Kicking the summer off with some snaps

I came back to Lowestoft on Wednesday for three whole months, in this time I'm meant to get a head start on my dissertation, figure out what I want to do for my FMP, work and have a social life? How this is going to happen is beyond me. But I thought I'd start the holiday off with a little photo shoot on Thursday evening, it was at a place called Baconthorpe castle near Cromer, I'd never even heard of this and I've lived in the area all my life, sheltered life maybe? I found out it was going to be a group shoot with six photographers and three models so I was quite excited, but I also found out it was castle ruins not exactly a castle so I was a bit wary of how "Pin up" would work, but I got myself ready and away I went.

Here are some images from the group of photographers I worked with:

This was by Mark Whitmore, I think it looks quite moody and mysterious,

 even if I do look a bit young!

Love this by Andy Robinson!

Doesn't look like the average pin up and in

my comfy clothes too!

Love the vintage feel this one has to it by Andy Robinson!

I seemed to stay in this part of the ruins most of the shoot which I was a tad disappointed about because there were so many other parts to explore!

I adore this shot by Lynton Smith, the cropping of it is just amazing!

A shot by David Abbott, love the composition again, even though I was very uncomfortable
in rather tight Capri pants!!

And last but not least a finishing shot by Dean Mitchell
the angle is just so clever and like Dean said to me "this is my castle and what"

A fantastic shoot with a lovely bunch of photographers where I got some great shots for my portfolio I think!
The majority of the outfits I wore for this shoot are vintage minus the black Capri pants which were from Freddies of Pinewood, a fab repro jeans company, check them out!

I hope to go back to Baconthorpe to do more of a darker gothic shoot because I think the location is more suitable to that rather then Pin up! So keep your eyes peeled

Until Next Time

Toodle Pip

xxx

Victory Rolls... The happy shopper version

So after my last post I had a comment asking if I could give any tips on how to do Victory rolls so I thought I'd quickly put some images together and give you a how to! because to be honest I'm not sure how I learn, I just practised one day and voila there we had it, Victory rolls... Bettina style! Now they're not perfected in any way yet but I think this will give you a rough idea of how I do them and you may be able to figure it out a bit better then I showed you!!

So here we go!! Excuse the really poor quality images and the person in the images wearing very little make up and Afro hair... It is a Wednesday and I have washed my hair!  But anyway...

I don't think it matters on where your parting is in your hair, I've had a side parting since I was about 12 years old because personally I do not think a centre one suits me but victory rolls often work really well with a centre parting and it is easier when it comes to sectioning your hair off because you get an even amount on each side...

Start by getting a small section of hair (enough to make quite a thick roll out of it!)

Then get a comb and back comb near the roots of the section so it makes it stand out a bit more,

make sure you smooth it all out before or after you've done your roll because otherwise you look
like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards and that is not a good look!

Next get the end of the section of the hair and roll it into a circle... If you're having trouble with this you can spray it a bit with hairspray so it all stays in place when you're rolling it. Once you have rolled the end into a circle, keep rolling it towards your head like you word a pin curl so then it looks like a barrel against your scalp. (Everyone now Roooolllll outtt thhheee barrrellll... no just me? )

 Grip it in place with Kirby Grips, you can try to hide them so it looks like it's standing up all by itself but if that's too fiddly just clip it in anywhere so it stays in place

And if any of that made sense it should look something like this!

Basically you have to do exactly the same on the other side but when it comes to Sectioning it make sure its around the same amount of hair as the other roll because when it comes to rolling it it could look uneven and ruin the whole Do!

Rolling the second one may take a few attempts to make sure it looks even and right compared to the other, but luckily you've got the other side of your head to look at to even them out!

And this is what the rolls should look like! Given they are a bit scruffy but you get the idea I hope?

Now if you have a fringe you could always leave it but I think this often ruins the hair style so why not try rolling your fringe too?

You don't necessarily have to have a fringe to be able to roll it, just make sure you section a small part of your hair before you start this whooole process

You do the fringe roll pretty much similar to the others but I don't tend to back comb mine, I used to have to do it with heated rollers or tongs but I've got the hang of doing it without these now, if you are still a bit wary you can just roll it with your tongs and then clip it in place with a grip

I tend to do mine at a diagonal angle because I think it shapes my face better but you can do it horizontal so you've got a Bettie Page Esq style fringe, I find it looks more forties then a diagonal fringe so I tend to stay away from it because I'm more of a fifties gal.

