And Halloween Rolls Around Again

My favorite holiday has come and gone again, and I was busy!  I'm actually kind of happy for November, because I've been crazy this October, culminating in the last two weekends.

First, one very cool friend with a birthday close to Halloween threw herself a Halloween themed 40th birthday party.  So... I brought out the zombie version of me.

Then on Friday, I cohosted a Halloween party for nearly 100 people, so out came a Day of the Dead version of me.

It was pretty cool, because in addition to my face, I got to wear the gown I wore as my sister's maid of honor again, with some roses added.  No shots of that, unfortunately.  And sadly, I handed my Spanish fan to Eric when we were carrying food into the house, and I completely forgot to take it back from him, so it spent the evening in his jacket pocket.  Boo.

And then on Halloween itself, I went easy on myself and was just an '80s rocker chick.  Everything except my jeans were legitimate '80s vintage and every item (except the Aquanet & scrunchy) was out of my own closets and jewelry box, so I'm not sure when my own clothes became a Halloween costume, but it made life easy!

And in between all of that, there were the appointments.  On Friday, a mother and son got done to go to a Trunk or Treat.

My Paul Stanley was ecstatic with his face (which when you're dealing with a 12-year-old boy already was huge), and then even more so when he won best costume at the Trunk or Treat!  Woohoo!

On Saturday, in the afternoon I had a couple I'd painted back in 2009, the last time Halloween fell on a Saturday!  They initially came that Friday morning, for a pre-work painting.  They were so happy that they came back again that Saturday, and brought a friend too!  We've stayed in touch all these years, and each year they've made appointments for Halloween paintings, only to be forced to cancel for various reasons.  But not this year!  This year, not only did they come back, but one gave me ideas with her Medusa headband.

And her husband!  Her husband actually shaved half his moustache, beard, and head for this painting!  Seriously!

That was just awesome!

And then in the evening, a new couple came over so I could paint the husband in a skull face.

He was so happy with all the compliments he got when they went into the city, that he sent me this photo!

Spooky!

And then on Sunday I painted at a restaurant, but I'll need to tell you all about that soon.

Practice, Practice

You can never have too much practice, and I've joined a challenge for the next month, with one of my body art Facebook groups, to do some sort of body art practice every day.  So on Tuesday evening, I pulled out my face paints, especially some new colors and brands I have, and practiced some sea life cheek art.  I felt like my sharks were in a rut and wanted to try something new... so I did!  And then I kinda kept going.

Not bad, if I do say so myself!

The Evolution of a Henna Tattoo

Real henna, good henna, never comes in black.  You'll see what's billed as "black henna" by unscrupulous henna artists who want to cater to the public's wish for instant gratification, even if it does harm to their customers.  Drives me up the wall.  Here's why.

Real henna, good henna, is always a greenish-brown paste, made from simply plant powder, essential oils, and lemon juice.

When it's drawn on, it looks like this.

I did this flower on my hand last night.

When the paste flaked off several hours later, the stain looked like this, a cool bright orange.

And today, this is what it looks like.  A nice, brown stain that should get a bit darker over the next day or so before it starts to fade... although where it is on my hand, it's likely this one will last close to three weeks!

My only lament?  I'm not ambidextrous and can't do another on my right hand!

[Edit:  And the day after that]

I Really Will Try Almost Anything

Quite a while back, I face painted at an annual corporate party for a company that's hired me for their holiday party for many years.

This year was notable, though, as amongst the more typical superheroes, butterflies, and princesses,

 

I was asked for my first (and only to date) Kopaka Bionicle

and Nathan Evo of Hero Factory.

Well, okay then!

Cherry Reds, Chapter 4: The July 4th Edition

I had a great time again Friday evening, face painting at Cherry Reds in Wyckoff.  As an aside, I highly recommend the blueberry, strawberry, and banana smoothie, which is my absolute favorite.

My first "customer" of the evening was one of the owners, who suggested a koi - my very first time painting one!

And then this little cutie's grandma suggested something patriotic for the holiday.  Good thing, too, since at my actual annual July 4 event at the Indian Trails Club, we were so slammed I didn't have time for a single photo!  Without this one, I'd have no patriotic photos at all this year.

Later in the evening, a contingent of teens came in, some of whom were visiting from Texas.  Great group of girls, and so fun!

They were all into the sea life...

... and a dog.

Strawberry Social

I had several events last weekend, but only took photos of one painting, because it was too adorable - and funny - not to!

The theme of the first birthday was "Strawberry Social," and this friend of the family took it in stride.  There's seriously nothing better than an adult with a stellar sense of humor, and nothing more fun to paint than a bald head.

It was a great compliment too, as he's an artist in his own right but was impressed with my work!

Another Busy Weekend: Valerie Fund Walk and a Pool Party

This past Saturday was a bit insane.  I was up at 6 a.m. to get down to Verona Park for the Valerie Fund Walk, since my team and I were to start painting (and twisting) at 8:30.  We all made it in time, and once the booth was set up, we were ready to go.  Four toasty, busy, humid hours later, we were tired, but happy.  It's really just such a good-natured, great bunch of people doing a wonderful thing.

Of course, we were moving like speed demons, so I couldn't get many photos, but there are a few.

My very first request was for my very first lamb. 

Not bad for winging it, but I'll work on it. 

Later in the day, my first monarch butterfly in a really, really long time.

There was also this shark that the wearer and I thought just came out really cute.

And then... and then... two requests I'd never even heard of.  First, Adam Acid.  I had to look him up.  Turns out, he's a Lego character.  Okie doke!

He was ecstatic!  And honestly, I was almost as impressed as his mom was that I more or less pulled it off.

And then, this.

 

It's apparently the logo for some boy band, the name of which I forgot almost exactly as soon as she said it, and I can't find it online.  If anyone knows what it is, tell me?  I'm curious!  'Cause when I try to search Google images for "current boy band logos," I get the logos for Korn, Metallica, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and Fox News... which just isn't right.  Help!

From there, I traipsed on up to Franklin Lakes to do glitter and ink tattoos at a pool party. No photos at all at this one! I was kept really busy, with each girl getting two tattoos, and some of the moms getting in on the action too. It was a blast!

Another Busy Weekend: Cherry Reds, Chapter Three

First Friday Fun Nights at Cherry Reds continued this past Friday night (yes, I know it was the second Friday, but I had the Zoo Do last week).

A blast, as always!

Busy, Busy Weekend: Birthday Party

Last Sunday, Eric and I got to work a birthday party together - him twisting balloons and me face painting.  We were so busy, I took hardly any photos, and none of him working, but once the birthday girl got a white wolf, they were a popular item.

Neons were a hit too - neon everything!

Including this"neon monster high turtle with pink lipstick," a request I've never had before in my life... mostly because it doesn't exist and this young lady made it up!

And that, that right there, is why I don't bring examples with me to events!

Oh, and dad?  He got the Hulk.