My Make Up Bag

Every woman wonders what others see as their go to products, I'm constantly asked what lipstick I'm wearing as the brand I use isn't sold in the mainstream.
So here are the contents of my make up bag, and what I put on my face everyday, these are the products I swear by.

I start with the No. 7 Matte Primer as this is the only matte primer I've found to do what it says it will, I always had a problem with shine and this helps combat it instantly.
Afterwards I'll use the Protect and Perfect foundation which gives coverage without slick or shine.
Touche Eclat, while on the expensive side, should be a staple in every girls make up bag. I use it to hide my unsightly bags but it can also be used for highlighting for that contouring on the go affect.

Others worth note are the Eyes Bright by Lush mascara, I used to get sore eyes constantly with the late nights, heavy make up, and false eyelashes but this mascara with its natural qualities and eye caring products have stopped that immediately. Plus its vegan and it won't break your lashes due to use of Elastane like other mascaras.
My lipbalm and lipsticks are also vegan and cruelty free, I pick these balms up from SSOV near London's Kings Cross along with chocolates, cakes and other naughty vegan snacks.
The lipsticks, as I'm sure you all know by now, are Lime Crime Velvetines, my ultimate go to lipstick for matte red or pink lips that don't fade, transfer, or dry out your lips. And with more shades coming soon, including a deeper red and, for those brave enough, a matte black. I'm excited to snap them up.

What make up do you owe your lives to?

Accidental ASOS..!

As you may have noticed, I've done a little bit of tinkering on this blog lately!
Let me know what your thoughts are on the new layout and design.
As part of this I linked the brands to the websites where I bought each item to help you guys to find them for yourselves, or just to find your own bargains, and this lead me onto opening the ASOS link. Big mistake! Currently there is a 70% off sale, including shoes, handbags, and handily for this time of year, coats and knitwear! There's also plenty more on offer, and also has mens wear for any male readers.

So I'm blaming you guys for that one, if only I wasn't so so nice to link everything I wouldn't have inadvertently gone shopping. Okay so now I've told you all off, I can show you what I bought!


It's still cold, it won't stop raining, and I'm miserable about it. So what better way to keep warm than with a snugly cowl? It is on sale and it also came in a few colours, it will add some softness to an all black outfit. I plan to team this with a biker jacket, black cigarette pants, and either boots or heels depending on occasion.

I quite like the waterfall affect cardigan, it combines stylish and slouchiness into one which is something rarely achieved by clothing. Comfy and understated it will team well with jeans or tailored trousers.
At a bargain price, I just had to buy these quay sunglasses. I have a pair already which are quite sturdy and cartoon like, but I needed a more every day understated but great looking pair without breaking the bank. They're no ray bans but they look good enough and will compliment my red hair. 

All of these items were in the sale, I did spy a few other interesting items but resisted.
At a size 6, I find it hard to find clothes in my size on the high street. Retailers either don't make them, or make very few of them so they sell out fast. Thankfully ASOS ranges start from UK size 4 and plenty of the smaller sizes are still available in their sales, including non ASOS brands like pull & bear, topshop, river Island and many more. 

Let me know what you grabbed in their sales!

Grammy outfits, tip or fire the stylist...?

This So from what I understand being a British girl who has no interest in modern music OR celebrities (unless it's Jennifer Lawrence cos no one can dislike that girl) the Grammys is a big hoorah for receiving big shiny gold paper weights and being told "well done on that thing you done".
So the awards themselves have no interest to me at all, but what does interest me? Outfits?! They wear big expensive dresses?! Where can I see all of that?!? 
And so after trawling through photos of the outfits and wondering "who?! Who's that?? Never heard of them. My god look at that dress tho."  I've selected my Tip the Stylist winners, and my Fire the Stylist not quite right outfit choices for various reasons.

Tip that style genius -
This is something called a Taylor Swift, from what I gather she gets sad when men stop sleeping with her. 
Out of all the outfits this is the over all "Holy crap I wish I had that dress" winner. It's a Gucci column dress and costs more than my entire life possessions but this was a fantastic choice, flattering, eye catching for all the right reasons, and the shoes too...! I'm sure there's a colostomy bag hidden in there somewhere, but for that dress it's so worth it. I'd pee myself for it, hear that Gucci?! 

I wouldn't want to be standing next to her wearing this next outfit...oh dear god no.
What is that?! Where's the bad fairy wings that go with it?!? 
In America you can hire a woman to attend your child's party dressed as a fairy, and it was very nice of her to lend this dress to Katy Perry for the night.
Valentino are behind this travesty to fabric. Fire, then kick your stylist.

And now whoever this is wearing a Dolce and Gabbana dress. 
It's a bit more everyday compared to the other dresses, plus it makes her look teeny tiny so could have done with a few inches less skirt to flare just below the knee. Because of the length the old wear flesh coloured shoes to make you look taller trick doesn't actually work and does make it more like the cheaper barbies that had flesh shoe extensions that never came off. Good dress, but stern words need to be had for next time. Also hair up. 

