Wednesday 29 March 2017

Missi Plus ~ March's Inspiring Woman is Australian Burlesque Beauty Alyssa Kitt

Alyssa Kitt shot by Ashlee Savins
Hello darlings!

Welcome to my newest blog segment which I'm calling Missi Plus! I've come to realise in the past 12 months that my small corner of the internet is impacting a lot of women in a positive way. I see this in the amazing comments I receive, the emails and messages I get and the general feedback from the supportive community I've found myself a part of. I wanted to be able to share amazing women who have impacted my own journey, either directly or indirectly with my followers, to help spread the inspiration. Women who add to my own life and who will hopefully add to yours as well, hence the plus. 

This has been quite an intimidating thing for me to do. To reach out to women who inspire me to ask to connect with them, to help share their thoughts and opinions on things that I know they are passionate about which are passions I share with them and I was overwhelmed by the sheer response I got!

Photo by http://www.ktbdesign.net/
While I am no burlesque dancer myself, I have huge admiration for the women out there rocking some amazing performances on the burlesque stages of the world. I can still remember the first time I met this amazing women at a night out. Her presence seemed to almost emulate off her. I could tell she was a strong willed, intelligent woman with a fire burning inside her. I'm talking Australia Burlesque Beauty Alyssa Kitt of course!

I caught up recently with Alyssa to talk about some things we're both passionate about such as personal growth, body positivity, feminism and female empowerment along with some other issues we face in the tech world today such as personal privacy and some absolutely exciting things happening for this amazing woman right now! 

Read on to see what we talked about!

I first found you through your involvement in the Australian Pinup and Burlesque scene as well as when you won your title of Miss Burlesque QLD. I loved your creative flair, incredibly strong stage presence and your captivating energy. Have you always been drawn to the world of Burlesque and what is your favourite aspect of this world of amazing women, sparkly things and enthusiastic crowds?

From a young age, before I even knew what burlesque was, I was curious about things that were representative of female sexuality, and all of these things were taboo, naughty, risqué and behind closed doors. I was always trying to peer into lingerie shops and wanting to try lacy things on. For me, this was what becoming a woman was about – wearing lingerie symbolised that I had grown into my body and was therefore a woman. When I was eighteen I stumbled into the world of burlesque and met a community of women with shared similar interests and visual markers – they wore what they wanted in public and didn’t abide to the conservative rules of dress and behaviour that I had grown up with in country central Queensland.

These prominent visual markers represented confidence in one’s own self, one’s own body and I wanted to grow up to be like these women, I looked up to these women and I still do. You could identify those who did burlesque or pinup by the way they dressed – often in vintage apparel, brightly coloured red-lipstick and were always confident with edge of the risqué. To me, these visual markers – or visual representation of identity connected me even further with the women around me.

My favourite aspect of this world is that we are counter-cultural, we’re loud, we speak our minds, we wear what we want and draw attention to ourselves and celebrate our diverse backgrounds. There are so many supportive people burlesque and I’m grateful for every second I get to spend with them! We’re all constantly learning, evolving, growing and I love being a part of a community of like-minded women.

Photo by http://www.ktbdesign.net/

I love that you identify as a feminist and adore seeing posts on your Instagram around supporting fellow ladies within the burlesque scene. After all, real queens help fix each other’s crowns in a time of crisis. What are your thoughts on the notion of empowering and lifting women of all backgrounds and walks of life?

As I’ve grown and learnt more, identifying as a feminist has become more and more important to me. I’ve been very lucky to come from a background that encouraged me to seek an education. I’m about a month off graduating my fourth degree with my Master’s in Publishing at the University of Sydney and am reading widely in preparation for my next academic undertaking (cough cough, yes even after ten years of academia I’m signing up for another stint – one that might mean calling me Dr Kitt). I’m inspired by a lot of what I’m reading and my social media is reflective of this desire to further propagate the positivity and empowering notions of self-love, body positivity and inclusion.

For centuries women have been pitched in direct competition against one another, so there is no doubt why there is culture of competitiveness between us. As young girls we are taught to act like ladies, dress demurely and speak when we are spoken to. If ascribe to the societal notion of beauty or practice to make yourself more beautiful, then you’ll snag the the most handsome, wealthy man, have beautiful children and live happily ever after, however, if there’s another attractive woman around they could steal all of this away. This competitive cultural construction has bred negativity and exclusion.

