z.ky: First venture into Officewear

L - R:
shirt: Penneys (I bought this approximately six years ago and never wore it!)
bag: Penneys, €13.00
flats: New Look, €24.99
trousers: Dunnes Stores, €20.00
pencil skirt: Forever 21, €17.75
skirt: Penneys, €15.00

REVIEW: Etude House LUCIDarling Fantastic Nails in Mocha Brown (Shimmer #4)

Thinner than regular polishes, so it definitely needs at least two coats. However this is a plus point for me, as the consistency is very smooth and it dries very quickly - I prefer two thin coats that dry quickly to one thick coat which is hard to manipulate and takes ages to try (and is more likely to smudge!).

The colour is perfect, getting a brown polish has always been in the back of my mind but I only ever see chocolatey goop in stores. The shimmer really helps this to not look like goop. This was cheap, too - about €4.36, and the seller threw in some samples!

Gorgeous shimmer! Pictured: two coats with a crappy Collection 2000 clear coat.

Etude House is a Korean brand which is affordable with cheerful packaging and design! I'll definitely try more of their products if I get the opportunity. I really want this Petit Darling top coat:

These are the samples I received along with the polish:

• Missha Super Aqua Oxygen Micro Essence Peeling mask
• Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream

Will do separate reviews of the Missha samples later!

z.ky: Melancholia hits Dublin

As usual, a review without spoilers.

Melancholia is uncomfortably moving, almost profound. My inexplicable dislike of Kirsten Dunst was cushioned by the always wonderful Charlotte Gainsbourg, and melted away completely during the second part of the movie. The small main cast (Dunst, Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, and Cameron Spurr as their little boy) and ending were genius. The sparse nudity is touching and natural rather than sleazy. The music blew me away - it's such a breath of fresh air when movie soundtracks feature mostly or only classical music (and NO cheesy credits song).

Despite the limited showings and lush imagery, this movie is not overly "artsy" or pretentious. Action movie buffs will squirm in their seats while romantic comedy fans will have their ideals rattled. Don't take it too seriously or search too deep for meaning, and you will have a wonderful, even if shaken, experience.

Favourite scene:
The conversation between Claire and Justine, during which she mentions "All life on Earth is evil." Could have been taken straight out of Donnie Darko...it's that level of tangibility while touching on the topic of mortaliy: life is short, and how it's in human nature not to recognise it until it's too late.

Most shocking scene:
After the horses calm.

Favourite aspects:
The hair and make-up was divine. Reminded me of the finish in Black Swan. The location was beautiful, too - it was shot in Sweden, including Tjolöholm Castle.

Least favourite aspects:
The slow-motion intro stretched slightly too long for my taste.

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Irish filmgoers: this movie is not being shown outside of Dublin. Within the city centre, you can see it in the either the IFI or The Screen Cinema - I recommend the IFI for its interior. Catch it before it's gone!

Specsavers

So big and clear.




Hello!




Corporate.


Daily contact lenses for astigmatism: got a 5-day trial. If they're made in the US, why is the text in Japanese?