Squeak Machine

faq. general questions.

One of your links is broken...

It is bound to happen. E-mail me and tell me which one is not working and I'll fix it.

I'm having trouble viewing pictures on your site...

First try viewing the site at a different resolution. The larger the resolution, the better the images will look. If you are having trouble with the loading time, it may be the server. Try returning to this site another day. If the images are still not loading properly please let me know as soon as possible.

How can I contact you directly?

If you have any questions or comments about this site that are not answered in the FAQ...please contact me or one of my assistants at: Info@squeakmachine.com

When I contacted you, I received an answer from someone else. Why is that?

I get a LOT of e-mail. Between this site, Myspace, Suicide Girls, and all the other various sites and profiles I run, keeping up with my messages is almost a full time job! I just don't have time to get through it all. As a result, most of my mailboxes and accounts are run by close friends who act as my assistants. Don't worry; they make no secret of it! They always sign their own names at the bottom of the message, not mine. So if it is signed "Squeak", it actually is me writing!

How can I be sure my message will be read and answered by you?

It depends on the message. Job offers, picture submissions, tutorial submissions, and questions that my assistants are unable to answer are all forwarded to my personal mailbox. If you have something personal to say or need to talk to me directly, e-mail my assistant and let them know that you really need to speak with me. Most of the time, they will comply and forward your message to me.

There is a picture of me on here that I did not give permission to use!

Calm down...don't worry. Just e-mail me and let me know which picture you would like for me to remove. I never take pictures off of sites or profiles, so chances are, if you see your picture on here, it is because someone else submitted it. (or...and this has actually happened...YOU submitted it and forgot.)

When will I know if a picture I submitted is accepted?

That is really hard to say. In some cases, you may know right away. I may contact you about a bio or tell you that your pics were accepted or whatnot. Then again, I may not contact you at all...which doesn't mean that your pics weren't accepted. It may just mean that I am using them and had no need to contact you any further on the matter. You may not know if I am using your pics until they are actually up on the site!
If I am not using your pics, there is a chance that I may write you back and tell you why. If it is simply a matter of image size, quality, or lighting I may ask you to send me different pictures or take some new ones. If I do not end up using any of your pics, please no hard feelings. I get a lot of submissions and I can't use everyone. But if you stay within the guidelines of what I suggested; chances are yours will be among those accepted.

What are the image guidelines?

Image guidelines are listed in detail within most sections of the site. Please refer back to the area you are submitting donations and read carefully.
In general, all images submitted should be:

no smaller then 300 x 300 pixels in size
clear and of decent quality
in color and taken with good lighting
owned by or copy written to YOU
contain no nudity

How many pictures can I submit?

There is no limit to the amount of pictures you can submit. I only ask that you not submit a great deal of pictures of the same thing (same make-up, same outfit, same hair, etc). A few good quality pictures should be fine. But if every picture you are submitting is of different hair, make-up, whatever...then go ahead and submit as many as you like!

What other sites are you featured on?

Chances are...you've seen my face before. I have worked as a model for years and I've been on flyers, been featured in books, MTV videos, magazines, TV series, and all sorts of things. I'm also all over the internet. Some of the sites I'm on are:

Personal Live Journal

I don't have time to keep up with very many site profiles. Chances are if you have seen my images featured on another site, it is probably a fake. Please report any questionable profiles to me. My images are stolen often and it is hard for me to track them all down. I mostly rely on kind people taking the time to write me with the link. Please note, I do not use ANY kind of IM (AIM, Yahoo, etc) ...Seriously, I do not use Instant Messenger at all!

I saw a picture of you on another website. I think it was stolen...

If you come across an image of me on a website that you think was stolen please let me know. All of my pictures are copyright to me and the photographer who took them.

Can I use one of your pics??

It depends what for. Please write to me and ask before using images. If you are looking for banners please [link]go here[link to banner page]. Please note: if you take an image without asking, you are infringing on copyright and there will be consequences!!!

How can I get my site featured on your page?

One of two ways:
E-mail me your link and I will personally review your page and determine whether or not it is appropriate for the site.
OR become a sponsor and pay a nominal fee for 6 months advertising and feature status on the site. Please contact me for more information.

faq. Make-up.

What kind of brushes do you use?

I use a combination of MAC brushes and art store brushes. Although I plan to invest in a better set someday, for now, these seem to get me through just fine.

