ribbons in curls

Movie Monday - Bunny & the Bull

2012-02-20T10:00:00.005-06:00

Bunny & the Bull, starring Edward Hogg, Simon Farnaby, and Madeleine Worrall.

I actually really love this movie, but I feel like I haven't loved it long enough for it to become one of my favorites. I watch my favorite movies & tv shows hundreds of times, sometimes three times within a day. And until I've done that for a long period of time, it's hard to categorize it as anything other than a good movie that I liked. I'm bad about being really into something for months and months and then suddenly never wanting to look at it again.

I think this movie could easily be a movie I love and want to re-watch forever, but I also thought that about Little Miss Sunshine and I was wrong.

The movie starts off introducing you to Stephen Turnbull, an obsessive compulsive shut in who hasn't left his apartment in a year. Through a series of flashbacks all re-enacted within the walls of his apartment, the story leading up to his eventual isolation from the rest of the world is slowly revealed.

The movie is really beautiful visually. Using stacks of newspaper, snowglobes, and other items from Stephen's cluttered, albeit organized apartment, we see him travel across Europe with his best friend, Bunny. And the story, while truly funny and a bit bizarre, is ultimately very heart-wrenching and relate-able.

The humor is similar to The Mighty Boosh, if you've ever seen it on Adult Swim. If you haven't, I highly recommend it. It's British humor, (which is apparently different from American humor?) so take that into account I suppose. I don't really know, funny is funny to me but maybe I'm dense. Granted, I recommend lots of things to my friends and it's always hit or miss. Either my tastes are really eclectic or my standards are too low? Whatever, I like what I like, no apologies made.

It's not family friendly though, I'm pretty sure you see Bunny's privates in a scene but I didn't really commit it to memory so I can't guarantee that. But there is quite a bit of "foul" language (haha) and other stuff.

But ultimately, the movie is really beautiful and touching, while still being really funny. It explores the complexities of friendship and the strange happenings of life, while telling a cute love story.

It's available on netflix now or, if you're feeling daring, you could always roll the dice and purchase it on Amazon.

Let me know if you check it out. I'd love to know what you thought of it!

-Becca

Outfit Post + Wine & Cheese

2012-02-19T18:07:00.000-06:00

French Navy by Camera Obscura on Grooveshark

Well, finally back home and settled. I've technically been home since Monday, but I hadn't been in the mood to even attempt a post about anything. I spent the better part of the week cleaning and organizing my apartment in preparation for a Wine & Cheese Party we had on Friday.

Everyone brought a wine and a cheese and we played a game of 20 questions. Actually, I don't know what the game is called to be honest. It's the one they play in Marie Antoinette and Inglorious Basterds where you have a noun (person, place, thing) written on a piece of paper on your forehead and you try to guess which one you are.

I really didn't take any photos since I was busy cutting cheese or wrangling Coco. It was really fun and it was nice getting to see everyone (esp Taylor, Katy & Catherine)! Can't wait for the next one.

I also didn't dress up for the party at all. In fact, I wore my ugly sewage green pocket tee with holes in it and some jeans. Fanciest host ever.

So here's an outfit I'm wearing today while I sit inside and paint. I haven't really had the chance to dress up since I was working Valentine's Day and I didn't want to look like an idiot decked out in red and pink the night after. I'll probably end up taking the tights off but for now it's fine.

dress: asos curve, tights: ebay, shoes: nine west

This is one of my favorite dresses. When it first came out on ASOS Curve last year, I couldn't afford it and it sold out super fast. Eventually people returned ones that didn't fit and I snatched one up. It's honestly a little too big for me but it just makes it more comfortable.

The tights are from a seller on ebay. You'd be shocked how difficult it is to find a pair of heart print tights for women over a size large. I seriously looked for three months and these just randomly showed up one day when I was scouring ebay. They're from the UK though, which explains a lot. The people designing American plus-size clothing have terrible, out-dated taste. But I'll talk about that another time...

As for the shoes, they're from Nine West Outlet. My sister works at an outlet in Houston and always gets the BEST deals! I'm pretty sure with her discount these were around ten dollars at most. The women in our family have predominantly Nine West brand shoes thanks to her job. Thanks Kait!

The only drawback to wearing this dress is I hate wearing tights. I think they're super cute but they drive me up a wall. And right now it's too cold to throw on a pair of bike shorts underneath (that's right I said bike shorts, I wear bike shorts under my dresses)instead.

