Monday, April 26, 2010
Urban Decay: Book of Shadows Volume II
No, I'm not about to blog about witchcraft and spells. It's makeup time! Not all of you know this, but, every now and then I throw a festive photoshooting session. Makeup, styling, photography, photo editing and everything in between has to be planned and carried out by me; all in all, stressful but fun. I'm certainly no trained makeup artist, but why not do some reviews while I've got my hands on some fantastic makeup!
(I'm not sure if Urban Decay is carrying this product anymore, but Sephora's got it still)
Benefit and Urban Decay are ahead of the pack when it comes to makeup branding and packaging, in my opinion, especially for the ever growing market for teenagers. Their products- equally as satisfying and clever as the packaging/names. Take for example Urban Decay's Book of Shadows. My favorite names from this set: Perversion, AC/DC, Mushroom, Half Baked, Misdemeanor, Jinx, Homegrown, Midnight Cowboy Hides Again, and Ecstasy- what fun (naughty) names! The pigmentation is highly saturated shot through with shimmer and glitters. So, kids! Book of Shadows? Sounds sinister in its names, but these eye shadows derived from some enchantingly pleasant witches.
(more photos to come, soon)
Kayla (to the left) is wearing Jinx on her eyes and Perversion on her lips. Mirabelle has got on a combination of Ecstasy, Sphynx, and Mushroom on her eyes, and Half Baked on her lips.
No, I'm not about to blog about witchcraft and spells. It's makeup time! Not all of you know this, but, every now and then I throw a festive photoshooting session. Makeup, styling, photography, photo editing and everything in between has to be planned and carried out by me; all in all, stressful but fun. I'm certainly no trained makeup artist, but why not do some reviews while I've got my hands on some fantastic makeup!
(I'm not sure if Urban Decay is carrying this product anymore, but Sephora's got it still)
Benefit and Urban Decay are ahead of the pack when it comes to makeup branding and packaging, in my opinion, especially for the ever growing market for teenagers. Their products- equally as satisfying and clever as the packaging/names. Take for example Urban Decay's Book of Shadows. My favorite names from this set: Perversion, AC/DC, Mushroom, Half Baked, Misdemeanor, Jinx, Homegrown, Midnight Cowboy Hides Again, and Ecstasy- what fun (naughty) names! The pigmentation is highly saturated shot through with shimmer and glitters. So, kids! Book of Shadows? Sounds sinister in its names, but these eye shadows derived from some enchantingly pleasant witches.
(more photos to come, soon)
Kayla (to the left) is wearing Jinx on her eyes and Perversion on her lips. Mirabelle has got on a combination of Ecstasy, Sphynx, and Mushroom on her eyes, and Half Baked on her lips.
Who doesn't love the contrast of classy and trashy?
SweetmamaPrada I don't even know what to do with myself...
Prada look book: artwork by eroen Koolhaas and Lok Jansen, shot by Philip Meech
Monday, April 5, 2010
Jeesh, I'm such a flake! I'm taking a little break for the sake of my sanity/to recoop from traumatizing repeats of history. The following video/text is something that just awes me every single time. There's such a great general truth in it that makes me feel so small, yet it inspires me greatly. So yeah, soak in my bible (it's not actually about sunscreen, just trust me on this one):
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
One Day Without Shoes: April 8th
Shoes. Sometimes I find myself hating on shoes, but the importance of shoes cannot be fully grasped when we live in piles of material resources. We must not forget that there are others in deeper turmoil than we are. I am proud to raise awareness about this event.
Also, everyone should definitely check out TOMS if you haven't already. TOMS Shoes is an American company that is very progressive, specializing in lightweight shoes. More progression: some of their shoes are fabricated out of vegan and recycled materials, on top of that, for every pair purchased, TOMS will provide a pair to a child in need in a developing country. What a great justification, no? So in reality, you're actually buying two pairs of shoes for the price of one. I'll definitely be sporting a pair of two of TOMS come summer.
Several of my favorite styles TOMS carries:
Runway shots by Marcio Madeira
Donna Karan is the modern day whiz-kid when it comes to draping fabric. This season, she allows for the woman's body to breath through sun-cured, pre-worn textiles (to the eye) that drape effortlessly away from the body. The ease of the silhouettes is deceptive and shines light of the texture of the textiles, ultimately allowing for these light fabrics to crease, fold, and billow in breezes.
The colors, let's have a spiel about the colors. Going along with the emphasis of the fabric, Donna Karan's color choice was truly refreshing. Paired with the crumpled texture and the floaty silhouettes, these colors draw forth a balmy, beach-y influence. The sheerness of the grays and blues paints an image of frothy waves embracing a body. I adore the fact that there were colors used but they weren't obnoxious whatsoever; even the effervescent red was strangely therapeutic, but kept the strength of what red should represent. All in all, immaculate color sense!
Starring Anna Jagozinska shot by Patrick Demarchelier
The spring/summer '10 ad campaign fully displays the fabric. I found this to be incredibly innovative because it enables an audience to wrap their fingers around the quality of the fabrics rather than how alluring the model's bosom is. Donna Karan is a true designer for women, fully understanding of their minds and their desires.
Man as Industrial Palace by Henning Lederer
An interesting, mechanical perspective on how our bodies work. Food for thought?
Saturday, April 3, 2010
This photo oooozes summer. I'm a huge fan of vintage photographs because of their charm, besides, high definition is so overrated! And, 70's style short shorts and athletic socks- how could a boy go wrong? American Apparel knows what's up
Friday, April 2, 2010
Jessica Miller shot by Tim Richardson
Weather: dynamic
Ky: static
There are some of you on spring break right now... Those are the people who I will envy on Sunday night. As of now, it's been one lazy Saturday. I'd like to say that I've had an adventurous day in the storm engulfing our humble western Washington, but I can't even boast that I've been out of bed for more than an hour. However, I have been looking at inspiration for my prom get-up, and I'm glad to say that I'll be shooting for something classic that channels a 60's mod vibe.
There are some of you on spring break right now... Those are the people who I will envy on Sunday night. As of now, it's been one lazy Saturday. I'd like to say that I've had an adventurous day in the storm engulfing our humble western Washington, but I can't even boast that I've been out of bed for more than an hour. However, I have been looking at inspiration for my prom get-up, and I'm glad to say that I'll be shooting for something classic that channels a 60's mod vibe.
Burberry Sport
One comes to mind when I think of "primary colors" and "sporting apparel", and that sad, sad word is: obnoxious. I'm not quite sure why sporting apparel is so bulky and why primary colors are so blatantly... Primary... To the point that my brain hurts...
Men <--- peruse either the men's or women's Burberry Sport collections ---> Women
Thursday, April 1, 2010
I'd just like to start off by saying that Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are quite possible the most magnetic band I've ran into, dare I say, ever! Is it in their tangy twang? Maybe the amount of facial hair makes them strangely lovable. Or maybe it's because the idea of traveling around on a bus and performing with eight other of music loving buddies is so gosh darn romantic.
Based on my research off of Youtube, I've come to the conclusion that their live performances are a thing of pure joy: saturated with giggling, quirky outfits, spontaneous jumping and skipping; charming- so incredibly charming. Even if the recording is hideous, or if the trumpet makes a ridiculous squeak every now and then, one listening to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros bares through the oopsies for the sheer joy of their music. Not to mention Jade, the girl vocals, is the most adorable thing ever.
Home is whenever I'm with you! <---- if that doesn't pull a heart string, you're not human