Color Tattoo - Shiny Shiny Eye Makeup!

Recently, I've been starting to experiment with makeup. It's a long road, but I thought maybe I'd document my progress along the way. Because I harbor a deep, secret love for the shinier things, those are what I started with.

This time, I decided to put a few eyeshadows to the test. This post is for the those who love Maybelline, and are interested in the Maybelline Color Tattoo Loose Powder shadows.

First, I have really fair skin that is pink tinted- so I used a concealer to create a 'base'. It's a bit paler than what I actually am, but provides a nice matte background so you can see the colors.

I tried four different colors of these loose powder shadows: Barely Brazen, Buff & Tuff, Breaking Bronze, and Improper Copper.

For consistency, these powders are fantastic- they have that sparkle, oh, so very much- but they are so fine and soft, and easy to apply. As I may have said already (or will say later), a little bit goes a longer way than you think, so exercise a little bit of caution. The lines below, I made with my fingers, NOT any brush.

I also accidentally purchased one of the 24 hour shadows, which is a cream, not a powder, so I tested that as well. It's called Bold Gold.
(Sorry for the crappy picture quality, I did the best I could!)

The first, Barely Brazen, is a very cool color- it's almost a pearl. I would use this for right under my brow- (sparingly, mind you- a little goes a longer way than you think) I have deep set eyes and dark circles (thank you, life) so this is a great highlight for right there.

Buff & Tuff is (although it may not show in the photo) just as glittery as the others. I had a hard time with this shadow because it seems rather 'Meh' to me- I know I'm a newbie, but I'm not sure how it best could be used. Perhaps on the lid with a little highlighter on the brow bone, for a simpler but more sparkly look? I'll be trying that out sometime in the very near future. But enough of that, onward!

Breaking Bronze is actually what led to my purchase of the rest of the color tattoo series (err..mini series, as it were). I bought it first, and fell in love, so I thought I'd expand my color palette. It doesn't disappoint- it POPS- I love it for a glamorous, drop dead gorgeous eye makeup look. It really makes my blue eyes pop!

The Improper Copper was a surprise; I bought it because occasionally, you need a bit of darker color. It looked a bit flat in the picture- I shouldn't have worried, however, as it is a rich, earthy, warm tinted deep copper brown that I have come to adore.

Finally, the Bold Gold 24Hour shadow was- interesting. It's light, smooth, and doesn't feel cakey when you wear it- but the gold can go funny in certain light, or when paired with other colors. Still, if gold is your thing, give it a go- I admit, I did a field test on this one. I applied some on the inside of my forearm (about halfway between my wrist and my elbow) and went about my day. I, of course, forgot all about it, so I wore my jacket for school, my sweatshirt for working out, etc. Imagine my surprise when I stripped down to shower the next morning and there it was, not smeared or cracked, or smudged from its original place. Sure, it was a bit better 'blended', but that's the look you try to achieve with a blending brush, anyway, isn't it? Those soft edges?

Anywho, that's the skinny on the earth tones of the Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo Loose Powder collection (wow, that's a long title!).

I'd go into a more formal review, but that'll come later when I compare shadow qualities for staying power, blendability, etc.

Cheers!

Art! (And prints) - Raving about ProDPI

Eight months ago, I posted a simple digital painting on a Facebook page depicting the popular kitten from that page. It wasn't great- definitely not my best work- but it caught the notice of a very nice woman who was also the fan of that page.

The woman contacted me, asking me to do a commission for her- a painting of her cat; and offered to pay me for it.

Let me be clear. I've never been paid for my art. Never. My jewelry, yes. My art, no, and I've been drawing for much longer than I've been making jewelry. Was I ecstatic? Yes! Was I excited? Hell yes! But it was more than that.

I. Was. Terrified.

I accepted the commission, received the photos that the woman sent me, and set to work. I almost immediately ran into a wall. The woman's cat, Lola, was lovely- but her coloring was so distinctive that I couldn't do a picture of her in the same style I'd done one of the other cat.

