a horse of a different colour

So I haven't blogged since about nineteen-dickety-two (we had to say "dickety" because the kaiser had stolen the word "twenty". I chased that rascal to get it back, but gave up after dickety-six miles) - sorry about that. Have you missed me terribly? Have you? HAVE YOU?!

Anyway, regular posting will probably recommence over the next few days; it's a bit late now, but I suddenly had an urge to say a little hello and make sure you hadn't all died on me (you haven't? Oh good!)

Last weekend I went to London for my friends Tash and Bob's birthday fancy dress-o-rama. The theme was Rumble In The Jungle, which meant lions, bears, monkeys, characters from Jumanji, parrots and even toads were all in attendance. As I'm the sort of person who never likes to do things easily, I decided to be a zebra. With a mohican mane and a face full of stripes. Yeah yeah yeah.

Wearing Pamela Mann Zebra tights (on legs and arms, also used a bit of the left over tights to make a tail) bought on eBay, weird Primark towel dress thing, black flat pumps with gold leopards on them from Topshop (you can't really see them in the pic, but I feel I should mention them as the leopards represented the constant threat of predators that we zebra types have to face. My costume had so many levels to it!)

From left to right - Tash (monkey), Nikki (parrot), me (stripey horse), Lydia (AMAZING leopard - look at her eyes! Will you just LOOK AT THEM!)

What a wonderful, ridiculous night. I also won best fancy dress. Now, last year, when I won best fancy dress at a Halloween party, I was given a plastic skeleton trophy. However, Tash and Bob don't like to do things the traditional way, oh no. So this time around, I won...

A "nautical beard".

I know what you're thinking; how can one person be THAT attractive? Trust me guys, it's all natural.

click click

It's a bit pointless me posting this now, because Halloween was a week ago, but I really just wanted to share these pics of Anjelica Huston as Morticia in the Addams Family, because she, or at least her makeup, was my inspiration this year.

Gothic fabulousness to the max. I love her cheekbones.

Sadly, I didn't really end up doing anything for Halloween; I was a bit rubbish last week and just couldn't be bothered moving! Seriously, two days for the weekend isn't enough - five days at work really take it out of me... (or I'm just very lazy...)

I did have a bit of a makeup practice the night before Halloween, because I was undecided about whether I was going to go to a party or not, so figured I should have a costume on standby just in case. Anyway, using the photos above as inspiration, I created my version of Morticia Addams;

Notice how I managed to incorporate the white face powder from last year? I bloody love that stuff. Sorry for the slightly moody face in the first photo, but this was the best of a bad bunch; I was trying to get that Morticia sneer, but I ended up looking like an idiot...

Although I didn't end up getting all fancy dressed up for Halloween, I am going to get the chance to make up for it as two of my most wonderful friends have just announced that they're having a joint birthday party in a couple of weeks in London and the theme is Rumble in the Jungle! Which means everyone has to come as some kind of jungle animal! Obviously there's a lot of possibilities for crazy costumes and I spent a couple of days changing my mind about what to go as, but I've now settled on an animal; I just need to work out how I'm going to do it. Hair and makeup is going to play a big part though...

Did everyone have a good weekend? And more importantly, did you see X Factor?! I can't believe we were so close to getting Katie out and the judges saved her again! I put this on Twitter too, but seriously, if a singer forgot their lyrics and then sat down on the stage and had a little temper tantrum, people would be calling them an unprofessional idiot. Katie does it and Simon says it makes her an 'interesting' performer?! WTF?!

Can you feel the love tonight?

Eeek I can't flippin' believe we're nearly at the end of October! I don't know whether it's because I seem to do nothing but work at the moment (my life is pretty much a tragedy right now), but it just feels like the last few months have flown over! Actually, the whole year has gone by crazily quickly! Last year, I worked as stage crew for a pantomime in Scotland from November to the beginning of January and it honestly feels like it was only yesterday - I can remember virtually every detail about that time as it was such a fun/crazy/physically and emotionally exhausting experience and yet it's very nearly a year since I was up there! It's like someone just pushed the fast forward button on 2010! Madness.

