The 'Cake It On' Prizewinner

This time it goes to.......
After going through the forms I can announce that the winner of the prize this time is the darling Martha who placed the largest order by a hair's breadth! She wins...

Cheeky Pin-Up Book

and this is on top of all the fab products she ordered and will receive at the next event. (When I see you on the 18th Maarfs it will be like Christmas for you!) Congrats to you and for everyone else I have already purchased the next prize so make sure you attend xox

The First Cake It On! Event

April 23rd at Crimson Heart
On a grey and rainy day I found myself tying a bandana around my victory rolls to keep them sheltered from the elements. I carried my white petticoat in a bag lest it should be splashed with dirty puddles and I bolted across Shoreditch with my 'Avon lady' bag in tow!
And I'm so glad I did because despite the horrible weather we had a fantastic turn out and a really great night at Crimson Heart .
The first thing I'd like to do is thank the fabulous Vivien of Holloway for the incredible cupcake print circle dress and aforementioned petticoat which I wore throughout the event, to many 'Oooh!'s and 'Aaah!'s and 'Give me a twirl!'s from the ladies:

http://www.vivienofholloway.com/

And as the girls entered the secret little cafe below the vintage shop above, I played classic tunes from Blue Lu Barker, Connie Francis and ok I'll admit: a bit of Shakin Stevens...

On the menu was CAKE of all kinds - from Mia's sister's signature Ginger Cake to little mini chocolate cupcakes all washed down with lashings of lovely tea - or fresh coffee if you want to be sacreligious ;)  You can also bring a bottle of any alcohol you fancy and pay a minimal corkage fee - and you'll be provided with glasses, ice and even a little umbrella for a retro twist

The aim of the event is to give you a chance to look through the catalogue at your leisure as well as have a chat amongst yourselves and be comfortable. But we all come together for interesting facts about Avon, product demonstrations, games with prizes such as Who's got the Funniest Pin-Up Name? and tips on how to re-create the vintage look.

But the best thing about buying products this way is that you can take a look through the catalogue and if there's something you'd like to try I will purchase a sample size for you for free for next time. That way you can try before you buy at no cost to you :) How many times have you bought a foundation that's turned out to be the wrong shade or a day moisturizer that's just so greasy you can't leave the house for an hour while it sinks in? Well never again with AVON! And the best thing is, Cake It On! happens every 3 weeks - the day after the products are delivered to me - so you will have them to try there and then at the event!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000616104102

This time I also had the fantastic milliner Enola Rose (engrossed in the AVON catalogue, above) selling her beautiful retro bows...Paloma Faith is a fan! And she will be appearing again, as will many other vintage style gurus.

So what are you waiting for? Next Cake It On! is Thursday 17th May so make sure you're there xox

Tuesday Tip (Tried and Tested) #3

Perfect Matte 'Starlet' Skin
Get a matte Hollywood look without the cakiness by using Avon MagiX Face Perfector.

It's said that in order to create her moist, dewy glow, Marilyn Monroe layered her face in Vaseline and then powder alternatively until she had built up the perfect base. If you look at pictures of her compared with other Hollywood stars of the day you'll see that she was the only one who could get away with that kind of 'glow'

Look at Hedy and Lana below...their skin is matt and velvet-like:

But Marilyn could get away with a lot back then - she was one of a kind! According to Anton La Vey (yes - the founder of the 'Church of Satan') she used to allow a tiny bit of urine to drizzle onto the back of her skirt after using the toilet. This, she said, made the men who saw it 'think of her as unable to control herself or her urges....'
Anyway, that is NOT my Tuesday tip!
My tip is how to create that flawless, smooth look that almost everyone in the Golden Era sported, without the cakiness and suffocated skin they probably also had as a result of their heavy powder.
I really have trouble with a shiny T-Zone (stop the presses!) Yes I know it's not a massive issue but nonetheless I'm sure it's something many of us experience. I used to use Clinique 'Pore Perfector' which is about £17 until I discovered AVON's own version which is only £7 at the moment. It's a soft, powdery cream which smells divine. Put it on after moisturiser and it will ensure that your skin only glows where you want it to. It can be used alone, or under foundation as a primer, and if you'd like to try it but don't want to commit to buying full size you can order a little trial size pot from me for about 75p. Either e-mail me or come to my next Make-up, Bake-up!
Until next time...xox

Tuesday Tip (Tried and Tested) #2

Use Setting Lotion
If the phrase 'setting lotion' conjures up images of old ladies with blue rinses and tight poodle curls, it's time to update that image and take a tip from your granny...

