taryn k.
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My name is Taryn. I'm in my twenties. I come from the land down under. I'm married. I work full time. I like pretty things. My favourite food is watermelon. I hate dancing. I like to talk. I tend to contradict myself. I hate snails. I like you for reading my blog.

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15 July 2011, 2:24 PM
What I'm Reading

It's been quite a while since I did a "What I'm Reading" post, so I've got a few books to review for you.  Everything I've read lately, I've really enjoyed, with the exception of one that I'm a little bored with, but am trying to get through.  Winter has well and truly set in over here, so I've been loving getting into bed early with my ereader and reading for hours and hours.  Where shall we start?

When I last wrote, I listed a whole bunch of books I was planning to read - first of all Garden Of Shadows by Virginia Andrews, the prequel to Flowers In The Attic, since I was in a nostalgic mood at the time.  So I read it again.  It's so damn trashy! I love it! This is probably the third time I've read this book and it always draws me in.  I feel like it's almost a rite of passage for teenage girls to read Andrews' Gothic romances, even though the content is a little unsavoury at times.

For those of you that haven't heard of the series, the novels follow the Foxworth/Dollanganger family, an upper class Viriginian family living in the 70s (I believe).  The general gist is that Corrine, the mother of the central main characters, Chris, Cathy, Cory and Carrie, is disinherited by her wealthy and cruel father, Malcolm Foxwoth, when she marries her half cousin. Upon her husbands sudden and unexpected death Corrine is left to raise the children herself, and with no form of income she feels she must attempt to get back into her fathers good books.  She returns to her childhood home, but must hide the fact that she has borne children to her half-cousin, otherwise she will never be granted forgiveness.  At the time the novels start it is believed her Malcolm is on his deathbed, not expected to survive a month.  The children are hidden away by Corrine and her evil mother, Olivia, in a room with attic access in an unused wing of Foxworth Manor, with the intention of Corrine winning her father back, receiving her inheritance when he passes and then living comfortably with her children.  Unfortunately for the kids, Malcom clings on to life for quite a long time.  What follows is a soap-opera like family drama with so much scandal and shock (incest anybody?), you're left laughing (but enjoying) at the absurdity.  Rumour has it the series was based on a true story, but who really knows how much further Andrews' takes it.

The prequel to the series is told from Olivia's point of view, starting when she and Malcolm courted, right up to the arrival of Corrine and her children of the night of their imprisonment.  There is so much more scandal and so many more secrets in this book that are never even alluded to in the rest of the series, so it is a fun read if you enjoy the other novels.

This novel, and series, is definitely a guilty pleasure of mine, and has been since I was about 12. I'll definitely get around to rereading the rest of the books in this series, but other more exciting books became available to me as soon as I finished this one.  

Namely, the most recent Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris. I LOVE these novels. Love them.  Especially at this stage of the game where Sookie has broken up with her beloved Bill and moved on to better and blonder things.  Like Eric. Sigh.

I wouldn't really say that this is a spoiler for the TV show since they seem to be going in an entirely different direction than the novels take.  It was a while ago that I read this, so I can't remember all the details, but from what I remember, Sookie is quite happily coupled up with Mr Northman - vampire married actually - and living in relative peace after his maker was killed and the vamp political hierarchy had been shaken.  Then back along comes Eric's boss, with whom there is a long standing grudge since the revolt against the royals a few books back.  He pretty much wants all the people Eric loves dead. Including Sookie.  Poor Sookie.

So then Sookie prances around a little, as she does, interacting with a bunch of different people and kind of wallowing that she is all tied up in supe business, as she does, and making STUPID decisions. As she does.

I did really enjoy this book, but it didn't really seem to end.  There wasn't a whole lot of questions unanswered and it didn't move forward with Sookie and Erics relationship.  We basically left off exactly where we started - which is Sookie isn't sure who she really wants.  At least if theey'd broken up (which I am totally against, just to be clear), we would have at least had some sort of progression. I'm pretty sure Harris has said there are only two or three books left about Sookie, so they're gonna wanna start getting to the point soon. 

I have a terrible feeling she's going to end up with Sam. And that will piss me right off.  I'm just not a fan.


