Recap & Review: GLEE Premiere Season 2 Episode 1

The Word of the Shay today is GLEE! Elation, happy happy, joy joy! Or more importantly, the hit tv show “Glee”.

Glee Season Two premiered Tuesday September 21st 2010. Sadly I was in the middle of a power outage and had to wait till today to watch, but nevertheless, here’s a play by play of the episode.

Want to skip to the review portion? Scroll to the bottom for my thoughts on the episode, songs, and favorite moments.

Recap: Glee Season 2 Episode 1 “Audition”

***Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!***

The show opens with a hilarious exposé, "Glee's Big Gay Summer" Jacob interviewing the Glee Club members and Mr. Schuester, a great way to catch us up at the start of a new school year. Finn and Rachel are still together, Puck isn't over Quinn, Quinn is trying to get back her old life, Santana's boobs have mysteriously grown, Brittany spent the summer lost in sewers, Tina is with Mike and Artie is hurt. Summer is over and the first slushy has been thrown! On the receiving end of that frozen treat, Kurt Hummel's face.

The now friendly Sue Sylvester and Will Schuester were summoned to Figgins' office. News of budget cuts for both Cheerios and Glee Club come with another surprise...NEW CHARACTER! Coach Shannon "Beast" Beiste the new football coach, to which the funding has been funneled. Ken Tanaka is out (nervous breakdown) our new female football coach is in. After Beast's intro and getting off on the wrong foot with both Sue and Will, we jump to our first Glee Club Meeting!

We learn that Matt has transferred (goodbye to Dijon Talton) and to beat Vocal Adrenaline and make it to Nationals in New York, they need to recruit new members. This brings us to our first song, in hope of gaining new voices the gang head out to the courtyard and perform “Empire State of Mind” (Jay-Z/Alicia Keys) to show that they're current and cool, but with little success.

Finn and Rachel stumble upon talent, the only two people we saw even acknowledge their performance. A transfer student and an exchange student. We get a glimpse at what's to come with Sam Evans (welcome Chord Overstreet) singing "Every Rose has it's Thorn" (Poison) in the shower and Sunshine Corazon (say hello to Charice) joined by Rachel breaking into "Telephone" (Lady Gaga/Beyonce) in the girls washroom. Sunshine (who has a fantastic voice) had fun singing with Rachel and wants to join, Rachel however puts on the brakes.

Finn gets Sam to sing, (by wooing him with his quarterback status) backed up by the other Glee guys they perform  "Billionaire" (Travie McCoy) and  Sam agrees to try out for Glee Club.

Mr. Schuester had agreed to help Sue bring down Beast to insure their budgets don't get cut, but their first petty trick winds up being a dud. Against his better judgment Will continues to be mean to Coach Beiste. Sympathy for her plight at a new school is definitely felt by the viewer, as she calls Will out for bullying someone who's different.

Artie decides he wants to join the football team and goes to Finn for help, he hopes that this will win back Tina who left him after falling in love with Mike Chang over the summer. An already upset Coach Beiste goes on a rampage when she assumes Finn’s plea to let Artie try out is an attempt to screw with her,  she retaliates by kicking Finn off the team.

Rachel, highly threatened by Sunshine's voice makes an attempt to keep her from joining Glee, causing her to miss the audition. Sam neglects to show up as well, because (as he later tells Finn) being a new kid and already an outsider, he didn't want to risk it, especially not after seeing Coach Beiste cut Finn from the team. Sam, not only made the football team, but is has replaced Finn as quarterback.

In Cheerios news, Santana had breast augmentation surgery over the summer, aka boobjob, (a fact that Quinn apparently let slip) and Coach Sylvester does not approve, that combined with Quinn’s compelling argument at tryouts, has Sue taking away Santana’s head cheerleader status and handing it back to Quinn. Back in her Cheerios uniform complete with the obligatory high ponytail, the crowd once more parts as Quinn makes her way through the halls of McKinley High until...BAM Santana jumps out and suddenly we have a Quinn/Santana cat fight, MEOW.

We move on to a meeting in Figgins’ office where Brittany (under Sue's persuasion) is accusing Coach Beiste of inappropriate touching. Will doesn't play along and urges Brittany to tell the truth, she admits to making it up. Sue is NOT pleased with Will.

Sue’s plan isn’t the only one backfiring, as Rachel's plot to keep Sunshine away from Glee try outs is brought to Will's attention. After being confronted, Rachel is made to set things right and Sunshine auditions with "Listen" (From Dreamgirls), and the rest of the Glee Kid’s applause and hollering tell us they are thrilled to have her aboard.

