Categories
General Makeup and Appearance

Makeup 2018: Inventory – Purge – Restock

Belly Dance Makeup: Inventory - Purge - Restock

I love makeup!

But the truth is, I simply have too much!  Each year in January I take the time to conduct an annual inventory of my entire makeup collection. I began this tradition back when I was a pro-dancer. The first two weeks of January have traditionally been a slow season after the whirlwind of holiday parties and festivities. This yearly makeup inventory gives me a reason to touch every beauty product, evaluate what I have, and make plans for the new year.

Photo: My “go-to” look to pair with black and silver assiut.  These are two of the ladies in my drop-in troupe Swirl on Dec. 10, 2017.  From left: me, redvelvet, and Zemira at HaflAdira.

2017 Makeup Review

Last year, I realized that my makeup collection had grown to epic proportions. Instead of a makeup bag for my “daily face,” and a larger makeup bag for my “Davina face,” I had four small bins of redundant lipstick, eyeshadow, and blush. Some of this was acquired because I wanted to try new things. However, a lot of it arrived at my home in the form of subscription services.

Why did I quit makeup subscription services?
Read “My Last Ipsy Bag” from January 2017

In 2017, my initial plan was to use up my makeup collection.  I was just going to plow through it all, not buying anything, and allowing my collection to naturally thin. Then, as products ran out, I would proceed forward replacing only products that I needed. If I already owned a duplicate, I would simply turn to the next item in the category and use them up until the category was completely depleted.  

What I learned shocked me!  Some makeup products takes a long, long time to use up!  This is especially true for colored products like eyeshadow and lipstick. While I expected to use up dozens of products last year, it turns out, I was wildly optimistic. Over the course of 2017, I only managed to finish 2 lipsticks, one concealer wheel, one bb cream, and one foundation! Most of my other products are a bit more “used” but far from finished.

Makeup Inventory Spreadsheet

This year, because I simply have too much quantity, I am implementing a very simplified inventory method. Over the next four weeks, I’m going to gather all my products together, sort them by product class, and do a basic count. I’m using a simple Google spreadsheet that I will be able to access from my phone. Having a cloud-based spreadsheet will make it easy to reference when on the go. So on those days when I’m out and about shopping and tempted to impulse buy, I can refer to my inventory spreadsheet to see what I actually need.

Simple Makeup Inventory Spreadsheet

Goal Setting

When I was setting up this makeup spreadsheet, I wanted to make it more goal-based and so I added some check-in dates. As I move through the year, my goal is to revisit my collection and continue to purge items that I’m simply not reaching for.  So even if I choose to keep something during my inventory process, if I haven’t reached for it by June, I have to question my motivation, and perhaps let these unused products go. 

How do I fund my makeup collection?  I turn Minutes into Makeup!

Makeup Purge

As I sort the products into their various categories for evaluation and tally, I like to actively purge the obvious items that, with a single glance, need to be thrown away.  Anything that has separated, grown a film, hardened over, or broken apart immediately gets tossed directly into the bin. I treasure my skin, and it’s easy for me to toss any suspicious products to avoid irritations, breakouts, and potential infections.

Photo: The pile on the table is all being purged.  What’s in the container is staying.

Check Use by Dates

This image indicates a "use after" date. This product should be used within 12 months of opening. If your beauty products are older, purge them for your health and safety. Once all the obvious problems have been eliminated, and the products have been sorted by category, I then begin checking expiration dates.  Like food, makeup does expire. Traditional and commercial products do have preservatives, but they do deteriorate over time, allowing mold and bacteria grow.  There are some standards that apply to makeup with dates from “date of open.”  Products in the US are marked with the “open container” icon with a date in months or years.  This indicates the time the products are good after they are opened.