Pink and red clash, here they really really do. This is a dress by Joanna Johansson but looks quite cheap to me, I'm sure I've seen similar in cheap clothing stores in shopping centers near cheap handbags and knock off designer shoes. 
It may look great on those of Jessica rabbit hourglass proportions as a skintight gown designed to show off curves, but due to lack of waist it's not flattering at all and doesn't suit sleeveless gowns. Get a new stylist, and maybe a corset. 

Now this I love, it's quirky, interesting, girly, vampy, sophisticated and fun all in one mix, and although she also doesn't have an accentuated waistline, the flesh stripe draws the eye away to the more interesting top section. This is Colbie Caillat wearing Ezra Santos and those names mean nothing to me what so ever so I can't really say more, but great styling even if the hair is a bit bland for such an event/ outfit. 

Remember Paris Hilton? Well she still gets invited to things, so good for her..! Sadly she can't afford proper dresses anymore and resorts to only buying the front half, and filling the back in with tippex and toilet seat covers. It also doesn't seem to fit right, the zip is bumped up which makes me wonder if it was tighter and better fitting it may actually look half decent. It's by Haus of Milani.
I'm sure if she still had a stylist, she'd be firing her today. 

BeyoncĂ© as usual comes in, all perfectly polished, constantly styled to the nines, and even while seemingly showing off her vagina as a feature here, still manages to somehow look stunning. 
I would prefer if the patten didn't have the weird vagina break, leave something hidden but as it was designed by a man, Michael Costello, I guess he didn't factor in the vaginal equations.
It reminds me of something Jayne Mansfield would have worn. 
Good stylist, nicely done. But next time, matching knickers or something, rhinestoned merkin? Glittery c-string?! 

And as an added bonus, Madonna shocks everyone!
By covering herself up. 
Wearing a rhinestone gloves as a tribute to Michael Jackson, and hanging around with a small child as a tribute to Michael Jackson. 
Really that is her son, and I've seen this outfit and combo compared already to Lucille and Buster Blueth, and also a Hasidic Jewish pimp. I'm just glad to not see her veiny withered body for a change, I know most celebs want to stay slim but I'd prefer if Madonna put a bit on so she didn't look so ill. 
Sometimes it worries me. 

Today I didn't get to wear any amazing gowns, as I was running around miserable London, where it's grey and raining, and the post office, and supermarkets generally aren't life's catwalk. I dressed for comfort and running around in my own way, a man shirt, androgynous make up, jeans, and a harness bra from agent provocateur. 

For daily outfit shots, new purchases and more follow the Style Yourself Vintage Instagram at @styleyourselfvintage and join the Facebook page! 

TK Maxx, handbag saviour

When it comes to handbags I cannot make them last.
I have loads of them pottering around my flat holding secret lipsticks, hair clips, and the odd 5p but still I have that unsatisfactory feeling of not finding that "handbag one".
This means that when it comes to buying handbags I'm tight with budgets, I have splashed out in the past and only been disappointed with the quality or size (vivienne Westwood, I'm looking at you, then at my chancery handbag, then back at you) so am resigned to thinking that £40+ is a bit much for a handbag. 
So when my last fell apart thanks to the combination of a suitcase, shoulder bag, and train barriers (r.i.p zandra Rhodes pretty handbag....) the search was yet again back on. 
My go to store in a handbag crisis is always TK Maxx, handbags and some designer from well known makes and brands, but at a fraction of the price, it makes sense to start the hunt there. Plus the added bonus of their shoe section now holding the occasional pair of Jeffrey Campbell's.
And so I went, fell in love with, and bought a new 60's style structured bag, originally from Dune retailing for £89.00, I picked it up in store (and girls, there's plenty left and in other colours too!) for a bargain £34.99! 
Whenever I get a new item of clothing or accessory I do tend to style the rest of my outfits around that for a while, and so I have using yet again, the medium of Polyvore.

This would be a lovely spring time outfit, wondering the streets of Rome, and pretending to be famous. In the 60's. In Rome.
The sunglasses are Quay which you can buy from ASOS too as I always get asked about them. (£25!)
This is the outfit I wore the other day, as I had two shows to attend and a meeting too all from 7pm I needed to look smart, be warm, and also wanted to look nice. 
I almost got rid of these irregular choice shoes as I had only worn them once before previously, but after the amount of compliments from the drag queens backstage they are now staying! Plus I had to combine the pinkness of the heel with my Lime Crime Pink Velvet and pink deer brooch from CABFAYRE available on etsy
As you can see my skirt is different to the polyvore as I can't find an image, it's a vintage Jaeger wool skirt that I found in a charity shop, it's always worth looking as you'll never believe some of the stuff you will find! 

But not everyone wants to dress to the nines every day, I know I don't despite appearances, and am actually quite lazy and enjoy the odd running around outfit.
But I still want to look great...! Statement leggings help make the outfit more quirky, while the coordination of the jumper, shoes, and yes, nail Polish make it look more put together while still being comfortable, and practical. 
When it comes to handbags it's less about the one, and about the one that comes along and refreshes your wardrobe! 

