A couple of weeks ago my friend Stu Maschwitz (@5tu), as Creative Director of Red Giant Software, launched a new iPhone App called Plastic Bullet. At the time I had mixed emotions… the angel on my shoulder says Stu is a visual genius, and the devil on my shoulder told me I already have a zillion camera apps on my iPhone and that Hipstamatic was the bee’s knees. The devil was wrong.

This morning I paid the $1.99 and downloaded the Plastic Bullet app to my iPhone. And. It. Is. Beautiful.

I’ve found a lot of camera apps are hard to control: Hipstamatic is a crap shoot; Toy Camera makes it difficult to change settings; and CameraBag was great at first, but I’ve grown bored of it over time. Don’t get me wrong, they’re all great apps… but I love how Plastic Bullet simplifies creativity to the max. By placing a refresh button in the top right corner, you can keep generating random combinations of photo effects until you find “the one.” And, even if you find one you like, you can save it by clicking on the heart icon and continue searching for other effect combinations you like. Genius. And just the kind of simplistic experience that Apple is all about.

Below is a photo I took while shopping last weekend. The original photo was very plain (I was going to post it here, but my iPhoto kept freezing when I tried to import it), but you can see the effects generated for the photo make it look super cool. Hell, I want to march straight back to the store and buy that dress ASAP! …and perhaps a belt too… and some go-go boots. ;)

Thanks for the awesome app, Stu! XOXO

The Streamy Awards took place last Sunday and the photos and videos have been slowly rolling out over the past week. Below are some of my favorite images taken of me, Rudy Jahchan (writer of A Comicbook Orange) and Josh Allard (director of A Comicbook Orange).

And last, but not least… the annual Galacticast intro re-creation (and boobie grab):

Well, I must’ve tried on about 40-50 dresses over the course of the past few weeks… including the entire BCBG and Betsey Johnson catalog. A lot of people wonder why I tried on so many dresses and the reason is mostly due to size issues. Although I look 50 ft. tall on the interwebs, I’m actually only 5′ 1.75″! This causes a lot of problems because I’m not only short, but also slender… to the point where most size XS and 0 dresses fit like tents.

All problems aside, I documented most of the dresses on my iPhone (which helps me remember the dresses I liked, so I could make clearer decisions when shopping around). I won’t show you THE dress I’ll be wearing to the Streamy Awards this Sunday, but I will show you a few of the dresses I didn’t get…

This Betsey Johnson dress was one of my favorites, but it was a little out of my price range. Usually I try to steer away from sequins (due to my ancient history as a synchronized swimmer), but this dress made me LOVE sequins. It fit like a glove and looked fabulous, but it was a little too similar to the dress I wore to the Streamys last year, so I tore myself away from it and continued searching.

This was Rudy’s favorite dress. It was a Betsey Johnson sale dress and looked truly elegant. My only problem with it was that I didn’t feel it made me as curvaceous as I wanted… I wanted a dress that showed a tinier waist and a rounder bust/hips. Also, this dress reminded me too much of a dress I wore to the Principal’s Ball in high school… a beautiful dress that belonged to my mother and that I had hemmed waaaaay too short.

I must’ve tried this cream BCBG dress on 4+ times. I LOVED it from the very moment I saw it. Unfortunately, the dress always felt a bit big and the coloring wasn’t really great against my skin tone. I tried this dress on in another material, but it wasn’t as elegant as the plain cream. Up until today, this was my backup dress… and I really thought I was going to get this one.

This green BCBG dress was pretty and simple, but it was HUGE on me and I wasn’t crazy about the color. Also, in hindsight it looks waaaaay too old for me. Perhaps I could get this one after a few kids? :P Although people tell me that green brings out my green eyes, I also feel that it makes my skin look more sickly. In the end, I just couldn’t get myself a real green dress… that’s cruel.

I really liked this LaRok dress, but the color was awful on me. I tried it on in a smokey purple and a pretty pink, but the fit wasn’t right. Also, although the dress is gorgeous on top, the skirt is made from an awkward heavy material that really brought down the quality of the dress. Not a great red carpet choice.

This casual dress from Guess fit like a glove and looked EXACTLY like something I would buy. I had considered getting it for the Craft Awards (being held tonight), but it seemed too typical for me and I wanted to look outside the box. Maybe I’ll swing by Guess in a few months and get it on sale ;)

So, you’ll have to wait until Sunday to see my dress choice! Until then, enjoy the above rejects… and the below dresses, which I tried on as a joke :P

Felicia Day’s dress from last year’s Streamy Awards: Because if I wear it I’ll win, right? This lovely number was a few sizes too big for me, and you’ll notice that my skin color bra is totally showing through what can only be described as peep holes?

WORST. DRESS. EVER! I saw this ugly frock hanging on a hangar at Macy’s and HAD to pick it up! It was too ugly NOT to try on… happily, it did not disappoint… it was just as ugly as I assumed it was going to be :)

It’s not news that 80s fashion has been coming back little by little over the past couple of years, but I’m only starting to get worried now.

It’s a known fact to me that visiting the Topshop web site is like visiting the future of North American fashion. From my experience, it takes about 3-6 months for British fashion to eventually seep into the American fashion market, so here’s a taste of the crap we’ll apparently be wearing (and loving) later this year:

Personally, I just don’t think I’ll be able to get into this one… is there anyone out there who wants this crap?

