On Saturday, I spooked it up at the annual Dia de los Muertos festivities at the Hollywood Forever cemetery. Been going for years and it remains my favorite Halloween-time activity. The cemetery itself is massive, gorgeous, and home to the likes of Rudolf Valentino as well as weekend film screenings in the summer. The Day of the Dead party is by far the liveliest and most crowded of the events held here, though – with hundreds of altars, a procession, lots of food and performances, it draws thousands every October, many of the attendees in costumes, masks, or calaveras-inspired makeup.

This year I decided to try my hand at skullface, too – for the first time, strange as it may seem in retrospect. I went with a basic [spooky rather than sexy/pretty] skull and cracked lips look, but when it comes to face paint the possibilities are many. Using the techniques below, you can get as elaborate as you like. Enjoy!

TOOLS

• small smudge brush
• wide eye shadow brush
• water

• Pale base
• NARS Night Fever eyeshadow [black with ged glitter]
• Sugarpill Lumi loose eyeshadow [opalescent shimmer]
• black lipstick

Obviously, there are myriads of products that will work for this, but this is what I had handy.

METHOD

1. Apply base. I used Femme Couture Mineral Effects pressed makeup. Definitely too thick for everyday, but perfect for theatrical looks.
2. Dust with Lumi for an opalescent shimmer.
3. With a wet smudge brush dipped in Night Fever, outline the eye sockets, skully face shape and nasal cavity. You could use a fine round brush, as well. I decided to go with a smudge brush because it’s sturdier, with less room for wobble.
4. Carefully fill in the outlines using a wet wide eyeshadow brush and Night Fever.
5. Apply black lipstick to the inner part of your lips, blending out but not outlining the edges of your mouth
6. Pucker up tight and powder over your lips, firmly pressing down on the applicator.
7. Dust your entire face with fine glitter for extra sparkle. Sadly, these photos don’t do my blinginess justice.

STUFF TO TRY

• Use spirit gum to attach rhinestones, feathers, leaves or flower petals [real or fake] as accents
• Liquid eyeliner for fine detail
• Creme and liquid makeup and body paint
• MOAR glitter
• Stencils!

                          

On Formspring, an anonymous reader asks:

Could you please write a post explaining how you organize your stuff (makeup, legwear, clothes) ? Thank you!

A pertinent question! Since our move out of the overgrown-with stuff, J.F. Sebastian-style apartment last year, I’ve cut my belongings in half and began establishing actual storage systems. Because this isn’t something I can dedicate a whole lot of time to, it’s still a work in progress, but I’m proud to say I finally have my makeup and jewelry situation under strict control.

We have two bathrooms – one is communal and the other is dedicated to my makeup and accessory arsenal. It’s fairly compact so organization is key, or the space turns into a powdery minefield of brushes, hair clips and lipstick, where chaos reigns and all things get lost forever. I split my stuff between a chest of drawers, makeup case, a cabinet and a shelving unit.

The secret to keeping this powder room streamlined is assigning specific areas to specific items and products. All pencils in one cup, all chain necklaces on one rod, all hair products in one box, etc.

I do have a few jewelry dishes around, but even they have their assigned residents.

If going to such lengths seems excessive, I beg to differ, because cursing like a sailor while digging through twelve drawers for that one prized accessory or that specific shade of green eye shadow isn’t conducive to a pleasant outing. So – no exceptions. All things must go back to their home base within 24 hours.

The system works. I love walking in here and knowing exactly where everything is – not a statement I could have made last year, when the mere thought of locating anything specific in my old bathroom was enough to summon panic.

If you’re just getting started on your path to streamlining, be brave – it will get a lot worse before it gets better. Nonetheless, if you have half a day to dedicate to this project, it will serve you well, forever. Here is a quick How To, to help get you on your way:

1. Have lots of boxes/trays/organizers/cups, etc. on hand
2. Empty all your drawers and cabinets
3. Separate everything into categories
4. Fill shelves and drawers with trays
5. Fill trays with sorted stuff
6. Sit back and admire your grand accomplishment
7. Put everything back, every time

                          

Here is a lip make up trick I’ve been employing since Ye Darque Ages, which should be useful to anyone who’s ever looked at their eye shadow collection and woefully exclaimed, “Why can’t lipstick come in these colors? I, MAQUILLAGE MASTER, COMMAND IT!”.

Though, yes, it could, and does, sort of, the coverage and staying power of these products often leave much to be desired. Which is fine, because it’s ridiculously easy to create your own custom shades and, using a simple technique, ensure that they stay on as long as you please.

THE TOOLS

• lipstick brush
  
• lips gloss or creme lipstick
• loose eye shadow of your choice
• lip or eye pencil liner in a similar color

THE METHOD

• line your lips, then fill in with pencil
• in a small dish [or on your bathroom counter, for that matter] mix eye shadow with a dollop of gloss or lipstick
• apply with lipstick brush, staying away from the very edges of your mouth to prevent feathering
• Ta-da!

Seriously, that’s it. Infinite color freedom in just a few minutes. You could brush on some She Laq for extra durability, but the liner bonds the gooey mix so well, that I usually don’t bother and carry a little gloss-and-shadow mix in my purse for [infrequent] emergency touch-ups. A reader adds: Check the pigment list for safety. Pigments containing Chromium, Ultramarine, or Ferric Ferrocyanides (usually blues, greens, or dark cool purples mixed with the blue pigment) are not safe to use on your lips. There’s an ongoing list here with a lot of the common culprits, and notes on products that are safe for multi-purpose use.

Below, I gothed it up and lined my lips with black, going over it in with a mix of fuchsia lipstick, gloss, and Sugarpill’s Hysteric loose shimmery eye shadow. Modeled in my finest sock monkey pajamas before and after several hours out with no touch-ups.

It’s likely that some of you have also been employing this method for ages, but for those who have not, a whole new world of experimentation awaits! Gold, green, teal, violet, yellow, orange, opalescent white, that perfect shade of raspberry – everything is permitted. Try this technique with liquid foundation and just a dash of eye shadow for lighter and pastel shades.

                          

This late edition of Biorequiem Beauty Week is brought to you by a busy day and a lazy afternoon. Apologies for the delay, but life waits for no one! However, I’m happy to finally share my experience with Belle Face Salt Scrub.

With correct [read: gentle, minimal] use, scrubs can be very amazing for getting rid of dead skin cells and cleaning pores. Tons are out there, and lots of peeps make their own, but, until Belle Face, I hadn’t actually tried salt or sugar scrub on my face, so the only experiences I’d had were with St Ives and Bioré, both of which were downright painful and irritated my skin. I’ve used tons of salt and sugar body scrubs, but had The Fear when it came to putting similar stuff on my face. Not to mention that I already use an exfoliating cloth when I wash my face.

