The Life of A Ladybug

Guest blogger: N'Lo reviews LiLash

I met my friend, the fabulous N'Lo, when we took beginning tribal bellydance classes together several years ago.  We both continued in our studies, eventually becoming part of our teacher's student troupe, Zahiya Tribal, and then branching out on our own as two of the founding members of Kallisti Tribal.  Though I'm no longer a Kallisti girl in fact, I am still one at heart and it is always a pleasure to be able to hang with her.  We share a love of makeup, particularly of a good red lipstick.  Check her out ... isn't she fierce?

Katrina's Bellydance Beauty Bag!

Katrina is from The Dalles, OR and is a student dancer, primarily studying American Tribal Style, with a few Middle Eastern Dance classes thrown in for good measure.  Katrina says that her personal dance style is still evolving, but she finds herself trending toward "tribaret" (also known as "glamour tribal").

Let's watch Katrina go from cute, ordinary girl to glammed up tribaret dancer!

Here's what she used:

loreal infallible foundation
loreal HIP loose pigment  : exciting
loreal HIP bright shadow duo  : riotous
maybelline shine-free loose powder
mybelline great lash mascara  : black
revlon bare it all lustrous powder  : buff love
revlon golden affair sculpting blush  : rose rapture
revlon creme gloss : wine anytime
mac glitter eyeliner : blitzed
mac fluidline  : blacktrack
mac paint pot  : bare study
lash grip eyelash adhesive

Here's Katrina before:

 

Jahzaal's Bellydance Beauty Bag!

I'm starting a new series here on The Life of A Ladybug.  If you've been a reader for a while, you know that I am a bellydancer, both as a soloist and as a member of the uber-awesome The NDC.  It occurred to me that we bellydancers are beauty mavens by nature, as we go through serious machinations to divafy ourselves before gigs.  I thought it'd be fun for you all to see the process.  Let me know in the comments what you think of the series and feel free to give suggestions for things you'd like to see or questions you'd like to have asked of the dancers.

We begin the series with my friend and fellow NDCer, Jahzaal!  Jahzaal has been dancing for over seven years and has been mentored exclusively by our director, Lotus Niraja.

Here's a pic of the lovely Jahzaal, sans makeup, no moisturizer or anything.  Isn't she ridiculously cute, even with nothing on her face?  If I didn't love her, I'd hate her.

 

Ask me how to ... make your cleavage look more glamorous!

Yes, you read that right - this edition of Ask me how to ... is about how to make one's "girls" look prettier.  LOL!

On a bellydance forum I frequent, one of the posting dancers asked for tips on how to make her boobies look lovely in her new bedleh.  And I realized, that question doesn't just apply to us bellydancers!  All women can use tips on how to bedazzle their decolletage.

So, here's a really easy tip:

• Get a double-sided bronzer compact, like the one shown above, which happens to be one of my favorites, Too Faced Sun Bunny.  Using the darker side and a small fluffy brush (like, blush-sized), apply it as contour to your actual cleavage line (the line where your breasts meet) and where they connect to your chest.  Not a strip of color, ladies - blend!  You want to create a shadow effect.  Then, using the lighter side (and a larger fluffy blush, like powder-sized), dust the tops of the girls, to add a bit of brightness and glow.  And voila!  All pretty!

To send me a question for my Ask me how to ... series, send me an e-mail at lifeofaladybug@gmail.com!

My new bellydance beatbox boyfriend!

This past weekend, we danced at Rakkasah East in New Jersey. Of course, it was a weekend of fun, festival and dancing! In the midst of all the shimmy shenanigans, I fell in love.  Onto the stage came this band and in the midst of this band was a skinny little dude. He proceeded to pick up a mic. I expected him to start singing something Middle Eastern-y. But no. Instead, wonder of wonders, he started to beatbox. Like hell, you say! Yes, indeed ... this skinny little dude is a beatbox wonder. He boom boom katted for bellydancer after bellydancer and, over at my table, a happy little dancer named Makeda (that would be me) popped and locked and shimmied to her heart's content.

