Quickie Response regarding Side to Side Garter Stitch Gloves

Dee left a lovely comment searching for a pattern for side to side gloves - I'm such a technodork that I can't figure out how to email you, Dee, and thought I'd post a response for you here - hope you see this!

The glove pattern is a custom sized on created by a fabulous Bigfork, MT knitting teacher. It is really quite ingenious. I'll pull it out from my pattern stash this evening and post either a link to the pattern or a link to the teacher's contact page. She might even have a formula for you to work out a custom sized pair yourself. I don't even remember her name off hand (I feel badly for that - she was so wonderful! It was also quite some time ago!). But I'll get you the info as quick as I can! They work up pretty quickly, too - maybe a weekend or so.

Soon, Dee! I promise!

Why Do You Wear Makeup?

Been thinking about this one a little bit lately. There's been some interesting discussion over on the Aromaleigh Forums dealing with explaining to a husband/boyfriend/girlfriend/partner/mother just WHY a girl might like painting her lips and lids. So often significant others feel that you are simply, perfectly gorgeous without a speck of makeup on. And they are in fact RIGHT! However, knowledge of your own physical perfect doesn't really quash the fears that maybe your brows could be stronger or more finely arched, or lips could be fuller, cheeks hollower, eyes sparklier, whatever.

What I tell women in my store, when they are perusing the lotions and potions and pearly powders on my counters, is this: A girl should only do that which pleases her heart and her eye. NEVER wear makeup because you feel you "need it," or worse yet, because "everyone else expects you too."

OK - so now what. Well, I have a partial list of reasons for using cosmetics, and I'd love to see it fleshed out. So interesting, this little bit of superficiality which can, in fact, amplify the view of your SELF to the entire world, if you engage in the polishing and primping under full consciousness.

Here's the list so far:

1. I wear makeup because I feel better about myself when I do. Now this has nothing to do with my FLAWS, real or imagined. Truly, I pencil my brows because I find that my eyes have more prominence when I do so. Same with mascara. Without those bits of artifice I feel that my eyes become no more important that my cheek, or nose, or earlobe. And I'd really much rather have people pay attention to my eyes than my earlobe. More information comes from those eyes!

2. I wear makeup because it can be a delightful bit of creativity. The colors alone make me happy. They don't even have to be colors that "look good" on me to please me. And the application doesn't even have to make me look "better." Sometimes just looking different is well enough.

3. I wear makeup because I like being able to mold the responses of others based on what I choose to project. Do I want to feel fresh, youthful, fun and have people respond to me in that way? Then it's light on the eyes, fresh and clear or bright on the lips, rosy cheeks, softer brows. On the other end of the spectrum, am I tired of being treated like a second class citizen? Do I want to perhaps send the message that people best not cross me? Then I'll darken those brows even more, strengthen the arch, line those eyes, maybe shroud them in a dark shadow AND work that dark Gothic Chic lip. Channel my inner Natasha. Yeah, you BETTER take a step backwards, darling. I just might bite!

4. I wear makeup because I want to stand out from the crowd. If everyone else at an event is likely to be doing minimal or fresh, then I might choose to pack it on, wear the falsies, sparkle plenty, just to state loud and clear that I am different from all the rest.

5. I wear makeup because I want to fit in. Sometimes, you really do just want to go with the flow, match others around you. If you need to gain trust, or have strangers instantly feel comfortable, you mirror their actions and expressions and voice inflections. Not mimic, just mirror. Same thing with appearance. Working a business suit crowd? You'll more effectively deliver your intended message if your appearance doesn't pose a distraction. So look like those you'll be circulating among! Wear a suit, or reasonable facsimile thereof. Style your hair to a similar level of doneness. Wear a similar style of makeup, usually more classic, traditional or understated, with maybe just a "power lip."

Now as an aside, I think that many women start wearing makeup because they want to fit in. Think about middle school or high school, those tender years when you are simultaneously discovering a whole LOT about yourself, who you are, what your beliefs and values are, what you want to BE when you grow up AND trying desperately to fit in with your chosen social group. Notice that is is rarely, if ever, phrased as what you want to DO when you grow up. Always BE. No wonder high school and college is fraught with such intense anxiety! Anyway, cosmetics can be used to send a visual signal regarding what tribe you belong to. Kohl rimmed eyes and frosty lip gloss, or no makeup, or a punk take on it all become gravely important when finding your group. Imagine trying to join the Jocks if you are the figurative 98 Pound Weakling. Or imagine trying to break into the Popular Kids circle without the "right" brand of jeans. Or imagine trying to hang with the Punks (or pseudopunks, or Emos or Rockers or whomever) without the right amount of black eye liner/black clothing/black hair/black lipstick etc. Could a Prep meld seamlessly with the Smokers? probably not so easily. So if your kid is sporting a look that you don't particularly like, take a moment to figure out which tribe they are a part of. And remember that simply not liking their style isn't always enough of a reason to forbid it. Look at big picture stuff - how is your kid's behavior, their grades, are the kids they hang with REALLY up to no good, or do they just LOOK like they might be? Try to dig beneath the surface before getting worked up over eyeliner or torn jeans or something.

OK - now where were we? Right - reasons to wear makeup. So many possibilities, all of which are valid AS LONG as you are consciously choosing. Decide what message you want to send, and then send it. Truly, the only reason to change what you are doing is if you are not getting the reactions and responses you desire and deserve. Do folks look past you as though you are invisible, or talk over you at meetings? Might be time to up the image ante - sometimes you actually DO have to look as though you have something of value to say before people will believe you have something of value to say. If you want folks to leave you alone, the best and clearest communication of that will be an appearance that doesn't invite people in. Maybe something dark and hard edged, or something just a little on the edge of "crazy bag lady" will do. Sad? Maybe. True? Undoubtedly.

