MU + DMB 4Evar! Plus, 25% Done on Sound's Familiar

I watch way, way too many makeup tutorials.

Like, a lot.

So today, having been inspired by god knows what (I think I was picturing Dita von Teese), I decided to have some fun and try doing winged eyeliner.

Two things you need to know before I go any further:

A) I have very hooded eyes, meaning that when my eyes are open, you can't really see my "mobile lid" unless I put a very light colored eyeshadow on it;

and B) I haven't done winged eyeliner since I was in my twenties.

Stephanie Lange does a great video about winged eyeliner do's and don'ts

Eep.

So effort #1 required micellar water and a lot of cursing to remove. No, I didn't photograph it. I didn't think to. Plus, the horror may have been too much for a Wednesday afternoon in August.

I know. Bad blogger. No cookie for you.

Thank the gods for Tarte Shape Tape and patience or I'd look like a racoon today. Instead, I turned out looking like this:

You can barely see the wings I spent *coughwheezewaytoomuch* time on, but they are there, damn it. Since you can't see them with my glasses on, I went ahead and took a pic without my glasses.

I think I like the glasses better, since they hide a multitude of my blending sins. Also, try to ignore my janky lips. I love this color (ColourPop's LAX, a matte lipstick, with Essence's XXXL Shine lipgloss in Pretty in Hibiscus on top), but my lipstick got smeared after a certain kitty decided he wanted love. Trying to pick white cat hairs out of lipstick is a bitch, let me tell you.

So I showed Dusty the fruits of my makeup labors (pre-kitty hairs), asking his opinion on my first winged eyeliner look in years. He replied, "You remind me of Lily Munster."

I can't think looking like Yvonne De Carlo is a bad thing under any circumstances, so I'll take it as a win.

P.S.: Work on Sound's Familiar is going slowly, but it is going. It has more to do with the weather and my health than the story. Both Jonah and Carol are speaking clearly to me, and I've hit the quarter done mark, so YAY! Most of the research/initial world building is done, so things should go much quicker now. I look forward to sharing this new world of magic, familiars, elves and demons with you.

P.P.S.: Try NYX eyeshadows. They're pigmented as hell and the price-point is spot-on. Also, Ulta often has NYX products buy one get one half-off, so take advantage of those sales!

P.P.P.S.: My favorite makeup "gurus". These are the ones who I'm like, "Oooh, a new video is up!":

Tati Westbrook: https://www.youtube.com/user/GlamLifeGuru
Laura Lee: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKMugoa0uHpjUuq14yOpagw
Manny MUA (yes, it's a dude): https://www.youtube.com/user/MannyMua733
Emily Noel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtC8m_F7jX2fGOQ3_nomg4g
Angie aka HotandFlashy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU9rHRAeSzi--j1jkXQ47RA
Mariah Leonard: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQPnuUWSIzpdEN0R9pYRScg
MesiJesiBeauty: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAU_EjJwgb9qxGgDMidRMZg
Zabrena: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwQ48S6LdJVdGUM27M0oy4w

Honorable Mention: SimplyNailogical, because I LOVE her videos and her nails: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGCVyTWogzQ4D170BLy2Arw

YouTube and its Advertisers Need a Chill Pill

/RantOn!

Did you know that a lot of content on YouTube (one of my main sources of entertainment) is being dubbed "not family friendly" and is having their advertising yanked?

Yeah, I didn't either until some of my favorite YouTubers began mentioning what was going on. Some of them have lost up to 80% of their revenue due to the changes, and they're almost all small 'Tubers who don't have the large numbers that, say Stephen Colbert has.

Yes, I know there's a reason he has those numbers. I love me some Stephen too. But we're talking the creepy, the horror, the #KeepYouTubeCreepy members of the community like me, who love to watch things like Rob Dyke's Seriously Strange series or Cayleigh Elise's Dark Matters.

Why does Deadly Women's channel continue to get advertising when Criminally Listed doesn't? Because they're from a major network, that's why. And as YouTube grows and changes, it overreacts to things like the Wall Street Journal's article on "objectionable content". I won't link the article to you because, unfortunately, you probably can't read it unless you're subscribed to their paper. I tried to look it up and was unable to read it because I'm not. (I did link the below headline to the paper's article if you want to try and read it.)

So. Yeah. Even sites without the creepy content, like AnimeAmerica, are getting hit because they...review...anime? I'm not sure what's hitting them (YouTube algorithms are said to give nuclear physicists hives), but I bet it's that pesky "family friendly" thing YouTube is stressing about.

The Vintage Files, a channel that discusses old murder cases, disappearances and other things, is missing revenue because of the YouTube issue. I understand there's a whole list of words that can't be put in the description or title or else the video does not receive advertising.

