Moving along

Super exciting news in the world of small business action.

I think I finally have my logo. It still needs a bit of tweaking but here it is. My header logo followed by my more square type logo. It is amazing how long it took me to come to this point using photoshop. I think I still want my ampersand to be more bold so I need to work on thickening that to match my type. Otherwise I am pretty happy with what I have started.

Other exciting news is applying for another spot. Learning from our hesitation on space last time we made the move on a letter of intent pretty quickly. They aren't lying when they say that life is coming at you fast! I have my fingers crossed this will work out. It is a space that is entirely too large for where we wanted to start and over our original intended budget. On the plus side this is a space that we expect to grow into fully and the location is near perfect and accommodates everything I was looking for in a space:

• Bus line access
• Walking distance from home
• Street and dedicated parking
• Part of a neighborhood
• Other successful businesses in close proximity
• Handicap access
• Potential for a small kitchen/dye area
• Open floor plan

We have only just started the process so I don't want to jump the gun but it's a good start.

I did apply for my first vendor and was granted an account which is also exciting. They are one of my first picks for needle and crochet hook vendors. One down and more than a dozen more to go. But I am going to take it in stride till the brick and mortar is secure. I have been dabbling with the idea of just launching an e-commerce site to get the ball rolling and make some social media marketing and income to assist. I also need to order business cards that at least have the logo, email and website.

Going through this process has also forced me to work on putting my business plan all together and in writing in one place. I can talk it big but to have something physical to send in replacement of me being a spokesperson is entirely different. I actually get a bit of sick pleasure working on it the same way I do for my work at the Ohio Art League writing grants. It is very interesting how closely both grant writing and business plan writing are similar. You are basically trying to win someone over to your side with clear, precise writing, stating facts, projections and puffing your feathers a bit. 

Lord, I never thought I would want to own a business. All this administrative work is just not fun, or so I thought. There is also a sick pleasure with the idea of being incredibly successful because of your own endeavors. Even working on the projected expenses, income, and startup budget I find exciting. I know what I am good at and this store will use my personal potential to the fullest. 

I am an enabler so I make a fantastic sales rep.

I am a helper so I love to educate people and see that "A HA" moment hit them

I am a hard worker, so I will put all my energy and love into this business

I am a talented seamstress, so I know the addition of alterations will be a good profitable decision.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!

This past weekend was Ohayocon and I had the pleasure of my friend Vinh taking some professional photos of me in my Lolita regalia!

I am completely in love with these pictures and wish I had more places and excuses to use them in things.  I am very tempted to change my Linkedin profile picture to the one below. 

Outfit Details:

Blouse - Fanplus Friend

Skirt - Enchantlic Enchantilly 

Socks - Enchantlic Enchantilly

Shoes- Uggs

Locket - Toronto Craft Vendor

Makeup foundation - Too faced Glitter Glue, Benefit Plush foundation, Shiseido powder

Blush - MAC Dainty mineralize and Lazy Sunday creme blush

Eyes - MAC white frost/parrot/shroomed/holographic glitter pigment, Limecrime Elf

Eyeliner - Urban Decay 24/7 black liquid liner

Lashes - some cheap fancy ones from a Korean cosmetic store

Brows - Faceshop

Lips - MAC pervette, MAC baby sparks lip glass

It is a very strange thing to look at your own face and be like WOW that is stunning! Not to be a total narcissist but the curls were just right, my hair color is spot on with my makeup and the blush was done well for once! Everything in this picture just worked right and I still can't believe that this is me. I think this is also one of the few pictures where I see the huge difference that my Muay Thai has made in my life and body.

Anyways that is all for now..... people really shouldn't be blogging at 3am in the morning anyways..

Cheers!

The Price of Beauty

Isn't it a damn shame when all your makeup runs out at the same time?  Even though I bought them at all different times in different amounts all my basic makeup regiment has failed me and run out at the same time.

