Tuesday 30 June 2015

Review ~ Pastel Princess Adventures with Hell Bunny and Soda Sweethearts

Hello all!

Its review time! Are you excited! I am! Its so good to really start getting into things on the review front! I thought I'd start with reviewing one of my new favorite Hell Bunny Tops and my new Soda Sweethearts Brooch!



In the Monday of May I moved house, which was an amazing move as it basically meant I could start wardrobe building again. As such, the store Gwynnies has become my go to as a long love for the brand Hell Bunny has been flourishing with their newest releases and I've slowly been buying the items that have stolen my heart! 


 I'm a water lover, even if now days I don't get in it much which is primarily a distance/transport issue. I've always had a keen passion for marine life and in my teen years wanted to study marine biology at university. I refer to myself as a self confessed mermaid as I've been saving for a tail for some time now and being able to be a mermaid for me is kind of a dream that I'm working on. So naturally, when I saw the amazing Spring/Summer 2015 collection come out, I KNEW I had to make certain pieces mine!

I'm going to start this review by talking about the Shelli top by Hell Bunny (pictured above). The Shelli top was my first purchase from the range. I bought the medium (you can find my measurements by clicking here) which is pretty much my staple size in Hell Bunny items and it came with an easy price tag of $35.00 AU. When it arrived in the post, I instantly fell in love. The baby pink colours are SO soft, it felt light on the hands and the collar detailing is adorably perfect. The contrast of the mint against the soft pink gives the shell details a bright pop and the ribbon tie at the collar is such a nice touch to the look. 

Being a mermaid lover, I instantly adored the shell details on the collar. Its such a subtle ode to the ocean without taking over the entire outfit. The collar is also an ideal place to wear a brooch, as the fabric here is quite firm in comparison to the softer fabric of the body (which I found would pull when you wore a brooch on it). The coloured buttons also really tie everything together nicely, which really gives the top a finished look. I love the ribbon ties, the only downside I'd say is that they are a tad long for me personally and sitting at my desk at work they can be pulled and come undone, but this con is a minimal one.

When I did purchase this top I was a bit cautious of the sleeves, especially with recently having put on a bit of weight and my arms aren't as trim as they were. But I found the sleeves to be comfortable and reasonably sized with no tightness or uncomfortable digging in. I've worn this top all day at work and had no issues with the sleeves at all, which is always a bonus when buying tops! Being smaller busted means I found I did have some loseness across the chest with the absence of a padded bra but I actually found I prefered that.

While this top is sheer, I found I didn't need to wear an 'undershirt' with it. When I do wear it, I match it with a longline bra I reviewed last week and because its a full piece you can't really see it through the shirt. Its very light to wear and very comfortable. The feel and wear of this one prompted me to buy my second blouse from Hell Bunny and I have no doubt I'll be buying more!

I decided to match this outfit with this gorgeous Atomic Shell Brooch I got from Soda Sweethearts! I've got two Mermaid inspired hair pieces from Soda Sweethearts and knew I had to have this brooch when they released this brooch! It arrived the week I bought the Shelli Blouse and I knew it was a match made in heaven!

This brooch is made of laser cut wood and is handpainted by Soda Sweethearts herself. The thing that really stood out for me with this originality in design, adding a retro twist to an ocean theme and the pearl detailing along the shell ridges! I love this brooch and I really love finding outfits I can incorporate it into! Definitely a great statement piece that won't break the bank!

Other outfit details:
Scarf - Closet Confessions Boutique
Belt/skirt - Also hellbunny with review to come!
Shoes - Pin Up Couture Cutie Heels

I hope you've all enjoyed this review and I look forward to another review later this week which will also be talking about the skirt worn in this post!

Thank you lovelies!



Thursday 25 June 2015

Review ~ Besame Lipstick colour Besame Red

Afternoon all!

Its review time! Today I’m going to talk about my new Besame lipstick I purchased recently from Dames and Dames Ethical Make Up Shop, who I found through the lovely Betty Le Bonbon!


I’ve been curious about Besame lipsticks for quite some time, but I guess for me the price was always a bit of a stalling point for me. I already have a small mountain of lip colors (like the bottom of my handbag is honestly full of lipsticks and liquid to matte colors!) and I wasn’t sure I needed another. But, something pushed me over the line of uncertainty and I ordered one from Dames and Dames after seeing one of Betty’s posts.



So my lipstick arrived and the first thing I noticed was the gorgeous packaging. I’d seen Besame before, even worked in a store that sold it, but never really paid much attention to it. The gold with red detailing of the lipstick is honestly divine and I always feel like a movie star now putting my lipstick on when I’m on the train, purely because my lipstick is gold. It also comes with a cute little red velvet pouch which helps to stop your pretty gold lipstick getting all scratched up and damaged in your handbag. For my first lipstick, I opted for Besame Red. I figured it was their signature red and for a beginner, a great starter option.
I wore it yesterday with the aim of not reapplying it to see how it went throughout a long day. I wore it with my usual red lipliner by Rimmel and applied with a makeup brush.


