5 Things I'm obsessing over this month - June 2019

Hello out there, internet friendos! Hope you're doing well on these balmy summer days! It's definitely warming up here in Seattle and your girl is feeling the heat, with a bit of self-aware shame because it's only rising in the 80's here versus the 100+ degree temperatures I experienced throughout my life in Vegas...but there's humidity here! And wow, boy howdy, do I sure spend a lot of time stuck in traffic...in an old steel car without air conditioning...so perhaps that's factoring into my appraisal of the weather... or maybe it's global warming, or just my desert rat blood struggling to adapt to the added moisture in the air via humidity. There's a lot of factors to be considered, for sure, but as of today, we are officially in Summer 2019 in the northern hemisphere! Woo! Do any of you have exciting plans with the family? Many of my clients at work have been eagerly telling me of their grand adventures to come, and hearing about trips along the Vancouver coast or plans to cool down at Glacier park, I'd be lying if I said it didn't tickle my sense of wanderlust. Perhaps this weekend I'll drag Antho out for a hike or something...If there's one thing Seattle and the Pacific Northwest have to offer, it's the opportunity for outdoor exploration in some of the most absurdly gorgeous and diverse landscapes the country has to offer!

I suppose it's only natural that with the closing out of spring and the sweaty days of summer looming, cleanliness and freshness have been weighing more heavily on my mind. I, for one, thoroughly enjoy feeling clean and fresh, and back in the sticky days of living through warm Japanese summers on Tokyo bay without air conditioning, I would rely on cold showers to cool off throughout the day. I'm a big fan of cold tubs at bathhouses, too, for bringing your core temperature down fast on a hot day, but I can't afford the amount of spa-days I feel these summer temps might have me craving... To get by, I've been focusing on upgrading my beauty and cleaning routine towards cleaner, more environmentally sound products and practices. It's definitely a work in progress, but it's better to make some positive steps than none at all! The past year we've been working on slowly using up the products we'd accumulated previously, which included an absurd amount of shampoos and bar soaps. I'm down to my last three bars of soap and a handful of shampoos and conditioners lingering in the shower, so I'm eager to finally move towards making more conscious purchases in my personal care going forward.   

1) Bamboo Toothbrushes from Zero Waste Cartel

One place we decided to start was with our toothbrushes. Antho got a pretty gnarly tooth infection late last year, and it motivated both of us to take better care of our oral health. Part of being diligent in your oral hygiene is using the right toothbrush and replacing them after they begin to wear out and lose their efficacy. Ideally, we'd all be switching out our toothbrushes or brush heads (for those who swear by electric) every three months. Three months! That goes by SO fast, and I don't know about you, but unless I specifically write it down or program it into Google, I'm not going to remember when I started using my toothbrush and when it's time to change it up. Not only is it a hassle to remember, but the amount of additional waste that creates -from the toothbrushes themselves to the packaging- adds up! That's why when Antho mentioned his toothbrush looking a little past-due, I sought out a minimal waste alternative. Luckily for us, Zero Waste Cartel has these beauties made from sustainably harvested bamboo that are lightweight, fun to use and they send you an entire year's supply for an affordable price so that you won't have to remember and re-order after a few months. I've been using the minimalist beige, which makes my teeth and gums SO happy, but if you need firmer bristles the rainbow ones will be right up your alley.

2) Oyin Grand Poo Bar 

Have you ever found yourself hours deep into the rabbithole of Youtube and discovered your eyes glued to DIY videos for an item you've never previously thought you'd be interested in making? I sure have, if you can't tell, and somehow soap has become a major fixation in my youtube history. There are so many varieties, so many options! In the past, my only real exposure to the concept of shampoo bars was through Lush, and I didn't have the greatest results with it back when I first dabbled. The Oyin handmade grand poo bar, however, is made with moisturizing oils and butters while devoid of detergents and sulfate, meaning it's better for you and the environment. Right on! I haven't gotten mine yet, but I'm excited to try it out once it arrives. At only $7 it's a reasonably priced entry point for people curious to try a shampoo bar but hesitant to shell out an exorbitant amount, so even if I find it's not my favorite I won't be breaking the bank.

