Harry's House is Currently Having a Great Time in Chicago

I want to start this post with I am far from a cool influencer and I am not receiving payment for this post. I genuinely loved my experience and I also genuinely have no money left over after having the best time ever (it was worth it.)

I scrolling through Facebook one day and saw that NBC News posted that there was going to be a Harry Styles mini pop up in Chicago.

Now, I'm not saying I deserve anything in this world, but Harry DID cancel on my Chicago concert date and I DIDN'T get to attend the "make up" day, so...I felt like I needed to go to this pop up.

I asked my friend Sol who I knew was a fellow Harry fan (his fans are usually called Harries and honestly, I don't vibe with it, so I'm just going to keep saying "Harry fan") but we took an almost 2 hour train ride and 2 Ubers to get to the bar that it was being held at, Replay Lincoln Park. I have to put in here that I am from the northwest suburbs of Chicago so this was a trek for me but it may not be for you!

We pulled up to Replay Lincoln Park in the Uber and this is what I felt like:

There was a Harry banner the exact moment you walk in the door and you just FEEL like you fit in already.

Welcome to Harry's House

We got there around 6:30 pm and it was a great time to go as it wasn't as crowded. Sol and I cozied up to the bar where the bartender with long hair looked like 2015 Harry but with a beard. He probably received that comparison all night but honestly, it went with the aesthetic (he was also super nice to everyone, which is a sure sign the night was going to go well.)

I ordered a Watermelon Sugar cocktail and As it Was shots. The shots came in a pair and Sol wasn't ready to take any shots, so my friends, I took those 2 shots for myself. They were DELICIOUS. Heads up, most of the drinks on the special Harry menu are sweet, so look carefully if you aren't a fan of sweet alcohol drinks!

Harry's House Cocktail Menu

As it Was shots

Replay Lincoln Park is a special bar in the crazy way that it has ARCADE GAMES!! In between taking pictures, we played pinball and Skeeball. It was a blast. Shoutout to the girl who played pinball at the Ghostbusters machine next to my Batman one and told me her friend's boyfriend went to the Harry concert and wore Harry merch. Miss that girl. 

I do need to say that certain games cost a dollar or 2 BUT most of them are free! Just please consider that when you buy drinks, you're paying for the machines too with that money (which makes sense.)

Sol and I went around taking pictures of the themed décor and had a fun time with the cutouts. Sorry to the shirtless Harry cutout that I knocked down with my drink. He was fine and had no injuries.

As the night progressed, I learned my favorite drink was Cherry. The actual cherry fruit they put in the bottom of the glasses weren't maraschino but they didn't have pits. I was thriving on how good they were. I didn't love the Kiwi drink FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE that it has kiwi seeds swimming around. I'm a texture person and seeds are my enemy. Sol loved it though!

There was a woman there that was getting married soon and her group of friends were from Milwaukee! The ones I met were super nice and the future bride was so fun. She literally gave me a Ring Pop as a thank you for taking a group picture of them. Loved it. I'm posting a picture of her cute little veil and sunglasses in hopes she sees that I wish her all the best! 

Of course, Harry Styles music played overhead. But then around 9 pm, One Direction songs were mixed in and that was the coolest thing ever (says me.) Harry videos played on loop on each TV that was displayed and each time Sol looked at TV, she sighed and went "I just...love that man."

Harry on the bar TVs

As expected, the night went on and it got more and more crowded. There are only 2 places to sit and that is at cute picnic tables, but a birthday party took up a whole one that night, so we crammed into the other table. We were lucky getting that seat! We left around 10:30 pm and headed back to the train with low phone batteries but full hearts.

I'll be attending Harry Styles Psycho Bingo at Replay THIS Wednesday, November 16th! I'll be writing another blog post about it and taking pictures for Meganhubrex.com! I hope to write a journalism article for my writing portfolio from this, too, so if you are attending, DM me at @MeganHubrex on Instagram and I'd love to get some fun quotes and pictures!

Here's the link to Harry Bingo

Thank you to Replay Lincoln Park for putting on this AMAZING Harry event for fans!

The Harry Styles Mini Pop-Up HAS BEEN EXTENDED! Here's the new deets:


When:

 Now until November 19th at 9 P.M.

Opens each night at 5 P.M. until 2 A.M.


Link for more info

Read More

The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience

 

    

Greetings from the Ton

Err...I mean hello from Chicago. 

