My fiance's band, Vultures Await, is doing pretty well in the Myspace Records contest.. and with a bit more push, we can get them to the top 10.. right now they are in 18th place out of over 7600 bands.. not freaking bad, right??? They need your help.. click on the GRAB THIS button below to place this widget on your myspace, friendster, facebook or vox page.. the more widgets on pages, the more their place goes up. PLEASE help and we will love you forever!!!

Tis the season to be spooky! I really liked last year's MAC Halloween looks, this years.. well.. judge for yourself. M.A.C cosmetics Halloween Looks

I am really digging the Midnight Bloom flower child look:

Nothing is really grabbing me.. so I am going to stick with my plan: I am going to be Samantha Ronson for Halloween. Yes. My friend Jenn is going to be Lindsay Lohan. We are going as "Lezlo". Don't ask. We are just being silly. =) This is probably the first Halloween where I won't be required to wear makeup.

Haven't blogged in a little bit.. but I am still alive! Had a really busy few weeks, but I have some stuff to share with you all.

For models, actresses, actors, anyone recorded in HD (even us chicks that take digital camera pictures before a night out on the town) you have to check out the new high definition makeup that is available for the public and not just for Hollywood behind-the-scenes use.

Pores, fine lines, uneven skin.. you will look amazing when these flaws are minimized. Cosmetic brands like Christian Dior, Cargo and Makeup Forever are coming out with high definition makeup that looks good not only in print and tv, but out in the sun, at the office, anywhere!

When I tell friends about these products, they always assume the makeup is going to be thick and heavy like theatrical makeup, but that is actually the opposite. The key ingredients in HD makeup is the photochromatic particles which reflect light away from the skin, instead of absorbing light. This gives skin an airbrush effect and softens lines and pores.. what could be better than that? There are a lot of light-reflecting products already on the market that offer the same results, but how do we know it's "safe" to use for HD? Well, I guess you can just go looking for the "HD" labels on products, or you can experiment around with what works best with the camera.

The only official HD labeled product I've used is Makeup Forevers HD Microfinish Powder:

This stuff rocks! It's translucent, so you don't need to worry about what color to purchase. 100% silica is the stuff that gives it the airbrush look. At $30 for .35 oz, it's a little pricey, but worth a try if you want to look a little bit more flawless. Makeup Forever also offers a whole line of HD products, so you might want to test some of that out at Sephora next time you go in.

Capture Totale by Christian Dior, $75 for 1 oz. Available online only.

One of the best selling HD foundations out there, a customer fave Smashbox High Definition Healthy FX Foundation with SPF 15. Oil free! $38 for 1 oz.

Only available at Sephora:

Cargo  blu_ray Collection with an assortment of cosmetics that are perfect for bridal shoots, modeling, etc. $59 for a gloss collection, blush and highlighter, pressed powder, mattifyer and mascara.

I haven't followed too closely on the presidential issues (I know.. that's bad, slap me) and honestly, I don't know who or what to vote for because I don't like either candidates. Everyone is having attitudes and saying things like, "Obama or die".. but personally, I don't trust anyone, especially a slick talker. People of this nation shouldn't make others feel guilty for their choices.. you might as well support Sarah Palin if you are going to act like that.

I was reading Perez Hilton.com, as always, and he seems to be posting news about the election on a daily basis. He posted a photo of Obama with his "Change we can believe in" slogan and I instantly felt mesmerized by the logo.. like it was calling to me as a woman.. why?? Check this out:

Chanel.. Change? I am really confused. Why did they PURPOSELY use the same font? Hmm.. maybe to catch a woman's eye, make her pay attention, because if she does, she might get a free Chanel lip gloss in the mail. You know this was well thought out.. you don't just use the Chanel font for the heck of it. Call me obsessed, but I swear, everytime I see that logo on TV, I instantly think it says Chanel. I wonder if anyone else has noticed this, or if I am the only weirdo.

Seche Vite Top Coat for Nails:

I have acrylic gel nails and normally my nail polish doesn't chip at all on synthetic nails. I have trouble getting nail polish to dry and I work with computers all day and night.. so if I want to change my color, I feel as if I can't use the computer all day!(or use the restroom..)

So, I heard about the Seche Vite top coat on ebay, with rave reviews. I found a bottle at Target in the Professional Nail section of cosmetics and purchased it at $9.98. I found this to be pretty expensive for a clear top coat. I even have trouble buying OPI at $7 dollars! I wanted to give this top coat a whirl since I heard so much about it on here and I have ZERO time for drying.

It's pretty thick like honey, but it def. makes my nails look awesome. It dried my nails in about 60 seconds. I was able to touch nail to nail and they didn't stick together or feel tacky. The downside to this product is that it peels terribly. I think the product is a good emergency item to have if you need your nails dried in 30 seconds... but prepare later on for the peeling.

Urban Decay Primer Potion:

This is one of my "Can't Live Without" = CLW beauty products. If this product ever becomes discontinued, I will hang myself because life won't be worth living. Ok, that is really bad of me to say, but let's just say that I will be really pissed if this product goes bye-bye any time soon.
UDPP is the acronym for this product that I will use throughout the blog.

UDPP is an eyeshadow primer, with staying powers beyond anything you can imagine. The product looks small, but it lasts for two whole years! I have tried many products that claim to keep the shadow on, but all have failed except for UDPP. MAC paints.. you can keep those.. because they never have worked for me. With UDPP, my eyeshadow does not crease, get greasy or fade away.

How do you use it? Well, I normally place some product on my finger (clean finger!) and pat it on my entire eyelid. I don't use a lot, just a little is enough. When the product seems to be getting low, I start using cotton swabs to get more product out.

