Month: October 2013

Dia de Los Muertos Skull Paint for Men

I’ve seen plenty of gorgeous sugar skull makeup and makeup tutorials for the ladies, but what’s a guy to do for the Day of the Dead? Don’t worry guys, if you want in on the fun of dressing up for this occasion but fear that putting flowers on your face might somehow diminish your manliness, you can put your anxieties to rest. It’s perfectly possible to execute a kickass sugar skull look without being in danger of people calling you “ma’am”.

This how-to is specifically aimed at guys wanting to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos or Halloween with a sugar skull look and takes into account stuff that a guy is most likely to have on hand without going out and buying himself a whole freaking makeup kit that he’ll probably never use again.

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Let’s rock. Continue reading “Dia de Los Muertos Skull Paint for Men”

How to Drow: Dark Elf Makeup That Lasts

EDIT: Fuckyeahdrow was kind enough to reblog this post for other Drow fans out there. If you’re interested in dark elves, go check them out.

So, I’ve talked about how use alcohol-activated paint in a previous post but I haven’t really touched on the rest of the process to getting a good dark elf look. Of course, the colouration of the skin is difficult for any costume that requires a big deviation from your usual tone. Anyone who’s done a Wicked Witch of the West, Avatar, or Hellboy costume, for example, knows the headache that ensues when trying to get paint to stay on the skin and not wander all over wigs and clothes and everything you touch. If you’re doing a Drow in particular, your makeup coming off on your lovely white wig is a particular concern.

Well, the good news is, there are solutions. I’ve found two that work particularly well. One is a water-based paint makeup job. The other is an alcohol-activated paint job. Both have pros and cons and I’ll go through both of them so sit tight y’all, this is gonna be a long one!

I should also mention, before I get started, that although these tutorials are specifically geared toward dark elf makeup, the techniques described are useful for many other kinds of costumes so feel free to browse through for anything you can use.

To begin, let’s compare the pros and cons of the water-based and alcohol-activated makeups.

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Water-Based Makeup

Pros:

  • Cheap and easy to find.
  • Easy to put on. (Brush or makeup sponge + water.)
  • Easy to take off. (Soap and water.)
  • Lightweight and breathable.

Cons:

  • Easy to take off. (Even when you don’t want it to.)
  • Not a viable solution for colouring hands.
  • Requires a fixing spray or other sealer.

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Alcohol-Activated Paint

Pros:

  • Easy to put on. (99% Isopropyl alcohol + paint)
  • Will not come off. (Except in areas with a LOT of rubbing. ie: palms.)
  • Viable solution for colouring hands.
  • Does not require fixing spray or sealer.

Cons:

Sugar Skull Face Paint

Hi guys! I had a lovely Samhain party this weekend and, as I organize the photographs, I’ll present them here for you to make use of if you so desire. First on the list, because I’ve been poked by everyone who’s seen it so far, is a post on the sugar skull makeup I did on my wife.

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If you’re looking for a costume for Halloween that is cheap, relatively easy to do, and also deeply meaningful, this is a good one to consider. Continue reading “Sugar Skull Face Paint”

The Spider’s Parlour

The decorating of the living room is finished! And I’m completely exhausted. But here are some pictures for you!

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My Slytherin robe and my snake, Pepsi.

 

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The coffin table.  Continue reading “The Spider’s Parlour”

Rethinking Battles

Just a quick update to let y’all know that I finished editing chapter 12. I had to add in a lot more detail and rework one of the key features of the battle which I think I did handily. We shall see what Alex thinks!

Also, I just finished purchasing the last of my Samhain and Dia de los Muertos decorations … I swear. No more. … really. Last shopping trip. Mhum.

Halloween Hall of Shame

 

 

I bet you thought I was exaggerating yesterday with my post. No. No, I wish I were. I walked for two blocks on a single street in my neighbourhood snapping photos of Halloween fails. Here they are and here’s how to fix them if you find yourself committing the same offences. Identifying markers have been obscured to protect the tasteless.

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What happened here? Seriously, did a giant can of silly string vomit on your lawn after eating Barney the Dinosaur? 1. Spiders do not build webs that are purple or green. 2. Spiders build webs primarily to catch prey. This couldn’t catch a cold from a toddler. 3. LAZY.

Spiders do build giant webs that cover trees. They look like this:

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(This lovely little nightmare is courtesy of Geekosystem.)

The fix: You’ve got to stretch the fibres of the web out until they form gauzy, transparent sheets. Otherwise, they don’t look like spiderwebs. They look like really cheap, awful garland that has been through a dog and out the other end. Continue reading “Halloween Hall of Shame”

Stop Failing at Halloween

Stop Failing at Halloween

It has come to my attention that many people in my neighbourhood do not know how to decorate for Halloween. It seems that the only thing most people really know how to do is Christmas.

Folks, stretchable spider web is NOT garland. You don’t wrap it around trees. You don’t string it between things in thick ropes. You don’t put it up in clumps unless you’re making a spider egg sac.

Do not use any colour but white unless you plan to have a blacklight on it. Seriously. It looks stupid. Spider silk is universally white regardless of the type of spider.

I know this is a cheap decoration to buy, but if you’re not planning on using it properly, don’t bother. Take the time to stretch it out like it’s supposed to be or leave it on the shelf and get yourself some streamers.

Forging a Writer

Forging a Writer

Wordsmith am I.
My craft I know.
My trade I ply
by forge-fire glow.

And scathing spark
oft touch my face.
Kiss’d in the dark,
I hold my place.

My muscles quake.
My eyes are dry.
The heat does bake
the tears I cry.

In silence, birth,
by hammer’s ring,
steel from earth
my soul I wring.

By anvil’s clamour
I shape my art
I raise my hammer
and strike my heart.

Of pieces that fall
I beat the blade.
My bread is gall
e’er I be paid.

Pass me through fire.
Perfection I need.
A sword of desire,
for this I bleed.

Softling dear,
burned I your dreams?
Shame, I can’t hear,
above mine own screams.

Two posts in one day? Say it ain’t so! Well, I was randomly inspired to write about what it means to me to be an author. I usually don’t spit out stuff that rhymes so this was interesting.

Home Made Ginger Tea

Ginger tea VS cold season: GO! 

So, I mentioned in an earlier post that was making some ginger tea in the dehydrator. I decided to share this arcane knowledge with the rest of the world because the tea it produces is absolutely divine.

What drove me to make my own tea? Well, where I live, it’s difficult to get your hands on just plain ginger tea without paying around eight to twelve dollars for 20 sachets at a health food store. There’s all sorts of blends: ginger & lemon, honey ginger, ginger, lemon & honey, ginger, lemon, mint & fennel (EW.), ginger & chamomile …

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STOP MESSING WITH MY TEA DAMNIT!

Ahem. Sorry. As I was saying, sometimes, I just want a tea that aids in digestion or calms an upset stomach. Yes, you might want to add some lemon to it if you have a cold, or some honey if you’ve got a sore throat, but most of the time I just like the clean, spicy flavour of ginger. Continue reading “Home Made Ginger Tea”

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