I worry, as an author of romance novels who writes things that are a bit on the spicy side, that this trend could wind up impacting people like me or others who write even spicier novels. Content doesn't need to be "family friendly" on a website where a simple click can take you away from the material you find so offensive. Guard your kids, people. Watch what they watch. Don't just assume YouTube will babysit them for you, do it yourself.

My kids watch YouTube, but we can see their computers from where we sit (or my husband can since we moved into the new house, and let me tell you he's far stricter than I am). If he or I see something we don't want them watching, WE MAKE THEM TURN IT OFF. Simple as that.

We had company two weeks ago, and one of the boys wanted to watch hunting videos where wild hogs were slaughtered. I told him no, I don't watch that in this house and neither do you. Luckily his mother backed me up, he turned it off, and that was that. No advertiser needed to pull its slot, no YouTube needed to blacklist the video. It was done, taken care of.

So please don't babysit my content, YouTube and your advertisers. Let me do that. I can do it just fine, thanks.

P.S. For those, like me, who adore true crime stories and creepy content, you can use the hashtag #KeepYouTubeCreepy to support those YouTubers who give you that content. You can also subscribe to Patreons or buy merchandise, but you  have to check individual YouTuber channels to see who is doing what.

#KeepYouTubeCreepy

/RantOff

Dana Prism Powers, MAAAAKE! UP!

Hah. If you got the title, I bow to you. You remember Bunny's favorite anime series, Sailor Moon! But I'm not talking about anime right now (though I could, oh, I could). Nope. I'm talking makeup.

Note: If you don't like makeup, check out Crunchyroll. If you don't like anime...um...Netflix and chill? But this post isn't for you.

It's December, the month where I tend to replace my 12 month expiration date makeups like eyeshadow, foundation and primers. (Although I just bought a new mascara, Nyx's Doll Eye, this week, and I'm wearing it today. So far...impressed!) So I'm surfing Sephora and Ulta and I'm overwhelmed by holiday stuff.

God, I need this stuff.

No, really. Now is a great time to buy makeup. With the holiday sales and promos, you can get good makeup that's relatively inexpensive (by Sephora standards, anyway). And Ulta carries both high-end and drugstore makeup, so it's full of win!

I'm still loving my Too Faced Melted liquid lipsticks, and my god the Too Faced chocolate bar palettes are my go-to palettes. I may not buy the Kat von D Shade and Light again, since I rarely use it, but her mini-palettes were really nice.

But this year, like a lot of people, I'm on a budget, so I'll be looking for good drugstore dupes for a lot of these. I'm watching makeup videos on YouTube to find what I want and where I can get it. So far my faves are Tati and Zabrena, because they both do high-end and drugstore makeup tutorials and reviews. And they both like to do dupe videos, which I'll probably be binge-watching before I buy.

Does anyone else have the Grav3yard Girl Tarte palette? Because, LOVE. As in, full on heart boner.

Too bad it's limited edition and won't be in stock ever again. I'll have to see if I can find a good drugstore dupe, but I doubt it. Gator Wings (the highlight) is just too awesome.

As for foundation, I need one that's more hydrating than my current one (the Kat von D Lock-It Primer and Foundation are what I use), so I'm looking at Tarte's Rainforest foundation. I like their stuff, so I'm hoping I'll like that.



Blushes I'm on the fence about. I haven't found one I love, since I like peachy shades rather than pink and they tend to be harder to find. NARS is supposed to be really good, but so is E.L.F., which is way less expensive (and I like the name).

As for skincare, there's only one holiday pack I want, and that's the boscia Mask It All. It has all of the masks I want for less than the price of one. And I checked: the black mask is the same amount of product as the stand-alone. So are the others. A great price for the set.

Are you looking to pick up any holiday makeup for yourself? If not, what are your go-to, gotta have items?

P.S.: Has anyone else played around with contouring? Because I've had mixed results.

Bloggity Blog Blog Blog

How many blogs can a blogging blogger blog if a blogging blogger does her blogs?

(It's all about that blog, bout that blog, bout that blog (Not Tumblr)...)

Too...much...blogging. Brain...dying...

So I woke up this morning remembering that I had a blog post to write for Carina Press about my upcoming release, Of Shadows and Ash. So I settled at my computer and began to write that blog, and as I did so, I remembered I had to blog about my playlist for Of Shadows and Ash (a blog that might never go live, but hey! Music! So I wrote it.) And while I was listening to music, I remembered I needed to write a blog for the Harlequin website.

When I was done, I decided to blog about all the blogging.

So with all that blogging, my blogging brain just blogged down.So I decided when I was done that I needed to Google some stuff for the edits I planned to do after I was done blogging. Of course, I was Googling things for the playlist blog.

