Carry On Hayridin'

I cannot believe that it has already been over two weeks since the Hotrod Hayride came and went! Once again the weekend excelled itself and flashed past in a blur of cars, music, rum and friends. I did my documenting of the event a little differently this year and instead of writing up a lengthy blog I decided to film my experience instead, so below you'll find my two-part vlog on all the shenanigans (well most of them, some were too drunken to show you!) and then some photos to accompany it!

Enjoy!

Carry on Hayridin' Part One

Carry on Hayridin' Part Two

Photo credits to Subsculptures Photography

Here is me and the other Atomic Bombshells doing a little modelling and flyering for the new vintage festival Atomic! A great time was had by all even if we were sweltering in our jumpers in the British summer heat!

As I said before friends played a big part in this year's Hayride. I met up with three lovely lads called Sam, Rick and Harry who put up with me and my friend Steve all weekend. We were a nice little gang I reckon.

Here we are! (Plus Salvatore and minus Sam who was behind the camera) Evidently we were kinda merry by this point...especially Rick.

Lots of dancing was going on on both nights - sadly I am still no good at jiving :(

I was a little bit fixated with the array of beards that were on show this year but this man, complete with beehive and blue eyeshadow, really stole the show!

So there we have it! We had some modelling, some dancing, some drinking (okay...more than some), lots of friends, and just a general jolly good time!

Only 348 days until the next one!

Tag You're It!

I got 'tagged' by the lovely LisaFreemontStreet on Youtube to do this vintage tag. Now, before you get your hopes up that I've been fraternising with people who have such high-standing in the community...she tagged everyone on youtube, not just little old me individually. So, here is my tuppence worth of opinions and factoids on what I think of the vintage style and how I blend it into my everyday life.

And now I tag you! If you're interested here are the questions for you to answer in a video, or if you're camera shy just in good old fashioned writing.

1) Who's your style icon?
2) Whats your favorite way to get inspired?
3) What's your most used hair tool(s)?
4) Whats your favorite hair tool/ gadget?
5) Up-do, down, or half and half?
6) Is vintage styling something you do daily?
7) Whats your favorite blush/ lipstick?
8) Dress, skirt or trousers? Heels or flats?
9) Homemade or off the rack?
10) Do you swing dance?
11) Small subtle touches incorporated into everyday wear ( flavor of vintage, if you will) or all out extreme? 
12) Favorite perfume/ skincare?)
13) What does the rest of the family think of your "style"?
14) Favorite accessory?
15) Do you find the vintage community warm and inviting, or cliquish and snooty?
16) What drew you to this style? 
17) Your favorite place(s) to shop vintage?

Perfect Pin Up Hair Brought To You By Bettina May

I have been slightly aware that this tutorial exists but for some reason it had been pushed to the back of my mind. Surfing through the realms of Youtube the other night I came across Bettina May and Go-Go Amy's Pin Up hair tutorial and it all came back to me! I've watched the make up version before and searched for the hair tutorial but my quest was always unsuccessful - until now!

Bettina May is the perfect teacher for beginners as the 45 minute tutorial goes through step by step to create several vintage pin up looks. She shows you how to set the rollers, how to brush them out, and how to style them all with a lovely smile. This is definitely worth a watch if you're a beginner in vintage hair styling, or just want to perfect your skills.

How Did You Do Your Fringe?

Imelda May works this style the best and has brought it to the mainstream



It's a question I get asked whenever I wear my fringe/bangs rolled up so I thought I'd show ya'll my interpretation on how to achieve this look. It can be done on any length of hair as long as the piece of hair to be rolled reaches around your eyeline - so a long blunt fringe, a side fringe or just a long piece of hair from the front of your face would work.

First up is how to create the look from wet; I find this look is a lot kinder on my hair but doesn't have the staying power of the style created from dry hair (I usually have to re-roll it the next day and add some more spray).

The style on dry hair is just as quick to create and takes about two minutes once you've got the hang of the technique. Like I said above it is quite harsh on the hair so I wouldn't recommend doing it too often - plus its a pain to brush out when you want to restyle your hair! Because it has so much back combing the style's staying power is a lot longer and generally can stay in until you want to take it out.

I hope those explanations were easy enough to follow, but if you have any questions just leave me a question below or on my Youtube channel =)

Roxie Reviews: ELF Cosmetics

Recently I purchased five products from the £1.50 range of ELF Cosmetics online. I was really impressed with the website, the delivery and the majority of the products considering their price. For £1.50 you can't really go too wrong! The delivery was was £2.95 (not £2.50 like I said in the video) so that really wasn't too bad either.

