I went shopping with Phoenix out on Oxford street purely to have a catch up, grab coffee and visit the amazing British Museum up the road. Next time I’m going to spend in Forbidden Planet, and hopefully walk away with a Game of Thrones mug and possibly some Star Trek goodies =P I’m a nerd and proud! Anyway, the folks at MAC Cosmetics were amazing, super friendly and kind so stick to that branch. I went in to find a red for my lips, preferably in matte for my trial season, and sadly left without one. I did pick up a new everyday colour, and wore it out of the store. It made my lips look natural, yet made up – in other words I looked quite neutral. I bought a new supply of colours as the colours I have are running out fast, plus I needed more neutral everyday tones for the forthcoming summer. Anyway… shall let you have a quick look, with prices below:
Wuv u Phoenix!
Week 1 - MAC Cosmetic Supplies - Wipes Large £13.50
I’m not new to wearing lipstick as I used to wear it as a child, playing at home with my dolls and tea sets. I was a pretty glamorous child, with patent shoes, an obsession with denim and loved my weekends shopping for various items from Harrods etc, as long as they looked good with the new books I would read. I would pose when reading at home; as far as I knew the world was a stage and I was free to prance around like a typical spoilt child. Nowadays, not so much. The world is still very much a large and scary stage, but I do not feel confident, especially with my lips. During the course of ‘my downfall’ kids would taunt me every day about the size and colour of my lips, and I even got a horrible nickname ‘rubber lips’ from a weird kid who grew up and turned out to be one of the loneliest dude’s about town. For years I was tormented with having these lips, and most days I used to hate them. I would walk around sucking them in so no one could see. How I longed to have normal lips. To this day, I still don’t understand them and wish I could wear lip stick like other people. I have however found lip tints, and I find them to much more rewarding, even though I have two different coloured lips. Darn it!
I did wear a red lip stick once and received mixed views, but due to how much the taunting of my lips impacted on my self esteem I took heed of the bad comments more than the good ones. I just believe when someone says I have nice lips these days, I just assume they are being nice for the sake of it, and not being true. I still have this strong love/hate relationship with them. This year I intend on finding my colour and I hope to document it on my channel as time goes on, so bare with me. For now, lip tints are my thing, but I still need to find the right colour. The other day I wore Maxfactor’s tint in number 4 in Berry Burst and was told, in front of a crowd mind you, by a colleague (this girl hates me and loves to put me down in front of people just to get some sort of reaction) that I was ugly with lipstick on as my lips were too bold. Weird thing was, it was a lip tint and very lightly added. I looked at the other girl’s reaction and her face told me what was on her mind. So now I have retreated to the lipstick closet until I find a shade I like and feel confident in.
So far, Phoenix is sending me wonderful inspirations and helping me out by suggesting darker shades like Dita Von Teese and Gabrielle Union and so far I like them! The journey starts here!
Enjoy the video below, I found it whilst surfing for tattoo advice videos…
I shall catch up with the various articles I’ve been writing whilst I haven’t had the internet, most on comics, movies I need/want to see, a hot crush and amazing people I’ve met via Twitter, travels and youtube. Be sure keep an eye out!
On top of that, I uploaded two videos on my Dr Martens collections with advice and tips a while back, and they are doing brilliantly! Check them out here and here, and share the love.
Don’t answer that! Its a question you have to ask yourself. When you do, remember only you can validate that, and it may take a while before you believe it, I know from experience.
This will be a short post folks, but hopefully I’ll get my point across. Bare with me.
What do you see and feel when your standing still, watching other men and women on TV or around you on the High Street? Do you blend in or are you unique and quirky in your own way?
I’m quite a judgmental person to myself. I don’t like to be, but simply saying “I’ll get over it” is easier said than done. I feel that what I do and how I choose to live will be judged by other people in a negative way, and for some reason I feel great. Living a life that is different to other people makes me happy. I’m not a sheep so much, so I’ll do my best not to be late and be polite (if need be, though on the tube, get out of my way!) And I’m not a wolf, I like being unique so don’t follow me… I’m weird stuff! I see myself as a cat. I am pretty solitary, eat when I feel like it and play when the need arises. At the same time I like to be in company and share things (except for shoes, clothes, bags and make-up… So don’t ask). I like feeling like I’m wearing the right shoes to stomp the world in.
I am a giant, so no stores provide clothing for me. I have a beautiful hour glass frame with chocolate skin with the odd rose glow accompanied with bronze. I practice witchcraft, sport tattoos and love the look of my book shaped nose. But these aspects aren’t ‘normal’ to our sheep herd of a society and I want to make a point that I’m not part of it… So much. I take from it what I like and ignore what I don’t. What makes me proud and beautiful is knowing there is more to me than meets the eye, and I wonder what makes you beautiful.
