New York Fun Day 1 | The Cripple of Inishmaan and The Tony Awards!

Hello My Darlings!

On Sunday, I popped up to New York City for an overnight stay. Me and my lovely mother went up to see the gorgeous Daniel Radcliffe in the Cripple of Inishmaan on Broadway. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and the city was bustling with activity! 

Firstly, we took a stroll around midtown just to pass time before the show. We came across the Puerto Rico day parade, which was massive! It seemed the whole city had come out to celebrate Puerto Rico’s day! We went to a little diner just around the corner from the Cort Theater for lunch.

When the time finally arrived for the show to start, I was bubbling with excitement! I couldn’t have been more excited to see Daniel live again, and I was definitely looking forward to this hilarious show. I had third row seats (woot woot!), and what with the Cort being a rather small theater, my seat was practically on the stage! Yes, I got to see those baby blues up close!

The Cripple of Inishmaan takes place on the Isle of Man in the 1930s. When a Hollywood film crew arrives on a neighboring Irish island, the locals of Inishmaan seek out the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at becoming movie stars. But it Cripple Billy, a young man with the most unfortunate luck, who wants to make his dreams a reality.

I absolutely loved this show! It was funny, it was shocking, it was heart breaking and heartwarming. The characters are definitely the ones who sell this show. From Billy’s adoptive Aunties, and the passive aggressive Helen, each character has their own set of quirks that make them loveable… and hateable… Is that a word? 

Anyways, I would definitely recommend this show to anyone. The Irish accents may be a little hard for some of you to understand, but the cast does do a nice job enunciating. Michael Grandage does an outstanding job with the directing, and the script is hilarious.  

Everyone in the cast was outstanding… This definitely was an ensemble show. Although Daniel Radcliffe’s face is on the Marquee, it’s the entire cast that brings this show to life. But I must say, Daniel was absolutely outstanding as Cripple Billy! I am a huge advocate of Daniel’s, and I honestly want to see him succeed as a respected actor. I think in this role he really showed off what he is made of. He put everything, emotional and physically (definitely physically… How is his whole body not broken by now?!) into this role! I do applaud you, kind sir!

Unfortunately, I did not get to meet Daniel after the show (… One day, Daniel…. We will meet one day… And we will become best friends!) because he had to zoom over to Radio City for the Tony Awards. But, he did do something that I found to be absolutely incredible! Since he knew he couldn’t meet fans after the show, he sent out signed playbills and photos to the people waiting at the stage door. How sweet is that?! Just a small jester like that may seem like nothing to him, but it means the world to me! Honestly, Daniel Radcliffe is my favorite person on the entire planet. No one will ever be able to convince me that he is a bad person. 

If you have been following me for a while, you know of my infinite love of award shows! I was super stoked to find out our theater tickets were for the same day as the Tonys! Although we didn’t attend the show ($300 for one ticket… that is a bit crazy, isn’t it), we did wait outside Radio City to see the stars arrive. I wasn’t in the best spot, but I did get a few snaps of some of the stars. Most importantly, Brian Cranston and, of course, Daniel.

 

You could literally only see Daniel for a split second before he was engulfed into a crowd of people. I mean, he literally disappeared. Short people problems, I suppose.

After the red carpet, we went to Times Square to attend the Tonys viewing party. This was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. I am a massive lover of theater, and to watch the Tonys surrounded by people who love theater even more than me was awesome. The atmosphere at the viewing party was awesome. Everyone was so involved in the show; it was like being inside Radio City. 

After a Daniel Radcliffe infested day (anyone who knows me knows that he really takes a toll on me), we headed back to our hotel for a much need night sleep.   

Day 2

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Sherlock Holmes Inspired Murder Mystery Party!

Hello You Beautiful People!

For the past few weeks I have been working on something very fun! As you can see from the title, I have been writing a Sherlock Holmes Murder Mystery. I wrote this fun little mystery for a picnic my friend was planning, and we thought this would be great entertainment for the guests. The picnic was quite a big event, hosting over 200 people, so naturally we needed a large scale mystery to accommodate the large amount of people who wanted to play. 

