ALL HALLOWS EVE

This Halloween my plan was to dress up a mental patient - that is, until my friend told me she was going as that. It worked out, I was her doctor and she was my patient. Clearly I had failed as a doctor since she'd obviously gone crazy and chewed on me, giving me nasty sores all over. Yes. I was really pleased with the fact that I managed to put my costume together, and only used about $30! I soaked a XL men's t-shirt in tea, to give it a dirty look, and cut the sleeves of. The nurses cap is actually a vintage 1950's hat, which I covered with one of the sleeves I cut of my shirt. I tore the other sleeve up and tied it around my wrist, and splattered "blood" on it. I painted red + -marks on the cap, surgical mask and on the shirt. The tights reminded me of the color they use on scrubs, so I just decided they went well together.

I think we both look completely mental in the picture above. Not even that drunk.. I think. We went to a party where we were the first ones to arrive, which worked out cause we got to decide the music. And yes, there was definitely some zombiefied Gangnam Style going on. The whole room was covered in cobwebs and creepy, bleeding headless dolls. Also, everyone who worked there had dressed up as zombies. Definitely a fun night!

What did you dress up as on Halloween?

NEON LIPS

Loving bright pink lips! Girl About Town from MAC was my choice here. I got a matching lip liner, More to love, as well. It's a little bit deeper than the lipstick. However, for a crazy neon pink, I picked up a liner from the Isadora brand called Tropical pink. This liner, combined with the Girl About Town lipstick (which is what I'm wearing in the picture), is just insanely bright! And purrfect! 

A look of the full effect of the lipstick: 

 Also love the contrast between naked eyes and bright lips. 

What's your favorite lip color at the moment?

ORANGE OBSESSION

Finally got around to really trying out my orange makeup that I wrote about in my previous post. And I'm in love with it! I think this would look good especially if you have blue eyes, since orange complements blue.

ORANGE SUMMER SUN

This is the view from my apartment.. I love how the evening sun makes the hills and mountains bathe in its warm, orange light. I've already been on vacation this year, and now I'm filling my time with work until school starts. Here, summer is moving rapidly towards the end, and that's fine by me. I can't wait to wear fall fashion. I my opinion that's much more exciting than wearing summer fashion. Also I've been really into orange lately. Orange makeup that is. And the other day I went to MakeUp Store and picked up two lovely shades of orange.       

The matte orange is actually a blush. It's so pigmented, bright and just insane! I love it! The eyeshadow is a bit darker and warmer toned, and has some sparkle to it. It's so creamy and applies really nicely. I cannot WAIT to really try these two on my eyes, and create a gorgeous orange look. I'll probably mix in some of this yellow color as well. Plus, orange compliments blue, so my hair and eyes will really pop... I guess, haha. 

Speaking of orange.. I travelled to the Roskilde Festival i Denmark. That was basically my vacation this year. Here, in front of the Orange Stage, waaay in the back, as I didn't really care for who was playing at that moment. I'll definitely post another blog entry about my trip to Roskilde. It was so much fun! 

I hope everyone is having a great summer, wherever you are!

 Hopefully you'll rock out some orange in the process!

BIRTHDAY

Today's my birthday! Yaaay..! I guess. I'm not really celebrating it today, I'm mostly just feeling the aftermath of the celebration. Friday, a friend made me dinner and cake. After we went out and saw my boyfriend and his band play at a local venue. They were competing against at least fifteen other bands - the winner got to be the warm-up band for a Twisted Sister-concert the day after, on Saturday. And "shockingly" enough, they won! They're a punk/hardcore type of band, so their music is not anything like Twisted Sister, and I don't think they care much for the band either. It was more like an opportunity to have fun and promote their own music! I spent Saturday night at the party hotel with my boyfriend, the rest of the band and their girlfriends. It was really fun, and I'm so happy they won! 

Sunday has been lazy, but I've gotten some happy birthday-calls and even some gifts as well! Besides presents, I love that you get extra attention on your birthday! I'm a complete attention-whore, for sure. Now, I'm going to eat some cake! Jum jum! 

These pictures are not from the concert, but still pictures of the band! 

By the way, can you guess how old, err, young I am? 

