Via We Heart It

So I promised to come up with a quick, snapshot review (and come back once things have settled to show off the fun tights & infinite ways I want to wear them).

• The Nylon/Lycra tights have a nice, slightly heavier weight to them than I find most normal tights do.  As such, I think that it’s a bit more smoothing & slimming to a curvaceous gal, while also providing a bit more warmth (something that is a must during the upcoming winter months!).
• There’s this handy little trick I learned, which is great if you feel your tights give you muffin top.  Put the waistband of the tights over the back of a chair who is roughly the width of your hips.  With my newer Target tights, they didn’t hold the shape after I pulled them off the chair.  My We Love Colors tights DID–which means that they were still firm & supportive, while not squeezing me like a sausage!
• I was taken aback by the $15 price tag at first…but since having tried them on, I’m sold on the price. Afterall, I’ve paid $10 for Target tights before, and these easily surpass the quality of a Target tight.
• I really wish there were more plus-sized options available–they have a great selection of opaque tights, the splash tights are gorgeous, the striped tights selection isn’t so much for me (and they offer footless versions).  But I’d love to see the thigh highs in plus-sizes, or at least some of the patterns in full body versions).

Sorry for the quick thoughts on this, my cher! Soon I’ll be able to give you a better, more thoughtful & comprehensive look at them…maybe even with some stylings!

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I’m no *real* pro when it comes to makeup, but I can assure you that when it comes to faux lashes, practice DOES make perfect.

It started when I auditioned for a gig as a pick-up girl with a local burlesque troupe. They told me to bring an outfit – a waist cincher, ruffle shorts and fishnets, and a pair of faux lashes. It was a look I’d been dying to try. I remembered stories of my mom in her “Twiggy” days – bright eyes and big heavy fake lashes. It seemed daunting though – I’d never put them on before, there’s glue involved and you have to have a pretty steady hand. The girls gave me a few tips for gorgeous glamorous eyelashes.

Now, it seems I’ve become the one giving all the faux lash tips to my friends! A pair of faux lashes does a LOT for a “look.” They can completely change the shape of your eyes – round and bright eyed, or almond shaped and exotic. They fill in where your eyelashes and mascara may have left off. If your lashes are dark, sometimes you can even get away with NO eye makeup, save for your lashes and a little filler eyeliner. You can get them in different colors to match your wigs, different shapes, different lengths and different styles.

The pair I picked for this tutorial are blue, with feathered edges. I figure the blue would be easy to see in the tutorial, and because they were part of a Halloween costume they would match my coif.

But first things first -Eyelashes are DEFINITELY reusable, and when you’ve got a nice pair that works with your style, you’re not going to want to buy a new pair every time you want to put them on. At the end of the night, don’t toss them. Keep the little plastic case they come in, and when you take them off, scrape the glue off the edges with your fingernail (carefully – you don’t want to bend the band that the eyelashes attach to, or pull the lashes out completely) and put them back in their case.

The easiest lashes to put on will be round, blunt-cut lashes (not feathered or longer at the edges like the eyelashes I’m going to use).

I generally go to a drugstore and pick up Modlash eyelashes – they are inexpensive ($6 max), easy to put on, and often come with glue – and they have a band around the top edge (instead of having the eyelash hairs, wrapped around a plastic piece) so the glue will stick better. If you’re looking for an easy solution, Modlash is the way to go.

Compare the band (the part closest to your eye) with THIS band:

See how there’s not a black band around the top? It looks like the lashes are attached to something clear? The eyelashes with that little plastic strip can sometimes be harder to apply, without a little bit of extra love. I find, with this type of lash, it helps to roll them a little, for shape. With the blue pair, I had to roll the inside edges in, because the plastic strip doesn’t mold well to the shape of my eyes.

Before applying the lashes, you may find you need to trim them. Usually I don’t trim mine, but your eyeballs could be a different shape. To determine the amount you need to snip, lay them down, starting at the inside edge of your eyelash. If they stick out too far past the outside edge of your real lash line, trim them a little on the INSIDE edge (with scissors) until they mimic the length of your lash line.