Set in 1938 England, Dr. John Watson and Sherlock Holmes attend a party to celebrate renowned Explore Sir Clyde Adkins' return from his African Safari. But the party soon turns sour when Lady Ansley, the host of the nights event, disappears. Soon everyone becomes a suspect, and Lady Ansley's disappearance causes chaos among the guest, and soon everyone becomes a suspect. Who dunnit? It's up to you and Sherlock Holmes to solve this case.    

There were 10 primary suspects, but a total of 75 characters were created. There were five main groups of characters: The House of Lords, the Americans, the Musicians, the Explorers, and the Housing Staff. Every character had their own background story (as you can imagine, 75 back stories was quite a lot to work), but the supporting characters played more of the role of detective, while the suspects tried to prove their innocence. There was a total of seven clues, plus an introduction to the crime and Sherlock's ultimate reveal of the murderer. 

Everyone who played had a great time, but no one actually did solve the crime... I guess this is a tough case to crack...

...

 Discovered in the Journal of Dr. John Watson

2 June 1938 

Yorkshire, England

On the eve of the Second of June, 1938, a party was held on the Ansley Estate in Northern England. Both Holmes and myself made the extensive journey from London to Yorkshire to welcome home Sir Clyde Adkins from his recent African Safari. I had been a long time acquaintance and admirer of Sir Adkins, but Holmes, on the other hand, found attending the party to be of the greatest vexation.   

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a merry band of musicians performing a wonderful Anton Webern composition. Although the tranquil music rang through the halls, the tension among the guests was unbearable. A baffling party of Americans, who flooded the sitting room with cackling laughter and obnoxiously loud proclamations, were looked upon with disgust by the elite English Lords and Ladies. Sir Adkins grimaced with irritation in a corner, and I sensed anxiety among the housing staff. Holmes had stolen himself away to the library to admire the book collection, while Lady Ansley, the host of the party seemed to make the strain among the guest even worse. From the murmurs I heard, Lady Ansley and her husband were far from welcoming hosts.

Finally, at 7 o’clock it was time for dinner. Dinner was an even more extraneous affair. Lady Ansley had made a fool of her staff by criticizing everything they did. She was rude to her American guest, and when it was time to honor Sir Adkins, she made a right spectacle of herself. I was overjoyed when dinner had finished, and it was time for the men to take drinks in the library. Sherlock had been more than silent for most the night, only commenting to correct the Americans’ grammar.

I was more than thrilled to be away from the rude Lady Ansley. With all of the commotion of the evening, this would have been my first opportunity to congratulate Sir Adkins, who, after all, is for whom we came to see. Unfortunately, Sir Adkins never arrived to drinks. I suppose he wanted to escape from Lady Ansley as much as everyone else. Ten minutes into drinks, Lord Ansley also took a leave of absence.

At 9 o’clock, Mr. Clarkson, the butler, came bursting through the library doors. “Lady Ansley, she’s missing!”  he exclaimed. And with that, Sherlock Holmes came to life. “Wonderful!” proclaimed Holmes, as he threw his hands in the air and grinned like a five-year-old in a candy store. “Finally, Watson, something riveting!”  He ran into the hall to begin his detective work.

...

Lord Ansley’s outburst caused a stir of anger in Clyde Adkins. A physical fight broke out between the two men, prompting the women to yelp in fright and the other men to get involved. The commotion in the hall alerted the staff members; they all ran upstairs to see what had happened. Next, the musician’s came bustling down the stairs to try to break up the fight. A deranged Madeleine Hancock flew into the hall, out of breath, trying to tell anyone who would listen what had happened to her. Isobel, frightened that her brother had done something drastic, searched through the crowd adding to the wall of sound with screams of “Christopher!”.

Lady Ansley’s kidnapper was among them, and soon it became a game of “who dunnit?”. Everyone was to blame, causing complete chaos among the throng of guests. Things were getting out of hand; this hoard of civilized guest quickly turned monstrous and rabid, as if they had returned to their primitive state from the animal kingdom.

