229.

So bad on trying to update. Nothing interesting has really happened that worth updating about I guess...I finished a Kaito commission for Oni-con. I don't have photos of it to be honest XD;;; but Claude has it on Facebook and I think I also re-shared it on my Black Heaven FanPage *w* Nothing super special about it since it was just the default cosplay. I'm also busy trying to bust my shit into gear to get Code Geass going. For reals. There has been some set back on acquiring the location ontop of scheduling the right time to get everyone together to make it happen.

With that being said, I might not be able to make it to PMX. If I do, I'd probably be only going for a day. But I want to make sure I get my stuff done for Geass before running off to another convention. Lol. This is AX all over again. LOL. Why?! But once this is all over, I can breathe from sigh of relief and relax for the Holiday season...(no, not really, theres no rest for the wicked hahaha as theres ALA coming up in January! hahaha!! and planning Silent Hill and "Another" shoots too) I'll also probably be hitting up Las Vegas in December for a family reunion as we have family from back home flying in for a baby shower my cousin is throwing in Vegas. I for one am not fond of baby showers, so I'll probably try and occupy myself with shoots or some controlled gambling looooo.

I'd love to see the Phantom of the Opera at the Venitian since I missed it last year, but I dont know if its still running anymore ):

my camera is rotting and gathering dusts because its too heavy to lug around lol and really, I only go to work and home lately ): with Halloween coming up you'd think I'd go out more often. lol. Nope. I'm being lame and stuck at home playing Pharoah :D which is a pretty old game, its basically a city building game like Sim City. This game came out back in mid 90's? to late 90s? I was probably 7 or 8 or something like that when it came out and on '99 they released an expansion of it; Cleopatra; Rule the nile. I still have the original disk! But you can actually buy this as well as Ceasar and Emperor (both which I also own the original cds LOL somewhere) on GoG.com (good old gamer) for $9.99. NOT BAD!

 

I personally like Pharoah/Cleopatra better than Ceasar and Emperor. Emperor has this feng shui mode in the game that when you're building your city and industries you need to make sure theres proper chi flow to make sure your industry thrives D8

whut. lol. I'll probably go back and try it again when I got more time. This game.is. addicting. I blame this game why I have been so behind on cosplay lol. Ceasar on the other hand, deals with building a lot of aqueduct throughout the city to make sure food production is ok AND you also gotta talk with the senate group A LOT D8 while in Pharoah you gotta make sure your gods are appeased and etc. Well, basically each game has their own little perks. Maybe when I conquer Egypt and the Nile I'll move on to Ceasar and Emperor again...

Other than that, some gets from the last few weeks...

  

my cardigan collection~ I've had the skull one for a while but only worn it once since getting it :o

I got it late spring/early summer coz I remember wearing it during Anime Expo at night but haven't really worn it much since but now that the weather is cooling down, yesh!  the Cross one was a good find at Forever21. I know they recently started carrying the leggings versions but they did not have my size when I went there but they def had the cross cardigan tho :o and I think I'll get more use out of the top than a bottom piece. So its all good~

Went to The Body Shop to drop off an application and was also intending to picking up the Tea Tree Pore Minimizer but they were sold out :o even on the website.

But the guy there was nice enough to give me a sample :D chyeah! And I'm also running low on my tea tree lotion thingie. I cut the tube open and extracted whats left in there and transferred it to a small container. I like to get the bang for my buck, even down to the very last drop. Lol. 

So if you have any products that comes in a TUBE. CUT THAT SHIT OPEN and you'd be surprised how much product you can get out of there!  

I did this with an old primer I had and just look how much I got out of there!

And I got a new cheapy purse off ebay for $19. Free shipping. Its pretty small. I mean, its a medium sized purse. Made out of faux pleather. With skull and round studs on it. The inside is fully lined but the strap is made out of an even thinner piece of pleather. Afraid to overload the bag and have it die on me since its not exactly made out of the thickest or sturdiest material. I probably would be cautious on shoving my camera on there ): 

I def need to invest in a decent camera bag eventually to house my stuff. Come on xmas ):

Hoping to get a few slave flashes as well intime for a Silent Hill shoot since we're probably going to be mostly shooting in the dark.

And among my wants are a bat sweater! need! but maybe next time :o 

Some strawberry Soju and beef sukiyaki for a friends bday! I love hot pot / sukiyaki! but its definitely pretty pricey but its only once in a few months ya? or once every year LMAO!

Some Abbey Dawn leggings! They were originally retailing for $46 (yeah wow! thats expensive for some leggings) but I scored these for $22-24? with shipping included. Thank you ebay! And they are brand new :D I haven't worn it out just yet since I got it :x since I can't really wear it to work and the weekends have been pretty warm! But it get cold at night. but still. wow 80 something degrees!?  Welcome to SUN Diego I guess ):

My fail trial at doing an OOTD. I haven't done one of those in...years. Looking back at my older entries I've done them but not recently, hard to get a good full body shot. Plus when you wear black, it all just forms into one blob of blackness LMAO! But on that shot, its a high-low chiffon tanktop with a asymmetrical cardigan. Leggings and heels. QwQ pretty boring. Sorry. I like to buy/collect plain basic pieces now. In comparison to before, I still LOVE me some graphic Ts but I save them for days off. So I own a bunch of basic plain pieces coz you just can't go wrong with that lol.

bat cups! I love halloween merch but I waited too long hoping there would be some over stock left. no.
I went to target and got these bat cups for a $1something. I only got 2. I should have gotten all 6 lol just coz. Coz apparently my mom likes the sturdy acrylic cups like those. I got her a orange pumpkin one. but I need to go and raid halloween stores day after halloween and get me some left over merchs D8
I also need to get a gallon of fake blood and some stuff for Silent hill goreness.