Understanding that cosmetics are tools of communication really takes makeup out of the realm of the superficial and puts it's power right into your own hands. YOU are the "master of your FACE, the captain of your soul," to botch a perfect gloriously true quote from Henley.

Warm hair and eyes, cool skin? YES - it is possible!

I have had a lovely bit of correspondance from JerseyGirl in the last few days, and with her kind permission I'd like to post it here, thinking that perhaps it might benefit somebody else!

Without further ado -

Hi Bridget!

I just read your notepad and some of your blogs on color. (I found an old post that had the link). I was wondering if you could help me, as you are definitely an expert on this stuff! Very informative! (Oh my goodness - what a sweetheart JerseyGirl is!!)

I'm having a heck of a time figuring out this color thing. I still can't figure out what category I fit into. I have brown eyes and had honey/strawberry blonde hair as a child. I don't tan well at all, am very pale, but over the summer, I get a very very light golden cast to my skin. I've heard people tell me my skin is pink, but I've also been told it is more peach too. I look best in black and brown, and also cool toned reds with a hint of wine or burgundy, and deep emerald or deep turquoise green colors. I look better in white than cream. I can pull off peachy orange or yellow (mostly when I have a bit of a tan), but camel gold makes me look sick. I feel like when I wear dark pink shades of blush, I come alive, but peach doesn't give me that effect. I can pull off blonde and red hair (and colored it red recently actually, with many compliments, but when it becomes brassy faded orange, it doesn't look as good)

Any ideas? I'm confused, because I think I have warm hair and eyes, but perhaps cool skin. If this is the case, I want to make sure I'm playing up my features as best as I can.

Thanks and sorry so long winded!!

Hi! I'm glad you emailed me!

From your description is sounds as though you do indeed have a cool or neutral/cool skintone! What clinched it was the description of camel gold making you look ill. That is a warm color, about the warmest one, and one which is NOT possible to have a cool variant of.

Your hair looks lovely! What I see in the pictures is a vibrant, bright true clear auburn red - which would be very very striking with a cool or cool/neutral skintone.

With your light brown eyes and red hair or strawberry blonde hair, most MAs and sales folks would want to peachify you to death - tons of amber, olive, khaki and so on. You could wear those colors, of couse, and they would harmonize nicely with your eyes and hair, but would probably wash you out and leave you looking pale and wan Always remember there is a distinct difference between LOOKING pale and BEING pale. Being pale is fine, even desirable if your natural skintone is in fact pale. LOOKING pale can apply to anyone, and indicates ill health or unflattering color choice.

Based on your description, I'd steer you toward clear, saturated colors - look at a classic Winter color palette - start there and then desaturate (make paler by adding white), or mute (make duller by adding grey) or warm slightly (by adding yellow) until you find the exact tones that suit you best. I'd love to see you in a cobalt blue top, or a vivid periwinkle, or even a bold raspberry pink. Chrome yellow - the clearest sharpest tone - would also be very striking and dramatic. All those clear and true colors will be gorgeous on you.

Have you found a Mac foundation match yet? That can be helpful too - as long as the match is actually correct. If you are fair, try matching color to your neck or collarbone, since fair skins often carry way more color in their faces due to freckles or flushing and such. If you match just the face, you run the risk of looking like you borrowed your tan sister's head for the day, or like you've been working in a gravel pit and need to wash the dirt off. When you match your collarbone or neck, even if the shade is technically lighter than your face, you'll end up with a cohesive and blended look. Once it's on, you won't look like Geisha Girl, all cherry blossom white and pale. You'll just look like a beautiful and luminescent YOU.

Does this help at all? I hope so!

Oh, one last thing - if you do get a MAC match and find yourself in an NC or C (neutral yellow and yellow, respectively), DO NOT flip out and decide you "must be warm" . Yellow tones are actually NEUTRAL, since they sit between red (warm) and blue (cool). Wear the colors you feel good and look great in, whatever they might be.

email me any time!

-b.

Thanks Bridget, for taking the time to reply at length. That made me feel so much better, because I'd read stuff about seasons, and while at first glance I always thought I was an autumn, I'd read further and see many colors recommended that didn't look good on me at all.

Funny you mentioned looking at the winter palette and doing variations of the colors. When I was in high school (20 years ago) and sporting my natural strawberry blonde hair, I got lots of compliments when I wore lavender, mint green, and royal blue! So what you're saying makes sense! Then I got older, thought I was wiser, read that those colors were a no-no and then never really wore them since.

I will have to go get a MAC match. Will they help me at the counter with this? I am always so skeptical too, because of the fluorescent lighting in stores, I'd love to get the match done in natural daylight. I don't wear much foundation, because my sunscreen has a tint which helps. If there are particular foundations from MAC you like, I'd love to know. My skin is a bit dry with some fine lines, but I can get oily as the day goes on, since I live in a humid climate.

Thanks again for your reply - it really makes so much sense now!!


I'm glad you found it helpful!

I think there are likely lots of people with cool/neutral skin and warmer hair and eyes that are probably struggling with color selection. I know I struggled for years and years and years, and still even now default to brown clothing WAY too often. I do ok with makeup, pretty unafraid of color (I'll wear a hot pink lippie, or a red or purple one, and I'll also wear chartruese, gold, periwinkle, orange or red eyeshadows, too!), but I'd guess about 85% of my wardrobe is black or brown, and I really only wear a handful of colors...

Are you LOVING your red hair? It's such a great color - looks awesome in your pics!

