Categories
General Makeup and Appearance

Vlogging Challenge: 31 Days of Belly Dance Makeup

Hello and WELCOME to a #31DayBellyDanceMakeup Vlogging Challenge!

Over the past few months,  I’ve been very very busy working on the upcoming book, “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.”  I have been very focussed on the image creation, text, layout, and editing and so forth. Unfortunately, in the press to get the book done, I have let my blog languish.  Now that we’re in the final stages of the book development process, I’m eager to get back to the basics and start sharing more content here.

I’ve been thinking about how to dive back into weekly blogging, and I thought to myself, why not spend the month of July putting the tips and tricks about belly dance makeup that we present in chapter 3, Personal Appearance.  Performance makeup is one of the most important, and often overlooked part of the complete visual package.  So each day during the month of July 2016, I’ll be putting on a new and different belly dance look!  As a bonus, I’m going to stick to using only affordable makeup products in these demos.

Folks who have taken my costuming classes or workshops, have heard me break down visual appearance into these five layers:

1 – The body – This is your intrinsic condition, muscle tone, health, energy, tone, and all the other  aspects of the physical body.

2 – Grooming – This is how you care and prepare your skin and hair.  This includes all of your beauty regimens, hairstyle, makeup, and perfume.

3 – Costuming – This layer is my favorite, and includes the garments that you wear to perform in.

4 – Accessories – This layer includes all of the accessories that finish your look.  Jewelry, hair accessories, and made-to-match pieces that are made out of the same materials as the costume.

5 – Props – Many dancers don’t think about their props as having an impact on their overall look, but the veil, wings, swords, trays and other balance props all have an impact on your overall look.
I have never done any vlogging before so this is a totally new and exciting project!  Now that I’ve got a week of vlogs posted over on YouTube, I felt it was high-time to share this project here.

Over the course of the next three weeks, I’ll be learning a lot about the nuts and bolts of making and editing videos while I share with you my top tips for creating a belly dance performance face.  If you have any questions or comments – please don’t hesitate to email me at davina@davina.us or message me via social media.

July 9, 2016
Dawn Devine ~ Davina

Categories
Costuming DIY General Publications

From Sashes to Bedlah – Quick and Easy Bra and Belt Part 1

Assiut-Belt-Supplies-web

Taking a moment from the production of my new collaborative book project, Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.  I’m going to be performing at a show on April 10, and am thinking of whipping up a quick bra and belt set and considered using some assiut.  However, I should be working on items that can appear in the upcoming book, so I’ve switched gears and am making a simple bra and hip belt out of a trio of affordable coin belts which just arrived in the mail.  This hip sashes transformed into bedlah set is of the easiest “first costume” projects.  I’ll be taking photos of this project for the new book, and we will be including directions in chapter 10 of the upcoming book. We’ve already made Sara Shrapnell’s version, which she has affectionately dubbed her “Treasure Chest” costume and with luck, each of us authors will have a version of this costume by the time this book project is finished!Sara-HipWrap-BW-WEB

Quick and Easy Bra and Belt Set

Materials Needed:

2-4 hip sashes for the outer covering
1 lingerie bra to use as a base for the finished costume bra
1 yard buckram for belt base
1/2 yard of fleece for belt base
5 yards of grosgrain ribbon to reinforce belt base and make straps
Fabric Glue to prep the embellishment for cutting into pieces
Thread to match the color of the hip sashes
Hooks and eyes for closures
Sewing Kit – Scissors, hand sewing needles, thread conditioner, pins, thimble, dark and light marking pencils
Sewing equipment – Sewing machine, ironing board

Step One – Find Inspiration & Do Research
When you decide that you are going to make this style of costume, your first step is to research your options, in other words, go shopping.  Find a point of inspiration.  For me, I’ve already been working on putting together a purple, black and silver costume.  I have two, fluffy and full tiered dancing skirts one in purple and one in black with purple stitching.  These two existing skirts are underutilized in my wardrobe, so I searched for three matching hip sashes to craft a bedlah.  The internet is a vast, vast place.  Shop your favorite belly dance vendors, at your local mall, and digital outlets like ebay, etsy or even Amazon.com.

Step Two – Assemble the Materials
Once you have a design in mind, and have sourced the materials and supplies, it’s time to make a shopping list.  Be sure to “shop your stash” for things you may have in your collection already.  If you are working under a tight budget, be sure to keep your bottom line in mind!  As a professional costumer, I buy grosgrain ribbon, buckram, and closures in wholesale quantities and prices, so I’ve always got these items around. But if you’re picking things up at your local fabric store, try as much as possible, to capitalize on sales and special offers.

Next week, I will continue working on this project,
Until then ~ Happy Costuming and Dance,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
April 1, 2016

PS – Be sure to visit Sara’s website for more details about our upcoming book!

 

Purple-Coin-Sash-Web

 

Cover_Design_2015 WEBComing Soon!

 

Categories
Belly Dance Costuming DIY General

Window Shopping – Post Rakkasah West 2016

Just a few short weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending Rakkasah West 2016.  One of the ensembles I spotted, and absolutely fell in love with, were the costumes worn by troupe Neshee Dolu.  This troupe is directed by my friend Sara Shrapnell, belly dance instructor and my co-author for the upcoming “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.”   What I fell in love with is how simple and elegant these ensembles look on a wide variety of body types.  Since I know her troupe will be wearing different costumes next year, I think I may have to pick up one of these ensembles for myself.  If you find this ensemble appealing for yourself, or your troupe, scroll blow this image for click-through links to the Dahlal website.

