DragonCon Costumes, A Little Shopping, and a Whole Lot of Moving.

Sorry for the long delay in posts... I've been very busy moving into a new apartment and working at my new job. Because of my busy life and lack of money currently, I'm going to have to cut down my DragonCon costume list this year to two outfits:

DJ P0N-3 (Vinyl Scratch) with my concept art to the Left.

Crysta (FernGully)

Both are super easy and rather girly, which I'm fine with. Plus they're super cute costumes!

In other, non-costuming news, I moved into a new apartment, and I've been having way too much fun shopping for decorations. shopplasticland.com is my new favorite website. I just bought this super cute shower curtain from there:

I'm reenacting the scene from Pirates of the Caribbean here.

I also put a Creature of the Black Lagoon sign on the other side. It seems that cheesy old monster movies are the theme, which I'm fine with.

I also have a pretty cool coffee mug collection here:

Star Wars, Mindless Self Indulgence, Umbrella Academy, Ghostbusters, and many more in the back!

I have HeroesCon next weekend, in which I should be meeting Stan Lee, which is exciting! I'll post back afterward with pics and a review.

Read more »

Tutorial: How to Change the Color of Your Eyebrows to Match Wigs!

Okay, this one's really simple, but there was a time I didn't know how to do it, so I went around with dark eyebrows and light wigs. I have very dark eyebrows, so it was a big problem. This simple method creates the illusion that your eyebrows are pink, blue, purple, etc. And best of all, it's easy and cheap!

Yep, I'm using crappy Hot Topic makeup.

What you'll need:

• Eyeshadow in the color of your wig.
• Eyeliner/Lipliner in the color of your wig.
• An angled eyeshadow brush.

How to do it:

• Color in your eyebrows with the liner pencil.
• With the angled brush, apply the pink eyeshadow over your eyebrow. Try not to make it messy, or you'll look like you have a weird, smudgy eyebrow.

It's as easy as that! Here's a pic to show the difference:

One day in the future, two toned eyebrows will be in style.

 And with the wig, it looks like this:

I feel like I have crazy eyes in this photo.

So there you have it! Easy Peas-y.

And side note: Do any of you find these tutorials helpful? Should I write more or no? Lemme know!

Read more »

Tutorial: How to Make Lip Gloss in Any Color You Want!

This is the first of a series of tutorials I'll be doing. These tutorials will show you  how to do cool and interesting things with makeup for either costumes, concerts, or just to wear around!

Do you ever look at lipstick and think, "Gee. Reds and neutral colors AGAIN?! I wish I could find green or blue lipstick!" Now you can make lipstick in almost any color!

Things you'll need:
-- Pigment eyeshadow in the color you want. (Pigment eyeshadow is the loose, powdery kind. I'm using a light blue for this tutorial.)
-- Clear Lipgloss. (The kind I used looks light pink, but it goes on clear.)
-- Eyeliner/Lipliner in the same color as your Eyeshadow. Light blue in this case.
-- Lip Gloss Brush.
-- A plate.

How to Create Lip Color using Alchemy!
-- First off, line your lips with the eyeliner. If you want, you can even crayon in your entire lips with it as a base.
-- Get the plate and mix a little bit of lip gloss and a little bit of the pigment eyeshadow with your lip gloss brush. Kinda use a trial and error method here to get the right color.
-- Apply the mixture to your lips with the brush!
-- Even out around the lips with the lipliner.

VOILA! It should come out looking something like this:

Next up: How to temporarily change the color of your eyebrows to match a wig!

Read more »

A "Where to Start" Guide on Graphic Novels

Quite often, I'm asked, "Why, Amanda. You love Graphic Novels, but I've never been a huge fan. I have no idea where to start, because comics have so much history behind them! If I wanted to give them a shot, which ones should I start with?" And my answer typically includes some of these fantastic titles. Don't think too much on the order. I kept thinking of new titles as I was writing it. 