Lady Whistledown said: "It doesn't matter where you are, as long as one has fun."

(She never said that)

If you're not a watcher of Bridgerton, please enjoy these pretty pictures I took at a very fun event. 

But if you ARE a Bridgerton fan, you're in for a TREAT.

Let's start with my friend Mavis sending me a Tik Tok of a ball that was Bridgerton themed. I was SHOOK. She told me there was one coming to Chicago and I Googled it so fast.

I found this link: X

Then I saw that General Admission was $56 for a 90 minute show. UHHH NO THANKS. 

Then we insert my friend Faiza in here. Faiza and I are good friends and she knew that I wanted to go to this ball so bad. SO SHE BOUGHT ME TICKETS AS A GIFT. Her and I were set to go to the Queen's Ball on May 11th, 2022. 

I was stressing out about buying a dress and jewelry and long gloves. I talked myself out of buying an $80 dress on Amazon because I needed to use common sense: I will most likely never wear that dress again. I found a Nasty Gal dress in my closet and turned it into an afternoon tea time dress, fit for Miss Bridgerton. I did buy long white gloves on Amazon and a white ribbon and it really added to the dress. I already had a string of tacky pearls and I shortened it into a necklace. 

So very 1813

Faiza picked me up at 7 pm as the Bridgerton Ball started at 9 pm. The parking was SUPER close to the building. If you pay for Valet parking and you're capable of walking 1 minute to and from the building, you're wasting $25. 

They also only take card for parking unless you have exactly $15 (or $25 for Valet). It's very card based inside too. I wouldn't bring cash unless you want to leave a cash tip for the bartenders. 

Faiza and I took some pre-pictures in the parking lot as we were about 45 minutes early. The email they send you says they'll let you in 30 minutes early. THEY LIE. They let you in 15 minutes early. 

We waited as one of the first people there and we got to see the queen's guests all come line up AKA our fellow Ball go-ers. Some wore plain dresses from Target, some wore prom dresses. I was afraid my dress was too plain, but I felt really good in it. It doesn't matter what you wear to this; you're there to have fun. 

We were let inside and you see this little board first:

You scan your ticket OR they can look up your name if you have a hard time finding your ticket on your phone.

The first thing you see is a coat check (it was 90 in Chicago that day...) then you see a hall full of hanging twinkling lights. Me and Faiza took a quick selfie. 

In that hall are 2 merch stands and a picture taking spot. I HIGHLY suggest not buying merch in the main room and to wait until you leave to do so. The stands in the hall will be there when you go and you won't have to hold merch the whole time. 

The hall you wait in to go into the main area (the twinkling lights hall) had our first photo op of the night. 

You will have a ton of photo opportunities, so prepare those poses and smiles! Save your mega watt for the Queen, though ;) You'll have to bow a lot and I was told your right foot goes in front of your left foot. That could be 100% incorrect, but I did it all night. 

We  finally got let into the main room through a tunnel of purple Wisteria flowers, hanging from the ceiling. I got a quick video of it, but not a great one because they usher you fast inside the main room. 

When you enter, you get a Lady Whistledown paper. 

BIG HINT: If you want something to do, there is a game with clues on the back of Society Papers. It's circled in black!

From there, you can take so many pictures before the queen arrives. 

The picture at the beginning of this post was so much fun. You sit on a stool, take your picture, you get led to a touchscreen easel, sign your name and then a QR Code pops up for you to download it to your phone. 

I'm a little bitter that I forgot to take my glasses off for it, but oh well! 

Then you can sit on the Queen's throne (Faiza has that picture somewhere...), go take a picture in the "rain" AKA hanging crystals, and take some selfies in the cute mirrors.

There's also 2 bars in the big room. The alcoholic drinks? $16!!! And more if you give a tip!!! They definitely don't stiff you with the alcohol in it (I got a Birds of a Featherington with gin) but save your money.It's a small glass (it does look big in the picture below. It's just the angle.)  A sprite costs $6. A glass bottle of water also costs $6 and that bottle is BIG. The water is worth the 6 bucks, 

There's also a merch stand IN the room, but like I said, save it for the hallway when you leave. 

They also have costumes from the cast. I love a good Penelope. She's a plus size icon AND a writer. No one knew if these were actually used in the show, but it was still neat!

Then you hear music. Violins are playing Ariana Grande. The cast members in white wigs line up at the red curtains. Then....

