The Dec/Jan 2010/2011 Issue saw the final installment of My Life as a Goth Girl, an article that has been in the magazine since the first issue two years ago. Mlaagg, by Vanity Kills, is the fictional stories and dramas of Kimmy, the subculture-elitist, fetish-fashionista, yet sweetly endearing queen of the goth scene that everyone loves to hate. In honor of its end we will be posting all the illustrations done for the reoccurring article over the years. Read the final chapter of Kimmy’s story in the December/January 2010/2011 Issue out now!

October/November 2009 Issue

illustration : Maki Naro

Kimmy and Eli go clubbing at Sanctum.

… I have been secretly counting down days, hours, and minutes until tonight’s fabulous excursion to Sanctum.  Well, as fabulous as an outing to a dive bar in the midst of the ghetto can be.  Normally, I don’t get THIS psyched to attend our weekly drama and watered-down, booze filled goth night; but as you have probably guessed, the fact that Eli will accompany me has SOMETHING to do with the enthusiasm. …

Read the full article in the October/November 2009 Issue!

It’s likely that Lime Crime needs no introduction courtesy of yours truly. On the off chance that you’re not yet acquainted with the brand and its founder, Doe Deere, feel free to peruse Auxiliary Magazine’s February/March 2010 issue, where the unicorn queen of quintessentially loud lipcolor and pigments that pump up the volume shared her candyfuturistic mission statement with our readers. While it was a mighty fine article (I wrote it!) in which the aptly named, doe-eyed, makeup mastermind gave us the scoop on how her fairytale came to pass, I’m not here to rehash it. Oh no, I’m here to answer those hard burning questions. Mainly, “Is this rainbow hued stuff worth parting with your hard earned bling?” and to a lesser extent, “Do I wear or eat these sumptuously packaged little things?”

Doe Deere . image source limecrimemakeup.com

photo by Rahul Saha

Magic Dust Eye Shadow

Recently reformulated to remove all animal based ingredients (such as carmine), each eye dust serves up 2 grams of loose, vegan, cruelty-free pigment that lets the wearer conjure up a veritable cornucopia of attention grabbing  lid art. In addition to ditching the dried up beetles (that’s what carmine is, kids) as of August 2010, the plastic jars containing the dusts were refurbished with sifters, which allow greater control over product dispensation and minimize potential spillage. While the price can be considered steep at $14 a pop, these shadows pack a hefty punch so a little goes a long way. I’m pleased with the fact that all the shades I had the opportunity to test drive were highly-blendable, easy to apply and provided both good coverage and solid color payoff (but don’t skip the primer regardless).  For added drama, apply with a slightly dampened brush.

Sadly, since the eye dusts received their facelift in mid 2010, I noticed that the gold pigment disappeared from Lime Crime’s lineup. I’d love to see it added back to the brand’s repertoire.

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The Dec/Jan 2010/2011 Issue saw the final installment of My Life as a Goth Girl, an article that has been in the magazine since the first issue two years ago. Mlaagg, by Vanity Kills, is the fictional stories and dramas of Kimmy, the subculture-elitist, fetish-fashionista, yet sweetly endearing queen of the goth scene that everyone loves to hate. In honor of its end we will be posting all the illustrations done for the reoccurring article over the years. Read the final chapter of Kimmy’s story in the December/January 2010/2011 Issue out now!

August/September 2009 Issue

illustration : Michael Maglio

Kimmy’s “date” with Eli at Lord of the Wings.

… To my surprise the formerly argumentative and eternally defiant Eli agreed to do as I said without as much as a single peep of protest. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror, beaming with pride over the fact that I finally grew a pair. I kissed my glass-encased counterpart and headed out the door to meet whatever destiny had in store for me. …

The Dec/Jan 2010/2011 Issue saw the final installment of My Life as a Goth Girl, an article that has been in the magazine since the first issue two years ago. Mlaagg, by Vanity Kills, is the fictional stories and dramas of Kimmy, the subculture-elitist, fetish-fashionista, yet sweetly endearing queen of the goth scene that everyone loves to hate. In honor of its end we will be posting all the illustrations done for the reoccurring article over the years. Read the final chapter of Kimmy’s story in the December/January 2010/2011 Issue out now!

June/July 2009 Issue

illustration : Nadir Balan

Kimmy debates going on a “date” with her drop dead gorgeous former arch-nemesis.

… It would seem that over the course of the past 15 seconds I developed a strangely obsessive interest in numismatics. As I awaited the outcome of Cassy’s quarter toss with bated breath, I began asking myself if I reached a new level of indifference in my relationship with Shayne. After all, I did allow a nickel-plated image of George Washington to dictate the outcome of tonight. Letting 25 cents decide my fate; what has my life become? …

Audra and Loved to Death’s approach to the macabre is one that truly offers a new perspective on wearable art. Perhaps the Victorian post-mortem practices and the term Memento Mori has never truly ended. San Francisco’s Loved to Death takes the art of taxidermy to a chilling, yet positively sublime atmosphere and reminds us all that we too are animals and must respect the lives of every creature.

photographer : Jennifer Garcia
makeup artist : Sam I Am…
hair stylist : Mikel Sessions
lighting tech : Armando Esquivel
model : Wednesday Mourning
interview by Vanity Kills

“Edgy” and “decadent” are two of the most exhausted adjectives when it comes to words used commonly to describe jewelry, art and clothing. The mundane is dressed up in pompous declarations of grandeur all too often to obscure the fact that there’s nothing special about a few pearls dangling from a chain, or jeans with embellished metal details. The taxidermy masterpieces by Audra Dance of Loved to Death certainly do fit the criteria of creations one can easily ascribe the characteristic of being both “edgy” and “decadent” to. Alas, resorting to using these clichéd terms in relation to Loved to Death would do grave injustice to Audra’s work. Despite the fact that her necklaces assembled from 24 karat gold enhanced mink skulls essentially personify decadence in the flesh (or rather bone).

