Haul | Zara, H&M, TJ Maxx, and more!

Happy Sunday!

After Christmas is the best time to do our favorite thing: shop! The sales are fantastic, new collections are in, and hopefully you gained a little extra cash from your relatives. Right before New Years, I took a day trip up to New York and did myself some shopping!  Here is what I bought!

Zara

These shoes are so adorable! 

This top is prefect for spring! I have been crazy about polka dot print ever since seeing Kate Middleton in those amazing dress! I absolutely adore the collar as well! Look at how pretty it is!

I love this dress so much! The print is gorgeous, and the fit is just perfect! Plus, it reminds me of something Kate Middleton would wear! And you know I love everything she wears!

I have a confession to make: I didn't own a little black dress. I know, I know! Every women needs a staple black dress! So, it became my quest to find the prefect little black dress, and here it is! This dress is simple and classy, and the length is just right. I love Zara. I think their clothes are absolutely gorgeous and classy; I would buy the whole store if I could! 

H&M

I found this top on the sales rack for only $10! I have been obsessing over this jeweled shirt trend, and I was on the hunt to find something similar. I have a slight obsession with sleeveless shirts (I may or may not have about million of them), so this shirt was just calling my name!

I love this dress! This dress will be perfect for spring and summer, and the color (Blood orange! How pretentious!) looks great with my skin tone. It's forum fitting, and I love the capped sleeves.  

Can I just say, this is my favorite coat ever! I am absolutely obsessed with this coat! I have been longing for this coat since I saw it in H&M's winter look book, so when it went on sale, I jumped at the opportunity! I love the tartan print, and the shape reminds me of Jackie Kennedy. 

TJ Maxx

I've been doing a lot more home than clothes shopping at TJ's lately, but I needed this skirt. It's a simple black skater skirt, but it's velvet which I love! Velvet is perfect for the winter months, so I have been trying to wear as much as I can before spring rolls around. 

 Lauren Conrad

I adore this dress. This season I have been obsessed with two things: tartan and velvet. The floral design on this dress is made of velvet, so naturally I was going to gravitate to this dress. Plus, it's navy blue, and I have a strange obsession with navy blue dresses. 

Catherine Malandrion 

I have been pushing myself lately to buy more prints. I normally just wear solid tops and pants, but I have been forcing myself to look for more printed clothing. Now, if this isn't a printed blouse, than I don't know what is. I love this top though. I love the collar and the french theme, and it goes perfect with my black velvet skirt from TJ Maxx. 

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Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure into the Subconscious

Ooh, look! A bonus Sherlock post!

So, here is where the “nerd” in Actor. Nerd. Fashionista comes into play. As I was typing up my review post for episodes two and three of Sherlock, I found myself thinking a lot about Sherlock’s character development during this new series. I was going to add Sherlock’s character progression as one of the things I loved most about His Last Vow, but, like always, I began typing away, and soon I found myself with a three page discussion of Sherlock’s unconscious mind and his traumatic childhood. That doesn’t happen too often, does it? So, needless to say, I had to take it out of my review post simply because it was too long. But I enjoyed dissecting Sherlock’s character so much that I made this post for you all to see what I found.

There is no denying that series three has seen a huge change in character for Sherlock Holmes. After two years abroad, risking his life, and being separated from his only friend, he was bound to return to London as a new man. Little did we know, we were about to get the most information on our favorite consulting detective ever. Obviously, there was some great Sherlock moments in this series, but I can’t talk about them all, so here are the ones that really stuck with me.

Since episode one, it was obviously that the show runners wanted to show more of who Sherlock Holmes is, past and present. In the earlier series, the show runners made it a point to not bring Sherlock’s drug history into play; understandable because it is something that is constantly overused. But, the way Sherlock’s character has been developing in this series should have resulted in nothing less than a return to his addiction. It is never explained why he has returned to his old habits; we are only given Sherlock’s weak excuse that he was trying to outsmart Magnussen. If he was truly “undercover,” he wouldn’t have actually taken the drugs. 

