Although there are some days where I love to load on the color, wearing too much bold make-up everyday can be too much.

So, with that in mind, I created a look using the ‘Murderous, Muted’ side of the KillerCosmetics line, so I can show you all that color, even neutralized – can still be fresh and light.

In this look I lined my waterline with white liner, wore a thick black mascara and winged liquid liner, and then as my highlight and lid color I swept on an opaque layer of ‘Old Lace’. with a sharp liner blush, I applied ‘Crystal Lake’ (dry, so the lines were softer) in along the crease of my lid, being sure to buff the edges after-wards with a voided brush. I also carried Crystal Lake softly under my lower lashline. I kept the skin matte, with only a hint of a peachy blush, and a nude lip.

P.s – The Uber-Cute Purple Leopard Headband is from Starry Eyed Boutique!

I took step-by-step photos so you can see what our teacups said, and play along at home. I’ve also created a basic chart at the bottom of this post of some common shapes that occur so you can read your own cup! Be sure to comment and let me know how your reading went!

You are going to need, light colored tea cups with no print on the inside of the cup, loose-leaf tea, two saucers (not pictured), and a spoon.

Scoop a half teaspoon of tea into your cup, the same amount you see in the average tea bag. (Yeah, I know our tea is pretty finely ground – i found it in the back of the cupboard. We’re modern day tasseo-matrists, don’t judge.) Alternatively you can steep the loose tea in the pot, so long as it is submerged loosely throughout the tea and poured into the cups un-strained.

You can put sugar in your tea, but I wouldn’t recommend adding milk.

Drink your tea (be sure to let it sit so it isn’t too hot!), leaving a couple teaspoons worth of liquid in the bottom. Hand your cup over to whoever is reading for you, and have them swirl the cup three times in a clockward motion (I don’t know why 3, most of the how-to’s on tea leaf reading said this specifically…), and have them tip the cup onto the saucer so the water drains out.

After letting it sit for a couple of minutes, the reader should pick up the cup, sit directly across from the person being read for, and point the handle of the cup at that person.

They should then begin pointing out shapes within the cup, keeping in mind that shapes left of the handle indicate the past, and shapes to the right of the handle indicate the future.

Here’s what we found in our cups:

The Boy’s Cup.

1. A Giant Hand, Pointing diagonally downwards. I thought it ‘indicated’ that he was still dealing with issues in his past. The guide said hands meant ‘Friendship’.

2. A Backwards ‘L’. A Letter usually stands for a person. Backwards indicates a shady character.

3. Snowball II from that Treehouse of Terror Episode where Bart has special powers and turns homer into a Jack-in-the-Box. In this episode he turns the cat into a cat with pom-pom ears, long legs and an umbrella tail. It means I know too much about Simpsons. See this photo.

4. A $ symbol. It means money or issues with money, heh.

5. An Upside-down Bra. I think it means he wasn’t so suave with the ladies.

6. An Open Box. According to the Guide it means ‘Romantic Troubles Solved’.

7. A Dog With A Human Head. Maybe a Sphinx? A Head means New Opportunities and a dog means Friendship.

My Cup:

1. A Sailboat. Means a Successful Journey.

2. A Heart. Love and marriage or a trustworthy friend.

3. A Bent leg with a foot. Movement, Change, a decision.

4. An Eye Upside Down with Lots of Eyelashes. (Could it mean a successful cosmetics comany? Heh) It means overcoming difficulties.

5. A mourner holding flowers. Death, maybe?

6. A Feather. Instability, Lack of concentration.

7. A Teddy-bear Robot. The teddy-bear signifies childhood, maybe the robot means a cold childhood? Or a hard one?

8. Platypus. There is no official meaning but Platypus’s are water mammals, so it might mean versatility. They also look unusual, so it might be ‘strange’.

9. Mosquitos suck, so it probably means- sucky past?

So basically we learned that we have over-active imaginations and we don’t enjoy tea without milk.

Here are a few common symbols and their meanings so you can read your own cup!

