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 🙂

Pin Curling Perfection! – A Review of the Sculpture Pin Curler

I never really pin curled my hair before, because it is rather labour intensive and with my bad post operative shoulder it made it very difficult to do it. So basically all I had were foam rollers for wet sets and hot rollers. That was until I had the pleasure of using the Sculpture Pin Curler.

Yuan, who runs the site which sells the Sculpture Pin Curler at Vintage Hair, was so sweet and very helpful. She sent me the Pin Curler and I received it from Australia in a matter of 7 days, which is no small feat, considering! Everything was packaged very well, and it all was very crisp and in good shape.

The packaging is gorgeous, and it makes it feel like it is straight out of the forties! Even the inserts have a vintage feel, as well as the two gorgeous posters that are included to give you some hair inspiration! This is packaging you will want to keep with the curlers because it is so lovely 🙂

Now, onto the curler! Initially, you may think the contraption is very basic, which it is, but that is what makes it amazing. You don’t have to have an engineering degree to use it. I found it very easy to use despite my bad shoulder and not being able to keep my arm up for more than 5 or 10 minutes. All you do is insert one end of the curler into a section of hair (I have to do small sections, about a half an inch, due to my large amount of thick hair), comb it through to the end as much as you can without it falling out, and roll it up towards your scalp. Now I recommend going only to ear level, as that will give you a more authentic set, and no crazy clown hair 🙂 Then all you need is to bobby pin it in place in an “x” shape or to use pin curl clips, which I used myself.

I used Lottabody setting lotion, and used an down-up-down curling direction in order to get that perfect retro wave. I let it set overnight (as I tend to like to have my hair get more than enough time to dry and set, with it being thick and all), and awoke the next morning all excited to see what the results were.

What were they? Glorious! My first time really authentically pin curling on myself came out to be magic. I got those perfect ringlets you need in order to brush out to a perfect glam retro look.

It took me a little while to brush out, as most pin curl sets do, and it is a bit of a practice in patience. But you will get it if you keep at it and keep brushing, don’t despair! Unfortunately, I don’t have an after picture of it all brushed out because I was in a rush to go run an errand that needed to be done ASAP, so I was going to take the picture later. Sadly, my set did not last as I accidentally got caught in the pouring rain walking to where I needed to go, and it made my set fall mostly flat! I was a little disheartened by that, but that had nothing to do with the performance of the pin curler. That would happen no matter what kind of way you set your hair, almost like taking a shower!

I would highly recommend this product to all of my readers out there, and despite the $35 price tag, it is completely worth it. You will get so many uses out of this little wonder, and it is sturdy and not something that will only last for a few times. It is also available for $15 for just one curler (the other set you get two), and you can let Yuan know you wanted the inserts and she will be glad to email you a PDF. The Sculpture Pin Curler is based on an authentic vintage styling tool, so you will get the most authentic sets that you can possibly get! This tool does everything from setting to styling, and it will soon become the go-to tool in your beauty arsenal for fabulous vintage hair. I plan to use it as much as I can!

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!

Review: “If This Was Happiness” by Barbara Leaming

I recently just finished this book of Rita Hayworth’s life, and I must say it was a read I thoroughly enjoyed. This book is kind of hard to find, as it seems that only a few sellers carry it on Amazon, but I am sure you won’t be disappointed when you receive it. I began reading it and immediately was drawn in.

Starting from her early childhood, she was made to perform. She was crippled by servere shyness, but came out of her shell when dancing as she was made to with her father. Her father was also incestuous, and rarely ever cared for his daughter as he should have. Her mother was unable to deal with her life and how her family was, and as a consequence became a heavy drinker.

Her romantic exploits did not fare much better throughout her life, either. Married five times, she really never found the happiness and home life she had been craving since a young age. You can see a definite pattern in how her incest early in her life has an affect on her later relationships. Leaming takes a very analytical turn with this, and demonstrates rather well how the two are connected and how Rita exhibits the classic signs of abuse.

Leaming also shows us the very private torture and pain in Rita’s later years as she dealt with Alzheimer’s Disease that was undiagnosed until 1980, and even then was a little-known disease. She also had a tendency to drink, and much of Hollywood assumed it was this drinking that was to blame for her erratic behavior. Little did anyone know that she was suffering from a terrible disease that would claim her life on 14 May 1987, at the age of sixty eight.

I think this book is amazing at portraying Rita’s life in a humane way, and not nearly as glamourous as the life most people think she led. Leaming makes this book seem to be a study in psychology, and makes it very compelling and touching at that. I would highly recommend this book to read to any of the Old Hollywood lovers out there, as well as anyone interested in the vintage scene and how life can certainly be a lot different than what most may assume.