My roommate has noticed we have some hybrid between traditional red cardinals and desert cardinals hanging out in the yard. This is pretty neat. I've always liked our cardinals. During the winter, when everything gets really gray, the pretty red birds stand out as a nice contrast to the naked trees. I always enjoy our birds. Well most of them.
The mockingbirds are another matter. The little one who lives on the porch either has or is trying to gain a mate. Both of them seem to be constantly pissed off. We're trying with them. Whenever we hear them, we've been trying to teach them new noises. Anything is better than the constant "SQUWACK" and "SHEEKCHT" they utter. So far, we're not successful, but maybe in time we'll get something more pleasant.
It rained a lot today. That should make the birds happy. It certainly cooled things down. June is leaving us now and overall, it wasn't a bad month. We only had to turn on the AC once and July is starting out on the cool side. Hopefully, it will stay that way.
Friday, June 30, 2017
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Summer Makeup
I used to have only one step for summer makeup . . . do not wear any. This is because I always had heavy makeup and I sweat. Things would get awful quickly and it certainly wasn't a cute look. Recently, however, I've found a routine that actually works for me.
First Step: Be as cool as possible before you even put anything on your face. Be in a cool area where you won't start sweating in the middle of things. Be hydrated and have hydrated skin. In my case, cutting off my hair as also helped a lot.
Two: Minimal foundation. For me, this was always the biggest problem. My foundation would just float on my skin and streak when I would get too hot. Now I'm using a powder color corrector as lightly as possible before putting a tinted primer with a slight shimmer in the middle of my face and a clear primer over the outer areas. Basically, anything you would contour darker is getting that clear primer.
Once that sets, I just add a thin layer of BB cream to those outer areas and blend the two aspects where they need blending. It isn't the sharpest of contours in the world, but it gives enough of a definition while keeping my skin feeling as naked as possible. If you feel the need to set that with powder, go ahead. To be honest, I probably won't because when I'm hot and sweaty, powder is the enemy of my face. I mostly just keep things under control with a tissue.
Three: Select something to showcase. I'm in glasses most of the time, so if I'm going to showcase just one feature, it usually won't be my eyes. My eyebrows, on the other hand, serve as a great showcase. I'll fancy them up with a bit of cream eyebrow shadow and set it with a dark brown. My lips usually get painted something pinkish, though sometimes I will go in with a more intense lip, especially for an evening look.
Four: Accept that you will have to do touchups. Even in the best of circumstances, makeup can begin to go wonky. Carry a bit of product around with you so you can touch things up when you need to. If you're going from hot cars cooler houses, it might be best to do checks as you change temperatures. Though, as minimal as this is, things won't go as wonky as they certainly could.
Now I will admit, on most days, I'm still going to opt for no makeup at all. However, it's nice to have some options that I know will work if I want to shake things up.
First Step: Be as cool as possible before you even put anything on your face. Be in a cool area where you won't start sweating in the middle of things. Be hydrated and have hydrated skin. In my case, cutting off my hair as also helped a lot.
Two: Minimal foundation. For me, this was always the biggest problem. My foundation would just float on my skin and streak when I would get too hot. Now I'm using a powder color corrector as lightly as possible before putting a tinted primer with a slight shimmer in the middle of my face and a clear primer over the outer areas. Basically, anything you would contour darker is getting that clear primer.
Once that sets, I just add a thin layer of BB cream to those outer areas and blend the two aspects where they need blending. It isn't the sharpest of contours in the world, but it gives enough of a definition while keeping my skin feeling as naked as possible. If you feel the need to set that with powder, go ahead. To be honest, I probably won't because when I'm hot and sweaty, powder is the enemy of my face. I mostly just keep things under control with a tissue.
Three: Select something to showcase. I'm in glasses most of the time, so if I'm going to showcase just one feature, it usually won't be my eyes. My eyebrows, on the other hand, serve as a great showcase. I'll fancy them up with a bit of cream eyebrow shadow and set it with a dark brown. My lips usually get painted something pinkish, though sometimes I will go in with a more intense lip, especially for an evening look.
Four: Accept that you will have to do touchups. Even in the best of circumstances, makeup can begin to go wonky. Carry a bit of product around with you so you can touch things up when you need to. If you're going from hot cars cooler houses, it might be best to do checks as you change temperatures. Though, as minimal as this is, things won't go as wonky as they certainly could.
Now I will admit, on most days, I'm still going to opt for no makeup at all. However, it's nice to have some options that I know will work if I want to shake things up.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Tinkerballs
With the loss of Rhiannon and Rowan, Tinkerbell is the only cat in the house. She was a rescue from outside (my roommate basically just abducted her from the yard amidst her protests) and she's never really adjusted all that well to living with us. She likes him, kind of. She doesn't like me much at all. If you read the blog frequently, you know I've touched on that point before.
