Miss X Cosmetics Division Mini Catalogue
By Destroyx | March 4, 2010
Above: Detail of promotional graphic
The cards have a makeup photo on the front and a product showcase on the back.
Last year I designed a series of promotional postcards to pack with orders as well as to distribute to our retailers. The cards can be appreciated by themselves or as a series, as they form a mini catalogue highlighting all of the various product ranges. Although some of the products are currently sold out, many of them are still available at Surgeon-x (Australia) and Black Pill Red Pill at 25% off as we make way for our new range.
Miss X Cosmetics Division Mini Catalogue Detailed view
Actual photos of the cards
I didn’t manage to get very good photographs of the cards (and they are in Australia not here with me right now), but I did manage to take 2 quick photos before they were distributed.
Topics: Design, Miss X Cosmetics | 11 Comments »
Design Autopsy #8: Baroque and Roll website
By Destroyx | March 4, 2010
As I was compiling my portfolio of freelance design work I’ve undertaken over the last year, I came across a project that I had a lot of fun doing for my uber talented friend Emily for her rockabilly fashion label Baroque and Roll.
Logo design which I tweaked to improve legibility.
Emily has a very strong design aesthetic (as well as an obsession with the Cramps and the colour slime green) that she carries through all of her collections. Thus in my design for her website, I tried to extrapolate her personality and design sensibility into my illustrations. For her ‘tales from the deep’ collection look book, I very much enjoyed designing a range of b-movie inspired sea monsters to complement the tentacle motif that Emily incorporated into her range. It was also amazing to collaborate with the brilliant talents of Zeiko Nedic who photographed the gorgeous Mishella Fortune for the look book.
It’s always awesome to support independent designers, so please take the time to check out the Baroque and Roll facebook page for the latest news about the label. For all you burlesque bunnies, tentacle lovers & ladies that like their liquor hard and their men bad, Baroque and Roll is the label for you!
p.s. If you are in Sydney, this weekend Baroque and Roll is showing 4 collections at the Sydney Tattoo and Body Art Expo (2:20pm Sunday 7th March)
Website Screen Grabs
Tales from the Deep collection lookbook illustrations
Topics: Design, Design Autopsy, Fashion | 11 Comments »
Style Division: Patricia Field Salon Shoot
By Destroyx | February 8, 2010
Photograph by Diego Corredor and wig by Flame
Late one Saturday night a few weeks ago, I received a text from my friend and hairstylist Flame asking me if I could come to the Patricia Field Salon for a Sunday video shoot to fill in for a model who had pulled out at the last minute. I was told to wear red and without knowing what to expect at all, I turned at the shoot and had an absolute blast. The shoot was extremely spontaneous and lively because of the fun loving models (Reiko, Giselle, Laila, Steffi, Apathy, Jovan, Eddy & Angelo) who were brought together by Flame. The photographs were taken by the Diego Corredor and the video was shot by William Caballero who were both awesome.
My outfit is one of my favourite latex ensembles which I wore on the last Angelspit tour. It’s comprised of various pieces from my top three favourite latex designers, Atsuko Kudo, Jane Doe Latex and Vex Clothing.
Lips Necklace: Miss X Jewellery (available at Black Pill Red Pill & Etsy)
Strapless Bow Top & Cross Bones Mini Skirt: Jane Doe Latex
Mini Beret & Fingerless gloves: Atsuko Kudo
Corset: Morgana Femme Couture
Thigh High Stockings: Agent Provocateur
Spats: Vex Clothing
Shoes: Dsquared2
Stripy braces: Camden Markets
Video of the Photoshoot By William Caballero
William Caballero shot a super fun video of the shenanigans at the shoot. If the embedded video doesn’t work, please use this link instead.
Behind the Scenes Photography By ZooG
I dragged ZooG along for the day and he took some fly on the wall photographs of the day. These photographs make me smile because they show how much fun it can be to just get together with friends, be silly and spontaneous, yet also come out with an awesome creative outcome.
Topics: Amelia Arsenic, Fashion, New York, Photoshoots, Style, Style Division | 35 Comments »
Basic Makeup Q & A: Eye Makeup
By Destroyx | February 3, 2010
This is the second part of my Beauty Q & A series where I answer reader questions about makeup. If you missed the first installment on foundation, check it out here.