The first thing I noticed about this colour was how smoothly it goes on. It covered my lips with one coat and a tidy at the edges with a makeup brush. I applied my lipstick at 8.10am in the morning on the way to work. I had it on til I got home around 11.00pm after attending my work EOFY party which involved drinking lemonade and eating thin crust pizza. See how it faired below.
 
Morning
After lunch
After 3 meals

 Overall I loved the wear and I’ve been wearing it most days to work. Its comfortable to wear on the lips, not drying up or drying my lips out. It also didn’t become flakey and peel as well as not bleeding much at all, despite being on for 3 meals. The thing that most impressed me with this lipstick was that it didn’t stain my lips at all when I washed it off last night in the shower. Lip staining is an issue I’ve encountered with a lot of other lip colours and it not staining my lips for a massive winning point for me.


Overall, I am extremely happy with my purchase and am already planning to purchase more Besame lip colours in the future!

To get your own Besame lip colour, you can buy direct or from one of their stockists (Faster Pussycat, The Vintage Drawer and Dames and Damsels as linked above.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this review!

Til tomorrow!


Much love!


Wednesday 24 June 2015

Wishlist Wednesday ~ Pin Up Girl Clothing

Happy Wednesday!

And that means its Wishlist time! Its all about goodies coming to PUG in the near future that I am DROOLING over and NEED!

Short and sweet today as I've been flat out and am heading off for bowling with my work EOFY party but enjoy!







Besame review up tomorrow!

Til then!

Much love







Tuesday 23 June 2015

Hair adventures with vintage hairdresser goddess Miss Ruby Rabbit of Retrobilia Boutique Shellharbour

Hello all!

As many of you know, I struggle with my hair. I have very stubborn locks that are very defiantly strong and like to be straight. Its often a never ending battle to keep nice vintage styles in my unruly hair. My wetsets are lucky to hold for 6 hours, my heat sets last even less (try less than an hour) and it certainly makes setting my hair and looking nice hard.


So you can image how excited I was, when Miss Ruby Rabbit (pictured with me post appointment above!), a vintage/pinup hairdresser moved up from VIC to work at the Retrobilia Boutique in Shellharbour! Once she was all moved and settled, I booked myself in to get some work done on my stubborn locks!


Miss Ruby Rabbit was an absolute pleasure throughout the entire processes and I am so grateful to have someone who talked me through what we were doing. We went through the normal bleach and dye process, before cutting in my first proper vintage midi! I was beyond excited! To finally have nice even curls that hold would be an amazing thing! Even just a longer holding curl to me would be a success to be perfectly honest! We cut in the layers and then it was time to set it. This was my first experience with swiss rollers and to be perfectly honest, I want to buy some to use them myself.


The hood dryer was a whole new experience. I'd always seen them at hair salons but never seen one used. It took a while to get used to the sheer warmth coming down on me but once I did it was all good.


 My curls came out and I looked like strawberry shortcake!! They were so adorable and springy, like I've never had in my hair before! We then started to brush out and my amazing shorter hair showed my new curls in style!



 Once it was all brushed out, it looked incredible and I am so grateful for my new cut and I cannot wait to start playing around with styling it!! My hair is always a bit of a struggle spot for me so its really exciting to finally be able to have shorter hair again (as its much more cooperative at a shorter length) and I look forward to really getting into tutorials again now!



A big thank you to Karen for the photos she snapped on the day for me! It feels great to have my red locks back as well as a renewed lease on having pretty vintage hair! I'll definitely be back!

Catch you all tomorrow!








Monday 22 June 2015

Modcloth Monday ~ Corporate Pinup

Happy Monday everyone!

Being an office going pinup, I'm always on the hunt now days for outfits that can be both work and leisure wear with ease. This means a drop in halter neck items but a lift in blouses, skirts and 1940's style dresses.

Today for Modcloth Monday, I thought I'd do a post about some pretty ensembles that have caught my eye colour wise that I felt would work well with a corporate environment!

Enjoy!




I hope you've enjoyed this Modcloth Monday!

Til tomorrow!


Friday 19 June 2015

Frisky Friday ~ Genuine Vintage Bra by Marcel Worth - Style 738

Hello all! Happy! Friday!

So with my renewed love of vintage lingerie thriving thanks to the current cooler weather, I thought I’d bring back Frisky Friday posts! This week I decided to do a post on a piece I purchased from The Nylon Swish at the last Sydney Rock n Roll markets and its completely changed my perception of my naturally smaller bust.




The GENUINE VINTAGE BRA BY MARCEL WORTH - STYLE 738 (as modelled above by The Nylon Swish is a truly perfect piece of vintage lingerie. I knew I had to have it the moment I saw it at the markets and being my birthday, I allowed a splurge and I bought myself one. It’s a purchase that I don’t think I’ll ever regret.