Oh - about Mac foundations, I am really no expert on their formulas (nearest counter is about 300 miles away from me). But their color numbering has become sort of "universal". Prescriptives is very good that way too - four color families, then various depths in each. So just as a bit of scientific research, it might be fun to get color matched at either (both would be even better!) counter. Then you'd have a sense of where you fall in commercial lines. DEFINITELY don't make a purchase decision until you've worn a color for a full day at least, and checked it in all sorts of lighting. Fluorescent lighting can make even an otherwise great colormatch look off, and the cool blue/green hue of fluorescent bulbs really makes pinkish shades look SO pretty, even if it clashes with your skintone. No matter where you go, ask for a small sample of foundation - enough for 2-3 days is usually what they'll give you. Nordstrom has small glass vials they can fill with product, or little flat white snap compacts. Take the samples home and really just play with them, stripe your cheek and jaw with the different colors and look in all different lighting. I like a magnifying mirror for this. You'll soon figure out which undertones are most prominent in your skin. Also match color to your collarbone and throat. It's even a good experiement to apply it to well protected skin to see undertone. (I use my belly, since it NEVER gets sun on it, and it's easier to see than my bum :) )

Anyway, have fun experiementing !

Also remember that skintone "temperature" is just one part of the equation. You also have degree of clarity vs mutedness (how much grey is in a color, or how much beige is in your skin) and then degree of contrast between hair and skin (ie how much lighter or darker your hair looks than you skin in a black and white photo). Clear and high contrast needs clear, saturated colors to really shine. Muted tones or low contrast outfits will just sort of drag you down.

My own example - dark red hair, pale peachy skin, green-grey eyes. High contrast, slightly muted but not as much as a classic auburn, definitely warm skin. I wore a light aqua shirt with teal and gold stripes the other day - put it on under an oatmeal colored sweater, which pulled the gold stripe forward. Shirt looks great on me, sweater looks great on me, but together there was no contrast between the depth of aqua and the oatmeal, so I looked and FELT very ungrounded, blah, washed out. Swapped the oatmeal sweater for a chocolate brown one, which also pulled the gold stripe forward, and looked a million times better. Even more importantly, I felt comfortable. Sweaters were the exact same style, btw. Chocolate sweater gave better contrast with the light aqua shirt.

Basically, the aqua shirt, oatmeal sweater and my skin were all of similar depth, so everything just blended into a mush. Dark sweater was the same depth as my hair color, so it popped against my skin.

Thanks for the nice remarks on my blog - it's so sadly neglected these days. I try to post now and then, though. Want to do more!

Be well and happy!


-b.

So there you have it - a short course on the possibility of warm hair and eyes and cool skintone.

Now - if JerseyGirl wasn't typing out as a "classic" autumn by the four season theories, what else COULD she have been?

OK - strawberry or honey blonde hair definitely won't be Winter. Could be spring or summer, though. Both are lighter plaettes, spring being warm and clear, and summer being cool and muted. From her description of wearing a deep pink blush and coming alive but not popping at all while wearing a peach blush, I think it's safe to say that spring isn't where JerseyGirl falls. So that puts us in the summer palettes, which are COOL. Summer also tends to be relatively muted, softened, sort of vintage chintz colors, and from her descriptions and the picture she shared with me (use your imagination, please), her "new" red hair color is simply way too vibrant for the classic summer palette - in all those sunwashed shades, she'd just look a little washed out herself. Hence the advice to shift her attention to the winter palette, and then dial up or down on the intensity and degree of coolness at will.

Now, in a few more contemporary books on color analysis (Uniquely You is a great one, although it's a bit older) they break 4 seasons into 12, which gives MUCH more leeway, and also allows for variants or hybrids of seasons, such as my "late autumn", which is a Winter/Autumn hybrid the book calls of Bright Autumn or September. I don't have the book right in front of me, but I'd bet that JerseyGirl would recognize herself in the Summer/Winter hybrid or the Summer/Autumn hybrid. But my money is on the Summer/Winter blend!

Anyway, there you have it. Hope it was helpful. And if YOU Have a color question, for heaven's sake, please feel free to email it to me, or post it as a comment on the blog. I don't guarantee to have ALL the answers, but I'll sure tell you what I think!

Choosing Your Best Colors!

We've talked a bit about colors for redheads before, and in that post I laid the groundwork for thinking about the 3 qualities of color - temperature (warm/cool), Contrast (light/dark) and clarity (muted/clear). You should be well on the way to figuring out your own best colors, the ones that make you look and feel alive. But man alive, there is nothing more deadening than figuring out that you are warm/muted/low contrast and looking at the basic Spring palette and then feeling completely, utterly disappointed and dejected because you just really do not like coral, cantaloupe, butter yellow, sage green, whatever...And where on earth did your amazing strong periwinkle go, the one color that you ALWAYS feel awesome in, and which ALWAYS garners you oodles of compliments? Oh - there it is, tucked over in WInterLand, far far away from your new address in SpringVille.

Grrr.

Here's something else to spin your heads - you can definitely borrow colors from other palettes and look FABULOUS in them if you get 2 of the three mail qualities in harmony with your own coloration.

So - three qualities -

Contrast - high vs low, or how saturated the color is. Pastel colors are NOT saturated, they have lots of white in them. Richer, darker colors ARE saturated. THink of it like taking a glass of water and adding a single drop of blue colorant, then dipping a tissue in it. It's a very pale tint of blue. Tint = white added. Now add in 99 more drops of blue. Your water will be very saturated with color - might even be verging on midnight or navy looking. Now dip your tissue - the color is a deep, rich, saturated, VIBRANT blue.

Mutedness - muted vs. clear, or how much black (or brown or beige) has been added to the color. This in painting talk is called SHADE - literally adding in shadow to the color (HUE). So, let's consider a glass that has had 50 drops of blue colorant added to it, then a tissue dipped. The color is very clear, since it is a pure hue (also medium saturated, enough to really see the color). NOW, drop by drop, add a black dye to the glass - you'll see an entire range of blue SHADES moving from the clearest (no black) to the shadowiest (50 drops of black). The shadowiest also gets darker, of course...BUT you can take your SHADE of blue and add white to obtain a MUTED TINT of blue. So it is muted, but is lighter than the starting midtone blue.

