166.

RANDOM

chocolate obsessions lately?

milk chocolate covered almond clusters. yum! :)

trader joe's dark chocolate mints. YUM!!

URBAN DECAY

my UD order came! "chains" and "baked". they are seriously GORGEOUS colors! no idea how they go on.. only swatched them. packaging was kinda funny.. in an express envelope with a little padding. worked just fine. was very easy to open at least :)

AVON.COM

good news about my AVON eyeshadows.. i sent them a complaint e-mail.. first time around i got a response from someone, asking for my account number.. wth. e-mailed again and someone more knowledgeable responded and told me she gave me my money back and that i don't have to return the order. thank goodness. i was about to be pissed if i had to pay to send it  back to be refunded.. shipping's about half of the cost of it :|

i'm tempted to buy some lipstick from them though.. ultra color rich has a new "24k gold" series.. tempting. but i shall resist until i see more reviews! especially since my UCR (hah, UCR.. maybe that explains it :P JK!) lipstick wasn't that great :\ i'm hoping it was just the shade i picked.. but.. meh. i'm very partial to my MAC lipstick (wish it wasn't so expensive though!). see 24k gold series here (link)! hope that link works.. 

IZU'S LIFE

they're re.. re-asphalting? our parking lot.. so they forced ALL of us out to the streets :| i think half of it's dry since it was in the sun today (they did it around 9am, just resurfaced it) but i can't remember if part of it EVER gets in the sun! and that's inconveniently where BOTH of our spots are. eeeesh :| so that sucks. 

on another note.. i was up around 5am today. yes. FIVE! i didn't know that time EXISTED! hah jk. but.. yes. we had to run down to ventura to take MORE pics of this nonprofit org's board members.. i wasn't going to go.. but bryant.. the way he said it. "you don't HAVE to come.. but it would be nice..." and i just.. couldn't go back to sleep out of guilt. damn it. got up, went. wasn't so bad. got coffee (hot chocolate + coffee + creamer + sugar = yum!) and breakfast too (sausage, eggs, potatoes). they had it catered from marie calendar's or something (maybe i heard wrong? i didn't know MC served breakfast!) a few days ago and still had leftovers, hahha. 

ANYWAY. went back home.. showered.. got ready.. was heading out the door to go to my meeting when bryant decided to come with :) yay! i was decidedly nervous :| and he walked me to the house.. and.. came in with me. hahaha. she HAD returned his e-mail and was planning to meet after thanksgiving (she was leaving for a trip for 10 days) but he walked in. she was okay with it, she seemed really nice. i'm gonna send her some of my work.. and.. yea. i think it's just on basis of whoever's free.. she's apparently meeting with 2-3 other people. if she gets paid jobs she said "i'll call you guys first".. so.. hopefully! we'll see though. it'll be awesome just to get out there and assist. they shoot lots of stock.. people/lifestyle.. some product. it'll be a good mix for me. though if she WAS hiring.. i'm sure bryant would've gotten picked over me. 

that's another thing. i feel like i need to know MORE about photography, about the world.. be more.. worldly. it seems like he can talk to lots of people just because he knows lots about.. random things. he used to skateboard, rides/rode motorcycles, be in a band or two, knows ALL about photography and equipment, knows people and movies and celebs, is a fairly decent comp nerd.. i dunno. lots of other things too. he can just talk to people, can relate. :| blah.. 

HEY KATIE! remember your ridiculous.. "WHAT KIND OF DAY IS IT TODAY?" thing? hahaa. i will happily remind you if you need reminding.. 

anyway.. yes. went to taco bell for.. the 4-5 time recently. used to be a "all meat burrito" person (when i was younger).. got into tacos.. and tried the chalupa deal. fills me up more. they're actually pretty good. i have this faint fear that i don't chew my food enough (not that that makes me chew my food more) and that i'll have my throat scratched by a taco shell... no fear with chalupas! hahaha. 

OH!! and i got my rebate back from sandisk!! $160 babyyy! yayyuhhh.. too bad it's on a VISA card that i can't exchange for cash :| boo. much rather have cash. OH. and on another good note, blake got me his deposit money.. wrote him a check to give to bill (landlord).. and am just waiting for brad to get his money back.. and HOPE that he'll pay me back. i'm sure he will. right? :| sigh... 

need to think of what i'm gonna shoot for my portfolio. it's due in 3 weeks (or so). yikes!

