Random chuckle

Med Fest 08 with inFusion and Gypsy Fire

Chris took these particular rockin' photos. Stay tuned for more from Wolf (hopefully! He took then, we just need to get them!). And Bren and Kahla took a stack o' pics as well, which can be seen over on Facebook.







The show was incredibly magical, and the party afterward was a completely amazing time! One of the best after-parties yet! The night was beautiful, my sisters amaze me constantly with their beauty and joyful hearts...I am blessed!

The Dogs of San Francisco

So just about a week and a half ago, I returned from a trip to San Francisco. I did the FatChanceBellydance General ATS Teacher Training (mouthful!) and I am now officially certified by Carolena herself to teach ATS. That's a subject for another posting...

I don't know why or how, but at the beginning of my trip, I decided to snap photos of the Dogs of San Francisco. Well, I was just snapping pics of dogs, and Quinn (who was there for the same training) said "It's like your tour of the dogs of San Francisco", and the idea was born. So I snapped as many as I could as I walked around.

At first I was trying to stick to just living dogs (not that the alternative is DEAD dogs!!). But I kept walking away from all this dog art and sculpture, I felt I needed to start including it as well.

It's funny how happy people get when you ask to photograph their dog. Actually, their first reaction is bewilderment, and then they beam at you and try to get their dog to stand still and be good and look pretty. Which of course they won't because dogs are camera WHORES and when they see you pull that camera out, they are SO excited to be photographed, they can't stop wiggling and sniffing and letting you know how very happy they are that you have taken an interest in them.

I lamented later that I did not take down the names of all the dogs as I met them. Because there were some freakin' cute names. Like Mitzi. And Kiko. But I am afraid you will have to be happy with imagining names of them for yourself.



The dog that started it all. One morning at Boogaloos having breakfast, I saw this punim outside the joint and had to capture him!

Me and mah gurlz got to rock it today at the Totally Tribal Hafla. What a great fun event, and a GLOOOOORIOUS day for it to happen on. Unfortunately, Chris' back was bothering HIM, and he was frowny and hunhappy and needed to leave, so I didn't get to hang out and do anything (granted, he offered for us to stay as long as I wanted, but honestly...I wasn't signing up for him moaning in pain every 2 minutes while I walk around and browse the booths, ya know?)

Aromaleigh vs. Cream Make-up

So let me start by saying that I have always loved my cream based makeups. No complaints. Except when I started getting adult acne breakouts (ARGH!), and wondered if my make-up was contributing. I changed brands, to no avail, and most lately it's been the MMU experiments (MMU=Mineral Make Up). So since I am on vacation today, and have nothing else I have to do, I decided to do one side of my face in my cream make-up, the other side with my Arromaleigh, and see what the sides look like compared to one another, same day, same face.

So here are the results:
Both sides: Oil of Olay moisturizer, Smashbox Photo Finish primer, Mac Eye paints eyshadow primer, Mac brow shadow
First: Smashbox cream foundation, Clinique translucent finishing powder, Maybelline blush, Cover girl eyeshadow
Second: Aromaleigh foundation, 'Luminous' blush, 'Illuminator' finishing powder, Aromaleigh eyeshadows


Honestly, I like both sides. And on close inspection, one doesn't look excessively more "made up" than the other, in my opinion. Chris kept saying "this side (the mmu side) looks more red". And I said he was right--my natural skintone shows through more on that side. But it doesn't look *RED*. It just looks more rosy than the cream make-up side. I also feel the MMU side appears a bit "warmer". But all-in-all...I wonder if the effect is worth all that... I don't think I look less made-up on the right, honestly, which is what I was going for. What do you think?

Also, RE the rub-off factor...I ran a tissue over my face on both sides. Cream side barely had anything rub off. MMU side had the rouge color rub off a bit. Not excessive, but surprisingly, the cream side left less rub-off on the tissue...

So what does this mean? Hrm...wonder if the MMU stuff is really so spectacular. I really like the finish, regardless. But I think largely, the Smashbox foundation has been my favorite foundation *because* it doesn't look too bland/washed out on me. It has a soft look to it, and doesn't accent my pores. Now the question is, will the MMU decrease my breakouts over time? We'll see...

I will continue to report!

Aromaleigh Day 1

Okay so I JUST got my Aromaleigh, as I was walking out the door to go to Renee's for hot tubbing before troupe video night. ARGH! So of COURSE I had to try it on!

For reference:
http://www.aromaleigh.com

I got:
Glissade foundation in 2W and 2N
Illuminator finishing powder
Illuminating perle powder in Luminous
Pure Hue eye color in Zinfandel and Brocade

I also got free samples of Natural Frost in Raisin, and Pure Lips Minerals Lipstick in Grenadine

I also got an applicator sponge they recommend, since I returned my Bare Minerals kit with the brushes, and the only kabuki brush is my big-ass Smashbox brush, which is really dense and the powder tends to stay on the surface.