Temperature of color - warm vs. cool. It is important to remember that the color wheel is a wheel, not a line. And actually, it's a color SPHERE, with an infinite number of possibilities for HUE, SHADE and TINT within the division of warm and cool. WARM = ORANGE and RED, COOL = BLUE AND GREEN.

If you nail all 3 qualities, you will look AMAZING! Clear, glowing skin, bright shiny eyes, smooth skin, happy, vibrant, alive, balanced! WOO HOO!

If you tag 2 of the qualities that are your own, you will look really great - and you will find that you can go brighter or softer on lipstick or gloss than you usually do, or might have fun working a serious colored shadow or a smokey eye, or going betterthannude with your makeup. It's FUN!

If you match up with just one quality, you won't really look like yourself, but rather perhaps like a "mom" version of yourself - a bit drabber than normal, not hideous or "OH My Gosh, I cannot beLIEVE she's wearing that color."

If you miss all three, people will start suggesting you lie down, drink some water, give up red meat or start eating some, or something. You might even be sent home from work! (If you do, actually, get sent home, I suggest NOT going home, but going shopping instead for a blouse or shirt in a perfect for you color. Think of the miraculous recovery you will have effected when you flounce into the office the next day in a GREAT color!!)

And for those of you still lamenting the discovery of yellow undertones in your skin, check this out:

Check out a visual of a color wheel. Oh year - YELLOW is in the MIDDLE between orange and green...Yellow can be THOUGHT of as being a "neutral" tone for the purpose of skintone definition. And Red abuts Violet, so red, COULD be cool...depending on if it is a blue-red (violet, cool) or an yellow-red (orange, warm).

So lets imagine that in your foundation tests, you have determined that the "coolest" AL shades of foundation - the Ps and Cs - DEFINITELY don't match your skin. Put the P on and you look a little pepto bismol. Put the C on all over, and you look like you've been frying yourself in the sun and are burned, or in the throes of a hot flash, or both. GOOD! You now know that your undertones are not PINK/RED.

So you check out the "warm" shades of Y (yellow tones) and W (peachy tones).

If the W looks great but the Y looks a bit pale or sallow (usually it will just look pale if you have peachy golden tones), then you can play with the Ws perhaps in combo with the Ls to soften the peachy golden undertone.

If the Y looks great, but the W looks either pink or oompa-loompa ish, then you need the Y, perhaps with a bit of L to soften the strong golden/"olive" undertones.

Olive skins are not necessarily just pure "yellow". Olive skins contain a degree of "green" tinge (which sounds so unflattering in relation to a skintone, but it is gorgeous - do NOT judge skintone by labeling with hues - NOBODY wants green, yellow, orange or red skin. We prefer cool olive, golden, peachy, rosy descriptors, don't we?). And that green/olive tinge comes from what? Yellow + X = Green? Solving the equation for X we get the following:

X= Green - Yellow
X = BLUE.

SO a yellow based skintone that is OLIVE is a cool tone due to the blue content.

A yellow based skintone that is GOLDEN could be described as a warm tone due to the slight reddish or peachy content.

So, yellow straddles the divide between WARM and COOL vis a vis skintone descriptors, because it COULD go either way, depending on additional undertone.

Next, we can get into the matter of how these different tones play against each other. Adding yellow to a red skin will bring it more into a peachy appearance, because yellow + red = orange (peach). If you wish to soften the appearance of strong yellow tones in your skin, you can add a bit of lavender, because yellow + purple (lavender) = brown (beige).

Then you can begin to play with how color sets up a complimentary and flattering vibration against your own skintone. Remember in grade school staring at the red box on the white paper, then quickly shifting your gaze to the blank white paper and "seeing" an image of a green box? Those are color complements, opposites on the color wheel. Another example is to place two blocks of color against each other - try red and yellow - see how they hum and buzz and visually have lots of energy? Red and green practically dance off the page. Red and orange are easier/softer to look at. Purple and yellow are vibratory, purple and red are less so.

The more visual vibration/activity, the more tension or drama.

So, if you have a beautiful cool yellow/olive skintone and want a dramatic lip, you can play with a saturated cool violet shade. The cool purple tone is the color wheel opposite (complement, like complEtion, not complIment, like a nice thing to say), and creates tension, drama, high impact.

For a less dramatic look, perhaps even bordering on blah, that same beauty could select a lipstick in an ambered honey tone. That's orange, basically, but a muted, earthy "natural" shade of orange. There wouldn't be much contrast at all between her skin, her lips would just sort of melt into her face, and she might look boring, dull, blah, "beige" washed out, or as though she had no mouth.

She will look more interesting, more dramatic, in the sharp cool violet lipstick. And she will look GORGEOUS and soft, pretty, approachable if you keep the HUE of the lipstick the same and then muted it (shade it) with some brown tones, and maybe tint it lighter with a white tone, to bring it all into harmony with "natural" human coloring (I haven't seen anyone with a naturally occurring deep vibrant sharp cool violet lip yet, have you?)

Anyway, no matter what your skintone, you can choose to wear colors that compliment (do nice things for it!) via playing with the visual energy of color combinations intentionally.

And all the "rules" in the world should on be in place to SERVE YOUR NEEDS! Do you need to (want) to look soft, approachable, trustworthy, authoritative, powerful, aloof, untouchable and so on? Choose colors to create the sort of response you want.