But for sitting around the house it doesn't really matter, I just thought the tights would be a nice touch since they're new and have hearts on them!

Here are some comparable options similar to what I'm wearing:

dress: 1 /// tights: 1 2 /// shoes: 1 2 3

Oh, and sorry for the random snippets of an outfit, it looks pretty but you don't really get a good straightforward look at the outfit. I'm without Ryan at the moment and I still don't have a remote for my camera so taking photos is quite the challenge. Next time will have more of a full body shot.

-Becca

P.S.
If you haven't ever heard anything by Camera Obscura, you're missing out! Check "French Navy" out at the top of the post.

Instagram

2012-02-13T22:00:00.002-06:00

I'm stupid in love with my new iphone, so instagram was the first app I downloaded when I got it for Christmas. I've never had a smartphone so the novelty of the internet and other technology fitting in my pocket was a bit too much for me to handle. I went app crazy.

I've settled down a bit now but I still use instagram most of all.

My username on instagram is ribbonsincurls if you want to follow me!

Review: Lush

2012-02-13T16:51:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago, Taylor and I visited Lush for the first time. I'd been reading great reviews about their bath bombs online and I'm always looking for something to help with my anxiety so I thought maybe it was worth looking into.

Before I go any further, I'd like to say that I'm not a shopper that requires much attention. I like knowing that there's an employee available to help me if I really need it, but I like looking around on my own and trying things on my own. I also have issues with strangers touching me...so, there's that.

The employees at Lush were very attentive. I would say almost too attentive. The guy who helped me was very friendly, but I really didn't feel comfortable having someone slather things all over my arms. I felt like I constantly needed to be apologizing despite not asking for his help. If I decide to purchase anything again, I will most likely purchase online because it was just a little too much for me. I felt trapped and afterwards one of my arms was kind of greasy and smelled really strongly and the other felt normal which actually felt really off-putting.

Aside from my anxiety about ever returning to a physical Lush store, I really loved most of the things I purchased.

My Loot (clockwise from left): MMM Melting Marshmallow Bath Melt, Helping Hands sample, Heavanilli Massage Bar, R+B Hair Leave in Cream sample, Twilight Bath Bomb, and Honey Trap Lip Balm

MMM Melting MarshmallowBath Melt

I picked this up after reading Charlene of Dainty Dresses review. She mentioned that you should use the whole thing to get the full effect. But, because I'm cheap and stubborn I used half at first and then realized you really should use all of it in one go and added the second half.

MMM Melting Marshmallow Bath Melt - $7.95

It made the bath water sososo soft and the prettiest pale pink and it smelled very lightly of marshmallow. There weren't any bubbles (which I prefer) and it left my skin feeling really soft and moisturized. I really loved the sweet scent and the way it made the water ridiculously soft. It fizzed a lot slower than Twilight did, but I didn't mind it at all. It was a really nice way to start my day and feel like I'd pampered myself.

I would definitely buy it again but hopefully Lush will have a sale or deal soon since $7.95 is kind of a lot for me.

Twilight Bath Bomb

This was by far my favorite item. I loved how it smelled like ovaltine and lavender. Normally, I can't stand lavender but this was just subtle enough and the ovaltine complimented it in just the right way that I actually really liked it. So much so, that I'm planning on buying the perfume!

Twilight Bath Bomb - $5.95

When it hits the water it spins and fizzes, turning the water a dark purple and leaving streaks of pink and blue foam on top. I didn't see the blue glitter in my tub afterwards, but my bathroom is dimly lit (cave) so that probably had a lot to do with it. It's supposed to be calming so I waited until I'd had a particularly stressful day before using it. It was super relaxing. I don't know if it was just a placebo effect but I felt way better afterwards.

This is the item I will most likely repurchase from Lush since I loved how it smelled so much.

Heavanilli Massage Bar

This massage bar is supposedly scented vanilla, though I personally think the smell of vanilla is annoying and over-used, this actually smells more like buttercream frosting to me. It's much more buttery smelling than anything else and I really enjoy the way it smells and the way it looks is precious! Which is why I so easily swayed myself into buying it.