Watson, becoming panicked, looked towards Holmes for the answer. His face was calm, not an ounce of anxiety in his expression. “Holmes, these people, they’re out of control. They are going to start tearing each other apart!” A small grin formed upon Sherlock’s hard expression.

“Well, it’s obvious, is it not, Watson? Even the most daft members of Scotland Yard could figure this one out.” He pulled Mr. Clarkson from the group quarrel. “My dear Mr. Clarkson, would you mind contacting the police. I believe we have a kidnapper to arrest.”

...

We got this beautiful stationary from Hobby Lobby.

Lots and lots of envelopes with clues!

Our character was used to keep track of who was playing which character. This, along with name tags, was very helpful when it came to handing out clues. With a group this big playing this complicated of a game, things can get confusing... And you don't want to be the one to accidentally hand the murderers clues to someone else! Yikes!

The lethal clue!

Within the clues, individual letters had been bolded and italicized. These letters formed a phrase that would help you solve the case and discover the murderer. 

Along with the hidden letters, there we four hidden clues to be found. There hidden clues would help you solve the crime, and make it fairly obvious who the killer was... But they weren't easy to decipher!

The hidden clues were placed in unmarked envelopes and were hidden throughout the area we were playing. 

And the aftermath... That is a lot of envelopes! 

Overall, the game was very well received by guest. This is game is great for any party, small, big, or anything in between. Bring your magnifying glass and deerstalker, and enjoy a fun night of mystery!

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Beauty Review | Dr. Jart+'s Premium Beauty Balm

 Pinch Punch First of the Month! 

Now that summer is here, I have been on the search for a lighter foundation. As much as I love my Nars Sheer Glow, it's just a bit heavy for the hot summer weather. So, I thought it was about time that I tried a BB Cream foundation. For my first ever adventure with BB cream, I went for a Dr. Jart product. I have read some great things about this product, and the lovely ladies in Sephora high recommended it.  

Let's start off with my initial reaction to this product. At first I honestly hated this product. I felt it was very sheer, it didn't cover my redness, and it just made my skin look even worse. But I believe that all came down to the way I was applying it. At first I was applying this balm like a moisturizer, with my hands. I know, who uses their hands to apply foundation?! That's a big no-no. But I soon saw the error of my ways, and turned back to my trusty foundation brush, the Urban Decay Optical Blurring brush. This actually worked wonders for the balm's application. I immediately noticed a difference in the appearance. 

This balm creates an absolutely beautiful illumination on the face. It looks natural, but not shiny. I'm still not sure how I feel about going so sheer, as my face is pretty messed up and needs lots of work to just make it look presentable, but when applied with the foundation brush it did add a little more coverage. I will also add more product on the areas that need the most help, just to make sure I do get that extra coverage. What is even better is it comes in one universal color that blends to match your skin tone; this is perfect for summer so you don't have to buy a new foundation every time you get tan. I also like the pump that comes with it; it makes getting the product out of the bottle easy. 
  

This product claims to be in all-in-one beauty routine: sunscreen, moisturizer, and treatment serum. I'm not sure I'm buying into that one, especially the moisturizer part. When I first started using this, my skin got very dry and flaky. I don't know if it was this product or something else that had caused my excessive dryness, but either way I continued to use my daily moisturizers underneath the balm to help my skin. I don't find this to be very moisturizing... But maybe it's just my skin. And I don't think I'm convinced about the "treatment serum" part either. A lot of products I find pull you in with these magical words of "treatment," "perfection," and "all-in-one," but do they really do all that? I don't know.

Even though I have nit-picked just about everything with this product, I have come to the general conciseness that I do like it. I love the illumination it gives my skin, and I love that it is light-weight for the hot, sweaty summer months. 

But I want to know what your favorite BB or CC creams are? I would love to know what products you recommend! Leave me a comment below and let me know! 

Make sure you continue to check back often! I have a lot of exciting new posts coming this month that I can't wait for you all to see! If you want to keep up-to-date when a new post arrives, you can follow me on any of my social media sites!  

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Thanks for reading! xo

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