 |
| It's amazing what you can find in random places. |
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
[Review] Portland Black Lipstick [part 2]
This time, we're taking a look at Portland's titular Black lipstick, Metallurgy, Artificial Amethyst and Chaiborg.
A quick overview of the colours as per their website:
Black: The best ever! A perfect blend of black iron oxide and mice in a moisturizing base, this colour is opaque and long lasting.
Metallurgy: This unique lipstick is forged from black, green and gold colours to produce a truly unusual metallic experience. The results are surprisingly sophisticated - but with the primitive boldness you have come to expect from Portland Black Lipstick Company products.
Artificial Amethyst: We introduced this dark purple lipstick at this year’s
wonderfully fun Portland Hallowe’en Bazaar. In true modernist fashion, we
celebrate the fact that it is not made from real gemstones, but from FDA
approved mineral pigments. After all, have you ever *tried* to stick amethysts
on your lips? They fall off and bounce around on the floor…
Chaiborg: This futuristic lipstick is a cross between the metallic
silver gray of industrial robotics and the warm light brown of milk tea.
Neither too warm nor too cold, Chaiborg is a cosmetic life form all its own!
Artificial Amethyst
Looks like a rich
metallic dark purple like it's namesake The colour goes on beautifully, producing a very deep purple colour
with a faint metallic shimmer. I would call it within the same family
as Indigo Bridge in terms of looks.
Of all the colours tested I like
this about as much as Indigo Bridge. Photo doesn't entirely do it
justice.Very pigmented as well, it took very
little to get it this opaque. If you want it slightly lighter, a
blotting would bring out more of the purple hue.
Black
Ahh yes, the colour that Portland Black Lipstick is most famous for. It's a very rich black that goes on opaque with minimal amount. It stays on pretty well too and is one of the darkest blacks I know on the market. The caveat: it's a bit hard to get off and might stain lips a little bit. Time to break out the makeup remover! it's rich and pigmented but it really isn't a huge favourite for me though I can see why lots of people love it.
Chaiborg
Chaiborg
Is a metallic silver
grey with a warm brown tone, like it's namesake chai. It's very similar to the
other metallic lippies but being one of the more neutral shades, it's pretty
wearable. Makes you look kinda like you have iron -robot lips, and it straddles
the line between being a warm and cold shade too. Photo sadly doesn't really do
it much justice either.
It's nice but it's not one of my favorites because it looks
a little odd against my crazy pale yellowish skintone.
Metallurgy
Is a deep greenish gold, metallic colour. I'd say it's somewhere between black and pewter cauldron with a hint of gold sprinkled in. A nice shiny metallic colour for those who don't want to hit full on black. It goes on great and it's crazy pigmented. In terms of metallics I still like chaiborg more in terms of the cooler metal colour options.
I think I was a little unlucky with this sample that it had gone off a little. It smelled and tasted weird so after the review I got rid of it. I've tried it before with another friend who introduced me to the brand and I didn't experience this. We HAVE very hot weather and I hadn't stored the sample properly so that's likely the cause of it. According to Portland Black Lipstick Co. each lip stick colour has a different shelf life and if it smells sharp and a little like crayon or has dried out, it's probably reached the end of it's lifespan.
Rating: 5/5
Pros: Creamy, tastes nice, has staying power.
Cons:
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
[Tutorial] Repainting an MLP Blind Bag pony
Hi everybody! Hope the Halloween weekend was fun ;)
About a week ago or so I decided to take one of my spare MLP Blind bag ponies to modify into a present for a friend's birthday. I thought it would be nice to customise him his OC and I pretty much like to paint too so it was a win-win decision on my part.
I do enjoy painting miniature stuff, believe me. But I never got into the Wargaming scene simply because well, I don't enjoy Wargaming and it is a rather expensive hobby (says the cosplayer, lol). I'm more of a pen and paper kind of person at heart.
Anyway, here's the things you're likely to need to repaint your own blind bag pony.
Materials:
Nail polish remover or acetone or dettol disinfectant (the yellow one)
Acrylic paint (as many colours as you need)
Water
Tissue paper, cotton buds or cotton balls
Matte paint varnish of some kind (I used Pledge Future Floor Polish)
Soap
Optional materials:
Ultra-fine black permanant marker
Spray primer coat (white or black)
Tools:
Brushes. Preferably a few different sizes ranging from medium to fine because blind bag ponies are small and they tend to have lots of tiny nooks and crannies that your brush needs to fit into.
Toothbrush
A few small Tupperware or storage containers (like the kind you use for storing condiments)
A jar or a cup to wash your brush in
Optional Tools:
Pallet
Piece of old cloth for wiping brushes on
--
To start off, I used a Glitter Mosely Orange as my base. For the most part he was shedding glitter like nuts and has a transparent base with a solid mane and tail. As far as I can tell you this method would work for a large majority of blind bag ponies though I'm not sure what the Breezie variants are like yet because I haven't had a chance to see them in person.
Removing the paint and glitter
There are multiple ways to tackle this, but first you will want to determine how much paint you want to remove. Removing the glitter is a bit difficult and it tends to leave behind a rough surface thanks to the glue that Hasbro uses on their ponies. This may not be necessary if the pony you're using isn't one of the glitterbombs I got.
Slow
This is if you have a lot of time to spare and/or you don't want to harm the pony base or yourself by using harmful chemicals.
