Review: Style Me Vintage: Step-by-Step Retro Look Book

A little over a week ago, I received an email from the lovely Amelia of IPG about whether I would like to review the upcoming book, Style Me Vintage: Step-by-Tep Retro Look Book. Of course, how could I say no to that?!

Some of you may be familiar with this series, as they have a few books out already. This is a meshing of all of them, which is great for anyone looking for a wonderful all-around foundation to begin your retro, vintage, pinup, or rockabilly style. This guide can help take you from know-nothing novice to a savvy shopper. Mind you, this is not the be all or end all, nor are other books – there are just some things you have to learn and experience yourself based on your body shape and a number of other factours.

Now, when I do reviews, I like to give full disclosure on what I received. My disclosure is this: I have the Style Me Vintage: Hair book that I bought about a year ago, and upon inspection, it seems to be very alike, like this picture tells:

The top book is just for the hair and the bottom is this book I am reviewing. I just felt the need to let everyone know about this, so there are no surprises when you receive your book.

The makeup section if this book is fabulous. As a makeup artist, a lot of tricks and tips are put into this section that will help many women to achieve their best looks.

You can go from a Marilyn Monroe look here:

To an eighties Madonna or an extreme Siouxie Sioux look as seen here:

They provide a variety of looks, starting from a 1920s Clara Bow all the way to the 1980s Madonna look and everything in between. Also, in the back of this book there are more beauty tips about how to get the perfect manicure, including the famous ’40s half moon look, as well as getting your brows perfect and nailing false eyelashes and the cat eye look. All of it is explained very well, and helps you to achieve the best look you can.

My absolute favourite part of the book is all about the clothing. If you were to buy this book, just the clothing section alone is well worth the price! It goes through each decade from the twenties through to the eighties, and lists the must have day and night looks and staples of the period. A history of each period is given to explain and rationalize why the fashion was the way it was during that time. Included in each section are amazing tips to help boost your period look, and some definitions of things you may see in the book or have heard of before, such as what a bias cut is.

This section has incredibly useful extras including a whole portion on shape wear and underwear as well as swimsuits of different periods. The most helpful are the sections dedicated to how to make easy repairs to damaged items, from tears, washing, stains, drying, and storage. This is so important for any vintage lover to know, so you can keep your fabulous frocks in the best shape and to help them get even better if need be.

There is also a great section about how to get into vintage clothes. I know this may sound ridiculous to some, but there are different ways to put on different items without tearing them or thinking they don’t fit when in actuality they will but just need to be put on correctly. This will help so many gals get into those amazing and to die for dresses without being disappointed that they can’t get in it when all it needs is a little battle planning! It also includes a “vintage shopping necessity kit” that you should always bring when shopping, such as a tape measure and a wide belt. It also guides you on how to properly inspect items for any flaws and how to get chummy with the sales people to get the first dibs on good items. Another area is a quickie list on how to date vintage, which is helpful to know that what you are pining for is indeed a fifties frock and not an eighties knockoff.

I found this book to be quite an amazing addition to my collection, and is something I will surely go back to reference from time to time. The layout of the book is gorgeous, as is the cover with its vintage inspired fabric cover. I read this in its entirety, and it just has a wealth of fabulous facts and information on every page that I think will serve all of my readers on numerous levels, from the beginner to the more advanced. It is gorgeous to look at, put together well, and will serve as your go-to reference book quite often!

Style Me Vintage: Step-by-Step Retro Look Book is available for $29.95 (US) or $32.95 (CAN) November 2012 at bookstores everywhere or through Trafalgar Square Publishing. This book is also available on Amazon as well.

Do yourself a favour and go for it – it will be worth it, I assure you 🙂

The Importance of Eyebrows

Hi dolls!

My entry this week has to do with something that many ladies overlook nowadays, but can really make  huge difference in the look your are trying to achieve – eyebrows! Many women underestimate how a good and well-shaped brow can really bring your whole vintage look together and really authenticate it. Each decade has its own unique brow shape that defined the time and made its mark on the era. Some were more decadent, some more natural – but all very beautiful!

I decided to break down the eyebrow looks by decade, and give you a visual to show you a good example of the look of the time.

