Face Shape

I love my hair the length it is now. It's short enough that the waves aren't pulled straight but long enough to be full and wavy. It feels like mermaid hair. However, I will be sacrificing this mermaid hair to Locks of Love at the beginning of this summer once it grows out. Right now I have about 4" to go until I can cut it and still have long enough hair I'll be comfortable with. My next post will be showing possible hair styles but I thought I'd start with studying my face shape.

I'm essentially stealing this from Inside Out Style's articles here and here and just applying it myself so you should definitely check out her blog for more information.

First I took a picture with my hair pulled back off my face. It's awful but necessary:

Then I imported this photo into a program called Vectorworks, which I use for lighting design but had the tools necessary to complete the rest of this project.

First I drew a line from top to bottom at the longest part of my face and from left to right at the widest part and measured.



I found that the length of my face is 1.57 times the width. So I have a long face.

Then I tried lining up some popular face shapes against mine.



Circle: definitely not
Rectangle: getting closer
Oval: DING DING DING!

My face is a perfect oval.

Next I created a grid with the horizontal lines being marked by the length of my nose and the vertical lines down the center and either side of my face. This was to see how evenly spaced my facial features are.



Again we see that my face is very long. Average is three noses long and I clearly exceed this. Other than that, I have very large cheeks with small features. To help my eyes stand out I will probably want to keep my bangs and adding width to my hair style will help balance out my cheeks.

I will post some ideas for new haircuts soon. In the meantime, if anyone wants me to look at their face shape, I'd love to. Just let me know and I'll tell you what email to send it to.

Lipstick Challenge Wrap-Up

So I must admit, I basically failed. I was great about wearing lipstick at first but could never remember to reapply. I figure I will keep my favorite on hand so I can be ready to reapply when I think of it but I will never be the girl with perfectly shaded lips.

I thought I'd post some pictures though, so anyone who wants to chime in can give their opinion of their favorite.

Spring Shoes

Omigod SHOES! I seriously love shoes. They are probably the one clothing item that I really crave and have a hard time resisting. Cardigans may be up there but you can find cheap shoes easier than nice, cheap cardigans. Ross, Goodwill, Target. I could write some epic love poems to the shoe aisles of these stores. They would be full of metaphors and lyrical alliteration. Spring has arrived and with it so has my lust for a new pair of sandals. You see the problem is, I need comfortable sandals. I need sandals I can wander the city in. I live on a hill and one does not drive in the city unless one intends to pay $20 in parking daily. So I need sandals I can walk around in without removing layers of skin with every step. Comfort aside I created this...ummm...I'll call it an inspiration board on Polyvore.



I decided to go for it and I went out to Ross. I figured I'd see what they had. I knew this was a "want" not a "need" because I could live in sneakers. Not happily but I could do it. So I said I wouldn't spend more than $15. This is what I ended up with:



I'm not going to lie, I was scared. Those thin straps? But they're so versatile. They can be dressed up and dressed down. They're flat but still stylish. I figured I'd wear them to work today since I wasn't called until later. Half a day. Less pressure. I packed another pair just in case. Let me tell you, they passed with flying colors. It was a tough day, too, and included an impromptu trip to Home Depot in the shop truck. I changed later because my toes got cold and I do have a bit of a leg ache which I believe stems from the lack of arch support but these are minor complaints and absolutely NO BLISTERS.

Victory is sweet.

Spring Purse

I planned to do a post on Spring purses in a few weeks when I save up money to buy one. You see my old summer bag died a natural but tragic death in September. I created a little inspiration sheet on Polyvore. I thought I'd pick up a purse at a thrift store and compare it to my inspiration sheet. I did a similar thing with sandals, which you can expect by Monday.

But then the skies opened up and Preppy with a Twist entered my life with a Talbot's bag giveaway. It's gorgeous and perfect for what I need. So I'm doing my "purse post" now.