  • 3-6 months: Mascara
  • 6 mo – 1 year:  Eyeliner if you “double dip” with gels 6 mo.  Pencils dry out.
  • 1 – 2 years: Pencil Products – eyeliner, lip liner
  • 1 – 2 year: Liquid and cream products like foundations
  • 1 – 2 years: Lipsticks – Liquid lipsticks less time, bullet lipsticks longer

All Natural Makeup  3 months – 1 year

The rule of thumb is to treat all natural cosmetics the same way you treat food.  Without preservatives and stabilizers, these products will go bad faster.  Keeping your all natural makeup in the fridge can extend the life of preservative-free products.  Be sure to pay close attention to the texture and scent of your products to avoid products that have gone off.

If you are interested in seeing some of my makeup looks,
check out my 2017 Makeup Playlist.

BH Cosmetics issued an expanded version of their iconic "Take me to Brazil" eyeshadow palette with the expanded "Take me BACK to Brazil."

Restock

This year, because I am starting the year with so many products in each category, too many, really, I only am restocking one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes.  in 2017, BH Cosmetics re-released their classic “Take me to Brazil” eyeshadow palette in an expanded format called, “Take me BACK to Brazil.”  This 35 color pressed pigment palette costs $16.99 or less depending on the day, BH Cosmetics offers a LOT of sales.  As a performing dancer, I feel like this palette offers me every color I could need.

I also invested in a second colorful palette from BH to inspire new looks in 2018. The Zodiac Palette has a selection of shimmery baked eyeshadows that I’m looking forward to experimenting with to create a host of new looks.  It will be several months before I need to buy anything else, and this gives me opportunities now only to freshen up my makeup looks, but to have the fun of playing with new colors.

Bigger Collection = More Time-Consuming Project

One of the results of having a bigger collection is the realization that this inventory is not going to happen in an afternoon!  It’s going to take me several afternoons of swatching and testing to get this spreadsheet completely and accurately filled out. I’ll be sure to share an update when the project is finished.

Best of luck with your makeup review,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
January 3, 2018

BH Cosmetics - Zodiac Eyeshadow Palette - great for making belly dance looks!

PS – I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that I’m not an affiliate of BH Cosmetics. I am simply a happy customer who really enjoys using their products.  I’m especially fond of their eyeshadow, concealer wheel, and powder blushes.

If you like the eyeshadow palettes above (Take Me Back to Brazil) and left (Zodiac,) I recommend visiting their website and signing up for their mailing list so that you can take advantage of their best offers.  While I cannot vouch for every product they make, I don’t mind taking risks with eyeshadow when their prices are affordable.

But do your research. There are plenty of reviews on YouTube and on blogs across the globe. Good luck finding the products that suit you!

Categories
General Publications

Self Publishing on the Belly Geek Podcast

Happy Holidays!  I’m ending the year with a bang!

Belly Dance Geek Podcast
Self Publishing for Dancers
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017
8 pm Eastern – 5 pm Pacific

I’m so pleased to have been invited to join the amazing hostess Nadira Jamal on her Belly Geek podcast. This is one of my favorite podcasts to listen to, and my second time joining Nadira.  For this podcast, we’re going to have a geeky discussion about making books. Listeners who join us live will be able to join a Q&A.  So if you see writing a book in your future, bring your questions and a pad for notes and we will take a dive into the art of self-publishing.

If you feel like you have a book inside of you, or just want an inside peek at my process and methods of book production, join us!

Join us for the Podcast Live
Or listen to the recording at your convenience

Of course, once we’re done, the podcast will be available through your favorite podcast service. I subscribe via iTunes.  I was on the show in the spring, episode #48,  talking about finger cymbals in conjunction with the release of my last book, “Zills: Music on Your Finger Tips.”

If you like podcasts, and love belly dance, be sure to sign up for Nadira’s Belly Geek Clubhouse and never miss another episode!

Can’t wait to chat with everyone!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
December 27, 2017

 

 

Categories
Costuming DIY General

Year-End Review – Inventory and Studio Restock

As part of my year-end review process, I conduct an inventory of the essential tools and supplies for sewing and pattern making. I haven’t done this in quite some time, so this is the year to knuckle down and tackle this project.

