Sisters Under The Skin

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I've been reading so much about women's rights being abused everywhere in the world recently  - from Honduras to America we seem to lose all the hard earned rights to our own body and what to do with it. Read this article here and weep.

I was so upset and angry about this article and tried to think of why it made me so upset, and a large part of the reason is that these are 'my sisters' what happens to them happens to me and it shouldn't happen. The long history of women's rights (or the lack of them) has shown we only get things done, if we stick together.

So this is what this image is about. Sisters under the skin, no matter what colour or where we are. :-)

Credits

Model

• stella-5 by xstockx

Brush

• Hair brush set by para-vine 

 All other images etc my own.

Mark of the Dragon

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I had great fun today painting a dragon (or rather part of a dragon) on my son's arm and hand. He felt slightly tortured at having to sit still for half an hour, but I thought it was well worth the time. :-)

In case you're wondering what paints I used - it's all makeup. Since makeup is designed to go on skin it goes on and is removed easily and it also is less likely to itch or create skin irritation.The dragon skin in the background is from a picture of a Jackfruit I took ages ago.
I couldn't decide which of the two images I liked better, so here's the close-up of the dragon's eye as well.

All my own photographs and my own freehand drawing on the arm/hand.

Plus the following textures:

• Another Mixed Texture Set by Shadowhouse
• 6 Faves Texture Sets 1 by Shadowhouse
• Scratch The Surface Texture Set by Shadowhouse

Written On My Skin - Photo Manipulation

This is in part inspired by Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and my musings on how we 'read' people. In the Oscar Wilde story people's perception of Dorian is wrong because the signs of his life as they are written on his face etc are not visible but only shown the hidden painting of Dorian. How do we 'read' people? How do you explain a sudden like or dislike of a person you know nothing about? There are many conscious decisions we make about people but probably far, far more subconscious decisions that allow us to get an 'idea' of a person just by looking at them, be it the shape of their mouth, the lines on their faces, the expression in their eyes or their body language, and all the many others we don't even know about.

I've chosen to 'cut' off the model's lovely head for two reasons. For one I wanted to 'cut off' the usual way for us to read people and instead show all the other ways and secondly I wanted people to be able to identify themselves with the image.

The barbed wire is a symbol of how people's perceptions of us and the decisions and choices they make on this perception limits us.

See the accompanying poem here.

Credits
Model: Rael C
Photographer: Marcus Ranum
Perchance to dream - 2 by mjranum-stock
Texture: Backblech 01 by sundel

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Feature: Healing Hands

Years ago, when the days seemed longer, when there was not so much to do and a shop with all the ingredients was just round the corner, I used to make my own cosmetics. It was totally fab because I knew exactly what was in it and what I wanted to be in there and what I didn't want to be in there.

Nowadays there aren't enough hours in the day anyway, so no time to hunt down ingredients and stand in the kitchen for hours to make a pot of facial cream. However, the highstreet and 'high brand' makes just don't agree with me. They're okay for a little while and then some ingredient or other just starts irritating my skin.

So, I thought, what's out there that's better? I had a look and found Healing Hands Aromatherapy on the net.


Healing Hands is run by Tracey who is a fully qualified and certified aromatherapist. You can check out her impressive credentials here.

I bought a toner, face and eye cream from her manukka honey range and they're totally fab. My skin is soft, no irritations, no red blotches, no itching. I've used them for three months and they're still great. And they last.

The nice thing is if you're unsure what to buy or what's right for your skin, send Tracy a message and she'll do her best to help, which is fantastic news for anyone with problem skin.

The lotions and potions are nicely packaged and use great ingredients, mostly organic and just the kind of thing your skin will love: manukka, aloe vera, clays and essential oils.


I've been dabbling in herbs and essential oils for years and know a thing or two and I do know she knows her stuff. I've been to shops on the highstreet who sell this kind of thing and found, despite all the so-called training, they don't have a clue, so this is high praise from me. :-) Especially, as there are no 'nasties' in her creams, which is perfect for anyone with sensitive skin.

Here are a few samples of her wares:

Tracy even sells kits for making your own clay masks, shower gels, gift sets and lotions and potions for all kinds of skin conditions.

Now here's the best bit, Tracey's stuff is totally fab, but it is also very affordable. It's made on the day it's ordered and usually shipped the same day (depends on what time of day you order).

I am so pleased with it, I just had to share it. So, if you've been thinking of changing your beauty regime, this is my recommendation. Team it up with some mineral makeup and you won't recognise your skin because it'll look so fantastic. :-)