Next, you’ll need to make up your face. I, personally, lie using eyeshadow primer before putting on lashes because it gives you a matte base. When I first started using fake lashes, I found it was easiest to put on my eyeshadow after the lashes. The result – makeup IN the eyelashes. They became so caked with glue and eyeshadow, that I found I had to replace the eyelashes more often. The Burlesque girls told me that the best way to go is to put on most of your eye makeup first, then your lashes, then a few finishing touches.

When doing your eye makeup, lay down a good line of eyeliner, and make sure to put on mascara if your real lashes are light.

Some eyelash kits come with an applicator. If you have the applicator, grab the lashes like so:

If you DON’T have an applicator, you’re fine. The applicator is a learning tool, but it isn’t always necessary. Next you want to line the edge of the eyelash with glue like this:

To get a (very) thin line of eyelash glue on your lashes, you can do one of two things. The first, is use the back end of a pair of tweezers.

If you don’t have tweezers, your eyelash glue should still have a little tip on it, to make application easy.

Now that the glue is on, give it a second to get sticky. I wait about… 15-20 seconds because I’ve found that the glue sticks better when it’s had a chance to set.

Go ahead and set the eyelashes down, now, as close to your regular eyelashes as possible.

If you have the little applicator doodad, it’ll work like this:

HOWEVER! Even if you use the little applicator, you’re still probably going to have to press the strip down – especially on the edges. Just do this:

The first couple times you do this, you’re probably going to stick your fingers to your face. It’s normal. Sometimes the outer edges of the lashes will come up because your fingers are stuck to them, or because the eyelashes just won’t stay.

See how the inside corner has lifted up? Never fear! Just take a little glue and put it on your tweezers again

Then VERY CAREFULLY tap the glue onto the eyelash strip, being careful to A) not get glue in your eye, B) not stab yourself in the eye and C) not pull the eyelashes straight off your face.

Then flip your tweezers over, and use the non-gluey side of the tweezers to press the fresh glued-eyelash down onto your lash line.

Once you’re done applying the eyelash strip, keep your eyes closed for just a moment, so the glue has a better chance to dry. Once they’re dry, you can go in and do your detail work – including lining your eye between the inner corner and the eyelash band. Your newly applied lashes will look like this:

Now flutter your gorgeous new (faux) eyelashes! Don’t worry if you struggled the first time, because it gets easier every time you do it.

Merci-beaucoup, sweet Birdiee!

All the content in this post is © dramatis personae. If you are seeing this post and it is not in your Feed Reader, then it is probably being used without my permission. If you would like to repost my content, please contact me. If you enjoyed A Girl’s Guide to Faux Eyelashes, please consider subscribing to dramatis personae for more Ashe Mischief goodness!

There are so many great designers saved in my Etsy, that many times I accidentally rediscover old favorites. Such is the case for artLAB (who also manages Patricia Ayres as well).

What I love about artLAB is how the pieces have this simplicity to them while also projecting luxury and architect. When I picture myself wearing them, I get this (perhaps vain) image of myself as “that woman”– that woman you see & think all woman in her city must dress like that, that she epitomizes her city’s style. The pieces are raw and chic, with these influences that remind me of medical wear and industrial designs.

While I absolutely adore the above ruffled bib harness, I could totally see Jordana/Clutch 22 wearing it so well, too. The ruffled collar gives me visions and fantasies for Mardi Gras costumes, while the cincher? It really just makes me kind of swoony…. it seems I haven’t gotten over my fixation with ruffles (and I doubt it will happen any time soon).

All the content in this post is © dramatis personae. If you are seeing this post and it is not in your Feed Reader, then it is probably being used without my permission. If you would like to repost my content, please contact me. If you enjoyed Indie Designers: artLAB, please consider subscribing to dramatis personae for more Ashe Mischief goodness!

Via We Heart It

I have some wonderful guest posts lined up for you, and hopefully will not lose my head in this whole process….

Thank you all for the kind thoughts, well wishes, patience and support these past two weeks. They’ve been quite the whirling dervish, and I expect the next few weeks to be as well….

When I see and talk to you all next, I will be back home. Starting a new career and phase of my life… and I’m excited to see where that will take us!

