Book Review: The Peach Keeper

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
 
GoodReads Synopsis:
 
The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Chased the Moon welcomes you to her newest locale: Walls of Water, North Carolina, where the secrets are thicker than the fog from the town’s famous waterfalls, and the stuff of superstition is just as real as you want it to be.

It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots.

But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it.

For the bones—those of charismatic traveling salesman Tucker Devlin, who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water seventy-five years ago—are not all that lay hidden out of sight and mind. Long-kept secrets surrounding the troubling remains have also come to light, seemingly heralded by a spate of sudden strange occurrences throughout the town.

Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time and defied the grave to touch the hearts and souls of the living.

Resonant with insight into the deep and lasting power of friendship, love, and tradition, The Peach Keeper is a portrait of the unshakable bonds that—in good times and bad, from one generation to the next—endure forever.
 
My Thoughts:
I really liked this book.  It was good, but very predictable.  I love little southern mystery type books.  This was exactly that! I was a tad disappointed that it was so easily predictable, but it is a good read!
I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
 
 
Have you read it?
What did you think?
 

Pinterest Fail: Listerine Foot Soak


There are so many things that I try on Pinterest  and they are a total fail! So, I have decided to start a series called "Pinterest Fail." Here is the first of my series:
 
 
It was one part Listerine, one part vinegar and one part water.
It said you could soak it anywhere from 15-30 min.
(We did see where you are NOT suppose to use blue Listerine because it would turn your foot blue.  It was all we had so we expected it.) The pin claimed: "Soft soles, lessens dead skin."
 

This is the Before pic. Dry cracked heel.


Adding the one part Listerine.
 
Adding the one part Vinegar and one part water.
 

Soaking the heel.

Did not see any difference.
 

Maybe a little better than before, but definitely still dry and NOT soft. 
Pinterest FAIL!
 
Have you tried this?
Did it work for you?

 

DIY Dollar Store Easter Egg Wreath



How I made my super cheap Easter Egg Wreath made from Dollar Tree eggs.

 
All I needed was:
-Spanish Moss
-Any cheap plain wreath
-3 packages of eggs from the Dollar Tree
-Green glitter spray paint
-Hot glue gun
 


Since I only had plain Spanish moss, I used just a dab of glue to place my eggs exactly where I wanted them. But first, I took the wooden sticks from out of the bottom of the eggs.
 

Next, I started gluing the Spanish moss around the eggs.
 

Once I was finished gluing the moss around the eggs, I took the eggs off so I could spray paint the moss green without getting paint on the eggs.
 

Next, I sprayed the wreath with Krylon Glitter Blast.

 I then started gluing the eggs into their holes. While gluing them, I noticed the white patches on the bottom of the eggs. It was from taking the sticks out.

I then decided to dethatch the bows from the sticks and hot glued them onto the bottom of the eggs to cover up the white patches.
 


Here is the finished product! Not too bad for a Dollar store craft!

Lip Color of the Week


 
My lip color of the week is NYX's butter lipstick in Hubba Bubba.
What do you think?

Review: Wet N Wild's NEW Vinyl Collection


I found this little gem at the drug store last week. Wet N Wild's new Vinyl Collection.
 

As usual, Wet N Wild doesn't disappoint! These colors are very pigmented.  They remind me a lot of the Naked palettes. There are a couple of mattes and the rest are shimmers.  They are absolutely gorgeous! The best part is that it's so cheap!!!! Perfect dupe for Urban Decay!!!
Have you tried it yet? What did you think?

How I Fake Acrylic Nails


I love French tip acrylics, but I hate to pay so much to make my nails look so nice.  I used to use the Sally Hansen thin French tip nail stickers and paint my tips with white polish and then remove them once the polish dried.  That wouldn't last very long and would end up chipping.
 

Then I started using these Sally Hansen Nail effects polish strips.  I liked them, but at the bottom, where your cuticle is, it would start to come up.  Then, when I would run my fingers through my hair, they would get stuck.  It would drive me nuts. But I LOVED how the tips would stay on for sooo long!
 


Then, I got the idea to use the white strips for my tips, and use the manicure polish to coat it.  Now they are perfect!!!! I absolutely love them! I love how they look like I just stepped out of the salon.


