guess what I did, kids?

So I was bored. Guess what I did?

Cut my hair.

And not just a trim. I grabbed one of my pairs of sewing scissors and went to town on my head. And the results?

My bangs are nice and thick and no longer sideways, and I cut in all sorts of layers that make my hair look thick and curly.

I should get bored more often.

Pictures will be up tomorrow, but yea and verily, it's 11:46 pm and I haz the tummyache. But I look a bit like this lovely lady.

A theater gal's wedding style

I've been in theater since I was three, and learned to apply stage makeup at the tender age of ten. So when I started thinking about wedding makeup, I figured I could just do it myself! After all, wedding makeup is probably at the same level as straight makeup in a small theater. Probably.

I usually don't wear much makeup- moisturizer, a little concealer, mascara, chapstick, bah-BAM! I'm out the door. Granted, now that I have a job, I wear a little bit more- mineral foundation, a tiny bit of blush, and a swipe with the greatest thing since sliced bread, the Covergirl smoky eye cream stick thingamabob.

(CoverGirl Smoky ShadowBlast in bronze fire. Seriously. Lifesaver!)

I used the wedding as an excuse to splurge a little bit on some new makeup and snatched up some snazzy new items to try. I also checked out Miss Rainbow's posts- she's a makeup artist and had some GREAT tips!

I figured I'd do my makeup trial at some point, but I was cleaning out the rec room this morning (which is currently Wedding Central) and found my pile o' makeup and thought "Huh...eh, why not."

So thus it begins!

I started out by washing my face with my trusty Noxzema Wave. My skin doesn't like cleansers- I get dried out in seconds. I usually use the St. Ives apricot scrub, but it seemed like a little much. So Noxzema Wave it was. I followed it up with Clean 'n' Clear toner, which is a standby from my high school days.

(No makeup whatsoever! Notice the quizzically skeptical eyebrow...what am I getting myself into?)

Now that I was squeaky clean, I checked out Miss Rainbow's "signature cocktail." I love it, but I ended up modifying it to suit my needs. I definitely used the Monistat chafing gel (who knew it was the same formula as primer?!), but I used my standard moisturizer instead of Cetaphil. The only Cetaphil moisturizer was in a big jug for ten bucks, so I stuck with my usual St. Ives moisturizer. And I couldn't find any MAC Studio Fix Fluid...mostly because the MAC store at the Green Hills Mall scares the pants off me. Go ahead, ask Keeton about the time we ninja'd around it. And it's on a corner, which makes it harder.

In any case, I grabbed a foundation I've been dying to try: Maybelline dream liquid mousse with an "airbrush finish." Then I stared at my three vials for a while, wondering exactly how to blend the three together. I started to put it all on my finger, since she recommends using your fingers. I chickened out at the last minute and put it all on a sponge.

I applied it the same way I apply theater foundation, and was pretty happy. It still looked a little sparse in spots, so I put on a tad more foundation and liked that. I'll probably try again with mixing just the Monistat and the moisturizer, and then putting the foundation on top.

Then I buffed it with a skunk brush. OH MAH GAH. Where has this been all my life?! The skunk brush buffed everything out all nice and smooth. I just love it. It's just one of the Target Studio Tools brushes, but it's simply love. If there was a fan page on Facebook for it, I would sign up.

Miss Rainbow says she doesn't use concealer, but since I didn't use the MAC stuff (although I might brave the MAC store for it) I used a little bit. My everyday concealer is actually a cream stick, but for this I got the CoverGirl 24-hour liquid stuff. It went on pretty smoothly, except on my forehead. But I have bangs, so this won't really be a problem.

Then I realized I didn't have any setting powder. So I resorted to a theater trick- baby powder. I grabbed the bottle, patted some into my hand, and then buffed it onto my face. It seems to work, but I think I'm going to go with Miss Rainbow and order the powder she recommended. I don't want my face to smell like a baby when I go in to kiss the hubster. But at least I can get a good feel now of what the makeup will be like.

(Yay, nice and smooth! But you can still see the cool little freckles around my eyes!)

So far I'm pretty happy. I feel I can master the blend of moisturizer, primer, and foundation better- if you stare at my right cheekbone, it's a bit streaky. And my face smells like baby. But all in all, the test is going well so far! Time for part 2.

I read over Miss Rainbow's instructions for contouring first, then got started. I ended up blending her tips with what I usually do.

For a midsized theater space (meaning the audience is a fair distance, but not a cavernous hall), I usually begin with a water-based pancake base or a CoverGirl clean liquid makeup and then layer it with normal blush. Unless I'm playing an old character (I typically play very young or very old) I don't need much age. This is from Beau Jest in fall 2009, when I played Miriam Goldman.