I remember a while back we had a new poster on the Aromaleigh forum who sadly didn't post much beyond one or two entries. S/He said that there were far too many thin lipped women here wearing way too dark lipsticks, which weren't flattering at all and we should be instead only wearing nude shiny shades to amplify the paltry lips we did have (I am paraphrasing, not quoting, and I've got me some paltry little lips, too). While her advice was in fact correct (light and shiny colors and finishes bring things forward, dark and matte finishes push things back), she was also totally WRONG because how you dress your body and how you make up your face MUST be descriptive of who you are, how you are feeling, how you desire to be treated, what response you wish to elicit from viewers. There's something about a dark dangerous lipstick that I really do love. I KNOW it's not my best look - deep aubergine eggplants and blood reds are both sorta "too cool" for my 1N or 1W skin, red hair golden freckles and green eyes. They are also too intense or saturated, given that my coloring is mid to high contrast (my hair is dark, but it's not espresso or black, and my skin is very light, but it's not Alabaster or Ghost in depth) AND somewhat (not terribly) muted. And my facial features don't really lend themselves easily to high drama looks, as by today's beauty standards I'm more "wholesome" than "dominatrix." Wish it were the other way around, really. And I could probably get there if I had some stylists lurking who could help dress me and make me feel ok enough about the "costume" to walk about out in public. So for so many reasons, that deep dramatic lip really just isn't "me," BUT I LOVE THAT LOOK!!! And I WANT TO FEEL LIKE A DOMINATRIX. Sometimes. Or at least make folks back off a few feet because I might be dangerous, and maybe even bite. So, on occasion, I channel my inner Natasha (from Rocky & Bullwinkle - remember her, that angular beautiful Russian spy always "out to get Mooose und Skvurl"?) and wear that plummy aubergine or dark red lipstick.

And I love it. On those days I don't care that I don't look "pretty." I don't even WANT to look "pretty." I want to be powerful. Edgy. Weighty. Significant. And that tube of darkness brings me just that much closer to my own gravitas.

So there you have it!

Bat Those Lashes, Ladies!

! I just put falsies on two of my customers, and they looked GOOD!!++
(falsies AND my ladies!) First time I've ever put them on someone else! WOOHOO!!! I had the best time, it was so much fun to play with someone else's face. My ladies looked gorgeous and they loved them!

We used Ardell Clusters, medium and short lengths. Totally naturally flirty on both gals - one in her 50s, the other 73. They were beautiful women when they walked in, and now they are sexy flirty eyelash batting coquettes! Hubba Hubba!

So, maximize your eyes! What's stopping you? It's super easy, really.

No pics - I'm not that organized, but here are some tricks to using cluster lashes like these




First, start with clean bare lashes.

Find a pair of round tip tweezers for gripping and maneuvering the little clusters - Tweezerman makes great ones, and the round nose is both safer AND easier to work with, as it keeps the little cluster pointing straight rather than going off at an angle.

Gather your tray of lash clusters and your individual lash glue (I like clear best).

Make sure you have good light and a magnifying mirror. You might also want to have a little orange stick with which to coax your lashes into place, but that's not necessary.

Most importantly - take your time, don't drink too much coffee, and don't do this in the middle of a round of low blood sugar! Eat something first!

Now, take the tray of lash clusters out of the blister packaging to get it ready. Open the glue and place a little dollop of it on the blister packaging, or on a bit of tissue. This will become your working palette, essentially.

With the tweezers, grab the lash cluster in the center of the hairs, as close to the bulb as you can get. gently peel the cluster from the tray.

Dip the bulb into the adhesive - I dip the tip, then sort of swirl it a little bit to make sure there is a little dollop of glue encircling the bulb of the cluster.

With head tilted back so that lids close, but you can still see out from underneath your lashes, place the bulb of the lash at the outer corner of your eye - maybe 2-3 eyelash hairs in from the very edge of the corner. The clusters will lay on top of your own lashes, so you want there to be a nice foundation for them. Push and coax the cluster in toward your lashline until the bulb is resting up against your lid, right at the root of your natural lashes. you can lift your eyelid from the brow bone with your non-dominant hand and sort of make a little crevice into which the bulb of the cluster will snuggle. Keeps the clusters nice and tight for up to 4 days, if you are gentle with the washing off at night!

Repeat as desired - small to medium eyes generally look great with 3-4 lash clusters applied about 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch apart, from the outer corner until right over the center of the pupil. Larger eyes can take as many as 6-7, and can generally carry the lashes further in toward the nose, as well.

The neat thing about using clusters instead of strip lashes is that they are just about invisible on your lashes - you don't need to hide an edge with liner of any sort. The glue dries invisibly, so the lashes are not visible even seen up close, with eyes open OR closed. Clusters are the way to go if you want flirty, dramatic fringe without a heavy look.

Once all the lashes are in place, let them set and dry for a few minutes. You can do some other part of your face. Then apply your eye make as usual. Gently curl your lashes with a curler, if you do that sort of thing, then carefully and gently apply a NON WATERPROOF mascara to blend the real lashes with the falsies.

TADA! Gorgeous flirt-worthy feathery fringes!

if you are careful in the washing at night, and if you avoid oil based cleansers and eye makeup removers, your lash clusters will hang around for days!

Pretty cool, huh?

How to Wear Red Lipstick

Spring is sprung, the grass is 'riz, I wonder where the bright lipstick is!

Oh, gosh - it's just been "nude, beige, natural, concealed past the point of recognition" lips for far too long. I am SO past it - even the nude lip icon, Jennifer Lopez, looks fresher and brighter with a dash of color on her lips:







See what a difference a bit of fresh, healthy COLOR makes to even the most gorgeous face? And seriously - how many of us actually look as beautiful as J-Lo anyway? So if a look is unflattering on HER, well....you get my meaning.

So, in honor of a change of seasons, let's all do a change of face. uh, I mean lips.

Go pink, peachy, rose, mauve, coral, orange, violet - so many shades from which to choose!

But go BIG or go home!
















For right now, let's talk about RED lipstick. It's perhaps the most womanly or ladylike color there is - classic, used across cultures and across decades - heck, across centuries! There has been tons written already about the whys and wherefores of red lipstick. But what really matters is the HOW of red lipstick.

But first, some inspiration.


With red, you have to let your eye adjust a little bit, especially if you're used to nude/gloss looks.

Start by applying your foundation/concealer/powder if you usually use them.

