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Saturday, August 27, 2011

The Last Guardian: Why I worry so...

Team ICO, Oh Team ICO.

Why hasn’t this game been released yet? No, seriously. Why?

Do you hate us? Have we not used Shadow of the Colossus and Ico as glowing examples in the “videogames are art” argument? I will literally buy a PS3 to play this game – well, that and Final Fantasy versus 13 – because your pedigree means so much to me. I would buy this game before I would buy food.

Alright, how about a little back story. The Last Guardian is a game about a boy and his giant griffin released by the earthy manifestation of god Team ICO. Preceded by ICO and Shadow of the Colossus (the Nick Drake and Big Star of video gaming) Last Guardian has quite the reputation to live up to.

The Last Guardian was also announced in 2009 meaning that it’s been in the works since at least 2007. Well, after trailer after trailer and updated screenshot after updated screenshot, it’s finally going to be released in early 2012. Quite frankly, that’s ridiculous.

The ICO mythos has never been accused of being a story that’s over told. You could sum up the plot of both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus in a couple of paragraphs and I would be surprised of The Last Guardian is going to be any different. In fact, I’ll predict the entire story right now.

Boy is in trouble, probably because someone is trying to sacrifice him to something. Boy stumbles across giant bird thing and after some light tension they become friends. Bird thing saves boy from baddies. Bird thing dies.

What? They killed Argo. This doesn’t take rocket science to figure out.

What I think is happening is that The Last Guardian is being “Portal 2”ed. Portal 2 was an infinitely easier game than the first Portal. This is because they play tested the game WAY too much and it was made easier as too make sure no one’s brain hemorrhaged when challenged with a mildly difficult puzzle. This lead to a lot of really easy puzzles and a game that felt really padded out all for the sake of accessibility. On one hand this is okay – I want more people to play video games – but at the same time I feel like it took away from what, made Portal so great.

Here is a quote from Fumito Ueda, “I also want people who are not serious game players to try out this game. So I want the controls to be simpler than before.” This attitude usually leads to games being insultingly easy. In Portal 2 it was really hard to get immersed in the game world because you were being shuffled from one scene to another never really getting much of a chance to take it all in.

In Shadow of the Colossus there is a battle where you have to get a flying dragon Colossus out of the sky. As the player, you spend a lot of time staring at the sky trying to figure out how to get the big guy to come down. This is a carefully planned gameplay decision which is meant to give scale to what you are about to undertake. The Colossus seems so small in the sky and when it finally swoops down to attack you it feels much bigger than it actually is.

It feels like a Colossus.

I worry that they are in the process of trading accessibility for immersion and if that is the case then that makes me kind of apprehensive. Without immersion Shadow of the Colossus wouldn’t have been the game that it was. The same goes for Portal.

Sometimes you really need to just stare at a wall while figuring out a puzzle.

Sometimes it’s important to feel confused and lost.

My prediction is that The Last Guardian is going to good but not a successor to the games that came before. It happened to Return of the Jedi, it happened to Return of the King and it happened in other things that don’t have “return” in the title.

Silent Hill 3!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars

Alrighty, you’ve had enough with the philosophical waxing. Lets do a game review.

I have a special place in my heart for Turn Based Strategy (TBS) games. All the way back from Tactics Ogre to Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (essentially the same game). This probably had to do with my obsession with forcing others to blindly follow my orders. I usually pretend to be the benevolent dictator that I wish would come and fix this country. Leading us to a brighter tomorrow where all decisions are made for the collective cause of the common identity. RISE my minions and I will lead you all to Eudaimonia: the sovereign collective fatherland!

The tedium of playing stupid Ocarina of Time for the 30-bazillionth time was really starting to get my goad. I went to check the reviews for 3DS games and the superfluously named Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars: The Final Tussle: Clancy Edition 3D: Chapter One: Episode 3: These Wretched Days: and A Bag of Chips by Tom Clancy caught my attention. I was interested because to my surprise the game had gotten good reviews but also wary because of the phrase “good for a 3DS game” came up a lot.

This worried me but I gave it a whirl anyway. Well, it’s 2 weeks later and according to my activity log I’ve been playing Shadow Wars for 18 hours 45 minutes and average a 1 hour session when playing. Needless to say Shadow Wars is not only good for a 3DS game but it is good, period.

First there is the story.

I’ve never read a Tom Clancy book or even played any games that he’s had a hand in creating. However, Shadow Wars almost makes me want to change that fact (I said “ALMOST”!). One thing that I noticed about Clancy or at least this game is that it is essentially a Westernized Ghost in the Shell/Appleseed story. In fact, I would say that this plot could have been written by Masamune Shirow if he one day decided that he was terrified of Russians and their pesky ideals. The anti-Communist sentiments are a little heavy handed but you can always pretend the Russians are the Others and you’re a mercenary hired by Charles Whitmore and BOOM season 4 of Lost.

TBSs are kind of like chess. Certain fighters have specific way that they can attack and you build strategies based around what you’re given. Shadow Wars can boast one of the most well-balanced and thought out approaches to TBSs that I’ve seen. Generally when playing a TBS it starts off simple enough but by the 10th mission your options get so out of hand you feel like you’re trying to order off the Cheesecake Factory menu.

In R-Type Command you start off with a easily understood fleet of a few ships. By the time your fighting the Bydos in a black hole you are inundated with so many options of fighting tactics that it’s nearly impossible to choose between the long range fighter that can cloak itself within 3 moves and not use it’s secondary weapon or the long range fighter that can cloak itself within 2 moves but you can use the plasma cannon. Does it really make that much of a difference?!?!

What I like about Shadow Wars is that you are given a core group of 6 soldiers who have specific jobs. They can be tweaked a little but not enough to feel overwhelmed with the “spice of life”. What happens a lot in TBSs is that you pick a team based on some light intel. Whether or not that team bodes well depends on your ability to pick a team that will strategically give you the upper hand with info like: “there will be a battle, it happens in space”.

I hate this approach.

What this boils down to is that there is no strategy involved. You play a battle, figure out what you’re fighting, typically lose and restart the battle with a reformed party that is based around the weaknesses of the baddies you just fought. You basically use your first battle as a cheat sheet for the second go around. Shadow Wars builds maps based around the party that it already knows you are working with. This translates to maps are created with an answer built into them. Essentially, the problem has a solution.

This is what makes for a great TBS game. If you like Final Fantasy Tactics or Advanced Wars but hated playing the same level 50 times because you didn’t have the clairvoyance to know exactly what you where up against. Well, my friends, Shadow Wars will quell that nagging irritation and also hold you over till Nintendo starts throwing free games at you.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Casual or Business/Hardcore?

Lately I’ve been struggling with the concept of what exactly constitutes a casual gamer or a hardcore gamer. I started at the Mecca of legit info (Wikipedia) and found myself even more lost. Yeah, I know this is Wikipedia but where else am I going to find a definition? Hardcore gamer was described as people who “prefer to take significant time and practice on games.” And generally I thing this is a pretty accurate description.

This foil conjures up images dead eyed 30-something males who invent things like the Totino’s Taco. Or of Code Red guzzling, gold farmers, slowly supernovaing into fits of nerd rage and hypertension when some n00b snatches up all the loot. Refusing to LARP because that would require too much physical activity. RED, RED, WHITE, BLOCK! For Darkon!

However, while thinking about this subject I watched a Zero Punctuation episode that described FPSs by saying, “you point at things you don’t like and they go away. They’re not exactly the 12 Task of Hercules”. Fair enough however this got me to thinking (now that I’m done with school I can do as much of that as I need). This made me think of another game rarely associated with hardcore gaming: Angry Birds.

You point (birds) at things you don’t like (pigs) until they go away.

Quick disclaimer: I’m going to keep this discussion about FPSs to the online multiplayer and kind of ignore the campaign.

What? You did.