Still, the bones only manage to scratch the surface. Beneath which one can catch a glimpse into the secret lives of rodents in the afterlife. Where love, life and death lie intertwined, frozen in time and preserved for eternity.

Loved to Death’s masterfully constructed, statement-making accessories hold the power to draw all eyes onto the wearer. How would one successfully integrate one of your bold pieces, such as the Domestic Parakeet Wing Cameo Necklace, into their existing wardrobe?

Audra Dance : I think the trick would be to let the piece be the main attraction, don’t have too much going on with any patterned pieces. The bird wing piece in particular, unless it is worn with a complimentary color, black is the way to go with the wing pieces.

What is the secret to rockin’ a head once attached to a living bird while maintaining an air of sophistication?

AD : As for ‘maintaining an air of sophistication’, that comes from within, you either have it or don’t.

read the full feature in the October/November 2010 Issue

The world is not enough for Amy Doan, she successfully conquered the DIY fashion scene with her signature brand of neon-colored, naughty-yet-nice apparel, known as Shrinkle, that a girl can party harder than Paris or Britney in, only to go home to cuddle with her Hello Kitty doll. Doan has spent the past few years concocting the perfect accompaniment to her not so secret stash of sequined tube tops and pink leopard print hot pants. Also known as Sugarpill Cosmetics, your newest, most spectacularly packaged antidote to the droll and predictable world of soft taupes, muted corals, pale peaches and anything else one wouldn’t catch a drag queen dead in. Rescuing natural beauty eschewing, pigment-starved club kids two eyelids at a time.

photographer : Kevin Marburg
hair and makeup : Tess Kim
model : Amy Doan
interview by Vanity Kills

Has the successful launch of Sugarpill inspired you to follow other dreams that you once felt were out of reach?

Amy Doan : I definitely feel a lot more confident about taking risks and embarking on new adventures. Before launch, there was always that tiny nagging insecurity that people might not share my love of this project that I poured my heart and soul into. But everyone’s reaction has been so sweet and supportive, I feel even more motivated to continue creating things that I hope people will love!

Many women (and fashion-forward males) secretly want to experiment with vivid high-pigmented hues, but shy away from color out of the fear of looking like a circus clown or a trailer park hooker. What advice would you give to Auxiliary Magazine readers who are novices to the wonderful world of in-your-face color? How would one wear an ostentatiously bright shade without it wearing them?

AD : Well first, I would tell them that there’s nothing wrong with looking like a circus clown or trailer park hooker. One of my very first inspirations for wearing bright makeup was when I was in my teens and saw a TV documentary about a tranny hooker. He had neon blue eyeshadow up to his eyebrows! I thought that was pretty sweet. I think you just have to remember that bright colors aren’t supposed to enhance your “natural beauty”, they’re more about having fun and just going for it. So don’t worry if you look like a crazy person! If you love it, then you will own it.

read the full interview in the June/July 2010 Issue

Business woman, fashion designer, and stylish lady, we caught up with Adriana Fulop to talk about her highly successful clothing companies, Plastik Wrap and BitchCraft.

photographer : Billy Archos
fashion stylist : Adriana Fulop
models : Adriana Fulop, Robin Domander, Kassandra Merrit, and Giovani Pereira
interview by Vanity Kills

If you ever found yourself ignoring the plot of a sci fi action adventure flick due to the fact that your attention was fixated on sleek and sophisticated future fashion, you are not alone. Many of us longed for dresses seemingly made of polished chrome and punctuated with bursts of vivid color. Something to hold us over until neural implants with social networking capabilities become commercially available. Luckily, Plastik Wrap’s Adriana Fulop and Ryan Webber possess the creative genius and technical skill to keep you looking like android royalty straight out of the pages of a gripping cyberpunk thriller. They can’t hook you up with the aforementioned brain implants, nor with a prototype hover car, but they can infuse your life with a little artificial flavor by outfitting you in precisely tailored cyber apparel which flatter and accentuate both the male and female form.

Not quite ready to enlist in the plastik army just yet? If you crave high impact alt fashion with a more relaxed fit, then a sampling of Bitchcraft’s tasty offerings might be in order. Let Plastik Wrap’s Adriana Fulop and her creative partner Gabrielle Neveu tempt you with playfully dangerous body hugging tees adorned with prints of things that might hurt you if you’re not careful. Brass knuckles, scissors, syringes, and daggers, that’s what little girls are made of. In Bitchcraft’s world anyway. Those less fond off cutsey implements of torture can always hang with Mr. “Grumpy Octopus” or overdose on girlie glam in the “Tie Me Up Pretty” tee.

Old world elegance and love of quality craftsmanship fused with durable modern fabrics and space age trimmings on one end of the spectrum. Deliciously dark tees
you’ll want to live in on the other. How does Adriana Fulop do it all?

How would you describe Plastik Wrap’s current aesthetic? How did it evolve since the initial inception of the company?

Adriana Fulop : Initially we were designing simple, starch, space age styles. Which over time evolved into a darker, more utilitarian and avant-garde aesthetic. We haven’t focused on any one style category and have allowed ourselves to explore many interests, which has extended our tool set and fashion vocabulary. All of this combined has helped Plastik Wrap remain a design house that is very difficult to label. At least that is how I feel about it.

What’s the primary difference between your newest fashion endeavor, BitchCraft, and Plastik Wrap?

AF : BitchCraft is more playful, more of a fun evening project. Plastik Wrap is more like air to my lungs.

read the rest of the interview in the April/May 2010 Issue