I'm Sorry!

The internet here is much worse than expected, so updating anything on the internet has been fairly difficult. There will be posts when I get back to Canada. With pictures!!

Day 5 - Exploring Phase

I think I've got the town down pretty well now. I even know alternate routes places! The giddy exploring phase is fading and we're locking on to areas we like, especially the less-touristy ones haha. The man who runs the B&B we're staying at is treating us very nicely too, pointing us towards more local spots that tourists don't really frequent. 

Here are some of my favorite shots from around town (check out my Tumblr for more frequent posting of pictures)

Beer is cheaper than water

My medieval feast plate :)

Day 2 - Cesky Krumlov

We made it! I got in to Linz around 2:30 their time, and then the bus came shortly afterwards to take us to Cesky Krumlov. Our room is really cosy, and has these gorgeous beams running through it. It's up about 4 flights of twisty stairs, but I guess that will help work off the beer.

We got in and rinsed off our airport grime, then went out exploring. I took about 40 pictures, and that was restraining myself, haha. It's so so so beautiful here. I'm sure I'll be posting many more pictures of the town in days to come, so you'll get to see! The one above is one I took today (obviously), just a minute or two down the street from where we're staying, on the way to the town square.

We also had out first Czech beers today with dinner! It's really warm here, they were nice and refreshing.

Day 1 - Philidelphia

I made it to Philidelphia! First leg of the journey is done and went really smoothly. I even figured out how to switch terminals without any fuss, haha. So now I've scarfed some pizza and am just sitting at my gate, killing time til the plane leaves in like 2 hours.

I'll try and update this as much as possible over this trip :)

Outfit Of The Day

YAY!
I finally get to post one!!!
Haha, it's from last week, but oh well. Better late than never.
I went to go see Living With Lions at a pub nearby, and it was finally nice enough out to wear something kind of summer-y.

Don't mind the depressed look haha, taking pictures
 of myself makes me feel awkward

Love these boots <3 but they need to be completely resoled...

That dress/tunic/shift/thing is one of my favorite summer pieces; it made me feel like summer was closer since I got to wear it, haha.

Final Alterations

I got my bangs cut and bought new earrings/plugs as the final appearance changes before my trip, haha.

Bangzzz

Shiny new plugs

I got one pair of plain white flares (00g) and a spiral of coconut wood (8g).

Breaking the Bank

I went shopping AGAIN. Lord help my bank account.
For over a year I've been search for the perfect "I-can-fit-my-life-in-this" bag. A purse that I can put my laptop in, and it will say "oh, cool, a laptop. What else have you got, because I have SO MUCH MORE ROOM."
Found one today at H&M. Splurged a bit. Oh wellllll.

It's also not bad pick-pocket/purse-snatcher -wise, so it will be traveling with me to Europe. It'll probably just end up being my carry-on, thanks to how giant it is.

Back To The Trunk, Winter!

Dug my summer clothes out

And hid my winter clothes away

Sadly, I also tried on some of my summer clothes... Hello, motivation to get back into working out.

Rain Rain Go Away

We've had something like 3 weeks of rain here. It's obscene! I couldn't handle it if this were our normal weather. To cope with it, I've been shopping and fantasizing about when the warmer weather appears, or when I ship outta here for the Czech Republic.

I got all my summer clothes shopping finished. I picked up three cute dresses, a new crop top, and a new black two-piece swim suit.

Here are two of the dresses; I'm fairly in love. I can't wait to wear them more!!!
(I managed to sneak in wearing them on two movie dates I had with friends where it wasn't totally raining)

I feel like both dresses look a little frumpy here, but they're so nice and flowy in person.

PMA til I'm DOA

Last night rocked.

After work, I got to go with my friend while he interviewed the lead singer to one of my favorite bands. I snapped pictures while they chatted, and got to hang out with them for almost an hour before the show.

Liam+Howie - My favorite picture (despite the blurriness)

The interview went longer than expected, so afterwards I had to book it home to meet my friends and grab my ticket. Got changed, went down to the venue... and oh my good god. One of the best shows of my life, if not the best. Cancer Bats fucking tear it up. I was up at the front, center stage, the entire show (I'm so sore today that I can't really move - not quickly at least). 

When I got home

I bought their first album on vinyl, and a patch that's pretty sweet. BUT, I got something else tooooo. Best moment of the night: after their set, Liam walked back to the drum set and grabbed the set list, and gave it directly to me. Not "oh, I'll hold this out and anyone can grab it;" he put it right in my hands. Directly. From on stage. I hugged it for about the next fifteen minutes. 

Last night was so great. I'm still smiling.

New Shipment In!

Just got a bunch of new stuff!

Doctor Who graphic novel/late Christmas present from my
AWESOME ex-roomie :D

Order from Sephora in preparation for summmeerrr

Free samples! I chose all perfumes.

From Sephora (left to right) I got their refillable perfume rollerball, Buxom Smoky Eye stick in Smokin' Pistols (previously mentioned here), Sephora-brand nail polish in "wet cement," Blush Geleé by Givenchy (also mentioned in the Summer Make-Up post), annnd a palette from Too Faced called Naked Eye.

