Betty The Florist

As a creative sort of girl who has always been slightly obsessed with interiors and prettifying life Ive aways been convinced I would make a great florist.
I have nothing to back this up and Ive no doubt florists all over the land are wetting themselves at my arrogance (for the record I also think I have a great singing voice, my husband, friends and family assure me I really don't)
So when Interflora asked me if I wanted to "Unleash my inner florist" using their new state of the art online bouquet Creation tool I couldn't have been happier.

Its a niffy concept. You log onto their website and rather than simply clicking to order a standard bouquet you pick which flowers you want to include, the vase type, ribbons, foliage the whole nine yards. And its not just a tick box. You are given a picture menu of each bloom and can actually see how your flowers will look, add more, take some away until you are completely satisfied.
I had a good half hour of fun designing my bouquet pretending I was Jane Packer, it was lovely. 

Unleashing my inner florist-online

My slight criticism would be there wasn't a massive choice of flowers but hey its January and I understand they have to guarantee that all their florists nationwide stock the same kinds of blooms.

Pinks to cheer up gloomy January

I decided on a pink theme as quite frankly I'm so over this grey January weather. The great thing is that not only can you save your creations (so basically once you have created a bouquet you love you can simply send it again and again) but also you can look at other peoples saved bouquets which is great for inspiration.

Once I had designed mine I simply clicked that I wanted to collect it the next day and picked an interflora florist down the road.
When I collected my bouquet it was exactly as I had asked for. Somehow I had been so dazzled by the colour pink that I had actually added a few dreaded carnations to my handiwork but overall I thought it looked very beautiful. 

Quite pleased with my design even with the carnations

Am I a natural florist? maybe not, would I use this service again? yes if I wanted to send flowers to friends or family members outside my local area. 
Now in the interest of openness I confess I stopped using the standard interflora service a long time ago. I just got annoyed that I would ring and place a very specific order asking for sunflowers or pink roses and discover that the person the flowers were intended for got a bouquet mainly made up of carnations (my most hated flower) I tend to always use two very good florists on the Wirral (Earth and Eden if you want to know) as I trust that they have the artistry and flair to deliver what I'm after.

Say it with flowers

I still think the expertise of my two favourite florists surpasses the creation I made but as they are only able to deliver for me locally,this is a great idea if I need to send a bouquet nationwide and want to avoid the slightly impersonal feeling that the usual flower delivery service can have.

A lifetime ambition fulfilled

One final thing that rather amused me was the hand written note telling everyone the bouquet was "designed by Betty" so for one day only I became a florist. That's a tick off my career bucket list. Thanks Interflora.
The My Interflora Creation bouquet service can be found here

Limited Edition Killer Curves Tee Shirts Now On Sale

My brand new Killer Curve tee Shirts cost £12 and are available to buy from here having curves never looked so good!

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.

Gingham Dress For A Day Of Glamour

ready to work

Things are incredibly busy for my company The Vintage Pamperbox at the moment (I'm not moaning its great) so don't be surprised if a lot of my outfit posts for the next month or so feature the same leopard print backdrop as I'm having to get Mr Bee to snap me while we set up.
Today I'm working at the rather cool TV21 in Manchester doing a 1950's inspired hen party.

its a swing dress which also doubles up as a tablecloth

Ive had this dress for ages. I have no idea who its by as its an ebay purchase but I love the fit and the material. I always feel great in it.
The cardigan is a Primarni number which I've tied at the waist.You know me, if it features sleeves and a button it will be knotted to create a "pretend" waist.

Loving my necklace-also reminds me of what I'm doing when I nod off

Ive worn it with my beloved make up artist necklace by Bete Noire
My eye makeup is blanc, Couduroy and espresso by Mac and my lipstick is Fluorescent Contessa by Lime Crime

Victory Rolled hair

I've victory rolled my hair at the front and then pin curled it into a big bun on the top of my head. It keeps it out of my eyes whilst I'm working and suits the rather mad men feel of this frock.My hair flower is by Shantytramp.
It was a fab pamperday. All the ladies left looking suitably glamorous and we had a great laugh. Here is Team Pamperbox voguing against one of the very cool murals.

Strike a pose

Remember feeling good and looking great has nothing to do with dress size and everything to do with attitude.Never wait to be a certain weight to start enjoying clothes and never reject anything thinking it wont suit your shape. Try it on-you may be surprised.

For more plus sized fashion check out my Curvy Girl Style page

Limited Edition Killer Curves Tee Shirts Now On Sale

My brand new Killer Curve tee Shirts cost £12 and are available to buy from here having curves never looked so good!

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.

Hey Ladies, Lets Play Nice: the working mum balancing act

Lets hug this thing out!

Last week I was watching celebrity Big Brother (yes I know, I know don't judge me too harshly) and two of the female celebrities were really upset as they had received letters from home and were missing their kids.
One of the other contestants (also a woman) commented that if you are going to miss your children you shouldn't leave them for any period of time,especially for work. The underlining subtext being "if you cared so much you wouldn't leave them so you have no right to express sadness or upset at being parted from them"
What vaguely depressed me was that I saw this attitude echoed from lots of other women on twitter and facebook and yet when one of the male contestants wept over his own letter from home the response was overwhelmingly supportive. What a guy, how amazing to openly show emotion like that. Not a single person questioned why he had left his kids for three weeks, because after all thats what men do isn't it?
Why do we judge each other like this? Working mothers are uncaring, stay at home mothers are unambitious and dull and god forbid if you decide not to have kids at all then you are regularly questioned and deemed vaguely "unnatural"
I'm in quite a fortunate position at the moment as being self employed I fit my work around my daughters school time but prior to this when I worked for another company I had to leave my daughter for long days dropping her off at nursery first thing in the morning, collecting her late in the day. Was it hard? sometimes yes, did I miss my daughter? often, did I need to work both for the money and the creative stimulation? you betcha.
To question a woman's love for her child based on a sliding scale of how many hours she works is both ignorant and cruel and ladies we need to stop it.
Life's tough enough so lets stop jumping on judgement bandwagons and just high five each other for doing the very best we can. Stay at home, full time worker, earth mother, or child free its all good.So as the saying goes unless we have walked a mile in another dames slingbacks lets cut her some slack.

