Tag: outfits

A Return of Leaves

The first few days of Spring are some of the most exciting in the entire year–not calendar spring, which (like fashion spring) never quite coincides with any noticeable change in weather, but real spring. When I walk out the door and the air smells green and the chill has thawed and the sun is warm, my heart starts melt and I return to life again.

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Watching everything turn green and begin to grow is inspiring–even in the heart of the city, flower stands seem brighter, more fragrant, carted fruit seems to taste better. Life is all about the journey again, now that we don’t have to worry about the cold.

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Everywhere you look, you can see hints of green: bulbs that hidden beneath the ground have finally broken the surface, trees that were previously skeletal begin to envelope themselves in leaves and buds. It’s a beautiful reminder that even when things look bleak and hopeless, life doesn’t end–it waits for the perfect moment and springs back, stronger and more vibrant.

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And it gets stronger every day. Spring is full of these reminders. It may sound cheesy, but after a long season of barren landscapes, white-washed views, and fruitless efforts to stave off shivers, spring is one giant affirmation of life. After half a year of watching things perish, seeing their renewal keeps things in perspective: the leaves return, and life continues.

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Face:

  • Kat von D Lock-It Foundation in Light46
  • Urban Decay shadows in Flow, Deep End, Ace, and Blackout
  • Mica Beauty Gel Eyeliner
  • Lancome Hypnose Star mascara
  • MAC blush in Her Blooming Cheek
  • Make Up Forever Lipstick #205 (discontinued)

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Outfit:

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Transformations: Conversation Hearts, a Valentine’s Look with Sugarpill and Shiro Cosmetics

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Most people have strong feelings about Valentine’s Day. It’s a holiday full of opposing sides: people love it or hate it, celebrate or bemoan it. It’s sugar and spice, fear and loathing. Whether you’re Hallmark or Lupercalian, you can’t deny that Valentine’s Day gets people a little fired up.

I like my holidays with a certain amount of kitsch and few come quite as chintzy as Valentine’s Day. Even if you aren’t the type to send perfumed love letters or send bundles of exotic blooms, there are lacy paper hearts, cleverly worded cards, and pink-coloured pastries just about everywhere. …But what would Valentine’s Day be without those horrible-tasting gelatin-and-cornstartch confections we call Conversation Hearts? They’re hard to chew and rarely offer new advice, but something keeps us buying year after year. Could it be the colours?

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I borrowed the confectionary pastel pinks to create a look for the holiday, accenting it with mint and lilac. With plenty of sparkle and shimmer, it was much more fun to wear that Conversation Hearts are to eat!

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For each eye, I started by priming the lid and patting Shiro Cosmetics Lolita, a pale lavender, on the inner third of the lid. Next, I swept Sugarpill Birthday Girl, a soft baby pink, on the outer portion of the lid, pressing Sugarpill Mochi, a sea foam blue-green, into the center to blend. Using a fluffy crease brush, I contoured the lid with Sugarpill Weekender, an incredibly sparkly blue-violet, and then blended up into the brow with Shiro Cosmetics Kawaii, a very pale yellow-based pink. Finally, I used a black gel to draw a thick winged line and pressed on Sugarpill Stella while it was still wet, infusing it with the shadow’s multicolored sparkle.

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Full List of Products Used:

Kat von D Lock-It Foundation in Light 44
Palladio Rice Powder in Translucent
Detrivore Cosmetics Eye Shadow Primer in Original
Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in Inked in Pink
Sugarpill Cosmetics Chromalust Loose Eyeshadows in Birthday Girl, Weekender, Stella, Lumi (as cheek highlight)
Sugarpill Cosmetics Pressed Eyeshadow in Mochi
Shiro Cosmetics Eyeshadows in Lolita, Kawaii
MICA Beauty Cosmetics Gel Eyeliner in black
Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes mascara
Detrivore Cosmetics Blush in Spoiled
OCC Lip Tars in Vapid, Nylon (mixed 80/20)

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My camera is broken, so until I get my hands on some new technology I’m stuck with Instagram pictures. I kept things casual with a simple black maxi-dress from Dots paired with a series of belts and a silver scarf received as Valentines. The scent of the day was Darling Clandestine Dewlap Valentine, layered over Lollia In Love to bring out the sweet fruits. From my afternoon classes to my midnight movie date, my makeup and my fragrance lasted all day.

