Category Archive for Fashion
My 10-Step Makeup Routine & favorite products! Japanese Goth doll eyes tutorial.
Let’s talk about makeup! I recently got some emails, asking about my cosmetics routine. It’s changed over the years, but I currently have about 10 steps to get photoshoot-ready, using a minimum of products and brushes (since I’m often traveling, and can’t over-pack). I’ll also share some bonus, behind-the-scenes modeling photos from Portland.
My overall makeup tips: invest in quality products, especially your “base” (foundation, powder). Start with a light SPF moisturizer, and let it dry before applying layers gradually. Obviously, for day-to-day wear, I don’t do all these stages, but for special occasions these are my 10 steps of prep…
1) Apply Make Up For Ever HD foundation with a stipple brush. This foundation is a little pricy, but by far the best I’ve used. With a stipple brush, you’ll get a natural-looking effect. It stays on all day without feeling heavy, and looks great on camera. I use shade “Marble” #117.
(If you need concealer, try Make Up For Ever’s full coverage one. I skip this, and simply dab foundation onto uneven areas.)
2) Make Up For Ever’s HD powder is also a winner. I brush it on lightly after I finish my full face, but it’s worth mentioning here.
3) Next, I define my eyebrows with a brown pencil. I trace the line below and above the brow, and slightly extend the ends.
4) For a more natural fill, I use an angled brush to apply eyebrow powder, working from a dark to light shade. I also highlight right below the eyebrow.
5) Don’t forget to define your face, or else you’ll wind up looking a bit flat. I adore YSL Touche Eclat, a highlighter pen. It brightens up the area below your eyes, and whisks away shadows.
6) Then, apply contour and blush to bring out angles (around the cheeks, nose, jaw) and add a bit of rosiness. I like having both in a single compact, saving time and space in my luggage.
(I should mention that a travel brush set is a wise investment. They last forever, and fit snugly in a single case.)
7) I like to experiment with different lip colors, sometimes using a lip brush or pencil to create an ombre fade-out. However, my default is a caramel rose lipstick, such as NARS Pago Pago. They have a superb matte application, and there are many shades to fit your skin tone. Wearing a subdued color keeps the focus on your eyes.
8) I recommend carrying an eyeshadow palette like NARS Narcissist, so that you have a variety of light-to-dark tones to play with. If you want to minimize even further, pick something like this set of 4 blue eyeshadows, which you can use to define and highlight your eyes. I tend to extend the colors out, with dark shades at the outer edges, and white for the inner corners.
9) Then, use a black eyeliner pen for a cat-eye effect. I prefer pens to pots and brushes because they are quick and precise.
10) Finish with false eyelashes. These Japanese Dolly Wink lashes are popular among gyaru. I use an eyelash glue with a brush for better application.
I hope you find this 10-step guide with recommended products helpful! Let me know if you have questions or tips about makeup. It’s fun to discuss in the comments.
The above images are by Melissa Rundle and Eric Bergemann. They photographed me for the cover and spread of Rebelicious Magazine. During the shoot, First Mate Naomi Rubin took behind-the-scenes photos of the action.
Here are some of Naomi’s shots. My handmade silk flower clips are works of art by Angelica Brigade — check out her site for gorgeous accessories.
My blue-to-green ombre hair is by Stephanie Hoy at Avant Garde Hair in Vancouver.
And these are my Alphonse Mucha x Innocent World stockings! I bought these special edition tights at the Tokyo Mucha exhibit.
The cut-out knee boots are Yosuke, from Marui One Shinjuku
We were in Portland to shoot a travel episode (watch it here), and decided to do the magazine photos at Steel Bridge. I like to incorporate my destinations into my shoots.
It takes a village… Eric holds up a reflector, to get the lighting just right.
The autumn leaves created a beautiful backdrop. I like shooting outdoors, for the light and atmosphere. Fortunately, it didn’t start raining until we were wrapping up the job!
Sometimes an idea doesn’t work out. We had some Goth balloons, but they didn’t look right in the images.
The blues, whites and greys of the bridge and water match my outfit’s color scheme.
This white disco-era coat is from Hattie’s Vintage (see more of Portland’s secondhand shops in this post).
Both of my velvet dresses were lent by Vaute Couture — the collection is inspired by Sailor Moon. My faux fur scarf is from Holt Renfrew.
What are your favorite makeup products and techniques? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments, or on my Facebook!
I also did a blog post about how to pack stylishly — take a look, for tips on how to create cute outfits on the road.
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Wave Gotik Treffen 2014: festival dates, bands & travel tips! Steampunk Victorian picnic fashion.
Every summer, the streets of Leipzig are strewn with black feathers and glitter… for the world’s biggest Gothic festival, Wave Gotik Treffen! This year’s celebrations are from June 6-9, 2014, and musicians like The Cruxshadows, UK Decay and Apoptygma Berzerk will be taking the stage.
