Hi! I'm TeacupofMakeup, a.k.a. teawithmakeupmagic88 a.k.a. makeupmagic88 a.ka. makeupmanic88, a.k.a therealmakeupcollector Ok. That was a lot names. It took me a while to find my identity, plus I had a few scary encounters with odd people. It's all good. This is JUST a hobby. I am first an artist, I like dabbling in various mediums, oil paints, pastels, I've even tried my hand at sewing and sculpting using resin by casting my own moulds. Photography though, hits the sweet spot for me. I was given my first camera when I was 4. I carried it EVERY where. It really irritated my brother. My parents were fairly indulgent. Film and film processing was not cheap then, not like the current digital age. I would hoard rolls of film. Slowly, with time, as my skills grew, the type of camera I used became more sophisticated. My first DSLR was a Nikon. I lugged that beast and a tripod every where I went, from age 13 - 17. After that as digital cameras became more affordable, I was able to "upgrade" using money from part-time jobs. However, I really do miss the aesthetics of film photography WITHOUT the digital preview. I miss the smell of processing film in a dark room. Honestly, I can't remember how to do it now. Now, on to the subject matter of this blog. M A K E U P Right. I only started wearing makeup late 2010. AFTER I discovered the wonderful World of Sephora when we visited family in New York in the Autumn of 2010. A dear friend gave me a list of items to purchase for her at this strangely named place called "Sephora" (oh how ignorant I was then). We were staying near Time Square which had a Sephora that was opened till Midnight. I walked in. I was clearly overwhelmed. A very friendly Sephora assistant came up and said: "Hi! My name is X (sorry the bright colours and scents distracted me) how can I help you tonight?". I handed over the list and she quickly filled a basket. Then she turned to me and said: "How about you?". Oh no. That was the end. Or the start of a very beautiful beginning. I love makeup now. I am an unabashed makeup hoarder. I need to sell off a lot of my collection as I am clearly in need of more funds to pay bills. I am so crazy, I keep my very special limited edition collectables in ziplock bags with those little packets of moisture absorbers and they are kept in an airtight plastic case. YUP. That's called makeup collecting.
So, in late May of 2013, being so influenced by such famous and darling youtubers like itsjudytime and fleurdeforce, I decided to start a Youtube Channel. Uhmm, I must say, I am hugely embarassed by 99.99% of the videos. The only thing I like about them is probably some of the intros. I started off with a $49 no brand name camcorder from Kmart. I edit all of my videos on iMovie. I learnt the tricks as I went. As I went, I got signed by an agency connected to Simon Cowell - what was I thinking??? The revenue share was pitiful. The agency did nothing for me and was ultimately purchased by Rightster. All in all, I made 107 videos. AND I am determined to make more. It is an extremely lonely, costly and time consuming hobby, this making of Youtube videos. I've met some very genuine people though, and I have met some of the most kindest and sweetest people who have become friends. No agenda whatsoever. I applaud every one who makes and posts Youtube makeup and beauty related videos. You have my greatest respect.
SOOOOO, now I am back to photography mainly (though I think I will definitely return to Youtube once I get my courage/crocodile skin back), and through a different medium, being Instagram... tadah! I'm really enjoying this new art-form "flatlays". It's fun! I can let my imagination run wild. As it is a static art-form, it gives me more room for creativity. If you have seen my instagram page https://www.instagram.com/teacupofmakeup/ Or you can see the photos on the right side bar "daily dose of...", you can see that I am constantly varying my style. That's what I'm all about, coming up with new and more creative ways of capturing "flatlays". Being inventive and pushing the limits. I'm also very skilled at Adobe Photoshop Pro and Corel AfterShot Pro 2 and numerous other editing softwares. I even set up this blog all by myself. It's not sophisticated, but it's functional and I didn't have to purchase a blog skin. I suspect as I become more familiar with the html code for blogger, this blog will (fingers crossed, hopefully) look more sophisticated. Yes, I do know that the famous Instagrammers have a consistent definable style, and that's great and probably why their so famous! However, I am a firm believer in the saying "Variety is the Spice of life". For example, an artist doesn't always paint the same picture over and over again, and if one does, they don't all look the same. A chef may cook a signature dish over and over again, but is also always reinventing the wheel, if you catch my drift. OK, before you jump and start screaming at me, I state, I am not an artist nor chef by trade. I did train as an artist once and I did have some of my pieces exhibited and my photographs published, but that's not what I do for a living now (sadly)... I also once trained as a musician and had hoped to make a living that way by playing in an ocrchestra blah blah blah blah BLAH... who cares about that really, let's just look at the pretty photos shall we? Contact me! If you would like to do a collaboration with me or would like help with product or fashion photography or video editing, email me at makeupmanic88@gmail.com - "There is no project too small or too big".
Yours Truly and Lots of Love, TeaCupofMakeup