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Whether you celebrate with a long-time partner, a new limerence, or your best friend, it’s a great day to show the people you love exactly how you feel. If you don’t like being bossed around by Hallmark and the major candy companies, I don’t blame you–but I love an occasion to celebrate and Valentine’s Day is no exception. So Happy Valentine’s Day to you, whether you like it or not! <3

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Metamorphosis 138.0 – You Can Never Hold Back Spring

This Winter has been fairly mild, so perhaps it shouldn’t be any surprise that Spring is quickly approaching. March has had its weather ups and downs so far, but I managed to enjoy some beautiful moments this week. I personally hate the winter and have a very low tolerance for cold weather, but the warmer months bring some wardrobe dilemmas: what do darkly-inclined individuals wear when the sun is bright and the air is heavy? Aside from lots of sunscreen, I try to remedy the situation like this:

This look might not cut it in the heat of Summer, but for an unseasonably warm March afternoon, it works just fine. The long sleeves and flowing cuffs on this asymmetrical shirt replaces the need for layering, and the shorts are a heavier bouclé material that keeps them from being too chilly for the time of year.

The rest of the outfit is pretty par for the course: black tights, Doc Martens, and a pair of knee-high socks to keep the boots from putting holes in the weave of the stockings. These socks just happen to be from Sourpuss and covered in bats.

Finally, a warm Spring day calls for a lovely green scent: this pretty copper locket holds a solid version of Darling Clandestine‘s Mad as Birds perfume. The perfume itself is a fresh, green herbal with pear, marigold, and powdery amber. It’s one of my favourites and perfect for bright, warm days.

How do you dress during weather transitions? Have you shelved your winter wardrobe yet, or are you waiting out the warm spell?

Love you to the Moon and Back,

Luna Valentine

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Metamorphosis 137.0 – Fire in Cairo, a FotD and outfit post

Over the last few weeks, I’ve worked hard, met rigorous deadlines, and completed some projects I can be proud of. I’ll find out in late April if I can really reap the rewards of my expended time and energies, but regardless of the outcome I’ve come a long way. I don’t want to go into too much detail in case things don’t come through, but thank for you bearing with me through this radio silence.

For my triumphant return to the internet, I broke out some bright colours that haven’t seen much love lately–I haven’t had the time or energy to devote to fun makeup looks lately, and it was one of the first things I wanted to get back to. Admittedly, I might have gone a bit overboard, but I was so excited to play with some of my old favourites that I couldn’t help it.

Products used:

Skin79 Diamond Prestige BB Cream
Skin79 Diamond UV Perfect BB Pact
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Sugarpill pressed eyeshadows in Buttercupcake, Flamepoint, and Love+
Brazen Cosmetics eyeshadows in Scorching, and Spectacle
Meow Cosmetics eyeshadow in Fire Eater
Persephone Minerals eyeshadows in Venus Crystal Power, and Rainbow Moon Heartache
Darling Girl Cosmetics spectral shift in Corpse Candle
.mark On the Edge Hook Up Liquid Liner in Cleo
Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Eyeliner in El Dorado
Benefit They’re Real! Mascara
Ardell false lashes in Demi Pixie
Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadow in Tenacious Teal (brows)
Detrivore Cosmetics eyeshadow in Midnight (brows)
Detrivore Cosmetics blushes in Thing, and Bloodbath
Morgana Cryptoria lipstick in Goldrush
Brazen Cosmetics lipgloss in Alchemy

Sorry, guys, I don’t know where that light came from and I’m not skilled enough with the ‘Shop to edit it out. For the eyes, I used my Sugarpill pressed shadows to create a base, with yellow Buttercupcake on the majority of the lid, orange Flamepoint in the outer corner, and red Love+ in the crease and outer V. I then pressed Brazen’s Spectacle over the yellow, Meow’s Fire Eater over the orange, and used Persephone’s Venus Crystal Power to blend the two shades together. I blended the red up and out using Persephone’s Rainbow Moon Heartache and highlighted the brow bone with Brazen’s Scorching, a pale white gold. The lower lash line was dusted with pale blue Corpse Candle and lined with Urban Decay’s El Dorado. After applying my lashes, I used my usual black liquid liner.

For the lips, I layered Morgana Cryptoria’s Goldrush, a rich yellow-based gold, and Brazen’s Alchemy lipgloss, a sheer yellow-gold. I applied this combination before leaving my house and nine hours later, after countless coffees and a particularly epic dish of bi-bim bop, I only had to touch up a bit.