• Letters: A Person. Backwards letters or Upside-down letters may indicate a shady person.
• Numbers: A Time period, an age. A lucky number.
• Alligator: an accident.
• Apple: achievement in business.
• Arrow: Bad News
• Baby: The person being read for is over-worrisome.
• Balloon: Troubles are leaving.
• Bears: A Journey.
• Bees: Good News.
• Bells: Un-expected news. Promotion, wedding, joy.
• Birds: Good News.
• Boot: Protection.
• Box: Open- romance closed – something lost is found.
• Broom: a false friend.
• Butterfly: fickle.
• Cat: a quarrel.
• Castle: Financial Gain through Marriage.
• Cherries: a love affair.
• Clover: Prosperity.
• Coin: Repaying debt.
• Cross: Sacrifice or ill health.
• Dagger: Danger ahead.
• Dog: Good Friends.
• Devil: bad influences.
• Dove: Good Fortune, a good person.
• Dragon: Trouble.
• Face: change. Several: a party.
• Feet: An important decision.
• a Finger: Emphasizes where it points.
• Flower: a wish comes true.
• Frog: moving, change of home.
• Fox: a deceitful person.
• Giraffe: fibs
• Guitar: love.
• Gun: trouble.
• Hand: Friendship
• Heart: love and marriage.
• Horseshoe: luck.
• House: Security.
• Key: New Opportunity.
• Kite: Wishes.
• Lion: Influential Friends.
• Man: a visitor.
• Moon: a love affair.
• Mouse: theft.
• Nurse: illness.
• Owl: Gossip.
• Question Mark: Caution.
• Rabbit: a Timid Person.
• Rose: popularity.
• Shell: Good News.
• Snake: Hatred.
• Sun: Power.
• Tree: Growth.

]]> http://www.uvkittyshop.com/?feed=rss2&p=1358 0 http://www.uvkittyshop.com/?p=1354 http://www.uvkittyshop.com/?p=1354#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:22:24 +0000 uvkitty http://www.uvkittyshop.com/?p=1354 I have a big party this weekend, and my jeans dont fit!!! I bought them a month ago, and they were a little snug, but now I cant even get them done up, lol. I was considering doing one of those detox or juice diets, and I was wondering what one you’d recommend, because I cant return the jeans, and I really want to wear them! -ML.

If you’re considering a detox or fast as strictly a means to lose weight, there is absolutely no difference between it and a crash diet. I don’t want to begin to refute the holistic claims detoxes have to re-charge, refresh, or cleanse your body, because I believe it’s all a pile o’ bunk, but to each his own.

Crash diets have a bad rap. If you are willing to drink nothing but juice for a day so you drop 2 pounds to fit into your jeans, then you should. But know that your going to gain those two pounds back, probably before the week is out. Also, fasting like this is bad for your body when you do it regularly, so you shouldn’t trust this method every time you need to fit into a cute outfit. When you fast for long periods of time (5+ days) or regularly,  your body converts the protein in your body to glucose, causing you to lose muscle mass. It also slows down your metabolic rate, which would eventually cause less weight loss each time, and can eventually cause you to gain weight when you get back to your regular eating pattern.

There are also a few bad side effects to fasting. Some people report headaches, mental cloudiness, moodiness, and bad breath.

Because the weekend is fast approaching, there aren’t really many options other than to crash diet. But that doesn’t mean you have to completely fast. There is a basic equation to weight loss, which many people look at too confusingly; If your input is less than your output; you’ll lose weight.

A healthy goal is to lose no more than 2 pounds in 7 days, which just might be enough to do up that zipper. I would recommend getting a lot of cardio exercise over the next few days, maybe get your but to a pool if the weather is nice and watch what you eat.

I would avoid excessive amounts of starches like pasta, potatoes, breads – but if you do eat them, only eat whole grains, and be sure to eat the correct serving size. White bread is converted to sugar in your body, whereas whole grains are full of fiber, and move through your system smoothly.

Eat lots of veggies – the greener the better. Spinach salads, celery sticks, cucumber slices, asparagus, broccoli, etc. Avoid fruits and vegetables high in sugar,  just for the next few days.

Some other tips are to avoid creamy sauces and dips.  NO alcohol. Stick to drinking water and avoiding calorie-filled beverages. Avoid cheese, don’t eat things from cans or ready-to-go meals as they are packed full of sodium, which makes you retain water. If you plan on eating out, order the lunch portion. AND – be sure to pop a multi-vitamin!

I would recommend creating an account with Calorie Count, or My Daily Plate and tracking everything you consume. You can set your daily goal for your weight and activity level so you lose weight while still in-taking the right amount of calories so your body doesn’t go into starvation mode.

Then, once you’ve gotten into those jeans, if you’d like to maintain your weight, or continue to loose weight – you can safely do so by continueing to log your food on one of the above calorie tracking websites. They’re both free, and they give you the ability to choose what level of weight loss you want – they even allow you to set it to just maintain your current weight.

