Welcome to my blog.
Curated by Lara Schilling aka Rivet Licker.
Content:
It's all about beauty; cosmetics, skincare, makeup, treatments, science and more! Cruelty free brands, vegetarian friendly beauty, and harm minimisation in a world of consumer products.
#RivetReview started out as an Instagram hashtag for me to review products - a blog gives me the freedom to expand on this, so now we are here!
About Me:
I was born, raised, and still live on Gadigal Country (Sydney, Australia). I'm a weird character, full of social awkwardness and colourful hair. I'm 33 (a product of the 80s); I'm on the autism spectrum and have ADHD, depression, and anxiety; I also have PCOS/Endometriosis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, and I (totally do) suffer from migraines; I'm the trifecta of the A in LGBTQIA+ being asexual, demiromantic, and fluctuating between demigender woman and agender; I'm Ashkenazi Jewish (via Eastern Europe); and I'm permanently disabled which gives me a unique perspective on the beauty world and accessibility issues.
I'm a qualified audio engineer and electronics technician, and I do some multimedia things in my spare time, I'm not necessarily good at it, but I like to have fun. I've been writing music since I was a kid, and have been producing since my teens, mostly EDM and synthpop stuff under the name Digitalis.
I have formal training in beauty therapy and makeup, I also used to make wigs and hair pieces in the past, and I dabble in formulating bath and body products. While I occasionally do makeup, nails, and hair related content, I focus mainly on skincare.
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| Image description: Lara performing a facial treatment on a client at beauty school. Lara has blue hair tied up in a bun and she is wearing a black tunic. There is a smiley tongue out emoji covering the client's face. |
After the beauty college I attended shut down unexpectedly, I wound up getting into an undergraduate science program at university majoring in medicinal chemistry, with plans on entering the dermatological pharmaceutical field and becoming a formulator or researcher. I managed to get through all the first year subjects (chemistry, human anatomy, biology, and scientific practice) and I was doing well, but I had to leave due to my continuous and unpredictable health issues getting in the way of attending classes, even on a part time basis, and it affected my learning capabilities (having to learn calculus at 30 wasn't the most easiest thing either, but the ADHD and chronic pain definitely did not help). The pandemic just sealed the deal for leaving.
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| Image description: Close up of Lara, a pale skinned person, smiling at the camera. She is holding up a vial with aspirin crystals she made in her practical class. There is a black heart emoji covering the label on the vial. She is wearing brown lipstick, and a white lab coat and safety goggles. |
"LARA IS A NERD" - All of my friends.
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| Image description: Portrait of Lara, a pale skinned person with dark eyes and straightened neon pink hair just past her chin, standing in front of a grey background, smiling at the camera. |
The name:
Rivet Licker, yes, it's a silly name, but it has stuck as a brand and here's the story:
Rivet: From "rivethead", an industrial music subculture.
Licker: Nickname for random objects at an old workplace (like the spider on the wall).
Outside interests:
Nine Inch Nails, Star Trek, Angry Birds, Ratchet & Clank, STEM, karaoke & trivia, food & cooking, Netflix, watching YouTube (Hank Green FTW!), DIY & crafting, coffee, tea, listening to music (mostly synthpop, new wave, disco, post punk, industrial stuff), music technology & synthesizers, being an occasional guest host on my friend's radio show, memes.
The Doggo:
Byron was adopted in October 2015. He is me in dog form; has freckles, loves dogs, dislikes people, ultra-neurotic.
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| Image description: Byron, a long haired, black and white border collie dog with freckles, lying on a blanket with his head tilted and mouth open. |
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| Image description: Lara sitting on the grass with Byron, a border collie dog, sitting in her lap with his eyes closed and mouth open. She is wearing a black jumper, sunglasses, and a cap with cat ears. There is another border collie dog (Bob) in the background. |
I love all things doggo, so if you follow me on social, please send me doggo pics!
