Royal Teeth

I cannot lie, I have been "fan-girling" over a few things lately. I can't help it, I'm smitten with so many great things lately and on that list is the band Royal Teeth. I had heard their first radio single "Wild" months back; it always seem to come on when I was on my way to a mua job, so it quickly became my official car jam. The more I looked into the actual band and their music, the more I began to adore. They had performed locally a couple times before but this past Saturday I had the opportunity to see them at a local club/restaurant. I will try not to go into mounds of details, because believe me I could and would, but it was all amaze!!

I got tickets a month or so in advance, and then a few weeks prior to the show found out that there was an opportunity to win passes to go into soundcheck and meet the band, so I was naturally all over that. I tried and tried and after what seemed like endless "bartering" my husband was able to get me on the list with the help of a local dj. I was ecstatic. We get there for soundcheck, and there was only a handful of people (surprising to me since one, this band rocks, and two, they had given away a considerable amount of passes). When I walked in there they were, on stage, sound checking away. I had the most stupid grin on my face, and I'm sure my husband thought I was out of my mind. Like I said, I am smitten by these people, particularly the 2 main vocalists, Gary and Nora. (pics are on my facebook that I took on my phone, but I'll post a few from my camera with this post). So we listened to the soundcheck and ate some dinner. Well, when I happened to look up, Nora was over at the bar just hanging out. After my husband convinced me I was stupid to not go over and talk to her, that is just what I did. She couldn't have been any nicer and we talked for like 10 minutes before she offered to sign a poster for me.

As she was signing it, the other lead vocalist (**swoon**) Gary appeared. I got to talk to him as well, and I just felt totally in awe.

Eventually the whole band was over and they signed my poster and CD, and I got to get a group photo with everyone.
The show itself was also amaze. There was one guy who opened, but to be honest I don't remember his name, he was local talent. Then The American Authors (another great band discovery) played there set, and then Royal Teeth. I was glad to be right up front in the action, singing along with the songs I already knew and then hearing new songs off their soon-to-be-released album. Of course, when they sang "Wild" that was their biggest hit, with confetti cannon and all!! Gary even came down into the audience with his drum, he was literally so close to me my camera wouldn't focus!



see how close!! Ahh!! xo

He was playing so hard he was breaking drumsticks left and right, so I was lucky enough to also take home a drumstick. I legit felt school girl giddy. Really the only other band I adore adore adore is 311, and they always put on a great, energetic show. Royal Teeth is definitely not short on the energy, or the normalness as people. I am thankful that before the show I got to meet them and talk with some of them; it only solidified my love for them even more. Their EP is out now, and the full length is anticipated to be released in June. They also have great designs on their merchandise, in fact, Nora does a lot of the design work so that's a bonus jonas personal touch you get!!
I'm excited for more music from them and definitely to see them again. If they ever come to your area check them out, or at least pick up a few of their tracks on iTunes. My top 3 right now are: "Stay", "Wild" and their cover of the Knife's "Heartbeats".
Happy Hump Day!!
XO,
J <3.





Pretty Little Liars: S3 Finale Top Ten

     I thought about this and thought about this, and ultimately thought about it so much I had to write about it...the Pretty Little Liars Season 3 finale from Tuesday night. I was totally going to write about this yesterday but my husband whisked me off to a surprise date to the Melting Pot (my fave) last night...totally sweet right?! Gold star for hubs. So, the finale definitely had me glued to my television screen, I couldn't have helped it if I wanted to. I was tweeting with others, and even my husband was watching avidly, haha. I figured I would go ahead and do a Top 10 to merely satiate my desire to talk about it all!! So in no particular order I present my PLL S3 TOP 10:


1. Troian Bellisario
In case you didn't know, she plays Spenser Hastings on the show. I love her. I'm smitten. Her character this season, amaze. She became so complex outside the scope of the "liars" and when she had her breakdown in the woods and entered Radley, wow. I was totally impressed with Bellisario's scope of acting, more so than any of the other girls this season. I love a character that is capable of such a range of emotions. Oh, and we all realize it was Spencer who picked up Malcolm before he dropped the dime on her right?!!
2. Toby
Ahhh!! He's alive! I kind of felt that he was, but didn't want to put my money on it at first. Twitter was a buzz with #TobyIsAlive. And the look on his face when he realized he was sitting across from Spenser, priceless. I figured Spenser had known he was alive,but to see them together again, YES!! In the hotel, when Toby cried and one thing led to another...YES. A lot of people were still questioning if Toby was genuine in saying he only joined up with the A Team to protect Spenser, but I do believe those were his intentions. He was too concerned and upset with Spenser for lying about A in the past. Love them together.
3. Mona
They have really set Mona's character up for an interesting next season. I was surprised when Mona said she didn't know who red coat was. I mean we all had pretty much figured that red coat was running the show, but I really thought Mona knew. And when Mona got the text at the end from A with the other liars it opened up the possibility that she is now a victim of A too. As whacked out as Mona had been, I personally don't think she would set herself up as a victim in this particular way. Thoughts??
4. Red Coat
Do we really think that Alli is red coat?! Mona saw her. Hannah saw her. Spenser saw her. It stands to reason that yes it is, but I feel like it is oh so much more than that. Now, let me preface this by saying I have not read the books, and I am content watching this all play out via the show. Here's my theory...it is Alli, but it isn't. They were so focused on seeing Alli's face, but we never heard red coat talk or anything. Now, Alli has appeared in dreamlike states to the girls before but she even eluded to herself as being dead at those times. Soooo, what if someway somehow Alli had a twin. It makes sense that it could be written in like that. Maybe it's too predictable, maybe it's too far-fetched and twisted to the story that already exists. Either way, I'm writing it off as red coat still unknown til we see more.
5. Who is in the Trunk?!
The question that is at the forefront of all questions after the finale. The last scene ends with all the girl's looking into the trunk of Wilden's car, which mysteriously found it's way out of the lake. So, who was in the trunk. I have ventured my own guess, but I shall refrain from putting it on here. I read an article, which I believe was an interview with Troian Bellisario, that said the trunk mystery will be revealed in the first seconds of the Season 4 premiere in June.
6. Who is being pulled out of the ground?!
Who was pulling who out of the ground at the end?! I don't even want to venture a guess I just want to know!!
7. Aria & Ezra
Other than the arrival of Malcolm into Ezra's life, and the whole debacle with Spenser being the one who picked him up and took him to the carnival, there wasn't much going on with Aria & Ezra. Still, let's discuss. Her parents aren't particularly thrilled with the whole baby mama thing, Ezra wants a teaching job (and let's face it, we all knew he would end up subbing Aria's class), and it took Aria two separate times to break up with Ezra before he accepted it. They are forever breaking up and rekindling their love, I have a feeling this will continue.
8. Eddie Lamb
Remember him??! Spenser's nurse at Radley...the one who told her about the problems with the badges (Toby had Lamb's name on his badge, remember). He knew a lot about Mona's time at Radley and was responsible for leading Spenser to Mona's game board map, and he obviously knows something is going on with Wren. Now, I know that this wasn't referenced anywhere in the finale, but I feel it is still obviously pertinent to things to come early on in Season 4. I was actually surprised that Wren, or Eddie, didn't surface in any way in the finale. Definitely curious about what's going on with all of that!!
9. Jenna
Let's handle this with some rapid fire questioning: Why was Jenna meeting with Shawna? Did Jenna know Toby was alive this whole time? Why didn't she clean all the mail and newspapers off the porch?!! This girl is a hot mess of motive questions already.
10. The Clothes
As always, can I just say how I love pretty much every single thing worn by the PLL closet. If only I could have my way in their wardrobe department. Want. Love. Swoon.

So, that is my "piece" on the PLL Season 3 finale. Who would have thought I would care so much. Not really care, in true sense of the word, but it simply entertains me and that's as good a reason as I need to have my mini fan girl moment. It provides me a nice little break from the stresses of the day you could say.
If you are a PLL fan and want to discuss or add to my Top 10 thoughts, then please comment!!
XO,
J.