First, we are given great insight to Sherlock’s childhood; hence, we can make a strong deduction as to why he retreated to drugs in the first place. Throughout His Last Vow, we see many references to the young Sherlock. He is constantly ridiculed by his brother, which results in a man who doesn’t have the greatest self-confidence (hence, why he is so rude to everyone else… It’s the constant cycle of the bullied becoming the bullier). His childhood couldn’t have been the greatest: he constantly lived the in shadow of his cruel older brother, consistently being told he was stupid and not worth the time. His only childhood friend was his dog, who was clearly taken away from him, whether viciously or not, we don’t know. (This probably explains why Sherlock separates himself from people now that he is adult; the only thing he has ever loved was killed.) So, with all these factors now explained it is obvious to see why he reverted to drugs in the first place (and, of course the classic explanation of it helps to stimulate his intelligence). 

Now, flash forward to the events of His Last Vow. What would prompt Sherlock to return to his drug habit? Since Sherlock returned to London, he hasn’t been in a complete sane state of mind. He clearly wasn’t on holiday while he was away. His activities abroad have been dangerous and harmful. We aren’t even aware of the situations he had gotten himself into while he was away. He obviously had a tough time while he was in exile, seeing as he was tortured. I don’t think that is something you just recover from. Throughout the series, we see glimpses of into the unstable mindset Sherlock now possess. Along with the traumas of those two years away, he hears John's voice when he is working a case with Molly, and he clearly has a bit of a mental break during John's wedding. Is it possible that Sherlock reverted back his drug habit simply to stabilize his mind?

But more importantly, Sherlock has lost John. Like his younger self, Sherlock doesn’t have friends. He had Redbeard as a kid, and now he has John as an adult. When he returned from exile he believed everything would be just as it was before; little did he know, John had moved on with his life, and Sherlock wasn’t the center of attention anymore. John wasn’t returning to Baker Street, even after Sherlock resurrected himself. The heartbreak of losing his only friend to Mary was too much for him handle. Sherlock had let himself get attached. He put the little bit of emotion he had into John Watson, only for it be ripped away from him. Mycroft told him not to get attached because the same thing will happen now like it did when he lost Redbeard. Was it the lost of John Watson that made Sherlock return to the drug scene? Was the pain of loss, for a man who distances himself from emotion, too much for Sherlock to bear?  

My favorite moment of this whole series was when Sherlock got shot. In this scene we got to delve into Sherlock’s unconscious mind, and had a fantastic opportunity to see into Sherlock’s true character. The character we see on the outside is a constant facade. Even in his most sincere moments, we can never tell if he’s being truthful or not. Sherlock protects himself by putting on a mask of logic and intelligence. But, once you get inside in head, there is no hiding. In this scene, we are transported into his mind (palace) to see how it operates. The original reason of this is for the audience to see how clever he is, and how he survived being shot. But, soon we are taken into the depths of his unconscious. We are shown, very symbolically, a young Sherlock at about 10 years old. He is being badgered and mocked and ridiculed by his older brother. He tries to defend himself by telling him that he is clever, only to be beaten down again. This young boy begins to doubt himself. He doesn’t think he can live up the cleverness of his older brother. This bullying from his brother has clearly caused him to be hindered as an adult.  

Next, we see Sherlock recall the love of his childhood dog to comfort him from the pain. We already know that he didn’t have a very nice childhood growing up with Mycroft, so Redbeard acted as young Sherlock’s only friend. We learn that his dog was put down, and this loss obviously affected him as a kid. There is no questioning now why Sherlock has an issue connecting with people. The loss of his best friend clearly affected him as a child, which has now transcended into his adult life. Sherlock learned from this experience not to love anyone because it will only lead to loss and heartbreak; hence, his apparent lack of emotion towards anyone. He has closed himself off to the world. He disconnects himself from all other humans and thinks only logically and practically, this we already knew. Mycroft asks John in A Scandal in Belgravia what we are make of Sherlock because he has chosen a career path of a detective. Well, we can deduce this about his heart: he separates himself so he doesn’t get involved. He doesn’t want to make connections and friendships with people because it will hurt too much when their gone, something he learned from losing Redbeard.    