Happy Costuming,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
3-23-2016

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Belly Dance - Window Shopping

 

Belly Dance – Window Shopping by davinadevine on Polyvore

Categories
General

Costumer’s Notes Magazine Moves to a New Home

Hello Gang!

Just a little bit of news today.  We have moved the 2013 special edition of Davina’s Costumer’s Notes to the Issuu.com platform.  This is a great place for finding, reading, and sharing magazines and great features allowing folks to flip through magazines and enjoy the visual content.  Issuu now also offers a print option, and we made the choice to move from our old hosting service because it offers more versatility and more options to print in color or black/white, in two sizes, and either as a book or a magazine.  I want to help my readers get the best value possible!   But really, it’s just so pretty to look at and easy to read on the Issuu site, I had to move it.

It is my hope that you will enjoy this magazine and come back for future projects that I will be sharing via the Issuu site in the coming months!

Thank you so very much for your continued support and readership. Enjoy!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Feb. 29, 2016

Categories
General Makeup and Appearance

Micellar Waters – Gentle Cleansing Technology from France

Micellar Waters - Facial Cleansers and Makeup Removers| www.davina.usDeveloped in France, but sweeping the globe, micellar water is a soap-free skin cleanser and makeup remover you simply wipe on, and then wipe away with no rinsing.  This product is pronounced variously as “Mice-Ler” or “My Celler,” but properly as “Me-sell-air,” (you earn extra style bonus points if you can add a lovely French accent.) Originally, this was a cleansing product designed for Parisian women who live with very hard, mineralized water.  Parisian water is so hard, it makes it difficult to rinse away dirt and makeup and to really feel clean.  It can also be quite harsh and irritating to the skin.

Micellar water is a 90’s era technology based on an ancient and proven makeup removing technique, using oil for skin cleansing. In a nut-shell, Micelles are tiny balls of cleansing oil molecules suspended in softened water. When you apply micellar water to the face, the micelles bond with the dirt, lifting makeup and oil from the skin. The water rinses as you go, leaving your skin smooth and clean. Micellar waters are free of soaps, detergents, and alcohol, making them quite gentle even for the most sensitive skin types. 

The international cult favorite brand is Bioderma from France. But fortunately for us, micellar water is now available from companies worldwide and at nearly every price point.  However, not all brands perform the same, so be prepared to test drive a few and shop around for the perfect balance of performance and price.

Benefits of using a Micellar Water

  • Travel – So, this is a killer product to travel with.  You can cleanse your face anywhere.  You don’t need to rinse the product off, so no sink is needed.  This makes it perfect for “Glamping” out in the wilderness or for keeping your skin clean on a long-haul flight.
  • Quick Changes – Doing a photoshoot and need a variety of looks?  You can use micellar water to very quickly wipe off your makeup without leaving residue that will interfere with your next makeup application. 
  • Combating Sensitivity – I have super sensitive eyes.  Practically every makeup remover burns and makes them watery, red, and irritated.  I have found that using micellar water to remove the bulk of my eye makeup reduces irritation and, frankly, stinging pain.

Downsides to Micellar Water

  • Best for normal, combo, and dry skins.  Oily skinned users may not find it as effective as a traditional makeup remover.
  • Not always effective against water proof makeup.  I personally use the bi-phase Garnier micellar water that includes silicone and is more effective against the waterproof makeup I wear for performance.
  • Not all formulations are the same.  If you are having so-so results trying out micellar water, you might want to switch to another brand or formulation.  Every skin is different, so what works for your best buddy, may not work perfectly for you.
  • Product may leave a film.  Because the micelles are oil, products with more micelles held in suspension will sometimes leave a slightly oily film to the skin.  While dryer complected people might enjoy this result, normal to oily skin types might find the need to rinse with water or even do a second cleanse with a more traditional product.

Using Micellar Water

    • Saturate a disposable cotton pad, cotton ball, or cotton bud. 
    • For eye makeup removal – hold the saturated pad against your eyes for a  with a gentle press.  Gently wipe the makeup away.
    • For face cleaning, use the saturated pads like a wipe to cleanse all the skin. 
    • Repeat if needed, especially if you’re tackling stage makeup.

More Info on Micellar Waters:

  • 10 Best Micellar Waters at Vogue UK – 
  • Micellar Cleansing Water: The Guilt-Free Alternative to Cleansing Wipes at Marie Claire UK 
  • Can Micellar Water Replace Your Whole Skincare Routine?  at Elle

In the US, Micellar waters are available in both drugstore and department store brands. Shop around and pick one to try and see if you like the results!  Below are a list of links to some of the top ranked brands if you need a spring board for shopping. 

Dawn Devine
Feb. 23, 2016

Affordable Drugstore Micellar Waters

  • Garnier SkinActive Bi-Phase Micellar Cleansing Water  *My Favorite* – At Ulta  
  • Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water  – At Ulta  
  • Simple Cleansing Micellar Water – At Ulta
  • Boots – Simply Sensitive Gentle Micellar Water  – At Ulta 
  • La Roche-Posay Physiological Micellar Solution, Sensitive skin – At Ulta

Higher End Brands

Micellar Waters-WEB