I Really Haven't Forgotten You... Promise!

I've been slacking. I've been slacking on everything. The other morning, I looked into my pot of MAC Blacktrack Fluidline and realized it was almost empty. The bottom was bare and I was scraping the sides. Never before have I run so low without having a replacement on hand. I also use Dark Diversion Fluidline...

It's less brown and more burgundy than the photo, or maybe it'a just my monitor. 

  It's limited edition, but it's been re-launched with at least 3 collections. It would look gorgeous with blue eyes. It looks pretty awesome with mine. I can't rely on it completely, though, as it matches most things but not everything. It's pretty similar to one of my favorite shadows, Sketch. Regardless, I need a black liner. Below is a picture of Sketch, BTW.

The photo doesn't really do it justice. I find it darker, plummier ... closer to the photo of Dark Diversion. Again, maybe my monitor. 

 The other thing that happened, that proves I've been slacking, is that I ran completely out of my MAC eyebrow pencil, in Stud. I looove these eyebrow pencils. I have no idea why... I just do! They always look perfect. When I had darker hair I used the MAC brow pencil is Spiked. I think those are the only two colours I've tried, but I loved them both. I'd been filling my brows in for a week with MAC eyeshadow in Mystery. It looks good, but I prefer the look of the pencils. I used to use Embark shadow to fill in my brows, but it pulls slightly too red (unless you have dark red hair) and Mystery is perfect.

Mystery, which is the cooler of the two. Not too cool for my warm complexion.

Embark, which is the perfect brow and liner colour for dark red hair.

Sooo needless to say I decided a trip to MAC was in order, and the empty brow pencil (it's mechanical) made for 7 empty MAC containers. You only need 6 to "Back2MAC" for a free lipstick, or if you go to the MAC store rather than counter, you can choose a lipstick or an eyeshadow. I ended up getting a lipstick anyway, but I went to the MAC store because I wasn't completely sure what I wanted.  I ended up getting Blacktrack Fluidline, Stud eyebrow pencil, and Girl About Town lipstick. I really, really love this lipstick. I'm actually psyched to wear it tomorrow and plan my face and outfit around it. I wore it tonight and it held up for an impressive 6 hours (I didn't eat, but earlier today I ate ice cream with Candy Yum-Yum + Morange to create a coral colour that matched my sweater. The lipstick survived the day and the ice cream. The miracle of the apply-blot-powder-apply-blot formula.) I will probably photograph this lipstick on myself tomorrow... but I hate my lips, so I can't say for sure that the pictures will make it to the blog.

MAC's Girl About Town

Rumor has it, Kim Kardashian is wearing Girl About Town in this picture.  The makeup look itself is actually pretty hot.  I think the fuchsia is a more fun look than the nudes she usually wears. Photograph is not my property.

The lipstick is so popular that when MAC recently launched matching lipglosses and nail polishes to match their bestselling lipsticks, Girl About Town was included. It's one of those products that makes me want to kick myself for not buying it sooner.

This post should have been called "Things I Love From MAC." heh heh. I need to go to bed.

-H. Cat

(As a side note, none of the pictures I used on this blog are my own property. As I get around to taking photos I will gradually phase out the ones I do not own.)

Bow Hair Tutorial, Sort Of.

I have a minor obsession with bows and most things cute and feminine. If you can twist it into something darker, even better. So of course I liked Lady Gaga's bow hair and all the variations circulating the internet after.

This works best with at least shoulder length hair, I'd assume. If your hair is super long you may have more work to do in hiding/tucking your ends in. I used unwashed hair, because believe it or not- that nappy brillo-esque hair I have is too silky to style after washing and ironing.

Of the 3 times I have attempted this, the 2nd time was my favorite. This is a picture of that attempt. 

I don't have a webcam and it's kind of dodgy trying to take pictures while styling your hair. I also wrote this with the assumption that everyone knows how to properly use bobbypins and backcomb, so if you don't- I'm sorry!

The first thing I did is not mandatory, but if you want to pop up the front of your hair like I did, it may make it easier.

My bangs had a weird kink in them because I had a stiff hairband in to keep my hair out of the way while I showered, etc. I sectioned off the front of my hair and put it into a ponytail, but farther down the hair. Basically you'll hold the hair tight and try to pop up the front to suit your taste and figure out how far down to place the elastic. 

Grab all of your hair and gather it into a ponytail. It should be placed really high at the top of your head... You could attempt a bow at the back of your head but you'd need some awesome mirror to mirror navigation skills. I'm too impatient for perfection, as you'll see. 

So this is the ponytail I ended up with. It also doubles as my imitation of a shrunken head. 

Next you'll need to pull a section from the very front of the ponytail. Nothing too small or too big. This will be the "knot" of your bow. Don't worry. You don't really have to tie your hair. 

Clip that section from the front of the ponytail aside. 

Divide the remaining ponytail into two sections. You'll only be working with one at a time, so pin the other aside for now. 