QUESTION: How do you deal with mistakes such as extending too far and that annoying fallout of loose eyeshadow. - Luise
ANSWER: I always try to apply makeup with baby steps, so that I can avoid mistakes like extending out too far. Unfortunately if that happens, I normally use a baby wipe to remove the makeup and start again which can be quite frustrating.
Fallout can be very annoying if you have already made up your entire face. So I usually try to do the top half of my makeup first, do my eye makeup and then clean up the fallout, before finishing the makeup to the bottom half of my face. (I answered a similar question also in the foundation FAQ)
QUESTION: How best to apply false eyelashes and which glue do you use? (I know most sets come with a free tube, but I find they often don’t last very long or tend to be already dried up). I get lots of problems with getting glue in my eye or gluing top and bottom lashes together accidentally!- Luise
ANSWER: I would recommend Duo Surgical Adhesive as being the best eyelash glue. You should be able to purchase it from MAC counters or a good beauty supply store. Putting false eyelashes in can be extremely hard, but practice makes perfect. I would suggest perhaps using less glue and waiting until the glue is tacky before applying the eyelashes. The glue shouldn’t be runny enough to stick your bottom and top lashes together accidentally! I have written a whole article about false eyelashes previously which you can check out here.
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QUESTION: I love makeup and I love doing makeup for other people. The one problem I always run into is with my sister. She is Korean (we are both adopted) and I’m just not always very confident on how to apply her eye makeup correctly since she doesn’t have the crease that a lot of people I put makeup on do. It’s due to a lack of knowledge/practice on my part. I love your looks and would really like to recreate them on my pretty little sister. Any quick tips for me and her? - P.Magpie
ANSWER: As I am asian too and do not have an ‘eye crease’, I have also encountered the same challenges when adapting eye makeup looks for my own eyes. I find that many tutorials and beauty editorials in magazines do not feature many asian models, which can make it difficult to figure out how to put the makeup on so that it flatters the eyeshape. So instead of trying to replicate the looks in fashion directly, I would suggest that you should take inspiration from the colours and texture of the makeup look and adapt it to the eye shape you are working with.
Most of the time when I do my own makeup, I colour in the entire eyelid with eyeliner (in a cat eye shape), as this can really flatter asian eyes. Lastly, I find that because I don’t have a crease in my eye, it leaves more space for me to fill in with eyeshadow between my eye and brow bone which I think can be an advantage! Ultimately, you will just have to experiment with finding an eyeshadow shape which suits your sisters eyes.
QUESTION: Is there anything special which you use to ‘fixate’ your (eye)make-up to make it last throughout the day? - Kurai
ANSWER: Yes! My ’secret weapon’ is ‘Two Faced Shadow Insurance’ Eye primer. You just put a small amount on your eyelids and your eyeshadow will ’stick’ to it and last all day without creasing. I would highly recommend investing in it! I have also had good experiences with Urban Decay’s Potion Primer.
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QUESTION: I’ve never tried putting loose glitter on my eyes before. So I’d like to know how to apply it and make it stick without any of it falling off (and into the eyes). - Typhoid
ANSWER: Loose glitter can be extremely messy and when it comes in contact with the eye can sometimes be irritating and harmful (especially for contact lense wearers). I find the easiest way to apply glitter is to first coat the area where you want to stick the glitter to with some kind of emulsion based product, such as gel eyeliner or cream eyeshadow and then dab the glitter on with a brush when the product is still tacky or wet. When the product dries, it will make the glitter stick. Miss X also has glitter glue available for applying loose glitter to which is available here.
QUESTION: I’ve recently discovered the joy of lining my waterline. I know lots of people say not to - but I like the ‘finished’ look it gives to a whole makeup look. The only problem is, that I can never get it to stay! I’m forever having to reapply it when I go out, which is such a pain - even if I use waterproof! Is there a way to get eyeliner to stay on my waterline, or am I doomed to forever reapply while I’m out? - Heart Grenade
ANSWER: I say YES to lining the waterline. I think it also looks really awesome and completes your makeup look. I find that I just use MAC kohl pencil eyeliner for the waterline and that lasts all day. Unfortunately, if you have naturally watery eyes you will probably need to keep reapplying it. Another product you might like to try is gel eyeliner which you can use with an angled eyeliner brush for precision application. I often find it has a better sticking power than pencil eyeliner because it is more pigmented. However I would caution you to be careful not to put anything too strong (like liquid eyeliner for example which can be a bit ‘fumey’) on the waterline as it can often irritate your eyes.
