birthday stuff!!!
Friday... i celebrated early by completing something off my bucket list. i had said, "before i'm forty, i want to..." and so even though i turned last year, i wanted to do it anyway. what did i do? where did i go?
http://www.atomiccheesecakestudios.com/#home
that's right.
obviously, none of those are me, but i went with a friend and had my photos taken in her studio for 40's style pinup shots. :D :D no, i'm not sharing ... not all of them anyway. lol.
i'm so happy i did it though. i saw her portfolio and met the photographer lady about 4-5 years ago at a convention i went to with TWD for one of his horror movie dealies (the one time i actually went with him) and was like, "oh yeah. i'm doing this." i kept checking the website from time to time and i've seen other friends of mine get theirs done with FABULOUS results and again thought, "oh yeah. i'm TOTALLY doing this." so i finally did.
we first got there, and having already given her measurements and some ideas of the kinds of poses/concepts we wanted, she had already pulled some stuff for us to look through. she set our hair up on hot rollers and while the rollers were cooling, we tried on clothes--and clothes--and clothes--and clothes!!! it was a little like being a live Barbie. lol
whatever was a little too big you just clip in the back and voila, it fits well enough for the picture. once we decided on two outfits for the poses, she did our makeup. my genetically inherited dark eye circles got all covered up and false eyelashes were applied. i didn't buy super huge glam lashes simply because i have a small face and smaller eyes--large lashes would be too Jersey Shore on me. she even had to trim them up because they were still a little large for me and she tapered them to give them a more natural appearance. they were still larger than anything i've ever HAD, and i've never done false eyelashes before. what a look!!! she did the spackle and spray (my term for it--lol) and some eye shadow and highlights, and the pink/mauve lipstick to match my nails.
then she asked, "do you feel like a glamourpus yet?" i said, "yeah, i guess i do." which is when she started pulling out the hot rollers and all my curls started tumbling out. holy crap!!! i've never SEEN my hair do that before!!! i gasped and said, "okay, NOW i feel like a glamourpus!!! wow!"
i asked howcome when i do hot rollers it doesn't look like THAT. she said, "you're doing one of three things wrong. 1) you don't spray each section of hair before your roll. 2) you don't let the roller cool completely before taking the hair down. 3) you brush it out too soon. you don't even need to brush, just run your fingers and pick the curl a bit." i said, "check. check. check. all three. damn, you're good." then whisk whisk whisk and my hair was spun up into an AMAZING 40's pincurl/rolled updo in the front with the curls down my back. one flower on the side and voila she was done.
my friend said, "you look just like a movie star!!!" and i felt every bit of it. i could not BELIEVE it was me staring back at myself and i still had my jeans and tee-shirt on!
when it was my friend's turn for hair, she has shorter hair, and she got an adorably cute bob-curl-do with a side flower. absolutely amazing!!!
my first outfit was a corset and stockings and heels... some standing poses, some laying-down poses, and some seated poses with a thing of lipstick and a compact. the compact pose was specifically one i had asked about trying out. too much fun. :) the only problem is i don't actually wear lipstick, so some of the puckery poses look like i might be 'eating' the lipstick. the ones where i am laughing or look like i have gotten "caught" putting on lipstick are my favourites. it's so very pinup, i can't stand it!!! :D it's exactly what i wanted!!
my second outfit was a past-floor-length strapless blue satin gown with above-the-elbow black gloves. she took the hair out of the rolls and pincurled some waves on top with the rest of my hair down in a Veronica Lake style 'do. the first pose i wanted was with a microphone--and she had an old-timey microphone. she took some black and white portraits of me 'singing' into the mic. there are some with eyes open looking up, looking at the camera, and a couple with eyes closed. i have a hard time realizing it's me in the photos. i just don't see myself in that way. i love how she did the portrait work and the backdrop which brings all the focus to the face.
we did a standing series with a black boa, and a laying down series, very Marilyn-esque. i think the standing poses make me look older but all the other ones make me look younger. odd how a pose changes everything! still, it was such fun.
my friend did a USO singer shoot with the microphone and a 'nerdy girl pinup' shoot with glasses and ... I LOVE THIS IDEA ... she was reading Pride and Prejudice!!!
for her second hairstyle the photographer put her hair up in pincurls across the top, a flip across the bottom, and put a flower in the side. it was so adorable. if i was getting a super-duper-deluxe-all-you-want-to-be-photgraphed package i totally would have done a pose like that, too. supercute. :D
after we had to get back to our street clothes, we went out to lunch and got some interesting looks because OF COURSE we kept the makeup and hair. finally a teenaged girl asked us why we were dressed up and we told her we came from a 40's photo shoot. she said, "like pinup?" and we said yes. "cool!"