In most FPSs the main attraction is playing multiplayer online. A general simulation of this activity can be summed up by point, shoot, point, shoot, kneel, teabag, scream, repeat. Or if you’re feeling a bit more multicultural you can play in the middle of the night and have a fat, lazy Limey man-child expound on how fat, lazy and man-childish YOU are. POINT BEING that it’s a bit repetitive and though strategic variation comes into play it’s no different than Salmon is to Nantucket Red.

Angry Birds has a similar sort of repetition to it as well, which usually is categorized by the term “casual gamer”. You have birds, you fling them at a perplexing combo of basswood and reinforced concrete magic, and pigs go away. I get the appeal to this kind of simplicity, I being someone who can boast total kick assery at Super Bust-A-Move.

Yeah, there’s a storyline in Angry Birds but for this discussion it will be ignored.

What? You did.

Wait a minute! There seem to be a lot of similarities here. There is monotonous gameplay with varying levels of difficulty, questionable addiction to said gameplay and a distaste for narrative that would make Joseph Campbell roll in his grave.

You all are the same people!

Replace the Spetsnaz with pigs, the SPAS-12 with a slingshot and aforementioned British mutant hate speech with weird Sims 3esque jabbering and you’re essentially playing the same game. Granted, I’m making some rather broad generalizations but there’s a bigger point to be made. Not just about gamers but gaming as a whole. Just stick with me.

So, what does this mean? Are hardcore gamers actually casual gamers? Or vice versa? Can the Financial Auditor with a wife, kids and house who spends 4 hours a day carefully grooming their FarmVille crop into the Dharma Initiative symbol be lumped with the Cheeto munching, profanity spewing Data Analyst who just got a chopper gunner and is going to ensure total PWNage in your mom’s face?

Absolutely. You say tomato, I say ketchup.

It seems to me that these labels don’t really bring anything to the table when it comes to explanatory power. They do not define any sort of character trait that is intrinsic to casual or hardcore gamers. We all love playing games (well, at least most of us do) and all in all these labels are essentially meaningless in their current iteration. The demographic of gamer has broadened so far that using them almost sets us back.

It may be better to actually drop these terms completely and lean toward labels that encompass us all as gamers rather than create rift between us. Many a time I have heard the “casual gamer” get the short end of the stick because they are “ruining the industry” by not knowing that Angry Birds is just a copy of Crush the Castle and thus snuffing out all innovation. Or conversely, the “hardcore gamer” demanding that games like Silent Hill 2, ICO, Out of this World and Killer 7 be considered legitimate forms of art and are met with eye rolling only paralleled by a Williamsburgian plastered on Four Loko.

It’s all just kind of silly.

In the end it seems these terms are used in the same way that a Philosophy major would call a neophyte a "sofa philosopher" or how Joe Lunch Pail would call the academic an "egghead". At the end of the day all these labels really do is generalize and create rifts. This alienation is rather disheartening especially when you consider how much gamers are alike.

It is important to find your identity in gaming as to help others understand your point of view as well as help define this amazing new medium in the art community. There is a cavalcade of possibilities out there in terms of knowing what we like in a game and what games are.

I think it’s about time to throw out the old filing system.

HOORAH for games!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

How the "Nerds" Ruin Everything

So, Nintendo is in dire straits reporting losses for the first time in over a decade. They dropped the price of the 3DS a dramatic 33% to $170, they’re giving us fan boys 20 free games to keep us from sending them mail bombs and Saturo Iwata (Big N’s President and CEO) is taking a 50% pay cut taking full responsibility in a way that you would never see the US financial industry stoop to. Nintendo has debased themselves and lie prostrate at the their consumer base begging for forgiveness.

But you know what, I don’t blame you, Nintendo. Get up off the floor. This is not (entirely) your fault. But who’s to blame? Yamauchi couldn’t have lost $300 million with nary a sea of rolling heads.

Who do I blame?

YOU! Yeah that’s right, you (no, not you Nintendo, get off the ground, geez) or more specifically what passes for a “nerd” these days. You people who buy Donkey Kong wall stickers, who shop at, who listen to Anamanaguchi, who though that Tron: Legacy and Transformers was AMAZING, who’s “best of” consists of Megaman 2, Final Fantasy 3, and Ocarina of Time, those who show a sliver of excitement in another Bill and Ted movie, who bake Portal cakes and make DNF jokes about Duke Nukem’. I’m talking about all of those dinks out there that cannot be satisfied with anything that has come out in the past 2 decades. I hate all of you.

Why? Well, I’ll tell you.

See, wut had happen’d is that Nintendo (and 3rd party supporters) have spent all their time working and releasing games that appeal to those who fall under the above categorization. All these people are contrarian nostalgiaphyles and wouldn’t be caught dead playing a game that they hadn’t researched to death, torrented and condemned because it didn't emulate the innovative gameplay of Pong.

This new breed of gamer is terrified of any sort of change. If a Mario game comes out it better emulate Super Mario 3 or Super Mario World. If not it will be eternally damned by those who are fairly sure that those where the best games ever and all new ideas should be stifled like one that argues that 2+2=4 (oh, literary reference).

I’ve heard the launch of the3DS being compared to the Virtual Boy a lot. Well, I guess they where both 3D and Nintendo released them and that’s about where the comparisons end. This is the complaint that only a self-satisfied nostalgiaphyle-nerd would make showing off their ability to constantly check Boing Boing, Topless Robot and i09 (generally, I like these sites they're just patronized by the "nerd" equivalent of hipsters).

I like Nintendo and specifically I like the 3DS. We wanted a handheld system with better screen resolution. We got it. We wanted retro games available on online shops. We go it. We didn’t want to be told about it 4 years before it actually came out (yeah, I’m looking at you Team ICO). We got it.

We’ve looked this gift horse in the mouth so hard that we’re falling out the horse’s anus.

Was it rushed out? Yes, that’s why there aren’t many games. However, the fact that the first major title to be released is a port of Ocarina of Time only supports my position that Nintendo has jumped through rings of fire to satisfy these contrarian nostalgia-holic faux-nerds. Well, congratulation you’re ruining Nintendo, gagging the game industry and built Sauron’s Tower with Legos.

Iwata, I accept your apology and I will happily take your 20 free games. And I will happily spit in the face of everyone who already played them on an emulator.


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Regional FlagThe Gaze of the Black Prince Be Upon YouSource
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#1 - 2014/06/16 04:00:00 PM
The Gaze of the Black Prince Be Upon You

The gaze of the Black Prince had been both blessing and curse to her once upon a time. Her journey long and arduous, the blood of the enemy stained her boots. Now she stood on the corpse of the vanquished Fire God – Ordos – her cloak whipping about her frame and victory beating within her heart. Her journey was at an end. But as with any end, there is always another beginning ‘round the bend.

To be legendary, one must obtain– a truly legendary cloak. What hero is hero without one? To help you on your danger fraught quest, the infamous Black Prince would grant you a boon to help make the journey toward adorning your own cloak a little easier. Will you follow in the footsteps of heroes that have come before and brave the challenge?

Beginning Tuesday, June 17 at 9:00 a.m. PDT, through Monday, June 30 at 9:00 a.m. PDT, we’ll be applying the Gaze of the Black Prince buff which will increase the reputation gained with the Black Prince by 100%. It will also increase the chance of obtaining items from his foes needed as a part of the Legendary Cloak quest line including: the Secrets of the Empire, Sigil of Wisdom, Sigil of Power, or Titan Runestones.

To learn more about the Legendary Cloak quest line, check out our previous blog posts: I am Legendary and The Time Has Come: Legendary Quest Line

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the film
Geometric ideas and concepts

Stanford's Gravity Probe B
Confirms Two Einstein Theories

by Staff
Stanford Report, May 4, 2011

After 52 years of conceiving, testing and waiting, marked by scientific advances and disappointments,
one of Stanford's and NASA's longest-running projects comes to a close with a greater understanding of the universe.

