Sorry folks

Hello my children of the night. I know today is usually the day I post the recap of the Face Off episode. However I've spent all day getting ready for a Party Like A Pinup event tonight. I *promise* tomorrow I'll have it for you. Thanks for being patient.

Zombie Madam

Face Off - Episode 207

Greetings Children of the Night!

It's a dismal day here today is sunny *ahem* Florida. I, however, wouldn't even notice because I slept last night! Yesterday a lovely friend came and adjusted my neck and massaged my shoulder. Holy Cow is there a HUGE difference. If you've never had it done, find yourself a licensed professional and go have it done! No more pain, no more headaches... oh it is bliss.

Anyway, last night was the new episode of Face Off. Is it just me or is Sue a whiny pain in my a** and deserves to be shoved to the curb?

This episode started with an awesome floating police car and some sketches by Patrick Tatopolous for the new Total Recall film. Each artist was to take Patrick's sketches and turn them into an alien creation with Patrick as their client. 


Tara: She had a grand idea for these massive arm extensions. It really didn't work out. As a matter of fact, none of her creature worked out. She ended up ditching all the teeth as well as the arms. Not a good move Tara. 

(image source)

Ian: He made this really cool pig vampire creature. His appliances had some massive flaws including a huge tear. He managed to turn it all into battle damage. Patrick loved his creation more than his own sketch and Ve was impressed with his paint work as was guest judge LeVar Burton. 

(image source)

Jerry: His monster resembled some aqua-demon. At the risk of sounding unoriginal, it did resemble the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Ve felt it looked like a bad Halloween mask (I felt that way about RJ's creature). LeVar said the paint job made it look aquatic and Jerry threw a mini snit fit over that, not too mature. 

(image source)

Rayce: His was this incredible cyborg thing where the tubes have been fused with it's skin. Glenn was very complimentary; he felt the sculpt was massive in scope given the time given. LeVar loved the eyes as well. The biggest concern though is that the "actor" can't see out of the mask.

 

 

(Image source)

  Sue: Her biggest point were the spikes coming out of her creature's skin. They didn't come out properly so she fashioned them  from nail extensions. Ve was impressed with her improv skills but she lost major points for the fact that she only did the face and painted nothing else (including her model's hands.)

 

 

 

(image source)

RJ: He too had some major molding issues, and just like Ian made the best of it. Due to a switch in molding materials his headpiece came out really really stiff. Over all though it was an impressive build including the arm pieces Tara couldn't pull off.

(image source)

Matt: His albino creature was middle of the road and got almost no feedback. Shame, I loved his paint job.

(image source)

Beki: She did the other cyborg. Her's had some incredible fluid-filled tubes. I found it interesting that both cyborgs were bright red.

(image source)

Ian won this round (yay hometown boy) and instead of getting immunity he received two tickets to the premiere of Total Recall. This week was a double elimination round and Tara, Sue, and Jerry were all put on the block. Tara and Jerry were cut. Tara saw it coming but Jerry (surprise) threw a fit. His attitude was making him lazy but I would have rather seen them cut Sue. I'm so over her nasty, whiny, attitude. 


Next week *drum roll* is Tim Burton!!!!!! That is going to be in competition with Tom Savini for my favorite episode and i haven't even seen it yet. See a clip here. I'm so excited.

Face Off- Episode 206

Well day late but here it is, the Face Off Episode from Wednesday night; Triple Threat.

Here we see the end of the cliffhanger from last week. The foundation challenge started right away. There seem to be a lot of challenges this episode dealing with exhaustion and sleep deprivation. As the artists enter the stage again a series of runway models come out. Their challenge is a 'make under.' Turn these models into Plain Janes. Kim Greene (Scream 4, Terminator Salvation) is the guest judge. Rayce and his librarian win the challenge and immunity.


The spotlight challenge is old age make-up. Each team of three is given a set of twins to do an age progression. One is to be aged to 75, the other to 100. Greg Cannom, Oscar winning make-up artist (for Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) is the guest judge. McKenzie then returns to inform the contestants that they are not actually twins, but sets of triplets and the third sibling joins to be aged to 50 years. 


