creative therapy?

I was going through pictures on my old computer and I found these!!! These are years old!! taken of me late at night, on the nights that I couldn't sleep (I don't sleep much) I find it's really late at night when my brain does its best thinking and my brain just keeps thinking and my wheels keep turning and I can't sleep! so why not bust out the makeup and do whatever!  I wasn't kidding when I said I'm a makeup addict ;) ...enjoy and get inspired!...keep in touch I'll be doing more creative looks in the very near future.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post, I hope this encourages you to some creative therapy....

xoxoxo

Relish

MAC-Advice from a Pro

Hey everyone :D I just wanted to share with you what I had the pleasure of attending this past sunday. When you are a MAC cosmetics Pro member you are qualified to take various masterclasses held on by MAC taught by various senior MAC artist who are well known and respected makeup artist that have worked in all aspects in the industry and have traveled the world working on TV, runway, Celebrities and everything in between.


The class I attended was "Makeup is art," teaching the concept of an "organic" way of doing makeup. and demonstrating that makeup doesn't have to be all beauty and glam but can be used as an art form. I was quite pleased to attend this class because thats exactly what makeup has been to me for years. Not just a way to bring out a women's beauty and confidence but can go beyond that. With makeup their are no rules, no boundaries, No directions or guidelines. It truly can become an art form,with the human body as the canvass. I always encourage to get creative because at the end of the day you can always wash it off.

John Stapelton was the MAC senior artist that took us on an amazing journey through this class. Demonstrating his organic approach to makeup, and sharing with us all this tips, tricks, inspirations and his insights and stories through this competitive industry.
John Stapelton has been with MAC for 16 years and has traveled the world working with well known names in all aspects of the industry. I have to say I LOVED! this class, it was so inspirational to hear from someone that shares the same passion and outlook on his work, and he was super friendly!!! To be honest I was pretty intimidated to meet someone with such talent and who has built such success in the industry however he encouraged questions and I was very excited to have had a little chat with him after the class. I got his insight on the industry and as a young makeup artist how can you make it and stand out. He continued to say "work hard!, be honest, inform people of your intentions and your goals and to just be young and be a star!"
We all gathered at the MAC store on Robson in Vancouver! (ps. it was the grey cup was in vancouver and the BC Lions won!) The room was filled with many excited, anxious, passionate individuals all displaying their own unique style. John was introduced and as we all clapped and cheered he introduced himself and began to share with us everything he knew about the industry. He was very personal with his stories sharing with us where he gets his inspiration from and how he approaches a client and a look.
The look he did today was inspired by a painting by Camile Rose Garcia, who is one of his inspirational artists. He continued to take us along on this journey of bright neons colours, intense contouring, dark dramatic homemade pieces and of course glitter! showing that he doesn't really know what "he's doing" but that he's just working organically building the look as he goes . After  many applications of airbrushing,  Paint, Neon pigments and glitter!! the look was complete. Although it isn't a look you'll be seeing on the runway anytime soon it truly was amazing. Makeup is like painting and like art so get inspired and be creative! If not with your makeup, he suggested keeping some water-colour paints around and to just "do whatever, no ones going to see it but you." So this is what I encourage all of you to do. Paint, draw, craft, cook.. release your inner artist and ease the mind with creativity. Creative Therapy??
 the inspiration..painting by Camile Rose Garcia 

What inspires you?? Is it a painting of a particular artist? music? magazines? nature? books? ect..
Look for inspiration everywhere and have fun with it!


Happy creative therapy
XOXO
Relish 

DIY-Trash into treasures

It's Sunday!!! a.k.a CRAFT DAY !!! yes this is the day where I put on my fuzzy pink slippers, my black with silver star house coat and I craft like it's nobody business. Todays inspiration started with me cleaning out my fuzzy pink jewelry box that I've had since I was a pre-teen, containing jewelry I've also had and have never worn since I was 13. Instead of letting it sit there unworn and collecting dust for another 8 years I decided to revamp and give them all a makeover, transforming them into something new.

The before: A collection of all my old treasures that have been neglected and are in need of revamping.


Subject 1.) This is a large decorative pendant that fell off the middle of one of my favourite black v-neck shirts. I still wear the shirt pendant less and me being the little hoarder Iam kept the decorative piece for a rainy day. I never knew what to do with it until today. Today were revamping it into a original hairpiece.