SUMMER GLOW, RETRO MAKEUP

I rarely wear 'super cute' makeup, but today it was so nice and sunny outside, that I felt like doing something with a summer feel to it. I took inspiration from a 50's look from Lauren Rennells' book. The look itself is very neutral, but still sort of colorful. The lips are pale pink, and the cheeks also have a pink flush to them. On the eyes there's only a slight wash of pink topped with a matte, medium toned brown. Also on the eyes, a deep brown kohl pencil along the lash line with a tiny wing at the end. Black mascara on the top and bottom lashes, and a half band of false lashes applied to the outer edge of the top lashes. I skipped the falsies here, because I feel my lashes are long enough and I didn't want them to overtake the look.

This Retro Makeup book is amazing by the way, I also have her Vintage Hairstyling Book, which I talked about here, and that's equally amazing. I definitely recommend all you retro lovers to invest in these two books! You can buy them here. Lauren also has a wonderful blog, The Bobby Pin Blog. 

PRODUCTS USED

Isadora Eye Shadow Palette in 53 Blooming Spring (Pink color used)

Lancôme Paris Lips and Eyes Pocket Palette in Magic Voyage (Brown color used)

MAC Eye Shadow in Brulé 

H&M Eyeliner in Wooden Brown

H&M Eyeliner in White 

MaxFactor Xperience Volumising Mascara

MaxFactor Xperience Weightless Foundation in Light Ivory 40

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW15

Isadora Velvet Touch Compact Powder in Sheer Transparent 10

Julie Hewett Cheekie Palette (Peachie and Jami used on the lips)

MAC lipstick in Viva Glam Gaga (used as blush, and centre lip highlighter) 

Do YOU like this look? Do you have any of the two books?

I JUST KILLED THE COOKIE MONSTER

..Although, not really. I just dyed my hair. I'm trying a new mixture of several different shades of blue, going for a deeper shade. Stargazer colors in 'Royal Blue' and 'Coral Blue.' Also mixing in Manic Panic 'Bad Boy Blue', which is the one I've used on its own before. I'm discovering that I like the consistency of the Stargazer colors much better than Manic Panic. It's much thicker and less liquidy than Manic Panic. Also, it seems to be much easier to spread around on the hair and it gives a more even result. Plus, I find that it last a whole lot longer than Manic Panic.. So sad, since Manic Panic has been a favorite of mine. Oh well, the 'Bad Boy Blue' shade has been discontinued anyways! I only have 3 more bottles of Manic Panic left, so I might as well start looking for something new.. Or something old.. Something borrowed, something BLUE. 

What's YOUR favorite hair dye? 

Do you have any experience with crazy colors such as Manic Panic or Stargazer? 

Love to Love! (Beauty Channels)

There's really been a growth in retro/vintage hairstyling channels on YouTube in the last year. When I first started it was partly because I felt my appetite for gorgeous retro hairstyles didn't get fully satisfied - so I just figured I'd have to satisfy myself, (eh-hem) and started my own channel. I found that a lot of YouTuber's posted one or two really great videos, and then that was it. Kind of like a one hit wonder, which really annoyed me, I wanted more. I wanted more people to be consistent in posting videos. My wish was to see other people's way of doing things, and in that way I would get new ideas and get inspired myself. Now, I feel like my wish has come true. I've done a favorite's video in the past, but here's another, with both new and old favorite's! (Only beauty related favorites)

The Long Haired Flapper

This young lady's channel is devoted to recreating the looks of the 1920's. The fact that she's sporting these styles with long hair is also something to acknowledge. Short hair was a staple in this era of beauty, but this creative Canadian shows you great ways to wear the styles, even if you've got long locks!  Her tutorials are set to music and so fun to watch!

Her YouTube: The Long Haired Flapper

Her blog: The Long Haired Flapper

PrimpedPreenNPeachy

This lady, also Canadian by the way, in a way does something completely different than The Long Haired Flapper. One being that her videos are mostly talky-talkies, and her styles are mostly based on the 40's and 50's. Gorgeous, polished styles, truly primped preen 'n peachy! 

Her YouTube: PrimpedPreenNPeachy
Her blog: PrimpedPreenNPeachy 


A Vintage Vanity 

Here's someone who really offers a variety of things on her channel. In addition to recreating retro hairstyles mainly from the 40's trough 50's, she also has a series called 'So Sew Vintage', where she brings out needle and thread, creating the most beautiful retro clothing.

