My Favorite Lippies

Hi, all,
I thought it might be fun to take a look at my favorite lipsticks and favorite lip gloss.

Here is the stash-it consists of two Revlon lipsticks, one Revlon lipgloss, one Maybelline lipstick and one Morgana's Crypt lipstick.

Here are my bare, naked lips for reference.  They're not always this pink...I had just exfoliated a little.

1. Revlon Colorburst lip gloss in 008 Peony.  This is part of the Colorburst core collection, and the best "my lips but better" lip gloss I have ever found for my skin and lip color.  It is fairly sheer, with a medium amount of gold and peach shimmer.  This is the only lipgloss I have not only run out of, but repurchased simply because I could not find anything better.  These glosses range from $6.50-$7.50, depending on where you buy them.

2. Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in 875 Vivid Rose.  I bought this as my spring/summer bright lipstick, and it did not disappoint.  The color is very bright, but very flattering to the skin (unlike some of the more extreme colors in this collection).  The finish is somewhere between matte and cream, and the staying power is amazing.  This is due to its high tendency to stain.  I think this might be limited edition, but at the time of this posting it is still widely available.  Prices range from $5.50-$7.50.

3. Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in 477 Back Cherry.  I am, sadly, almost out of this color.  It is a slightly sheer (but buildable) blackened burgundy-red cream.  I like to think of this as the perfect Goth red, and the formula, though slightly prone to fading and shifting, is silky and fairly moisturizing.  Prices range from $5-$8.

4. Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick in 663 Va Va Violet.  This is such a rich plum-purple cream, the perfect wintry purple lip for me.  This formula does leave a little to be desired, though-it is a bit sheerer and more slippery even than its red counterpart Black Cherry.  However, I deal with it because it's inexpensive and I love the color.  It doesn't bleed or feather much, so that's a plus.  Prices range from $5-$8.

5. Last but not least is Morgana's Crypt lipstick in Licorice, which I have reviewed in a previous post.  This is still by all-time favorite black lipstick-during school, I sometimes did a quick morning look with a touch of gel eyeliner, some mascara, face powder and a slick of this...it worked very well, if I do say so myself. :)

That's it for this session-feel free to check out my other lippie and assorted makeup reviews including my Morgana's Crypt review.
Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonder-filled day!

Video Share-DIY Corrective Concealer

If you have read some of my earlier posts, you know that I am a big fan of DIY fashion, beauty, and hair products.  I love to just dig in and try new things, especially since DIY usually has the advantage of being cheaper than ready-made products as well as being completely customizable to what you need.

Wayne Goss, Youtuber and makeup artist, is a proponent of corrective concealers for undereye darkness and overall issues with ashy or dull skin. In this video, he shows you how to make your own peach or pink-toned concealer to brighten the undereye area.  I haven't tried this yet, but I think I will just as soon as I can get my hands on some peach or coral lipstick.

So, what do you think of mixing your own concealer, or odd-colored correctors in general?  Comments are welcome.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonder-filled day!

Video Share-Pixiwoo Blue

I have to admit, blue is the most difficult color for to use in my everyday cosmetics.  I have bluish-greenish eyes, which can make blue eyeshadows look dated or just all-out strange.  Someone who has no trouble with this icy color, however, is Sam from Pixiwoo, who uploaded this gem of a tutorial.  But remember, just because she used a particular palette does not mean you have to go out and buy something to achieve this look. Just use similar shades from your own collection, or tweak it a little to suit your tastes.  There are no rules-just have fun. :)

Have a wonder-filled day!

The Care and Feeding of Eye Brows

When I was younger, I was convinced that I would never trim or pluck my eyebrows-that they just didn't grow that well.  Once I reached my late teens, I realized that my eyebrows do indeed grow-they are just various shades of blonde ranging from  practically transparent to light ash.  Since I started dying my hair, I have experimented with different ways to make my brows match my hair.  I started out with heavy eye brow pencil (thankfully that was short-lived), then moved on to matte eye shadow used as brow powder.  Recently, I have discovered something that makeup artists and beauty bloggers have already known about for ages-brow mascara.  Of course, I do not have the funds to try out lots of different specialized products (at least, not yet), so my experience with brow mascara started as a weird little voice in my brain that said, "Hey.  This is mascara.  It is black.  My hair is black.  What will happen if I put this regular black mascara on my eye brows?"  And, well, it worked.  Right now I am doing my "everyday face" with just mascaraed brows, since it's faster than powdering them, and using powder for special occasions or when I feel my makeup that day really needs a strong, full brow.  So, there you go.  Eventually I'm sure I will switch to actual brow mascara, since it is suuuuuper easy to put on too much regular mascara and get weird little smudges and clumps everywhere, but for now it works just fine.
Have you ever tried brow mascara? What is your favorite brow routine (or lack of)?  Feel free to comment and have a wonder-filled day!