Birchbox: March Madness

     How does time always seem to get away from me. Granted, I have been busier than usual, but sometimes I don't even know how I lose track of things the way I do!! I was trying to pull up the pictures from this month's box that I took when I was taking my first impression photos, but the program I use to upload pictures from my cell phone is not cooperating, thus no photos shall be attached. Sad face, especially since there was an eye shadow I swatched and some fairly cool packaging. So, if you truly are interested in something mentioned just think of lack of photo as more of an incentive to actually go and check out the product for yourself. This month's theme was March Madness (an all too common theme for this month as I'm sure you know), and it's supposed to feature products from "veteran all-star" brands and some from "up-and-coming rookie" brands. Without further adieu let's discuss the contents:

*MAKE Eyeshadow... This is a new brand, and one I have not heard of until receiving this box. Supposedly this shadow has mega staying power. Now, when I swatched this shade (mine was a really pretty chocolaty brown) it dusted right off. So, that being said, I'm hoping that with aid of a good eye primer, which is essential regardless of what shadow you are using in my book, that it at least has some longevity to it. Something super rad about this particular line (MAKE) is that 1/3 of all sales are donated to charity. I, personally, adore a company that gives back, so gold star to MAKE right away for that. Full-sized eyeshadow runs at about $18, so it's right along the price point of MAC or Urban Decay.
*MAKE Face Primer Broad Spectrum SPF 30... this primer by MAKE is a winner.One, who doesn't love a good primer?! Two, it contains SPF 30, and I love my face products to have right around that level. The primer itself is not greasy, it is fairly lightweight. The full size is around $30, so it is definitely worth checking out, especially considering 1/3 of that 30 dollars would be going to charity!!
*Nick Chavez Beverly Hills Color-Saver Sulfate-Free Shampoo... So, I'm assuming most have heard of Nick Chavez, especially if you are in the industry or have interest in; Nick is definitely a veteran player here. I always feel "mehh" when it comes to talking about different shampoos and conditioners I'm given opportunity to try, mainly because I'm picky about my hair care to a point, as I know I've said time and again. This is a sulfate free shampoo, which of course is one of the key things I look for in a good color shampoo. If you didn't know, sulfates are what strip your hair!! This shampoo also claims to boost the hue of your color and add volume. Now, from what I've seen out of most volumizing shampoos is that they tend to dry out your hair a little bit. (Too much moisture plugged in weighs the hair down and doesn't allow it to achieve super volume). I'm actually curious to see if a shampoo that in my mind could be drying, could also brighten your color. I'm very interested in the science behind things (take note of future posts to come), so perhaps I shall make a note to give this a try to see how it all balances out. The volumizing properties are supposed to come from the apple and lemon extracts in the shampoo, so that too makes me curious.
Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream... never heard of this line either!! This is an organic shea butter-based foam-free shaving cream. Claims to allow for a close shave and soft skin, and has a blueberry scent. Immediately this called to mind the eos shave cream, so I have a feeling they are justifiably similar. A Full size is $20, which for shave cream seems like a little much, right?! eos is way more affordable, but since I was given a trial I will add it to my growing collection of bathroom toiletries.
Madewell for Birchbox Emery Board... these are always good to have on hand! It has a cute print on it that is from Madewell's Spring Collection, and you can pick up one of these guys for like $5.

There you have it guys! Now that summer is around the corner (I have a feeling here in VA we are going to skip over Spring and jump straight into the Summer months...I mean, yesterday was the first day of Spring yet today it is snowing) I am curious to see what new products will be coming out, especially with regards to skin care. I did get all my samples in my box this month and last month's little snafoo has been handled greatly by customer service over at Birchbox. The only mild let down I had with this box is that some people got Benetint in their box, the lucky dogs!! Hope everyone is having a great week so far, and here's to warmer weather!!
XO,
J.