Youtube: A Vintage Vanity
Blog: A Vintage Vanity
Facebook: A Vintage Vanity

The Cherry Dollface

Okey, chances are you've already discovered this gorgeous lady, either through modeling or YouTube. If not, well, you're welcome! Not only is she stunning, her cool and laid back personality really shows through in her videos, and she invites you into her life on many other topic besides doing pretty hair. For example, tattooing, modeling, cooking, and you even get a sneak peak at what a day in her life is like. 

YouTube: The Cherry Dollface 

Facebook: The Cherry Dollface

Lisa Freemont Street

My all time favorite, Ashley of Lisa Freemont Street. The way her videos are composed, mixed with her sweet personality and creativity with hair, makes her tutorials a joy to watch. I've been  following her channel, forever. And even though we've never met, it's like I know her somehow. (That's weird, but true.) She seems so down to earth, honest, talented and just... so.. so.. Just, click the links below, OK? You'll get it. 

YouTube: Lisa Freemont Street

Blog: Lisa Freemont Street

Facebook: Lisa Freemont Street

(And I totally stole this picture from her Facebook profile. I just think it really shows her --- ladylikeness.)

Hollywood Noir Makeup

Makeup, hair and beauty channel done by one of the most beautiful people I'ver ever seen. (And oh, the third Canadian lady in my favorites post!) Besides being gorgeous, she also creates gorgeous makeup and hair styles. You need this woman in your life. 

YouTube: Hollywood Noir Makeup

Blog: Hollywood Noir Makeup

Facebook: Hollywood Noir Makeup

Letz Makeup

Makeup channel created by makeup artist Siobhán from Ireland. One of my all time favorites as well. I just love to hear her talk about - whatever, although she mostly talks about makeup, which she does SO good. Also, her eyes are to die for. Can someone say 'ah-mazing lid space?'

YouTube: Letz Makeup

Blog: Letz Makeup

Facebook: Letz Makeup

  

Glamour Daze

This is a truly unique channel which offers retro beauty and fashion clips. I haven't found anything else like this on YouTube. If you're a vintage enthusiast you really need to view this channel.

YouTube: Glamour Daze 

Facebook: Glamour Daze

More Favorites: 

Lili The Dark Moon: I've never seen anyone do beautiful hair this effortless. Great for anyone in the need to create amazing hair styles. Link: YouTube

Elegantly Amused: Wish to see much more from Link: YouTube

Positively Pin Up: Extremely sweet and charming girl. Love the hair! Link: YouTube

Strawberry Koi Vintage: Think of the word 'sweet'. I'm guessing that this is probably what you'll see. Link: YouTube

My Lulu2: She needs to do more tutorials!! Gorgeous from head to toe. Link: YouTube

Rockabillie: German girl with rocking' red hair! Link: YouTube

Vintage or Tacky: Love her personality and skills with the brush! Link: YouTube

Sokolum79: Awesome lady with awesome style. Link: YouTube

Masquerade Makeup: Edgy and fun makeup looks! Link: YouTube

PixieWoo: This sister duo really have a way with the brush. Link: Youtube

XSparkage: Of course I had to include her. She was one of the reasons I really got into the 'YouTube community'. Hands down, love everything she does! Link: YouTube  

The Girl in the Blue Wig

Do you think blue wavy hair looks good or bad? Does it depend on the person wearing it? I can't decide if this looks like a wig or not, just due to the fact that I curled it. I'm going to a wedding this weekend and I would rather not be known as; 'the girl in the blue wig.'  

What do you think this looks like?

If your hair is an unnatural color, do you ever wear it curly?   