We’re taught that if one woman is beautiful, then somehow that makes another woman less beautiful. If one woman is successful then her success detracts from that of your own, as though there are a finite amount of good partners or good jobs out there. This myth is completely inaccurate and is steeped with insecurity and low self-esteem. Well it’s 2017, and this myth is still being fed to us through popular culture and mainstream media. It’s high time that changes. Learning to support our fellow women is something that needs to become everyday practice for us – and just like any other muscle, daily practice will make it strong. 

The only way forward is by promoting positive change, representing and celebrating diversity.

Live at the Australian Burlesque Festival, Photography by 3 Fates Media

One thing I’ve talked about a fair bit online myself is that pinup is a style that can evolve 
with you as you grow as a person. It’s such a personal experience for the individual and I imagine Burlesque in its own way is the same in that regard. We learn new things; we experience new things, we get feedback, which in turn helps us to grow. With these lifestyles being so visually represented in our appearance, this in turn does translate to changes in how we present ourselves. Have you found this yourself in your own journey?

Fashion is our way of expressing ourselves, not just pinup but anything we choose to wear and the way we represent ourselves. Pinup style being set within a certain historic period which means our inspiration is often unchanging. However, just as the fashionable “boyish shape” of the 1920s vamps and flappers grew into the shapelier bodies that became du-jour in the 1930s; as the fabric rations from WWII period were lifted and and sprang the wide circle skirt – we too evolve and find inspiration within the different eras of the past.

Being that we are living in the modern age, we are afforded a great many advantages that were unseen to our foremothers – who’s style of dress was often dependent on national economic stability and industrial production costs of clothing. Things such as the stretch of fabrics shape our appearance as much as having the internet at our fingertips. We can shop online from around the world and have garments delivered to our doorstep.

I’ve been dressing in pinup style for quite some time, so over the years my aesthetic has changed so much. Your body is a canvas for an ever-evolving piece of art that is your body. My own body has changed over ten years, and the silhouettes that I’m drawn to have changed as well. Along with life’s daily challenges – I no longer dedicate an hour a night to wet-setting my super-long hair, but can bust out a pretty great fringe set in a matter of minutes.

Burlesque is, in my opinion, a little bit different from the pinup world – because we are performing artists creating shows and acts, our visual aesthetic is only one facet of what we are presenting to an audience. Although burlesque has stemmed from the past and many of the popular aesthetics are inspired by the golden age of burlesque, we are all in essence neo-burlesque performers and are also inspired by things that are happening now be they fashion trends or socio-political commentary.

Photography by Brent Leideritz
As a body positive advocate, I’ve noticed that when you do decide to make changes to your own aesthetic/body, for whatever reason you choose there can be a back lash or questioning as to if your stance on body positivity is valid. This seems to happen especially on social media platforms such as Instagram. For all the progress that has been made with body positivity in the media, it does tend to lean towards a stagnant view of self love: if you love yourself why do you need to change?

Social media has in and of itself revolutionised life (or perhaps just the way we represent our lives to others). We have evolved into both digital consumers and producers or “prod-users”, we both produce our own content and consume other user-generated content shared on any chosen platform.

Think of your Instagram as a digital archive of your life – similar to the photo albums that previous generations used, they would choose what photos would go in there and which ones didn’t, they would present these albums to friends, family or whoever would stop by for tea. The digital revolution has changed this – our networks have vastly grown, as has our ability to disseminate information through these networks. We are no longer confined to friends physically coming over to visit our living rooms and flipping through our photo albums or seeing our pictures hanging on our mantle-pieces.

The nature of social media is that it’s a two-way flow of communication, that has given everyone both a voice and the flip side of that is that we are essentially starting a conversation any time we post something. So instead of your friends coming over to visit you in person, where if you’ve changed they might say, “Oh Alyssa – you’ve cut your hair! It looks swell!” We now have a very crowded living room of people that we might not necessarily invite over all talking at once. These interactions have a very different social convention and don’t necessary follow the same face-to- face etiquette. Everyone commenting at once, in their varying opinions on your change can become overwhelming.

Think of your Instagram account - the more followers or social reach/ circulation/ influence, you have – the more people are crowded into your living room, discussing your new hair-style. Some might not like it but choose to be a supportive friend, some might be jealous of how fabulous you look but choose to respond negatively, others might just be in a shit mood and react accordingly. In the same vein that we can choose to post a picture, we choose to comment on others content, we choose these words and the message conveyed behind text, pictures, gifs, memes or videos. I implore everyone to choose their words wisely when commenting, but also choose who’s words you decide to imbue deep meaning with.

