1940's-1950's Classic Vogue Fashion

                            

    I adore the high class fashion that the 1940's and 1950's ushered in. Women always looked so polished and sophisticated . Hats, gloves, long coats,  pearls and full skirts are just a few of the things that

come to mind when I think of this time period.  Below are a few of my favorite vintage fashion pictures, ranging from the 40's to the 50's. Enjoy!

Irving Penn for Vogue 1940s

                                    

                                     

                                            Dior for Vogue, Paris 1940's

Robert Capa, Paris 1950's

                                                         Robert Capa, Paris 1950's

                                                      

 

Suzy Parker photo by Henry Clarke

 

                               Classic Vogue swimwear

I don't know about you, but after seeing some of these images, I am definitely in the mood to dress up ;)

Note : Most of these photos are vintage Vogue pictures, the rest are popular Vintage fashion photos

Urban Decay Roller Girl

Urban Decay

Urban Decay has become a recent favorite of mine and I had started to notice all the pretty eyeshadows they make.

                

I had been itchin to get some new eyeshadows for a while, so I finally gave in last week. I went to Sephora (which is always a good time, intense, but a good time) and took a good look around. They have quite a few good palettes to choose from but I finally ended up choosing the Roller Girl palette. It has two shades of brown that I like to use constantly, as well as a lighter shade to use to highlight.


It also has a fun hotpink shade called Woodstock. Also, this palette came with a cute pink gloss. Not bad at all for $32.   Plus, the packaging is super cute, which I'm always a sucker for.

                                   Roller Girl palette  $32 at Sephora

 Colors :  Woodstock, Verve, Suspect and Dark Horse

For my wishlist: Urban Decay's Naked palette    $48 at Sephora

              

       With this palette you get 12 shades of eyeshadows for only $16 more than the Roller girl palette.  I choose the Roller girl palette because I didn't think I needed ALL of the shades that came with Naked, but now I think I would use all of them. So, the  Naked palette is on my list for my next eyeshadow purchase.

        It can be hard to make myself splurge on makeup when I have other things to pay for, but I never feel bad when I go with a palette. I really think you get the most for your money when you find a palette you like vs buying just one eyeshadow at a time. Urban decay's eyeshadows are around $20 each, so to pay $32 for a palette that has 4 colors makes me feel a lot better!

                            

Check out all Urban Decay has to offer http://www.urbandecay.com/

What was your latest makeup splurge? 

An ode to Amy Winehouse and her unique style

Amy Winehouse reported dead on July 23, 2011 in London

I  always took notice of Amy Winehouse for her unique fashion statements. Signature eyeliner, beehive hair, flats, dresses, tattos, bra straps and tank tops. These are the things that come to mind when I picture her. She had such a signature look and oftentimes her look was imitated on runways and in photoshoots.

 

There were times she didn't seem to care much about her personal fashion, however there were also many times where she looked pulled together in her own retro style. 

                                    A tamed down Amy back in 2004 when she was fresh on the scene

Signature hair and makeup for a photoshoot

  

                         With the Olsen twins at a fashion event

Adriana Lima as Amy Winehouse for Vogue

                                                   Majorly winged eyeliner

                      Sporting a bandana, which was also usual for her. Very retro look.

               One of many Amy inspired photoshoots. I like this picture because of the pink car.

                            Amy Winehouse Barbie in famous plaid dress. Gotta love the Blake hairpiece.

  

           

Her wax figure

Summer beauty product must haves

 

                

Don't have a meltdown

                                                             

We make changes to our wardrobe in the summertime in order to deal with the heat properly and we should do the same with our beauty routine. Temperatures reach around 110 ° where I live, so making changes to my beauty routine during summer is an absolute must.  Below are a few basics I myself have found to be must have products for dealing with the summer heat.

  SPF tinted moisturizer- a good tinted moisturizer will make you feel like you hardly need to put any foundation on. I have tried Benefit's Rebel and loved how thick it comes out, but goes on so smoothly. It gives nice coverage and color to the face. For a cheaper tinted moisturizer, I often use Sonia Kashuk (a Target brand)SPF  tinted moisturizer. It does a decent job, but I do prefer Benefit's Rebel, which comes in two shades: the white bottle is the lighter shade.

