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!

Christmas Martini

Even though my bar-tending days are behind me I still love mixing up alcoholic concoctions, and Christmas is the perfect time to get experimenting - you'll have lots of willing test subjects too! 

I've always been a fan of the classic gin martini. I love the balance of flavours plus the punch of the alcohol. But, I've never been very keen on vodka - any vodka, its just not my bag. That is until I discovered the art of making my own flavoured vodkas. With this I have transformed what I see as liquefied hair spray into delicious beverages and bases for many a cocktail. 

This is how I made my spiced cranberry vodka, plus how to put it to good use in a Christmas Martini

The Vodka:

1 750ml bottle of vodka (I used Absolut because it has the cleanest flavour in my opinion)

300g fresh cranberries

200g sugar (use caster sugar if possible)

2 tbsp water

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cardamom (if you can ground it yourself from the pods even better!)

• In a large saucepan combine the sugar, the cranberries and the water together. Sprinkle in the spices and stir through.
• Leave on a low to medium heat and occasionally stir to make sure its not sticking to the bottle of the pan.
• Once most of the berries have split your syrup is ready. Take it off the heat and leave to cool slightly but not completely as it will be too thick.
• In a large airtight container pour all the vodka and syrup mixture, and stir together.
• Leave in a cool, dark place for 7-10 days. Stir once a day or when necessary to shake up the sediment.
• Strain into a bowl/large jug. I found that I could still get more juice from the berries so I gave them a little mash and pushed the liquid through the sieve.
• Pour into a sterilised bottle (I saved the Absolut bottle and just washed out with boiling water).

The vodka should be sweet enough from the syrup to just serve over ice, but if not add a splash of lemonade or tonic water.

The Martini:

50ml of spiced cranberry vodka

20ml of dry vermouth

1 dash of Angostura Bitters.

• Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker
• Add a good amount of cubed ice (about twice as much as the liquid or half the shaker)
• Stir until diluted (depending on the heat of your surroundings this could take 10 seconds, it could take a minute. It always does well to test a little as you go along using a straw to pinch some up)
• Strain through a fine strainer or sieve into a traditional martini glass or coupette.
• Optional garnish of a slither of orange peel to really boost the Christmas scents.

Sunglasses, Ice Cream & Hotdogs

That is mostly what my weekend consisted of!

What a glorious weekend of sunshine and friends I had! It made me really remember how amazing summer is in this country, and I can't wait to spend it in my new East Anglian home.

Ipswich doesn't have much in the way of vintage clothes shops or lifestyle things, apart from some pretty decent bands, so I was chuffed to hear Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair was rolling into town. Myself and my friends pootled down to the fair to check it out, and were pleasantly surprised. Recently we in the vintage community have seen a bit of a, how do I put this, decline in actual vintage at the fairs, but it was great to see lots of 1960s clothes on Saturday as well as some modern reproductions of mid-century things. Even the boys had some things to look at - a true rarity nowadays!

Got snapped at Judy's!

I got myself some sunglasses (cat eye, obviously!) from a lovely stall - forget the name, sorry - that was selling prints and knick knacks. Kayla also got herself some sunnies as well as a bowling shirt. Rick picked up a Hawaiian shirt ready for my shindig at the end of the month and I think the other lads got some delights too.

As an Ipswich newbie I had yet to experience Ra Ra's Ice Cream parlour until this weekend. We must have looked a right sight all trooping into there - maybe a little movie set-ish aha! Anyway, the ice cream was delicious, as were the milkshakes and they do root beer! Yum! Now...if only they could so some more food, I think we'd make it a frequent haunt of our's!

That brings me neatly onto my next little segment. What is a summer Saturday without a few pints in the pub? We spent the rest of the afternoon and into the evening sat in a pub garden, drinking cider and eating hot dogs (well I stole chips from Rick's plate). Regardless of the odd yelp from the crowd watching the football it was a lovely evening!

After my little taster, I can't wait for summer to be in full swing!

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Miss Vintage UK

Hello guys and dolls! I'm here to ask a favour really...

You know how I like to enter quite a few modelling competitions? And you know how I love all my readers so much? Well...