Beki, RJ, and Heather: Their concept was that as their model ages she becomes more gaunt so they start with a really overweight 50 year old (Beki). RJ does the 75 year old and when application time hits, RJ's model has a major allergic reaction to her makeups. Is it just me or does it seem like they're intentionally putting in models with allergic reactions just to see how the artists react? They substitute in another model but this model is significantly smaller, with a more delicate bone structure. RJ must "cut and dart the appliance like clothing." Heather has the 100 year old and hers has significant anatomy issues and looks more like a "melting zombie."

Beki (50)

RJ (75)

Heather (100)

Matt (50 year old), Tara (75 year old) and Sue (100 year old): This group did not work well together at all and I'm going to blame it on Sue's nasty attitude. She can't seem to work well with anyone. Their concept was an aging mobster and instead...well... no. Matt's creation was described at a 'were-chia' with it's puffy head and bad hair. Tara's make up was lovely but the shoulder length hair Ve found "distracting." The judges found Sue's make-up amazing. I don't think she took it far enough, I didn't think he looked old enough. 

Matt (50)

Tara (75)

Sue (100)

The final group was Rayce, Ian, and Jerry. They did and aging hippie. This one was my favorite. The judges felt that Rayce's 50 year old was far too subtle and she had diseased looking skin. Ian's 75 year old was also too subtle and his coloring was off. Jerry saved the group even if his was generic. 

Rayce (50)

Ian (75)

Jerry (100)

The top three were RJ, Jerry, and Sue, with Sue winning the challenge. They sent Heather home. 


Next week they will be creating aliens with Star Trek's Levar Burton as the guest judge. A sneak peak can be found here.










images source

The Woman in Black

Greeting to my Children of the Night.

Happy Sinful Saturday. Hope y'all have some amazing plans for this weekend. I got my night out last night so today is spent cleaning to make up for all the crap I didn't do yesterday, Went out for The Boy's birthday dinner last night. Went to a local sushi place and it was PACKED! Honestly, I was shocked. I've never seen anyone in there. I'm glad to see them busy though; good food at reasonable prices, We walked out of there for under $40. That's pretty damn good for sushi, drinks, and dessert.

(image source)

After dinner, we saw Daniel Radcliffe's new film, A Woman in Black. I really should have known better than to go see this film on opening weekend. We were the oldest people in the theater and it was *packed*. I've spend enough years teaching that my idea of a fun night out doesn't generally include a room full of teens.

(image source)

Based on a novel by British author Susan Hill, the film is directed by James Watkins and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds and Janet McTeer, just nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Albert Nobbs. The synopsis is: a young lawyer (Radcliffe) travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorner woman is terrorizing the locals. -- (C) CBS Films.

(image source)

Over all, it's a solid B movie. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 63%. The biggest observation that all the critics seem to have is that it is a standard British horror. There are no big budget effects, there aren't a lot of big "gotcha" moments, and there is absolutely no gore. For the standard American audience that has become used to the gore of Eli Roth's Hostel series, the Saw franchise (yuck), or even some the physicality of the latest possession films, this movie may seem to be lacking. I, on the other hand, love the haunted house genre. This film reminded me of Henry James' Turn of the Screw. Having been based on a book (cover seen right), I may now have to read The Woman in Black.

(Image source)

The 2012 version is actually a remake of a made for TV film from 1989 staring Adrian Rawlins as Arthur Kidd, Bernard Hepton as Sam Toovey, David Daker and Josiah Freston, and Pauline Morgan as The Woman in Black (seen left). There has also been a play version that has spent 23 years on London's West End. Here is a link to their website and if I ever make it over there, seeing the show is now on my to-do list.

Seeing a grown up Daniel Radcliffe was a bit surreal. His character, Arthur Kipps, is another reluctant hero and you can't help but draw parallels with Harry Potter. That, and the foggy, marshy, wasteland of a set, has you peeking around corners for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. 