Over the past months of intensive sewing, I’ve noticed some of my scissors have dulled beyond resharpening, rulers have cracked, and some supplies I’ve reached for I’ve used up, or worse, are completely missing. I do plan on having a couple of pairs of scissors sharpened, but many of my tools are just simply worn out. My plan at this moment is to purchase these items a bit at a time over the next six months until I have refreshed my entire collection.

Tools

Tailor Scissors Set

A trio of essential scissors from a really good company – Graf.  I’m getting a set of these for myself!   What I like about this particular kit is that includes my three styles of cutting tools. I do so much cutting that I do wear my tools out and it’s time for some new nippers! My current collection primarily consists of Gingher brand shears, but I’ve heard great things about Graf brand products and I’m ready to try something new.  On Amazon

Pattern Making Curves

If you’re planning on giving some pattern making or manipulation a try in 2018, now is a good time to pick up a set of curves.  I’ve got a few essential metal curves, I have lost or misplaced quite a few curves over the years. Since I’m going to be picking up this set.  This set has practically everything you would need to make practically every style of garment imaginable! On Amazon

Bias Tape Maker Set

In 2017, I found myself heading out the nearest fabric store to purchase ready-made bias tape. Although I have a bias tape maker, it’s for making really big bias tape!  I’m not planning on binding blankets in the near future, but I do use bias tape for finishing necklines, shoulders, and hems. With those needs in mind, I decided that what I really need is a set of tools so I can make any size tape out of any fabric I like! I’m really looking forward to building a bigger and more versatile set.  On Amazon

Chubby Handled Seam Ripper

There is no doubt about it, seam rippers go dull with use, and are virtually impossible to resharpen. In 2018, I’m going to pick up a new model, but with a nice big comfortable handle. I use the seam ripper extensively during costume rehab projects and having a good grip is essential.  This is probably the first thing I will get on this list.  On Amazon

Supplies

Hand Sewing Needles

My favorite hand-sewing needles are John James Millinery Needles. I bought my first pack many-many years ago when on a trip to London.  I went to Liberty of London main store and visited the sewing department on the top floor. I bought a few trinkets and small supplies, and part of my tiny haul was a set of hand-sewing needles.  I fell in love and I need to replenish my supply.  I’m going to pick up a craft needle assortment so I have everything I need.On Amazon

Rotary Cutter Blades

That moment when your rotary cutter starts to skip is the worst!  I went through my collection of supplies and realized I have used up my backstock of blades. I currently have three rotary cutters in my arsenal, a 45mm, 28mm and a tiny 18mm.  But it’s the 45mm one that I use for cutting out large garments that seems to go dull the fastest.  Instead of buying name-brand, I like to go down and dirty and buy in quantity.  Will they go dull faster than a an Olfa or Dritz brand blade?  Probably, but I know that the glam belly dance fabrics I use with foiled finishes will dull all blades, why not save some money? 45mm – 10 pack on Amazon

Pins

Over time, pins bend, become dull, and just disappear. To keep things simple in my studio, I only use two kinds of straight pins.  I use these Dritz brand extra-fine white-headed glass pins. These are perfect for fine sewing and working with couture sewing techniques on slippery fabrics. on Amazon

I also regularly purchase Dritz yellow-headed quilters pins in the large-sized package.  These are pins are long and sharp and easy to get through even tough fabrics.  These are work-horses in my studio and I use them daily.  on Amazon

This color coding system makes it easy for me to identify the pins I’m grabbing at a glance.  I also use red clips in my process, but since they last longer and don’t need to be replaced as often.  If you’re interested in the clips, these are the set I have in my studio currently. on Amazon

If you are setting up your own sewing kit from scratch or updating an existing kit, perhaps some of the tools and supplies I use will also work for you!  If you would like to join the ongoing conversation about belly dance costume construction, materials, tools, and supplies, join us in the Studio Davina Facebook group.

