Prom!

I know it's still somewhat early, but to give prom attendees some time to pick and practice makeup looks that appeal to them, I have started planning some tutorials for the occasion.

In fact, I already have one up.

Granted, I started with something that isn't quite so classic--it's an intense jewel-tone smoky eye--but there are girls who aren't so big on looking like most everyone else, and this particular tutorial actually doesn't take a lot of time, that I thought it wasn't such a bad place to start.

However, keep an eye out for looks on my YouTube channel that are closer to traditional if they are more your style. After all, with the exception of tutorials I put out for Halloween or costume parties, I like keeping the looks I create on the wearable side.

I also made a playlist for future prom and bridal-style makeup tutorials, which you can view by clicking HERE. Now watch it grow! ;)

Right now I will be getting some rest to make up for being pretty busy in the past few days as my family is visiting and my dog's got a cough that rears its head most especially at bedtime, but I will be back soon. I hope to film another tutorial by tomorrow.

Wishing you well wherever you are in the world,

~Lea

P.S.

You certainly don't have to be a prom attendee or a bride or bridesmaid to benefit from the aforementioned playlist. If you love playing with makeup, by all means take a look, as there just might be something there that calls out to you!

Makeup Looks Inspired by "The Runaways"

Since the movie The Runaways is going to be released on March 19th (at least in the U.S.), I thought I'd play around with creating inspired looks for the two stars/main characters for anyone who's a fan of either the actors or the "rock chick" sort of makeup they have on in the film.

These videos have been up on my YouTube channel for quite a few days now, but I'll post them here as well for those who happen to come across this blog post instead of the actual videos.

The first one I put up is based off of Kristen Stewart and Joan Jett, who Kristen plays in the movie. It has a different feel from the way Joan wears her makeup these days--as the movie is set in the 1970s--so I just might do a more modern Joan Jett video tutorial sometime in the future. After all, I think Joan is super hot, be it yesterday or today!

The second tutorial I posted has a somewhat more feminine, as opposed to tomboyish, feel to it, although it's not your basic perfect pretty makeup either. I put the look together using Dakota Fanning and Cherie Currie as inspiration. Dakota plays The Runaways' lead singer Cherie in the movie. Did you know that these days Cherie is a chainsaw artist?

There you have them. I'm slightly more preoccupied than usual at the moment because my family is visiting me from the other side of the state, but I already have so many more videos planned, so stay tuned if you enjoy makeup tutorials. I'll be putting up a bunch of prom looks in particular, as it's that time of year when prom attendees are seeking inspiration for one of the most anticipated times in the life of many a teen.

I'll see you again really soon. Thanks for stopping by today!

~Lea

Janis Joplin, Tomorrow's Tutorial and My Rescued Dog

As I write this, I have on that hairstyle you see in the above photo. The makeup to match is all that's missing for you to figure out who the inspiration is for my next tutorial.

...but hold on!

No need to devote so much time and effort to guessing who I'm basing my next instructional makeup video on if the hair isn't enough of a clue. I'll film it tomorrow and post the video on my YouTube channel as soon as I'm done editing it.

Right now, I have my "How I Would Have Done Janis Joplin's Makeup" tutorial pretty freshly uploaded on YouTube, so you can view it to help with your makeup fix, if that's what you're looking for.

This video was actually quite easy to edit, but I took slightly longer than usual to put it up because I've been busy.

Busy loving my new baby, Lakota, that is!

My sweetheart, who'd been researching Australian Cattle Dogs/Blue Heelers for six months before finally getting this one, rescued Lakota from a dog shelter about an hour away; he was already on the "URGENT!" list, and maybe that's what was necessary to catch my fiance's attention.

Lakota, named after the Lakota Sioux Native Americans who my sweetheart and I very much resonate with, is everything that my sweetheart's been looking for in a Blue Heeler, from his appearance to his temperament to his intelligence and so on and so forth.

Although he's a blessing I am very much grateful for, I won't go into so much detail on our sweet doggie for now; my sweetheart may vlog and/or blog about him, so I won't take that away from him hahaha!

Nevertheless, you can expect to see and hear more from me about this furry angel as we go along because he's my baby too. Stick with me if you love doggies!

Who knows, he just might make an appearance here and there in my videos.

Good night from California and I'll see you again very soon!

~Lea

Coffee, Red Velvet Cupcake and Another Special Treat

If we're going to be spending quite some time with each other here, you might as well know about my love for coffee.

No, I didn't start drinking it at a very young age, nor did my elders encourage me to foster the habit growing up. (In fact, my parents told me repeatedly that coffee isn't for kids and that drinking it can be quite unhealthy.)

However, with the advent of Starbucks shops, I inevitably tried gourmet coffee on an afternoon out with one of my closest girlfriends sometime immediately after my college years. Not being a big fan of mood-altering substances, all throughout my life I'd steered clear of even the most basic over-the-counter cough, cold and flu medications as much as I possibly could. You can only imagine then how that sugar-filled blast of coffee hit me.

All was right with the world in my eyes at that moment in time, and I did not hesitate to tell my friend so. I was so thrilled to be living the first day of the rest of my life, standing on the edge of a new beginning and all that jazz... My heart, jumping with the caffeine racing through my veins, felt to me to be jumping for joy.