And of course, who doesn't love deals. 6 bras for $19. Free shipping. Yes Please. And on that same photo is a high-low asymmetric leopard skirt in chiffon. I haven't worn it yet but when I tried it...I'm too short for it. Despite it being from Asia. orz. I need to wear it with heels. Duh. lol.

228. Packing for Cons & Shoots (and after)

I'm pretty bad at updating this, lol, I just finished a Vocaloid Kaito commission for a friend who will be wearing it to this years Onicon OwO say hi to a sexy Kaito if you see one at Oni-con, lol coz most likely I made that costume lalalawl.

And blargh, PMX and Code Geass shoot around the corner on top of other shenanigans that we are trying to make it happen. But! Now that summer cons are finally out of the way, doesnt mean convention season is ever over. With the fall semeter well on its way, so are Fall and Winter Conventions as well as opportunities for more cosplayers to get out and do more outdoor photoshoots! But yet, here we are again with another "what to pack" or "how to pack for a con / shoot" post. I know I've probably done several one of these but theres always several tips and what not you can pass on to people, right?



In this post I will mostly be covering how /I/ personally pack for a convention, either as a photographer or as a cosplayer. May I be going to the con for a day trip or staying the whole weekend. Its better to be prepared than not be prepared!

This list has been floating around the internet for quite sometime now. Click on the image to get the blown up image!

And in case that isnt working, here is the direct link

you dont necessarily need ALL that on the list to be on your suitcase, its just an easy way to get yourself organize without having to run through your head on what you exactly need and whatnot.
Tips:

• Ask your travel buddies who is bringing what, one hotel room does NOT need 5 bottles of Got2Be hairsprays lol
• ROLL your clothes and towels (ladies and gents with colored hair. Pls bring your own towel coz you will stain the white pristine towels the hotels provide)
• Get vacuum bags or air tight bags. Some you can just roll to get the air out.
• Map out the nearest convenient stores where your staying incase of an emergency.
• If you have a car, and planning on parking overnight at the hotel, pack an extra blanket, lay it out on the backseat or lay it open over the suitcases so it helps save room. This way, incase you need an extra blanket in the hotel for unexpected guests or blanket hogging mates, you got an extra one!

I dont think that list really lists down on what to bring in terms of make up and etc, you can refer to my other 2 posts on these:
Makeup & Skincare for Cons/Photoshoots And Makeup 101 glossary
Day Trips: Con and shoot day trips are usually the worse for me lol. I need a huge bag with me or a pack mule. Or a nice backpack. Like this bad boy down below:

 

What I usually carry ON me during cons:

• Camera, extra lens and memory cards
• Instax Mini Polaroid Camera with film (if I have any with me)
• A makeup pouch for touch ups (both for myself and people I shoot with)
• Cellphone Charger (you just never know)
• Water and Snacks

Now this may not seem like a lot to you, but trust me, it gets pretty heavy after a while. What I pack with me during on-location photoshoots isn't much different. Depending on the size of the group we are shooting or how big the shoot is, I bring my laptop so I can backup my files that same day. And at this point, I would probably end up bringing a small roller bag with me to carry additional props and equipment.

Cosplayers! Yes, there was a time when, I, myself also cosplayed lol. And the most annoying thing for me after a shoot is when I am just DONE! Done with the shoot, done with having pounds and pounds of stuff on my face. And I clearly know more now than I did back then. So learn from my mistakes lol and this just might make your day a little more comfortable at the end of the day.

When cosplaying at a convention or photoshoots without the luxury of having a hotel room to run back to, to change out. I like to bring a BIG bag, a big tote bag to carry most of the essentials; makeup for touch up, oil blotting tissues and a mini sewing kit and clearly a change of clothes.

If you have a car, you can leave the change of clothes in the car but always bring a pair of easy comfortable shoes with you on the shoot in your bag.

Bring a pack of makeup remover wipes with you to clean your face off of the heavy makeup your wearing during the day, and a small makeup pouch to just slap some powder and liner on so you still feel and look presentable (unless your ok with walking around bare face, well then, more power to you!)
BRING AN EXTRA WIG, a quick easy fashionable wig to replace the one you were wearing during the shoot if you cannot deal with wig hair.

If you insist on taking off your wig cap and leaving your hair to be free, DRY SHAMPOO is your best friend! :D Spray that bad boy on and brush it off/dust it off, it will give some volume and life back to your limp hair so it doesn't look THAT flat. Or tie it back.

227.

Went to Macy's over the weekend and ended up with all these stuff....for free. LOl. yes. Free.
I went with the intent to bum around since mom wanted to go there and get stuff. Ended up getting a new pressed powder from Clinique. I think I have officially made my switch from Mac to Clinique powder.
I've started using Clinique 3-step skin care about 3 weeks ago and I gotta say, its worth every penny. Already made a difference. Now if only I can afford to drop a kidney for their dark spot treatment. Ohoho. As if.

but apparently they had a deal going on, if you spent $23.50 you get a free gift set. Which Includes the following:

2 bags, a eyeshadow and blush palette, eye makeup remover, tinted lip balm, moisturizer (your choice of gel or lotion form) and mascara. It comes in the Pink Palette which gives you the black x periwinkle purple eyeshadow and pink lip balm. Or their nudes, with browns for eye shadows and a clear lip balm.

The pressed powder - I got for oily to combo skin is a full coverage pressed powder and does not feel cakey or heavy at alll like the Mac pressed powders :o uwaa even on shoots tbh I worry that skin can look cakey in front of the camera.