Vintage Fashionista Friday: September 20, 2013

 

{Luna}

 

{Whether you're dressing up for Thanksgiving dinner or simply looking for a great seasonally hued topper, this beautiful vintage Sally Victor birdcage veil with copper hued bow is sure to do the trick. $35.00 from etsy seller FrouFrou4YouYou.}




{There are few items in the beauty world that can help you achieve a great vintage face faster than classic black liquid eyeliner. If, like me, you wear it more days than not, it likely means you're always on the prowl for an affordable version with serious staying - and all the better if it it comes in a lovely subtly old school shaped bottle like this one. Palladio water-resistant, smear proof, anti-irritant black liquid eyeliner, $6.49 (or $5.39 for Sally Club card holders) from Sally Beauty.}




{A palette that calls to mind fallen maple leaves on a frost slicked concrete sidewalk make up this understatedly chic rectangular enamel and copper brooch from the early 1900s. $35.00 from etsy seller Ice Out Antiques and Collectibles.}




{Though the days may still get up to double digits (for us Celsius using folks this means it hasn't turned too chilly yet), the evenings are starting to have a distinct chill to them, which means it's high time for the return of covered shoulders and layered dressing. Accomplish both in one fell swoop with this sophisticated black vintage Persian lamb's wool stole/wrap. $82.50 from etsy seller Vintage Friends.}




{Shimming like the harvest moon in the crisp autumn night's air, this timelessly elegant 1940s rusty copper hued cocktail dress (complete with a lovely pattern of rhinestones along the collar) is the sort of piece is that is sure to turn heads in any room. Fits up to a size 38" bust/27" waist. $150.00 from etsy seller Go Vintage.}




{Just as shoulders call for an extra layer of warmth as fall kicks into high gear, so too do hands feel even more at home in a cozy, stylish pair of vintage gloves - like these 1940s gold beaded stunners (which are a size 7.5). $45.00 from etsy seller Jenny's Junk 'N Treasures.}




{Inject and instant pop of elegance and sweetness (thanks to the teeny little gold bow) into any outfit with this immensely pretty black and gold 1940s brocade wristlet bag made by Torii Tokyo. $75.00 from etsy seller Trendy Bindi's Boutique.}




{If your skin is anything like mine, than it means that the moment the mercury starts plummeting southward again, your skin becomes instantly dryer and liberal applications of hand cream several times a day is a must! Turn this skin beautifying chore into a sublimely scented experience with an autumn perfect bottle of Happy Hands Spicy Pumpkin Hand Cream (which is designed specifically with crafters in mind, as it says that it won't transfer to your handiwork). $6.49 (for an 4oz bottle) from etsy seller Happy Hands Store.}




{Though a thoroughly modern creation, these beautiful two-toned rust hued heels channel a distinctly vintage vibe and would be perfect for settings ranging from an intimate dinner party to an autumn harvest ball. Available in modern ladies sizes 4.5-10. $67.99 from Discount Salsa Shoes.}

♥ ♥ ♥

Ever since I was a wee little girl, I have thought that harvest moons - those glowing, seemingly gigantic moons tinged shades of persimmon, amber and scarlet that appear in the night sky throughout September and October - are amongst the absolute most beautiful natural phenomena one can possibly glimpse in the heavens.

Traditionally speaking, the Harvest Moon - so named because it's light allowed farmers to harvest their autumn crops later into the night, which was very important, especially if you were trying to bring in a full harvest before the first frost - is the term given to first full moon that appears around the time of autumn equinox. The next full moon (in October) that follows it, is technically known as the Hunter Moon, though I'd venture to say that most people (myself included) refer to both as harvest moons.

Interestingly, according to older editions of the classic Farmer's Almanac, each month of the year has a name for its full moon (July, for example, is often referred to as the Hay Moon, because hay harvesting was commonly done at this time) but in today's modern world, it is typically just the full moon that rises in September and October which gets the distinction of having a noun put before its name.

Depending on whereabouts in the world you live, the weather, cloud cover, and if you're a city, town or country dweller, the harvest moon may look a touch more impressive, but as anyone who has ever seen a full, unobstructed moon in September or October will likely tell you, it really is a humbling, wondrously inspiring sight.



{A breath-takingly incredible harvest moon rising over a desert landscape. It is impossible to look at a sight like that and not be floored by the awesome powers of the night sky and the universe around us. Image source.}


The moon, much like the sun, was an integral part of many peoples' daily lives for millennia, and it's really only been since the invention of modern gas, followed by electric, lighting that many of us have stopped relying on it heavily as a source of light and a marker of the various stages of the agricultural year.

I love the moon - whether a mere whisper of a sliver of a full, powerfully bright orb - and always have. Of all the celestial bodies in the sky, it's the one that I've constantly felt the most connected to, and which I'll happily call my very favourite anytime - though I am especially fond of the marvelous harvest moons that we get treated to - if the weather permits (a foggy, rainy, or heavily cloud covered night is all it takes to obstruct this gorgeous sight) come fall time.


