Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! It’s practically the Solstice and days are about to start getting longer. I for one, can’t wait. Speaking of light, here’s your tip:

Work in a well-lit space.

Whether costuming or choreographing, you need to be able to see what you’re doing. If your work area doesn’t have good light, you can get a couple of clip lights at the hardware store. They’re not pretty, but they’re fairly cheap and you can move them around. 

A finished product wants to be checked under stage light conditions, but while you’re creating, you should be able to see your work in the best light.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 19 December 2025 at 10:49 am  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip:

Before taking costumes to the dry cleaner, test a swatch.

Sometimes the dry cleaner seems like the best option to get a costume clean. However, the chemicals they use sometimes interact badly with the trimmings we use. I have heard stories of AB coating coming off rhinestones, glue loosened, and feathers left limp. I personally had some silvery trim that came back permanently dulled (it’s okay, it was only a little and I replaced it with something better).

So, test it first. Take a scrap of fabric from your costume (or something similar if you don’t have leftovers) and attach samples off all your decorations to it. Then take that to the dry cleaner and have them clean it. If everything remained intact and beautiful, you can take the real thing in. If not, you might want to try again elsewhere or figure out another method to clean your costume.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 12 December 2025 at 4:05 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here it is somehow December already…

Tomorrow we’ll be at Deacon Giles Speakeasy Lounge in Salem for TWO different shows. Come at 7:30pm for Brrrlesque, our festive winter romp, or 9pm for our celebration of a decade of Deacon Giles!

Here’s your tip!

Strong abs are a must for floorwork and crunches are a great way to build up those muscles. 

Stay safe — remember to keep your lower back pressed to the floor and your neck long.

And by the way, Devastasia will be teaching floorwork in January!

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 5 December 2025 at 3:26 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! If you celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, I hope it was warm and peaceful with people you care about. Here’s your tip (no pun intended… you’ll see)

If you’re wearing a bullet bra, pad the points of the cups.

This is how you get that iconic look. And without something to fill out the tips, they just look kind of sad and squishy. Look at the difference:

Unpadded points
No padding

Padded points
With cookiesBras modeled by Phyllis, our patient mannequin.

I believe wadded-up tissues are a time-honored tradition, but that’s not exactly the best way to get the right look. You can buy little pads or, for a perfect fit, make your own. Christina Manuge has a good tutorial on her Patreon.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 28 November 2025 at 11:15 am  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I just taught my costume care class and it made me thing of this tip:

If you spill something oily on your costume, treat it with something powdery.

If I were home, I’d use cornstarch, but backstage talcum powder or even facial powder (as long as it’s untinted) works. You want to soak up as much of the oil as possible, as quickly as possible. Remove the oily clump of powder and repeat. As soon as you can, wash out the stain.

I’ve got some tips for that, but I’ll share them some other time.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 21 November 2025 at 5:11 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!

When traveling internationally, you might need a plug adapter for your electronics.

Depending on what you’re bringing (like hair styling tools), you might also need a voltage adapter. You can probably buy adapters when you get where you’re going, but they’re likely cheaper to get them before you go. And definitely check about the voltage — you don’t want to fry your favorite curling iron before a show.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 14 November 2025 at 4:29 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a happy Halloween! Here’s your tip!

Try to have a consistent sleep schedule.

I know that’s so hard when you’ve got gigs that go late, especially if you also have a day job. Throw in the time change and it’s an extra challenge. But if you want to look your best and perform your best, you need enough sleep.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 7 November 2025 at 4:29 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Tomorrow we’ll be at Deacon Giles Speakeasy Lab for our annual Halloween show! I think there are still tickets available for the late (9PM) performance. Here’s your tip!

If you’ve been wearing the same makeup style for a while, revisit it.

Faces change over time and what worked for you once, may not be the best look anymore. You want cosmetics to compliment your face and that may require an adjustment to application or color.

This is not one of those “people over X age should never…” things. Fie on them! By all means, keep wearing a cat-eye, but you may find a different shape enhances your eye now. Rock your red lip, but maybe a new shade makes it pop better.

Stay looking fabulous whatever your age!

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 17 October 2025 at 3:04 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! We’re just over a week away from The Spookeasy Lab, our Halloween show at Deacon Giles’ Speakeasy Lab (see what we did there…) I’ll be doing a brand new act, along with a duet with Betty that hasn’t been seen in a very long time. I hope to see you there! And now for your tip:

When negotiating a gig make sure that you and the person booking you are on the same page.

You want to make sure that expectations are going to be met on both sides. You should all be in agreement as to how many performers, at what time, how many acts, how much money, &c. Also, making sure they understand what burlesque is and what level of stripping is okay for the venue.

As I’ve recommended before, get it in writing. This doesn’t have to be a formal contract; it could be an email or text that explains what you both have agreed to. If you had a phone call or in-person conversations, this is where you lay out your understanding of the scope of the gig, and the other person can approve or make changes. Miscommunications are hammered out in advance and if there is some discrepency later, you have a record to fall back on.

Your goal is to have everyone happy — you, the booker, and the audience!

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 10 October 2025 at 1:04 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday!

Todays tip is for women of a certain age and those who expect to be one:

Get your annual mammogram done.

I know it’s inconvenient and uncomfortable, but it’s really important, especially if you have breast cancer in your family (as I do). Even if you don’t, you can’t be too careful. One of my dear friends was diagnosed with breast cancer from her first-ever mammogram. She was very fortunate (and she’s doing great!).

I want all of you, Dear Readers, to stay healthy and twirling your tassels for as long as possible!

M2

P.S. Guess what I’m doing this afternoon.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Published in: on 3 October 2025 at 3:08 pm  Leave a Comment  
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