But, when a friend is developing a natural skincare line and makes the stuff right before your very eyes after a night of cheap Russian champagne, you just don’t say no.

Thus, I was sent home with a freshly-made tub of amazing-smelling goop, and a list of ingredients:

• Coarse and Fine Sea Salt (base)
• Castille Soap (base)
• Glycerin (binding)
• Aloe Vera (soothing)
• Olive Oil (incredible moisturizer which, miraculously, doesn’t clog pores)
• Jojoba Oil (moisturizer)
• Chamomile and Peppermint Tea (to restore balance and invigorate)
• Lemon Oil (scent)

My instructions were to use weekly, which makes today my second time, and may I just say, damn. After scrubbing, I rinsed it off with warm, then cold, water, then moisturized as usual, and… My face was sloughed and soft and glowing. In fact, my skin’s looked fresh all week. The effect was impressive, and actually quite different than the results I get with exfoliating cloths, which I still love and use. Even though the coarse salt looked a little intimidating, it was not irritating and dissolved quickly, but not too quickly to do its job. The key is gentle scrubbin’! And the lemon oil! Cooks out there know how amazing this stuff smells.

I’ve read many contradicting opinions on the benefits of scrubs, synthetic scrubs vs. natural scrubs, etc., so I’m not going to pretend I actually KNOW, for a fact, what’s right and wrong in the realm of scrubbing. I don’t. What I do know is that dead skin cells are better off gone and scrubbed skin is better off replenished, so I’m going to be using this stuff whenever my skin starts looking dull, and hope that I can get my hands on more when it runs out. This scrub isn’t available for purchase yet, but keep it locked to the Belle Face blog. From what I understand it’s just a matter of packaging now. HURRY UP, ANNAH.

                          

I know it’s Tuesday, but does that really matter? No, it does not, and so I officially declare this week, Biorequiem Beauty Week. This, rather broad, topic means reviews, answering more of your beauty questions, scolding some of you for asking stuff I’ve already covered, and so on. Then, it will all culminate with a therapeutic tar and feathers party on Friday. Two of these things are false.

Anyhow! A couple of weeks ago, the folks at EnvyDerm asked me to do a giveaway. In the interest of full disclosure, no, I do not have a relationship with this company, they just wrote and asked if I’d be down.  Now, what kind of a hostess would I be, if I were to give away something I’ve never even used? What if this stuff made your eyelids stick together, FOREVER? Or turned your skin green? You’d never forgive me.

Thus, I explained my position and asked for a sample, so I could guinea pig it for you first, and they agreed. This is EnvyDerm:

From their website:

EnvyDerm Eyelash Growth Serum is a gentle, non-prescription formula that promotes natural eyelash growth to give you longer, fuller and darker lashes. Our product contains only safe ingredients tested by ophthalmologists with no animal testing.

EnvyDerm Eyelash Growth Serum uses powerful SymPeptide technology to lengthen and strengthen your natural lashes, while reinforcing the hair with nourishing proteins, vitamins and moisturizers.

Sounds good so far! The booklet I was sent suggests 25% eyelash growth in 2 weeks of use. I could use that, sure. From what I gather, it strengthens the lashes you already have, and makes them longer, rather than make you grow new ones. The idea is to apply it once a day, onto completely clean skin, same as you would apply eyeliner. Here is what the applicator looks like:

I decided to begin my trial last night, as doing this before bed seemed to make the most sense. The first step was to remove all traces of eye make-up, which was actually far more involved than I anticipated. I used a non-oily eye make-up remover from Lancome, first on a cotton round, then on cotton swabs, really gettin’ in there to make sure my skin was clean and ready to absorb Envyderm. Step two was to apply to bot upper and lower lash lines, which was easy. The serum is a clear liquid and went on super-smoothly. I decided to keep my eyes closed for a little while and let it dry before going to bed.

Here is a Before shot of my right eye:

Check back in 2 weeks for a progress report! If all goes well and we see RESULTS, I will conduct that giveaway in a 6 weeks or so.

This week, I’m going to be answering select questions. I have actual hundreds backed up in the ol’ Formspring account, but if you have something beauty-related to ask, do so. All I request is that you remember I won’t be able to get to every question, and please check out previous editions of Blush Response and Interrogation Station before you ask. These categories are in the left column, click each one and peruse away!

                          

The crimson-locked siren below is my friend, Stephanie Inagaki. Stephanie is an artist and head designer of coveted jewelry label, Miyu Decay.

Stephanie has very, very, very long hair. A few weeks ago she called me up and asked if I could dye it red. All of it. I laughed, hung up, caught my breath and called back, saying that I’ll dye some of it, but that’s the best I can offer. So we got to work and took a few photos in the process, to show you how it’s done.

A lot of peeps with super-long hair are anxious about adding streaks themselves, but I’m here to tell you you don’t need no steenkin’ salon if you’ve got a few hours and an extra pair of hands around. The method below should also be useful for other hair lengths.

THE TOOLS

• Plastic bowl
• Dye applicator brush
• Rubber gloves
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic wrap
• Hair clips
• 40 volume creme developer
• Clear Blue powder bleach
• Manic Panic hair color
• Deep conditioner
• Red wine, fresh bread, fine cheeses and gourmet hummus help, but are not necessary

THE METHOD
• Mix up your bleach and developer
• Separate the section of hair to be dyed
• Please foil under the section
• Have the dye-ee hold the foil, while the dye-er diligently applies bleach mix
• Once all desired hair is well-saturated with bleach, fold foil over, then roll up

• Cover foiled chunk with plastic wrap re prevent drip, then clip in place
• Wait no more than 45 minutes, then shampoo and rinse

• Repeat if necessary

• Shampoo well, but do not condition
• Using the same foil technique, apply dye, and roll up

• Rinse dye out with cold water, until it runs clear, or almost clear
• Pile on the deep conditioner, and leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes – your hair’s been through a lot
• Rinse with cold water, and you’re all done!
• The desired level of lightness depends on what color you intend to use after. Reds and oranges require the least amount of bleaching, but lighter, cooler colors need more
• Leave dye on for at least an hour and a half. Since we’re using vegetable dye, this is safe because it stains your hair without damage

Because we dyed the entire top section of Stepahine’s hair, when worn down it gives the look of individual streaks. And that’s how you save your time, your money, and your sanity by avoiding the salon. Until the future!

