Dark Shadows Magazine

April

The “2010“ Joe Blasco New York Weekend Seminar

A Special Guest Appearance by the Legend and Pioneer of our industry, Mr. Joe Blasco!

When: April 10^th and 11^th

Where: The New York International Beauty School, 500 8^th Avenue in Manhattan

What: Knowledge and Experience in Clean, Natural, Fashion, Glamour, Avant Garde,

Aging, Bald Capping, Hairwork, Injury Simulation and Gelatin Appliances

Time: 10 am – 4 pm both days

Contact: Michael Roberts at The Hollywood location, 323-467-4949 for pricing and more info.

Seats are Limited, ACT NOW for this “Once in a Lifetime Seminar”.

And Introducing The Grand Opening of The New York School; August 9^th, 2010

To have your event featured, please fill out the contact form

By Genn Shaughnessy

New Year’s Eve is not usually my most favorite occasion to celebrate.  I often find myself at home with a bottle of champagne and a blanket  on my couch. I also find myself watching everyone else crammed the streets of New York City celebrating New Year’s Rocking Eve and flipping the channels to see what else is on. This year I decided to do it differen. After getting an invite from a very close friend to see her husband’s  band  soul session play I was debating whether or not to actually go out. Said friend made up my mind for me by getting our tickets and nailing me down to go.

It always  seems like the best part about going out is the pre-party when getting ready.  Being a makeup artist one of the reasons why don’t usually like to go out on holidays is because I’m so booked fully during the day that by the time is to get ready to go out I’m unusually beat.  This year I decided to make my day shorter, take on less clients and allow for myself to finally have fun. Already being proactive on my New Years resolution to be truer to myself and make more time for myself, I was proud.

I met  Penny at the hotel where we decided to pre-party and drink  a couple bottles of champagne  whilst getting ready.  After  six costume changes,  two hours of makeup and  one hour & 15 minutes of being stabbed in the scalp with bobby pins,  we were finally ready to head out.

The night was already beginning so perfect we walked outside from the hotel looking amazing,  and  unbeknownst to us the venue we were looking for was literally right in front of our eyes  as we walked across the street.  The air was crisp and there was so much excitement we both couldn’t stop smiling,  either that or the champagne was already working.

After living in New York City for so long and experiencing some of the hottest parties that ever happened there,  it was really hard to imagine the experience I was about to have this New Year’s Eve 2009. Upon walking up to the front door I was already impressed by the red carpet arrival and ropes to the entrance. The doorman were extremely polite & courteous, not the typical meathead attitude I’ve usually encountered in most places in downtown Albany.   However, I would expect nothing less for $350 a ticket.

I was even I-D’d  which is always a bonus when you’re in your 30s and trying to hold on to your 20’s.  As we walked in the front we were pleasantly greeted by a lovely  girl who took our jackets for us we then walked through the smoked entrance directly into the party the hors d’oeuvres.  Most of you who know me are probably already  snickering, no I did not start eating immediately, I  made my usual rounds,  scoped out the crowd and checked out the bar situation.

It was reminiscent of my first experience in a club in NYC. I was taken aback by the pumping sound system, the lights flashing, people dancing, champagne flowing and sexy people everywhere. Within our first 15 minutes we were invited into 2 cabanas, “the vault” and ran into numerous people we were acquainted with. Not to mention a Sassy Scotsman in a kilt.

Soul Session outdid themselvse with their signature style and I was pleasantly surprised to hear their own rendition of “(Junk) in a box”. Tim Williams had me thinking I knew how to Salsa dance when he rocked out whatever latin tune that was. My girlfriend and I were twirling away like little Latina’s in a Cantina, again forgetting I was in Albany.

During the midst of all this madness the lights were briefly turned on, then dimmed for the surprise performance of 2 Cirque Du Soleil Entertainers. This lovely little due created magic with their moves and amazed the crowd at what they could do with the arms, legs and muscles I never even knew existed. This sexually suggestive performance was jsut what this crowd needed to get into the mood for kissing at midnight and dirty dancing the rest of the night. Not to mention the heightened excitement from the full moon.

