Outfit and Art!

Hello lovely reader and welcome to Sunday's post!

This will be a short outfit and make-up post along with a photo of my latest drawing! This was taken last weekend, the weather was really bright which made me think of wearing... *le gasp*... white! Shocking. It's just shocking- the goth girl wearing colour! Hehehe.

I was very happy with my makeup (I say that every week, my skills are limited so I just do the same thing all the time hah). I overdrew my lips with a nude lip liner which is why I have that silly pout in these two photos, I couldn't help it! Also I am growing my hair and it is starting to get longer which I am very pleased about, aiming for shoulder length hair as I miss my curls. Hope it doesn't take forever!

Simple smoky eye and winged eyeliner! Just look at those lengths of hair on the left though, finally growth! 

I have no idea why I look so smug in this photo... This was my outfit of choice, super comfy! Quite colourful by my standards. 

These are the cat ears I wear when I do my make-up to keep my hair out of my face! Love these things. I wore them out a few times and got miaowed at by strange men in Dublin so I stopped doing that. True story. 

The light in my room sucks in Winter so it has been damn near impossible to draw for probably two months. I have a daylight lamp on the way BUT we got some decent sun lately so here is what I came up with. Pretty pleased with how it came out. I have since bought an A3 sketch pad as A2 is very limiting in terms of how much detail you can fit in.

I am glad that Spring will be coming soon so there is more light, I love Halloween and Christmas and Winter but they can be very restricting months in so many ways.

Do you prefer the Winter or Summer months? Does the Winter gloom get you down or do you thrive around this time of year?

Rebecca. 

Outfit Post-Bat Skirt

Hey everyone!

This is an outfit post from a little while ago before the weather here turned really bad. It's been windy rainy and miserable the last while, Winter has well and truly set in!

I am wearing a Hellbunny bat skirt, mesh tights, doc martens, cut out crop top from Boohoo.com and a plain cami underneath!

The skirt is so epic and swishy, I have shown it before on this blog in my birthday post, I wear it a lot. Lately I've been wearing leggings instead of tights for extra warmth.

I love this style of top with the cut out! I'm also wearing my usual lace gloves. 

I had a boring jacket on top so nothing worth getting a picture of! 

That's it for today's post! What have you guys been wearing now that it has been heading into Winter? Do you layer up leggings and longer tops up with lighter things or do you have a separate Winter collection? Let me know in the comments! 

I layer everything up and have a few Winter items. I don't like big bulky jumpers and I'm very picky about what looser flowy things I wear!

Until next time,
Rebecca 

The Outfit That Broke The Rules

Hey there and welcome to today's blog post.

The title of this post comes from the fact that I broke some fashion 'rules' with my outfit at the weekend.

1)If you are going to wear something that is drawing attention to one feature, then you should not draw attention to anything else.  Woops! High waisted shorts also accentuate a smaller waist along with obviously showing a bit of leg. The scandal of it all!

2)You should only do a strong lip OR a strong eye. I did both. And a generous contour. Come at me bro.

3)It's not a rule but I believe it was Coco Chanel who avised that a woman should remove one accessory before leaving the house. I added one in the form of my lace gloves.

Necklace-Claires Accessries
Top-Boohoo.com
Lace cami underneath-Penneys
Shorts-New Look
Tights-Penneys
Wedge Boots- New Look 

Love this necklace. 

Very happy with how the makeup came out. I went so long without doing makeup that I get worried I'll have forgotten how to! I've also been growing out my eyebrows and I am so pleased with the results. Apparently it takes a full 6 months to properly grow them back out, I think I'm two months in by now so it will be interesting to see where they end up. 

I based the whole thing around combining these tights and shorts, I had a feeling that they would play off each other nicely.

What do you think of fashion rules? Are they made to be followed or made to broken? I think it depends on the situation really.

Until next time, thanks for reading and I hope you are having a lovely day!
Rebecca,

A Trip To The Pumpkin Patch

Hey there and welcome to today's post!

Recently I took a trip to a pumpkin patch and got some nice photos. It was the perfect Autmnal day out!


This is a little display house that was set up for the season, how amazing is this?

So this is the pumpkin patch! In a weird way I was expecting it to look like something from a movie, as though I would emerge from a clearing into a beautiful scene of perfectly orange and perfectly formed pumpkins hanging out looking spooky. What I did get was an assortment of pumpkins in their varying stages of life or death (i.e firm or squishy) in a big mucky field!  Still very cool to see and felt very Autumny! The colours were beautiful and it was pretty cool to see an entire field of pumpkins like that. 