I read this on Chictopia, where I have an account and love to chat with creative fashion types [such as myself *ahem*]… o_O
Anyway, what are your views? Read the article below and tell me what you think. For me, I’m not the skinniest or the prettiest woman in the world, but I don’t mind. I love who I am, and I’m able to admit that I did and still do in some way have an eating disorder. It’s not a major health issue, but I do hate parts of my body and I wish I could look like ‘her’ [whoever the ideal 'her' is], and so I won’t eat after certain times of the day, I just drink water if I’m hungry which is BAD! Don’t do it!
With the media constantly putting out photos of thin ‘role models’ but contrasting other headlines with a worrying stance, it can confuse the hell out of anyone. I sit and compare parts of my life, personality and ideal body with many celebrities on the web, in magazines and on TV, wishing and hoping that the song ‘You’re Nobody ’til somebody Loves You‘ is true. I now know, after a ton of research, self discovery and asking around, that this ‘thin’ ideal isn’t such a good idea. If you are naturally curvy, you’ve heard it before, Embrace Them! and If you are someone who is thinning themselves away just to be noticed, then I’ll have to recite what Gino D’acampo said on a lunch time show ‘Women are beautiful… but no man wants to make love to bones.’
But the whole debate on whether the fashion industry is to blame? Personally I don’t think so, I think it comes down to individual fashion houses – one fashion house in particular comes to mind when they were asked why they didn’t make clothes for bigger and black women, and they simply turned around and said they only made clothes for the beautiful. I don’t own or will never buy anything from that company for as long as I live. Dolce & Gabbana are one of my favourite design houses, as they make beautiful clothes for everyone, of any age and any shape and I love spending money on their items, as they make me feel beautiful.
“Let’s have a look back at the fifties, when women such as Marilyn Monroe had the bodies that every girl wanted. Feminine curves with generous hips drew her silhouette. In fact, the iconic actress weighed around 60kg for 1m64 (over 130 pounds at under 5’4″)!
Well, now as we can see, the beauty factors have pretty much changed since Marilyn’s sultry and shapely days. Today, we are influenced by models seen on the designer’s haute couture runways or girls posing for popular fashion magazines, both of which tend to show thin and very tall, young models. Are we influenced by the constantly changing beauty criteria? If we browse the Internet it is easy to bust into the “thinspiration” trend on blogs, which show skinny bodies or even give readers advice on how to lose weight. And if you remember a few years ago, it was almost impossible to gain success online without having endless, thin legs. So the truth is that we are influenced by the mainstream concept of beauty, and not always in a good way.
Should we blame the fashion industry for showing us that type of body, for telling us how women should look like in order to be beautiful? It is of course easier to dress up a thin girl for a runway if she has a model standard body. However, we have all heard about anorexia in the modeling industry and this shouldn’t be the image that other girls want to follow without seriously thinking about it. Let’s also not forget that not every girl can have such a body- it is a matter of corpulence and metabolism.
It is possible to be thin by having a healthy lifestyle routine. Matching daily sport to a good and reasonable diet that avoids starving is the best way to take care of oneself. So even if fashion seems fascinating in the glossy pages of magazines, it is better not to put one’s life and mental health in danger with the ideas of beauty. Staying aware of what you eat and how you exercise while ignoring beauty standards is perhaps the best solution.
With my own personal experience in the modeling world of Switzerland, it is possible to do beauty shoots, walk on small runways or have a fashion blog without being very thin or very tall. The most important thing is to be confident about your body and feel good in it by having a healthy lifestyle. Of course, I’ve received some rude messages from anonymous people saying that I have fat legs, but it is important to ignore those types of people. As long as you feel good with who you are, you do not have to adapt to the fashion rules and fall victim to the ideas of the “perfect” body type.
The skinny type has never been the one for my body. When I took part in the Miss Switzerland 2011 competition I wanted to stay true to myself and to my fitness without being afraid of what people will think about me when they saw me on television. The thing is that I could never resist my favorite desserts, and didn’t even want to try. Those are little pleasure of life— why should we avoid them?
In conclusion, let’s hope that one day fashion will reveal to us, girls that aren’t afraid to enjoy food, that self confidence resulting in a healthy and athletic body will rule not only the blogosphere but also the way that women and men interpret beauty.
So I plan on dying my hair real soon… not sure when… but hopefully this week. The colour I have is 46 Cyber Purple by Live Color XXL [with pomegranate and vitamin c - ooh!]. I want to try experimenting with various colours over time, but keeping them neutral and dark so I don’t scare people or wind up looking like another Rihanna look-a-like [there are trends... and then there's plain old copying and I don't do that]. Here are a few tips for home colouring, especially if you want to make a lasting impression on your first day back at school/college/uni =] Enjoy, they are fabulous ladies!
