Costume Creations: Doctor Who's Amy Pond

Hoo boy, I do not look like Karen Gillan. Not even slightly. Of course, like every other female Doctor Who fan in the world, that doesn't stop me from absolutely coveting her hair, makeup, and clothes on the show. Amy Pond is entirely gorgeous, but in that accessible, girl-next-door kind of way. I know that some of you out there might be considering an Amy costume for Halloween, or possibly as cosplay for a convention (I'm getting excited for the New Orleans Comic-Con, myself). To help out, I recreated the look Karen Gillan is wearing in this photo. I can't find where it was taken, but it looks like a press junket. This, out of all the photos I found online, struck me as the most typical "Amy" look (which is odd, since she's not in character in this shot, but whatevs):


Photo Credit

And here's the recreation. You have no idea how badly I want her photographer and lighting and hairstylist and retouching program and genes...

I have to say, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! The colors are pretty close, and I finally figured out how to do the "Amy Pond Eye". So, here's what we're doing:

First, prime your face, then apply a medium to full coverage foundation. I used Tarte Clean Slate and Urban Decay Naked Skin. You can use whatever you want, of course. If you're doing this for a con, where you're going to be walking around and getting sweaty, but will still be photographed out the ears, Ben Nye cream foundations look amazing and were built for that kind of wear (see the princess tutorial from a couple of days ago, because that's what I used. Heck, see it anyway, 'cause we're going to be reusing a lot of those techniques, here).

Next, prime your eyes from lid to brow with a flesh colored base. I used Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden, but NYX or E.L.F. would work well, too. After I primed, I went into my NYX Crimson Amulet palette and used the matte pink eyeshadow all over the lid and on up to the brow. Next, I took the lilac satin finish and applied it at the crease, then went over it with the purplish-blue color. The white shimmer went just at the brow bone. To line the eyes in that distinct Amy Pond fashion, I used a black gel pencil (Buxom's Insider Eyeliner in Black Onyx) on the top lashline, then brought it down to the bottom lashline, and ran it halfway across. It doesn't wing, but the two lines do connect. Then, I grabbed a waterproof black liner (UD 24/7 in Zero) and used it on the waterline, but only in the very outer corner. I cleaned up by lashlines by running black shadow on a flat brush across them. A white liner (NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk) went on the rest of the waterline and in the inner corner. The look's not difficult, but there are more steps than I ever thought for. Finish up the eyes by filling in your brows and applying copious amounts of black mascara to your top and bottom lashes.

The Eye. Thrilling...

Back to the skin! Grab your concealer (one shade lighter than your foundation, please), and draw a V shape from the inner corner of your eye, down the side of your nose, and back up to the outer corner of your eye. Fill it in and blend it out. This will create that cool "Kim Kardashian" highlight, and it's the same technique we used on the princess look. In fact, go ahead and highlight the center of your nose, your chin, and your forehead while you're at it. I'll wait...

Alrighty. Now, if you're not totally sleep deprived, like I was, this is when you'd want to set everything with a transluscent powder. If you're me, you'll remember that after you have a pain of a time applying your blush. Going back to the NYX Crimson Amulet palette, use the matte pink blush only on my outer cheekbone. The apples are left bare. Then, take the matte red blush and go over the pink, to create a berry color. After that, use a light bronzer to contour the cheekbones and nose. Then (even if you set with a transluscent powder earlier), grab your HD powder and give the whole look a good once over.

Next, take a berry lipliner (mine was the Night Villain color from the E.L.F. Maleficent palette) and line your lips, bringing the color in on the outer corners. Then, fill in with a berry lipstick. I used Buxom's Lip Tarnish in Scandal, but MAC Chic works well, too. Finally, if you're me, and just feel like being sparkly, grab the pretty highlighter out of the NYX palette and go over the already highlighted areas. I don't recommend it, since it photographs weird, but I was on allergy meds and punchy, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. It wasn't.

In person, you are going to look like you have on more makeup than a Norma Desmond-wannabe, but it photographs really well. Have fun exploring time and space!!!

It's Halloween! You Know, For Kids?