OUT COMES THE QUEEN!! 

She walks the red carpet up to her seated throne. It's so much fun to see the elegance they made this woman have. People will start getting picked by ladies in wigs and men in top hats to go bow to the queen. The announcer is backstage and sees everyone bow to the queen and makes cute remarks like "what a wonderful bow" and "the perfect hand twirl." 

Then I went up unescorted, by myself. I was smiling so wide. I bowed, waited for the announcer remark, and...

IT WAS DEAD SILENT. I GOT CRICKETS.

I laughed about it but younger Megan would have been so hurt. I went up a second time with a girl I met there and all be it, I was the only person the announcer STILL didn't say anything about!! (LOL)

Then, when the queen left, we went into the next room (which I didn't know they had!). THE BALLROOM! 

We all gathered at the side of a checkered dance floor and watched a really fun dance performance. One girl was dressed (and looked like!) Daphne from Season 1 and another guy looked like The Duke. 

But you'll never guess who Daphne asked to dance before she danced with the Duke. 

ME

That's right, the announcer can laugh at THAT! Maria (the Daphne lookalike) took my gloved hand an pulled me on the dance floor. I acted very un-1800s. I followed her waltz very badly and we talked a bit. I told her I was so nervous and then when she goes "should I dance with that man over there?" meaning her co-character, The Duke, I literally said to her "yes! I dare you."


Girl.... WHAT

She was trying to stay in character but I heard her chuckle. Then the performers did a beautiful and intimate dance. It was so cute to watch.

Then it was our turn to dance! I did NOT keep up as it is super fast but I couldn't stop laughing and smiling. Even the people next to us were having a blast. Then, once again, I got pulled up on the stage and the middle to dance with a performer! I shook my shoulders and dropped it as low as I could. It was awesome. I was so out of my comfort zone, but that was a good thing!

The Queen came out, picked her Diamond of the Ball (a drag queen who looked SPECTACULAR) and then it was done. All of a sudden, Single Ladies by Beyonce started playing and all the guests started shaking their booty's on the dance floor! They played some more recent songs to dance to, but Faiza and I were too hot and decided to leave.

We bought our merch on the way out (I bought a tumbler and a tote bag). Merch is obviously expensive, so keep that in mind, too. 

After leaving, I put my hair up and we found a cute Boba place to get a late night snack on our drive home.

That was it. The end. 

Was it worth the $56?

YES. 100 times over, YES.

I do have to say, save your money: don't buy VIP. The "seating area" isn't even used because we're all dancing. All the real difference is the glass of champagne you get. 

It's also SUPER hot in there, so wear setting spray on top of your makeup! We didn't even have that big of a crowd, but I was dripping sweat because the lack of AC. 

During this Queen's Ball, I was smiling the whole 90 minutes. I had a blast and it was so worth the experience. 

I made a SUPER quick Tik Tok but it shows us having fun:


TIK TOK LINK 

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE AND HAVE A 'BALL'!

Read More

Review: Unique Coffee Café

I've been hearing about a lot about a new coffee shop by Woodmans in Carpentersville, IL since 2021. No one knew the name for a long time and then it kind of faded off in the wind as a rumor. Then, at the end of the year, on Facebook, Unique Coffee popped up and made it's name as the indie coffee shop in front of Woodmans. They kept saying November 2021 they would open, but they eventually opened in January of 2022. 

I went to Unique Coffee Cafe on my day off the other day. Even since I've been there, they've changed a bit, including furniture. They were pretty bare with chairs and tables but now they have a couch in front of the little fire place (as I've seen on Facebook) and it definitely fills up the space better. 

But here's my pros and cons list of Unique Coffee Cafe:

PROS

*The leather chairs in their minimal design of the shop are REALLY comfy. I sank right in when I sat down! I loved it. 

*I had a caramel iced latte and I don't know what coffee they use but it was definitely good. Not overly sweet but just right. 

*The employees are very friendly. I had my coffee walked to me instead of put on the counter. A little thing, but it still made me feel that I was appreciated. 

*They have a strange straw for coffee. It's a boba straw but you know what? I loved it because it made it so much easier to stir my coffee! It definitely a nice touch. 

CONS

*They don't have a huge menu. When I was looking at it, I was hoping for more. Maybe they'll expand when they get more well known, though. I'm hoping for some drinks that they put together that you can only get at Unique, you know?

