Wicked, Twisted Truth of Beauty

I recently worked tirelessly on a few fashions shows, and though many pics I have not yet worked on, I felt the need to share them before the year runs out. This phase of my life has come to a tumultuous turn, however I am thankful for the experiences that broadened me as an artist and as a person. True tests of character, work ethic and family ties have awakened me stronger than before, and in many ways, I have my salon's fashion show to thank for that!

The first was our Fair Queen pageant, which turned out to be a great success and an exciting experience to be a part of.

 Here I am getting my model all dolled up and ready for her debut as a Fair Queen candidate.

The second event, really stretched me as a stylist, artist and a person.... At the salon until the early morning many nights, working exhaustively on scripts, costuming, props and the like. But what an amazing experience  that I would not have traded for anything! I hope you enjoy my work :)

 

I hand painted this dress with black latex paint, and hand bustled with with black tulle and ribbon. The petticoat was supposed to also be bustled, to show the black layers underneath, but they forgot that part when I was directing the show. Still looked amazing.

 The puppet scene... these ladies really stripped down and went crazy with it!

 The I&II Band really helped us out with show intervals.

 I created this bustled angel skirt and it was awesome. Unfortunately, they put it on backwards!

I spent quite some time on this black swan mask. Unfortunately, the "poison ivy ' character that I spent the most time on, evaded the camera, so no pictures of her amazing costume and hair.

 I love my ugly vintage dress collection. This one fit perfectly for the dia de los muetros mourning scene, complete with a photo of my granfather in his Korean War era soldier uniform.

 The angel wings were pretty weak, so I got several pairs and restructured them into a larger, fuller set.
I spent hours on these ladies sugar skull make-up and costuming accessories! The blue one was my favorite, I have a better picture of her on my other camera.

 My sister's old homecoming dress came in handy here.

 This scene was a young couple vs their older selves. Kind of sweet, glad I had this frame they could use.

 My pink vintage skirt made an appearance. 

I ran out of time to make her bridal hat, so I quickly weaved flowers into her hair as I pulled it up into retro glamour twists and braids. You can see me peeking over her shoulder getting the next gothic bride ready to walk.

I made her necklace and the accessories the bride behind her is wearing as well.

I loved creating their hats and dress accessories almost as much as I did working on their hair and faces.

The end of a very long, exhausting day... wait weeks... no months!

Lovely Flower Crown Inspiration

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Did you all have a happy Valentine's Day? Are you waiting until the weekend to go out with your honey? With your girls? Lounge around at home? It doesn't matter, you can still get prettified by putting some flowers in your hair!

The Beauty Department has a step by step photo tutorial on how to pin flowers in your hair so that they will stay. Just use hair pins to push through the middle of the flower!
 

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To make a gorgeous flower crown, you can use florist's tape to hold them together using long stems or a wire. An excellent step by step tutorial can be found here on A Practical Wedding.

I love this simple, understated look. Beautiful for a wedding, Renaissance fair, special event, or just for fun. It sits back on the head so as to not overwhelm the face.

But if you are going for an all out look, Style Noted has some excellent ideas on how to wear flower crowns. Hair that has a soft, natural texture really tends to compliment this lovely accessory. Have you ever worn a flower crown, or would you ever? I would love to hear about it! I plan on wearing a lovely pink rose this weekend :)

Personal Style: Photo Booth Fun and Beauty Tutorials

Did you notice the lip props in my Valentine decorating post? Last week, our salon participated in a fun event with a Candyland theme. I spent hours working on the props, and these lips were a fun part of the photo booth section. They work perfect for Valentine's Day too!

I did a slight smoky eye and a slight victory roll bang (more exaggerated tutorial here) or a suicide roll tutorial here), with a rather messy and lopsided, loose topknot. I do mine differently with no teasing and much faster than most tutorials, but this is a simple and short one. It took about 45 seconds to do my hair, but my husband gave me lots of compliments :)

She just turned 9 months and loves make-up and dressing up already!

 
 

smoky cat eye make tutorial via best makeup review

 

Another fun style to try is this pretty and easy and pretty Sweetheart Braid tutorial by Hairdresser on Fire. The braid is perfect for Valentine's Day! Add a jeweled hair comb or fresh flower for a little bit of romance. Let me know if you try any of these styles!

 

Aquarius Girl Eye Make-up Tutorial

I tried a fun new eye color, and it's so easy anyone can do it. Most colorful eyes I see lately are usually way over the top for someone over the age of say, 17, or who isn't working in a salon. So I tried something a tad more subtle. This is the make-up I wore with my last 'thrifted librarian' outfit here.

If you have $, then I suggest Aquarius or Haight eyeshadow by Urban Decay. Awesome pigments (though not as good as MAC), and a nice, metallic shimmer. But I went with my cheap favorite Cover Girl shadows in aqua paradise, knock out pink and champagne. The 'fun' pigment colors only lasts a few hours before going dull, but still fun, right? (Except champagne, that pigment lasts all day.)

I used the lilac/pink on the middle of the eye line (both top and lower lid) and the crease, champagne under the brow and inner corner, and my favorite liquid liner, bourjois paris liquid liner clubbing in black, curled the lashes then applied Maybelline Great Lash mascara in blackest black. I decided to go ahead and have fun by adding a small little wing at the outer corners. Yes, I forgot to color in my eyebrows. My eyebrow tattoos have now totally faded, so I rely on coloring in my eyebrows for a finished look.

Yes, my eyes are foldy and wrinkly... get over it self, I'm a woman not a teenager. I prefer to think of them as being 'expressive'. And really, my 3 year old has the same folded overhang, so I guess it's just who I am as opposed to sagging. Yay!