Remembering New Orleans... With Makeup!

So today marks the 6th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting the city that I love and call home. Even though it seems that the media has largely forgotten about us, we still face challenges everyday to make our community a little better and strive to regain what we once had. Now stepping off of my soapbox, I decided to do a makeup look today to pay tribute to the great state of Louisiana. For that reason I stuck mostly to using blue and white, the major colors of our flag.  Hope you guys enjoy!

First, the stuff I used:

Eyes:
Sugarpill Sweetheart palette, Afterparty and Tako
NYX eyeshadow base in White
Too Faced Exotic Color Intense Eyeshadow in Midnight Mist
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MUFE Flash Color in Bright Blue (014)
NYX Glitter Cream Palette in Ocean Breeze (11)
Maybelline Pulse Perfection Vibrating Mascara in Very Black

Lips:
NYC Liquid Lipshine in Honey on the Hudson (584)

Brows:
MUFE Flash Color in Black(011) and Brown (023)

Well first off this is what I looked like before I started....

AHHHH!!!! Lol, I had just gotten back from taking a tour of my neighborhood, taking pictures for my other blog post.
First I primed my eyes with UDPP, then I applied the NYX eyeshadow base to my lids with a small concealer brush and my finger (left index if you're curious). Then on the inner corners of my eyes, I placed Tako with my favorite smudge brush on the upper lids and an angled brush on the bottom lids.

Yeah, I know you can't see much of a difference between the base and the shadow, but let's pretend... Then I went in with Afterparty on the rest of the lids, using the same brushes respectively. I find it kind of hard to successfully blend white shadow into other colors, but fortunately this blue is light enough that it's not too much trouble. Or it could be that I've gotten better at blending since the last time I've tried. The world may never know...

Looking at my pictures, I realize that I forgot to take a picture after I did the top lid, so all of the blending you see here is only the bottom lid. Oops. Moving on... After I finished blending the Tako and the Afterparty to my liking, I started adding the Too Faced eyeshadow in Midnight Mist with a crease brush. I really like this color because it's purple, but depending on the angle it and also look blue and green. It has a lot of depth, so I'm pretty happy with it, even though it's a bit more expensive than what I normally spend ($18). I tried to concentrate the color mostly over the blue, but there is a little over the white as well, so that it has a uniform shape.

After that, I took a bent eyeliner brush and lined my eyes with the MUFE Flash Color in Bright Blue. At first I wasn't sure if I liked how the blue liner looked over the white shadow, but after seeing the final product I am pretty satisfied. However, I might try this look again without it. Before the liner had a chance to dry completely, I took the NYX glitter palette and pressed the dark blue glitter into the liner. After I was satisfied with my liner, I applied the mascara and lip gloss. It's a weird feeling to use a vibrating mascara wand. The shaking made it kind of hard to apply the mascara with my eye open. The vibrating also made my eye water, which leads my mind down all sorts of perverted avenues that involve vibrations and moisture, lol. But I digress... ANYWAYS! So this is what the final product looks like!

This lighting is mostly flash, with a little bit of window light thrown in. The rest of these pictures were taken right outside of my back door so I could have natural light. I don't think I was 100% successful with that because the flash went off a few times, but like I said it's mostly just sunlight.

I hope you guys enjoyed my memorial to my great city and will say a little prayer for all of those that lost their lives, families, and homes. Remember- Union, Justice, and Confidence!


HASTA LUEGO!

First Makeup Tutorial

Ok, so here's my first attempt at writing a makeup tutorial, we'll see how it goes. So the first look that I'm cataloging is one that I came across on Sugarpill's Facebook page. I've worn this look a few times, and I figured it was the perfect look to try this with. I figure the simplest way to do this is just jump right in and include lots of pictures, so here goes nothing!

So this is the look I'm recreating. First, here are the products:

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
NYX Eyeshadow Base in White
Sugarpill Burning Heart palette, Poison Plum
Sugarpill Sweetheart palette, Afterparty, Dollipop, and Tako
Tokidoki Perfetto Eyeliner in Sabochan
Sephora Jumbo Liner in Violet
Hard Candy Lashaholic super volume mascara in Blackest Black

Brows:
MUFE 12 Flash Color Case in Black (011) and Brown (023)

Lips:
CG Outlast Smoothwear lipliner in Coffee (145)
e.l.f. Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Cherry Tart

So first I put on my UDPP and used a small concealer brush/ my finger to apply the eyeshadow base.

I applied both the UDPP and base to both the upper and lowerlids.

