Thursday 12 April 2018

MAKEUP DIYS & HACKS: HOW TO FIX BROKEN EYESHADOWS + POWDERS AND CONDENSE YOUR PALETTES TUTORIAL!

makeup DIYs hacks and tutorials. How to fix broken eyeshadows and compact powders

Who else has had this problem... you buy that highly coveted new palette of eyeshadows/ blushes/ highlighters... and your favourite shade inevitably smashes, ruining your makeup bag and your dreams πŸ˜– Ugh! Read on for my tutorial on how to fix broken eyeshadows + powders! Saving you money, time and space❣️

Before I attended professional makeup school, smashed powders were one of my biggest beauty bug bears. The inconvenience, the wasted money and products.. the mess!!! Handbags and makeup bags full of smashed eyeshadows and powder means hours of cleanup, money wasted on replacement products and more clutter or unnecessary waste, which is never a friend to us or our planet! I may not be able to wave a magic wand that stops compact powders from breaking, as it's in the hands of the manufacturers to create packaging to prevent it, but I can pass on my knowledge, and teach you how to fix them when they do, as well as how to condense your powder palettes to minimise clutter! 

The highlighter set featured in the video is Pro Supreme Highlighter Gold by Revolution. I found no less than 5 of these half empty palettes in my sisters makeup bag, and was able to condense them into 2 full palettes using the techniques in my video πŸ€—

Now let's get to it and learn how to fix broken eyeshadows! If you enjoy this tutorial please follow me / subscribe to my Jurassica Explains It All Youtube Channel so you don't miss my upcoming makeup DIY and tutorial videos, featuring tricks of the trade from a professional makeup artist (hey, that's me 😝)! 


Soundtrack recorded by Tom Callinswood for Electric Pollen 2016 

Thanks for watching! If you're into special FX makeup, you might want to check out my FX makeup tutorial post on how to create injury simulations using beauty makeupπŸ–€ And as always, if you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear them, so get in touch!

Happy mending!!

Love, love, love!

Tuesday 10 April 2018

TU(N)ESDAY: "IT'S JUST A BUNCH OF HOCUS POCUS": 8 SONGS ABOUT WITCHES AND WITCHCRAFT

Bride at White Ladies Priory, Staffordshire.
Well hello my loves! I'm back with another playlist, inspired by a week of witchy wonder, which has led me down yet another rabbit hole questing for knowledge! If watching Youtube documentaries and reading non fiction was a paying job,  I'd be sitting on a big ole pile of gold right now πŸ˜…

I doubt this will be my last post on the topic of witches or the paranormal! I have been enthralled by ancient practices and the parasciences since a young age. The landscapes of my childhood are rich with sacred sites and ancient ruins, bursting with history, legends and myths, such as the one in this weeks title image; White Ladies Priory in Shropshire. Where, surrounded by the energy of this 12th Century monastic site, I have made many fond memories whilst searching for answers to the secrets of the universe!

Despite my week of dark ages and the creeping white lady title image, this weeks playlist has actually turned out to be quite a jolly one, more in keeping with the witchy stylings of Samantha Stephens and Sabrina Spellman than The Three Witches of Macbeth! Mixing crooners, jazz, classic rock and folk! Enjoy!

 "It's Just A Bunch Of Hocus Pocus"


I'll be back soon with some beauty tips I have been saving up... literally for a rainy day... as well as more music and witchy wonders!

Until next time, creep it real folks!


Love, love love!

Tuesday 27 March 2018

TU(N)ESDAY: TOTALLY TARANTINO PLAYLIST: 8 SONGS FEAT. IN QUENTIN TARANTINO MOVIES




You know what I love almost as much as I love music? Movies. Movies driven by music? Now we're really talking! This week I'm practicing for an upcoming Electric Pollen gig, which usually means a lot of time spent with Tarantino soundtracks, as we play a fair few songs featured in his movies! So I figured that was the perfect theme for this weeks 'music in movies' playlist... Totally Tarantino!