so yeah. that's that. now i just have to narrow down my 30-40 shots to just SIX that she'll touch up that i can post or share or get prints made. the corset pics are limited audience only. i'm not posting it online because i lose control of it and it's NOT going on Facebook because, well, my dad and stepdad and stepmom (and stepmom once removed) are on facebook. awkward! but i'm just soooo happy i finally did it. i can't even begin to express how much fun we had during the shoot and getting all 'gussied up' as TWD called it when he came home and saw my makeup and hair. he was pleased i went and had my pics done, too. ;)
Saturday night, we went to dinner at a new-to-us restaurant that i have wanted to try. i had the most DELICIOUS and tender pork i have ever had and TWD had a disgustingly rare steak--but he seemed to enjoy it immensely. lol the salad i had was a flash grilled romaine and while i didn't know what to expect, it was ABSOLUTELY delicious. wow. i even had dessert which was gingerbread creme brule. they 'helpfully' offer wine flights to give you 3-4 3 oz. tastings in a category of wine so for people like me who don't know what to order, but know what category of wine i like, i got basically two glasses of sweet wines without having to commit to just one wine!! will we be going back? oh yeah. luckily, i was not driving. i are lightweight. ha.
Sunday we went out to see Les Miserables in the theatres which, while i'm happy i saw it and that's what i wanted to see, still doesn't compare to the stage production. they chopped some of the music and added a few songs and "sweeping vistas" and dialogue which i felt held up the pacing a bit much. still, everyone did a great job with what they were given. i didn't feel that Russell Crowe was the pariah of singing that everyone made him out to be. even Amanda Seyfried pleasantly surprised me and i don't even like the CHARACTER Cosette. (stupid sopranos anyway. what's so special about THEM?) ;P the only thing i was truly disappointed in were the Thenardiers--they aren't supposed to be loveable of course, but i didn't think they were likeable. oh well. it was a really good adaptation, and closer to the real deal than i honestly expected. i've been listening to my CDs in the car now and saying to myself, "yup. they cut that part. i knew it. ooh! they cut that part too. missed that! changed those lyrics. i caught that." and generally being smug about how much i have it memorized even after not listening to it for years. ;)
this morning i went to yoga class, read some in my book, farted around on the internet, and took three birthday phone calls including the one from my dad where he sings to me and then tells me about the night before i was born and the Big Blizzard and the Coldest Night of the Year. :)
now i am about to jump off to go write a little while before TWD comes home with groceries to make birfumday dinner. then i'll open presents and maybe watch a movie. it's been a pretty good birthday.
tomorrow i'll hop onto some local temp staffing agency websites and see if i can get a nibble there while i wait through this Living In Limbo state of security clearance investigation land. see what happens if i can apply for unemployment. but, i'll think of that tomorrow. tomorrow is another day! and today's my birthday. :)
Crosspost from http://dawntreader.dreamwidth.org/2039208.html. There are
comments.
http://www.atomiccheesecakestudios.com/#home
that's right.
obviously, none of those are me, but i went with a friend and had my photos taken in her studio for 40's style pinup shots. :D :D no, i'm not sharing ... not all of them anyway. lol.
i'm so happy i did it though. i saw her portfolio and met the photographer lady about 4-5 years ago at a convention i went to with TWD for one of his horror movie dealies (the one time i actually went with him) and was like, "oh yeah. i'm doing this." i kept checking the website from time to time and i've seen other friends of mine get theirs done with FABULOUS results and again thought, "oh yeah. i'm TOTALLY doing this." so i finally did.
we first got there, and having already given her measurements and some ideas of the kinds of poses/concepts we wanted, she had already pulled some stuff for us to look through. she set our hair up on hot rollers and while the rollers were cooling, we tried on clothes--and clothes--and clothes--and clothes!!! it was a little like being a live Barbie. lol
whatever was a little too big you just clip in the back and voila, it fits well enough for the picture. once we decided on two outfits for the poses, she did our makeup. my genetically inherited dark eye circles got all covered up and false eyelashes were applied. i didn't buy super huge glam lashes simply because i have a small face and smaller eyes--large lashes would be too Jersey Shore on me. she even had to trim them up because they were still a little large for me and she tapered them to give them a more natural appearance. they were still larger than anything i've ever HAD, and i've never done false eyelashes before. what a look!!! she did the spackle and spray (my term for it--lol) and some eye shadow and highlights, and the pink/mauve lipstick to match my nails.
then she asked, "do you feel like a glamourpus yet?" i said, "yeah, i guess i do." which is when she started pulling out the hot rollers and all my curls started tumbling out. holy crap!!! i've never SEEN my hair do that before!!! i gasped and said, "okay, NOW i feel like a glamourpus!!! wow!"
i asked howcome when i do hot rollers it doesn't look like THAT. she said, "you're doing one of three things wrong. 1) you don't spray each section of hair before your roll. 2) you don't let the roller cool completely before taking the hair down. 3) you brush it out too soon. you don't even need to brush, just run your fingers and pick the curl a bit." i said, "check. check. check. all three. damn, you're good." then whisk whisk whisk and my hair was spun up into an AMAZING 40's pincurl/rolled updo in the front with the curls down my back. one flower on the side and voila she was done.
