Roxie Reviews: Pretty Zombie Cosmetics

I have had my eye on Pretty Zombie Cosmetics for a few months now, lusting over their dark, vampy colours. I'm still very much a rockabilly gal at heart but I can't help wanting to unleash my inner teenage emo goth girl that I subdued in my mid teens.

Pretty Zombie Cosmetics, as the below video tells y'all, are a USA based make up company who sell vegan friendly, cruelty free liquid lipsticks. Each lipstick is $12 (about £7.50) and international shipping is $11 (about £7). They work out cheaper than MAC and so so so much better in my opinion. They go on wet but dry to a matte without being too drying on the lips. They are super pigmented and only need one coat (without a lip liner too!), plus they have a strong staying power!

I  bought Black Cat and Dahlia...

A Little Bowl Of Sunshine

I have been eating a lot of sweet potato. I mean, a lot of sweet potato. Sweet potato wedges, sweet potato mash, sweet potato in my burritos (another thing I have been eating far too much of), you name it, sweet potato will be in it. But I thought I'd give something else a go. I'm trying to eat a bit cleaner, get rid of the winter blubber, feel good on the inside, so a gave a soup experiment a go - and it was a roaring success!

Here is how to make my sweet potato, ginger, lime and chilli soup:

Ingredients

3 medium sweet potatoes

1 medium/2 small onions

4 garlic cloves

2 tbsp oil (I used sunflower)

2 vegetable stock cubes

1 litre water

1 lime (juiced)

1 thumb sized piece of ginger

1 red chilli (or more if you like it hot!)

Method

Heat the oil and sweat the onions and garlic until soft

Add the water and stock cubes to the pan

Once the stock is boiling add in the sweet potatoes and allow to simmer

After 10 minutes add the ginger, chilli and lime juice

Simmer until the sweet potato is soft

Blitz, blitz, blitz until smooth!

It All Went Peachy Keen!

I think I have just about recovered from the first Peachy Keen Vintage Fair. It was a long old day, starting at 8am and finishing just before 5, jam packed of lifting and shifting, selling and singing!

I had such a good time doing it, and have even set the date for the next one - Saturday 30th May!

Doors opened at 11am at St Peter's By The Waterfront and the public came streaming in. Over 230 people came through the doors that day, and the vast majority (I think there were two grumbles) had a swell time. Traders were super happy with their day's work, and many have booked in to trade again in May! 

Photo credits to John 'Swampy' French

If you would like information on the next Peachy Keen Vintage Fair please get in touch via email peachykeenvintagefair@outlook.com - spaces are filling up fast for traders but I'm always looking for contacts!

Here is the link to the Facebook event

Roxie Reviews: House of Satin Lingerie

(Ooh well I haven't done one of these for a while!)

House of Satin is a new vintage inspired lingerie brand which hit the market late last year. I've heard great things from them and their stuff is super reasonably priced so I thought, why not? In the words of Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle "treat yo self!", From their eBay shop, I bought myself their "Vintage Style Full Cover Bra", a pair of briefs and their girdle, all in pale blue. I think the whole set came to just over £30 which is just...wow. Less than one What Katie Did bra!

Delivery was quick and I ripped open the parcel to reveal my goodies. The bra fitted well and definitely gave that vintage shape that us so-inclined lasses desire. What I particularly liked was the subtle shape, as it wasn't as pointy as a harsh 1950s bullet bra but definitely still had that perkiness that's more akin to 1940s and 1960s shapes. I'm yet to wear it under anything but I know it's going to fit well. I have little to comment on the briefs apart from they're comfy, good quality fabric and the elastic doesn't cut too much into my skin.

The girdle...hmmmm. I'm still in two minds about this. It looks great and it does hold my stockings up (always a bonus for long legged ladies like myself), but it doesn't hold much support in the tummy and definitely doesn't nip in the waist like other brands do. This might just be because I bought the wrong size, but the fabric doesn't feel secure or elastic-y enough to have much support no matter the size. I bought a medium, which fits well on my thighs but not so great my waist - maybe if I had bought a small the waist would have fitted better but then I worry it would have cut into my thighs. One last thing I would like to see is adjustable straps on the suspenders as they didn't quite sit well, but that is just a little thing.

All in all, House of Satin is amazing value for someone who wants to fill their lingerie draw with good quality, vintage style pieces. It is much more affordable than other brands but their bras and knickers are just as good quality. Their shapewear could be stronger in hold but it looks pretty and does keep stockings up securely. I'm definitely going to be buying more from House of Satin to add to my collection! Definitely can't wait to see what their Spring/Summer 2015 range brings us!

(Photography by Jae Storer Photography)

Peachy Keen Vintage Fair

I don't know if any of y'all are aware but last November I decided I needed a new project. So, sat on the train from Stowmarket to Ipswich on the way home from work, Peachy Keen Vintage Fair was born.

I have experience in running events through my job so it seemed do-able to to me, and the idea excited me. Ipswich is full of vintage loving people but sadly not much in the way of vintage events, so it seems like I have a good audience crying out for something to do!

I advertised the event and soon my pitches were full of amazing traders, including Dead Men's Spex, The Vanity Box and Vintage Mon Cherie. There are going to be fourteen traders in total which seems like a good amount to start with, but who knows! Hopefully the fair will grow and grow!

For your aural pleasure, Ipswich's newest rockabilly duo (who also happen to be very good friends of mine!) The J.S. Combo are going to be playing a little set. These boys are ace and are really going to go far!

So, if you're in the area on Sunday 8th March come on down to St Peter's By The Waterfront to explore my cacophony of retro delights and bliss!

A Look Back at 2014

You may (or may not!) have noticed that I didn't blog very much in 2014 - this is something I plan to change in 2015!

I was a very busy girl indeed in the last 12 months. I got a full time job at the Museum of East Anglian Life as a Visitor Services Trainee; it is a 12 month contact job, which will come to an end in March. It meant moving to Ipswich but I've told you all about that before.

In terms of gigs and weekenders I did more last year than ever before, and I loved it! I started the year at Atomic Vintage Festival which was utterly fabulous - I enjoyed every second of being a glamorous Atomic Bombshell with some of the most amazing girls. The summer was filled with the Rockabilly Rave, which saw me taking to the run way with Bettina Scarlett Presents Vintage Fashion Revue, and then came the Shakedown (I've never seen such thunder and lightning!) and then finally the Hotrod Hayride. I finished the year at the Rhythm Riot which was, as the name suggests, a riot!

I met so many phenomenal people this year, and even became part of a girl gang. This bunch of gals are the world to me and I can't week to get up to more mischief with them in 2015. My Ipswich friends have been my rock this year too, it's all been up and down but I count my lucky stars everyday that I have each and every one of them in my life.

I have tried super hard to increase myself as a 'brand' in the past year which saw my Facebook page quadruple in likes and activity! I just can't get over how much it has all progressed! I partook in some fab photoshoots, got my face in some magazines, am Miss October in the Outerlimitz calendar and worked together with some great vintage and repro companies!

Finally, I launched a new adventure: Peachy Keen Vintage Fair...but I'll save that for another post!