TLP Reads: How (Not) to Find A Boyfriend by Allyson Valentine

Here we go with the first TLP Reads for this February! I spotted How (Not) to Find a Boyfriend at National Bookstore while I was in the Philippines, and truth be told, it wasn't exactly something I was really desperate to buy. But because none of the titles I was looking for were available (which is always a huge bummer), I decided to give this one a go, crossing my fingers that it would be worth my time. Well... it wasn't exactly what I was expecting, let's say. I laughed, I rolled my eyes, I sighed heavily... what do you make of that?

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Nora Fulbright is the most talented new cheerleader at Riverbend High. She may have been a friendless over-achiever in the past, but this year Nora is determined to transform from social larva to full-blown butterfly. But when Adam moves to town and steals Nora's heart with his ultra-smarts, she devises a plan to wow him with her intellect. Every move she makes getting closer to Adam is more complicated, and she quickly loses control of her strategy. Can Nora prove that she's not a complete airhead while keeping her image in check?
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I'll be honest, it took me quite a while to get into this. 20 pages in, I had to stop, put it down and mentally psych myself to finish it. Not that I have anything against cheerleaders. Heck no way - I even dressed up as one many Halloweens ago. That's not what bothered me.

It's that Nora acts like the stereotypical type of girl who is trying so hard to be in the 'in crowd'. In the first 20 pages of this book, you already know that whatever Nora has planned to achieve anything, it'll backfire on her. Like with Lindsay Lohan's character in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen or even Mean Girls (by the way, who else remembers those movies?) This book embodies that type of thing. Not to say that it was horrible, but it wasn't an easy read for someone like me who doesn't like taking other people's crap or 'perfect plans' to get a guy. Just, no. So you know, fair warning, if you're like me, a little bit of perseverance and patience is needed to get half way through this book where it really starts to get good.

Nora Fulbright is supposedly book smart, and uber talented when it comes to cheerleading/gymnastics. She could potentially be enjoying the best of both worlds but no, apparently she goes to a school like the one from High School Musical. You gotta stick to the status quo. So she does her best to downplay her smarts despite her mother pestering her about being too preoccupied with dancing and waving pom poms in the air. It sucks for her. You feel some sympathy for Nora - she's trying to please everyone that's around her.

Nora's love interest Adam Hood is sweet, smart and definitely into Nora. He's pretty hilarious too, especially towards the end of the book. So he gets my vote, no doubt about that. The dynamic between Nora and Adam is pretty nice, and it almost makes up for the stupid things Nora gets herself into. She devises all these plans to get closer to him, not knowing that she doesn't even have to try that hard. Yes, it's the classic case of misunderstandings leading to embarrassing situations. Whether it was all worth it in the end, well, I know I personally wouldn't  go through all that trouble just to get a guy to like me.

But like I said, the book wasn't all that bad. My favourite aspect would have to be the family parts - Nora bonding with her little brother Joshie, and later on her older brother Phil. I loved her interactions with them, and it made me wish I had brothers. Joshie is adorable and super supportive, and Phil is pretty cool with his kickass smarts. Perhaps what really gets you though is the estranged father-bitter daughter dynamic this book also has. I don't want to spoil anything, but those moments are pretty sweet too.

So yes, this book is the epitome of the classic high school drama. And I don't even mean good drama like from Hilary Duff's A Cinderella Story or Bring It On. If there weren't so much drama, maybe I would have loved this book more and given it a massive two thumbs up. The title is an apt description for what this book embodies. THIS IS NOT HOW YOU GO ABOUT GETTING A BOYFRIEND. Granted, it works out for Nora in the end (bless her), but seriously. No one needs to go through this much trouble.

If you're into humourous, and pretty outrageous, girly high-school drama, then I would suggest this for you. It's a nice way of taking a break from all the serious and darker reading material out there, I guess. I wouldn't exactly urge anyone to rush out and buy this, but if you have nothing better to read, well then, give this a go.

Happy discovering!

January Faves!

Woo! First monthly faves post of 2015! Let's do this! Surprisingly enough, there weren't that many new discoveries this month and instead I've re-discovered some old loves. 

For my base, I've really been loving the Clinique stay-matte oil-free foundation and my oh my, why did it take me so long to discover this? It's super light weight but it's got great coverage! A little goes a long way with this baby, and it stays put all day. If like me you've got combination skin that's acne prone, try this one out!

To add a bit of colour to my cheeks, I've been reaching for the STILA custom colour blush in sheer coral. This blush actually works with your skin tone (something to do with the pH and all that) to "create the perfect colour" that matches you. I'd always been quite cautious of applying blush cause I'm terrified of putting on too much, but this one takes all the worry away. Just apply and blend a little, and let the magic of this blush do all the work.

For eyes, I've fallen back in love with the Naked palette (the first one) that's got all the warm neutral colours that works wonders for all skin tones I think. As a quick everyday look, I like to put the Naked eyeshadow all over the lid and Buck in the crease, using the eyeshadow brush from Flower and blending it out with the Sonia Kashuk blending brush. If I want to add more depth, I apply a tad bit of Darkhorse to the outer-v, and voila! Done. Easy peasy. Eyeliner wise, I've been using the Anastasia eyeliner in Gilded if I can't be bothered to do the whole fluidline and brush thing. It's super easy to apply, so it's great if I'm running late!