The Hunger Games. Oh my god. I am in love with this series.  I could not put it down.  I downloaded the entire series in a big omnibus form from Amazon (in fact, I downloaded all these from Amazon), because I couldn't find the separate books in ereader format.  So I was reallllllly hoping I liked it.  So yeah, it turned out well.  This is one of the best series I have read in a long time.  You will notice I am quite partial to the teen-fiction genre. Even though I'm nearly twenty four. *shrugs*

Katniss Everdeen, a teenager living in Panem, an almost post-apocalyptic world.  It's Earth, but not as we know it.  The novel takes place, probably a couple hundred years in to the future, in what was the US.   Panem consists of the Capitol, an incredibly wealthy and excessive city, and twelve outlying, poverty stricken districts, which are very much under the thumb of the Capitol.  At some point during Panem's history, the districts tried to revolt against the Capitol and failed miserably.  As a reminder of the failed attempt at taking them down (although it's thinly veiled as entertainment and as a prestigious event), the Capitol produces an annual TV reality show, where they take two teenagers, a boy and a girl, from each district as tributes and have them fight to the death in an arena. So yeah, not a happy world.  Katniss becomes one of these tributes and we see her journey and struggle through this unfair world.

There is a romance factor to these novels, but unlike most teen novels, it's not the most prominent theme.  I think a lot of readers try to reduce it to this (ie. Team Peeta!! Team Gale!!! Team Finnick!!!!!!) but it is so much more than that.  It's a war series, a series about survival, about protecting what is important to you, about how far you would go to protect your own life, about valuing your life above others, about politics and inspiration.  It's also more realistic than other teen novels, in that good characters die.  As I was reading Mockingjay, I got to the point where I was thinking "Is ANYBODY going to survive this??".

I can't say enough good things about these books.  I can't wait for the movie to come out - I really hope they do it justice.

I'll leave it there for now, because I can just see myself rambling on and on - I'll post the next few books in the next couple of days, I promise.  As always, thanks for reading. Talk to you soon :)

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12 July 2011, 6:40 PM
I love ticklish Eric


Best quotes of last nights episode:

Eric: Sorry, it tickled.

Eric: Are you mine?
Sookie: No.
Eric: Do you belong to some other vampire?
Sookie: No.
Eric: Oh. Would you like to be mine?
Sookie: NO!

Sookie: Eric! You just killed my fairy godmother!
Eric: Oh. Sorry.

Pam: I will eat, *beep* and kill each of you.

Jason: If this is an emergancy, dial 9-1-1 and ask for me.

Eric: Who the *beep* is she? Oh sorry. That was rude.

Eric: I know I'm a vampire, Snookie.

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07 July 2011, 7:52 PM
The On-Holidays Haul

Weee, I'm on holidays again!  Yesterday was my obligatory first-day-of-holidays flop around lazy day, and today was my obligatory holiday shopping day. I didn't really get too much today, but this is what I've picked up over the past few weeks. 

Cosmetics first.


Bloom lipgloss in Gypsy, Loreal Telescopic in Carbon Black, Loreal Super Line felt tip liquid liner in Silver Black, Bloom concealer, Batiste Dry Shampoo in Diva, Bloom Thirst Quencher Vitamin E Body Cream, Chi Chi polish in Disco Diva, Manicare Glam Nails top coat in Ice Ice Baby, Bourjois bronzer, Red Earth blush in Cherry Blossom.

I've had the bronzer for a couple of weeks - everyone was raving about it, and my old one had just run out so it seemed like a good idea at the time.  I'll admit, it is a nice colour and the scent is delicious, but I'm pretty sure it has been making me break out.  I'm assuming it's the scent. Sadface.

The nail polish is gorgeous - I'll have to do a swatch soon to show you, I can't explain it.  I wore it to my sisters Winter Wonderland themed birthday party and it was perfect.  Looked like ice.

I haven't really had a chance to try out much of anything else, but I'll let you know as we go along.  I'm looking forward to the blush :) 


I've been obsessed with sideways crosses for a little while now and had been looking for a double ring with the design in gold.  Found this is Sportsgirl today, and decided to grab a matching bracelet too :)

I love this shirt - I've recently realised I'm quite partial to white button down shirt.  This one is by Bardot, is sheer, with cuffed sleeves and slightly military.  What's not to love?

And finally, a pretty pink t-shirt.  I can't believe that I'm such a girly-girl, but I don't - and I don't think I have ever - own a pink t-shirt.  I love this one from Sportsgirl, mostly because of the little knot.  Now I can't wait for summer to come back around so I can wear it with denim cut offs!

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03 July 2011, 8:04 PM
I Wanna Do Bad Things With You

I know i"m a week late on this, but hey.  True Blood is back. Woop woop!  I've seen the first two episodes of the season, and oh my goodness, I am hooked back in (not that I was ever unhooked mind you).