The music was going all night and you could tell even those who were usually on the dance floor were taken in like little puppets on strings. There was so much going on at all times it was just enough to keep me occupied and not too much to throw me into sensory overload. It was the perfect remedy for a perfect night one that I’ll never forget.

Check out more photos by Tom Wall HERE

Have pictures? Please share them with use, we’d love to post them! Email us your digitals and we’ll gladly upload them here.

Pictures@DarkShadowsMedia.com

VENUE 11 North Pearl

CATERING Classe Catering

Photography Tom Wall

BAND Soul Session

If you’re like me, nothing motivates you for a stint at the gym like cute fitness gear! Now, with the launch of Oscar Mimosa’s e-commerce site, which marks the first time the Australia-based yoga wear line is available for purchase in the US, every girl will be looking for an excuse to work out!

Oscar Mimosa uniquely combines style and function, offering high quality, eco-friendly garments that are soft to the touch. Each piece is constructed out of innovative, high performance microfibers that ensure UV protection, durability, and resistance during high intensity work outs.

To view and shop the collection, please visit www.oscarmimosa.com.

Released by AssociatedNews.US  

Mr. L. Rx is the author of the popular DatingToRelating.com website and the author of the popular book “Dating To Relating – From A To Z.” Have a question? Send it to Column@DatingToRelating.com and it may be selected for answer in this column. (Sorry all questions can not be answered.)

Question: Mr. L. Rx, what kind of mistakes have you made on dates that lost you women?  What is the best strategy to use when going on second and third dates, etc.

Answer: I have made plenty of mistakes. There is no one right way for a guy to behave with a woman. But if you use a strategy you will only be right 10-30 percent of the time. If you simply talk to women, ask questions and listen to the answers, they will tell you where they are at about things and what to do to get them. If you approach it this way, you can be right 70-90 percent of the time.

I close about 90 percent of the women I meet on a first date for a second date. And when I get a second date, it is a done deal. A relationship is mine if I want it.

I have made plenty of mistakes over the years however. But usually the ones I lose are the oddball crazy ones. The ones that don’t fit any pattern that I have seen before, but are none-the-less crazy.

For example, I have lost women on dates 2-5 by not being sexually aggressive enough. This usually happened when women were giving me mixed signals. Telling me either verbally or with body language that they didn’t want to have sex yet, then ending things later complaining that I wasn’t aggressive enough.

I have also lost women on dates 2-5 by being too aloof. Usually hot women like it when I am aloof and not chasing after them. I never, never, never tell a woman she is “Hot” on the first date or even for a few dates after that. I might only begin to tell her after we are having sex, how hot I think she is. But occasionally you get a woman who is “hot” with very low self esteem and she needs that attention from guys that most hot women hate. I lose them because they are not confident enough in themselves to chase after me.

Losing the crazy ones is not a big deal to me, however. In fact, I prefer it.

But, if you are a little crazy yourself, you might like that type of girl. So when you get mixed signals or suspect that there may be some deeper insecurity issues or low self esteem going on with a girl that she is not revealing, be a little more observant. Expect the unexpected.

If I had been a little more observant, I probably wouldn’t have lost the crazy ones either.

And finally remember your sex gradients. I’ve talked about them before.

Remember that “Negative Sex talk” (I don’t like it when guys do this and guys do that”, “You can’t have sex with me, yet,” etc.) is the fist gradient of sexual interest. Positive sex talk is the next gradient.

The physical contact gradients come after those. Light touches with the hands while talking, holding hands, kissing, making out, petting, heavy petting, intercourse.

So when a girl is not touching you or kissing you, don’t necessarily give up on her. Talk to her. If she brings up “negative sex talk” or  “positive sex talk” on her own, she is interested in you. But don’t you be the one to bring it up or she might go into “Negative sex talk” as a reaction not as a flirt. Listen to her and see what she originates. Once she brings it up either positive or negative, join in.