A coffee aficionado was born that day.

It remains the only "drug" that I regularly ingest, as I never built up a personal fondness for alcohol, tobacco, and friends.

...unless you count salt, which I crave from time to time.

But shucks, enough with this chatter I'm using as an excuse to keep from cleaning up before a special surprise shows up at my doorstep about an hour or less from now.

Once I post a vlog and/or blog after this wonderful new love that's coming into my life, you'll know why picking my makeup, books, and most everything else off of the floor is going to be essential from this moment on.

I'll be back with word on the surprise as soon as I can.

For now, I'll put my half-eaten red velvet cupcake back in its box and begin tidying up (and I really should hop to it if I want to have any makeup left to do YouTube tutorials with, as this "surprise" might not be so aware that lipstick is made to be applied instead of nibbled on).

I'll see you later!

~Lea

P.S.: In case you were curious, that coffee in the photo above is a Vanilla Biscotti/French Vanilla blend.

Inspired Playboy-Style Makeup and My Upcoming (Fantasy) Tutorial

During the Halloween season in 2009, I posted on my channel a video where I created a Playboy-style look inspired by the makeup worn by the models on the pages of Hugh Hefner's magazine.

This was at the time I had just discovered YouTube's Audio Swap feature, where the music of your choice from the website's selection completely replaces any audio you may have on your video. Hence, I wasn't speaking as I conducted the tutorial, and told myself I could always do a better one later on.

Surely enough, I felt moved to experiment with the Playboy theme again in a second video, which I put together for anyone who didn't have all the time in the world at any given moment, but nevertheless wanted those distinctive sultry black-rimmed eyes and glossy full lips.

In this third flirtation of mine with this makeup style, I studied photos of makeup artist Alexis Vogel's (see the video below to find out more about her) work prior to filming the tutorial. I ended up with considerably darker eyes and somewhat frostier lips than in either of the previous videos, and these appeared especially striking against the blond mane I have on this time around.

I must say, I really enjoy painting on this sultry look, and will probably create more tutorials based on it in the future. I'll put a spin on each one I do, so that viewers and subscribers can see definite differences from one to the next.

In the meantime, the next video I'm thinking of filming is one where the inspiration for the look (vague hint: she's a celebrity who passed away before I was born) wasn't known for wearing makeup. So what I'm going to do is play with the idea of how I would have applied her makeup. As I write this, I only have a vague notion of how I will be going about it, but as usual...

I'm already so VERY excited!

I'll leave you with that clue that probably won't get you anywhere at the moment (haha, those of you who are regular readers must know by now about my penchant for keeping my ideas a surprise until I have some kind of physical manifestation to share with you!). Let's just say that lovers of both vintage and rock 'n roll style may appreciate what I come up with next...

I'll see you soon!

~Lea

Not Your Usual Bridal Makeup Tutorials Coming Soon!

Although I liked the end result of the "Sexy/Glam Bridesmaid or Wedding Guest Makeup" tutorial I posted recently on my YouTube channel, I'm not stopping there...

Those of you who are getting married soon, or at least sometime in the future, and want to be your own makeup artist can use my upcoming wedding makeup tutorials as your guide. This may especially apply to you if you want to look different from the typical bride, but still retain that classic feel so that you won't flip through your wedding photos ten years from now and go berserk at how crazy the makeup was.

I'll create an entire playlist especially for bridal looks, so stay tuned to this blog and to my channel if you enjoy wedding makeup tutorials (after all, they can be worn anytime you want to look elegant and refined, sometimes even sweet, depending on the look you are going for!).

If you'd rather be pampered on your special day and allow a professional makeup artist to work her magic on your face, I invite you to browse through my coming bridal makeup tutorials as well and see...

Maybe you'd like to work with me. ;)

Wishing you a lovely night from my corner of the Universe,

~Lea

At my wedding when I was considerably younger. Someone else applied my makeup since I wasn't a professional makeup artist yet at the time.

My Main Inspiration for the "Gaga" Look

If you've seen the video, "Lady Gaga Does Old Hollywood (Inspired) Makeup Tutorial," on my YouTube channel, you may be wondering what's so Gaga-ish about the soft look I created.

After all, the famous pop and dance music star is known for her outrageous fashion sense.

However, if you do a little bit of research, you'll see that Gaga has actually had moments where her makeup isn't so wild. She may have on an eccentrically creative outfit, yet paired the ensemble with a rather fresh face.

While I didn't exactly recreate any look of hers in particular, I did use a certain photo as a springboard for the tutorial. At the bottom of this blog post, you'll see Gaga wearing makeup colors very similar to what I had on in my video. Sure, my eyebrows are darker and my lashes aren't as heavy, nor are they downturned like hers, but you'll see the similarity.

I really enjoyed myself in the process of filming this video--the pinks are in my opinion absolutely pretty, AND I had that blond wig on. The experience has me wondering if I ought to go platinum blond for a little bit and just have fun with it.

...or I could just go the Gaga route and change my hair whenever I feel like it with the help of any color and style of hairpiece or wig that currently catches my fancy.

Let's see...!

I'll be back with much more,

~Lea

Gaga donning the look that was my main inspiration for this video. Note: I do not own the above photo.