A-line skirts…

 

a-line skirt

 

Today I’m going in search of skirts similar to this one. You can wish me luck because I’ve been on the look out for skirts like this for a month now and have somehow been unsuccessful with finding decent ones.  Hopefully today will be the exception to that rule and I will have mad success, because I’m also looking for a decent pair of jeans.

Jeans shopping can only really mean one thing for me… a bad mood based on the fact no matter what I find it will be too long, thus making it necessary to hem, which means frustration and changing the shape of the jeans which just pisses me off most of the time.

Luckily, on that note, a co-worker of mine showed me a trick for hemming ones own jeans and keeping the original cuff, which tends to help make them look less i-cut-these-off-and-sewed-them-up-cause-i’m-a-shorty (and not the ghetto cool kind).  So thats a test I’ll be running and documenting in the near future.

Today’s going to be a no makeup day! This is particularly important for me right now because, with the on-coming holidays, my glitter load at work has doubled…maybe even tripled, which is rough on a girls face (I’ll be doing an update a little later today about loose glitters actually).  I’m taking every chance I get just to let my skin breathe. Yesterday while I was getting my hair done, my stylist told me she washed a lot of glitter out of my hair… and then said she was pretty sure every time she washes my hair she washes out glitter. =)

 

Recovering Rudolf

In the wake of New Moon, and being out until 3am last night, I don’t really have anything of much value to say this evening. I just can’t seem to be ready to fall asleep yet, so this is just me killing time.

I’ve almost got my voice back, which is extremely helpful, and my nose is almost done being red. I’m extremely happy about that, red is not a good color on anything but my lips.

Today I was lucky enough to be a model for my friend/stylist Sandi! I spent 3 hours in the cutest little salon you’ve ever seen being pampered, high-lighted, and cut. Sandi always does an amazing job with my hair, and today we tried some new things an absolutely love it. Changing up my hair always makes me feel brand new all over… it also instantly makes me feel like I need to completely change the color palette I’ve been drawing inspiration from for my makeup and the style of clothes I’ve been wearing. This usually means a shopping binge of some sort, but I’m going to do my best to resist the urge to splurge this time. Besides, I’m fairly certain that in addition to the changes today, we’re going to be adding some purple to my hair in the near future which will mean changing things up all over again.

I suppose at this point I really should go to bed. Goodnight ladies and gentlemen, sleep tight. =)

Me..almost recovered from a cold, but still red enough to make a black and white photo a necessity

 

 

Edward Cullen is my new chocolate

Katie and Edward Cullen

Tonight I will be joining, no doubt, thousands of other swooning fans, for the midnight premier of New Moon, the second edition in the Twilight saga.  I resisted the mass obsession at first, but in all honesty my resistance really was futile. All it took was seeing the first film with my sisters to get me interested enough to read the books… and once you’ve read them, it’s all over.

I’m 28 (…nearly 29 shhhhhhh!) and while indulging in teen fiction is hardly a hobby of mine, I’m not the first, or the last adult to jump on the band wagon. In fact, of all the people I personally know who are into Twilight, the vast majority of them are adult women. Successful, hard-working, mothers, wives, business women.  I consider myself in good company, really.

There’s just something about this story that speaks to women in general and instead of putting a great deal of effort into trying to explain what that thing is, I’ve created a list of the top 10 reasons I feel it’s OK to indulge in Twilight. Read on…

10.) You can’t get pregnant reading a book.

9.) While a fictional character can be unrealistic, with so many less than awesome guys out there (trust me, I’ve met half of them), I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a character that leads girls to set their standards a little higher, just so long as you don’t expect to actually find a sparkly vampire.

8.) Diamonds sparkle in the sunlight but sparkly vampires are much cheaper!

7.) It’s a good and humbling experience to be taken back to your first love, because every one of us was Bella Swan at one point.

6.) If you’re going to have something in common with hoards of teenagers, a novel sounds much better than Zac Effron.

5.)  Low-level drama means easy reading and stress relief.

4.) The books are long and holding them for hours at a time is a good arm work out.

3.)  Twilight can be used as an easy method to resolve conflict in the work place. ” You may have stolen my sandwich from the fridge, but I know we’re both on Team Edward, so I can let it go.”

2.) One day your grand-daughters will thank you for saving them all of the cool memorabilia.

1.) Edward Cullen is completely calorie-free.

Lunch and the cute police officer…

There’s a cute little pizza place next to where I work and I’m currently sitting in their cozy dinning room laboring over a single slice of cheese pizza that I truly wish I had the appetite to eat, but this cold has relieved me of my sense of taste and smell, thus rendering this pizza as good as a greasy lump of dough as far as my taste buds are concerned.

The silver lining, however, is that sitting to my left in the corning is Cute Police Officer. I first encountered Cute Police Officer in the parking lot in front of TJ Max after a woman backed into me and then tried to accuse me of backing into her.  It was at least 100% out and we had been sitting in the parking lot for nearly an hour waiting for an officer to show, I’d stopped running my car because my next stop was supposed to be the gas station and I didn’t want to run what I had left out just for the A/C. So I was sweaty, shaken, (largely due to the fact that the woman who hit me was extremely rude), and couldn’t manage to put the correct information on the form I was supposed to fill out.  I was, in fact, in such a state that Cute Police Officer ( who’s cute presence didn’t help matters much) offered to call an ambulance because he was afraid I was suffering from heat stroke. What a way to make a first impression!