 

10) Runaways, by Brian K. Vaughn -- For those that enjoy superhero stories as a friend, but aren't sure you want to take things further, then I recommend Runaways. While the series has its ups and downs, it's easy to fall in love with the characters. The plot is simple: When 6 kids discover their parents are actually supervillains and that they've inherited their parents' powers, they decide to runaway, vowing to reject their parents' evil legacy.The comic is very addicting until you get to... oh, I say, right after Joss Whedon writes his arc. It's not the best graphic novel of all time, but it's a really good starting point for other graphic novels. Plus, it features some fun cameos, like Spiderman, Captain America, and Cloak and Dagger.

  

9) Speaking of Brian K. Vaughn, he also wrote a really great series titled Y: The Last Man. According to the product description, "Yorick Brown is an escape artist; has a fabulous girlfriend who's traveling in Australia; and possesses a genetic make-up that's allowed him to survive a plague that killed every male being on the planet except for him and his pet monkey. Yorick is the last man on earth, and in the resulting chaos, he must find a way to help save the human race." This graphic novel is clever and addictive, and once you start reading it, it'll be hard to put down.

 
8) I figured it was necessary to include a more main-stream comic character on this list somewhere, and since all the other superheroes had super-long arcs that wouldn't be kind to new comic readers, X-23: Innocence Lost gets on this list. X-23 is the clone of Wolverine, except she was born and trained to be nothing but a killing machine. Oh, and she also has claws on her feet too, making her backflips rather dangerous. Innocence Lost is her backstory, and the ending almost had me tearing up. I don't like where the comics are taking her character now, but this comic is tragic and well-written.

 

7)Ghost World is a brilliant little indie comic that is for those of you that prefer a more realistic, down to earth story. It's a coming-of-age story about two friends that wonder what to do with their lives once they leave high school. The Amazon.com review states, "Dan Clowes described the story in Ghost World as the examination of "the lives of two recent high school graduates from the advantaged perch of a constant and (mostly) undetectable eavesdropper, with the shaky detachment of a scientist who has grown fond of the prize microbes in his petri dish." From this perch comes a revelation about adolescence that is both subtle and coolly beautiful. Critics have pointed out Clowes's cynicism and vicious social commentary, but if you concentrate on those aspects, you'll miss the exquisite whole that Clowes has captured. Each chapter ends with melancholia that builds towards the amazing, detached, ghostlike ending." Also: Check out the movie that came out in the early 2000's.
  

6) Maus is the story of the holocaust... Told in poignant black and white, with each Jew drawn as a mouse and each Nazi drawn as a cat. Even with this change, the story is powerfully realistic. Art Spiegelman, the author, got the inspiration for this comic after interviewing his father about his experiences with the Holocaust. And the result of this interview is beautiful, tragic, and memorable. If it doesn't touch you emotionally, chances are, you're a Cylon. Definitely pick up this graphic novel if you even have a passing interest in the Holocaust or historical graphic novels.

 

5) Blankets by Craig Thompson is an autobiographical comic about Craig's youth with his Christian family, his first love, and all other sorts of experiences he's had growing up. Blankets is a comic that's thoughtful and highly intelligent. Recommended for readers that prefer real-life stories.

 

4) Bone by Jeff Smith is both a light-hearted comedy and a mature fantasy. Young readers will see it as merely an entertainment, but older readers will see the darker overtones, and that's what makes this comic brilliant. The comic gradually matures from a simple comic tale to a Tolkienesque epic.

 

3) Featuring hordes of the undead, The Goon by Eric Powell is a zombie-fueled action story that's just a lot of fun to read. Check this out if you're not convinced: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P21Re_mB2Q

 2) The Killing Joke by Alan Moore is pretty much THE essential Batman comic. In an attempt to prove that anyone can go insane after just "one bad day," the Joker shoots Barbara Gordon and tortures Commissioner Gordon. It's a rare and chilling look at the Joker's twisted psyche. And because it's a one-shot comic, you can read it in less than an hour! 