Hot as Hell-Summer Goth Wear

Hot as Hell-Summer Goth Wear by misha-sylvester featuring flat shoes

Dolce Gabbana dolce gabbana dress
$1,225 - net-a-porter.com

Nicole farhi
$79 - julesb.co.uk

Steve Madden flat shoes
macys.com

Bamboo flat shoes
amazon.com

Evening handbag
amazon.com

Cat jewelry
$30 - motelrocks.com

Skeleton jewelry
topshop.com

Skull ring
$4.86 - treeoflife.com.au

Make up for ever
sephora.com

Rimmel voluminous mascara
$3.78 - amazon.co.uk

Le labo fragrance
$115 - colette.fr

Estée Lauder eau de perfume
bloomingdales.com

Lab
etsy.com

Hawaiian tropic
$9.06 - ocado.com

Metal Skull Chain Gloves
romwe.com

Iron Man III Tribute FOTD

A day or two ago I went to the movies with my hubby and mom-in-law to see Iron Man III.  It. Was. Awesome!  The Avengers is still my all-time favorite comic-movie adaptation, but IMIII was tons of fun to watch.  The day after, I had a jones to wear red and black eye shadow.  I kind of wish I had thought to wear this to the theater, but that's the way things go, I guess.


(iPad pictures aren't so great in low light-sorry, guys.)



Whenever I curl my eye lashes, they look invisible when I close my eyes...

Anyway, here is the list of
Beauty Stuffs:

Face:
Nivea Creme (my fave moisturizer-I have super-dry skin)
Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss powder foundation in Sleek Siamese

Brows:
Black brow mascara
Detrivore loose eye shadow in Abyss

Eyes:
Wet N Wild Fergie Take On the Day eye shadow primer (review coming soon)
Detrivore loose eye shadows in Vitriol (lid) and Abyss (outer V)
L'Oreal Infallible Lacquer gel liner in Blackest Black (thin line on upper lid, medium line smudged pretty far down on lower lash line, plus tight-lining)
L'Oreal Voluminous Original mascara in Blackest Black (on curled lashes)

No blush or lippie, I ran out of time!
Thanks for stopping by, and have a fantastic day!

Happy World Goth Day 2013!

Happy World Goth Day 2013! by misha-sylvester featuring lip makeup

Rare London beaded dress
$15 - rarelondon.com

McQ by Alexander McQueen victorian dress
stylebop.com

Neon Hart mini dress
generalpants.com.au

Body con dress
topshop.com

Frankie Morello wooden heels
yoox.com

T.U.K. t u k shoes
amazon.com

Iron Fist platform high heels
heels.com

Lace up booties
$30 - debenhams.com

River Island spike earrings
$6.06 - riverisland.com

1928 vintage jewelry
1928.com

Kat Von D palette eyeshadow
sephora.com

Kat von d eye makeup
sephora.com

Illamasqua
$24 - asos.com

Illamasqua lip makeup
sephora.com

Nars cosmetic
lordandtaylor.com

Givenchy
$23 - harrods.com

Mineral eye shadow
etsy.com

Video Share-6-in-1 Laid Back Hairstyles

For the past year or so, I have been growing out the length of my hair.  I someday hope to have "fantasy hair"--for me, that's about waist-length hair.  Along the way, I have been growing out some awkward bangs and layers, and trying both to baby my hair (preventing the need for a drastic haircut) and learn new ways to style it (preventing the craving for a drastic haircut ).  Bubzbeauty, though not Goth in the least, has a knack for coming up with pretty, relaxed-looking hairstyles for layered hair.  

Today I tried the fan-shaped bun.  It turned out pretty well, but I think I will practice a bit before I show you guys how it looks on my head.
In the meantime, have a wonder-filled day!

Fake Nails-Victory or a Waste of Time?

I have been tempted lately by the ultimate quick manicure fix: glue-on false nails.  My fingernails naturally grow weak, super-flexible and prone to splitting, fraying and flaking.  I use a nail treatment regularly, but still cannot grow my nails past (most of the time even to) my fingertips.  I love the look of long, vampy, pointed nails, but I don't think I can achieve it without some artificial means.  Now, the downsides; I know from experiences by myself and friends that fake nails degrade your natural fingernails, sometimes to the point that they turn strange colors or develop bumps or warped surfaces.  Also, they are high-maintenance, often popping off at inconvenient times and clinging stubbornly when you want to remove them.
Anyway, I guess what I'm really saying is that it depends on your priorities when it comes to manicures.

What do you think? Feel free to discuss in the comments.
Have a wonder-filled day!

Video Share-Glam Red and Black

I love the combination of red and black for eye shadow, but it can be difficult to pull off.  Here Goldiestarling shows off her talents and finesse, and details a glamorous twist on the combination.

Also, remember that you can tweak the blush and lip color to whatever your dark little heart desires.
Have a wonder-filled day!