I probably won't do a week by week post because, let's face it, I'm kinda lazy.  But let's chat about what we've seen so far.  Spoilers ahead people, so if you haven't seen it, now would be a good time to click away :)


First off - I am loving Eric this season.   I love Eric every season, but this season especially.  I can't for the life of me understand why they've made
Sook-eh so anti-Eric in the show.  At least in the books she admits she likes his cheeky personality and thinks he is uber-hot, even if she doesn't want to be in a relationship with him at first.  The look on his face when Marnie cast her amnesia spell! And then he was running down the street all topless and vulnerable - just, oh...

Okay, back to the beginning before I get all carried away.  I was a little ehhh when they started off in the Fae dimension, with the fruit and the light and the time difference and the silliness.  Quickly got far more enthusiastic when they started turning evil and throwing weird fae fireballs.  I squealed when they jumped for the portal and Bill and Eric sensed her presence, and actually got teary when Grandaddy died. Seriously.  How pathetic of me.

Jessica and Hoyt are as adorable as ever - even their fight was endearing.  Although, I could've done without seeing Hoyt eating raw eggs. I think I gagged a little there.

Beel didn't annoy me quite as much as he usually does.  He seemed a little less wimpy than usual, and such an improvement with his hair.  Loved the English accent in the 80s flashback scene.  Not sure how he's going to go as the King though.  I was a bit disappointed that they killed off the Queen.  I quite liked her as a character and I thought they still had a bit of use for her.  Oh well.  I really hope they keep Bill and Sookie  apart for at least this season.  They really need to leave that storyline alone for a little while.

Sam was kind of boring.  I'm not really a fan of Sam, I must admit.  I don't dislike him or anything, but I don't think I've enjoyed any of his story lines.  I'm already bored with this Luna thing, but I guess the shifting into another human thing has potential for being interesting.

How funny was Arlene and her evil baby!? Haha. Poor little thing!  And Andy hooked on V - hilarious!

Tara is sooooooo much better as well.  I like that she still has the 'tude, but she's not "the world is against poor little ol' me".  I wasn't particularly surprised that she'd moved on to women for some reason.  Her lover is very pretty too - well done Tara! 

Lafayette was great as always, although I'm not digging the new 'do. 

Jason's storyline is freaking me out already.  Crystal is just a crazy beyotch.  CRAZY. When those panthers started biting, I was like "EEEEEEK!!"   

And finally, thank the lord people, they have actually shaped Sookie's eyebrows into a decent shape.  Really, how hard is it?

I can't believe we have to wait another whole week for the next episode though.  I can't wait to see more of Amnesia-Eric. And I wonder when Alcide will show up again? And does Marnie actually realise what she's doing or is she really just a vessel?  Are the faeries evil?  Will they keep the Eric-Sookie relationship similar to the book?  Are we going to see more of Nan Flanagan this season?  Is Pam going to kick ass when she finds out what has happened to Eric?  Will Russell Edgington break free?  Will Beel spend some time with Portia Bellfleur then find out she's his great-great grandaughter?

Did I mention I'm Team Eric?

   

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19 June 2011, 4:52 PM
The Nail Files #14

Hello my dears!  I'm not feeling particularly well this wintery Sunday afternoon, so what else is there to do but blog?  My latest nail polish haul from Beautyzone2007 came though about a week ago - I've had a chance to try most of them - and I'm excited to show you what I got.  Plus, I have a rather amusing fail to share as well.


Skull and Glossbones, Mermaids' Tears,  Steady As She Rose, Sparrow Me The Drama, Lubu Heels, Below Deck, Island Hopping.
All the OPI polishes are from the recent Pirates of The Carribean: On Stranger Tides collection, the others are from the last couple of years.  I've worn all of them, besides Skull and Glossbones and Steady As She Rose. 
I tried Steady As She Rose as soon as I got the package, but with my cuticles as bad as they are right now it looked terrible.  So maybe one day down the track when I manage to stop attacking my poor, innocent cuticles I'll be happier with it.
I feel like Sparrow Me The Drama is a bit of a dupe for Essie's Splash Of Grenadine.  I'll have to do an actual swatched comparison.  I did enjoy that colour though and I got a few compliments. It chipped pretty quickly and was kind of sheer when first applied.

Lubu Heels is AMAZING.  I absolutlely love it.  It's a black polish with red glitter and it is gorgeous.  From far away it looks like a brown shimmer, but when you get up close you can definately see the dimension and the glitter.  Reminds me a lot of My Private Jet by OPI.