Perhaps not yet… but will we have a different opinion once Watchmen comes out? This MTV spoof makes me wonder:

So, what do you think? Will you ever be able to get back into original 80s fashion like this again?

Photo courtesy of Jason DeFillippo

Since my Style Guide was such a hit the other day, I thought I’d share makeup tips ala Casey McKinnon.

Like clothing, makeup is a very personal choice. Sometimes you want to wear something classic and beautiful, sometimes you want something casual and easy, and sometimes you want to be creative and/or geeky.

I started getting serious about make up when we started making Galacticast, because suddenly I had to act as a zillion different characters – who all needed different makeup styles to boot! I learned a lot about what exactly looks good on me… so without further ado, here is my method of applying make up:

[Disclaimer: I don't DARE do all of this on a daily basis...]

30 SPF Daily Moisturizer

If you’re not already, start protecting your skin NOW! Four years ago I got strange brown blotches on my face from the sun and was told I had Melasma (aka. “the pregnancy mask”). I then had to bleach the skin on my face with a special lotion that made my face turn red and peel off (horrible) and ever since I’ve been told to wear no less than 30 SPF on a daily basis, and try to stay protected from the sun. I highly suggest getting a 30 SPF lotion that also dubs as a facial cream, I have used both Oil of Olay and Aveeno products. Both seem to work well.

Foundation

I don’t use foundation on a regular basis because I feel like it clogs up my pores. I only use foundation when I’m doing a photo shoot or attending an important public event where I’m likely to be shot in photos! When shopping for a concealer, ask the person behind the makeup counter for something that suits your needs. My needs included looking natural on camera, and ever since I’ve been using Revlon New Complexion One-Step Compact Makeup.

Concealer

I don’t use a concealer, but instead usually put white eyeliner and/or white eye shadow/cream to the inner point of my eyes, as well as under my eyes (in the “bags”), and just under my eyebrows. This will make you look younger and more awake – I learned this from the beautiful Carmindy Bowyer from TLC’s What Not to Wear.

The Eyes

To me, all makeup centers around the eyes… so my guide is much more concentrated in this area. Since my eyes are green, and my skin is so pale, if I’m not wearing makeup in photos I look completely washed out. This is why I try to bring out my eyes on a daily basis (if I’m leaving the house or planning to be on camera!). Here are my favorite looks:

• The Audrey Hepburn
  
  Even before I started wearing fake eyelashes, people told me I looked like Audrey Hepburn. In fact, my own mother mistook this painting of Audrey Hepburn for me! But it wasn’t until I watched a video on YouTube by askmemakeup that I really learned to master the art of Audrey Hepburn eyes.

  To achieve the Audrey Hepburn look, start by applying a white coal pencil (smudgingly) and/or white eyeshadow on the eye lid, the bottom line of your brow, and the inner corners of your eyes. Then, smudge a black coal pencil along your lash line and apply fake eyelashes. Next, apply a black liquid liner on the upper lid along the lash line… and voila!

  Tip: Learn to apply fake eyelashes here.

• The Angelina Jolie
  
  My rendition of smokey eyes. First, I lightly apply a black coal pencil around the entire eye. Next, I use a brush to smudge it out. Then, I take a dark aubergine-color powder and apply on my lids, as well as lightly around the entire eye – focusing on drawing it out a little further in the corners to give it a more oval look. After that, I highlight under my brow and the inner points of my eyes with white pencil (which I smudge) and I apply black mascara to the top and bottom lids.

  I use the color aubergine because it goes well with my eyes. You might want to try other colors to see what looks best on yours. Sephora allows you to try all their products in store… go and knock yourself out.

  Tip: There are great tutorials on YouTube for achieving the perfect smokey eyes, watch one here.

• The Rock Band
  
  When you’re feeling creative and geek chic, go fire up the ol’ Rock Band. I don’t know about you, but I’m OBSESSED with the awesome eye makeup designs they have in the game… so I often treat Rock Band is my makeup consultant. Above, you can see I’ve tried the Fade To Pink design (I’ve also tried Red Out and Stardust, the latter of which looked awful on me! :P). And someday soon, I’ll be trying the Scarlet Ibis, Envy, Lynx, and Woodrobin designs.
• Combinations/Creativity
  
  The most important thing with makeup, especially eye makeup, is to be creative. You might not find what suits you at first, but you will in time… and trying new things or mixing it up will help you stay up to date – even my mother has been adopting my makeup tips at home by highlighting her upper lid with a black line and mascara!

  Above is a photo of me blending intense smokey eyes with fake eyelashes (I was going for a neo-noir Blade Runner-type look). The photo next to it was from a Rock Band party I had where I did my makeup like Paul Stanley (*ahem* the third time I’ve ever done my makeup like a member of Kiss).

Blush

If you’re going for a vamp look, you needn’t apply any blush. You should apply a minimal amount if you’re going for a sweet look, and tons if you’re going for the burgundy-haired-middle-aged-woman-with-20-cats look… there’s a fine line, people.

Lipstick

I usually try to stay natural with my lipstick, using it as a type of lip-blush. I enjoy using Sephora Brand Ultra Shine Lip Gloss, but sometimes venture to a more vamp look with dark red lipsticks. That said, I don’t usually apply it too strongly, sometimes just a dab is all you need to blush up those lips.