One of the lovely parts of being a blogger is occasionally being sent things to review. Its even better when the things you are sent to review are fabulous. The Vintage Cosmetic company has recently launched with a range of false eyelashes and eyelash curlers so as a full on beauty product junkie when they asked if I would like to give their new range of vintage inspired lashes a whirl I was only too happy to oblige..
The Vintage Cosmetic Company-Girls after my own heart
First off the packaging of these lashes is to die for and the names of the eyelashes are great. There is Connie,Betty Kitty, Nancie and Gracie.Big tick for presentation.
I was sent the Connie pack and immediately thought they looked very natural. I decided to wear them at a vintage pamper day to really put them through their paces. I get very hot and my make up can slightly fade when I teaching and I also don't want something too uncomfortable (which is my main gripe with many false eyelashes)
I tested the Connie lashes
I asked my friend Lilly to apply them. Now I didn't use the glue included in the pack as I rarely find that the glue you get for free with lashes is any good so I can't comment on that. I used Duo glue as I think its the best and it drys so clear.
having them applied
First off the Connie lashes looked really natural. I have fairly long eyelashes already but they made them look even thicker without looking too drag queen like.
All of a flutter
Secondly they were really comfortable. usually at the end of a few hours of wearing lashes I am desperate to rip them off but these were good.
Lashes looking long but not too drag queen like
I think these are fab and will definitely be using them again. My only gripe is that you can't buy them direct from the Vintage cosmetic company but they do have a good list of stockists on their website so shouldn't be too hard to get hold of.
*Please note I have received no payment for this review*
All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog.
You may remember I wrote a few moths ago about how I was having cravings for the next series of madmen. Well it seems I haven't got long to wait. A new 'Betty is back" trailer is out and the series starts in March.Woo hoo!
And to get us all ready here is a reminder of my tips to get our Mad men Game on.
Watching Mad Men is like a bittersweet holiday romance. Once a year it crashes into our lives with the force of a bee hived juggernaut. We swoon, we discuss it endlessly and then suddenly its over. Leaving a Don Draper sized hole in our lives. Sure we can watch reruns but like staring at old photographs it just makes the longing more intense.Here are my ten tips of what we can do to keep the flame alive while we wait.
1.Buy A Barbie
Sure we may have thought we had “put childish things aside” once we had our own bank account and membership to the AA but Mattel’s limited edition Joan, Don, Betty and Roger Barbie doll’s are actually far too expensive and fabulous to be considered children’s toys and just think its your game and you can make anything happen including a romance between Joan and Don. It’s doll destiny.
First published in 1958 Alan Sillitoes anti hero Arthur Seaton could have been the prototype for Don Draper if Don Draper had found himself working in a factory in fifties Nottingham rather than gliding through the corridors of Sterling Cooper. A womaniser with a dubious moral compass who believes laws are for breaking, he is shocking yet also charismatic. You can’t help wondering if you too would have fallen for his rough charms. The film version of the book is also a treat staring a quite beautiful Albert Finney
This 1962 film staring Alan Bates and June Ritchie as two young lovers in 1960’s Yorkshire is perfect for getting your Betty Draper clothing fix. Ingrid the films passive aggressive leading lady looks absolutely fabulous and the story sums up the dichotomy of the emerging modern world of the sixties still being tethered quite tightly by the lack of available contraception and the old fashioned values of no sex before marriage
Available from www.whsmith.co.uk
4.French Flick your eyes with Mac Fluid line
The Mac team have created the entire make up for the Mad Men ladies and apparently use Mac Fluid line in Blacktrack for Betty Drapers eyes. The gel formula makes applying the liner a doddle and its smudge proof so less risk of looking like a panda after one too many martinis during one your Mad Men inspired working lunches.
