Category: General

Book Reports: Becoming a Belly Dancer is Almost Done!

Post author By Davina
Post date September 1, 2016

Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage is almost finished! We’ve just received proof 5 in the mail and are hard at work making the final changes that will help make this publication as perfect as possible! With 402 pages and over 1000 images of dancers of all levels of performance from complete beginner to seasoned professional and every thing in between. I’m very proud to have been invited to join the team of four authors who contributed their expertise and knowledge from different areas of the belly dance world.

There are so many wonderful things to say about this book, that I’m going to have to create a whole separate page here on my website to share with you all the details! But here are some pages from the book to check out while we finish up over the next few weeks. Our anticipated release is Mid October or sooner. Join my mailing list to get the first notification of availability and early-bird pricing and pre-orders.

I only have 18 pages to layout out, and a list of edits to complete, and then it will go for it’s sixth and final proofing. At this moment, we are contemplating a mid October release. This week, we held three photoshoots of Sara Shrapnell, the lead author, Shalimar and Basinah, two talented professional dancers from the greater SF Bay Area. I just randomly pulled images from the pile to share. Today’s todo list includes selecting the perfect shots from these photoshoots, prepping and placing them into our document.

We do have a plan for offering signed pre-orders via Kickstarter, but we are still working on the details. In the meantime, I’ve got a lot of beautiful photos to sort through, book layout that needs fine-tuning, and a list of edits that grows shorter by the day.

For more information about my co-authors, visit their websites!

Sara Shrapnell: http://www.letsbellydanceusa.com
Poppy Maya: http://www.poppymaya.co.uk/
Alisha Westerfeld: http://alishawesterfeld.smugmug.com/

General Makeup and Appearance

Makeup I love, part 1

Post author By Davina
Post date August 2, 2016

Daily Makeup Products
31 day belly dance makeup YouTube vlogging challenge

Throughout the month of July, 2016, I’ve been working on a 31 day vlogging challenge and have been putting together a variety of fantastic looks for attending, mc’ing, and performing in dance shows. In some videos I go into more details than others about the products I choose to use to build the look. Although there are a few products that I’ve only used once or twice, most notably, lipstick, there has been a consistent set of basic cosmetics that I turn to again and again throughout this challenge. Below is a list of the products I’ve had on my studio work table turned vanity throughout this challenge. There are a lot of things on this list, but know that I would NEVER wear them all at once! Because I’ve changed lipstick and lip liner virtually every day of this challenge, I will be putting together a second list of lip products that I have been using and like. The list of lip products would be longer than all the rest put together, so they will get their own list.

Because my mandate was to use drugstore and affordable internet cosmetics, I did buy some products untested and found that occasionally, I got something just didn’t work out for me. In the list below, I’ve only included in this list the products that I really like and that have really worked for me. So if you see it here, it’s been a winner for my over 40 dry skin. Wanna watch the videos? Check out this YouTube playlist.

Happy Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Aug. 2, 2016

Skin Prep
Boots No7 – Protect & Perfect Advanced Serum
Boots No7 – Protect & Perfect Intense Eye Cream
Garnier – Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream for Dry Skin
CeraVe – Sunscreen Face Lotion SPF 50
St. Ives – Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Moisturizer
Studio Davina – Hydration Spray – with grape seed oil and glycerine

Complexion
L’Oréal – Revitalift Miracle Blur
Boots No7 – Instant Illusion Wrinkle Filler
Rimmel – Lasting Finish Liquid Foundation (Ivory)
L’Oréal – True Match Foundation (N2 Classic Ivory)
Nyx – Dark Circle Concealer (Light)
Nyx – Above & Beyond Full Coverage Concealer (Fair)
BH Cosmetics – Pro Perfecting Concealer (Light)
Physicians Formula – Super BB Compact Cream SPF 30 (Light Medium)
Physicians Formula – Super CC Powder SPF 30 (Light Medium)
L’Oréal – True Match Powder – (C2 Natural Ivory)

Eye Shadow – Cream Bases and Powders
Nyx – Jumbo Eye Pencil (Various Colors)
LA Girl – HD Pro Primer Eyeshadow Stick (Black, White, and Nude)
Maybelline – Color Tattoo by Eye Studio Metal (Silver Strike)
Wet N’ Wild – Color Icon Shadow Palette (Tunnel Vision)
BH Cosmetics – Foil Eyes Palette
BH Cosmetics – Carli Bybel Eyeshadow & Highlighter Palette
BH Cosmetics – Galaxy Chic Baked Eyeshadow Palette
BH Cosmetics – Take me to Brazil Eyeshadow Palette
BH Cosmetics – Wilde & Alluring – Baked Eyeshadow & Highlighter Palette