For me, the most striking moment during this scene was Sherlock's interaction with Moriarty. Just as Sherlock slips into a coma, he enters a padded room holding a chained up, deranged Moriarty. As a viewer of this scene, we have to remember that this is not Moriarty; this is a figment of Sherlock’s mind, so first we need to disconnect ourselves with any idea that this is, in any way, Moriarty’s character. Because of the physical state Sherlock’s body was in, it’s safe to say he was very deep in mind. He is in a place he probably wouldn’t have been if he was simply searching his mind palace.

I interpreted this scene as Moriarty is the evil within Sherlock. Moriarty plays the role of the hatred Sherlock has for himself, the mental instability that is rising, and his psychotic nature. Like I said in my review of this episode, this scene plays out like a physiological thrill. Have you ever seen the film Fight Club? In the film, Brad Pitt’s character is a figment of Edward Norton’s mind. Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) represents the evil, madness, and pure insanity (or the id for those who know psychology) within the narrator’s mind. That is what’s happening here. Benedict plays the part of Sherlock that is, should we say, “human,” and Andrew plays the part of Sherlock that is pure evil, hence why it has Moriarty’s face. This “Moriarty” is the driving force that is leading Sherlock into insanity. In this scene, he is the force pushing Sherlock towards death. "Moriarty" is always there in the back of Sherlock's mind, leading him away from the side of the angels.

That's some powerful stuff, eh? I absolutely loved that sequence. Go back and watch from this point of view, and it is even more powerful. Benedict and Andrew's performances are so impeccable and insightful; I wouldn't have noticed any of this without their superb acting.                  

If you want to read my review of The Empty Hearse, click here! And if you want to read my review of The Sign of Three and His Last Vow, click here! I also wrote a post about how much a adore Benedict, where I just gushed about how amazing he is! Thanks for reading!

Photo Credit: sherlock.boardhost.com, fanpop.com, opinionscanbewrong.blogspot.com, xistentialangst.tumblr.com, watchtvseriesonline4free.com, incoherent.com, rebloggy.com, sherlockreactiongifs.tumblr.com 

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Television Review | Sherlock (The Sign of Three and His Last Vow)

If you want to read my review of Sherlock episode one, The Empty Hearse, click right here! Also, if you want to read my post analyzing Sherlock's character development in series 3, click here!

MAJOR SPOILERS: ENTER WITH CAUTION! 

The Sign of Three

It’s John Watson’s wedding day, and Sherlock Holmes is the best man. Sherlock is bound to face his greatest challenge yet: being John’s best friend. Sherlock is faced with the challenges of delivering a best man’s speech, a task this clever detective has yet to conquer.

Now, I don’t want to say that I was disappointed in this episode… But, it wasn’t my favorite Sherlock episode. Before you all run away and refuse to read any further, hear me out! I did like the episode; I thought it was genuinely funny and well written compared to any other show. But on a scale with the rest of this series, it definitely fell flat (no pun intended, Sherlock). Before I get into the things I didn’t like, let’s discuss the positives.

I was very impressed with the directing in this episode. What I love about Sherlock is it constantly has wonderfully beautiful productions. The directors are always inventive, fresh, and intriguing. The Sign of Three was no exception! My favorite moment in this episode was when the court room was used to display Sherlock’s mind palace. I am absolutely obsessed with how they represent Sherlock’s mind palace now! It’s so awesome! There is something special about how this production team approaches the visual aspect of this show. 

Because Sherlock Holmes has always been advanced for his time, it only seemed fitting for this show to replicate that. Sherlock is notorious for having modern, cutting edge directing, and these directors are constantly taking chances and pushing the limits. These risks are what make, for me, this show so special.

Aside from the directing, I also enjoyed, as always, the cast. Benedict and Martin are made for each other. They connect so well on camera, and you never question their artistic decisions. Their chemistry is so effortless, and they truly bring Sherlock and John to life. The comedy scenes were on spot, leaving me in stitches. I thought Benedict did a terrific job with Sherlock’s little… um, break… I guess you could call it. It wasn't over the top, but just the right amount of insanity. And like always, Martin is just effortless in his portray of John.  
  

And now, unfortunately, time for the negative.