Using a brush for teasing or a comb, take the unpinned section and tease it from the base down. You want a lot of volume. 

It'll look all messy and crazy like this. But then you'll brush over it very lightly, smoothing it out, but not overworking it, as to ruin the volume. After, it should resemble the picture below. 

You'll fluff that part up and tuck the end under and hide it with a bobby pin. 

That's what it'll look like pinned in place. I didn't get a really clear shot, but here's another, this one from the back:

In this picture I've already repeated the steps with the second section. You have probably figured out that it's exactly the same for both sides. 

Now take the smaller section that you would have separated and clipped aside first

Wrap it around each end of the bow and across the middle if you can. You can experiment a bit with how you wrap it to make it look better. This is my 3rd attempt, and I much prefer the way I wrapped the center in my second attempt, which was the very first picture 

When you've got it all wrapped it, hide the ends and pin it securely. 

All done! 

Just a wee bit messy!

Whatevs!
-H.Cat<3>

I'm Still Alive!

I'm around. Tough times, but I am hoping to direct more creative energy towards the blog. I just added a small section to my Eyeshadow Application 101 page about primers. My preferences, why we use them. etc. It's brief, but I thought I should put in some more work on the page. Feel free to leave anything I may have overlooked about basic eyeshadow application in the comments, or anything else you may want to see.
-H.Cat<3

Hellcat's Hiatus

Some of you know what's going on with my life, and some of you don't. Something horrible and gut wrenching tore my whole life apart and left me brokenhearted. I've been completely unmotivated and unable to function, but I'm coming around.

I promised a ton of new content and now that life is starting to calm down and I'm starting to feel a little less crazy, know that is it coming! I will probably work on finishing up my Eyeshadow Application page first. I just purchased Seche Vite and I am one of the many who LOVE it! My nails are like glass. It's almost orgasmic! Today I am wearing Seche Base, O.P.I. Red, and a generous coat is Seche Vite.

I am considering disclosing on my blog what has been going on but it's a really big decision. I'd be leaving myself open and exposed to a lot of stuff I'm maybe not ready for. So instead, while I decide, I'll leave you with some pictures.

Bye lovelies <3
-H.Cat

Looking lovely in my leopard "bag lady" attire. 

Finally was able to cram my ass into my size 27 Parasuco jeans! Now to NEVER EAT AGAIN! :P

Cloverbaby looking beautiful in a single ponytail with side-swept bangs and tendrils in front of her ears, just like mommy <3

Cailum! My peanut. His hair is finally growing out. Just look at those ears! <3

Rhettski looking absolutely gorgeous! He needs a haircut <3

This is as close as I'm getting to the lace trend. 

Nomnomnom. Ice Cap with a shot of Raspberry. So good <3

Always trashy, never classy. :D

My bestie and I!

*Air sucking noise*

Looks like Chad's wearing nail polish :D

The Fabulous Chloë!

Here are a couple WCW's I hadn't gotten around to posting.
Chloë had two vaccinations today. She weighs almost 17lbs (which seemed small to me! I was expecting at least 20lbs) and is over 27 inches tall. She took her shots like a champ.

Also, if I have time later tonight I'm planning to do more work on my Eyeshadow Application 101 page.

Looking fierce, babydoll <3 Chloë is wearing an adorable lemon print H&M Tank with embroidered OshKosh skinny jeans.

I just thought her expression was too cute not to post. On her nails she is sporting Essie's "Orange, It's Obvious"

Rocking her new Carter's leopard print ruffled romper. This is size 12 months and the last snap on each leg is too snug to do up. She'll be 6 months old on the 8th. Chunkeroo!

Her new summer outfit from Bonnie Togs, It's either Carter's or OshKosh. Capris! Cutest EVER!!

My sweet diva baby in her Carter's polkadot ruffled romper with crochet flower accent. She has paired this with her pink and silvery gold RocaWear sandals and leopard print sunglasses. Note the faux pas. We've caught her in the same hairdo as the day before! *gasp*

Aww. Nothing cheers me up better than seeing my sweet princess peanut snickerdoodle love<3 She's too fabulous!

Rant: What's in Store for Humanity?

Something threw my whole day out of whack today. Normally I can huff about something and move on, but this is truly haunting me.

I was taking my kids to the mall to pick up some new clothes, mainly for Rhett & Chloë, who are growing like weeds. We got on the bus and I stood in the stroller space, across from a young mom standing with a stroller, who had her 6 or 7 year old daughter perched on the lifted seat up against the window. That alone bothers me. It's kind of scary if you're as paranoid a mother as I am. I didn't realize how much more terrified I was going to be once this abomination opened her mouth.

She looked about 17, dressed like many other teenagers. Dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, too much makeup, tights worn as pants, ballet flats, etc. Her daughter looked a bit... "gangsta." She was speaking to another teenager who was apparently not the father of any of her children. From the conversation I had no choice but to hear, she had at least 3 kids, and even used the term "my baby daddy!"

