Review: The Maze Runner

I saw 'The Maze Runner' last year in the cinemas but didn't think to review it at the time. So last night I watched it again, just to see what I thought of it now. I really liked it at the time, but it's one of this movies where so much is happening that doesn't make sense, you have to watch it at least twice to really make your mind up about it.

It's another dystopian future themed movie based on a series of books. This is the first in the series, with the second movie due for release sometime this year. I actually quite enjoy this genre. I like delving into post-disaster worlds that people create because even the ones that appear similar on the surface usually turn out to be completely different (I'm saying this with everyone who called 'Divergent' a 'Hunger Games' rip off in mind, because I personally couldn't find a ton of similarities to those series). 

'The Maze Runner' revolves around a young dude name Thomas, who wakes up in a metal box that is being elevated upwards. When he reaches the top he is found by a group of other young dudes. He can't remember anything but his name and has no idea where he is, just like the other guys. It turns out that every month for the past couple of years a new guy arrives memoryless in the box with supplies. They are in the middle of an enormous maze that is patrolled by 'grievers', which are basically massive ugly, spidery killing machines. Each day 'runners' go out into the maze to try and find a way out. Thomas becomes a runner (duh) and become determined to get himself and his new friends out. Not long after his arrival another box is delivered. This time the only thing in it is a girl with a note saying 'She's the last one ever'. It then becomes imperative that Thomas, the girl and the other guys find a way to beat the grievers and find a way out of the maze in order to survive. 

THE GOOD:

The idea behind this story is a great one. I've read a lot of books and watched a lot of movies in this genre and I haven't really seen one like this. I like that the author of the books was clearly unafraid of coming across as sexist. Don't get me wrong, as a woman I love a good story with a kick arse heroine, but I think sometimes authors and screenplay writers get a little too concerned with coming across sexist and end up missing the mark. I have no problem whatsoever with a story mostly comprised of male characters. What I look for in stories is a group of characters that are distinct and original. 

The group of actors chosen for this movie works really well. They provide the right amount of suspense and drama without overacting. I haven't read the books, so I went into this (the first time) not having the foggiest idea what it was about. All I could figure was that there would be a big maze at some point. With that in mind, I love the storyline of the movie. It really keeps you guessing. Just when you think you kind of know what's happening it changes gear and throws you in another direction. 

THE BAD:

The character Gally absolutely shit me to tears. I'm guessing he was supposed to, but for most of the movie I just wanted to slap him and tell him to stop being such a massive baby. Also, right at the end, after they've clearly left him behind in the 'Glade', which is the place they live in the middle of the maze, he shows up out of the blue and there's no explanation as to how that was even possible. I watch CinemaSins on YT all the time and all I could think was that they would totally sin the crap out of that.  

Some of filming choices were a little disorienting at times. For example, in the scene when the grievers attack them in the Glade, it's so dark you can barely see it properly and they have a lot of running shots, which are really bumpy. I get where they were coming from by having those, but I think the technique might have been a little overused.

THE OVERALL:

I really enjoyed this movie. It was different from other in its genre, though my personal favourite is still Divergent. I think the casting was great and the story itself was nice and suspenseful. Apart from the possible overuse of a filming technique, nothing else felt over done in the movie (except for the screen time Gally had, but hey, I just didn't like the dude). I give kudos to the actor who played Gally, because it's very rare that I seriously hate a character. I think when you hate a character to an irrational degree you can thank the actor for doing his job so wonderfully. It's easy to like characters, but I think it must take so much extra effort to make a character really hate-able. The last character I hated to such a degree was the Governor on 'The Walking Dead'. Anyone who watches that show knows what I'm talking about. If you're in to all these dystopian-type movies (and books), I would definitely suggest giving this a go! 


   

First Impressions: Eve Lom Radiance Perfected Tinited Moisturiser (Alabaster)

Okay, so this was supposed to go up yesterday but I was really lazy yesterday, like taking-a-nap-lazy so I pretty much did nothing. Anyway, the review I'm bringing you today was drafted yesterday, so it's still a 'First Impressions', you guys are just getting it a day late. 

Like the Ellis Faas foundation, this is a super expensive product ($96) and I was comparing it to one of my HG foundations, NARS Sheer Glow (in Siberia).

11:00 AM:

Unlike the Ellis Faas stuff, I decided to leave the sponge for the day (mostly because walking all the way into the bathroom to wash it. Gross, I know) and use my Models Prefer flat top buffing brush. Mistake. It did not apply nicely with the buffing brush at all. In all the time I've had that brush I've never had a foundation not apply nicely with it. I know the NARS one does. I ended up trudging into the bathroom to wash my RT sponge so I could try to blend out the mess I created. 

I'm not a fan of foundations that aren't versatile enough to be applied by different methods. Sometimes my sponge is dirty and I don't want to walk the 12 feet to my bathroom an wash it. Sometimes I just want to use a brush. Sometimes that brush is really dense, sometimes it's my soft and fluffy. 

So basically it took me twice as long to apply it as it should have because it really didn't like my brush. Not happy so far. 

The finish once it was blended out was okay. I liked it a little better than the Ellis Faas, but it still wasn't great. I will say that the coverage is great considering it's a tinted moisturiser. 

