Monday, December 31, 2012

Vintage Inspired Make-Up

I am so sorry that I haven't been blogging lately! It's been a very busy year and I haven't had the time lately! But I can assure you that I am back to blogging!

Now, make up is a very important part of the vintage look. It can tie together an outfit perfectly, but sometimes it's hard to find the right equipment and make up to do so. With the guidance of Katie Reynolds' Style Me Vintage- Make Up book, I have been able to pick out key and affordable pieces. So here's my list! WARNING! It's gonna be a long one...

Equipment

I was surprised at how hard I found it to get my hands on affordable yet quality make up brushes, so I was very pleased when I found this set of 4 brushes (and the roll!) for £6 in the Boots sale! I don't know whether they are still in the sale but another alternative would be the Model's Own 5 piece brush set for £10, also available at boots.
Cheeks brush

Eyes brush (angled)

Eyes brush (shadow)

Lips brush

Full Set (Brush Roll included!)
To be honest, I don't think you need any more than this, maybe a foundation or powder brush, but you don't need to go out and buy expensive brushes to get a vintage look!

Make Up

I don't tend to use a foundation as my skin is still fairly young, but if I had to pick one I would choose the Soap and Glory Show Good Face foundation for £11. It is a 2 in 1 primer and foundation, which is great if you want your make up to stay and have a flawless finish. I love the packaging that it came in, in fact all of the Soap and Glory products have a vintage look as well as a pun or quote for the name! Another alternative would be the Maybelline Dream Matte mousse foundation, available from Boots for £8.(I should probably mention now that most if not all of these products are available from Boots!) This is a mousse foundation and also has a good coverage. If you already have a foundation/powder/primer that works for you then stick to that! Don't feel pressured to buy something that you don't need!!!

Soap and Glory Show Good Face- £11

Maybelline Dream Matte mousse- £8


For eyeshadows, I would recommend mainly neutral colours, eg brown, white, cream, in mattes and shimmers. Also a few pastel colours are nice, but you don't want anything to garish! I would recommend the Soap and Glory Lid Stuff sets, they contain 4 eyeshadows in each one, and are available in 3 different palettes, 2 of which I own. One is a smoky eyes set, but I own the Off the wallflowers and What's Nude sets. These retail at £10 each but in the boots sale they are about £7.50.
I would also reccomend the Soap and Glory Daily Double shadow and liner double ended pencil for £8.50 which can be used as a base for other shadows or on its own. Also, a white and black khol pencil liner are key- I suggest Barry M's white khol liner (£2.99) and Soap and Glory's smoulder khol black liner (£5) both from Boots. The most essential make up product is liquid eyeliner to create that trademark flick from the forties or exaggerated eye from the sixties look. I have the Borjous liner feutre liquid liner ( was £6.99 now £4.99 from boots) but I also suggest the Lekeux cosmetics Black Cadillac liner which was £11.95 now £8.95! In fact, the whole Lekeux Cosmetics line, a recent venture from vintage expert Lynsey Lekuex is designed for creating that vintage look! Check her website out by clicking on the liner link! Any black or brown mascara will do, but a volumising or lengthening one is best for luscious lashes.

Soap & Glory The Daily Double

Off The Wall Flowers- Soap and Glory

What's Nude (my fav)- Soap and Glory

Barry M white khol pencil liner

Black Smoulder Khol Soap and Glory Liner

Borjois liner feutre eyeliner

Last, but not least, blusher and lipstick. Again, the Lekeux cosmetics line is great for vintage lippy! Personally I love the Peachy Keen colour, but they are all great! I have the Super colour fabu lipsticks (£9 each but £6 in the boots sale) from soap and glory in super nude matte and red my lips. I find the latter more of a burgandy-pink than a red, but it is still quite vntage. A red lippy is essential though! I have the Soap and Glory (yes, I do love their products!) Love at first blush blusher which includes mixed pinky shades for blush, highlighting and adding definition!







So there yoyu have it! My vintage make up essentials list. As for the reccomendations, they are just that! My suggestions are simply guidlines and ideas from experience that I have had with the products. If your make up works for you, then stick with it! Hope you liked my list! Comment any other vintage cosmetics if you know of any or any reviews/ thoughts on the products mentioned.

El X

Thursday, May 24, 2012

My Style- Vintage inspired Sewing Machine

Great news vintage lovers- Singer (the sewing machine company- no, it's not an opera group) have brought out a new vintage inspired sewing machine! it's a modern twist on one of Singer's first sewing machines, the Singer 160 is celebrating the company's 160th birthday. At just under £400 it's not something I'll be buying any time soon but I recommend it to any of you sewers out there. It combines vintage tradition with modern features, and I think it's a really cool product. But watch out! It's only available for a limited time- so buy one, and fast!


The Singer 160- £399
So that's what I think of one of the newest sewing machines? What d'you think?

El

Monday, May 21, 2012

Film Review- Funny Face

Ok, so you all know that I love Audrey, and so I thought I'd do another review on one of her films. Funny Face is a great film- directed by Stanley Donen, starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire- I mean what more could you want?! It's not as well known as Breakfast at Tiffany's, and it's a musical, but I really love it! So, here's my review on one of the best films from the fifties...

Funny Face (1957)
Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn) is an ordinary girl who works in a bookstore. She loves books and philosophy, and really wants to meet philosopher Professor Floster in Paris. Her life is fairly ordinary until Quality Magazine editor Maggie Prescott and photographer Dick Avery (Fred Astaire) barge into her bookstore with clothes to photograph on one of their models. Maggie wanted an intellectual background for her latest photo shoot, and she got one! After throwing Jo out of the shop and totally trashing it, she apologises and makes her way back to Quality HQ.
After proccessing the photos, Dick comes to Maggie with a great idea. Maggie wants a Quality woman; a girl with grace, elegance and pizzaz to appear in all the photos for her magazine.
At first, Maggie thinks Dick's idea is proposterous, but after reviewing the situation, she agrees.
"It's decided then- Jo Stockton can be the Quality woman!" she exclaims.
After a bit of persuading, Jo agrees to model for Maggie, and soon falls in love with Dick after a modelling trip to Paris. Soon, Dick realises that he and Jo were meant to be together...

A very iconic photo from Funny Face



Tuesday, May 1, 2012

My Style- Vintage Style Playsuit

So, as you already know, I love vintage. I was wandering around Matalan, and came across a lovely forties style playsuit for £14. It has the classic 1940's sleeves, and buttons down to the waist. I love it and wear it all the time!


Matalan Playsuit- £14
I really like the floral sprig pattern on it, and the purple/pink colour scheme matches many other items in my wardrobe!!!

I also bought a champagne coloured cardie from new look that I also love for £12.99!

So there you have it, a timeless forties look with a modern twist.

El

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

TV- What to Watch

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't been blogging- with all the Christmas hustle and bustle finally over I thought I'd return to the blogging world with a guide of my favourite TV shows.

Firstly, I suggest Cooking Made Easy with Lorraine Pascale. This cooking show is divided up into 4 episodes, each showing you how to make recipes from black pepper pasta to chocolate cheesecake! I love it.

Home Cooking Made Easy with Lorraine Pascale- Mondays at 7pm on BBC 2
 My next What to Watch is Restoration Man with George Clarke. George is an architect, who goes and sees people who are restoring old and unloved buildings such as churches, watertowers and old barns into beautiful homes. Whilst they are restoring, George is finding out the history of these listed buildings. I really reccomend this and I think it is one to watch!

Restoration Man- Thursdays at 9pm on Channel 4
So those are my latest What to Watch picks! I will definitly be informing you of any other new ones!
El