 

1) Okay, I'm not even going to lie: I love fairy tales. Especially mature ones, and Fables by Bill Willingham is a fairy tale. Actually, no, Fables is a fairy tale that takes existing fairy tales and twists them into grotesque shapes. "But wait," you say, "aren't fairy tales already a bit GRIM (so-to-speak-no-pun-intended). For example, Hansel and Gretel burned that witch to death!" Well, in Fables, that happened. Then (minor spoiler here) Hansel went mad, began killing people for being witches, including his own sister, then came over to our world and was responsible for the witch trials that took place in the 17th century. The magic of Fables is its ability to constantly change our perceptions of the characters in stories. Oh, and it's ability to take characters like Boy Blue and turn them into complete badasses. It's not just fairy tales that are used; it's characters from any story (such as Frankenstein or even the Ice Queen from Narnia). These Fables now exist in our world after they were driven out of their homelands by an evil Adversary. The concept sounds ridiculous, but I flippin love Fables. Like, seriously, if I could marry this series, I totally would. It's that incredible. And does anyone else think Joel David Moore would make an awesome Flycatcher: 

 

(BTW, Flycatcher and Boy Blue are my favorite characters). Before anyone complains about the absence of Watchmen, Scott Pilgrim, The Walking Dead, Kick-Ass, or whatever other graphic novel that has been made into a tv show or movie, just know that I didn't include those, because unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know about them already. I also didn't include a lot of superhero comics that would be difficult to get into without background information (Sorry, Blackest Night!). So there you have it! 10 Graphic Novels that will turn you into a Graphic Novel reader! So go forth, my friends! Read!

Read more »

Job Interviews, New Haircuts, and Wig Dying.

After what I would consider a very successful phone interview for a job this morning, I was asked for a follow-up face-to-face interview on Thursday.
So I go and cut off most of my hair.

I could look like Danzig if I wanted.

It doesn't really make sense. I hope my future employer likes funky hair.
I'm really loving the cut though, and it's very versatile. With the right suit, I'm sure I can make it look professional.
Cause I really need this job.
If all else fails, at least I have wigs, right?

Speaking of wigs...

The Monotonous and Time-Consuming Process of Dying Wigs

Someone remind me to never Sharpie-Dye a wig again. Especially a wig with ringlets and curls.
This specific wig is for a Vintage Aviator photoshoot I'm working on. I have no idea when it will be finished, but hopefully soon.

Read more »

A Semi-Review of Arda Wigs

I finally received three new wigs from Arda Wigs today. They were out of stock of Platinum Blonde, so I had to wait about three weeks for them to get a new shipment in.

Blue Steele in Black 064

My crappy camera really does not do this wig justice, since it's a gorgeous black wig. I originally bought it for a Domino cosplay, but I don't think I can bring myself to cut it shorter, so my version of Domino may have a less common hairstyle. I'll probably be wearing it out for everyday outfits as well. A leather jacket would make this thing look absolutely badass.
It's shorter in the back than it is in the front, which you can see here:

Lovely wig, and I can't wait to wear it out!

The second wig I received was for my DJ P0N-3 Cosplay, and I plan on changing the colors of it slightly. It's the Magnum Long in Slate Blue (which I would describe as an Arctic Yeti Blue). This wig looks great as is, but I plan on cutting it up to style it into something a bit more edgy.

Magnum XL in Slate Blue

Blue lipstick has been my love lately, and I don't care what anyone says. I can't wait to sport the lipstick with my entire DJ outfit.

As always, the quality of Arda Wigs never disappoints. They're always very affordable and great quality. I highly recommend them.

Read more »

First post as I test out my HTML.

I'm still setting up the HTML coding for my site. I have two of my galleries up already though, and they look nice, I think. I'll be posting more in the future, but for now, enjoy my Cosplay and Modeling Gallery!

Read more »