*They have flavor syrups (although I had to ask about that, it's not on the menu), but they're very simple ones; chocolate and caramel are the big ones. But they don't have any thing that other indie coffee shops have, including flower-type flavor syrups. Not a big deal, but again, maybe they'll expand in the future. 

*As I said, the staff was friendly but the manager that was there didn't say a thing to me. I was kind of disappointed because I wanted to introduce myself and ask some more questions. It seemed like he really only talked to people who were "big names", as I've seen on Facebook with photos. It wasn't really busy either. I'm not holding that against him, I was just bummed a bit. 

*The order window was so confusing. When you walk in, there's a counter. But that's NOT the order counter. I had to be directed around to the back to order. KEEP THIS IN MIND IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE EMABARASSED (like I was): Go straight down and on the left is the order window!!!

_____

All in all, it's definitely a nice place to go to work on your computer or have a one on one with a friend. There's no big tables, so you can't meet up with more than one friend. I would love to see more specialty coffees and not just ones I can get at Starbucks. But the coffee was good and I would definitely go back!

If you guys go to Unique Coffee Cafe, let me know what you think!

Read More

The Newest Pop Princess is All Scraped Up

 

The Chicago artist, Goof, is no stranger to Megan Hubrex's blog. I interviewed her in August 2020 (here's the link in case you missed it: X) and since then, Goof has grown. 

"With help from friends who are talented producers coupled with years of songwriting and poetry experience, this new artist is hitting the ground running. The voice behind Goof, Natalie Taylor Carioti, spent her college years studying Musical Theatre and is so excited for her own work to be heard - from songs that make you ugly cry to bops made for blasting. Goof hopes that by releasing truthful music, they can help others find songs they connect to and bring comfort and a safe space for all. Goof’s mission is making Pop for the People."

Natalie AKA Goof has 3 released singles at this current time and their newest single, All Scraped Up, is what I'm here to focus on (because I could literally write a full blog post on each song, but I WON'T!)

I had the complete honor to listen to All Scraped Up a day before it got released to the world. As I was sitting on my bed, playing this 80's-influenced song with retro keyboard sounds blasting through my Google Home, I IMMEDIATELY knew this song will be on repeat for ages. 

All Scraped Up brings lyrics of "a little escape from everyday life with growing older, losing love, and trying to find your place in this world". It's a catchy beat and the chorus of

 "I'm all scraped up, in my body, in my heart, and in my soul" 

is something I cannot stop singing. Goof has explained this song as well as ever: "“Pairing the sensitive lyrics with the upbeat happy pop sound is supposed to represent how people suffer in silence and put on a brave face to hide their demons. This song itself is like the mask people wear when struggling with something they’re not proud of. I hope it shows people that they’re not alone in how they feel and that I have the same scary thoughts too."

Goof has always had a voice for singing, ever since I followed her old band, The Isherwoods. The musical theater alumni has chosen the right path: creating music and creating pure art. I attended Goof's YouTube concert in February and right afterwards I told my mom, "Natalie's voice is just so good."

And let me tell you, All Scraped up is a song where you want to dance to it while drinking a Redbull Vodka with a disco ball lights flashing around the room (or uh...is that just me who does that?) Either way, this coming-of-age song really shows that

 Goof is our newest Pop Princess

 and I bow down.

____

Here are some important links for Goof:

Instagram: X

All Scraped Up new single on Spotify: X

Goof's Spotify Page: X

Read More

Bikini Bottom Has Raised the Bar

 In the bustling downtown of West Dundee, Illinois, there is a delicious coffee and donut shop, a cool retro arcade, and bars. A whole area of bars. They're all different in the fact that some younger people go here to sit outside, some people go there to sing karaoke, and some people bar hop to a lot of them since they're so close together. 

My personal favorite bar out of all of them?

Bikini Bottom Bar.

On this blog, I do quite a few reviews and not once have I gotten paid or had been given any free things because of it. So here on out in this review, my own opinions and experiences are written about. I didn't get a free apple pie shot out of this (I promise).

I came across this bar about 2 years ago, when a friend of mine and I decided to go because it was close to her house and the only bar that she hadn't been to yet. 

I'm 27 years old and I've been to my fair share of bars, but there has only been 1 bar I REALLY liked (at the time.) Bikini Bottom was all new to me and I'll admit, I had never heard of it, even if it was located at on the main strip of the downtown. 