Then put on red lipstick. Try a gentle stain first - apply with fingertip, then blot.

Look in your mirror.

WOW. That's BRIGHT!!!

Leave it alone - DO NOT wipe it of. You heard me! NO TOUCHING THE LIPS!!!

Go do something else for a little while, then look again.

Man, you are ALL lips. For better or worse. If you are blessed with full pouty lips, you probably feel like you've got a child's inflatable pool toy resting smack dab in the center of your face. You do not. In actuality, you have full, pouty, sensuous lips that are now tinted a super sexy shade of red. If your lips are smaller or more delicate (as I like to describe my own), you might be feeling that the intense color is somehow shrinking your lips to tinyness. It isn't. Just seems that way. Give it time.

No add mascara and do your brows as you usually do.

Look again. That's better, isn't it? Balance is being restored to your face. Your lips STILL look silly bright. Mayeb you feel like a clown. Or a cheap hooker. However, you do NOT look like either, unless you are wearing a red rubber nose or booty shorts. Heaven help you if you are wearing BOTH a red rubber nose and booty shorts. Either you need to check into rehab, start charing WAY more for, umm, special services, or turn in your Clowns Union membership card.

Now go do something else for a while - check the Aromaleigh Forums.

Look in mirror again. Now those red lips of yours are looking more "normal", huh? Yup.

Your eyes are adjusting to a new bold lipped you.

Add a bit more lipstick, or go deeper, richer, shinier or matter - whatever. Just play a little bit. Find a balance that strikes you. It's your face, after all!

Add eye liner if you usually use that. Look in mirror again.

Ooh - Me Likey!

Now, put on a pretty top and go out - to the grocery store. That's the perfect place because you are on display, but not ON DISPLAY. You have the perfect excuse to linger, or to jet out quickly if you feel uncomfortable.

Chanel your inner Gina Lollabrigida or Sophia Loren, or Bettie Paige, or any other red lip maven you love. Smell the fresh produce, buy yourself some flowers. Make kissy faces in the store windows as you pass.

Reapply your red lipstick in public - make it a caress. Put on a show for anyone who might see. Order up a latte somewhere, and revel in that perfect lip print you place on the rim of the white paper cup. Sexay!

Catch the admiring glances of passers by. Aren't you loving it?

Yup - you are now a red lip girl! GggrrrrrAAAWWWWWWrrrr.

I knew you had it in you!

Repeat as needed for ANY bold, bright new color. Shake it up - if everyone around you is doing red, opt for Schiaparelli shocking pink. Hanging with the Coral Crowd? don a bit of violet for good measure. Heck - grab a bold cobalt blue if you are especially daring. Whatever your choice, just have fun, wear it confidently, own it, rock it. They're your lips, but they're on display for all to see!

What Season Am I? Warm? Cool? What?

WARM OR COOL - HOW TO TELL!!

Note - this is OPPOSITE to the whole MAC thing, so if you figure you are WARM with this, then you'll want a C or NC foundation/powder/etc from MAC, or if COOL here, then look at W and NWs there.

First, look at your wrist veins. Do they look more blue, green or purple/lavender? If blue or purple/lav, you probably have more pink in your skin than yellow. If green/olive, then you have more yellow in your skin than pink.

Now think about what looks better on you. Do you look best in a shirt that is

white or cream?
pink or peach?
red or orange?
fuschia or eggplant?
black or brown?
silver or gold?

If you chose colors from the first ones mentioned, then you prefer cool tones. If you chose colors from the second ones, then you prefer warm colors. Does that match up with what you saw re your veins? If you prefer cool colors to wear, do you also have more pink than yellow in your skintone?

Don't worry if you don't - and DO NOT get balled up about having "yellow" skin and being relegated to wearing warm shades.

Here's why:

On a color wheel, you have the whole spectrum running from red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Usually we see the wheel positioned with red on the left top and violet at the right top, We draw a line down the middle, and red, orange, yellow are on the left (warm) and violet, indigo, blue are on the right (cool). But what I see is that YELLOW should be right up at the center top when thinking about skintone, because yellow is actually a very neutral tone. Here's why:

Melanin, the pigment in skin, is always yellow based. How it reads through your skin is dependent on skin thickness, veining, circulation, and so on.

Think of the old season classifications - color me beautiful and stuff. Spring and Fall are warm seasons. Summer and Winter are cool seasons. Gorgeous olive skinned Mediterranean and Asian women are *usually* categorized as Winters, and look FABUOUS in cool jewel tones with high contrast and intensity.

A Fall might also have yellow undertones, but her's will likely be more golden peach, and that places here in a Warm category.

So, yellow is netural - it can take you into Cool territory if it has a green tone to it (this is subtle - you do NOT look green if you have olivey skin). Or yellow can take you into Warmsville if it moves into orange/peach.

Now that you've got your skintone deciphered, you can REALLY Play with color. If you have a warm skintone and want to look natural and polished, use warm colors (colors found in your own skin, hair and eyes). If you want more drama, choose OPPOSITES - break out those cool purples, pinks and blues. And the inverse - if you have cool toned skin, cool tones in your makeup will be easiest to wear and look natural, polished and pretty. Up the drama by bringing in some warmer colors in moderation.

Lastly, think about your overall contrast level - skin vs hair when seen in a b/w photo. Are the close in value? THen you are lower contrast, and should find it easiest to wear colors that are of similar depth value (again, a more natural and polished look). If skin and hair look very different - ie dark hair and lighter skin, or platinum hair and dark skin, then you'll fare best in higher contrast colors - choose darker, brighter or lighter than your skintone by several degrees.

And yeah - always exceptions, and never rules. But this should get you started!