Onto the next part of your question – this statement is super interesting to me, “If you love yourself then why do you need to change.” Because change, personal growth and movement is an inevitable part of life – it’s how you know we are living, breathing humans connected to those social media accounts. Our bodies change and age – we’re not a static piece of art that’s hanging in a gallery.

For any person writing “If you love yourself then why do you need to change” on a post on social media - if you liked the older version, those photos and memories still remain, just scroll down. Know that if we choose to post this digital event into our archive, then that is the way we are representing ourselves, and it’s our own choice – not yours. Bodily autonomy is important, and our own decisions to alter our appearance is never up to anyone else but ourselves.

I also wanted to touch on the issue of privacy as a public figure in both the pinup and burlesque scenes as well. With the world of social media being everywhere, there is a constant expectation with public figures that every aspect of their life must be available for consumption by their readers to be judged and have opinions past on. As a private person myself, I’ve faced criticism for wanting to keep parts of my life off social media, as I don’t feel they need this ‘trial by media’ process applied to them. What are your thoughts around how this is evolving within the world of social media as a public figure yourself?

Ahh, privacy – privacy is a beautiful thing, just because I swan about on stage naked, doesn’t mean I’m happy for my neighbours to peer in through my windows when I’m coming out of the shower – same goes for online interactions on social media. If it’s something that you’ve posted up for public discussion – then great! Otherwise privacy need always been respected. I’m actually a very private person – I select what goes on my social media to accurately represent my brand as a burlesque performer, and align myself with my own world-views. I don’t post much of me going out to dinner with my friends and partner, nor do I post much of working out or doing laundry. We can pick and choose what we choose to post and if there’s something that we don’t want to post, then that’s nobody else’s business. The expectation that it would be otherwise is frankly ludicrous.

Alyssa Kitt shot by Ashlee Savins

In the past few months, its been delightful to watch you join the Sydney Sky Sirens studio to 
start teaching classes there, with your students performing their first night cap recently with great success. How has it impacted you being able to teach new ladies to burlesque and help them grow in their own journey?

Oh thank you! I had been in Sydney for about 16 months when studio owner Katia Schwartz 
approached me to teach for Sky Sirens – and I was constantly touring and not able to commit to weekly classes. When I went into the studio for the first time – it was just such a beautiful space, full of positivity and love and I haven’t looked back. I’m currently teaching a class called Big, Bad, Booty – which is a fun combination of learning basic bump and grind technique, with modern girly/hip hop style choreography to modern music that everyone is pretty familiar with.

While I had taught this as a workshop for years it’s been quite a few years since I’ve taught weekly burlesque classes – most of my teaching had been on a one-on- one basis and working on act/concept development. While it’s been such a delight, it’s been challenging for me as I’ve never thought of myself as a choreographer, and remembering my own dance steps can sometimes be pretty challenging for me. I like to think that I teach a lot more than dance steps, I like to teach the students about intention, the meaning imbued behind movement and often pop in a bit of a history lesson, while introducing them to other amazing burlesque artists work! We have a lot of fun in the studio and it’s such a delight to see the “pussy gang” really come out of their shells at the end of term show!

You’ve been posting a lot recently about your latest project, The Australian Burlesque Journal in association with the Australian Burlesque Museum. What made you want to start this project and what is the eventual aim with it?

The Australian Burlesque Museum was founded a few years ago by Bella de Jac and a few other founding members, but I only recently came on board as their curator for research. With an academic background and training as both a historian and a journalist I thought what better combination than to help teach other burlesquers how to form research projects and get into the archives. Currently, a lot of burlesque history is American-centric, and very little is widely known in the burly community about Australia’s very own vaudeville and stripper-history. I’m currently forming some research groups around different locations in Australia and getting them started on different projects. There are also a number of people doing independent research in Australia that I have approached to have contribute their work. All of this will go into what will eventually be the Australian Burlesque Journal, which will run as a not-for- profit archive of photographs, research articles and interviews. We have an amazing team of volunteers on ABM but we will never turn down an extra set of skilled hands.

