Statement nails are one of the most attention-grabbing accessories this season and one  manicure that’s come full-circle is the half-moon manicure. This style  first became popular in the 1940s and has most recently been on the Fall 2009 runways at Christian Dior, Ruffian and Thakoon. Burlesque beauty Dita Von Teese has been flashing her lunar nails for years.

Dita Von Teese

Best described as a reverse French manicure, the half-moon manicure is surprisingly easy to replicate on your own as long as you have the right tools. To prep, you need strong nails. I regularly use a nail strengthener because frequent abuse of nail polish and remover makes my nails weak. One of my favourites right now is Sally Hansen’s Quick Care Pen Strength Treatment, which is easily applied with it’s click-and-brush pen. You can have a painted half-moon or not, but if you want the full effect I’d go for the former. Beige and bordeaux were paired at Ruffian; white and navy at Thakoon and cream and purple at Dior.

Christian Dior Fall 2009

I chose white and a deep metallic blue with Sally Hansen’s Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Colours in Whirlwind White and Blazing Blue. After painting my entire nail white I used Nailene’s Perfect Tips & Toes French Polish Guides adhesive stickers to make a perfect half-moon while painting on the blue polish. And voila! — the perfect half-moon manicure. Although it did take some time and patience, the end result is well worth it — just think of how great it will look while lifting a glass during the holiday party season!

Here is what I used to create a half-moon manicure:

• Sally Hansen Quick Care Pen Strength Treatment, $9.95 at select drug stores and mass retailers
• Nailene Perfect Tips & Toes French Polish Guides, $2.99 at Shopper’s Drug Mart
• Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Colour in Whirlwind White and Blazing Blue, $5.95 at select drug stores and mass retailers

Here are some other colour combinations inspired by the Fall runways:

• Revlon Nail Enamel in No Shrinking Violet with Sheer Petal, $5.50 at select drug stores and mass retailers
• Essie Nail Color in A-List with Not Just A Pretty Face, $9.99 at select salons
• Maybelline Salon Expert Nail Colour in Hot Pink with Eternal Snow, $5.49 at select drug stores

— Jodi Goulart

In case you missed her on Ellen.  She’s really just ridiculously talented and refreshing.

I didnt realize how early Gaga started her musical path:

1986–2004: Early life and education

Born on March 28, 1986 in New York City, New York, the eldest child of Joseph and Cynthia (née Bissett) Germanotta, she is of Italian heritage. At age 11, she was set to join Juilliard School in Manhattan, but instead attended Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private Roman Catholic school. Playing piano by ear from the age of 4, she went on to write her first piano ballad at 13 and began performing at open mic nights by age 14. At age 17, she gained early admission to the New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. There, she studied music and improved her songwriting skills by composing essays and analytical papers focusing on topics such as art, religion and socio-political order.  She later withdrew from the school to focus on her musical career.

The new class schedule for 2010 is now available, as is registration.  We have some new class offerings that we’re really excited about!  We’ve added a basic burlesque class on Sat. mornings, a monthly free class, burlesque fusion and a salon series.  The salon series will change every 4 weeks.  Topics include history of burlesque, burlesque films, costuming and more.

The new schedule will begin on Jan. 4, 2010 with the Winter II Session.

Wrestler and former Mr. Universe and Mr. America, Miklós “Mickey” Hargitay and actress/sex symbol Jayne Mansfield, carousing on the beach at Santa Monica, circa 1958-59.

Captured by vintage glam, fun, and cheesecake photographer Peter Gowland, likely with the assistance of his adorable wife Alice (they are a beautiful partnership).

The story goes like this, or so it is said. One night, Jayne Mansfield was attending one of Mae West’s famous burlesque shows (she idolized West, the original dirty blonde, and rightly so). She saw Mickey Hargitay in the crowd and when the waiter came to take her order, she said, “I’ll have a steak and that man on the right.” It was a stormy relationship, full of make-ups, break-ups, and affairs which, given how famous the blonde bombshell and the bodybuilder were, could not help but be public. The pair were tabloid fixtures until the jumping cartoon alarm clock of their marriage finally wound itself down and petered out.

Onstage in 1961, via Vintage Vegas on flickr. Mickey and Jayne had a show there at the Arabian Room called “House of Love.”

