Beauty / 1930s Makeup


larkspur vintageI’m fairly familiar with 60s makeup, but I have never really given styles from other eras a go, so when I found this image of a 1930s look, I thought it would be the perfect inspiration for this post. This look is made up of thin, somewhat rounded eyebrows – which I will admit was difficult and not as good as they could have been because my eyebrows are on the thick side – dark eyeshadow, plenty of eyeliner, blush galore and red lips with some dark shading. Overall, I really enjoyed this look and I’ll probably wear it more regularly now. I am however a bit disappointed with the lighting in these photos. I almost wanted to re-shoot these when I was editing them, but for once, I didn’t let my perfectionism get the better of me. It’s just unfortunate because the lighting washed out one side of my face, making the blush look less pronounced on the one side. Now more than ever I am wanting to get proper lights for when I shoot images like this. But, c’est la vie, for now. You get the idea and I hope I can inspire you to recreate this look yourself.Larkspur VintageLarkspur VintageLarkspur VintageLarkspur VintageGET THE LOOK
1. Start by applying your usual foundation, concelear and powder routine – I used Bourjois 123 Perfect foundation, Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer and MAC Studio Fix powder in NW15
2. Using an eyebrow pencil, followup the natural shape of your brow, giving them a thin, rounded shape (as best you can, for those who have thick brows) – I used Marcelle pencil in Blondine
3. Highlight under your brows with a light eyeshadow (ie, white, cream) and blend. Apply a grey or black shadow to the lid, blending throughout, giving a subtle smoky eye and make sure to apply some to your bottom lid – I used Revlon Illuminance Cream Shadow for a highlight under my brows and I mixed a brown and purple shadow for my lids
4. Apply black pencil eyeliner to your top and bottom waterlines, and then apply your mascara to only the top lashes – I used L’Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Mascara
5. Add plenty of blush to your upper cheek bones, quite close to your under eyes. This is the most pronounced part of the look, so don’t be skimpy on that blush – I used Revlon blusher in Melon-Drama
6. For the lips, using your brightest red, outline your lips with a lip liner and then fill in with your red lipstick. Now, to achieve the dark look in the corners of the mouth, apply a tiny bit of black eyeliner pencil to the corners and blend it into your red lipstick with your finger – I used MAC So Chaud lipstick and liner
7. I did not use any bronzer for contouring, so instead I used a face highlighter down my nose, on my forehead and chin to lighten my face up a bit. – I used Revlon Photoready Skinlights face illuminator in 200 Pink Light

And that is it! Let me know if you recreate this look, and do let me know of any other makeup looks (hairstyles, whatever) you’d like me to try.

Rain Rain…

The weekend’s weather was rather shit, which was a bit disappointing but probably for the best as Ryan and I were able to reorganize some things in our apartment (I feel like I’m always saying that, but its ALWAYS a work in progress) and I got caught up on some much needed rest (youtube subscriptions). We did manage to pop out for a bit when the rain wasn’t so intense to snap these photos, and I figured I’d fight the dreary weather with a somewhat bright and psychedelic outfit. This vest actually comes from a set and it’s matching friend is in the form of a white drop waist button up collared dress with matching psychedelic pattern on the skirt. I’ll have to show you the full set one day, but for now you just get the vest. I’m not sure why I never thought to pair it with something outside of it’s designated dress friend until yesterday, but maybe it’s because I don’t own that many solid colored skirts and it’s obviously not a very ideal pattern to pair with another pattern. Although, that seems like a personal styling test of some sort and I think I’m up for the challenge.

How was your weekend friends? I feel like you’ve been a bit quiet lately, not sure why, but I would love to hear from you!
Blouse & skirt: thrifted
Vest: vintage via SugarSlax
Bow tie: TLO
Shoes: Seychelles

Grammy Dress

I refer to this dress as my Grammy (like Grandma…not the music awards) dress. It’s 80s does 40s which is probably why it’s so appealing to me. I don’t much care for 80s fashion except when it’s pretending to be a different era. The reason I call it my Grammy dress is I feel like in it’s heyday it was worn –  but I suspect it wasn’t exactly a “stylish” dress – and then when 80s fashion was passe it got ignored and sent to a thrift store, not being seen for what it really was and to become just another 80s misfit. It has the characteristics of 80s awfulness -.big gaudy flowers, sort of shapeless when on a hanger, the midi length, big shoulders…a perfect mix for a big ol’ pass when browsing a shop, and most likely something most young people would ignore entirely. But I fell in love with the colours, and I love a good midi length dress in the summer that I can just slip on and go about my day, so I gave it a shot and was even more pleased when it seemed to be my size. I really believe you can make almost any article of clothing work if it is styled right. Sometimes you have to give the misfits and Grammies of the world a chance to prove themselves…they may just surprise the heck out of you.

What about you guys? Do you have any misfit or Grammy clothes?
Dress: thrifted vintage
Boots: Samantha Pleet x Wolverine

To Market, To Market

After all the craziness with little Gus (he’s back home and doing better now btw, slowly but surely), I desperately needed to get out of the house for a bit of gal time with Meaghan. Because Gus requires meds and to eat every couple hours I couldn’t be out for too long, but I still managed to get away for a few to take a stroll with Meg and her pups, and wander over to Echo Beach where they were holding the Junction Flea. While Meg and I both kept ourselves from buying anything substantial, we did each get a mini popsicle and met the cutest dachshund puppy ever (how do things that small exist, and why can’t I have them all!?). A short but fun excursion and I’m looking forward to life getting back to normal.

Side note: what do you guys think of my bangs side swept? They are a bit long right now so I wanted to get them out of my eyes, but I’m kind of liking the look.

*photos of me by Meaghan and edited by me

Blouse, shawl, purse: H&M (old)
Skirt & hat: vintage
Shoes: Seychelles

Three Little Waves (Giveaway!)

photo 1 (15)After editing these photos, I’m now totally seeing what all the fuss was about with that black and blue (or white and gold, whatever) dress “issue”. Black, what a chameleon! Depending on where I was standing and where the sun hit my dress, this totally – and I mean completely – black dress from Three Little Waves looked golden and at other times almost completely blue. Anyways, all that aside, I love this dress, as I love all things I have received from Ellen of Three Little Waves. If you can believe it, before this dress, I didn’t really own a simple black dress. I have a tendency to overlook anything black when I’m in a store – it all just kind of blends together in a heap of boringness – but when I saw this dress, I knew it was just the right amount of simple with some fun detailing that it would end up being that LBD I didn’t know I wanted until I came across it.

Looking to find your very own LBD? Or maybe something more fun?! You’re in luck! Today Three Little Waves and myself are hosting a giveaway over on my instagram. Head over there if you would like to enter to win yourself any item of your choosing from Ellen’s shop. Don’t have an instagram? that’s okay my friend. You can head to Three Little Waves etsy shop and leave a comment below letting me know your favourite item (with your email contact) to receive an entry.

*giveaway runs until Sunday, May 10th. I’ll contact the winner privately through email if you enter here, or DM on instagram.

photo 4 (11)photo 3 (11)photo 2 (15)photo 1 (16)photo 3 (13)photo 5 (9)photo 5 (10)photo 3 (12)photo 2 (14)photo 4 (12)photo 2 (16)photo 1 (14)Vintage dress c/o Three Little Waves
Shoes: Seychelles
Sunglasses: Public Butter