 

Here's what you'll need:

                 Recycled decorative pendant

Black craft feathers (optional)

Thin Jewelry wire

Glue gun

Thin black head band

To give this future hair piece a bit more edge and decor I decided to add some black feathers. So my first step was to glue the black feathers to the back of the pendant. I kept the feathers minimal and simple so it will accent the piece without over doing it. 

After your happy with your pendant the next step is to simply glue the piece to your headband in the position you'd like it to sit on your head. I decided to give it more stability by wrapping and securing small pieces of the jewellery wire around the headband and pendant.

Before: A plain simple hairstyle 

 

After: Re-vamped and fabulous

Subject 2.)  This is a netted floral decorative piece that had also came off another one of my shirts, I  had also tucked it away for a rainy day and today it will be transformed into another fabulous hair piece to add to the collection. hair pieces are a great way to recycle and reuse while having the potential to vamp up, accent and orginalize (a made up word from yours truly) any outfit.

Here's what you'll need

Netted flour

Glue gun

Hair piece

Red feathers

I wanted to add something more to this simple black netted flower piece so I decided to add red feathers to accent and vamp up the black. 

Turn the hair piece over and glue two or three red feathers to the underside, I also tucked and glued the longer pieces.

After simply just glue your flowered piece to the hair piece in the position you would like it to sit on the head.

No Iam not naked I have a tube top on. 

What was once a decorative piece of a shirt is once again transformed into a fabulous hair piece. I love black and red together I think this colour combination is very sensual and sexy. This will be a perfect hair piece to pair with a classic little black dress and sexy black pumps.

Subject 3.)  A collection of bracelets that have been neglected over the years and are in need of a transformation.

These bracelets have been neglected for to long so I decided to recycle the beads and transform them into...

A elegant beaded necklace with matching earrings, I even had beads left over to create other goods :D

sorry I don't have a step by step for this one it's a bit more complicated to just put into pictures and words but if you keep in touch I will eventually be turning all my DIY blogs into tutorials for youtube :D

Subject 4.)  I've had this necklace with matching earrings for years and have worn them maybe once, and I only have one of the earrings because I lost the other one. 

So I decided to give this piece a makeover and decided to transform them into....

I kept one of the earrings and I decided to piece apart the necklace and create another earring with more length and feathers to it. I cut the necklace to the length I wanted and added the earring hook using jewellery wire. I also attached the feathers to the middle and end of the earring using jewellery wire. I still have some of the remaining necklace put aside for a rainy day.

Subject 5.)  These are various necklaces I've literally had since I was 13 and have never worn. I decided to cut them and use them for their beads to create other pieces.

This is what I've created so far with the recycled beads

Notice the metal beads, metal stars, and the pink beads from the necklaces above. And the pearl beads are from the previous bracelets.

Subject 6.)  Since christmas is around the corner star decorations are everywhere. I purchased this gold sparkly star from the dollar store but I didn't buy it to decorate for christmas but to give it some originality and hang it year round in my house. (I like stars :D I have Purple, Pink, Turquoise and LIME GREEN! stars tatoo'd behind my ear)

Now you can't really go wrong with gold and sparkly but I decided to take it to the next step and give this star some Relish swagger. I like bright pastel colours, Lime Green being my favourite colour of all times, Purples, fuchsias and turquoises quickly following the list. I decided to go for a aquamarine colour for this particular star. 

Aquamarine is created by mixing blue and green together, I love mixing paint and making your own colours. Colour theory in general is such a fascination to me. Being a hairdresser you learn all about the colour wheel and colour theories and how colours can complement each other and also neutralize each other. When purchasing paint all you need is the three primary colours (colours that cannot be created) Red, Blue and Yellow. You have these three colours in your craft box and you can make any colour by combining them for example. 

Color theory 101

Red+Blue=Purple

   Blue+Yellow=Green

  Yellow+Red=Orange

Combine all three primary colours and you make Brown.

This is the colour I came out with. I have to be honest I did want a brighter pastel aquamarine colour but I like the subtleness of this. I hope to do a couple more in pink and purple.

