Trying Something New?

For me, an important part of being an indie seller is supporting other indie sellers.  We don't have the money for huge advertising campaigns like drugstore or high-end companies, so we've got to stick together!  One of the shops I follow is Aromaleigh, which reopened a year after being forced to close.  Aromaleigh has  a giveaway contest right now for samples from their entire  "Ancient Magick" Egyptian collection which is limited edition.  If you want, click here to sign up!

We should all be supportive of each other-after all, we're just people trying to do something nice for the rest of us.
Have a lovely day!

Almay One Coat Get Up and Grow Mascara Review

This review is not sponsored in any way.  All products were bought with my own funds

I finally bit the bullet and decided to try mascaras that were designed to be healthy for the lashes.  You may have seen from my previous mascara review that I am addicted to having voluminous lashes.  I decided, though, that health was more important than big lashes and that I could work around a weaker, more natural looking formula.  So, I bought a tube of this Almay mascara.  I had never bought any Almay products before, and I was pleasantly surprised by this mascara.
First off, packaging.

 This mascara is not only supposed to be strengthening and moisturizing to the lashes, but also produce a lovely effect with only one coat.  Side note: this is precisely why I buy volumizing mascaras.  Not only can you produce a near-falsies effect, you only need one coat to look "done" on a lazy or busy morning.  Back to the mascara at hand, a look through the ingredients lets you know that the moisturizing ingredients are primarily silicon oils (a red flag for some) and the strengthening ingredient is protein, which can make hair rigid.  Whether your particular lashes will respond well to protein is different for everyone; but I would assume that if your head hair does not like protein-based products, your lashes won't either.

 The actual tube has a nice weight to it, and feels more expensive than in actually is.  The cap clicks softly when it is completely closed.  Simply lovely.
The brush...

 Is huge.  I expected a smaller, basic brush.  This one is wider at the ends than in the middle, which fits the contours of my prominent eyes surprisingly well.  My first impression upon seeing it, though, was something like this:

Whoa.

So, enough chatter, let's see it in action.

Naked lashes, curled.

One coat of mascara

So, I actually like the look of one coat.  It lifts the lashes and makes them wonderfully black, reasonably thick and a touch longer.  But I couldn't leave it well enough alone...I needed to see two coats.

Two coats and a bit of a comb-through

Wow!  This is the big, fluffy look I like.  For me, this rivals Maybelline's The Falsies for crazy volume.

This is the driest mascara formula I have found in the drugstore.  That may sound bad or gross, but let me explain; wet mascaras are difficult to apply.  They can be clumpy, smudgy, and either difficult to build or difficult to control in terms of how much gets glopped on.  This mascara feels like nothing while you're applying it, but has great visual impact.

I give this mascara a 9.5 out of 10.  I haven't had it long enough to know if it makes my lashes longer or stronger, but I love how it looks.  The ingredients are not for everyone; it is not organic or completely natural in origin.  I have a few more mascaras to review before I make my final choice, but this may just be a repurchase for me (mascara repurchases are extremely rare for me).  It costs about $7-$9 depending on which drugstore you purchase from.

Thanks for visiting, and have a fantastic day!

All opinions are my own, and I was not solicited to do this review.

My Vanity Setup

I am a messy person.  I get so frustrated because, regardless of how civilized I feel, I seem to leave chaos and dirty teacups in my wake.  However, I was finally able to impose some order to my perfume and personal jewelry stash.  It's so unusual for me, I thought I'd share it.

I love old-fashioned perfume misters.  I found the fleur-de-lis one at Hobby Lobby (functional!) and filled it with inexpensive but yummy body spray (EDIT: I later found that the glue in the mister had been dissolved by the perfume, and the top came off and doused me.  Do not do this.), and I found the short one with the pink bubble at Goodwill.  It doesn't work, but it's still cute.  You can tell I have eclectic tastes; my scents range from a Bulgari unisex fragrance (which I love) to a silly $1 cotton candy-scented spray.

I keep my necklaces on my closet rack because they tangle so horribly in my jewelry box; that is now reserved for rings, earrings and decorative hair clips.  

I got this cool seance card in my last Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs order.  I thought the (broken) mirror slot in the box would be a perfect frame for display.  I just taped it in.

Anyway, have a marvelous summer everyone.  Goth on!

Video Share-Joji and Literature

Literature is the first part of the Goth scene which I was ever involved in-I still love to read and re-read my Bram Stoker and Edgar Allen Poe while finding new and exciting books to dive into.  Also, I feel it an honor to include something from Joji Grey on my blog.

