How will you be dressed for Supanova Sydney and/or Perth? Not too long now and cosplay is going to be FANTASTIC this year.

You don’t have to go dressed as an anime character. Some of my favourite cosplayers in the last few years have been really inventive. We’ve had a really convincing Doctor Who and I don’t even think he was with the girl dressed as the Tardis.

We’ve seen Poison Ivy and I keep running into Batman. Hiya Batman!

But I thought this time with all the colourful people in music right now we could not go past two of the most glamorous ones in the industry, one male one female.

Aric of Beat That Face has the most impressive eyes I have seen on youtube, and they are the crowning glory to his take on Adam Lambert’s eye makeup from the For Your Entertainment album cover.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RQ-04Q0uY8 (there’s a funny skit before he does the tutorial)

Then the other stand out glamorous person in the last year had GOT to be Lady Gaga. Here’s MasqueradeMakeup’s version of the look Lady Gaga did in the Grammy Awards performance of Bad Romance.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNQZP-Loumk

But along with these two we should really look at two icons from the past as well, since everything old is new again. Cyndi Lauper is still rocking her signature look, but ‘back in the day’ she was the quintessential  pop icon and was more far out than Madonna when it came to hair and makeup… here is kandeejohnson’s take on recreating Lauper…

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm7Gy9NdoIg (this is why anyone who lived through the 80’s would really rather they NOT come back)

And you can NOT talk music without mentioning the GODS of rock and roll KISS. Tinsoldier8 shows us how to do a Gene Simmons face…

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_n6RuT7dj0

So don your fancy pants, grab your dancing shoes and a mic and rock on out at Supanova 2011.

Don’t forget to go on over and say hi to Marianne on the Dymocks stall!

Bel Says

With the closure of the Angus and Robertson Grand Plaza, Sunnybank, and Garden City, and Borders closures at Garden City and the CBD stores; it has left the book-aholics on the south side of Brisbane really left out in the cold.

So what options do we have left to us? I’m not overly fond of buying books online but if it’s your thing, you can still buy books with Borders online, Amazon, Book Depository, and Ebay. I like my solid bricks and mortar stores far better.

The Really Good Book Shop on Jackson Road at Bowns Plains is very cool. There is still an Angus and Robertson near Anzac Square and I believe one at Loganholm and Indooropilly. There is Dymocks both in the CBD and at Indooropilly. QBD is in most decent sized shopping centers and one in the Myer center. Pulp Fiction is in the arcade down the escalators at central train station. There’s Rosemary’s Romance in The Blocksidge & Ferguson Arcade on Adelade Street (just go up in the lift) and a fantastic second hand book shop on Charlotte Street near Pancake Manor.
Oh and I forgot that Target, Kmart, and Big W seem to be stepping up to the plate in place of the two major stores that have taken a hit this year.

These are just some of the stores I frequent on my travels. I’m sure there are so many more stores out there my head would explode. I’d love to hear where you go on the South Side of Brisbane to feed your craving for books.

A P.S from Bec: Yes, it’s always sad to witness book store shrinkage/disappearance. I thought I’d add a few of my faves to Bel’s list. If you haven’t visited Black Cat Books in Paddington, go & have a looksee. It’s a small, indie store that stocks a great range of titles & features a gorgeous coffee shop/back yard wonderland downstairs. They also hold regular author events, so check their website for deets.

There’s also Riverbend Books on the ever-popular Oxford St, Bulimba, and TLC Books in Manly. Riverbend enjoy regular author talks and appearances, so check ’em out. My absolute fave is West End’s Avid Reader. Home to a couple of my favourite authors, Trent Jamieson & Krissy Kneen, Avid’s another indie wonder that hosts regular events & signings.

The wonderful Bent Books is just a stone’s throw from Avid, btw. In the CBD, you can always swing by the fantastic, Folio Books, American Bookstore or McGill’s Technical Books.  Last, but not least, are the Coaldrake’s stores. Whether you’re closer to the Paddo Barracks or Valley Emporium, you’ll find yourself spoiled for choice in these gorgeous stores.

By the Bel is a woman of many talents; an expert on dating Supernatural creatures, a top notch book reviewer, a make-up connoisseur, an internet radio jock-ess and a craft whiz kid. Today she’s sharing a inexpensive way to pretty-up your hair do.

1.       He’s going to like Asian and French foods, especially deep fried crickets and escargot.

2. He’ll love sunny warm spots. He’ll be rock climbing, sun baking and bike riding, so stock up on your sunscreen if you want to be able to spend the weekends with him.

3. Brief your folks that the nickname Jimmy is not acceptable, unless his name really is Jimmy, in which case tell them to find a nick name to avoid them thinking of his cousins flitting around in your backyard every time someone mentions Jimmy Lizard.

4. Book the two of you in for exfoliations regularly to keep his scale care regime right on track. You don’t want bits of dead scale around his tail. It’s a little off-putting.

5. Avoid scary movies and startling him suddenly. He’s proud of his tail, and it would be a shame to have him drop it from an unnecessary shock.

6. If he’s not using a curl taming product it might be to your advantage. No lizard man wants to be frizzy.

7. Don’t let you little sister pick the lollies for afternoon snacks. She’ll get the ones that make your tongue turn blue… yep, she’s got a bad sense of humor.

8. When meeting his sister, Anna, avoid doing so at a sporting event she’s participating in. Nothing like screaming out ‘GO ANNA!” to make people cringe.

9. His family holidays on Lizard Island. If you really want to go, be ready to mingle with hundreds of his very distant relatives or to go do things on your own. Either way, it is a beautiful place, so enjoy yourself regardless.

10. If you plan on inviting him back to your place you might want to cover all bases and get a license to keep reptiles. That way you’ll avoid fines, and slaps on the wrist by government officials for taking a native animal out of the wild.

Since we can now all stop playing R.E.M’s End of the World, ‘cause it’s all a freaking hoax (not to mention really annoying after the 50th time), and the zombies didn’t eat our brains; it is time to party.

To party hearty you’re going to want to look amazing. Here’s a makeup, nails and hair combo of tutorials from youtube (my favourite place to look for cool stuff) to have you looking spiffy for the first party of the rest of your life.

Nikkietutorials has a fantastic tutorial on some smoking hot rainbow eyes here –

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7ENIKpr36k

I love how she throws away the conventions of white on the waterline, and those face sticker thingies look just wow.

Next I searched around for a really different hair do. This one is so cool I may even try it myself someday. Today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present (hah hah!), so why not show it with your channelishot’s take on an easy bow made from your hair.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UBj2x1swIE

Nails are the last tutorial, and there really is no limit to how epic you can make your nail art. There is now a way you can cheat at some amazing nail effects with Sally Hansen’s Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips.  They come in quite a few variations of patterns and visual effects, and look to be really easy to work with. Here is a tutorial by sccastaneda from earlier this year of how to put the strips on. *Remember to add a coat of clear nail polish to give extra strength to the finished product*

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSt7hs0Gyt0&feature=related

So now your hair is done, your makeup looks glamorous and your nails are a visual treat all by themselves, you can chuck on your best party dress and head out to whichever post Rapture party is still going.

Have a blast… safely.