Cutting carbs

I recently started eating low carb meals. I'm actually impressed with my own effort so far. I usually can't stick to anything (not just food related), but so far so good! I haven't eaten anything above my 'carb-limit', and I'm trying to stick to no more than 50 carbs pr. day. The reason I started this is because I really have been wanting to make a change in my eating habits for a while, but I don't believe in extreme diets. Plus, my goal is not to loose an extreme amout of weight. I could never do it, but most importantly, I don't need to! Also I hate the word 'diet!.' One of the reasons I got into the low carb eating, is because I have a friend who's been eating low carb meals for over a year. She's lost over 30 pounds just by eating low carb, and that's without working out. She was somewhat over weight when she started, that's why she lost so much. But even so, you do get rid of a lot of water in your body, which is basically my goal. I have no expectations or wants to 'peel pounds' of my body. I just wish to feel more balanced and better about my own eating. Plus, with low carb you can load up on fat! Today's dinner was chicken wrapped in bacon and home made cheese crisps with salad leaves on the side. Juuum!!! 

I'll be keeping you updated on my.. progress I guess. 

Do YOU have any experience with this eating routine?

Extra! Retro news!

PUH-LEASE let me know, or share my Facebook if you have any cute, funny, sassy - (whatever it may be) retro commercials/posters handy. They're so adorable and I just love them!

1950's bra advertisment

Julie Hewett, Discount Spring!

Just a quick note to all of you who happen to be looking for the perfect red lipstick. I always get asked what type of lipsticks I use, and I don't know how many times I've answered; Julie Hewett, Julie Hewett, JULIE HEWETT! Right now Julie Hewett offers 20% off all products (see discount code at the bottom). I bought the; 6 shade Noir Collection years ago, and wrote a more detailed post about it, here. It's fun to think about, that was over two years ago, and I'm still completely satisfied with my investment. 

This whole set of matte highly pigmented lipsticks are just amazing! The set comes with 5 red shades, and one nude-ish shade. (Which I normally don't like, but this works well for a 60's type look, I'm used it for a 60's evening, here). When I purchased them, the 6 shade set went for $100. I noticed now that the price has gone up to $135, but I still would've gotten these in a heartbeat. This is starting to sound like payed advertisement, but it's not. I would not have been wearing these lipsticks in EVERY video, or in my personal life, when I'm going out, dressing up or whatever, for over TWO YEARS, if I really didn't like them. 

20% off all Julie Hewett products! Valid from March 7th and out March 14th. At checkout, enter the code: SPRING.

Watch it, Lady

Today I received a rather expensive guilty pleasure in the mail - shoes. But not just any, shoes. These are Jeffrey Campell studded lita shoes. Now, I don't really care about the Jeffrey Campell shoe hype in general, so it's merely a coincidence that I discovered this pair. It reminds of a toned down version of something Lady Gaga would wear. I bought these shoes from this site; Revolve Clothing. Mine are a size eight, and are a perfect fit. They're super tall, but surprisingly easy to walk in. They didn't have the shoes in, since they apparently are really popular, so it took about a month before I received mine. WORTH THE WAIT. I can't wait to walk, stand, sit or 'drop it like it's hot' in these. Although, I don't wanna fall, so maybe not that much 'dropping', cause that's not hot. 

 The box, cute in pink.

Warning card, after you open the box - also cute.

Hello lover

What do YOU think about Jeffrey Campell shoes?

Hair Styling Q&A

Here's a little list of the most frequently asked questions I get on my channel. So for those of you who can handle this long rant - Ready, set, GO!

HAIR STYLING QUESTIONS

1. Where did you learn about hairstyling?

I find inspiration from pictures of old starlets, newer retro inspired looks, and of course watching videos on YouTube. When I see a picture of a style I like, I just try to recreate it on myself and find out what works and what doesn’t. I’m not a stylist, it’s all trial and error.

2. My hair have layers, will it make it more difficult for me to do vintage hairstyles?

Now, I get asked this A LOT. Somehow many are under the impression that retro styles were achieved with same length hair. But no, with all length hair the curls will lay gathered at the bottom of the hair. With layers however, you will get that beautiful waterfall look of waves/curls. I often mention ”The middy haircut” as an example of that. (Picture below) I’ll not og into further detail about the cut here, but if you want to know more LisaFreemontStreet has several videos where she’s addressing ”The middy haircut.”

Authentic Vintage Hair Techniques -The 'Middy' Haircut

'Me and My Middy' - How to ask your Stylist for a Middy Haircut

3. a) I have really long hair, will your styles work with my hair?

a) If your hair on the longer side, it’s natural that the results won’t be the same on your hair as it would on shoulder length hair or even shorter. You can still do the settings, but don’t expect the same effect. In the 1940’s for instance, long hair just wasn’t that common. Women normally kept their hair on the shorter side, and that’s what the different hairstyles are designed for.

b) Can you do a style for really long hair?