3) By Humankind Lemon Lavender Shampoo Bar

Going forward with the shampoo bar theme, which helps reduce plastic wastes by the by, is the By Humankind Shampoo Bar. I opted for the Lemon lavender, which sounds delicious! This bar claims to allow you the possibility of skipping conditioner due to it's moisturizing nature, and it's made with all natural ingredients to boot. They also have a Thyme scent, which sounds woodsy and herbacious enough to appeal to the manly man in your life. I'm still waiting for mine to arrive, but I'm excited to experiment with another low-waste alternative to traditional shampoo bottles. I've got 3 or 4 bottles of shampoo and conditioner currently cluttering up my shower and I've been working to use them all up, as I don't want to waste things that already exist and have been bought, but I can't deny that I'm excited to finally see the bottoms of them showing through! These shampoo bars have been pretty well reviewed, so I'm curious to try them for myself. You can sign up for a membership where they'll ship you new products every few months, but I opted for a one-time purchase in case it just doesn't work for me. You don't know until you try!

4) By Humankind Portable Mouthwash

For those who travel, and often, these mouthwash pellets seem like a dream come true! I'm always on the road for work, and I've noticed I don't make time to use mouthwash nearly as often as I'd like... Sure, I always manage to brush my teeth before darting out the door for the day, but freshening up after devouring my lunch in my car isn't the easiest, especially without ready access to running water... I do, however, always keep a bottle of drinking water on hand, and these dissolvable mouthwash tablets can be used with just a mouthful of the liquid. Mint and spearmint, the original gangstas of the oral hygiene flavor world, make an appearance but I went with the variety pack that includes fun new flavors like grapefruit, lemon and orange. I love me some citrus! Because these tablets don't actually involve any water, they're ideal for stashing in your carry on for staying fresh during flights. Brilliant. 

5) Ban.do Super Chill Cooler Bag - Grapefruit

As I've mentioned, I'm constantly roaming around the city of Seattle for my job, but I don't have time to stop and take a leisurely lunch from a local restaurant on the daily- nor could my wallet handle such luxuries. During the cooler months, there's no issues with leaving a sandwich hidden in the car (aside from potential racoon or squirrel theft) but as the thermostat has been climbing I've made it back to my car more than once only to discover that the cheese on my sandwich had actually melted and I wasn't so sure about the safety of my meal anymore. Food poisoning sucks, and I'd rather not have it, ya dig? In an effort to ensure food safety protocols and also to simply have nice, cold, things in my life, I invested in this cooler bag from Ban.do. They've gotten my money before with their adorable sticker packs and handy yearly planners, but I'd debated buying the bag until it had an actual practical use, at which point it was in my cart and ordered at the first sign of sale! It's a LOT bigger than I'd originally expected, and is fully capable of holding not only a tupperware containing my sandwich and an ice pack, but also my ginormous waterbottle, bottles of cold pressed juice, teas, energy drinks, whatever my heart desires. This will also be a super handy bag to have on hand for our next beach day or hiking outing! Given the flexible nature of the bag, it's easier to stash in the various crevices of my car than a bulky ice chest would be. Plus look how cute that grapefruit design is! I love it so much. It adds a nice pop of color and coolness into my day, and I haven't gotten sick from a hot sandwich!

Happy Solstice everyone! Hope your summer is starting out fabulously!

💙

XOXO,

NAU

Japan: Design Festa Fall 2013, part 2

Design Festa is one of those experiences that is so surreal, so sensory-overwhelming by its very design and nature that you might have to stop and wonder if someone might have spiked that water somehow. You can explore a labyrinthine space filled with dwarves, nightmare-faced visions, sexy girls in scanty-clothes, murals unfolding in real time and way, WAY more! Design Festa is a twice-annual event where artists from all over the world, though predominantly Asia, come together to showcase their talents and rub-elbows together. As you might imagine, this leads to some incredible collaborative experiences as well as some rather unusual neighbors, like my multi-eyed friend here who was seated near a caricature artist. As the caricature artist was drawing, I watched our friend here hover and observe, making the artist and his model both squirm a bit. Good times, I assure you! Where else would you find a caricature artist from South Korea hanging out and interacting with a special effects artist from Japan? Well, maybe a movie set, but for the rest of us this is the place to meet and mingle!

You don't have to be into large-scale formats to be well-received, nor does your art necessarily have to make sense or even comply with general standards of decency to gain an audience here. Luckily, most of the creators are exceptionally talented at what they do, whether it's manufacturing tiny robots and dioramas or drawing girls shooting rockets out of their genitals. The world is a very big and multi-faceted place, and there's room for everyone's creativity here, or at least that's the attitude the team behind Design Festa tries to bring to the table, and I can most certainly respect that. There's a little something for everyone to be found here, whether you're into decorating your phone cases to look like tasty desserts, punny t-shirts, nightmarish masks, fur-suits, or good old fashioned rope bondage, it's a well-rounded showcase.