Artist concept of Gravity Probe B orbiting the Earth to measure space-time, a four-dimensional description of the universe including height, width, length, and time. Stanford and NASA researchers have confirmed two predictions of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, concluding one of the space agency's longest-running projects.

Known as Gravity Probe B, the experiment used four ultra-precise gyroscopes housed in a satellite to measure two aspects of Einstein's theory about gravity. The first is the geodetic effect, or the warping of space and time around a gravitational body. The second is frame-dragging, which is the amount a spinning object pulls space and time with it as it rotates.

After 52 years of conceiving, building, testing and waiting, the science satellite has determined both effects with unprecedented precision by pointing at a single star, IM Pegasi, while in a polar orbit around Earth. If gravity did not affect space and time, Gravity Probe B's gyroscopes would point in the same direction forever while in orbit. But in confirmation of Einstein's general theory of relativity, the gyroscopes experienced measurable, minute changes in the direction of their spin as they were pulled by Earth's gravity.

The findings appear online in the journal Physical Review Letters.

"Imagine the Earth as if it were immersed in honey. As the planet rotated its axis and orbited the Sun, the honey around it would warp and swirl, and it's the same with space and time," said Francis Everitt, a Stanford physicist and principal investigator for Gravity Probe B.

A lasting legacy

"GP-B confirmed two of the most profound predictions of Einstein's universe, having far-reaching implications across astrophysics research," Everitt said. "Likewise, the decades of technological innovation behind the mission will have a lasting legacy on Earth and in space."

Stanford has been NASA's prime contractor for the mission and was responsible for the design and integration of the science instrument and for mission operations and data analysis.

Much of the technology needed to test Einstein's theory had not yet been invented in 1959 when Leonard Schiff, head of Stanford's physics department, and George E. Pugh of the Defense Department independently proposed to observe the precession of a gyroscope in an Earth-orbiting satellite with respect to a distant star. Toward that end, Schiff teamed up with Stanford colleagues William Fairbank and Robert Cannon and subsequently, in 1962, recruited Everitt.

NASA came on board in 1963 with the initial funding to develop a relativity gyroscope experiment. Forty-one years later, the satellite was launched into orbit about 400 miles above Earth.

The project was soon beset by problems and disappointment when an unexpected wobble in the gyroscopes changed their orientation and interfered with the data. It took years for a team of scientists to sift through the muddy data and salvage the information they needed.

Despite the setback, Gravity Probe B's decades of development led to groundbreaking technologies to control environmental disturbances on spacecraft, such as aerodynamic drag, magnetic fields and thermal variations. The mission's star tracker and gyroscopes were the most precise ever designed and produced.

Played a role in developing GPS

Innovations enabled by GP-B have been used in the Global Positioning System, such as carrier-phase differential GPS, with its precision positioning that can allow an airplane to land unaided. Additional GP-B technologies were applied to NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer mission, which determined the universe's background radiation. That measurement is the underpinning of the "big bang theory" and led to the Nobel Prize for NASA's John Mather.

"The mission results will have a long-term impact on the work of theoretical physicists for years to come," said Bill Danchi, senior astrophysicist and program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Every future challenge to Einstein's theories of general relativity will have to seek more precise measurements than the remarkable work GP-B accomplished."

Over the course of its mission, GP-B advanced the frontiers of knowledge and provided a practical training ground for 100 doctoral students and 15 master's degree candidates at universities across the United States. Over 350 undergraduates and more than four dozen high school students also worked on the project, alongside leading scientists and aerospace engineers from industry and government.

Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut in space, worked on GP-B while studying at Stanford. Another was Nobel Laureate Eric Cornell, who also studied at Stanford.

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., managed the Gravity Probe-B program for the agency. Lockheed Martin Corporation of Huntsville designed, integrated and tested the space vehicle and some of its major payload components.

Related Sites:
Gravity Probe B by Wikipedia, 9/3/14

Stanford's Gravity Probe B Confirms Two Einstein Theories
Stanford Report, May 4, 2011

See what you can learn

learn more on topics covered in the film
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text:
Reflections on World Hepatitis Day

World Hepatitis Day
by Leilani Attilio

On July 28, 2012 NC Harm Reduction joined other hepatitis activists on the the white house lawn to commemorated World Hepatitis Day with a special focus on Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Hepatitis has reached epidemic proportions around the world, including the United States, but has largely flown under the radar in communities. Approximately 805,000 to 1.4 million people1 and 3.2 million people2 are infected with HBV and HCV in the United States, respectively. Unfortunately, people who are infected with HCV, which is the leading cause of liver transplants and liver cancer in the United States, may not have any signs or symptoms for decades, making the spread of the disease more pervasive. In addition, to give a sense to the seriousness of the disease (if the word “cancer” wasn’t enough), deaths due to HCV have surpassed those from HIV/AIDS3. In an effort to curtail further transmission and deaths, the White House hosted the fifth World Hepatitis Day on August 2nd to bring awareness to the threat of the disease across the country.

Featured panelists and speakers at the White House included Congressman Hank Johnson, who spoke about HCV as a person living with the disease, Dr. Howard Koh, the Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Dr. John Ward, Director of the Viral Hepatitis Program at the CDC. The gathering was a platform to roll out strategy plans, recommendations, and tools for surveillance. For example, the CDC unveiled an online risk assessment tool for hepatitis. The five-minute questionnaire asks various questions such as year of birth and nativity. At the end of the questionnaire, the assessment tool generates a printable summary and recommendations to discuss with your health care provider.

The North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition is working closely with the North Carolina legislature for the state to adopt recommendations supported by numerous professional medical organizations such as American Medical Association, American Public Health Association, and Institute of Medicine. These recommendations include syringe decriminalization, which would allow us to conduct syringe exchanges in North Carolina without criminal prosecution. Injection drug use is a risk factor for HCV due to practices such as sharing needles during injection. The coalition is looking forward to minimizing the risk of disease for all people and collaborating with other likeminded organizations. We hope you will join the fight. The first step is to raise awareness. Consider this step checked off.

1. Weinbaum CM, Williams I, Mast EE. Recommendations for identification and public health management of person with chronic hepatitis B virus infection: MMWR 57(RR-8):2;2008.

2. Armstrong GL, Wasley A, Simard EP, McQuillan GM, Kuhnert WL, Alter MJ. The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in the United States, 1999 through 2002. Ann Intern Med. May 16 2006;144(10):705-714.

3. Ly KN, Xing J, Klevens RM, Jiles RB, Ward JW, Holmberg SD. The increasing burden of mortality from viral hepatitis in the United States between 1999 and 2007. Ann Intern Med. Feb 21 2012;156(4):271-278.

Thanks for this

I contracted Hepatitis A as a child, and it damned near killed me. Don't know if B&C symptoms are the same, but if they're worse? Good Lord. I was bedridden for some six weeks, fever spiking to over 105, and losing days at a time from delirium. Not fun.


text:
Don’t expect a huge change with Vigneault on board

June 18, 2013, by
Don't expect a huge difference in performance under Vigneault.

Don’t expect a huge difference in performance under Vigneault.

With Alain Vigneault on board, the Rangers are likely going to be changing their styles of play. But with that style change comes understanding what that change will bring. This is something we’ve covered a few times here, but it’s worth digging deeper into the puck possession metrics to see how exactly the Rangers will be differing in styles of play, and how effective AV’s more conservative style is at driving puck possession.

Make no mistake, there are very few coaches as aggressive as John Tortorella. The Rangers sat at the top of the league in GF% (goals for percentage, GF/[GF+GA]), CF%, and SF% this past season, which was likely the most efficient on-ice performance of any Torts-coached Ranger team. They may not have been pretty, they may have been maddeningly inconsistent, but they were efficient in puck possession as a team. Vigneault’s Canucks, however, were not in the top-10 in these categories this past season.