You can see the contouring on my cheekbones and some light lines on the corners of my eyes and my nasal-labial folds. Miriam isn't terribly old and it was a fairly intimate theater, so I didn't need a lot.

On the other hand...

Just one month later I played General Cartwright in Guys and Dolls in a large proscenium theater. Holy decrepit, Batman!

Now there's contour lines on my cheeks, chin, sides of my nose, nasal-labial folds, and my forehead. When I turn to the side, you can also see shading on my jawline. And keep in mind that this was taken with flash- it was much stronger in person!

All this to say, I guess, that it just goes to show you how much contouring can do. It can do a lot to streamline your face and shape it properly.

So I picked up CoverGirl's contouring blush in Refined Rose. It has three shades- dark, medium, and light. I started with the medium on the apples of my cheeks and buffing it back. One of my favorite theater tricks is that you should brush your blush from the apple of your cheek up towards the top of your ear. If you brush from the apple downwards, it makes your cheeks look longer and flatter- it's actually how you apply a man's makeup for the stage.

(On a side note, it's hilarious to see a boy who forgets and brushes up instead of down. The end result looks pretty silly.)

I brushed just a bit of the darker shade on my jawline, my cheekbone, and the sides of my nose. The reason for the latter is because it can make your nose look thinner if applied properly. I also put it on my jawline because I hate my chin- I feel like a Simpsons character.

I applied the highlight just like Miss Rainbow recommended, and I love the final result. My face looks so nice and polished!

(Contouring on the left, nuthin' on the right. See the difference? Sorta? Maybe?)

Now it's time to venture into unknown territory, since Miss Rainbow hasn't done any tutorials for eyes and lips. (Although if she ever does...I'll definitely read them and try them out!)

I started with eyeliner. I used CoverGirl's liquid liner in black-brown. WOW that stuff goes on sharp. I ended up grabbing a little brush and smudging it just a bit, which helped. I lined the top lash and the outer corner of the lower- it makes my eyes look larger and more open.

Then...I realized another crucial mistake. I forgot to get eyeshadow! I rummaged through my theater makeup box and dug out two old ones to test. I want a lightly smoky eye, so I found two different brown sets that might work.

(Two different shadows!)

The left eye was Almay's Blue Intensify set. I use it for auditions and dressy occasions. It's fairly reliable and does make my eyes look bluer, but I don't know if the coppery shade of the main tone works well.

The right eye is a Maybelline four-color set. I bought it for The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (I played Janice Vickery). I don't think I like it, though. It looked fine for the performance in the black-box theater, but for a wedding it just looks kind of dirty.

In any case, I used the same basic setup- the middle tone on my eyelid, the dark tone in the crease and lower lash, and the light tone on the inner corner, under the eyebrow, the middle of the lid edge (just above the pupil) and right underneath the lower lashline.

Eh, I'm not all that excited about either one. I'll have to try it again (unless someone really likes one of the ones I tested!)

Next: mascara. I'm sticking with my tried-and-true favorite: CoverGirl Lashblast. I bought a new (waterproof! waterproof! waterproof!) bottle in black for the wedding, so for this here trial I just used my old and almost empty one. But before I did, I curled my lashes for the first time.

I've never curled my lashes before- they're naturally very long and dark and curly. (I think it's karma's way of balancing out my Simpsons chin.) But I bit the bullet and got a cheapie one to try it out. It didn't really look different, but it did make the mascara go on easier.

Speaking of which, I followed my usual theater M.O. It goes a little something like this:

#1: Lightly coat the top lashes and give it a second or two to set.

#2: Go back over the top lashes. Look up and slide the brush through your lashes from base to tip, wiggling it slightly back and forth as you go.

#3: Lightly coat your bottom lashes while the top lashes dry.

#4: Go back over your top lashes with one last light coat.

I swear, it stays all day and looks like I have on fakes. As I type this I can see my lashes as I blink! Awesome sauce.

Now for the last step, the lips. My plan is to wear a light shade for the ceremony and the first part of the reception to match my princess gown, and then put on a bright red lip to match my retro lace-and-tulle reception dress. So I picked up CoverGirl Outlast lipstain in Teasing Blush, and CoverGirl Outlast All-Day Lip Color in coral. I usually only wear cherry chapstick for moisturizing and a slight bit of color, but I love lipcolors!

(The lipstain! Oh, and mascara. Mm, mascara!)