Prepare a mixture of dettol in a 1:1 ratio with water and pour it into a jar or container that you can afford to get dirty. Submerge the entire pony and leave it be for 1-2 days. The dettol will cause the paint to flake off, so get your toothbrush, dip it in the dettol and soap and scrub off the paint. It should come off quite easily, just don't use water till the paint is all off because plain water will cause the paint to coagulate on your brush and everywhere else. Repeat this till there's absolutely no paint left. Can take anywhere from 1 to 3 days if the paint is stubborn.
Moderately fast
Put your pony on a surface that won't be damaged by nail polish remover or acetone (like not on a varnished table for example) and soak a cotton pad in your choice of remover. Place the soaked pad on the pony and leave it there for a minute or so then rub. Repeat this process with more cotton pads and cotton buds to remove the paint. You will need to repeat this a few times till all the glitter and paint comes off. Glitter is particularly hard to remove and tends to leave behind a lot of glue so this is actually better for the solid coloured blind bag ponies.
Very fast
For the impatient and those who really know what they're doing, this method works as well. You will also need protective gloves for this because repeated exposure to acetone and other similar spirits/thinners can have an adverse reaction in the long term.
Pour out just enough acetone to cover the pony into a small plastic or glass container. Drop the pony inside and swish it around. You might have to rub and scrub it a bit by hand or alternate with an old toothbrush and soap till the pony is completely clean. This will take just a few minutes at best, but is smelly and potentially harmful to your skin.
Partial removal
This is good if you just want to change the mane colour or a few small details on the pony in question. Simply dip a cotton bud into some nail polish remover and rub on the section you want to get the paint off. Note this will remove cutie marks and eyes at the slightest touch so you need to be careful still.
Regardless, unless you're only aiming for partial removal, you should completely strip it of all it's original paint before moving on to the next step.
Painting
Before you start, you want to prime the pony. Normally I would suggest sanding it first, but this might destroy any finer details on the pony (because it's pretty shitty plastic) so we're skipping that step. The method I'm using basically uses acrylic paint the whole way but you can also do this step with spray paint primer.
Base coat
Mix some white acrylic paint with some water so it's slightly runny and paint it over the whole pony. Nevermind if it drips, this would make it a smoother application. Let it dry completely and repeat this step two to three times for good measure, or until the pony's plastic colour is no longer visible.
To make life easier, you can make use of the little hole in the pony's foot to prop it up. I used an old paintbrush stuffed in a bunch of foam in a cup to hold mine up as you can see here.
Adding colour
Next is the part where the Tupperware will come in handy. If your pony is a color that has to be hand mixed, these will help out a lot. Mix your colours directly in them and add just enough water for it to be runny, these containers will prevent your colours from drying out over the few hours/days you need to paint your pony, especially if you're using custom colour mixes. Prepare as many of these as you need.
Once your base is properly dry, paint the pony's coat colour and main hair colour. The pony I was working on only had flat colours so it was fairly easy, it might be slightly trickier if your pony had colours like Rainbow Dash for example.
Paint the coat and mane as needed and let it try. Again do it until the base coat is no longer visible under your colours. Don't worry if you miss, you can always use a cotton bud dipped in a bit of water to wipe off mistakes and access. It's important that you allow each coat time to dry because too thick coats that aren't allowed to dry can run or bubble leaving your pony with warty surface.
Keep repeating with coats till you're satisfied with the result.
Cutie mark and eyes.
Now here's the hard part. You will need your finest brushes here.
Prep the area that you want to paint on your cutie mark and eyes with white paint. You will need between 2-3 coats of white till the area becomes solid. This is to make the colours stand out when you paint them on later. Also bear in mind that the paint needs to be smooth because if it's lumpy it will show in the final product.
This is also a good time to do details like hooves/crowns/wingtips if your pony has those features.
For the eyes, first do the black outline for the eyelashes with black paint. You can also do this with a thin black marker as well. Paint the colour of the iris first and let it dry. A couple of coats might be needed before you paint on the pupils. Allow each section to dry. don't worry if it's not perfect. You can always retouch later. Add the 'eye sparkle' and let it dry thoroughly for at least 4 hours.
As for the cutie mark, paint individual colours one at a time till you're done. The paint here need not be as runny as the base coats because it's quite small and you're likely to need a ton of dexterity to handle it.
Once you're satisfied, use your sealer, let it dry properly and you're pretty much done.
And remember, if it doesn't turn out out well, you can always dump it back in acetone and try again.
Hope you found the tutorial helpful!
About a week ago or so I decided to take one of my spare MLP Blind bag ponies to modify into a present for a friend's birthday. I thought it would be nice to customise him his OC and I pretty much like to paint too so it was a win-win decision on my part.
I do enjoy painting miniature stuff, believe me. But I never got into the Wargaming scene simply because well, I don't enjoy Wargaming and it is a rather expensive hobby (says the cosplayer, lol). I'm more of a pen and paper kind of person at heart.
Materials:
Nail polish remover or acetone or dettol disinfectant (the yellow one)
Acrylic paint (as many colours as you need)
Water
Tissue paper, cotton buds or cotton balls
Matte paint varnish of some kind (I used Pledge Future Floor Polish)
Soap
Optional materials:
Ultra-fine black permanant marker
Spray primer coat (white or black)
Tools:
Brushes. Preferably a few different sizes ranging from medium to fine because blind bag ponies are small and they tend to have lots of tiny nooks and crannies that your brush needs to fit into.
