How I Met Your Mother - A Countdown To The End

"This show wears it's heart on its sleeve." - Josh Radnor

Hello world!

This is a bit of a different post, not beauty-related at all, but still extremely close to my heart. How I Met Your Mother, if you didn't already know, is an awesome sitcom that is coming to an end. 9 years on TV, it is honestly one of the best shows I've ever taken the time to watch. It is both hilarious and really beautiful, which is an extremely strange way to describe a 30-minute sitcom, but if you've watched it, you'll know what I mean.

I know it's kind of lame of me to dedicate a whole blog post to a TV show, but I've always been super melodramatic, and that isn't going to change for my blog haha. It's taught me a lot, made me laugh, made me cry, and ultimately just made me happy, all the time. I watch it before bed, when I'm doing my makeup, when I just want a pick-me-up in general.

In honour of the series finale on Monday, March 31st, 2014, I wanted to countdown some of my favourite moments from How I Met Your Mother. Whether they were heartbreaking, funny, clever, or cheesy scenes, each and every one of these moments made me feel something, and that is why I absolutely love this show. It's been a major part of my life (Major-Part-Of-My-Life), and I thought it would be a fun way to say a goodbye to such an amazing show. It was honestly so hard to narrow it down to 10 scenes, but otherwise I would've written a top 50 and it would get far too long, so this is how it'll have to be.

I hope that you enjoy this little dedication post,

and if you're a fan of How I Met Your Mother, I hope at least 83% of you like my countdown. 

Number 10: Quirks

Easily one of the best quotes from the show. This is love, in a nutshell. When someone doesn't just tolerate your gigantic laugh, the way you eat pizza backwards, your love for cats and your irrational fear of spiders, but instead loves that it makes you the person you are. And even though you may have to go on 7 more years of blind dates, holding out for that person is the most rewarding.
"That's the dream." ;)

Number 9: "I really hope you get her some day."

Victoriaaaaaa. Voted as the most loved girl for Ted. It's weird, because she wasn't anywhere close to my favourite. But this scene, this line, absolutely broke me. Her face just reads HEARTBREAK.
Many TV shows have done this plot before, such as on Friends with Ross, Rachel, and Emily. But this was so hard to watch. Ted and Victoria were just short of perfection. So many years in the making, it just goes to show you how close you can come to "The One", but not close enough.

Number 8: Shelter Island // As Fast As She Can

Stella was my favourite girl for Ted. Weird, I know.
Shelter Island made me cry so much. I won't even talk about what happened to avoid the spoilers, but if you've watched this storyline, you'll know what I'm talking about. I just had to shout that episode out. I remember sitting in bed after watching it and being absolutely stunned. Well done, writers.

As Fast As She Can, another beautiful reminder that even though waiting for "the one" may seem hopeless, long, and downright disappointing sometimes, it'll be worth it in the end. That person you can see yourself with for the rest of your life, they're out there. And they're getting there,
as fast as they can.

Number 7: "I'm Not Ready For This"

Fun fact: Jason Segel wasn't told about this shocking moment in the series, so his reaction to the news is actually his REAL reaction, not just him acting as Marshall. Which is probably why I cried like a baby.
In the midst of the boob jokes, the beers, and the college flashbacks with "sandwiches", is an all-too-real human moment in the middle of the series. It's a part of life that everyone has to deal with at one point or another. And a reminder that Marshall, this huge optimistic, full of life guy, also has to deal with the parts of life that aren't happy.

Number 6: Legendaddy

This episode was full of real and raw emotion and pain. Neil Patrick Harris is such a versatile actor who transformed Barney from this materialistic guy who didn't care for anyone except for booze and suits, to someone who shows that everyone has their own damage and has felt abandonment before.
I love the depth they gave to Barney's character in this episode. The hurt in his voice when he speaks to his father, the heartache in his face when he admits that all he's ever wanted was to have his dad in his life. Another amazing example of a heart-wrenching moment in this brilliant sitcom.