There's really only so much I can say about the experience, after all... this is the kind of thing that requires you to bring all your senses to the table, but since you couldn't physically be there with me these photos will have to suffice. Enjoy!

Japan: Design Festa Fall 2013, part one

What do you get when you combine some of Asia's most creative artistic minds together twice a year at Tokyo Big Sight? You get a wildly inventive, incredibly diverse array of outstanding talents and creations mingling together, sharing their crafts and selling their wares as part of the ongoing Design Festa Series! As mentioned above, it's a twice-annual festival, occurring in the spring and again in the fall, allowing artisans from across the land (along with nearby countries) to come and share their passion with each other. Meet and greet many of the creative minds themselves, live and in the flesh! Most of who and what I encountered during my visit to the Fall Design Festa of 2013 was thoroughly awe-inspiring, for the precision and sheer imagination or dedication that went into it, while sometimes it was more confounding or awkward, like school girls with fabulously voluminous hair getting railed by a faceless man who appears to be wearing a device intended to, I think, uhh, collect her fluids? 

Huh. But hey, just because it might not necessarily be my cup of tea doesn't mean it isn't a well-crafted piece of art that will titillate someone else! 

But anyway, here are some sweet elephants, in case you're feeling a little disturbed by the blatant hentai above. Remember, though, that these pieces were all publicly displayed for all to see inside of Tokyo Big Sight, so the artist wasn't trying to hide their creation from curious eyes. In fact, completely the opposite! This event is all about getting your work seen and sharing it with others. One of the coolest things about Design Festa is that it's not limited to one particular type of artistry- if you're into cosplay, there were many people milling about in costumes, from furry to space alien, steampunk pirates to mohawk and studded leather sporting punks. All are welcome, and all art is respected. It's a wild experience, and pretty psychedelic when you stumble down some of the more performance arts-oriented groups laden corridors, but do your best to keep your wits. I know it can be hard with the Japanese rope bondage demonstration in one corner, and the friendly lolitas in the other, but there's a lot to see here!

Given just how much there actually is to see here, I've broken this post into several different posts, and it's still pretty photo heavy. I didn't want to exclude any of it, though, because it's all so fabulous!

I hope you enjoy~

10 Things I love on Etsy 5/12/2018

Abso-fuckin-lutely!!

In case you've been living under a rock and hadn't heard, Etsy is a community of crafts makers, artisans, and vintage fashion fanatics who share their wares on the Etsy platform, allowing consumers (like you and me, baby) to find their goods and support their dreams. Pretty cool, man, pret-ty cool. Antho and I have had our own humble little shop on the site for a couple years now, and as a way of giving back to the community I like to share some of the sweet stuff I've found perusing it in my downtime. All items can be shopped with the links provided!

1. Magical AF Glitter Pin 

Antho and I have been collecting pins and patches with the intention of creating a custom jacket for me in the near-ish future. As a result, I've found myself oogling a wide array of pins and patches from all over the place. We find ourselves in a mall? Pop in to Hot Topic to see if they've got any fun patches! We've found several of the Sailor Senshi symbols in patch form (so far I've got Mars and Venus), so I'm on a quest to complete my collection. This pretty pastel pin would fit right in with that theme! Love it! There's plenty more where this came from in their shop, if you'd rather not get your F-bomb on. 

02. Rose Gold Pineapple with Opal necklace 

Don't get it twisted- I love love LOVE pineapple, not Spongebob. Pineapples are like the taste of summer to me, and I'm never unhappy to find pineapple chunks available on a fruit tray. It's such a sweet, tangy fruit! I'm absolutely okay with the pineapple trend. Rose gold will forever be stunning, and opal is one of my favorite stones so this is an all around win! If pineapple isn't your thing, there's a ton of other cute items over in their shop!

03. Holographic tapes 4 pack

Second time now that the shop Lunarbay has popped up on this list. I guess maybe I was creeping their shop or something? They have a ridiculous amount of cute stuff, though! And I'm absolutely addicted to planners, and all the accessories to go along with them. I have a convoluted system of sticky tabs and tapes I use to mark things in my (pastel pink) May Designs for Blue Sky 2018 Daily & Monthly planner I got at Target last year, and I'm already eyeballing options for next year. I've had my eye on a Ban.do planner for awhile now... but this tape!! OH MY HOLO-LLUYAH!!! I love all things holographic, whether it's makeup, nail polish, bags, folders, what-have-you. I'm living for this whole Lisa-frank 90's nostalgia revival thing. 