Will apologizes to Coach Beiste, and tells Sue that he won't be a part of it any longer. Back on her bad side, Sue warns both Will and Coach Beiste that they're making a huge mistake.

Just when things were starting to look up for our misfit band of crooners, out of nowhere we get another new character. Dustin Goolsby (meet Cheyenne Jackson), new coach for Vocal Adrenaline, swoops in and lures Sunshine away. Sue gloats, it was her who tipped off Goolsby, payback for not going along with her scheming. Sunshine admits that she would have stayed if it were not for the actions of Rachel.

A tender moment is shared between Rachel and Finn (who misses being popular now that he’s not quarterback). At his insistence Rachel admits the sabotage was for her own selfish reasons, and stops spouting claims that her dirty deed was to stop an outsider messing up the dynamic. Rachel not wanting to share the spotlight has now made their competition even stronger. Before apologizing to the club, it's time for a Rachel solo "What I did for Love" (A Chorus Line) to close the show.
The End

Review: Final thoughts
I think this was a strong way to kick off the second season, a good mix of songs from different genres and it did a good job of introducing the new conflicts and characters (who seem promising). It was packed with fun moments and laughs while progressing the plot nicely. Good job Glee!

The only thing I wasn't a fan of, was the ending, the curtain closed on Rachel entering the Glee Club rehearsal space, I would have liked just another moment or two to show her actually apologizing to the rest of the gang (whether sincerely or not).

Break out or Break down? How the songs stack up:
- “Empire State of Mind” (Jay-Z/Alicia Keys) performed by New Directions. This was fun, I think it was a good number to start with. Nice to see them outside dancing and singing for a change, something fresh to kick things off. Was it the greatest performance or vocal? No, but again, it was fun.
- "Every Rose has it's Thorn" (Poison) sang by newcomer Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet). Okay, this wasn't really a performance, it was a dude rocking out in the shower, shown with Finn chattering about it in a voiceover. So I can't be too harsh on this, it worked for what it was, an introduction to Sam and his voice. But hey, who doesn't like Poison?
- "Telephone" (Lady Gaga/Beyoncé) performed by Sunshine Corazon (Charice) and Rachel Berry (Lea Michele), again not a full performance, but much closer to one than Sam's. They were really rocking it, it sounded terrific, but is it just me, or did it look like Rachel was trying to seduce Sunshine while singing? Reign it in a little girlfriend! This was such a memorable moment that it’s my “Break Out!” song for this episode.
- "Billionaire" (Travie McCoy) performed by Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet), backed up by Artie (Kevin McHale), Puck (Mark Salling), Finn (Cory Monteith), and Mike (Harry Shum Jr.). If you're not totally sick of this song yet, then you'll probably like this version. Sam has a great voice, well suited to the song.
- "Listen" (Dreamgirls) performed by Sunshine Corazon (Charice Pempengco). Who knew
such a big voice could come from such a little person? Powerful pipes and an entertaining (though maybe a little rigid) performance. It was clear to Glee Club and to us that she would have made a fan-freakin'-tastic addition to New Directions.
- "What I did for Love" (A Chorus Line) sung by Rachel Berry (Lea Michele). This was far from my favorite performance, I found it a little hard to keep paying attention here, it wasn't compelling to watch Rachel belt it out after being a selfish brat. So unfortunately it earned my “Break Down” song for the week.  A weak ending, although I'm sure it was sung fine, as we all know Rachel (or rather Lea Michele) is very talented.

Best Moments/Fav Lines:
-When Sue walks into the girls washroom to mid-Telephone performance and yells at Sunshine and Rachel to shut up.

- The whole balls in mouth conversation between the boys.
Puck: Dude, your mouth is huge. How many tennis balls can ya fit in there?
Sam: I don’t know, I’ve never had any balls in my mouth...have you?
Finn: I like this kid.
Artie: I like his confidence, but the Bieber-cut’s gotta go.

-Any Brittany moment! (Lost in the sewers, pointing to the Cheerios doll’s boobs, stop the violence, etc.) Love that girl!

All in all, I can't wait for episode two, leave your thoughts on “Audition” below, would love to hear what your favorite moments were and how you feel about the new characters!

Beauty Booty: Nail Polish

Our Word of the Shay today is BOOTY! No, not that kind of booty. Dictionary.com tells us that booty is any prize or gain, though admittedly this lot wasn’t plundered, rather it was purchased. Some were on sale though, which always helps it feel like a steal!

Booty is also a synonym for “haul”, which many of you will be familiar with from the wealth of beauty related hauls filling YouTube and Blogs alike. So here’s my take on a beauty haul, Shay’s Beauty Booty, YAR!

I went on a little nail related spree a couple of days ago, and I thought I’d share my purchase with those interested.