Try curling the rest of your hair with tongs or rollers to glam it up more or you can clip the rest of the hair up also for a easy up do!

But ta da here is what you should end up with!!

All in all this took me around 5 minutes to do, not bad really considering I've only

just got the hang of it! This may take you a bit longer at first but once you've got the hang of it you'll be able to do it easy peasy, but be prepared to have aching arms because you will get them and after all practise does make perfect!!

Until Next Time

Toodle Pip

xxx



A few Winter warmers

Winter is staying with a vengeance unfortunately and I tell you it's hard for a girl to keep up  an appearance in a blizzard! During this time of the year I still try to look as glam as possible, but this isn't always easy! Especially when you forget sensible walking shoes whilst working in London in the snow as to which I did a few weeks ago when it decided to pelt down! Dolly shoes are just not acceptable in this weather as I found out. It's so strange to see that some girls go out with next to nothing on still, I have to be wrapped up in my thermals and strap a hot water bottle to me before I even attempt to go out!
I found myself going against everything I've ever said about jeans as they turned out to be the most practical of all of my clothes it seemed, sometimes you have to let yourself go a bit, you can still dress your jeans up though! Well I tried anyway.
However don't listen to me ladies, you can still look glamorous and not seventy years before your time like me hobbling along.
At the moment in high street stores such as New Look, River Island etc there are some lovely forties and fifties inspired coats that look great with a pencil skirt and brogues.

This one is a fab retro inspired coat my dad pointed out to me in New Look today and I thought it would look great teamed with a circle skirt or dress and some great wedges (make sure they cover your toes otherwise they might turn into icicles) You can jazz it up with vintage accessories such as a thermoset brooch and gloves and before you know it you've got an outfit that looks truly gorgeous without having to spend a fortune and you'll look a million dollars.

Another reason to hate winter is because stockings aren't always the best option, the thickest tights possible have been my option when I've been wearing skirts recently, I would love to wear my stockings in the winter but I want some warmth at least, but black opaque tights can look rather sweet I think, at least it makes you look cosy! Team them with woolen pencil skirts and you will be almost feel like its a heatwave!
As for hair styles I've opted for up do's and head scarfs, because I find trying to curl my hair in this weather just doesn't seem to happen, as soon as I step outside the door, it just drops out! So up do's with forties styled victory rolls look devine. But if you're in a rush ladies you can create a quick and easy forties do rag in the blink of an eye with a lovely vintage scarf which you can pick up in charity, vintage and antique shops for mere pennies.

The only thing you will have to style is your fringe and I've found recently that I am able to do this without using heated rollers and simply just twisting and rolling it with my fingers to see what looks good.  See what you can do ladies if you are in a hurry, if it goes well it only takes a few moments so you can spend more time on your make up or choosing your outfit.

If a headscarf isn't for you then there's the trusty beret if you wanted to give your hair a go with curlers, these look adorable with any winter coat but remember to keep it pinned to your hair with grips or you may be having to chase it down the road at some point.

How lovely does this lady look! You can either buy a beret from high street stores or a vintage but if you're feeling really brave have a look for some vintage patterns and try knitting your own, you can have your own colours and have something truly original!
For shoes if you do go out in trousers ( if you still want that vintage look go for some repro forties styled high waisted ones from Hey day ) and boots are a good option which will keep your feet nice and toasty and dry. Or some brogues which honestly don't make you look like a school teacher, well that's what I tell myself, you can get them from most stores and in different colours so why not try something a bit different?
To match your high waisted trousers make sure you wrap up in a nice thick sweater. Vintage ones are lovely and you can get some bargains as I did with a pastel green cashmere pin up sweater off eBay. If not try Rocket originals for vintage inspired sweaters

 The lovely Fleur De Guerre in her Heyday forties trousers and Rocket sweater.

See you can look fabulous even in the winter, don't fret ladies there is always a way to look gorgeous. I do wish though sometimes that I would listen to my own advice, maybe that's my new years resolution hey folks!
Until Next Time

Toodle Pip

xxx