Vintage Hair: Pin Curls/Waves.

When I'm getting ready in the morning and I want to include Old Hollywood-style into my outfit, I always start with my hair. If I have this done, I can go out in jeans and a plain top and still feel fairly put together. My go-to hairstyle is loose pin curl waves. They might not be as perfectly sculpted as those on Dita Von Teese, because I'm not as talented as she is, BUT, I know what she does to get the look. The first thing you need to know about pin curl styles: there is never one final look, it all depends on how the curls fall when you brush them out. They might look similar, but they will never be exactly the same from day to day. With that in mind don't beat yourself up when you try this for the first time, because chances are you won't walk away instantly looking like Rita Hayworth. It takes practice.

 

There are a few things you need to buy before you attempt this style. First, you need something to curl your hair with. Dita Von Teese uses hot rollers and you can pick up a set by Babyliss for around £20-30. Saying this you can use anything to curl your hair (even straightners, but they might not produce as strong a curl). I use my curling iron more often than my hot rollers.

There are two things that are essential to this style: a bristle brush and pin curl clips. Without these things you can curl your hair, but it won't look the same as the vintage style.  I have a boar-bristle brush, which are normally quite expensive, but you can find them fairly cheap on Amazon. You can buy pin curl clips from anywhere that sells hair accessories, like Boots for example.

The trick to this style is that as you're curling your hair you need to roll them back into the curl you've created and pin them into place with your clips, so that as they set they're still wound up like a spring. There are a multitude of tutorials online that show you ways of setting the curls in particular directions to give you a different look, so you may want to look them up. A Youtuber that instantly comes to mind is Lisa Freemont Street, who has filmed authentic, clear instructions on a variety of vintage styles. 
When I do this style, I don't curl my hair away from my face, I curl the hair in a downwards direction. To do this I place the barrel of the curling iron horizontally and wrap an inch long piece of hair over the barrel. The result of this is a backwards 'C' shaped curl, curling towards my face. If you have a fringe, like I do, you can either leave it out or curl it with the rest of your hair. To keep the look authentic you may want to create a parting, starting just above the temple on one side of your head. This will create a lot of volume on one side.
When I set my curls I like to leave them for as long as I can, but if you don't have a lot of time, try to at least leave them until your hair is cool to the touch. Depending on the thickness of your hair this should take about 20 minutes. When you remove your pin curl clips you should have a lot of tightly packed curls. Once I've done this I either gently loosen them by running my fingers through them, or I use my bristle brush to lightly sweep over them. As you're doing this step try not to be too rough, or you'll end up brushing the curls out completely and just have a frizzy mess. Once you've patted down and gently brushed the curls into the shape you want, make sure to secure them with a good hairspray. Then you're free to style them however you want. I usually take around 4-5 bobby pins/grips and create an up-do.
Lots of Love,
Jessicat X

 

 

Here are two Youtube videos that I found useful as a beginner to Vintage Hairstyles:

 

Vintage Hair How-To | Dita Von Teese '50s Waves-

And

Vintage Hair How-To | Blonde Bombshell- Both videos by FASHTAG

 

 

 

Vintage Skin Care Tips

Most vintage skin care techniques have been forgotten unless you specifically search for them on the Internet. A product that is a personal favourite of mine that not many people turn to these days is cold cream. But before I start to describe the uses of this product, I need to talk about how important moisturiser is to a skin care routine. If you have bad skin (which you shouldn't been ashamed of because it happens to everyone at some point in their lives) the worst thing you can do, in my personal opinion, is to try to dry your spots out. I can understand how you'd think it would be the opposite, because in some cases spots are caused by dirt and excess grease, but if you start using products like harsh facial exfoliants that overly dry out your skin, your face is going to naturally produce more oils to fix it, and this, guess what? Creates more spots. That's why after you've cleansed your face, morning AND night (especially night, because skin cells repair themselves while you sleep), you should always moisturise. Eventually, when your skin gets used to regular moisturising (be patient!) it stops producing so much oil. Including moisturiser in your skincare routine is what most celebrity make up artists recommend. As I've stated in the Marilyn Monroe make up post, it also helps to create a nice base for your foundation in the morning.
You don't have to buy a particularly expensive moisturiser either. According to the Burlesque star, Dita Von Teese (who has skin like Snow White!) her dermatologist told her that all moisturisers do the same thing,  you just need a basic one.

Okay, back to cold cream. It's a very, very old concept. And it's what beauties like Lana Turner used. She had famously flawless skin. Cold cream looks like a moisturiser-mousse type thing, and it's named so because once you've put it on your face it stays feeling cold. You can get a lovely, rose-scented one from Boots from their traditional skin care line that absolutely saved me during my first year at university. It's quick and easy to use- all you need is a face flannel and warm water. It even does a nice job of removing your make up. You apply a fair amount on to your face and rub it in (it'll feel a bit weird at first because it's like applying moisturiser over the top of your make up). Obviously, try not to get it in your eyes. Leave the cream to sink it for a couple of minutes. Then soak a flannel in warm water and wash the cream off your face. Because you're rubbing with the flannel, you're also exfoliating your skin, which is always good for cell reproduction. Just be gentle or you'll irritate your face instead of helping it. Once you've washed off all the cream, your face should feel clean because your make up and impurities are removed, but also really soft due to the moisturising properties in the cream. And that's it. One more tip is to leave your face ever so slightly damp after you've washed it, because moisturiser soaks into wet skin better.