04. Sailor Moon Crisis Compact Pin - Limited Edition - 

That's right babes, this gorgeous Sailor Moon pin is limited edition so that means you better get on it sooner rather than later if, like me, you need it in your life. My love for Sailor Moon is, like the meatball head herself, eternal. TheLanternGirl shop has a ton of other super cute pins, though, so definitely check them out! They're not all Sailor Moon themed, though a lot of them definitely are. 

05. Victorian Barf Abstract Art print knee length pencil skirt

How could I not love the name of this? And it harkens to my love of fluid painting, so that's a win. And pastels? Duh. This skirt would look super sexy~! In the description they mention it has four way stretch, which is a total win because a body-con skirt like this could feel like a sausage casing without appropriate stretchability. My biggest issue is that I like to take long strides and flounce about like a failed ballerina so this would be a smidge outside my comfort range for day to day but absolutely perfect for a date night! There are definitely some options to be found in the Abstractionist Shop, though, if you're not feeling the barf here. 

06. Dwight Mug

I've spoken before about my love of the Office, and Dwight is a character I'm especially fond of. I would have already bought this if not for the fact it's over $20 with shipping and everything... I'm not really at a place in my life where I can justify that just yet, especially since I already have an overabundance of perfectly good coffee cups in my crowded little cabinet. But hey, accidents do happen, and there's bound to be a day when this majestic mug will make it look like I have a mustache to give Stanley envy. NoahLovesIssy has a ton of cute stuff, so even if you're not a fan of the Office they've got something you'll enjoy!

07. Pink Bat Plush Purse 

Isn't this little purse from Uglyplants absolutely adorable?! He's just so fluffy and sweet! I think bats are darling to begin with, such underrated little cuties, so maybe I'm biased... but they have a ton of other super cute (or kawaii) stuff in their shop if you're not into flying squeaks, even when they're pretty in pink. 

08. Holographic Backpack 

This sexy ass space bag is by Yingliwong and they've got a pretty wide array of shiny bags to blind the poor folks who got stuck walking behind you on a sunny day. Hell to the yeah.  If you're not into the blinding bags, they've got some other fun stuff like a cute Panda shirt or this slick phone case. 

09. White Unicorn Brush Set + Holographic bag

Another holographic bag, but this one is for your brushes, and it comes with brushes! Double whammy! It's almost sold out, with only 2 left in stock at the time of this writing. Don't worry, though, they've got a bunch of other super cute stuff in their shop you can still get!

10. Virgo - Cactus + Sea Salt - Astrology Series candle

My sense of smell is, unfortunately, more or less non-existent... so, for me, candles are among some of the most flippant of fripperies. Most of the time I can't get their scent, and the few times I -have- been able to smell one it ended up giving me a headache... but I'm a sucker for anything that caters to my vanity about being a Virgo. It's silly, and I don't put a lot of weight into horoscope predictions, but I like the description of my signs characteristics and like to imagine that if I could smell I'd be appreciative of this candle. Also, I love the color they chose, so at least it would look pretty on my shelf and maybe it would impress guests with my classy sensibilities.  If you're not a Virgo, or simply not sold on the scent of salty cactus, don't worry- FIPcandles has plenty for everyone. 

That's it for this round!

Cheers!

💖

XOXO,

NAU

Art: Behind the scenes of early March photoshoot for 710Visuals tie-dye

Welcome to another behind-the-scenes edition of the blog! On this post we're going to be delving in to a photoshoot we recently undertook in our home for the Etsy shop and our tie-dye business 710Visuals. These are some of the shirts I've been showcasing the making-of process for, so we're super stoked to finally be showing their final form to you guys! It's been a long time coming and we're still troubleshooting the ideal photoshoot set up for ourselves, but this was... something. The blank white sheet is to help prevent the background from competing with the shirts as well as to provide a template for when I needed to go in and tinker with the colors after in editing. I never want to over-do it in the photo processing stage because I want the colors to reflect as close to reality as possible. I don't even edit out my zits the majority of the time, haha. Luckily, when these photos were taken my skin was doing pretty good- no real pimples to cover up, and I didn't feel the need for much foundation or powder. I normally use a BB cream with Too Faced's Peach Perfect Loose Powder patted on top to set, but for these photos I just patted on some Milani Powder foundation real quick to even and brighten things up a smidge. 

Antho, of course, didn't need any make up for his fabulous face (not that I need make up, but I do appreciate it's power and really enjoy using it). We did, however, opt to put some of my Lime Crime Diamond Crusher in Trip on his lips at the end, though. He wanted to feel fancy and why not? Guys deserve to feel fabulous and have glitter lips if they want, too.