Mr. L. Rx

AssociatedNews.US

Posted in Columns, Dating To Relating.Tagged with Columns, Dating & Relationship Advice.

February 6, 2010

AssociatedNews.US

by Durk Dugan

Abuse Is One Reason

Mr. L. Rx and Mr. P. L. Ayer are successful pick up artists who give advice to men about picking up women.

But now these “gurus for men” have decided to start helping the “fairer” sex by giving advice to women about men. On their popular website, DatingToRelating.com, women can learn what men do to trick women, and how to bust a player who is lying and cheating on them.

Besides information on how men lie and cheat, Mr. L. Rx tells women what to watch out for and avoid in their selection of men. Here are Mr. L. Rx’s eight “No Brainers” for women from his website:

1)   If a man ever hits you or slaps you or even threatens you in a rough way – leave him immediately.

2)   If a man tries to move into YOUR apartment because he doesn’t have a job or a place to stay – drop him immediately.  Men are supposed to be the providers. Don’t ever support a man. It may seem cool for a while but in the long run you will regret it.

3)   If a man plays with you like you are one of his buddies – drop him instantly. If he can’t make the distinction between men and women, he is a real idiot.

4)   If a man doesn’t have any men friends or his men friends are a bunch of jerks – drop him immediately. There is a reason men (or good men) don’t like him.

5)   If a guy is jealous or possessive for no reason – drop him now! When people are jealous or paranoid for no reason at all, they are projecting their own moral code on you. They are saying, “If I were in that situation I would be cheating on her, so I know she is cheating on me.” Want to know if I guy would ever cheat on you? This is your biggest clue.

6)   If a guy wants a committed relationship after one date – run for the hills!!! This guy is nuts! And even if he is not acting like it now, you’ll find out the hard way sooner or later if you continue with him.

7)   If a guy walks up to you on the street and tells you how hot you are – well just mosey on away… then run for the hills!

8)   And of course, if he is married or in a relationship, drop him the minute you find out. This is the biggest “no brainer” of all. If he cheats on her, he will cheat on you. Don’t buy into his sad story of how bad she treats him and what a great guy he is. He is a liar and a cheat. Don’t find out the hard way. Just drop him.

For more information on men, women, and relationships visit DatingToRelating.com.

AssociatedNews.US

By Durk Dugan

Discover New Music

I stumbled upon an interesting website the other day. It is called ReverbNation.com. It is a site that promotes up and coming bands as well as well established ones. (For example Jason Mraz and Madonna are on there)

After giving up on MySpace as a place to discover new bands years ago, I found ReverbNation to be refreshingly unblemished. Now for those of you who don’t know there are hundreds of services that will get you Myspace friends and plays for a fee – thus the rankings on Myspace Music don’t really mean much anymore.

Not so at Reverb Nation. Apparently their ranking formula is sufficiently complex that you can’t get a high rank by just getting hits or plays. According to their website, if you are getting a lot of hits, their ranking formula will expect to see plays. And if you are getting a lot of plays then their formula would expect to see friends and fans signing up, and so forth. So visits and plays can actually start working against you at Reverb Nation if you don’t get the consequent actions.

I listened to the top 10 bands worldwide from all genres on the homepage of ReverbNation. They were (in order from 1 to 10): Jason Mraz, Underoath, Madonna, Andres Lopez, The Lords Of Easton, Depeche Mode, Dead Sara, Eric Michael Hopper, Pantera, and Howie Day.

My absolute favorite band was Dead Sara. Man do those girls rock! And the lead Singer, Emily, absolutely has the best female rock voice since Janis Joplin. A close second was another rock band, The Lords of Easton. Wow! What a dynamic duet. Their vocals are great!

Then I listened to the top 10 bands worldwide from the rock genre. They were (in order from 1 to 10): Underoath, The Lords of Easton, Dead Sara, OTEP, RockRioBrazil, Everclear, Our Lady Peace, Hit The Lights, Dave Alvin, Trans-Siberia Orchestra.