                          

Continuing the recent red theme, here is a fiery eye shadow look I did over the weekend for the Jessica Joslin opening reception at La Luz De Jesus gallery. At a glance, it’s somewhat similar to the Strung Out look from a earlier this year, but this is actually much warmer and a little more complex.

This is a dramatic look that incorporates four different eyeshadow colors, but it’s actually pretty easy to execute. We start out with a bright orange base, and then accentuate it with hot pink, bright red, and shimmery highlights.

TOOLS

• Wide eyeshadow brush
• Medium eyeshadow brush
• Small smudging brush
• Flamepoint by Sugarpill
• Love+ by Sugarpill
• Dollipop by Sugarpill
• Shimmery highlighter from a random Tokyo drug store

METHOD

1. Using your wide brush, apply Flamepoint all over your eyelids, blending up+out. This brush is key if you want to achieve an almost airbrushed look.
2. Using the medium brush, apply Dollipop to your lower eyelids, blend out
3. With the medium brush, brush Love+ into the creases, blend up and out
4. Highlight the inner corners of your eyes using your medium brush
5. Using an angled brush, fill in and shape your eyebrows
6. Add a little Dollipop to the brow-bone, blend [blend, blend!]

I realize that I did it a little backwards this time around – you’re welcome to apply your eyebrows first [or last] – whatever feels right. Lastly, apply your mascara of choice, and your eyes are done!

My base in these pictures is MAC Studiofix in NC20 [as I may have said before, I do not recommend this for everyday wear, but it's great for special occasions] and my mascara is CoverGirl’s LashBlast Volume, which I smudged with a smudge brush for a little light contouring. I also used a little Sugarpill’s Dollipop and Flamepoint with clear gloss on my lips, and Birthday Girl on my cheeks.

I leave you with a question: I generally use drug store brushes and spongy applicators, but might be ready to expand my arsenal a bit – what are your favorite make-up brushes?

                          

A few years ago, I worked as a professional make-up artist. My passion was for special effects, and every once in a while I get to play with the skills I learned in those days. This year, I was too busy to plan a Halloween costume. Originally I wanted to dress as Pris from Blade Runner, then realized that Hot Topic no longer sells micro-mesh tops and didn’t have enough time to investigate further. Fail. However, since I was going out to the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, I had to do something, fast.

So, I busted out my Sugarpill eye shadows and created a super-quick look I can only call “Fashionably Bruised”, because the rest of my make-up remained intact and I didn’t add any puffiness or much redness. Far more work is needed for real-deal Beat-up Face, which I’ll try to remember to show you guys in the future. For now, here’s how we get fashionably Bruised!

THE TOOLS

• Medium eye shadow brush, and these Sugarpill eye shadows:
• Poison Plum
• Midori
• Buttercupcake
• Love+
• Tako
• Ben Nye stage blood – this is the best blood for this look, because it dries and crusts up just like the real thing.

THE METHOD

1. Decide where you want to have been battered
2. Using the medium brush, contour with Poison Plum. Don’t overload the brush, you won’t need much
3. Add some low-lights using Midori
4. To add an irritated, fresh look, very lightly add the tiniest bit of Love+, and blend. I wanted to look like a drunk businessman wandering in after a 48-hour bender, so my bruises are meant to look slightly older. Once the blood dried it looked nice and crusty, too.
5. Highlight with Buttercupcake and the slightest hint of Tako. The more yellow you use, the older your bruises will look!
6. For a realistic-looking bloody nose, use a cotton swab and be sure to coat the inside of your nostril. Your challenge is to avoid picking at it for the duration of your outing.
7. For added realism, add a bit of red and purple to your knuckles!

Voila!

                          

No Make-up Week is almost over. Already!? It’s been my most rewarding week of blogging on Biorequiem, and I’m infinitely grateful to Rachel of RabbitWrite for inviting me to participate, and everyone who had the chutzpah to share photos and speak up about their relationship with make-up, even when that meant digging up old fears and nasty experiences. I didn’t expect to have such an honest, raw and thoughtful response, so THANK YOU!  Seriously getting verklempt over here.

And though it is almost over, there is still the mighty weekend. That’s two days of potential outings and being around people, all without make-up. Can you do it? I plan to. Actually, I went out with a bunch of fabulously made-up girlfriends to a swanky night-zone on Wednesday night, and surprised myself when I felt just fine. I wore a three-piece pant suit, played up my short hair [while conveniently hiding my non-existent eyebrows, natch] and channeled Tilda Swinton as best I could without looking anything like Tilda Swinton.

If you’re playing catch-up over the weekend, check out all my No Make-up Week posts and, especially, the amazing responses:

My request to you is to take pictures once you’re all dressed up to go out, and post them in the comments section, along with your experiences while out. Maybe there won’t be much difference, maybe there will – finding out is why we’re taking part in this experiment, after all. Whatever the case, I’m very curious to see how we all do it up without make up for nights out or hangin’ with friends, and think it would make a nice Monday morning collage, something to commemorate No Make-up Week with.

I leave you with one final No Make-up Week question: has participating changed the way you feel about make-up, and, if so – how?

                          

Last week I received this email:

Title: I had a girlfriend who penciled in her eyebrows

Body: and you would both look a million times better if you didn’t. But then, I’m from a small town and hate the way makeup looks. Au natural!

It’s no great surprise that I’d never heard from this person before, but what on earth made them feel comfortable sending me an email like that remains a mystery. I suppose the anonymity of the internet gives everyone great big balls of judgment! In my day-to-day life, I’ve actually heard much worse. Some folks have very complex, ambivalent relationships with make-up. They’re attracted to us in our peacock mode, but if they get to know is, or even just get past a few dates they suddenly feel comfortable telling us it’s too much, or it looks cheap, or it’s unnatural, or, or, or.

I remember an old boyfriend smudging a painted eyebrow of mine with his finger while we were out, then laughing, amused with himself and with how mortified I was. It’s a multi-layered offense, really. First, it shows disregard for my comfort zone, second,  disregard for my opinion of how I wanted my face to look that day, third, disregard for the time I put into it. Overall, it shows an astounding lack of respect and consideration. Just that  single action. And this example is just the tip of an iceberg. I can’t even recall all  the ways in which I’ve been belittled and infuriated by people throughout my life for the ways in which I choose to make up my face. At the end of the day, I know it’s no one’s business and haters gon’ hate, but I’ve often wondered why. WHYEEEEE!!!