Number 5: Three Days of Snow

This is truly one of my favourite episodes in How I Met Your Mother history. I think it's so underrated because it's not one of the heart-wrenching moments, and it isn't a Ted-centred episode but it is SO touching. It is such a good example of the well thought out writing and planning that goes on in the show, demonstrating how well HIMYM executes flash-backs and flash-forwards to make the show so special.
The best part of this episode is the glimpse into Marshall and Lily's relationship. They are truly the TV couple that everyone wants to be. They have the kind of love that everyone admires; the long-held traditions, the cheesy but adorable nicknames, the pure love between the two of them.
It's so easy to get caught up in the craziness of life and neglect your other half, but these two never do. They are such a perfect example of falling in love with each other over and over again.
"I love you. More and more each day, I love you, Lily."
"What I loved about this show, in general, is that Lily and Marshall were allowed to be in love with each other." - Jason Segel

Number 4: "I would have stolen you a whole orchestra."

"You stole a blue french horn for me."
This scene still breaks my heart to watch. Ted and Robin, Robin and Ted. I know that from the very first episode of the whole series, we know that they don't end up together. But it is so hard not to hope they do anyways.
I loved Ted and Robin so much, together, apart, as friends, as a couple. The girl of Ted's dreams, the guy that Robin thought she would maybe marry some day. The ongoing love between the two of them for all 9 seasons was something I loved watching, because it just shows us that relationships aren't black and white. Being broken up with someone doesn't mean you ever stop loving them, and these two struggled with that, as so many people do.
I just love them so much and I always secretly hoped Robin would be The Mother even though we know from the start of the whole dang series that she isn't. Sad face.

Number 3: The Robin

The best play from The Playbook (obviously). Again, another amazing example of the incredible planning that goes into the show. The details and planning that went into this long "play" were so well executed.
Barney's growth as a character was honestly one of my favourite things to watch throughout the show. To see a character grow from being a "one-trick-pony" kind of guy, who never really cared for anyone, to seeing him pull one of the biggest romantic gestures in the whole series, was refreshing and downright awesome to watch.
This beautiful grand gesture is one of the many reasons HIMYM is sooooo freaking awesome. <3

Number 2: The Two-Minute Date

My favourite scene in the WHOLE. SHOW. It impressed me so much. If you have never watched the series, watch this scene. The production, the OVERALL CUTENESS! How could you not fall in love with Ted?
I was reading a Reddit question thingy that the creators (Carter Bays and Craig Thomas) did, and Carter said it was his favourite scene out of the whole series as well! It had to be taken in one shot, which that in itself is a tough thing to do with the many moving parts of scene, and it was JUST SO DARN ROMANTIC. It shows Ted's "Cheesy-Romantic Hero" side, and it was so just so well done. Round of applause to the whole crew, and for putting that scene in.
2 minutes is all you need for a brilliant scene. That, and a lot of hands to do all the camera work. Haha.
AND, Josh Radnor (who plays Ted) also said that this is his favourite scene in all of How I Met Your Mother HISTORY! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WC8Lmg28DX8 (this video, forward to 32:57)

Number 1: The Mother Revealed

I remember sitting on my couch, waiting for this. In case someone who reads this hasn't seen this episode yet, or hasn't started the series, I won't say when it happens, but man, this was so so SO exciting. I remember literally SCREAMING and being like, "THEY ACTUALLY SHOWED IT. NO WAY. NOOOO WAY." This show ultimately comes down to this one person that we've been waiting so long to see, and more importantly, that Ted has waited his whole life to find.
(About to get really cheesy here,) The Mother is ultimately a representation of the person we wait around for in our own lives. We waited almost a decade to see who Ted was going to end up with, hoping that one of his ex-girlfriends would be "The One", thinking "This is it! This is the person!", and that's just how love is.

