Editions of Me

Teaching is not my dream job. In all honesty, it wasn't something that I'd planned for my whole life. Becoming a teacher wasn't fulfilling an ultimate dream of mine. My dream job? To be a makeup artist. I've always wanted to do something creative and artistic with my life, only I've never really been creative or artistic - I can't write music, I can't write fiction, I can't paint or draw. But I'm starting to realize that I can do makeup. I'm not great at it, but then again, I'm purely a fan and a dabbler, with no formal training or education in the trade. I love the idea of having a career where I can totally be myself and express myself without worry of whom I'm offending or without worrying about being an example. I wouldn't have to hide certain parts of my personality or my interests for the sake of being a good role model. Don't get me wrong - I love teaching. It was something I felt a calling for, and I enjoy it. Most of ...

Finding a prom dress is more fun than actually going to prom, in my opinion. Especially when the dress in question is from Pinupgirlclothing.com ! I've always wanted to buy a pinup dress - I probably couldn't pull off this look every day, because I'd just be way too self-conscious, but for a special occasion? Hell yes! So when I found this one, I thought it'd be perfect: it's pretty, and it's nice, but not too nice - the chaperones should NOT be fancier-looking than the students, you know? So it's just right. And I guessed correctly on the size I'd need, and it fits just right. (The belt's a little awkward, but belts always are on me. And I don't have an hourglass figure to pull it off.) Now to find the right shoes and accessories... and of course, I will be posting the makeup look over at Glam-aholics Anonymous :) I have a feeling that Pinup Girl Clothing will be seeing my name again and again...

So, one of UD's new products is the Summer of Love palette: A cute little thing with Flash, Maui Wowie, Chopper, and Smog, and a Bourbon pencil and a Sin UDPP. I actually  have all of these colors in some form or another (other palettes, single shadows) - actually, the only thing I don't have is the Sin UDPP - I used to, but I already have TONS of the regular UDPP AND the Sin eyeshadow, so it really was kind of redundant. Anyway, so since I have almost everything here, I wanted to try my hand at recreating the new front-page eye makeup look with what I already had: (I definitely didn't try posing with that face though!) And here's the result: And here's what I used: - The Show Pony Shadow Box - Smog blended up to the crease (with a little bit of Toasted to soften the line) - Bourbon eye pencil along the upper lash line - Lust eye pencil to sketch the lower line, but Flash (from Show Pony) with a flat eyeliner brush to top and smudge the line ...

My dating days are over, but even so, the things I look for in a partner would be almost the same as what I would look for in a friend. Therefore, here are my dealbreakers. This post was inspired by an interview with Jaclyn Friedman, in which she talks about the difficulties of, uh, dating (but they used a much less appropriate word) while feminist. Deal breakers - I will not budge on these criteria. I DO NOT want to date/hang out with/be friends with anyone who: - would try to convert me to their religion. I respect that you have your beliefs, but please respect that I have mine. I don't even mind having an intelligent conversation about religion, or even showing up to church/temple/whatever with you, as moral support and as a friend, but the second you tell me that my way is the wrong way, and that I should believe as you do, I'm outta here. - uses the word "gay" disparagingly. It's true, actually - all of my very best of friends do NOT say things like, ...

Temptalia.com previewed UD's Summer 2010 collection (coming real real soon!) and I am sooo excited. Here are two things that I'm super excited about (photos from Temptalia): Urban Defense tinted moisturizer!!! Alas, Urban Decay, why did you wait until AFTER I'd spent more than my weight in dollars on foundation to release this? (Okay, I'm exaggerating. But I did buy, like, four or five different foundations in one week.) Spray! I've never tried it before. I don't even use hairspray or body mist. Makeup setting spray? Oil control spray? Moisturizing spray? COME ON! It sounds AWESOME and I can't wait to try. I might get either All Nighter or Dew Me, because I already have a moisturizer I like. In addition to the above, there's a new palette (featuring Flash, Chopper, Maui Wowie, and Smog, all colors I already have, and a Sin UDPP), new Pocket Rocket colors (I love the colors, but hate the smell - sorry!), a De-Slick GEL (mattifying, just like the po...