But it is unfair to really rate Vigneault –or Tortorella for that matter– with just one lockout-shortened season of stats. So let’s look at the last three years for these coaches:

2013 57.3% 50.9% 53.6% 51.5% 54.0% 49.1%
2011-2012 53.2% 54.2% 47.7% 52.7% 50.1% 50.0%
2010-2011 52.3% 56.8% 49.1% 52.3% 49.9% 51.5%

From the table, you can see a direct trend upward for Tortorella as his players began buying into the system. For Vigneault, you can see a direct trend downward. On the surface it looks bad, but there are probably more factors at play here. For the Canucks, it’s tough to drive possession when half your defense is injured at any given time. Also, they lacked quality depth players that could drive puck possession (see: Hagelin, Carl).

However there’s more to puck possession than just measuring CF% and SF%. There’s also face off location; the ability to force teams to take face offs in their defensive zone. This illustrates the ability to get the puck out of the defensive zone and begin the attack. This is a secondary aspect of puck possession that is often overlooked.

2013 34.9% 32.5%
2011-2012 29.4% 31.7%
2010-2011 31.3% 32.4%

This is where things get interesting. AV’s Canucks hovered around 32% for the three year average, while Torts’ Rangers had a whopping 5% jump in the lockout-shortened 2013 season, up from 30%. Those first two years Torts relied on a low-zone collapse, it wasn’t until he started mixing in a strong-side overload in 2013 that the Rangers started being more effective in the defensive zone. Vancouver, who routinely played the strong side overload in the defensive zone, was much more consistent.

So what does all this tell us?

It means that Alain Vigneault will not bring sweeping changes to the Rangers in regards to puck possession. He may get more out of this club on the powerplay. He may get them to block less shots. He may get them to play a less-exhausting 1-2-2 forecheck. But one thing he will not do is turn the Rangers into a dominant puck possession force. What you saw last year during the last month of the season was the Rangers at their best, and barring any significant roster turnover, that is what their best will be, Torts or Vigneault.

What does Vigneault bring then? He brings a different voice in the locker room. He may bring them a better powerplay (he will certainly get them to move more). He will bring a more conservative approach to the forecheck.  Maybe a new voice is what this team needs to be more consistent. That we won’t know until a few months into the 2013-2014 season. But if you’re expecting a completely dominant team because of a coaching change, you’re in for some major disappointment.

Categories : Analysis, Coaching

  1. agentsmith says:

    I have two theories.

    1. John Tortorella sponsors this site.

    2. maybe the “suit” is really john tortorella (just a stab at it)?

    • The Suit says:

      “The numbers don’t lie, they just don’t agree with you.”

    • Centerman21 says:

      It just goes to show that most fans don’t really know why the didnt like Torts or why they wanted him out of here. He was better at the things than Vineault that they cite as reasons the Rangers couldn’t score. These numbers surprise me and I was a huge supporter of Torts and his methods. I thought they could be a little more aggressive when the puck was at the points but you see here that for a North/South team Torts Rangers were a better Possesion team than Alain Vineault and his Canucks. Oh well I can hear the fans screaming for his head now. I hope they’re happy!

    • Dave says:

      You are aware I wrote this, right?

  2. J says:

    Power play is two words.

    • Justin says:

      Hey Dave, don’t worry about putting high-quality statistical analysis in your posts anymore. Just make sure they are 100% grammatically correct. And I believe in hockey, the usage of Powerplay is a term of art that allows for incorrect conventional usage.

  3. Steven Cifuentes says:

    It is great to try to let numbers tell a story but how it spells out on the ice is what matters. I would love to see how many of those offensize zone faceoffs were the result of players just throwing a weak shot on net, with nobody in front that a goalie can easily cover.

    The only number that matters is that Torts lost the room and had to go.

  4. Walt says:

    Nice write up!

    As for the charts, grammer, etc. who gives a hoot?

    Torts is gone, a new voice in the locker room is all I needed to hear, and my day was made.

    Now all Slats needs to do is get us another true scorer, some quality bottom six players, and we are off and running. Powerplay, power play, what difference does it make, as long as it works??

    • VinceR says:

      That’s “all” Slats needs to do? How does he go about that? Who is available and how do we make it work on the acquisition?

      Not trying to call you out Walt, but it’s just that you are making a very tall order (that may not evenbe feasible at this time) sound like a snap of the fingers.

      • Centerman21 says:

        It sure is a tall order. The Rangers brass has to 1st resign the core players that matter and there might not be much room left against the upper limit to be aggressive in Free Agency. The fact that the cap is down may keep the big market teams away from the bidding but these 5 or 6 players may get a big pay day. It’s all gonna come down to who gets bought out and do they fit the Rangers need. We are likely stuck with most of our bottom 6 players under contract for next year. No one will want our scraps and there’s not enough cap room to just simply replace them with Free Agents.

      • Walt says:

        How hard is it to get a Clarkson, and a Lapierre, that would do the trick. Dump BR, skate the kids, Kreider, Miller, Lindberg, and resign our RFA. All this is a pipe dream right?? Get real my friend.

        • Justin says:

          It could be very difficult to get Clarkson if he is looking for $5m+ over an extended period…

        • VinceR says:

          Where did I call it a pipe dream? As Justin states Clarkson will probably be too pricey. Lapierre is a good fit and makes sense, but that is one guy. Where is the true scorer and multiple bottom line guys you mention Slats has to go out and get?

          If you were including Lindberg (still unknown), Kreider, and Miller (I’m optimistic, but they still have to prove themselves) then that makes the statement make sense. It sounded like you wanted Slats to fetch a true scorer and multiple quality bottom six players. I didn’t see a solution that made it work, but I guess that means I have to get real for asking.

          • HARLEMBLUES says:

            Are we really built to win now? Hell no.Our goalie is ready to win now.This team wouldn’t be ready until Kreider,Miller,McD,Lindberg and Fasth are ready.DEPTH.Lets’ get work.

          • Walt says:

            I was trying to make a point, Clarkson is the only question mark, will we pay for his services?

            Lapierre is very doable, and because he has worked well with AV, it should be easy enough.

            The young kids are in the organization, where is the problem there?

            The pipe dream was a pointed question, maybe phrased wrong, but again very doable without busting the budget.

            Oh, and if Clowe is re-signed, we have a roster that could compete with anyone, even if I’m against that move.

  5. Rockdog says:

    Nice job, Dave. One of the things I love about BSB is the use of statistical analysis to provide a deeper understanding of the game.

  6. Erixon20 says:

    Good article. But we should all expect a huge change in how AV manages ice time, which was my main problem with Torts. Not just how AV starts his guys (forwards) in situations most advantageous to their skill set, but how he plays everybody…no one less than 10, no one more than 20. These days, successful coaches do this. Torts did not, and I believe he would have had more success if he did. In theory, this can wear down the OTHER team. Note: If you are carrying a true enforcer, obviously he will get less than 10 minutes.

    • The Suit says:

      Alain played 5 guys over 20 mins in the playoffs and 5 guys under 10 mins. Just isn’t realistic to expect that kind of icetime distribution.

      • Erixon20 says:

        Maybe the ideal situation is not possible, but icetime will be distributed better by anyone other than Torts. Babcock and Quenville play all their guys and don’t routinely staple a scapegoat to the bench. And the guys on Chi and Det that get 10-15 minutes are hardly household names…but by playoff time they are looking pretty good.

        • Bobby G says:

          Babcock and Queneville have to luxury of having a deeper squad than Torts did. I firmly believe that if we had the depth that other elite teams had, Torts would distribute the ice time more evenly.

          • Erixon20 says:

            Chicago has Frolik, Kruger, Handzus, Ben Smith…are those guys really that much of an upgrade? Torts would give them each 6 mins and bench Bolland for the stupid penalty. The Torts style gets the most out of his players for sure…until there’s nothing left.

