Honepski

Currently Reading: August 2020

I have been full steam ahead finishing manuscripts left and right! Short stories, novelettes, full-length novels, even tried my hand at a picture book! But of course, you can not expect to hone your craft if you don’t take the time to study others. So I found time to read another YA Fantasy book!

TL;DR:

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

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Ash Princess

by Laura Sebastian

(Fantasy,…

How To Apply Perfume

I know what you’re thinking: what do you mean “How to apply perfume”? Like you’re doing it wrong or something! But rest assured, there is definitely a way to apply perfume so that you can get the most out of what it offers!

If it makes you feel better, I knew nothing about perfume other than ‘perfume smell good‘ until I got a temp job at Sephora as a Fragrance Advisor. My role, essentially,…

Sometimes our schedules become too busy, or our wallets too empty, and we struggle to find recipes that suit our lifestyles. Often enough I am confronted and confided in by friends who have never really tried to cook for themselves before or have very limited knowledge of how to do so.

It’s not an innate skill, and there’s nothing wrong with having to scour the internet for how to make the…

So you’ve spent months, maybe even years, perfecting that manuscript of yours and after countless revisions, beta reader input, editing upon editing, you feel like you’re finally ready to do something with it.

But, now you’re asking yourself- what do I do now?

Ps. I know this feeling extremely well^

It can be extremely daunting to figure out where to start, especially if this is all new…

Currently Reading: July 2020

I only managed one book this month because I was so focused on getting my own manuscripts finished in time for a PitchWars event in September (my goal was to have 3-4 finished and fully edited manuscripts by then, and so far I’m on track with two!).

But obviously that left little time to focus on other avenues of entertainment (Although of course I take time to hang out with friends- online;…

Alex & Emma- A Short Story

So I decided to write another short story- in between two novels and a novella. It was hard to stay focused on one thing when my folder dedicated to ideas for stories sat there bulging at the seams, so I just started writing to see where it would land me.

I’ve been procrastinating just a little. But I consider it a good exercise to get out of your comfort zone and try something you normally…

For me, buying jewelry isn’t easy- I’m allergic to nickel. And unfortunately the cheap jewelry that my friends get to enjoy without hurting their wallets just doesn’t play nice with me. I usually have to spend extra on jewelry to get real materials and that means if anyone wants to buy me jewelry, they have to do the same.

So I was beyond relieved to find not only find a subscription service for beautifully priced earrings, but that they’re also allergy friendly!

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They have flexible subscription options:

As well as giving you the option to choose the styles you will receive:

Silly + Fun = You’ll get a lot of food shaped danglers or

Minimalist But Groovy = Interchangeable styles that suit dates nights or shopping trips

Boho Babe = Mainly danglers with a bohemian vibe

If you can’t choose, don’t mind what you receive, or like everything- you can let them decide:

They also offer a premier tier if you prefer a better quality of earrings for a nominal price increase:

If you’re still on the fence price-wise and want to try it out I recommend using Groupon to snag yourself a bargain, that’s what I did. I bought a one month subscription to test the waters then immediately went on a hunt for a coupon and bought an annual subscription.

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So they’ve recently changed not only the layout of their website but also their packaging! I did a one month subscription back in 2018 and this what I received: A pink envelope with a card on the inside and my earrings in a plastic pouch wrapped in bubble wrap.

it definitely did a great job protecting the earrings during transit and I kept the plastic pouch to keep loose glitter in

Almost two years later and they’re still in good condition, although you can see where the paint has worn off slightly here. Nothing a quick sharpie job can’t fix though, and no one will be able to tell!

So overall I was quite satisfied with these guys and have been wearing them on and off for years. Now this is the envelope you currently receive them in:

The little cardboard “box” they come in is super adorable too, 10/10 for aesthetics for sure!

And when you open that up they’re in bags much like the ones from Ipsy, with the Earlfeek logo splashed over. (Ps the bags are great to recycle to send small gifts to friends in, just like the Ipsy bags).

When you open them up you’ll receive your pair of earrings in a cute, pink chiffon bag

As well as a coupon and gift card!