On my lips: Everything by MAC - Lip pencil in Dervish Lipstick in Bombshell Cremesheen glass in Partial to Pink As one who usually chooses reds and plums, I wanted a less dramatic, more daytime look for my lips. I love baby pink lipstick on other people, but have never found a shade that works for me, so with the help of my neighborhood friendly MAC pro, I've found three things that work for me. I also like wearing just the lipliner and gloss alone. (I fill in my lips a bit with the liner, so it's not just a harsh line.) On my eyes (just in case you wanted to know - the photo makes my eye makeup more subtle than it actually is): UD eyeshadow in Grind Prestige Total Intensity eyeliner in Slate (gray) MAC Fibre Rich Mascara

The junior class dream team (photo courtesy of Jessica Dunn '11) Sheesh! As class advisors, Trojan Olympics is our bread and butter, but it's also the bane of our existence - it's the one thing we do all year that is simultaneously exciting and rewarding, and just completely nerve-wracking and disruptive to our entire lives. Michael, Lisa, and I are blessed to be the advisors for the class of 2011, the current juniors. (I started working with them their freshman year, and after some advisor-switching, Michael and Lisa joined me last year.) They are a very hard-working, talented, spirited group, the type of kids who make your job easy. And they are extra-special to me because they are precisely 10 years younger than me - I was the class of 2001, so the same weekend they graduate next year, I will be headed off to my 10-year class reunion. Trojan Olympics is the capstone spirit week event of the year, if you're in ASB. The classes form teams of 40 (plus some alte...

I used to have this recurring dream when I was younger* - I haven't had it in a while, but I dreamt it last night, and I wonder what it signifies. Whatever the context, I'm holding a small, flat panel - it looks like a switch plate, but instead of openings for a light switch, it has two small metal doors that I have to hold open or else it shuts. When you open the doors, you don't see through to the other side of the panel, you see darkness and space - stars. It's some kind of portal to an alternate reality, and as you bring your face closer to see inside, the gravity sucks you in, and all of a sudden, the portal becomes bigger, and you find yourself being pulled through, head first. And what I always remember vividly is that moment when you realize that your head is through, and all around your face are stars, and really faint music... the closest thing I can compare it to is the organ music from the upbeat part of the Doors' "Light my Fire" - kind of...

My juniors are purple, and therefore, so am I: What I'm wearing... On my face: MAC MSFN in Medium Plus On my cheeks: Laura Gellar Blush n Brighten in Sunswept Prestige Skin Loving Minerals Baked Blush in peach as a highlight On my eyes: UD Stardust eyeshadow in Retrograde (the darker purple one), applied dry with a sponge applicator and blended; used the tip of the applicator to lightly apply to the lashline/lower lid UD Ink for Eyes in Empire (dark dark purple) on the upper lid, using the angled brush it came with. UD eye pencil in Lust, just barely along the waterline Maybelline The Colossal (waterproof) on upper lashes

It's done, no going back now. I need to take this momentum and carry myself through. So, I have about 10 weeks until I officially start my training program, so this will be my transition period - I need to use this time to get in shape. I'm planning on doing an 8-week walk-to-run program, and then using the other two weeks to build up a little speed. The other thing I need to do is to work on my nutrition. Now, let it be said that marathon training is a bad time to be dieting - it is not a GOOD idea to cut down on intake when you're gearing up to run 26.2 miles. Training for a marathon will sometimes lead to people losing weight, but that shouldn't be the reason to do it. But some rules of sound nutrition hold true regardless of your goal. For instance, I'm going to try to stop drinking soda, and drink only water or tea. That'll be my step one. (I've been inspired by Marlena, aka MakeupGeek, who is one of my heroes - she just posted a video about how she los...

As a class advisor, I try to participate in Spirit Week dress-up days as best I can. Some days, like Pajama Day, are easy enough. Today is Animal Day, and seeing as how I own no clothing with animal print (except a pair of shoes), nor any clothing with pictures of animals (except my Lucy tshirt that has goldfish on it that says "Carpe Diem"), so I had to figure something out. So, inspired by a tshirt and earrings I found at Target, I decided to be a butterfly. And inspired one of many tutorials for butterfly makeup that I saw on Youtube (some were just REALLY amazing!), here's my look: On my face: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus On my cheeks: Laura Gellar Blush n Brighten in Sunswept (just a touch!) UD eyeshadow (yes!) in Sin, on my cheekbones as a highlight (applied with fingers). On my eyes: (From UD's Book of Shadows II) Jinx (a dark blue-teal) blended a little above my crease, on the outer half of my upper lid Homegrown (a bright gre...

