Monday, February 28, 2011

Rapskallion

So here's a quite a cool video that I was going to post last year...




Enjoy my dears

xxx Lilly

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Gothic shoes

This could very well be a touchy subject, so I'm going to simply give my opinion. (Do I need to point out that everyone's opinion is equally vaild and worthy? No? Thought not XD) Anyway I am going to adress the issue of Gothic shoes, and what is/ isn't considered appropriate in the dark and dreary relms of foot wear.

Goths are steryotyped are always wearing huge stompy boots with buckles and laces. I do have a pair myself, and I do love them. And I know that I am not the only one. However there are situations in everyone's life where huge platform boots are not to be worn. Whether that is for practicality, apprearence or comfort, sometimes it's Just Not Going To Work. There are more comfortable options that are loved by us dark creatures of the night. Doc Martens are an example here. They are well made, flat, neutral and very black, so I can see you just rolling your eyes are thinking "Well, why don't you just swap between those two?"
Ah, dear readers this is the whole point of my post. I do have my own pair of Docs (23 eyelet ones, but I cannot remember without counting, and can't be bothered finding them hidden in my lair) that I got at the beginning of the school year, so about a month ago. These shoes, as awesome are they are, left me with the worst shoe blisters that I have every recieved, and that is NOT pleasant. So, what is the solution? Well, thongs are out for me because they'ed be on display for everyone, along with my chipped black nail polish which I need to touch up. That doesn't sound like fun. So, I wore flats. All of my pairs of flat shoes were bought many years ago and resembled moth eatern socks, so last weekend I trekked out to an inexpensive shoe store with my dear mother and found three pairs that I could bare to wear. But, guess what... surprise surprise, the shoes gave me blisters, so I have spent the last few days wearing... are you ready for this???
Converse.
The main thing that has been running through my mind was the bizzare feeling that I wasn't really myself, or that I had sunk a few notches down in the Gothic stakes, simply for wearing a particular type of shoes. Well, I'm exaggerating, obviously, but it did occur to me that maybe I felt just the teeniest bit against the idea of *shock* mainstream shoes.

So I am going to clear up the idea inside my utterly insane brain and present to you all...
Lilly's Guide to Non Goth Shoes... For Goths

1. Thongs. Hahaha to those of you in American. I mean flip flops, or whatever they're called. Anyway, let me assure that in a hot Australian summer or anywhere where there is a lot of heat, your feet are going to murder you if you torture them in thick hot black shoes or boots. I am not saying that you should leave the house and go shopping/ clubbing in thongs, but they're awfully useful to have around in case you go swimming or are going to use a public shower.

2. Runners or Converse. Yes, the footwear that is so famously defined as Emo, and Goths shouldn't touch them... Well, imagine if your going travelling for a long distance, or excercising, or... ahem, have sore feet. A comfortable, well made canvas shoe will be your saviour, and they can be made to look interesting if you are really good at customising and go for that 'beat up yet glamourous punk' look, which I think can be really hot if done well.

3. Slippers. I'm not a slippers person at all, but I do know that cold winter- morning tiles are not fun, so do yourself a favour and find a black fluffy pair.

 4. Unembellished shoes, i.e plain shoes. This is important because it gives you something to wear to places such as a job interview or a science/ tech prac. It also gives you an option for some shoes that will work with your outfit when nothing else will... you know those days...

Anyway, goodnight to you all. So sorry that this post has taken so long....
=S

I must do better


xxxx Lilly

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Amanda F*ucking Palmer

(Yes, I censored it. I don't know how old some of my readers are, and I don't want to loose any of you XD
Also, )

My sunday evening was improved by 19034906346x when Amanda Palmer was on national TV. (at least to those who get digital TV which is probably a lot now that it's free).
Considering I'm so devestated that I cannot make her Melbourne concert next weekend due to another gig 150km away, this was really cool. She is such an inspiration to me, musically and personally.
Oh, and The Godfather car horn I heard outside about an hour ago was pretty cool.



xxxx Lilly

Somethings to smile about


Here are some pretty pictures for you to admire.













Yes, that's an Addams Family video game!!!!!





That's all for tonight, as I have far too much homework to be comfortable on a Sunday night...

xxx Lilly

Saturday, February 19, 2011

A Mohawk to Die For...

Here is a YouTube video of the most incredible mohawk I have ever seen, and I have seen some pretty damn good ones.




Enjoy!


xxxx Lilly

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Help for sensitive skin

As a person who has suffered from excema her whole life, I can understand how frustrating, embarassing, itchy or even painful having sensitive or sensitised skin can be. These are all learnt from my own experience, so I cannot guarantee that it will work for you. Everyone's skin behaves differently.

1. Moisturise! This is so important. Use an unscented body moisturiser in the shower/ bath and whenever your skin feels tight or dry. I use Redwin's Sorbelene cream everywhere except my face, and on my face I use Neutrogena's oil free moisturiser with SPF 15+
Use sorbelene as a body wash and shave gel if you think you need to.

2. Avoid soap. Soap, for me, is Hell. I cannot use a bar of soap at all, and I have to use moisturiser after using soft soap. Of course, I am NOT saying you should avoid washing your hands, but use gloves when washing the dishes and things like that.

3. Don't wash your hair regularly, and always wash the shampoo and conditioner out with your head tipped forward so the chemicals don't run down your neck and back.

4. Use 'sensitive' laundry soap. This has made a huge difference for me because my clothes are always up against my skin (obviously). Also, don't wear itchy clothing on your worst effected clothing. My hands are my worst suffered, so I have to avoid synthetic gloves.