I got dressed up and headed via Uber to Bikini Bottom with my friend one winter weekend. There is a front door and a back door at the bar, and I suggest going through the back door, near the parking lot. There are the bathrooms just inside and for first timers, it's good to know where they are!

My friend and I entered the back entrance and noticed one thing right away that other bars didn't have: room. My goodness, it was spacious. The bouncer at the door checked out our ID's and was given the go-ahead to go in. 

Little did I know how much I'd love the place. 

I won't go into a long boring story of each time I've been to Bikini Bottom (because that would take multiple posts...I go there a lot...) but I want to write about what I love about it via bullet points. Everyone loves a good bullet point. 

*The drinks. I get something called a Liquid Marijuana. It's mainly pineapple juice and rum and is an awesome green color. It's VERY sweet (which I love, but some people don't!) If you'd like to try it, they have the recipe in their drink book now and I highly suggest it. The bartenders have made me a mean Mai Tai before. Oh, and the apple pie shots? I'll get to them at the end of this post. You WON'T want to miss that part....

*The bartenders. I have never been to a bar with nicer girls serving me delicious drinks. I see some girls more than others but every time I see one I don't remember, I've come to expect how generous they are. I'll be at a table with some friends and a bartender will come up and ask me if I want more to drink or any water and honestly, I feel very appreciated there. 

*The interior. I told you guys it there was a lot of room in this bar, but there's also tons of pool tables and a place to play bags (which, by the way, Bikini Bottom is the place where I learned I was GOOD at bags!) They have a punching bag machine, slots, and a small little dance floor that I have occupied once or twice in my life. It's an all around fun atmosphere. 

*A fun place to meet up. I have introduced so many people to Bikini Bottom by simply inviting them out. Granted, I'm a very outgoing person, but a drink on the weekends with some friends? Invite them to this bar. It helps Bikini and it gets your friends out for a fun time. Also, if you don't drink alcohol, they have coke and things of the sort! 

*Food. They don't serve ANY food, but always feel free to order food to the bar! But just remember, no drinks are allowed. 

*Kim. She needs her own bullet point. No, she DESERVES her own bullet point. Kim runs Bikini Bottom and has gotten to know me. She is someone who looks out for your best interests and CARES about her customers and employees more than a lot of people can say. During this pandemic, the bar has been closed 47% of 2020. That's hard to handle for any business. Kim loves this bar so much that she dipped into some of her personal funds to keep it alive and well when it was time to open again. She has been applying for help from the state big grants (and beyond) and keeps getting denied. Now that it IS opened to the public again, snow storms keep popping up and it's been rough, but Kim doesn't show it. 

During Thanksgiving, I wanted to help Bikini Bottom and Kim out. This bar is famous for their juice-like apple pie shots. Kim makes them with her own secret recipe (she won't share; I've asked before...) and during 2020, she started selling apple pie quarts for $25 because I KNEW it was worth it. I put a post on Facebook saying "hey, Bikini Bottom is selling these quarts and the proceeds are going to helping out her currently unemployed employees."

I had no idea that post would go locally viral. 

I then decided to take some orders from friends and then personally deliver jugs to those people's houses a couple days before Thanksgiving 2020. I organized it with Kim, and set off for a very long day delivering apple pie goodness. 

With the rest of the people who wants jugs, they contacted Kim and the money she made from those? All went to her employees. I was floored by her selflessness and her love for her girls. 

Now, like I said, I am not getting paid to do this. It really isn't even a review because I just put how much I love it there. But this pandemic has been hard for small businesses, including Kim and Bikini Bottom Bar. Now that they're open, I would love to see this place thrive again. I would love to hear new people came in and loved it as much as I do.

Of course, masks when walking around are mandated, but the 6 feet apart rule is great at this place because it IS so big. 

If you read this write up, tell the person serving you that Megan sent you. That would put a smile on my face :)

Read More

If the Internet Says So (Beauty Edition)

Internet ads are everywhere. Especially during this quarantine phase. I have been getting SO many beauty advertisements on Instagram that I never knew possible. 

I decided to do it. I decided to give in. I GAVE IN TO THE ADVERTISEMENTS!

I knew I wanted to do a blog post where I tried things and gave a review on them because my reviews are very honest and people actually tell me they enjoy those type of posts. 