Usually the time between Wednesday practice and the following Tuesday practice goes FAST (as in, where did the time go? I should've gone skating this weekend!), but today felt like a long time coming. Tonight, we find out our fates. Now that the time has come, I'm not sure I'm ready for it to be over. I've made peace with the fact that I didn't pass, but I'm really sad about bootcamp (as we know it) being over, and the girls that I've gotten to know and learned how to skate with either moving on, or parting ways for the time being. Derby relationships, like other sports team relationships, are not like regular friendships - you may be friends with some of the girls, and you may not be able to stand some of them. (Not saying that's the case with me, but just saying that it happens.) Regardless of how you feel about them personally, you learn to depend on them, and they learn to depend on you. They're the ones who will (literally) watch your back a...

MAC MSFN - photo from maccosmetics.com Laura Gellar Blush n Brighten in Sunswept, my photo (Two reviews because I'm wearing them both today.) So, first up, I figured I might as well write an official review for the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural , since I've been talking about it so much. And actually, I've been using it almost every day since I bought it. MSFN is part of MAC's Mineralize line - they have liquid, loose powder, and baked powder makeup. Keep in mind that there's a difference between their Skinfinish and their Skinfinish Natural (which is what I'm reviewing) - the regular Skinfinish is a setting powder, and it comes in bronze-y shades or brightening shades. The Skinfinish Natural is their actual foundation, and the claim is that you can use it to set your foundation or you could wear it on its own. When I was at MAC, I tried it both ways. The SA put tinted moisturizer on one side of my face, and left the other side clean. I don't know if it ...

So, I ended up returning everything I bought from Beauty 360 except for the buffer brush, and exchanged them for new booty instead: Laura Gellar Blush n Brighten in Sunswept (mine didn't come with a brush, though): Laura Gellar Lip Heal & Seal Gloss in Clear Kiss: Bloom Cosmetics Lip Stain in Wine: and Mario Badescu (*cue fancy music*) Drying Lotion: I am SO excited to try all of these :) I really hope the Drying Lotion works, because then I will have found the solution to my ONE acne problem (chin acne).

This year, I will attempt to complete my first full marathon. So my journey, to be exact, will be 26.2 miles. A little background about me: I've spent the vast majority of my life being incredibly un-sporty. I was the chubby nerdy kid who was naturally strong, but got winded going up a flight of stairs. (As an adult, I'm still that way.) I first seriously started working out at the end of high school - tired of being the token fat person among my group of friends, I started lifting weights and doing Pilates videos, and found that I enjoyed the feeling of using my muscles and feeling hardness rather than jelly when I poked my calves. In college, I joined the varsity swim team on a whim  - being Division III, they didn't turn me away - and was voted Most Improved by the end of the year. (It's easy to be Most Improved when you're starting at the bottom.) I wish I could say that I was the miracle story - that I worked my way up to first place and became the star swimmer...

Lack of sleep + coworker frustration + really bad cramps = the makings of a bad day. FML.

Finally got my hands on this at Ulta. (It's not available in stores at Sephora yet.) I have to say, I was excited when I heard about this - primer, foundation, concealer and powder all in one? Literally, one step of makeup? (Well, it's not like I take more than one step anyway, normally, but I like that now, my "one step" will have more power in its punch.) It's an airy, mousse sort of texture, and comes out of a pump bottle. The box says to squirt it on the back of your hand and apply from the center outward, and layer as needed for coverage. I applied somewhere between 1-2 layers. (I tend to apply foundation in spots, and blend circularly, so while I only meant to go over my entire face once in total, sometimes the blending circles overlap. If that makes any sense.) The coverage is medium-ish - it was a little bit above sheer with the first application, and with the subsequent blending and a little bit more adding, it became more medium. The redness in my cheeks...