4:00 PM:

Most of it had completely faded off by about an hour ago and now it's really patchy. Honestly there's really not a lot else to say about it. By this time laziness had well and truly set in, so unfortunately I forgot about taking a 'update' photo. Sorry!

OVERALL:

Another miss for me. Something else I noticed about this stuff is the smell. It's not awful, but I didn't enjoy it and I could still smell it, even when most of it had worn off. I know it's a tinted moisturiser, so I have no problem with the fact that it was mostly gone by 4:00, but I do wonder how they can justify $96 for this stuff. Yes, it had good coverage, but so does Sheer Glow. Also I get a better finish when I mix Sheer Glow with my Aveeno moisturiser than this stuff gave me. I was not at all impressed at the fact that it took a wet sponge to blend it out after applying it with a brush. I'm definitely grateful to the girl in Mecca who helped me out and gave me both samples to try, but I think I'm definitely going to just pick up another bottle of the Sheer Glow. It's cheaper, more versatile and most importantly, it's better. 

First Impressions: Ellis Faas Skin Veil Foundation (Shade s101)

I went into Mecca Cosmetica yesterday thinking I was going in to repurchase a bottle of my beloved NARS Sheer Glow. Turns out I was actually going in to suss out what other foundations I could try. I couldn’t help myself. Once I was in the presence of all that makeup my mind went into overdrive trying to figure out which section to check out first. Sheer Glow kind of became an afterthought, after all I’ve already tried it! After my little shopping trip (in which I purchased no foundation but instead opted for the Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil) I came home with three different foundation samples. I got the Eve Lom Tinted Moisturiser, Guerlain Parure de Lumiere and the subject of today’s review, Ellis Faas Skin Veil Foundation.

This was supposed to be a trilogy, with a ‘First Impressions’ each day for three days, but it’s only to be two now because when I swatched the Guerlain on my arm this morning, not only was it a bit too dark, but it also started stinging and itching. Suffice to say I won’t be applying it to my face.

Without any further ado let’s get stuck into the review. I’m going to break it up into three sections to coincide with how often I checked up on the wear of it.

12:00 PM:

I applied the foundation with my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, just like I do with most of my liquid foundations. Right off the bat I wasn’t impressed with the application. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t awful, but for $110 a bottle I expected a hell of a lot better. Just so you know, I’m comparing both of the foundations to the Sheer Glow because it’s the benchmark they have to live up to in order for me to even consider purchasing them. With that in mind, as soon as I apply the Sheer Glow it looks amazing, especially when using the sponge. Actually this is the first high end foundation I’ve ever tried that hasn’t made me look instantly airbrushed by using the sponge. In the photos below I have myself after moisturising and primer but before foundation and then after the foundation was applied, and finally after I applied the rest of my makeup.

Like I said, it’s okay, but not great. So far I’m nowhere near as impressed as I was told I would be. I’ve barely heard a bad word uttered about this stuff, and I just don’t get it. Not at the ridiculous price point it’s at anyway. Oh, and just so you know, I know how crap the photos are in this post, but I think it's also because I wasn't enjoying the foundation and felt a little self-conscious about it. Basically I just wanted to take the photos quickly haha! 

4:00 PM:

So the foundation’s been on for about four hours now and it hasn’t really changed in appearance at all, except for one section. Around my mouth and on my chin it’s gone really cakey. I don’t think you can see it in the photo below (in which I'll ask you excuse my squinty eyes, it was really sunny when i took it), but trust me, it was. When I first applied the foundation I had trouble blending it into that section, and I’m pretty disappointed to see it’s gotten worse. As for the rest of my face it’s okay, but I’m still not happy with it.

10:00 PM:

Hour 10 and the foundation is definitely looking worse for wear. I never really expect a foundation to last this long anyway, but when comparing it to my Sheer Glow, it’s looking much worse than the Sheer Glow does as this point. By the 10 hour mark with the Sheer Glow the foundation is starting to go a little bit patchy, but it’s still mostly there and if I were to simply touch up with a bit of powder I think it would be right for another few hours. With the Ellis Faas I feel like to get a half decent finish again I would pretty much have to wash it off and start again. Now, this isn’t a huge problem. I rarely wear makeup for too much longer than 10 hours anyway, but at $110 you kind of want a freaking miracle from the foundation. The photo below shows the state of the foundation at hour 10.

OVERALL:

To this foundation I just say no. It doesn’t apply anywhere near as easily and nicely as the Sheer Glow and it’s nearly double the price. Personally even if I loved this foundation I would have a very, very hard time trying justify the purchase to myself. In a way I’m almost glad it disappointed me. It takes away the angst I would feel if I loved it but couldn’t afford it. I’m sure that the people who rave about this aren’t completely out of their minds. The whole reason I’ve been wanting to try this for ages is because Wayne Goss loves it and gave it such a great review, and since he’s so awesome, I tend to believe him. After all, he turned out to be right about the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick (once I found the right moisturiser)! Unfortunately I can’t jump on his bandwagon with this one. There are so many other foundations out there that are absolutely beautiful which will not require a mortgage, your soul and your first born to be able to afford.