Toothbrush
A few small Tupperware or storage containers (like the kind you use for storing condiments)
A jar or a cup to wash your brush in
Optional Tools:
Pallet
Piece of old cloth for wiping brushes on
--
 |
| Ugh, so sparkly. |
Removing the paint and glitter
There are multiple ways to tackle this, but first you will want to determine how much paint you want to remove. Removing the glitter is a bit difficult and it tends to leave behind a rough surface thanks to the glue that Hasbro uses on their ponies. This may not be necessary if the pony you're using isn't one of the glitterbombs I got.
Slow
This is if you have a lot of time to spare and/or you don't want to harm the pony base or yourself by using harmful chemicals.
Prepare a mixture of dettol in a 1:1 ratio with water and pour it into a jar or container that you can afford to get dirty. Submerge the entire pony and leave it be for 1-2 days. The dettol will cause the paint to flake off, so get your toothbrush, dip it in the dettol and soap and scrub off the paint. It should come off quite easily, just don't use water till the paint is all off because plain water will cause the paint to coagulate on your brush and everywhere else. Repeat this till there's absolutely no paint left. Can take anywhere from 1 to 3 days if the paint is stubborn.
Moderately fast
Put your pony on a surface that won't be damaged by nail polish remover or acetone (like not on a varnished table for example) and soak a cotton pad in your choice of remover. Place the soaked pad on the pony and leave it there for a minute or so then rub. Repeat this process with more cotton pads and cotton buds to remove the paint. You will need to repeat this a few times till all the glitter and paint comes off. Glitter is particularly hard to remove and tends to leave behind a lot of glue so this is actually better for the solid coloured blind bag ponies.
 |
| Soak |
 |
| Rub |
 |
| Scrub |
For the impatient and those who really know what they're doing, this method works as well. You will also need protective gloves for this because repeated exposure to acetone and other similar spirits/thinners can have an adverse reaction in the long term.
Pour out just enough acetone to cover the pony into a small plastic or glass container. Drop the pony inside and swish it around. You might have to rub and scrub it a bit by hand or alternate with an old toothbrush and soap till the pony is completely clean. This will take just a few minutes at best, but is smelly and potentially harmful to your skin.
Partial removal
This is good if you just want to change the mane colour or a few small details on the pony in question. Simply dip a cotton bud into some nail polish remover and rub on the section you want to get the paint off. Note this will remove cutie marks and eyes at the slightest touch so you need to be careful still.
Regardless, unless you're only aiming for partial removal, you should completely strip it of all it's original paint before moving on to the next step.
 |
| Squeaky clean! |
Before you start, you want to prime the pony. Normally I would suggest sanding it first, but this might destroy any finer details on the pony (because it's pretty shitty plastic) so we're skipping that step. The method I'm using basically uses acrylic paint the whole way but you can also do this step with spray paint primer.
Base coat
Mix some white acrylic paint with some water so it's slightly runny and paint it over the whole pony. Nevermind if it drips, this would make it a smoother application. Let it dry completely and repeat this step two to three times for good measure, or until the pony's plastic colour is no longer visible.
 |
| First coat will look roughly like this. |
 |
| 2nd coat! |
Adding colour
Next is the part where the Tupperware will come in handy. If your pony is a color that has to be hand mixed, these will help out a lot. Mix your colours directly in them and add just enough water for it to be runny, these containers will prevent your colours from drying out over the few hours/days you need to paint your pony, especially if you're using custom colour mixes. Prepare as many of these as you need.
Once your base is properly dry, paint the pony's coat colour and main hair colour. The pony I was working on only had flat colours so it was fairly easy, it might be slightly trickier if your pony had colours like Rainbow Dash for example.
 |
| You can go either mane first or coat first, it doesn't really matter. |
Paint the coat and mane as needed and let it try. Again do it until the base coat is no longer visible under your colours. Don't worry if you miss, you can always use a cotton bud dipped in a bit of water to wipe off mistakes and access. It's important that you allow each coat time to dry because too thick coats that aren't allowed to dry can run or bubble leaving your pony with warty surface.
Keep repeating with coats till you're satisfied with the result.
Cutie mark and eyes.
Now here's the hard part. You will need your finest brushes here.
Prep the area that you want to paint on your cutie mark and eyes with white paint. You will need between 2-3 coats of white till the area becomes solid. This is to make the colours stand out when you paint them on later. Also bear in mind that the paint needs to be smooth because if it's lumpy it will show in the final product.
 |
| Almost done! |
As for the cutie mark, paint individual colours one at a time till you're done. The paint here need not be as runny as the base coats because it's quite small and you're likely to need a ton of dexterity to handle it.
 |
| Yay! |
And remember, if it doesn't turn out out well, you can always dump it back in acetone and try again.
Hope you found the tutorial helpful!
Monday, September 29, 2014
[Review] Home made lip balm!
Hi everyone! I know things have been a bit quiet lately but it's mostly because I've been pretty busy at work ^_^ but that doesn't mean I haven't been up to my usual shenanigans. For starters I just started a YouTube channel sometime last month so all the recordings have been keeping my time jam packed too.
Anyway, lets get to the crux of things.
A friend of mine recently started making her own home made lip balm! she makes both tinted sheer lip pots as well as the clear kind using food grade ingredients so they're not chock full of weird chemicals and other oogey stuff like that.
I got to try out the clear one, in a pot of course, because she hasn't quite nailed getting them in tubes yet but it's all part of the process ^_^
Here's the full ingredient list:
Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (cold-pressed), Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Beeswax, Grapeseed Oil, Chocolate Flavoring (food essence), Cosmetic Grade Mica Pigments (not in the clear version).