On a lighter note, here is an article on some of the craziest fad diets from Cracked.com.

Good Luck!

I often completely skip this part, because I assumed everyone had their routine and products for the perfect ‘base face’ unique to their skin tone and type. But, either you all or just curious, or maybe some of you have skin like me, or need product recommendations… either way, here is my base face routine that I go through every day to create the basic matte base face.

Depending on the look, I may go over certain areas with shimmering hilights, bronzers, go slightly paler, etc.

1. E.L.F Tinted moisturizer with SPF of 15 in Ivory and Rosy Beige.

I use this to cut my foundation and concealer to make it a little less opaque, and creamier. It also helps create a thinner veil of coverage that doesn’t cake or smear halfway through the day. I use two different shades, the ivory I cut with my overall base foundation and when I do my cream hi-light (brow bone, down the length of the nose, top of cheekbones, above the jawline, on the eyelid), and the rosy beige for when I do the cream shading (temple, hollows of the cheek, under the chin and along the jawline, on the sides of the nose).

2. MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20.

I love this concealer because the product moves easy aroundthe under-eyes while still providing an opaque coverage. It also has an SPF of 35, which my pale skin loves. TIP: Because I have very purple under-eye bags,  get my concealer a couple shades darker than my natural skin tone. ewhen the entire face is made up, this helps the make-up cover the purple better and look less jarring on the face, as the skin there is naturally darker on most people.

3. Cinema Secrets Concealer Palette and Pot.

I mix the lightest pink shade (in the pot) and the lightest yellow shade in with my liquid foundation (#4) to create the perfect foundation color that is opaque enough to cover my Rosacea but not too dark or pink based, as my skin is pretty neutrally toned. For cream shading, I cut the second yellow with the rosy beige tinted moisturizer (#1), and for the hi light I mix the lightest pink shade (in the pot) with the ivory tinted moisturizer(#1).

4. L’Oreal Infallible Liquid Foundation in Soft Ivory.

I like this foundation because it is non-greasy and doesn’t fade throughout the day. Unfortunately the lightest shade is a little too pink and dark for my skin tone so I have to cut it with a couple of other concealers (in #3) to make it right for my skin tone. The pump dispenser can get clogged, but when it does I  just swab it with an alcohol soaked q-tip.

5. E.L.F High Definition Powder.

I like this powder because it it’s translucent, it’s cheap, and it seals my foundation evenly. I apply it all over the face once I have completely finished working with my liquids and creams.

6. Brushes and sponges.

I apply my concealer with a mini foundation brush, I apply my foundation with a disposable sponge wedge, I apply my low-lights and hi-lights with my fingers or with a large foundation brush, I apply my powder with a large powder brush, and I apply my bronzer or blush with an angled powder brush.

The benefit of sending out our own gifts is that we have the time to type up personal letters to each artist, and package everything ourselves and it gives us the opportunity to let the artists know how much they rock, and share our story!

GAGA

In Lady Gaga’s package we included ‘Soylent Green’, ‘Sun of Sam’, ‘Black, The Ripper’, ‘Miss Argentina’, and ‘Crystal Lake’.

KESHA

In Ke$ha’s package we included ‘Leatherface’, ‘Smoker’s Lung’, ‘Black, The Ripper’, and ‘Soylent Green’.

KATY

In Katy Perry’s package we included ‘Miss Argentina’, ‘Ladykiller’, ‘Sun of Sam’, and ‘Soylent Green’.

HAYLEY

In Hayley’s package we included ‘Clockwork’, ‘Soylent Green’, ‘Sun of Sam’, and ‘Black, The Ripper’.

With that being said, these should be available up on the KillerCosmetics etsy shop and UvKITTY shop tonight! Enjoy!

My crease and under my lower lashes I contoured with ‘Smoker’s Lung. On my lid I blended in ‘the Overlook’, which I faded into a hint of ‘Whitechapel’ in the inner corners. I then lined my waterline with an opaque white liner to make my eyes ‘POP’, and finished with liquid black liner and mascara.

Here is the first Teaser from the Shoot:

]]> http://www.uvkittyshop.com/?feed=rss2&p=1314 0 http://www.uvkittyshop.com/?p=1300 http://www.uvkittyshop.com/?p=1300#comments Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:48:09 +0000 uvkitty http://www.uvkittyshop.com/?p=1300 Hey Kimmi! I know that you went to make-up school, so I’d love to hear you weigh in on this. I want to be a makeup artist, but there are so many already out there that have absolutely no schooling. Makeup School is expensive – but if it will give me that edge, then maybe I should consider it? I’d just like to hear your opinion. -Carla B.