Would I recommend seeing it? Yes, and in the theater too. Some of the visuals definitely benefit from the large screen format.

Face Off Episode Four

I actually wasn't going to get around to posting today until I remembered that today is Thursday. That means Face Off was on last night. Last night was Night Terrors. They pulled a Scream movie bit and had Brea answering a cell phone at 3am (the witching hour) and getting everyone dressed and on a bus in 15 minutes. They were all driven to Linda Vista hospital, an abandoned hospital in Los Angeles that was built in the 1920s and is considered one of the most haunted locations in the country, where they were presented with their spotlight challenge.




Fears. We all have them, some more extreme or bizarre than others. This spotlight challenge the artists had to come up with a horror movie villain that personified a phobia. Once they chose a phobia they had 30 minutes, alone, in a dark room of the hospital, to sketch their creations. On day two the mystery judge was reviled; the incomparable Tom Savini! *swoon*




Here is the break down of each character:




Beki: Parasitophobia: The fear of parasites. She created this amazing (hideous) bug like creature. She also was the fastest sculptor by far, earning extra kudos from the judges.






(image source)





RJ: Xyrophobia or the fear of razors. The twisted, evil, doctor creature that RJ created is definitely something that would give me nightmares on the big screen. I could see this kind of character making an appearance in an Eli Roth film.






(image source)





Rayce: Cryophobia or the fear of frost, ice or extreme cold. This was an incredible design with a very poor application. His edges came up and were more than apparent. However due to his very creative design and follow-through of concept he still landed in the top three.






(image source)





Athena: Merinthophobia or the fear of being bound or tied up. Her concept of a rape victim gone rogue was excellent however her execution was just terrible. Her character was almost comical. I honestly would expect to see her creation in a Halloween party, not a movie.






(image source)





Ian: Odontophobia or the fear of teeth. Ian said he was going in a tooth fairy direction. I really expected to see some extension of a Del Toro Don't Be Afraid of the Dark monster. Instead, his slimy, disgusting, and completely MALE character was incredible. Is it just me or does he look like Ron Howard?






(image source)





Brea: Chemophobia or the fear of chemicals. Her creation was supposed to look as if it was covered with mustard gas burns. Instead it looked like a hairless chipmunk! It wasn't scary at all, instead it looked like something to pity.






(image source)





Heather: Ornithophobia or the fear of birds (this is where I make some vague reference to Tippi Hedren.) Her creature had a disgusting a symbiotic relationship with it's little bird minions.






(image source)





Matt: Xerophobia or the fear of dryness. Cool but not original. It looked to me a lot like the scarecrow from the first challenge.






(Image source)





Jerry: Electrophobia or the fear of electricity. His character was a doctor that was obsessed with elector-shock therapy. This moron got overly cocky and completely recast his mask not even bothering to remove it from the mold until he reached the final looks stage. It cost him too. The entire thing was a total train wreck. Instead of looking like his character concept it looked like he left the mask in the car to melt.






(image source)





Sue: Hadephobia or the fear of hell. Her character was a demon (I think) and the elements on their own were really cool but they didn't really mesh together to form a single visual thought.






(image source)


Tara: Ommetaphobia or the fear of eyes. She had no idea where to go with this character. She actually over complicated the entire process by over thinking the fear of eyes. She eventually came up with a half-baked Egyptian thing, She's lucky she was safe.






(image source)





Ian won for his amazing tooth fairy. Not only was it an original and fleshed out concept, his MacGuyver-esque use of cling wrap to texture the chest won him some serious extra points. They sent Brea home. The judges agreed that it was a half-assed execution. Personally I would have sent that ass Jerry home. He's been on the bottom every episode. This so far has been my favorite episode, movie monsters AND Tom Savini!!! *swoon*




Next week Sam Huntington from Being Human guest-stars with a whole bunch of real-life wild animals. The artists must create "beautiful but deadly" makeups inspired by animals. Here's a clip.