If you own an Xbox 360 or a PS3 you can play Rockstars latest release Featuring Mad Men’s Aaron Staton (Ken Cosgrove in the series) as Cole Phelps an LAPD detective investigating a series of horrific murders in 1947. With its trilby hats and noir styling it’s the closet thing to a vintage inspired computer game on the market.
6. Check out Banana Republics Mad Men Inspired clothing range
Designed in collaboration with the shows costume designer Janie Bryant the collection features nearly 65 pieces including high-waisted skirts, chic tailored dresses and my own personal favorite leopard print pumps with matching cardigans, its never been easier to channel your inner Joan or Betty and the boys haven’t been neglected either with sharp suits, crisp shirts and fedoras included making featuring in your real life version of Mad Men even easier.
If much of the draw of Mad Men for you is the clothes check out “The Fashion File: Advice, Tips and Inspiration from the Costume Designer of 'Mad Men.”This amazing book by Janie Bryant walks readers through the dressing room of the show and discusses the design process behind each characters wardrobe. Its also offers tips on how to create your own vintage inspired looks and how to successfully marry original pieces with new items to create that Mad Men flavour.
When it comes to liquor Don Draper is a lover of the hard stuff, and his main drink of choice at home, in the office and always in the company of a beautiful woman is an Old Fashioned. Bitter and complex but strangely enjoyable, its not unlike Don Draper himself and very easy to make.
Ingredients
2 dashes aromatic bitters available at www.drinksdirect.co.uk
½ tsp sugar dissolved with water and bitters
1½ oz of bourbon
1 cherry
1 orange slice
1 lemon wedge
Instructions
Fill glass with ice. Add cherry, orange slice and lemon wedge. Pour in bourbon. Serve in a rocks glass over ice.
9. Listen to the soundtrack
The story and performances in Mad Men are so compelling its easy to forget the music but the Mad Men soundtracks transport you back to the 60’s in an instant. The music from series one is particularly good and captures the innocence of the early episodes when all is well between Don and Betty and Sterling Cooper rules the roost in the brave new world of advertising. From Ella Fitzgerald’s “Manhattan” to the beauty of Julie London’s Fly me to the moon it all sums up the glamour of the period. The inclusion of the David Carbonara track Babylon, which is used when Don visits the Beatnik club in Greenwich Village, is a subtle reminder that Dons character will turn out to be much darker than it first appears
10. Visit A Museum
For a real fix of 1960’s nostalgia there are some great exhibitions throughout the UK. From the Land Of Lost Content in Shropshire www.lolc.org.uk to the 50’s Cae Dai Trust museum at Denbigh www.fiftiesmuseum.org and of course the V & A in London is bursting at the seams with fabulous period pieces www.vam.ac.uk/ if only museums had been this interesting at school. Beehive your hair, apply some liquid eyeliner and soak up the history.
So there you have it. My guide to whiling away the weeks until we get Mad Men back on to our screens and our love affair starts all over again.Not long now!
All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Bee unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog.
As a lover of things from the past, people are often surprised by how much new technology I use in my everyday life. I always think that’s slightly missing the point of being a vintage gal in a modern world. I revel in making the second hand sit perfectly next to shiny new items. This project marries new and old perfectly and takes hardly any time at all to make.
As someone who reads at a frankly scary rate the Kindle has become one of my favourite things. I do however miss the feel of holding a book and also wanted to create something to protect it when I go on journeys or chuck it in my bag.
You can also use this idea to create covers for your i-Pad or mobile phones. Just choose books of the correct size (Penguin books are ideal for i-phones)
You will need
An old hard backed book (use something cheep and cheerful, no first editions)
A measuring tape
PVA glue
Rivet kit (available from craft shops)
Hammer
Old wallpaper or wrapping paper
Half a metre of elastic
Stanley knife
Step One
Remove all the pages from inside your book using the Stanley knife
Step Two
If your book has a loose cover which you want to keep glue this down.
Step Three
Measure the inside of each side of your book and cut some wallpaper pieces to fit. Glue these down.
