Strawberry Fingernails

I think I mentioned before that Color Day is a tradition at my high school where on the day of the first league game of football season EVERY SINGLE PERSON comes to school in crazy insane orange and black regalia (we are the Tigers). It is perhaps my favorite day of the entire school year because it is the only day when I feel like everyone else is as crazy as I am! Last year some of my classmates dressed up as a living room set (a grandfather clock, table and TV, easy chair, sofa (2 people), and even a bear rug!) and came to school a half-hour early to set up in the middle of campus; the guy who was the table and TV gave a morning news and weather report as everyone arrived!

While I've never done anything THAT insanely awesome (I was a princess freshman year, then Where's Waldo?, and then in my junior year I was one of the Madeline girls-- all three in groups of friends), I still have a ton of fun getting ready. I spent yesterday after school bringing Izzy to my house to lend her costume pieces for a pirate costume, going to probeauty for eyelash glue and sewing my tutu, and I woke up at 4:30 this morning to start curling my hair and doing my makeup to be ready in time for school (which starts at 8:00, but on Color Day you should always be early).

This year some of the best costumes were a chess yet (I think Seniors and Sophomores against each other) who set up a giant chessboard on the Tiger Patio at the front of the school and stood there for about half an hour before class started (it would have been really cool if they'd played a game!), an Aladdin Group (hardcore costumes for Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Sultan, Carpet, and Raja), some Roller Derby girls who skated around campus all day, a huge group of friends who dressed up as rock stars, some pirates and ninjas, and even some giant cardboard legos!

I wore a homemade/handmade orange tulle and organza orange tutu, a strapless black sequined top bought at a thrift shop in Hollywood, my prom shoes (rhinestone stripper shoes from downtown L.A.), orange and black striped tights with black dance short over, elbow-length black lace fingerless mittens, and my Primark comb hat with net and feathers, PLUS super fabulous makeup as shown above.

 For the makeup, I...

1) applied clinique youth surge moisturizer spf 15 all over my face and upper chest

2) applied covergirl liquid foundation in my color (ivory? very light...) all over my face.

3) applied blush to cheekbones.

4) used FantasyMaker's face-painting pigments and super-cheap plastic brush to apply white paint to my nose, eyelids, brows, and lower forehead, fading out up into my middle forehead.

5) used Barry M kohl pencil in orange to cover eyelid and surrounding area as shown.

6) used FantasyMaker's face-painting pigments and super-cheap plastic brush to apply black paint (very carefully, I would use eyeliner first if I did this again) to the bottom of my nose, NOT as the spots up the nose, lipstick, or the stripes on the eyes!

7) used Barry M dazzledust eyeshadow in light orange (brush on with soft shadow brush, dry) all over the area I colored orange with the kohl pencil. I blended any fallout with a small amount of liquid foundation and rubbed it in rather than get rid of it--I was going for as much color as possible!

8) used clinique black liquid eyeliner first to line upper lids with long tails and then to get crazy with stripes on the orange area. Then I used it to give dots above the black part of the nose extending up to right above the eyebrow, making them more scarce as I moved up.

9) applied professional eyelash glue to orange lashes (after trimming), waited thirty seconds, applied to lid, waiting a little longer, and reapplied eyeliner over them. The glue was clear, I only needed to redo eyeliner because the lashes weren't black.

10) dabbed on holographic glitter to black part of nose with finger.

11) applied clinique black liquid eyeliner to line lips and then applied FantasyMaker's black lipstick in outlined area.

12) dabbed on ripe orange glitter from coastal scents to my lips.

13) applied clinique lash-doubling mascara to lower lashes only.

That's all! I carried the lipstick and orange glitter with me all day because I had to eat lunch at school, and also a mirror so that if I forgot and touched my face, I could fix it immediately.

The makeup was a huge hit, as you might imagine, and I must admit I'm still wearing it (and the full costume)!

Joie de Vivre,