The lipstain was a little odd- I felt like I was drawing on my lips with a sharpie! It also looked really dark when I put it on, but I blotted it lightly by pinching a tissue between my lips, and it came out a lovely medium shade of pink. It's also incredibly precise! I feel like I have the perfect princess pout to go with my gown.

The only thing I don't like is that my lips feel a bit dry, and look very matte. I'm going to wear the lipstain to work on Saturday (10am-5pm) and top it with cherry chapstick to see how it works.

I also might have to grab P and give him a kiss to see how the lipstain/chapstick combo works with him. I don't think he'll mind my research.

(the lipcolor!)

The lipcolor is slightly different. And when I say "slightly different," I mean "hardcore." First you must apply the color and let it dry for 60 seconds without your lips touching. It was kind of like applying a gloppy lip gloss that smells like vanilla frosting. So in other words, it was like middle school.

Once it dried, I applied the balm-like topcoat. It went on smoothly, and not a bit of color rubbed off on the topcoat stick. It looks sassy and deliciously retro, and doesn't make my teeth look nasty!

I got so excited by all this makeup goodness that I did a bad thing and did my hair. (Always do your hair before your makeup!) I pulled the top and sides back and fastened it with a a little tortoiseshell comb. Then I pulled out the Conair instant heat hot rollers that have been my steadfast sidekick through cheerleading and performances. I have three sizes, so I used the smallest around my face, the medium on the top, and the largest on the bottom. Once I was properly rolled, I sprayed it lightly and let it sit.

Once the rollers were cool, I took them out, schmeared a little Garnier anti-humidity smoothing milk on my fingers, and finger-combed the curls out. It's not precise in the slightest (ew, the ends!!), but it gives me a decent idea of what I might could possibly do if I have to do my own hair.

(tadaaaaa!)

And then I took the ultimate test- I took a picture in a dark room with flash just to see what the makeup looks like. The answer: awesome.

(I also took out the comb and added the headband I might wear with my second dress.)

(vampin' it up!)

So what do you think?

Hair Dramaz Part III and Opening Weekend

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture, but my hair is...well, decent. I dyed it Natural Medium Brown (or Truffle, in Garnier language)...but it still came out really dark. Darker than I would like, to be honest. That first morning after I dyed it, I was a bit shell-shocked when I looked in the mirror. I was so shell-shocked, in fact, that I scrubbed it twenty times with Pantene that morning.

Twenty. I counted.

The color has softened a little bit, but it's still quite dark. A lot of people have told me they like it, but I just don't think it's flattering on me. Maybe if I had a warmer shade of brown, so it didn't make me quite as gothicky-pale. It's all good, though. I'm going to dye it red again as soon as possible.

Also, you might have noticed that my blog got revamped. Again. I just felt that the new layout was too cluttered, and I like this one a lot better. It just looks cleaner and prettier.

And now for the big story...

Beau Jest opened on Friday night, and it was fabulous! Dress rehearsal on Thursday night was rough, unforgivably rough. We had done well on Wednesday night, and I think we allowed ourselves to coast on Thursday, instead of focusing and bringing up the energy. So we were all nervous on Friday night. But it turned out to be great! The audience loved it and we had a blast playing off of each other. Of course, we had the requisite bloopers- parsley didn't make to the stage, lines were dropped, lines were swapped ("Can you get impersonated for arresting a Jew in this state?"), stuff fell over, an earring got stuck in my hair...you get the picture. But it was still great.

The greatest moment happened on Saturday night. Jake, our TD, came backstage to check up on us. I asked him how I was doing, as he's been the most forthright about my performance. He told me I was doing great and that I didn't need to worry. Then he turned to the others and said, "You need to focus more and be careful. She's stealing the show from the rest of you."

High praise!!!! Especially from Jake!!! I was incredibly excited.

I think it's my hair, though. Seriously. On Saturday night, I got a laugh on my entrance. My hair is absolutely enormous. It's teased within an inch of its life and shellacked with enough hairspray to prevent it from moving in a hurricane.

But now it is late. And I have to sleep, so I can finish my red coat tomorrow morning. And clean my room. And clean my bathroom.

Oy.

Hair Dramaz Part II: In which my true hair color is revealed

The Color Oops! worked wonders. The black is goooone! Huzzah!

So it turns out my real hair color is an ash brown with a reddish tint to it. Rather nice! If I didn't need to have dark brown for Beau Jest, I'd probably keep it. At least for a while.

Now I have dark brown dye smeared over my head, and I'm fervently praying that it turns out nice. And that my scalp will stop burning.