 I love recycling old treasures and turning them into something new!  Or even giving new items some originality. Find inspiration anywhere and I encourage you to go through your old treasures and give them a makeover. Its a great way to recycle and get your creative juices flowing, and when people complement you on your fabulous one of a kind treasure's you'll proudly be able to respond "thanks I made them" 

                                                                             Happy Sunday!!!
                                                              XOXOX
                                                         Relish

Product review-Full coverage foundation

Hey everyone!!!!!
Iam here today to introduce you to one of my all time favourite FULL coverage foundations. We all know that the essential part of any work of art is a well prepped, clean canvas to work from. Makeup is no different.
There are hundreds of foundations out on the market today with various coverages and formulations. Your typical everyday foundation is usually a sheer to medium coverage foundation, designed to give you coverage without your complexion looking "cakey" however sometimes these foundations don't meet the needs of people with certain skin conditions like redness, scaring, acne ect...

Let me introduce to you vichy derma blend corrective foundation. This stuff is FULL coverage, when I say full 
coverage, I really do mean it. This foundation is very heavily pigmented as it's specifically designed to cover
and correct certain skin conditions. It is hyper allergenic so it won't clog pores and for a full coverage foundation it 
doesn't feel heavy or cakey at all! I stumbled across this stuff at my neighbourhood drugstore where Vichy productsare sold. I had a photo shoot so I needed a good full coverage foundation for photos I discovered this stuff and
haven't looked back!
Like I mentioned it is a full coverage foundation and therefore may not by practical for everyday use, so for day looks I simply use a touch of this to my everyday moisturizer to create my own tinted moisturizer. A little goes a long way with this stuff so be careful not to use to much or it can be hard to blend because it it such a thick pigmented formulation. There are some cons to this foundation, the colour choice is very limited and it can be a bit more pricy then your typical everyday drugstore foundation. Given the coverage and how little you have to use i think the money is well worth it. This stuff is perfect for when you need a full coverage without it feeling greasy or cakey. It works great mixed with your daily moisturizer to create your own tinted moisturizer with good coverage as your everyday foundation. I definitely recommend this product if you need more coverage for redness, acne, scars act.. or for performance or photography where  full coverage is a necessity. 

Do it yourself- Feather earrings!

Hey everyone!!! so as you can probably notice I've been given'r in the arts and crafts department. I LOVE! arts and crafts. It's such a great way to get your creative juices flowing and keep you busy during the rainy snowy months of winter. I have been addicted to creating anything out of anything! some people drink smoke, party.... I do crafts.. I guess you can call me a Crafthead ;) lol now moving on from my lame jokes to my latest crafting addiction making your own earrings keep reading I got your fix ;)

Keep going ...

Here's what you'll need:  Everything here I got from my favourite dollar store but most of this can be found at a craft store.

• Earring hooks (I dun really know what their called lol, the part that goes into your ear)
• Fine jewelry wire (this one is 15 gauge, it's what the dollar store had, feel free to use what you can find)
• Scissors ( For various cutting and trimming)
• Various Glass beads of your choice 
• Craft Feathers of your choice in colours 
• Small fine needle nose plyers ( I just used my fingers but you may need these)

1.) First start by Cutting two pieces of jewelry wire (one for each ear..obviously) at about 3-4 inches, this really depends on what length you want your feathers to be.

2.) Take the wire and hoop it through the end of the earring hook at about a quarter of an inch or so. Using your fingers, twist the smaller piece of wire around the bigger end of the wire very tightly so that it is secured to the hoop of the earring hook. 

3.) Take the beads you have selected and pull them through the wire to the top of the earring in your choice of pattern. After you have pulled the last bead through and placed it to where you want near the top of the earring hook, take the end of the wire and pull it up and around through the top of the last bead. This will secure the bottom bead in place, therefore securing all the above beads in place as well so that they don't slide down. Use as many or as less as you would like, whatever you think looks best.

4.) Take the feathers of your choice and wrap the end of the wire VERY tightly around the end of the feathers in the same manner you did at the beginning. This is where the needle nose plyers may or may not come in handy. I just used my fingers just remember to wrap the wire around very tight and secure so that the feathers won't come out. This is why I chose to use jewellery wire as opposed to anything else, the wire holds it's shape well and does all the work as long as it is very secure and tight. Feel free to try securing it afterwards with a small strip of black tape, maybe wrap it with some glue from the glue gun?? use your imagination!

BAM! Can you believe its four simple steps and you got yourself a pair of one of a kind feather earrings!

You don't have to stop there as always I encourage you to get creative, make mistakes and get messy!!

thats the best part of craft time, it's your time there are no rules and theirs no such thing as a mistake. 