Verdict:
The lip balm feels quite velvety without being too oily or melty, which is great for our rather hot local weather. It melts to the touch which makes it even easier to apply. The primary ingredients are beeswax and virgin coconut oil so you get a nice coconutty scent alongside a whiff of mellow chocolate essence.
It feels quite moisturizing without that oily feeling so I like that part. But I'm not sure if I really like the chocolate scent but I'm still waiting on the peppermint one once it comes out XD I pretty much leave it in my office because the air conditioning is pretty cold and causes my lips to dry out so it's great I've got this heavy duty balm just sitting there when I need it.
Anyway, lets get to the crux of things.
A friend of mine recently started making her own home made lip balm! she makes both tinted sheer lip pots as well as the clear kind using food grade ingredients so they're not chock full of weird chemicals and other oogey stuff like that.
I got to try out the clear one, in a pot of course, because she hasn't quite nailed getting them in tubes yet but it's all part of the process ^_^
Here's the full ingredient list:
Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (cold-pressed), Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Beeswax, Grapeseed Oil, Chocolate Flavoring (food essence), Cosmetic Grade Mica Pigments (not in the clear version).
Verdict:
The lip balm feels quite velvety without being too oily or melty, which is great for our rather hot local weather. It melts to the touch which makes it even easier to apply. The primary ingredients are beeswax and virgin coconut oil so you get a nice coconutty scent alongside a whiff of mellow chocolate essence.
It feels quite moisturizing without that oily feeling so I like that part. But I'm not sure if I really like the chocolate scent but I'm still waiting on the peppermint one once it comes out XD I pretty much leave it in my office because the air conditioning is pretty cold and causes my lips to dry out so it's great I've got this heavy duty balm just sitting there when I need it.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Pre-con/shoot/cosplay/whatever protips
Animangaki is looming around the corner being just 2 days away and I'll bet you're either excited or dying trying to get your stuff done on time.
It's probably a little late to read some of this but I hope it's helpful all the same :D most of this I had to learn from experience...the long and hard way lol.
1. Always start your projects early.
This is one of the more important ones. Yes, I know that sometimes you get fantastic ideas a bit too late but are adamant on getting it done (guilty!) but starting early gives you time to test out your stuff and get adequate rest and practice. You'll thank me later.
2. Try to get enough sleep the night before.
The blind rush to get your costume and props done tends to leech your sleep and push you till the last possible moment. Yes, you finished your stuff in time for your event!
But you are tired, grouchy and have the worst eyebags ever.
No amount of makeup can hide eyebags and trust me, it's hard to have fun and/or really stay in character when all you can think about is a quiet corner to pass out in.
3. Clean up where you're able!
Scrub up, shave, moisturise, pluck your eyebrows, clean behind your ears if you have to! Treat it like getting ready for prom, you want to look your best!
Give your hands some attention as well, especially if you've been propmaking and they're stained with paint.
4. A little makeup never hurts.
Yep, this applies to the guys too!
A little bit of face powder can make a whole ton of difference in photos.
You don't have to go all out either (unless your character has obvious makeup) but cons tend to be sweaty and faces tend to get rather shiny.
A bit of strategic eyeliner also does wonders if your eyes aren't dramatic enough (too big, too small, not alien enough etc) and eyeliner makes for decent temporary face/body tattoos and even fake facial hair :D
PLEASE DON'T USE A SHARPIE I BEG YOU. I've seen cosplayers do this and not only is the shit toxic, it's hard to remove later x_x
5. OMG EAT SOMETHING!
In the excitement of a con it's easy to forget to eat; or at very worse forgetting to drink. It's very important to have SOME hydration in you at the very least. Given the stressful conditions of a con (heat, overexertion, energy sucking crowds etc) you can be in loads of trouble if you're running on an empty tank. Have a good breakfast before you go at the very least!
It can also be hard to get ahold of food depending on your con location so make sure you have some snacks/water on hand or stashed with someone who can hang on to that stuff for you. Your saikang is your best friend and rescuer.
6. Don't let people play with your props if they're fragile.
Props are flimsy. People aren't always aware of this. Also, some people get excited and crazy when you put your lovingly crafted props in their hands and they do stupid things with them.
7. Be mindful of your stuff.
This goes out especially to props that are long or have sharp edges. I can't even count the amount of times I've been scratched and smacked in the face by sharp shoulder plates/wings/large-stuff-on-your-back and tripped by spears/otherlongthings.
8. BE MINDFUL OF YOUR STUFF!!
In regards to your personal belongings this one.
A con is pretty much a public event. There will be thieves, pickpockets and other opportunists.
So don't be careless, granted there aren't always good places to keep your things (esp if you have a lot of junk. It's not fun :( ) but I think that when I find a PSP sitting next to a wall in a con unguarded it's already putting too much trust in the people around you =\
Check in advance if your con has a storage area. If it doesn't, try to go as light as possible or bung your stuff with someone you can trust. Lots of stuff go missing during cons and the people who find them don't always send them to lost and found.
That's all I got for now. I'll likely make another posting when I can think of more things to add in XD till then, stay safe, stay awesome!
It's probably a little late to read some of this but I hope it's helpful all the same :D most of this I had to learn from experience...the long and hard way lol.
1. Always start your projects early.
This is one of the more important ones. Yes, I know that sometimes you get fantastic ideas a bit too late but are adamant on getting it done (guilty!) but starting early gives you time to test out your stuff and get adequate rest and practice. You'll thank me later.