Since then I see Cute Police Officer all over town doing what the GPD do best… directing traffic and handing out speeding tickets. I’ve never had the opportunity to actually talk to him since that first encounter, which would make this the perfect moment which I’d gladly take… if I didn’t currently look like Rudolf the red nosed drag queen. =(

 

...just imagine this with a fire engine red nose.

 

 

And 16 sneezes later…

Alright, this is ridiculous… I’ve caught some kind of cold and I can’t sleep. Every time I think I’m remotely close enough to being sleep to actually fall asleep, I start sneezing which then leads to actions that don’t promote sleep one bit, so here I am.

Not wishing to gross you out further with the details of my cold, I’ll fill this space with a bit of makeup archiving. A giant posts of pictures of makeup I’ve done over the last year, that hasn’t made it’s way onto this blog yet, woohoo, and enjoy.

Well heeled…

I work right next to a DSW shoe store and have been eyeing this cute pair of Zigi-Soho flats that have a pretty jeweled pattern on the toe. I thought they would make a really nice addition to my shoe collection for the holidays.

I’m not usually a formal flat wearer, I’m 5 feet tall, so I take “dressing up” in a very literal sense and wear heels. I’ve always reserved flats for casual situations and as back up shoes (the ones you carry in your bag for when you can’t walk another step in your heels).

A couple of days ago I decided that I would go in and actually try the shoes on after I got off work and I was pretty certain I would take them home with me, but when I got into the store, the flats lots all of their appeal when I laid eyes on a beautiful pair of 2-inch, champagne pink, satin, peep-toe Guess heels. I forgot all about the Zigi-Soho flats, didn’t even try them on, and instead marveled over my luck in finding the delicate, feminine, Guess heels on sale.

I’m a sucker for Guess heels… I’m not crazy about their clothes, but for the money, their bags and shoes are good quality and I have a lot of both. Guess shoes just fit well and they’re comfortable. My trusty black heels that go with everything are Guess heels and I can wear them for hours.

Anyway, I’d gone into the store thinking that flats are the new stiletto, they can be dressed up or down, they can be comfy cute, or sexy, it made sense when I walked into the store. But when I walked out of the store it was with a pair of heels, because somehow, they still win.

While I was thinking about why the heel has so much more power and appeal than the flat, I stumbled upon this great site, www.randomhistory.com, and found the history of the high heeled shoe. If you have spare time and are curious, I definitely recommend that you check out the article because I’m not going to try to paraphrase it here (http://www.randomhistory.com/1-50/036heels.html).

I have to say, though, that the story of how the heel was formally introduced into fashion resonated with me and that portion of the story I will quote.

The formal invention of high heels as fashion is typically attributed to the rather short-statured Catherine de Medici (1519-1589). At the age of 14, Catherine de Medici was engaged to the powerful Duke of Orleans, later the King of France. She was small (not quite five feet) relative to the Duke and hardly considered a beauty. She felt insecure in the arranged marriage knowing she would be the Queen of the French Court and in competition with the Duke’s favorite (and significantly taller) mistress, Diane de Poitiers. Looking for a way to dazzle the French nation and compensate for her perceived lack of aesthetic appeal, she donned heels two inches high that gave her a more towering physique and an alluring sway when she walked. Her heels were a wild success and soon high heels were associated with privilege. Mary Tudor, or “Bloody Mary,” another monarch seeking to appear larger than life, wore heels as high possible (McDowell 1989). By 1580, fashionable heels were popular for both sexes, and a person who had authority or wealth was often referred to as “well-heeled.”

With this in mind, I think I’ll stick to my heels. =)

Yesterday and more glitter

I’ve decided that I need to invest in a camera that will take better pictures than my webcam does… it just doesn’t quite get the job done. There is, however, a list of things I have to get (including a car) before I have the extra cash for throwing at a camera, so for now webcam it is!

So yesterday I attempted to do the black and sliver smokey eye again… when I say attempted I mean attempted to do it as per the instructions I was given by the people who make those decisions at my job. It was really kind of complicated in a not cool kind of way, so I had to tweak it to get it to work right.

I’m going to leave out my complexion makeup on this one and go straight into what I’m using for eyes.

I started with Benefit Creasesless Cream Shadow in Tattle Tale, then I lined with Make Up Forever Aqua Black waterproof cream shadow, then I also contoured with the same product. Over the contour I blended Smashbox shadow in Midnight (it’s a matte black), sprayed the entire eye with Make Up Forever Mist ‘n’ Fix, pressed silver Make Up Forever glitter #2 onto the lid and last false lashes from Ardell!

So there you have it. It was a lot prettier in person… as is usually the case, but oh well. Eventually I’ll get the whole camera thing figured out and who knows, eventually I may jump on the band wagon and start doing video tutorials. =)

Hit the Target

Yesterday Lucky Magazine updated their Facebook status about Rodarte’s collection created for Target, launching Dec. 20th. Rodarte designer sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy, have created a 55-piece collection for Target’s Go International project.