            • Bobby G says:

              Well Frolik has 7 points in 20 playoff games, Kruger has 4 points in 20 playoff games but 13 in 47 regular season games, Handzus 10 points in 20 playoff games. I would argue that is a significant upgrade over the likes of Asham, Boyle, Dorsett, etc in the scoring department. You could argue that Chicago’s players perform better because they are given more opportunity, but I still believe it is because they have higher quality 4th liners.

              • Erixon20 says:

                It is a bit of a “chicken or the egg” argument, but I believe Chicago’s guys would have less ice and therefore less points if Torts was running their bench. And our guys, Boyle, Asham, Pyatt, Dorsett would have been better (Boyle and Asham had more goals than Nash in the playoffs) had they seen the ice more. Not to mention how our guys, although les skilled, are a lot more physical and could have been able to wear down the depleted and inexperienced Boston D corps. Probably wouldn’t have beaten the Bs, but it could have been a series at least.

          • HARLEMBLUES says:

            He had trust issues Bobby G.

      • Ray says:

        Maybe so, but by keeping his stars well rested during the year (and avoiding building any unnecessary stamina), he had his team well prepared for their long playoff run this year.

  7. Centerman21 says:

    I think AV will get more from our bottom 6 players. Pyatt played well in Phoenix with a 1-2-2 Forecheck and was Torts game really fit for Boyle? I’d say no and AV system may be better for him since he’s not that fast and not great skating with the puck through the neutral zone. Maybe less is more for Boyle in the middle zone. Maybe for a La Pierre this may be a good situation for him. He’s pretty big and his physicality may be welcomed in NY. I Would like to see Clowe come back and complete the 3rd line. He may get us 15-20 goals and be that net front presence. The Rangers surrender a 2 round pick if they sign him or if they get past the second round of the playoffs. Otherwise it’s a 5th if neither happens. Sign him to a 2 year 4-5 mil contract. Unless he just wants a 1 year to show he’s healthy again. My point is Sather gave up a lot to let him walk or sign else where in NYR division.

  8. Mikeyyy says:

    Your just saying that because your a torts fan. Really. New coach, changes are coming. Instead you rather they do just as bad so you can say it wasn’t torts fault.

    • Spozo says:

      Devils advocate…… They make it to the ecf next year and get eliminated in game 6. That would be doing just as bad as Tortz last year. Do you want him fired then?

    • Dave says:

      Did you even read the post? Or did you just read the title and assume?

  9. Justin says:

    I do love all the people coming here telling the writers what Vigneault is going to do when they’ve probably never watched more than five Vancouver Canucks game or can tell an X from an O.

  10. supermaz says:

    Bottom line….
    Torts is a selfish, impulsive, impatient ass. It was time to go.


text:
Richard Thomason

Director, Health Care and Coverage

Richard Thomason serves as director of the Health Care and Coverage program at Blue Shield of California Foundation, where he leads the Foundation’s efforts to improve access to care and strengthen the healthcare safety net through grantmaking, program activities, and technical assistance. Mr. Thomason joined the Foundation in 2009 as a program officer, and has managed the Foundation’s grantmaking and program work related to health reform, coverage expansion, and strengthening safety net healthcare systems. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mr. Thomason was the policy director for SEIU - United Healthcare Workers West, where he was deeply involved in the full range of healthcare reform and healthcare system issues facing SEIU and its membership. Previously, Mr. Thomason spent eight years as professional staff to the California Assembly in roles related to health and fiscal policy. In addition to his work in the California legislature, Mr. Thomason has also worked as a community relations representative for Kaiser Permanente and as legislative staff to U.S. Senator Bill Bradley.

Mr. Thomason has been a member of numerous boards and commissions, including the Alameda Alliance for Health Board of Governors, the California Health Care Coalition, the Berkeley Community Health Commission, and the Alameda County Public Health Advisory Commission.

Mr. Thomason has a master’s degree in public affairs with a concentration in domestic policy from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Arts from Reed College.


text:
Monday, May 16, 2011

First Sighting! Indigo Bunting

First it was a northern flicker, and now it's an indigo bunting, another bird I've never seen before.

Yesterday, as we were leaving Tiny Girl's horse show (after about eight hours, but that's another story), Himself pointed to a bird on the ground beside the barn and said, "Hey, look at that really blue bird!" So we did.

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

I said it wasn't a bluebird, and Tiny Girl commented, "It looks more teal than blue." I wondered aloud if it might be an indigo bunting, which I've read about but never seen.

We looked it up in our bird book when we got home. Lo and behold, it was a male indigo bunting. After a bit more research, we learned that males sport bright blue plumage only during breeding season, after which they fade to a brown more like females. Also, their feathers have no blue pigment, but are actually black. According to, "the diffraction of light through their feathers makes them look blue. This explains why males can appear many shades from turquoise to black."

Other interesting facts about indigo buntings (thanks,!):
- A group of buntings are collectively known as a "decoration," "mural," or "sacrifice" of buntings
- These migratory birds migrate at night, using the pattern of stars nearest the North Star to guide them

For a birdwatcher like me, it was exciting to see another new-to-me bird. I hope I see another soon!

  1. Oh, we've always thought those are so pretty but have never seen one! We're jealous now! :)

  2. Hi, Jamie! Apparently, they don't frequent back yards, which is where we do most of our birding. They tend to favor abandoned lots or cleared areas near treelines. This one was hanging out in a cleared area near the stables with a wooded area nearby. He was really striking!

  3. Wow... I spotted a bird with my daughters going slowly in the car by a construction swampy area, but I don't know what bird it is. Thanks for the tip, I will have to make it and try to see if I can identify some common birds that are new to me. I'm starting on this because I'm tired of seeing so much beauty and only be able to say bird! ha ha ha.
    Very interesting the fact about the feathers color.

  4. What a beautiful bird... I'm anxiously awaiting the day when I will see more than mourning doves and/or what is either a warbler or a sparrow. Of course, we have turkey vultures as well. But our backyard may not be the best place to see anything else :)

  5. Gorgeous!! How exciting!! We saw one two summers ago. It actually came back a couple days in a row. What a thrill!

  6. So, apparently I need to check your blog to know what to be on the look out for. First you saw a northern flicker - then we did a week later. Then you saw an indigo bunting - and after I commented on this post earlier - we just saw one at our feeder at 11:02 a.m.!! What a gift!

  7. Silvia, websites are great, but it's even better to have a field guide or book for you region. We have Don and Lillian Stokes's guide for the southeastern US. It's especially nice because it's organized by color, making it easier to identify a mystery bird you see.

I love reading comments! And I appreciate the time you take to leave them. Thanks!


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Sunday, December 29, 2013

Review: Elf Studio Blush in Candid Coral!

I have the blush blues. I haven't found anything exciting in the blush department for a long time now. I haven't been able to buy anything high end but then again haven't found anything special from the drugstore brands eather. I have been into Urban Decay lately but they don't have any blushes that would tickle my fancy. Talking about serious problems..! ;) And talk about the lack of light here in North Europe. Boy it's dark in here! That means lack of posts for this beauty blogger.

During the summer I got a few of the hyped Elf blushes, but it now seems that we didn't become best friends. This time I wanted to show you one of the Studio blushes, here's a quick review and some swatches of the Candid Coral blush.

Candid Coral to me is a medium coral color. It has a quite strong golden shimmer to it, which I don't like that much. But it's a lovely color! I would say it's perfect for light to medium skin tones. The gold shimmer gives a nice glowy finish and the texture is quite soft, but not too powdery. Easy to apply and blend! For the price that they sell these blushes, it's a really good and high quality blush. Lovely peachyness all the way.

As you can see from the swatch pictures below, the pigmentation is ok, it's pigmented enough to show color but sheer enough that you can't go wrong with this blush.