Heavanilli Massage Bar - $9.95

This was one of the items that I had slathered on my arm and was more of an impulse buy. I realized I wanted something from their valentine collection and I liked the way this smelled and I figured I might like it since it's essentially lotion in a bar form. I have mixed feelings about it though to be honest. It does moisturize well and it makes your skin soft and it has a nice light smell to it on your skin. Trouble is, I always feel a bit greasy after using it and that is not something I'm fond of. Plus, the massage bar begins to melt in your hands while you're using it, so you can't grip it properly and storing it is a bit of a joke. Plan on using a plastic baggy or using the lush bag it came with for storage. So glamorous.

Overall, will probably not purchase this again because it's just not for me.

Honey Trap Lip Balm & Samples

This lip balm smells heavily of bee wax and a bit of vanilla. It was also a bit of an impulse buy since I wanted to try more than the bath bombs and the only Lush near me is at NorthPark Mall, which if you're familiar with the DFW area at all, you know that it's not close to Denton at all really. So I was attempting to purchase a small range of products since I wouldn't have the opportunity to make it back out for awhile.

Honey Trap Lip Balm - $6.95

Alright, well, there was really nothing special about this lip balm. It mostly smells like bees wax and it doesn't really come off on your finger easily, it has to warm up first which is sort of a hassle when you're trying to swipe on some balm before doing something. If I wanted to spend more than a few seconds on my lips, I would be applying lipstick. Plus, I'm not a big fan of pot balm because I'm a bit of a germ-o-phobe and despite washing my hands incessantly, it still freaks me out a bit.

So, unless you're really convinced this is worth trying, I would recommend spending your $6.95 on something else.

The Samples

To be honest, I haven't really tried these whole-heartedly so I can't give much of a review on either of them but when I do, I'll be sure to post another review.

So, if I take everything I've reviewed and learned anything from it, it's to:

1. Research Lush products before buying them. Impulse buys, while fun in the moment, will cause you nothing but sadness and loss over your $17 you essentially just flushed down the cosmetic toilet.

2. If you plan on visiting a physical Lush store and you also have issues with being touched, let it be known! I'm sure they will leave you alone if you tell them politely that you just want to browse.

Thanks for reading!

P.S. Taylor bought completely different things than I did and recently posted a review of her purchases on her blog, A Thunder Heart. Check it out!

Coco: Cuddle Moderator

2012-02-09T16:14:00.001-06:00

Coco's favorite pass-time is a tie between:
1. Inching ever closer while Ryan and I eat/cook, hoping to catch falling food &
2. Scruffing at people walking by my bedroom window.

Oh, and making sure Ryan and I never cuddle. We are only allowed to cuddle if she is in the middle of aforementioned cuddling.

Oh well

-Becca

Snippets - Valentine Edition

2012-02-08T11:00:00.002-06:00

Feb 2012 Mixtape by Rebecca R on Grooveshark

I should already be out of town by the time this posts. I have a very full few weeks ahead of me as far as work is concerned. I have a few posts (mostly valentine themed) set to publish throughout the time I'm gone and I'll have my netbook with me (to respond to comments and check email and fart around on tumblr) but for the most part I'll be either super busy or asleep.

I love Valentine's Day. It's my second favorite holiday after Halloween. I love the decorations, the excuse to give and receive presents, doing something a little extra special with the person or people you love. I think a lot of it stems from my mom's love of Valentine's Day. She has a collection of vintage Valentine themed hankies and more than enough heart shaped things to call it an obsession. My collection tends to lean more towards pink appliances and kitchen accessories. Plus, I know that someday I'll inherit half of her valentine stuff so I'm not in a huge rush to rival my mother's collection.

The Valentine mixtape is a mixture of songs I've been listening to lately and songs I put on my valentine mix annually. Hope you like it!

-Becca

Valentine Ensembles

2012-02-04T19:40:00.001-06:00

A few outfits I've put together and then illustrated. Mostly things I know I can't justify buying on my income but it doesn't stop me from wanting them any less.

top shorts shoes

I really love the look of those metallic scallop shorts but since they're from Forever21+ I'm immediately skeptical of the fit. But those are the only plus sized scallop shorts I can find so they'll have to do. I've almost bought them at least a dozen times online but since I've yet to try them on in the store, I just can't justify it to myself. There's nothing worse than ordering something online and being SO excited about it, then trying it on and realizing you look terrible in them or they're super uncomfortable. This has happened to me every single time I've ordered a fitted dress from ASOS.