My first stop was Sally Beauty Supply, I was looking for the ORLY Cosmic and the China Glaze Vintage Vixen Collections. Unfortunately since they arrived at the beginning of the month and this was the 18th, I was mostly out of luck. None of the Cosmic remained, and only 4 bottles from Vintage Vixen were left for me to purchase. (China Glaze Nail Lacquer $5.49 CAN with Beauty Club Card Discount)

Afterwards, feeling a little let down by my lack of lacquer, I decided to take a trip to Lawtons Drugs (Canadian Drugstore/Pharmacy), there I picked up 9 bottles. 3 L.A. Colors Color Craze Nail Polish, 5 new L.A. Girl “Metal” Metallic Nail Polish and also one of their Rock Star Nail Lacquers. (L.A. Colors Nail Polish $1.99 CAN, L.A. Girls Nail Polish/Lacquer $2.99 CAN)

My quest for pretty nails ended with a trip to Shoppers Drugmart (my drugtore of choice), where I picked up a new limited edition Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme wear Nail Color, and one of the Nicole by OPI Gossip Girl Collection. (Nicole by OPI $8.99 CAN discounted from $10.99 this week only, Sally Hansen Nail Color $4.98 CAN)

All swatches were done with two coats, though some could definitely use three, (which is the number of coats I use when I do a manicure), but I know some people don’t have the time or patience for a three coat application, so I think two is a fair representation. No basecoat or topcoat were used.

I apologize for the mess around my nails, it was late, I was tired and didn’t feel like cleaning up the edges, also note that these were taken indoor without flash, colors will appear different in direct sunlight. If anyone is interested, I just might be persuaded into properly swatching my entire collection and posting as a series. But for now… On with the show! Photos and swatches below!

Riveter Rouge 930 China Glaze (Vintage Vixen)

Foxy 931 China Glaze (Vintage Vixen)

First Class Ticket 938 China Glaze (Vintage Vixen)

Midnight Mission 939 China Glaze (Vintage Vixen)

Star Light 443 L.A. Colors Color Craze

Treasure Island 444 L.A. Colors Color Craze

Glistening Purple 445 L.A. Colors Color Craze

Head Banging 129 L.A. Girl Rock Star

Deep Sea Mica 147 L.A. Girl Metal

Bronze Medal 149 L.A. Girl Metal

   Antique Gold 152 L.A. Girl Metal

Graphite 153 L.A. Girl Metal

Obsidian 156 L.A. Girl Metal

Scandal Secrets & Sparkle 321 Nicole by OPI (Gossip Girl)

Mystic Lilac Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear

If you would like a review or more information (color descriptions, wear & tear/chipping analysis, full hand swatches, different lighting shots, etc.) on any of these shades, feel free to leave a comment below!

Till next time!

Product Review: Hard Candy Glitter Mascara

The Word of the Shay this time around is MASCARA. That’s right, my first real “girlie” post here. I promised there would be makeup talk and reviews, and this qualifies as both! Enjoy!

Mascara, is a staple in most makeup routines for ladies (and gents). Typically shades of black and brown, but more and more makeup companies are venturing into fun colorful shades, such as purple,  blue, etc. A few of these lines have actually kicked it up yet another notch and produced glitter mascaras in striking shades as well, and this review will talk about my experience with one such product.

During my most recent trip to Wal-Mart, I was pleased to find that they are finally carrying the Hard Candy Wal-Mart Exclusive line. I say finally, because it’s been available in the US for quite a few months, but has only now hit the shelves in Canada.

I was eager to give them a try, but proceeded with caution as I hadn’t heard much about Hard Candy.  Deciding to limit my purchase to only two things from the line, I carefully chose what I thought were the two prettiest things. One of which being something I had never tried before, a glitter mascara, specifically Hard Candy Lash Tinsel Glitter Mascara in the shade voodoo.

I paid $5.98 CAN (plus applicable taxes) for my tube, it looked stunning, a massive amount of sparkly glitter, in my favorite color, purple (Note: The purple shade does lean toward the blue side, but is not quite as blue as it photographs). I was very excited to get it home to try it out.

 

 The packaging of this product, like most of the Hard Candy line, is very pretty, a clear tube to show off the glitter and color inside, their cute logo along with some girlie lettering and some scrolling flourish to add appeal. I also like that the exact name of the product is written clearly upon the tube, as well as the amount of product (you get 16.2g/0.60 oz) and the shade name and number are easily located on the bottom of the tube.

Unfortunately, once I got past the pretty packaging and opened the tube, things started to go downhill. For the details on that journey, keep reading and take a look at the photos below, starting with the wand and swatches, followed with various results I achieved on my lashes, I’ll explain exactly what method I tried with the application and how/why it didn’t work.