2. Try to get enough sleep the night before.
The blind rush to get your costume and props done tends to leech your sleep and push you till the last possible moment. Yes, you finished your stuff in time for your event!
But you are tired, grouchy and have the worst eyebags ever.
No amount of makeup can hide eyebags and trust me, it's hard to have fun and/or really stay in character when all you can think about is a quiet corner to pass out in.
3. Clean up where you're able!
Scrub up, shave, moisturise, pluck your eyebrows, clean behind your ears if you have to! Treat it like getting ready for prom, you want to look your best!
Give your hands some attention as well, especially if you've been propmaking and they're stained with paint.
4. A little makeup never hurts.
Yep, this applies to the guys too!
A little bit of face powder can make a whole ton of difference in photos.
You don't have to go all out either (unless your character has obvious makeup) but cons tend to be sweaty and faces tend to get rather shiny.
A bit of strategic eyeliner also does wonders if your eyes aren't dramatic enough (too big, too small, not alien enough etc) and eyeliner makes for decent temporary face/body tattoos and even fake facial hair :D
PLEASE DON'T USE A SHARPIE I BEG YOU. I've seen cosplayers do this and not only is the shit toxic, it's hard to remove later x_x
In the excitement of a con it's easy to forget to eat; or at very worse forgetting to drink. It's very important to have SOME hydration in you at the very least. Given the stressful conditions of a con (heat, overexertion, energy sucking crowds etc) you can be in loads of trouble if you're running on an empty tank. Have a good breakfast before you go at the very least!
It can also be hard to get ahold of food depending on your con location so make sure you have some snacks/water on hand or stashed with someone who can hang on to that stuff for you. Your saikang is your best friend and rescuer.
6. Don't let people play with your props if they're fragile.
Props are flimsy. People aren't always aware of this. Also, some people get excited and crazy when you put your lovingly crafted props in their hands and they do stupid things with them.
This goes out especially to props that are long or have sharp edges. I can't even count the amount of times I've been scratched and smacked in the face by sharp shoulder plates/wings/large-stuff-on-your-back and tripped by spears/otherlongthings.
8. BE MINDFUL OF YOUR STUFF!!
In regards to your personal belongings this one.
A con is pretty much a public event. There will be thieves, pickpockets and other opportunists.
So don't be careless, granted there aren't always good places to keep your things (esp if you have a lot of junk. It's not fun :( ) but I think that when I find a PSP sitting next to a wall in a con unguarded it's already putting too much trust in the people around you =\
Check in advance if your con has a storage area. If it doesn't, try to go as light as possible or bung your stuff with someone you can trust. Lots of stuff go missing during cons and the people who find them don't always send them to lost and found.
That's all I got for now. I'll likely make another posting when I can think of more things to add in XD till then, stay safe, stay awesome!
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
[Review] Portland Black Lipstick [part 1]
Hi all!
Seems we'll be doing more reviews off and on when I can get my hands on interesting things to talk about!
Recently I was introduced to the world of indie lipstick. Especially that of weird colours that you'll never find on the shelf of any drugstore or regular makeup brand.
I'm talking about Portland Black Lipstick Co. an indie brand famous for their long-lasting lipsticks that come in hues both strange and wonderful that are cruelty free!
The review will come in batches, simply because I don't like making super-long posts and it's a better idea to break up the contents because it's easier to post. We will be trying out more Portland products (we've already reviewed their Corpse Paint) as we get them so stay tuned for more :)
Today we'll be looking at Cthonique, Indigo Bridge, Undead Red, The Coral is Coming from Inside the House and Abominable. We got Abominable, Coral samples and Cthonique free from Portland as they love to give out extra samples in your order and the full-sized Cthonique was an extra due to an order slip up ^^;(Thanks Kim! :D)
A quick overview of the colours as per their website:
Undead Red: A dark, dark red that wants to be called 'plum' or something
Indigo Bridge: This is a dark, metallic blue that verges on black
Cthonique, Abominable and The Coral is Coming from Inside the House have yet to be listed on their website and I recall seeing somewhere that Cthonique is a limited edition colour so you may or may not be able to purchase these online as of yet.
Before we start, I have to say that any smudging and uneven application is basically my own fail on part of being very clumsy with a lip brush. The vast majority of product here isn't smudgey at all!
Onwards to lip swatches!
Abominable
Seems we'll be doing more reviews off and on when I can get my hands on interesting things to talk about!
Recently I was introduced to the world of indie lipstick. Especially that of weird colours that you'll never find on the shelf of any drugstore or regular makeup brand.
I'm talking about Portland Black Lipstick Co. an indie brand famous for their long-lasting lipsticks that come in hues both strange and wonderful that are cruelty free!
The review will come in batches, simply because I don't like making super-long posts and it's a better idea to break up the contents because it's easier to post. We will be trying out more Portland products (we've already reviewed their Corpse Paint) as we get them so stay tuned for more :)
A quick overview of the colours as per their website:
Undead Red: A dark, dark red that wants to be called 'plum' or something
Indigo Bridge: This is a dark, metallic blue that verges on black
Cthonique, Abominable and The Coral is Coming from Inside the House have yet to be listed on their website and I recall seeing somewhere that Cthonique is a limited edition colour so you may or may not be able to purchase these online as of yet.
 |
| I think the Abominable and Undead Red melted in the mail. Curse our hot weather >.> |
Onwards to lip swatches!
The coral is coming from inside the house
Looks a lot like a deeper, pinkier shade of Lux et voluptas minus the gold sheen.