Goth Crafty Haul! Plus DIY Tips

My box from JoAnn's arrived only a day or two ago, and I've already nearly finished one of my 1-pound skeins of yarn.  I made some crocheted hair bows (pics coming soon) and the first two rows of my granny-square afghan.  It was originally going to be a little throw for the couch, but Hubby wanted to be able to snuggle so it will be closer to 5'x7'.  Yes, it will be enormous, and I might have to get yet another 1-pound skein of yarn just to finish it.  I'm really excited about the hair bows-new colors and variations are definitely in the works.  Two of them I embellished with little skull charms.  This is an example of how a little ingenuity can turn any cute little pattern or item into something deliciously dark.  I got my hair bow pattern from Crocheting the Day Away, a really popular crochet craft blog.  It's a super-simple, quick pattern, the original picture was of a bright yellow bow, and still my finished result is wonderfully Gothic Lolita in spirit.  Yes, I am a bit proud; I haven't crocheted anything in at least a year and a half and had no idea whether the skill had left me or not.
Keep expressing yourselves, and have a wonder-filled day!

Antsy, antsy, antsy...

I have more things in the mail, this time crafty ones.
It wasn't intentional, but somehow hubby and I managed to dress our bed in nothing but ugly beige and gray plaid, with a side of graphic checks and hubby's beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  It doesn't look like a female even visits this bed, much less sleeps in it every night.  So, I decided to crochet a lovely black, lacy throw to give the bed some feminine, Gothy flair.  I decided on granny squares, because a) they are easy b) they are portable c) in one color they look fairly lacy without complicated stitch patterns d) each square is fairly small, so you get the "I'm done!" thrill many times during the course of the project.  I decided to order my yarn in huge one-pound skeins because it's less pricy that way.  Unfortunately, I accidentally ordered three of these ginormous skeins instead of two.  So, I will be making little hair bows to embellish and sell in my Etsy and Shopify shops.  I'm kind of glad to have all the extra yarn to play with, but...trust me, I'm never going to try to shop online using mobile devices again, that's for sure.

Video Share: Gothy Goodness Without Breaking the Bank

The lovely SyntheticDoll recently put out a video all about being glamorous on a budget.  Being a cheapskate, this appeals to me immensely.
Enjoy!

Have a wonder-filled, glamorous day!

Video Share! Thrift Stores and Why We Love Them

I ran across this cool video from kazlovesbats which was too fun to only put into my makeup and style list on YouTube.

Any of you who are interested in thrifting, here is a video for you!

Have a wonder-filled day, and good luck thrifting!

My Goth Journey

The first time I was at all interested in Goth culture, I was an ignorant, impressionable 12-year-old.  I loved the fashion, the dark mysteriousness, and the references to history and literature.  However, when I did an Internet search for Goth jewelry, I found some Pagan and Wiccan themes and freaked out, thinking that Christians couldn't go Goth (Silly little thing I was...).  Fast forward to my first year of college dorm life, outside of my parent's constant surveillance and expectations.  I started looking for Christian Goths, to see if they existed.  To my surprise, I found Goths of all different faiths, totally diverse but brought together by their love of beauty and darkness.  That's when I decided to go out on a limb and try things out.  It was extremely gradual at first.  Thinking back, I can't believe it took me so long to do something as simple as dye my hair black...first I tried to bleach it white (disaster), then I wore it red for about a year before finally taking the plunge about 7 months ago.  I still don't look incredibly "Gothed up" for everyday-college classes and musical performances can make it difficult sometimes.  Since I am a vocal student, I cannot use permanent modifications like facial piercings or visible tattoos to decorate myself, and there is a fairly strict clothing code as well.  However, I do what I can as content myself with the fact that I can wear whatever I like when I'm not performing (or late for class, eep!), and the outside world's visual perception of me has nothing to do with the heart and soul inside.  God doesn't hate me, and even if the world does it doesn't matter.  I have found a wonderful place to be-somewhere where fashion magazines, family customs, and TV ads have no hold on me.  I can be my own person, as fancy or laid-back as I choose.  That doesn't mean that my mother doesn't insist on giving me bright, colorful things for my birthday to entice me into wearing more color, or that strangers don't occasionally approach me and ask what on earth is wrong with me.  The difference is that it doesn't matter.

How Much is That...In the Window?

I am a window shop-a-holic.  I very rarely spend much money on clothes and accessories, but I find it almost therapeutic to research and compare prices, look up new companies, and ooh and ah over all the pretties I find.  Sometimes I like to spend some time on Polyvore, a website on which you can build up a virtual wardrobe and construct collages based on themes, colors, or whatever you feel like that day.  The only problem with this site, for me, is that all the garments listed are actually being sold by real companies.  Nothing is more disheartening than telling a girl without a sewing machine that her dream lace bustier (or skirt, or dress, or...well, you get the picture) would cost $1,500 to buy outright.
I compensate with wish lists.  Wish lists let me think that someday, I will have both the cash and the courage to buy that set of Victorian boots, or that spiky necklace.  And who knows, maybe I will.  Or, I'll drop a lot of hints around Christmas...
Either way, the dream is still alive.