My favorites were of course Dead Sara, and The Lords Of Easton, but there was another new band I never heard of before that I absolutely loved – Hit The Lights, an Australian rock band with a great sound.

You can check the charts worldwide, by country, or within your local area to discover bands. There are links to Amazon, Itunes, Rhapsody, Napster from the band’s home pages. You can join their fan’s lists, become an active “street team” member and help promote the band if you really like them, email the bands, get a list of their shows, and much more.

This is a great service that allowed me to discover a dozen or so new bands that I really like that I never heard of before. If you are like me and like discovering new bands and music, you might want to check out ReverbNation.com.

By Durk Dugan

by Genn Shaughnessy

You can’t have a look like this without finishing it with an eyebrow eyebrows are so important for framing the face and the eyes.  one of the things people don’t realize is that everything on our face creates a boundary for where people are looking.  since her eyes are generally our most important feature it’s important to accentuate them and further contain them with a suggested line like an eyebrow.  there are so many things that can happen when creating an eyebrow most people choose to go extremely thin which generally signifies sickness when you look at someone whose hair is thinning or whose eyebrows are thin it leads us to believe subconsciously that their not well.  so it’s important to choose a healthy shape.  this can also go the opposite way,  you also want to be careful not to have to think of a brow because of its too thick  that’s all someone is going to be staring at and we don’t want that either.

When creating a brow,  I personally like to choose the color that’s very close to the person’s hair color may be a tad bit darker maybe a little bit later.  For lighter color hair I generally go a little but darker,  and for extremely dark hair I tend to go a little bit lighter.   There are three points to the eyebrow that are essential when creating a shape; the tail end, the arch and the inner corner.  You can take a pencil a makeup brush or  straightedge  and begin by looking  in the mirror  at the side of your nose.  Line your straight edge along side of your nose so it goes over your tear ducts straight up towards your brow.  This is where the inner corner begins.  Using the same plane on your nose align it on the outside of your eye so it lines up with the corner of your eye again over your brow this is approximately where it should end.  If you raise your browse when you look into the mirror, use your thumb and hold it right where it’s curved this is approximately where your arch should be.  These are good guidelines to follow when creating your shape how thick you choose is up to you but again this is a guideline it’s just an approximate space where this should be.

NOW, after deciding what shape you want, get it waxed! I highly suggest going to a PROFESSIONAL to do this. Not your girlfriend who offers to “help” you or your daughter in cosmetology school. You need THE BEST you can get to handle such an important focus on your face.

Whether you choose  a pencil powder or eyebrow gel is up to you.  It all depends on the texture, consistency and shade you want.  Since I personally like the browse to be groomed and filled then I generally choose an eyebrow powder along with the wax.  I use the powder for color and to fill in any spaces where the hair is lacking and  then use the wax with my fingertip to groom it in place and keep it that way.  for women like me who have scarring in their eyebrows wax is a great tool to use on scar tissue before applying color.  This will help adhere  the eyebrow powder to scar tissue that usually has a hard time keeping it in place.

Basically what you’re doing is using your eyebrow product on your natural brow follow where your natural hair grows and fill in.  The hardest part, like mostly everything in life is knowing not doing.  It’s not the filling in that’s a challenge its is knowing where to fill it in and what shape you want. That’s  what you’ll figure out when assessing your brows in the mirror and getting em waxed by a PROFESSIONAL first.

Photo: Lorraine Murphy

MakeUp Artist: Genn Shaughnessy

Model: Lirabelle Du Prix

Try Form a Brow Kit by Senna Cosmetics. It has everything you need for deciding shape and making it happen. All that’s missing is your personal waxer to rid you of your uneccessary hairs!

GET THE LOOK:

MakeUp Artist Genn Shaughnessy created this flawless canvas by starting with basic skincare targeted to this individual client.  Here we interview her to find out exactly how she went about it.

“I created this flawless look for Alicia on a set of PinUp Makeover.  Alicia had no challenges when it came to skin,  so I used the basic lotion  and eye cream  without an SPF  and coated it with Jemma Kidds make up primer.