I was feeling a little celebratory after not only surviving my crazy work week but also arriving at my first day of Spring Break, so I broke a few colourful pieces out of my wardrobe. These BlackMilk leggings are a brighter alternative to my beloved black-and-white stripes, though I feel like I can’t wear them without looking like an escaped circus performer. Some days, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I paired them with a shirt-dress from Forever21 and a riding jacket from Newport News.

I’m quite sure these Eric Michael books have showed up before, but they’re some of my favourites. They’re amazingly comfortable and make the most pleasant clicking sound while walking across hard floors.

I was particularly excited about this nail polish–Harvest Moon from China Glaze’s new Capitol Collection is the perfect fiery copper-gold metallic. I snagged a few of these shades when I found them but this is my favourite by far. My manicures have been suffering the last few weeks, so the first thing I did when I got out on Friday was strip off my old, beat-up polish and apply something shiny and new.

I have big plans for this place in the next few weeks–swatches, reviews, outfits, possibly even some tutorials? Spring is coming, and with it, my drive and inspiration returns. Thanks for bearing with me, and hopefully you’ll all stay tuned for what’s to come!

Love you to the Moon and back,

Luna Valentine

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Metamorphosis 136.0 – Forgotten Treasures, a dodgy outfit post

My house has been turned upside-down and inside-out lately for some pre-Spring cleaning. I personally hate cleaning and anything remotely similar (decluttering, destashing, trashing, weeding-out, etc, etc), but sometimes I find some neat things in the process. This month’s Homework Assignment from le Proffeseur Gothique was “I Forgot I Even Owned This!”–it could not have come at a better time.

I found this gem literally buried in a corner, wrapped tightly in its own laces. I bought this cincher in an odd shop in the French Quarter. The label inside reads “HourGlass Corsetry,” though I can’t for the life of me remember the store’s name. I picked this from all the pieces in the store because it was patterned with one of my favourite mythological creatures, the Phoenix, in a time I felt I was “reinventing” myself yet again, or at least learning how to be truer to the person I really was. It was a perfect piece for me. I loved the black satin fabric, the embroidered birds and plumes of fire, the glittering golds and reds and greens. Yet somehow, it ended up tucked away in a corner for years.

So this weekend, needing a special outfit for our Valentine’s outing, I paired it with a HeavyRed dress and vintage cloak. Naturally, I was running late and forgot to snap pictures, so here instead are some dodgy cell shots.

This isn’t laced as tightly as it could be as I was a little afraid I’ve done some damage to it by storing it improperly: one of the steel bones is poking through the bottom seam. One day, I’ll find a better method for storing my corsets. I haven’t gone to any clubs or events in quite a while, so I miss wearing them as often as I used to. I love my sleek, streamlined formulaic outfits, but I miss the exaggerated femininity and comforting restriction of my corsets. Expect to see a few more of them in upcoming outfit posts.

Neither of these components were forgotten–the tights were brand-new, fresh from their HeavyRed packaging, and I wear the blue boots frequently. These Eric Michael boots were one of the many shoe purchases made during my culinary school years thanks to the Italian shoe boutique down the street from my building. I’d say that a good third of my shoe collection originates from that particular store.

Next time I have somewhere to be, I know I need to add half an hour to my morning for proper photos. Sorry, guys.

If you want to participate in this fabulous assignment, you still have two days to turn in your link. I can’t wait to see what forgotten treasures people post for this assignment!

Love you to the Moon and Back,

Luna Valentine

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Metamorphosis 132.0 – Logic, a Formulated Outfit and FotD

When I was in middle school, I hated math. The idea that everything could be solved with a simple formula, with bits and pieces plugged in where indicated and absolutely no room for deviance, bothered me intensely. I was more of an English person, enjoying that there could be more than one solution to a problem, many words that fit the equation. Below is an example of what I’m come to refer to as Formulaic Dressing: S + L + B +/- J = Outfit. But unlike the maths I hated in school, this equation has endless solutions.

In this case, I solved it with an asymmetrical shirt from American Rag, a pair of Black Milk leggings, and an old Forever21 jacket. The boots are vegan, and from a brand called Diba. I say shirt, but most people would probably wear this as a dress: the front hem is just above knee-length, while the back brushes my ankles. It would look just as good with tights, but I felt like going for the dramatic flare of stripes.