Why is make-up so repellent to some people? My current guess is that as with most things, it has to do with individual association. Because of prior experience, do some peeps automatically think that those who wear make-up must be insecure victims of the cosmetics industry? Is it possible that anyone could still respond to make-up by recalling the loose woman stereotype? What’s the obsession with make-up looking “unnatural”?  There’s the old argument that wearing shoes, riding bicycles and eating ice cream is unnatural too, if you go back far enough. I guess it’s different for everyone.

So if you have time and aren’t yet sick of typing about make-up, if you have been antagonized over make-up, or if you have love/hate, or hate/hate feelings toward make-up, I would love it if you could talk about it in the comments. No Make-up Week so far has been an illuminating experience, and I wan to keep the ball rolling. There’s still more to explore.

Read more No Make-up Week articles at the home base, here.

                          

Wow! Really amazed at all the make-up histories popping up in the comments of the two NMUW posts here, so far. Many similar tales, and quite a few opposing ones, too. Some peeps grew up hating make-up, some were pressured to wear it by their families, others never really liked it to begin with and don’t much bother with it now. Interesting stories to be found here and here. Also, the ladies over at Auntie Wicked have a write up a la mine, and of course there is No Make-up Week’s home base, here.

First, as promised, here are the brave Biorequiem readers who decided not only to participate in NMUW, but also to share their naked faces with the world. Can I get a collective Rarrr!? Thank you all!

Now, today’s menu: men who wear make-up and the pesky, persistent stigma surrounding this concept. This topic is as irritating as it is attractive, so I’ll be augmenting my mini-rant with stimulating imagery.

Dylan Monroe by Christine Lewis

So, my first crush was on a sad harlequin doll. I was maybe 6. I talk about this in an ooold Coilhouse post, where I blame my love of painted boys entirely on that doll and Pierrot. Childhood fantasies aside, I find made-up men infinitely attarctive. And I’m not saying that boys without make-up aren’t alluring, but well applied make-up just does it for me.

Identical twins Tom and Bill Kaulitz, fashion week 2010, Milan

Somehow, make-up on men is still not exactly commonplace today. Sure, it’s around, it’s just not quite “normal”. We have lots of great man make-up in fashion photography and a few celebrities in so-called “guyliner” [Not a fan of that term. Also, remember Richard from LOST?] are sprouting up here and there, but, despite all the context of ancient Egypt and the Elizabethans and the decades of glam rock and drag, today this is still an exception.

Devendra Banhart

Make no mistake, it being an exception as opposed to standard is part of the appeal, for me anyway, but I very much wish make-up on men was just… accepted, so that our powdered pretties could wear nail polish to the office without fear of reprimand and meet our parents without dads sternly scrunching their eyebrows in unified disapproval.

While we’re on the topic, a few links, from my googlemancery of the day:

• The History of Cosmetics on Wikipedia
• Why Did Ancient Egyptian Men Wear Cosmetics?
• Male Cosmetics in the Spotlight, a 2007 article, predicts a resurgence of make-up for the “metrosexual male”
• 4v00.com, a website specializing in men’s make-up and skin care. Their philosophy claims men are better-endowed than women. Sigh.
• Make-up for men, an especially annoying article about why men should wear make-up to boost confidence

Rrr. Is that the best we can do, internet? It irks me to see terms like “metrosexual” being cooked up to define someone who wants to throw on a little eyeliner and bronzer, and it depresses me to see that the same old confidence-blasting “you need make-up” nonsense is being fed to men.

Clint Catalyst in Mother of London by Dirk Mai

So many questions surface in my weary brain, like: do we really need definitions and separate lines of men’s cosmetics? Can we agree that make-up is fun and leave it at that, or do we require degradation to be made into loyal customers? Personally, I think including men in cosmetics campaigns, along with removing words like “flawless” and “better” would do wonders, but I suppose that’s a naive opinion that doesn’t factor in Maximum Profit. Either that, or I’m correct and everyone should listen to me right now. Whatever the case, with an open heart I keep hope alive that kinder, more accepting times are fast on their way, and twenty years from now man make-up with be at least as prevalent as, say, hair extensions.

In lieu of instant change, I hope you’ve enjoyed the brazen objectification herein. Last, but not least, Miyavi. A distant relative, perhaps?

                          

Hello, and welcome to No Make-up Week! NMUW is curated by Rachel over at RabbitWrite.com. Rachel blogs about sex and intimacy, and all sorts of other stuff, too. When she invited me to participate in No Make-up Week, I jumped at the idea.

NMUW is all about exploring our relationship with make-up, and as a person who’s worn make-up since the age of twelve and who dedicates a fair portion of her blog to make-up tutorials and advice, it’s not just a topic I think is important – it’s a topic I connect with on a [very] personal level. As I said in my introductory post on Saturday, I believe it’s healthy to examine anything we decide to need or love or fear, and that’s just what we’ll be doing this week. You can keep up with official No Make-up Week posts on the project’s home page, here: http://rabbitwrite.com/no-make-up-week/.

I’m going to kick the week off by sharing my history with make-up.I realllly hope at least some of you do the same.

• Moscow. I’m seven and my mother is a very glamorous woman. Always has been, as far back as I can remember. One of my fondest memories is of her coming home to find me with a face full of make-up and denying having raided her dresser. Man, I loved going through that dresser. Jars and tubes and bottles and brushes and that unique smell of lipstick, powder, and perfume.
• Los Angeles. I’m twelve and in junior high and all my friends are Mexican. I try to wear my face as they do – foundation, powder, eye shadow, lips lined dark with a lighter color fill. I don’t figure out how to apply liquid eyeliner until a year later. Other kids give me crap for wearing so much make-up, but considering the fact that they give me crap for almost everything I do, it doesn’t make any difference. Make-up becomes armor right around then. I get suspended for nearly breaking someone’s nose.
• Lafayette. I’m fourteen and people keep calling me a witch because of the nearly-black cherry nail polish I’ve taken to wearing. My hair is bleached and my boots are large. My style icon is Courtney Love.
• Denver. I’m fifteen, goth as fuck, and I shave my eyebrows off, along with most of my hair. The jocks pick on me, a lot, so I keep my look somewhat toned down at school, compensating for it on the weekends. On weekdays, my make-up alternates between black cat eye liquid liner and black shadow raccoon eyes. I haven’t left home with a bare face in years.
• Los Angeles. I’m seventeen, and finally perfect blending and begin to figure out how to draw my eyebrows on properly. Sometimes I grow them out, sometimes not. I’m going to an arts high school and no one picks on me anymore. I wake up at 5am to spend an hour on my face each morning, parading the results like a proud peacock. Armor in full effect, shiny and impenetrable.
• Chicago. I’m twenty and in art school and the weather is repulsive, year round. I tone down my makeup and grow out my eyebrows for good, defeated by the elements. I hate Chicago.
• Los Angeles. I’m 26 and working at a hip & happening office. I’m free to dress however I like to work, which leads to a fashion column. It also leads to occasional oversleeping and having to rush to work, sans maquillage. I begin to like my bare face, first out of necessity, and later on principle.