Look at Dakota Fanning all gown up in Rodarte for Target leopard print mini-dress in Teen Vogue

If you’re a frequent Target shopper, like myself, you’ll have probably noticed short appearances by designers like Anna Sui, Jovovich-Hawk, and Rogan. Go International features new or young designers, all the collections are limited edition and only stay on the floor for 45 days.

Shoppers are starting to get a sneak-peak and bits and pieces of the collection, the picture to the left was featured in the December issue of Teen Vogue  ( Miss Dakota Fanning, I’m so proud!) there have also been sightings of this nude lace cocktail dress and black halter cocktail dress (I’m already in love with both pieces.)

Of Target’s ability to translate Rodarte’s delicate style for the mass market, they claim to have stayed true to the spirit of the lebel, providing attention to detail and a lot of textures.

I’m not usually a fan of decent labels mixing with discount retailers, even though I understand it from a $$$ angle, it still makes me think less of a brand in certain venues. A good example would be BCBG’s designer Max Azria’s recent collaboration with Miley Sirus for Wal-Mart. I’m a big fan of BCBG and I was honestly horrified when I saw this.

Now, it could be partially due to prejudices on my own part ( I can’t stand Wal-Mart or Miley Sirus), but it seems to me that Target has done a really good job of setting themselves apart in the discount retailing market. In my mind, at least, Target ranks quite a few tiers above any other discount retailer I’ve been, with Wal-Mart falling at the very pit of the bottom of that list. There are no circumstances under which, not even out of desperation, I would turn to Wal-Mart for a fast fashion fix, yet I can feel ok, no,  good about trusting Target to follow trend and not lead me too far astray.

I’m not claiming that they’re perfect, there were a few months during the summer when I despaired over the abundance of 80’s inspired mini-dresses and lace leggings, but even in the midst of all of that, I never felt as though a label was mudding it’s name by mixing it with Target.

With all of that in mind, I’d like to take a moment to thank Target for it’s commitment to keeping it’s guests abreast of the latest trends, at prices that don’t suck the life out of us, and for being a discount retailer with some pride. I heart you Target!

Product Review: Caudalie Gentle Cleanser

 

Caudalie Gentle Cleanser

I recently decided to switch cleansers. When I was younger I never really used much outside of soap and water… and was lucky because I never really had skin problems. No major acne problems. As I’ve gotten older, however, and have started wearing make as a profession, which means wearing lots of it, I’ve come to understand the benefits of using nice products on my skin.  I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a “sensitive” skin type, I’ve never broken out due to makeup or anything like that, but I do have a tendency to turn red if the ingredients in my skin care are too harsh.

The trouble that I’ve been having lately is little hormonal breakouts and just generally feeling like my cleanser was either too strong and drying out my skin, or that it wasn’t working well enough and I wasn’t seeing any difference at all. This is when my good friend introduced me to Caudalie.

I could go on and on about Caudalie’s history but the quick version is that they’re a natural line developed in france focusing on grape seed and the antioxidant protection it provides the skin. Check it out online at http://caudalie-usa.com/?gclid=CMLYkPD_g54CFVhJ2god3Bc1pw for lots of info on the line.

I’ve been using the Gentle Cleanser for a week and a half now and my skin looks great, so great that people keep telling me it looks great, and as much as I’d like to blame it on my skills as a makeup artist, the truth is I’m wearing the same makeup I have been for months and no one’s said anything about it. My skin feels baby soft after I’ve cleansed with the Caudalie Gentle Cleanser, it feels clean, but not tight, definitely not dry either! An added bonus; it takes off makeup! I love the cleanser so much that I started using some of their other skin care products as well. They have a line that addresses first signs of aging, which is perfect for me because I’m 28, and while I can tell I have a few lines here and there starting to pop up, and would love to start piling on the anti-aging products, the truth is my skin can’t handle it yet. So the products intended for first signs of aging are perfect for my needs.  I definitely recommend checking them out and trying samples of their products. My skin looks radiant and smooth. I’m really impressed with the line, especially since it’s natural. No parabens, no sulfates, all grapey goodness!

 

Glitter and more glitter!

Loads of Make Up Forever silver glitter. I love Make Up Forever glitter… I’ve tried a lot of different kinds and I always come back to these.

This look is actually a work in progress. You can’t really tell from this picture, but there’s a black shadow as a outer corner contour, there’s just so much glitter that you can’t really see the black, which was my intention. I’m working on a look for work an it wasn’t coming together the way I was hoping so I just packed the glitter on over. Tomorrow I’ll be back at it and there will be more black in that one, so more to come. And what this look is missing is big lashes.

In the mean time… please feast your eyes on my mash-up men, and please feel free to leave me a comment describing your perfect mash-up of men. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, please see previous post.

 

Hugh Jackman as Drover from Australia

My friend Jim as the handsome bass player

Last, but certainly not least... Rob Pattinson as Edward Cullen of Twilight.