It has tiny, tiny multicoloured sparkle bits in it and it looks well, coral.
Appears to be a pretty useable daily shade, but dang it's a cute colour.
Freaking goreguous shade of metallic coral. It's creamy like abominable, but notably thicker.
The full size is not for sale yet on portland's site, free
sample. If they ever update the site with the full sized one, I'm getting it on
my next order!
Indigo Bridge
Probably my fave of all time. I love how deep the blue is and how metallic-shimmery it is without being a glitter bomb. A popular fan favourite, Indigo Bridge is a very rich, deep blue that can function even for daily use, for the days when you don't feel like wearing your black ;)
Undead red
This is a staple among the PBL users I know. It's a
delicious dark red, the kind that you wear when you want to scream 'I mean
business!' at people. Without the actual screaming of course. It's a bit cooler
and darker in colour than most reds I've had and very pigmented, needing little to get it opaque.
Chthonique
A very metallic dark green. It's quite subtle in colour but it certainly will make heads turn as green lipstick still is nowhere near the norm but it's not 'in your face' enough to knock people's eyes out. Like the rest it's got a nice minty feel and it's wonderfully thick. Blends very well with Indigo Bridge for a rich blue-green.
Very creamy and it went on easy, but being pure matte white I have no idea what kind of applications you could use it for, aside from giving yourself spiky teethy lips on halloween. Might have potential for certain cosplay characters, I don't see how it's possible for daily use.
It looks like the lipstick version of corpse paint. It's very moisturising and buttery, but doesn't seem to have as much staying power as the other lippies I tried (own opinion) but takes a LOT to get it opaque.
Rating 5/5
Pros:
Very pigmented
Thick & smooth
Minty
Moisturising
Cons:
Lip balm format makes it rather clumsy to apply
Some colours are hard to remove
Monday, July 21, 2014
[Tutorial] Simple cyberhand base
This tutorial is inspired heavily by the work of HellWolve on deviantart. He's a master costumer/larper so do check out his work ;)
As it seems to be my fashion to do things at the last possible moment, I decided to karate myself a quick cyberhand for Halloween last year in order to go participate in a Halloween event that uh, required a costume for entry.
I decided to go as a futuristicky cyberpunk dude (in an extremely loose sense) so a cyberhand is a must (at least it is to me, never leave home without your augmented bits! there are critters out there!)
I can't really give a costing this time because I used materials that I already had lying around in the first place. Daiso driving gloves were RM 5.
These are the stuff you need:
Material:
1-2 black cotton gloves (length and amount is totally up to you) I got it from Daiso.
Thin craft foam (1mm should do it)
Paper (for drafting)
Tools:
Sewing chalk (mine is pencil shaped)
Sharp scissors
Contact glue (any brand that's tacky and doesn't seep will do)
Needle and thread
Optional:
Detailing paint brush
White paint
Computer case screw
Lighter
---
First thing I did was draw a template of my hand on a piece of paper while I had the glove on so I could get a rough estimate of what plate went where. This is also a good time to decide how many plates you want to use. They can be longer or shorter depending on your hand size and how 'robotic' or 'armorlike' you want.
The finger plates can also wrap around your finger 3/4 of the way for a blockier feel.
I also cut the glove down to size because only a bit of it was poking out of my sleeve and it didn't need to be that long (the cotton glove I used stretched up till almost at shoulder level)
After you're happy with the amount you need, cut all your templates out. Label for good measure because if you're anything like me, you'll forget which plate goes where.
Now grab your foam and draw out as many shapes as you need using the templates, then chop them up with your scissors.
I prefer to use Selleys contact adhesive because it's easy to apply, but Dunlop glue or any similar adhesive works fine too.
Always check your foam plates against your fingers before gluing them down so you can make any last fitting adjustments to the plates. Once you're happy glue down the plates drawn side down so you can hide the chalk. Alternatively you can wash the plates beforehand but personally I feel it's too much work :P
After that you're pretty much done! Here's a few alternative things you can do to spiff up your glove before you glue/sew your plates down:
Paint your plates before attaching.
Make 'futuristic' impressions by heating up the computer screw with the lighter and pressing down in strategic locations.
Glue down decals (can be stickers, small flat trinkets, what have you)
Here's my result. It's slightly bunched up because I was using a very loose cotton glove but depending on how tight your base glove is, the end result will look better.
Simple yet effective!
I decided to go as a futuristicky cyberpunk dude (in an extremely loose sense) so a cyberhand is a must (at least it is to me, never leave home without your augmented bits! there are critters out there!)
I can't really give a costing this time because I used materials that I already had lying around in the first place. Daiso driving gloves were RM 5.
These are the stuff you need:
Material:
1-2 black cotton gloves (length and amount is totally up to you) I got it from Daiso.
Thin craft foam (1mm should do it)
Paper (for drafting)
Tools:
Sewing chalk (mine is pencil shaped)
Sharp scissors
Contact glue (any brand that's tacky and doesn't seep will do)
Needle and thread
Optional:
Detailing paint brush
White paint
Computer case screw
Lighter
---
The finger plates can also wrap around your finger 3/4 of the way for a blockier feel.
 |
| Plop. |
After you're happy with the amount you need, cut all your templates out. Label for good measure because if you're anything like me, you'll forget which plate goes where.
Now grab your foam and draw out as many shapes as you need using the templates, then chop them up with your scissors.
 |
| Not an advertisement. |
Paint your plates before attaching.
Make 'futuristic' impressions by heating up the computer screw with the lighter and pressing down in strategic locations.