Limited Edition Killer Curves Tee Shirts Now On Sale

My brand new Killer Curve tee Shirts cost £12 and are available to buy from here having curves never looked so good!

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.

Betty Bat Girl

Betty Batgirl

This week has been very exciting as The Vintage Pamperbox has announced its first Heroes vs Villains event 

On the 6th of April we are offering ladies the chance to come along and be transformed into their fave comic book or movie character and take part in a wonderful pin up inspired photoshoot. Poison Ivy, the Riddler, IronMan, Rogue, Wonderwoman, Catwoman, The choices are endless. 

As a make up artist researching looks for this has been just fabulous and as we are booked for a promotional photoshoot in February to promote this theme both myself and Lilly have been trying out lots of different looks. Last Sunday we did some tests for Batgirl and The Joker

Its no joke-Lilly as the Joker

Fighting Crime-who is this masked woman?

Miaow

Fancy dressing up as a Superhero-here is a quick tutorial for the bat girl make up!

You will need

Black eyeliner

Black gel liner

White eyeshadow

Yellow Eyeshadow

Black Eyeshadow

Gel fix

Yellow Glitter

False eyelashes

Blue eyeshadow

Clear lip gloss

Step One

Start with a simple foundation base.

Step Two

Draw your bat logo on your face using your eyeliner pencil. I also drew circles around my eyes so you would be able to see the eye make up I will be adding later.

Step Three

Fill your mask outline in with black gel liner.

Step Four

Take your white eyeshadow and sweep in along the sides and down the nose of your mask. This will give the appearance of light bouncing off and make the mask look more realistic.

Step Five

Take your yellow eyeshadow and sweep it along your eyelids

Step Six

Blend black eyeshadow along the socket line and at the outer corners to accentuate and "cat eye" your eyes.

Step Seven

Add a french flick using liquid eyeliner. Also underline the eyes with a smudge of the black eyeshadow.

Step Eight
Dab gel fix on your lids and pat yellow glitter on.

Step Nine

Apply false eyelashes and a slick of lipstick. i mixed blue eyeshadow with clear lip gloss but a bright red or shocking pink would work just as well.

Step Ten
Throw on a black cape (ears optional and prepare to fight crime!

Kapow!

Our Heroes vs Villains Event takes place on Saturday the 6th of April in Liverpool. Tickets are £50 and can be purchased here

Limited Edition Killer Curves Tee Shirts Now On Sale

My brand new Killer Curve tee Shirts cost £12 and are available to buy from here having curves never looked so good!

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.

Hanging Out With The Peaches and Cream, Liverpool

Little Katie, Lilly, Pooki-Rae and me ready for make up fun.

As make up artists myself and Lilly are always casting around for inspiration. As well as constantly trying out new looks, themes and products at The Vintage Pamperbox we also spend a lot of time looking at other make up mavens work.
Our instagram feeds and Youtube subscriptions are full to bursting with cool make up artists who constantly push the boundaries of what you can do with products and when one of us stumbles on someone we think rocks da house of slap we are immediately on the phone or throwing website links over the email airwaves.

Pooki-Rae and Little Katie

Quite recently Lilly came upon a make up artist called "Little Katie" whose interpretation of the Kim Khardasian smoky eyemake up was rather fab indeed. Imagine our surprise when we discovered she was local to us working at a boutique called Peaches and Cream in Liverpool. 

The fabulous "Little Katie"

When said boutique started offering masterclasses in Katie's rather splendid eyeshadow techniques we didn't hesitate. Sure we know how to do a smokey eye (its one of the most requested eyemake up looks this season) but I absolutely loved Katie's blending and shading and couldn't think of  a nicer way to spend a few hours than chatting to another professional and seeing how she does it.

At the fabulous Peaches and Cream

Smokey eyed magic

When you work in a profession whatever it is, even when you are experienced its so important to rub shoulders with others in your field. The tips and tricks you will pick up are priceless and if you are lucky you will be re energised about your job.

Lilly working her magic on Pooki-Rae

The lovely Pooki-Rae came along to act as our model and we spent such an enjoyable time watching as Katie talked us through how she has perfected her technique and then followed her example on Pooki-Rae. 

The fabulous smokey eye-we had such fun doing this look

We also tried a glitter eye-how gorgeous is this colour!

The results were lovely and it was so interesting to see where our techniques differed and where they were the same. I loved it!

The Peaches and Cream team are so on the same page as The Vintage Pamperbox. Their salon is a visual feast, full of cool artwork, quirky light fittings and lots and lots of glitter and inspiration.

They also love to do themed and unusual make up as well as the classic looks so were really interested  in all the looks we have done over the years (unicorn princess, fifties pin ups, sexy zombie) 
Katie is such a lovely talented girl and we really felt we made a friend that morning. The Peaches are a lovely creative bunch and I'm certain we will collaborate on something one day soon. its fate that we found them I'm sure of it.
Little Katie-you are the undisputed queen of the smokey eye, thank you for letting us hangout.We doff our make up brushes to you.

 For more beauty reviews and tutorials check out my Vintage Beauty Page and please subscribe to my Youtube channel x

Limited Edition Killer Curves Tee Shirts Now On Sale

My brand new Killer Curve tee Shirts cost £12 and are available to buy from here having curves never looked so good!

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.