What Tink does like, however, is toys. The cats have always had various little toy balls that mostly went ignored. When Tink moved in, she gathered up these balls and took them underneath my roommate's bed. He tells me they've usually been in sorted lines. It's her adorable little stash of toys. She never really played with them much, but she did like her collection of them.
Recently, she's been playing with them more. On any given day, she has one of the balls out. She'll roll them around and bat at them. She'll even talk to them. Most of the time she stays in his room, but once in a while, the ball would come out into the living room.
This morning when I woke up, I noticed one of the balls had made it all the way into my room. I told my roommate about it. Later he discovered that his shoes held several of the other balls. We have no idea why she's choosing to share them with us, or even if that is her intention.
I find it really sweet and, really, quite refreshing. Since we have shared a home, it's always had the noises, activities, and idiosyncrasies of cats. Things have gotten so quiet on that front and it's made our lives quiet. My roommate wrote a few days ago about how his life feels so different now and I really get that. The cats were part of our environment. In a way, seeing that little ball in my room brought me more happiness than anything has in quite a few months.
What Tink does like, however, is toys. The cats have always had various little toy balls that mostly went ignored. When Tink moved in, she gathered up these balls and took them underneath my roommate's bed. He tells me they've usually been in sorted lines. It's her adorable little stash of toys. She never really played with them much, but she did like her collection of them.
Recently, she's been playing with them more. On any given day, she has one of the balls out. She'll roll them around and bat at them. She'll even talk to them. Most of the time she stays in his room, but once in a while, the ball would come out into the living room.
This morning when I woke up, I noticed one of the balls had made it all the way into my room. I told my roommate about it. Later he discovered that his shoes held several of the other balls. We have no idea why she's choosing to share them with us, or even if that is her intention.
I find it really sweet and, really, quite refreshing. Since we have shared a home, it's always had the noises, activities, and idiosyncrasies of cats. Things have gotten so quiet on that front and it's made our lives quiet. My roommate wrote a few days ago about how his life feels so different now and I really get that. The cats were part of our environment. In a way, seeing that little ball in my room brought me more happiness than anything has in quite a few months.
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Plumper Review: Hard Candy
The second most highly reviewed of the low-end lip plumpers belonged to Hard Candy. My roommate bought me two lip products from this company. One is a lip treatment and the other is a plumping gloss.
The Hard Candy Blooming Lip Oil is basically a product for chapped lips. It's six dollars at Walmart. This product claims to drench your lips well for at least ten hours and keep them supple and free from drying out. It also goes on clear but then alters in color depending on the ph of your body chemistry. For me, that is always an interesting thing. I was half-expecting it to turn purple. It didn't. I got a kind of bright pink that I kind of like and kind of don't. It does, however, last quite a long while and does keep the lips nice and happy.
The next product was the Hard Candy Plumping Serum Volumizing Lip Gloss. It's also a six dollar purchase. Now, unlike the e.l.f. product that I reviewed yesterday, this plumper goes on without too much tingling. Some people have told me they don't like this about plumpers because if it doesn't hurt, it's probably not working. The gloss is more subtle than the other plumper products, but I think it works well enough for an evening. It stays on well and the color that I have is sweet. I later got the clear version and it works well too.
So there you have it, some lip plumpers for not a lot of expense. Now, will they last as long as the higher end products? I'll keep tabs on that and report back when I run out.
The Hard Candy Blooming Lip Oil is basically a product for chapped lips. It's six dollars at Walmart. This product claims to drench your lips well for at least ten hours and keep them supple and free from drying out. It also goes on clear but then alters in color depending on the ph of your body chemistry. For me, that is always an interesting thing. I was half-expecting it to turn purple. It didn't. I got a kind of bright pink that I kind of like and kind of don't. It does, however, last quite a long while and does keep the lips nice and happy.
The next product was the Hard Candy Plumping Serum Volumizing Lip Gloss. It's also a six dollar purchase. Now, unlike the e.l.f. product that I reviewed yesterday, this plumper goes on without too much tingling. Some people have told me they don't like this about plumpers because if it doesn't hurt, it's probably not working. The gloss is more subtle than the other plumper products, but I think it works well enough for an evening. It stays on well and the color that I have is sweet. I later got the clear version and it works well too.
So there you have it, some lip plumpers for not a lot of expense. Now, will they last as long as the higher end products? I'll keep tabs on that and report back when I run out.
Monday, June 26, 2017
Plumper Review: e.l.f.
As you know by now, the makeup I get from Sephora is usually out of my price range on a day to day basis. Sure, I can handle the subscription price, but the actual products are out of my range, and out of the range of a lot of people on a budget. With that in mind, I decided to review some of the more affordable products out there. Today we're going to look at lip plumpers.
I researched the best plumpers under 5 bucks and ended up purchasing the two with the best reviews. The first is e.l.f.'s Lip Primer & Plumper that retails for around 3 dollars. This product is actually a better bargain because it not only has the plumper I wanted but also a lip primer. This company tends to get a lot of great comments from people, even those who use more expensive things. In terms of low-end cosmetics, e.l.f is one of the best companies out there.