The couple divorced in Juarez, Mexico in May 1963. The Mexican divorce was initially declared invalid in California, and the two reconciled in October 1963. After the birth of their third child, Mansfield sued for the Juarez divorce to be declared legal and won. The divorce was recognized in the United States on August 26, 1964. She had previously filed for divorce on May 4, 1962, but told reporters, “I’m sure we will make it up.”

Must have made it up indeed, temporarily. Actress Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU), the youngest of their three children, was born earlier that year.

Via Muscle Growth Lovin’ Femme, unsourced, undated.

Jayne had several failed marriages and dead-end relationships following her final divorce from Mickey. She was killed in a car accident in 1968, along with Sam Brody, her boyfriend and accused child abuser. She was not decapitated; that is pure gruesome urban myth. Three of her children were in the car with her, including Mariska, but they survived with minor injuries.

Ditto credit to above

Mickey Hargitay married Ellen Siano several years after he and Jayne divorced, and remained married to her the rest of his life. She raised Jayne’s children as her own in the wake of their mother’s tragic death. Mickey died of multiple myeloma in 2006.

Today I made two more scarves!   These two have a black flannel backing and are about 65″ long.

michael miller's love tattoo

This one is made with Michael Miller’s love tattoo cotton fabric.  I think the print lends itself well to being a 6″ strip of a scarf.

love tattoo scarf

love tattoo and black flannel backing

And this scarf features Timeless Treasure’s burlesque girl.

burlesque girls

For this scarf I went with a beaded fringe, which is actually a row of black beads and a row of red beads.  This time I basted them on first and sewed the whole outside in one go, which made for an easier time with the fringe.

beaded fringe

The photos really don’t do it credit – the fringe looks great with the burlesque girls.  I’m quite pleased with these two scarves and my guru thinks I should have no trouble selling them.  In fact, I think she wants the burlesque girls one herself.

burlesque girl close-up

black flannel backing

Oh, and the fabric I used for the interior of the business card holder (Got it!) is Buttercup Eggplant by Joel Dewberry.  Good to know!

hey teasers~

our run at the yukon arts centre was a hit! thanks to all the people who made it so successful: patrons, cast, crew, and volunteers.

your next chance to catch the show will be saturday, december 5th at diamond tooth gertie’s in sweet dawson city.

tickets are $14 in advance (kiac, maximilian’s) and $16 at the door.

see you at the casino!!!!

Oeil d’Eros – Tango, première mise en ligne par gaorl.

Hier soir, je suis allé faire la couverture photo des numéros organisés par l’Oeil d’Eros dans le cadre d’une soirée Tango au Réservoir.

Ca m’a permis de découvrir une autre stripteaseuse burlesque, Lada Redstar, avec un numéro que j’ai beaucoup aimé.

the show was fuckin’ kickass last night. i didn’t forget my pickup this time. thanks so much to everyone who came – even though i don’t know whom most of you were – the fact that you love us is taken deeply to heart.

mercury lounge is seriously the best venue i’ve ever played at. for once i could hear my own instrument on stage!

i finally got to meet the lovely darenzia, a friend of autodrone. i love meeting fetish/alt models in real life. this lady is truly beautiful and charming.

i went on a brief escapade to boston for thanks-taking. hopped on the fung wah right after glamdammit. i spent the day taking cold medicine and other pharmaceuticals – nevertheless it was still a godawful day. aside from the fact that i got to see my girl anna. and my grandma…i brought some samples of my artwork and we bonded over our mutual hobby of drawing/painting pretty pictures.

i’m dancing at this event tomorrow night. insomnia nyc, 9 pm at le poisson rouge. a bunch of burlesque acts and variety shows – i’ll be gogo dancing between sets.

Hello lovely and cultured art monkeys! In November we hosted our first ART STAR session, focusing on the work of a local artist. We were honored to have David Russell Talbott showing his art and meeting our sketchers while the gorgeous Jolie Goodnight of Hell on Heels Burlesque struck poses inspired by his paintings (Check out the songs used at this session on our Playlists page). Here’s David, looking very arty…

David’s work is inspired by film stars of the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s and images of Americana and consumerism of the 50s. First, Jolie posed as the ultimate 50s icon Marilyn Monroe from David’s painting “Hollywood Eats It’s Own”.

We judge the pre-Thanksgiving “Draw Jolie with a turkey” contest

Jolie gives us a hand and judges the “Draw Jolie as Overdosed Marilyn” contest

Happy Birthday Mr. President!!

Next, Jolie posed as this sexy and dangerous dame from David’s painting “Wake Up and Die”.

Goodbye cruel world!

