Hello, readers! While I was browsing through Facebook this morning I stumbled upon a 28 day vintage and pinup fashion "challenge." I have seen these in various forms-- one of my friends did/is doing a 30 day Lolita challenge-- but I have never felt that I had the discipline to keep one up myself. With that said, I highly doubt I will be able to do this one perfectly, but they will serve as inspiration for blog posts! Day one is: Intro and style inspiration. While I don't think an intro is necessary, I will share two of my biggest sources of style inspiration. 1. Queen Elizabeth II Yes, Her Majesty The Queen in the late 1940s and 1950s is probably who I look up to the most when it comes to style. I also look up to her in the present day because she is the very definition of class and grace. She keeps her personal life private, and when she is seen in public she never fails to look regal and polished. I could go on and on about why I admire her so much, but this is about fashion! Here are some photographs from around the times I find her outfits to be most inspirational. As you can see, her outfits were breathtaking. She was and is everything a lady should be! I aim to be every bit of a lady that she is, and any time someone tells me I look like young Elizabeth, it makes my heart happy. 2. Dita Von Teese The Queen of Burlesque! Dita's day to day outfits inspire me to put effort into my appearance. You will never see her in a pair of torn up jeans, leggings and Uggs, or over sized t shirts. She always dresses like a lady (when not on stage of course!), and whenever I need ideas on how I can incorporate more casual vintage looks into my wardrobe, I look to her. I have always admired her ability to look completely flawless and vintage while not always going over the top. Here are some of her more toned down looks for when she is going about her regular daily routine (what I have come to understand is called her "street style") and not glam-ing it up for the evening: And there we have it! Day 1 of the vintage and pinup challenge. It is yet to be determined how many of the 28 I will actually get around to, but stay tuned to find out!
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Wow! It sure has been a long time since I updated, but believe you me these past few months have been some of the busiest and most stressful I have ever had. The semester just ended last week, and this was the first time in my graduate school career that I took two classes at one time. I made it through, but I had precious little free time and there were moments where I honestly questioned whether or not I was capable of the work load. Now I only have one year left, so I must keep pushing forward. Also, as many of you know already I underwent surgery a week ago today. I have told a few of my friends what I had done but I am sure the majority of people on my Facebook friends list don't know. I won't get into too much detail, and for those who would rather remain ignorant I will use the long, fancy scientific name of the procedure: bilateral salpingectomy. If you are curious, by all means Google it. The purpose of doing so was to hopefully do more to prevent certain cancers that my BRCA1 gene mutation put me at higher risk of developing. It is unusual to have these types of preventative surgeries before age 35, but the decision to start now was, for me, not a difficult decision at all. Of course this is only the first in what will probably be a series of 3 surgeries to eliminate as much risk as humanely possible, but I will cross those bridges when I come to them. And with that, I would like to move onto something a bit more lighthearted. At the very end of September, my mother, grandmother and I went on short trip to Georgia to shop and spend time together before my schedule became unmanageable. Of course, the trip included a trip to a tea room. After researching some of the tea rooms in the area, we came across a relatively new one called Jessa's Tea Parlor. I think we were all quite pleased with our final decision, because it ended up being one of the nicest little tea rooms I have visited. It is a small location that you might miss if you weren't specifically looking for it, but it is cozy and welcoming on the inside. I have to say that what really won me over and made me want to go back whenever I am in the area, was the food. Everything we ordered was made with fresh, clean ingredients and deliciously prepared, and the owner, Jessa, went above and beyond to make sure she had some gluten free options available for me that day. She bakes the desserts that are served in the tea room so she personally baked some gluten free chocolate chip cookies so that I didn't have to miss out on dessert. Those were some of the best GF cookies I had ever had. And her presentation was especially enticing! I was also impressed with the tea selection. You never really know what the selection will be like a new tea room-- sometimes there are sadly just the basics with no interesting blends and other times there are so many you can't make up your mind. In this case, there were plenty of blends that sounded to be unique to the tea room and each of us got something different so we could try eachother's. The tea was served in beautiful porcelain pots, and each table had a different tea set. As a collector of "tea things," I am easily won over by aesthetically appealing porcelain and china. Unfortunately I don't remember the exact blend I decided on, but I do remember that I enjoyed it and thought about getting some to take home. However, I have a serious tea problem and my tea cabinet is plenty full. A little too full, I imagine. My dress also ended up being a hit. It is from the British brand Lindy Bop and features all kinds of kitchen and baking items. I thought it would be appropriate to wear to a tea room with baked goods.