Below Deck is pretty much Merino Cool by Essie, so we already know I love that one.  It was opaque in one coat so that was great.  Chipped a little bit, but nothing drastic.

At the moment I'm wearing Mermaids' Tears. 



 
I love it.  I really love the minty green polish trend, but I haven't been able to find a shade that suits my skin tone (I've tried Re-Fresh Mint by China Glaze and Apple by Sportsgirl FYI).  MT isn't as minty as the others I've tried, probably more of a spearamint-green-Tiffany's-blue, but I feel like it's within the same family. It actually looks a litt more blue in the photo than it does it real life though.


Now for my nail polish fail.  So I bought Island Hopping by Essie. When I already have all of these.


I don't even know which is which, besides Merino Cool and Angora Cardi. I have a problem. *sigh*

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18 June 2011, 8:57 PM
Best Of: Zoe Kravitz

How can you not love Zoe Kravitz' style?  Perfect boho-rock-chick.  Any girl who seems to love pink shoes as much as I do, is okay by me.  Yellow sequined dress?  And is that a leopard-print muff?  <3 <3  Plus, I can't wait to see Daddy Kravitz in The Hunger Games next year.

 















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11 June 2011, 6:25 PM
Quick Update: Bag dupe!

I was just browsing urbanoutfitters.com and found a pretty much exact dupe for the Sportsgirl bag I bought and blogged about a couple of weeks ago.  Mine was a smidge cheaper - UO is stocking it for US$58, whereas my bag was AU$34 - but if you liked it, you could pick one up.  Sportsgirl online isn't stocking them anymore.  Just thought you may be interested :)

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10 June 2011, 8:04 PM
Coveting: Mink Pink Winter 2011 Lookbook

















images: www.minkpink.com/au

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09 June 2011, 10:00 PM
Coveting: Alexander McQueen

Omg, I'm in love with the Alexander McQueen Swarovski crystal skull ring.

Isn't it pretty?  And look - it has a heart on top!!


Sadly, it is already sold out on Net-A-Porter and is GBP160.87.  A little out of my price range for fashion jewellery, so it'll have to stay on my coveting list forever.  Ah well, I still like looking at it :)

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05 June 2011, 8:19 PM
I Got New Stuff :)

Happy long weekend - to those of you in WA anyways!  I've had a fairly good weekend so far.  Friday night started out with some drinks at the pub with friends, had to work Saturday morning (it was chaos and I must admit, I was a little hungover), went to lunch at Dome with Joe, made a delicious Cajun-chicken salad for dinner Saturday night, Sunday brunch with some girlfriends, visited a home open, then went to watch Joe play football.  Sadly the footy ended up with Joe having a strained knee, but hopefully he should be okay again in a couple of weeks.

I went to a work conference on Tuesday with one of my colleagues, which finished at 1pm. So once we got the okay from work to take the rest of the week off, we went shopping :)  My dad won a iPhone 4, which he gave to me, since he had just bought himself a new phone, so I had the get a new sim for it - which was our excuse for going shopping in the first place.  But man, did I do some damage!  I haven't photographed all the bits and pieces I got, but I'll show them to you over the next week or so.

You know I've been searching high and low for a new everyday handbag - and I finally, finally, managed to find one.  My new beloved came from Sportsgirl (which, I've just realised, is where I seem to get all my every day handbags), on sale for just $34!!!!  I was so excited when the girl at the counter told me it was marked down. Who doesn't love a good bargain?  It's a lot smaller than the bags I've had previously, but my everyday essentials fit perfectly inside.




Remember a little while ago I did a Coveting post on the A/W Collection from Portmans? We went into a Portmans on the off chance that they would still have the little chain strap clutch, and they did!!  There were only two left and one was a little damaged, so again ON SALE!!  Oh the shopping gods were with me this week :)  I love the colour, it's the perfect neutral bag, probably better suited to my summer wardrobe, but I love it. 


Now these are my favourite item from my last haul - the one that I couldn't get the photos to upload for.  These are my beautiful leopard print wedge booties from Forever New.  I LOVE them.  Totally inspired by Leflassh. Again, these were on sale for around $50 if I remember correctly.  I love the little bows on the heels.  I've worn them a couple of times and although they're not the most comfortable boots I own, I felt as cool as hell in them ;)




Mm, what else?  I ordered a few of the OPI Pirates Of The Caribbean polishes a couple of weeks ago, so they should be arriving this week sometime.  I'm so excited, I can't wait to try Steady As She Rose.  I've been really into pink polishes lately, even though we're going into winter.

Have a good Sunday night everyone. Talk to you soon!

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