I hope that you have a fabulous day during this holiday season!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Dec. 21, 2017

PS: THANK YOU!   This post uses affiliate links, and if you click through any of them and make a purchase, you are helping to support this blog.

Categories
Belly Dance Costuming DIY General

Yearly Business Review: Costume Design in Studio Davina

2017 Year End Review: Sewing & Design

This year I re-opened my costume shop for business. My aim was to build-up a nest-egg to fund the purchase of materials and supplies for my next big book project.  So I planned to make a costume each month during 2017. I was so successful lining up projects that I’m booked through the middle of next spring!

Over the past year, I’ve also tried to put up blog posts that documented the construction of these projects. However, now that I’m in the middle of my year-end review, I realize that I failed! I was so busy making costumes, that I didn’t always document the process efficiently.

A few times I have a lot of photographic documentation of the building process, but don’t an image of the final costume on the model!   While I didn’t quite make this goal, I am pretty happy with the quantity and quality of the costumes I made. Here are a few of my favorite costuming projects for 2017.

Costumes from Studio Davina 

Shalimar’s Lavender Garden

Perhaps my favorite moment is when someone comes to me and says, “Make me something beautiful.”  This year, I’ve had the privilege to make seven head-to-toe ensembles.  The lavender garden costume I made for greater San Francisco/Bay Area belly dancer Shalimar earlier this year.  In March, I documented the design and construction of this three-piece set in a series of blog posts in case you want some “Behind the Seams” info on the project.

Designing a Lavender Belly Dance Bedlah Series
Step 1 – Lavender Bedlah – Planning the Design
Step 2 – Lavender Bedlah – Bra Bands and Straps
Step 3 – Lavender Bedlah – Belt Base and Bra Covering
Step 4 – Lavender Bedlah – Finale

Shalimar’s Candy Pink

I was happy to work with Shalimar on a few other projects including a lovely candy-pink costume composed of a traditional rhinestone encrusted bedlah set, skirt and finished with a set of matching sleeves using my own custom pattern.

I am pretty happy with the way this ensemble turned out. However, I must admit there was some design drift.  So though it became a lovely costume, the original skirt didn’t coordinate with the pink and “white” design of the bra and belt. So, we postponed the lovely floral skirt, and instead, I made this goblet style skirt. Consequently, I’m working on another bedlah set made from the same base pink material but which will be covered with a floral georgette fabric. In January, I look forward to snapping photos of Shalimar in this georgette floral costume. If you want to read more about how I made these sleeves, check out this blog post.

Costumes from Studio Davina – Anara’s Assiut Tribal Bra

I also worked on a few individual garments including the final garment for our the Kickstarter campaign for the launch of Becoming a Belly Dancer: From Student to Stage.  So-cal based ATS dancer Anara backed us at the highest level, and I made her a shiny and crusty tribal-style assiut bra. While she was in town for a visit, she dropped into Studio Davina for a photo shoot with Alisha Westerfeld.

Costume Rehab Projects 

This year I’ve worked with more than a dozen different clients to upgrade their wardrobes. They ranged in complexity simple refurbishments changing the linings hooks and eyes on a bedlah set to complete overhauls and two bra enlargements. Rehab projects require a different style of creativity. It’s a challenge to take an old costume and transform it into something beautiful and wearable.

Costume Rehab – Azura in Wine

Bra enlargements are the probably the most common major alteration I regularly undertake. This year, I performed three “bust augmentations” for naturally well-endowed ladies.  Perhaps my favorite was this beautiful berry-toned two-piece bedlah owned by the glamorous Azura of the greater San Jose area.  This designer-made costume was gorgeous, but she had never been able to wear it.  With a little ingenuity and the sacrifice of a few costume accessories, Azura finally got to wear this beauty on stage!