Me backstage at the panto last year with the giant - look at the size of him!

Ah well, as we near the end of October we're also nearing Halloween, Bonfire Night and, of course, Crimbo! I moan about Winter all the time, because I hate cold weather with a passion, but it really does have all the best Holidays. (I don't think Halloween and Bonfire night are really considered "Holidays" but you know what I mean!) What are you dressing as for Halloween? One of my friends told me yesterday on Twitter that he was thinking of going as Gamu from X Factor! I've got a few ideas but it depends on whether I go for a scary or a non-scary costume. I don't even definitely know what I'm doing for Halloween yet, but it has to involve fancy dress in some way, that's my only criteria. Even if I just stay at home handing out sweets to the little scallywags children who come trick or treating, as long as I'm in fancy dress, I'll be happy. Of course, when I say 'fancy dress', I mean PROPER fancy dress, not slutty fancy dress, which infuriates me beyond belief. If you want some good ideas for costumes, Beth who writes the blog Anchor Rose (which I've just recently come across and I'm loving) did a brilliant post about some of the things she's dressed up as in the past - Billy Doll from the Saw movies is probably my favourite - SO CREEPY!

This is a bit of a random post tonight - just feel like having a ramble really! Also, have you noticed? This is my fourth post in four days! I'm getting better at being a good blogger! I'm really trying to post more frequently at the moment because my followers are slowly starting to creep up on me (not literally - I know there's only 55 of them but that would still be bloody scary if they were ALL creeping up on me!) and I'm starting to get regular readers and well, I want to give them something to read and make sure they keep coming back! I've had loads of positive comments lately and I just want you all to know (and I never get sentimental, so this is a big moment guys) that I read every single one and it honestly means so much to me when people take the time to comment and say something nice! I don't think you should blog just to get followers or comments, they're more like the cherry on the cake, but I do think the 'blogosphere' (goodness me that sounds a bit wanky) is full of amazingly sweet, friendly and witty people and I love getting to interact with them all! Anyway, that's tonight's Hallmark moment over and done with, now onto more pressing matters!

Sticking with the subject of blogging, I thought I'd share the love (I'm literally turning into Barney the Dinosaur - make it stop!) even more and mention a couple of other bloggers who are brilliant and wonderful!

Firstly, Victoria, who writes the blog VIPXO, is a self-confessed Scrabble fanatic and has decided to channel her love of the board game into making the cutest Scrabble jewellery - I ordered my bracelet the week before last and it arrived last Tuesday and I love it! Look at the picture! It's got my name on it! I don't own anything else that says "Franki" on it, so it's all very exciting! (My name adds up to 13 - not bad! Or is that actually unlucky? :S) Prices vary depending on how many letters you want, but mine was less then £10 and delivery was free! I think Victoria is also planning on making rings - you can contact her at vipxoblog@gmail.com for more information. Also, check out her blog because it is lovely and so is she!

Secondly, Ayden, who writes Little Blog Of Horrors (as a serious musical geek, I love that that's what her blog is called), is having a giveaway to celebrate getting to 400 followers - well done Ayden you superstar! Ayden's blog has fast become one of my favourite reads out of all the blogs I follow; she has a really open style of writing that I really admire and she comes across as such a sweet, genuine girl. Check her out, pronto!

Right, that's enough gushiness for one post - I promise I'll be back to my moody, sarcastic self tomorrow ;) I'm off to watch the rest of Hollyoaks Later now, it's so crap but so good!

Whiter shade of pale

Bonjour mes petites chatons!

To those of you who don't randomly break into French every now and then just to make yourselves sound a bit more exciting (not that I'd ever do that...), that means "hello my little kittens!"

Lesson over.

Anyway, feeling a bit French tonight as I've just been looking back over the photos from the Dior Couture show. I meant to post this over a week ago but then I got distracted by the colourful hair over at Chanel. Je suis desolee...

