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 🙂

Curls, Girls!

Hi dolls!

Today I decided I wanted to write further about the differences in curls you get with different types of curling/rolling methods. A lot of this can be confusing, especially to those who are new to the vintage lifestyle, so I am here to sort it all out for you!

Hot Rollers

I use hot rollers more often than not, especially after having had my shoulder surgery and recovering from it. These tend to give more of a looser wave, and can look great for a sexy ’40s or ’50s look. However, there is a drawback – as with any heated curlers, the curls have a tendency to “fall” after a few hours. Now, if you use a thermal styler spray it can help to hold your curl more (as well as protect your hair – frizzy crazy hair is never sexy!), as well as using hair spray. Make sure your rollers cool completely before taking them out!

Foam/Sponge Rollers

These are great for an authentic wet/cold set. I have a lot of hair, so I’ve found I need a bunch of them in order to be able to get the look I need. You will need a settling lotion like Lottabody to help set and hold your curls. This method tends to make for easier curl forming with a brush or your hands. They are also good for sleeping in as well. The only thing I don’t like about them is they tend to give me too small of a curl, like a ringlet, and I don’t intend on looking like Shirley Temple!

Curling Iron

Curling irons can set the same way as hot rollers, but they offer more versatility in the shape of your curls. What I like to do is to curl with the iron first, roll like a traditional pin curl in whatever shape and diameter you like, and to pin it with double prong pin curl clips. Let them cool, spray lightly with a hair spray, and wait for them to cool. If you are feeling a little impatient or are strained for time, go out in the cool weather or use a hair dryer on a cool setting to close the shaft of your hair faster and make your hair set sooner.

Pillow Rollers

I am excited about this method. I have not tried it yet, but I am working on my own handmade set of pillow rollers for my hair. Like I had said before, with foam rollers I tend to get tiny ringlet curls, which is not my most desirable look, so I am making larger diameter pillow rollers for my hair. They are used in the same way as foam rollers, also with a setting lotion. They are much better to sleep in, and often don’t leave dents in your hair like foam rollers can. It can take a little bit longer to have your hair dry as the rollers are not as porous as foam rollers are. I will be doing a post about my first set with my handmade rollers after I am done with them (I am making about 20 rollers), and if I feel like they are sufficient enough and give me what look I am after, I may make more of them to sell in my Etsy store. Stay tuned!

Pin Curls

Pin curls offer the most authentic vintage look, but can be daunting for most newbies. There are all sorts of different ways to shape the curl, the axis to put it on, directions of the curl – oh my! I have found Lauren Rennell’s “Vintage Hairstyling” book to offer a good explanation of how to use pin curls. I use double prong pin curl clips to set my pin curls, but you can also use bobby pins that are crossed in an “x” shape to hold the curl as well. This is also a wet set, so use a setting lotion to help hold your curl. I would not recommend sleeping with a pin curl set – ouch! Use this setting method during the day, and you can really go vintage housewife and wear a nice scarf to cover your set as you go about your daily routine. I would recommend trying pin curls after you have done some research on how to set them, as doing a set in a haphazard way will result in your curls not turning out like Marilyn’s!

So that’s about it, ladies! There are tons of different ways to try and curl your hair, but you may need to experiment to see which methods work best for you. I am also waiting on a curling system called “Magic Leverag”, which s a cheaper version of the popular Curlformers, and I want to see how this works for doing a vintage set. It seems so easy to do a wet set, so I am hoping it works out like I hope! I will post my review after I try it, as well as with my handmade rollers.

What have you found that works for getting a decent vintage set?