FACE PAINT: Avatar

I suppose it's a blogger's job to stay on top of new and upcoming things, but what can I say? People make mistakes, and I'm new at this. So when I say I only just saw Avatar, the major motion picture that took over the world and founded this age of 3D madness, please try not to laugh.

To recap, Avatar is James Cameron's story of crippled ex-marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his discovery of the beautiful planet of Pandora and its Na'vi people, including his love interest Neytiri (the wonderful Zoe Saldana). The catch? He's been sent by the U.S. and disguised as one of the Na'vi in order to destroy the region in order to obtain fuel (aka unobtainium...get it!?). The heavy duty message of enviromental preservation, both inspiring and guilt-tripping, is enforced by the beauty, color, and spectacular imagery of the jungle and its otherworldly animals. Countless viewers of this movie across the world claim they were lost in Pandora while watching this movie.

after watching, I decided to try my hand at Youtuber Michelle Phan's Avatar-inspired eye makeup. I've been a big fan for a long time, but I've never tried this tutorial before because only recently did I obtain the colorful shadows I needed to try this look. Michelle Phan is the #1 makeup artist on Youtube, loved for her use of fearless use of underrated techniques (multi-winged eyeliner, eyelash curling) as well as her natural remedies to your facial needs (olive oil makeup remover, hot cocoa bronzer).

Above is my very own Avatar Inspired Eye. Try it out yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BcAxgcuTRY

P.S. Yes, I do have thick eyebrows. Thick is in baby!!

VOLUME: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

These guys are one of my favorite bands right now. If Bob Dylan took over Arcade Fire, this would be the new sound. This is an ensemble band, led by Alex Ebert, who originally sang for the power pop band Ima Robot (be sure to check them out if you're into that sort of thing.) Alex experienced a breakdown and total revaluation of his life, accompanied by Alcoholics Anonymous and lots of facial hair growth. He threw together a band of friends, his new partner in crime Jade Castrinos, and his new persona which he named Edward Sharpe. According to him Edward Sharpe "was sent down to Earth to kinda heal and save mankind...but he kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love (Paste Magazine)." Together the band hopped aboard a big white school bus and traveled the country while making music and movies together. They released their first album Up From Below in July 2009.

I first saw these guys while they were at Coachella 2010, and while tragically I could not be there to experience the magic firsthand, I did see their live stream on Facebook and fall in love. Check out their heartwarming old-timey videos and tunes:

An introduction to the madness.

My favorite song by them, "Home."

Be sure to check out the first two parts of their Musical:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buQpcpQqdKo&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gwXpLpfb3Y&feature=channel

By the way, if you're watching the vids and wondering, who's that blondie with the groovy dresses? That's accordionist Nora Kirkpatrick!!

Stylin at Coachella 2010

HIGH PLACES: The Berlin Wall

In 1961, the city of Berlin, Germany, was split into four territories owned by four seperate countries: the U.S., the U.K., France, and the Soviet Union. The first three countries wanted Germany reunited for economic purposes, so they united their territories. In a shocking response, the Soviet Union built a wall around West Berlin, trapping people for decades. Though the wall was destroyed in 1989, Edward Murray tried to document as much of the wall as possible, including some excellent graffiti artwork. Check out these pictures from 1971. For more, go to

http://www.berlinwallart.com/webdev/index.html