The Naughty Nineties are back!

The next "Cake It On!"
I think I have started considering the 90's vintage because when you look back on that time things really were SO different! I have memories of covering myself in Impulse body spray and reading 'Just Seveneteen'... especially the rude problems at the back :) I loved Hole and Babes in Toyland at the time but also Shampoo and Alisha's Attic. Everything was pink and bubble-gummy and we all wore plastic flowers in our hair and wanted to be Drew Barrymore. So my next Cake It On! just has to be 1990's

For me it's the marriage between girliness and grunge that is summed up by the era but of course it depends on how old you were at the time. Those around my age will know exactly what the above pics are of!
So come down to crimson Heart in Shoreditch on September 4th (87 Leonard Street, EC2A 4QS) at 6:30 on September 4th. Expect a picture quiz on 1990's heart-throbs, 'Truth or Dare' and many prizes to be won, as well as my home-made 1990's playlist.
There'll be makeovers and samples to try and you can bring booze and pay a corkage, or have a cuppa and a cake. See you there! Here's the Facebook link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/493496837347184/

Cake It On! (AVON Campaign 13)

The Warring 40's!

"I'm not taking these rollers out til my man gets home from The Front.."

In a secret underground bunker (well...Crimson Heart in Shoreditch) we all gathered to learn the secrets of 1940's make-up and eat cakes which we'd made from our saved up and pooled together wartime rations. There were quizzes and competitions for fabulous Avon prizes, such as the one below: Attempting to draw stocking seams on your own legs in a 1940's style!

There were vintage manicures and hints and tips about some of the Avon products such as this. (This has a very naughty titbit of info to go with it so you'll just have to come to the next Cake It On to find out what it is!!)

And in general we just all decided to have fun and be idiots :)

Of course you can try the products when you're here and that's one of the benefits of Avon. Flick through the catalogue and if anything takes your fancy have a look through my vintage cosmetic case and grab yourself a trial size version. If I don't have it I'll order it in for free for you next time.

According to Grazia mag, you get a LOT of satisfaction with 2 pumps and a squirt...!

Cake It On happens once every 3 weeks in Crimson Heart and the next one will be a Marilyn Monroe special to coincide with the 50th anniversary of her death. You can expect fun, games, vintage hints and tips, tutorials for Marilyn's look, prizes, freebies and some of this:

So what are you waiting for?! Keep checking back here for the date of the next event and I hope to see you there xox

Dita Von Teese: Style Icon

Half-Moon pedicures, Pixiwoo and amazing AVON products.....
Yesterday, in between writing various articles and reports, I somehow kept finding the time to do some vintage pampering/procrastinating. Inspired by Dita Von Teese, and the fact that she NEVER looks awful,  I decided to give myself a half-moon pedicure using my favourite 'Speed Dry'Avon nail-polish in Red Wine. 

Then I thought I'd watch a little Pixiwoo tutorial on You Tube to see their interpretation of her make-up - I love Pixiwoo tutorials, they're just so easy to watch and I find they relax me! Can you imagine then how totally and utterly chuffed I was to see this tutorial with loads of products from AVON??!

I do own some of the stuff (such as the lip-liner in Red Brick) and had wondered if AVON even do a decent red lipstick. (You may remember one of my earlier posts where I said I'd yet to find one...http://make-upbake-up.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/tuesday-tip-5-red-lips.html) 
Now I know: Extra Lasting Lipstick in "Eternal Flame". Then, to make things even better I looked in the brand new catalogue (for the next campaign) and those lippy's are bloody half-price.....£3.50. 

So I gave the look a go myself since I was heading to a Vintage Fair anyway and knew I'd fit right in...

I didn't wear the wig out, of course, but when I went to buy some lovely vintage style underwear in Intimissimi (there's a Sale on btw) the woman behind the counter told me I was beautiful!! 
So, get down to my Cake It On! events and don't waste money on expensive products that may not be right for you once you get them home. AVON might be inexpensive but that doesn't mean it's 'cheap'. If it was, the system to try before you buy wouldn't be in place as they'd be too scared of you using the products and thinking they're crap. It's the best way to buy your cosmetics - and even Pixiwoo thinks theyre fab :) xox

Made In Shoreditch contributions:

Check out my article 'Behind the Scenes at Shoreditch Vintage Fair'

The article is at: http://madeinshoreditch.co.uk/2012/06/18/behind-the-scenes-at-shoreditch-vintage-fair/ and there are some great images below. Even the toilets are vintage!

Tuesday Tip #6 - V for Victory!

Victory Rolls

In keeping with the theme of my last Cake It On! party, I thought I'd make today's tip all about Victory Rolls. I was also inspired by the River Pageant on Sunday which was in Battersea Park to celebrate the Jubilee - there were so many pop-up Victory Roll hair salons there and we even had the fantastic Angel Adoree of The Vintage Patisserie in our WI tent. (She's been tagged on my blog a few times so check out the other posts).
The hairstyle is so popular that girls queued for an hour in the rain, just to have this up-do done by Angel and her lovely assistants.

Of course, the pageant was to celebrate the Queens Coronation 60 years ago in 1952 so it may seem strange that Victory Rolls featured so prominently at a 50's bash. However they are associated with the rockabilly music movement from the 1950's, despite their WWII origins, and are still popular today.