I would absolutely love to win Miss Vintage UK with Twinwood Festival, but I need your votes to get through to the next round! The top 20 girls and top 10 guys from the voting round will be put through to the judge's round where they will be whittled down to the top 10 ladies and top 4 gents who will be finalists at Twinwood!

So far I am in 13th place (oooh unlucky! Let's get me out of that one!) but need more votes to really secure a place so could you please give this link a click and then 'like' the photo? Because that would be fantastic!

Voting ends 17th May!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151941298107657&set=a.10151925997677657.1073741832.30797112656&type=3&theater

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Major Life Update.

Hello you lot! Did you miss me? I have been very busy with well...life! Yes, I finally got one!

Since I last spoke to you at the end of January I have upped sticks and moved to Ipswich! That's a bit random, I hear you cry. Well, not when you consider that my boyfriend as well as lots of friends live in the town and surrounding area. Oh, and that little fact that I landed a dreamy job that has put me on the first rung of my career in heritage! Yippee! I am now the Visitor Services Trainee (aka, intern) at the Museum of East Anglian Life; I am training in all the behind the scenes things that go on at museums that make the experience the best it can be for the visitor, and also help plan and run the events. I'll keep you all updated (she says...hopefully...) with goings on in that aspect, especially about the very exciting Blues Festival which I am sure y'all will want to know about!

What else have I done to fill my time? Well I've done lots and lots of modelling, even some paid work! I'm really glad I kick started that again as I love doing it, but now since the move it looks like I'm going to have to get to know a whole new bunch of people! My favourite shoot I did was with Paul Good, and I've put a few photos from that below because I love them so much!

March rolled around and saw me at Bedlam Breakout again. I may have gotten far, far, far too drunk on Friday night - that sort of drunk where you don't remember anything and it's not enjoyable, but you wake up with bruises - but the rest of the weekend (minus the Saturday hangover) was great! Even got the bus back with the guitarist from Frantic Flintstones! Work depending, I hope to be back there this September too.

So that is pretty much it but as you can see, life was a little bit hectic and up in the air for a few months! I've got a few blogs planned for the next month or so as it is Mid Century Market time as well as the start of weekender season - Atomic first, yay!

Catch you soon!

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A Mid Century Marvellous Market!

So, you may remember that I mentioned Bettina Scarlett's Mid Century Christmas Market in a previous post? Well this is what I thought of it! (Hint: I thought it was swell!)

After a little journey to London, a long walk down the wrong road and many confused looks at my map, I found the location. Stepping inside I was greeted by Bettina, who was looking like a swan in water gliding around in a gorgeous Bernie Dexter dress, and I signed up the raffle - sadly I did not win, boo!

But, I did certainly come away with some bargains anyway! I had had my eye on a hair ornament (I say ornament because they are far more than just a flower!) from Rosie Alia, so when I saw a trio of silver glittery poinsettias I had to have it! It was pride of place in my hair on Christmas day. Sticking with the sparkly things I got my hands on a late 1950s/early 1960s gold top from Miss Turnstiles. I picked it up off the hanger and immediately fell in love, never did I think it would fit me, but alas it was perfect! I wore it with a pencil skirt to my parents friends' soiree and everyone admired the sparkles like little magpies! My last buy was a pair of bauble earrings; sadly no photos of those, but I loved the novelty of them!

Look at it's beauty!!

It was perfect with my poodle!

It was such a lovely excuse to go to London, and I spent the entire day with friends from all over the south who I didn't think I would get to see again until at least the springtime. Bettina had put so much work and effort into the day, and I'm so happy that it came off swimmingly for her. As London's only Mid Century market it is a refreshing take on the vintage fair that is often plagued with what I think of as charity shop fodder.

Catch Bettina Scarlett presenting her next market on 12th April, at Hammersmith Club, W6 9DH - just in time for Easter!

Spotlight: The Rockabilly Girl Next Door

This is a first for this blog, and I am very excited to include this lovely lady on my page. Who am I talking about? The Rockabilly Miss Next Door of course! I have been a keen reader and fan of her blog for over three years now so it was a great privilege to be asked by Nadia to do a spotlight post on her blog, and feature her on mine. So without further ado here is the little interview!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My name is Nadia, I am 24 years old and I live in Norway! I am engaged to my boyfriend of 3 years. 