Eye Liner, Brows, Mascara & Lashes
Physicians Formula – Shimmer Strips Eyeliner Trio (Nude Collection and Blue Eye Collection)
Essence – Eyeliner Pen Waterproof – (Deep Black)
L’Oréal – Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner 24 hr (Blackest Black)
Covergirl – The Super Sizer Mascara, Waterproof (Very Black)
Daiso – Assorted Japanese Eyelashes
BH Cosmetics – Studio Pro HD Brow Pencil (Brunette)
Colourpop – Brow Pencil (Black N’ Brown)
Maybelline – Eye Studio Brow Define and Fill Duo (Deep Brown)
L’Oréal – Brow Stylist Plumper Brow Gel Mascara (Medium to Dark)

Blush, Bronzer & Highlighter
Maybelline – Master Glaze Blush – ((All Discontinued 🙁 — sorry))
Makeup Revolution – Ultra Blush & Contour Palette (Sugar & Spice)
Rimmel – Kate Sculpting Kit (001- Golden Sands)
Ulta – Sculpting Palette (Astoria & Rosette)
L’Oréal – True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator (Ice)
ELF – Illuminating Palette

Lips

A list of the lip products used in the 31 day vlogging challenge will be included in its own upcoming post.

Tags Cosmetics, makeup

General Makeup and Appearance

Final Week of #31 Day Belly Dance Makeup Vlogging Challenge – Home Stretch

Post author By Davina
Post date August 1, 2016

Hello Gang!

Here’s an update on that #31daybellydancemakeup vlogging challenge I attempted in July 2016. I missed a few days, so this challenge is spilling over into August as I start day 24 in a few minutes. Over the past month, I’ve learned a lot about myself, my makeup skills, and the art of editing video. I’ve gotten a lot of messages about this project and I thought I would share a few thoughts on why this has been such an experience.

Q – Why did you do this?

A – Because video is scary, and the only way to get comfortable doing it – is to do it. So like a hot day at the pool, I dove into the deep end with a big challenge to get over the pain all at once! It is my hope, that I will be able to get to work on a series of video tutorials for my costuming techniques in the fall when my latest book projects are completed. As I work on finishing up Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage, A Stage Craft handbook by Sara Shrapnell, Alisha Westerfeld, Poppy Maya and myself, I realized the project is at the point where it’s more routine and detail oriented than creative and fun. This video project gives me a great creative outlet, while learning new video editing skills to use in the future.

Q – How are you making your videos?

A – On my iPhone. I’m shooting the video on the front-facing camera of my iPhone. I’m using iMovie for IOS on my phone to do my editing, and uploading to YouTube and FaceBook directly from my phone.

Q – Why do Makeup Challenge?

A – Because it felt like a challenge, but doable. There’s no way I could have invested the time into making a costume every day! This seemed like a challenge that I could take on that was of a manageable daily time commitment, something that is important to the overall “look” of a belly dancer, and by sticking to affordable internet and drugstore products, I was able to keep the costs within my budget.

Q – What has been the hardest part of this project?

A – Making time for it! Depending on the day, I would spend a lot, or a little bit of time on these makeup looks. Some days it went amazingly fast. On other days, I would have difficulty speaking or thinking of something to say. “I did this makeup because I HAD to” just isn’t interesting. As I have become more relaxed speaking to the back of my phone, I’ve found it’s been easier to shoot, and consequently easier to edit.

Ultimately, as I enter the last week of this challenge, I’ve learned I really enjoy making videos, playing with makeup, and that there IS such a thing as false eyelashes that are “too big.” I’m adding each of the days to a playlist so that people who really want to see the complete arc of the challenge can check it out. Now it’s time to go and put on another face and make a video.

Happy Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Aug. 1, 2016

General

Updates: Becoming a Belly Dancer & Vlogging Challenge

Post author By Davina
Post date July 20, 2016

Hello Gang!

I’m pausing to take a quick breath! I’ve been working harder than ever in my entire life. I’m part of the team putting together the upcoming book “Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.” This is 402 page text book tackles the art of stagecraft. I’m in charge of the book layout and I’ve been working on it daily. The end is near! Here’s a few of the most recent finished layouts.

I’m still working on the #31daybellydancemakeup vlogging challenge. I’ve been learning how to shoot vlog-style videos and editing them all on my cell phone. Although this has been quite a challenge, and more time consuming than I would have expected, I am managing to work on the channel. Keeping up with the editing and uploading has been the biggest hurdle. Putting on makeup and filming the footage takes about an hour. Editing, however, can take hours! Some of the videos show the struggle of learning, but they are getting better! Here’s my favorite so far.

Since several people have requested demos on how I build up my turbans, moving forward from here, I will be incorporating those techniques into my vlogs.

Keep your eyes open for the upcoming Kickstarter campaign, to help us raise the funds for our upcoming first print run.

Happy Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
July, 20, 2016

General Makeup and Appearance

Vlogging Challenge: 31 Days of Belly Dance Makeup

Post author By Davina
Post date July 9, 2016

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

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Daily Makeup Products 31 day belly dance makeup YouTube vlogging challenge

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31 day belly dance makeup YouTube vlogging challenge