Photo by http://www.ktbdesign.net/
And finally, it’s just been announced that you have been invited to compete in Miss Exotic World, Queen of Burlesque Competition at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas this year! A big congratulations gorgeous lady! How does it feel knowing you’re off to shake your booty in the most prestigious burlesque event in the world? What about the upcoming experience has you most excited?

Thank you so much. Having just found out this week means that it's still sinking in, so please bear with me, every time I think about how much this means to me again I start tearing up. To perform at the Burlesque Hall of Fame weekender in Las Vegas is the highest level of achievement for any burlesque performer and to say that it is an honour is an understatement. The Burlesque Hall of Fame is a nonprofit museum in Las Vegas that is dedicated to preserving, sharing and celebrating the history of burlesque. The BHoF weekend of shows, including the Miss Exotic World competition is their biggest fundraising event on their calendar. 

Burlesque has an incredibly rich history, however, as is the case with much female history, the history of striptease still lacks a great amount of legitimacy or respect from the wider academic historical community. Having an archival space solely dedicated to preserving documents, photographs, costumes as a vault for future researchers to research the history of striptease is hugely important. Today we have a globally thriving burlesque community that grew out of the neo-burlesque revival in the late 80s and 90s. We are but a spot on the timeline of trailblazing women who paved the way for us to be able to celebrate our naked bodies in front of audiences – they battled censorship laws, being jailed for public indecency and acts of lewdness, not to mention being looked down on by much of society.

To be accepted to compete for the title of Miss Exotic world, reigning Queen of Burlesque is without a doubt the pinnacle of my career to date. There has been less than a handful of Australians to compete for Queen, including Imogen Kelly who was crown reigning Queen of Burlesque in 2012. It is a rigorous application process, with applications coming in from all the best performers around the world.  I had applied a number of times before I was accepted to compete in the best debut category in 2015. This is my first time competing for Queen of Burlesque but I don’t even feel as though I’ll be competing against those up on that massive stage on June the 3rd – we’re all there to support the museum and spread the word about how important it is to preserve our stripping history.

To shake my booty for an audience of the living legends of burlesque and a packed casino theatre is not just an honour but an incredible privilege and one that means just so much to me. I think about all the people who have graced that stage and they are my idols, the rockstars, the bad girls and the trailblazers. This event is a pilgrimage for every burlesque performer in the world and just to be there, let alone perform. We are the glitterati and when you look around at the audience of industry superstars dressed to the nines in provocative gowns – you know you’ve found your people.

If you’d like to become a member of the Burlesque Hall of Fame or donate to the museum you can do so through their website: http://www.burlesquehall.com/support/

Photo by http://www.ktbdesign.net/

A massive thank you to the fabulous Alyssa for taking the time out of her very busy schedule to answer my questions! I hope you've all enjoyed this blog as much as I did working with this amazing woman. 

If you've loved reading this article and want to support Alyssa you can find her in the following places!

twitter: @alyssakitt
Instagram: @missalyssakitt

I hope you've all loved this new segment and I'm excited to be bringing you another inspiring lady in the month of April!

Til next time lovelies!


Tuesday 28 March 2017

Boss Babe with Lindy Bop


I'm a self confessed boss babe. I work a full time job. I have my own small business and my blog is blossoming into a workload of its own. I adore what I do. Being a creative person at heart, my business and my blog help fill my soul since my full time job is rather void of creativity. I do however love that I can dress how I like at work and I often like to theme dress. So when I saw the Teal Brittany dress from Lindy Bop, I knew it was the perfect dress for me!


Flowers ~ Mauve Pink Rose Double from Daisy Jean
Earrings ~ Agatha Orbs in teal from Daisy Jean
Brooch ~ Snap Happy Vintage Camera Brooch from Jubly Umph
Dress ~ Teal Brittany Study Print dress from Lindy Bop
Shoes ~ Halina Heels from B.A.I.T footwear
Lindy Bop is retro brand based in the UK which specialises in fun quirky printed pinup style clothes at affordable prices. While I have a few Lindy Bop dresses in my over flowing wardrobe, I must admit up until recently there wasn't a whole lot they were releasing that really caught my attention. Plus, being an Aussie gal who primarily buys her clothes online, I found their 'floating clothes' approach a bit off putting, as I prefer to see how things look on real bofdies. I am thrilled to say I have noticed a change in their patterns and styles being released over the last 12 months, with more of their stuff popping up through my social media feeds as well as in our local stores here in Australia and they seem to be proving versatile, fun and colourful. They've also started using models to showcase their items as well, which has massively rekindled my interest in this brand that I previously would have passed over. I am so excited to be able to share with you all my review on the Brittany Dress from their New In range!