 Once  opened you can see the brush is very long but very slender,  being only slightly wider than the wand itself, with small spiral pattern fiber bristles. In general, I prefer a medium sized brush head for my mascaras but I can certainly work with large or small, this brush however is very stiff, virtually no flexibility and is one of the main problems with this mascara. The main issue being that instead of depositing glitter onto your lashes with each stroke, it seems to wipe away the glitter with each pass. Counter productive!

On skin swatches of the product from the wand to give you an idea of the color and amount of glitter suspended in the clear base. Top photo without flash, bottom with flash.

My bare lashes, without any product, as a point of reference. As you can see I have very light blonde eyelashes naturally. Be kind, no makeup here!

Before getting to the photos with the product applied,  I would like to inform you that this was my second attempt at all of these methods, to say that I was disappointed with my first attempt would be an understatement. I tried every way I could possibly conceive to make it work, and do what it’s suppose to do (apply glitter to your lashes), but nothing seemed to work to any degree of success.

That being said, my second trial with the Lash Tinsel, was slightly more rewarding, (I think I learned a little from my first experience), but still what I would consider an absolute failure.  This time of course, I took plenty of photos along the way to share with you.

Above are pictured, my eyelashes after one coat of Lash Tinsel, definitely not spectacular results, very little glitter actually adhered, even though this coat was done fully and evenly.  I definitely would not be able to wear this alone. Even with just one coat it was a little messy, you can see a few spots of glitter under the eye.

Not content to give up that easily, I continued on to see if adding multiple layers would help build the glitter.  Two coats later and these were the results. Sure there’s a little more glitter but as I mentioned above, the wand seemed intent on stripping away glitter as you wiggled and pulled it through the lashes, so even getting this amount to remain was difficult.

Determined to somehow get more glitter to stay put, I decided to let the previous coats dry (this is a VERY wet mascara, so that took a few minutes) before applying any more product, hoping the drier layers would give the glitter particles something to grip to, rather than sliding off the lashes and staying on the brush. This worked a little, but in addition to that I gave up on the traditional method of pulling the spoolie through the lashes (as it continued to strip the glitter) and instead opted to simply press the wand against the lashes using mostly the tip to deposit the glitter. The result, more glitter? Yes. More mess? YES! Big time. I think the picture speaks for itself. Even though more glitter stuck around, it clumped my lashes together in a very unflattering way, and after 3 different strategies I gave up, concluding that this mascara will never be something I can wear on it’s own.

There was one hope left, layering the Lash Tinsel over another mascara, to hopefully add a little sparkle to an  otherwise plain black mascara. Here’s how that went. . .

Above I’m wearing only L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black, which is my favorite go to mascara currently. I removed the glitter mascara with a makeup wipe (though you can still see some glitter particles remaining on my eyelid and below), and applied one full coat of black mascara to my lashes.

Here I layered one coat of the Lash Tinsel over the black mascara. The results were underwhelming, and barely noticeable, even this close. The most noticeable effect was in the top photo captured using the flash, you can see some glitter visible on the bottom lashes.

And lastly , to see if I could get more glitter payoff, I tried another layer of the glitter mascara, but with unfortunate results. Similarly to the layering I experienced without the black as a base, there was a massive amount of clumping. Overall I was left with a terrible spidery appearance.  Another failure.

 

So in conclusion, despite trying my hardest to find some way to make this product work, nothing achieved positive results. The best use, would probably be one light coat overtop of a regular (black) mascara, it did give a hint of shimmer, even if the effect was far from breathtaking and very subtle in natural light. If you already own this product, that’s how I would suggest getting some kind of use out of it. However, it’s definitely not worth purchasing.

Hard Candy Lash Tinsel Glitter Mascara is probably one of the biggest fails (in terms of makeup/beauty products) that I have ever tried. You expect one thing of a glitter mascara, to place glitter on your lashes, and it simply doesn’t do that. At least not to any acceptable, wearable level. It was hugely disappointing as my first foray into the Hard Candy line and I highly doubt I’ll be purchasing anything else from them. 

To wrap things up, here’s a quick recap of the pros and cons of this product.

PROS:

Attractive packaging

Clearly labeled

Lovely color

 

CONS:

Ineffective wand/brush

Glitter does not adhere well to lashes

Very wet and messy

Not successfully buildable alone

Clumps and sticks lashes together if layered aka Spidery lash effect

 

VERDICT: DO  NOT BUY

Do yourself a favor and if you see this, keep on walking!

I hope this has been helpful and has saved someone precious time and money!

Till next time!