I wanted to give a disclaimer to the new people who are reading this: I am NOT a makeup and skin care guru. I just like trying my best! Also, I don't give ratings such as 7/10 or 5 stars because I would rather write up what I learned. 

So, here I am! I bought a few things that kept popping up on my feed: Glossier, Winky Lux, and Billie. 

I want to make this into a mini series because I've ordered more internet things to review but they're not here yet and I didn't want to make this post too long.

I do want to say that I didn't buy just anything that I came across. If they seems sketchy or too pricey or just not really worth it, I didn't buy it. I'm also NOT SPONSORED! I mean, I wish I was, but I'm not so all opinions are my own. 

Let's start off this review post, shall we?

____

Glossier

What I bought: Nightshine (Platinum Rose) and Cloud Paint (Puff)

Where to buy: X

Nightshine: This is a liquid highlighter and I have been looking everywhere for one as good as Bleach London's. Bleach's got gross and old really fast but it was my favorite highlighter I've ever had. I bought this in Platinum Rose and I tried it out after I put on my foundation. It was a beautiful color when I swatched it on my hand, but didn't really show up great on my face. Maybe I dabbed too much with my makeup sponge? It just didn't make me GLOW like I wanted. 

Cloud Paint: This is a liquid blush. I haven't used blush since middle school, so I decided why not try and spice things up. Cloud Paint is the most common Glossier product I hear about. When I got it, I put a swatch of it in my hand and it was really hard to blend. I was afraid it would not go well on my face. But when I put it on below my highlight and used my makeup sponge, it  gave me a nice pink color and I was surprised how nice it looked! I don't put too much on because I have a usually red face but it gives it a nice pink tint. 

(This is me with both products on and no filter)

~~

Winky Lux

What I bought: Peeper Perfect (Under eye concealer) and Glitter Puff (Pink Cloud)

Where to buy: X

Peeper Perfect: I have dark circles. They look like someone punched me in the face and I try my best to edit them out of my pictures because I'm so embarrassed of them. I have tried eye masks and nothing ever gets rid of them. I decided to try this concealer made especially for under your eyes to hide dark circles. When I put it on, it came on strong and I dabbed with the tip of my finger to make sure I covered my whole under eye. It covered it well enough, but I still felt like my dark circles were peaking through. I just don't think this was a strong enough color for me. 

(The left eye is with the concealer! No other makeup is on)

Glitter Puff: I love glitter makeup. I wear it on my hair when I go to every single concert. I put it on my arms when I go to a party. I just love it. So I decided to try this glitter in a tube type of thing. WARNING: IT WILL GET EVERYWHERE! It comes in a pump and when I went to do one pump on my arm, it literally came out in a puff and it definitely wasn't directed on one spot. It went on the floor, on my counter, but a lot on my arm too. I think it's a little too concentrated for me BUT I haven't tried it in my hair at all, which is says you can also do. I don't know the staying power of this glitter as a hair product, but you can can always try! It just made me look like a 4 year old got into a tub of glitter, which I surprisingly didn't like. 

~~

Billie

What I bought: Razor Starter Kit

Where to buy: X

I've recently been very transparent in the fact that I have to shave my face. I was embarrassed about it for years (I still kind of am...) but I'm nothing if not honest. I keep seeing this razor on every social media account that I have so I finally messaged them and asked if their razors are okay on faces. My men's razor that I've been using for years has always hurt my face, to be honest. But Billie responded and said that their razors are totally fine for faces and have charcoal shave soap around the edges for a softer shave. 

I ordered the $9 starter kit that will give me new razors every 3 months for $9 (you can cancel at anytime!)

When the razor came, I was impressed with the packaging. It was very colorful and very on brand for them. I hung up the magnetic holder on my shower wall and then took a shower. When I was shaving, it didn't hurt at all. It actually felt like I wasn't even shaving! That put me off at first because I'm used to my face hurting. I did have to go over some spots a couple times because the razor didn't shave it enough, but it felt great while in the shower. 

When I got out of the shower, my neck (where I mostly shave) was REAL red. It looked inflamed a bit. Now, I've had it much MORE inflamed before and this was the first time I used the razor so it could have been just the sharpness of the blades. I'm still going to keep using it because I like how it doesn't hurt my face in the shower.

I have a friend who uses it on her legs (most likely the intended purpose of this razor) and she loves it. It just gives her a really clean shave. I haven't tried the other competitor brand of Billie, Athena Club, but maybe one day I will, just to compare!