Well, I went shopping and went a little crazy. I bought new comics, in order to keep up to date, and ended up spending a ton of money of a new bag and some beauty products that were well needed. Enjoy the pics:
Colourglide™ Lip Colour in 71 Dawn Fizz
This tone is simple, and great for everyday use. It has a tiny amount of glimmer and sparkle, so even if your doing a menial task you’ll have that little it of glamour. The ingredients are natural too, so it’s great for your skin.
Colourglide™ Lip Colour in 14 Pink Ginger
Hi-Shine Lip Treatment in 04 Red Gleam
This has kept my lips moist and it smells lovely too! Like berries!
Oh god I love to sign my life away on a good petition, IF and only IF it’s for a good cause. If not, keep walking dude. On the 2nd May 2011 I signed a petition to help end the destruction of young lives due to sex trafficking. Read the picture, need I say much?
A few days later… I signed again! Haha! In a another branch somewhere deep in the country. I wish i could just run into corrupt places all over the world and just save as many disadvantaged people and animals that I could, but that isn’t to say, one day I sure hope I will.
Click the link below to read the details, and hopefully in turn you’ll feel better just a signature is being used (so far) to help these children. Do something today. =]
This book is AMAZING! I would order that any woman on the planet should get this book and read it. I guarantee, you’ll not only look back on your lives and reminisce how hard and awkward it was to be a frilly pink princess and wake up with boobs and missing the vote because of blood stained sheets. This book is fantastic on so many levels. I’ve only just bought it, and I’ve been glued to it so much I’m already half way through! How many days is that now…? 2 days… gosh. I’m a slow reader, so that’s pretty impressive.
This book tackles the ‘touchy’ subject of pornography as a tool for teaching young kids about appearance, sex, attitudes toward words concerning the ‘lady flower’, Jilly Cooper and life as a blooming young lady from the 80s until now. It’s THE summer anicdote to female understanding on a light political manner, with feminist fists and life in one go. It’s perfect!
I must say, only having read part of it, I’ve found it incrediably difficult to look like I’m not having a fit of laughter or a satirical meltdown in the back of a bus. That last time I read a book as funny, neat and true as this was Stephen Fry‘s Moab is my Washpot. AMAZING! I’ve only recently started looking into feminism and what it would mean to me, especially since I feel the ‘little-activist’ in me is finally learning how to walk, alongside PETA, The Red Cross, Pagan pride and modern women with tattoo ART.
Part memior and part feminist, and teenage (what to expect now that you are growing up, since your parents won’t tell you) manual, this book is a must have. I would have kept it in time for the next Paris excursion, but my little fingers have a mind of their own and I couldn’t wait! I would give you a better review, but I’m on chapter 9 – I Go Lap-dancing! For now, read the reviews and watch the video. Once I’ve read it, I’ll make a review video for TheHarlequinDays – make sure to comment =]
I use the Vitamin E hand and nail cream and the Hemp Hand Protector from The Body Shop and I swear by them! I work in health care and I’m always washing and drying my hands, and we aren’t allowed to wear nail varnish. Our make-up kits consist of latex gloves and alcohol gel – can you see the sexyness in that? I love my hands! They do everything for me! Shopping…. talking with me…. selecting bags…. packing bags…. hehe!
Deux – Be Leggy!
Peppermint! I swear by this magical herb! I do a super easy foot soak with peppermint and lavender, by adding ½ cup to a bowl of hot water. I leave it to steep for a while, until it’s warm enough to put my feet in. After a good soak, I moisturise with Lush Cosmetic’s Fair Trade Foot Lotion, which also has peppermint in it. I swear by shaving. I’ve done shave cream and it’s great, but I love Gillette Venus Spa Breeze as it’s quick to use, and you don’t need the shave gel. After a shave, I use the Veet Hair Minimising Cream, to keep hair at bay. I’ve only been using the Veet cream for a little while, and to be honest I was sceptic at first, but it really does what it says on the bottle. I usually de-hair my legs every 2-3 days as I can’t stand hair that’s more than ½ a millimetre long, but after using the Veet cream, I can shave 1 day less. Fab! I’ve made a promise to myself to wear dresses and skirts more as I’m just beginning to see my beauty for the first time.
I’ve just adopted the day and night cream plan. The creams I use are from The Body Shop, in the Vitamin E range. If you go into your local store and ask for skin advice from one of the assistants, you’ll know what products to get. Another tip with looking at The Body Shop products, get on their website, and follow the quiz on the ‘lounge’ page to get an idea of the products you should get.
