Atomic Thursday: Drag Eraser

Many of my friends are huge fans of this product.

Atomic Cosmetics: Drag Eraser

Drag Eraser in travel size

Performers wear some pretty intense makeup. I've bragged about the wonders of the now-discontinued Spackle. It's not unusual for us to wear oil-based makeup for stage.

Any housekeeping tips guru worth her salt will tell you that it takes oil to remove oil from your pots and pans. You need something that will absorb and break down the oil, and products with oil in them can do just that. Drag Eraser is oil-based and perfect for cleaning off stage makeup.

I have a process for removing my stage makeup. I've demonstrated it in the photo where I'm wearing just lipstick. (Atomic Cosmetics in Bourbon. Ooh la la!)

Top left you can see me in the lipstick. First, I wipe off any excess makeup with a tissue. (I typically take some makeup wipes on the road.) If you're going to clean butter off a table cloth, it's best to scrape up the butter first. You'll find you have more success removing the makeup efficiently and effectively by wiping off what you can before cleansing. Top right is after I wiped off the lipstick.

Drag Eraser works best when you use it like cold cream. It does have a gentle exfoliant. You can see my lips slathered with it in the bottom left photo. I use my fingertips and use a gentle, circular motion to scrub the makeup.

Then, I use a cotton ball or tissue to wipe off the Drag Eraser. You can see one side of my cotton ball in the bottom center photo. Expect to use a few cotton balls if you're removing an evening of showgirl makeup. I gently wipe until no more color comes off.

The next step is very important. You still have to wash your face and continue with your regular skin care routine. You've wiped away the showgirl but you still have oil on your face. I washed my face with The New 20 before the photo on the bottom right. I finished my regimen with toner and moisturizer.

I typically use a different product to remove my makeup at home. I'm a contact lens wearer and I can use the other product on my eyes without worry. (I get interrupted by dogs when I come home and take off my makeup. Sometimes I have to take them into the yard while I'm cleaning off the war paint.) If you use Drag Eraser on eye makeup, keep in mind that it has a gentle exfoliant. You want to clean it off your eyes carefully and swiftly so you don't rub any of it into your eyes. I do use Drag Eraser on the road when I don't have to worry about dogs jumping on me at the end of the night.

Drag Eraser comes in three sizes. I recommend it for any performer. It's a very thick product and doesn't flow through the pump of the 2oz. size very easily. It comes out of the larger containers easier.

Road Eats: Making Smart Choices

Eating on the road is a challenge. Mealtimes are unreliable and one travel delay can thwart an entire meal. Having a smart plan for the road will truly save your bacon.

I always pack a snack in my carryon bag. I tend to carry cashews for protein and cheese-filled cracker sandwiches for carbs. (Last time I was in New Orleans I lived off my box of cheese-filled crackers because I didn't feel like leaving my hotel room.) Fruit leather and unsweetened dried fruit also make great snacks. As delicious as candy bars and protein bars may be, they're packed with sugar and will exacerbate any inflammation you may have (injuries, blemishes, illnesses). Try to consume foods without added sugars. Look for things that you like that don't have many preservatives.

Restaurant eating is a challenge. Visiting places that are new to you presents overwhelming temptation to eat like you're never going to eat there again. So many options, so many appealing things. I love eating but I have to make choices that will support my adventures, not choices that indulge my inner foodie. It's been a struggle to not eat all the things. Locals always suggest getting their favorite thing. That favorite thing may not be quite what you need. My eyes are typically bigger than my stomach, and I don't always have a way to store and reheat my leftovers.

Here are my tips for restaurant eating on the road.

• Read the menu. Look at the things the locals recommend and look at other tables so you can at least get the aesthetic of the temptations without actually consuming them. See if you can get a bite of the temptation from a friend without ordering it for yourself.
• Stick with simple meat and protein. Get the broccoli instead of the french fries. Get the sauce on the side. Skip the breading and the pasta. Eat the croutons on the salad or a slice of bread with your meal if you really want the bread taste. Chicken and shrimp are my go-tos.
• Order a la carte. Do you really have room in your dancer tummy for a protein and two sides? Most places have an a la carte menu so you can get the protein and one side. It may cost the same as an entree with two sides but you won't feel compelled to eat everything on your plate so nothing goes to waste. Can you dance well with a tummy full of rice, fries and chicken? Just get the rice and chicken. You won't waste as much.
• Take out half. If you're going back to your room right after your meal and you have a refrigerator, you can get a regular meal and ask your server to bring you a takeout container while the food is hot. Put half in the container and close it up. You can tell your server you don't want to be tempted to eat too much if you feel like you need to justify it.
• Split meals where you can. If you're traveling with a fellow performer who has similar tastes, you can split an entree and get side salads.
• Avoid bonus carbs. Carbs are great for you but meals in sit-down restaurants frequently have bonus carbs. I know I can eat the hell out of a basket of tortilla chips without thinking twice about it. Skip the complimentary chips, mini loaf of warm bread, basket of breadsticks. If you can't avoid them, ask your server to package them up for you because you want to enjoy them after you dance. Most servers don't mind, especially if you leave them an extra buck or two for the effort.
• Be smart about dessert. If you don't have room after your meal then don't order it. Go family style on a dessert so you only get one or two spoons of it. Skip stuff you can get back home.

