FAQ

This is a guide to questions that I frequently get asked. Have a Question? Please send me an email.

How do you pronounce Phyrra and Phaedra?
I pronounce Phyrra as Fear*ah. Phaedra is prounced as Faye*drah.

What color are your eyes?
My eyes are blue-green and depending on what I wear their appearance will change. Sometimes they’re green, other times they’re blue. On rare occasion they look grey or teal.

What colors do you wear in foundations?
The first foundation I ever found that was a perfect match for my skintone was in mineral foundation.
Meow Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Siamese is my PERFECT match in loose mineral foundation.
Urban Decay Naked Skin Liquid foundation in .5
Illamasqua Skin Base in 2, 1 mixed with 4
NARS Sheer Glow liquid foundation in Siberia.
Laura Geller’s Balance-n-Brighten foundation in Porcelain.
Holika Holika Essential Petit BB SPF30 PA++ in #1 Light.

What is your cruelty-free status?
I purchase cruelty-free beauty products whenever possible. I will purchase from cruelty-free companies that belong to a parent company that is not cruelty-free because I want to encourage  that company to see the value in cruelty-free. Example: I will purchase from NARS or OPI.  I own non-cruelty-free products that I am finishing up and will not repurchase once I run out. Example: I own a ton of MAC, purchased when MAC was CF but it is no longer CF. I am using that up but once it’s gone I will not repurchase unless MAC is CF again. Because I have rosacea, some products I use are under the recommendation of my doctor, such as Cetaphil. I will always do the best I can to  be honest and disclose. With makeup I find that it’s easy to find cruelty-free products. I find it more difficult to find cruelty-free skincare that works with my rosacea.

If a company is not cruelty-free but decides to go cruelty-free, I will support them. I want companies to be encouraged to change their status to cruelty-free.

Are you vegan?
I’m vegan-friendly, but no, I’m not vegan. I’m very close to vegetarian. I don’t eat beef, pork, or a lot of other meats. I prefer fish if I’m having meat. I love cheese and ice cream but prefer almond milk. Because my best friends are vegan,  I eat a lot of vegan dishes. At home we make mostly vegetarian dishes. Eggs, seitan, chick peas, black beans and walnuts are staple proteins for me. I’m allergic to soy so I can’t eat tofu.

What hair colors have dyed your hair?
Just about every color you can imagine. Blonde, red, black, raspberry, blue, purple, orange, teal, pink, etc. I love love love my Manic Panic for crazy colors. Here is my Ultimate Guide on How To Care for Colored Hair.

What’s your skintone?
I have mostly creamy undertones. I’m neutral leaning warm.

What camera do you use?
I have a Canon Rebel t3i 600D DSLR camera. My backup is a Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12 MP CMOS Digital Camera with Full 1080p HD Video in Red.

How do you take good pictures?
Well, I constantly practice to try and improve. However, I  use the Macro setting on my camera to take the up close pictures of my eyes, products and product swatches. I have a lot of natural light in my home and I utilize it to the best of my abilities. I use daybulbs for swatch photos, though I also take pictures with flash, too. You can also check out my Great Photo Tips for Beauty Bloggers.

What pets do you have?
I have a standard poodle (the large size) named Phaedra and a pug named Maximus.  Before the dogs I had two Birman cats that I had adopted at 9 years & 7 years old, respectively. Before the cats, I had an inland bearded dragon.

How do you care for your hair?
I care for my hair by washing it every 5 to 7 days. Right now I’m using Marc Anthony Sulfate-Free Bye Bye Frizz shampoo & Oil of Morocco conditioner. I use Black 15 in 1 Miracle Spray in my hair to dry it and protect it. This is another detailed post on my hair care.

How do you change your hair color?
This is how I change my hair color.

What are your favorite colors?
Vivid aqua/blue-teal, bright chartreuse, deep purple, iridescent fuchsia, red, deep blue-based teal and black.

What’s your favorite lipstick shade?
Fuchsia or hot pink. Either make me very happy when I’m wearing them.

What’s your favorite mineral foundation?
Meow’s Pampered Puss foundation in Inquisitive Siamese is my holy grail of mineral foundation.

What are your favorite scent notes?
Raspberry, cherries, blueberries, pineapple, plum, currants, clementine, hyacinth, frangipani, black violet, vanilla orchid, water lily, creamy coconut, vanilla, amber, caramel, and sandalwood

What are your favorite scents?
Hugo Boss Deep Red, Sinful for Her by Tru Fragrance, Geek Chic Cosmetics Wuv, Twue Wuv, Dorian & Dahl Femme Fatale, Kenneth Cole Black, Alfred Sung Shi, Victoria’s Secret Very Sexy,  Bath n’ Body Works Vanilla Noir, Bath n’ Body Works Twilight Woods, The Body Shop Neroli

What scent notes do you hate?
Lavender (gives me a headache), Lime, suntan lotion, baby powder, honey (it never smells good with my body chemistry, it always turns into a baby powder smell)

What are your hobbies and interests?
Video games such as Viva Piñata, Monster Rancher (#4 is the best!), massively multi-player online games such as World of Warcraft or EverQuest, Rock Band, Writing, Reading, Dancing, Anthropology, Makeup, Hair, Music, Sci-Fi/Fantasy Horror, and Standard poodles.

What gaming systems do you have?
I have a PS3, an XBox360, kinect & a wii. I’ve also got a Nintendo 3ds in Aqua Blue.

What are your favorite tv shows?
Lost Girl, Teen Wolf, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, Blood Ties, Sanctuary, Supernatural, Legend of the Seeker, Gossip Girl, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Farscape, Roswell, Lexx, Babylon 5. Just about anything with vampires or werewolves will capture my attention.

What’s your favorite music?
Voltaire, Portishead, Rasputina, She Wants Revenge, Emilie Autumn, Collide, Depeche Mode, Infected Mushroom, The Sisters of Mercy, Switchblade Symphony, Apoptygma Berzerk, Underworld, The Cruxshadows, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, LadyTron, Paul Oakenfold, Paul van Dyk, Bjork, Delerium, BT, Shiny Toy Guns, New Skin, Tre Lux, Costanza, Cylab, Deep Forest, Dresden Dolls, Dido, Dune, Future Bible Heroes, Garbage, Nine Inch Nails, Orb, Skinny Puppy, The Chemical Brothers, The Killers, VNV Nation, Orgy, The Cranes, Die Form, Miranda Sex Garden, Mephisto Waltz and most darkwave/electronica/ebm/dance/trance/psy trance

Who are your favorite authors?
Seanan McGuire, Trina M. Lee, Kelley Armstrong, Cat Adams, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, Anne Bishop, Jim Butcher, Chloe Neill, Laurell K. Hamilton, Mercedes Lackey, MaryJanice Davidson, Jacqueline Carey, Steven Brust, Rachel Caine, Maura Anderson, Yasmine Galenorn, Walter John Williams.