I highly recommend Jessa's Tea Parlor to anyone in the Atlanta area-- specifically Woodstock. I hope that I get to go back soon as I got the impression that Jessa and I had a lot of things in common and I would love to visit with her again. A truly wonderful experience for a "mother, daughter, grandmother" weekend! For those of us in the United States, yesterday was quite an exciting day! Everyone in all 50 states were able to see at least at partial solar eclipse, but many, as I did, traveled to the "Path of Totality" in order to experience a total solar eclipse. The path ran from the Pacific Northwest downward to Charleston, South Carolina. My dad and I agreed that this event was something that we did not want to miss, so we made plans to drive up to Athens, Tennessee to catch the total eclipse. It was an experience I will never forget, and I feel so fortunate to have been able to travel to see it. We began our journey on Sunday, and stayed overnight in Chattanooga. Since we arrived around lunch time, I convinced my dad to take me a place I found online called the Wildflower Tea Shop and Apothecary-- as the name suggests, it is not quite a tea room in the sense that it does not offer a full afternoon service, but it offers a large selection of teas and a few pastries to enjoy the same way one might at a neighborhood coffee shop. The inside was spacious and uncluttered, with a quiet, calming atmosphere. There were wooden tables and chairs to sit at, and one sofa and two arm chairs around a coffee table one could also sit but unfortunately that area was taken. I think it would be nice to have a couple more seating arrangements like that because in my opinion, it is much more relaxing to take tea at a low table in the style of a true afternoon tea. The selection of teas was very impressive-- there were about 3 pages of black teas, white teas, green teas, and herbals and I had a difficult time choosing. I finally settled on a green Darjeeling, which I had never tried before. It was nice, but I still prefer the usual black Darjeeling. All orders are placed at the counter, and your tea is brought to your table when it is ready. I saw a few shelves behind the counter stocked with tea pots, so I assumed that the tea would be brought to me in one of them along with a tea cup. However, mine was brought in a mug. I was rather disappointed because there's just something about pouring my own tea from a pot that's therapeutic in a way-- I get to see the steam and smell and see the color of the tea. Of course, I would have been much more disappointed (displeased, even) if it had come in a paper cup like Starbuck's. It is true that the material your cup is made out of can affect the taste of the tea, and paper cups just will not do. Along with tea, I got one of their gluten free donuts with matcha icing. It was incredible. It's a good thing there were only two left (one for me and one for my dad), or I'm afraid I would have eaten another one...and then paid for it later when the sugar hit my system. Too much sugar makes me feel positively awful. I can definitely see myself being a regular customer of this tea shop if I lived in the area. It would be great to be able to pop in on a whim when I was in need of a pick me up, and there were so many kinds of tea to choose from I would try a different one each time. Their tea is also available to purchase in bulk, and I was very tempted to pick some out to buy but my tea cabinet is quite full at the moment. I do wish we had a place like this where I live. There just isn't anywhere other than a coffee shop to get a cup of tea and sit down and relax. Next time I am in Chattanooga, I will certainly be revisiting Wildflower and pick some of their teas to take home and try. I also highly recommend it for anyone wanting a very casual tea experience!