Late-night post-show restaurant trips with the cast present their own challenges. You're going to bed soon and you don't want to overload your system but you still need to "eat" with the group.

• Skip caffeine so you can get your rest. Get some juice, ginger ale or hot chocolate. An Italian soda is a fancy late-night drink. Avoid the alcohol as well. Pass on the refills and drink water instead.
• Stick to appetizers and a la carte offerings. Have some hash browns or a single egg. A veggie side or some toast are great for late-night eating. Fresh fruit pie or simple cheesecake are nice options if you want to treat yourself after a great gig.
• These late-night outings are more about social intercourse than actual nourishment. You can get away with just ordering one beverage and slowly sipping it as you visit with people around the table. Be sure to tip well.

It takes a while for something to become a habit. You have to start somewhere. You may notice you feel better, have more energy and poop regularly when you make smart food choices.

Golden Legends Championship Challenge

I'm like a song by the Go-Go's for most of the goings on of the Golden Legends Championship Challenge-- my lips are sealed. I can't share the content of the mentoring between me and Matt Finish. I can't share strategies or smack talk the other contestants. (Why would I want to smack talk them? I know many of them and look forward to meeting the others.)

But, I want you to get excited about the event and you're used to me sharing my journeys with you.

Here's what I can share:

• I've been working on this new costume for months. I have four more pieces to build and one to complete. I'm far better at managing big projects now than I was in college. I knew this would take work and I'm proud of my progress. This costume is gorgeous. You only get glimpses of it on my Facebook and Instagram for now.
• I'm working on addressing my shortcomings as a performer while leaning into my strengths. My first ever burlesque performance was nine years ago, and I'm months away from wrapping my eighth complete year as a burlesque professional. It takes time, successes and failures to really sort out who you are and what you want.
• I'm really excited about the ways I've challenged myself in this new number.
• It helps to have other people on your team. Even an old broad like me benefits from having a sounding board. Mr. Snapper is an awesome sounding board but sometimes I need a different viewpoint.
• Competitions should serve as motivation to be something greater than you are. The chance at a prize is exciting but I'm in this industry for the long haul. I'm pushing to create a damn fine act that will delight audiences in ways they never expected. The next challenge will be to make a different act that is this rich.
• I'm really looking forward to returning to New Orleans. I haven't been there since 2010. If I lived closer, I'd visit with more frequency. It's a delightful place.

Two other things I can share about it.

1. Travel costs money. I'm not asking for donations but I am selling stuff to make money. Visit my website and see what I have to offer right now. I'm also teaching corsetry in Los Angeles before I leave for the event. If you know someone who wants to learn to make a corset, send them my way to sign up for class. Every sale helps. :)
2. Events cost money. GLCC is raising funds through sponsorship and vending. They have sponsorship packages for as little as $45. You can check out details here. There are several package levels.

That's about all I can share for now. If you're in New Orleans on October 21st, I'd love to entertain you.

Topless Vlog #52

Vlog is here!

I am absolutely ridiculous and give you a little hello to start off the new year.

LINKS:
Madison Hurley Photography
1/30 Double Vision Burlesque

Topless Vlog #50

For my 50th Topless Vlog, I'm joined by Greta Grenade. After our Friday night show in Fresno, we shot a shortie in our Addams hair and makeup.

Links:
11/10 Monday Night Tease
11/7 Saintly Bomb Productions Presents #Obsessed: England

Sewing September - Days 27 and 28

I got absolutely squat done Friday. That's three days off this month. I tried making up for it over the past two days.

I'm working on panels for my skirt to go with my corset. I draped them on my new dress form this morning. (I've also stuffed the cups because the dress form doesn't expand to a DD, even though the chest and waist expand. The shape is wrong if I alter the dress form measurements to try to make boobs.) They're getting serged tonight when I get home from the Dodgers game.