QUESTION: What do you do to prepare your skin for color to make it pop out as well as possible? - Lucinda Lee
ANSWER: As I mentioned before I always prime my eyes using ‘Two Faced Shadow Insurance’ Eye primer to make the eyeshadow stick to my eyes. Also, I have found that putting a base of white gel eyeliner or white face paint underneath the eyeshadow can make any weak eyeshadow pop. If that is not available to you, I would suggest using any white chubby eyeliner pencil as a base (I have heard NYX does a good version though I haven’t tried this myself).
QUESTION: How do you get your makeup to look so…symmetrical. I often find that I can start with one eye, and apply the makeup perfectly on one side, but when I go to do the other eye, it just doesn’t look right. - Lolita
ANSWER: The obvious answer is that practice makes perfect! However, most people don’t have symmetrical faces, so don’t sweat too much about the makeup not looking 100% symmetrical. I usually do each makeup step on both sides of the face (e.g. I put eyeshadow on my right and left eye before proceeding to the eyeliner stage) as I find it aids in making the overall look symmetrical. I have gone out with quite asymmetrical makeup, and most people don’t notice, so I wouldn’t worry about the symmetry of your makeup too much!
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QUESTION: I was wondering if you could do like a little video tutorial to show your techniques in applying things like eyeshadows and blending them? I have tried even the basics like a smoky eye which you can really smudge and can get away with shonky blending techniques, but if I want to so some really cool bright colours and blend on different parts of the eye I’m unsure of what goes first, in which part of the eye and how to layer them without them ending up murky and weird. Should I mix wet and dry eye shadows or loose powder and are there kind of rules on where darker eyeshadows or brighter ones should go? and I have the same problem with making them look symmetrical as well since my left hand is useless at precision! - Cookie
ANSWER: Video tutorials are definitely in the works (I’m just saving for a camera), however I can answer some of your questions. I find its much easier to either use all wet pigments or all dry pigments. If you have ever tried to mix a dry pigment over a wet pigment, you will probably find that it will go clumpy. I find it’s easiest to stick to wet or dry, or at least wait until the wet pigments are dry before attempting to blend them in with dry pigments.
Experimentation is key in eyeshadow placement and there are not really any hard and fast rules about where the darker and lighter colours go. I always just experiment (and I am often surprised by the outcomes actually!) I hope to share some more makeup tutorials with you soon with more experimental eyeshadow placement that deviates from the regular smokey eye look.
I use my right hand to apply makeup to both of my eyes. I don’t swap hands when I want to the the left side, as my left hand is not nearly as steady as my right hand.
QUESTION: How do you keep eyeliner or eyeshadow from rubbing off and forming half circles around the crease of your eye? - Sayuri
ANSWER: Again, I would like to recommend using ‘Two Faced Shadow Insurance’ Eye primer to make sure the eyeshadow and eyeliner really stick! It also helps to apply foundation on the eyelid before applying any makeup to the eye. If you have particularly oily eyelids, some people recommend applying silica or rice powder prior to applying the eye makeup as they help to absorb the oils on the eyelids.
QUESTION: What about eyebrows? I have really pale eyebrows and i was wondering if there is a good way to shape them, as i have difficulty seeing mine and also how do you apply eyeshadow to match them to a wig that is a different color than your natural? - Lucinda Lee
ANSWER: Having pale eyebrows can be a total blessing! This means, that you can probably draw your eyebrow shape as you please. I would suggest getting a sharp eyebrow pencil and drawing a shape that you feel suits your face. Then try to pluck your eyebrows into a shape which matches that line you drew. Zoetica Ebb did an absolutely brilliant tutorial on eyebrows which you should definitely check out.
To answer your second question, I find it’s really fun applying makeup to match a wig, because it means that you can try all different colours that match the wig instead of your natural hair colour. In general, when I am colour co-ordinating my makeup I try to either use matching colours or totally opposing colours. For example, if you were wearing a blue wig, you might like to try blue makeup to match, or wear red/orange makeup to provide contrast.
Topics: Amelia Arsenic, Beauty, Makeup | 14 Comments »
Style Division: Fur and Bows
By Destroyx | January 30, 2010
Another fur inspired style division comes courtesy of this $3 H&M faux fur scarf. A vintage boudoir look with a modern twist that would be perfect to wear to some of my favorite clubs like Dances of Vice in New York or Boheme Sauvage in Berlin.