These are the two I got in my bags

They also come with a price tag so you know how much they would normally sell for. Personally I don’t think either of these would be worth the $15.99 like they claim they are, but at the same time I think people would easily spend 10$ on them.

So both of these pairs I had actually “selected” with Earfleek’s little mini game where you swipe left or swipe right for styles you do or do not want to receive. So it is possible for you to get exactly what you want. For instance if you hate danglers and only want studs, swipe left on all the dangling earrings!

And unlike many other subscriptions that make it difficult for you to cancel or adjust your subscription, Earfleek makes it super simple. So if you change your mind you’re not forced to run through hoops and confirm ten times that yes, indeed you want to move on.

I technically got these three for less than $5, and they’re quite different from one another. So far I love all three, but especially the red hearts!

Best Indie Simulation Games

I remember when I was a kid I could lose myself for hours playing Zoo Tycoon, Planet Tycoon, Sim City, Sim Farm, Theme Hospital (damn, the Sims were quite an integral part of growing up for me) Command&Conquer, Starcraft, Age of Empires- you name it. I was obsessed with building things (including armies to then destroy those things).

As an adult who spends hours now lost in World of Warcraft,…

Currently Reading: June 2020

Another month, another attempt at bringing myself out of my comfort zone! I spent this month exclusively on books I won from Goodreads. If you weren’t already aware, Goodreads hosts giveaways where you can win physical or digital copies of previously published or debut novels! It costs nothing to enter, but if you win it’s nice to leave a review of the book on Goodreads or Amazon.

I was quite…

Ipsy, the monthly subscription beauty box :)

An all time favourite subscription of mine, if you love cosmetics but find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of products available on the market and unsure where to start, a cheap subscription like Ipsy is the perfect place.

A monthly subscription service with three tiers, Ipsy provides 5 deluxe size samples in their base subscription that cover cosmetics, haircare, skincare, and nails.…

Fernweh- A Short Story

So I did it, I finally took the plunge. I published a short story, self-published that is. But it’s a personal achievement none-the-less, and the stigma surrounding self-publishing is slowly ebbing. More and more serious authors are turning to self-publishing or making a career of it.

Now I don’t expect this to go anywhere, or even to make sales outside of my friends and family. But I consider…

Recommended Horror Manga & Anime

Lets be honest, sometimes you find yourself in that weird mood where you want to scare yourself pant-less. So here’s my list of horror manga and anime I consider to be worth it! From something hardcore like Tenkuu Shinpan to something wildly inappropriately funny like High School of the Dead.

TL;DR:

High School of the Dead

School – Live

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

Parasyte

Hideout

Jagaaaaaan

He…

Causebox Spring Intro Box

Another subscription box, Causebox is very similar to FabFitFun in that it is a seasonal box that doesn’t focus on just one thing but encompasses products from beauty and lifestyle. But unlike FabFitFun, Causebox’s products are more focused on supporting local, smaller companies that have a special focus on charities and sustainability.

The Intro Boxes (with a coupon) cost around 25$ and…

Featured Image taken at White Point Beach in San Pedro, California before the beaches were closed ♥

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Well, we’re still in quarantine, but slowly the restrictions are being lifted. In the meantime though I have busied myself with re-arranging my closet and bedroom for the fourth time, found a few new books, made a few new meals, and tried out a new subscription!

And on an absolute whim…

FabFitFun Summer Starter Box

FabFitFun is a seasonal subscription service that sends a box of partly customizable home and beauty goodies worth over $200 for $49.99 every three months. You can opt to skip a month, or have your contents be a total surprise!

They also have a bonus “marketplace” that offers brand name products at steep discounted prices. Now if you’re not sure after reading all the reviews and looking at…

Currently Reading: May 2020

With all this spare time I’ve finally found the opportunity to start reading again, and what a stark contrast between genres I have chosen. The first one I had won in a Goodreads Giveaway and given the current state of matters within North Korea I thought it was quite relevant. The second I obviously had to run out and buy as soon as it was available, seeing as I’m quite the fan of Sarah J Maas.