Details about what I did, and pictures, after the cut:



I did an initial pass with the sponge with the 2N, on top of my usual Smashbox Photo Finish, but immediately saw dried areas coming through. I have just started a new acne wash regimen, and it is drying my skin a bit in places. So I washed it off, and started again with a richer moisturizer underneath, then the Smashbox, then the foundation applied with my kabuki brush (it just *feels* better with a brush!). I immediately saw more coverage, and more creamy "weight" to this make-up over the Ebay brand. It was more buildable, and despite still being less natually glowy than BE, it was less powdery feeling and looking than the Ebay stuff. Then I did the blemish covering with my new little applicator brush I got at Sephora in a new brush kit I bought. Went on great. I could not get this coverage from the Ebay stuff. This was *much* more like BE, in feel and application.

Then I followed with the Luminous Perle powder in a blush-meets-bronzer application. I put it a little heavier on my cheeks, then brushed the excess from the brush around the edge of my face in a wide arc. And a dash across the tip of my nose, but by that time there was negligable traces in the brush and I didn't want to reload for my nose! I was cautious on this first application, as it does have the mica in it--hence the Luminous part. And I didn't want to look glittery, in case it had high sheen factor. In retrospect, I definitely could have gone heavier, and might even try a slightly darker sample next time to get more "warmth".

I then followed with the Illuminator finishing powder. This is sold specifically to put the sheen back in that taking the bismuth oxchloride out removed. I found it to be too pale. I saw when I ordered initially that they used to have several different shades of this, for different skin tones. Then they went to "translucent". But I found it wasn't entirely translucent, and lightened me up more than I would have liked. It did add a very *very* subtle glow to my face, without making me look shiney or sparkly. So it works in that regard.

Then I decided to have a little fun with the eyes, since I had a few colors, including the one sample, that would go together. So I put the brocade on as a base (nice!), then zinfandel on the lid up to above the crease, then the raisin in the crease.

I found the zinfandel to be far too transparent for something that looks so wicked on the ordering screen. I would not purchase it. But the Brocade and surprise bonus Raisin are definitely great for me, went on well.

Lastly I tried the lipstick. It is a bit brighter red in color than I normally wear, but richly toned! I like it actually, and could see it at a club or Christmas party. I topped it with my new Lip Venom, but had forgotten to put on lipliner. Oops. So in the pic you will see the gloss making the color bleed. I went back in after the shot and lined the edges and it looks good. I don't think I would buy this color, though. I wouldn't wear it enough to make it worthwhile.

So now is the lasting test. I will let you know how it feels and wears over time. I will see tonight if it gets patchy or starts to enhance wrinkles or pores. Mineral make-ups tend to "melt" into your skin over the course of the day, and in most cases it ends up looking better and better, but in some it looks worse. So we'll see and I will report back.
LEFT: Aromaleigh (during bad face week even ;)
RIGHT: Initial BE application with lots of Warmth in application (so I look darker)

Click for full image


Sum up initial feelings:
I immediately like the texture more than the Ebay brand
I like the coverage, application went well
Color selection is great
Shimmery stuff isn't too overly shimmery
Should this wear well over the next few days, they will have a new customer in me!

Check 'em out at http://www.aromaleigh.com , and watch this space for detailed reports on how it goes this week with this brand! I am kinda excited all over again, and that is a good sign!

(PS If this works out, I think I will go to Sephora and get myself the brushes from Bare Escentuals. They felt good and did a good job of application with minerals make-up.)

Bare Minerals

So I have been wanting to try Bare Minerals for a long time, and finally broke down and bought the started kit from Sephora. It took forever to ship here (didn't want to drive to Lynnwood or U District--probably more in gas than I paid in shipping these days...) it felt like, but it arrived today and I eagerly set to work.

I did this in my living room on the fly. Very low lighting, to boot, so results were uncertain until I went into the bathroom to check it out. I think it leaves me a little sunkissed (maybe too much...hard to tell how I feel just yet), but the coverage is pretty damn good. Completely evens my skin tone without washing out all details and making me ghostly, like some foundations tend to do. I definitely feel this stuff, though. Many people talk about how light it is, they don't know they are wearing it. Well, my cream foundations have always felt great to me. Bare Minerals feels a lot like when I used to use a pressed powder compact in high school--a little bit dry coated, even though it doesn't at all LOOK the same as the pressed powders. Though admittedly the finish *to the touch* (as in when I reach up and touch my face) feels amazingly smooth and nice. And the rub-off factor compared to cream foundation-with-powder or pressed powder is very low. I just now ran a tissue over my face to see how it fared, and I barely see anything on the tissue. I even did it a second time in a different location to make sure I got a fair sampling and nada on the tissue.



I took these photos in the same spot in the living room (so any ambient lighting was the same), with flash, close to the face. I took a few shots in both before and after, to make sure I could choose two photos which were the most similar in angle, expression, etc. There is no Photoshopping/editing of either pic

This is just after washing my face, scrubbing really well to make sure I had a completely clean base to work from. So my face is extra rosy from the warm water (I have very heat sensitive skin). My blemishes this month were particularly bad, so I was most eager to see what kind of coverage I would get on these ugly rough spots. As I said, I took with a flash in both photos to make sure I got maximum detail on pores, redness, etc. So this is a REALLY unflattering picture. Be gentle with me.