The top and shoes are both from Styele369, a UK based company. Normally I try to avoid UK shops because either the shipping to the US is astronomical or they don't even ship to the US. But the top was just so cute so I put it on there anyways. I'll probably never buy it unless it's on super clearance because I'm pretty sure it's close to $80 USD and that is a bit too much for Becca.

sweater jeans shoes earrings

The second outfit includes mostly ASOS & ASOS Curve items. I personally am lusting after the Curve lavender skinny jeans. They are such a pretty color and they remind me of conversation hearts. The top is a pretty sweater also from ASOS Curve that I think compliments the lavender since it's so simple and the lavender seems like a hard color to pair with unless you were going for an easter egg sort of color scheme.

I tried my hardest to find a pair of enamel conversation heart earrings but all I could find were dangle earrings and studs made of lacquered real conversation hearts which grossed me out for some reason. But these little gold xoxo studs by SPUNKbyCM on etsy were really simple and cute and look nice with the outfit. As for the Vero Pointed Platforms, I really really want these shoes since I can't walk on heels at all so these seem like an obvious and stylish choice for me at least. I originally saw them on sparklyvodka and after she mentioned that she can't walk in heels either, I was convinced that I needed these shoes, haha. She has a great review of them if you're interested in purchasing.

hairband dress belt shoes

The final look is the most Valentine-y of all three. I couldn't help myself. I love love those shoes from ASOS and I've always wanted one of the heart or star crowns by giantdwarf. If they're out of your price range, she has a range of hairpins that are a little more affordable on a budget.

The dress and belt are both from A-Wear, a UK company that has apparently just started offering shipping to the US and a bunch of other countries. The dress is not solely plus sized, it comes in sizes UK6 to UK18. I know I couldn't wiggle my butt into it since I have a lot of trouble with fitted dresses. My body is just not proportioned right for them I guess? I love the dress though! It reminds me of Sofia Coppola's Virgin Suicides. It's so sweet and feminine.

Hope you enjoyed it! Feedback would be most appreciated.

-Becca

#1 Crush

2012-02-03T10:00:00.003-06:00

I've been working on these valentine themed paintings the last week or so. I've had Valentine's Day on the brain since January, haha! I'm a bit obsessed with pale pink if you can't tell.

My bedroom "theme?" used to be pale pink, cream & gold but I'm trying to move away from that theme since Ryan and I will be moving in together sometime in the near future and he really hates pale pink. I think it reminds him of pepto bismol? Or maybe he just likes to hate the things I love. Don't feel too badly for me though, my kitchen and bathroom are still decked out with pale pink so I'm not really sacrificing much.

Annnyways, hope you like them!

-Becca

Movie Monday - The Ghost & Mrs. Muir

2012-01-30T14:18:00.000-06:00

The Ghost & Mrs. Muir (1947)
Starring Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison and a young Natalie Wood. This romantic fantasy is set in London in the early 1900s. Mrs. Muir, a young widow moves to a seaside village named Whitecliff with her daughter and maid. They move into a beautiful home said to be haunted by the previous owner.

Soon the poltergeist reveals himself to be the late Captain Daniel Gregg and while he is at first very perturbed by Mrs. Muir's presence in the house, she grows on him and they fall in love. Obviously other things happen, but I don't want to spoil it for you.

I hadn't ever heard of it before, but I was clicking around Netflix late one night (3 AM to be precise) and I saw that it had Rex Harrison in it. Now, I really loved My Fair Lady, partially for what it is but mostly because my late grandfather was the one who first watched it with me. So, I figured watching Rex Harrison for an hour and a half couldn't be bad. I was so right. Unlike that time I tried watching The Romantics on Netflix. That was a mistake.

I really enjoyed this movie. I thought the interactions between Mrs. Muir and Daniel Gregg were really sweet and went beyond the realm of physical attraction since they couldn't touch.

So if you like old films and you don't have anything to do, I recommend it. It's available on Netflix and if you like it and you want to buy it (which I did), Amazon has copies for around $10.

-Becca

Bloglovin

2012-01-30T01:41:00.001-06:00

I've just joined Bloglovin, so feel free to follow me there!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Snippets

2012-01-28T16:51:00.000-06:00

Just popping in to say hello.