Tarantino's use of the relationship between music and cinema really draws you in; setting the tone, driving the story, and your emotions, throughout. His enthusiasm for music in his movies explodes off the screen, ensuring him a firm place on many a 'favourite directors' list, including mine! πŸŽ₯

But you don't have to listen to me...here's an excerpt from an interview with The Guardian, where Quentin Tarantino answers questions about his use of music in his movies...
"Question eight: The music in your movies really adds so much to them. Two questions. Do you write with the music in mind, or does that come later? How do you pick the music?
QT: A good majority of the cues in here, I had in mind in the writing stage... A good majority of them I come up with beforehand. More or less the way my method works is you have got to find the opening credit sequence first. That starts it off from me. I find the personality of the piece through the music that is going to be in it. If there is going to be no modern music in the movie, then that becomes the personality of the piece, but if there is, it is the rhythm that I want the movie to play at; it is the rhythm of the film. Once I know I want to do something, then it is a simple matter of me diving into my record collection and finding the songs that give me the rhythm of my movie. "I find the personality of the piece through the music that is going to be in it."

Source: The Guardian

I don't think I could pick a favourite Tarantino movie... however the Pulp Fiction soundtrack will forever be one of my most treasured CDs, and Nancy Sinatra's Bang Bang, My Baby Shot Me Down continues to be one of my favourite songs to perform. Tarantino's placement of it in Kill Bill was perfect πŸ–€ What's your favourite Tarantino movie?

I hope you like this Totally Tarantino playlist!


1. Dick Dale - Misirlou (Pulp Fiction)
2. Nick Perito - The Green Leaves of Summer (Inglorious Basterds)
3. Santa Esmeralda - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Kill Bill Vol.1) 
4. The White Stripes - Apple Blossom ( The Hateful Eight) 
5. The Coasters - Down in Mexico ( Deathproof) 
6. George Baker Selection - Little Green Bag (Reservoir Dogs)
7. Hans Zimmer - You're So Cool ( True Romance) 
8. Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) (Kill Bill)

As always let me know if you enjoyed this weeks tunes! I've been working on a series of playlists devoted to movies, so expect more movie content soon, as well as my next makeup tutorial on fixing broken powders (coming later this week)!

Anddd... If you're local and looking for something to do this Easter Sunday, check out the Nantwich Jazz and Blues Festival! Electric Pollen, (myself and Tom Callinswood), will be there playing blues, rock 'n roll and psychedelia, including a healthy dose of songs featured in Tarantino movies! Details here. Come get some pollination! ⚡️🐝 Tom will also be performing later in the day with Arcadia Roots, who you definitely should check out if you're in the area!

Love, love, love!

Tuesday 20 March 2018

TU(N)ESDAY: SOUNDS LIKE A SLASHER MOVIE PLAYLIST: 8 SONGS TO CHILL & THRILL YOUR BLOOD



Guys...I'm deep down a horror rabbit hole this week, there's been some exciting announcements in the horror world of late, (more on that soon), and they've got me craving all.the.horror❣️

I've got a few horror themed playlists on the go right now. It's such a diverse genre, it can't satisfyingly be contained to one listπŸ˜‚ The first playlist, as you may have guessed, is dedicated to the beloved slasher movie genre, which rose to popularity in the '70s with classics such as Halloween, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Friday the 13th, Childsplay and Nightmare on Elm Street. The genre had a resurgence in the '90s following the success of Scream, Wes Craven's 100% meta homage to the genre that made him, and it seems we'll be lapping up sequels to the Grandaddies of slasher villains Freddy, Jason & Michael until the end of timeπŸ˜… .

This playlist is a mix of songs featured in some of my favourite slasher movies as well as a few of their iconic themes. Hold on kids, it's gonna get creepy!



I'll be back soon with more horror and playlists, as well as my Fixing Broken Powders video, which is almost ready for upload! Follow me for updates and more Jurassic adventures! And as always let me know if you enjoyed this weeks playlist! What about that Trent Reznor version of Halloween.. yikes!