Now that I look at these pictures and I'm writing this review, I cannot help but to think WHY I don't use this blush more often! In these pictures it looks just great, but when I apply it on my cheeks, it turns a bit dirty looking, I think it's just a little bit too dark for my pale skin and the golden glow is just a little too warm for me. I do love the quality and how this blush is easy to apply. Too bad! I still use Candid Coral though, I just have to use it with a lighter hand and as you may know, that's not usually the way I choose to apply my blush... So we didn't become best friends but still, it's a very nice blusher.

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Wet n Wild Coloricon Eyeshadow Palette in Comfort Zone!

Two years after I started seeing this palette in blogs and on Youtube, I finally gave in and purchased it. Here's some pictures and a small review on the Wet n Wild Coloricon Comfort Zone eyeshadow palette. It sure looks pretty :)

Now here's the thing. I don't really use eye shadow. On a daily basis I use a nude color all over my lids but that's only to cover up the redness I have in that area. Sometimes I line my upper lashline with a black shadow. Then maybe once a month I go out to dinner or something like that and I do a full eye look, but then my color of choise tends to be taupe, since I love taupe (who doesn't..). But like every makeup junkie, I get the gravings to buy pretty stuff and not use it, that's totally normal for people like us :) I got this palette just because it had some pretty colors and was cheap too. I thought for a second that maybe I will use the darker colors some day. Hmm.

I got the palette because I wanted the two colors you can see here in a close up. The dark crease color looks like a lovely dark brown with a hint of green to it, I really love this color. And the duochrome color in the bottom looked so lovely! It has a redish brown base, you can't see that in the pan, and green shimmer. The red / brown base only shows up when swatched. Lovely, eventhough I try to stay away red color on my lids (since I have it there permanently). I also like the light green color, but I'm afraid I won't be using that since it's so out of my comfort zone..meaning it's not taupe.

Here's swatches of my three favourites of this palette. There's so many swatches on the internet of this palette, so I just got lazy (and frozen, because I had to take these pictures outside because it's too dark inside..!). I hope you can forgive me.

The duochrome look so pretty! The dark brown looks a little sheer here, but it works just great with a primer. The light taupe is lovely! Great pigmentation and consistency. This will make an amazing lid color. To me it looks like it has a warm golden green tone.

Most of the colors are soft and pigmented. The dark brown is a little hard to work with, but the color is lovely. This palette really is worth the 7,95€ I paid for it. If you don't have this one yet, I recommend you get it.

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Review: Max Factor 2000 Calorie Waterproof Volume Mascara!

I'm back with another mascara review! I'm sorry for the lack of posts but I had some camera issues. And the other thing is that I live in the dark corner of the world so there's about 3 hours of daylight in a day at the moment, so taking pictures is quite a challenge...!

But let's move on to the review! I really like testing out new mascaras and I wanted to try yet another different mascara after using The Falsies and The Falsies Feather-Look for a while now. I saw this 2000 Calorie from Max Factor in Waterproof and realised I had not tried it yet!

My first impression was that it's really easy to use! It just went on really smoothly. You know what I mean? With some mascaras you really have to layer the mascara and wiggle the wand to cover every lash, but with this brush it was super easy to apply and it covered my lashes with only a few strokes. Fast application, I really appreaciate that in the mornings (I have to get up at six...)!

The brush is quite small and narrow so you can get the mascara easily right in the bottom of your lashes. The brush also feels soft, I don't know what it is but if a mascara has a soft brush I instantly like it. The Falsies Feather-Look has a quite harsh brush, maybe I've been using it for too long.

The mascara makes my lashes look pretty, but I kind of wish more definition and volume, it's not the best I've seen. I just like the easy application so much that I don't mind that the 2000 Calorie makes my lashes look just ok..!

I think it will give me more volume once it dries a little, these pictures were taken soon after I opended it. Usually I wouldn't repurchase a mascara that is "just ok", but this time I think I most likely will. It's just so easy and fast to use so I'm willing to give up some of the volume or definition that it's missing. Also it's has the right price, I remember paying around 10€ for it. At the end of the day my lashes we're a little bit straightened, but not to that point where it would bother me. Removing was easy!

All and all, this mascara has some flaws and it does not give me everything I want, but it's so easy and fast to use, I can't help but to love it!

Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

My Most Loved Makeup Item: MAC MSF Soft and Gentle!

One of the most popular posts in my blog is my post about MAC's MSF Soft and Gentle. It used to look so pretty...

...and this is how it looks now! All gone and ready to go Back to MAC. We had so much fun together and it really made me feel pretty and special. It really was worth every penny. I sure will miss you.

I've been using the Candlelight from Too Faced but it's pretty clear that you can't even compare these two. Candlelight has bigger shimmers and gives a visible golden shimmery look, where Soft and Gentle used to give a more subtle glow, even though it was shimmery. It was just more finely milled than Candlelight. It was perfect. And I don't have a backup. Because I thought this day would never come. I don't think I can sleep tonight..?

It sure looks pretty, but I want to buy another MSF Soft and Gentle. I can't live without it!

Thanks for reading!

Friday, October 18, 2013

Review: Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette!

I'm excited! I rewarded myself for...well can't remember exactly what, but rewarded anyways with the Urban Decay Naked Basics eyeshadow palette. And it's lovely...!

I like the look and the case of this palette. However, it's the rubbery type like the NARS packaging, so I'm assuming it will get dirty pretty soon. Also the case is not the easiest one to open, you have to use your nails and girls who like to paint their nails know that that just won't do ;) I myself try to protect my nail polish from chipping so I have difficulties opening this palette.

I ordered my palette from and I must say I wasn't happy when it arrived. There wasn't any kind of material to protect the palette, it was loose in a cardboard box without any packing material. Don't they want their customers to recieve their items undamaged? That's not good service. Luckily the palette itself was not damaged. Well, the black color looked like someone had touched it. I just didn't want to make a complaint.

So on to the palette! Well, not just yet...I think I need to explain why I got this palette. I don't wear dark eyeshadow that often, I only use light nude colors to cover my red lids. Sometimes I line my lash line with black or dark brown eye shadow. That's basically all what I do with shadows. I wear a darker smokey eye sometimes when I go out, but that's not that often. I've been wanting a palette that would carry all my essential colors (matte nude, shimmery nude, taupe and black) and almost ordered a freedom palette from Inglot but then I decided to get the Naked Basics instead. Just because it seemed more interesting and I've heard great things about it. And just take a look at it, and the swatches!

There's six eyeshadows, five of them are matte and one is satin (Venus). All of them feel soft and are super pigmented, especially the two darker colors. I can see myself doing some darker smokey eye looks too with this palette, but the main reason I got it was the lighter shades because those I use daily.

I wish the browns in this palette were just a little bit more on the cool side, then it would be perfect. But the three nude colors are just perfect for my everyday use. And the black is the most intense and pigmented black I own, just amazing!

So far I've been really liking this palette. Despite the case that's difficult to open! With a discount I paid only 20€ of my palette, now that's a pretty fair deal for six high quality shadows. If you don't have yours yet, I highly recommed you get it, this palette really has all the basics you need!

Maybe I'll do an EOTD for you tomorrow, let's see.

Thanks for reading!

Monday, October 7, 2013

Skin Care Haul! :)

I've learned that natural cosmetics have the best results on my skin. I sometimes stray from the path, that is the true nature of a cosmetic junkie and you can't fight that, but I always seem to be the most happy with my skin when I'm going all natural with my face products. My acne prone skin seems to like it!

Let's start with Mádara skin care set for oily/combination skin. I have repurchased it many times and always go back to Mádara. It just works for me. It keeps my acne prone skin in balance and helps with the oilyness. Highly recommend if you have a oily and acne prone skin.

I paid around 40€ for this set and you really get some good stuff with your money. You get three products; Purifying Foam Cleanser, Purifying Toner and the best part, Deep Moisture Gel.