From the opening sequence that had no purpose to some pretty lame deductions, the script for this episode definitely had its faults. I thought this episode was lacking in the spark that Sherlock normally has. It was very funny and sentimental, which isn’t Sherlock to me. I don’t watch Sherlock to get all warm and fuzzy over friendships and love, but to solve crimes and enjoy a good mystery. I don’t know when Sherlock turned into a romantic comedy, but I don’t like it. Also, the actual crime part of the plot was kind of lame. We all knew that the General was the target long before Sherlock did. 

Sherlock is clever. He is supposed to be two steps ahead of everyone else; the thrill of this show is you don’t know what’s going to happen next. You normally can’t guess how the episode is going to end, but this episode I did guess, and that makes me sad. This episode was so focused on the happy-go-lucky wedding and love and friendship, that they lost the complexity of a detective story. It was still an intriguing story, and an absolutely great script compared to any other show, but was weak for Sherlock's  reputation.

Although a weak script, the directing and cast held this episode together. I give The Sign of Three seven out of ten stars. I liked the episode, but it just didn’t have that Sherlock Holmes spark.

His Last Vow

Sherlock Holmes is forced to confront the one man who he hates the most: Charles Augustus Magnussen. Adopted from my favorite Sherlock Holmes short story, His Last Vow is the epic conclusion to series three. Sherlock is on the case to bring an end to this blackmailer’s empire, but Magnussen won’t be the most dangerous criminal he will face.

His Last Vow is absolutely astonishing. This episode reaffirmed my love for this fantastic television series. Contrasting to The Sign of Three, His Last Vow graced us with a fantastic script and plot twists that left my jaw dropped. From directing to acting to story, this episode had everything a Sherlock Holmes story should have. 

I'm not even going to try to explain how fantastic everyone's performance was in this episode. Benedict's subtle acting took main focus, as his Sherlock slowly began to digress into a mental break. Martian's Watson broke the heart of every single person watching, and Lars Mikkelsen was absolutely frightening as Magnussen. No matter how many times I watch this show, Benedict and Martin always amaze me with their fantastic acting. They both stepped up their game this series, delivering performances that put all other actors to shame. And of course, Andrew Scott was just perfection. He is just fantastic. I get chills every time Benedict and Andrew have a scene together. They are so fantastic.

My favorite part of this whole episode had to be the scene when Sherlock gets shot
(I must have watched this sequence about a 100 times already). This scene plays out like a physiological thriller. From the initial twist to the directing and acting, this scene was cinematic art. The visual representation of his mind palace was absolutely stunning. My jaw was dropped during the whole sequence. It was an absolutely brilliant idea to visually show how Sherlock survived getting shot. Plus, I believe this was a major clue in figuring out how Moriarty survived. 

Besides the clever idea, the way this scenes direction was stunning. From the symbolism to the cinematography, this scene was an absolute piece of art. Andrew Scott’s appearance as Moriarty was hauntingly beautiful. The chemistry between Benedict and Andrew makes for fantastic scenes. These two feed off each other in a way that makes every scene they're in together flawless.

So, I think we need to talk about this Mary situation. Wow, I can’t believe she shot Sherlock… What a jerk... But, really that plot twist literally blew my mind. Now, this is how a script is supposed to be written. Here we all thought, “Oh, poor Mary. She’s bound to die. Aw, poor John is going to lose his wife. Aw, let’s all feel bad because Moffat is going to kill off Mary.” …Little did we know… The one doing the killing was Mary. I thought that twist was so incredible. I literally lost my mind; I mean, she actually shot Sherlock! 

When we first met Mary in The Empty Hearse, I was a little disappointed by how flat her character was. But don’t fear; leave it to Moffat and Gatiss to never have a flat character. I absolutely loved what they did with her character, and I can’t wait to see how they evolve her character when series 4 airs in 3020.

   

So… let’s talk about the biggest thing that happened in His Last Vow… Mind my excitement… MORIARTY RETURNED! *Breaths into paper bag* I can’t handle this. Moriarty is such a fine villain, and Andrew Scott is pure perfection in the role. I am so incredibly happy he has returned, and I’m speaking very mildly here. I am or may not have thrown my computer across the room out of pure excitement when I saw him.