I am a qualified teacher, and I work as a substitute teacher in a primary school. I'm also a student, and I am studying Norwegian as a second language. In addition to that, I am a rockabilly blogger and I blog over at The Rockabilly Girl Next Door. 

1. Why did you start blogging? 

It was 2010 and I started blogging because I wasn't happy with myself. I was not a girly girl at all, and I never felt pretty. I saw these pinup and rockabilly girls online and wanted to be one of them. Through the blog I could be the person I wanted to be, without anyone judging me. I got to live the life I wanted through the blog, and slowly I started gaining the confidence to actually be the person I wanted to be in real life as well. 

2. Favourite blogs?

That's a tricky one, I read a lot of different blogs. I do however love Dolly Cool's blog, and of course Roxie Roulette's :) 

3. Favourite post?

I wrote a tribute post to my favourite teacher this Summer. He passed away to cancer, and I was so upset about it. He meant the world to me. (Here's the link to the post: http://www.therockabillygirlnextdoor.com/2013/07/the-importance-of-role-models.html )

4. Best thing about blogging?

The best thing about blogging must be getting the chance to work with awesome companies. I never in a million years thought I'd be involved with Sourpuss or Classic Hardware when I started out blogging as an insecure young girl. It's also made the world smaller, I feel like I have friends all over the world thanks to blogging.

5. Describe your style

Although I call myself a rockabilly girl, I don't always dress that way. I usually wear clothes that I find comfortable and cute. My overall style is quite normal I guess, but I always add a touch of rockabilly to whatever I wear. I wear a lot of leopard print, stripe and polka dots. I wear Converse pretty much all the time, and I like cardigans to go over cute tops. When it comes to the non-clothing part, I have super red hair and big Bettie bangs, and I usually wear my black cat eyeliner every day :) 

6. Where do you buy your clothes/shoes/accessories?

I rarely buy clothes online, because of taxes in Norway. It's very expensive to get things sent here, and I often have to pay twice the amount just to get my stuff out of the post office. I also like trying the clothes on before buying, and since I can't do that online I shop at random stores in Norway. I go to average stores we have here (they're kinda like H&M), but I'm not afraid to walk into any other random store if I see something I really like. 

7. Who inspires you?

When I first started off in this rockabilly world, I was inspired by burlesque dancer Frostine Shake. I thought she was so beautiful, and I wanted to be like her. I still love her style, but nowadays I take inspiration from many different people. I spend a lot of time on Instagram checking out awesome rockabilly girls and let them inspire me. And who can forget John Water's rockabilly rebel Wanda Woodward?

8. What were your highlights of 2013?

One of my blog highlights must be when I worked with Classic Hardware. That was awesome! Personal life highlights must be finishing arts&crafts in uni (it was horrible) and teaching myself how to run again. I have a serious ankle damage, and haven't been able to run for 7 years. I started working out, and suddenly one day I ran. I couldn't believe it! It was also amazing to go back to Cyprus after 8 years. I've missed my friends and family there so much, and it was great to stay with them for a week. 

9. What are you looking forward to in 2014?

I'm looking forward to see what life brings for me and my boyfriend. I will also finish my very last year in university, so I guess I'm looking forward to finding out what job I'll end up with! I don't want to grow up just yet... 

10. One random fact about yourself.

I can understand 5 different languages; Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, English (duh) and Irish/Gaelic. I can speak all five of them to some extent, some better than others 

For more The Rockabilly Girl Next Door follow her blog, 'like' her Facebook page and follow her on Twitter

The 2013 Review.

Seriously...where has this year gone? It completely and utterly flashed before my eyes! I think I spent half of it in the library so that might explain quite a lot. All in all I think I have had a fabulous year; yes I had a hiccup in October but I am out the other side of that and feeling all reflective. I met and left some gorgeous people, I pushed myself as a 'brand' even further, got back into modelling, met a boy, and even started my own small business! Absolute craziness!

Check out all my hair colours!

I have much to be thankful and proud for from 2013. Mainly the fact that I graduated from university with a 2.1 in Archaeology. It is something I worked incredibly hard for so it is a great achievement that fulfilled the dream of a little girl who quite liked history. I met some amazing people during my three years in Liverpool, both from university and from the city. It was tough at times for a southern girl in the north but I am very now very attached and connected to my adoptive city and all the memories it gave me. If you want to read more about my experiences then check out this post. 