Okay, that sounded more exciting than it actually was. On the other hand, I was pretty damn excited. After school today, I went to the local CVS to pick up something for my baby. I hadn't been in there for the longest time (it used to be Long's Drugs) until this past week, when I suddenly decided that I really wanted to scope out the drugstore brands, since hard times means that I can't be as exclusively high-end as I'd like to be. I noticed that there was a new section under construction called Beauty 360 , and from what I could tell, it was going to feature some high-end brands. The first time I saw it, the gates were actually closed, so I couldn't see inside, but judging from the "skincare lab" that had been set up long before, I thought it would be a bunch of unknown, European, as-seen-on-tv type of stuff. The second time (yeah, I've been in CVS a lot in the last seven days!), the gate was open, so I poked my head in, and to my astonishment, it...

I'm mentally exhausted. The mental equivalent of spaghetti legs after running a long race. I'm exhausted from derby, and not just physically. The stress of worrying about the tests is finally over, but it was really weighing heavy on me for a while. Now we're talking about putting together a rec league for those of us repeating bootcamp, and while it's exciting to be coordinating this new program and I'm happy to do it, it's also a huge undertaking, and it's a lot to think about. I spent all day working on this yesterday, and literally, I'm just wiped out. I need a break from derby - just 24 straight hours of not thinking, not worrying, not dealing with derby, and then I'll be ready to tackle it all again with a fresh mind. School lately has been frantic. I'm heading into a stretch where I can't really take any days off, because I'm not doing anything that can be handed to a sub. (It's not that I plan to take many days off, but it...

  Didn't have much time this morning - couldn't even snap a photo of my products! But most of them have been mentioned here before. A very clean, simple look: - On my face: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus. The more I use this product, the more I love it, more than any other foundation I've been trying lately. I only use a light dusting, and it really evens out my skin, doesn't look too chalky or settle into my lines. I like it even more than Revlon Photo Ready. - On my cheeks: Prestige Skin Loving Minerals Fresh Glow Baked Mineral Blush in Peach - On my eyes: Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner in Fierce Blue and MUFE Smoky Lash mascara - On my lips: Kat Von D Lightning Lip Gloss in Stormy (glittery, sheer darker red color)

Okay, I know I said that I'm okay with not passing, and that I've made peace with having to do bootcamp again. But let me tell you about my wild secret hope. My wild secret hope is that all of my skills scores will be really impressive, and that really my weak points are my speed and endurance. And that maybe the coaches will decide that the only way for me to really improve those two things is for me to skate with the people who are faster and stronger than me. Kinda like how, if I had a student who was borderline honors-level, I might actually just move her into the honors class and hope that the faster pace and more focused atmosphere would spur her on to improvement, rather than keep her mired among the screwy unmotivated kids. NOT that I'm saying the new bootcampers and repeat bootcampers are screwy and unmotivated. That's not the case at all. Everyone works really, really hard. And I am not better than all the new and repeat bootcampers. That's not what I...

aka, the Third and Last Day of Testing. Today felt different. I did wake up early because I had so much on my mind, so I was tired, but my day was nice and relaxing - it was sunny, warm, I was wearing my bootcamp tank top (for good luck, and because it's St. Patrick's Day), I was celebrating my friend's good news, and I was contemplating the full marathon vs. the half. (I decided I would do the full if I didn't pass bootcamp, and I would do the half if I did.) I was nervous as it got closer to practice time, but I felt very positive. I wasn't scared, I wasn't shell-shocked - I was even smiling to myself as I was stuck in traffic. I'm going to do this , I thought. I can do this . I was mentally prepared - I was going to get there, warm up, nail the remaining skills tests, and then go all-out on the 25 laps, and hopefully make the cut-off. What I wasn't prepared for? We did the 25 laps RIGHT AFTER the warm-up. And then I think I freaked out in m...

We both are future blockers. Hopefully me first, and then her. See below for photos.