Since I always began with eyes,  I prepped the eyelid using a very thin layer of Mac Cosmetics eyeshadow paints  in still life  using my large concealer brush.  I then used  my large eyeshadow brush  and pressed in  a very thick layer of her eyelids color  in which case I used MAC  Vex.  with a very large fluffy eyeshadow brush I  a gently swept it on the brow bone  with Senna  buttercream eyeshadow.  next using my crease brush,  I dipped the tip into a medium green eyeshadow,  and using a motion much like a windshield wiper sweeps back and forth I carved the crease teetering in between her eyelid and her brow.  I wanted to be sure that I didn’t get too much on the island itself because if I did,  it would have looked too dark and made her eyes looked too small.

moving on to eyeliner I always like to use an angled eyeliner brush I used the same eyeshadow as they did for her eyelid and for her crease.  first I took a pencil smudging brush and use the eyelid color to  follow the tear duct  from her top lid underneath her bottom lashes into the center of her eye.  then taking my eyeliner brush because the dream that was used for her crease and lined the rim underneath her eye into her lash line.

Since I want her lashes to be really prominent I decided to go with a really thick volumizing mascara, so I went with Jan Marini’s.  I like it because the brush is extremely big and fat but it also has a ton of bristles that are really close together and they really separate the lashes.

For the color in her face I decided to go with a really natural looking blush I use a minimal amount of a highlighter on her of the bridge of her nose and along the cheekbones to make them look higher.  than for lips and decided to go the little pop of color since our model decided to go over not sure out in the clothing department I thought it best to match her lips to the accent color on flower in her hair.

To create a natural look with flush all you really need to do is smile.  See that little apple that happens when you smile in your face tightens?  That’s where your blush goes. Use a nice sized blush brush,  put most of it there and the rest of it bring it back to your temple.  You can use a fan brush or a stiple brush for the powdered highlighter that you choose.

Sure but the key to any good makeup application is  blending and for that you need good makeup brushes.  know where you wanted to know how to apply it and if you don’t like the way it looks you’re not applying it correctly.  so just keep blending until you can’t see any visible lines and separation.”

Photo: Lorraine Murphy

MakeUp Artist: Genn Shaughnessy

Model: Alisha

Products Suggested

Jan Marini

Marini Mascara

$80.00

Mac Cosmetics

eyeshadow paint

$16.50

Jemma Kidd PRO

Skin Rescue Bio-Complex Primer

$42.00

Senna cosmetics

Buttercream Eyeshadow

$16.50

Senna cosmetics

Tigress blush

$19.00

DEX  New York

Luminescent Powder

$32.00

Adesign

flat topped foundation brush

$30.00

Smashbox

Definer (pencil) brush

$28.00

Smashbox

Fan brush

$18.00

EVENTS

Hope your New Years Celebration was as good as ours! Here in Albany, the hottest party was at 11 North Pearl. Swinging tunes from Soul Session, Performances by Cirque Du Soleil and Hors d’oeuvres provided by Classe Catering. Get the low-down of this swanky and sexy New Years party that made my NYE, the best one EVER HERE.

BEAUTY

Open your eyes, fix your brows! MakeUp Artist and Beauty Editor, Genn Shaughnessy shows us, step by step how to achieve PRO status. Plus other tips to accentuating eyes, lashes and lips. Get the look HERE

HIMSELF

Any of you men out there need advice for picking up the ladies? Tired of getting cock-blocked by your wingman? He could actually be helping you. HERE Dating Dr,  Mr L Rx gives you some tips on taking tips from your man-dates

HERSELF

Ladies if you think your man’s a loser, you’ve already answered your own questions. But, just in case you weren’t sure check out these 8 reasons to drop him IMMEDIATELY HERE

ENTERTAINMENT

Myspace isn’t the only site online to promote up and coming musicians HERE Durk Dugan tells all you little music buffs where to get your song track fixes.

NEXT MONTH

The BIG V

Valentines Day

Hot Date Attire

Hot Boudoir satin and lace

Sensual Scents

and more!