It’s no secret that I’m not that well-endowed anymore bust wise. I lost 2-3 cup sizes (brand depending) when I was in hospital for a serious kidney infection in 2013 and my bust never really ‘recovered’. As such I’d taken to wearing push up bras and padded bras because I really struggled with the loss of this part of myself. It often made me feel like less of woman to be so bottom heavy and now so teeny ontop. It’s still something I’m only really comfortable with half the time. This meant that I struggled with the idea of a vintage bra, because the lack of padding meant my teeny bust would be noticeably teeny. But when I saw the bra at the markets, I knew I had to have it.



The first time wearing it, I noticed how comfortable it was. It was uncomfortable as I have found past long line styles to be. The lower back and wide clips at the back meant that it doesn’t create any back bulge, somewhere that for me is currently a problem area. I have to wear bullet bra pads with mine to fill it fully, but overall I love the way it looks on my body. I was concerned it would be too tight around the middle, but the thickness of the band means it doesn’t dig in. I also love that I can wear it under a corset to really eliminate any major back bulge and I found my underwire bras used to dig in where my corset sat. This isn’t a problem I have anymore. As you can see below, it’s a versatile little goodie, being able to be worn multiple ways, though my favorite is with a suspender belt.

It’s really become my go to bra and prompted me to begin looking at expanding my vintage bra collection.

The Nylon Swish still has some of these babies in stock, so if you’d like one click here to see if she has your size.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and I look forward to hopefully bringing you more Frisky 
Friday posts in the future!


Til tomorrow!


Thursday 18 June 2015

Dolls & Dames Workshop held at Viva Moss Vegas


So last Saturday, my good friend Caitlin and I headed off to the brisk, cool Southern Highlands for our first workshop with the hair and makeup goddess, Eva of Dolls and Dames. I was super excited, as I’ve had the pleasure of working with Eva previously on shoots (as well having her work her magic at the Sydney Rock n Roll markets!) and I was excited when Caitlin suggested that we go.



I woke up bright and sparky early and wish a fresh face, pony tail and high hopes I met Caitlin at her place and we road tripped our way from the hustle and bustle of Sydney to the rather brisk, yet picturesque picture of the Southern Highlands, around a 2 hour’s drive from the city. I was also excited about the day as it was being held at the retro store Viva Moss Vegas, who I had the pleasure of meeting when I worked with Erstwilder at the Reed Gift Fair earlier this year as well as seeing her photography popping up on my social media through some ladies I know, so I was keen to see her business and enjoy the day.



We arrived at 10am on the dot and rugged up we made our way into the back section of the store, where we were greeted with the scene of Eva and a group of nervous yet excited looking women crowded around a long table in the studio of the store. A front roller was up in all of our hair and we began on the makeup!


Even though I’ve reached a point where with a lot of makeup stuff that I’m now quite confident in myself and my skills, even just watching the techniques of other ladies, I really learnt a lot. I also realized that I know more than I give myself credit for now days with makeup. I’ve gone from a complete make up newbie to someone who can do a full face in less than 10 minutes and who after a few years of practice, can now do kick ass liner in no time at all! It was also exciting to play with JUMBO stacked lashes and I kind of felt like if I blinked a lot, I’d take off! I want to get back into wearing daily lashes again. It really does finish a pinup look, even just wearing a demi set.



We then moved onto hair and this was kind of where my frustration began. The reality is, I haven’t had a haircut in around 6 months now and it means my hair has become much too long and has therefore become extremely rebellious. That coupled with my need to redo my regrowth (my natural hair will not tease to for me, no matter how many tears I shed) meant I really struggled. I knew how to do the displayed technique but I couldn’t get my hair to cooperate and with my color being SO washed out atm any unsmoothed teasing was extremely obvious! There were nearly tears of frustration as I fought with my hair, but thankfully Eva came to my rescue and managed to bully it into doing what it should have done initially. It was also great to see Caitlin completely rock doing her hair and look fabulous doing it!



We then had a little photo shoot, which I loved. I didn’t realize how much I missed being in front of the camera and it’s made me even more excited for this weekend and shooting for blog reviews as well as really pushed my drive to get shooting more often happening again! Especially now all my shooting for my business Daisy Jean is finished and I’ve moved and settled into a new place.


I absolutely love my image from shooting on the day and I really want to shoot with Viva Moss Vegas again in the future! You can see my image below! I’ll also be reviewing this outfit sometime next week, along with 7 other Hell bunny pieces so keep your eyes peeled!!


I’d also like to take a minute to thank a very special lady for making my attendance at this workshop possible. I’m going to be honest and say I don’t have a lot of friends, but I am so grateful for the ones I do have. Caitlin is someone I’m so proud to call a friend and it was so great to go along to the workshop and learn new things together and see her push herself outside of her comfort zone.

For more information on Dolls & Dames click here. For more information on Viva Moss Vegas, click here. To read Caitlin’s blog Closet Confessions, click here!

If you are a newbie to Pinup Hair and make up I'd definitely recommend attending a Dolls n Dames workshop if you can! Even as someone a bit more 'advanced' than a beginner, I still learnt a lot!

I hope you’ve all enjoyed this post and I’m looking forward to sharing my hair transformation with you all on Saturday evening!

Til tomorrow