Review: Rimmel Wonderlash with Argan Oil



 
This is probably the worst mascara I have used in quite a while! I am very surprised at how much I disliked it.  I really liked Rimmel's Scandaleyes Flex with Lycra. It was my favorite for a while when it first came out, but this was nothing like it.  The packaging said: clump-free, high definition and volume.  I had a few clumps here and there and I definitely had no volume! I'll be generous and say there was some definition.  Needless to say, I took it back to Walgreens and got my money back!
Anyone else try this? Please tell me what you thought, I'd love to hear your feedback!

Lip Color of the Week


 
This lipgloss is Ah-may-ZING!!!! I was worried that it would dry out my lips since it is matte. It actually felt like butter going on my lips!!! I was seriously surprised how long it lasted. It lasted almost all day long! It stays on my lips like a lip stain.  I am in love with this lipsgloss!!!! It is definitely my new fav!
Have you tried it? What do you think?

Book Review: Stephen King's Bag of Bones


Bag of Bones by Stephen King
 
It took me a while, but I finally finished Bag of Bones. I would have to say, this is by far my favorite Stephen King book! I wasn't always a Stephen King fan, but he kinda grew on me. A few years back I was in a book club.  The book of the month was King's 11/22/63 I absolutely loved it.  It was my favorite up until now. I was in a used book store in the UK when I picked up this book.  I am so glad I did! It most definitely did not disappoint!
 
GoodReads Synopsis:
Four years after the sudden death of his wife, forty-year-old bestselling novelist Mike Noonan is still grieving. Unable to write, and plagued by vivid nightmares set at the western Maine summerhouse he calls Sara Laughs, Mike reluctantly returns to the lakeside getaway. There, he finds his beloved Yankee town held in the grip of a powerful millionaire, Max Devore, whose vindictive purpose is to take his three-year-old granddaughter, Kyra, away from her widowed young mother, Mattie. As Mike is drawn into Mattie and Kyra's struggle, as he falls in love with both of them, he is also drawn into the mystery of Sara Laughs, now the site of ghostly visitations and escalating terrors. What are the forces that have been unleashed here—and what do they want of Mike Noonan?
It is no secret that King is one of our most mesmerizing storytellers. In Bag of Bones, he proves to be one of our most moving as well.
 
My Thoughts:
I love books that suck me in and captivate me.  This is one of those books! It took me forever to read since it was 500+ pages, but it was worth it.  There were parts that seemed to go on and on forever, but that's King- very descriptive! They also made this book into a two part made for TV movie.  I found it on Amazon and ordered it.  As soon as I finished the book, I watched the move.
 



Main characters in the movie:
Pierce Brosnan as Mike Noonan
Melissa George as Mattie Devore
Catlin Carmichael as Kyra Devore
Anika Noni Rose as Sara Tidwell
 
I have to admit, the movie was disappointing.  It didn't exactly go along with the book. (I hate it when that happens.)  I know movies usually aren't as good as the book, but I think I loved the book so much I had high expectations for the movie.  Regardless, it was okay....just not as good as the book.
Have you read Bag of Bones? What did you think?
 

Review: Benefit's Roller Lash Mascara



 
I saw many ads for this mascara. It really intrigued me.  I have naturally poker straight hair, and my lashes have absolutely NO curl to them.  I have to use the lash curler on them every single day.
 
 Here is a video from Birchbox on YouTube:
 
 
 
I love the way this mascara looks.  It has a vintage feel to it.  It reminds me of my Great Grandma's hair rollers I used to play with when I was little.
 
 
 The right side is no mascara.  The left side is one coat of Roller Lash. I LOVE this! This will be my "When I'm in a hurry and don't have time to curl my lashes" mascara.
Have you tried this?
What are your thoughts?

Lipcolor of the Week


This week I've been rocking Milani's Ravish Raspberry.  Its a beautiful color! It is a tad sheer, but looks great on! Not too sticky either! What do you think of it?

Just In Time for St. Patty's Day!


 
Have you ever tried any Younique products? I absolutely love their 3D lash mascara! So a while back I decided to try their eyeshades.  They are both a little sheer, but VERY beautiful.  I decided to swatch them, but the picture doesn't seem to do it justice.  I don't particularly like them together, but they are both very pretty!
If you are interested in them, click on the "Younique" link above!