Summer Vintage Fair!

These photos were taken a few weeks ago at "Glasgow Does Vintage' festival. I have been excited for it all summer since it's the perfect place for vintage lovers to get together. The weather was perfect and the whole city was filled with vintage lovers of all ages who are ready to embrace the end of summer!

Gatsby...1920s Girl

After falling in love with the Great Gatsby, I was inspired to try out the glamorous 1920s look. Like the movie, i wanted to keep the look modern and wearable, so i took the key aspects of 1920s ravishing make up and upgraded it to a more relevant 2013 look. If you see Carey Muligan's make up on the set of Gatsby, she has a much softer and romantic take on the classic 20s style. I wish i was much better at styling hair, but this was the best i could do. I create a fake bob effect by tucking in my long hair under itself and pinning it in place. My bob wig with the full fringe would take the look closer to original 20's fashion, but i wanted to make this look wearable and not too fancy dress. Next time i will try to create the finger wave effect for a more genuine 20s look.

The make up was relatively simple:

1. Smokey eyes. The 1920s version was very heavy and used dark black pigments to create the smokey effect. I wanted a much toned down version, so i used a dark brown KATE eyeshadow palette darkened with a charcoal grey MAC powder shadow. To add on the glamour, pearl shimmer was used on the centre of my lids to create a 3d effect. No false lashes or eyeliner were used.

2. BLUSH cheeks. The cheeks were always over the top in the 1920s, so i applied ample amounts on the apples of my cheeks. I opted for a slightly peachier pink to compliment my skin tone... which has tanned quite a lot in the past month for some weird reason considering the lack of sunshine in UK. 

3. LIPS...Exaggerate the cupid's bow. The shape of my lips were altered just slightly to fit into the 20s era. My peaks of my top lip were exaggerated and my bottom lips were made slightly smaller by using concealer. This is a much more wearable and day friendly version of the icon lips. The 20s usually used dark browns and reds, but like the new Gatsby, a dark rose colour was used instead to make the overall look fresher and younger. 

4. BROWS. I noticed that the girls in the movie had much thicker brows than the typical 20s droopy and drawn on brow. So to bring the 20s to 2013, i just extended the ends of my brows with a brow crayon to add to the effect.

Accessories like jewellery and hand held fans creates the extravagant 20s look. Lots of sequins, peals and gold. My dress was bought years ago for a new year's party, who knew it would go perfect with my next Gatsby or 20s themed party.

Vintage Dior Brooch...circa 1970... but the design is very Art Deco to me and perfect for the look!

Hand painted fan from 1920s. I love the story and history behind handheld fans. They were used as semophores for lovers...this deserves a post of it's own...  

KATE shadow palette and Blusher palette. Loreal lipstick in Burn, topped with a little Mac gloss in dark plum. I tried my new YSL base under my Laura Mercier foundation for a matt finish. 

My Bling Bling Box

After a long day out the house i can finally finish this post. Had a lazy day yesterday and decided to find a use for one of my sewing boxes that have been lying around my room for too long. I found this pretty wooden box at a local market last year and just fell inlove with it straight away. I've actually used it as a 'handbag' once on a nice summer day. I've finally decide to store all my beloved vintage, new and old accessories inside. I decided to split the box into two separate styles... one is the 'Angel' side, with pretty pearls and flowers and the other is a bit Rock and Roll... little harder and slightly gothic. It's like the Ying and Yang of Bling Bling.  Some might think this box reflects me quite well... total split personality! Haha...

Ghost in Town Project: Video

This post is totally outdated... it's been sitting in my drafts box for quite some time now. I've finally found the time to finally post it up! Before i left HK my photographer friend and I had a little 'dress up' fun in Sheung Wan. What we basically did was scare the living day out of some poor locals who were enjoying their saturday afternoon. I came dressed from head to toe as a 1940s war girl. The reaction we got was rather humorous. Some seemed scared and others were really interested. My hair and make up was done by my friend Sunny... who completely transformed me! At first i wasn't used to such heavy make up...but like th devoted person i am, i had to stay true to 1940's make up. I loved my fake beauty spot...kinda distracts away from my freckles!

I also put together a real quick video on the transformation process. It's very obvious that this is my first ever home made video. I would lie to you and say i was going for the whole 'vintage' effect... but truth is, making it look old just helped disguise my poor technical skills. Watch this space...practise makes perfect! 

Some photos from Ghost In Town Project. Taken by Mr. Edwin.

A little excuse to dress up!

I just love dressing up so much. Some may call it pointless, but for me, it's a chance to break away from reality and become many different characters. I can be not just one Elle, but many. Any excuse for me to dress differently and i will go all the way! Halloween has become one of my favorite holidays because of that! Just before i came back to UK,  My friend and I decided to play a little dress up in Sheung Wan. Well, i was the only one who actually got dressed up... buy he was lovely and weird enough to accompany me on this little adventure. The dress code was 1940's british war girl and the theme was 'Lost in the city'.  See my next post for some of the photos!

Next time in Hk i am hoping people will join me for a little fun and play a little dress up! Let's revive 'cosplay' in HK!

Testing the Audrey Brow!

Ahhhhh my dear Audrey..... after seeing an animated Audrey in the new Galaxy chocolate adverts, i was inspired to try out her signature eyebrow! Audrey's eyebrows were well known to be full and straight. They framed her pixie face perfectly, bringing out her beautifully deep set eyes. 1950s Audrey had a much thicker, stronger brow... which was  heavily drawn on. In the 1960s, Audrey had a much toned down version of her signature brow. The make up artists for Breakfast at Tiffany's cleverly bought Audrey to a much more modern look by lightening her brows by a few shades and gave them an overall more groomed and sophisticated shape.

This time, I went for 1950s Audrey look. Although my brows might not look too over the top in these photos, in real life, they were so bold and a little comical! If you saw me close up, you would probably laugh since i looked a little like i was starring in a pantomime play. On the plus side, they made look me a bit more youthful right?! No need for surgery my girls... just thicken up your brows for a innocent, young girl look. If you choose to wear these eyebrows... remember to keep the rest of your make up minimal and voila... bold yet innocent, strong yet sweet! 

For the styling, i just put my hair into a high ponytail and added a ribbon for a very girly look. To imitate Audrey's fringe, I side swept the front of my hair for an illusion of a side fringe. White shirt and a sheer red lipstick completes the look.

Pin Me Up Girl

I am fascinated by the glamour of the 1940s pin up girls. Seductive, feminine and ever so alluring. Here is my quick attempt to bring a little glamour back. The signature flick or eyeliner and classic red lip teamed with side parted wavy hair creates the perfect look that is wearable even during the day.

Wearing: Mac eyeshadow in Sparkle Neely, Sparkle. Lipstick: No. 7 Starlet. Eyeliner: Kate. 

Blush by CANCAM. Deep side parting for the hair and simple waves.

My eyebrows aren't usually this arched, but for this look, i had to draw them on with a strong shape and conceal parts to make them fit the era. 

DIY Headpiece. It used to be a sequin cape but i turned it into a rather glamorous turban by stitching it together on top of a head mould and then added on a vintage brooch for

extra detail. 

What do shoes mean to you? The latest fashion accessories? The highest Louboutin Heel? Or something that will help you get from A-Z?

To me, shoes can tell someone's life story. The shoes my Mummy bought me before i could walk. The shoes i took my first step in. The shoes i took my first dance in. The shoes that took me to new places and traveled with me. The shoes that i fell in love in. The shoes that took me through any weather, rain or shine. To the shoes that gave me so many memories... THANK YOU!