Hairy Business

Learning to do hair has been a bit of a drag compared to makeup but I'm finding myself enjoying it more and more. Working on a judy dolls is easy because the hair has been used so much, even though they are real and were probably really healthy at one point, it's just so worn now that it becomes really easy to work with. So far I've just been messing around and haven't used any products on the hair, so it's less than perfect because there are little bits sticking up that needs hairspray or pomade but it's all good.

Simple french roll. Tease the top and comb smooth and finish with a barrel roll. As you can see, the puff on top has not been perfected here yet. Still a little lumpy from behind.

Hair twisted all around and then pinned. Flower bun is pinned in place. I added some gorgeous Indian hair accessories to dress it up that belongs to my classmate. I love that stuff. If only Chinese people still continued to make them from what they used back then, but Indian stuff is actually very similar. I would love to do an Indian theme photo shoot.

Jackie wanted me to french braid her hair Princess Leia style. I'm quite proud of myself here because I rarely french braid and I remembered I used to love that look as a kid (well maybe not tucked under but long french braid) but no one really knew how to make it look neat on my head and I couldn't do it properly.

Ursula had been my doll head at home. A messy elegant bun. Looks great with a long gown, showing off the shoulders and decollete. Again, slightly messy looking because no products were used.
Hot rollers made her look like a poodle head here, so we styled it and headed downtown for a day out! Her puff is still less than perfect.

Definitely a wedding hairstyle. Yesterday's hair exam on (1) setting with hot rollers and (2) any updo. First time I used products and took my time. Puff is finally perfected! I'm extremely proud of myself this time around because I was actually able to create what I intended. Before this, I just wing it and do whatever to fix what's ugly and if the product looks good, then yay! But obviously I can't do that for a wedding if the bride wants a particular hairstyle. Instructor also commented on this being well done so *puff up* very proud!

Still planning my photoshoots but thinking of themes, locations, and finding photographers who wants to build their portfolio. I have a very particular vision on what I want the pictures to look like so it's tough.

So far models who have volunteered:
Leanne
Nicole
Gershom
Adam
Danielle

Good Eats (and Sees?)

I've always been a fan of Granville Island because it's one of those places that reminds me of my childhood. Daddy used to work in one of the restaurants part-time and we drove him to work every Sunday morning where we also buy a cup of hot chocolate and a $1 bag of bird feed to feed the pigeons. Good times. I've been more of a walker than a shopper or an eater there because I always assume that it's really expensive being a tourist area.

On Saturday, me and Ursula ran some errands (if you consider waking up early to check out a sale an errand, and then some) and Jason was meticulously cleaning the insides of his car at Peter's place. So by the time we're both done, it was pretty late for lunch. So after much contemplating, we decided to eat at Creekside which we originally thought was at Granville Island but wasn't. So, mistake was made and we picked a place in Granville Island and chose The Sandbar Restaurant. Peter was saying that this was where he and his wife Linda had their first date. It was a lovely place. We sat on the patio with a great view. Their clam chowder, salmon burger, and oyster burger was amazingly delicious! I'm picky with seafood and generally when they're overcooked or lack flavour due to freezing, it's just not worth my money (which was what I was expecting when I ordered). Also, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that the menu wasn't overly extravagant. At any rate I didn't have to worry about that cuz Jay treated everyone that day so he was the only one left with a hole in his wallet (Thanks! ^_^).
So Sandbar again, people? Let me know if you wanna go!



I haven't seen a movie in...a long time. I think I watched Max Payne over half a year ago just because I tagged along with my friend, her boyfriend, and his friends. So finally, with some take-out food and Jay's gigantic TV, I finally got to watch Taken and Transformers (the first one). Most people probably have already seen them so I'm really behind.

Taken (2008) - I liked it a lot. A lot of action without a lot of gore (*thumbs up*) and I think Liam Neeson is a great actor with a lot of charisma and pretty darn fit for a man his age. Like any action movie I watch, I always wish that I had the same butt-kicking skills. A childhood desire that was never fulfilled.

