Beauty Blogs Backstage – Interview with LiAnn!

For this months’ Beauty Blogs Backstage, I got to interview the very talented LiAnn of SparkleCrack Central. She’s got an amazing database of colors with lots of in-depth reviews on each one.

You can read my interview questions to her and her answers below.

1. What are your favorite games to play? (console, pc, tabletop rpg, etc)
I’m a tabletop gal all the way. (And how many Google hits will that bring your blog, hm?) Online gaming can be great, because you don’t have the hassle of “do we have a good GM for this session or not”, and mechanics are really minimized; but I do like seeing the other players face to face, our pre-game dinners, and even the worldbuilding. (I can build worlds. I just suck at making them move.) Plus, there’s no monthly fee, and you control the ads…or lack thereof.

Special bonus: power goes out, the whole grid’s down, and you can’t even get a wireless signal off some satellite? No problem!! Get a dozen or so pillar candles, it’s “ambiance”!!

2. What are your favorite books or authors to read?

C J Cherryh is a definite favorite. I like her science fiction better than I like her fantasy, and while I enjoy her Foreigner books, I like her older Alliance-Union and Compact space series a bit better. David Brin’s another whose books I enjoy. Also James Alan Gardner, Steven Brust, Jane Lindskold, Esthner Friesner, Sherri S. Tepper, and Robin McKinley.

3. What is your favorite shade of blush?

Currently, Bare Escentuals’ Posh, followed by Aromaleigh’s Sweetheart. My everyday go-to blushes are Aromaleigh’s Beauteous and Aromaleigh’s Borealis.

We will now pause for another brief bout of mourning that we’re all losing that particular tentpole, with the incredible depth and breadth of products and shades all as part of the “regular stock”, as opposed to countless LEs-go-round.

4. What is one color of eye shadow that you think is flattering on everyone?

Some kind of tan-mauve-pink frost. If it’s not “close to your skintone” which provides a great neutral/base/highlight color, the frost shimmer catches the light. My picks for this are The SheSpace’s Define Beauty or its doppleganger Aromaleigh’s Angelique.

5. Who do you think is an underrated makeup brand – indie or mainstream or both?

I’m not entirely sure I know how to answer that. I know that everyone’s got their favorites, and I know that I have mine; but why I love a particular product or brand doesn’t always transfer over to someone else. For example, there are people who rave endlessly about MAC Cosmetics, and they do have lovely colors; but their products are costly, the vanilla scent of their lipsticks puts me off, and I don’t care to buy any more pressed shadows. So while they’ve got great quality and range, they’re not my personal cuppa…though I definitely see why people love them. I personally can’t get enough of their paint pots. I’m a paint pot addict, and I don’t want an intervention. On the indie side of the fence, people rave about Meow’s eyeshadows, which are gorgeous; but many of their newer colors are a little less opaque than I’d personally prefer for the price they’re charging, and many of their older eyeshadow colors are a little skip-y in terms of application.

(I know that kind of sounds like a cop-out. Sorry!!)

6. What do you do to pamper yourself?

Read! Or color. Yep, I am a grown woman, and I color. I love the old Altair Designs, from 1978, which were based on Islamic designs and Penrose tiling. I’ve got a set of Pentel 36 markers that I love using to color these designs. I managed to slowly, painstakingly scan some of the designs in, then re-trace them using Illustrator (so that I could scale the designs up or down with no loss of clarity).

Some days, when I feel the need for something caloric, I’ll mix up a red velvet cake, frost it, give half to my neighbors, and eat the other half myself. (Usually over three or four days…but not always.)

7. What is one bottle of nail polish that you think everyone should own?

I think that even if it falls outside one’s own personal comfort zone, everyone should own at least one holographic polish, in the shade of their choice. I have several from OPI (Designer series), China Glaze (OMG and Kaleidescope), and even Sally Hansen’s Nail Magic polishes from the early 00s.

Share/Bookmark