                                         You Rebel spf 15 -  $30.00 at Macy's and Sephora

                                 Sonia Kashuk Tinted moisturizer spf 15 -  $13.00 at Target





Waterproof Mascara - used to be flaky and impossible to get off, but waterproof mascara has come a long way. For me, there is no other option in the summertime. Otherwise, I would have it running under my eyes all the time. I am still a happy camper with Revlon's Stiletto lash waterproof mascara. Only $6. 

Tinted body lotion - my favorite is Benefit's Jiffytan. This is usually a last minute go to for me, when I realize my legs or arms are looking a little pale. This fixes the problem in no time. The lotion goes on right away with color so you can easily see if you have any streaks that need to be rubbed in. It washes off easily but lasts well during hot summer days. Thre are several other lotions out there that will give you instant color, but this is the only one I have personaly tried.

A good bronzer goes a long way. I use it on my neck as well as my face to give me more color. I switch my bronzers up time to time, but lately I've been using one by MAC

                                                 

Spray deodorant- I realize this may be a random beauty product must have, but when it is disgustingly hot outside, what can I say, it feels so good to spray on cold deodorant. And that is pretty much my reason for the spray deodorant, it feels so refreshing and cold!

Tips for wearing perfume in the summertime

       

You wouldn't wear a black sweater to a bbq in the middle of summer, right?  Okay well, on the same token,  there are certain perfumes you should avoid wearing during the hot summer months. 

 

Strong floral perfumes, as well as anything sweet such as vanilla scents, tend to take on a stronger, almost overbearing scent once the chemicals in the perfume are mixed with heat. Ironically enough, even though your perfume will smell stronger, (in a bad way), it will not last long once introduced to heat. You will find that you are needing to reapply your fragrance throughout the day.

Perfumes you want to peruse during the summer months are:  light florals ,    "oceanic" perfumes, (Island by Michael Kors, Cool water by DavidOff) and citrus blends.

                                                     Ralph by Ralph Lauren...

...used to be one of my favorite summer perfumes, it has a very distinct, yet refreshing scent. 

Having said that, there are many perfumes that have a summer limited edition version, so you might want to research your favorite perfume and see if there is a special version for summer months. 

Flowerbomb, which happens to be a favorite of mine, has a summer edition that is lighter on the floral notes. Many perfumes have summer editions, so keep that in mind.

One of my favorite shoe stores...

One of my favorite shoe stores, Aldo's, happens to be having a great sale right now. You should check it out online at aldoshoes.com They have every type of shoe imaginable, not to mention very cute accessories. I wish I had one in my hometown. Maybe one day... Below is a picture of my current Aldo wishlist. Two of them are for under $40, not bad at all. Not to mention that Aldo makes good quality shoes, always comfortable and last a long time. Happy shoe shopping!

Wearing shorts with high heels 101

Trends we love

   A trend that is really popular right now for summer is shorts with high heels, or should I say short shorts with high heels. I have to say, the idea of wearing short shorts with high heels has always seemed a bit stripperish to me. I like to keep things classy. I've found that when done right, you can still wear short shorts with high heels and not look trashy. However, there are a few things I recommend for this look:


                                         1. Make sure your shorts fit you well. You dont want them too small otherwise they go up at the crotch when you walk. Nice.
                                         2. Have some color on your legs- listen I know not everyone has olive skin or tans easily, but even fair skinned folks can get color on their legs. I love lotions made by both Jergens and Neutrogena that give you a natural looking glow. It really makes a difference. You can of course also achieve this by laying out in the sun or the spray tan.
                                         3. Have your legs moisturized- if you dont care about having color on your legs still make sure you use lotion so your legs look smooth.
                                         4. Shave your legs
                                         5. The shorter the short, the more conservative the top- basically its about balance people. I say the shorter the short, the less cleavage your top should have. I'm not saying you have to wear an ugly grandma top, Im just saying dont completely have your boobs spilling out, your already showing your legs off. So be mindful of your overall look in this scenario. I have cute shorts that almost go to my knees, so in that case, I wear a lower cut top if I want.
                                          Use your own judgement to decide whether or not the particular shorts you are wearing look good with the particular pair of shoes you plan to wear. I still say sometimes the shorts can be too short. Obviously, using a shorter shoe might help with this issue.


              These are just my personal preferences and recommendations for how to wear this look. I should mention that I prefer dress shorts over denim shorts. Yes denim shorts are cute, but to me its like the difference between jeans and slacks- slacks look nicer. To me, dress shorts just look nicer than denim. Again, my own preference.