But if you wanted to see what my hair really looks like, here it is:

And now I'm tired. I just want to rinse this dang dye out and CRASH.

Hair Dramaz Part I: In which I had black hair for twenty minutes

Beau Jest opens tomorrow. And I have reddish-blondish hair. That doesn't fly. Ergo, I must dye my hair a rather dark shade.

I purchased Garnier hair dye, as that's my usual, but instead of my typical Chocolate Caramel color, I selected Sweet Cola, as it was also labeled as "darkest brown." I was going to pick a different shade, but Rebecca thought that this one would work.

At 11pm, I began dying my hair. It was great. It was fantastic. I've done this a million times. I even chatted with P while the goo sat on my locks. And then I rinsed and shampoo'd...all that good jazz.

Imagine my horror when I realized that "darkest brown," in Garnier-language, translates as "GUESS WHO LOOKS LIKE WEDNESDAY ADDAMS?! YOU, BEEYOTCH!"

Terrible. Simply terrible.

I washed it several times and blew it dry. Still terrible. I hopped back in the shower and washed it about four more times, this time with dish soap. Nothin'. Still black. And there ain't no fixin' it.

And the show opens in less than 24 hours.

Fantastic.

By now, it's midnight. I alerted my father, and an emergency run to a 24-hour Walgreens ensued. Thus armed with Color Oops! and Garnier in "Truffle" (or "medium natural brown," as they're claiming at the moment) I returned home and immediately set to work.

So now I'm sitting around with Color Oops! soaking into my poor hair. It smells like someone mixed fertilizer with industrial bleach, but at least this should save my color. In about five more minutes, I'll rinse it out. Then I'll blow it dry. Then it's time for color round #2.

I'm just scared that my hair will freak out. I mean, after all, it's pretty fine. I have a lot of it, but it's really fine.

But before I leave to rinse out my hair, I offer a picture (captured via my cell phone camera) of my gothic princess hairstyle.

It's just awful. It just soaks up all the light, like it's some kind of parasite.

Parasite hair. Great.

Two days left!

Rehearsal last night went...decently well. It was kind of rough, because we now have all tech and all costumes and all transitions, and we don't have them all down yet. The other main problem is our energy levels. They keep tanking. It's easy to enter with energy, but it's hard to keep it up when the rest of the cast is lost in self-consciousness.

Also, I was relieved that Vali didn't come observe. I love Vali, but I know that I'm not a very good practitioner of the acting technique she teaches. But instead of Vali, Chris came. He came, he gave excellent notes, he didn't pull any punches. Marvelous.

I think tonight is going to go well. I feel like Erin and Caleb are really going to take it up, and once they're on the right track, the rest of the show will follow.

Today is my last day as a redhead...for the moment. Tomorrow morning, I shall be a brunette. The color is Garnier Sweet Cola. So basically, as close to black as possible. It's going to freak me out, but I'll rock it hardcore. I know I shall.

In other news...I don't really have any other news. Right now, Beau Jest is EATING MY LIFE.

And I love it.

Ever'body better come see it. Or I will weep copiously.

No, seriously. I will.

I feel like I talk all the time about my acting experience, but this is the first time that I've gotten a big part at Lipscomb. I feel like I have to prove to everybody that I'm not a poser and I really can act.

And it makes me sad that a lot of people aren't coming. We run for three different weekends, and apparently none of them fit in their busy schedules. And yea and verily, I do weep.

But right now I have to look over that dang Sylvia Klein argument. It's gonna kill me.

Aaaand...things are looking up.

So yeah. Gap in blogging.

It's all good, though. 'Sall good.

As you've probably noticed, there's been a revamp of the blog layout. I got tired of the old one...and the old name. Thus, my blog has received its fourth name change. Good job, blog. Good job. I'm still working the bugs out, though, so bear with me.

I'm working on transferring the meager contents of my sewing blog onto this one. Goodness knows I have enough trouble updating one blog, much less two. So be prepared for blathering about sewing projects showing up on here.

Rehearsals for Beau Jest are progressing really nicely...which is a good thing, because the show opens in two weeks. Two weeks! Yikes. Oh, well. It's going to be fun. And do you know what else is fun? Dying my hair super super dark chocolatey brown for the show, because I need to look like Erin's mother, and goodness knows my hair isn't nearly as dark as hers.

(I've used the phrase "goodness knows" twice in the past two paragraphs. How old school am I?)

Oh, well.

I've got some sewing projects to work on, so get ready! I'll post them as soon as I can.

Whuch means that could be anytime in the next three months. Who knows?