A trip to WGT is at the top of many Goth bucket lists. I still think back fondly to my experience in 2012. If you missed it, you can look back at my Wave Gotik Treffen posts and travel video.
If you’re thinking of going to Treffen, you’re in luck: my friends Jen Hoffert and Holger Karas wrote this post with all the details you need, including where to stay and how to get around. They attend WGT each year, so you could’t ask for better experts. Enjoy their photos from the 2013 festivities, and find out more on their Seventh Sin Tumblr.
The first 145 bands have been announced for the 23rd annual WaveGotikTreffen and we’re eagerly awaiting the arrival of our friends from around the world to our home city of Leipzig, Germany. Wave Gotik Treffen is one of the largest gothic and industrial festivals in the world, with over 20,000 visitors and roughly 200 bands playing at dozens of venues throughout the city over four days. In our opinion, it’s also the most stylish festival, where people go all out to express themselves.
This year WGT falls quite late, June 6-9, so the weather should be perfect for exploring the city. In addition to the concerts and parties, there are dozens of other events: operas, musicals, films, a display of historical hearses, and more. Many of the museums and galleries in Leipzig will features works of particular interest to the Gothic crowd such as the Grassi Museum of Ethnography’s global exhibitions on celebrations of death from Sumatra to New Orleans, a special showing of H.R. Giger’s work at the SansvoiX Gallery, and a multimedia presentation from Slovenian electronic pioneers Borghesia at the counterculture gallery Kultúrny dom B31.
Our dear friend Danarama of TwoKnottyBoys from San Francisco will be presenting a bondage workshop on Friday evening at a special downtown location. Dan will also be releasing the first EP “Inside Out” from his project Harm Joy with Olaf of Tyske Ludder at WGT. You can find out more about the many unofficial events surrounding WGT here at the online gothic event calender Schwarzes Leipzig.
The Victorian Picnic at Clara Zetkin Park is a highlight of WGT for those who like to dress up. Hundreds of beautifully costumed participants gather here on the shores of a lake in a manicured city garden, the perfect setting for Lolitas, Steampunks and other romantics.
The pedestrian road running thorough the WGT’s main venue, the AGRA, is known as “the catwalk” for good reason. There will be many people strolling up and down, wildly costumed in every imaginable version of dark attire with photographers, and even a few video crews taking it all in.
If you find yourself missing the perfect piece to finish your outfit, one of the massive halls of the AGRA hosts the WGT Black Market for vendors of clothing, housewares, music, and just about anything else your little dark heart desires.
You can purchase your tickets to the festival when you arrive (which is much easier than using a wire transfer to purchase them online), but hotel rooms in Leipzig are notoriously hard to come by during the festival weekend. One alternative is to seek private accommodation on the official WGT subforum called “Do you need sleep?” Here you can browse through the offers made or post your own request. Leipzig also has a number of good listings on AirBNB. Private accommodations including a bed and use of the bathroom and kitchen generally run about 20-50€ a night per person.
For the truly adventurous among you, there’s a large official campground set up for WGT visitors (25€ for the weekend). Although for the life of me, I’ve never been able to figure out how people manage to come out of their tents looking so good.
Confirmed performances for WGT 2014 include well known acts such Anne Clark, Apoptygma Berzerk, Hocico, Mephisto Walz, Six Comm, The Crüxshadows, and UK Decay, as well as hidden gems such as Antichildleague and Sieben. Naturally there’s a smartphone app for WGT to help you plan your concert schedule, keep track of where your friends are, and find the best tram connection between venues.
However, it never fails that two of your favorite bands will be playing at the same time at opposite ends of the city. Don’t despair, you’re still going to have a great time and you’ll see an unbelievable number of great performances over four days. The WGT organizers know their stuff about this music, which means that each venue will most likely host a particular subgenre. It’s often worth staying at one venue for multiple bands to discover new bands similar to one you showed up to see.
After the concerts and cultural events shut down each night, DJs from all over the world will invite you to dance at clubs throughout the city. From NeoRomantic parties held in ballrooms and Batcave themed old school nights in cellar vaults, to the hardest industrial and noise and even one of the largest fetish parties in Germany, no matter what your taste is there’s something, somewhere in the city to keep everyone on their feet from Thursday night till the sun comes up on Tuesday morning. We hope to see you there!
Back to La Carmina. Thanks to Jen and Holger for the report and photos, and I echo their words: I hope you’ll make it to Wave Gotik Treffen one day, to see the inspiring fashion and culture for yourselves. One is never too young to enjoy, as you can see from the “baby Goths” in Victorian prams…
While you may not want to take a youngster into the crowded concert halls, they’ll enjoy the outdoor food courts and fashion stalls.
Want to see more of the “black market” clothing and bands? Watch my Wave Gotik Treffen video (it includes tons of travel tips), and peruse my blog posts about the festival.
What do you think of the dark outfits in these photos? Do you know any Goth or punk parents? If you have more Treffen tips for newbies, please share them in the comments!
LA CARMINA