LIGHTING, MAKEUP

the magic of lighting and makeup!! it's a really cool series :) note: it's the same model!

http://missatlaplaya.blogspot.com/2008/11/magic-of-make-up-photography-and-good.html

165. Avon/NYX review, ranting

AVON EYESHADOW QUAD REVIEW

i was... pretty much terribly disappointed. i tried on the "blushing raisins" today and it just did NOT show up! the only color that did show up was the one on the end.. and it didn't look nearly as pretty (in swatch) as the other ones.. so i ended up using my regular colors + NYX eggplant. maybe they would show up on a lighter skintone.. maybe i just don't know how to apply it. i didn't use the provided applicators just because i don't like sponge tips (never did). i'm going to assume that the "fresh cut greens" won't do the trick either, plus i didn't like the shades nearly as much as i did in "blushing raisins"..

i e-mailed avon about it and am going to see if i want an exchange or a return.. or.. if they'll take it at all. GRR! the colors looked so pretty too! darn my dark skin. and hey, if they don't make me return the products, if someone else wants them, let me know. or better yet, if you have tips on how to apply.. maybe i should try it wet. i dunno :| 

other than that.. the case is sort of large to put in a regular makeup case, it's more ideal for putting it in your purse to reapply later during the day, but it's even large for that (IMO). it's round, which is nice, doesn't seem like it would open IN your purse but i haven't tried it. the middle two shades are VERY pretty but the dark matte color just doesn't cut it for me.

anyway.. i'm VERY satisfied with my NYX eyeshadows though!! :)

TOP: copper + rust / black / MAC shroom / glimmersticks blackest night

BOTTOM: algae + atlantis / black / MAC shroom / glimmersticks midnight blue

excuse the redness :| i had a dry patch and i scratched it off. STUPID!

on ANOTHER note...

i freaking hate being on my period :| everything seems like.. it takes such EFFORT. woke up this morning, felt exhausted. got up, felt sore. walked around, felt stiff. showered, still felt tired. got to studio, set up and was proud of myself, then realized i forgot something.. two things.. and that i had set up in the NORMAL amount of time it takes me.. but.. shooting went great. i freaking ADORE my model :) she used to be in my class and we talk occasionally.. she's just so cute. i'll post up pics.. sometime. but doesn't life just SEEM like it's so TIRING.. at least it is for me.. the first 3 days of my period.

and HEY! i finally.. am trying to get into the photographic world outside of brooks. we get notifications of doing volunteer work and/or internships.. so i e-mailed a lady who just needed help.. and could possibly turn into an internship. she e-mailed back, we've set up to meet on friday noon.. hopefully that goes well. bryant e-mailed her too but she didn't respond to him.... i dunno why :| but it increases MY chances. i know it's bad to think that way but.. man. it's a competitive world. PLUS right after i e-mailed her, there were 2-3 new e-mails (this lady sends out internships/etc) for what sounded like actual internships, etc. but. oh well. have to stick to it :) and hope it turns out for the best.

163. more avon and NYX

so ho ho. more of my makeup came today :) just waiting for my urban decay one.

let me just say.. NYX's packaging.. is freaking INTENSE. i don't think i've ever seen ANYTHING this well wrapped! don't understand? can't comprehend? here's pics!

by the way, the order might be a little confusing. i wish i could upload ALL of my pictures in a certain order (the way i upload flips the other way when i'm posting.. stupid uploader!) then add text after but.. i keep forgetting.. and.. i'm too lazy. so there'll be lots of AVON.. NYX.. AVON.. NYX.. etc. but i'm sure you gals can figure it out ;)

looks like a normal box..

first thought: aw, crap. i have to dig through all that to find my little ES cases??

NOPE! wrapped in HUGEbubble bubble wrap.. wrapped again in the thing you see near my hand.. then finally you get a peak of what's inside.. you can see my three little cases there.

and inbetween EACH case is a little bubble wrap thing, taped. these babies are SECURE.

you can see the little divider pieces a little better here. 

now compare it to the avon packaging

simple box, simple packaging. i think it's just as effective. but, who knows.. that's just my opinion.

ON TO THE HAUL!