Thanks to all our beautiful art monkeys, Jolie Goodnight, the Ruby Room and David Russell Talbott! Below is a kick-ass drawing from David presented to your sketchy hosts Lily and Matt, plus some other fruits of this session. Don’t forget to upload scans of your sketches to our FLICKR group HERE!

Delícia! Noite gostosa, casa cheia, público super animado.’

Its no real surprise that the Whistle Bait Babies seemed to be the most popular post on here in a while so here’s a few more snaps of the lovely ladies for you – make sure to check out their website http://www.whistlebaitbabies.com/ and they are currently taking bookings for Christmas workshops so give them a shout if you fancy giving burlesque a go!

Ohh la la

The Whistle Bait Babies

Honey Foxglove

Pixie Moonshine

Chegou hoje meu exemplar do novo livro da Dita Von Teese: Striptease.

É lindo, na verdade é um estojo super bacana, com o nome em veludo em relevo e laço na lateral.

São 3 bloquinhos de fotos com 3 performances dela completas (Bird of Paradise, Classic e claro, Martini Glass).

E são como aqueles bloquinhos de cineminha que fazíamos na escola quando crianças. Voce segura em cima e passa ele correndo dando a impressão que está vendo um filme. Uma delícia de brincar e também de ver com calma todas as fotos que são lindas.

O meu eu encomendei na Livraria Cultura da Paulista e veio em 3 dias. Lá nos US custa 30 Dólares e entregue aqui, paguei 79 Reais. Vale a pena.

THICK – A variety show that celebrates the real sized bodies in underground entertainment was created when someone insulted my weight. Although I can fit a dress size 8 (spandex only of course) the person that told me this made me feel awful about the way I looked. I cried the night when this guy told me that the only exercise I get was working my jaws out when I ate. I through out the snacks I had stashed in my room and cried in my pillow. A few moments later I got up, vowing to get my body tight like I’ve always wanted it to be. But food is the other half of me. I stood up and began to squat and lunge and thought, the nerve of this bastard. Maybe I had a roll or two but that didn’t take away from beauty. I’ve won awards for my performance skills and men still wanted me. He included. And then I thought. Why not a show that celebrated the other body types on the scene that I was so in love with? And immediately I thought of the word used to describe so many healthy bodied women (especially those of color) THICK.

A show that would run approximately 1 ½- 2 hours in length, it would showcase talents of all genres, particularly burlesque. All performers will be at least a size 10/12 and should have a substantial amount of meat on their bones for this one of a kind showcase. Dedicated to all kinds of entertainers from New York City to Timbuktu, THICK will delight you with singers, feature dancers, poets, comedians and more. The show will have a no host format but will be lead by it’s curator The Incredible, Edible, Akynos. Each performer will recite a 2 minute or less monologue on their story with their “thickness.” From insults they’ve endured (such as myself) to coming to terms with how they see themselves in a world that promotes an unrealistic view of body image.

THICK is looking to run bi-monthly, with 1-2 shows at a time. It will include one headliner each show, beginning in April of 2010. Each show will feature 6-8 performers that will run acts no longer than 5 minutes and monologues will be recited in between each act. Tentative months to run this show would be April, June, September, November and December of 2010. The April show coincides with the return of the Hottentot Venus body back to South Africa which took place in 2002. Hottentot was a South African woman who in the late 1800s was kidnapped from her home and family to be put on display like a wild animal because of unusual sized buttocks, breasts and labia. Hottentot is the first representation of THICK and we will show her respect in this show.

THICK is dedicated to giving bigger sized performers a regular avenue to showcase their talents and encourage those that may hold back on their aspirations because they feel they don’t fit the mainstream image inspiration to take their lives to the next level despite what they look like. A tentative line-up of performers for the first two showcases are below. It includes burlesquers, singers and one of the biggest feature entertainers on the internet who will be headlining the first show. Technical requirements will vary each show depending upon the scheduled performers.

-The Incredible, Edible, Akynos
-Broadway Brassy
-Plum Manchengo
-Glenn Marla
-Agent N
-Dizzy Swank
-Honey CoCoa Bordeauxx
-Saretta Wesley
-Scarlett
-Margoh Channing
-Vagina Jenkins
-Darlinda Just Darlinda
-Petula Caesar
-Bambi Galore
-It’s a Little Stormy

The show will be promoted by press releases to print and online magazines, television shows and news programs, along with posters and postcards, email blasts and by using social networking sites. The show will seek sponsorship and support from the plus sized community which, if well received should help with audience attendance. All performers interested should submit photos, bio including their height and weight, dress size and measurements, along with video of their work to be considered. Please email Akynos@gmail.com or Akynos@akynos.com with your interest. And please pass this along to all your other THICK performers friends.

