Friday, June 22, 2012

In Which I Play the Role of Tim Burton and Devote My Life to Johnny Depp




This is my best friend Venessa

"She's a Scrape- part Square, part Drape. I think she's pretty."

She loves Johnny Depp. Like, loooooves him. 

Particularly in Cry Baby.

So I cross stitched this:

"You got it, Venessa. You got it RAW."

And it only took me me five years!  No, really.  It took me five years.  I have a tendency to get bored with a project if it takes too long.  Plus, this was only my second cross stitch project and I got in a little over my head.  In the beginning I'd intended this to be a Christmas gift for Venessa.  That was in the summer of 2007.  Yeeeeah. Obviously that didn't happen.  Every year since then I would pick Johnny back up around August and say "I'm going to finish this and present it to her for Christmas!" Every. Single. Year.  That, also, didn't happen.  Clearly.  Over the last five years I would pick it up sporadically throughout the year but I never really made significant progress all at once. 

Last month I got laid off  and found myself with an abundance of free time.  So after finishing a few crochet projects I vowed that I wouldn't start another one until this was finished.  For once I actually did what I said I would ! Woooooo!

So, I used this picture:

"I think you're really hep!"

And went to www.picturecraftwork.com where they will convert any picture into a cross stitch chart.  You can select how many stitches and colors are used and your new custom chart is just a click away!  They even give you a list of exactly which floss colors to use.  This site really could not be easier to use.  I love it!

So, despite the fact that it shouldn't have taken half a decade, I'm really happy with the results.  Especially after spending so long staring at it deconstructed into little pixels.  Sort of like Seurat.  It's all just a mess of colored dots until you step back and take in the entire thing.  The highlights in Johnny's hair and the leather are especially cool to me.  

So now my five years dedicated to Johnny Depp are over.  And Venessa, by the way, really likes it!  She hung it on her wall across from her bed, so this is what she wakes up to:

Rawr





Monday, May 28, 2012

Beauty Review: Blinc Tube Mascara

I recently ran out of my all time favorite mascara. Tragic, right? A few weeks before that I had stumbled across Blinc Tube Mascara online and was intrigued. So I ordered a tube, though I admittedly did not pay the full $26 price on their website. I got it for about 12 bucks on Amazon. Yay discount!

It arrived and I was so excited to try it! I immediately ran to the bathroom to put it on. The first thing I discovered- let the stuff dry before you start attempting sexy face poses in the mirror (everyone else does that too, right?). I got black smears across my brow bone and eyelids. Ok! Second attempt! This time things went swimmingly. I allowed the mascara time to set up and my sexy face poses were definitely a success.

Yeah, work it.

Blinc Tube Mascara is actually an acrylic copolymer , which is basically a plastic. You coat your lashes with it, and it creates little lash-shaped tubes right around your lashes. So, unlike most traditional mascaras, once it's on your lashes, it's on there! For those of you who don't know me, I am a huge cry baby. I cry about everything. Happy? Cry. Sad? Cry. Stressed? Cry. Watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the 74826.5th time? Cry. I just can't help it. I'm a sensitive, fragile flower. I have cried (repeatedly) while wearing this mascara and there was no tell tale, Tammy Faye-esque black rivulets running down my face afterward. It was awesome. I have also worked out while wearing this mascara and aside from dripping sweat and grasping the stitch in my side, I still looked awesome. I have even slept in this mascara (I know I'm supposed to take my makeup off before bed. Do as I say, not as I do, kids.) and I didn't wake up looking like a deranged raccoon as usual.

Good morning, lover.

To take off this mascara you just need warm water and gentle pressure. No eye makeup remover needed! I have found it to be easiest to remove in the shower. Your lashes need to be good and saturated for the water to loosen the adhesive stuff (technical term) that makes the mascara stick to your lashes. Apply gentle pressure and pull, and the mascara slides right off. You're left with funny little rubbery looking lash-shaped squiggles in your hand. Which, for some reason, never fails to delight me. *shrug*

My only issues with this mascara are that I've been having a tough time making my lashes keep a curl. The Blinc website says that that shouldn't be a problem so maybe it's just me. My other issue was that while this mascara is GREAT at lengthening, it didn't do much for me in the thickening department. Again, the website says that with a few more coats my problem will be solved, so I think I'll just keep experimenting and see if I have better results.

There are some really awesome videos and other ideas on the website. They even suggest using Blinc over your favorite mascara, which might be what I'll go with in the future. It also comes in colors other than black, including blue, green, and purple. Fun! It's great for people with sensitive eyes, contact and eyeglass wearers, and doesn't flake. It's also vegan and not tested on animals.

For the record, though, my all time favorite mascara is Mary Kay's waterproof, and I will more than likely be switching back to it soon. It lengthens AND thickens like no other mascara I've ever used. But, all in all, I'm pretty impressed with this unique mascara! It was definitely worth a try.