Maybelline Lash Stylist Mascara:

This has got to be the most underrated mascara in the world! This is another CLW for my collection. The brush looks like something that Satan might torture hell's "noobs" with, but it's just a mascara wand, it's just not as fluffy and cute as the ones you grew up with.

I wish I had a video of how I apply this mascara, but I am on vacation and lazy at this point, so I will try to explain. I start at the base of my lashes and wiggle the brush upward as I comb it through. I comb it several times and I do not add a second coat. I do the bottom lashes very carefully.. just take your time and practice and you will get good at using the special comb brush. This formula is thick, so the mascara will only last you a month, but the price is nice.. around 5 bucks.. and you will have Saturday night - cocktail slammin' lashes.

Hello !! I am going to be mirroring this blog onto http://kristadior.com  within the next month or so. I am creating the blog using PHP, CSS, and other nifty programming stuff that I haven't used in years, so that my blog will be searchable on Yahoo, Google and other search engines. I will also be incorporating Google Adsense.. cuz I should be getting paid for doing this! =)

Anyway, I am excited about creating the new blog, the layout is going to be slightly different than the one here on Vox.. and I am NOT moving my blog from here to there. The blog will stay here and the RSS feed will be launched on the new site.. you can choose to stay here or go over there once it's finished. I just need a place for non-Vox members to be able to find me and also be able to comment and have fun.

OK.. so happy blogging, everyone! I will be conjuring up some reviews soon. (Maybe today?!?)

Warning to all: I am extremely excited about this and I don't care if these sunglasses are fake from China.

 

 

As you have read in my previous blog entries, I am going through a Priscilla Presley phase: Jet Black hair, and brows that are getting thicker by the minute. For someone like me who has very sparse brow hairs, thanks to the goth days when I shaved and waxed my poor brows to oblivion, I don’t have much to work with. Now that I am a bit more sophisticated (corporate goth?) I am more glam and less raunchy. No more burgundy red brows for me .. at least for a while.

 

 

 

 

 

I had experimented with brow stencils before, but really didn’t know what to do. I never took the time to actually practice with the plastic stencils until recently, when I saw Megan Fox’s  brows on Transformers (yeah, I am totally behind when it comes to seeing movies) and I was like , “OMG.. brows are coming back!” The brows for fall are going to be like the 1990s Brooke Sheilds brow, but more refined and cleaned up. Stars like Beyoncee and of course, Miss. Fox are sporting this hot brow and I found a way to get my hands on it without scary hair growing tonics or eyebrow implants.

 

Where do you get brow stencils?

Everywhere. These things have been around since the dinosaurs (yup, even the ‘saurs were craving those high arches) and you can get them in the drug store and online; just type in ‘eyebrow stencil’ in Google or Yahoo Search and you will get  a million results to online stores that sell these things.

 

 

 

I haven’t tried these, but I hear that “The Eyebrow Queen”, Anastasia has a pretty good brow stencil kit, but it will cost ya $20. My kit, which was a total drug store find, was about $5 and it came with just one stencil and a brow filler powder. It’s all up to you, if you want to do some reseach, browse around online and see what’s out there before making a purchase.

 

How do you get the brows on?

Well.. it took a lot of practice for me, honestly. I had to find the right color of brow powder, which ended up being a matte eyeshadow from MAC cosmetics. Matte powders will work the best when working with these stencils. I use a slanted brow brush from a company called Brandon, which is really inexpensive and works better than any high end brush I’ve tried.

 

Check out the brow definer brush here: http://www.tiffanysbeauty.com/brmabr.html

I coat my brush on both sides with the matte powder, hold the stencil up to the desired area and pat the brush up and down until I see that the color looks solid. I try to fill in the whole stencil, but sometimes the ends of the brow won’t come through, but that’s okay, I normally go over that part with a brown eyebrow pencil. I flip the stencil over to the other brow and hopefully it will line up with the other side (like I said.. it takes some practice) and I fill that one in just like I did the first time.

 

How can I keep my brows on?

I have plenty of secrets on how I keep my makeup on. I use a theatrical makeup sealant on my brows after I apply them. There are some companies that charge 30 dollars for their own sealants, but you don’t need to go to high end stores to find a good sealant. I found mine at the drug store, but I find that it’s almost always out of stock, so now I order online. You can get mine here: http://www.ebonyline.com/ireg2000.html

 

I just brush the product on, let it dry, and I then have waterproof, smudgeproof brows. No need to touch up again during the day or night.

 

Hmm..so do you dare to try the brow stencils?

 

I haven't been getting the hits I thought I would be getting on Vox. I checked out blogspot.com and Shine.com and it seems like the blogs over there get a lot more hits and comments. Should I just tough it out and wait for the Google and Yahoo bots to find my site? Hmmm.. maybe I should consult Yahoo Answers and see if anyone has ideas.

 

Just a thought. I am thinking big here, this is not a small town blog.. I am taking it to the big city!

There are the locks of blackness.. just as I promised. I was actually taking a picture of me with my fiancee, Steve, and he accidentally was cut from this photo. =( But anyway, I took my hair from platinum blonde streaks and burgundy hair to this black velvet, Priscilla & Elvis wedding hair.

Yeah.. she was my inspiration for this hair color and after looking at my split ends and damage, I figured it was time to put some life back into my hair. I did not use permanent dye, ohh no! The last time I used permanent black dye, my hair came out more damaged than I started out with. I used Natural Instincts by Clairol with very good results. I've used this dye before and really love how it conditions your hair.

 
Yeah.. I did leave a few blonde streaks in my hair just for the hell of it and added a few blonde extensions myself.

I am using a lot of brown neutral makeup with my new hair.. I want to go bold with a fuchsia lipstick and see what happens. I'll keep you posted.