The paths were littered with conquers. I love seeing these things!

Some of the trees were these gorgeous deep reddish shades. 

Not sure what this dude is but he posed for a picture, who am I to say no? Such skill. Very model. Much indeterminate species. 

Spooky picture with an interplay between shadows and light with leaves in the foreground? Check!

A grand bit of Irish countryside for you there now. 

In keeping with the theme of the day I took some browns and golds and did my make-up in the colours of the season! 

I also filmed a short little video of what I was wearing! My outfit isn't particularly special but I like making these styles of video. 

Hope you enjoyed today's post!
Rebecca

Outfit Post- Pencil Skirt and Kitty Shoes

Hey there and welcome to today's post!

This is a short little post showing an outfit from the weekend that I really liked. I was going through my wardrobe to see what I had that I hadn't worn in a while and I found this skirt. I got it in a charity shop about a year ago and I've never worn it so I took it for its maiden voyage on a coffee quest!

My hair needed a trim so I pinned it all up and adorned it with this simple black flower which suited the style of the skirt quite well and gave the overall look a pin-up vibe. It's also been a long time since I wore my kitty shoes out for the day so I took them along for the walk! Makeup was simple and overall I liked how the outfit came together. It is different to what I normally wear which made it more fun!

The pattern on the skirt is this leopard print which I don't normally wear but I love the fact that the skirt is all one colour, Makes it easier to wear I think. 

My trusty cameo skeleton lady! This is one of 4 necklaces that are in constant rotation in my collection, it just adds a fun flair to outfits! 

These shoes have seen better days but I love them so much! I bought these the day I handed my Masters thesis in. I was exhausted and almost dizzy walking into the shop after a stressful week but I emerged with the coolest cats in town! 

I couldn't get a good photo of my makeup! My eyeliner went on pretty evenly and very quickly which is always a good sign for the day ahead. My lip colour is pulling a pinky shade here but it was darker, more of a plum! 

I have been using Dr. Organics skin care in the Dead Sea Minerals Range and I have to say it's really been doing good things for my skin. It has been Clearing it up and helping it look more even. I am also freckled from a summer of fun in the sun. I actually quite like the sunshine despite the whole goth thing but I was forgetful and didn't use sunscreen all the time this year so I picked up some colour. It should fade out over the Winter. I'm not overly pushed on having a ghostly pallor but I do like the pale look so I'll just remember the sunscreen and see what happens! 

Does anyone else enjoy the sunshine or do you hide in the shade all summer?

Thanks for reading,
Rebecca.

Sunday Outfit of the Day- Understated Darkness

Hey everyone!

So lately I have finally broken free from a very long style slump and am getting my mojo back.  I went a long time with no distinct style, no fun make-up and generally just making no real effort. My sense of style got lost somewhere but it has been reborn, it took some experimenting with new things, some forcing myself to just do it and some definite mistakes but we are back in business once more. The result is actually really anti-climactic because its not terribly different to what I was doing before, it's just a bit more put together and more understated in a way. I've been feeling very inspired by post-punk, darkwave, 80's style and the earlier days of goth in general. I guess sometimes you have to break things down to their roots to piece it together again.  

Anyway, on with the show chaps! 

                                 

I went for pizza and cake today (as you do) and wanted to experiment with my hair and make-up a little bit. I remembered that my mother told me my hair reminded her of Madonna once and so I looked up some pictures earlier and saw that Madonna had a lot of volume at the roots. Luckily having short curly hair makes this relatively easy to achieve, especially on third day hair, all I did was run my fingers through the roots and rub at them a lot! Kind of like back-combing. Adding dry shampoo probably would have helped but I find it dries out my hair a bit too much if its not actually greasy when I use it.  I messed around with the curls and just kept pushing them up and back a bit which resulted in a fun hairstyle!

Wow thats close! I haven't done eyeliner like this in a loonng time!
It's not even at all but I'm happy enough with it. Practice makes perfect! 