I've gotten ahead of myself, as usual.

My art work of late has been drawn using the stylus and an artist program on my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. Last May, I'd had the tablet for perhaps 3 months. I drew this back then.

This is super simplistic, as I mentioned before. I wasn't trying very hard- my goal was more to provide a passably cute token for the kitties new parents. Fortunately for me, the kitty is a tuxedo- simple yet elegant.


Anyway, back to Lola. Lola is gorgeous and distinctive in the way that many of us are distinctive- in very tiny ways. Some people/animals have one specific trait that stands out and makes them distinctive (i.e. Lil Bub, who is a cutie, and a superhero imho, and an inspiration). For Lola, this wasn't the case- what made her Lola was a combination- her pretty eyes, her two colored nose, the little spot of stripes on the left side of her face, the color of her back and paws- they worked together to make her Lola.

And a big part of that was color. I couldn't condense or simplify her color too much, or she wouldn't look like her anymore.

So, as I stared down at my barely started piece, I choked. I tried off and on to work on her over the next months, and the woman who commissioned me, bless her, was so patient- she never pressured me once.

A few weeks ago, I was inspired(guilted by my conscience) to take up Lola again, and try to get her finished before I sent in my partially broken tablet for maintenance. I knew I'd made a promise to the woman, and I wanted to deliver, even though I knew it'd been way too long.

Lo and behold, I finished Lola. I sent an excited note to the woman 'surprise, here's the thing I owed you months ago!' and attached the file.

The woman was ecstatic. 'How much for the print?' She asked.

A wall loomed up head of me. I managed to stop this time.
Crap.
Printing. Hell, I did digital art now. I needed a printer.

And off to Google I went.
I looked at the popular sites, but so many were SO expensive, and without the recommendation of anyone I actually know, I wasn't willing to take such a costly chance.

Then, I found ProDPI.

ProDPI has a mixed reputation on the internet- there are horrible reviews, and a few great ones. The bad ones talked about how the prints got there extremely late, or how horrible the customer service was. The great ones complimented everything. All of them were old.
After looking at the prices, and the sizes, including shipping and turnaround, and I thought, with prices that low, it'd honestly probably be crap.

At the same time, it was worth a shot.

So I bit the bullet and ordered a 10x13 of the lovely Lola, sat back, and waited.

It arrived today, and I am so pleased. Not only did it arrive in a timely manner, it was a good quality that I am 99% sure that the woman will love.

So for those of you looking for a printer, I encourage you to check out ProDPI. It's got a lot of options, is a great price (in my opinion) and the images come out very well. Visit their website to find out more.

By the way, here is the painting I did the print of.

The print looks exactly the same :).

Ronan

Some time ago, I stumbled into a song called 'Ronan', remembering a four year old boy who lost the battle to cancer. It touched my heart, and I think more people need to hear it. So, here it is:

This is a beautiful, incredibly emotional song; its heart-wrenching, personal tribute to another life lost to cancer is truly memorable. It is more than just a touching tribute to Ronan; it carries a message which more people need to take heed of:
Each one of those thousands and thousands that struggle with cancer every day, every hour, every moment  is a person.
Every life lost to cancer is not just another number - it's the loss of an individual who laughed, cried, lived, loved, and was loved, and fought so hard against this horrible disease, and died.

Though I find it increasingly hard to fathom, there are people out there whose lives have not been touched, even indirectly, by cancer. It is my hope that, when those people hear the statistics about how many die of cancer every year, and how many are diagnosed with various forms of cancer every day, they connect those numbers with people - people like Ronan, or mothers, fathers, grandparents, best friends, and that they realize what a horrible tragedy it is that that many lives have been, and continue to be, lost.

Maybe, just maybe, that realization will inspire more people to participate in the fight for a cure.

Because the more of us that fight, the faster we can reach a breakthrough which could make all the difference.

Whispers

When you want to shout from the rooftops,
But, instead, you whisper on the breeze,
As if it were the dearest secret from your heart
'I am happy'

Passing Fancies

As I sit here, fingers tapping away at my keyboard in the quiet late night, my mind is on so many things.