Excited about this number and its new direction.

I also finished the cardigan! That took forever. I found that by lengthening the stitch just a bit more made it easier. I also folded the area to be hemmed under and let the feed dogs do the work, instead of having the inside of the folded area against the presser foot.

FINALLY FINISHED!

And I replaced the rear panels of my sister's corset. I grommeted and assembled it yesterday, adding a couple more boning channels and starting the bias tape this morning. It's going to be adorable. I'm really excited about it. Andrew's cutting the bones while I'm watching baseball. I figure it will be complete by Wednesday if I have no more interruptions.

This is going to look dope with the red laces.

I'm in the home stretch and there's so much I didn't get done! GRAH!

Topless Vlog #47

Topless vlogging again!

I'm back after taking some weeks for personal and Doodlebug health. Sewing projects abound.

LINKS:
Brunchlesque

Wham Bam Thank You, Glam!

Any excuse to wear a tiara.

Dear reader, by now I'm sure you know that I prefer the comfort of a pair of broken-in blue jeans and nothing else to most garments out there. Yes, I make my own costumes, but I take them off to entertain people. I'm freckled and I have windblown, sun streaked hair. I'll roll into the same "not leaving the house" clothes for several days in a row. I'm not a glamour puss. I hate buying shoes.

The big problem is that my wardrobe is lacking in the glam department, and part of my job is being fancy (i.e., looking fancy before and after some fancy shows, going to events as a Person Who Must Look Fancy). Another problem is that I have to look fancy out of a suitcase. Merch and costumes are more important to me than fitting in yet another stupid pair of shoes and appropriate foundations for an outfit I'm not taking off to entertain people. I don't want to have to press and hang and dry clean another thing. (Most of my dresses are wash & wear or day dresses that I've made. Low maintenance. That's me.)

Despite all protestations, the casual girl is required to be a Person Who Must Look Fancy from time to time. Instead of making yet another cute day dress that shows too much cleavage to double as day job wear, I made a gown. It was a simple gown, a Very Easy Vogue pattern that I tackled within five hours. I made it out of spandex because I can wash it on the road and it will dry quickly. (If I work in a smoky club and wear it out the door, it can dry in the shower overnight.) It also won't wrinkle. Low maintenance; that's what I want. It's not terribly supportive in the chest department, but it covers everything.

There is one more thing I absolutely love about spandex, and that's the fact you don't have to hand or machine hem it. Glorious heat and bond does the trick.  I used this on my dress for the Pas de Deux and it's still holding strong. Test it on a scrap of your fabric before using it for a hem. It's incredible. I used a little to tack down the lining in the front and the back because I'm so bad at dressing myself I would probably walk around with it pulled slightly out.

I highly recommend this pattern. It's Very Easy Vogue V8358. Suggested fabrics are silk jersey, stretch velvet, and matte jersey. (I'm a renegade with my spandex.) The important thing is that your fabric has some stretch and drapes nicely. It took me about four hours to make this dress, and I added fancy topstitching to make it look commercially produced.

Topless Vlog #46

Here it is!

I say a quick and topless hello from Fresno after a couple nights of shows on the road.

Topless Vlog #40

View it here!

I whine about the string of Kings losses, chat about Boylesque Vs. Burlesque, warn of upcoming trips to Boston and Albuquerque. Snapper birthday is February 7th!

Links:
2/7 Great Burlesque Exposition - Friday Night Bordello
2/10 Monday Night Tease with Chocolate Box Burlesque
2/15 Southwest Burlesque Showcase

From 2013 to 2014

With Lili & Richard. (C) Nanette Gonzales, LA Weekly

I'm a little late with my annual review of all things Snapper. I've been seduced by the world of hockey, and I spend a nice amount of my down time watching Kings games live or on television. (By "down time" I mean I'm eating, working out, or sewing while I watch. Going to games is like a vacation from my "down time" work.)