Love, love, love

πŸ–€

TRACKLIST: SOUNDS LIKE A SLASHER MOVIE
1. John Carpernter’s Halloween by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross.
2. Hush - Kula Shaker. (I Know What You Did Last Summer)
3. Red Right Hand  - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. (Scream)
4. Lucky Day in Hell - Eels. (Scream 2) 
5. I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones. (Idle Hands)
6. See You in Hell - Monster Magnet. (The Bride of Chucky) 
7. Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler. (Urban Legend - yes I still check the back seat before I start driving)!
8. Helen’s Theme - Phillip Glass. (Candyman)

Tuesday 13 March 2018

TU(N)ESDAY: TRIP HOP N CHILL PLAYLIST: 8 DOWNTEMPO ELECTRONIC 90s TUNES


Hey guys! I hope your week is going well! 

I'm back with another playlist, hoping to balance out the anger of last weeks Rage in the Cage with some of my favourite electronic chill out music of the 90s πŸ˜… 


Theses tasty babies sound delicious be it sunny, snowy or showering with rain, I hope you enjoy!!





Follow me for more playlists, to suit all moods, as well as makeup adventures, hacks and tutorials!

Love, love, love 

Thursday 8 March 2018

ADVENTURES OF A MAKEUP ARTIST 2: MUSIC VIDEO: STONE BROKEN "HEARTBEAT AWAY"

Hello my loves! I hope your March is marching on nicely!

Today I'd like to take you behind the scenes on a music video I worked on recently for local rock band Stone Broken, released exclusively on March 2nd by Kerrang!



I had such a lovely time working with The Mockingbird Film Co on this project, who selected the perfect cast for a challenging subject, the main theme of the video being domestic abuse. At times I confess it was difficult to watch the action on set, as Becky, our victim, was such a sweetheart... and Jason played the part of the abuser so authentically he had us all flinching, despite being one of the nicest actors I have met!

Fresh bruise FX Makeup by Jessica "Jurassica" Biddle on actor Becky Fowler 


Also on set were the band, who just released their debut album "Ain't Always Easy" this week on Spinefarm records ❣️
And it's already ranking at #15 on the midweek national album chart!!!!🀘 I'm so happy for them, the story of how the band formed is a real meet cute! It's wonderful to see some local talent getting recognition, and it couldn't happen to a lovlier bunch!! I'm excited to see what the future holds for them! Check out the album here and catch them on tour this Spring/ Summer here❣️

And now to the video!!




Catch the feature in Kerrang here! And more behind the scenes on the Heartbeat Away music video can be found on the Mockingbird Film Youtube channel

I hope you enjoyed it! I'll be back with more on set antics soon! Be sure to follow me for updates on my FX Hacks series, fresh bruises are next!

Love, love, love!







Tuesday 6 March 2018

TU(N)ESDAY: RAGE IN THE CAGE: 8 METAL JAMS TO VENT TO

photo taken at the old LA zoo, Griffith Park

Hello, hello my dears! Well, March is off to a cracking start! Despite the mild chaos and deep freeze from Storm Emma, Spring is finally breaking through! I'm starting to settle into my new self-employed life, after what feels like years of preparation, and my diary is booking up nicely! With the warmer Spring air and blooming opportunities, I feel like I can breathe again! Don't you just adore Spring?!

Yet.. our internet is still down😀

So although I am feeling remarkably peaceful this week, I am going to share a playlist I put together recently that is entirely un-peaceful haha! Dedicated to our Wifi provider, (who ordinarily I would name and shame, but I'm not about disturbing my peace by inviting negativity in today)πŸ˜‡

This playlist is made up of mostly fun-but-angry metal jams from the Naughties. Aptly named decade considering my friends and I spent a lot of it throwing wild shapes, venting teen anger and dancing in the cage of our local rock club! Naughty naughties! So if you're up for a touch of noisy nostalgia, or feeling some rage you'd like to unleash, hit that play button and, in the words of my local Slade brothers... "cum on feel the noize"!