The Purifying Foam cleanser. I really like it, it cleans my skin very nicely but doesn't make it dry. It does the job very well! Some might not like the scent but I'm fine with it.

The Purifying Toner. Lovely, so effective! It has some alcohol in it but my skin is fine with that. This toner makes my skin feel extra clean! I would not recommend this to sensitive skin types, it can feel a bit harsh because of the alcohol.

The Deep Moisture Gel. This is the stuff. If you have oily skin, you really need to try this. It's very light and sinks in fast. It's been so far the only product that has really helped me keeping my skin less oily. It's quite expensive if you buy it separately, around 26€, but in the set it's more affordable.

Lavera My Age Lifting Serum (around 25€). I got it just because I was curious. I've been having some wrinkle issues lately because of lack of moisture, so I thought this would be helpful. I have just started using it, and I must say that I like it a lot. It does feel very light and seems to vanish into my skin in seconds (due to a high level of alcohol, I'd guess). We just have to wait and see what it can do for me. I use it only at night under my night cream. It is light, so maybe I'll try it in the morning too.

Benecos Body Cream. I liked this one so much that I ordered two backups. Around 6€ each.

Benecos Hand Cream For Happy Hands, cute name :) I really like this one, absorbs quickly so great for work. The consistency feels nice and it has only a light scent to it. Paid around 4€ of mine, now that's a really nice price for a natural hand cream! The tube is quite small though.

I wish I could do a makeup haul soon, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to wait for a while. I just have to keep on growing that wish list of mine... Well ok, I admit, I did order something from Urban Decay. Just one small tiny thing.

Thanks for reading!


text:
Tuesday, October 22, 2013

My Most Loved Makeup Item: MAC MSF Soft and Gentle!

One of the most popular posts in my blog is my post about MAC's MSF Soft and Gentle. It used to look so pretty...

...and this is how it looks now! All gone and ready to go Back to MAC. We had so much fun together and it really made me feel pretty and special. It really was worth every penny. I sure will miss you.

I've been using the Candlelight from Too Faced but it's pretty clear that you can't even compare these two. Candlelight has bigger shimmers and gives a visible golden shimmery look, where Soft and Gentle used to give a more subtle glow, even though it was shimmery. It was just more finely milled than Candlelight. It was perfect. And I don't have a backup. Because I thought this day would never come. I don't think I can sleep tonight..?

It sure looks pretty, but I want to buy another MSF Soft and Gentle. I can't live without it!

Thanks for reading!

Friday, October 18, 2013

Review: Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette!

I'm excited! I rewarded myself for...well can't remember exactly what, but rewarded anyways with the Urban Decay Naked Basics eyeshadow palette. And it's lovely...!

I like the look and the case of this palette. However, it's the rubbery type like the NARS packaging, so I'm assuming it will get dirty pretty soon. Also the case is not the easiest one to open, you have to use your nails and girls who like to paint their nails know that that just won't do ;) I myself try to protect my nail polish from chipping so I have difficulties opening this palette.

I ordered my palette from hqhair.com and I must say I wasn't happy when it arrived. There wasn't any kind of material to protect the palette, it was loose in a cardboard box without any packing material. Don't they want their customers to recieve their items undamaged? That's not good service. Luckily the palette itself was not damaged. Well, the black color looked like someone had touched it. I just didn't want to make a complaint.

So on to the palette! Well, not just yet...I think I need to explain why I got this palette. I don't wear dark eyeshadow that often, I only use light nude colors to cover my red lids. Sometimes I line my lash line with black or dark brown eye shadow. That's basically all what I do with shadows. I wear a darker smokey eye sometimes when I go out, but that's not that often. I've been wanting a palette that would carry all my essential colors (matte nude, shimmery nude, taupe and black) and almost ordered a freedom palette from Inglot but then I decided to get the Naked Basics instead. Just because it seemed more interesting and I've heard great things about it. And just take a look at it, and the swatches!

There's six eyeshadows, five of them are matte and one is satin (Venus). All of them feel soft and are super pigmented, especially the two darker colors. I can see myself doing some darker smokey eye looks too with this palette, but the main reason I got it was the lighter shades because those I use daily.

I wish the browns in this palette were just a little bit more on the cool side, then it would be perfect. But the three nude colors are just perfect for my everyday use. And the black is the most intense and pigmented black I own, just amazing!

So far I've been really liking this palette. Despite the case that's difficult to open! With a discount I paid only 20€ of my palette, now that's a pretty fair deal for six high quality shadows. If you don't have yours yet, I highly recommed you get it, this palette really has all the basics you need!

Maybe I'll do an EOTD for you tomorrow, let's see.

Thanks for reading!

Monday, October 7, 2013

Skin Care Haul! :)

I've learned that natural cosmetics have the best results on my skin. I sometimes stray from the path, that is the true nature of a cosmetic junkie and you can't fight that, but I always seem to be the most happy with my skin when I'm going all natural with my face products. My acne prone skin seems to like it!

Let's start with Mádara skin care set for oily/combination skin. I have repurchased it many times and always go back to Mádara. It just works for me. It keeps my acne prone skin in balance and helps with the oilyness. Highly recommend if you have a oily and acne prone skin.

I paid around 40€ for this set and you really get some good stuff with your money. You get three products; Purifying Foam Cleanser, Purifying Toner and the best part, Deep Moisture Gel.

The Purifying Foam cleanser. I really like it, it cleans my skin very nicely but doesn't make it dry. It does the job very well! Some might not like the scent but I'm fine with it.

The Purifying Toner. Lovely, so effective! It has some alcohol in it but my skin is fine with that. This toner makes my skin feel extra clean! I would not recommend this to sensitive skin types, it can feel a bit harsh because of the alcohol.

The Deep Moisture Gel. This is the stuff. If you have oily skin, you really need to try this. It's very light and sinks in fast. It's been so far the only product that has really helped me keeping my skin less oily. It's quite expensive if you buy it separately, around 26€, but in the set it's more affordable.

Lavera My Age Lifting Serum (around 25€). I got it just because I was curious. I've been having some wrinkle issues lately because of lack of moisture, so I thought this would be helpful. I have just started using it, and I must say that I like it a lot. It does feel very light and seems to vanish into my skin in seconds (due to a high level of alcohol, I'd guess). We just have to wait and see what it can do for me. I use it only at night under my night cream. It is light, so maybe I'll try it in the morning too.

Benecos Body Cream. I liked this one so much that I ordered two backups. Around 6€ each.

Benecos Hand Cream For Happy Hands, cute name :) I really like this one, absorbs quickly so great for work. The consistency feels nice and it has only a light scent to it. Paid around 4€ of mine, now that's a really nice price for a natural hand cream! The tube is quite small though.

I wish I could do a makeup haul soon, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to wait for a while. I just have to keep on growing that wish list of mine... Well ok, I admit, I did order something from Urban Decay. Just one small tiny thing.

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, October 6, 2013

NOTD: Lumene Gloss & Care Nail Polish in Twilight! :)

Yes, finally a NOTD! Is it wrong to be waiting for Christmas already? I kind of get in the mood everytime I look at this new nail polish of mine from Lumene. It does look festive! It's the perfect red with some cranberry tones, with a frosty finish. I'd say it's the perfect time to start hauling some new Holiday polishes, right?

This one is in the color Twilight. I tried to capture the micro shimmers but failed. This color looks frosty on the nails, but then again in some lighting it doesn't look that frosty. I would say it's very subtle frosty.

As you can see, the color looks different in different lighting. Inside it actually looks darker, almost burgundy, definitely more cranberry..ish. In the natural sun light it looks lighter and more red, and more shimmery. It's really hard to describe this one! One word, lovely :)

This polish surprised me with the quality. I did my nails on Sunday, and on Thursday it's still looked flawless. Just a little bit of wearing off at the tips, (mainly because I beat the keyboard so hard at work), but still no chipping! I'm planning on getting more colors for sure. I already have two of the darker colors (shown in my favourites post).