Then using a smudge brush, I applied Poison Plum to the inner inner eyelid. Using the same brush I used the Afterparty and applied it to the outer lid. Both shadows went all the way up to my crease.

Then, after applying both shadows, I took a Sonia Kushuk blending brush, I picked up a little more Afterparty and blended the 2 lid colors together.

If either color gets too overpowered, you can always go back in with more. I tend to used blue to blend them since the Poison Plum is darker, but either way works. Then I took an angled brush and repeated the above process on my lower lid. (This pic is out of focus, but the colors show really well)

Taking a crease brush, I go into my crease with Sugarpills' Dollipop. Then a make sure all 3 colors blend together well. After the blending is done, I usually go back in with more Dollipop to make sure it really stands out.

To make sure I have as much pink as I wanted, I went in with a contour brush and added more Dollipop on my brow bone, as I as I wanted the color to go.I then went in with Tako and my blending brush and added it under my eyebrows as a highlight. Because my skin is dark, and Tako is white, I make sure to add small amounts at a time so that it doesn't look like my eyebrows have been snorting cocaine.

 After finishing my shadow, I added the Sephora violet liner to my waterline and used my tokidoki liner pen on my upper lid to draw cat-eye winged liner, and also on my outer lower lashline. I also used hard Candy Lashaholic mascara on my upper and lower lashes. Then I used the MUFE flash colors to fill in my eyebrows cuz I barely have any. Here's my final look (minus lips)!

 For my lips, I lined them, filled them in with the liner, and then applied the lipstick. TA DA!

Hope you enjoyed!

HASTA LUEGO!

Boy Meets World

So my lovely boyfriend is off on his great adventures as a trucker. He's been on the job for a little more than 2 weeks and has already seen more of the country than he's ever seen before. If he keeps it up, he'll be caught up with me, although he's been to several states that I have not, and I've been to states that he has yet to see. Since he's driving for 10 or so hours everyday, we don't talk as much as we used to and it's mostly confined to the hours of 10pm and 2am, not counting the few times he call to check in from truck stops and food breaks. It's been hard on us to be sure, but it's also been a valuable growing experience for him I'm sure. Being on his own, seeing new things, and driving new places. Even though I wish I could be seeing these places too, I have been making the most of it by tracking all of the different places that he goes, what he picks up, and mapping his route on Google Maps. Last night, he told me he was in love with his personal GPS :) I keep him up to date on how far he has until his next stops, his final destinations, and how many mountain chains he has to drive through because according to him, "downshifting is a nightmare".

In this blog post, I've decided list all of his destinations so far and give some sort of interesting fact about each place (if I can find one), if there's nothing interesting about the city then I will at least say something about the state. So here goes nothing:

• Kennesaw, GA- It has a population of 29,783. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. During the Civil War, Kennesaw was the staging ground for the Great Locomotive Chase on April 12, 1862.
• Tuscaloosa, AL- Tuscaloosa is named after Tuskaloosa, the chieftain of a Muskogean-speaking people, who battled and was defeated by Hernando de Soto in 1540 in the Battle of Mabila. From 1826 to 1846, Tuscaloosa was the capital of Alabama. During this period, in 1831, the University of Alabama was established. ROLL TIDE!
• Little Rock, AR- Little Rock was named for a stone outcropping on the bank of the Arkansas River used by early travelers as a landmark. La Petite Roche (French for "the Little Rock"), named in 1721 by French explorer and trader Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe, marked the transition from the flat Mississippi Delta region to the Ouachita Mountain foothills. In 1957 The Little Rock Nine are enrolled at Little Rock Central High School after public protests, and the Arkansas National Guard under the direction of Governor Orval Faubus, prevents their first attempt at enrollment. At the time, Arkansas was the third most segregated state in the country (behind Mississippi and Alabama respectively). President Dwight Eisenhower dispatches federal troops to ensure the students' safety and enforce their right to attend school. These events are collectively referred to as the Crisis at Central High.
• Pottsville, AR- Pottsville is a town in Pope County. As of the 2000 census the population was 1,271. There are few large businesses in Pottsville with most or all being family- or self-owned. Workers for large companies usually commute to larger cities like Russellville. The major events in the year are Butterfield Days, celebrating the history of the town when the Butterfield stagecoach Route ran through the town. This directly caused the rise of the town when the Potts family set up a boarding house for travelers to rest, creating a place for people to stay, instead of continuing onward. The Potts Inn is now a museum.
• Las Vegas, NV- The most populous city in Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. Las Vegas bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World. Established in 1905, Las Vegas officially became a city in 1911. At the close of the 20th century, Las Vegas was the most populous American city founded in that century. The city's tolerance for various forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City, and this image has made Las Vegas a popular setting for films and television programs. The first reported European visitor to the Las Vegas Valley was Raphael Rivera in 1829. Las Vegas was named by Spaniards who used the water in the area while heading north and west along the Old Spanish Trail from Texas. In the 19th century, areas of the valley contained artesian wells that supported extensive green areas or meadows (vegas in Spanish); hence the name Las Vegas.
• Colton, CA- Colton is a city in San Bernardino County. The population was 52,154 at the 2010 census. Colton was named after David Douty Colton who was the Vice President of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Colton is the site of Colton Crossing, one of the busiest at-grade railroad crossings in the United States. The main transcontinental trunk lines of Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe cross at this point. Famous residents include Kit Carson, Kat Von D, and Virgil and Wyatt Earp.
• Cheyenne, WY- The capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It was named for the American Indian Cheyenne nation, one of the most famous and prominent Great Plains tribes closely allied with the Arapaho. Cheyenne has one of only three enclosed shopping malls in Wyoming, the Frontier Mall. Cheyenne Frontier Days, which occurs during 10 days centered around the last full week in July, is the largest outdoor rodeo in the US. The events include professional bull riding, cattle roping, barrel racing and many others.
• Pingree, ID- Yes, he picked up potatoes in IDAHO! Pingree is an unincorporated community in Bingham County, ID. It is located on Idaho State Hwy 39, SW of Blackfoot, and NW of Pocatello. Idaho’s largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state. Idaho's nickname is the Potato State and the Gem State, because nearly every known gemstone has been found there.
• Salem, VA- Europeans first explored the area of Salem in 1671, when the Totero people had a village nearby. Explorers Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam gave the area its first recorded name: Totero Town, after this tribe, who supplied them with a guide to help with further exploration. It is bordered by the city of Roanoke to the east but otherwise adjacent to Roanoke County. The population was 24,802 according to 2010 U.S. Census.
• Kingsport, TN- a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County. It was originally referred to as “Salt Lick”. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County. The population was last recorded as 47,356. The name is a simplification of "King's Port", originally referring to the area on the Holston River known as King's Boat Yard, the head of navigation for the Tennessee Valley. Douglass High School in Kingsport was one of the largest African-American high schools in the region when it closed for desegregation in 1966.
• Grand Prairie, TX- Grand Prairie is a city in Dallas, Ellis, and Tarrant Counties and is a part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Grand Prairie is a suburb of both Dallas and Fort Worth and in 2006 had a population of 153,812. The city of Grand Prairie was first established as “Dechman” by Alexander McRae Dechman in 1863. The town of Grand Prairie was eventually incorporated as a city in 1909. During World War II and since, Grand Prairie has had a long history with the defense and aviation industry. Selena Gomez is from Grand Prairie.

As we speak (or as I type), Thomas should be somewhere between Little Rock and Grand Prairie. Exactly where I have no idea because he does not have his microchip in yet and I have not yet talked to him today. Since he was going to be driving until about 8am, he's probably asleep in his bunk right now. But when I do finally hear from him, I will have all sorts of fun facts for him about the places he's been visiting. Hope you guys enjoy the knowledge as well....


Hasta Luego!

Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman....

Shout out to Britney Spears for such an accurate title to describe my life right now! That's exactly how I feel right now. At 24, I'm still stuck in this transition phase of my life. I can't find a decent job to get me out on my own and my parents don't buy the fact that I can really pick out my own clothes and decide when I've stayed out too late on a weekend.

So last week was my nephew's birthday, and I was excited for a chance to glam it up for a night. We were all going out to dinner at Chili's, so I figured that I would dress a little nicer than jeans and a tshirt, do something with my hair, put in my contacts, and try for a little drama with my makeup. Yes, this is only a 7-year-old's birthday, but being cooped up all week will make you use anything as a reason to go out. So I got dressed in a flowy tank, and some cute tie-dye leggings that I scored from the girls' department of Target (don't judge me, they fit!) My mom looks me over and rolls her eyes, typical mom behavior. The shocker comes when she says, "You know I don't approve of that outfit, so you can either change clothes or find a ride with someone else to dinner." Ever the dutiful daughter that I am, I skulk back to my room, grudgingly change into some bermuda shorts and a shirt, and try to act like this entire ordeal was no biggie instead of revealing that this just added reason #82 of why I believe my mom thinks I'm a whore. I didn't even bother with my hair or makeup after that, I was dressed in my usual laidback skater apparel and no longer felt the need to dress it up.