Setting lotion is one of the beauty world's best kept secrets and I really have no idea why it's so clandestine. It's the exact thing that was used in the 1940's and 50's to hold a curl, and yet it's not widely produced or advertised anymore.

It's also incredibly inexpensive which may be the reason it's not well advertised...why would we spend £4.99 on a 'strong-hold mousse' if we can get setting lotion for £1.50??
I buy Superdrug's own but you can get many different brands in independant chemists - the same chemists you can usually find other unfashionable but amazing products like Epsom Salts and plastic rain hoods!
It is actually very watery and you can usually buy it in different strengths - many people decant it into a spray bottle (Superdrug do a fantastic one for 99p) and you're supposed to add water to dilute it further as it can be quite strong.
Honestly, it gives you lovely soft curls that really hold so it's not like a mousse or a gel.

Don't be fooled by some blog posts on the net which say it smells 'evil' and causes frizz. PERM lotion is the one that used to smell evil (remember that strange farty smell all hairdresser's used to have..?) but I think even that's changed now. And it certainly doesn't cause frizz. I have the worst hair for being frizzy and I never have a problem with it. It even seems to dry my hair faster which is another bonus. If you really don't want to be naff and buy a granny product then go onto amazon.co.uk and buy Pin-Up Setting Lotion - that's only a couple of quid and may look a bit better on your dressing table.

If you want an authentic vintage set, especially if it's a wet set that you want to sleep in, setting lotion is definitely the way to go - seriously, use it, and I guarantee you'll never use mousse again xox

Vintage Vault: 1940's Dominatrix

The 1940's Dominatrix: 'Miss Ratherly Stern'
Before Bettie Page and those of her ilk were unleashed on the world (or 'leashed' depending on what the photoshoot dictated...) there seems to have been only contender for the Dominatrix Diadem...Miss Ratherly Stern. 

How I love this woman - she is my idol! She is suitably named, despite the fact there appears to be no tongue-in-cheek nonsense associated with her videos. I think her name actually is Mary Ratherly-Stern but there's not much info about her on the web. I do know she is basically Trinny AND Susannah rolled into a little pellet with a bit of Fanny Craddock sprinkled on top! She's so strict when it comes to what she defines as 'glamour' and it's actually a breath of fresh air. Nowadays girls are leaving the house in such abominations as ugg boots (even in sunny weather) worn with bright pink towelling tracksuit bottoms. It's okay for them to be riding half-way down their asses with a neon thong of some kind on show, cutting into chubby muffin-top so hard it looks like a shoulder of pork that's been very tightly tied with string so all the stuffing doesn't fall out in the oven... Top all this off with a diamante t-shirt that says Cum-dumpster or some such nonsense (or my own personal favourite which was 'Psycho' spelled like this: 'Physco') and there you have an acceptable look for the modern day...
But not back then - she wouldn't let you leave the house if your blouse ruffles were just a bit too big or your head a funny shape.... You must watch these:

She's just brilliant! I'll leave you with these for now but we'll certainly be returning to Miss Stern in future.... However I'm off to work on a new burlesque act in which I ambush unsuspecting women of the audience with heated rollers and contour powder - there's definitely a market for it,
See you soon xox

Headscarves

Tuesday Tip (Tried and Tested) #1
Headscarves are your Friends!
I think this is one of the easiest and most effective tips to start with for 'vintage' styling if you're going for that 'Land Girls/Rosie Riveter' look of the 40's or more of a Rockabilly 50's image. It's simply because I'm the laziest person EVER and want to look the part with minimal effort sometimes, especially if I'm going to work. So this is the look I sported to work today (to my boss's usual eye-rolling haha)...

It's only a little one purchased from the lovely Enola Rose Designs, and it's great for work when I want a little bit of eye rolling but not to give people a coronary. (I get away with it a bit more because I work in an old museum and when I look 'vintage' here people just think they've seen a ghost...) But it really is an absolute godsend when you don't have time to style your hair but just want a little nod to times gone by. If you have a bit more time for prettifying then you can do something like this...

...which is really simple yet really effective. Of course there is another reason this is such a great style - it's for the reason they used to do it 'way back when'...to cover your pin curls! I can't tell you the amount of times I've had my curls covered in work all day then gone home and taken them out, ready for a night on the town ;) Similarly, it's much comfier to sleep on when you're letting your pin curls set in overnight. So make friends with a headscarf or bandana immediately and attend my Cake It On! on April 23rd for some great examples by Enola Rose, as well as some demos :) 

'Enola RoseDesigns' on Facebook

Until next time xox