For my make-up I wanted to channel a bit of Arianna Froxeanne from The Frozen Autumn as she does simple but effective eyeliner styles! And has short blonde hair too! I also darkened my eyebrows more than usual. I put a  small amount of black on top of the earthy brown I usually use and I also drew them on to be slightly more bold and square looking than I have been doing. I did so carefully though since the contrast against the blonde hair makes bold brows into quite the statement. I actually forgot to put mascara on which is an unusual omission for me but its not super obvious

My awkward 'I wonder has it taken the photo yet.. ' face

As for the outfit it's fairly standard and simple. I really like simple put together looks! I am wearing a lace trim camisole, a lace bolero, a really ancient waist belt, a wet look skater skirt and plain tights! I wore patent black doc martens and my favourite Beetlejuice bag along with a sparkly cat necklace. The waist-belt totally came off in the car after the meal though, I got my money's worth of delicious carbs thats for sure! 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice!!!

Look! He has little sparkly whiskers! 

So that's it! I'm writing this in my comfy loose pyjama bottoms allowing my food baby to settle! I really hope I can get back into blogging more again but I just keep going blank when I go to write anything down. I'm full of excitement and ideas one minute and then I open blogger, look at the empty page and I can't seem to channel what's in my head into a post! I probably just need to sit down and do it in fairness!

What has been influencing your fashion lately? Maybe the changing seasons have been inspiring your wardrobe or you've found a new band or singer you admire? 

Alternatively have you ever had this blogger's block issue I speak of? How did you get past it? 

I'd love to hear your thoughts, share them down below and thank you so much for reading my post and visiting my blog!

Rebecca. 

Goth Fashion and Job Interviews: My tips!

Job hunting is tough. Like really really tough. Although there are more jobs becoming available over here in Ireland there is also a lot of competition for those positions. With many entry level jobs requiring 2+ years of experience it makes things challenging and you definitely don't want anything within your control to count against you, right?

I am a recently qualified personal trainer in the market for a job. I am also a goth. I love black spikey things with holes in them and too much eyeliner. When was the last time you saw a personal trainer with a giant bat on the back of their polo t shirt? (note to self: make bat polo shirt happen)

In an ideal world what you look like wouldn't matter but realistically speaking there are times when paying the bills and keeping your car on the road has to take priority over one's image (unless you work in a creative job or are otherwise allowed to dress as you please for work, of course)

However I don't think that means you have to sacrifice your personality to the corporate machine altogether, I think a lot of alternative people have probably found themselves in the position of wearing something so normal to an interview that they lost their confidence.  What follows are some tips which I have found to be useful!

Yes goth girl from freeimages.com. I also make that face when job hunting.

• Isolate those themes in your wardrobe that are strong signifiers of your own style and translate those trends into a professional look. Think really far outside the box on this one! I have always loved combining super sleek items with distressed things, ripped tights ad platform boots with a cute fitted blouse for example. Taking that blouse and putting it with something more professional ensures that I am still wearing 'me' things to an interview. 
• If you have to purchase something new then try and find items that can fit into your style. I bought a blazer to go with an interview outfit recently and I will definitely wear that blazer again. Blazers are a goth staple and usually not too expensive. Hold off on sewing patches and things to it and it becomes a little more multi functional. Band shirt, shorts, ripped tights and a blazer? Perfect!
• Think simple. If your style is very elaborate or very full on remember that in the job hunting world these approaches may not work. Get back to the basics instead. Dress pants/suit pants whatever they are called (we just call them work pants over here usually) are great and they usually come in black or grey. Perfect. You can go for skirts either. Next think blouse or shirt and don't be afraid of colour. White shirts are very gothable after the interview is over for example. Deeper colours may be a good option too, say plum or even something pinstriped. Next consider a blazer or a waistcoat to add tailoring. I already mentioned blazers but waistcoats are a great addition to ones alternative wardrobe too! 

• Accessories can be a fun way to make an outfit more you. If you have a colourful or subtly printed neck scarf then that could work well tied into the collar of a shirt as long as it isn't too overpowering. An all black outfit could benefit from a plum or even cream neck tie in the collar of a shirt or blouse.
• Give your nails a coat of clear nail varnish. Even though its as plain as you can get, that extra bit of preparation adds to the look. Nude is great too if you have a nude shade. 
• As for jewellry? This can be a great opportunity to show a little bit of personality. Now I wouldn't go wearing massive ankhs to an interview but if you had any simple delicate jewellery then this could be the time to wear it. A silver chain with a small black jewel could work or maybe you own some earrings in the colour of your birthstone for example? Small little cat earrings (depending on how formal the interview situation is) and a simple silver bracelet could be a nice combination too. If you are wearing something with a high neck then you could always wear any gothy necklace of your choice without the interviewer having to see it. You'll know its there though and that can help! 