The 1920s

Clara Bow

As you can see from Clara Bow, the eyebrows of the ’20s were rather exaggerated and unnatural. Eyebrows tend to show your expressions the most on your face, and this look shows a more worried or pensive look. You don’t really need to pay attention to the exact shape of the brow, as you just need to make a ever so slightly curved line, pretty much straight from one side to the other. Do note, however, that the end of the brow extends past the natural end to the brow. The thickness pretty much stays the same for the entire length of the brow as well. All you really need to create this look is an eyebrow pencil drawn from end to end.

The 1930s 

Jean Harlow

Eyebrows of the ’30s really made a 180 and changed rather radically from the look a decade prior. No longer were the straight, low eyebrows of the ’20s the look to have – very high and very arched brows were the look to covet now. Jean Harlow is the icon to think of when it comes to this authentic 1930s look. This look almost a perfect half-circle, and I have often used Layrite pomade tubs as a guide in order to get the right look. I don’t do many ’30s looks often, but when I do, it’s helpful to have that as a guide 🙂 All you need is an eyebrow pencil and to just glide it smoothly across, up, and over to create this look. Be sure that the width of the brow is the same all the way across.

The 1940s

Rita Hayworth

Eyebrows of the 1940s were much more natural than in the ’30s. They were still curved, but more to the natural curve you were born with. You can also notice that the brows gradually decrease in thickness as it goes along from the middle of the face towards the end at the edge of the eye. They keyword in this look is “gradual” as well as “natural”. During World War Two it was seen as frivolous and unnecessary to have anything other than that. This is the eyebrow I do the most frequently. I just do a slight line with an eyebrow pencil to get the general shape down, and then I fill it with brow powder on a slanted brush in order to fill and set the shape. Make sure also that you use some type of brow gel in order to keep the hair in place, as manicured eyebrows are a very important part of this look. I actually use Layrite’s Super Hold Deluxe Pomade to keep my brows in check. Even though it is specifically used for “extreme” hairstyles such as mohawks and such (the regular deluxe pomade is best for us retro styling ladies :-), I have found it works very well to tame brow hairs when I had initially gotten this type, which is not the best for retro styling.

The 1950s

Marilyn Monroe

When I think ’50s glamour, I think of Marilyn Monroe (As you will know as this blog progresses – I love Miss Marilyn!). And the brows this gal had? Very ’50s. The look and fullness was still very much similar to the ’40s, but if you look closely between Rita and Marilyn, you can notice one major difference – the arch. In the ’40s, the arch was more slight and rounded; in the ’50s, the arch was more pointed and severe. I think this had something to do with the fact of the prosperity after the war years. America was booming, and Hollywood entered a new phase of the glamour it had always known back then. The economy was very good then, and more women tried new things and looks changed a bit as a result. No longer was there a need to really dial down looks because of the Depression or the War – now was the time to go for it and have fun! Take that attitude to heart when having these eyebrows. Whenever I sport this look, I divide my brows into two areas, separated right at the arch. I pencil in the first area towards the inner eye, then the outer area to taper out. This creates a better arch as a base for when you fill in your brows with powder and set it with your gel. The cat eye liner goes great with this look!

Whatever look you choose, be sure to remember how good eyebrows frame the face and highlight your features. Most nowadays underestimate the importance the eyebrows have on your total look, but as these ladies demonstrate, they can really make or break your look – especially in terms of a vintage/retro vibe. I would not hesitate labeling eyebrows as being of the same importance as red lips! Eyebrows are the undercover workers of beauty – you will not notice the wonders they do until you see it for yourself. Then after you will never want to go without, because you will certainly notice the huge difference they make!

*PLEASE NOTE*: I am going to be having shoulder surgery this Friday, so I may not be able to really make posts like this for about two or three weeks. I may post one more entry before my surgery, we shall see. Of course, I will absolutely try to post an entry if I am feeling up to it enough to type, but it is kind of tricky with shoulder surgery like I am having. I may post random things here and there, but rest assured, the time I am recovering will be spent invested in researching and coming up with new articles to post about. I just wanted to let all of you know what was going on so you don’t think I am abandoning the blog. I also wanted to wish everyone a great holiday and a happy new year!