1940’s Femmes Fatales, The Beaux and The Dandies, Sexy Vixens, Private Detectives, Hitchcock’s characters, ‘The Lady From Shangai’, ‘Gilda’, ‘Citizen Kane’, ‘Fallen Angel’ and Humphrey Bogart, Lana Turner, Veronica Lake and Robert Mitchum types – All gather together on the 28th of November for a dark, mysterious, dangerous and outmost desirable night at The Hobby Horse in Hoxton.

Tempting chocolate delights will be available to early comers. Show starts at 10:00pm.

Burlesque Starlets are: Daisy Coole, Chiqui, Kitten Von Strumpet, WORLDMISTRESS, Ginger Blush and Miss Katy.

And if that wasn’t enough fabulous news: TIGER LILY & VIKTORIA MODESTA are the new additions for the party on Saturday!

They are gorgeous and they both will be performing their last songs specially for Corset & Diamonds.

★★ http://www.tigerlillymusic.co.uk

Singer/songwriter Tiger Lilly is fast becoming music’s hottest new property, with fresh attitude, an amazing voice, and great lyrics, she is definitely the one to watch in 2010. She is currently holding No 1 in the UK’s top 40 unsigned charts.

★★ http://www.myspace.com/viktoriamodesta

She has been a recording singer/songwriter with reviews from Music Week and UK Music branding agencies for the last few year. Viktoria has mostly been known for being an Iconic Model and Muse, Celebrity Hostess, Stylist, Hair & Make-up Artist as well as a Fashionista. Some of the highlights inlcude appearing on the covers of the legendary subculture magazines BIZARRE and SKINTWO, National SAMSUNG compaign advert, Co-presenting KERRANG awards, regularly Hosting Londons best dressed night clus CIRCUS and working closely with the worlds most succesfull alternative brand TORTURE GARDEN as house model and fashion show stylist.

Entry is £10 before 10:30 and £15 after. Advance tickets are available now from the C & D website www.corsetanddiamonds.com – advance tickets ensure £10 all night.

Introducing the C & D membership -If you would like to purchase always cheaper tickets or even get free entry to the parties you can now become a Corset & Diamonds’ member.

Visit the website for more information.

Dress up in utter fabulousness ideally in Film Noir, Fetish or Burlesque styles or you will feel criminally outdone.

Ps- these events are for girls and their friends so every guy needs to be invited and accompanied by at least one female in order to gain entry.

Starring Christina Aguilera, Kristen Bell, Cam Gigandet, Julianne Hough and Cher.

We have to wait until November 24, 2010 .. OoooH, Can’t wait!

Olá, 

sexta-feira tem minha performance no Drops Bar. Apareça! Estou te esperando. Beijos.

Drops Bar

Localizado em um casarão branco de 1932, o bar Drops, dos sócios João Wady e Cláudia Cordeiro, é uma ótima opção para um encontro agradável com amigos ou para esquentar antes da balada. Espalhados pela casa, estão sofás, móveis de centro e luminárias que dão um toque ainda mais retro ao ambiente. No cardápio há cervejas, caipirinhas e drinques que acompanham os pratos e petiscos super exclusivos da casa.

Rua dos Ingleses, 182 -  info 25034486 -  www.dropsbar.com.br/

Here’s something to offend your moral sensibilities: sub-pornographic objectification of the female form. And some cars and buildings and shit.

This was actually done as a personal gift for someone who asked for a burlesque sort of image. I’m not just a drooling pervert by nature, y’know.

In addition to this razzmatazz, NEWSFLASH! I finally got round to setting up an online store over at Etsy – one of my more popular collages is now available to buy as an A3 digital print, and pretty soon I’ll be selling more, as well as originals. All this is in the brand spanking new ‘Stuff To Buy‘ section located to your immediate right, at the bottom of all the links.

Which also reminds me of this: http://www.spunky.co.uk/design/profiles/stephen-kelly - a T-shirt I designed last year for Spunky Clothing, which is still available to buy.

Not that you need to or anything. They already paid me, so what do I care, right??

get your sweet asses down to the arts centre,
tonight is opening night!