Hey Carla. There are a few factors that really help weight in on your decision. First of all, I chose make-up school because I was fresh out of high school, and a little scared of committing to 4 years at university. I always wanted to do make-up, but hadn’t done much research. I bascially picked the first school that was recommended to me, and enrolled.

I’m going to start by saying – there are a lot of bad make-up artists out there. I saw a few of them while I was in school, some people just don’t have a knack for it. Make-up requires a good sense of color, and a skilled hand. A few girls that I worked alongside in school just didn’t approve over time, and I’m sure they aren’t getting make-up gigs now.

Becoming a make-up artist isn’t having a slip of paper that says your one, or the biggest make-up kit in the world. It’s that you get work, and you put out good work.

But getting to that point is really up to you. I’m going to help you out by making my mini pro vs. con chart about my experiences with self – taught vs. schooling.

SCHOOL

PRO:

• Learn tips and tricks that veteran make-up artists have learned over the years they have been in the business
• The opportunity to work on many different faces, skin tones and types.
• Test out, practice and try many different looks that will come up out on the field; period make-up, basic special effects like bruising and scratches, etc.
• Most make-up schools often hold scheduled photo-shoots to help you build your books, and start getting work immediately.
• A kit is provided for you (you will most likely have to pay extra for it though), and it comes with the basic starter amount to do basic beauty make-up on all skin types and tones.  No trial and error of building a kit from scratch.
• You have dedicated time to practice and work on becoming a better artist. You learn a chair side manner, make-up don’ts and faux pas, and most schools often go to the business side of different types of make-up artists; how to work at beauty counters, becoming a bridal make-up artist, getting into films, etc.
• Most practices are timed, so you learn one of the most important tool – being fast.

CON:

• The cost. Make-up school can cost upwards of $15 000 for a full-time 1 year course.  Instead of schooling, you could use this money to invest in a solid name-brand kit, set up a fully functional website, order some business cards and promotional materials, and still have money to spare.

SELF-TAUGHT

PRO:

• It’s cheap. The only money you will need upfront is the money to buy a good set of brushes, and a good kit, about $300.00.

CON:

• You are going to have to learn everything from trial and error. Things you should always keep in your kit, how to talk to and treat clients in your chair, how to organize your station, etc.
• You are going to need to dedicate a lot of time to practicing. You need to try make-up on men, people with oily skin, people with dry skin, older people, kids, people with dark skin, people with light skin, people with bad blemishes, etc.
• You’re going to have to build your book from scratch, which means a lot of free work. The downfall with this is that you’ll be working with amateur photographers and models, and some shoots may end up being a waste of time because the quality won’t be up to par.
• You’re going to have to compete with liscensed make-up artists, so you are going to need a really impressive resume, or be an extremely good make-up artist or a fast one.

Overall, the decision is up to you. I went to school and got my diploma, but it’s been sitting in my desk drawer for over a year. No one has asked to see it, and I often have to remind myself to mention ‘Licensed MAU’ in my online profiles. If you feel you can be dedicated and committed to learning everything there is to know and excelling at it, than you should do it yourself and save your money. Paying for schooling is kind of a fast track, and helps you become more of a disciplined artist.

]]> http://www.uvkittyshop.com/?feed=rss2&p=1300 0 http://www.uvkittyshop.com/?p=1306 http://www.uvkittyshop.com/?p=1306#comments Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:11:02 +0000 uvkitty http://www.uvkittyshop.com/?p=1306 It’s late August [ugh, I know] and Summer is getting ready to take it’s exit, in place of cold wins, and *gasp* more neutral shades. So, while the sun is still shining, I decided to create a fun candy-colored look using KillerCosmetics. In the inner corner of my eye and on the brow bone I am using ‘Whitechapel’ with a wash of some white cosmetic glitter, and on my eyelids I’m wearing ‘Sun of Sam’, which blends into ‘Clockwork’, which blends into ’40 Whacks’. Then, in the crease I contoured slightly with a light wash of ‘Clockwork’. I finished with a winged black eyeliner and some super black mascara.

ps – I apologize for the un-even redness, I took these at the end of the night after I had consumed a couple of cocktails ;).

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