The Brittany dress is a 50's style dress with a fun quirky print that really caught my eye. Covered in telephones, cameras and type writers with work related phrases such as 'Working 9 to 5', 'Like a Boss' and 'All work & no play' you can see why as someone who works in office admin this dress appealed to me so much. The round neckline with capped sleeves means its not too busty for work either while the sleeves give arm coverage. The dress is 97% cotton and lined, this dress breathes well in the heat while keeping you warm in cooler weather. At 165cm on me this dress sits just below the knee (even with a crinoline on) and features two pink heart shaped pockets on its front.



The Brittany dress, while being all 'business' in the front, is 'party; in the back, with a heart shaped cut out in the top back. This is closed with buttons through elastic at the top and the actually zip the dress, its an invisible side zip. As I find with most side zips, this can be a bit tricky at the waist but once its over that seam it slides quickly enough. I'm wearing the size 16 for reference and it fits beautifully. Now days I prefer to get my clothes to fit closer to my current shape so I don't have to corset if the weather is really warm. The fit for me was right and I had no issues with washing. The only downside is one common to cotton, which is that it hold a crinkle. But I find with the pattern its not as noticeable as some of my solid colour skirts.



I've worn the Brittany dress a few times already and it certainly won't be last. Its a fun print to wear to work and I love that I don't have to wear a heap of accessories to give it a complete finish either. Just a brooch and a flower is enough. 

The Brittany dress is $52.36AU + postage to Australia which normally takes around 1-2 weeks. I've already added some of their new releases to wishlist and this definitely won't be the last Lindy Bop piece in my wardrobe!

I hope you've all enjoyed this review and I hope you're all excited for the interview I have coming tomorrow with the amazing Burlesque Babe Alyssa Kitt

Til then darlings!


Disclaimer: Whilst I received this dress in a collaboration with Lindy Bop, all opinions expressed are honest to help ensure the most accurate information for my readers. 

Thursday 23 March 2017

Be bold and brave the pink ~ Rocking body confidence with Stop Staring Clothing


As a redhead, pink was never my colour. I was a green girl, through and through. There was something about wearing green with red locks that is so clique but also so perfect. Now as a blonde, while my love of green endures, there’s definitely been a shift of a new colour love in my life and that love is pink.  I’ve found myself drawn to it, almost like a moth to a flame and when my locks are their fresh blonde, I do love wearing pastel pinks. So when I saw this gorgeous dress from Stop Staring clothing, I knew she needed to be mine!

Flowers ~ Blue Rose Double from Daisy Jean 
Earrings ~ Hollywood Hoops from Retro Resins
Brooch ~ Hairdryer brooch in mint from Bel Air Baby
Dress ~ Nylad fitted dress in pink from Stop Staring Clothing
Shoes ~ Red heels from Marco Giani
The Nylad dress from Stop Staring caught my eye instantly, making me think of Marilyn with its slim fit and collar top. Originally I was unsure if I should take the plunge and add it to my wardrobe. It was such a light colour compared to all my other wiggle styles and now days I’m a bit curvier around my tummy than I like. But I decided to not let fear of others perceptions stop me from rocking an amazing frock, so the Nylad was added to my wardrobe. Keeping with my previous aim to shoot some of my review looks without shapewear, I stepped outside my comfort zone and rocked the Nylad simply on her own, tummy and all. 


I’ve been wearing stop staring clothing for a long time for their quality and the Nylad is no exception. While I could have sized down to a L with this dress as its bengaline and super stretchy, I opted for the XL a more comfortable fit around my hips. I love its back zip for easy wear and the slim belt is perfect for adding a slight waist cinch without being too much. The collar sits well and I had no problems with it turning up. The bengaline is comfortable and as with my other stop staring dresses it washed well on a delicate/hand wash setting on my machine without any hic-ups! Being baby pink its been a dream to style and I’ve really moved teaming a vintage suit jacket I have of a similar colour for a more work appropriate look. Being smaller busted though, I do have to wear a padded bra to really fill out the cups. But I knew this would be the case when ordering.