"I like to feel sexy. I know my husband thinks I'm sexy. I think he is too. But I don't go out half-naked with 'sex' written across my back."--Catherine Zeta-Jones 

 

Okay, I'm going to get a little bit ranty today, and I'm not even going to attempt to apologize for it. This weekend, I found myself on a mission that left me frustrated, angry, and, quite frankly, insulted. I think you probably know where this is going. My Mission: find a Halloween costume. Current Mission Status: Failed.

 

In an earlier blog, I posted that I was going to attempt to put together a Doctor Who Amy Pond "Kissogram" (cutesy police officer) cosplay outfit. It consisted of a long-sleeved white blouse, checkered ascot, black mini-skirt, black stockings, sensible shoes, and a swat vest. I was good up until I got to swat vest, and that's where the whole thing became just way too darn expensive and more trouble than it was worth. Maybe if another trip to Comic-Con comes up I'll give it another go, but it was too much hassle for Candy Duty. I figured I'd pick up a costume at one of the local party supply/Halloween shops and call it a day. 

 

As I said, I'm going to be handing out candy to the urchins, so I decided to look in the pretty witch/Disney Princess/superhero sections. The yard will be kind of scary, so I wanted to choose something fairly non-threatening so that tiny Tinkerbelles and Thomas the Tank Engines wouldn't be too afraid to take their treats. I had a Little Red Riding Hood costume from a few years ago, but it was more on the "sassy" (*industry term for "sexy") side, with a shorter skirt and lower neckline than I thought appropriate for dealing with little kids. It was fine for the party I wore it to, but there's a time and a place for everything.

 

So...this weekend, I marched to the seasonal section of the party supply chain, gazed up at the wall o' costumes, and realized almost instantaneously that I had a serious problem. You see, not only could I not find anything appropriate to wear around children, I had a hard time finding anything that wouldn't get me arrested! I enjoy a mini-skirt as much as the next girl (see: Amy costume), but a few costumes didn't even bother with skirts...or pants...or tops, in some cases. My trip to the actual Halloween store wasn't any better, either. I thought that with more inventory would come more selection. I was wrong. I looked at costumes with bandeau tops, corsets with garters, and a couple that were shirts that came down just far enough to cover your butt. Maybe. If you don't sit down or have to bend over for anything. By the way, these were not the costumes from lingerie companies, or the brands that specialize in "sassy" costumes. These were the mainstream pretty witch, Disney Princess, and superhero costumes. I have to say, a little piece of my childhood died when I saw a Belle "ballgown" with garters and thigh highs, and I only thought that my Little Red Riding Hood costume was "sassy". I saw one with a ripped midriff and teeny-tiny belt of a skirt that made me want to hug my mid-thigh length dress. There was a "sassy" Hermione. That's wrong on so many levels, I can't even begin. Thomas dubbed a couple of the outfits "for indoor use only", if you catch his drift. Both of us were just flabbergasted.

 

Now, I would be remiss not to mention the few costumes that weren't completely skanky. There was the nun costume--although that is also available in a "sassy" version--a few ill-fitting, Morticia Addams-esque, black sheaths, and the one non-"sassy" pretty witch costume I could find. It was utterly shapeless, and I could have used it as a tent. 

 

By the time I threw in the towel, I was beyond dejected. Was I just overly prudish? I didn't think so. I've worn theatrical costumes that covered less. I also believe in dressing for your body type, so I normally try to wear clothes that show off my curves and waistline. That said, it's important to dress for the occasion. Were this a party, then yeah, I might be more inclined to pull out my Little Red Riding Hood costume (not that other...thing). However, this is for kids, so that would be inappropriate...ARGH!!!!!!!!! 

 

I thought, "I must be in the minority, because there's nothing!" Then I realized what really bugged me: What if I'm not? There is no choice. If you want to dress in a "sassy" style, then by all means, go right ahead. Just allow me the opportunity to dress in something that is comfortable to me, as well. Right now, that's not a possibility. Who knows if I'm in the minority. There could be way more girls who hate this "sassy" trend than like it, but we don't know because the only costumes available are "sassy". At this point, the only options are go "sassy" or go home. And I got mad.

 

Then something caught my attention--a very pretty, late-twenties blonde with a cute figure, absolutely laying into a party supply store employee:

 

"All of these are skanky! Don't you have anything that isn't completely slutty?"