The tie-dye shirts photographed in this shoot are all now available in our Etsy shop for purchase, should you happen to find any that strike your fancy. We had fun doing the shoot and experimenting, though we'll likely be doing things a bit differently in the future. If we choose to shoot inside our home we will do it in a different location and/or with a different angle as the lighting was rather difficult to get precisely where we wanted it to be. Everything is a learning experience, though, and we'll figure out something even better for the next round! Keep scrolling for more photos!

Hair: My experience with Lime Crime Unicorn Hair dye in Charcoal

My love for Lime Crime has been documented here before, and when I purchased their Unicorn Hair dye in Leeloo I also picked up Charcoal to give it a shot because, you know, two birds with one stone and all that. I was really excited to try this color because it's marketed specifically towards darker haired gals so you know the color pigmentation should be pretty intense! My natural hair color is obvious from my roots to about the top of my ear which is to say it's naturally pretty dark brown, while the rest from ear down has been bleached over time with multiple applications of 10 volume developer and PrismLites bleach in the purple shade. I've bleached my hair in the past using a 20 volume and toner the next day, so I know how my hair reacts with the 20 volume developer. I opted for 10 volume this time around as I didn't want to go so shockingly blonde so fast, obtaining more of an ombre sort of effect by going a little higher with the bleach each application. I don't apply it to my ends every time, either. Most people won't use 10 volume developer for anything more than giving a color application a little more oomph, but my hair has reacted well to this slow-and-gentle bleaching method. That being said, I had several shades varying from deep natural brown to a light yellow going on through my hair length prior to application of the Charcoal dye. Most of the Leeloo had faded out and I gave my hair a round with the bleach the day prior to brighten it up a little further. There were still some yellow tones left, but I figured that since it was intended to give color to brunette hair it would work out on the lighter parts. 

The dye itself looks sufficiently dark and once it was on my hair I was quite excited. I'd been sporting varying shades of pinkish-orange-blonde since the spring and wanted to tone it down and go cool for the winter months. In the end I succeeded in a way, though the end result wasn't quite what I anticipated. 

10 Things I love on Etsy March 2016

Every month I like to take a moment to highlight some of my recent favourites from various sellers across Etsy. If you've never been to Etsy, you really should check it out! There are all sorts of fantastic hand-made, vintage, eco-friendly, niche/craft/artisanal goods to be found and there's something for everyone! Whether you're a total boho babe or are more into finding super exclusive fashion, they've got you covered!

01. I'll start us right off with this gorgeous scarf from AnnushkaHomeDecor. Such lovely shades mixing together in this scarf in a striking visual design that's still light weight enough for wear throughout the summer. The colors remind me of cherry blossoms and flamingos, perfect for spring or summer seasons without bulking up or adding too much heat. Delightful!

Hair: Now it's here, now it's gone. 2016-03-26

You guys may have noticed that I recently cut my hair, and quite drastically at that. 

Some may be wondering why I would opt to remove the soft, flowing follicles that adorned my face in favour of a blunt short crop... or maybe not, you might not be the least bit concerned with what I do with my own hair, and right on if so. Feel free to bypass this post in favour of something more interesting to you.

Project: Spring Tie-dye 2016-03-18

Happy Spring, guys!

How is your month going?

We've recently moved and during the process a lot of our tie-dye stuff got buried...but we've managed to dig it out of the abyss of the garage and made a fun new batch of goodies to share with everyone!

If you haven't noticed before, Antho and I are pretty fond of tie-dying. It's an excellent creative project that we can work on together and it's so much fun to unwrap and unveil the finished products! There are so many fabric textures, colour combinations, folds and techniques that we're constantly evolving and trying new things as we go.

We've also been doing research into ordering products wholesale and sourcing fun new styles. 

I really enjoyed how this long sleeved ribbed cotton shirt turned out!  

It's almost long enough for me and I'm 5'10"! I prefer having my tummy covered with longer shirts but it could totally be rocked as a belly-baring shirt for the braver ladies out there. We've been using more or less the same dyes since the very beginning, but we're really excited about a recent order for some high-end dyes that should be arriving soon. Our shop has also been getting more business lately, but we're still far from the top performing tie-dye shop on Etsy and I want to change that. I've sunk some time into watching free lectures and reading blogs from top performers and gleaned some useful tips that have already quadrupled our sales! We've even sold a shirt to Luxembourg & one to Spain since I added international shipping to our shop!

Goals, people.

I got them!

Check out the rest of our colourful new creations after the jump!

Japan: Urayasu Sanpo 2012-11-05

A little slice of my daily life living in Japan…from eclectic decorations to tiny doors.