I currently have a knockoff Prada I got on the streets of Athens, Greece. Similar to this:



It cost approximately the equivalent on $25 and has paid for itself five times over. It has a nice should strap that has a little snap to keep the straps together on your shoulder. It's shaped in such a way that it fits a ton but comes to a close at the top. That way I can load it full of all my "essentials" and it will still fit comfortably under my arm. I know nothing about music but this purse could inspire me to write the most beautiful symphony imaginable. The only problem is that it's black. Not very summery.

If I can't find it's equal in a summery purse I will stick to my "Prado" and tie a colorful scarf around the handle because here's the thing, every woman says this, but my purse IS my life. I have tried carrying different bags for different purposes. A small one for going out. A laptop bag for work. A backpack for romping around the city. Inevitably something will not make it into the other bag. I have found the best thing for me is keep everything in one place, carry a big purse, and see the chiropractor regularly.

Per the instructions of this giveaway, I will now reveal to you beautiful people the contents of my purse. I'm in technical rehearsals, which means working 15 hour days and not staying organized, so this should be interesting. I wish I could offer some pictures but I just found out about this giveaway and I'm at the tech table while we do an invited dress rehearsal. Stand by why I attempt to shuffle and unpack as quietly and discreetly as possible.

In section 1:
A "thank you" card from my boss
A small plastic baggie of pretzel sticks
A pen
A spoon

In the center section (aka the largest):
Wallet
Small zipper pouch with chapstick and emergency money
Large zipper pouch with
- 3 different lipsticks
- 2 chapsticks
- a pocket Rosary
- tissues
- a compact
- small pill container with mostly ibuprofen
Camera
Business card case
Sunglasses (I should really get a case for those)
Cough drops
A head band
An Ez Comb

Section 2:
Small thing of contact solution
Contact case
Grocery store gift card
iPod touch
Headphones
Mini flashlight

Where are my keys?

Now those of you reading this no longer have time to enter as I only have...AH! 20 minutes, but you should still absolutely read this blog. I just started recently but I'm hooked. This chic is awesome.

For what it's worth, here is my "inspiration sheet" for spring purses and I will let you know how things turn out.

The Power of Dressing Down

So I did a whole post about the power of clothes and how dressing "up" can improve your confidence and make you feel like you will garner more respect. This post though, will be about the flip side; about the power of being comfortable and letting your skills do the talking. You know those people who are so laid back and laissez-faire they must know what they're doing. As with most things, I imagine the ideal lies somewhere along the spectrum and varied person to person.

Two people who have found their "coordinates" particularly well though, are my supervisors, who will henceforth be known as Glitter and Gold. Yes, I know, this breaks the fairy tale trend but it fits so well. Gold is in his early 30's and has more of what would be considered a full time position as the lighting associate at the theatre. He will go off contract a few times a year to design his own projects and at that time Glitter steps into the picture. Gold has reached a point in his career where he's doing a lot more designing outside our theatre and most of his assisting is done as part of his job here. Glitter is in his mid-20's and is a major hot shot assistant as well as a brilliant designer in his own right. He doesn't spend as much time on contract at our theatre and thusly does a lot of assisting out and about in the city. This means that after my internship I will follow him like a lost puppy voluntarily assisting him on bigger shows so I can learn from him and meet new people and grow up to be just like him! He definitely has to rely on his freelance assisting more that Gold does so the two of them combined have been awesome career advisers although my work life will probably more closely resemble Glitter's for a while.

Glitter and Gold are never dressed inappropriately and they are always professional. They've found this pleasant, artsy, casual zone where they are comfy at the tech table but can head to a restaurant with a designer at the drop of a hat. It gives them this whole "Oh you need me to save the show? Sure. I can do that one-handed while keeping track of woot.com, listening to NPR, and listing all of the new Apple products for 2010." vibe. By the way, they both totally could. Gold would probably also be having a deep discussion about the appropriate visual aesthetic for the latest experimental piece he's working on and Glitter would be doing some mad photo and video editing of the latest musical review he co-produced. I made little ensembles for them based on their styles.