Work today was cancelled so instead of sitting around on the internet like I do on most of my off days, I'm going to attempt to do a little cleaning around the apartment (it really really really needs it) and work on my header & business cards. Also in the works are a few blog posts scheduled for February while I'm babysitting for the better part of two weeks.

Anyways, off to be productive!

-Becca

A Few of My Favorite Things

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-06:00

Brazil Nut Body Butter, $18 via The Body Shop

"A Few of My Favorite Things" will (hopefully) be a bi-monthly review of products I love. It will range from beauty products to food to art supplies to whatever else I think is worthy of telling you about in over-enthusiastic detail.

Let me preface this by saying I used to hate lotion. Scratch that, I still pretty much hate lotion. When I was young I couldn't even stand watching other people put it on. All of this meaning I am INCREDIBLY picky about what lotion I even consider purchasing, let alone trying. So without further ado...

The Body Shop's Brazil Nut Body Butter (for dry skin)

Why I started using it:
My mom has been using it since before I can really remember. Back then it was just called "Nut Butter". I tried it because she told me that it wasn't greasy. Plus, I'd been looking for something more moisturizing since North Texas is incredibly dry in comparison to Houston (where I'm originally from). Before that I had only been using Aveeno's basic scentless body lotion because it wasn't oil based or greasy and it dried relatively quickly (also inexpensive for a large bottle). So I halfheartedly gave the body butter a chance and after a week I was completely hooked.

Why I love it:
I have super sensitive skin and I get razor burn like nobody's business. Part of this is probably because I shave my legs every day (if I don't, the razor burn is 20 times worse). After switching from the Aveeno to the Body Butter I realized very quickly that my razor burn was due largely in part to my lotion being inadequate. After a few weeks my razor burn was gone and I haven't had any problems since as long as I'm using the body butter.
Besides having razor-burn healing properties I also just really love the way it smells and feels on my skin. It's not greasy at all and it blends into your skin really easily. It has a light nutty smell with a very very very faint hint of caramel. The scent doesn't last all day normally but the moisturizing effects last at least 24 hours.

The Catch:
The only drawback of this lotion is that it's $18 a pop. Normally I wait until The Body Shop has one of their semi-annual sales where they'll do 50% off or buy 3 get 2 free and I just stock up (yes, I have bought upwards of 10 at a time). The Brazil Nut scent is a little less likely to go on sale regularly but I've tried the Strawberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Cherry, and Aloe body butter and they're all nice. Most aren't as moisturizing as the Brazil Nut but that's because it's for dry skin and some of the others are for normal skin types.

If you'd like to try it but you don't want to spend $18 on something you're curious about, go to your local Body Shop and test samples in the store. If you don't have one near you, their website normally carries mini sizes of all of the Body Butters for $6.

If anyone tries it, definitely let me know what you think. Love it, hate it, whatever!

-Becca

Happy Birthday Coco!

2012-01-24T12:56:00.001-06:00

Seems a little obsessive to have two consecutive blog posts about my dog but that's how I roll.

Today my little pup turns two years old! She's only been a part of our tiny family since August but I really can't remember what it was like before we adopted her.

3 quick facts about Coco:

1. She's a Shiba-Inu. A small Japanese breed of dog known for their loyalty, intelligence, stubborn-ness (is that a word? I don't think it is but oh well), and cat-like nature.
2. When Coco doesn't feel like she's getting adequate attention, she likes to flip over on her back and writhe around on the floor, making yodeling sounds while furiously kicking her back legs in the air. It's one of the weirdest things I've ever seen a dog do.
3. Coco is a surgeon with toys. She manages to take all of the stuffing and the squeaker out of the toy with only one very small incision.

I'm working on a tutorial for tailored velvet bows and it should be done within the next day or so. Stay tuned!

-Becca

Coco

2012-01-22T18:12:00.001-06:00

A preview of the ridiculous amount of Coco photos to come. Her birthday is Tuesday and she'll be turning 2 so I'll be making a small post about her then. But I couldn't resist posting these of her since I'm testing photo sizes.

Jorb

2011-02-12T01:39:00.001-06:00

I finally have a job!

So, to celebrate my new-found freedom and independence I bought myself this kitty sweater from ASOS. It was on sale for 14.34 and I snatched up the very last one!

I'm also awaiting a really cute Dorothy Perkin's peter pan top Ryan bought me.

So excited!

This was a short entry but until there's someone besides myself reading this (haha), I'd assume keep it short.

Becca