More MPZ Goodness (pic heavy!) :D

So I'm finally getting around to posting the awesomeness that is my latest My Pretty Zombie haul--such a slacker, me!  These goodies were from an end-of-July sale that I just could NOT resist o.O

Actually in my own defense it's been a pretty hectic August so far: a rush to learn two chants and two dances for a hula ceremony welcoming six waka that have traveled all the way across the Pacific, getting locked into my office at work for nearly 3 hours with my supervisors & coworkers last Tuesday during a very public standoff with a lolo who took a potshot at the officer (didn't hit him TG) who wanted to question him about an armed robbery (the suspect decided to hide in the apartment complex behind our building >_<), and Tahitian rehearsal today (3.5 hours, nearly 50 dancers packed into a studio the size of my family room, which is maybe 325 square feet--talk about hot & humid, ugh!).

I was feeling like I needed a little fun (& a lot of glamor) today, so yeah--MPZ!! :D Much better!

Here is the haul itself (more after the jump):

Don't you just love the monster teef?  And look, extra love from Andrea <3

Victorian Oops! (pic heavy)

FOTD: May 11, 2011

So this week I received my prize from the completely lovely Amanda of Glitters and Bubbles' Aromaleigh "Oops" Giveaway!  I was so very excited to have been lucky enough to win this incredible stash of unique shades--and so very bummed that on the day I plucked them up from my mailbox my eyes were on fire from the nasty-kine hay fever most everyone suffers from around here >.<

Still, the package was a definite lift to my spirits, as Amanda clearly had put a bit of TLC into presenting it:

Completely adorable!  Mahalo, Amanda S.!!

Franken-Shading!!!

Recent tremors in the MMU world have left me (and a great many other beautiful ladies) with more than a few items of mineral makeup of...well, let's just say questionable provenance.  Several have even mentioned in a variety of forums that the quality of these products were also in question, with concerns running the gamut from lack of opacity, depth, or texture to allergic reactions.  Many of us have learned a hard lesson from this experience: caveat emptor--let the buyer beware.  Fortunately in the age of instant access, finding support from those who have similar experiences (positive or not) and banding together to advocate on behalf of ourselves and those who might be harmed in the future is much less burdensome.

One of the wonderful things to come out of this is the practice of "frankening"--taking a product you are less than thrilled with and mixing into it other elements (base, additional shades, etc.) to create something both beautiful and useful.  This can result in a collection of "franken-polishes" (MMU shades mixed with clear nail polish--especially helpful in using up product discovered to be not eye or lip-safe), "franken-glosses" (mixing shades with clear or tinted lip glosses), and "franken-shadows."

I have to say there is something about frankening that I just adore--not the reasons that necessitate it, of course, but "cooking up" something unique and special from disappointing product takes me right back to my early days playing in my mother's makeup...and lotions...shampoo...you get the picture ;)