Category Archives: Paparazzi

March 4, 2020 · 12:00 pm

Personal: March TBR, February Recap, and other Updates


Happy March!

I recently started a “Bookstagram” Account and honestly it is so fun! I definitely needed a new platform and outlet for my creativity. Between the pictures and the captions, this new Instagram account definitely has new opportunities for my brain to play around. There are all sorts of different challenges you could participate in and so many other community members to follow. It also gives me a new way to share and track my TBR list. If you would like to come follow me, click on the link in the Social Media sidebar.

For my March TBR, I’ve decided to take one more attack on my old February TBR before setting them aside for a while to try and match my mood. So for the first two weeks I’m going to continue with Iron King, Hunting Prince Dracula, A Gathering of Shadows, and Bloodwitch. Now, I know most people would say if you have to take a break from a book, it’s not a good book. But as someone with an anxiety disorder that makes it hard to focus on one specific thing over time, I feel like that is a lot of responsibility to put on a book. That being said, these books are still very good, but my brain just can’t hold on to them right now. So I’m going to give them one more shot before moving on to one of these beautiful collections that are calling to my attention.

This month is also the first month that I have gotten to play with my new Keys and Curios journal from Wizarding World Gold. So that will be another fun little thing to go back to periodically through out the month.

I’ve also started using my bullet journal daily this year, and may have to start incorporating that into my posts and stories. It has been a good way to keep track of my to do list and my TBR. It’s also been a tactile way to let my brain and my hands work out what they need. It’s made budgeting easier. It’s made time management sort of easier, my brain still has its own limitations.

Really, for me this whole month is probably going to be about getting back to my creativity. I always seem to lose it over winter. And with the loss of my creativity, my focus and my mood both fluctuate. This month I want to get back to me and stop trying to focus on other people’s opinions of me. This month is all about me and my needs.

(As always, look for this post image on my business pages for any updates on Paparazzi or Younique.)

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February 3, 2020 · 10:00 am

Personal: February TBR/Monthly Update


Happy February!

Can you believe that it’s already the second month of 2020? A new month of a new year, and a new decade. Maybe your January didn’t kick off the year like you’d hoped. But who cares? Every month is a new opportunity to start your goals over. Every day is a new opportunity to start your goals over. Do I have a large list of things I didn’t accomplish this month? Yes. But were they essential? Not really. They didn’t impact my immediate health and well being, they didn’t impact my living situation, they really didn’t impact much at all. Does this mean that I’m not setting the right goals? Maybe. Or maybe it means that I’m setting exactly the right goals. Goals don’t have to always have to be working towards a long term change. Sometimes it’s okay to just work day by day.

That being said, I do have goals for the month, most of them are reading goals but some of them are not. For my reading goals, there are four series that I want to finish in the beginning of this year:

  1. The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa
    1. January didn’t end as planned as far as this series was concerned. So I intend to finish Iron King by mid-February, and start Iron Daughter before the end. So far I’m 1/3 of the way through Iron King.
  2. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
    1. In January I finished my re-read of the first book in this series Stalking Jack the Ripper. So for this month I want to get at least halfway through Hunting Prince Dracula, hopefully I’ll finish it completely, but I’m aiming for halfway to be safe.
  3. Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab
    1. In January I finished A Darker Shade of Magic and I hope to review it this month. While I’m reviewing the first one I hope to get to at least halfway through A Gathering of Shadows by the end of the month.
  4. The Witchlands by Susan Dennard
    1. As anyone who has seen my recent posts from last year knows; I went on a pretty big binge of Susan Dennard’s Witchland series over the summer. During those months I finished the first three parts of the series but I feel like I burned myself out, so I took a little bit of a break from Bloodwitch. So for this month I wanted to try and finish that in order to finish the latest piece of the series. (Sooz is currently writing more of the series so this isn’t the last book. Also, go check out my review for Truthwitch)

I definitely hope to finish these series by the end of the year, maybe even before June. But for now I’m just going to take it one day at a time. In addition to these reading goals I have some writing goals and money goals, but they are less concrete. I know I would like to edit one of the projects that I have started. But I also want to flesh out character cards for all of my projects and both are big undertakings so I don’t know which to start this month.

For money I know I would like to save double what I usually do for the month and I’m not sure if that’s possible. If I take advantage of the promotions this month for Younique or Paparazzi (check the links in the About Me for details) and hit the goals they set I could probably do it. But again, the goal is not concrete. Later today I will try and have fully updated pages. But for now, here are my goals for February, here’s to a productive month!

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September 6, 2019 · 8:05 am

Selling: Paparazzi Inventory Account


Hey guys!