One reason I do love this dress though is how amazing I feel in it. Yes I’m lumpy and bumpy. I’ve got a tummy. But I don’t believe that wiggle dresses are a style that should be exclusive to ‘slimmer girls’. Light colours are normally seen as ‘unsuited’ for larger ladies too. But if you want to wear that baby pink than wear it girl! We all have such wonderful unique bodies that should be celebrated in all their forms. Now days it’s easy for me to want to hide my body away under a full skirt. But this dress really reminded me to embrace my body through what feels good to wear. I’ve loved wearing this dress, whether its been to work or a girl’s day out. It’s a power dress for me (A status which is normally only held by my red dresses) and I love the way it makes me feel in my own skin.


The perfect accessories for me to team with this look was hues of blue and mint! I opted to wear my blue signature rose double with this look from Daisy Jean, my Hollywood Hoops from Retro Resins for a pop of glam and the most adorable Hairdryer brooch from Bel Air Baby! These are all small businesses too, which as a small business owner myself (Daisy Jean is my business) I do love supporting! 


The amazing Nylad dress is $165US/$215AUD + postage but the quality of Stop Staring is definitely worth it. I've got a number of Stop Staring items in my wardrobe, some second hand off ebay and they are still in amazing condition. A dress that will definitely last and they also prove to be incredibly versatile in styling as well. A true wardrobe investment.

I hope you've all enjoyed this review! I've got some exciting posts coming including the first post of a new segment where I share inspiring women I follow with you all and a recap of my trip to New Zealand!

I'm also blog shooting this weekend some gorgeous goodies to come to the blog on April!

Photography by the amazing Phil Ingram Photography.

Til next time darlings!

Disclaimer: Whilst I received this dress in a collaboration with Stop Staring, all opinions expressed are honest to help ensure the most accurate information for my readers. 

Wednesday 15 March 2017

Peachy perfect with Le Keux Cosmetics


While I am a 1940s-1950s girl at heart, I do sometimes like to dabble in the 1960s for something a bit different. Whereas my love of earlier eras means I red lipstick is my staple, I knew the moment I saw the Peachy Keen Lip Paint from Le Keux is was perfect for a fun 1960s casual look. So I thought I'd let you all know about the Le Keux lip paint (you can read my review of their Cadillac liner and pinup powder here).


Le Keux is a company based out of a hair and styling salon in England that make pinup cosmetics. Their lip paints are great for their versatility. They can be mixed together to make a variety of different colours and can be worn as a gloss, a matte or even a blush. So I thought I'd show you my favorite way to wear my Le Keux lip paint in the colour Peachy Keen!

Dip your're finger in
Rub in circular motions on the cheek bones til blended
Rub in circular motions on the cheek bones til blended

One cheek done, now repeat on the other side
 To apply the lip paint as a blush, you simply dab your finger into the into the paint, apply on your cheek and blend in circular motions until blended in. The peachy keen gives a lovely subtle pink glow to the cheeks which is great for not just 1960s looks but also 1950s floral looks. To help set it I like to top it with the Pinup Powder.

Using the Le Keux pinup powder
Setting the lip paint with the Pinup Powder
For this 1960s look I opted to also do some very light contouring, using a light brown powder and a highlighter on either side.

Some very light contouring to help complete the look.
Cheeks are done!
 Now onto the lips! My favorite way to apply my Le Keux Lip Paint with to double layer with their Pinup powder inbetween. I find this personally gives me the coverage to only need to lightly touch up but also gives the colour a bit of an extra colour pop! The lip paint isn't like a liquid lipstick and doesnt' dry matte, however can be made to appear matte if desired. You will need to touch up the inside of the lips after meals though!

Apply layer one with lip brush
First layer done

If you do prefer a gloss finish, this is what a single layer looks like on. A gorgeous soft pink perfect for spring and summer! To double the layers I blot with tissue, I then use the pinup powder to set the lip paint. This helps give it a very matte finish. Again it can be left here or this step can be redone at the end to make this lip colour matte.

Blot first layer with tissue
Using the Le Keux Pinup Powder to set the lip paint
Using the Le Keux Pinup Powder to set the lip paint

Now I just add the final layer of the lip paint again with the lipstick brush. I do adore the soft pastels of this lip colour and really want to wear it more next spring, as I'm hoping to make some 1960s style looks this colour will go amazingly with!