So much fun, and it's always helpful to be reminded that there are other things besides computers (I can get a little caught up in them sometimes).
Happy reading!

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!

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.

Sparkly Silver Nails Tutorial-and Bonus FOTD

Hey everyone,
I have damaged nails.  I have a habit of occasionally picking off my nail polish instead of using polish remover, and a lot of times I forget to moisturize my cuticles until it's too late and they look all dry and kind of hurt.  So, I have had to chop them off and start over many times.  This time, at least, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel; I should only have to chop once or twice more, and then I will be able to start growing long vampy nails (mwah ha ha!).
While my nails are extra short, I try to paint them lighter colors so that their tiny size isn't so painfully obvious.  Therefore, I wanted to share with you my favorite light nail look-sparkly silver glitter.

Step 1: Clean your nails, attend to all cuticles and possible hangnails, and brush on a base coat.  To mend my nails and help them grow in better, I'm using Nail Life Nail Revitalizer in the non-formaldehyde formula.

Step 2: Paint nails with two coats of your favorite frosty or shimmery white.  Here I'm using Finger Paints Well Cultured Pearl, which is glowy and awesome.

Step 3: Top it off with two coats of a silver glitter topcoat.  I used Pure Ice Beware, which consists of a clear base with heavy amounts of small silver glitter.
Now you're done!  I added these next two pictures to show the difference in shine between direct and indirect light.

Indirect light-sparkly

Direct light-blinding! Well, to my camera, at least.

To finish, I'll leave you with a little FOTD featuring Detrivore's Lab Rat eye shadow (part of the Mad Scientist collection) and Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick in their  new shade Deepest Cherry, which I am testing and will review shortly.

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

DIY Leave-In Conditioner

This blog post is not sponsored in any way.  All products were bought with my own funds.
I am no chemist, so many recipes for home-made beauty products baffle me.  I'm not brave enough to try buying the individual ingredients contained in most beauty products and mixing my own, but I do love to save money and try new things.  My hair is dyed (the ends were blonde, then red before I went to black), and therefore fairly dry and fragile, so I decided that a leave-in conditioner was in order to supplement my regular in-shower conditioner.
Rambling aside, here is my simple, cheap recipe for leave-in conditioner.

Step 1-buy a cheap, lightweight conditioner.  I chose Suave Naturals in the scent Sweet Pea and Violet, because it smells yummy.  I only paid $1.50 for the whole bottle.

Ingredient time!

Step 2-get an empty spray bottle.  You can reuse the bottle from a non-aerosol hairspray or leave-in conditioner that you used up and washed really well, or you can get a bottle fairly cheap from Target, Sally's Beauty Supply, or tons of other places.

Step 3-fill the bottle with about an inch or so or your chosen conditioner.  Add more for a heavier, more moisturizing treatment; add less for a lighter finished product.  It's a matter of personal taste.

Step 4-fill your bottle the rest of the way with water.  If you have hard water or don't want any minerals touching your hair, you can use distilled or purified water.  I just used the tap.

Put the top back on, shake it all up, and you're done!  I love both the convenience and the frugality of this method.

On a side note, I had time to get a little fancy with my hair today, and added a little braid.

So much fun!  Thanks for visiting, and have a fantastic day!

Size Issues...

All through my childhood and teen years I was naturally thin, and stayed that way until I hit my lowest adult weight two years ago- 112 lbs.  That might not seem that alarming, but it scared me into gaining back some weight.  Since then, the stress of college and marriage has caused me to steadily gain weight, until my recent plateau of just under 150 lbs.  This is the biggest I have ever been, and it has been hard for me to deal with psychologically.  I have a hard time exercising in a public gym, but I never get a difficult enough workout in my own apartment, and I am easily tempted by simple carbs and sweets (especially chocolate).  This may seem really trivial, but I think it relates to self-image and self-identity.  My body bears the scars of the choices I have made, but I realize that hating myself will only keep me from improving my health by exercise and proper diet.  Please realize that I am not telling women of the world to get skinny; I actually appreciate all body types.  I just know that I don't feel comfortable in my own skin, and I get physically ill quite often from bad nutrition and lack of exercise.  I can no longer justify living in a way that keeps me from doing the things I love, and makes me dump all sorts of negative feelings on my husband and friends.  That is why I am going to do a personal version of BatFit, and finally get healthy.  All my life, thin or not, I have never really been active and healthy.  That is going to change.