This is the after. I was afraid that maybe I got a blurrier shot of the after, but tooling around with it to check this theory, I discovered I just have a soft glow from the make-up, and it is not in fact blurry. I thought about sharpening the photo to prove this, but really wanted to have no editing involved in this comparison at all, so kept it raw.


You can clearly see that my redness and uneven tone is completely evened out by the make-up. The "warmth" added a darkness that I like, but am not sure I would want every day. It feels too...well, in Seattle, when you look "warm" in winter, it looks fake whatever you do. *grin* With practice, I may be able to "subtle it up" more, though, so who knows. The blemish coverage is about 80%. I could certainly put a dab of my usual cover-up to clear those up more. But considering how bad and plentiful the blemishes I had this month, this is damn good coverage for "just a powder".

Random note: Wow, my nose looks pointy in these pics.

Anyway...this was all done using the Bare Minerals starter kit in Light/Fairly Light. I am definitely the lighter of the two, though I plan to experiment with the darker color, with no Warmth step, to see what kind of results that gives me. I used the skin revver upper included as my only moisturizer base, and then put Smashbox Photo Finish on top of that (I use it with my Smashbox foundations, and read in a discussion thread that a lot of people like this combo with their Bare Minerals, so I trusted it was a good move. Seems so.). Then the foundation powder, followed by Warmth, followed by the final Mineral Veil step.

It was not as messy as I was told it would be, but maybe it's just because I haven't dropped a tin yet. *grin* I did feel it was more work than my regular foundation routine, but the results (other than the darker color from the warmth step) look far more like I am wearing nothing at all. Perhaps with practice, this won't seem as labor intensive. I am interested in what this will feel like to dance in, and how it will wear with sweat. I have read from posters in humid climates (like Florida), and they say the make-up stays put like nothing they have ever used, and helps to keep down shine, as well. We'll see...I plan to wear it to troupe tonight to see how it fares.

So to sum up:

Pros:
~ Evens out redness and uneven tone
~ Looks like I have nothing on
~ Lets my skin glow without looking shiny
~ Reduces shine, but without making my skin matte, like most powders
~ Pretty easy to use, though I had been told it took "a lot of practice"
~ Doesn't smudge or rub off
~ Feels incredibly soft to the touch

Cons:
~ Feels a little heavier than my cream foundation
~ Right now, feels like more work than my usual routine (more steps)
~ Expensive (and not available at my mall like my other make-up is)
~ Potential to be messy (during application--spills, "poufs", etc)
~ Doesn't seem to cover my worst blemishes as well as my cream foundations

I am gonna give this a shake this week. If it plays out as well, or better, as it did today, then I will buy some of the eye shadows and see if they are as lovely. I have also been on the hunt for make-up that will help clear up my adult acne-prone skin. So I will be watching that closely as well.

So there you have it. The most unflattering photo of me ever posted publicly, just to tell you what I think of Bare Minerals. So far, I would recommend it...

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UPDATE: I was using the darker shade by accident. I took "Fairly Light" to mean "just about light" and "Light" to be the lightest. But it's more like "Fairer Light", because it is the lighter of the two. So I redid:





Taking into account that the flash in close proximity to my face is making the photos of my skin come out even lighter than it looks in person (and thus the other photo above doesn't quite show how dark I really look in person, and this photo makes me look paler), I have to say that the Light make-up application will likely work in summer or when I want to look relaly sun-kissed. And Fairly Light will be best for everyday, most natural looking wear.

I also just finished watching the video, which is really really detailed. I fully expected a "here is how you put the foundation on--now go for it! Bye!" Instead it had a very in depth demo, using models (women who have both used Bare Minerals 2-4 years themselves) of two different skin tones demonstrating how they apply their Bare Minerals. Each had slightly nuanced ways of doing it, so it showed a couple different approaches. Then Lori (creator/owner) would show them a way to punch their look up a little for nighttime.

During each segment they clearly show what product they are using, what brush, how, and why they are using each item. Then at the end of the segment, they show a list of the items used, if you want to jot them down. Yes, they are obviously trying to sell you stuff. But only in a few situations was I feeling like they used a product just for the sake of squeezing it in for possible sale (a couple brushes and a couple colors that seemed really unecessary and did little to affect the overall look). Other than that, I found it valuable to see what they used to achieve their look, and see them go through the entire process.

It ends with Lori leading a complete noob through the process--someone who had never tried it before. Less dramatic results, but still demonstrated the simplicity of the application and the ways it can work right from day one.

Still feeling I could recommend this product to my friends. We'll see once we see how it affects my skin quality over time. Though honestly, I read a LOT of reviews on this before finally opting to try it, and only in a very small handful of cases did anyone have issues (a mild itchy skin/skin rash type reaction), and in a couple of those instances, they traced it back to the Skin Rev-er Upper lotion that was used to prep the skin before use. In one of those cases, the gal stopped using that, but still used the Bare Minerals, and the problem ceased.

Check ou Epinions.com for a lot lot lot of reviews of the products to get a better idea of what I read before I decided to buy.

If you decided to try it, keep me posted!!
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