 _________________

So those are just a few I've tried recently! I have some things coming in the mail soon like those star pimple patches and gummy hair vitamins and I'll give a review for those too when the time comes. Have you guys tried any of the things above? I'd love to hear of your experiences and if this review helped any of you!

Read More

Review: Manic by Halsey

As soon as I heard the singer Halsey was putting out a new album, I was excited. 

Then as soon as I heard she named her album, Manic, I was suddenly a little put off. 

Halsey has bipolar and every fan of her knows it. I have bipolar and almost everyone who knows me knows it. I don't hide it and Halsey doesn't either. 

I get a little upset how mental illness is portrayed in some movies these days because having depression is not "fun" or "cute". The manic pixie dream girl is over played. 

So when I saw on Twitter that Halsey's new album was called Manic, I was upset. Here we go again, having people think being manic is a good ol' time.

God, MY manic episodes are scary and not fun or cool at all. I don't sleep, I have to keep going, I shake. I was really hoping Halsey wasn't putting manic episodes in a good light. I messaged her a calm message on Twitter asking her to explain what the title meant, but of course, she didn't respond. 

I put on Twitter, publicly, about how I hope she wasn't glorifying mental illness. And this random girl on Twitter went and attacked me via words. "SHE'S BIPOLAR, SHE HAS MANIC EPISODES, SHE CAN DO WHAT SHE WANTS! SHE'S BIPOLAR! SHE HAS FREE REIGN." I responded with a nice "I do too and manic episodes are not a good time." This girl tried to fight with me again but I didn't respond.  

So when the album came out, I put the name of out my mind and listened to it, judgement free. Halsey told fans to listen to the songs in order because it's a whole "experience". So I sat down and listened. Without doing a complete song-by-song, here's what I thought:

The first half of the album, I was sad. But not in a way people think. I was sad that all she sings about is needing a man to live. She sings (a lot)  about how she needs validation from a man that she'll she fine. I know people like that personally and I feel sad for THEM too. A girl I know physically gets sick and mentally bad when she doesn't have a man or a relationship. I just...can't fathom. Maybe Halsey is the same way. I hope Halsey is getting therapy. 

I did like the song '3am' because it's catchy plus I understood her lyrics a lot. She sings about how it's 3am and she's trying to contact everyone through her phone. It's obviously talking about mania because I've been through the same thing where I need to TALK, not about anything particular, but my mind is running. But like I said, it's catchy. 

I don't like any of the 'interludes'. I give her credit for actually singing on them, because most bands just play music during their interludes and it's so boring to me. But short songs don't "WOW" me. Especially these. 

It took me about 6 full plays to really like the song "Finally//beautiful stranger". Now, I think it's great. Still about needing a man. But very velvet sounding and her vocals really come out. 

"You should be sad". What a great song. It's FINALLY a song about saying BUH BYE to a toxic man. And you guys know I love any song that catchy. The music video doesn't really fit the sound, but I kind of still love it?

"killing boys" is dumb. That's all I'll say.  

The worst song, obviously in my opinion, is More. God, I hate saying that because it's about her miscarriages. I've been listening to this album on repeat for hours and this song is so....skip-able. There's no beat. I don't care if it's not a typical pop song, but it's a semi-acoustic. The words are very deep and since I can't connect to this song, it's hard for me to like. I don't WISH I could connect either, given the circumstances she's been through, but I hope other people like it. 

The second to last song is "Still Learning" and it's about how she's still learning to love herself. That no one actually knows her and she's trying her best. And even though it's not a particular peppy pop song that you can tap your toes to, the words are really great. It's an insight to her life and it's nice to hear that she owns up to her mistakes when needed.

My absolute favorite song is 929. It's just about her. That's it. Catchy, people can relate but also people can't relate, and it tells a story. I don't really know if it's a 'song' but it's great. Now THAT is what mania is and she's not exploiting it, she telling about how it's affected her. 

I applaud her. 

Everyone is different. Everyone's mental illness is different. Halsey has life success, I live in my bedroom in Illinois. Our mania is different. It's sometimes difficult for me to hear her talk about her episodes because I used to wish I had money to be Halsey's type of manic. But hearing this album, even though she has the money and the fame, she sounds like she's still suffering like me. 

All in all, I give this album 

8/10

Read More