my friend said, "you look just like a movie star!!!" and i felt every bit of it. i could not BELIEVE it was me staring back at myself and i still had my jeans and tee-shirt on!
when it was my friend's turn for hair, she has shorter hair, and she got an adorably cute bob-curl-do with a side flower. absolutely amazing!!!
my first outfit was a corset and stockings and heels... some standing poses, some laying-down poses, and some seated poses with a thing of lipstick and a compact. the compact pose was specifically one i had asked about trying out. too much fun. :) the only problem is i don't actually wear lipstick, so some of the puckery poses look like i might be 'eating' the lipstick. the ones where i am laughing or look like i have gotten "caught" putting on lipstick are my favourites. it's so very pinup, i can't stand it!!! :D it's exactly what i wanted!!
my second outfit was a past-floor-length strapless blue satin gown with above-the-elbow black gloves. she took the hair out of the rolls and pincurled some waves on top with the rest of my hair down in a Veronica Lake style 'do. the first pose i wanted was with a microphone--and she had an old-timey microphone. she took some black and white portraits of me 'singing' into the mic. there are some with eyes open looking up, looking at the camera, and a couple with eyes closed. i have a hard time realizing it's me in the photos. i just don't see myself in that way. i love how she did the portrait work and the backdrop which brings all the focus to the face.
we did a standing series with a black boa, and a laying down series, very Marilyn-esque. i think the standing poses make me look older but all the other ones make me look younger. odd how a pose changes everything! still, it was such fun.
my friend did a USO singer shoot with the microphone and a 'nerdy girl pinup' shoot with glasses and ... I LOVE THIS IDEA ... she was reading Pride and Prejudice!!!
for her second hairstyle the photographer put her hair up in pincurls across the top, a flip across the bottom, and put a flower in the side. it was so adorable. if i was getting a super-duper-deluxe-all-you-want-to-be-photgraphed package i totally would have done a pose like that, too. supercute. :D
after we had to get back to our street clothes, we went out to lunch and got some interesting looks because OF COURSE we kept the makeup and hair. finally a teenaged girl asked us why we were dressed up and we told her we came from a 40's photo shoot. she said, "like pinup?" and we said yes. "cool!"
so yeah. that's that. now i just have to narrow down my 30-40 shots to just SIX that she'll touch up that i can post or share or get prints made. the corset pics are limited audience only. i'm not posting it online because i lose control of it and it's NOT going on Facebook because, well, my dad and stepdad and stepmom (and stepmom once removed) are on facebook. awkward! but i'm just soooo happy i finally did it. i can't even begin to express how much fun we had during the shoot and getting all 'gussied up' as TWD called it when he came home and saw my makeup and hair. he was pleased i went and had my pics done, too. ;)
Saturday night, we went to dinner at a new-to-us restaurant that i have wanted to try. i had the most DELICIOUS and tender pork i have ever had and TWD had a disgustingly rare steak--but he seemed to enjoy it immensely. lol the salad i had was a flash grilled romaine and while i didn't know what to expect, it was ABSOLUTELY delicious. wow. i even had dessert which was gingerbread creme brule. they 'helpfully' offer wine flights to give you 3-4 3 oz. tastings in a category of wine so for people like me who don't know what to order, but know what category of wine i like, i got basically two glasses of sweet wines without having to commit to just one wine!! will we be going back? oh yeah. luckily, i was not driving. i are lightweight. ha.
Sunday we went out to see Les Miserables in the theatres which, while i'm happy i saw it and that's what i wanted to see, still doesn't compare to the stage production. they chopped some of the music and added a few songs and "sweeping vistas" and dialogue which i felt held up the pacing a bit much. still, everyone did a great job with what they were given. i didn't feel that Russell Crowe was the pariah of singing that everyone made him out to be. even Amanda Seyfried pleasantly surprised me and i don't even like the CHARACTER Cosette. (stupid sopranos anyway. what's so special about THEM?) ;P the only thing i was truly disappointed in were the Thenardiers--they aren't supposed to be loveable of course, but i didn't think they were likeable. oh well. it was a really good adaptation, and closer to the real deal than i honestly expected. i've been listening to my CDs in the car now and saying to myself, "yup. they cut that part. i knew it. ooh! they cut that part too. missed that! changed those lyrics. i caught that." and generally being smug about how much i have it memorized even after not listening to it for years. ;)
this morning i went to yoga class, read some in my book, farted around on the internet, and took three birthday phone calls including the one from my dad where he sings to me and then tells me about the night before i was born and the Big Blizzard and the Coldest Night of the Year. :)
now i am about to jump off to go write a little while before TWD comes home with groceries to make birfumday dinner. then i'll open presents and maybe watch a movie. it's been a pretty good birthday.
tomorrow i'll hop onto some local temp staffing agency websites and see if i can get a nibble there while i wait through this Living In Limbo state of security clearance investigation land. see what happens if i can apply for unemployment. but, i'll think of that tomorrow. tomorrow is another day! and today's my birthday. :)
Crosspost from http://dawntreader.dreamwidth.org/2039208.html. There are
comments.