If you don't want to go out and buy a cold cream there are alternatives. As I mentioned before, Lana Turner loved to use the cold cream technique and the product she swore by was Nivea Creme, the original purpose of which was to use as a cold creme. I've tried it and it works just as well, your skins feels and smells lovely afterwards. You can buy a massive tub of Nivea for £2-3, but if you do make sure it says on the label beneath that it's produced in Germany, as the Mexican version has petroleum in, which clogs up pores.

Lots of Love,
Jessicat X

Miss Monroe- Makeup Routine

Marilyn Monroe's makeup was flawless. It had to be because of the cameras and lights that were fixed on her at red carpet events. For this reason it took 6 hours to get her prepared for every appearance she made. Each aspect of her makeup was carefully considered, regarding her skin, lips and eyes.

To begin with, Marilyn placed a layer of thick moisturiser, like Nivea Creme, all over her face to create an even base for her foundation to sit on. It's always a good idea to moisturise your face before adding makeup anyway, because it keeps your skin looking and feeling healthy. This step added a shine to her skin that made her look more youthful. If you have oily skin you might want to skip this step, or alternatively, apply a lighter moisturiser.

They next step was her foundation, you can use any brand/shade you're comfortable with- Marilyn liked to use Max Factor. After she'd applied her foundation the next step was to contour and illuminate /highlight her face. The purpose of contouring is to add definition to your cheekbones (do the pouty fish face to find where you need to apply), jaw line, temple/hairline and nose, just to pull everything together and make your face look tighter. For this you'll need a bronzer WITHOUT glitter, try to get a matte bronzer. There are many Youtube tutorials that can visually demonstrate how to do this, but for now I'll say that the trick is not to add too much and to blend afterwards or you'll end up with exaggerated orange/brown lines all over your face. Marilyn liked to contour her face, particularly down the sides of her nose, because even after her surgery to narrow it down she still felt it was too big.

Again, the key to highlighting is to use very little. Apply a small amount of the product on to your ring/little finger and dab gently. Highlighting accentuates your best features and gives you a healthy glow. At the minute Revlon do a nice selection of liquid skin illuminators in different shades for different skin tones. The places Marilyn liked to highlight were: the top of cheekbones, her Cupid's bow, the bottom of her chin, along  the brow bone, down the bridge and on the tip of the nose and her forehead.

Marilyn wasn't one to apply too much powder, but a light dusting of setting powder can't hurt to make sure everything stays where you want it. Nearly every cosmetic brand has a translucent powder.

For her eyes, Miss Monroe used two clever techniques to make her eyelashes look fuller. After applying winged eyeliner with a brown pencil she did two things to make her eyelashes look thicker: She applied a line of white eye shadow just below her winged eyeliner to accentuate it, and then- this is important- she would mirror the winged eyeliner on her bottom lash line with a brown eye shadow or pencil to give the appearance that her lashes were so thick and heavy they created a shadow. If you look very closely at her eyes in photographs you can sometimes see this trick. Her second trick was to push her false lashes down as the glue was drying to give a sleepy, seductive look.

Now finally *drum roll* her lipstick. The famous red lips. Or so you thought. It's important to acknowledge that despite popular believe Miss Monroe did not wear red lipstick while she filming. Due to the lighting and the quality of the film they were using at the time, a red lip on set would appear bright orange on screen. Because of this Marilyn's makeup artist used a selection of pinks of different shades. The trick to making her lips look fuller was to use three different shades. The darkest pink was used around the edges of her lips; the lighter pink was applied to the middle of her lips- and then blended out so she didn't look like a clown. The last step was to apply the smallest amount of white powder to the centre of her lips. All of this gave a 3D effect giving Marilyn those famous pouty lips.

Lots of Love
Jessicat X

Pin-Up Make Up

I wanted my first proper post on this blog to be about vintage-style Pin-Up makeup. If it's a look you've never tried before, or you're struggling with winged-eyeliner or creating the perfect red lip, there's lots of examples to copy from and help to be found. For a start there are many vintage-inspired Youtubers that do amazing online tutorials. Just a few examples are:

Cherry Dollface: https://www.youtube.com/user/Thecherrydollface

MissButterflyDaisy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuO116AsXju1cUkRimaemBQ

PinupDollAshleyMarie: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFePO_WlCZViwi-lz4qLulA

The classic Pin-Up Look consists of: Matte foundation, a red lip, winged-eyeliner, neutral eyeshadow, neatly filled in eyebrows (NO Scouse brows, please) and light blush. Celebrities I turn to for inspiration for this look are Marilyn Monroe (Obviously..) and the Burlesque Queen! Dita Von Teese.