A Redhead Color Typology

Below is somethng I wrote after MUCH contemplating on the whole Color Me Beautiful/Seasonality thing. As a redhead with dark hair and pale skin, I was always typed as an Autumn, which really didn't do much for either my mood or my coloring, truthfully. So I set out to fine tune color typing for redheads myself. I first posted this over at the Aromaleigh Forums - you can read the original post along with a bunch of feedback from other redheads by clicking on the blog title.

Enjoy!

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I’m sure you’ve probably heard or been told by well meaning people, cosmetics sales associates, image consultants, moms and sisters that “you look best in green.” Or “ you should stick with earth tones and neutrals.” Or “never wear black.” Or “you don’t look good in pink/red/orange/purple/grey/whatever.” How many times have you been told that you are “an autumn?” Or that your coloring “requires muted shades so as to not overpower you.” In my opinion - and that of top makeup artists and stylists - that’s all nonsense.

There are so many variations on the theme of Redheads - it makes choosing makeup and clothing colors both exhilarating and challenging! There are muted, Autumnal redheads with golden ivory skin and coppery hair. There are those ethereal, gossamer creatures with translucent, milky white skin and fiery or deep red hair. There are redheads with pinked, English rose complexions and strawberry locks. Peaches and cream redheads. A full range of high contrast, low contrast, clear and muted redheads!

With so many skin and hair combinations, how could it possibly make sense that all redheads will wear the same foundation, look best in the same colors of clothing, and choose the same (limited) palette of eye shadows and lip colors? Truth is, it doesn’t. And unless the person dispensing with advice is herself (or himself) a redhead passionate about fashion and makeup, they probably haven’t really given the topic a whole lot of thought.

On the other hand, I have.

Here are some breakdowns on redhead types and colors that can really make them stand out - even more than any of us already does! Remember - it is possible to be two or even three distinct types, although one type will probably feel the best, look the most polished or sophisticated or natural.

Muted: You might be a muted redhead if your skin tone is light with golden undertones. You might even have pale olive skin. Your hair can range from the coppery end of strawberry to the chestnut end of auburn. Your eyes might be grey-blue, any variant of green, brown, hazel, or amber. You instinctively reach for olive green rather than forest green, or chocolate brown rather than charcoal. If this is you, then you probably got some good advice from those well-meaning folks who recommended earth tones, neutrals, pumpkin, olive, russet and such. However, while those shades might be phenomenal on you in clothing, they might not serve you as well in makeup. Your coloring is gorgeously characterized by the relatively low level of contrast between your hair and skin tone - putting a dark, muted-to-the-point-of-drab tone on your face could end up making you look sallow and lack-luster. Rather than matte olive shadow, try a medium golden olive or khaki. Instead of pumpkin lipstick, blush or shadow, look for a warm bronzy shade with some life to it. Try some slightly subdued reddened coral on lips and cheeks. And remember to go for the gold - subtle, warm sparkle can really lift your look while still remaining appropriate for daytime.

Gossamer: You might be a gossamer redhead if your skin is translucent to the point of being nearly transparent. Your skin tone likely carries more pink and blue than it does yellow and olive tones. Your hair likely ranges from strawberry to medium coppery red. And your eyes are probably blue or green - from true blue indigo, through aqua to nearly emerald. Left to your own devices, you probably reach for clothing at the lighter end of the spectrum - pinks (even though someone told you redheads should avoid pink!), lavenders, gentle mint greens, dove grey and so on. If this is you, you might have been feeling like you just can’t make it work - the colors that you like - and that look great on you - just aren’t the shades recommended by the color typing books, the sales person at the cosmetics counter, or the clothing sales associate. Relax! Forget what others have been telling you about those earthy, rich tones that look so lovely on your muted sister, and reach for the colors present in a springtime garden. All those pastels you love? Go for it - in sweet sorbet tones for your eyes, and petal soft washes of color on your lips and cheeks. Just avoid colors that are distinctly cool-white based - instead of that milky pink gloss, try one that is just a bit less washed out, perhaps a pale rose with a golden highlight.

High contrast: The most distinctive aspect of your coloring is that your hair and skin sharply contrast. Your skin might be either pale golden ivory like your Muted sister, or the gentle pink or blue based pale of those Gossamer girls. Either way, your hair is dark red - auburn, burgundy, black-red (yes - this hair color is even present naturally!) and contrasts highly with the light value of your skin. Your eyes are probably in the blue/green/grey range, but hazel, amber and limpid chocolate are possible, too. This is a tricky redhead to dress and make up because all those rich earth tones which look smashing on a Muted and overpowering on a Gossamer really just make you look drab. And dull. And tired. If you have ever read the books Color Me Beautiful or Color Wonderful, you probably found colors on the Contrast and Winter palettes that worked beautifully for you. You need rich shades that are just slightly muted rather than clear and sharp like those found in those cool Winter palettes. In clothing, you probably can carry off black as well as a raven haired beauty. And shades like clear peacock blue, sharp, fresh apple green, slightly burnt orange, indigo, plum, and slightly browned wine make you sparkle! In makeup, look for colors that preserve that balance of clear to muted, but in slightly softer tones. Try a soft slate grey shadow along with tones of rich, fleshy pinks and wines (for a color cue, look at the inside of your lip, or pinch the end of your finger - the color of the blood under the skin is a great red tone for you !). Coppers that lean pink will be amazing on you, as will mahoganies, reddened plums, chocolate browns and golds. In lips, you can go a little cooler than your Muted sister - try a warmed up plum or burgundy along with nudes, and don’t forget the power of a deep, dark chocolate mouth, too. When you find the right red - a clear, just barely browned neutral red with just a slight hint of blue - the result will be stunning! I fall into this category myself, as did an old friend of mine with alabaster skin and bright copper hair. She could have been a Gossamer, but her skin tone was perfectly neutral - not heavily pink/blue. She wasn’t nearly as delicately translucent as a Gossamer, either. She wore colors straight from the Winter palette - cobalt blue, fuchsia, and anything that was a cool, clear bright. She even wore beautiful, hot flushed pink lipstick. She was a stunner!