As for splashing money on my face, I live by Estee Lauder, Mac, Revlon and L’Oreal make-up. I like to keep things neutral looking with mascara, colour around the eyes and some lip tint every so often. I have my eyebrows threaded at least once every 1-3 months, and I may be getting them tinted as I’m dying my hair soon.
Quatre – Fruity Booty
Probably the best part of my regime. I love making my own body scrubs, like the ones found in the Neal’s Yard Remedy Book and the recipes found in James Wong’s Grow Your Own Drugs books. All I need is a stock of Epsom salts, sea salts, essential oils and herbs to make my skin shiny and even toned. I have quite a stock of body scrubs, soaps, shower gels and bath bombs from Lush Cosmetics and The Body Shop, but they are all and stored in a box near my windowsill; my Fruity Booty!
Cinq – Colour Loves
I love to paint my nails! I look after my nails, but at work I can only wear nail varnish on my toes. But I have a little secret… Collection 2000 Nail Hardener with Calcium and Ridge filler works magick for my hands. I like neat nails too, so in conjunction with the nail varnish I have a nail kit to cut, trim and shape my nails in my bag at all times. I can’t live without it! The tiniest nick and I feel doomed!
As for clothing, I love colour. I have a ton of colourful accessories, like my bags and necklaces, but I like to wear clothing of colours that suit my skin tone. I wear blues, like baby blue, cobalt and cerulean, and red’s like ruby, blood red and burgundy. I can’t wear yellow, though I do look okay in it, but I like canary yellow and no other. The last time I wore a bright yellow in the summer, I ended up with tiny black dots all over it… bloody flies! Green is a tough colour for me, unless it’s that summer leafy green, otherwise I end up looking 50…. I’ll go into colour and the right colours for you some other time.
Six – Yoga Rules!
Yoga, as most folks don’t know, it part of an ancient system. The stretched you do at your local gym or in front of the TV are merely the warm up stretched Guru’s did before conducting meditation’s that took hours and even all day. Apart from that, it was used to keep your body healthy on its many etheric levels. If your foot was hurting, or if a chakra was blocked, that indicated something is wrong physically or emotionally.
I love yoga, and have been doing it on an intermediate level for the past 3 or 4 years and I highly recommend it. It’s great for toning, weight loss, strength and core work, as well as for the spiritual aspect which I adore. I love Face Yoga too!
Sept – Sexy Vegetarian
I love vegetarian food! It’s the same as everyone else’s, except without meat and far sexier if you know how to cook it properly, or know the finest cafes to dine in. My favourite Veggie cafes’ are Red Veg in Brighton and InSpiralled in Camden, you can’t get anymore Green and Sexy than those places! On top of that, I love herbs. Herbal medicine, James Wong, herbal magick, you name it, it’s its herbs but not drugs, I’m A-O-K! I’m all about being grounded. I may not look like your average eco warrior or eco princess, but I do my bit.
Huit –Hair
I have natural hair, though I curly perm it every 3-4 months. I use Sof n’ Free hair moisturiser, and use hair oil for my scalp. I love to soak my hair in olive oil, vitamin E oil and hair conditioners. I mix up all three in a medium sized tub and just paste it into my hair. Cover it up with a plastic hair cover for 45-60 minutes, or 30 min under a hairdryer, then rinse off. My hair comes out looking and feeling sexy. I apply hair moisturiser as soon as it dries, to stop it from going wrong! I hope to dye my hair within the next few weeks, to a super dark burgundy or cherry mahogany, wish me luck!
Neuf – Bread is My Limit
I have a thing about bread. I love bread and bananas. The thing I have comes down to my thighs and the annoying ‘bad-time-to-be-here’ bulge that appears after I’ve eaten too many bananas and way too much bread. With my exercise regime, I have noticed that I love to keep my legs toned, and eating bread just attacks them. I am quite strict with my intake, not so much in quantity but rather in what wheat foods I’ll eat in a day and stick to them. For example, Monday I’ll have bread, but I won’t have pastries etc. I love bread… I can’t help it.
Dix – Clear Mind
Auuuum.
I’m a big fan of Buddhist philosophy so keeping a clear mind helps me keep positive but honest to myself. I am a typical person who looks in the mirror sometimes and hates parts of my body, but I get over these complaints by admitting that I’m complaining about silly things. I have learnt, through compassion and meditation that my body is not only beautiful, but it’s unique and I’m the only one with legs like mine, skin like mine and best of all, eyes like mine. So I do what I can to live outside the box of conformity and live within my own world of The Comfy.
Six – Yoga Rules!
Neuf – Bread is My Limit