Most people have difficulty with the eyeliner and lipstick. Winged eyeliner is tricky to those who haven't practiced it. My personal recommendation if you're a beginner is NOT to start with a liquid liner, because unless you've had a product recommendation you have to try dozens to find one that gives you the results you want, plus it's more difficult to control a liquid. The best type of liner that gives you a decent level of control (And a sharp pointy wing!) is a gel liner with a brush. Maybelline have a good one out at the moment that comes in black, brown and violet, which is around £7-9 in Boots/Superdrug. A decent gel liner doesn't fade/smudge during the day (you don't want panda eyes..). I'd recommend using this product until you're comfortable enough to try a liquid liner.

Another point I want to add to this is that although the classic look is a black coloured liner, you can make the look more wearable during the day by changing to a brown liner. This is what I do for days when I'm in university. It gives a softer, more natural effect, whilst still giving the same pin-up look.

 (*Little interesting fact: Despite popular belief, Marilyn Monroe wore a brown pencil liner, not a black liquid.)

One technique to get a straight, pointed winged eyeliner, is... as silly as it sounds...to use cellotape. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt. If you place the edge of the tape to line up with your bottom lash line it gives you just the right angle you want for your wing.
If you make a mistake, I recommend using a baby wipe or cotton earbud. Both of these are easier and quicker to use than makeup remover (Too much faffing).

Right. Red Lipstick.

It's not as scary as it looks. And one thing we need to tackle right now is men's hatred of it. If your man doesn't like the way you look in red lipstick... Well that's just tough. He won't get any kisses.

There's a shade for everyone, but mostly it matters on your colouring, specifically your undertone. SO, to explain: I am very pale and I have a blue undertone. A good lipstick for people with a blue undertone is MAC's Ruby Woo. Your best bet is to ask at a cosmetics counter for their assistance in finding you the right shade (Don't be scared, that's what they're there for).

While you're buying your lipstick don't forget to get a matching pencil lipliner too. This is important. A lipliner will not only keep the lipstick on for longer, but it stops the colour bleeding out above and below your mouth (Clown Alert).

THEN: Sharpen the lip pencil, go around your lips and create an outline, lightly fill the lips in with the pencil, add a layer of lipstick (using a lip brush, this is important because it gives you a more precise result) blott with tissue paper, and then add another layer of lipstick... And you should be done.. But don't worry if it doesn't look right the first time, it takes practice. Believe me.
That's it I think..



Lots of Love
Jessicat X

Let's Look at Vintage, Ladies

 

When I'm sat sighing over old black and white photographs of dresses and hairstyles that I long for, or when I approach my makeup in the morning and the first thing I want to achieve is killer winged eyeliner and a red lip, I often wonder why it is that I am attracted to vintage style so much.

 

For me, I can narrow 'Old Hollywood' into three categories that I find myself inspired and influenced by: the notorious femme fatale, the irresistable pin-up and the forever classy, by this I mean the styles of Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn.

 

So what is it about vintage style that appeals to women these days? Many of us in Western society are lucky enough to be at liberty to make whatever lifestyle choices we want. So with this is mind why is it that we still look back for the influences of icons such as Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe and Lana Turner, to name but a few. If we go back to those catergories I think it is fairly simple to find a link between the qualities that these ladies shared, to the type of woman females want to represent in today's society.

 

If at first we look at the femme fatale. What is she? Mysterious, charming, sensual. Many femme fatale characters are also manipulative, but not in a petty way as you find in many of the leading ladies of reality T.V shows. A femme fatale would use her intelligence to gain the upperhand over, in many cases, an infatuated male. It is also worth a mention that their acts of manipulation are not for cruel purposes, but to reach a higher level of independence. In short these women demanded respect. Through this the femme fatale is beautiful, memorable and badass.

 

Now the pin-up. Who do we instantly think of? Come on, you know.. It's the Queen. Miss Monroe. The 'Pin-Up Look' is still a makeup look we want to achieve today, and why? Because when we wear it we feel pretty AND sexy, but at the same time it makes us look neat and happy and healthy. For me 'Bedroom Eyes' and flawless skin are a must before I leave the house. But there's something more: The origins of the pin-up. A pin-up was a poster of an alluringly positioned lady for a lonely soldier to 'look' at *cough-cough* while he was away at war, which suggests something else about a woman's character and it shouldn't be whispered. Women  are allowed to feel sexy and they love sex. Marilyn Monroe definitely wasn't afraid to admit it. I recently watched an excellent documentary, which described that sex to Marilyn was like icecream - Something to be enjoyed, easily and often. Again, this is another aspect of the female character that women these days are striving to establish as a social norm.

 

And last, but definitely not least, the classy ladies. I passionately believe that women such as Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn should be the primary role models for young girls these days. When I think of either of these ladies I think of eternal class, flawless careers (and outfits), infinite charm, and above all, talent beyond a doubt. Women with dulcet tones and delightful manners, but women who could also defend themselves with intelligence and fiery determination if necessary. 

 

For all these reasons, I support the massive following of Old HollyWood that I find on websites like Tumblr and Youtube. I want it to continue and that's the reason I want to create this blog. I will be posting as many vintage and vintage-influenced photographs, articles, products and product recommendations that I can find.

 

Lots of love,

Jessicat x