 

The employee (male) tried to counter with, "most girls like to dress like that for Halloween," which went over about as well as you'd think.

 

The thing is, the employee had nothing to suggest to our young lady, other than she might have more luck online (where you can't try anything on), and to keep pointing out that most girls like to dress up like sluts for Halloween. I piped in to let the girl know that I was in the same boat she was, then we both left empty-handed. Later, I went online to see the rest of the selection, and was just as let down. There is more stuff to choose from, but it's more of the same. Unless you want a $150 theatrical quality costume, you're pretty much stuck with "sassy". I just want to know, which came first: the stereotype that girls use Halloween as an opportunity to dress slutty, or the reality that those are the only women's Halloween costumes available?

Magic Bag O' Samples and the Scottish Predicament

The magic bag o' samples made a reappearance this week, and from its mystical depths I withdrew Too Faced's Lip Injection Extreme. ($28, Sephora) Figuring, "what the hey? I could stand looking like Angelina Jolie," I decided to give this pretty plumper a shot. 

Before I go any further, let's see what Sephora has to say about this product:

Lip Injection Extreme is a lip plumping serum that gives long term results based on the most scientifically proven and advanced lip plumping technologies. Too Faced uses a potent quadra-delivery system that combines Vitamin E, collagen-booster MaxiLip and Dehydrated Marine Sponge to stimulate blood flow, promote fullness and re-hydrate with the body's own moisture for a long-lasting effect. Moisturizing doses of Avocado and Jojoba Oil condition to ensure a smooth, plump pout.

So, for the tl;dr crowd, what we have here is a lip plumper that works after a long period of regular use. Luckily, I had a pretty large sample, so I could give this an adequate testing. Let's break this down into categories, shall we?

Photo Credit: Sephora

Look: By "look", I mean the look of the product, not the packaging. This was a sample, so while the packaging was similar to what you'd get with a full-sized product, it wasn't spot-on exact. The plumper, itself, is a cloudy, iridescent clear. When applied, a high-shine, vinyl effect is achieved. Also, your lips will flush upon application, giving you some healthy color. It's actually really lovely. 10 out of 10.

Comfort: User reviews warned me that this would flat-out hurt. They must have really sensitive lips, or maybe mine are just lip plumper-friendly, because, while there was a definite tingle, the discomfort was no worse than I've experienced with any other lip plumper. It was about the equivalent of rubbing Red Hots or Dentyne across your lips. The gloss, itself, is non-sticky, relatively long-wearing (beware of eating), and lubricating, if not moisturizing. Some have complained of dryness, but I've not experienced that problem. 8 out of 10.

Ease of Use: This is to be used twice a day, and only twice a day. I keep it in my bathroom, on the counter, near my skincare products. When I wash my face and put on my moisturizer in the morning and at night, I follow up with this plumper. It really couldn't be simpler. The only drawback is not being able to use it for touch-ups during the day, because it is so pretty, but any lip product can be worn in the interim (or even on top). Too Faced does suggest using their temporary lip plumper, though. I've had decent results with Buxom, Urban Decay, and believe it or not, the non-plumping Beauty Rush from Victoria's Secret. In other words, use what you like. My only complaint is that this is a little pricey, but about standard for a plumping treatment. 9 out of 10.

Effectiveness: I can't swear to permanently fuller lips, but I can tell a definite difference. That's a new one for me. Most of the time, I can't tell if it's the shine that makes the lips look larger or if it's the actual plumper. This one, I can still see the results after the shine has worn off. 7 out of 10. 

Final Verdict: 8 out of 10. If you're in the market for a plumper, give this non-surgical option a try.

On a completely unrelated note, Halloween is a mere two months away, and I'm trying to get my costume in order. This year, I'm geeking out and going as Amy Pond from Doctor Who. Frankly, I thought her kissogram costume was freaking adorable, and I already have reddish hair, so this should be a snap, right? Wrong. I can't find a (reasonably priced) flack jacket anywhere. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. It seems I'm not the only one having issues, if the cosplay forums are any indication, so several people would probably be very appreciative. Here's a pic of the costume:

Photo Credit: Cosplay Island

Thanks, guys!!