Here's what 2013 held for me:

Hollywood Burlesque Festival (C) SH Photo 2013

• 50 performances in 39 shows. One show and one performance less than 2012, but 2013 was a big year for me otherwise. I focused on quality and longevity last year. This totals 372 performances in the six years I've been doing burlesque (at the end of 2012).
• Taught lots of privates. I also taught in Las Vegas and Hot Springs. I taught at Greater Los Angeles Area Mensa Regional Gathering, What Katie Did on Melrose, and Hollywood Burlesque Festival.
• Performed in two inaugural festivals: Las Vegas Burlesque Festival and Hollywood Burlesque Festival.
• Short touring hops to Dallas twice, Hot Springs twice, Ft. Worth, Houston, and Las Vegas (a short tour before their festival). I love seeing friends and family and making new friends when I travel. It's great to see these folks at least once a year.
• Continuing education. In 2013 I took classes with Stephanie Blake and Tiffany Carter. I returned to Slimmons after some time away. I also returned to ballet. I continue to work with a choreographer to help me shape some of my ideas for better presentation. I completed two online sewing classes via Craftsy: handbag design & construction and tailoring.
• Improvements in the workshop.  I got a serger! I've been able to tailor a 2012 Kings Stanley Cup tee, make a couple pieces of lingerie, work on the husband's Batman cape, and slap a finishing edge on a wedding dress with it so far. I turned my home desk into a cutting table with a big cutting mat. I bought a pair of Gingher thread nippers, and took advantage of the notions sales at Joann Fabrics to get pattern weights and a rotary cutter for detail. I stocked up on silamide and made a pressing ham. Andrew got a new drill for fan staves and headdresses.
• Created two new acts, revamped an act from late 2012, made the mermaid tail, and created the Rewedding dress. We had to rework some of the choreography to make the Rewedding dress fit the "Skin" choreography, but it worked brilliantly.
• I was part of the burlesque theater scene for James Franco's upcoming Bukowski film.  I chorographed, costumed, and performed. It was a fun day of shooting. I don't know when the film will be released or how much of me you'll actually see, but it was a wonderful experience.
• Hollywood Burlesque Festival. Andrew and I were on the producer team for over a year, and last year there was enough momentum in the community and determination from Exec Producer Lili vonSchtupp to get it off the ground. This event took up most of the last quarter of the year. We made headdresses, created web content, performed in fundraisers, sought sponsors, and watched tons of submission videos. I embellished the costumes for the finale, served as finale understudy, choreographed the two waves of community dancers who joined the showgirls in the finale, and made garments for fundraiser auctions. I coordinated weekly visits to Slimmons for the burlesque community and liased with sponsor and friend Richard Simmons. (His mother Shirley was a fan dancer. I had the joy of making white feather fans like Shirley's for him.) Performing, teaching, working with the judges -- it was quite an event. I'm lucky to have been part of the entire event. I've been a little lame on the blog front since the event because it was so intense!
• The Rewedding. That was quite an accomplishment for me last year. I've waxed on and on about how amazing it was. That's because it was amazing.

  

  With Glama Sutra, Prix de Beaute & James Franco

   I would remarry Mr. Snapper every day if I could. If you haven't watched the video, it'll give you a big smile.

What's in the works for 2014?

• An instructional video. I'll give more details as I get closer to production. It will be unique and fun. This will probably be my first crowd-funded endeavor.
• Tour hops to Arkansas and Texas. Maybe a couple more festivals. I'm performing at the Great Burlesque Exposition in Boston on my birthday, then Mr. Snapper and I are performing at Southwest Burlesque Showcase the following weekend.
• A brief European tour. I'm plotting and planning with my tour mate so we can make it happen. I'll announce tour dates when everything is secured. Plans are for autumn.
• Hollywood Burlesque Festival! We're bringing you more awesome this year.
• More new skills. I've enrolled in an online class on speedy sewing techniques. Still working on the ballet (I have dreams of doing pointe work eventually), and still hitting Slimmons.
• I'd like to get published again. I have to investigate what to do to make that happen.

Topless Vlog #36

Vlog is here!

I'm in the tub after the final night of Las Vegas Burlesque Festival.

Topless Vlog #30

It's here!

Red Snapper gives a quick hello before zipping off to the DFW for the weekend.

LINKS:
6/14 Broads & Panties Sunset Strip
6/15 Time Traveler's Ball

Topless Vlog #27

You can see the latest topless vlog here!

I talk mole removal, performing in Hot Springs, new t-shirts, bathing in Hot Springs, and how YouTube gargles nuts.

LINKS:
Carolina Blue tees
Monday Night Tease
Quapaw Baths

Snapper Rewedding: First Steps

On August 14th of this year, Mr. Snapper and I celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  When we planned our teenage wedding, I didn't want anything big or fancy; I just wanted to change my taxpayer name and spend the rest of my life with my best friend.  My mother-in-law was the one who pushed for the ceremony, preparing everything behind the scenes at the last minute.  She borrowed and bought everything for our cobbled-together wedding.  It was adorable and well attended, but it was more of "what a ceremony is supposed to be" than a reflection of who we were as a couple.  The wedding date was pushed from July to August because of a strange illness that had me on intravenous antibiotics for six weeks.  My mother-in-law had ten days to slam her only son's wedding together, my sister-in-law called all of our friends and family to attend, and my father-in-law performed the ceremony.