Transformers (2007) - I was surprised that I enjoyed it. Maybe it was all the hype about it that I just thought it'll be one of those things that everyone says is great but ends up sucking (i.e. Harry Potter; Tokyo Drift). I think I heard more about Megan Fox when the movie came out, but I still don't see what the fuss is all about. Yeah, she's eye candy and all but her performance didn't really have much impression on me. I found that Shia LaBeouf (doesn't that translate to 'beef' in French?) was very witty without being an obvious goofball, and gave his character many dynamic traits. Although, if anything I was quite attached to the autobots. I actually felt a shock of sadness when Jazz was ripped in half and when Bumblebee lost his legs in the explosion. Nooooo!! Such tragedy! What do you know? I've become a tranformers geek. I remembered listening in on a conversation 2 years ago about something 'bot' and something 'tron' and thought 'Man, this is the epitamy of geekiness.' Things change. However, with the less than excellent reviews about the sequel, I think I'll wait until it comes out on DVD.

Today's tasks - get more clear make-up bags from Daiso ($2 is a great deal compared to $20 per bag at Hollynorth, just fyi); Buy food at Costco; Get magazines for my photomorgue project.

Adore this but too broke to buy it now:
http://www.lisewatier.com/en/products/eyeliners-1/eye-shine-aqua

Rewind to previous module

So I've completely skipped over the first module where we focused on skin, day/natural look, and evening/dramatic look.

Here are some of my subjects:

Jessie - first picture is the day look; second evening; third close-up on the evening eyes (eyeshadow made with mixing fushia with black and blue)

Jackie - first picture is without makeup; second is day look; third is evening look

Paula - First is without makeup under natural light; second is evening look under yellow light which is no good because it got dark by the time we finished and yellow light was all that was in the house so it took a lot away from the makeup; third is practice run for the final exam, trying to recreate the evening look under natural light. No lashes on the last one b/c I got a stomachache.

So I went to ask about my CD of photos but the photographer seemed to just have burnt double of my classmate's and didn't burn mine at all so now I need to wait for her respond. Darn it!! I want to see them!

BTW did anyone try Kozy Shack pudding before? It's delicious!

Back to blogging

A few years back I was a pretty constant blogger on Xanga. Something happened and my password was probably hacked but I couldn't get back into it so I just gave up on it altogether. Never been able to keep a diary for more than a couple of pages but type-ranting comes so much more naturally, and it's nice to share about what's going on with me to those who care to wonder where I've gone. Facebook certainly does not cut it.

So a bit over a month has gone by since I started my freelance makeup program at Blanche MacDonald. According to many, I've disappeared from the face of the earth since I started this program because it takes up all of my Sundays and Monday evenings. The rest of the time is reserved for work and whatever else needs to be done, including a lot of much needed rest. Now that work is over (somewhat, unless you include prepping for the next school year), I have a bit more relaxation time with a wee bit o' stress thinking about what I could be doing.

Last week, we finished up our module on makeup fundamentals. Paula was nice enough to be my model even though she had a late night, so I did my practical exam on her - a day look (45 min) and an evening look (30 min). I was really looking forward to seeing the pictures today and I got the disc from the photographer but turns out that they labeled the wrong one and gave me my classmates (her name is Elana) so now I have to wait until I get the right one back. Can't wait!! That was a bit frustrating. So since that module ended, we started hair and today was our first full day. Pretty...boring, actually. The class wasn't very structured so it was just like 8 hours of playing with a dummy. Some things I came up with randomly:

Up-do french twist on the bottom and randomly pinned curls up top.

Simple teased bun. Popular wedding hairstyle with some flowers and a veil.

Teased puffy top with french twist bottom.


Braids. First time I did an inverted braid so the shape shows more than the normal way I used to do it. Fingers weren't used to it so was a bit awkward but looks kind of 'juliet-style' which is kind of cool.

A lot of teasing and backcombing just for the heck of it (bored). Freaky, eh? But with a bit more work, it could look like something on a fashion runway =D

Jessie did this hair for me, trying to reduplicate what someone did on her for a wedding. It's pretty, but I straightened it so it doesn't look so formal when I left class. Now I'm rethinking cutting my hair, since I can be more creative with long hair.

What Jackie did on me the class before. I like the volume ^_^ My first real intro to backcombing.

So am I going to do hair after finishing this program? Eh...we'll see. I certainly know why a lot of makeup artists just stick to makeup. The 8 hour classes didn't seem so long until today. Sleep time.