Honourable Mentions:
- La Vie En Rose
- Robin Sparkles (particularly Let's Go To The Mall)
- Marshall crying in the rain
- "Do you love me?" "No."
- Tick, Tick, Tick
- The Symphony of Illumination (this episode absolutely broke my heart into a million pieces and I'm so sad that I didn't include it in my top 10 but there isn't enough rooooom! AHHHH.

Like I said, narrowing this down to Top 10 was nearly impossible, but I'm glad I did. 206 episodes, and one more to go. Monday nights will feel so empty... it's going to be so weird knowing that we can't look forward to anymore new episodes. That after the finale, there will be no more Maclaren's Bar, no more "Wait for it", no more challenges to accept, no more girls for Barney to hit on, no more Robin Sparkles music videos, no more yellow umbrellas, blue french horns, or pineapples, no more booth, no more slaps to give out. It makes me so sad to think about, but I am also really glad that the show got a proper goodbye. Imagine if it got cancelled halfway through, and we never met The Mother? More often than not, shows don't get the proper send-off they deserve, so I'm so happy that this one did.

As an article put it, "How I Met Your Mother was the old-soul of the comedy network for the past decade" and I couldn't agree more. It had such a good balance of dirty jokes, romantic moments, and heart-throbbing scenes that everyone could enjoy, and one big storyline that everyone could relate to and get addicted to. But most importantly, the 5 main characters had so much chemistry. Their friendship was believable and relatable, like they weren't just characters on TV that were written up, but 5 best friends who loved each other like family. And us watchers, loved them too.
Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, thanks for creating such a legendary show.

"Life to me is not funny or sad, it's like funny-sad; and I love that, that's what the show is. It's this beautiful mixture of elements, which sometimes made us hard to classify." - Josh Radnor

"It's not a cynical show. It lets people love each other, and express that love. The whole point of the show is about love, and the search for love, and it's also about family." - Josh Radnor 

Goodbye How I Met Your Mother. I love you so much and I will never forget you (and will continue to binge watch you on Netflix forever and ever.) I'll miss you like crazy.

Rachel xxxx

Some videos to watch to help you say goodbye:
Thank You, Fans
The Last Chapter

Rachel's Reviews - Divergent Palette

Hello world!

I have decided to try out doing product reviews to begin my blog, as I think they can be really helpful. I am in no means an expert in makeup, but I think I can throw my 2 cents out there and give an honest opinion on different products. Now onto the review!

As some of you may know, the movie Divergent has just been released into theatres, and as a movie that was previously a book trilogy, it has an established fan base, much like The Hunger Games. Because of this established fan base, companies tend to catch on and create products with the name attached to them. One of the products that was created under the Divergent franchise is a limited edition makeup line that is exclusive to Sephora.

I had been eyeing the makeup as soon as it was released online, and after watching the movie with my best friend during opening weekend, I immediately went to Sephora and bought the Divergent Multi-Piece Collector's Palette. I actually bought the last one they had in stock, which is a true testament to how popular this palette is considering it's only been out for a couple of weeks.

Moving onto the actual product itself, this all around face palette retails at $39 here in Canada, and $32.50 in the United States.
The packaging is metal, so the exterior is very sturdy, however it closes with magnets, which isn't great as it feels like it could open easily and ruin the inside. It has the signature DIVERGENT logo written on the front, and has a holographic, shiny finish on the front, which is why in this photo it looks like it has a rainbow design on it. In reality, it is a very light-reflective silver.

Divergent Palette: Outside Packaging

The contents include a pink lip gloss, three eyeshadows, a matte blush, and a matte bronzer. It also has a full mirror, which is always great to have. For $39 you get a good range of products.

Inside the Palette -
Full Sized Mirror, Lipgloss, Three Eyeshadows,
Matte Blush, Matte Bronzer

The best thing about this palette, in my opinion, are the eyeshadows.

