Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Dancing in Josephine Baker's Banana skirt
A woman performs a Josephine Baker dance routine in Baker’s famous banana costume during Halloween celebrations at Santa Monica Blvd on 31 October 2009. Baker (the American dancer, singer and actress who found fame in her adopted homeland of France) wore her most famous costume for the ‘Danse banane’ from the Folies Bergères production Un Vent de Folie in Paris in 1927.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Waiting for henna
Henna extracts, mainly from the crushed leaves of Henna plant (Lawsonia inermis) have been used by human beings as skin and hair dye for about 6,000 years.
The typical Henna color is imparted to the skin or hair because of the molecules of hennotannic acid, commonly known as lawsone (2-hydroxy-1, 4-naphthoquinone), a red-orange dye, present in Henna extracts. Lawsone reacts with the protein named keratin which is present in hair and skin to produce a permanent pigmentation that will last till the hair is shed or the skin wears away when the pigmented dead cells exfoliate.
Immediately after application of Henna paste, a light red-orange color will be imparted to the skin or hair. For stronger (or darker) pigmentation (say, reddish brown), the Henna mix must be left on the skin or hair for several hours. After drying, the mix is simply scrapped or brushed away, after which only the color will remain on the skin or hair.
Cleopatra and Nefertiti had used it, as historical facts show, and it is known to have been used in many areas of Africa, the Middle East and India from ancient times.
Now henna is packaged in ready-to-apply mixes of several types in Australia, Canada, European countries, India, Middle East countries, the United States, and many other countries. The color variations now available from commercial Henna packs vary from colors such as orange, orange-red, auburn, chestnut brown, deep burgundy, deep blue-black, indigo, etc.
Young Women at Art of Elysium Halloween Ball
I'd Come Up with a Clever Title, But I Find Myself Making Nothing But Incomprehensible Sounds Every Time I Look at this Photo, a photo by Clinton Steeds on Flickr.
Young women at the Art of Elysium Halloween Ball at Maple Drive in Beverly Hills on October 29, 2006
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Belly dancer at Girdwood Forest Fair
Carrie, the leader of the Gypsy Horizon, performing belly dance at the Forest Fair in Girdwood, Alaska, in July 2009.