It took me fourteen years to begin to accept and display my bare face? Dayumn. That’s not to say I’m no longer vain and don’t despise unflattering photos, mind you.

Today, I adore make-up, and am much better at applying it than in the past, thanks to a short-lived career in professional make-up artistry. I love artifice and pomp – dressing up and creating new looks is still one of my favorite things to do. I wear make-up 75% of the time when I leave the house, but! I’m also really into the fresh-faced look. I don’t panic if I wake up at someone else’s place and don’t have a full kit with me. I don’t feel crippled by running out of foundation. Because of all my years of covering up, it’s almost a little perverse, like baring a coquettish ankle in Edwardian times, and I like that. Most importantly, I no longer need make-up.

Sweet freedom is mine.

And you? Share your stories, photos and experiences, and if you blog about it, include links, too! All photos of bare faces will be included in tomorrow’s post.

                          

I know it’s Saturday and thus an officially unfavorable blorghhging time, but I seem to have gotten sick [again, I know] and must take advantage of a sudden surge of power to write, so!

Next week, September 20 – 27 is No Make-up Week. A whole little network of interpeeps will be sharing their thoughts on this subject across the ‘wub, myself included. I also won’t be wearing any make up, which is actually perfectly normal for me these days, so halt your squeaks of terror, please. As for you, you’re welcome and encouraged to participate however you like, be it by simply not wearing make up, writing about your experience with make up, etc.

Why is No Make-up Week important? It’s just cosmetics, who cares! Well, I’ll tell ya, lots of humans do, and not just because it’s pretty and fun. It’s likely that we all know people who will not leave their home without it, others who become ostracized for wearing it, and folks who are just plain repulsed by it. Obviously, I am the last person to tell anyone make up is bad, but I do believe it’s healthy to examine anything we decide to need or love or fear. So, I’m looking forward to No Make-up Week and talking about some facets of what I find to be a fascinating subject. Skin care, boys and make-up, boys in make-up – these are some of the things you can expect to see here. And worry not – I’ll make up for it with a new tutorial or somesuch, when NMUW’s over.

                          

The cut took about 45 minutes, the color [or lack there of] about an hour and half. It’s still not done – I didn’t want to burn my scalp, so the back is baby chick yellow for now, but it’s close. I used cheap-o clippers, which I had to take apart and put back together halfway through the process, on the sides and shears on the rest, adding texture with an eyebrow razor. It’s pretty much exactly like it was two years ago, just [almost] white.

There is something so incredibly sexy about seeing myself like this. First, there’s the blend of textures – short, long, soft, a little prickly. Then, the look itself. Then the style itself – androgynous, even boyish, but with that bombshell platinum adding layers of UNF.

I love it.

                          

Q: I’m an albino and it seems nigh on impossible to find a foundation to suit me. I was using the lightest shade by Lorac but I find it’s simply too sheer and I would very much like more coverage. (I’m 37 and my skin hates me.)

A: Your skin does not hate you! Might I recommend Lancome’s Ageless Mineralé in Ivory 10 or Ivory 20? Super-light and offer full coverage! Both appear lighter than Bare Escentuals’ Fair,  but Lancome does cost a bit more. This foundation even comes in a starter kit. The shade selection begins at Ivory 20 – still very fair though! I think it will help you and your face come to a consensus.

Edited to add readers’ pale foundation brand suggestions:

• Shiseido
• Manic Panic

Q: Along the same vein, I dye my hair a bright cotton candy pink (no bleaching, woo!) but even with my natural white shade, I look like I have no eyebrows. I tried drawing them on at one point but being legally blind as a result of the albinism, well… let’s just say it didn’t go according to my cunning plan.

A: You’ve got a couple of options here, the first being eyebrow stencils! The cool thing about these is the have adhesive on the back, so you can get ‘em exactly where you want ‘em, stick, and then get to work!

Another option is cosmetic tattooing. If you decide to go with this one, do a ton of research and be very careful, since you like to dye your hair an unnatural color. You’ll want something light and neutral enough for future colors, too.

                          

It’s almost the weekend, but that’s no reason to shirk fitness! I’ve been slacking on my Interrogation Station posts, but I did notice that there are quite a few questions about how I stay in shape in there. NOW YOU PAY. I’ll be adding fitness to my Blush Response posts from time to time, starting right now.

So, I loathe gyms. One day I hope to go back to martial arts and/or dance as means of physical maintenance, but for now I do the bulk of my exercising at home. For years I’ve been told I shouldn’t jog or do high-impact exercises because of relatively mild scoliosis, so I usually just do stretches, sit-ups, push-ups, and booty exercises. However, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go for a short run a couple of weeks ago, just to see how it would affect me. And because I love running. Ultimately, I was fine, but my knees and back did hurt a little bit. I’ll be checking with a doc next week to see whether it’s OK for me to occasionally run anyway.

Meanwhile though, I needed to find something else to get my blood pumping and my heart rate up. This week Ive been using the video below. Disclaimer: I have no idea what SparkPeople is and I am not endorsing it in any way. However, I recommend this 10-minute ass-kicker to anyone who wants cardio, but doesn’t have much space or time. It’s deceptively simple, but I assure you, you’ll be feeling the benefits within one day. I suggest you keep your arms up and out for most of it for extra toning power. You need: 10 minutes and about 4 square feet. Give it a go and enjoy!

                          

This edition of Blush Response is brought to you by the lush eye shadows of Aromaleigh [again] and the recent Master and Margarita session of Sketchy’s NYC. I was going for an updated super-vamp look when shooting the promo image for this event, with soft curls, dark, smoky eyes and deep cherry lips.

HAIR

1. Separating 2-inch-wide sections, curl with a medium-barrel curling iron
2. Spray each curled section and let cool – I use Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play
3. Once hair is curled and cool, run your fingers through it to transform curled sections from doll-like ringlets into softer waves
4. Use a comb to tease and mess
5. Pin with bobby-pins to taste

EYES

I used Aromaleigh* Victoria’s Revenge eye shadow line for 75% of my look, including blush and eyebrows.

