I'm posting this for someone who is a very dear friend of mine, and who also happens to be a fellow Kaboodler. I hope she doesn't mind my passing this message along on here, but I do it only in the hopes that it will stir more people to open their hearts to her and the situation she and her family are struggling to improve.

It is never easy in life to ask for help. This is not asking, it is a cry for help. Although I have yet to physically meet Rebecca, she is like a sister to me. There have been times in our decade-long friendship, which blossomed through a message board, when I could not have gotten through without her. She is incredibly caring, sweet, and wickedly funny. If there was a way for me to pick her and her family up and move them to Philly with me, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Even if you cannot donate, PLEASE, pass this link along. And I hope this isn't against any Kaboodle rules, if it is then I apologize but this needed to be put out there.

http://www.gofundme.com/kaf84

Hey all...long time no hear from, I know. Things haven't been going very well so I've been trying to get myself back together again. I hope to be back in full force once I figure out what's happening with my hip. Not to mention my hours at work will be sliced-n-diced so I should have a bunch of extra time on my hands *rolls eyes*

I truly hope everyone is well. So sorry for not being the Kaboodler you are used to me being =(

<3 Harlot

First off, I must apologize for my recent absence. I simply have not had the chance to check in with Kaboodle-Land for some time now.
I just finished a two week overnight stint at work, during which I helped construct the new "Destination: Beauty" section at my Target store. The new set up was a total pain in the ass but it looks great.

The week before I went overnight I came down with a nasty cold that caused me to miss basically two days of work. Then my first week of overnight, when I was just starting to get over my cold, I came down with a horrible stomach bug. I'm about 95% sure I had food poisoning =( I missed another two nights and I just haven't felt like myself all the way since. On the bright side? I discovered I lost 20 pounds! Still have a ways to go, but it was definitely nice to see that I'm making progress.

This week I was supposed to see one of my fave bands, Mindless Self Indulgence, with the bestie but unfortunately while she was on her way to pick me up [literally, she was around the corner] she got into a car accident. Everyone walked away in one piece thankfully, though my friend did end up with a nasty scrape along her neck and various aches and pains.

On top of all of this, my poor Amethyst hasn't been feeling very well either. She seems to be on the mend now but as her 'mommy' I still worry. She's my furry little baby, I never like to see her feeling under the weather.


Things seem to be looking up however. I go back to working my usual 6am-2:30 shift on Monday and yesterday I attended the Monster Mania horror convention in Cherry Hill, New Jersey where I met a bunch of awesome celebs. I FINALLY got to meet Robert Englund aka the original Freddy Krueger!! I have been a huuuge fan of his since I was four years old and this was the third attempt at meeting him. As they say, third time's the charm =D Not only did I get to meet him/get an autograph but later in the day me and my friends ended up in an elevator with him, much to our amusement. He was very cool.

Another OMG! meeting for me was the cast of "The Blair Witch Project", a film that is one of my non-guilty pleasures. I don't know what it is about that movie that makes me love it so much but I refuse to feel guilty for loving it lol. It was really cool meeting Michael, Josh and Heather and I got to be part of a prank that Josh played on Heather, resulting in an extra autographed photo that's quite silly. All three of them also complimented me on my necklace which I thought was funny.
Got to meet Kristin Bauer aka Pam from "True Blood", who is one of the most adorable ladies I have ever met. So incredibly nice and gracious. She is also quite stunning in person, kind of reminded me of Sheri Moon Zombie.
Lastly, was Nicholas Brendan who I missed out on meeting at June's Wizard World. He's one of the funniest people I've ever met, his Q&A sessions are hysterical to witness. He was very cool and had quite the grip on my shoulder when we posed for our picture....not that I minded! =P

The last picture are the pendants that I picked up at the convention. The first set are by Kalliope Kreations [www.kalliopekreations.com, www.facebook.com/KalliopeKreations]  and the 2nd set is by a man named Chris Orlando whose cameos you've seen me wear in photos often. He doesn't have a website sadly but his work is AMAZING, I'm a huge fan. I also finally picked up a print by an artist who I met at Wizard World named CJ Draden [www.facebook.com/CJDraden], who has an amazing piece he's been working on that's his spin on Pinocchio. His style is very distinctive and I love how he mixes mediums to create his art. He's also a nice fellow to chat with. The print that I got was of Pyramid Head from "Silent Hill", and ironically enough there was someone dressed as Pyramid Head at the convention. It was a fantastic costume.


So that is that...hope everyone is well and I will do my best to get caught up on what you have been up too while I've been gone.