Hello, readers! It's time for my August update, and this time I decided to show almost my entire collection of tea cups, pots, and accessories. I say "almost" because I am quite sure that there are a couple of things hiding throughout the house that I missed, but for all intents and purposes, this is it. My pride and joy. A collection that is over a decade in the making. So...enjoy! Here are most of my things in their home, which is a vintage china cabinet: First up are my tea pots, both large and miniature. My two favorites are the pink and white one second to the left, and the one on the very right which is a cat. Some might recognize the largest one with the red and yellow roses as the classic print Old Country Roses by Royal Albert. I have the entire set that goes with it, with about 10 tea cups, plates, cutlery, etc. but did not feel the need to include all of that here. Next, my "tea for one" sets. The two on either end were gifts, and the one in the middle is one I bought in Ireland. It as a very fitting Celtic motif. My tea cup collection is the most extensive, so stay with me! The following are cups I have gotten on my travels. From left to right: 1. A replica of a first class tea cup used on the Titanic. I got this one at a Titanic exhibit in Las Vegas. 2. An Alice in Wonderland tea cup from Disney World. I absolutely love the details on the saucer! 3. A cup from Abigail's Tea Room at the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. These tea cups not only have matching saucers, they also have a matching cake plate. I am a sucker for matching sets. The one of the left was a gift and is stamped "Made in Japan." In the middle is my favorite; it is from the Cheeky Pink series by Royal Albert and it is so feminine and beautiful. I love that is has a little crown on the inside-- you can sort of see it in the picture. And the last one was a gift from my Mother when she went to Canada recently. It is also a very pretty, feminine design. All of these were gifts. The first one I believe my mother got in London, and the two next to it are both bone China. Also gifts, and I know the mug doesn't belong but it is a commemorative mug for Queen Elizabeth's diamond jubilee and I am a huge fan of hers. And finally, two that were hiding in my tea cabinet. I told you there were probably a few that I missed! Left is the Winnie the Pooh cup and saucer from Cath Kidston, one of my absolute favorite clothing stores. Right is a Sweet Duffy cup from Tokyo Disney Sea. I love them both to pieces! I am quite crazy about bears. Or, as I like to say, I am a bear fiend. Now, moving on to my miniature collection. I debated on whether or not to even include these, but they are just too cute to leave out. They came from various places through the years. For the sake of brevity, I took one picture of my various accessories. The white tea canister came from one of my all time favorite tea rooms, Crown in Crumpet in San Francisco. I hope one day I get to go back! There is also a cat-shaped creamer for milk, tea bag rests, sugar tongs, and spoons. And finally, what afternoon tea would be complete without a three tiered server? Luckily, I have two! The one on the right goes with my Old Country Roses collection. Well, that about covers it. Again, I am very proud of my collection. It's taken many years to acquire all of the pieces and I'm afraid that soon I will need a second cabinet! As always, thank you for looking! Please do not hesitate to ask me about any pieces that you find particularly interesting-- I love talking about "tea things"!
Unfortunately I was unable to do a June update due to my 4-week summer class (it was abhorrent), but here I am with another baking adventure! As many of you already know, I switched to a completely gluten-free diet around March of this year, so pretty much all of my baking from here on out will be free of gluten. Go ahead, roll your eyes, scoff, say what you want, but all I know is that since cutting gluten, I have been able to eat actual meals without being completely miserable. For a few months at a time, the nausea would get so bad that it was all I could do to choke down a scrambled egg or chicken noodle soup and a protein drink. At one point I lost about 5 pounds and started to look and feel starved. I never believed in non-celiac gluten sensitivity myself until now, even after 4-5 different doctors pushing me to try a gluten-free diet. So think what you will, but for the moment I have more good days than bad, and that in and of itself is really something.
Anyways. Since I have a month and a half semi-free until school starts up again, I have decided to try out some new recipes. Today, I decided on paleo carob chip muffins using a recipe I found on Pinterest. The ingredients are almond flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, salt, and carob chips (the recipe calls for chocolate chips, but I used carob chips that were left over from making cookies). They took about 5 minutes to whisk together, and 18 minutes to bake. I used my silicone muffin pan, and they still stuck a little bit on the bottom so I had to use a knife to loosen them before I took them out. A couple of them came out in two parts, but they still tasted the same. Let me tell you, these are hands down the best muffins I have ever baked in my life! They are delicious, fluffy, and not overly sweet. It was all I could do to not put away three or four at one time. They were a hit with my dad too, so it's not just me who thinks they're so good. The only downside is that they didn't really poof up like regular muffins so they look a little flat, but honestly I don't think that's a problem. Expect more almond flour-based baking adventures in the future! It is my favorite gluten-free flour to bake with because of its higher protein, lower carb content and I really have to watch my carb intake due to my dysautonomia. I have provided a link to where I found the recipe on Pinterest, so anyone who wants to can make them too! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/74731675050556722/ Well everyone, I have returned to the land of eternal humidity. As promised, here is a review of the tea room my mother and I visited in Boston on Mothers Day: Rowes Wharf. Actually a restaurant, this establishment is located inside the Boston Harbor Hotel and hosts afternoon tea services on a regular basis. Being Mothers Day, tea was actually being held in a different room instead of the restaurant, which was a nice surprise. We had a nice view of the harbor as you can kind of tell from the picture. The had placed pink rose petals on each table, which I thought was a very feminine and classy touch. No fancy china teaware, though, so that was just a tad bit disappointing. I'm just a sucker for a daintily painted cup and saucer and matching pot. First, I must mention that they were more than helpful when it came to my dietary restrictions (the whole gluten free thing). The tea sandwiches were prepared with gluten free bread, and I got a small selection of gluten free sweets so I didn't have to feel like I was missing out. The tea selection was rather small and basic; the usual Earl Grey, green tea (they did have jasmine green tea so they get good marks for that!), herbals, and so on. One issue I did have with the tea menu was their placement of Orange Pekoe under "flavored teas." I have probably mentioned this in another post, but Orange Pekoe has nothing to do with actual oranges. I asked the server for clarification about whether it was actually flavored orange or if it was mistake (if it had been a mistake, I would have ordered it because I love Orange Pekoe, but I hate fruit flavored teas as a general rule). I didn't get a really clear answer, because unfortunately he seemed very confused and not knowledgeable about tea at all. So just to be safe, I went with an oolong. One of my biggest disappointments when going to a tea room is not being able to have a real discussion about the types of teas with the staff. I suppose the tea service here was more meant for the novelty of having afternoon tea....I especially got this feeling when I saw "high tea" somewhere on the menu and this definitely was not high tea. Gosh I sound snobbish. Moving on! Here is our spread! They put all of my food on separate plates so there was no confusion as to what was gluten free and what wasn't. I really appreciated that. The sandwiches were smoked salmon with caviar (which I actually liked....wow), whipped egg, and some strange salty substance on top of a cucumber slice. I forgot to ask what it was. There was also a small sprig of lettuce with bacon, but I traded that for my mom's smoked salmon. The sweets I ate were amazing. I didn't eat the macaron because it was berry flavored and I don't do fruit, and I also passed on the coconut pudding. So in the end I had a gluten free scone, chocolate chip shortbread, chocolate cake, and a couple bites of the little meringue dessert that looked like a large Hershey's kiss. I am quite sure I ate entirely too much sugar and carbs. It was a very nice and relaxing experience, and definitely one of the more casual afternoon tea events we have visited. And that is by no means a bad thing-- I love experiencing them all whether they are fancy or low-key. I had really, really wanted to have tea at the Boston Public Library too but our schedule just didn't allow for it. I am still sad that we missed it, but I suppose that just means I'll have to go back someday!
Hi everybody! I slacked a bit last month and didn't get around to doing any posts....grad school is evil that way. I am currently sipping Countess Grey tea from Fortum and Mason, and it is quite lovely on this unseasonably cool day. Apologies to those who won't find this interesting or relevant, but I would like to update you all on something more personal. I know I had mentioned a few months ago a very small bit about some health problems I've been having (I think I wrote about them back when they thought removing my gallbladder would solve things, but alas it did not). Basically, for over two years I have been in and out of doctors' offices and getting every test you could imagine, and many that I'd rather not talk about, trying to figure out why on earth I was always tired and nauseated and why eating made it infinitely worse. Of course, my gastro doc had decided it was still acid reflux (even though it was not being controlled with acid reducing medications) and "functional dyspepsia." Right. Well, me being the type who is absolutely not satisfied with "IDK" diagnoses, I insisted something else was going on. Long story short, after visits with an array of GPs, a neurologist, and a cardiologist, I was FINALLY diagnosed with something: POTS, or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.