Apply the second layer

Apply the second layer

The final look!
So here is the final look! The colour of Peachy Keen is subtle and very pretty. While it does need to be touched up as I said earlier, I found as long as I powdered my lips prior to application there as no issues with bleeding. Le Keux cosmetics also come in the prettiest packaging as well as smelling lovely. And who doesn't love a cosmetic that can do more than one thing! I've found it comfortable to wear and it doesn't dry out my lips, which is something I'm prone to.

Scarf ~ Pink Scalloped scarf from Doll Me Up Inc
Earrings ~ Shell earrings from Revere Folie
Top ~ Beach Bash tee by Atomic Swag from Gwynnies


I hope you've all enjoyed this review! Don't forget, you can use coupon CURVECREATION10 to get 10% off any cosmetics you order from Le Keux!

Til next time darlings!

Disclaimer: Whilst I received these items in a collaboration from Le Keux Cosmetics, all opinions expressed are honest to help ensure the most accurate information for my readers. 

Friday 10 March 2017

How Pinup is changing my life

This is a post I’ve had in draft form for a while…sitting…. gathering dust as I try and figured the right way to full articulate what I’ve had on my mind in the last 12 months and the best way to express the amazing feelings I’ve had.

Me with my Mum, Brothers and Sisters (2016)
The wild ride of 2015-2016 saw my biggest growth not just as a person but also online and I wanted to share a bit of that with you, as I know many of you only get to see my ‘pinup persona’ through social media. For those who don’t know: I’m the eldest daughter in a family of 5 kids. We’re a mixed family (I have 4 siblings: 2 half-brothers and 2 half-sisters, with 2 brother and sister duos coming two the same dad. I’m the lone wolf, the only one to my father) ranging from 5 years old upto myself at 26. I also have a background of aboriginality, though my german/dutch father means I am white passing, unlike some of my other family members. Growing up I never went without though my family was not well off. I was raised by a headstrong woman who now as an adult I know did the best she could to bring me up in climates that were often chaotic and difficult, though they definitely helped shape me into the woman I am today. I went to a lot of different schools as a kid due to my parent’s work commitments and that lead to me finding it hard to mark long term friends. By the time high school hit I was quite studious too which impacted some social connections even more. I always felt like ‘the new kid’ and just as I began to lose that stigma, I was moved again. I do believe it’s this moving around a lot, coupled with other significant events in my teens that I won’t mention in this post, which have caused me as an adult to feel rather isolated social and to struggle with social anxiety after high school as I entered adult hood. People can be intimidating to me. I am fully aware I can struggle to maintain social connections, especially when I’m super busy. I am pretty self-sufficient and need my own company to recharge after social events, though I do love sharing company with similar passions. In high school, I had my group of friends but I still never quite felt like I fit and I certainly wasn’t really ‘known’ by a lot of people, in the scene of being ‘popular’, that was certainly never me. This is by no means a poor me kind of post though, knowing where I come from is important to help share what I’m feeling now.

Me in early high school
My outfit for my 21st Birthday

Out with friends at 21

22 years old post workout

Out to dinner with my ex in 2012
As I’ve said before, I started my online spaces as a weight loss/fitblr style blog. I was a recovering binge eater. It became my world. While I recovered from my binging habits in the early 2010s, I had very poor self-image due to the environments I was exposed to had some very shallow notions about body image, other people’s bodies/health and self love. I was completely lost and floundering in my attempt to try and find myself. At the time I was a complete ‘fashion tragic’. I admired the pinup girls I found online and followed but didn’t feel good enough to embrace the style myself (something I’m now aware I was definitely not alone in!).  I bought my first pinup dress of ebay and slowly began to experiment around age 22-23 from memory. As my interest grew, I tried to learn more and in turn, I slowly began to grow too. While I was very much still a ‘baby’ pinup, it gave me the confidence to question things I felt where wrong in my relationship at the time. It helped me find my voice. It helped me learn to stand up for myself, which lead to some big life changes, namely the end of a toxic relationship and the beginning of a major period of self growth.
Over the past few years in pinup I’ve modelled, been published internationally and phased out old items in my wardrobe to now at 26 I wear pinup pretty much 98% of the time. I started a blog in 2014 to help better answer a lot of the questions I got posed on social media platforms like Instagram. I remember being so scared to start my blog. I didn’t feel good enough to pinup blog. There were so many girls who were so amazing doing it. But I did it anyway and over the past 18 months especially my blog and my online following have snowballed, surpassing anything I certainly ever anticipated when I started my social media spaces.
Baby Pinup 2013
2014 