When ever someone asks me if I can do a style for long hair, I always send them a link to ’ilovegerardo’s channel on YouTube. For those of you who don't know about her yet, she’s got gorgeous, thick, long hair, and she does plenty of pin up styles.

4. My hair is super curly, can I still achieve a vintage hairstyle? I always refer to the following video to show what you can achieve, even though you have curls. (Note: not every starlet had natural straight hair.) This is based on the book Vintage Hairstyling by Lauren Rennells. Watch it here.

HAIR COLOR QUESTIONS

5. What is the natural state of your hair and natural hair color? My natural hair is straight, and the natural hair color i dark blonde.

6. How did you color your hair blonde, and how should I do it?

The bleaching process depends on your natural color. If you’re uncertain about how to bleach, ask a stylist for help. I bleached my hair myself. I bleached all of my hair twice in six months, before I decided to try and get it white. I then started using Manic Panic Virgin Snow toner. The toner got rid of the yellow tones, and really does work! Also, it doesn’t damage the hair, since it’s a toner (means it’ll wash out) and feels more like a conditioner. I touched up the roots with bleach every three months. (Read about the first time I tried it, here. (Note: The toner only works on hair that’s bleached, and generally needs touching up every 2 to 3 weeks. Check out the Manic Panic toner, here.)

7. How did you find the guts to color your hair? (blonde, blue etc.) I’ve had a lot of different colors.. Blonde, black, orange (not on purpose), white, red, orange again (still not on purpose), pink, lilac, purple, blue… and I don’t find it all that difficult to take the risk and trying something new. If it looks like shit, then jokes on me I guess! But I all boils down to wanting change, which I do, and enjoy, while some might be more cautious. Just the way it is.

HAIR ACCESSORIES, MAKE UP & STYLING PRODUCTS

8. What kind of styling products do you use for pin curls/hot rollers etc.?

For pin curls: I start of with dry hair. Before rolling a pin curl I spray the section with water, to get it damp. After brushing them out, I spray with hair spray, nothing fancy. If your hair has difficulties with holding the curls, you can spray with a setting lotion. The same goes for sponge rollers, pillow rollers.. any kind of wet setting. For hot rollers, I spray with heat protectant spray before rolling my hair.

9. What kind of clips do you use for pin curls and where can I get them?

I use double prong clips. They look exactly like in the picture. I bought 50 of them really cheap on Ebay. Just search for : ”Double prong clips” and go crazy!

10. Where do you get your flower clips? This is one of the things I always mention in the info box: I use clips from Belle Blossoms.com. The best I’ve every tried, and the most gorgeous!! ’Heather’ is the owner and designer of this company. I've already written several posts about some of her flowers here on my blog, with the label; Belle Blossoms.

11. What kind of lip color (reds) do you use?

I always get aked this – and I always use one of Julie Hewett’s shades from the Noir collection; Nude Noir, Belle Noir, Rouge Noir, Femme Noir, Coco Noir or Sin Noir. High quality, awesome red lipsticks. One of my best make up buys – ever. Take a look, here!

12. Do you always dress in the vintage inspired/rockabilly style? How do you handle weird looks? I used to dress more in vintage inspired clothing a year ago. Now I’ve gone more back to the way I used to dress before vintage, and also trying new things, ’cause I enjoy that. And I still enjoy beautiful vintage dresses every now and then. But when my hair was ice blonde, retro was basically my every day style. And as for people staring, (I’ll quote Cartman from the Out of control teens episode: ”Whatevah! I do what I waunt!”) Um, yeah… Basically the same essence as the question above; if YOU want it, then who the hell cares if people look. They’re probably looking cause you look too damn awesome.

Also, whenever you ask me questions, you’re most likely to find the answer in the info box under the video. Eventhough I am aware that most of you don’t bother reading them – I write a lot of stuff there, and it’s quicker than waiting for me to answer. ;) Hope this helped some of you, and if I've left something out, please let me know!

XxX

Retro humor

The retro covers with half naked hotties is great - but the retro covers with half naked hotties with cute and sassy humor, they're even better!