March 1 Theme: GRAY

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My outfit for this month's theme is brought to you by Mr. Kitty. Last weekend I was standing in the closet mumbling to myself while pondering what I should wear for the gray theme. He walked in, caught me mid-mumble and immediately responded, "Do you still have that dress with all the ladies on it?" Problem solved. Today I present to you one of Mr. Kitty's all-time favorites from my wardrobe. I wore this dress on one of our VERY early dates, and maybe only once since. Yet he remembers it vividly and even brings it up from time to time. It really made an impact! So, without further ado... The outfit!

Yes, this slinky little dress is covered in classical ladies of all shapes and sizes! When I found it about a decade ago in a little shop on Melrose Ave., I fell in love with this celebration of the female form. What is better than wrapping a shapely figure in shapely figures? :)

I spent considerable time debating how to approach hair, makeup and accessories to complement this dress. The shrug was a given, since it matched so perfectly (and the dress has plain black spaghetti straps that don't really lend anything to the overall look). I tried several different necklaces, a couple of bracelets and a huge set of dangly earrings before I realized that less is really more in this case. You won't hear me say that often, but this print and cut really doesn't need much embellishment. I went with lightweight black sleeves because it's still chilly out, and no jewelry other than simple sterling silver studs, ear cuffs and two rings. The belt helped break up the pattern a bit and further emphasize my waist. I added a couple of flower clips to the belt to further the overall femininity of this look.

A sleek, high ponytail seemed perfect for this sleek dress. For the makeup, I decided to go monochrome, which is another thing I don't do often. I used a shimmery white shadow that was a birthday gift from Sephora, and my usual Ben Nye black shadow applied with a light touch to make it a soft gray. The lipstick is also Ben Nye, in Silver Ice. Silver lipstick, in my opinion, really needs a black outline.

Today's eyeliner is the result of several tips from Lady Bethezda's recent Winged Eyeliner Tutorial.   If you are not already a fan of her blog, Bethezda's Preoccupations, you must check it out right now!

Want to participate in this month's theme?

Now it's your turn! You know what to do (or if you don't, check out the full details). :)

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Make-Up Post: Morgana Cryptoria Lip Balms and a New Necklace

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I don’t plan to do a lot of make-up reviews, as this is a fashion blog and not a beauty blog. But to keep things interesting, I thought I would occasionally share things that I think really need to be shared.

Living in the hot, dry desert as I do, lipstick becomes tricky business. Lipsticks usually dry out on my lips within an hour and are a chunky mess within two. I love to use L’Oreal’s HiP (High Intensity Pigment) lip gloss, as it never dries out or bleeds and the pigment is adequate, but their line of colors is extremely limited and not really Goth-friendly. Based on reviews from Little Miss Metamoroph and Metamorphosis (the name similarities being coincidence!), I ordered five shades of Morgana Cryptoria’s Lip Balms. These sounded like the perfect combination of EXTREMELY high pigmentation and moisture: just what I need.

Overall, I’m extremely pleased with this product. While not as moist as a regular lip balm, these are worlds better than regular lipsticks. The colors are all just gorgeous. Some of the shades worked out better than others, so I'll give you an overview of each.  I am wearing Eggplant (a medium-dark, low-chroma purple) in today’s photos.  This shade is just perfect for work: slightly abnormal but not shockingly so.  Eggplant fades a bit but is easily touched up without needing to start from scratch.

Diabolical Druscilla, a bright shimmery pink with a hint of purple iridescence (just a tiny hint), was the brightest shade I ordered. This one was the best to wear. It lasted a few hours before needing retouched, and never got chunky.

Conversely, Hathor is a dark, intense purple. The color is stunning, but it was difficult to apply smoothly and was much drier than Diabolical. It felt chunky after just a couple of hours and I had to reapply frequently.  Out of the five shades I ordered, this one required the most maintenance.  However, I think the amazing color is worth the effort, and despite this shade being drier while wearing, it did not leave my lips feeling chapped afterwards as regular lipstick does.

Merlot (a dark wine shade with lots of sparkle!) was the most moist of them all, yet I never saw a hint of bleeding into my fine lines.  Merlot lasted for hours with little maintenance. 

Countess Bathory is a lovely crisp red.  It wore very well, but on me it was a bit on the orange side.  I might try mixing it with the Diabolical Druscilla and see what happens!

I will be linking to photos of the other colors as I wear them for future outfit posts.  Or you can check them out on the Morgana Cryptoria Web site.

After several wearings of each shade, I have found that a bit of my regular Burt’s Bees balm applied before these colors helps them all wear better without chunks or fading. I will definitely be ordering more colors of these fun lip balms!!

My fabulous eye shadows in these photos are all Bare Essentuals. But that's a topic for another post. :)

Now, to bring this post back on-topic... ;) I recently debuted a new necklace that was a birthday gift from dear friends. I love the Art Deco feel, and the striking contrast between the black and the crystal and silver tones. I paired it with a tiered ruffle top from Macy’s, because this top reminds me of the Art Deco days as well.

October 1 Theme: Lace

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For today’s theme, I wanted to present my absolute favorite lace item from my wardrobe. The clear choice was a lace ballgown skirt from Drac in a Box. This amazing skirt is made with high-quality lace (no cheap stretch stuff here!) and has two layers of taffeta underneath to give it shape. Each layer has a mesh ruffle along the bottom, gathered up every foot or so and topped with a tiny rosette. This skirt would look stunning with a petticoat underneath, but I prefer it a bit less puffy since my frame is so petite.

This purple brocade underbust corset from Corset Story is making its debut tonight. While checking out their Web site for the first time, the designs were so lovely and the prices so reasonable I promptly began drooling over this one (not so) subtly. The drooling continued for weeks. My birthday happened to take place just before I got sick, and Mr. Kitty used to opportunity to prove he is the perfect husband by ordering it for me! I am absolutely delighted with the quality construction and beauty of this piece. The purple is subtle, but when the light catches it just right it’s simply breathtaking. It’s comfortable, sturdy and creates the perfect shape.

Wanting to make this outfit just a bit more grand, I broke out the old handmade tulle veil. This was a really simple project I did about 10 years ago, but I haven’t worn it in years. Now that I remember how regal it makes me feel, it will most definitely be put back into service. I also plan to do a tutorial on it sometime soon.

Tonight’s makeup is extra exciting for me, as it incorporates three products I won in a giveaway over at Metamorphosis! Two eye colors and a blush from the “Colours of Decay” line by Detrivore Cosmetics.

Plague is the greenish-black sparkle eyeshadow I’m wearing in my crease. Harlot is a lovely soft pink shimmer shadow, seen just below my brow. Vulgar is a delicate lilac blush. All of these colors are intense and intriguing, although the green-black shadow lost a lot of its green (and its shimmer) as I was blending it. Application was a treat because these go on so smoothly! And they wear very well. I actually forgot to apply my eyelid primer tonight (I know, how did that happen?!?) but these shadows served me well all evening without creasing. I imagine the Plague shadow would remain more true to the color in the pot if applied over a primer. Thank you so much to Luna for this fun package!!

I always look forward to the variety of interpretations you guys contribute to these monthly themes. Now, bring on the lace!

Want to participate in this month's theme?

Now it's your turn! You know what to do (or if you don't, check out the full details). :)

1. Add the Monthly Theme icon to your blog post (copy the code below and paste into your post using the Edit HTML feature):
   
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