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Beauty Review: Maybelline Define-a-Line Eyeliner

Maybelline has been my go-to makeup line for the last few products I have bought, especially when it comes to eyes. Recently, I picked up their Define-A-Line eyeliner, and am very impressed by the results. The first thing I noticed with this eyeliner was how smooth it went on. No hard pressing, no going over the line multiple times, just one swipe and I get a perfect line. The second thing I noticed was how long lasting it was. This eyeliner stays on from when I first apply it in the morning, all the way until I take it off before bedtime. My only complaint is a very common one with eyeliner that is applied to the upper lash line: it smudges above the eye. A few times a day I have to wipe the smudged liner off, but it comes off quickly and easily, so it’s not too terrible. The liner also comes with a built-in smudger, so you can easily have a more relaxed look if you choose. Overall, I really love this product and will definitely be buying it again. I think the next mascara I will try will be Maybelline’s Define-A-Lash Lengthening Mascara. Crossing my fingers for the same great results!
[Rating: 4.5]

Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier by Lisa Dale

Thea Celik couldn’t help but to fall head over heels for Garret Sorensen when she was in high school. The Sorenson family took her in when her family left the country, and she thought she had it all- a second family, a boyfriend, and a best friend- Garret’s brother Jonathan. But when she and Garret break up, Thea is left heartbroken and confused. When Thea finds herself in a tough position, Jonathan steps up and asks Thea to marry him. Still confused and bewildered over Garret, Thea accepts the proposal, splitting the once close Sorenson family. Now, fifteen years later, Thea and Jonathan are divorcing, and Garret is back on the scene. After becoming a successful lobbyist with always a woman to choose from, he and Thea are suddenly thrust back together. Will Thea realize what a mistake she made to let Garret go? And can Garret forgive Thea, and himself, for those choices made so many years ago?
Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier is an intricate novel from Lisa Dale full of passion and confusion. I was often swept up in the emotion of the characters, all of the characters. The story often switches from past to present, which took me a second to get used to, but I loved the style once I caught on. The plot will definitely touch your heart, and there were times where I really wasn’t sure who I was rooting for. Did I want Thea to be with Jonathan or Garret? Did I want Thea to be with anyone? Readers will learn about Thea’s past decisions further along in the story, and she wasn’t always extremely likable, but very relatable, which I thought was excellent. Overall, a great story about the complications of love and family, and I would recommend this book.
[Rating: 4.5]

In My Mailbox: Week of July 17

In My Mailbox: Week of July 17, 2011

Title: Twang
Author: John Schlimm
Received: From Ann-Marie @ Get Red PR
Synopsis: In TWANG: a novel, former Country Music publicist John Schlimm peels back the industry-crafted cliché of Nashville and its beloved superstars. He takes readers backstage of the sold-out concerts, inside the homes and heads of Nashville’s elite, and introduces them to a side of show business that has yet to be revealed. Readers are whisked away on a wild ride to a provocative and quirky place with fictional characters, who seem strikingly familiar, and who will leave the readers shocked, titillated, laughing, and realizing that the real world of Country Music is far more compelling and scandal-ridden than they could ever have imagined.

Title: One Flight Up
Author: Susan Fales-Hill
Received: From Cristina @ Simon and Schuster
Synopsis: What happens after happily-ever-after fades? Can the answer be found one flight up?
India, Abby, Esme, and Monique have all been friends since their days at Manhattan’s Sibley School for Girls. From the outside, these four women—all grown up now—seem to be living ideal lives, yet each finds herself suddenly craving more.
India Chumley is a whip-smart divorce lawyer who routinely declines the marriage proposals of her charming French boyfriend, Julien. She’s taking the first plunge by moving in with him, but she’s keeping her own apartment—and keeping it a secret from him.
Abby Rosenfeld Adams is an irrepressibly upbeat gallery owner who married her WASP college sweet heart, a passionate but tormented sculptor. When she suspects he is cheating on her, she realizes that perhaps there’s more to life than reassuring her husband of his artistic brilliance.
Esme Sarmiento Talbot is a Colombian Scarlett O’Hara, bored with her proper Connecticut life and her tame, all-American husband. In order to satisfy her sensuality, she escapes to Manhattan and distracts herself with casual encounters.
A card-carrying member of Harlem’s thriving buppie-ocracy and a successful gynecologist, Monique Dawkins-Dubois is married to a powerful but dull financier who barely notices her anymore. When an attractive coworker beckons, Monique can’t help but be flattered.
The most straitlaced of them all, India is dismayed by her friends’ illicit activities. That is, until her ex-fiancé, the love of her life and the destroyer of her heart, reappears in New York— and she finds herself caught between the dependable man she thought was her future and the man she never quite let go of.
Dazzling and sexy, One Flight Up is an irresistible comedic romp through the boardrooms, bedrooms, and ballrooms of Manhattan and Paris.

Title: The Whole Package
Author: Cynthia Ellingsen
Received: From Erin @ Penguin Group
Synopsis: It’s a man’s world-but in this outrageous debut, the girls aren’t playing by the rules.

For lifelong friends Jackie, Cheryl, and Doris, life hasn’t turned out according to plan. But after a drunken night sampling the delights at a strip club for women, the ladies stumble upon an ingenious idea and open up The Whole Package-the world’s first restaurant staffed exclusively by very attractive men. Mixing business with pleasure can be risky, but for these three best friends, getting a little bit outrageous just might be what it takes to make their mark in the world.

GIVEAWAY: Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier by Lisa Dale

Fifteen years ago, Garret Sorensen’s family, trust, and heart were destroyed when Thea Celik betrayed him and married his brother. Now they are divorcing. Garret’s ready to finally mend his relationship with his brother. But being back in Newport, Rhode Island, triggers a lot of memories-all leading back to Thea.