Here's a bit of Jurassic trivia for you...when I was in college, an ex of mine and I went to see American Headcharge play a show, both dressed as the nurse in the music video on the above playlist. The band saw us and invited us onto the stage to dance during the song with them, so of course we did! πŸ€‘πŸ‘©‍⚕️

As always, let me know if you enjoyed this weeks jams! I'll be back with another adventures of a makeup artist post later, it's a goodun!! And be sure to follow me on Instagram for more behind the scenes on my Jurassic adventures! I might just have a few rage-in-the-cage throwbacks to share this week😝

Love, love love!

Tuesday 27 February 2018

TU(N)ESDAY: 80s WINTER CHILD PLAYLIST

Hey guys! I've been waiting to share this playlist for weeks, today seemed perfect as it's been so. bloody.cold yet so sunny, with flurries of what looked like artificial snow?!



I'm on borrowed internet, as my mobile network has decided to join the wifi in it's vendetta... so I will keep this brief! I'm a winter baby of the 80s...so this weeks playlist is made up of some of my favourite new wave, goth, post punk whatever-else-you-wanna-add-in songs from the decade, that I like to accompany me on crisp winter days such as today! Enjoy!!




Love, love love!

Tuesday 20 February 2018

TU(N)ESDAY: FAVOURITE WEIRDO INSPIRED PLAYLIST


Hello my loves! I hope you are all well!


I have a lovely playlist to share with you today, but first a little update! February is proving to be a tough-tech month in ye old Shire...with faulty modems, dodgy WIFI and smartphones all testing our patience and delaying productivity! But, such is the price for rural living, and so we persevere! Hopefully our Wifi woes are over and I will be able to get my second FX Hacks tutorial up by the end of the week! If you missed it, check out the first tutorial in my "Injury Simulations Using Beauty Makeup" series here.

Now to the music! This weeks playlist was inspired by a mug, designed by the lovely Sarah at Made by Mustard in Bridgnorth. Be sure to check out her wonderful collection of homewares and eclectic selection of workshops here



It's finally FridayπŸ’ƒπŸΌ❣️I wasn't sure it would ever come, it's been a hectic one❣️I picked up one of these amazing mugs for my girl @thegohemian for her birthday this week, and I love the design so much it's inspired this weeks love themed playlist! Why be "normal" when you can be yourself🀣?! If you're in Bridgnorth be sure to visit Sarah and her adorable pup Douglas @made_by_mustard the store is so cute, full of unique gifts and many wonderful workshops to take part in! Stay weird kidsπŸ’— playlist going up after my scary meeting this afternoon πŸ˜‚πŸ’ͺ *** #Repost @made_by_mustard with @get_repost ・・・ Happy Valentine’s Day guys! A fair few of these have flown out the door over the last few days - wonder if the recipients will appreciate them πŸ˜‚ #youweirdo #loveisintheair #myfavorite #valentinesday #alternativegifts #alternativevalentines #buylocal #buyindie #shopsmall #shoplocal #handmade #handmadegifts #bankstreetbridgnorth #shropshire #bridgnorth
A post shared by Jessica Biddle (@jurassica85) on

And now for some tunes!  I didn't set out to make such a female heavy playlist, but I'm happy it turned out that way, especially as it was inspired by the creativity of a local lady boss! I hope you enjoy it and are inspired to let your inner weirdo out!  I may have snuck a song from my Saint Motel friends in there, just in case 😚



Stay weird kids!

Love, love, love!


Monday 5 February 2018

FX CHARACTER MAKEUP + VIDEO: LOVESTRUCK MONSTERS: SUSIE SCARECROW IMPROV COMEDY LONELY HEARTS SPOOF.

Hello loves, I hope you're all settling into February well! 

With Valentines Day just around the corner I thought it the perfect time to introduce you to Susie Scarecrow, a special FX character looking for love, whom I created back in October using practical out-of-kit FX!


