I am feeling like. *shit*

My allergies this season have me confused. Is this an allergy bout or is it a cold? I can't tell anymore. I just know my voice went bai bai at some point in the night. Tonsils are sore. I had a fever this morning. BAH. Just hate it.

The new place is somewhat organized. Its liveable. And now, I need to go back to editing portraits of the cats because the land lord demands them. -sigh-

I don't see what the point is for that, but I suppose is either child decides to run out of the house at least he'd be easier to find. It has also taught me that I have a pretty good eye for pet photography.

Whee!

So, the move had been somewhat done. It's more liveable, though still somewhat topsy turvy.

Anyhow, I've been busy with a new type of art. Here's a sneak peek, a patio of earrings for my bish.

I think I may make myself my own pair, but maybe kitties to hi with my new pendant!

Doublebuns

Whee...

I'm in the middle of a move. Im going nutty....and I decided to do a quick, easy,and pretty. Luanna buns.

Besides taking photography of gorgeous people and sceneries, I take shitty pictures of my hair with my camera phone. 

This is how I've been sporting my hair the last few days. This is the Luanna braid version but I've gotten lazy enough to simply dutch braid further back and coiling the braids around like this. I can't help but look at this and realize that it wasn't that too long ago where my two buns would be about half the size of one of these put together. 

I've also been working on some hair sticks and hair pins. I'll have to show pictures of that later. My phone is over there -waves hand about idly- and I'm *here* -leans back against her comfy desk chair- So there. 

Sunshine is deceiving

Yesterday I awoke to a beautiful, sunny day. The skies were clear, there was no breeze it was just... fantastic. I'd already made plans to go shooting at my local park with Heather for company a few days before and I could only count my blessings at how beautiful the day was.

Then I froze my tulips off.. the ones that go on top of the organ, if you know what I mean.  It was SO cold that the iced  coffee I bought at 11:45 still had ice in it by 3:30. It was just ridiculous.

But I had some amazing shots. Nature was just breathtaking and it always helps a photographer when they have a model who is not only photogenic but has a tendency to forget there's a camera nearby.  I do hate posed photography so much. It often looks stiff and it just drives me bonkers. I like organic shots.. things that just work out because model and photographer are on the same, fluid vibe. Stiffness just... I don't know. I like to photograph real people. I like the images to tell a story and not just visually, but emotionally and spiritually.

Attack of the flying fish! 

Down the rabbit hole

Her face was freezing. I did the same, but with my hair.

Speaking of hair, I'm glad I left my locks down in braids. I didn't realize how cold it was until we got out of the car and into the parking lot of the park. I was hit with the cold breeze and I gathered my plaits then wound them around my neck. 

Long hair perks 100,304 : instant scarf in cold weather. 

Of pinks and Roses

I was at Target the other day and I found myself staring at the Herbal Essences Rose Hip shampoo.

I walked away and kept coming back. So I bought the damned thing.

I can't say that I regret it.

Since I've been trying to strip the color out of my hair so I can make it more magenta, I've also been using more heavier conditioning items. My usual V05 condish, followed by a heavy oil or serum, chiefly something with lots of protein since I'm doing so much heavy stuff to my hair and its bleached. My regular diluted, sulfate free shampoo wasn't cutting it.... and I'm not a fan of clarifying my hair if I don't have to.

Its bad enough I'm washing in hot water, y'know.

So I figured I might as well go back to a sulfate shampoo, not dilute it but to make sure it has some form of oil in it. And I remembered the original formula had jojoba oil in it. So I read the ingredients, realized it really was the old formula and yanked it. (I had tried the hello hydration stuff 'cause I bought the wrong one last year and I hated it it. It was too drying and coating!)

Lets just say my hair is back to its silky stuff.

Its just lathery enough to remove the junk from the leave in conditioner and hair serum and gentle enough to lift out the color I need without stripping the lovely shit out of my hair. I hate that strawish feeling of super, duper clean hair. One it just means I have to hydrate it further with more heavy duty stuff and two, it often makes my scalp get pissy, itchy and greasy.

Perfection. We're going on four days of no washing and my hair still looks squeaky clean. Its starting to feel slightly greasy though... that's okay. I'm willing to compromise. I mean,  it just means I have to work my way up to the 7 days of washing all over again. Now that I know how to do it, and have dry shampoo to help (if I remember. I keep forgetting) it'll get back there in no time.

Also, Mani Monday! I forgot to post it, so here goes. I was aiming for 'girly'... and I only think it would have gotten girlier if the design was in white and I had added some hearts to it.

Base: Nailtek II

Color: essie 'need a vacation'

design: Sally hansen's black -- hard as nails line

glitter: Sinful Colors Pearl Harbor (<3) 

Plate: bundle monster bm-22

Also: note to self. clean up my desk. I just spilt half a bottle of acetone from my acetone dispenser all over it. ruined half the mani and destroyed a few combs, the varnish on the desk, a pen and a ruler. that shit's serious. 

Sweet mask

I keep forgetting to take before pictures when I do this. Anyhow, I've been breaking it pretty bad lately. Too many changes of the hormonal type. Stupid insurance changing their minds about what type of bc it will cover. I don't care if they are generic, they are not the same formula,ok?

I break out whenever I change prescription. Just when my body gets used to it,I get changed pill pack.

So here you go, tried and tested hike remedies. Honey, turmeric, and cinnamon. Antibacterial, antibiotic, anti inflammatory and humectant....just what my skin needs right now.

Wheee

Its been three days, two showers, one super hot hair washing session (it was cold, okay? That and I'm still trying to fade out the dark purple), hand dishwashing event and several boxes of packing and unpacking and all I have to account for it is one tiny microchip on my mani.

That's even better than usual.

I changed my base coat, kept my usual top coat. I've been oiling every day like I'm supposed to (and hardly ever do). I can't tell what the difference was but I'm guessing it was filing the tips of my nails on the surface ever so slightly.

As I mentioned before the tips are prone to peeling. They split and peel like layers of onion skin. I picked up a tip from a fellow blogger whose bit of the web I ran into last week. She advised to file the nail as usual but to bevel the edge just slightly at a 45 degree angle to keep the layers from splitting. I tried that and I do have to say polish application went more smoothly. I usually have a bit of a problem of the tip not getting enough or too much polish from where I try to compensate for the splitting.

Its hard to explain. I'll have to make a video some day.