They are all very wearable colours, as they are great neutrals, and most importantly, they are super pigmented. There is a matte white, a shimmery golden taupe, and a matte dark brown.
The matte white is great for an under the brow highlight colour. The shimmery brown isn't as pigmented as the other two, but it is still a great all over lid colour that is neutral enough to look subtle, and isn't too sparkly, and the matte brown is perfect to blend through the crease, and it is definitely the most pigmented out of the three.
I love that these are neutrals, because it makes the palette worth buying, as you can use it every day instead of just purchasing it for the novelty of owning something with the word "Divergent" written on it. The pigmentation of the eyeshadows are great, especially the matte dark brown, so I was impressed.

Eyeshadows: Up Close
Matte White: Candor Lace // Shimmery Taupe: Luminous Taupe //
Matte Dark Brown: Envious Chocolate

Next up are the blush and bronzer. The blush is a very wearable rose-pink colour. I like the fact that it is matte, as it is great for days when you don't want any shimmer on your cheeks and you want to keep your look low-key, but still put together.

The bronzer, though I would still call it matte, has really fine specks of gold in it, but it is extremely subtle, and won't make you look like you have shimmer on. Because it is pretty much matte, it is perfect for subtle contouring and shaping your face. It actually reminds me of Benefit's famous Hoola bronzer, as they are similar in colour and finish.

These are both pigmented as well, though I wouldn't say as much as the eyeshadows, but they are both extremely wearable colours that complete an every day look.

Blush: Rosy Horizon // Bronzer: Compassionate Copper

Lastly, the lip gloss. I'm not a fan of lip gloss at all, so I didn't care for it too much. It isn't well pigmented, so it doesn't really add colour to the lip, but it's a good neutral pink colour that will probably look good over a neutral pink lipstick. As an added bonus, it smells like peppermint.

Lip Gloss: Up Close
Pink: Artistic Mauve

As someone who has both read the book and watched the movie, the quirky names of each product was a nice little touch to the palette to make it nice and unique. 

Merchandise and movie-gimmicks aside, the actual contents of the palette were really great. The eyeshadows were the real winners for me, as the colour pay off was great, and I honestly didn't expect that out of a product that was made for a movie franchise. The blush is a really nice rose pink, which is perfect for a subtle hint of colour. The bronzer is perfect for subtle contouring as it is matte, and is a beautiful colour. The lip gloss I could've lived without if that meant there was more eyeshadow, haha.

I can honestly say that even if the word DIVERGENT wasn't slapped across the outside of this palette, I would still be drawn to it. Every single product is something you can wear every day, so it isn't something you just buy for the name and it is a great starter palette. You have everything you need for a complete look in the palm of your hands.
I have to admit that I'm sure much of the price tag factored in the name "Divergent", so $39 is a bit steep. You do get 5 powder products that will last you quite some time, so it is fairly reasonable. 

The palette can be purchased here.

How about you? Are you a fan of the Divergent series? Could you see yourself buying this palette?

Lots of love,

Rachel xxxx

Hello!

Hello there world!

I feel a little strange introducing myself like this through a blogpost, but I think my first post should be a simple hello from myself. My name is Rachel Joy, hence the extremely cheesy blog name, but I thought it fit, haha. I'm a university student who is far too obsessed with makeup and everything beauty related, as well as pop culture, social media, and How I Met Your Mother.

I haven't decided completely what my blog is going to be centred around, but I have a feeling it will probably be beauty related, maybe with some posts about university, pop culture, and TV shows, or something along those lines. As they always say, "write what you know." I've been contemplating starting a blog for quite some time now, but I've always felt like I didn't know enough to start, but after getting tired of sitting around wondering if I should do it, I've just decided to dive in.

I have a few posts that I've already planned out, and they're all beauty related, so I hope you enjoy the posts to come! Most are product reviews, so I hope that I serve as help to those with questions :) For now, try to ignore the extreme basic template of this blog hahaha. I'll definitely be learning as I go.

Lots of love,
Rachel xxxx