Try using different shapes and colours of beads and feathers and let your imagination run wild. My boyfriend even had to agree that these were pretty cool. At this pace I'm sure a few of my friends will find a pair of these babies in their stockings this christmas there so easy and cheap to make and they look beautiful!

Happy Crafting Everyone :D

xoxoxox

Relish

Do it yourself.. Feather Hair Pieces!

Hey everyone!!! ..Get out your glue guns, put on your creative pants and lets get started!

Hair accessories can vamp up any hair due and add a personal touch to any outfit. With these creative hair pieces your sure to get fabulous compliments of which you can proudly reply "Thanks I made them myself"


Heres what you'll need:

• Glue Gun and Glue gun refills.
• Plain black hair pieces, I got a 12 pack from the dollar store !
• Craft feathers, colour of your choice.
• Sequins or bejewells, colour of your choice(try choosing colours that are gonna compliment the feathers)
• Scissors (for various trimming)
• Black tape (I used black electrical tape)

First start by placing your hair piece in the centre of your work area. take your sequins and lay them out in a organized line according to which they will be glued on the top part of the hair piece. Working with glue guns can be messy so try and stay organized to ensure a clean finished result. 

Continue and glue the sequins to the top of the hair piece.

Turn the hair piece over so that the back of the hair piece is facing upwards. Again, lay your craft feathers out in an organized row. You may notice the feathers have a curve to them, lay the feathers with the curve facing upwards. You initially want to glue the feathers to the hair piece with the curve of the feathers going with the curve of the head.

Continue to glue the feathers to the back of the hair piece.

Using a strip of black electrical tape, tape over the seam of feathers and glue for a clean finish.

WALA!!! all finished..see how easy that was!

Get creative and try using different combinations of sequins and feathers to go with any outfit.

These hair pieces are perfect to spice up any up-style.

xoxoxox 

Happy crafting

Relish

Do it yourself nail tutorial!

I love that self expression can go beyond hair, makeup and fashion, but nails as well. There are some very talented nail artists out there that can do unimaginable things on such a small surface.


this is just a sample taken off google of how intricate nail art can be.

 Today's nail tutorial! 

I have to admit personally I SUCK!!! at doing my own nails. Usually my left hand always seems to look better then my right, because Iam right handed, and as soon as I'm done I always get antsy and while their still trying to dry I'm all over the place using my hands. Resulting in not so pretty smudging and chipping. So my number one and completely obvious advice to you is wait till their completely dry to continue.

Considering my lack of experience in doing nails this design was easy enough that even I could do it!!! and I've gotten so many compliments and people asking..did you get your nails done?? to which I proudly reply "Nope I did em myself" :D yayyy!!!!!
This is done on my natural nails but I'm sure you can do it over fake ones as well.

To achieve this design here is what you'll need
            1.) 3 Nail polish colours of your choice. One will be your Base Coat, Another the colour applied to the tips of your nails, and lastly a colour for the poke dots. Feel free to use whatever colours you have, however try working with colours that compliment each other as your bases and use a neutral colour for the poke dots ( ex. white, silver, black)


2.) Bobby Pin, toothpick, small paint brush whatever you can find to create small dots, I used a bobby pin and it worked perfect!


Lets get started :D
(my camera didn't take very quality pictures but you get the idea)

First off start by applying your base coat. Apply about 1-2 coats to get the intensity of the colour.

After your base coat has dried. Apply the second colour to the tip of your nails in a diagonal design. This may look complicated but it's pretty simple just try and keep a steady hand, if you feel uncomfortable using the regular nail polish brush try using a very small, fine paint brush. I got mine from the dollar store. Also try using a straight edge of a paper or business card as a stencil or guide. I haven't tried this but thought about it afterwards.

Take your bobby pin and stretch it out like I have above. Place some of your poke a dot colour on a piece of paper. Dip the end of your bobby pin into the nail polish and practice a couple of dots on the paper, get the feel of how to create the dots. After your comfortable continue the same technique on your nails for the most part I kept my dots mainly on the tips but feel free to get creative.

Apply a clear top coat afterwards And TADA!!! all finished..

 I decided to get a little creative on my thumbs and continued the poke a dots all the way down. 

Who says you have to go out and spend a fortune to get your nails did..get creative and have fun :D

Happy polishing 

xoxox 

Relish