1. Prime. Prime, prime, prime! These shadows do not do well without a base.
2. Dust Cyanide Sorrow all over the upper lid, blending out near the brow
3. Use Magick & Metal to accentuate the crease & lower lash line under the eye
4. With Ruthless Indulgence [hawtt damn I love this one] accentuate the outer creases, blending up and out
5. Highlight the inner lid corners and brow bone with Infernal Chaos
6. Using Prestige liquid eye liner, create a cat eye, then carefully and minimally line around the entire eye
7. Use a small smudging brush and blend under the eye with a bit of black shadow. I used Sugarpill’s Bulletproof.
8. Mascara! Lots of it. I’ve just switched to CoverGirl’s LashBlast Volume, with that adorable rubber brush and I may never go back.

LIPS

9. Line with a dark red liner, then fill in with dark red lipstick — I used cheap-o drug store brands for this and it worked out just fine.

CHEEKS

10. Brush Magick & Metal on your cheeks and blend

SKIN

11. I used Bare Escentuals mineral foundation in Fairly Light. Sometimes I apply my foundation first, sometimes last, depending on how much cleanup I think the eye makeup will need. In the case of extra dark shadows, I tend to do the foundation last.

*Sadly, Aromaleigh is going out of business, but the good news is that they are offering a 35% discount on their site right now, with the code ADIEU35. Go forth and order, before it’s all gone forever!

                          

We meet again, my fellow aesthetes. The occasion? I just got my hands on a myriad of Aromaleigh eye shadow samples and it’s been a while since the previous edition of Blush Response, so I decided to try the new stuff with an eye look I wear all the time: burnished smoke.

It’s a quick and versatile method that’s worked on every face shape I tried it on, back in my professional face-paintin’ days. If you’re not doing this already, I encourage you to attempt it.

I went with shimmery graphite [Soul Takes Flight] and pearl [Air & Light] pigments from Les Papillons collection, and Bette [an instant favorite, just look at it] from the sultry Bete Noir collection. You probably love the product names as much as I do.

Here’s how I engineered this look:

1. After applying mineral face powder and eyebrows, I lined my water line with a black pencil, then added a little liner to the outer corners of my upper eyelids, blending it out with a smudging brush
2. With a sponge applicator, swept a layer of Soul Takes Flight all over my lids and a little under the eyes, then blended out with a brush
3. Brushed Air & Light on to the inner corners of my eyes, then blended a bit over the inner corners of the upper eyelids
4. Applied Bette to the outer creases [under the brow bone] and blended out.
5. Used a bit more of my mineral face powder to highlight along the eyebrows
6. Applied mascara
7. Finished the look with some E.L.F. lip gloss

Somehow, I didn’t have any experience with Aromaleigh products before getting these samples [madness, I know], so today I spent a bit of time poking around their website, and am thoroughly inspired and impressed by the vast array of not only colors, but types of make up. All sorts of eye shadows, eye liners, eye shadow cremes, primers, concealers, powder foundations in an extensive range of shades, skin treatments, etc. – and all mineral. The mind and wallet boggle.

Image from Aromaleigh’s description of their Papillons collection

Verdict: These are among the most multi-dimensional, richest, and longest-lasting eye shadows I’ve used. I’m going to tear through these samples like an SR-71 Blackbird, and return for more.

                          

I’ve owed you a proper makeup tutorial for a long time now, and when this beautiful package from Sugarpill arrived this week, I had no excuses left. My friend Amy just launched this new make up line, and reviews have been popping up like happy spring berries all over the ‘wub. I thought about waiting a little while until the furor simmered down a bit, but after rummaging through the box and being mesmerized by the colors and variety, I decided to go for it, man. Just look at this stuff!

Of course, adorable packaging doesn’t necessarily for a good product make, so I was really looking forward to giving Sugarpill a go. Last night I was meeting an out-of-town friend at The Edison – my favorite place in the world. The atmosphere there is dark and full of magic, especially on a less-crowded and relatively yuppie-free Wednesday night, so I got a little dolled up for the occasion.

Red eyeshadow has been my favorite alternative to black since high school, so when I saw Love, the deepest, perfect crimson pressed shadow, in my Sugarpill package, I did not hesitate. With Love set aside, I gathered the rest of my ammunition and went into battle.

• Royal Sugar – a gorgeous and glittery rich blue loose eyeshadow
• Decora – a sparkling pink loose eyeshadow
• Asylum – a shimmery red
• Tiara – a stunning, glittery silver
• Pressed Eyeshadow Palette

Until now, I have been a little apprehensive about loose powder eyeshadows, but those days are done. I used these both wet and dry, and was happy with the results. Didn’t have any mixing medium on hand, so I used a drop of water for the product around my eyes, and a little bit of body shimmer gel to mix the blue with for my brows.

The breakdown below may look a little complicated at first, but I assure you, this doesn’t have to take much longer than your usual routine if you prepare everything you’ll use ahead of time.

1. Used a dry angle brush to fill in the inner ends of my eyebrows with Royal Sugar, then, for a sharper look, mixed the shadow with a little body shimmer gel, and used the same brush to paint the outer ends.
2. Loaded a cheap-o sponge applicator with Love, and distributed evenly it all over my lids, blending out and up. I also used a bit under the eyes.
3. With Decora on the other side of the applicator, I continued to blend Love out, all around the eye.
4. Dabbed Tiara with a small wet brush on the inner corners of my eyes, then blended it out with more Tiara, this time dry. I can’t sing enough praises to this stuff, it’s so pretty.
5. With a small, wet blending brush applied a line of Asylum, under my eyes only.
6. Used matte white from the palette to highlight the brow.
7. Did my usual cat eye with Prestige liquid liner and added a bit under the eye, at the outer edges and along the water line.
8. My mascara of choice has been L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black for years and years. It’s amazing, buildable, and inexpensive.
9. With a blush brush, dabbed and blended a bit of Tiara to highlight my cheekbones.
10. With the same brush, used Decora as blush.
11. Dusted my face with Prestige’s Skin Loving Minerals powder foundation. It’s half the price of Bare Escentuals and more matte, so I decided to try it. Haven’t researched it properly just yet, so I can’t recommend it officially, but I do really like it.
12. And finished it all off with lip gloss from Smashbox.

Ta-Da!

This is just a fraction of the looks to come, but so far I am 100% into Sugarpill. I can’t wait to play with yellow and gold and green and, and and…! More tutorials to come as time allows.

                          

We’ve endured quite a lull, haven’t we? I give you my penance – the long-awaited eyebrow-drawing tutorial. This is not about tweezing or otherwise shaping natural brows – that would have been a sham! These are my tips, after all, and my eyebrows are nearly nonexistent. So if it’s natural eyebrow advice you’re after, I recommend heading here. Meanwhile, the rest of us will go over ways to enhance or replace brows with the help of cosmetics. Please don’t mind the hair in the photos below – I’m in the process of growing a mega-mane and it does what it wants.