Parts of the wedding were very much us.  We selected the music.  I let my dad wear jeans and a leather vest to give me away because he was a biker.  Our friends were in the wedding party and a friend sang at the wedding.  The vows, the borrowed dress, the borrowed bouquet, the communion -- while lovely and very fitting for some folks, just weren't us.  Of course, we weren't the interesting people we are now.

Andrew and I have known each other slightly longer than we've been working together creatively (by maybe a few minutes), and we were married six months after we met.  Over the past two decades we've become more interesting people, and it's awesome that we've done it together.  We decided two years ago that we wanted to have a new ceremony on our twentieth anniversary, but this time it was going to be planned and executed by the two of us.  Because we're entertainers the rewedding is going to be a show event.

Since New Year's we've been working diligently on the rewedding: picking colors, hunting for awesome favors, selecting our wedding party, working out the structure of the show, looking for new wedding bands, thinking about music playlists, figuring out wardrobe.  I understand why people schedule some time between the proposal and their first ceremony for all the odds & ends of throwing a wedding.  The players in this event won't all be the same as the original wedding, but this is a Snapper event in Los Angeles so the wedding participants are all performing.

Special thanks to Jessie & Charlene for making this happen!

We met in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and it was a love at first sight situation when we actually met.  Since that's where I was born, where we met, and where we were initially wed, we wanted to have a taste of our younger lives in our wedding favors.  The folks at Bathhouse Soapery & Caldarium accommodated my last-minute request to make 100 bars of our favorite soap, Bathhouse Couture, for pick-up while we were in town this weekend.  The bars have a hint of glitter, making them perfect for a burlesque rewedding.  Each bar is individually wrapped and has a special label just for our event.

I'll share bits and pieces of the planning of the rewedding since I have so many friends and family who won't be able to attend.  Our event is August 12th, two days before our actual anniversary.  Watch this space for the official announcement.

Foul Play Cabaret

Friday, April 19th

This is very special show dedicated to Quentin Tarantino and his films! Please to get in the spirit and dress as your favorite Tarantino character. Be prepared to be amazed! See y'all on the flip flop :)

 

General Admission tickets are $10.00 in advance and $12.00 at the door. Call Maxine’s for VIP upgrades. Advanced tickets are on sale now online through http://www.ticketalternative.com/Events/22961.aspx.

There are a limited number of Reserved VIP Tables with 2 or 4 chairs per. To reserve a table please call Maxine’s at 501-321-0909.

21+

Door 8:00 pm / Showtime 9:00 pm


More info at www.maxineslive.com

Snapper Classes in Hot Springs

I believe I'm the only burlesque teacher in Arkansas, and I'm only there twice a year.  Sign up now.

Topless Vlog #25

Video is here!  (I was spanked by YouTube yet again, so I think all of my videos are going to be moved one by one to Dailymotion.)

In this episode, I talk about the new costume, myupcoming trip to Hot Springs, my next LA show, and the rewedding.  Buster makes a cameo appearance.

LINKS:
Costume progress
4/19 Foul Play Cabaret show in Hot Springs
4/20 Classes in Hot Springs
4/29 Monday Night Tease

Topless Vlog #18

You can find #18 for real right here.

LINKS:
Blue Man Group
Live Burlesque in Las Vegas
Frankie's Tiki Room
Fantastic Indoor Swap Meet
Vegas Girl Wigs
Burlesqueland
GLAAM RG

Live Burlesque in Las Vegas Presents Las Vegas Peek-A-Boo

Live Burlesque in Las Vegas showcases local Las Vegas Burlesque performers as well as Burlesque performers from out of town. Live Burlesque in Las Vegas brings the best of Neo and Classic Burlesque to its stage just for you! It is Las Vegas' BEST Neo Burlesque Show.

$12 at the door
830p go-go dancing
9p show starts

starring:
Moana Marie
La Rosa Muerta
Aya Fontaine
a duet by Shimmy G'alore and Daisy Danger
Bobbie Baltimore
a group chair dancing act from Las Vegas Burlesque Classes (featuring Buttercup Delight and Haute Couture)
special guests...
Red Snapper and Mr. Snapper from LA

Hosted by Blanche DeBris

Lisa Luxe will be our Sexy Stage Kitten

Besides our stage show we will be having a dance contest for 3 lucky audience members!