Why do you use so much MAC?

One word...discount! I get 40% off of MAC products due to their MACPro program. So I end up buying a lot of it. Truth be told, I really like their products and they have always worked really well on my skin. If you don't agree, feel free to use something else.

Can I use a cheaper brand instead?

Absolutely! Use whatever brand you like. The important thing with the tutorials is that the colors are similar if you want to get the exact look.

I would love to do one of those tutorials, what do I need to send in?

I love getting tutorial submissions! It is such a big help. All you need is:

clear images of each step you did to create the look (you don't have to crop or edit them. I will do that. Just make sure the images are at least 300x300 or bigger.)
a picture of the products used (particularly shadows, lipsticks, and blushes)
a list of the products used (brand and color)
a brief step by step run down of how you achieved each step. Color used, brush used, where you applied, etc...
a name for your look (if you have one in mind...if not, I'll name it)

Do you take requests??

Absolutely. If you come across a picture of a cosmetic look that you would like to learn how to do, send it over to me at makeup at squeakmachine dot com. I will take a look at it and, if I can, post a step by step tutorial on how to do it!

faq. hair.

Is your hair real or is it dread falls?

Neither, I have dread extensions. They are more permanent than falls but less so than real dreads. You can read more about this them by clicking here and reading the "Intro to Dread Extensions" essay.

Where do you get your dreads?

I don't have time to make dreads myself. I order my dreads from Heather at Divinity Dreads

Who braids your dreads in?

My close friend Anna does all my braiding. She is typically located in the New York area but sometimes travels to Philly and Baltimore. She is often available to braid extensions. Contact her on her Myspace to set something up with her.

Where can I buy a nice pair of dread falls?

My lovely and very talented web designer makes awesome falls at CypherLox.

I would love to submit a tutorial...what should I do?

I always need more hair tutorials...particularly ones that have to do with styling. If you have one in mind, submit the write up with a picture for each step to my hair mailbox.

faq. Fashion.

Where do you get your leg warmers?

I knit some of them myself and the rest I order from various Ebay sellers and Japanese clothing sites.

What brand of shoes do you wear in your photos?

For the most part, I wear New Rocks, Buffalos, and Volatiles. I also have some custom platform sneakers and boots I had made in NYC and I am also known to wear the occasional pair of non-cyber looking Swears.

Where do you get your clothes?

I make a lot of my clothes from scratch or I just reconstruct existing pieces. If I do decide to buy regular clothes, my favorite places to shop are Punkyfish, American Eagle, Guess?, Urban Outfitters, and Yellow Rat Bastard. I am also an avid Ebay shopper and Japanese fashion enthusiast.

Where can I get clothing and accessories from Japan?

Unfortunately, Japanese companies do not frequently make their clothing easily accessible to the United States. The number one way to get your hands on these goods is to...errr...well, go to Japan! But if that is not a possibility for you than you may want to consider these alternatives:

Ebay- especially Ebay UK, you can occasionally find sellers who specialize in Japanese clothing and fashion. Be cautious about spending too much for these items. Soni and I have frequently come across "rip off" brands and dishonest sellers. Learn how to tell the fakes from the real things.
Live Journal- there are some great communities on LJ that swap items or put items up for sale from Japanese designers. Everything from cute/decora/fruits styles to the darker Visual Kei type stuff.
Pen Pals- Seems old fashion but it really works out well. Try to connect with someone who lives out in Japan and see if they are willing to do fashion swaps with you via snail mail. There are items available in the United States that are difficult to get in Japan...so it may work out well for both of you!
Shopping Services

What Japanese brands would you recommend?

For cutesy, girlie, street geek stuff I love:

Baby the Stars Shine Bright

For the edgier, darker stuff...well, I had to ask Soni. She recommends:

Note: Some of these sites do not ship to the US or sell via internet. However, I decided to post links anyway so you could see what the fashion looks like. Most of these brands I have found on Ebay, one of the LJ communities, or on a random fashion swap.

How can I buy clothes from you?

I occasionally put items up on Ebay and sometimes I have items available for direct sale on this site. Check out the Donate and shop section of this site for the most recent updates.

Can you tell me how to make this?

If you have a picture of a DIY project that you are curious to know how to make, send it over and I will see if I can do a tutorial on it.