5. Be careful of fragrances and other chemicals. Clinique is a good brand because it is 100% fragrance free. Sure, the things won't smell as pretty, but it does make a difference, and also gives you an idea what is in the product. Perfume is also bad so use it sparingly and don't apply to any irritations, even if it wasn't the cause in the first place.

6. Avoid salt water. I cannot swim in the ocean at all, and some salt water pools affect my skin. Think red, stinging and burning...

5. If you skin is particularly bad or persistant, I'd recomend talking to you GP about it. There are some creams on the market that are prescription only, but do work. It can be expensive, and isn't that brilliant for your skin, so this should be used only when it is ruining your life.

I hope these tips can help you keep your sensitive skin under control.


xxx Lilly.

P.S thanks to everyone who has given me feedback about the new comments/ layout thing. I have finally gotten things working, and the support has been very appreciated.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Skin Lightening

It's potential that you guys don't know, but secretly, I am a YouTube freak. I spend far too much time (and downloads) there. Anyway, one of my favourite channels at the moment is SecretLifeofaBioNerd. It's a girl from the U.S.A doing DIY beauty, sewing and reviews with some information about the science of the products. If you haven't done any upper level (say, senior high school) chemistry or biology, some of it won't make sense, but I urge you to look anyway and learn something. =) Anyway, the point of all this, and it's something that will appeal to quite a few Goths I am sure, is this video...





Skin whitening is potentially dangerous, so be careful and FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!!! =D
Enjoy.

xxx Lilly

Something to think about...

So as you are reading this you'll undoubtably realise that the dear cat theme has gone from my blog. This is an attempt to test the comments problem, after searching through the help forum, I've decided that this is the best option. So, please attempt to post a comment after reading this, and we'll see what happens...

xxx Lilly

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Some short notes, year twelve, and some mild frustration

Firstly, I'll aposigise. Sorry I haven't been writing lately. Year twelve has been going on for a week, so  decided that now was the time. Also, I've been trying to think of ways to improve my blog, but considering my comments appear to STILL BE DOWN, that's a bit hard. Time for a follow up email, I think, and could all of you lovely followers please please please try to write a comment on one of my posts (and then notify me somehow) so I know for sure if they're down. It might be that only five comments have been made at all, but considering that this blog has been active for nearly six months, I doubt that.
In the mean time, I am going to jump on the bandwagon and try to find out how to create some polls so find out what people are interested in reading about in my blog. I think comments are better for this, because it's more direct, but because that's not happening at the moment, we'll all have to make do

In other news,  yes, I'm a week into year twelve. It's a pretty daunting experience when you realise that this is your last year of being a school kid, and your first year of being an adult. Oh, yeah, I turn 18 in three weeks, on the 4th of March!!! XD
So I've realised that this year I have alot of freedom with the way I do my school work. Most of it is very open ended, which is nice for me.

If your looking for some new vauderville music with a cabaret twist then I'd like to present you with Rapskallion, who is a band from Brunswick, right here in Melbourne (and quite close to where I live =D). Their music sounds like Tom Waites, Voltaire (To The Bottom of the Sea, in particular) and some genuine Cabaret and circus thrown in. The band is highly theaterical, and their live shows are fantastic. I have seen them twice now and intend on doing so more. Oh, and did I mention that I spent the end of FRL dancing with them, and then painting faces with another lovely Goth I met to the soothing, entracing melodies of their button and piano accordians. Yes, it was a night to remember.

Anyway, that's all now. Please answer the polls for me, and enjoy yourselves.

xxx Lilly.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

DIY moisturizing sugar body scrub

Note: this needs to be used immediately because the sugar will dissolve. Also, avoid getting shower water in the container because it will dissolve.

Ingredients
Small container- plastic bowl is fine, but it helps to have a lid
Plain, unscented sorbelene - I use Redwin’s Sorbelene for everything. It is my savior.
Raw sugar
Olive oil (if you have dry skin)
Essential oils

Method
Mix a decent amount of sorbelene cream into the bowl. Only add as much as you are going to use, and use all of it. Then add 1 tablespoon of sugar and mix well. Add a few drops of olive oil if desired and a few drops of essential oil.
Use in the shower to gently exfoliate your skin and leave it feeling soft and smooth. Rinse well with water.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Arcane- The Stone Circle

Firstly, I'd like to thank The Odd Duck for her post about her new readers. She mentioned that she liked what I've been writing which is a huge incentive to keep writing and shows me that people are actually reading what I write (because my comments are STILL down. Time for a follow up email, I think). Anyway, The Odd Duck writes some really interesting posts, so I suggest that you go and check her out A.S.A.P

Now, you those of you with fast internet and a love for playing puzzle/ adventure, here is a game for you to really get into. My boyfriend showed me the games (there are eight in total, and are all part of the story- scroll down to find them all) a few weeks ago and we spent a whole evening playing them. They are really fun and require a lot of thinking. The game is set in about the 1920's, but with a subtle Steampunk twist. It also involves magic, decption and ancient religion.
The instructions are presented in the opening title sequence before the actual game play, but to make it breif, you play one of the three main characters and have to find clues and evidence to solve the mystery. Time elapses in the game, and if you click too many times you will die and have to start over. There is a bit of leaway with the amount of clicks you are allowed, so don't let that put you off. Just be aware.
Also, there are a few puzzles that are timed. i.e. you have to do something in a short space of time, but there aren't many. Generally, you can get up and leave the game running and nothing will happen.

In the game some of the puzzles are very VERY difficult, and some are almost impossible without help. Subsequently, I'm going to provide you with a very nice help page. Mandi's Hint page provides some clues to solve the puzzles in each of the chapters. Of course DON'T read the all of the hints on the hint page without trying all possibilites/ objects. There's no fun in that!!!

 Here is a screen shot (not taken by me) from part five. Enjoy!

xxxx Lilly