I've tried the Buxom stick but I can't really give a fair review because I know I need to get used to it, I'm so out of sorts trying to use anything but powder on my eyes. The only other one I've tried so far is the blush... it's awesome! So lightweight and the perfect flushed tone. The first time I put it on, I put on way too much because I wasn't used to the applicator, but even so it just looked like I'd been running around... not like I'd put on my blush really badly. Pretty amazing. I know I'll love the Too Faced palette because the colours are just what I wanted, and Too Faced eyeshadows are so wonderful: just the right compromise of creamy and mixable, while still being pressed powder.

The perfume samples I got are (left to right) de Lolita Lempicka (incredibly flowery, pretty overpowering - comes in a spray bottle but waaaay too much comes out, if I use it I'll have to dab), Chloé (a nice, soft rose - a modernized version of your grandma's perfume you loved), and Colette by Tocca (a scent made up of a whole lot of things, I think I can mainly smell the vanilla and sandalwood? Not really sure though...)

Just 20 days now until I leave for the Czech Republic! I feel like I have so much left to do, but getting in that Too Faced palette was one more check in the box - I've decided that's the only eye shadow I'll bring. It'll be tough, but it was that or spend agonizing hours deciding which pots and palettes from my current collection should make the cut. And then figuring out how to get them there safely and without spilling. This is a much better solution, and the palette has enough variety that I can do day and night looks without getting bored. I hope!

Spring is sprung

I've been so horrible at updating lately! I'm just settling back into the swing of things, getting used to working full time instead of being in school, and my roommate just moved out and another moved in so that threw everything for a bit of a loop.
I think life is calming down a bit now, though, and here are some pictures from Easter weekend! It was gorgeous here, I even got a sunburn! In April! In Nova Scotia!

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1+2: Easter make-up! I tried for spring colours :) I just LimeCrime, obbvious choice for the occasion.
3: Grainy mirror-shot of my Easter outfit... Good news! My new roomie promised she'll help take photos for me <333
4+5: Easter-coloured houses, in the beautiful April sun. The first is the view from my bedroom window, the second is my Aunt's place in the valley, where we went for a big family dinner.

[ps: I changed my Tumblr; it's now whateverasalways ]

Summer Mind-Set

Heyyy there,
quick update because I know I've been a slacker lately...

• I'm all done exams!
• Back to work full-time tomorrow (cha-ching)
• Going to update soon with a shirt I made this week
• Check out my Tumblr because I'm addicted to that shit
• Really happy with life atm b/c
• I think I did well on exams
• Changed the font on my BB and it makes the whole thing look nicer
• Czech trip is getting ever closer
• I bought tickets to Osheaga 
• I've been catching up with old friends that I missed a shit-ton <3
• Mixed feelings about my current roomie moving out (boo!) and my new roomie moving in (yay!)

Hope all is well on your side of the screen!

Presentation Make-Up

I did my make-up all fancy for the dress presentations on Friday.

Eyeshadow/Eyeliner: LimeCrime and Make Up Forever eye shadows
Mascara: Falsies by Maybelline
Lipstick: LimeCrime
Earrings: Black Market (local)
Plugs: Adept (local)
Headband: H&M

Dress Project: Finished Product!!

On Friday, we had our little "fashion show," to present our finished garments.

My creation!

I ended up changing some things last minute, like the sleeves. The sheer fabric I bought turn out to be delicate to the extreme, so I redrafted a sleeve I could do in cotton so that she'd actually be able to wash her dress like a normal piece of clothing.

This is my favorite picture from the day :)

I'm really pleased with how the dress I made turned out; it fits her really well AND she likes it. Also, I'm in LOVE with the one she made me! It's so adorable, with that floral skirt and the details on the bodice.

I can't wait for summer when we can wear theeese.

Dress Project: Part 1 (the mock-up)

WARNING: PICTURE HEAVY

Draftingdraftingdrafting

All cut out and traced!

My little buddy keeps me company

Top half done

Both halves done!

Rach and I are the same measurements so I tried it on

Skirt came out perfectly :)

Practicing with sheer fabric for the sleeves

Also known as "satan fabric" (this stuff at least)

On the actual model!

Sleeves came out TOO poofy, that'll be toned down

That's the first half done!
I just spent 11 hours in the studio today working on the dress in the real fabric. It's going to be niiiiice. It's due on Friday, so I'll post a final version soon after that!

((All photos taken by my craptastic camera phone))

To Sew This Summer

1. Knock-off AA lace bra
2. Panel Skirt
3. Panel Skirt with fly zipper (OH GOD)
4. Flowy Skirt (off white, sheer overlay)
5. "Modern Dartless Shape" Top

I think that's a big enough list for now...

(coming soon: [aka once I get motivated enough to organize the photos] the saga of my first drafting project!)

Backstage Fo' Eva.

I'm the Head Dresser for DalTheatre's last production of the season, The Country Wife, and with this past weekend being tech weekend, and it running all this week, I feel like I've been living backstage (and, more annoyingly, in my blacks!).

