Category Archives: Vintage Beauty Tips

Red Apple Lipstick

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Recently I was contacted by Red Apple Lipstick, a company that offers up pretty swell products that are gluten free, paraben free, vegan friendly, made in the USA, among a long list of other wonderful things.  Since part of the vintage scene is about being environmentally friendly while also looking glamorous, I felt they were a good fit!

I chose the Rebel for my test drive, loving the red-berry color as well as the name.

Please note, I’m battling a cold right now, so I don’t look the greatest nor do I seem to be able to smile decently.  I adore how soft and luscious this lipstick feels. It’s the smoothest lipstick I’ve ever put on.  It’s like silk velvet for your lips.  No joke.  I’m also crazy in love with the color.  It’s a red, with a hint of berry thrown in, and very, very vibrant.  I love me a red-red, but I also enjoy deeper berry colors too.

While I love the product’s ingredients, feel and color, I wasn’t keen about it’s come-off-ability (for lack of a better word), a problem most lip sticks have.  I blotted and let it sink in for the suggested five minutes, but it still came off on my mug o’ tea…

I am aware that are loads of tips and tricks for making any lipstick stay on and not rub off on drinks and people, but I’m a little impatient to go through that ritual. I want to slap on color and go.  Which is why I’ve been using CoverGirl Outlast. A lip-stain that stays on all day, even through kissing and most foods, but it isn’t without its problems either (that can be a post in itself if y’all are curious?).  However, I think this Red Apple stuff  is pretty swell and I plan to give it another go using some of the stay-on tricks I’ve come across.  Additionally, I was given a sample of their Rallye Balm, which is magnificent!  It’s just as silky and smooth as the lipstick, and leaves my lips feeling super soft.  I think I may have found my new lip balm!

Vintage Beauty: Exercises

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Today I’m sharing with you what I’ve been calling my “Pin-Up Work Out Routine”.  For many years I struggled on a very severe level with body image issues.  This past has made me tentative about working out, since I fear falling back into a state I care not to revisit.  Additionally, many of the work outs illustrated in contemporary magazines and practiced in today’s gyms produce super trim bodies that I do not find attractive, and also would work against wearing vintage clothing.  Let’s face it, the 1940s and 1950s encouraged a shapely figure for women, while today, it seems women encouraged to have no curves to speak of.  This is why I found these pages so interesting and helpful.  Not only do they keep me simply fit, but they would also support the figure that I desire.

  

  

These pages come from the same book that many other of my vintage beauty tips have come from, Ern and Bud Westmore’s Beauty, Glamour and Personality from 1947.

I enjoy doing the following exercises to fun and upbeat music, especially big band or numbers from the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

In addition to these pages, I also hula hoop.  While I can’t do anything fancy, the traditional hula hooping is a great work out as well, burning 60-100 calories in just ten minutes time, while also increasing your back’s flexibility.  I also enjoy it because you can read or watch television while hula hooping!

More from Beauty, Glamour and Personality
Introduction
Make-Up for Various Face Shapes
Hair Styling for Various Face Shapes
Posture

A Note on Posture

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I believe that good posture is something that should be practiced by everyone, but especially by those who wear vintage.  Prior to and throughout the mid-20th century, good posture was greatly encouraged, and many young women participated in manners classes, where good posture was a staple of the the coursework.  A proper lady did not slouch.  Since this was heavily unforced, both by society and undergarments (just think about corsets and girdles), fashion was built around proper posture, thus it is beneficial to yourself and your clothing to practice good posture.

This page comes from Ern and Bud Westmore’s 1947 book Beauty, Glamour and Personality.

Vintage Beauty: Hairstyling

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Ready for some more vintage beauty tips from Hollywood’s Ern and Bud Westmore?  Last time we covered face shapes, and today we’re covering hairstyles to compliment your face shape.

  

  

There is a lot of great 1940s hair inspiration here too, along with some tips to compliment your facial structure.

I know doing vintage hair can be complicated and frustrating, but nothing perfects like practice, practice, practice.  YouTube is a great resource for video tutorials, just search for “vintage hair”.  Additionally, there are many books on the subject including the hair volume of the Style Me Vintage series (my personal recommendation) as well as Vintage Hairstyling, which I know many gals who have enjoyed this book, I however did not have much luck with it.  But nothing can replace a personal interaction with a person who knows their stuff.  Portlanders have the luxury of having the amazing Kristen Behlings as a resource who frequently does hair workshops.  She has done my own hair for several fashion shows, and I have attended two of her workshops, the most recent last March.  Also, don’t be afraid to ask if you see someone who has their hair done up or even at a vintage clothing shop, they may know some tips or know someone who does.

