Woo! Nail Art Selfies!

The Costume Closet

I've recently taken on a new venue for belly dancing and had to overhaul my professional costume collection for repairs and size changes AND I got to add a few new ones to the mix :) I've been trying to figure out where the 'holes' are in my dance wardrobe. You know, that one skirt that makes 6 new costumes or that one bra and belt set that blows open your color options?

This is the pride and joy of my costume collection- I've been wanting a Pharaonics Great Loop costume of my very own for YEARS and I finally nabbed this beautiful set! The sequins are holographic royal blue and the beads holding them down are purple iris so it shimmers between blue and purple and has such lush thick fringe. There were a few challenges with shipping because of two orders placed near the same time that got confused and as a result, the shop sent me two free skirts as a thank you for my business. SCORE!! The sent me a skirt like this one:

 

and another one called a 'double skirt' that has a turquoise layer and a royal blue layer so it's amazing with a layer slightly tucked up to reveal the other color and it's reversible.  (The one in the picture below doesn't have the turquoise under layer but it gives you the idea).

The costume order that got confused with it was for this beauty of a turquoise fringe monster :D

Obviously I've got the 'blue' spectrum well covered at this point so I have to keep telling myself NO when I see another beautiful blue set. Oddly enough, I don't see too many teal costumes. Teal is my favorite color but apparently not popular with dancers or perhaps just the Egyptian designers...

Some of you may remember my progress pictures from making The Green Monster? Love this one and just discovered that I can sneak a fluffy circle skirt over the lycra and ruffles and tuck it under the attached skinny belt embroidery for a whole new look!

Then there's my old favorite coin costume which you may also remember progress photos from. This one had some serious reconstruction needed because a metal ornament that was forming the center of all the coin and chain belly drapes snapped earlier this year. I replaced it with a vintage necklace from my grandmother and viola!

I have an ivory lace costume with iridescent crystals and pearls that I made a year or two ago that still feels like it needs something. I haven't been able to figure out why it still looks awkward. The top is gorgeous but something ain't right with the skirt. Thoughts?

This flame costume is a black velvet with red metallic foil and LOTS of crystal rhinestones.

So I've got blue, turquoise, emerald green, mixed metal (with teal base), ivory lace and pearl, and red and black flames with gold accents. That leaves purple, black and white, silver, and pink which will likely never happen (not a color I enjoy). Must plot designs...

Going, Going, GONE!

Twice a year Jamberry retires a ton of amazing nail designs to make way for a new season of style. As of this post we have 13 days to claim our favorites from Fall of 2013 before they're gone forever!

http://kissmytips.jamberrynails.net/category/going-going-gone

They are retiring almost HALF the catalog! We have over 350 designs- that is a LOT. I'm going to be over on my pinterest making my Fall Farewell Wishlist. You can check it out if you're curious what I can't live without.

Visions Are Dancing...

Ok, I'll admit it. I'm a nail art addict. Not only am I completely in raptures over the Jamberry nail wraps that you can get on the website but they have this little thing called... The Nail Art Studio. *gulp* Want to see my latest creation?

I have visions of all the mermaid rainbow flashing from the tips of my fingers! Each curved end goes against a cuticle so what you're looking at is a sheet that will do around 4 full sets of manicures or pedicures. Throw some glitter top coat on top of these and I will be a gonner for sure :D I'll be ordering sheets of these before the end of January- once I try a few more color combinations to make sure I've got my favorite ;)

Radiant Orchid is All the Rage for 2014

Tie together your own pretty purple style with 4 newly released nail art styles from Jamberry Nails. We're talking about major savings in time and money at about $4 a manicure and about 15-20 minutes for application time- you do it at home WITH YOUR BLOWDRYER! Woah.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

An Accounting of FaerieWorlds 2012

We took 2 days to drive out. Missed our turn at Pocatello, ID and ended up in Idaho Springs so we took Hwy 20 across to Mountain Home, ID. This route turned out to be gorgeous! We stopped at Craters of the Moon National Monument and oohed and ahhed over the lava flows for a bit. That day turned out to be 18 hours of travel time. I drove the last 2-3 hours and it was on Old Mackenzie Hwy. I failed to notice that my gps was set to avoid highways! This road is apparently stunning in the daylight. At night it was 20 miles an hour of hair pin turn after hair pin turn. I'm glad I was driving!

Day one of FaerieWorlds we set up our tents and I set out to make a few deliveries. I made a reversible hood for the Pandora Celtica drummer Shadow Cat (shown below) and a feathered unicorn horn for a fae friend's little girl :) I lucked out and found both of them as I traveled around the grounds the first time. 

For the first day I wore a chiton in watery teal with Mermaiden Creations flower hair pins, a brocade belt and a custom ivy torque created for me by Gypsy Moon Art Studio along with my el-wire wings (lights off during the day). 

After deliveries I came back for a nap. The 3 hours of sleep we'd managed was so not going to cut it. That night I got some video of my wings in action (embedded below). I was having fun until some old lady that was either crazy or on drugs (perhaps both) nearly folded my wing in half as she shoved to the front of the audience for the Niyaz concert. I eventually gave up my prime location for someplace where people weren't beating up my wings.

 

Day two I wore a black skirt, chain belt, snake skin bra/bustier, messy braids and my dragon Sprocket. I don't have any good pictures of that day yet though several were taken by people admiring my dragon. Bought a cotton pocket belt at a steal of a price and wandered around trying to visit all the merchants. And when I say all the merchants, there were a LOT. That night was Delhi 2 Dublin and they freaking rocked the house! The musicians jump and dance the whole time! I guess they have a new album coming out later this summer :)

Day three I wore my green velvet tied pants and leaf top with my manaed horns and my dragon again as I had a friend that wanted to meet him. I had to wear a turban under the horns because my hair likes to felt in evil ways around the water weeds :P 

I bought a custom maile necklace and matching earrings from one of the vendors that I had chatted with a few times. That night was Donovan on the main stage and I gotta say, I wasn't that impressed. Not my generation I guess. Lindsey Stirling had performed that day too and she was a kick in the pants :) www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7UpqueDrCc

Overall I had a good time. I had great friends with me and the music was fantastic. It seems that all there was to do was shop or watch the music. It's become more commercial than I remember from 2009. Thankfully most of the merchants are still hand making their items. I would have loved to see some activity booths like mask making or painting or something. All these creative people with no opportunity to build! One of my travel mates asked many of the vendors how they were doing with sales and all said it was a slow show. She thought there were too many vendors for the number of people in attendance.

It was a very different place between day and night. Once the sun went down there were a lot of drugs :( People dropping acid and smoking pot and vomiting by the port o potties. Some dudes high on acid were tripping out on the solar powered rope lights I had around my tent. I was especially unamused as I was trying to sleep. This was in the outer grove were there wasn't supposed to be partying. I enjoyed my trip back to faerieworlds but I think I will seek out a new adventure for future trips. Maybe DragonCon or Labyrinth of Jareth.