Susie began as a desire to create a Scarecrow monster for Halloween inspiration, and took on a whole new life once infront of the camera!  See Susie's Lovestruck Monsters lonely hearts video below! Will she find a monster love in time for Valentines day?!




I really enjoyed being Susie, I didn't so much create her as she just came out!  I don't think this will be the last we see of her...

A list of the supplies used to create Susie can be found below!

I will be doing an in depth tutorial on this makeup as well as the practical FX techniques used very soon. For my tutorial on Cuts/ Scratch FX using beauty makeup see here

A post shared by Jessica Biddle (@jurassica85) on


Be sure to follow me for updates on upcoming tutorials!

Love, love, love!

Saturday 3 February 2018

ADVENTURES OF A MAKEUP ARTIST. MUSIC VIDEO: ELIZA AND THE BEAR "HELL"

Hey guys!  Has anyone tried out my FX hack "Cut/ Scratch" tutorial yet? I'd love to see your work if you have!

I'm currently editing the second tutorial in the series, a beauty makeup FX hack for "fresh bruises"! Follow me on Instagram for updates on when it goes live as well as behind the scenes shots from my JurassicAdventures on set!

Talking of adventures on set, I'd like to share with you a music video I had the pleasure to work on at the end of last year for the band Eliza and the Bear.

Check it out below!



Director: Tom Leishman DOP: Catherine Derry Focus Puller: Andrew Bradley Producer: Lisa Dawson Production Manager: Hannah Lane Gaffer: Kevin Gardner Spark: John Wenman Props: Steve Oakes Props: Laura Schotter SFX Make up: Romina Dietrich SFX Make up: GergΓΆ Sipos SFX Make up: Jessica Biddle SFX Make up: TΓ³th Szandra Devil: Wiktoria Slowikowska Performer 1: Alexander Luttley Performer 2: Joe Davis Performer 3: Sian Taylor Performer 4: Michelle Buckley Performer 5: Lizzie West Performer 6: Chris jeffers Performer 7: Cheski Granger Performer 8: Bboy Teflon Performer 9: Bboy Youva


Music videos combine two of my favourite passions, so I am always delighted when the opportunity to work on one comes my way! And of course any chance I get to make some monsters is a dream come true for this girl!






The band, crew and performers involved on this shoot were some all so talented and down to earth, and it think it really shows in the video! I hope you enjoy it! You can catch Eliza and the Bear on tour this Spring in the UK, details here!


Love, love, love! 

Thursday 1 February 2018

FX HACKS: INJURY SIMULATIONS USING BEAUTY MAKEUP


Hello my lovelies!! Welcome to the first of my new series of special FX makeup hacks and tutorials; "Injury Simulations Using Beauty Makeup"!

I've got so many fun tricks to show you, all of which can be adapted and built on to create many different FX, and all created using products found in most beauty makeup kits! You'll be a pro by the time Halloween comes around without having spent a penny!

So let's get stuck in to the first tutorial... cuts and scratches! 

* Apologies for the low video quality, it makes me sad, but I am restrained to using my phone while I raise funds for a decent camera. *




PRODUCTS

TIPS

  1. Use concealer, buffed out with a blender brush, to highlight around the area of the injury. This will simulate swelling. 
  2. Use pink or well blended out red eyeshadow around the cut for "sore" skin
  3. Outline the shape of the cut with eyeliner and a thin brush, before going over it with deep red eyeshadow. Eyeliner underneath red eyeshadow will add depth to the wound
  4. Mix lipsticks to create a "blood" colour if your lipstick isn't the right shade. Apply with a thin brush. 
  5. Use gloss/ lip oil to add shine to the "blood" and create the illusion of blood flow.

And there we have it! If you have a go at creating your own injuries, please share them/ tag me, I'd love to see them! And if you have any questions, requests or comments please leave them below!

Follow me for details on the upcoming second part of the series "Fresh Bruises", on the way soon! 