For those of you unfamiliar with it, it is what is called a dysautonomia disorder. In the most basic of terms, my autonomic nervous system does not work properly. My dysautonomia doctor phrases it: "you're just wired funny." The autonomic nervous system controls everything we don't think about; heartbeat, blood pressure, digestion, and so on, so when the system doesn't work right, people like me suffer for it. We experience a rapid increase in heart rate upon standing, persistent nausea, trouble digesting, sleep disorders, crazy blood pressure, heat intolerance, fatigue, brain fog...and that's just a few of things. Treatment will involve greatly increasing my water intake, not overdoing it physically, and dietary changes. For me, that meant cutting gluten, increasing my salt intake, decreasing carb, sugar, and caffeine intake, avoiding overly-processed foods, and all of that good stuff. Progress is slow, but I am just thankful to have some kind of answer other than "functional dyspepsia." I couldn't have made it through all of these doctors' appointments, tests, and downright depression over not being able to get answers without the love and support of my family and boyfriend. Really, though. Sometimes I think Stephen is my guardian angel. But anyway! Next Thursday I will be traveling to Boston again, and we have at least two tea room visits planned, so stay tuned!! My next update is going to be a good one :D Thanks for bearing with me through the personal nonsense, but I feel like it needed to be said. Hello everyone! I am very excited to write this post, as it is a review of each perfume from the Besame Cosmetics line: Decades of Fragrance. I absolutely LOVE what they did for this line. Each scent is named after a decade (1910-1960), and each one was carefully concocted to be true to that decade. My boyfriend bought me 1910 a couple of Christmases ago, and I have worn it nearly every day since then. At that time, the perfumes came in beautiful glass bottles but now are only available in rollerball vials or the tiny sample set (apparently, a new bottle design will be revealed sometime this year. Excite). Below is a picture of the bottle, along with the gorgeous box it came in (and a few of my other Besame goodies): Now for the moment we have all been waiting for; my breakdown of each scent. Let's start at the beginning (and be sure to visit their website for a complete list of top notes, heart notes, and base notes):
1910: The first scent I ever got and it is still hands down my favorite. It is light, sweet, and floral. If I had to use one word to describe it, it would be "feminine." It is not overpowering, and once I read another review describe it as smelling like a outdoor, Spring tea party and that is quite accurate. When my large bottle runs out, I will be buying another one when they are released. 1920: This one is not quite as light and feminine. I don't hate it, but it's not exactly "me" like 1910. I want to say it's almost spicy with a hint of musk. It reminds me of what it smells like when you walk past an incense display, which makes sense as it has myrrh as a base note and that tends to be a popular incense scent. Also, there seems to be the tiniest hint of a baby powder smell...but I would need someone else to confirm that. 1930: A tiny bit sweeter than 1920 and I like it much better. Still a little musky though, so not my style either-- but again, I don't dislike it. One of the base notes is cedar wood, and that is probably the one other than musk that stands out to me the most. It reminds me of this little cedar wood box my grandmother had; I would open it sometimes just to smell it. Besame uses the words "Marlene Dietrich, cigarettes and seduction, 1930s oriental" to describe it, and I would say that they are appropriate. Also, they gave me two samples of this one and I'm not sure why. Some coffee beans would be helpful right about now. 1940: Now this one I really like. On first "sniff," I got a hint of vanilla, but there doesn't appear to be any vanilla in it. The more I smell it, bergamot comes out-- which I am familiar with because that is what is in Earl Grey tea. There is also a slight "spice" to it at the very end...? Maybe "Earthy" is a better word, as it is probably the sandalwood I am picking up on. I'd wear this one on a fancy night out (which is funny because I never go anywhere). 1950: As this is my favorite decade, I had very high hopes for this one. I actually wore this one today! I really like it, but I would suggest spraying it on the inner wrists rather than the neck like I did, because a little bit goes a long way and it can get tiresome to constantly smell nothing but 1950 no matter which way you turn. The actual scent reminds me of a toiletry item my grandmother had in her bathroom many years ago, but I can't remember exactly what. It is a rather powdery smell with the slightest hint of musk and a dash of flowers (from the gardenia, I would assume). I'm on the fence about whether or not I would buy this one, and I'll have to wear it more and see if I end up loving it. Right now, I just like it and found it too overpowering to wear on my neck like usual. 