I just wanted to check in and tell you guys about the new Instagram account that I made in order to help out one of my friends who needed an active presenter beneath her to advance in her company. The Instagram account is linked in my About Me page permanently, but I’ll add a link here as well. I will try to update the inventory pictures each month. Or after a large purchase happens on a post.

All of the numbers will stay the same, until I run out of numbers. Then once things are sold I will change the numbers around and repost the inventory. So feel free to go browse. The instructions on how to buy are in the post. If you don’t see anything that you want there also feel free to browse my paparazzi website.

Thank you for assisting me in supporting my friend,

Amy

Links:

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September 1, 2019 · 7:22 pm

Personal: August Recap


So after writing up my July recaps I decided to also write up an August TBR list and an August To Try Out List. However, life caught up to me and so I’m still going to post it, but I’m going to edit it into a recap of sorts instead. So let’s kick things off with my TBR.

TBR

These first books on the list were the books that I had started in a previous month and just wanted to finish this month if I had the time.

TBFinished:

  1. Windwitch By Susan Dennard
    1. I had started this book last month immediately after finishing Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. By the end of July, I was just about halfway through the book so it wasn’t hard to finish this one. I am now so invested in this world that I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of reading about it. Since finishing this book, I have also started Sightwitch which is the short story in between Windwitch and Bloodwitch. Sightwithch was not initially on this TBR list because I didn’t at the time have the book since it was an ebook only.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29939390-windwitch?ac=1&from_search=true
  2. Dune by Frank Herbert
    1. This book is really big so I’m just sort of reading it in pieces. As much as I can get through in each month. I didn’t read any of it for this month so it will definitely be on the September TBR list that I post on the 1st.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39970217-dune
  3. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
    1. I started reading this as soon as it came out and before the Barnes & Noble Book Club night. But I never quite absorbed the full ending of the book because of how fast I was reading it. I was forcing myself to rush for the Book Club and I wanted to finish the book quickly. But now I went back and restarted and started reading it slowly this time. But then I started reading The Witchlands series. So this also did not get finished this time.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24233708-an-absolutely-remarkable-thing?ac=1&from_search=true

TBStarted:

  1. Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard
    1. I did actually end up starting this towards the end of this month. So this is going to move up to my September TBF list.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39863277-bloodwitch
  2. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
    1. I had seen this on a BUNCH of Bookstagram account pages and I thought I’d check it out. I purchased it but didn’t start it yet.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34728667-children-of-blood-and-bone?from_search=true
  3. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
    1. This was another one that is on EVERY Bookstagram account I follow. So I thought I’d see what all the fuss was about.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42201395-sorcery-of-thorns?from_search=true

TBReRead:

  1. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
    1.  Kerri Maniscalco’s new book comes out in September I believe and so I am super excited to start reading the series from the beginning again.
      1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28962906-stalking-jack-the-ripper

That was my short list for August, and the progress that I made on them. Obviously, my To Read List is much bigger and will continue to grow. So September’s will build off of that. Here are some things I had wanted to try out in August:

TTO:

  1. You-ology Exfoliating Mask: I had hear that exfoliating masks are really good for your face and getting rid of gunk that has seeped into your pores. Now, my day job is really dirty. Boxes are disgusting. So I really need something to take care of my face. The Bioclarity that I use is very good at keeping my face clean and hydrated but I needed something a little more aggressive to combat all of the layers of gunk on my face. I’ve only used this product three times so far and it has helped make my face softer and smoother. But I’ll keep you posted as I keep using the product.
    1. https://www.youniqueproducts.com/AmyZukas/products/view/US-16204-06#.XWxfdChKiUk
  2. Relics and Rarities: This is a show by Geek & Sundry, and it’s another RPG campaign stream. It is a fascinating concept. It basically arcs the story around what artifacts they choose at the beginning of the episode, and there’s a new guest star every week. They are still trying to complete an overall goal, but it’s not the same set up as Critical Role is. It’s very quirky. I like it.
    1. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7atuZxmT954B-AtfJsw_YbULHL_L7J8z
  3. Webtoon: This is an app that allows you to read online comics. An author I follow on Instagram (Alexandra Bracken), had mentioned that a webcomic called Lore Olympus existed that might mean her latest novel title might have to change. When she mentioned it, I immediately googled it to see what she was talking about because the description sounded like something I had seen pictures of online. So I signed up for the Webtoon app and I was not disappointed! Lore Olympus is SO GOOD! I would definitely recommend this webcomic if you haven’t read it yet.
    1. https://www.webtoons.com/en/
  4. Chokers by Paparazzi Accessories: Paparazzi came out with some pretty cute chokers recently and I really want to get some. I’m just not sure which one to get. I sort of want the cute silver ones, but I also want the corded ones. So I’m not sure which one I’m going to get. But I definitely want one.
    1. https://paparazziaccessories.com/314428/
  5. Calisto6: This is another RPG stream that I wanted to start watching but I never got fully into it. It’s set in a futuristic sci-fi version of L.A. It’s a very different concept, from the description. So it will go on into my September TTO list.
    1. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7atuZxmT957wz-a95ESEGW7de6SgR9is

So those were all of the things that I had wanted to try out for last month. Now that classes have started, we’ll see how September’s goals will get accomplished.