I know some people aren’t happy about his return, and some may say, "finish while you're on top." Moriarty had such a fantastic ending in Reichenbach Fall, and it would be a shame to ruin that great image of him by bringing back a bad, mediocre version of him. I trust Mark and Steven (... At least, I think...) that they will bring him back even better than before. Moriarty is just a brilliant villain, and Andrew and Benedict are just fantastic together. I just hope they live up to the past, and make him even better than before because he was pretty perfect in series 2. I cannot wait to see Andrew and Ben go head to head again.

With a positive, there must also be a negative. Like The Empty Hearse, there was very little I disliked about this episode. The one thing I didn’t like about this episode, funnily enough, I also didn’t like in The Empty Hearse. This series has been notorious for its flash forwards. For some reason, Steven and Mark were just obsessed with flashbacks/flash forwards in this series. I am not obsessed with these flash forwards. Every episode has had moments where the action will be climaxing, then, without warning, we are thrown forward considerably into the future, and are forced out of the climatic situation. I, quite frankly, hated this. In The Empty Hearse, it happened when the bomb was about to go off. We flash forward to Sherlock telling Anderson about how he survived the fall; later, we returned to that emotional, tense scene with John. All of the emotion was gone, because we were left laughing at that silly blue stunt mat. In The Sign of Three, the whole story was told through flashback; this worked fine, it didn’t distract me too much, but it was starting to drag by the end. 

Finally, in His Last Vow it was getting old. We are placed into this very intriguing, tense, emotional scene between Mary and Sherlock. At the height of this scene when John reveals himself to Mary and a conflict is about arise, we are abruptly removed from the scene and taken into the future to Christmas with the Holmes. Once again, we lose all emotion and tension and dramatics, and are taken to a comedic scene leaving us confused and, for me at least, slightly annoyed. And when we finally do return back to the dramatics, it takes even more work from the actors to bring us back into the moment (which of course wasn’t hard because the amazing skills of Benedict, Martin, and Amanda). Maybe this isn’t that big of a deal, but it just proved to be unnecessary. Hopefully we won’t see that technique returning with series 4 in 5080.

Overall, I loved His Last Vow. Constant entertainment and tension, fantastic directing, and acting capable of only the best, His Last Vow proved to be one of the best Sherlock episodes yet. I give His Last Vow 10 out of 10. 

Photo Credit: slouchingtowardsthatcham.com, telegraph.co.uk, screenrant.com, mirror.co.uk, rebloggy.com, hypable.com, cultfix.co.uk, renegadecinema.com, watchtvseriesonlie4free.com, mirror.co.uk, grumpyguidetobritian.wordpress.com projectfandom.com, tvequals.com, hellotrilor.blogspot.com, tvrage.com, 

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Fashion Review | The Golden Globes (2014)

Hello you beautiful people!

Last Sunday The Golden Globes kicked off the 2014 award season! Like every award show, we all look forward to seeing beautiful dresses and perfectly tailored men; well, at least I do! This year's show did not disappoint! Everyone came out looking gorgeous in their in designer gowns and flawless makeup, while I sat at home in my yoga pants and t-shirt. Here are my top ten best dressed women from the 2014 Golden Globes Awards!  

Michelle Dockery

Oscar De La Renta

Michelle always looks absolutely stunning! She is the poster child for class! This look has to be my favorite look of the whole night! The shape of this dress is so beautiful, and the bead work is absolutely gorgeous! Her make up is subtle, but effective, and her porcelain skin is beautiful! I am in love with this dress!

Emma Watson

Dior

My girl Emma is rocking this Dior look! Leave it to Emma to step it up, and wear a daring look; business in the front, party in the back! Firstly, I love this color. This is red look stunning with her skin tone. Secondly, wearing pants is such daring, but amazing, move! I absolutely adore everything Emma wears, and this is no exception.
  

Amy Adams

Valentino

*Gives standing ovation* This. Look. Is. Everything! I am in love this dress. Amy Adams looks so stunning in this two toned red dress! I mean, this woman can rock a low cut dress; we definitely saw that in American Hustle. But, really, this dress is so beautiful; no one does red like Valentino. I just love this look so much I can't put words together. Her makeup is beautiful; a nude lip was definitely the way to go. Amy totally rocks this look! 