How to Guide: 40's curls using heated tongs

One of the things I get asked about the most is just how I get my stage curls, it's a long process, taking at least 20-30 minutes to set but with how straight my hair really is it's my tried and tested foolproof way of getting those curls just right!
Here I will finally reveal the step by step process of how my hair really gets that bounce!
Photo's taken by the lovely InaGlo!

What you'll need:-

  1. Tres Semme Freeze Hold Hairspray - or equivalent. This is the only spray I tend to use as my hair tends to drop otherwise.
  2. Tres Semme Iron Style and Hold Spray - Great for holding the curls while styling. My hair never used to stay until I discovered this styling spray. 
  3. Clips, use either silver styling grips for when at home to hold in place without leaving a mark, but if you plan to sleep on your curls or go out with them in before styling then secure with Kirby Grips.
  4. Goodys Styling brush, perfect for brushing them out without causing frizz, or pulling them too much. plus they add shine, and this one even makes your hair smell of strawberries!
  5. Metal tailed tail comb, for sectioning your hair. You can use a regular tail comb, I just prefer these myself!
  6. Curling tongs, these are part of a set from Babyliss, but any regular sized heated tongs should work just as well!
  7. and very importantly, a headscarf. If you're going to sleep on your curls, or venture outside with them you need a good headscarf! There's nothing I hate more than unhidden Rollers or pin curls!!
You will also need a good mirror, you'll need to see what you're doing of course..!  Now you have those ready, heat up your curlers and we can begin!

                                 

Step one, start with clean and dry hair, people assume it's better to style vintage styles with dirty hair, but that's not necessarily true! I prefer to curl mine straight after washing and drying when the hair is more willing to take a new style.

Step two, take your tail comb and diagonally separate your first section, this will help add more volume with your curls, as you'll be able to curl right down to the root

Step Three, hold your section and spray with the styling spray. Comb through with your tail comb to ensure the spray is distributed evenly throughout the section.

Step Four, now it's time to curl! Take your curlers and the section, Placing it halfway up the hair shaft, as it will cause less damage to curl this way than to curl from the ends upward.                                                                                                                                                             
                             

Step Five, Wrap the hair right around in the direction would usually fall, IE - if your parting is on the right, you would curl the larger section anti clockwise, and the smaller section clockwise, if you part on left, Vice versa.

Step Six, after letting the curl heat up carefully pinch the curl together and slide the tong out, while keeping the curl intact. If you let the curl drop to cool it will drop so let it cool while still in the curl.


Step Seven, carefully place your curlers down while still holding your curl in place, take either a Kirby grip or metal styling clip, and clip into place. if you need more than one to hold it in place you can use as many as you need to hold it secure! This will hold the curl in a similar vein to pincurling, so the curl continues to form while cooling.

                            

Step Eight, and so on, carrying on in a similar vein all down that side till you reach the back, pinching and pinning the whole way. The hair can get pretty hot with the curlers so try not to drop them, also be careful of your nail polish and false nails, they may melt if not careful!

                              

Step Nine, keep curling and pinning till you meet the middle at the back of your head, here's how it will look so far to this point.

Step Ten, now it's time to curl the other side, remembering to curl the same way as the hair falls, this is important so you'll get 40's waves rather than 70's Farrah Fawcett! Now there's no right or wrong of how many sections you'll need to curl the full head, it depends on the thickness of the hair, and what style of waves you want. If you're after Veronica Lake style waves curl larger sections of hair, but if you'd like tighter 30's ringlets curl smaller sections of hair.

Step Eleven, your curls are done..! Leave them pinned in to cool, either for an hour or so or overnight, just secure them with a bandanna to hold them in place so the clips don't slip and your hair unravels, and the curls get ruined! There's many ways of tying a bandanna, chiffon scarf (like I'm wearing here), silk scarf, or even a beret if placed right to hide your curls, while looking suitably cute and vintage style!


Now your curls are cooled down and you're ready to get them out, here's how I style mine for shows and shoots, but you may find your own personal way of setting them once brushed out that works for you, if that's to add victory rolls, or style around a fringe etc!
So as these are new steps I'll start again from step one..!


Step One, Unpin all the curls and let them drop naturally, don't yank or pull at them even tho they do look rather Shirley Temple! If they are still a little warm then either re-pin or let them cool more before you start to brush them.
Step Two, Brush out the curls with the Goody (or similar) brush, brushing the front bit back, to define the curls more, brush the curls around the brush at the bottom of your hair to make them curl inwards and give your hair that nice finish.

Step Three, With the tail comb brush the hair from the forehead upwards while spraying with the hairspray, hold this in place for about 30 seconds to stiffen so you get a nice bit of body at the front. neaten with the comb if needed. I also prefer to brush the smaller section of hair back behind the ear and clip into place, either with a kirby grip, fancy hairclip, or hairflower.

Step Four, Spray as much hairspray as your hair requires, to avoid build up pat your hair lightly to take off any excess onto your hands without ruining the curls. Wash your hands and let your hair dry. Now you should be ready to go!

Step Five, take all compliments graciously!
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