Until then… enjoy Links á la Mode, my pretties!

Go Fashion Bloggers, Go!

Edited by Debutante Clothing

As more and more print magazines fold, bloggers seem to be growing in professionalism and media legitimacy. When bloggers such as Previously Owned and kaKofonie Of si(gh)lenS can get the scoop on international designers, you know the fashion playing field is being leveled. If bloggers can host great giveaways like Retro Chick’s, I wonder why the FTC needs to play big brother. Fashion Pulse Daily wants to know if you even care. It seems we are becoming the pretty, little websites that could. Yay bloggers!

• 39th and Broadway - – Gender GAP
• Aysha’s Rabbit Hole - – Cosimo Damato new hat collection!
• Bobbins And Bombshells - – pics from her trip to Phoenix including a mini vintage shopping guide.
• Decline Designs – Won’t Get Fooled Again: Counterfeit Melissa Shoes
• Denim Debutante - – Three Need-to-Know Tips to Help You Find Your Perfect Pair of Jeans
• Earth Vs. – Picking and making the best of your new (or old) winter coat
• Fashion Pulse Daily - – What do you really think and how much do you honestly care abot the FTC guidelines for bloggers?
• Fasshonaburu - – An upcoming label everyone should know about: Minimarket
• fête à fête - – Lia Lintern’s divine Winter 2010 coat collection
• Friend in Fashion – Giveaway – win a custom made dress or skirt
• Further Ado - – When fashion and architecture collide
• I’n The It Girl - – Assad Mounser Jewelry
• Idiosyncratic Style - – Top 10 Creepy Collections… loving the “darkside” of fashion.
• kaKofonie Of si(gh)lenS - – Interview with Susi Quillinan of Peru
• M.I.S.S. – Video Interview with Lydia Hearst – her top 5 favorite things about Fashion Week
• Monoxious - – How to make your own embellished lace tights
• Oranges and Apples - – Personal Shopper Giveaway – win a parcel of thrifted goodies tailored to your style, needs and ideas!
• Previously Owned - – Puerto Rican Fashion Spotlight: Stella Nolasco
• Retro Chick - – Win a Lowie wrap and gloves worth £129 courtesy of Cerise UK
• The Coveted - – Reviving Vintage Knickerbockers, The Perfect Fall Trouser
• The Curvy Fashionista - – Plus Size Curves and Fashion at the California Womens Conference

All the content in this post is © dramatis personae. If you are seeing this post and it is not in your Feed Reader, then it is probably being used without my permission. If you would like to repost my content, please contact me. If you enjoyed BRB: Moving to New Orleans!, please consider subscribing to dramatis personae for more Ashe Mischief goodness!

I’m a long time Irregular Choice fan, and that’s not coming as a surprise. Their shoes are funky, vibrant, sometimes beautiful and sweet, and definitely showstoppers. The odd thing about them, though, is that they aren’t necessarily comfortable shoes, but they’re not exactly uncomfortable either.  They’re just kind of there, on your feet, but they aren’t just there on your feet, because those little suckers exist.

Like Fluevogs, these little shoes are funky, iconic little relics for worships, with disciples spreading the word of their shoe supremacy all over.

And boy did I worship when I saw the Electric Love on Stylish Thought.  It’s like the 80s, electroclash, Jem, and the future collided in a shoe & threw up a holographic unicorn.  I’m pretty sure I’d want to wear these everywhere, like a 5 year old who has a new favorite dress.

Unsurpisingly, I’m also in love with the Shimmy. They’re a deceptive shoe. I think the delicate coloring and architectural heel make them look more spendy & higher end than they are.  I think the insane heel also reminds me of some of Lady Gaga’s early outfits, but in a more wearable form…they’d look totally smoking with a business suit or cocktail dress– a fun and sneaky way to remember the fun in fashion!

All the content in this post is © dramatis personae. If you are seeing this post and it is not in your Feed Reader, then it is probably being used without my permission. If you would like to repost my content, please contact me. If you enjoyed OMG Shoes! Irregular Choice, please consider subscribing to dramatis personae for more Ashe Mischief goodness!