Costume Rehab – Zemira in Blue

For belly dancer Zemira, I transformed a very long beaded lace skirt with a matched pair of sleeves into a bedlah set. The skirt was purchased from Adira Dance and Costume in Willow Glen, CA.  It was crazy-long, and no one wanted it, even when marked down to practically free.  I picked up the skirt for a song, cut it down and shaped the side seams to fit Zemira’s curvy frame. Then I used the scraps and covered a bra. I took a lot of photos of this project, but I never got a blog post written about it. Instead, I shared a lot of the in-process images in my Facebook group, Studio Davina: Behind the Seams.  If you’re interested in hearing more about my sewing projects in real time you can follow posts of my on-going work.

A Race to the Finish!

As 2017 draws to a close, I am finishing up three last remaining projects. So I’m working a few hours every day on one costume rehab project, one new three-piece belly dance costume, and an assiut cocktail dress.  It’s a race to the end of the year!   Can I finish before 2018 arrives?  I hope so, but if not, these dancers will certainly enjoy having new costumes to dance in in January!

Top Left: Zero Waste Georgette Skirt – Top Right – My essential hand-sewing tools
Bottom Left: Assiut Swing Dress  – Bottom right: Costume Rehab: Berry/Black/Gold

Ready Made Costumes and Accessories

This year, I’ve been so busy working with clients, that I haven’t been stocking my Etsy store with sewn costumes and accessories.  Early in the year, I had some assiut hair accessories up available in the shop, but they sold.  As a one-woman workshop, I have a limited number of hours each day to sew. During 2017 I focussed on working one-on-one with local clients.

Visit my Etsy store for sewing patterns, books and more.

In 2018 I’m looking forward to getting ahead in my build schedule so I can make some assiut hair accessories and costume pieces for my Etsy store. In the meantime, you can find my sleeve patterns, printable downloads of the new coloring book over my store.

 

I’m looking forward to making many more costumes in the coming year!
But now I suddenly have a serious hankering to sew!

Happy Dance and Costuming!
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Dec. 18, 2017 

Categories
General Publications

Yearly Business Review: 3 Books & a Magazine

3 Books & 1 Magazine - Year End Review 2017As I work on my year-end review, I’m taking a moment today to reflect on my recent publishing projects. Unbelievably, I’ve released 3 books and a magazine in the last 14 months! The small changes I made to my schedule early in the year translated into increased productivity.  When paired my strong team of collaborators, 2017 was my most prolific year of publishing.

Read about my 3 Productivity Tweaks

Collaboration

I’m so grateful for the wonderful team of writers, photographers, and artists I’ve worked with during 2017.  Without this talented group of collaborators, I could not have produced such a large and diverse collection of publishing projects.

Thank You for Being on My Team

I have to start the shout-outs with photographer Alisha Westerfeld, with whom I’ve literally traveled the world.  She and I have produced dozens of belly dance shows and events in the past. She’s got a great eye, and I was so happy when she joined my publication team. So far, we’ve worked on five publications and have two more in the pipeline. 

I was thrilled to connect with my co-authors Sara Shrapnell and Poppy Maya, who invited Alisha and me to join the team for the seminal book, Becoming a Belly Dancer. This group also forms the core of the production team for our new project, Amabella Magazine. I also want to blast out a huge thank you to all of the ladies who joined us as models for the books and magazines that I’ve released and that are still in the pipeline.  Thank you all for bringing your beauty, style, and grace to all of our photoshoots!

In late 2016, teamed up with the talented illustrator George Goncalves and we collaborated on several images in Zills and we worked together on all the designs in our latest book, Color Theory with Pencils & Mandalas. I’ve also been fortunate to collaborate with celebrity belly dance photographer Michael Baxter and am looking forward to our next photo shoot.

I’m also grateful for the team members who work with me on more back-end projects. I have a posse of editors including Michael Hyde, Joe Engledow, Chris Schoedel, Nancy Hernandez, and of course, my mom! Without the help of these editors, I would sound like an utter and complete dork.  On the tech support front, I’m deeply indebted to Barry Brown and Jerry Case who keep this blog rolling and who rescue me out when I’m having technical difficulties.