Argh. And now my eyes hurt. Some songs should not be made into videos. *shudder*

Now I know what happened to the Oompa Loompas once Charlie shut down the chocolate factory.

And, of course, in the back of your mind, there's this. Always, this:

But I am writing, beuatiful Thor man with the large...hammer. I'm just writing blog post after blog post.

(Wait. Did I finish that blog post?)

At least the first round of edits on Not Broken has been sent back to my editor, so I got something other than blogging done.

So the blog posts are sent in, and here I am...blogging. Ayup. Because the brain, she is stuck staring at memes, gifs, and trying to refresh my brain by watching Markiplier play Outlast.

Ah, video games. Thou art my salvation.

New Book Trailer: Blood of the Maple!

I got the Dusty Seal of Approval on the first try, so I'm feeling pretty good about this one:

I think I found a good match for how I envision both Parker and Amara.

P.S.: You can scroll down to the bottom of my blog for a larger version of this video or visit my YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/danamariebell!

Music Time!

So I'm finishing up the rough draft of Howl For Me, when my playlist pops up with this:

And I thought to myself, Oh. Julian's song.

Now don't ask me why two singing guys from Scotland make me think of a Native American from Canada, but there you go. I think it's more the sentiment of the song than anything else. I also know Julian is one of those rare characters who will probably wind up with multiple songs, because this one also calls to me for him:

I think it speaks to his mystical side, the part of him that's Spirit Bear. They've got a heck of a connection to Bear.

Oh yeah, and because he's Julian:

Please don't ask. It hurts my brain sometimes to wonder why characters prefer one song over another.

Cyn's music is pretty much one song so far:

Believe it or not, the only other character who liked this song was Belle.

What?

What?

Sheesh. Okay, Belle liked it a lot. Your point?

Anyway, since I'm starting to hear their music it means I'm just about ready to sit down and start writing them. YAY! Jeff and Fen should be out to my beta readers by Monday, edits are almost complete on Blood of the Maple, and other than a big snowfall that has me feeling like I was hit by a Mack truck everything is going well.

Even if that means I'm going to be listening to a lot of Weird Al in the future.

Eye of the Beholder Contest and Video!

Didn't I promise you a contest today? Well guess what: you're also getting a book trailer!


Wanna win an electronic copy of Eye of the Beholder? To enter, just go to the Contact Me page of my website and send me your email address and your name/handle. I'll announce the winner on October 18!

And since it comes out around my anniversary, I'm doing a two-fer: Win both Eye of the
Beholder AND the previous book in the series, Very Much Alive. So if you haven't read the first book of the True Destiny series, now is your chance to get them both!

And here's the book trailer for Travis and Jamie. Enjoy!

New Book Trailer!

Animal Attraction comes out in print on Tuesday, September 8th! WOOT! Belle and Rick and Gabe and Sarah!

Shadow of the Wolf Book Trailer!

This month I feel like I'm running around like a maniac. I'm in the NaNoWriMo home stretch and still not certain how the story will end.

But I managed to get the YouTube trailer for Shadow of the Wolf complete.Wanna see?

New Video! Only In My Dreams!

New Book Trailer: Dare to Believe

I've put together a new book trailer for my upcoming release, Dare to Believe! Enjoy!

New Video!

Lookee what I made!




Steel Beauty, coming soon!

Very Much Alive Book Trailer

Look what I did when I wasn't supposed to be working!

Keith Olbermann on Proposition 8's Passing in California

I couldn't put it better if I tried.

ROFLMAO

I believe I have mentioned once or twice that I like to play MMORPG's (Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Games) and other video games, like Neverwinter Nights and Diablo. Recently, I tried the Crack of MMORPG's: World of Warcraft (aka WoW).

On the down side, I wasn't that impressed. (Yes, I know, I'm a heretic.) To me it just seemed like yet another in a long line of fantasy MMO's. Been there, done that, already defeated the lich.

On the upside, because WoW has such a huge community, you get some interesting things out of it. Like player-made videos on YouTube. Some of that stuff is freaking hilarious. Now, EverQuest II (the fantasy MMO I was playing originally) also has some pretty good videos, one of which I plan on posting around Christmas.

But this one, this one has stuck in my head. You have a Muppet song (how can you go wrong with Muppets?), bulls in armor, a warhammer, and l33t-speak.

Anyone who knows the difference between WTS, WTB, WTG and WTF will know exactly what I'm talking about.

I present you with: ROFLMAO.

(P.S.: For those of you who don't play MMO's, WTS=Want To Sell; WTB=Want To Buy; WTG=Want To Go, and WTF=... I think you know.)