) they decrease the lipstick's colour and intensity. I don't really have many positives to say about the original one. The Raspberry Rose does smell/taste really lovely though. If you're looking for a lip butter specifically for the scent and you require much healing then I wouldn't completely rule it out. I'm just not a fan of a thick feeling over my lips. The packaging is pretty handy though, they're in very thin little tubs that fit perfectly into your pockets or make-up bags! 

Rating: 2/5

Vaseline

Alo Vera and Paint the Town (Red lip tint)

I think most people have tried Vaseline, at least in the UK. It's a pretty standard go-to lip therapy product. These products have a lot of uses, you don't just have to use them for your lips! When my nails grow and I'm re-touching their roots I put Vaseline around the edges so to not get paint on my skin etc etc. Lots of people suggest putting Vaseline on your eyelashes overnight to thicken them, or using it as a moisturised for dry elbows (I have personally never tried either but why not give it a go if you fancy?).

Anyway, as for these products specifically. The Alo Vera Vaseline has a nice subtle scent which for some reason, to me, smells pretty healing. I do like this product, I think it does moisturise your lips pretty well. The only con I have for Vaseline tubs is the greasyness of the solution. If you don't have something to wipe/wash your hands with you might find the greasyness temporarily frustrating. If you're someone with long nails then then tubs for lip balm generally tend to get the product stuck under your nail which is a bit of a pain, but otherwise I do really like the product!

The Paint the Town Read has a really edgy/sexy design on the tub which is a nice touch. The product works really well and does moisturise your lips. If I'm having a particularly bad lip day then I'd say I have to apply this every hour or so. I don't know how often other people apply but I think that's quite regularly. I love the red tint, it gives a really subtle red edge to your lips. It's also not too strong that it overtakes your lipstick if you're wearing a red one, so you don't have to worry about your lipstick coming off! I don't 100% swear by this product like so many other people though, sometimes it irritates my lips a little ( I have really really sensitive skin!).

Rating: 4/5 

Chapstick

                                                  (Apple) 

This is my personal favourite lip balm in the world! I really love Chapstick's products. My favourite scent/flavour is definitely apple but they have lots to chose from! This product has SPF15 which comes in handy in the summer (or in general if you're lucky enough to love somewhere awesome and warm). This is my go-to product for healing my lips. I think it's so easy to use and handy to carry around and they taste fantastic. The taste lasts quite a while which is great because I've found with some other brands that the scent is only momentary. I usually keep this in my jean or jacket pocket and use it on the go. I've been using Chapstick for about 4 years and I can't fault it at all. It doesn't take away from your lip colour, so there's no concern there. I'm pretty sure the cherry and strawberry ones actually give off a tiny bit of colour too. Woo!  Big love to Chapstick <3 

Rating: 5/5 (I'm so biased here, sorry)

Eos Lip Balms

Orange = Medicated Tangerine

Red(ish) = Summer Fruit

Green = Honeysuckle Honeydew 

Blue= Sweet Mint

Pink = Strawberry Sorbet

I bought these products in a combined package after hearing so many good things about them from beauty gurus on Youtube. I ordered them from Amazon (up until now all the products have been drug store) because they don't sell EOS in the UK. I think part of the attraction to EOS was the fact that they're so rare in the UK. These are $3.29 on the EOS website each and I think I bought them online for £19. It seems so silly to spend that on lip balm but I've wanted to try them all for a while and prefer to spend money on lip care than other beauty products. 

So, the packaging (in my opinion) is so so cute. I love the little cases they are in. They have a screw top  and the lip balm is in a little egg shape. In general, the formula used is decent enough. It moisturises my lips for about an hour or so before I feel the need to re-apply. I noticed this in the Cinema because I was hunting around my bag for it mid-movie. The packaging means it's a little more difficult to keep handy in your pockets (jeans etc) but they're much easier to find at the bottom of your bag because they feel so unique! 

The Medicated Tangerine and the Summer Fruit are pretty renowned as love/hate scents. I'm personally not a fan of the medicated scent and I don't really feel like it has any more healing power than the others. The only difference seems to be a more rugged texture on the balm. I love the Summer Fruit one but not one other person who I've let try it has liked it at all!  As for the Honeysuckle Honeydew, it's a pretty light scent and tastes a little bit like watermelon. I use this one the least but for no particular reason. 

Now for my favourites! Sweet Mint and Strawberry Sorbet! I love love love the Sweet Mint lip balm. It's got a tingling effect so your lips feel a sensation when you put it on which I think is brilliant. The sensation lasts about ten minutes but the minty smell lasts longer. The Strawberry Sorbet is so sweet and delicious, I use this so much that I went and ordered another one (I gave that to my friend though because she loved it so much). 

The wear-ability of these products is pretty great. I've used the strawberry pretty much daily since February and I still have lots left. The main flaw is that they seem to actively remove your lipsticks if you put them on over lippy so I'd just use it on bare lips. Otherwise, they're pretty moisturising, cute lip balms that you can treat yourself to every now and then. They also seem to be a fun conversation started in the UK! Whenever I take one out in public someone generally asks me about them.

Rating: 3.5/5 (I'd give the Sweet Mint 5/5 just for the tingling though!) 

Some Lippy 

Elizabeth Arden (RoseBud)/// Lipgloss, Rimmel (170 Alarm)/// NYC 2in1 lipstick (425 The Red Hots) 

Max Factor (Dusky Rose 830)

Okay, so a really brief bit about some lipsticks! I have quite a few more that I won't mention here. (If you'd like a full lipstick collection and review let me know!)

The Elizabeth Arden Lip gloss was given to me by my aunt. I never usually wear lip gloss because I always wear my hair down and it's so windy in Scotland that it's just a massive annoyance. When I first tried this product I thought it was far too light, but it's really grown on me and I think it's a really cute finish on light lips for a simple summer look.

Rimmer 170 Alarm: I love this for a shocking red lip. It's so bright and dramatic which goes brilliantly with dark eye liner. I rarely use this because I don't go on nights out very often but when I do I think this is my favourite night time lipstick. It's also really long lasting (I'd say 6-8 hours of gabbing away before re-application)

NYC 2in1 Lipstick: This is my all time favourite. I originally bought this in Florida (and then re-ordered it online because I couldn't find it in the UK). It has two colours in the one lipstick which I find really handy. During the day I can go for a more subtle pink lip and at evening time I can just switch to the lovely red colour. I use this almost every day during University time (it's so subtle that no one thinks I'm even wearing lipstick, which to me is what I want at work/Uni). One of these lasts me around 6/7 months before the colours merge too much to be separately used. 

Max Factor Dusky Rose: This is my colour that I go for when I'm in something particularly girly or floral. It gives a really soft and pretty look to your lip and it's slightly less subtle than my NYC which I like when I'm actually making an effort with my makeup. Plus, the packaging is pretty cute. 

There you go! That's my very long blog post on lip balms and sticks!

If you liked this or found this useful at all then please do let me know in the comments. That's all from me, I hope you have a really lovely day, where ever you are :)

-Tessatata xoxo