There are two ground rules to fake eyebrow mastery: 1. drawn-on arches must match your natural arches and 2. the inner edges must be blended instead of squared or rounded off. Obviously, neither of these apply if you’re going for Siouxsie brows, or any other type of hyper-stylized brows. We’re not discussing those today. Today is all about an everyday look, but these tips will help you achieve success in all future eyebrow ventures. First, a few shapes to avoid:

1. unnatural arch too close to the center of the eye 2. eyebrows too blunt and too close together 3. Clown

One thing all these fine folks have in common is a complete lack of natural eyebrows. Now, what if you have no eyebrows, or, like me, have very fine eyebrows – how do you find your natural arch and edge, thus avoiding the above mishaps? Just raise, then scrunch your brow while looking in the mirror. It might help to mark these points with liner when you find them. I have a slight advantage because I have very lightly tattooed brows, so I don’t need to look for my arches. See:

If, on the contrary, you have unruly brows, now is the time to tame them. I use a brush with a spritz of hairspray when needed, but there’s an array of specialty products for this very purpose out there, too. Once the hair is in check it’s time to get down to business.

PRODUCTS
Pencil seems to work fine for many peeps, but I find powder easier to blend and less likely to smear. I use Mac eye shadows and my current shade is “Contrast”. It’s shimmery, but with a solid base, goes on evenly and has hints of both blue and purple, which matches my hair. For a more natural look, your eyebrows should be a couple of shades lighter than your hair, but don’t be afraid to play with color. For instance, platinum-haired peeps are generally told to use light brown, but I would love to see more blonds going for a show queen look with white brows, instead. Occasionally, I trade my varying blues for raspberry or emerald shades. Etc, etc, etc – a whole world of color possibilities awaits.

Certain paint brushes cost a fraction of brand name make-up brushes and last just as long, if not longer. Frankly, I pity da fool who spends twenty bucks on an angled make-up brush.My brushes of choice are Blick Masterstroke Short Handles, but the in the photos below I’m using some other type of Blick angled brush.

L – Mac Contrast eye shadow, top R – Blick angled paint brush, Bottom R – brand name eyebrow brush

APPLICATION
If your shadow is pressed, scrape a little into a tiny powdery mound for maximum brush-loading power. I use my fingernail or a sculpting tool. Like the brave brow ninja that you are, dip your brush in, tap off excess product, and lightly outline your desired shape. Fill in the shape, but do not, I repeat, DO NOT square or round off the inner edges of your brows. This is the technique that separates the men from the boys and the eyebrow connoisseurs from rodeo clowns, or whatever else the case may be.

For a softer, more natural look than shown here, use a lighter shade with a dry brush. For a stylized look like mine, wet your brush before dipping it into the shadow. I apply one brow at a time, but it probably makes more sense to oscillate between both. Surely you’ll find your preferred method after a few rounds.

Clean up and shape with a wet cotton swab, remembering to blend after if you’re after a softer look. You can also use a clean brush, but I prefer the swabs, because I can quickly adjust the shape and thickness by removing small strips of cotton.

Now, use a little sheer powder as an anti-smudging agent over your masterpiece and you’re done! If you have eyebrow questions I didn’t  answer, please ask in the comments section. I’ll include them in the post as they arrive.

UPDATE

Readers’ questions, answered!

I worry about the smudge-factor. How difficult is it to keep from ruining your final product?
I find that it’s not that difficult at all, but then I’ve had years of getting used to drawn-on brows. Avoiding touching them becomes reflexive and dabbing translucent powder over them helps seal them quite well. I will say that most, ehm, acts of passion will still smudge them even so. I haven’t tried Benefit’s She Laq yet, perhaps that’d do the trick.

How do you draw them on so evenly?
Knowing where my arches and edges are. Once you find those, it’s all just connect-the-dots.

Is there any special translucent powder you recommend?
Not especially – I use whatever I have on hand. Usually it’s Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil.

What other paint brushes do you recommend for eye makeup, specifically for blending?
Brushes are better when I do others’ makeup, but, even after being a pro make-up artist, I prefer the crappy drugstore sponge applicators. They hold and blend eye shadows evenly and I really just have a knack for using them.

Do you recommend tattooing the eyebrows on? If so, any ideas where?
Yes! I definitely recommend getting them done by a professional technician as opposed to a tattoo parlor. I found mine online!

I really could use a touch-up, actually. The thing about cosmetic tattooing is that it fades, which is nice if you change your mind and hair color often. I had my brows done when I was a redhead but now that my hair is blue I’ll probably have them freshened up a darker, more neutral hue.

                          

Perry Purple by lcrontic.com

Greetings, fellow hair adventurer! I’ve rounded up all the beauty questions from the past couple of weeks and picked the three most frequently-asked for this week’s Blush Response. We’re continuing last installment‘s hair color theme, as it seems the most exasperating of all.

What is your favorite blackest-black dye?

This one’s tough because Feria’s Bright Black, the prettiest, most dramatically black dye out there, fades. It fades tragically, inevitably, quickly. Unless you’re prepared to keep dying every 2 weeks, I would avoid it. Nice N’ Easy’s Natural Blue Black is the best and most fade-resistant I’ve found. However, be warned! It’s practically impossible to remove if you get sick of it. Also, most hair salons will shun you when you come to them begging for salvation from Nice N’ Easy. Learn the secret to removing it at home in the last answer!

How do you go about obtaining and maintaining pure white hair?

Bleach and toner. Really, that’s it. Depending on your natural hair color you’ll have to bleach several times to achieve desired lightness. And unless you want your hair to break off in spongy clumps, you will have to wait two weeks between each bleaching session. Hats and scarves help. As far as specific products go, when my head was crowned with platinum I swore by 40-volume developer [within reason], L’Oreal Quick Blue bleach, and Clairol’s Shimmer Lights line for killing yellow. Do not leave toner in longer than its instructions tell you, unless you want your hair to turn dishwater gray.

Populuxe by ChinaDoll

How did you recover from black hair dye so quickly without killing your hair?

Instead of bleaching, I stripped it, using a mysterious product called “One N’Only Colorfix”. It’s not that this stuff doesn’t damage your hair at all, but it’s much easier on follicles than bleach and I recommend it to anyone wanting to free themselves from a permanent color.  Anyone patient enough to walk around with brassy/orange hair for a couple of weeks, that is. Click the jump to learn the method!