This vintage inspired outfit is brought to you by some of my favorite things that I have been wearing daily. My giant grey bow by Forever 21 has rarely left my head since I bought it for $5 a few weeks ago, and my 6 strap suspender belt by Kiss Me Deadly has become a staple undergarment. My last obsession I should mention are my giant stripy hair slides by H&M which are the perfect clips to keep errant curls in place (without needing to use heat on my bleached hair).
Necklace: Miss X Jewellery Division ‘Bad Luck’ Charm Necklace (available at at Black Pill Red Pill & Etsy)
Sequin hotpants & Polka dot bustier: Topshop
6 strap suspender belt: Kiss me deadly
Nylon stockings: Cevrin (bought from Hepburn and Leigh)
Shoes: Dsquared2
Grey bow hairband: F21
Leather gloves: Mimco
Topics: Amelia Arsenic, Fashion, Jewelry, Miss X Jewellery, Style, Style Division | 33 Comments »
KMFDM vs Angelspit Tour Diary Part 3: Austin to Fort Lauderdale
By Destroyx | January 15, 2010
The third and final installment of my rock and roll adventure! Click here for part one and part two.
SHOW_25-October 22 - Austin, TX - Emo’s
Inside the Emo’s venue in Austin. It’s a crazy run down kinda place.
RECOLLECTION: This was the day when it all went haywire. The tour had been going exceedingly smoothly with not many mishaps to report about. So when we arrived in Austin, we were totally unprepared for the strange series of events that we woke up to.
- Our trusty and dependable tour manager Jacob had mysteriously broken his foot while partying in Dallas and was thus indisposed as he had to go to hospital.
- KMFDM’s lighting guy was abducted by Texas rangers with no warning as soon as the buses arrived in Austin.
- Duncan, our stage manager did not make it onto the tour bus the night before and was still in Austin.
- The lighting rig on the stage was non-existent and without our lighting guy, we were without any stage lighting.
In the end though, everything turned out absolutely fine. Duncan arrived for the show, Jacob got a gimp boot for his broken foot and Sammy the lighting guy was released unscathed by the police after the show. We both played our shows with no lighting on the stage except for four work lights and a fog machine provided by the support band Chant Project (who were awesome!). The highlight of the evening was when I fell over during Vena Cava and got an amazing bruise on my hip. It ended up being an extremely fun show (Austin rocks and is a great city) and we celebrated into the wee hours of the morning.
Amazing hotsauce shop with hundreds of varieties.
View from the Hilton Austin (no we weren’t staying there for long, only to have a quick shower)
Street view from outside of the Emo’s venue.
Some of our incredible fans all dressed up in Angelspit gear!
Angelspit ink.
Our green room at Emo’s was an aluminium shed on the top of the venue which required a ladder to reach. It was kind of grotty and scary.
With my twitter pal Joansie and me in Houston.
SHOW_26-October 23 - Houston, TX - Meridian
Our rig backstage.
Houston skyline from the venue.
I had to get a photo with the in house lighting guy at Meridian. He had the greatest shaggy rock and roll mullet of ALL TIME.
SHOW_27-October 24 - New Orleans, LA - House Of Blues
View from tour bus in the morning.
Yarrr….
At the museum of pharmacy in New Orleans. The museum had vintage medical equipment and pharmaceutical supplies, basically it was my idea of a wet dream.
Amazing chalk drawn sign outside of the venue.
I really loved the craziness of the show listings outside of the venue.
Making a mess backstage with makeup and jewellery making supplies.
Zoog, Jenny (and her friend) and I. She rocks.
Being silly as always with the beautiful Kellie.
Tally of how many times different bands have played at this venue.
RANDOM CONVERSATION
Amelia: Oh look, Henry Rollins has played at this venue.
ZooG: Woah that’s cool… but wait Duran Duran has played here twice!
SHOW_28-October 25 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
Wearing my favourite Atusko Kudo latex Beret.
SHOW_29-October 26 - Chapel Hill, NC - The Cats Cradle
The tour buses.
Backstage.
Zoog, Iron Jeff and I rocking out at the merch booth.
Andy, looking classy in my glasses.
Andy & Duncan being a hilarious source of amusement as always.