In the spirit of the harvest moon and all that it has meant to humanity throughout countless generations, today's Vintage Fashionista is named Luna (the Roman Goddess of the Moon), and the colour palette of her ensemble was inspired directly by the harvest moon and nighttime skies that fill our world during these early, wonderful days of early autumn.

Should you happen to feel like taking a styling cue from the evening heavens and sprinkling shades of coppery orange, jet black, and golden yellow throughout your own vintage wardrobe this season, not only will you look as lovely as an ancient Goddess, but you'll also be ready (from a colour palette perspective) for Halloween next month - and that is always a very good thing, if you ask this autumn moon loving lass.

1950s step-by-step photo tutorial for applying eye make-up

✯ Day 337 of Vintage 365 ✯

It's a safe bet to say that the majority of us have at least a decent handle on how to apply eye makeup, especially given the emphasis on that particular facial feature that certain vintage looks call for (hello, cat's eye eyeliner!).

Some of us are old pros, others relatively confident in their abilities but not quite as resolute in their skills as they hope to be one day, whereas there is certainly a percentage of vintage make-up fans who are just starting out with learning how to apply old school cosmetic looks on themselves.

No matter where you fall on the spectrum, it's likely that you'll enjoy the instructional set of black and white photographs in today's post, which show the precise techniques used (on this model at least) back in 1950 to achieve a strikingly elegant, endlessly classic lined eye look.

{Dramatic, but certainly not overpoweringly so, and richly beautiful vintage eye make-up tutorial from the pages of a 1950 copy of Life magazine. Image via Van Michelle on Flickr.}

 

In this particular step-by-step guide we're taken through the five stages of achieving a striking early fifties make-up look, which include shadow, pencil (eyeliner), lower lid, and eyebrow, cumulating in a finished, polished face that is as timeless as the day is long.

I always delight in vintage make-up and hairstyle tutorials like this, whether I'm merely observing them as a fan of the past or taking detailed notes so that I can recreate the same style myself later on.

It’s always such a treat to chance upon vintage images like this and get a chance see exactly what products were used, as well as what steps were taken, to achieve the very mid-twentieth century make-up looks that I adore (as so many of you do, too) and emulate most myself.

Taking a look at classic Maybelline eye make-up products

✯ Day 314 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

Veering away, generally speaking, from the usual order in which most people apply their make-up, once my moisturizer (and primer, if using) are applied, I head straight for my eyes.

It's always been that way, for as far back as I can remember (and given that I was 14 going on 15 when I was permitted to start wearing makeup, I can recall those early days of high school cosmetics pretty well). Before foundation, powder, highlighter, blush (which, to be honest, given the natural rosiness of my cheeks I don't wear all that often), or anything to do with my lips I attend to my eye make-up routine first.

I begin with my brows (plucking any stray hairs and filling them in, as they've always been naturally sparse), curl my eyelashes, do my eye shadow followed by eyeliner, and lastly mascara. At the point, though I do like a "full face" (as my mom and I have always called it), I feel sufficiently made up enough so that if I suddenly had to answer the door or bolt out at the spur of the moment, I'd feel like I had my war paint (so to speak) on.

In fact (assuming I had a good moisturizer already), if you made me pick just three make-up items to take with me to a desert island, without giving it a second thought, I'd reach for black eyeliner and mascara, paired with a tube of MAC's Russian Red lipstick.

Perhaps it's because we get to use our lids like tiny artist's canvases that I start on that part of my face here first. Sure, one can play around with their lips, but rarely (sans costume make-up) does a person wear more than one distinct colour on their lips at the same time.

With our eyes we can play it safe and stick with classic neutral shades or create whole rainbows of multi-coloured shadow or liner, if so desired. We can fatten our lashes, or even apply false one's if what nature and the cosmetics counter provided us with just isn't doing the trick.

I'm a big fan of make-up brushes, especially for eye make-up (though having one each specifically for foundation and powder is very great, too), and while the ones I use are modern, they really haven't changed all that much of the past few decades.

Take for example the lovely vintage Maybelline ad from 1960 pictured below. Here one sees a selection of make-up products and applicators that (excluding perhaps cream mascara and its accompanying brush - though these can still be found and are really quite fun to work with if you get the opportunity) still appears in most of our cosmetic bags today.

{So very chic and beautifully elegant, the makeup products in this wonderful vintage Maybelline ad will never go out of style. Image via CapricornOneVintage on Flick.}

 

Like many gals, I enjoy playing with make-up and have a range of products in my trusty (train style) case, but at the end of the day (or more accurately, the start of the day), I do generally reach for the same beloved items that help give me my beloved 1940s/50s looks in a flash, every one of which appears (albeit in more modern packaging) in this charming vintage ad.

Whether you're also a fan of starting with your eyes, or work your way up there a little later on during your routine, it's hard not to enjoy timeless images like this that show you exactly what the ladies whose looks we so admire and emulate were lining their vanity tops with during the most glamorous years of the twentieth century.