They were speaking obnoxiously loud about the drugs they do, the crimes and violent acts they commit, the people they know and the drama they're involved with. The first thing that caught my attention was the terrible grammar and language used. The second thing was when she told her child that she looked like she had "dipped her face in a big ol' pile 'a coke" (She had dusty residue from the jawbreaker she was chomping on on her chin.)

She went on to say "All my babies is brown 'cept one but I ain't never slept with no white guy never, he just came out white. It's crazy!" (She was white, herself, by the way.) It gets better! She speculated that "I don't hang out with any white people. By, like.. 2015... There will be no white people left earth. I'm serious! I don't know anyone with kids that's all white." (My 3 super white Irish Canadian kids were sitting 3 feet away from her, but whatever...)  She started another anecdote with "A few years ago, when I was like 13---"

The language she was using so loudly was something I would have preferred my children not to hear, but there was no point in asking her to tone it down if she did not care for her own kid's sake. I can also admit that in times of stress I have been known to drop a few bombs in the presence of tiny ears. Her and her friend began to talk about their upbringings and discipline and lack of. Apparently the boy's mother used corporeal punishment (It didn't work, lady!) and the girl said "If my mom beat me I never woulda been like this. I woulda been so good!" ... Her daughter chimed in... ""IMMA TROUBLE MAKA, YO. I don't care if I be gettin' beat or not. It don't stop me. I get sent to the office like SOOO many times. I'm always in trouble" To which the "mother" just smirked.

They went on to talk about some father winning custody of his kid despite the fact that he's a drug addict, because the mother, another friend of theirs, has been known to take the child to hotels to witness her prostituting herself. Also something about driving a car naked with her daughter in it.

I can't even begin to wrap my head around this. There was so much more but I had to try my damnedest to tune it out because it made me want to scream. They listed a lot of acquaintances, and I bet each one of those names were people just like them!  These trashy, super trashy people, several with children of their own. I knew kids these days were pretty stupid, but to this extent? Wow. Mind numbing. I seriously wanted to bleach my brain after getting off of the bus. Even scarier is the thought that my children will be in school with these mini hoodlums, especially my son Rhett- who at this point is completely non-verbal. These little pieces of shit will terrorize him and he won't be able to tell anyone that he needs help.

And if you're reading this, girl from the bus... Please get your shit together! Educate yourself. Realize that if you wanted to continue being a little girl you should have put your children up for adoption. It's time to grow up now. They deserve better and you're destroying their chances at living a productive life.

Fuck.
-H.Cat

PS: We shopped at H&M and Spencer Gifts, where I got pink silicone tunnels to stretch my ears to 5/8s (which I did, easily... BUT stretching with silicone is extremely dangerous, so look it up the risks if you're considering trying it and NEVER skip sizes!) and acrylic leopard print flares for when they are healed. Here's what I grabbed for my kiddies:

Full view of Chloë's new shirt, but the colour's way off.

This is a true representation of the colours. So cute!!

Right up Cail's alley. My boy loves sea life!

Dark pink shirt for Rhett to look ffffabulous in <3

New jeans for my super tall, super leggy Rhettski who is growing out of his all too quickly!

Shopping Day! WCW & Nail Polish!

Chloë and I were on the go yet again today. We paid our bills and did some nail polish shopping, had lunch... You know how it is. I grabbed a few new polish brands to try- specifically Sinful Colors, and Barelements. They were about 3 bucks a piece and at that price, if they suck I'll just use them on Chloë's toes. They're too small to really chip or show streaking. I gotta say, I needed a little shopping trip. I could go again, actually... but I'm going to buy even more groceries first because I love nothing better than a house full of food. Except my kids, of course!

My daughter looking gorgeous in her pink and red Baby Phat embroidered tracksuit. (Look at those adorable quilted pockets!)

Chloë's new Carter's romper. I want a matching one! For whatever reason, this picture didn't save my rotate. I am too lazy to fix it :D

These are our new polishes. We've swatched them and we are very happy!

 And for reasons unknown to myself, I decided to photograph what I could find of my growing nail art collections:

O.P.I, Sephora by O.P.I, Nicole by O.P.I

Random other good quality stuff- Gosh, Essie, MAC, Seche Base, various magnetics. I love those little Kiss paints 

Some more "affordable" products. 3rd in on the bottom row is my "Frankenstein" polish that I made with clear polish, pigments, and glitter. I will say more about it in an upcoming post

Sally Hansen & Random other glitters

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear. I love these so much! The quality is fantastic and the price is even better. These can often be found for about $2 CAD (and that says a lot, because they rape us on the price of cosmetics in this country)

Stick ons, glitters, stencils, rhinstones, dotting tools, nail art brushes galore!

 Now I get to do something I've been putting off that I actually really enjoy. Budgeting! I rock with money. I get to figure out how much I have, my expenses, the balance, and the fun we can afford to have <3 I know two boys who are in need of some serious spoiling!

-H.Cat