Now, don't get me wrong, the clothes over at Dior were stunning, in fact, I pretty much would have eaten some of them because they were just so ridiculously beautiful (and it's not often I consider eating clothing, contrary to popular belief), I mean look at this, THIS was the final piece;

Aaaaaaaaaaargh!!! "You are so beautiful to meeeeeeee"

However, as with the Chanel show, I actually got a bit more excited about the hair and makeup than the clothes, which seems insane considering, well just look at THAT dress!!! But you have to understand, the models just looked so PRETTY and I'm a big fan of pretty. I hold my hands up, I'm not really as edgy as I like to think I am; when it all comes down to it, I do like things to look girlie and pretty and well, sometimes, SOMETIMES (Jesus H Christ it is ALL coming out tonight) I like pastels ok?!

So I think you need to just take a look for yourselves;

Magdalena, this is getting silly. Stop being so damn beautiful!!!

Look at the hair! Will you just LOOK at the hair! Are you looking? I mean REALLY looking? With your eyes?

You see? Pretty right? I literally want to touch their faces. Just touch them a little bit. Gently, so as not to smudge the makeup. Oh and the hair! Even though those coiffs have probably been backcombed and sprayed like crazy, they just look all soft and whispy and well, yeah, I want to touch them too. Basically if we've learnt anything here it's that I want to touch the models at Dior. Now I never really had high hopes of ever actually being invited to a Dior show, but I think I've pretty much ruined my chances now haven't I? Nobody wants to be strutting down a runway, all fabulous and Dior-ified only to be accosted by a curly scouser who proceeds to stroke their face do they? Well they don't do they?

But all I can say to that is that the folks over at Dior shouldn't make their models look so touchable. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to touch them. In fact, I'm certain of it.

Actually, the person who was responsible for all this touchability (well the makeup part anyway, I've no idea who did the hair - they should really put show credits somewhere) was makeup artist extraordinaire, Pat McGrath. Now I've only just learned about the existence of this woman, but she is seriously AM-UH-ZING. It appears that she does a hell of a lot of the big fashion shows, and she actually created this look for Dior Fall RTW 2008 which I've been a tad obsessed with ever since I first saw it two years ago;

I like to call this look 60s-drag-queen-o-rama

So yeah, Pat McGrath = very good. Pat, you've got The Little Curly Girl's seal of approval. You'll go far my friend.

While the general styling of the Dior show was leaning more towards Edwardian, those white powdered faces and big bouffant-y hair dos, combined with all the pretty pastels, reminded me of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette;

I'll be honest, Kirsten, I don't really understand why you're famous because to me you are just very boring, but I did like this film. And I liked Bring It On. And Interview with the Vampire. And Little Women. Ok, so I like a lot of your films, but I do not particularly rate you Kirsten, I'm sorry, but I just don't. And Mona Lisa Smile.

Funnily enough, last Halloween I went to a fancy dress party as Marie Antoinette and I won best costume! It was pretty much the highlight of my year. Fairly easy costume actually - old dress from a ball I went to at uni, bouffanty hair with lots of talc in it, white face powder, a few little accessories etc SORTED.

Looking back, I think I could have afforded to have gone even bigger with the hair. I'll bear that in mind for the next time I dress up as a dead french queen.

Here I am with my award - I was so happy!

Weirdly, I actually really enjoyed having a super white face. Considering I'm usually the queen of bronzer (not literally, that title clearly would go to Donatella Versace), it was quite refreshing to look in the mirror and see a ghostly-white reflection staring back. Maybe it's because white powder actually makes your skin look really good - it kind of covers everything up and gives you a really smooth, even base. Plus, I loved having a beauty spot. Anyway, if that kind of makeup suddenly became a big trend (fingers crossed that it does!!!) I would be very much in support of it!

In the words of Art Attack's Neil Buchanan - "try it yourself" - white powder. It's the past future.

(all images from style.com, except the ones of me, obviously)