Love, love, love 




Saturday 13 January 2018

TAKE IT EASY; 30 MINUTE ESCAPE

Hello my loves! I hope you are all settling into 2018 nicely!

I'm having a one-step-forward-10-steps-back kind of week myself... so I've put together another playlist, for those times when maybe you need to escape reality momentarily... stepping away can save you hours of wasted time and frustration overall! 



























Todays playlist is all about calm, and mostly features psychedelia & 60s' rock to drift along to. So grab your headphones, go outside for a wander in nature, and forget about technology for 30 minutes.  There are so many ways music can affect your mood, isn't it just wonderful πŸ’š



Enjoy!

Love, love, love!

Tuesday 2 January 2018

TU(N)ESDAY - BACK TO REALITY!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! HERE ARE 8 SONGS TO HELP EASE YOU OUT OF PARTYTOWN & BACK TO REALITY!





























I'd love to know what your favourite song is to get-up-and-go to! Let me know if you enjoyed any of the songs in my list, I love discussing music! 

See you soon! 

Love, love, love! xoxo



ALLOW MYSELF TO INTRODUCE... MYSELF


Welcome my lovelies, and thank you for visiting Jurassica Explains It All! 

ABOUT THE BLOG

Jurassica Explains it All is a creative & lifestyle blog by Jessica "Jurassica" Biddle. Designed as a safe place to share creative content, ideas, knowledge, inspiration and tales from my Jurassic adventures, in many mediums, from original makeup & FX design to creative writing,  illustration, photography, videography and music. 

Follow me as I update my professional makeup kit; researching, testing and reviewing new cruelty free makeup brands and products, to help save you time and money without compromising on quality! 



Subjects you can expect to hear me rawr'ing over include makeup & special FX, music, design, art, literature and life! 

ABOUT ME

My name is Jessica and I am a British, human female!  I have a BA in English with Creative & Professional Writing as well as being a graduate of Joe Blasco's School of Professional Makeup & FX in Los Angeles, where I lived for some time during my 20s. My interests are about as varied as my history of hair colours! For example; I could make a playlist of favourite songs that included Beethoven, Rob Zombie, Dolly Parton, Dr Dre, Hanson, Zeppelin and Die Antwoord. Or I could list some of my favourite movies, from the goriest to the most romantic...Or I could be rockin' a 1950s inspired glamour makeup with an outfit that is about as Benetar as it comes, as in the above photo! 

So with that in mind...here are my top 5 Jurassica Facts. I guess you'll just have to come back later if you want to find out more! 

  1. I love music. Listening to it, dancing to it, being inspired by it, singing it, playing it, writing it, learning about it, learning from it, crying to it, laughing to it, loving to it, raging to it, healing from it...Music is pretty much it really, isn't it?
  2. Creating stuff is my bag baby. I don't even really mind what I'm creating, or what supplies are available! I like to learn as I go, experiment and ignore the voice in my head telling me "perfection is paramount"! I get my creative satisfaction from letting my imagination run free and creating something original, rather than copying others, so expect lots of fresh content!
  3. Laughing is my favourite. Make me laugh and I will love you, guaranteed. I really do love comedy. I love comedy as much as I love music...as much as I love Horror, Sci-Fi, Crime, Action, Thriller, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance and... erm...nevermind. But I do like laughing a whole bunch! 
  4. I like to keep rollin'. That could mean many things, but for me it means that I'm really into Roller Blading. Try it! It's way more fun than squats! 
  5. I love science and nature. I adore animals, the natural world and everything in it...from plants and geology to insects and astronomy... it all just fascinates me!  I don't understand scientists who don't believe in magic, when they witness it everyday in nature! *CONFESSION: I actually wrote a beat poem about this. It's pretty funny..Maybe I'll share it in the future, along with my Redwoods Rap.



Thank you for visiting! Follow me for lots of exciting and inspiring fresh, creative content on it's way! I can not wait!! 

Love, love, love!