To complete the eye-look, you can't forget mascara, and I've really been liking the Covergirl Full Lash Bloom mascara. It definitely makes my eyelashes look extra wispy and lengthened, though not as volumized as I like. So for the times where I want the extra oomph (and I have the time), I've been using the Ardell fake lashes in 105. I'd never applied fake lashes before, but these are super easy to use! And plus, they look quite natural, so it's perfect for everyday. Not too over the top POW! but it definitely makes your eyes pop. 

For lips, I've been on a whole red/mauve kick, so this month's round-up includes the Revlon lip butter in Sugar Plum (a nude-type mauve), the NYX lipstick in Thalia (a dark nude), MAC's matte lipstick in Stunner (deep blue-red, from the Nasty Gal collection) and MAC lustre lipstick in 5-Alarm (a sheer pink-red, from the Red Red Red collection).

My other favourites include the Bvlagri Jasmin Noir perfume (I've finally brought my big bottle back from the Philippines, woop!), the boscia luminizing black mask (the mini I've got has run out, and boy, did I rush out to buy myself the full-size bottle), the boscia clear complexion willow bark spot treatment and The Body Shop Vitamin E moisture cream (if you remember, I wrote about this one in my long-haul travel kit and since then I've bought the full size tub) which, as it says on the label, is super moisturizing. A little goes a long way with this (the mini one lasted a little over a month!) so it's super worth every penny.

For nails, I loved the Sephora Formula X polish in Wunderkind, and the Deborah Lippman mini polishes in Luftballoons (the multi-colour glitters) and Ya Got Trouble (a copper-burgundy metallic blend).

As for my non-beauty faves...

I've been using the Forever 21 faux-crocodile skin purse so much, and I'm in love. It may look small but you can fit so much in there! Love love love it! I've also been loving this scarf that's got Filipino sentences written all over it (Filipino pride yo!), this Nescafe Cappuccino sachets I brought over from the Philippines, and this Hot Buttered Rum candle from Bath and Body Works. 

And oh, how could I forget this yogi berry tea from David's Tea? The minute I walked into the shop along Bank and Third, I smelt it and knew I needed it. It's super fruity, and tastes amazing either hot or iced. And with a little milk too. If you love fruity flavoured teas, do check this one out! 

As for my jam? Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud. I know, I know, it's been out for a while now and yes, I listened to it then but I don't know - I wasn't crazy about it. Now I'm just really, really in love with it. Maybe it's cause I've had to listen to it on the radio so much and finally know what the lyrics are, who knows? And besides, the video is pretty kickass, so you know, if you haven't seen it yet, check it out (click the video above!) 

What have been your favourite discoveries (or re-discoveries) this first month of 2015?

Happy discovering!

Project Life

 Something I've really been into in the past is scrapbooking, and this year I wanted to really commit to it. I've made countless of ones from four-five years ago and only a few of them have really come out good, or completed! And because I've been on this "need to make my life better" kick for 2015, I've decided to sort-of document both the highlights and little things that make this year. What better way to do it than through Project Life?

Project Life is a simple scrapbooking system founded by Becky Higgins. I see it as a professional photo-album scrapbooking hybrid, cause you can purchase these albums (either 12x12 or 6x8) and the pages (with all sorts of layouts for your photos and creativity). It's also got all kinds of decorations you can purchase (either in store or online) like journaling cards, title cards, fillers and papers. 

I believe it's been around for about five years now, and the products are available in over 3,000 stores across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. (among other countries - you'll have to check out their website to see if their stuff is available in your country, and apart from the digital products, her shop doesn't ship outside of the States sadly). 

I'd heard of Project Life before, and never really looked into it until one faithful day in December when I walked into Michael's and spotted their gorgeous albums. One look at all the other items available, was all I need to know this had to happen. So here we are in 2015, and I'm so doing this. 

I'm pumped!

The scrapbooking albums were actually buy 1 get 1 free, so you know, I grabbed two of the 12x12 ones, a pack of pocket photo pages, a pack of mini paper and a mini kit. I didn't buy a buttload of the decorative pieces or additional scrapbooking stuff from Michael's mainly cause I've got some stickers and washi tapes lying around in my drawer. I'd previously had them for another scrapbooking project that well, never really took off. But now, things are getting serious!

I've dedicated one album to solely 2015 happenings, and the other one I'm planning to fill with photos and memorabilia from 2012-2014. Sort of a 'throwback scrapbook' if you will. 

I'd collected quite a lot of stuff over the past three years that I wanted to use for projects like this - admission tickets, brochures, airplane tickets, polaroids and so on - and they are finally going to have a home instead of the box I keep them all in. As for the bulk of my photos, well, I couldn't really be bothered to use up my own ink (because hello? Super pricey!) so I ended up going on the Shoppers Photo website. Essentially you upload all the photos you want printed, choose what size you want them, and poof! Shoppers prints them for you. Now, they do take about 7-10 days but they will drop them off at whichever Shoppers Drugmart location you prefer. The best part though? It only costs $0.19CAD per 4x6 photo. DAMN. To say I went a bit crazy on which photos I got printed would be in an understatement...

Sure, it's pretty pricey considering I spent over $70CAD on those bad boys, but man... so worth it. The quality is amazing and super sturdy, so you know your photos are going to be protected for hella long time. Investment? I think so!

Have you tried Project Life out yet? If yes, what'd you think? If not, well, you better. 

Happy discovering!