Friday night, I decided that I was in a good mood, that I felt like dancing, and I was going hit up my favorite Friday hangout spot (when I can get there), the Buena Vista Social at Maison. Imagine a dark room with a bar, flashing light, fog machines, and hot mixes of spanglish, salsa, merengue, and reggaeton blasting while everybody's on the floor getting down to the beat. It's like my Friday night wet dream. :) I lay out this hot new ensemble that includes a purple minidress, black belt, black heels, and my newest miniature black hat complete with a veil. It was semi-retro and totally my style (as if that's one distinct type). My mom spots it and asks what the outfit is for. When I tell her that I'm going out, she gets all huffy but won't say why. I really did want her opinion even though I didn't really care what is was. After all, this is the same woman that told me that 10:30 was kinda late to be heading out with friends on a Saturday night a few weeks ago. I understand you want to protect me but come on! I refrained from saying that Latin Night doesn't really get started at midnight, and I'm usually there by myself. I'm careful when I go out: I don't get wasted, I always carry my knife, I make sure that someone knows where I am when I'm not in the club, I don't really stay out past 2am. To me, that seems pretty responsible, but maybe I'm kidding myself????

Anyway, so I head to Maison at 11, and sit in the car to talk to Thomas while heading towards a buzz with a shot of Skyy and a Bailey's Margarita. My night was pretty awesome! I spent most of it dancing with "that guy". The one that I always end up dancing with, but we've never even introduced ourselves to each other. I found out that he actually doesn't speak any Spanish, just listens to the music enough to "know" all the words. I discovered this while listening to Daddy Yankee, he was singing the chorus to "lo que paso paso", which is a song I actually know. He was pronouncing it kinda funny so I told him the right way to say it and what it meant in English. I always have a great time dancing with him, but I always find myself wondering if he can tall I have no interest in him beyond his dance skills. I think it's mutual though, and that's cool in a way because we know we can just hang out, dance, make fun of the dance-psychos around us, and have no other reason in the world to have any contact with one another. Those other thoughts just pop up when I find myself in the middle of the dance floor grinning like an idiot, not because of who I'm with, but because of what I am doing and the awesome background music that doubles as the soundtrack of my life for a few hours.

This Friday night was different, I had a new dance partner who introduced himself as Glenn. He asked me to dance to some Pitbull song, so I said sure. What mildly pissed me off is that when the next song came on- a salsa track- his question was not did I wanna continue to dance, but "Can you dance salsa?" Um yeah, guy... I just come out to Latin Dance night all the time for the hell of watching other ppl. I've been told that I overreacted, but he didn't ask me if I knew how to shake my ass to Pitbull, so why is it when it's Elvis Crispo there's and issue? When I called him on it, he apologized and acknowledged that as a Black man, he would get the same stereotyping, and that not many Black people can salsa, but they probably don't hang out where that's the majority of what the crowd is doing. His skills were okay, not as fun as dancing with "that guy" cuz he doesn't really do spins as much, and seemed to enjoy dancing to reggaeton more (gee, wonder why), but it was nice to change it up for a while. I was having so much fun, I ended up staying out until 2am, and getting a blister on my foot from all of the dancing. Well worth it, I need to go out again soon!

On a more serious note, I got an interview for an internship with the Husbandry Department of our local aquarium. While it is one step closer to maybe finding a job, it's still annoying because their internships are unpaid. Since I have been volunteering there for over a year without getting paid it won't be much different, but a source of income in my field would be nice. This was also nice after finding out on Thursday that I have "poor Eustachian tube function", and could possibly never be cut out for SCUBA diving. SCUBA certification is pretty much mandatory for a Marine Biologist, and I have previously not been able to apply to quite a few cool jobs due to my lack of certification. At least I made it through my classes, but I still have to successfully complete my certification dives in the next 6 months, and I'm already missing the first one because I got an ear infection on the last day of my pool dives. Having to pay out of pocket to see a doctor on top of all of this is making this whole situation pretty bleak, but we'll see how it turns out. Hopefully I will be cleared for diving and this internship will lead to more experience as well as a possible job when it's over. Next, I have to get ready for the GRE so I can get into a good Marine Science grad program.

In totally unrelated news, I cut one of my old t-shirts into a uber adorable tank top and can't wait to take pictures of it. I think I will try out a new makeup look that will match it, then post pics of them both to the blog....

Hasta Luego....