Glue down decals (can be stickers, small flat trinkets, what have you)
Here's my result. It's slightly bunched up because I was using a very loose cotton glove but depending on how tight your base glove is, the end result will look better.
Simple yet effective!
Monday, July 7, 2014
[Tutorial] Super-quick Harley Quinn Mallet
Some time ago I volunteered to join in a costume appearance for fundraising Typhoon Haiyan funds for charity. I had somehow agreed to costume as Harley Quinn (don't ask, I'm still embarrassed ><) and decided to build her iconic mallet up quick just in case they didn't have any props or other costumey stuff available as it was an extremely short notice thing.
Didn't help that I was busy with other things and ridiculously broke, but it's good to have stock of random supplies in the house...you never know when they'll come in handy!
All in total, the project cost me maybe RM15.
At any rate, this is what I used:
Material:
1 pc 1mm leftoever pvc foam board (something like sintra, but not as expensive)
1 recycled plastic pipe from an older project
4 sets of nuts and bolts
2 appropriately shaped bukkits
Duct tape
Tons of wide masking tape (you'll need a minimum of 2-3 rolls)
Red and black acrylic paint
Matte transparent spraypaint for sealing
Tools:
Soldering iron (because I prefer to melt holes rather than drill them)
Hot glue gun
Screwdriver
Brushes
Markers
Cutter knife (or an x-acto if you have one)
Pliers (optional)
----
I started out by using one of the buckets to trace out two circles about as wide as the mouths of the buckets so form the 'lid' of the bucket. I used this bit of extra pvc foam board I had lying around but if you want something cheaper or lighter you could use mounting board or cardboard even. Cut out the two shapes and put them aside.
Next, I cut the edges off the buckets' mouth using a knife and a pair of pliers to help me yank off the more stubborn bits of plastic. I made sure to leave a little bit behind so it's easier to stick the cut shapes to the buckets later down the road. You can omit this step if your buckets don't have a wide 'lip'.Sandpaper it down for safety.
After that I took the old pipe from an older project (it was a staff) and cut about a foot off to make it short enough for Harley's Mallet. Depending on your construction a PVC pipe might be too soft for use in the long run so I suggest that for longevity you use a wooden stick instead if you can.
I lined up both buckets together and marked where I would put down holes for bolts to hold them together. Note I accidentally broke one of the buckets trying to nail holes with a hammer =\ so I resorted to using a soldering iron for better effect.
I also used it to cut out some space to insert the PVC pipe to complete construction. Just do it in a ventilated area if you're melting plastic!
When you're happy with the placement of things, screw in your bolts and pop out your hot glue gun, glue in the pipe with liberal amounts of hot glue as well as around the base of the buckets on the outside for good measure.
Don't worry too much if it's messy, it's likely to be covered by tape in one of the next steps. Duct tape down the stick from the inside for some extra durability.
At this stage you can glue on your bucket 'lids' or do it after you finish your tape. It makes no real difference.
Take your tape and tape down your buckets lengthwise. You will have to keep doing this until the entire bucket is coated and it's shape becomes more like that of a mallet, not two buckets glued together hodgepodge.
You can put as many layers as you like, though more is better. The paper tape also helps make it possible to be painted later. Don't forget to press it down till it's snug.
When you're happy with how thick it is, you can then get to painting. I had to do mine indoors so I laid a load of newspaper on the floor and used some plastic bags to protect the chair I was using to prop up the mallet.
The design I used isn't 100% in line with any particular Harley Quinn mallet I've seen (also because I was short of time anyway) but feel free to use any design you see fit. Woman's had a lot of different mallets.
I painted I think maybe 4 layers of red and black. The masking tape will suck up a fair bit of paint on it's own as well, so use liberal amounts but be sure to let each layer of paint dry before smacking on the next. Clumpy paint takes ages to dry.
After it dries completely (it will take awhile, trust me) I hit it with a coat of matte transparent spray paint to seal it up and we were done!
I'm fairly proud of the results considering it was done in a very short amount of time for a ghetto Harley. Hope this tutorial was useful!
Didn't help that I was busy with other things and ridiculously broke, but it's good to have stock of random supplies in the house...you never know when they'll come in handy!
All in total, the project cost me maybe RM15.
At any rate, this is what I used:
Material:
1 pc 1mm leftoever pvc foam board (something like sintra, but not as expensive)
1 recycled plastic pipe from an older project
4 sets of nuts and bolts
2 appropriately shaped bukkits
Duct tape
Tons of wide masking tape (you'll need a minimum of 2-3 rolls)
Red and black acrylic paint
Matte transparent spraypaint for sealing
Tools:
Soldering iron (because I prefer to melt holes rather than drill them)
Hot glue gun
Screwdriver
Brushes
Markers
Cutter knife (or an x-acto if you have one)
Pliers (optional)
----
I started out by using one of the buckets to trace out two circles about as wide as the mouths of the buckets so form the 'lid' of the bucket. I used this bit of extra pvc foam board I had lying around but if you want something cheaper or lighter you could use mounting board or cardboard even. Cut out the two shapes and put them aside.
 |
| Do the back too! |
 |
| Careful with the amount of force you use, it's better to twist the plastic off or cut it rather than yank, that can crack the plastic |
 |
| I also had to peel off the epoxy clay from the top |
 |
| accidents happen :( |
 |
| Don't forget to cut some space for your stick |
Don't worry too much if it's messy, it's likely to be covered by tape in one of the next steps. Duct tape down the stick from the inside for some extra durability.