SHOW_30-October 28 - Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
The venue in Charlotte was huge and had pretty chandeliers.
Look! Megadeth and ANVIL both were playing at the Fillmore. Crazy stuff.
Outside of the venue.
Our obligatory pre-show photograph.
With super kawaii fans.
Look how good our hotpants look on this fan… yuummm…
With Andy partying after the show.
RECOLLECTION: After the show we were invited to a pretty random ‘official’ afterparty, which actually turned out to be a trendy club with a Halloween theme (think preppy girls in playboy bunny costumes). When we arrived, we sat down in a cluster of couches which were then cordoned off with velvet rope to make it into a ‘VIP’ area. As strange as it was, it was super fun.
SHOW_31-October 29 - Orlando, FL - The Firestone
RECOLLECTION: Florida has very hot and humid weather and can be disgustingly muggy at times. The venue didn’t have a space to put our merch booth, so they placed it in the smoking area outside, which was resplendent with bamboo decor. Jeff and I nearly died from heatstroke, but with enough redbull and vodka you stop caring.
There was a street called Amelia St near the venue… yay!
SHOW_32-October 30 - St. Petersburg, FL - The State Theatre
One of the first things I try to scope out in a new city are the best cafes and cupcake shops.
A crazy kitschy wig shop I stumbled upon a few blocks from the venue.
Backstage graffiti, as always entertaining. Note the Christian rock band stencil!
Our scary backstage area with a random ladder in the middle of it that reached up into the ceiling.
I was so pleased to finally meet Shelley (Dedgothgirl on ebay). We have been talking over the internet for probably 7 years now.
Rocking out with Carlo, our bus driver. He is the best bus driver ever.
SHOW_33-October 31 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
Funny sign at the venue
Our last catering spread with the usual… bread, cold meats and sliced cheese.
With Carlo the bus driver on the last show of the tour.
With the goddess Lucia backstage.
A fan who drove over 12 hours to get to the show, complete with an Angelspit tattoo.
Girls of industrial rock… presenting Frightdoll & Experiment Haywire.
YAY! We made it through the tour! Meagan, Jacob and I after KMFDM had gone on stage for the last show.
Jules and I after the last show.
The A team: Zoog, Doc (our brilliant sound guy) and me!
IN ROCK WE TRUST! Yes.. the tour is over and we made it! Here we have Derek (front of house), Andy Selway, Jules, Zoog, Amelia, Meagan, Duncan and Steve White.
Thus concludes my little tour diary. I hope you all enjoyed this glimpse into some of the adventures that happen on a rock and roll tour… personally, I can’t wait to get back on the road and do it all again!
Topics: Amelia Arsenic, Angelspit, Music, Travel | 25 Comments »
Style Division: Hello Wolfgirl
By Destroyx | January 12, 2010
I’ve always been fascinated by wolves and the tale of little red riding hood. So when I saw these Iron Fist Werewolf heels at Trash and Vaudeville a few weeks back, they called to me. However, they sat sad and unworn for a month or so as I couldn’t figure out what to wear with them.
The other day I found this barbaric fur scarf in the bargain bin at H&M for $3 and I knew I had found the perfect match for my wolf heels, as it seemed only appropriate to wear something a little feral to keep in with the spirit of the shoes.
Finally, the red touch of the sock garters, with the red chain bracelet and very red lips makes me think that a little bit of red riding hood finally got mixed in with the wolf.
Funny story: I was nearly finished doing my makeup when a ferocious drip of blood fell from my left nostril. The first thing I thought was, ‘wow, that crimson is such a great colour, it really matches my makeup’. Half an hour later after my nosebleed had subsided, I instantly regretted not taking the photos with the nosebleed, as I think it could have added a sinister overtone to the images. I’ll keep the concept in mind for future shoots though!
Crest necklace and red chain bracelet: Miss X Jewellery Division (available at at Black Pill Red Pill & Etsy)
Dress: H&M
Werewolf Shoes: Iron fist
Fur scarf: H&M
Red sock garters: Patricia Field
Black socks: The Sock Man
Fingerless leather gloves: Mimco
P.s. For those of you who are interested in the history of the little red riding hood tale and reading various permutations of it over the years, check out this book by Jack Zipes, it’s a great read.
Topics: Amelia Arsenic, Fashion, Jewelry, Style, Style Division | 32 Comments »
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