Lupita Nyong' O

Ralph Lauren

Can I just say, I am obsessed with Lupita's fashion! Did you see what she wore to the SAG Awards last night! It was stunning! I can't wait to see what else she is going to wear! Okay, this red orange (*blood orange, how pretentious*) looks so beautiful with her skin tone, and she is rocking that shape! Plus, this cape is everything! This look is perfect! She just looks absolutely stunning! I cannot wait to see what she wears at the Oscars! 

Zooey Deschanel

Oscar De La Renta

Just like Michelle Dockery, Zooey Deschanel always looks classy and beautiful. Zooey is know for her iconic makeup; its looks flawless and stunning, but it's never overbearing. The design on the skirt is just gorgeous, and the juxtaposed of the tops design works so well. And, I'm also kinda obsessed with the fact that her shoes match her top; that is amazing!  

Monica Potter

Romona Keveza

This dress is so beautiful! I am in love with the gold, beaded top. The bodice itself is a work of art! I love the full skirt, and the black and gold color scheme was definitely a trend from the night. Her jewelry is minimal so not to draw the attention away from that beautiful bodice, and her makeup is stunning.

Margot Robbie

Gucci

Margot Robbie looks absolutely stunning in his dress. I am in love with the gorgeous gem outline. That lining is really what sold this dress for me. It's just a simple dress, but adding those jewels makes it come to life! Her styling is also on par. The jewelry is limited (I'm beginning to see a trend), which helps to sell the dress. And having her hair up helps to show off her beautiful face and gorgeous makeup!

Taylor Swift

Carolina Herrera

I'm not a particular fan of Taylor Swift, but I'm not going to lie, she dresses really well. She always looks so beautiful. I am obsessed with this dress. Normally, wearing this much pink on a red carpet would be no good for me, but with the black the pink looks wonderful. Plus, the heart bodice is beautiful, and her makeup is stunning. I also think having minimal jewelry with this look really worked in her favor; because of the bright pink, jewelry would have been too much.    

Cate Blanchett

Armani Prive

Firstly, I am obsessed with Cate Blanchett, and if you haven't seen her in I'm Not There you are missing out on life. Her performance in that film is fantastic! Secondly, her dress is killer! I love black dresses; I think black makes anyone look more powerful, and she definitely looks powerful! This dress is very Gothic-era with the lace (which is just stunning, by the way) and high collar. She adds a pop of color with her earrings and lipstick. This look is fantastic, and it looks like she is going to be taking home the Oscar along with Best Dressed this award season.

Olivia Wilde

Gucci Premiere

I love Olivia Wilde in this look! This dress is a beautiful shade of green, a bold and daring color to wear. I love the shimmer and texture of this dress, and even though she's pregnant she is not afraid to rock a tight dress! She lets her pregnancy glow do all the talking in the makeup department, which is so beautiful! She looks so stunning, and I want that clutch so badly!

Amy Poehler

Stella McCartney

Anyone who knows me knows I am obsessed with navy blue and stripes. If you have navy blue or stripes on, than I will be obsessed with your outfit. Lo, a navy blue dress that I am obsessed with! But, I do love this dress for more than its color. I think this looks great Amy; it's prefect for her age, but still a little daring. I love the geometric cut-outs, and the black belt is a perfect touch. P.S. all the dresses Tina and Amy wore during the show were amazing!

So, there was my top ten best dressed women of The Golden Globes! Thank you all so much for joining me during my Globes live blogging! I can't believe the number of people who tuned in to watch me talk to myself on the internet! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Make sure to come back on March 2nd, and we can do it all again for the Oscars! AND if you liked this post, make sure to go follow me over on Bloglovin!

Bye!

P.S. I promise my Sherlock post is coming soon! Keep an eye out for it either tomorrow on Tuesday!

Photo Credit: Vogue.com, hollywoodreporter.com, hercampus.com, fashionablethings.com, al.com, chicdarling.com, eonline.com, fashiontranslated.com, nydailynews.com, dezstyled.compulsivestyle.com, fabsugar.com

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