2015 

Over the past 18 months especially I grew and learnt a better place of self love and acceptance. I began to identify as an intersectional feminist. I began to understand the struggles of those less entitled than myself, magnified through being a white passing aboriginal woman in Australia compared to others in my family. I’ve connected with some amazing women from all walks of life (transwomen included) to better expand my understanding of what I believe in and how it can impact others. I wanted to share my love of corsets (something I’ve been somewhat obsessed with since living near a corsetry at 10 years old) and my deepening love of foundations as a way of being not only honest with women about my body (which isn’t ‘perfect’ by our narrow minded society) but to also find a better place of body love within myself. This growth especially has lead me to be a stronger woman with a stronger will, a better sense of self and a deeper understanding of who I am. It also took me to learning to look at myself as a whole person and embrace the negative sides of who I am too, something I find society seems to ignore. No one is perfect and we all have to have an internal balance of positive and negative traits, though some definitely err on both. Accepting and growing within myself has helped me be the happiest I’ve ever been. I have my own small business, being able to blog like I am and fuelling that passion is an incredible feeling and I feel so truly blessed for the opportunities life is throwing my way. Those who know me behind the scenes know how hard I work at my blog and my business, how busy I am with so much on my plate as well as a full time job, the high standards I hold myself too and often my inability to ask for help when I probably should. I am far from perfect and I am ok with this because really, no one is.

2017 - Photo by Phil Ingram
Now with my following growing, I began to find people could pick me out at events or even when I was just out. I’ve had anonymous messages via my tumblr telling me they saw me out at place X.  I’ve introduced myself at events and person has already known who I was. I’ve had people cry when meeting me and fangirl, much to my confusion and in one case concern. I get so many amazing comments, DM’s and emails from women, simply wanting to extend a message to express their own feelings about how by simply sharing what I believe in and who I am, they’ve been impacted positively in their own lives…these messages can simply leave me speechless. It’s such an incredibly amazing…yet also foreign feeling that I could impact someone like that. In reality, I still feel like the no body I was in high school. I often feel lost when people know who I am when I introduce myself. Social events and connecting with people is still a struggle and I still find it so incredibly amazing that I am able to help empower and inspire other women…simply by sharing on social media. It literally blows my mind and I guess I still haven’t really ‘caught up with it all’ in my own head.
2017 - Photo by Phil Ingram
As someone with anxiety, I find social media a great forum to share my (excuse my Bratz quote) “passion for fashion” as it gives me control over when I connect. I mean I may seem confident online with connecting but you should see me try and call my doctor to make an appointment over the phone…….disastrous! ….however I think people can often forget that behind the pretty pictures, pretty hair….real people do exist. I am a real person. Something I do try and share online as well as pretty content. I certainly don’t wake up look pinup pretty. I’m not perfect. I wear corsets and foundation to achieve certain looks. I look quite different without makeup and styled hair. Having a business based around hand made products I’m normally in baggy trackies or shorts with a sports bra around the house (doing everything but being active in my active wear) so I keep my pinup clothes free of glue and unnecessary glitter. I have days when I can’t be bothered.  I’ve worked hard for what I have, even though it’s not a lot and I’m proud of that. My life is far from pinup perfect and I’m not perfect either.
Pinup for me and being able to share my love of it through social media is literally changing my life. What that means for me yet I still don’t know, though I’m grateful to be able to have the positive impact I have had so far and I hope to be able to be able to keep doing what I’m doing. I wanted to share as I know from a lot of publications and posts in the past 12 months that a lot of new gals can feel intimidated by pinup and not feel ‘good enough’. But really, we’re all just people. We all started as beginners and if the people around you make you feel not good enough for anything they aren’t the kind of people you want to be around. Pinup for me is fun and bright and being able to visually show my moods, my interests and my personality. There is no wrong way to do that, at least not to me. Its a medium to grow and blossom for me and I love I have that opportunity.

2017
I just wanted to take a minute to thank you all so much for taking the time to read this, for following me and for sharing with me. I gain such inspiration from the amazing people I get to interact with on social media and without you all I wouldn’t be who I am today. Its also helped me connect with some amazing women I now consider friends, which I think is truly incredible.So, thank you.