Becoming a Belly Dancer:
From Student to Stage

As we celebrated New Years 2017, I was still tidying up the loose ends of my 2016 main project. I worked with a fabulous team including our lead author Sara Shrapnell, photographer Alisha Westerfeld, and super-glamorous international dance star and our cover girl, Poppy Maya. We were still making final tweaks early this year fixing typos and layout issues and making it as practically perfect as possible!

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that our team worked for more than a year taking photos, writing, and editing this book. This was the biggest book I’ve ever laid out. At about 400 pages, this is a complete and comprehensive reference for belly dancers at all levels of their dance journey. It really has become a seminal book on the topic of belly dance. I am so flipping proud of this book!

Find out more about this book here. 

Zills: Music on Your Fingertips

Although we went a bit over our self-imposed deadline for Becoming a Belly Dancer, I still managed to squeeze out some time working on my own publication, Zills: Music on Your Fingertips.  Although I was hoping to have it completely finished by the end of 2016, we were still working on the edits at the start of the year.  Along with lots of info about the history, use, selection, and care of finger cymbals, there are great photos by Alisha Westerfeld and beautiful illustrations by George Goncalves.

This book was so much fun for me to write because I love the history, metallurgy, and construction of finger cymbals. This book gave me the opportunity to share information about the ancient origins of our favorite instruments. This is super-nerdy stuff, but I was pleased to have the opportunity to bring this arcane knowledge to the world. One of the highlights of the year was being interviewed on the Belly Geek podcast to talk about Zills.

Listen to the Belly Geek Podcast #48 about Zills here.
Find out more about this book here.

Amabella Magazine

I love belly dance magazines!  However, the entire landscape of the magazine industry has changed in the past few years. There are simply fewer publications due to the increased expenses of printing and shipping. Many of my favorite magazines have ended due to lower subscription rates and loss of advertiser revenue.

But new technology has created opportunities to produce projects digitally.  Many years ago, I made a one-off Costumer’s Notes magazine. This was a fun “behind the scenes” about the making of the book, The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut. So I knew I could create a magazine if I had a team to help put it together.

I wanted to create a woman’s publication style magazine with a general belly dance theme. Amabella means “Beautiful Woman” in Latin, and I choose the name to reflect the main mission of this publication to be entertaining, inspiring, and informative. This first slender issue, V0 was designed as a proof of concept publication to see if the community was interested in a new magazine. The results were astonishing!  We’re in the middle of setting up a comprehensive website, putting together our advertising specifications and editorial guidelines, and will be launching our first full-sized Volume 1 in late spring.  It’s so gratifying when dreams come true!

Read Amabella Magazine on the Issuu website here.
Read Costumers Notes Magazine on the Issuu website here.

Color Theory with Pencils & Mandalas

In preparation for releasing a new digital costume design course in 2018, I decided to turn my rather substantial handout on color harmony into a full-sized printed publication. Color Theory with Pencils & Mandalas is one part workbook and two parts coloring book.

For many years I’ve been teaching a course entitled “Think Like a Designer.”  This class began life years ago when I was teaching at the junior college level. This dully named,  “Introduction to Fashion Design,”  evolved into a series of workshops that focus specifically on belly dance costuming.

Because I had so much fun working with illustrator George Goncalves on the Zills book that I invited him to join me on this project. Over the summer, we worked together to create a collection of mandalas, hamsas, and circular design motifs from around the globe. Our mission was to present the reader with the basic info about color theory and then offer them opportunities to experiment color on paper. I’m currently working on some demo videos for my YouTube channel, so stay tuned for more info!

Find out more about Color Theory with Pencils & Mandalas here.

Wow!  What a hugely productive publishing year I’ve had!  This process of end of year review is such a help in evaluating what worked and what didn’t so I can effectively plan for next year.

I’ll be back tomorrow with another post! 
Until then, have dance well, be well, live well,
Dawn Devine ~ Davina
Dec. 18, 2017

2017 Year End Review:
Read #1 – Productivity Strategies: What Worked in 2017
Read #2 – Publications: 3 Books and 1 Magazine