Hilariously cheesy stock photo ;)

• Piercings.Well for starters if you can remove your piercings then I would suggest doing that. I actually hate having to do this but an employer may not bother to ask you during an interview if you would take them out for the job, they may just assume you won't. Your image conveys a message during that short interview time, convey the right one! If you can't take them out without them closing then perhaps wear your hair down to conceal ones in your  ears. If you have facial ones then you may get away with taking them out directly before the interview and popping them back in straight away afterwards. You can make a more permanent decision if faced with a job offer but if you can save your piercings at all for an interview then I would do it.  I lost a piercing to a job interview and when I realised I wasn't getting the job I was kicking myself for not taking the extra few seconds to take care of my piercing afterwards. If you really can't do this then you may need to be honest and make a decision over your body mods and work so think long and hard. You could always replace lost ones with something like a septum which is easily hidden. 
• I don't have tattoos so I can't speak from experience but I would say honestly conceal what you can if possible! This may be tricky if is too hot for long sleeves where you live but if this is the case then I would make an extra special  attempt at a professional image for the interview. Also Try google to see what the company's guidelines are with tattoos and piercings, this can be quite useful. 
• Hair! Hair is in my opinion the make or break of an interview outfit. I love the sock bun as it is simple and elegant. When I had my short Betty Paige fringe I used a combination of hair wax, styling gel and hairspray to keep it back and I secured it with a plain patent black hairband and it ended up looking very sleek and well put together. I have curly hair which can be unruly so I usually opt for wearing it off my face in some way. Wear your hair down if you like but make sure it is smooth and as silky as possible. Whilst frizz ain't your fault and is often uncontrollable it doesn't look the best so if you are in doubt then wear it up! You can also look to Kitty from Sophistiquenoir for amazing inspiration on beautiful elegant updos! 

Ignoring the headset this hair and makeup combo are very interview friendly
I think. This was also a hard post to get images for as you can probably
guess;)

• Shoes. Again keep it simple. I think every goth has occasion for a pair of plain black ballet flats in their wardrobe. They are very handy to have around and you never know when you may need them! Keep them in your bag the next time you are wearing huge heels on a night out or even just throw them on to head around the corner to the shop. They look pretty and neat with some tights for a job interview or poking out from some suit pants. They are also fairly cheap.
• Bags. If you can get away without a bag then go for it as they can be annoying but if you are alone then I would opt for something small and neat. Here I would go for black or maybe a nude colour but go with your instincts on that. I have a small over the shoulder black bag which looks nice and simple with interview outfits. It was 4 euro in Penneys. Can't go wrong!
• The most important thing to remember is your attitude. It can seem stupid to friends and family when you are unhappy with having to tone down your look for an interview, they think its a phase and not an important part of who you are etc. Ignore them because they just don't get it and probably won't. Image is a reflection of self and changing that to please someone else isn't fun but try and look to the positives. Remember that this doesn't change who you are and that you can dress as you please when you are home. Remind yourself that you are being intelligent by understanding how competitive the job market is and presenting yourself accordingly. Its not lying or selling out, it is simply good survival tactics.
• Do not forget your MP3 player or CD if you are driving. Listen to YOUR music before and after. Very very important tip!!

I love blasting this song when I drive anywhere. 

I would also add that if you are handing out CV's then the tips above still apply. A lot of people put no effort into their appearance whilst they are out and about visiting shops thinking that the interview is the time to look professional. Set yourself apart, look the part at all times!

Anyway I hope this helps and that you found it interesting in some way!

What about you guys? Any thoughts on points I've mentioned? Maybe you think I've forgotten something? Or maybe you have your own job hunting story you'd like to share?

This is a big topic for me at the minute so I would love to hear your thoughts!

Rebecca.

xxxxx

The Liebster Award

Hey guys!

So I received the Liebster award from both Katelynn at 'The Life of a Babybat'  and Cherish at 'Babybat's Blog' . Thanks to both of you beatiful ladies for thinking of me when writing up your posts! I really enjoyed reading your reponses, hope you like mine! :)

The Rules.