Sitting in the green room

I'm getting so annoyed with my hair, especially my bangs. I need to figure out more ways to keep them up and out of my face until I decide what to do with them. And the rest of my hair.

On the plus side, the theatre department gave us this!

I think they're bribing us with sugar because they started the play a half hour late tonight, which means laundry won't be done until after midnight.

Bears Don't Belong in Zoos

I went to the midnight screening of Hobo With A Shotgun the other night after one of our tech run-throughs. It was everything it could and should have been. Pure delight, especially since the two men responsible for the film gave a little speech beforehand, and it was the perfect movie to see at a midnight showing (with the perfect audience - drunk punks screaming at the screen).

Straight outta Dartmouth

ps: how fucking awesome is it that Rutgar Hauer is in it?!!?!?!

All the Editors are hard, All the Journalists are wet

All the boys are jerking off in private on the internet.

Protest The Hero's new album came out yesterday!!!
Fuck yeeaaaah. I got it off iTunes last night and listened to it on the way to/from class today. It's only got 10 tracks, but the awesome-level makes up for that. I'm pretty sure I'll have this album on repeat for the next few weeks.

My friend told me that Rody wrote the lyrics for this album (Arif usually does) so I was a little tentative about listening to it because one of my favorite things about Protest is their lyrics. The first song that came on my iPod was "Moonlight," and it was good, but not the same level of amazing that I was used to. I'm laughing at myself now, though, because Wiki tells me that's one of the two songs that Arif did write the lyrics to (you can definitely tell his other one, C'est la vie, it's reminiscent of the style of Fortress). The second song that came on was "Hair-Trigger." It so won me over. The opening lyrics may have helped with that... "That sweet little red head's got her hooks in my back."

The music's obviously fucking fantastic, it's Protest. There's one part in "Sex Tapes" (lyrics in title are from that track as well) that has the coolest vocals - when he sings "be careful what you're looking at because it may be looking back."

Wicked album. Go buy it. Support bad ass Canadian music.
Also, if anyone has any pull with the band, please beg them to add some East coast dates to their tour.

Album artwork by Arif's grandfather

Summer Make-Up

I know I have no right to be thinking about Summer so early; it’ll still be another two months or so before it moseys on up to Halifax, but I just woke up from a nap and Cupcakes and Cashmere’s latest post on Spring make-up has me wanting to go on a make-up shopping spree.

The most appealing item on her list is the Buxom Waterproof Smokey Eye Stick. If you go to Sephora’s page for it, there’s a video review that proves just how waterproof it is. That’s AMAZING NEWS. For me, the summer is all about water: I’m either out at sea, or swimming, scuba diving, even getting in water gun fights isn’t uncommon. I generally avoid wearing make-up in the summer because it’s pointless to wear it to work, and then my time off involves almost as much water as work does. This product would be great for my days off when I’d like to ditch the natural look, but am not sure what the day will bring (I'd probably avoid it while diving... but it sure would be a good test!)

The most interesting product on her list is Givenchy’s Blush Gelee. It’s another sponge-tip blush, like Hourglass Aura Sheer Cheek Stain. The description of the product as “Jelly Blush,” along with its single colour that promotes layering and a natural look, reminds me a lot of Smashbox’s O-Glow (which I own the lip version of and LOVE). I’d like to see them side by side to compare texture. On the plus side, Givenchy's product is actually less than the Hourglass one (though not quite as cheap as Smashbox's).

Some other items that caught my eye around the Sephora website:

Hourglass Aura Sheer Lip Stain  - I love lipstains, what can I say? This looks gorgeous in the Plum colour

Tokidoki Sodashop Palette - Ever since I happened upon his boutique in NYC, I can’t get over the cute <3

Too Faced Eyeshadow Duo - And, of course, some more eye shadow. I’ve had one of these before and the quality was amazing! I’m kinda jonsing for a pair of more neutral colours lately, so Cocoa Puff & Honey Pot looks delectable

Hopefully this summer, especially during my trip to the Czech Republic when I won’t have to worry about work (!), I’ll have more time and more motivation to have fun with my make-up looks.

Solo Frustration

I want to start posting Outfit Of the Days! Outfits of the day? Either way.
I need a roomie that gets dressed at the same time at me though. Or is home when I get ready. Or a camera tripod? Or even a better camera on my phone, if only that was upgradable.
And better lighting in my room, since I'm already complaining.

Boo, life. You suck with your minor inconveniences.


[[PS: I'm half-assedly documenting my making of this dress for school! If it goes well, I'll show you. If it goes badly in a funny way, I'll also show you.]]

St Patrick's Day!

St Patty's is one of my favorite holidays, no contest. Dressing in green is always fun, and everyone's just so cheerful and friendly!

Yesterday, I had an appointment to get my headshot done for Dal's upcoming production (I'm the head dresser!) so I got a bit more dolled up than I normally would. I'm not usually one for foundation, powder, etc, but I went for it yesterday and I'm pretty pleased.

With my Dollar Store tiara

We went to one of the Irish pubs downtown, stayed there from about one until eight. It was such a fun day! As all the pictures prove :)