In honor of my local roller derby league, and today being the last day of bootcamp/WFTDA skills testing (and also, St. Patrick's Day, since our league colors are green and black), I present my SVRG look: (Sorry about the lack of natural lighting - Daylight Savings Time means that it's still dark outside right now when I do my makeup.) Here's what I used: On my face: Foundation: Revlon Photo Ready in Medium Beige Undereye concealer: Covergirl/Olay Simply Ageless Corrector (over UDPP) Blush/Highlight: Prestige Skin Loving Minerals Fresh Glow Baked Mineral Blush in Peach On my eyes: Maybelline's The Colossal mascara Upper lid: UD eye pencil in Zero Lower lid: UD eye pencil in Covet (peacock green) From UD's Book of Shadows Volume II: Gunmetal (a glinty gray) up to my crease Homegrown (a neon-y green) blended into the line and upwards Gunmetal is available as a single shadow, but Homegrown is not - you could probably find a comparable green though. ...

aka, Day 2 of Testing. Aka, Lessons in Confidence and Perseverance. I'm pretty sure it's over for me. We did endurance today, I had to drop out of the pace line almost right away because I couldn't keep up, and because I was towards the front, I was pretty much holding up the whole line. Great. Believe me, I was pushing - I was pushing HARD. And I saw the all-too-familiar gap in front of me widening and widening. Denny said that if we had to drop out, then we should go onto the track (the pace line was going around the outside) and skate laps, and that's what I did. If it's endurance they want, then that's what I'd do - I just couldn't be as fast about it as everyone else. The thing is, the weaving drills they were doing - I can do those drills!!!!! It was really hard for me to skate on the inside, knowing that I could do what they're doing, I just couldn't be fast enough to keep up with them. Still, I was going to try, just in case. I don...

  While my immediate future in derby remains unsettled, I was very excited to find that registration for the Nike Women's Marathon 2010 is opening soon (April 5th) and that I am still on the legacy runners list, which means that I get an automatic spot. The race is Sunday, October 17th. I haven't run in a while - in fact, as far as running goes, I'm pretty out of shape - but I have 30 weeks until the big event, so I've got some time to get into shape. Once I know whether or not I've passed my WFTDA tests, I can start planning a workout schedule accordingly. This is the one race that I will not miss if I can help it. (I only missed it this past year because I had a baby, and I would've gone anyway, but the person I sold my bid to had her heart set on going - which I don't blame her for - so I couldn't.) So, part 1 is to get back into running shape. And part 2 is to get into half-marathon condition. And I am SO looking forward to it :)

Just got this email from Rudechix: Hey Thu~ I have a fab idea! We just launched our new Future Jammer and Future Blocker tees last weekend at LADD and we need a cute baby model!!! We would love to have Jolie on our website. What do you think?? I can send you the tees and we just need a few pics of each in good quality where you can read the shirt. Then we will have our web guy put the pics on our site on the rudebabies page. Let me know!! Thanks!!!! :)

I just got THIS and I am so excited... Also - I just added a SWAP page. I'd like to get rid of it. If you would like them, click the link above.

You do not call your foundation "Medium" and then put on the back of the package, "Works best if you wear honey or tan foundations." It messes up those of us who ACTUALLY wear Medium. And now I have to make a trip back to Target to return your misnomer of a foundation product. THANKS FOR NOTHING!

Rebel, rebel, you tore your dress... rebel, rebel, your face is a mess... A little Friday sparkle is good, right? Here's what I'm wearing today: On my face: Revlon Photo Ready in Medium Beige (I LOVE how luminous this makes me look.) On my cheeks: Nars Multiple in Orgasm On my eyes (on top of UDPP): Urban Decay Stardust eyeshadow in Diamond Dog (taupey with TONS of microglitter), applied with my fingers, both wet and dry. (I wet one finger, picked up a bunch of shadow, and applied it. Then I used a different finger, but dry, and tried to blend out the line. You could do this with any shadow, by the way.) Upper lash line: Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner in Daring Green (dark green) Lower lash line: Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner in Intense Olive (lighter green) Mascara: Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash

First of all, some awesome photos from our league photographer, Jim Cottingham : Jen and me doing one-legged hops. I was NOT expecting to nail this one, and as such, I even coasted a bit on one leg, like Denny wanted us to. If I had known there would be pictures, I would've worn something cute. I don't remember what I was attempting here. Do I at least look badass though, in my stripey socks? It couldn't have been ALL bad if there was time for jazz hands at the end! Okay, so now for the recap of test day one.