I hope y'all are enjoying this season as much as I am.

I Heart Zombies

Greetings and Happy Freaky Friday!

I guess I finally got my creative mojo back. For about tow days I've been dragging around with bare nails *gasp* at a total loss as to what to do with them. Today I reached into a drawer and pulled out one of my favorite shirts. The Boy got it for it. It's a lime green shirt that simply says across the front I <3 Zombies. Then inspiration struck! The color of the shirt is almost identical to my Sally Hanson Lickity-Split Lime and (the swatch is here) away I went.

Here is my Happy Zombie Shirt!

I deceided that I was going to create the phrase across the three center nails and this is what I came up with.

Yes they're upside-down but you can read it that way!

As you can see it is "eye", a stamped hart, and a zombie (kinda). The pinky has his brains showing but alas the thumb is not pictured because it is blank! I simply ran out of ideas. Maybe y'all can help me out and give me a suggestion for the thumb?

If y'all are interested I can do a tutorial on how to recreate this look. Honestly, it was surprisingly simple for a free-hand design. The hardest part was the "brain". It's a combination of beige and a little Sinful Colors 24/7.

Hope y'all have an amazing weekend. I applied for a part time job as a information desk clerk (so I have money for goodies) and am really hoping it works out!

Zombie Mani part Deux

Greetings to my Children of the Night! I hope y'all had a good and week and are enjoying your Sinister Saturday. Admittedly this week was a long one for me and I'm not exactly sad to see the rear end of it. I spent most of Thursday in a total haze after Wednesday night. Friday, while it was the 13th and obviously MY favorite day, it was a bit cold for me. I've really been enjoying our 80 degree weather in January.

This is part two of that fabulous Lickity-Split Lime mani I did earlier in the week. I'm actually a huge fan of the crackle coat trend. Crackle coat hides a multitude of sins and I just really like the effect it gives. So far I only own two but I will definitely be buying more. Today I used my Sally Hanson Ink Splatter. My bottle has gotten a little thick and hard to work with but I love it and am willing to work with it.

This effect to me is to dye for. It looks like that rotting zombie radioactive flesh busting through the black. I even put three coats of a WnW glow-in-the-dark over the green so my green shards glow in the dark. It's very Incredible Hulk.

I hope y'all have a marvelous weekend. Get out and do something exciting and leave me a comment telling me all about it.

Gore & Glitter

Happy New Year to my Children of the Night. I know I've been away for a long time. I had to take some time to reevaluate, and decide what direction I really wanted to go in. It was in this vacuum, that one of my dearest friends dropped a single statement, "Gore & Glitter." I thought, why not?

I may love my gore, horror, and things that go bump in the night but I'm also a plus sized princess on a mission. I want to make goth chic again; think Morticia Addams (in a size18). I love my black clothes, dark eyeliner, and pale complexion. Just because your look is Gothic inspired doesn't mean you have to scare the neighbors. I must admit I still have my moments of wanting to freak out the norms, but that's not an everyday thing.

So here enters my new direction: fashion, gore, make-up, and glitter. In the next month, I'm going to starting a YouTube channel to post video tutorials for my nail and make-up looks, along with recipes. 

To those of you who stayed, I thank you. To anyone new... wait as Something Wicked (and glittery) This Way Comes.

Double Double Toil and Trouble

Hello to my fellow Children of the Night. For years now I have had an obsession with all things horror and Halloween. About a week ago as I was shopping for more Halloween props the clerk in the store described to me her Halloween themed Christmas tree and wistfully exclaimed "why can't it be Halloween all year long?" Struck by this woman’s lament, I was inspired to this, my attempt to bring a little spooky and a little creepy to the rest of the year. I’ll try and cover a variety of topics from gory recipes to the latest horror movie (or TV show). I’m also a resident of Florida and have several fabulous hunted attractions at my disposal this time of year.
At first I can't guarantee more than one post a week, as I find more material though I hope to post at least three of four a week. I hope y’all stick around for the fun as something wicked this way comes.