I’ve had this jacket for years, but it doesn’t get a ton of use–it’s too dramatic for work, and the cropped length can make it awkward with the wrong piece underneath. But it’s super fun, and surprisingly good quality for the brand. The entire outfit is pretty standard for me, swapping out pieces here and there to mix it up day to day. The only big change in this photo is my haircolour–this greyed lavender was actually an accident.

While attempting to touch up my usual mix of blues, the bleach bled a bit and I realized I didn’t have enough colour to cover it. What I did have was an unopened jar of Manic Panic’s Electric Amethyst. This is how it took after two hours. The makeup features some brand new shades from Detrivore, which I’ll have swatches of next week. If you’ve been reading, you’ll know I’m not a neutral enthusiast–but these are too pretty to pass on!

Complete list of products used:

Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Sand
Bobbi Brown Pressed Powder in Soft Sand
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden
Detrivore Eyeshadows in Predatory, Topiary, and Mimicry
Fyrinnae Eyeshadows in Steampunk and Katina Cabaret
.Mark On the Edge liner in Cleo
Benefit They’re Real! Mascara
Anastasia of Beverly Hills Brow Wax
Sugarpill Chromalust shadow in Paperdoll (brows)
Detrivore blush in Vulgar
MAC lipstick in Playing Koi
Inglot AMC lipgloss in 546

I know I can’t possibly be the only one with an equation for dressing–what’s yours?

Love you to the Moon and Back,

Luna Valentine

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Metamorphosis 125.0 – Hello Image, Sing Me a Line: an outfit post and face of the day

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a reason to really dress for myself: I wear a uniform to school, and on weekends I’m usually so wiped out that I can’t even pull myself into the shape of a human being. But on Black Friday, I had a rare opportunity. Crossing off a major Bucket-List item in the process, I went to see the Cure. It was the opening night of their three-night engagement at the Beacon and nearly every goth in the New York metropolitan area descended upon Broadway for the sell-out show. They played their first three albums in their entirety as well as singles from the late 70′s and early 80′s. Lovecats nearly brought down the balcony.

It’s been a while since I’ve busted out the red shadow–under my daily glasses, the colour is lost behind the lens tint–so I thought I’d wear a long-time favourite to see a long-time favourite. I had no clue what to pair with it, but a friend suggested black–which apparently, I’m fresh out of. I’ll have to fix that. Instead, I layered Morgana Cryptoria’s Cleopatra’s Demise, a deep, inky green, with Graveyard Ghoul gloss, which looks like a tiny black galaxy in a pot.

You might have noticed something drastically different from my last FotD post…I grew hair! I put these extensions in about two weeks ago, and I’ve been enjoying playing with the length again. For this look, I used a 1/2″ marcel iron and curled sections into spirals directed away from my face and then tousled them with my fingers. The fringe was ironed flat.

Full List of Products Used:

Bare Minerals foundation in Golden Fair
Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit in Beige/Pale Yellow
ELF Booster in Shimmer
Detrivore Blush in Concubine
Urban Decay 24/7 Brow Marker in Brunette
Milani Brow Kit in Light
Evil Shades Spectrum Pot in Fiery Eyes
Evil Shades eyeshadow in Heartless Queen (base)
Persephone Minerals shadow in Devil Doll (outer half of lid)
Fyrinnae eyeshadows in Purgatory (outer V) and Alchemist’s Curse (order corner)
Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liner in Perversion
Avon Glimmersticks Diamonds in Sugar Plum
Urban Decay Urban Lash in Sly
Morgana Cryptoria balm in Cleopatra’s Demise
Morgana Cryptoria lipgloss in Graveyard Ghoul

Despite the fact that it’s late November, the weather was incredibly mild–no need to bundle up against the city chills! I did admittedly shiver a bit later on in the night, but I was really feeling this MotelRocks dress that morning. I bought it on extreme clearance at Trash & Vaudeville in the Spring and never really found the right occasion to wear it until now. As usual, I paired it with black tights and my usual Doc Martens. (Also, please excuse my disapproving expression–I was engaged in a battle to the death with my camera.)

This Clockwork Orange-inspired necklace from Fable & Fury is one of my favourites. Made of stainless steel, it’s incredibly sturdy as well as striking.

Despite the nice weather, one always needs to consider outerwear in fall and winter. In fact, it’s the Monthly Theme over at Sophistique Noir! I’ve missed the last few monthly themes, but I thought this month, I’d show everyone one of my favourite and most trusted jackets.