<3

This is my friend/co-worker Marquita =) She does modeling on the side and has been trying to get me to do her makeup for ages now. I was finally able to take her up on the offer and this is what I did for her runway show.

The top photo is the inspiration. I found this image online and thought it would be perfect for her. The two dresses she would be wearing were basic and allowed me the freedom of doing something colorful. Not to toot my own horn or anything but I am REALLY pleased with how this came out. My camera kind of sucks, it definitely did not capture the vibrancy of the gold or the dimension I was able to achieve. I also was short on time so I wasn't able to do as much as I wanted to do as far as eyeliner/lashes and I didn't get to line her brows =/

What I used
Face:
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer
Maybelline FIT foundation in #255
MAC Don't Be Shy blush

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MAC Gorgeous Gold, Cranberry, Black Tied and Crystal Avalanche eyeshadows
MAC pigment in Golden Lemon and Accent Red
MAC Powerpoint eyeliner in Engraved
L'Oreal Voluminous False Lashes mascara in Blackest Black

Lips:
MAC Lip Gelee in Amber Russe


I'm looking to start doing makeup on others more frequently, in the hopes that I may be able to eventually apply to work for a certain makeup company *wink*wink*. I've got much to work on. I'm still a little nervous when it comes to using eyeliner on someone other than myself. Marquita does a fair bit of modeling and I'm going to use that to as much of my advantage as possible.
From what my friend told me so far, everyone at the runway show loved what I did [including her] so I'm pleased.

So I FINALLY got some time to organize my closet. I got rid of tons [donated, as always] and was able to work out a new system for my shoes. The first photo is my new and improved shoe organization. I got the bins from work, they were $5.99 for a five-pack and are actually for shoes so they fit heels! I ended up only using one for that, and since it was flats and flip-flops I was storing I was able to get 2 pairs into each. You can't see it, but where the boots leave off I've got a second pair [my knee-high Grip Fast steel toes that I wore to my senior prom =P], and my cute girly cowboy boots.

Next, I'm really excited to share that I'm close to booking time with an up-and-coming photographer to bring one of my literary creations to 'life'! My friend Jamie and I are collaborating on a story that's basically faery tales for the grown-ups. Think of the classic characters but all with a twist, such as vampires and zombies, witches, and one bad ass huntress. The photo shoot will involve me dressing up as the main three female characters: Redd, Cindra and Wynter. Last night boredom struck and I decided to practice some makeup ideas for Redd. I'll be putting together the costumes and the hair/makeup for all three so if any of you lovelies have ideas for me, feel free to create a styleboard or a list and send it my way =D

What I used:
Smashbox Photo Finish foundation primer
Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse foundation in Light/1
MAC blush from the Barbie collection, in Don't Be Shy
MAC Cranberry, Beauty Marked, Fertile, and Taupeless eyeshadows
MAC Engraved Powerpoint eyeliner
ELF liquid eye liner in black [still working on those skills...]
A random light brown ELF eyeshadow for my brows
Maybelline Falsies Flared mascara in Glam Black
MAC Subculture lip liner
MAC Lightly Ripe lipstick

@Sorapandora's clown boards made me think back to when I decided to dress up as Britney Spears for Halloween, back in 2009. I was OBSESSED with the song/video for "Circus" and was like, I should dress up like that!
I've always really liked the circus, and sideshows, although clowns terrify me like you have no idea. I'm scared to death of them lol.

These are actually the images I used as inspiration for the costume and my makeup.
Originally I was trying to copy the ringmaster outfit that she wears at the start of the video, but for some reason I had a difficult time finding black shorts [of all things] that would work for it. Then I walked into Hot Topic and found the tutu, so I went with that. It's not exact, but it worked.
The coat I found online and it was even more amazing in person. I wish you could see all the detail. It's black velvet with a wide satin ribbon tying up the back like a corset, and there's lace all along the trim and the bell sleeves. I borrowed a friend's purple corset and wore a black tank underneath, and the vintage jewelry was once my grandmother's.

The hair is a wig, obviously lol. It was much better than I expected it to be. The color was spot on, and so was the wavy style. The top hat I found at a costume store at the last minute.

My makeup is more or less all MAC. I used a lot of stuff for it lol. The foundation is just plain Maybelline, but it's five shades darker than what I would normally wear and I added some bronzer to fake the Britney-tan. I was still kinda pale though =X Almost everyone just thought I was like a ringmaster girl but a few actually got who I was trying to be. It was the first year I attended the Henri David ball here in Philly, the start of a new tradition for me and my friends.