For my nails I tried the Matte Finisher nail polish; I haven't tried any matte nail finisher before so I thought I'd give it a go and I was thoroughly impressed. I've had it on my nails a couple of days now and the shine has turned from matte to satin but anything that is matte will gain a shine with wear. I would definitely try this shade again.

I had been warned away from their foundations and powders by a friend, and for £1.50 I think I'd give them a miss anyway because good foundations tend to need to be expensive anyway. I toyed between their Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder and their All Over Color Stick. In the end I went for the Color Stick in Golden Peach and truth be told, I wish I'd gone for the bronzing powder. Although the pigmentation of the Color Stick was good it just wasn't right for my skin tone at the moment, and would have suited a more olive skin tone or holiday skin. However, they do do other shades - pinks, highlights, and plums - so I might give those a go when I get more money.

Moving onto eyes I was disappointed that ELF don't do a single eyeshadow - apart from their mineral range, priced at £3.00 - and instead you have to buy a duo, trio or quad selection. I went for a quad of the Brightening Eye Color because I wanted a bit of colour in my mini-haul. 'Punk Funk' certainly didn't disappoint! I was amazed that eyeshadows at around 38p each could be so pigmented! From just swiping them on my hand without a primer I was so impressed with the colour pay off. I've yet to wear them on my eyes so I don't know how long they will last but hopefully they'll be amazing.

I bought two lip products: one lipgloss and one liquid lipstick. The Hypershine Lipgloss in Vixen has just enough tint to have an effect on your lips, it's long wearing and quite moisturising. The range of colours for this product from ELF is also really extensive so there is sure to be a colour to suit everybody. However, the Luscious Liquid Lipstick was really disappointing. Traditionally a lipstick is much more colour pigmented than a sheer lipgloss, but this one from ELF has so little colour in it, regardless of what the website advertises. The image of the colour I chose (Ruby Slipper) shows a highly colourful deep red, but when I applied it to my lips it barely made a difference! So, for the lips I would definitely get the lipgloss again in varying shades, but I will keep well away from!

In my opinion ELF is well worth a visit, but beware, it's quite a lucky dip with what you'll get! But for £1.50, you're not exactly breaking the bank if you decide you don't like it, are you?



Here's my youtube review of my products so you can actually see them!



Pink Springtime Inspired Make Up

Spring is here! Yay! So here is my tutorial on a springtime inspired look using pretty pinks!

Enjoy!

Products Used:

- Urban Decay's Primer Potion
- Rimmel SpecialEyes in 'Moonstone'
- Urban Decay's eyeshadow in 'Sphynx'
- Urban Decay's eyeshadow in 'Fishnet'
- MAC's eyeshadow in 'Star Violet'
- Barry M's kohl pencil in 'Black'
- 17's Blushed in 'China Pink'
- Model's Own Lip & Cheek Tint in 'Rouge Blush'

Quick & Easy Make Up for Blue Eyes

Another tutorial! I know, I should be doing my essays but oh well!

This time I've done the quick make up I sometimes do in the morning when I want a kinda smokey eye, but don't want to look like a panda, savvy?

Products used:

- Urban Decay's Primer Potion
- MAC's eyeshadow in Corduroy
- Make Up Store's microshadow in Powdery Nut
- Barry M's eyeliner in Black
- Maxfactor's Xperience foundation in Raw Silk
- Maxfactor's Creme Puff in Truly Fair
- Natural Collections's blusher in Rosey Glow
- MAC's lustreglass in Ornamental

Maxfactor Freebie Tutorial

My second video and alas, she speaks! I've decided to let the world hear my hideous voice because the copywriting on music is so strict on youtube and I couldn't be bothered with the faff!

So here it is! A video on the freebies I got from buying £15 worth of Maxfactor at Christmas time. Worth the money I think!

The Kit:
- Lasting Performance Foundation in Natural Beige
- Masterpiece Beyond Length in Tanned Black
- Kohl Pencil in Black
- Earth Spirits Eyeshadow in Burnt Bark
- Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink
- Lipstick in Raisin
- Nailinity in Red Passion (Forgot to mention that in the video but its the one I'm wearing)

Other Products:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion
- Maxfactor Creme Puff in Truly Fair
- Model's Own Eye Shading Brush
- Topshop's Foundation Brush

It's been too long! And photo time!

So has it been a month? Something like that, I think! I had exams, and then had to settle back into uni so it's been quite a hectic time in my life aha! Other than working there's nothing much to report back on, other than...yes I was single again on Valentines! Ho hum!


But, a couple of days ago the photos I did in the summer with Steve Biddlecombe have been made public! So here's a selection of my favourites:

Oh! And I've started doing youtube video tutorials! Just some hair and make up ones, and I've only filmed one so far, but I'm really enjoying doing it! Youtube just takes so darn long uploading them!