I can't remember the price for these Gloss & Care polishes but I'm pretty sure it was under 6€.

Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Review: NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil!

Here's one of my all time favourites that I haven't actually reviewed yet! It's the NYX Auto Brow Pencil in Black.

I do my brows almost every day, it gives me a more polished and put together look even if that would be the only makeup I'd wear that day.

Usually it's quite challenging to find the right color to fill in my brows. My brows are black and not that many brands carry a black brow pen, gel or powder, they usually are dark brown and that's it. They say that you should use a color a shade lighter than your natural brows, but mine are black and using a dark brown makes them look just unnatural. So in my opinion that rule makes no sense.. :)

NYX is one of the brands that carry a black eyebrow pen, and it happens to be a good one too! (Other drugstore brands (available in Finland) that carry a black pen are for example Lumene and Rimmel).

It's one of those auto liners, so you don't have to sharpen it and that makes me like it even more. I don't remember to sharpen my pens that often, and a dull pen equals a messy look. This one is easy to use and always sharp. I don't use the brush that it comes with, but some people may like it.

It's not the most pigmented pen but I like it, you get a more natural look instead of a look that can be too harsh. In the picture above there's one light swipe and then swatched heavily.

Here you can see that my brows look polished but not overly done. The black color is not too harsh, it's more of a charcoal, but still natural looking at the same time. You can make it more darker and black if you want to. I always even out the color by brushing though my brows with a spoolie brush and then I add some brow gel.

The price is something that makes mee feel the love too, I paid around $4 for mine, lovely. I've repurchased it many times and will again soon.

Thanks for reading!


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Thursday, February 13, 2014

Review: Maybelline Browdrama Brow Sculpting Mascara in Dark Brown!

Finally a review! I have been shopping makeup very little lately, which is why there haven't been any new reviews in this blog lately. But now I finally have a review for you, I recently got this (new?) BrowDrama Brow Sculpting Mascara from Maybelline. I got the darkest shade called Dark Brown. I usually use black on my brows, since they are black or greyish but this one seemed to have a nice ashy tone, it didn't seem to have any reddish brown tones so I gave it a try! Here's my quick review with an exessive amount of pictures of my brows.

The other thing I was sceptical about besides the color, was the brush. It's the round ball type brush that doesn't usually work as a mascara brush so I had my doubts about it. Hmm. The only way to use it is with the ball end, so I don't know why they have extended the brush towards the bottom. Weird.

The top of the brush collects excess product so you have to be careful not to apply too much at once. I you remember this, you can make it work!

Here's swatches of the Dark Brown color. As you can see, the brush dispenses the product a little unevenly. The product itself is not crazy pigmented so you can build up the color to the level you want it to be.

Here's my brows in their natural state. I've been trying to grow them to look a little bit fuller!

Here's the results, I think the color looks quite natural on my brows! I really like it, even though I had my doubts about it. It doesn't look too brown, it just looks darker. Lovely! The Browdrama gives my brows some depth and holds them in place nicely. The consistency is very nice.

Overall I like the Browdrama! It is easier to use than a brow pencil, which I have prefered in the past, it looks that the brow mascara is the only thing would need, I don't see any major gaps that would need filling. I haven't used this mascara with an eyebrow pencil, I've used it just on its own and I like it. I think the look would get too dark if I used a pencil and then apply this coloured mascara, I prefer a clear brow gel when I'm using a pencil to fill in my brows.
The only thing I don't like is the brush, the ball brush can dispense too much product at once, so I would like to see a regular brush with the mascara, but I guess you can't have everything! It retailed around 7€, which is nice. If you like this type of eyebrow products, I recommed you give it a try! It sure surprised me.

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

My Everyday Makeup Items + What's In My Mini Makeup Bag :)

I was thinking about doing a makeup collection post, but then I realized I don't have enough light to take good pictures, I think I have to wait for the spring for that. But what I did manage to get pictured was my makeup things I use daily! I keep them in a separate container so that it's easier and faster to pull out the stuff that I need in the morning. I tend to change the items I use quite often, and this is what I'm using on daily basis at the moment AND also wanted to show you what I carry around with me in my mini makeup bag..!

This is what I like to use on everyday basis to create my basic makeup. It has at least one product of each group and then some options to choose from, like two blushes or two highlighters, those being my favourite makeup items to use anyways, so I like to have options in hand.

Let's start with the products I use for my base. I've been using again my Meow Cosmetics mineral foundation and concealer. I've been using two primers, one from Dermosil and on days that I need my makeup to last all day I've been using Urban Decay De-slick In A Tube, which is great stuff if you have oily skin. For under eye concealer I've been using FitMe Concealer from Maybelline and I've been mixing the color that's too dark with the True Match concealer which was a bit too light and yellow for me.

Urban Decay Naked Basics palette has been a stable for me since I got it. Benefit Coralista is again in my rotation after beeing neglected for a while. I've been switching it up with the Baked Blush from Elf in Peachy Cheeky, which I didn't like that much, but it's been ok if you don't mind that it's a bit powdery. The Elf Studio Bronzer in St. Lucia is great for my fair skin, I've been using it a lot lately to conceal my paleness a bit :) NYX Taupe is also a stable for contouring.

My Naked Basics had an accident and Crave was smashed, so I had to depot it because it was making a big mess. As you can see my most used colors have been W.O.S. and Venus, I've been using them pretty much everyday. Love this palette!

Too Faced Candlelight can be a litte too glittery for some people to be used on daytime, but not for me, I usually apply it with a heavy hand. My other favourite that gives more glowy and less shimmery look is the Pearl Beige from Everyday Minerals. I've had it for a long time so I don't know if they still sell it. It gives a nice pearly glow with just a tiny amount of product.

For the eyes I use my loved Shu Uemura lash curler, the Rocket from Maybelline, NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil in Black and Lumene's Brow Gel.

I forgot to mention the powder that I'm using at the moment, it's my FitMe Powder from Maybelline in shade 115, I'm trying to use this one up so I can go back using my Nude Magique BB Powder.

 I don't have any lip products here because I haven't been using anything else but lip balm and sometimes some lipstick. Boring, yes! I keep the color of the day in my makeup bag. I can't wait for the spring so I can get some new bright lip colors to wear!

Here's my everyday brushes, seems like a lot but I like to have separate brushes for all of the products that I use. I have a miscellaneous collection of different brands, there's quite a few from Coastal Scents, Finnish brands Duroy and Mschic, Make Up Store, and a concealer brush from Everyday Minerals. I apparently left out my kabuki from Ecotools, I use it to apply my mineral foundation.

That's everything! Now let's take a look into my makeup bag :)

I first planned to post a separate post about my makeup bag, but it really isn't that much stuff so here it comes. It's a tiny bag from H&M, I really like the cute lace design.

Not a lot fits into this makeup bag, which is good, because I don't like to carry around a heavy makeup bag. I try to do my makeup in a way that I don't need to reapply anything later on that day, I only usually have to blot and add some powder and add some lip color. Sometimes I carry around a concealer too but not that often.

My powder and my beloved NYX Blotting Papers. These are great and cheap! I don't know why but here in Finland it's quite hard to find blotting paper that is not crazy expensive, I don't like to invest money in it since to me it's only paper, but I don't want to use regular tissues eather.

I also have my kabuki from Ecotools that I carry it around, it's retractable so it's great. I have my favourite organic lip balm from Dermosil and one lip product, today it was Rimmel's Moisture Renew Lipstick in Tulip Pink.

I carry cotton swabs in case my eye makeup gets smudged and also some hair ties and bobby pins in case I there's a hair problem...

So that is all that I keep in my tiny makeup bag, it's basically all that I need and nothing more, they fit into tiny space and don't weigh much.

This was a long post, I hope you liked it. Thanks for reading!