As well as the delicious people of Liverpool I met lots of people in the vintage and rockabilly world, all who have been equally fabulous. I really tried to boost my social networks this year and even branched into getting myself a Facebook page and profile for this blog and my other works. I have this to thank for meeting these people, and I hope in 2014 I continue to grow as I did this year.

First up we had the vintage blogger meet up in May. It was a brilliant day spent in London, shopping and getting to know the people behind the pages even better. I think its about time another one of these was planned!

Another amazing person I was introduced to was Bethan, aka Bettina Scarlett. We are now firm friends, sharing chalets at the Rhythm Riot and having lots of dancing fun! She is the one I have to thank for kick starting my modelling again really, as she asked me to be an Atomic Bombshell. This was another big highlight of the year for me; I had an unbelievable amount of fun doing it, met some great folks, and got a nudge back to getting in front of a camera. Hopefully in 2014 I'll have many more photoshoots and get myself noticed that little bit more.

What a year I have had! I can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for me, who I'll get to meet, where I'll get to go, and what I'll get to do! It all is really exciting right now!

Festive Frolics.

What a lovely few days I have had! I am absolutely stuffed full of food, alcohol and merriment. 

I kick started the season off with nibbles and rum with my parents' friends (and my adoptive family) the Mears' which was utterly delightful. Christmas Eve was spent at my cousins' house, who were, as you can imagine, bouncing off the walls with excitement for the forthcoming visit from a jolly bearded fellow.

Talking of Santa, I thought at the age of 22 I would not be on his list anymore, but alas! I was wrong! I awoke on Christmas Day to a little pile of pressies at the end of my bed, including a lovely wooden pineapple bowl, cocktail shaker and Soap & Glory smellies. Dad's family came over for day for the enormous feast my mum (with help) prepared. All in all it was a lovely day but did include some dubious hats...

We were up bright and early for Boxing Day to go to Romsey's 12th Annual Classic Car & Bike Meet. This really is a fabulous event for a great cause - Prostate Cancer UK - so if you're on the south coast, you should certainly head down to it next year for a brisk wake up after a heavy Christmas Day. The rest of the day was spent with the cousins again, trying to eat up more of the food. I  think we have enough cheese to last us until Easter...

Today, the day after Boxing Day, was another family day with Dad's side at his parents' house. Well...there was even more food that needed eating,  obviously!

So that was my festive season, but how did you spend your's? However it was, I hope it was a jolly nice one!

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Have A Cool Yule!

Good mornin' my lovelies! Are we all set? Are all the pressies wrapped? Is the bubbly on ice? Or is it all chaos in your household as the turkey won't cook, the sprouts argument is raging and there is sellotape stuck to everything?

Well whatever your situation I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! I hope everything is beautiful in your world for the festivities! Have a wonderful day and I shall see you on the other side!

And The Winner Is....

My giveaway ended earlier today and it is time to announce the winner of the Marilyn Monroe book, festive hair flower and nail varnish.

So without further ado, the winner is...

Chrissie Curtis!!!

Congratulations! Please email me with your details so I can send you prize off within 7 days!

roxieroulette@outlook.com

A Most Blustery Day.

Some of you may well know that I am trying to reignite my modelling antics. I've done a fair bit in the past and got busy this summer being an Atomic Bombshell. It is something I would really like to do more of in the future, especially now I am back in the south and can get out and about more.

So, last Friday I had a shoot planned with two photographers. Well, actually it was originally just the one but Annette came along too to snap some extras. I have yet to receive Annette's photos (she's a very busy lady!) but here are Ray Haynes' shots.

The shoot took place on Weston Shore, in Netley and on Southampton Common as they provided us with some amazing natural backdrops.

I wore a two outfits consisting of:

• Skirt from Shanghai Lil
• Jumper from TK Maxx
• Scarf from Accessorize (I think...)
• Dungarees from Freddies of Pinewood
• Jumper from Topshop
• Boots from Jones'
• Jacket from a kilo sale

If you would like to shoot with me, please email me at roxieroulette@outlook.com

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