• Each person must post 11 things about themselves
• Answer the questions the tagger has set for you
• Create 11 questions for the people you have tagged to answer
• Choose 11 people and link them in your post
• Go to their page and tell them
• No tag backs

11 Things about The Phantom Cat

1. I love science fiction! Currently obsessing over Babylon 5. Great show!
2. Wrote my post-graduate thesis on nationhood and reproduction in Battlestar Galactica. The new one, although of course the 80's one was mentioned a few times.
3. I just started learning to drive. It's fun!
4. Aside from the sweatpants I wear to work, leggings are the only pants I wear. Skirts are the way to go for me.
5. Marian by The Sisters of Mercy is one of my all-time favourite songs.
6. I've seen Rammstein twice, the second time I ended up getting accidentally punched in the face and had to go to hospital with what I though was a broken nose.Turned out (thankfully) to be just soft tissue damage. Luckily I went after the show so missed nothing. 
7. Currently reading War of the Worlds.
8. If I find out that you haven't seen the Alien movies I make it my sworn duty to force you to watch them. And I take that duty very seriously. When I made my friend Christine watch them all the electricity in our whole town went and we had to walk home in the dark. She loved that :)
9. My current can't-live-without make uppy thang is Gosh's green colour correcting concealor. That stuff works magic.
10. I've only ever broken one bone and that was my wrist during a horse riding lesson when I was younger. Around 12 years old. I continued going for a few weeks after the cast came off but I lost confidence at it. Would love to go for a few lessons now though.
11. Autumn is my all time-favourite month. Such a beautiful time of year.

The Questions I was asked by Katelynn of The Life of a Babybat 

1. Favourite Movie? The first two Alien movies. Or Con Air.
2. Are you on Tumblr, if so post your URL. Yeah but I hardly ever use it  http://thephantomcat.tumblr.com/
3. Cats or Dogs? Could never choose. Both are amazing creatures. 
4. Do you find bats cute? Oh good god yes. 
5. Favourite cosmetics brand? Currently its Gosh. 
6. A word you use way too often? Either frak or win. 
7. Favourite season? AUTUMN!
8. Favourite non-goth band? Children of Bodom. 
9. Your current celebrity crush? Ooooh Michael Fassbender. 
10. Biggest fear? Would have to be of spiders. 
11. Favourite author  Stephen King.

The Questions I was asked by Cherish of Babybat's  Blog 

1. Who is your favourite author(s)? Stephen King.
2. Your crush(s)? Michael Fassbender, Chrish Hemsworth, Jason Statham.
3. Your favourite tv show? Of all time is the reimagined Battlestar Galactica. Currently its Babylon 5.
4. Favourite food? Pancakes with golden syrup and chopped banana. Combined with a nice cup of rich coffee...mmmm... 
5. Lipstick or eyeshadow, which do you prefer? Eyeshadow. I find lipstick a lot of effort. 
6. Something you love about yourself? My hair. It's fun and naturally giant. 
7. Favourite band? The Sisters of Mercy. 
8. Do you believe in the paranormal? Having had some experiences with it I would have to say yes!
9. Fan of vampires? Oh good lord YES!
10. Black/none or other shade of nail polish? Black or a nice deep purple or blue. 
11. Favourite movie? The first two Alien movies or Con Air. Also Hocus Pocus.

The People I am Tagging.

bats-and-bunnies.blogspot.ie/

cemeterydreamer.blogspot.ie/

katysioux.blogspot.ie/

notthistimenaylandsmith.blogspot.ie/

www.colormegoth.com/

geekygothgirl.blogspot.ie/

gothicallyyours.blogspot.ie/

catacombxkitten.blogspot.ie/

myspotinthespectrum.blogspot.ie/

rufflesnotdiets.blogspot.ie/

theeverydaygoth.blogspot.ie/

My Questions.

1. Your first goth band?
2. New or early batman movies?
3. The longest you have ever gone without sleep
4. What are your phobias?
5. Tea or coffee?
6. The one country in the world you would love to visit
7. Is you hair natural or dyed? 
8. Any body modifications you would never consider getting done?
9. Your most hated tv show.
10. What book are you reading at the moment?
11. What do you do to chill out after a long day?

I'm sure that most of you guys have been tagged already but I stick by my choices :p

Hope you all enjoyed this post, can't wait to see the answers to my admittedly not very thrilling questions.

Thanks for reading,

Rebecca. Miaow :)