Eye make-up next time!

Vintage Beauty: Face Shapes

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Earlier I blogged about this fab 1947 beauty book I picked up.  I mentioned I would be sharing some of book’s tips and tricks, so are you ready for the first entry into the world of vintage beauty?

The following pages from Erin & Bud Westmore’s book Beauty, Glamour and Personality offer up images of the five face shapes, which include oval, round, square, oblong and triangular, followed by dos and don’ts for each! The last pages in this entry regard the use of rouge.  Click the images for larger, readable pictures.

 

  

  

  

So, what’s your face shape?

Next up, dos and don’ts regarding hair!

Vintage Beauty: Introduction

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Awhile ago, I picked up this book at Powell’s downtown…

The cover grabbed my attention right away, and flipping through its pages provided both quality tips, as well as a few giggles.  The book was written by Ern and Bud Westmore, of the famous Westmore film make-up artists.  Their father, George Westmore, founded the first film make-up department in Hollywood in 1917.  His sons worked with the likes of Rudolph Valentino, and went on to work on such classics as Gone with the Wind, the 1931 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Universal’s Creature of the Black Lagoon.  The family has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well.

Beauty, Glamour, and Personality, written in 1947, reveals some of old Hollywood’s tips and tricks for creating that glamorous film star look.  Ern and Bud dedicated the book to their father, claiming it was he who was “the first to lay down the fundamental principles governing the application of make-up as a means of dramatizing the personality and enhancing a woman’s charm.”

I won’t be sharing each and every page with you, but a highlighted selection.  The first few pages include stories of how the brothers transformed everyday ladies into looking more glamorous and then there are a few pages that are simply far too outdated to be helpful.

Each entry will focus on something different…Face shapes, and their do’s and don’ts, including make-up and hair styles, eye make-up, “make-up for that nose”, lip make-up, skin tones, correct way of applying make-up, hands as a part of glamour, exercises, posture, and fashion tips.

Stay tuned!

Creating Vintage Beauties

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Thursday night found me tucked away inside AlexSandra’s Vintage Emporium with several other gals to learn about vintage hairstyling from the ever stunning Kristen Behlings.  Kristen modeled several examples of 40s hair styles on herself, explaining the tips and tricks to get various twists and curls in hair.

Kristen sleeps with her hair in soft sponge rollers each night to always keep it ready for styling.  She also only washes her hair every five or so days.  This was common practice in the 30s, 40s and 50s, which is why you get such quotes like Bette Davis in The Cabin in the Cotton with “I’d like to kiss you, but I just washed my hair”, or women using “I’m washing my hair tomorrow” as an excuse to get out of doing things.  I have yet to do this myself…I’m still a wash every day kind of gal.

After providing key tricks, Kristen then came to the aid of us ladies to help us understand how to manipulate our own hair.

I came to the class to try to overcome my fear of backcombing my hair, which I had some success in accomplishing.  I created a relatively successful 40s bumper bang look (akin to Sean Young’s Rachel in the film Blade Runner) using backcombing as well as hair collected from my hairbrush that I brought with me.  I know, collecting my own hair…it sounds strange, but ladies, if you want a nice big 40s do, you’ll want to begin saving your hair when you rip it out of your hairbrush.  I then took out the ‘do I created, thus learning the proper technique in brushing out the backcombing I had done.  The trick: begin brushing from the bottom, and work your way up!

I also learned about a little thing called “Spin Pins” from Goody.  These are like hairpins, but they are twisted like a corkscrew, and they literally screw into your hair to create an up-do.  They are great for creating French Twists, and the 40s back roll.  I purchased them today at Target for $6.29.  I will tell you right now, they are cheaper on Amazon!  I’m really looking forward to using them instead of the boatload of bobby pins I currently am using to create such a look.

While there are books and videos abound on vintage hairstyling, nothing can replace a one-on-one interaction with someone who knows their stuff.  So I highly recommend attending a vintage hairstyling class if one is offered in your area.  Portlanders, “like” AlexSandra’s Facebook page to stay up to date on future hair classes.