According to most accounts, the rolls were named after a maneuvre of a WWII fighter jet and were a fashionable way to keep women's hair off their faces when they started working in the factories etc. They were also a way to express women's style, femininity and ostentatiousness when clothing had become rationed and simplistic. (Similar to the complex hairstyles of the Victorian women who were making up for the fact they were unable to wear make-up).
I love Victory Rolls so much as they really are a statement and product of that particular zeitgeist and what's more they're really easy to do when you have the hang of them, and weirdly addictive!
So my tips are simple. First, you have to curl your hair and it really doesn't matter which direction you curl it in, as long as it's curled. You can do it however you like: tongs, heated rollers, whatever works for you. But for authentic curls which literally last until you wash your hair again, I suggest foam rollers:

To get a decent 'set' which is actually less hassle, I put curl balm on my hair (which was about 89p from Superdrug) then I spray with my favourite setting lotion (see my previous post on that - it's fabulous stuff!). Because setting lotion has alcohol in it, after you spray your hair it won't be long before it suddenly feels about 80% dry. That's when you put it in rollers and forget about it. 
Now I need my curls to really last and I can't sleep on rollers, so what I tend to do is take the rollers out before bed and kirby grip the curls flat to my head - that's a flat pin-curl. If you put a bandana over your head you can sleep comfortably, and that is exactly why the bandana look was popular in the 40's and 50's...to hide the pincurls during the day! (See Lana Turner in The Postman Always Rings Twice to see how effective that is.) If I have a vintage event on a weekday evening, I'll literally keep the curls in all day, under a scarf - see my previous post on that too :)
Once you take the curls out you'll look like this:

The rest of the style simply involves taking sections of your hair from your parting to right behind your ear and first brushing it out a bit. Then, back-comb or 'tease' (as the Americans say) the inner part of the chunk of hair and then you'll find it basically rolls over on its own fairly easily. Then, when you're happy with its position you can use bobby pins/kirby grips to keep them in place, and they'll really hold because of the teased hair. Do have hairspray and a brush handy to neaten up the front and smooth the baby hairs too. And when you get frustrated with it, try to remember that apparently there were no kirby grips back then so the women used to use pipecleaners to do their styles! I have no idea how...
Once you know how to roll you'll suddenly find yourself doing all sorts of styles.

My friend made this!  http://folksy.com/shops/Babooshka   

It's difficult to describe in just words and pictures so check out some YouTube tutorials - my favourite ones are:

http://www.youtube.com/user/thecherrydollface

http://www.youtube.com/user/classicretroglamour

or better still get down to one of my Cake It On! events and I'll show you how to do it! next one is Tuesday June 12th  - see you there xox

Tuesday Tip #5 - Red Lips

The Perfect Red Lip
I may be an Avon Lady but that doesn't mean I'm only going to push my own products as one company can't possibly cover all bases. 
For example, one of the things I really hate about wearing make-up is lipstick! It doesn't matter if you buy a long lasting one and blot a few times between layers and put it over foundation and maybe set it with powder...the fact is it comes off! On your teacup, on your food, on someone's face...whatever.
I have one tip for this and it's to use a product like Maybelline Superstay 24 colour:

"Red Passion"

I used to use this all the time and was sure they discontinued the red I like (above) but in Superdrug the other day I found it. I tested it on my hand to see if it was the right colour then toddled off home excitedly clutching my new lippy. I spent the rest of my night relaxing and had an hour long bath with oils and bubbles and everything...and the below pic is the same dot of colour on my hand after all that!!

I'm certainly not an expert on make-up but I know when something does what it says on the tin and honestly this lip colour is food, drink, wine, kiss...and anything else...proof!

Avon do a similar product but as yet there isn't a red (which you need for vintage) so until they introduce it this Maybelline one is definitely my favourite and considering you can get it between £7-8 it's also a bargain! xox

The Blitz Party

Saturday May 5th - Shoreditch

No self-respecting 40's obsessive (like myself..) would be able to live in London and not go to The Blitz Party! I just thought I'd add a few pics of my hair and make-up etc to this blog and maybe next time we can do a 'Blitz Party' Cake It On! Special if anyone else has tickets for it and want tips on how to achieve the look.
So the clothes are pretty important and I was so pleased to pick up this Tara Starlet dress at their sample sale last weekend. The lovely Tara Scott, who is a committee member of my W.I, basically is Tara Starlet and her company make reproduction clothing from original vintage patterns...and they do it all ethically - it's well worth checking out their website:

http://www.tarastarlet.com/

Then of course the second most important thing is hair and make-up! I used my usual trusty tools for the hair: setting lotion (about £1.50), hot rollers, kirby grips (about 99p) etc (Ooh my nan would be proud...! All those old fashioned products and cheap too! Well, there is a war on...) 

Now the make up was mostly my usual stuff ....

Liquid Eyeliner

Red Nailpolish

Red Lippy - no that's not mine on him!

But I have a new foundation which is AVON 'Calming Effects Illuminating Foundation' in Ivory and it's fantastic! I love being able to buy little tiny ones to keep in my handbag, and that way I can try the shade before I buy the big one too...it's win-win! (unlike the war which was just WIN...by England). 

Anyway, back to make up.

One thing I also got was new lipstick samples and I really wanted to wear one for Blitz Party so I tried these two on:

"Really Rosy" and "Charged Cherry"

I'll be honest with you, they were lovely colours but the consistency wasn't right for an event like this as they're actually quite sheer and you need gloopy matt lipstick to recreate vintage looks. However, they'll be fantastic summer lipsticks and I'll definitely be wearing these as a 'day' lip, even at work I'd get away with it.

It was such a great event to go to and I know there's one again in June so if you want any tips on how to do Victory rolls then let me know

Right I'd better go - those socks aren't going to Make-Do and Mend themselves...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

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