I am thinking about love, about friendship, about the past, present, and the future.

I am thinking about second chances and fresh starts and new beginnings, about holding on and letting go. Familiar, versus new. 

I am pondering the term 'getting to know', and how hard it really is to do.

I am thinking about school, about acting, about shows, about stories, about how I wish that $400 - no, $500+ dollars would just drop out of the sky without complication, so I can get that tablet I desperately want before the semester starts.

I am thinking about the thrill of passion, the sweetness of hope, the excitement of discovery. 

I am thinking of the warmth of familiarity, and the comfort which comes with time.

I am thinking that, though I am an open book, it has become so very hard to communicate what is on my mind, to ask the questions I want to ask.

I am thinking that I know why it is suddenly so hard.

I am thinking about the difference between the clarity with which I saw people then, and the uncertain haze through which I see them now.

I am thinking, I so wish I knew what was happening.

I am thinking how funny it is that I've convinced myself I am shocking and upfront, when I am scared to be the first to jump in.

I am thinking that it doesn't matter what the answer is- truly, in a way it doesn't, although that makes it seem as if I couldn't care one way or the other, though I do.

In this world where things can go so fast, and so frighteningly slow, in this world of instant gratification and waiting, where all manner of things can change in the blink of an eye or last, inexplicably, through a lifetime - where you can skip ahead but fall behind in ways you've never imagined..

I am thinking: In this world, this changeable world, how is anyone supposed to know, with any certainty, what it is that they want?

After wishing that someone would take the first step, would you run when they came towards you?

After wishing for a second chance, would you regret moving the wrong direction?

After wanting, for so long, to be the person someone else sees...Would you feel compelled to hide?

And would any of those feelings encompass your whole heart?

Or would they simply, sometimes comfortingly, be just- passing fancies?

Dear Everyone: Watch This Standup. Now.

Hello All! I'm going to take a moment to enthusiastically endorse this stand up routine by comedian  Hal Sparks. His take on pretty much everything is incredibly relatable (which IS a word, so shut up, Blogspot), but there are a few things that make him absolutely stand out in my mind as one of the best that I've seen.

Not convinced? Read my reasons below the video link.

Why You Should Watch Hal Sparks: Charmageddon

1.) Hal Sparks does not even tread the line near any type of racist humor.

2.) His point of view on date rape is refreshing, brilliant and had me saying 'Hell yea!' more than once.

3.) His take on genitalia and the way 'pussy' is used a a derogatory term is amazing.

4.) He does not make jokes about people of any other sexual orientation - not even one gay joke. In fact, the only time he is absolutely serious is when he makes a comment supporting people of any sexual/gender identity. This, to me, is a breath of fresh air, since even the best of (mostly the male) comedians make at least one joke about how they aren't gay (not a comment - a joke - as if they have to just make sure you know).

Summation: In his stand up show, "Charmageddon", Hal Sparks offers wonderfully relatable, intelligent and unique perspectives without going 'below the belt' as far as targets for his jokes. And the laughs never stop - there are so many funny lines, one right after the other, that it's impossible to quote them all.

Also, anyone who's ever been irritated by being labeled stuff other people do, (i.e. 'non-smoker') will probably never stop laughing.

Do yourself a favor and watch this show - or look up clips and watch those. I'm willing to bet you'll find something to love somewhere in it.

TTFn, Lovelies!

Assumption of Youth

Do not judge me for what I 'haven't been through',
Do not assume you know what I will say,
Do not interrupt the story I am telling you,
Do not tell try to tell me not to feel that way.

Do not think that you know better 'cause you're older,
Do not dare imply you've seen it all before,
Do not rush to be the conscience on my shoulder,
Do not humble me to dust upon the floor.

And when I am confiding, pay attention.
You'll find journeys in my eyes you've never seen.
Do not blind yourself with your misapprehension.
See me now for what I am, and where I've been.

-Me (December 10th, 2012)