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August 20, 2019 · 11:24 pm

Personal: July Recap Part 2


So in Recap 1 I mentioned that I had non-book/show/internet recommendations that didn’t really fit into one category. This has no sort of order to it, so I’ll just do a general list of products.

  1. My most recent favorite comes from Younique Beauty Products. This month I bought the complete set of Younique’s Lip BonBons. They are a tinted lip balm that works well as a light layer to moisturize while adding the slightest color. They also make a nice base coat for any lipsticks that may dry out your lips or show the cracks in them. They are lightly scented but not perfumed. They are also only lightly tinted, not like the Chapstick or Burt’s Bees tinted that looks like actual lipstick. They are really handy for quick color.
    1. https://www.youniqueproducts.com/AmyZukas/products/view/US-22302-00#.XVzEa-hKiUk
  2. The next favorite of the month is bioClarity’s cleansing face routine and hydrating moisturizer. It has easily replaced my old skincare routine which was bar soap in the shower. Right now, I have bioClarity’s cleanse step in the shower so it can replace the soap bar I used to use. Then the other two steps can be put on after I get out. Or they can be skipped all together. It’s a super flexible routine. For right now I’m going to stick with my bioClarity over the new You-ology line just because it’s all plant-based material and I want to see if it works.
    1. I was trying to get a referral link like a few people have but I haven’t received a response yet. I will post about an update should I receive one. https://www.bioclarity.com
  3. The next favorite is another Younique Product though, and it is their liquid lipstick called Splash liquid lipstick. It comes in all sorts of colors and is easy to put on for work or to go out in. It goes on like a lip gloss but dries matte. You can mix them to make different colors and they set pretty nicely.
    1. https://www.youniqueproducts.com/AmyZukas/products/view/US-31804-00#.XVzFq-hKiUk
  4. This next one is a consistent favorite, and is scented candles. I’ve been using Yankee Candle Co. Sparkling Lemon tea lights with a Jolly Rancher Orange wax melt from Kmart. I also have some scented jar candles from Yankee Candle Co. that just sit on my filing cabinet and make my room smell pretty.
    1. https://www.yankeecandle.com/
    2. https://www.kmart.com/
  5. The one downside to the candles is the artificial scents in them. They can sometimes be a little too much for my nose, especially if I already have a headache from something else. So I’ve taken to using more natural scents and essential oils. Right now I only have two scents that I use. One I got from CVS and it is Nature’s Truth Calming aromatherapy oil, it is a combination of orange oil and patchouli oil. I believe it has been discontinued by CVS at least. But it’s what I have. The other one is a peppermint oil that was gifted to me by my old store manager. They are very nice I just still haven’t quite figured out what to use them on because I don’t have a diffuser and the tops of the containers make it hard to use as an applicator. But they are soothing and good for getting rid of headaches and stress.
    1. https://www.cvs.com/search/?cp=%5B%7B%22key%22%3A%22source%22%2C%22value%22%3A%22sayt%22%7D%5D&searchTerm=nature%27s%20truth%20essential
  6. In relation to the previous favorite, my recent favorite is Paparazzi Accessories. This is a company that works roughly the same as Younique where you can join as a seller and host parties and they give you your own website. But instead of selling make-up they sell $5 jewelry. Now, I had purchased a couple of things from them previously but never really explored the stock. I was just doing it to help out a friend really. And I still am. But this time I joined for her. One of the things that I had purchased before joining though, was a lava bead bracelet. The first one I had was one with brown glass beads and the black lava beads. The second one that I just got has blue glass beads with black lava beads. They’re very simple and are supposed to hold essential oils. I’ve managed to get a little bit on one but I’m not quite sure of the best way to apply the oil to the bracelet. I’m thinking I might just put the oil on me and then see if it absorbs into the bracelet? I’m not really sure. But they’re really cute bracelets and they’re only $5! So it’s a pretty good deal.
    1. https://paparazziaccessories.com/314428/

So those were all of my July favorites, up next I will post one for August that I was intending to be a TBR/To Try Out (TTO) list but since this was so late I will probably do it in a TBR/TTO list format but I will add end of the month updates  underneath the original thoughts at the beginning.

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