Step Four
Cut four pieces of elastic approximately eight centimetres long
Step Five
You want to create elastic loops at each corner on the back page of your book. These will hold your Kindle in place. Using the hole punch from your Rivet kit create two holes at the edges of each corner (you will need about five cms distance between each)
Step Six
Using the holes you have created hammer the back of a rivet through the book cover. Once this is secure place your elastic on the top of it and hammer another rivet through it to secure it in place. You will need to do this eight times to create elastic loops at each corner. These will keep your kindle in place when you read.
Step Six
You can embellish the inside of your Kindle cover further by using old lace on the spine or sticking a photo or illustration on the inside cover.
Enjoy creating your very own Trompe-l'œil reading a digital book within a paper one.
All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog.
Last year we shot a lovely set of pictures with the beautiful burlesque performer Mia Merode and my good friend Lena here at BB Towers.
Lena smouldering with 1920's chic
They were inspired by silent movie stars of the 20's as we were launching out twenties inspired Vintage pamper days.
Mia looking like she has just stepped out of a silent movie
Some of these images were used in the Burlesque bible and it was fab to see them in this months issue of Vintage Life magazine too which is all about the style and sophistication of the roaring twenties.
This months Vintage Life magazine with one of our lovely images of Mia Merode
The double page spread featuring our 1920's photos
It was such a fabulous day. Lilly Von Pink did the make up and Lena did the hair (Mia had pinned curled hers the night before so it was perfect) we played lots of Billie Holiday and I draped the set with pearls and cocktail glasses. I filmed some of the days events as well so grab a cuppa and take a look and let us transport you back to the days of the Charleston and carmine coloured lips.
All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Bee unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog.
Following the love that my Shit Bloggers Say post received last week I just had to share this video with you. This made my husband laugh so much he spilt a whole cup of coffee all over his keyboard-I think it was the constant refrain of "Are you using this" and "have you seen my glue gun" which he hears from me about ten times a day. So to all you crafters enjoy!
All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Bee unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog.
Ive long harboured a fantasy about having a Carrie Bradshaw style walk in closet. Unfortunately living in a mid Victorian terrace I'm unable to give up one room to my clothes and shoes but after years of struggling to fit all my clothes into one tiny wardrobe my lovely husband offered to make me an open plan wardrobe utilising the alcove and wall in our bed room. Although this wasn't planned as a step by step project (and the photos were taken on my phone so are fairly shonky) I thought i would share this as the whole thing cost only £2.50 which was for the brackets.
What we used
For the shelves two old kitchen doors which we found at the local tip.
We sprayed these black with some paint we already had.
A standard clothes rail which had been in our loft for years.
Wood from a broken laundry dyer
Two hanging basket brackets (cost £2.50)
Rail bracket from an old curtain pole
Drill
Saw
Screwdriver
Screws
Step One Nicky Rockets sprayed the kitchen doors black and then having first measured the space cut pieces to size. These are to go above my clothes rail to house my shoes and bags.
Step Two Wood from a broken laundry dryer which has been cut to size is screwed into the wall.This is to secure the shelf which will fit into the alcove.
The shelf is then attached to these.
Step Three
For the shelf going along the wall we fixed the hanging basket brackets into the wall.
Step Four
Fix the shelf onto the bracket.
Step Five
Attach the curtain rail brackets to the underside of the shelf and screw in. This will hold the clothes rail.
Step Six
Put the rail onto the bracket and screw into place
Step Seven
Your open plan closet is complete. It can now be filled with all your clothes, shoes and hand bags.
Look at this lovely space-ready to be filled with swing dresses galore
I can now see what I have to wear at a glance, all my shoes and bags are on display and I feel like I have my own version of a walk in closet. Not bad for £2.50
All content (text, photos and other) are the property of Betty Pamper (aka Perelandra Beedles) unless otherwise stated. Please refrain from copying any material without recognition of the author and a link to the source on this blog.
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