More Vile Villainy...For Guys AND Gals!

Over the Summer, the nice folks at Threadless threw a little competition to see who could design the coolest new t-shirts featuring Disney Villains. The winners have been chosen, and now there are fifteen brand-spanking-new shirts to choose from, all bearing the likenesses of baddies from The Evil Queen to Dr. Facilier.

And. They. Rock.

The thing I've always adored about Threadless is its artistic integrity. These are not your run-of-the-mill, found this at [insert department store here] designs. These each bear the stamps of the amazing artists who created them. Some are deco, some are nouveau, some are more abstract...all are incredible, and well worth the $23.50 price tag. Here are my favorites:

 Hook by Brian Cvejanovich

 All Powerful by Bert Segunial

Photo Credit (This and All): Threadless

 Magnificent Maleficent by Winona Hwang

Inspiration: Zombie! Pre-Halloween "Going Out" Look

Tonight, Thomas and I are hitting the local Art Walk. It's a monthly event where different visual artists, performers, and arts organizations more or less take over the downtown area. Handmade items are sold from sidewalk vendors, opera is sung on street corners, movies are shown in the middle of a Square, and wine and cheese flow forth from gallery receptions. All in all, it's a good time. We'll be there representing Fighting Owl Films, so I had to get a little more dolled-up than usual, and in a way that helped make it clear what our organization does. So, I pulled out my zombie headband. That should do it.

The zombie headband, in case you're wondering, is this absolutely, freakishly adorable handmade piece I picked up at another Art Walk last December. The artist doesn't have a website, or I'd be hawking it like mad because she's insanely talented. When I saw that she had sweet purple zombies for sale, and I had a movie out that featured sweet purple zombies, I knew we were a perfect match. Here's the piece:
 

I love the dangling little button eye!!!! Squee!!!

Once I knew that I was going to have purple and red in my hair (and the rest of the outfit consists of a black shirt and blue jeans), I decided to incorporate those colors into my makeup for a dramatic, artsy, but still classy look. God, help me. Here's what I came up with:

Products Used:

Touch In Sol Feels Like Honey Moon primer

MAC Studio Sculpt foundation

Maybelline Age Rewind concealer

Benefit Creaseless Cream eye shadow in Silver (lid/primer)

Stila eye shadow in Moxie (crease)

Urban Decay eye shadow in Grifter (blending)

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Zero

Buxom Lash mascara

E.L.F. Brow Kit in Medium

MAC Cream Color Base in Virgin Isle (blush)

Rimmel Stay Matte powder in Transparent

Benefit Watt's Up highlighter

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Cherry Tart

They eyes took zero time. Seriously. Silver for the primer/lid color, then add Moxie to the crease and outer V-area, and blend it up with Grifter (which is full of pretty silver glitter that shows up in person, but not in this picture. Of course). Run Grifter under the lower lashes, then run Moxie over that line to the halfway point. Line upper lashes with Zero and wing out slightly, then run it under the lash line about a quarter of the way across. Add Watt's Up to the inner corner and under brow bone. Done.

If you're curious about how I wore a cutesy headband after age 30, here's how, and it could not have been easier. I started with wet hair and spritzed in a good leave-in conditioner. Then, I added a volumizing mousse to the roots and gave it a rough blow-dry. When the hair was just slightly damp, I sprayed down the ends with a sea spray for texture, and continued to rough blow-dry the rest of the way, scrunching the ends as I went along. Once the hair was completely dry, I pulled it up into a messy, high ponytail, with a little volume at the crown. I didn't tease the crown, but left room for it to pouf up a little when I pinned in the bun later. To create the bun, I used a teasing comb to tease the entire ponytail in one-inch chunks. Then I twisted the chunks together loosely and formed a circular ballerina bun, poufed up the crown, and pinned. The headband went on after, and I tucked the ends into the hair behind my ears. I finished the look by lightly spraying with anti-humidity (ha!) hairspray, just to knock down any frizzies that shouldn't be there. Messy is one thing. Frizzy is something entirely different.

See, the band is pretty far back on the head, which makes it more like an fashion accent, and less like something a schoolgirl would use to keep her hair back during P.E.



This shows how it looks from the front, as well as a close-up of the bun. Added bonus: Erin looking like a goober. You're welcome...

Just Where Do You Find Mascara In a Zombie Apocalypse?

Normally, around here we talk about how to look pretty and polished. That's all well and good, but it's not all that you can do with makeup and hair products. Sometimes, you just need to get down and dirty...you know, without the actual dirt. Ew.

I have lost count at how many zombies I've filthied up. Sure, on The Night Shift they were all cute and cuddly, but they still had to look like they'd been underground. I've given people bruises and bloody lips (and only once or twice were they real), added gaping wounds to pretty girls, and made enough blood for a bathtub dismemberment. Sometimes, folks need to look sweaty and grimy, or like they've just been pulled through the mud (or come down a chimney, but that's one for another day, I think). When you're on a set, you don't always get to be glamorous.

Now, as I've said a million times before, I'm not a pro. I've just worked with pros and paid attention. These artists, however, are pros, and do some of the best work in television. Here's a fantastic interview with the hair and makeup team from The Walking Dead. Enjoy! (Click the "These artists" link for the interview. Whoops!)

Photo Credit: Bloody Disgusting and all the AMC stuff written on the bottom of the picture. :)

Not Just For Air-Conditioners and Prom Dresses Anymore

I am a firm believer in duct tape. I've used it to spike stages, hold up green screens, re-attach a co-star's head (sorry, Herbie), replace a suitcase wheel (that one took some doing), create the form for a dummy...pretty much anything you could think of. I've also seen my share of duct tape fashions. Heck, the folks at Duck Duct Tape host a contest every year to see who has the best duct tape Prom attire, and let me just say, those kids go all out, and come up with some extremely creative entries. Unfortunately, most of the duct tape accessories I've seen floating around the web have been a little...well, bland. Cute, but kind of plain. Then, this showed up on my Facebook feed:

Photo Credit (This and All): Kenzie Tapia

That is decidedly not bland. Here's a close-up of the flower detail, along with the inner pocket and lining:

This cutie was made by Kenzie Tapia, an artist and dance teacher. I love her choice of colors, and the floral touch sends this purse from crafty to couture. It's just darling, and the second I saw it, I knew I had to share it with you guys. Here's my other favorite, the matching ruffled wallet:

Squee!! Those little ruffles are so sweet, and the duct tape gives them an almost leather-like appearance. Of course, it's fully functional, with pockets for cards and a cash compartment.

If you are interested in seeing more of Kenzie's work and maybe picking up an item or two, please check out her Facebook page. Also, if you guys know of any independent artists that you would like to see featured on Adorable Napalm, please let me know. We're all in this together!

May the Tinsel Be With You!

Yeah, I know, I'm off...sue me. I saw this and thought of you guys:

Photo Credit (This and Below): yrchmonger.com

It's a Star Wars tree skirt!! Please check out the site to see how this went from a regular skirt to an awesome holiday decoration, and find out how you can get your own next year!

Isn't that gorgeous!! I don't even want to know how difficult it was to cut out those intricate patterns. My brain hurts just thinking about it. Well done!!

Photo Credit: G4TV