English Rose: You might be an English Rose if the contrast level between skin and hair is relatively low. Your hair is probably a soft auburn, strawberry or gentled copper. Your skin tone is more pink, and you might be pale to medium complected. Your eyes are most likely blue or blue/grey. Like your Muted sister, your best colors will be slightly muted, but steer clear of the yellow-based shades she prefers. Instead, look at the colors of a vintage Chintz or English floral - those soft, lush shades of hushed rose, butter yellow, taupe, sage green, wisteria and iris. These are your best bets for clothing and makeup both! Accent your eyes with gentle, glowy yellows, lavender-rose, and fleshy, cooler taupe. Lips and cheeks shimmer in more roses, from tender baby pink to full-blown raspberry, just make sure to keep the colors on the muted end of the spectrum.

Peaches and Cream: Closely related to the Gossamer girl, you are also like Muted’s lighter, brighter sister. Your skin tone is pale to fair, with peachy golden tones rather than the pure yellow and olive of the Muted or the pink and blue of the Gossamer. Your hair, likewise, is lighter than that of the Muted - likely strawberry with mango highlights, oranged-copper, and brighter auburn. Your eyes are probably in the green-hazel-amber range. You need clothing in warm, barely muted light to medium tones. A softer apple green, a brighter butter yellow, fresh picked peach (of course!!), chambray blue all suit you beautifully! In your makeup, accent the gorgeous peachy orange tones in your skin and hair with glorious coppers (at the bright end of the spectrum), mid-tone mossy greens, café-au-lait brown, coffee and toffee. Just remember to keep the shades just barely muted - if you drab them down too much, your sparkly beauty will tarnish and dull.

So - armed with the information on your best color ranges, how do you put that into action as the cosmetics counter? Firstly, start with a foundation, concealer and powder that match your skin perfectly in both depth and tone. And if mineral makeup is your thing - as it is mine - then you will undoubtedly find your match at http://www.aromaleigh.com And remember that you do not have to apply foundation over your entire face. In fact, it is more modern to spot apply only where needed - usually under the eyes, around the nose and on the chin - blend well, and dust with translucent powder. If you have chosen the right shades for your skin, there will be no line of demarcation!

Once you’ve got your bases covered - you have chosen the very best match for your skin - you have the delight of playing with colors.
If you are torn between two - or maybe more - redhead types, samples can really help you to narrow it down. Lipsticks, especially, are helpful. If you are an Autumnal redhead, then a swipe of a warm, rich copper will look great on your skin (even if you wouldn’t want to wear it on your mouth for style or personality reasons), while a cool burgundy will just look a bit off. Gossamers can look at the difference between a medium depth clear rose and a muted, tauped-rose. The clear rose will be gorgeous against your skin, while the muted shade, although pretty, will just sort of sit there. High Contrasts can look at the difference between a very muted and subdued browned red and a clear, true red - again, even if you aren’t in the market or the mood for a clear red lipstick, this can be a good color cue. English Roses can use the same shades as a Gossamer would - a clear rose or raspberry against a muted rose or raspberry. And Peaches and cream can test between a copper or russet versus a gentle peach. Your type should become very clear from these experiments. And once you know your type - or types! - color selection gets a whole lot easier and way more fun!

Nothing new to report, but making the habit of posting regularly.

Well, that hopelessly uninteresting but absolutely honest title really just sums it all up.

I guess the biggest news is that I am cutting off all my hair. Going short. Donating the tail to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths, which much like Locks of Love sends the hair in to be made into wigs for people fighting cancer. I like that - sort of the ultimate recycling program. (I guess Soylent Green would an ultimate recylcing program, too, but that's just macabre.)

Anyway, these are some of the possible styles:




Hubby likes the short flippy one the best - I could do that one, I think. But I'm still thinking maybe an inverted curly bob, one I could wear natural and curly (cute), wavy (a bit edgier or more poished depending on how I style it out) or straight (sleek, piecey, who knows).

My grandson is saying words - "Piper" is one of his first and most consistent, although he also sometimes says "happy" when he sees me. Piper is the name of our golden retriever - Shary does love those big dogs, although little ones frighten him, oddly enough.

The hens are laying pretty consistently now - Joanie and Trixie are both producing. Jewel hasn't started laying yet, but she's thinking about it and has begun to squat and flare her wings when we enter the coop. For those who don't know - that squatting posture is hen body language for "hey big boy - is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" Hubba hubba. Actually, though, when they assume "the posture" they look for all the world like golden eagle flagpole topper sculptures. A couple steady pats on their backs and a few tail pulls, and they jump upright, run a few steps, and give their feathers a big, giant ruffelation. Pretty neat to see, really.

Well - that's a lot of words for no news. So this is my stop.

2008, a Very Auspicious Start

Oh my goodness. Has it been SO long since a post? Embarassingly yes. I'm just surprised Blogger didn't close out my account.

Well, so much has happened, but not THAT much knitting or THAT much tango, really.

Rather than do a BIG catch up, I think I'm going to start fresh.

Yesterday, 1.1.08, we discovered that our hens are laying once again. Trixie and Joanie gifted us with one egg each, after about a six week hiatus. Such a gift, as well - and I can't help but think this bodes well for a prosperous and wondrous New Year.

I'm working on a Phildar pattern - a square neck, close fitting pull over blouse in the darkest possible green Berroco Soft Twist. I'm on the sleeves now, and if I can just actually sit and knit instead of being distracted, I might could finish in time to wear it to Vegas on the 17th. We shall see, and I'm not making either pressure or promises.

New things I've discovered:

Makeup Gourmet videos on YouTube:




StyleHive!

New things at
Aromaleigh Mineral Cosmetics!

So much more. And today is so beautiful outside - cold, around 10 degrees above zero Farenheit, but crytalline and bright.

Auspicious, indeed!