The product is easy to open and both sides are clearly labeled. This may not seem like a big deal, but as someone who constantly guesses wrong on which side of her contouring stick she's opening, having things clearly marked is a plus. Little things like that make all the difference in terms of mood. The primer is great. It gives a nice even base for anything else you might want to do with your lips.
I wasn't too happy with the plumper at first because it stings like a bastard, but when I read the instructions on how to use it, I realized that I'd made a mistake with it. It says to apply the primer first and let that dry before adding the plumper. It also cautions to apply lipstick or some other base coat before putting the plumper on. I didn't do this. I put it straight on my lips with no barrier between. When I tried it again, I did it the proper way. It's still intense for a bit, but not as much as it was all naked.
The results were good. It worked well and lasted for quite a while. I also like that it smells like cinnamon. Overall, this is a pretty impressive product.
I researched the best plumpers under 5 bucks and ended up purchasing the two with the best reviews. The first is e.l.f.'s Lip Primer & Plumper that retails for around 3 dollars. This product is actually a better bargain because it not only has the plumper I wanted but also a lip primer. This company tends to get a lot of great comments from people, even those who use more expensive things. In terms of low-end cosmetics, e.l.f is one of the best companies out there.
The product is easy to open and both sides are clearly labeled. This may not seem like a big deal, but as someone who constantly guesses wrong on which side of her contouring stick she's opening, having things clearly marked is a plus. Little things like that make all the difference in terms of mood. The primer is great. It gives a nice even base for anything else you might want to do with your lips.
I wasn't too happy with the plumper at first because it stings like a bastard, but when I read the instructions on how to use it, I realized that I'd made a mistake with it. It says to apply the primer first and let that dry before adding the plumper. It also cautions to apply lipstick or some other base coat before putting the plumper on. I didn't do this. I put it straight on my lips with no barrier between. When I tried it again, I did it the proper way. It's still intense for a bit, but not as much as it was all naked.
The results were good. It worked well and lasted for quite a while. I also like that it smells like cinnamon. Overall, this is a pretty impressive product.
Craft behind the Craft Add-on
I mentioned Bianca Del Rio last night in the post about people who do crafts that connect to drag. Today someone posted this video about what life is life for her. It's complicated but clearly rewarding. That's another element that is wonderful about a thriving, productive, creative community. People find not only monetary benefit, but connection and fulfillment.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Craft behind the Craft
As you may (or may not) know, I've been obsessively watching stuff about drag queens since Rowan passed. Drag and makeup tutorials have helped me get through this. I'm coming to some philosophical conclusions about it which I will elaborate on more as I find the words for them. Today I want to talk about the crafts behind the craft of drag.
Drag has a lot of elements to it. There is the performer, of course, but there is also all that goes into creating the illusion of that performer. Makeup, wigs, clothing, padding, accessories, shoes, jewelry. Some drag queens are amazingly talented and create the majority of this for themselves. Others excel at some aspects but rely on other crafters for the rest of it. In fact, some queens, like Bianca Del Rio, supplemented their incomes by making things for others until they found success on their own.
As people were walking the red carpet to the crowning ceremony, they were being asked who they were wearing. Now, with actresses, this question can get shitty, because it's sometimes the only thing people ask them at all. But with drag queens, the question is important because often the person who designed their costume isn't a famous designer. It's someone who works within the drag community to help make this art possible. In one case, the queen was wearing a dress she made herself, so she was using this platform to advertise for clients.
This is how jobs are really created. As drag queens gain success and need more supplies, more artists will find success as they meet these demands. Job creation stems from artists, from the people who are building the new things and inspiring others. It comes from the need for entertainment that we all have. It isn't about rich people who have tons of money and won't make jobs now getting more money so they might be inclined to make jobs. That honestly doesn't even make any sense.
Drag has a lot of elements to it. There is the performer, of course, but there is also all that goes into creating the illusion of that performer. Makeup, wigs, clothing, padding, accessories, shoes, jewelry. Some drag queens are amazingly talented and create the majority of this for themselves. Others excel at some aspects but rely on other crafters for the rest of it. In fact, some queens, like Bianca Del Rio, supplemented their incomes by making things for others until they found success on their own.
As people were walking the red carpet to the crowning ceremony, they were being asked who they were wearing. Now, with actresses, this question can get shitty, because it's sometimes the only thing people ask them at all. But with drag queens, the question is important because often the person who designed their costume isn't a famous designer. It's someone who works within the drag community to help make this art possible. In one case, the queen was wearing a dress she made herself, so she was using this platform to advertise for clients.
This is how jobs are really created. As drag queens gain success and need more supplies, more artists will find success as they meet these demands. Job creation stems from artists, from the people who are building the new things and inspiring others. It comes from the need for entertainment that we all have. It isn't about rich people who have tons of money and won't make jobs now getting more money so they might be inclined to make jobs. That honestly doesn't even make any sense.
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