Thea’s not ready to let go of the Sorensens-even if it means being around Garret. As they cautiously circle around each other-finding themselves drawn together-they realize following their hearts could cast them adrift.
I have one paperback copy of Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier by Lisa Dale for giveaway. To enter, please leave a comment below with why you would like to win. US/Canada residents only. The winner will be chosen on Friday, July 22nd. Thank you to Erin at Penguin Group for sponsoring this giveaway!

Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony Split

Anyone else surprised by this news? After seven years of what seemed to be a happy marriage, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have decided to end their marriage. People.com broke the news, which included a joint statement from the musical couple, “We have decided to end our marriage. This was a very difficult decision. We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters. It is a painful time for all involved, and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time.” Lopez, 41, and Anthony, 42, were married in 2004 in Beverly Hills. They have two children together- 3-year-old twins Max and Emme.

Hotel No Tell by Daphne Uviller

Hotel No Tell is the second book from Daphne Uviller that features Zephyr Zuckerman, after Super in the City. I always worry when I don’t read the first book, as in this case, but it was fairly easy to pick up on the story. Zephyr is working as a junior detective with the New York City Special Investigations Commission, and finally has a great case handed to her- where she gets to go undercover. Working as a hotel concierge at the Greenwich Village Hotel, trying to crack a money laundering investigation, Zephyr finds herself a mystery inside the mystery- why was the guest in room 502 found near death? Was it suicide, or an attempted murder? What does the sweet older guest have to do with it, and could her friend Lucy be involved? Zephyr sets out to solve all the mysteries, but the toughest mystery of all is her love life. Though she is madly in love with her boyfriend, she doesn’t want kids-ever- and he does. Should she compromise for love? And how will she solve her work mysteries and finally be taken seriously as a detective?
Like I said, it was easy to fall into the character’s lives. I really enjoyed Zephyr’s friends and their problems. I thought Lucy was hilarious with her suburban mom crisis, and though Macy was a bit out there, her stories were intriguing to read about. This book is very fast-paced, almost a bit too fast for me in the beginning. I couldn’t really keep up with who was who and where they came into the story and where this plot point was taking me, etc. Maybe that has a bit to do with me not reading the first book? It through me off for awhile, but as I kept at it, I thought the book slowed to a pace that could keep my interest. Uviller has some great comedic moments throughout the story, and the descriptions of New York were a lot of fun to read about. Once the actual mystery stuff got underway, I was really into the story and trying to figure out who did what and how everyone was connected. Overall, funny and interesting read that I would recommend to chick lit fans, but not a favorite of mine.
[Rating: 3.5]

Click: An Online Love Story by Lisa Becker

Lisa Becker is on tour with CLP Blog Tours and her novel Click: An Online Love Story. This book is written through a series of emails among Renee Greene and friends, as Renee tries to find love through the online world. Approaching thirty, not happy that she isn’t married or doesn’t even have a fling, Renee decides to try her luck on dating sites. Renee CC’s and BCC’s her friends on during each message she gets from the guys, and responses range since her two closest pals are Ashley- too judgmental over Renee’s relationships yet is in a dysfunctional one of her own, and Shelley- who always seems to have a new one-night stand story to share with Renee. But through the dating mishaps, hilarious emails, and shocking revelations with some of the men, Renee finally clicks with Ethan- but can the relationship make it past emails when an unexpected road block jumps in the way?
I absolutely loved Click. Once I started reading, it was too hard to put down. The email format made the book fly by, and some of the dating stories from Renee were hysterical. I really enjoyed Ashley and Shelley and hearing about their lives, which sometimes can be a difficult feat when readers are learning about them only through email. But I thought Becker did an excellent job at bringing in their lives and troubles, and it really added more to the story, especially with the twist to the ending. I have to say, I’m usually pretty good at sniffing out where the troubles will lie with the characters, but this one shocked me! Once the trouble with Renee and Ethan was brought to life, I had to keep reading to know how it all ended. Get this on your to-read lists, you will not be disappointed!
[Rating: 5]

Author Profile: Jennifer Coburn

Author Name: Jennifer Coburn

Website: http://www.jennifercoburn.com/

Bio: Jennifer Coburn is an award-winning journalist who has written for magazines and newspapers in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
She is a native New Yorker and a graduate of the University of Michigan.
She currently lives in San Diego with her husband, William, and their daughter, Katie.
Recent Titles: The Wife of Reilly, Tales From the Crib, Reinventing Mona, The Queen Gene
See my reviews of Tales From the Crib, Reinventing Mona
Bio Retrieved from jennifercoburn.com

On Trend: The Blues

I just wrote an article recently on a hot spring/summer trend being lace and sheer. There is one more color that we can add to our shopping bags- blue! In particular, darks blues or sapphire. Can anyone take a guess why this color is so popular? The Royal Wedding and Duchess Catherine of course! Kate Middleton’s sparkling engagement ring, the eighteen carat oval sapphire surrounded by fourteen diamonds, which of course belonged to Prince Williams’s late mother, Princess Diana, is the envy of many young women around the world. The day Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement, Kate complimented her new piece of jewelry with a blue wrap Issa dress, a style that is said to compliment almost any figure. The day following her wedding, where she wore two custom design gowns, Kate rocked a $90 Zara cornflower-blue shift dress. Since her engagement and dazzling fashion choices, sapphire blue is becoming one of the hottest colors to be seen in for the Spring and Summer of 2011. I think I also need to pick up a similar wrap dress to add to my wardrobe! What do you think about this color being on trend? Do you love seeing what Kate Middleton is going to where next, or are you over the Royal Hoopla?