1. Buy Colorfix. It’s also available here – everyone else charges way too much. I suggest getting two boxes.
2. Open box, throw away Processing Lotion. This is very important. Let me explain: basically, Colorfix works by shrinking the dye molecules in your hair. Once you use it, the dye is still there, you just can’t see very much of it. The application of anything involving peroxide while the dye molecules are still there will bring your old color back, like some kind of crayzeh Voo Doo. That’s right, and believe me, I went through this a few times myself, so you don’t have to. You must get rid of the evil dye molecules before you can do anything else, and you must do so qquickly because your hair will darken otherwise. The Processing Lotion actually contains peroxide and will bring your old color back. I don’t know why they include it and, frankly, I don’t care. Just toss the bottle and forget about its unfounded existence.
3. Colorfix. Let the the power of science do its thang. Once Colorfix is on you can cover your hair with a shower cap, or wrap sections of it with tin foil and use a blow dyer to apply heat. This will open up the hair shaft to let dye out, but will also cause further damage. Your choice!
4. After the ‘Fix. Your hair will be brassy and not exactly healthy, but far less so than it would have been after bleaching. Spend the next two weeks shampooing vigorously. Use volumising shampoo to further open up the hair shaft and get the dye molecules out.
5. In two weeks. Conduct a strand test. Use a small amount of either bleach or dye you’re planning on using and let it develop for 45 minutes. If your hair returns to it’s old color, it isn’t time yet. Keep shampooing! Depending on the color you wish you achieve, you may or may not need to bleach. For example, if you’re going a brown or a dark red you won’t need to bleach because it will go over the brassy post-colorfix shade just fine. If you intend to go blond, blue or any light, bright, unnatural color you’ll require bleach.
6. Strand test a success! If your strand test is successful, proceed with bleach and/or color. After you’re all done your hair will not be happy after what you’ve put it through, so condition, condition, condition! Use a protein reconstructor and Jojoba oil masks, but only AFTER you’ve got your final color on. Doing it beforehand will keep you from getting your hair as light as you may need it to be.

A final note about Colorfix: it’s made to remove permanent color. If you’re trying to get rid of semi permanent/vegetable dyes, you’ll have to wash even more after the ‘Fix. Good luck!

                          

The very first Blush Response is finally here! Today, our topic is Color Maintenance. I’m pretty excited to get this one out there because longevity is the most troublesome issue when it comes to unconventional hair color. Sadly, most of the jewel tones we love are made semi-permanent. Upon finally reaching that brilliant shade we’ve been lusting after it’s so disheartening to watch it fade and literally go down the drain wash after wash. It doesn’t have to be this way! Below, my top 4 color maintenance tricks.

1. Magic Mop Mix

So it’s not exactly magic or rocket science, but man is it ever effective. Here’s what you do: combine two parts conditioner to one part hair dye in a bottle.  Keep the bottle in the shower and use this blend exclusively in place of regular conditioner – wear gloves of apply very quickly, as this will stain your palms a bit. Magic Mop Mix will keep your mop’s color poppin’ at least twice as long as with using conditioner alone. Simple, yes? And exceptionally effective. I use Extreme conditioner from Redken’s Extreme line.

This stuff does wonders for keeping my hair shiny and protects it from becoming blue dried-up wads of cotton candy. I also use this line’s shampoo when I have to. I love that it’s X-TREEM, that I can get it at most supermarkets and, let’s face facts, I dig the blue packaging.

2. Shampoo Is Not Your Friend

Though shampoo is your hair color’s #1 enemy, shampooing is still necessary to keep scalps and follicles happy, healthy and free of  buildup. It’s a catch-22 but there is hope. My fellow intrepid hair adventurers, I am here to say that you can extend the in-between periods, thus prolonging your color’s lifespan. If the majority of your head has been bleached, you’ve probably already noticed that it doesn’t need as much washing. This is because bleached hair is more porous than virgin hair, so it doesn’t get limp and oily as fast. Still, if you use a lot of product like hairspray or goop of any sort, you gots to wash every few days, whether you like it or not. If you’re just trying to de-gunk, or perhaps to rid yourself of last night’s curls you can wash with water and condition with your Magic Mop Mix, bypassing shampoo entirely. If your hair is a few different colors, you’ll want to use regular conditioner or devise a separation system. Again, you cannot replace shampooing entirely, but this will keep your color alive and your hair from dying out!

3. Corn Starch IS Your Friend

Miracle treatment! De-grease stringy bangs and roots in seconds! This is beyond simple and I’m always surprised when peeps haven’t heard of corn starch’s hair-cleaning power, so I’m putting it here for all to see and reap the benefits. Just sprinkle a little bit on your hands and run your fingers through dry hair, shaking out excess powder. The starch will absorb excess oil, giving your hair a clean look.  It’s a cheap, simple quick fix for hair you’re not quite ready to wash. It’s also a perfectly respectable alternative to dry shampoo. In fact, some dry shampoos and hair refreshers use corn starch as their main ingredients.

Remember, your hair must remain dry or the powder will cake! You might want to try other starches out there, as well. Be creative, just stay away from using baby powder in this manner – talc was recently linked to cancer.

4. Touch-Ups Without Bleaching

Just what it sounds like! This is especially useful if you have dark hair dyed a dark shade, or light hair dyed a light shade – basically as long as your roots don’t contrast with your dye too much. You can wait a couple of months between attacking your head with bleach simply by dying all over every few weeks.  The color will be back and roots will be tinted in half the time and, if you’re using vegetable-based dyes, with zero damage. My weapons of choice:

• Bowl – it’s a bowl
• Tint brush+comb – I love twirling mine around to comb in dye and ensure thorough application
• Roux CleanTouch – I have this dye stain remover at the ready in case of drips
• Special Effects dye in “Blue Velvet”
• Vaseline – apply this on your hairline, ears and  your neck to keep stains away
• Gloves – I pity da fool who doesn’t use gloves and then spends 45 minutes trying to get dye off their fingers and nails.

Armed with the above, I apply the color all over, adorn my head with a sexy plastic wrap turban and keep it on overnight. I’m pretty sure this is excessive and leaving it on for a couple of hours will suffice just fine.

And there you have it, my beautiful mutants. I hope you find the above helpful and share your feedback once you try these tips! This took longer than I expected to put together, mostly because I received so many great questions about technicolor hair on Twitter – thank you! Because of the sheer volume of your questions I’m going to address them in a separate post, soon. SOON!

My freshly-re-dyed hair on Saturday, by Lou O’Bedlam