Welcome!

Hello from 'The Tease Maid'. I am woman...hear me POUR! Read on for my general make-up musings and my plan to make the world a better place with nothing but cuppas, cupcakes and cosmetics. There's a weekly 'Tuesday Tip' and a 'Vintage Vault', and of course information on where you can find my next "Cake It On" event... Hope to see you at one soon xox

Saturday 2 March 2013

The Black Dahlia (Part 2)

Cake It On! Black Dahlia Special
Following a seminar I had in my pathology museum (which is what I do 'by day') I decided to look deeper into the persona of Elizabeth Short by reviewing her make-up choices. They actually tell a lot about her personality at the time of her death and I became particularly interested in discoverying why after I read a blog post on Vintage Powder Room by Joan Renner http://vintagepowderroom.com/?tag=black-dahlia 
The BEST part is that I actually got to dress like her using an inexpensive wig I found on eBay and the infamous 'black, tailored suit' which I already had. After popping a Dahlia in my hair and squirting myself with our Cake It On! favourite: Lily of the Valley, I genuinely began to feel like a different person. See what you think:
For this particular cake It On! I created a little gift to give away which included Elizabeth's favourite blood red nail varnish and lipstick as well as AVON favourite Magix Face Perfector which I LOVE for vintage looks as I get a flawless, matte effect. There was also a mini 'Little Black Dress' perfume because if anyone was going to wear a little black dress it would be Elizabeth Short, and also some black dahlia earrings. The way to win this was to answer as many questions in the quiz about The Dahlia, various depictions of her in popular culture and the circumstances surrounding her death.
AVON prize - the bag itself is vintage AVON from eBay
 I had my lovely friend Kay do vintage half-moon manicures on the girls who attended as that was a popular style in the 1940's (and has of course been made popular again by the lovely Dita Von Teese)
The four nail products used in the manicures
And of course the girls got to try the products they wanted to purchase which is the reason I love AVON and which is why I do these retro AVON tea parties! There's nothing better than being able to smell the products, take samples home and even return them if you're unhappy with them which is something you can't do with most cosmetics. Try going into Boots and saying "I'm unhappy with this fake tan/moisturiser/lipstick - take it back and give me a refund" and believe me, you won't get far!
Of course the other reason is that we get too just hang out and have fun:


The next event is March 5th so it has a bit of a Mother's Day theme: Mother's Ruin! (Think gin-soaked 1950's housewife!)
Tuesday March 5th at Crimson Heart Cafe from 6:30pm (87 Leonard Street, Shoreditch EC2A 4QS) Nearest Tube: Old St
xox

Sunday 13 January 2013

The Black Dahlia (Part 1)

Unusual Make-up for an Unusual Lady
In the wintry Los Angeles of 1947, better known for its glamorous film stars and Hollywood lifestyle, Elizabeth "Beth" Short became the victim of one of America's most brutal murders.
At only 22 years of age, Beth had spent much of her early adult life with a wistful desire to be 'in movies'; drifting from the East Coast to the West and back again, melancholy and lonely yet picking up admirers wherever she went.
During this exact week in that fateful January, Beth was being brutally murdered by someone who still remains unknown, and her mutilated, bisected body was discovered on a vacant lot on January 15th.
In my capacity as Pathology Museum curator I have organised a sell-out seminar which can be seen at www.tinyurl.com/bartsdahlia. However, in my other life as AVON lady I have decided to dedicate my next Cake It On! event (February 5th) to the memory of Beth.
You see, what struck me most during my research into the case reading various books was how often her make-up, perfume and clothing were mentioned by witnesses and how her style deviated from the 'norm' in post-war America - ultimately earning her the nickname 'The Black Dahlia' prior to her death.

Another woman with the same double life as me (paradoxically interested in both make-up and the macabre!) is Joan Renner who runs the two blogs: Vintage Powder Room and Deranged LA Crimes. Her magnificent post on Beth's make-up can be seen here: http://vintagepowderroom.com/?tag=black-dahlia and it was this which really got me thinking about the 'darkness' which resided in Beth and whether or not it could actually influence the manner of her demise...



Joan is a writer, lecturer and social historian with an expertise in historic Los Angeles crime. With her insider info and thorough research she has created a 'personality profile' of Beth based on her clothing and make-up choices. I'm going to use that profile, and some of my own research, to discuss how The Dahlia's choices differed from other women of the time and really made her stand out.
Perhaps that's why she caught the eye of someone with insidious intentions and dark desires?
I'll be giving away a 'Black Dahlia' inspired make-up kit to the winner of the quiz and also a pair of black Dahlia earrings to the winner of the order form raffle. So come along and don your blackest dress and darkest lips and learn some of the lesser known facts of the Dahlia case:
Wednesday Feb 6th at Crimson Heart Cafe from 6:30pm (87 Leonard Street, Shoreditch EC2A 4QS) Nearest Tube: Old St
xox

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