At this stage you can glue on your bucket 'lids' or do it after you finish your tape. It makes no real difference.
 |
| This is roughly what it would look like at this point |
 |
| Don't forget to cut off any access so the lids are flush with the bucket |
You can put as many layers as you like, though more is better. The paper tape also helps make it possible to be painted later. Don't forget to press it down till it's snug.
The design I used isn't 100% in line with any particular Harley Quinn mallet I've seen (also because I was short of time anyway) but feel free to use any design you see fit. Woman's had a lot of different mallets.
I painted I think maybe 4 layers of red and black. The masking tape will suck up a fair bit of paint on it's own as well, so use liberal amounts but be sure to let each layer of paint dry before smacking on the next. Clumpy paint takes ages to dry.
After it dries completely (it will take awhile, trust me) I hit it with a coat of matte transparent spray paint to seal it up and we were done!
Monday, June 30, 2014
Because I feel the need to be silly today
Notice us Senpaisaurus! by tarynsgate on deviantART
Damn carnivores. They only want me for my body >.>
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
[Review] Portland Black Lipstick Corpse Paint
Along with my last purchase of Portland stuff, I picked up some Corpse Paint to share with a friend. Sure there are other brands of white face paint like Kryolan and even M.A.C (believe it or not they do have theatrical face paint) but these were way out of our budget and we liked the idea of trying it out as we've heard a lot of good things about Portland's Corpse paint so why not.
Corpse paint as it's name suggests is pure white facepaint meant for theatre or any other things you might need a stark white face for. It comes in a cute little plastic case with the ingredients label on the back.
As described by their site:
Vegan Corpse Paint is a pancake makeup-style theater white, made with all natural ingredients. Matte white and unscented, this product can be applied lightly for a pale and powdery finish, blended with skin-toned foundation, or applied opaquely like a traditional greasepaint. Our formula contains mango butter and jojoba oil to help keep your skin soft and ensure comfortable wear while provided excellent coverage.
Amount: .15 ounces (about 4.25g) priced at 12 USD (Approx RM 38-40)
The formula is intensely creamy and it melts to the touch, making even a little go a very long way. A thin application of Corpse Paint will mute the colour of your skin and it will dry to a matte powdery-like finish, great for achieving the 'not entirely alive' look or for adding highlights to special effects.
Apart from being insanely pigmented, it's also very slightly water resistant so it took a bit of effort to wash off. It doesn't leave your skin dry either, so that's an awesome bonus.
Here's some examples of what it'll look like with varying degrees of application. Sorry, but not going to use my face for this one because the shots were insanely tricky to get nice looking x_x
Light: Very small amount used:
Light/ dusted with pale translucent powder:
Medium/heavy: 2 layers, not dusted:
It still needs to be 'sealed' though, so a light dusting of finishing powder of your preference is a must if you're using more than just a thin layer (I think their Phantom Powder would work swell too!). Don't use body powder to set if you can, it's too heavy and tends to make the paint rub off during application.
The Corpse paint also comes out wonderfully matte, which is a massive plus given how often face paint comes out glossy. But it does settle into creases like any other makeup product so you could pair it with a primer for better effect. Personally I like it rather sheer as mutes all that annoying pinkness in my skin and replaces it with a marble-like pallor that I particularly enjoy.
I haven't yet given it a stress test to see how long lasting it really is (like a 4+ hour con for example), but I have no doubts that it will stay on if applied properly.
It would be awesome if Portland Black Lipstick Co. decides to do more colours down the line or decides to bundle it with Phantom Powder for those who really do need that sort of combo ;)
Rating: 4/5
Pros:
Affordable
Very easy to apply
Buildable coverage
Vegan
Unscented!!!
Cons:
Rather messy
Needs sealing for thicker layers
As described by their site:
Vegan Corpse Paint is a pancake makeup-style theater white, made with all natural ingredients. Matte white and unscented, this product can be applied lightly for a pale and powdery finish, blended with skin-toned foundation, or applied opaquely like a traditional greasepaint. Our formula contains mango butter and jojoba oil to help keep your skin soft and ensure comfortable wear while provided excellent coverage.
Amount: .15 ounces (about 4.25g) priced at 12 USD (Approx RM 38-40)
The ingredients are all natural and have no animal products, so it's suitable for vegans. Due to it's simplistic ingredients there's a chance it might be hypo allergenic as well, but don't take my word for it.
Apart from being insanely pigmented, it's also very slightly water resistant so it took a bit of effort to wash off. It doesn't leave your skin dry either, so that's an awesome bonus.
 |
| I only used this much for one layer! |
Light: Very small amount used:
 |
| I did not intentionally wear black nails for this review |
The Corpse paint also comes out wonderfully matte, which is a massive plus given how often face paint comes out glossy. But it does settle into creases like any other makeup product so you could pair it with a primer for better effect. Personally I like it rather sheer as mutes all that annoying pinkness in my skin and replaces it with a marble-like pallor that I particularly enjoy.
I haven't yet given it a stress test to see how long lasting it really is (like a 4+ hour con for example), but I have no doubts that it will stay on if applied properly.
It would be awesome if Portland Black Lipstick Co. decides to do more colours down the line or decides to bundle it with Phantom Powder for those who really do need that sort of combo ;)
Rating: 4/5
Pros:
Affordable
Very easy to apply
Buildable coverage
Vegan
Unscented!!!
Cons:
Rather messy
Needs sealing for thicker layers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)