Stop Staring! Birthday Weekend, Part III

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For the third day of my birthday weekend, Mr. Kitty took me to a champagne brunch and then shopping in Hollywood and Little Tokyo. This time, I wore one of my first ever Stop Staring dresses. Since this was a daytime adventure, I toned the dress down with a shrug and some simple lace arm warmers, and again donned the Hue flesh-tone fishnets that are my current favorite hosiery.

This dress has some wonderful gathering over the bust and on the left side at the hip. It's a very flattering cut for just about any type of figure, which is probably why this is one dress they have never stopped making (so far). Other styles come and go, often before I get a chance to grab them, but this one is their classic. It also now comes in a cap-sleeve version, which I actually prefer (mine has spaghetti straps).

Sorry about the cat hairs!  I didn't notice them in time.  :)

Mr. Kitty gave me this red crystal heart pendant for my birthday (which is utterly impossible to photograph!). It came on a silver chain, but he suggested I change it to something with more character. For now, I chose a red velvet ribbon, although I might change it to black later.

I started the day out in my typical black shoes (as seen in the first photo above) but while we were out shopping, I became dead-set on getting some red shoes to complement the choker. I also found a shiny red satin rose purse, which makes a cute companion to my new black one. I took new photos when we got home so you could see the “after” look. The shoes are by Ellie, whose styles are quite similar to Pleaser.

I tried out some new lip stain called Pout Paints by Sleek, as reviewed by Little Miss Metamorph.  I found the color Pin Up to be a gorgeous, perfect shade of red. Unlike other lip stains I’ve tried, this one can actually be touched up throughout the day without totally removing the old first. However, it does require frequent touch-ups and bleeds a bit on me despite starting with a lip liner AND a reverse lip liner.  It probably wouldn't bleed it you apply a very thin coat, and it would still be very opaque but I found it too dry without using a heavier coat. The best thing about these stains is the colors are mixable. They come in black, white, blue, purple, red, etc. so the options are limitless.

I find red shoes to be a very bold look that I’ve been hesitant to try. Have you guys given it a shot? What do you pair them with?

Stop Staring! Birthday Weekend, Part II

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Night #2 of my birthday weekend featured the other Stop Staring dress I bought myself from eBay. This one is in gorgeous purple taffeta with a black satin bodice. The layered bodice effect is similar to a halter top I wore a few weeks ago, but much nicer in its execution.

I wore this outfit out to dinner with my parents at our local fancy restaurant. I broke out of my normal healthy eating routine to indulge in the most amazing filet mignon I’ve ever tasted!

I paired the dress with flesh-tone fishnets from Hue.com, ruched satin fingerless gloves from Greatlookz, and a necklace and earrings that are also from eBay. I scored the jewelry quite a while back for some ridiculously low price like $30.

This hairstyle was just a chignon with my real hair braided around it, finished with two black flowers.  If you look through my Hairstyles tag, you'll see that I rely on artificial hairpieces quite frequently.  Despite having very long hair, but I'm not masterful at styling it by any means (nor do I have the time to get elaborate with it).

What have been some of your best eBay finds?

Stop Staring! Birthday Weekend, Part I

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For my 38th birthday weekend, I had my heart set on wearing Stop Staring each evening. This particular dress was on my wish list when I first started my blog, and I finally found it in my size for a discount on eBay. So I decided to make this a birthday gift to myself (along with another purple Stop Staring dress, also on sale on eBay, which you’ll see tomorrow).

Mr. Kitty and I headed out for some dancing, but it turned out to be an off night at the club. We got so drowsy waiting for songs we actually wanted to dance to that we were too tired to dance by the time any were played. We decided to just head home early and get rested up for the two remaining days of birthday festivities.

Mr. Kitty bought me this lovely choker by Alchemy Gothic for my birthday a couple of years ago. We had seen it in a shop down in San Diego and somehow he managed to remember it well enough to find it online months later. It’s my only Alchemy Gothic piece, except an old bat hair clip that I never wear.

I wore my hair in a simple ponytail with two hair flowers: one in black and one in purple (yes, the bottom one is purple, although you can hardly tell). The satin rose purse is from Pyramid Collection, and the gloves are from Greatlookz. I finished the look with a pair of fishnets. These have a larger diamond pattern than normal fishnets.

Do you plan special outfits for your birthday? Any particular designers that you prefer for special occasions?

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). :)

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Don't Forget: October One-Day Theme Tomorrow!

Just a reminder that the October 1 Lace theme day is tomorrow, October 1, beginning at midnight Pacific Time. For those of you in other time zones, check the left-hand column of my blog to see the time I am going by.  Also the Linky box at the bottom of my post will tell you how many hours you have left until it closes.

I will leave the Linky open for 48 hours to give everyone more time to get their posts linked up. However, remember that the earlier you link up, the more people will see your post! :)

Get the complete details and rules.

Blog Round-Up for September

I present to you some of my favorite posts from September!

• Goth it Yourself has been keeping me constantly awed by her skills and ingenuity!  Check how she transformed an Ikea wardrobe into an elegant custom TV cabinet.
• Aristocratic Elegance got married!  You have to see the gorgeous Victorian-inspired gown she wore.  Proof that even the darkly-inclined can get married in white and look great doing so!
• Metamorphosis posted a Fall Book List with some very intriguing reading suggestions.
• Juliet's Lace inspires us to use good judgement by toning down the Gothiness for special occasions without sacrificing our sense of dark style.
• Mental Pirate posted reviews of the two best albums (IMO) to be released in a very long time: VNV Nation's Automatic and Peter Murphy's Ninth. 

I also wanted to take a moment to express my sadness at unexpected passing of CookingChinchillas.  I didn't know her personally, but she was an amazing, inspiring nail artist and a fun participant in our little community.  And her furry guys never failed to cheer me up on even the worst day.  Her chinchilla family must miss her terribly, as does the blog world!

Magenta Skirt, Take Two.

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I finally got around to re-styling the controversial magenta skirt. Some of you loved my last attempt, others clearly didn’t, but it sure did get your attention either way. :) This time, I stuck with all black for the rest of the outfit, including my accessories.

Check out my sloppiness! See how the bottom edge of the black cami is peeking out beneath my lace top? For shame, VictorianKitty! Bad fashion blogger!! I didn’t notice this until I got to work.

So, do you like this skirt better with a black top and tights, or did you prefer it with the pink tights and cami? Or do you hate it both ways? ;-D