I could not contain my love for him and declared him my new "bellydance beatbox boyfriend" at that very moment. One of my fellow troupe members actually went over and told him and he came over to introduce himself to me and give me a big hug. I then bought two of his CDs and he signed them: "To Makeda, with love from Pete ... Your bellydance beatbox boyfriend". SIGH.

See the attached pic for my new love. He's on the right.

The NDC presents ... Shimmilicious 2!

For those of you who've never had the pleasure of seeing The Niraja Dance Company in action or those of you who have and would love to see it again ... the NDC proudly presents ... Shimmilicious 2!

This is our second annual professional bellydance gala.  The show will be held on November 3, 2007, at the Embassy Suites Hotel BWI.  This year, we will be featuring Midnight Mirage, a fabulous troupe from Utah (www.midnightmirage.com), as well as other fabulous bellydance artists from the Baltimore/Washington area and other friends in the bellydance community, nationwide.  The NDC will be reprising a few of our favorite pieces from this past year, so you'll get to see us dancing those routines I've been talking about!

For more information and to purchase tickets, please go to www.lotusniraja.com (or you can contact me).  Tickets went on sale Wednesday and are $20 up until October 31st, when the price will go up to $25.  Hope to see you there!

We still need your votes!

If you haven't voted for us, you still have time!  Voting continues through August 15th.   Every vote counts!  Please pass the word to all your friends - they don't have to know or care anything about bellydancing to vote.

Lotus Niraja and The NDC have been nominated by Zaghareet Magazine for
a Golden Belly Award! To cast your vote, visit zaghareet.freeservers.com/poll.html

Troupe of the Year: The Niraja Dance Company
Favorite Cabaret/Oriental Dancer: Lotus Niraja

Thanks for your votes!

Begging for votes ...

Yesterday, we (The Niraja Dance Company) found that we have been nominated for a Golden Belly Award, given by Zaghareet Magazine!  This is a big honor and we're nominated alongside very well-known, nationally recognized troupes.  So, as a favor to me ... can you vote for us, pretty please?  This is a people's choice vote, so every vote counts - whether you're a bellydance aficionado, or not. 

Also, my mentor, Lotus Niraja, is nominated as Favorite Cabaret/Oriental Dancer.  Wow.  We're so proud of her.  Vote for her, too, please!

So, it's really easy.  Please, if you can, send an e-mail to Zaghareet Magazine at zaghareetmagazine@earthlink.net.  You can cut and paste the below:

Favorite Cabaret/Oriental Dancer: Lotus Niraja

Troupe of the Year: Niraja Dance Company

Please be sure to include your name/address (so they know you haven't voted more than once - we can beg for votes, but we can't stuff the ballot box!).

Thanks for considering this.  We work really, really hard and this is such an honor for us.

If you want to check us out (before or after voting, LOL!), you can go to www.thendc.net.

Today's Tiny Toya

No, nothing is wrong.  If you're looking at Tiny Toya and wondering why she's sporting that beautifully glossy black head of quite wavy hair, it is not because I have decided to go back to relaxing or have dyed my hair.  Today, I danced at the Holistic Health Fair here at work and wore a wig.  A very long, wavy, flippy, glossy wig.  It was part of the costume.  Nothing more.  I will be snatching it off as soon as I get home.  This reminds me why I am happy that I don't have long, relaxed hair anymore.  This morning, it got stuck to my lipgloss and, at one point, I thought something was crawling on me because it was touching my neck - ick!  Bring back the afro puff!!!!

Some pictures from my photo shoots w/Shannon

My friend Shannon is a phenomenal photographer and since I didn't have any great pictures of myself in costume, she agreed to do some photo shoots with me.  These aren't all of them, but yesterday, we went to the most beautiful place and took pics of me in tribal bellydance garb.  Also, if you scroll all the way down, you'll see a couple shots of me from my cabaret shoot. 

I love them!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/s_parks_s