There are just a few essentials that I have learned to make up my basic everyday face to protect, nourish and cover the flaws (no this is not a sponsored commercial).  Very basic needs but things I can not live without nonetheless.

My first must have is a good mosturizer.  I have tried the gamut of products from drug stores to high designer lines.  I remember starting with my first good brand in highschool.  I was prone to pick up the Shiseido Purenss line. 

Which is still very good but just doesn't hold the punch it once did with my then youthful teenage skin.  With the drug store varieties the cheaper it was the worse it did.  I felt that if I was going to spend the money it wouldn't be a drug store anyways.  After many trial and errors I have found my good dependable to be Hope in a Jar by Philosopy.  It has never done me wrong although it costs anout $38 which is not an easy for me to spend that much when it doesn't add to the style of my wardrobe.  Good Skin just like a good body is the basis for everyone on top to look good though.

My next best thing is a good light foundation for my lazy days.  Something that blends easily doesn't clog my pores and that is a bit no nonsense.  I love my mac foundations NC20 and they do a great job at covering and looking flawless the problem is I find them too heavy to deal with everyday.  Truth be told I am LAZY about my skin care.  If I can't sleep in it for a day or two without worry about immediate clogs and belmishes then it's too much for me.  I just can't be bothered every night to wash my face when I have books to read, things to knit and Dr. Who to watch!  So far "Some Kinda-A Gorgeous" ($28) has been my day to day saviour of looking a little less rolled out of bed for work and basis enough for my powder.  Along with that I use "You Rebel lite" ($30) both of which are by Benefit. 

Another regiment of mine by Benefit is "Dr. Feel Good" that I use as a matte primer but I have no need to re-filling that at this time.  It is a great balm to smooth out and fill lines.  I like the scent of it as well as the velvety feeling it gives my skin after applied.

Just for those 3 things that I have run out of will cost me around $96.00 before taxes and I'm sure I will spend even more now that I see that Simone Legone has paired up and is now doing a line of TOKI DOKI Makeup!   My obsession with Toki Doki is bad and I know I will have to buy some of that up as well.  The good thing is that it is with Sephora which is my destination for buying all of these essentials.  I like being able to get all my makeup needs in one place plus they give a lot of great free samples and perks/points on products that I find pretty worthwhile. 

A few other things I must wear everyday are a good eyeliner.  It varies how I feel and what my wallet looks like.  Currently I have been rocking either Mac Gel Fluid line ($15.00) or Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil ($17).  I don't usually do more then a simple sweep with a cat's eye point.

A couple things I pick up from Target are Mascara and Powder.  I could get nice expensive powder from Sephora as well or I could save myself over $15 and get Rimmel's Stay Matte Pressed Powder which works excellent!  Maybe when I make some more bank I will spoil the last layer of my face with something better.  For now I will keep using Rimmel as it has not caused any complications with my skin and it does the job.  The only downside is that it being cheaper at only $4.99 it also has less in it so I find myself getting a new one about every other month.

Lastly for Mascara I really have no opinions.  Anytime it's an event or I go out I use false lashes.  For the day to day I typically curl my lashes and slap on whatever is at my disposal.  The ones that happen to be in my makeup case right now are Maybelline Stilletto, Great Lash and Define a Lash.

 

I did at one point have Benefit's Bad Gal and that was ok....... but it dried up quickly and for that money I can get two of the previous. I only remember one mascara ever being truly Fantastic and that was from Sheer Cover mineral makeup.

This concludes my everyday basics.  I used to up to a couple years ago always have a full face of makeup with a very vivid eye shadow palette but these days waking up at the bullshit of morning to go to work just doesn't happen.  Not to mention when 7/8 of the time I am doing makeup in the my first 10 mins of getting to work while my printouts are going for the day.  It would like a little suspicious for me to have more then a single small makeup bag on my desk.  Not saying I don't care or try but at work I am bare minimum usually.  After work is when I glam it up to what I feel is my normal routine.