They've just achieved such a perfect balance. It's hard comparing a guy's wardrobe to my own. I don't want to be sexist and say it's harder for women but part of me feels like if I were to wear jeans and a hoody I would look frumpier than my male counterpart. Please feel free to disagree and correct me if you think I'm wrong. Especially if you're a guy. But for now that's how I feel. I think I need some more versatile pieces that look great but are super comfy. I think the secret lies in outerwear and select accessories. Here are some ideas:



The good news is I have a lot of cute jewelry I love. I just tend to not wear it. Especially necklaces because I have a very sentimental, personal necklace I wear daily. I sense a challenge coming on!

Magic Box

That is what I will name my tech kit for when I'm working on shows. As a designer or an assistant there are a lot of things you want to have on hand. Usually it is the assistant's responsibility to make sure this stuff is on hand. Maybe each theatre also makes sure they have a lighting tech box. I, though, will be creating my own that will accompany me everywhere. It will perfect. It will be like Mary Poppin's suitcase. "Oh you have some food stuck in your teeth? Do you prefer plain or mint floss?" Maybe not that far. Here is the list of things it needs to contain:

Pencils
Red pencils
Highlighters
Various sized Sharpies
Scissors
Scotch Tape
Masking Tape
Swatch books: GAM, Roscolux, Lee, Apollo
Erasers
Flash Drive
Kleenex
Mints/Gum
Emergency Money
Post-Its

The really fun part will be picking out the physical box for my "Magic Box". Here are my thoughts:



I like the toolboxes because they'll have more than enough room.

The cosmetic cases have happy little cubbies. I love my cubbies.

The lunch boxes are just SO MUCH FUN! The black on with the feet is actually a "decorate your own" kind. The kit comes with paint and you make it yourself. Heheheh!

So, if you have an opinion I'd appreciate. You know, all two of my readers (Hi Little Red. Hi Aurora.)

Luxury on a Budget: Coffee Creamer

I'm not a huge coffee drinker. Particularly not by Seattle standards. However I do consider it a pleasant treat. Sometimes I really need the caffeine boost. Sometimes just the smell and taste is enough of a placebo.

I'm going to digress for a moment into coffee shop preferences. I love my local places. I feel like I'm supporting friends and contributing to my neighborhood. But with prices, I have to consider this almost charity. I don't feel like my goods totally live up to the price. I'm ok with this though, every once in a while, because, like I said, it makes me feel good. But it's an occasional treat. If I get invited out more than I'm comfortable with, I'll stick to tea.

I also love Starbucks. I know. I'm a materialist sheep. But here's the thing. They're a GREAT company. The give their employees great benefits and they spend time and money on making their customers feel appreciated. For Christmas last year, my aunt gave me a Starbucks membership. It was $25 for the year and it meant I got 10% off any purchase plus free wifi. They ended up changing this program so now there are different levels and at the top, you get free customization. I got automatically bumped to the top because of my pre-existing membership but to get free customization and wifi you only have to go five times in one year. Not too hard for most people. And I did the math: if you buy your five drinks, after going to Starbucks 17 times, it will be as though those drinks were free. With this gold status my soy vanilla latte is the same price as a regular latte and I can enjoy it while perusing the internet. Plus they have the free iTunes song cards and do things like "Free Pastry Day" (my reduced fat berry coffee cake is waiting for me). Basically Starbucks has bought my love.

Now I know that Starbucks is a HUGE corporation and to apply the same standards to these local shops is like comparing apples and oranges but it doesn't change the fact that for now it is more affordable for me, I feel like a rockstar, and I like rewarding impressive marketing (I was also a business major and can be a major business geek).

Back to the subject at hand. Even with the perks from Starbucks, I still can't afford coffee very often. I could make my own drip coffee at home...except that I can't. I swear you need a degree in organic chemistry to find the right balance of water, coffee, milk, and sugar to make it drinkable. Or I'm a 22 year old still incapable of making coffee. At home, my parents make instant and add some coffee creamer:



but that can be expensive, too.

But wait! This is something you CAN make at home.

14oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
14oz. milk of your choice
2 tsps. vanilla extract

I tried this for the first time today and it was pretty dang good. Let’s see how prices compare.

Latte out: $.45/oz.
Store bought creamer: $.25-$.30/oz.
Homemade version: $.14/oz.

I think we have a winner!

For more flavoring ideas look here.