May Favorites // Monthly Madders

Aaaaaand we're back!

Its been a while, eh? Trying to be a blogger and a college student at the same time is hard to balance. As my sophomore year of college comes to and summer approaches, I want to COMMIT to blogging regularly again. The ThisMadders homepage and logo have been revamped, and I'm back with a new Monthly Madders post. Though May certainly wasn't my favorite month of the year, I still have some favorite products and things to share.

Beauty Favs:

3 out of 4 of my favorite beauty products this month are things I don't regularly use in my makeup routine; foundation, a brow pencil, and bronzer.
  

1) L'oreal Infalliable Pro-Matte 24 Hr foundation 

        I usually skip foundation and stick with a BB creme or sometimes just a primer and concealer. My skin has been acting up this month as a result of being sick and various antibiotics. I found myself needing more coverage than usual, this did just the trick. My skin is naturally oily and fairly acne prone. This foundation is mattifying and provides full coverage, yet doesn't feel heavy. The best drug store foundation I've ever tried!

2) NYX Mirco Brow Pencil in chocolate 

         My brow routine has previously just been a swipe of eyebrow gel. Since I started dying my hair various shades of red a few months ago, I have felt the need to give my brows some extra definition. This NYX brow pencil has done just the trick and gives me precise control due to the small applicator. The spoolie brush end is also nice for brushing out your brows.        

3) Pixi by Petra bronzer in summertime

        Finding this bronzer in my May Ipsy Bag inspired me to try contouring for the first time. I have never used bronzer before because it's hard to find the right shade of brown to work with my pale skin. This bronzer is warm-toned without looking orange, and is a great way to give your face some glow and color for summer. 

4) Estee Lauder Modern Muse perfume

         I don't exactly remember how I acquired this baby sample size of perfume, but the scent is lovely. It is a nice combination of light musk and floral smells. It still doesn't replace my holy grail perfume - Alien by Thierry Mugler, but is a nice alternative. 

Shoe Fav: 

I had to recently retire my old favorite pair of sandals, which I wore the hell out of while traveling in London. To replace my old beloved shoes, I picked up these new beauties from DSW. They are perfect for running around town on warm days. They are also very comfortable and didn't need to be broken in. 

Art Fav: Seattle Asian Art Museum

[Use of the Useless, 1999, Son Man-Jin, Korean]

The two shows now on view at the AAM are Chiho Aoshima: Rebirth of the World, and Calligraphic Abstraction. The open floor plan allows the special exhibitions to be experienced nearly simultaneously, as they merge in the center. 

The first exhibition Calligraphic Abstraction, features an elegant combination of calligraphy from a diverse array of cultures; works from Japanese, American, Korean, Iranian, Chinese, and Turkish artists. The content of the objects surpass the boundaries of time, culture and theme; they are solely organized by their "abstract" visual aesthetics. Calligraphic Abstraction also highlights two categories of Japanese calligraphy; the kana and kanji. 

The second exhibition Chiho Aoshima: Rebirth of the World, dramatically contrasts from Calligraphic Abstraction. The walls of this space are not only  framed with cartoon illustrations, but the walls themselves are transformed into vibrant murals. In addition 2D works, this exhibit contains the video installation Takaamanohara: an animated mural with a “3D soundscape.”  

This animated piece was my favorite of the show. It evokes the narrative of a mystical world where personified buildings live among a plush landscape, mixed with other sprite-like creatures. Beyond the fairytale, the piece also shows narratives of disaster and destruction through animations of a volcano eruption and large tsunami wave. There is no dialogue in this video, but there are recognizable sounds of nature, cities and sirens. The video installation is an all-encompassing sensory experience. 

Calligraphic Abstraction and Rebirth of the World successfully deal with drastic transitions between varying cultures, aesthetics, mediums, and thematics through their twofold exhibition creation. Both exhibits are must-sees!

[Takaamanohara, 2015, Chiho Aoshima, Animated Mural with 3D Soundscape]

Music Favs:

I've been loving the new music all these artists have recently released. My favorite songs are featured on my public Spotify playlist titled "good things" - linked here. 

❁ That wraps up my May favorites, cheers to June friends! ❁