NYX colors! with and without flash :)

(eggplant, rust, black, algae, atlantic and rust.)

AVON's quadcolor palettes. dang i wish i had rotated these.. 

(blushing raisins and fresh cut greens.)

RANDOM

i have to say.. since i'm going to photography school and all.. you'd think i'd be decent with a point and shoot camera. NEGATIVE. i suck! i don't know what it is! i just can't handle on-camera flash. i just can't take those swatch pictures w/ flash.. and.. i don't know how to take them. slow synchro sucks, lowering my exposure sucks. i'm just hopeless with easy equipment :(

RANDOM 2

i feel like i bit the inside of my cheek.. it hurts, man! i can't stop messing with it, which probably doesn't help me at all. maybe it's more of a sore.. feels like there's a chunk missing :( it's not fun.

RANDOM 3

i am SO STUPID when it comes to checking something out at school. this is the SECOND time that i've booked things for the WRONG DAY! i honestly don't know how i do it. i even double checked this time but.. nope.. it's still for tomorrow. which is just as well because ALL of my models can't make it. original one got sick.. back up has to shoot.. back up's friend has class.. other friend is busy.. GAH. so i went in and tried to cancel as bryant was checking in and don tells me that it's for tomorrow. but STILL. i feel absurdly retarded! i probably had the most classic expression on my face after he told me i didn't have a reservation for today. "i DON'T?!" i'm sure my voice cracked or some other embarrassing thing like that! :( ugh.

AVON l/s (sparkling rich ruby) and l/g (darling pink)

the lovely patrick dempsey catalog.. jk. the avon one. i though it was primarily a MU place? so why is his face on there? who knows :|

SWISS WATCHES! aka swatches :)
NYX colors.. i rEALLY love the bottom three! love love :)

applied with sponge tip brush of my own. dunno the brand, generic drugstore one.. 

AVON swatches.. so pretty.. but.. they just don't show up! maybe it's just because my arms are fairly tan (wtf? i don't know how! i never go out!) so we'll see later when i apply it on my eyelids :) oh oh but isn't the top one look so pretty?? i think so! but sadly.. the bottom one doesn't look quite as promising. ah, well. we'll see. 

gotta go run some errands so i haven't swatched the lip stuff yet :| pic uploader failed on me twice and i was running through bryant and my schedules for upper division (we have to schedule our own classes! fancy that. i was enjoying being a lazyass where the only classes i could take were pre-req's.. hey that looks like a palindrome!). so i stuck us together in 6 out of 10 classes, sweet. he was lazy and did his all wrong.. so.. i got OCD and decided to fix it for him. and i better ruuuun to go turn these in and go pick him up from studio! :( 

162. skidoosh!

hahah, i LOVE "kung fu panda". love love. i think i've watched it 3 times now, possibly 4.

some makeup came today! supposed to come tomorrow too (NYX i think).. and the others.. i dunno. they're taking awhile for whatever reason :(

AVON glimmersticks waterproof eyeliner:

blackest night, smokey grey, midnight blue

i dunno about them being very shiny.. i haven't applied them on yet. i rubbed it a few times with my finger and they didn't smear, yay~ very easy to apply.. but maybe it was just because it was on my arm. talk more about it later when i actually apply some on. but i do think my MAC eye kohl ended up being blacker.. but maybe it was because it's a thicker line. eh. who knows.

got it in midafternoon yesterday? today? and had to shower and go run some errands and go to studio.. :( bryant's model didn't even show up! we cleaned up after 20 minutes (she didn't answer her phone either) 'cause we made an appt for haircuts at REGIS.. got there about 5-7min late. oh well. s'all good. forgot what time we finished but my haircut was only $40 (vs $45 before.. i think? i forget) and.. went to CHIPOTLE!

i was gonna cook tonight but.. it just sounded.. so good..

just trimmed and styled my hair. angled bob :) nice, clean. don't have to straighten the back anymore, hahha. stylists were jealous that my hair was that nice (they both have curly hair) and blow dried so easily. plus i needed it cleaned up with holidays coming and all.. so many pictures being taken! :( hahha. next to my beautiful fabfive girlies, i can't be even the SLIGHTEST bit disheveled looking ;)

i need to use chapstick more :(

hey look, it's bryant! watching sopranos. it's a pretty good show. i forgot if i said that before.