This is my go-to jacket. If it’s over 40F, I’m probably wearing this. I don’t for the life of me remember the brand or where it came from–in fact, I believe it was a gift–but it’s made from a very nice, very warm faux-leather. I love all the pewter-toned accents and the useless pockets. Yes, all of those zippers are functional, and I could probably fit a single lipstick in each little pocket!

For colder days, this jacket does have snaps to attach a faux-fur collar–perfect for the transition from fall to winter! Again, angry-face…maybe one day I’ll get a hang of face AND clothes at the same time.

If you want to participate in the Monthly Theme, there’s still time! Posts will be popping up until 11:59PST on December 3rd, so if you have some pretty coats and jackets to boast, now’s the time to whip ‘em out!

Love you to the Moon and Back,

Luna Valentine

PS: Just one more ugly face, ripped from my sister’s Instagram:

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Metamorphosis 86.0 – Ornaments of Gold: a FotD and Sort-Of Outfit Post

Remember how I said I wanted to kind of wriggle my way into fashion blogging? Well it’s way more difficult than I thought. I’m not saying I thought it would be easy–I just didn’t think it would take this much coaxing to silence the demons of insecurity. So I’m going to ease my way into this slowly and see how it goes. Hopefully, no little beastie will get the better of me and convince me to conveniently “break” these photo links.

Let’s start with something familiar, shall we? I put together this look after playing around with some more “standard” summer fare: bronzed metallics. With my near-deathly pallor, it’s really difficult to pull off bronze anything without looking like I’ve snuck into my olive-toned mother’s makeup drawer. So I took what was probably a wearable trend for most human beings and turned it into something smokey and dramatic and probably completely unwearable.

Here I am, fixing my now-slightly-greyed hair. Despite the fact that I actually styled it that day, I am completely shocked to look in my viewfinder and see it broken free of its gelly bondage.

Full list of products used:

  • OCC Tint in Y2
  • Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light/Medium Bisque
  • Bobbi Brown Creamy Corrector Kit in Beige/Yellow
  • Meow Pampered Puss in Frisky Korat
  • Laura Geller Blush n’ Brighten in Honey-Dipped
  • Urban Decay Baked Bronzer in Gilded
  • Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden
  • SoBe Botanicals Stick It!
  • Kat von D Eyeshadows in Hollywood, Taxidermy, and Tijuana
  • Sugarpill Chromalust in Goldilux
  • Detrivore Eyeshadow in Ghost
  • Benefit They’re Real mascara
  • MAC Eyebrow in Stud
  • Morgana Cryptoria Vegan Lipstick in Gilded Brown

The outfit photo(s) below probably deserve some qualifying. This is a pretty typical outfit for me when I have nothing in particular to do. It’s a go-to-the-mall, see-a-movie, grab-some-coffee, see-some-relatives outfit. It probably wouldn’t be my first choice of outfit post material–but it does have a lot of beads. And beads is the July theme over at Sophistique Noir. Additionally, I am still getting the hang of my camera’s timer function. I’ve only had it for five years… It’s incredibly blurry because it decided to auto-focus on a just-slightly-out-of-shot cluster of crabgrass, and I was a little too oblivious to take another not-blurry shot.

I did, however, make sure to get a shot of ALL THE BEADS.

The shirt actually came with all those necklaces, which was the initial appeal. I’ve come to love it anyway, though, for sheer versatility. It, and the beaded leggings, were from Dots. The black velvet blazer was a Newport News item, while my beloved Doc Martens were snagged on sale from a shoe store next door to school when I was in New York. If you ever run into me on the street, chances are high those are the shoes I’ll be wearing. They’ll have to pry them off my cold dead feet. (Just a note: yes, they are leather. Yes, I am vegan, but I wasn’t always. And I personally feel it disrespectful to throw out a perfectly good pair of shoes I’ve owned for years. I will continue to wear them, but I will not be buying any more leather shoes to replace them. Just my personal opinion.) The “monster” necklace was purchased from CBT’s Closet.

Camera Gods willing, I’ll have another–BETTER–outfit post soon. I have tons of beaded items in my closet, so this theme should be a great way to get going. If you have any beaded articles or ensembles laying around, I encourage you to also participate. It’s taking a great bit of courage for me to do this, so if I can do it so can you!

The banner above links to Sophistique Noir’s monthly theme post guidelines and information on how to join in. I look forward to seeing everyone’s variations on the theme and hope I can muster the strength to keep mine up!

Love you to the Moon and Back,

Luna Valentine

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