1960: The first thing I thought of when I smelled this one is "woah." As in "woah, that was like being punched in the nose." A little of this one goes a looong way, and I definitely smell that patchouli. I feel like I have smelled something similar before, and I want to say it was a perfume my other grandmother had a long time ago. I can't get past the patchouli to really make anything else out. In my opinion, it smells exactly like the patchouli scented oil I got to use in an incense burner when I was 13. It's a "no" from me. Well that was fun, and now my nose and throat are burning. To sum up, I did not like 1920 and 1960, 1930 was OK, I liked 1950 and 1940, and 1910 positively beautiful. Keep in mind though, everyone has a different sense of smell and different likes and dislikes, and this was just my impressions of them. To end this post, here is a picture of my Besame cosmetic brushes and brush holder. Aren't they lovely? (Also, just as a small side note, the last "e" in Besame is supposed to have an accent mark but I'm afraid I don't know how to put one there. Please forgive me.) My apologies for it being so long since I've updated (again...), life continues to be busy, frustrating, and sometimes difficult. I won't bother going into too much detail but just know that my free time has been limited for one reason or another, but I am not abandoning this blog because I really enjoy updating when I can. This post will cover one of my most enjoyed Christmas gifts: a three month tea of the month subscription from the British department store, Fortnum and Mason. You've never heard of Fortnum and Mason, you say? Well, let's just say that it is, without a doubt, the classiest department store I have ever seen (not in person, but virtually). Founded in 1707, they have the finest teas, groceries, clothing, etc. and I believe I read that it is where Buckingham Palace acquires grocery items. They are famous for their wicker baskets (hampers, as they call them) stamped with their F&M logo, which are stocked with grocery items of your choice. Needless to say, I had to try some of their teas, and what better way to try a selection of them than to sign up to receive 2 samples a month? My subscription covered December, January, and February and I have only tried 3 of them so far. December included Royal Blend (Assam and Ceylon blend) and Jasmine Dragon Pearls (a Chinese green), January included Ceylon Orange Pekoe, Dong Ding (a Taiwanese Oolong), and February included Countess Grey (a blend from China and Ceylon) and Peony King (a Chinese white tea). Each delivery comes with a lovely little envelope with an overview of the teas that are included. Details include the origin of the tea, its strength, what time of day is best to enjoy it, what it pairs well with, and a short description of each tea. Here is the January envelope as an example: So far, I have tried the Royal Blend, Ceylon Orange Pekoe, and Jasmine Dragon Pearls. My favorite has been the Royal Blend-- the strongest bodied of all the teas I received. According to the description, it was first blended for King Edward VII in 1902 and was known as King's Blend until the 1920s. It's no surprise that it is my favorite, as Assam and Ceylon blends are what I tend to prefer.
For those who are not familiar with tea blends, it is important to note that Orange Pekoe tea actually has nothing to do with oranges and does not have an orange flavor. The name refers to the tea's grade; it's leaves are large, dark and even in size. Some say that the name is a reference to the House of Orange, the Dutch royal family in the 1600s, as Holland was the first European country to obtain tea. I enjoyed this tea as well, although it was not quite as strong as the Royal Blend and therefore not on my "ohmygosh this is my favorite!" list. Although I enjoy black teas the most, I still enjoy green tea and Jasmine scented greens are my top choice. The leaves have been rolled into little "pearls", which unfurl as you brew them. I love the subtle, floral flavor, and it is one that I drink when I just need to relax. I'm looking forward to trying the others; I have not tried too many Oolongs (pronounced either wu-long or oo-long) which are slightly stronger bodied than greens and lighter than blacks. I am curious to try the Countess Grey to see how it differs from Earl Grey, and unfortunately I don't think I am going to like the Peony King. I have an appreciation for white teas and have tasted one or two that I liked, but they just tend to be too light for me. But of course I will still give it a try and let you all know what I think! I am a bit sad that I received my final box of tea, but in reality it is for the best since now I can focus on trying what I have and not end up with a cupboard full of little packets that I never will get around to opening. Few things in life are sadder than wasted high quality tea. I hope you enjoyed the update, and feel free to post any questions or comments! Good afternoon, readers! Just yesterday I was brainstorming about ideas for my next post, so I decided to ask my (very few but much appreciated) followers what they would like to see me write about. My first suggestion was to share some of my favorite vintage fashion and lifestyle blogs that I love to read in my spare time. So, I have decided to share four of them-- two of which make me realize how inferior my blog is in terms of the vintage outfit posts, but everyone has to start somewhere, right...? If only my hair-fixing skills were halfway decent, then I'd be getting somewhere!
Anyway, here we go (in no particular order)! 1. Chronically Vintage http://www.chronicallyvintage.com/ This blog is kept up by a beautiful lady by the name of Jessica, who lives in Canada. She posts pictures of her stunning vintage outfits and various other bits of inspiration for those of us who want to live and breathe vintage. What really resonated with me is the fact that she suffers from chronic illness (which gave her inspiration for her blog title) and still manages to look absolutely flawless. As many of you know, I have my fair share of "invisible illnesses" such as arthritis and a whole list of digestive disorders and it is beyond inspiring to see someone going through some of the same things while embracing the vintage lifestyle. Unfortunately, Jessica recently lost her home and all of her belongings in a house fire so do consider adding her to your prayer list or reaching out to her via her blog to offer love and emotional support. 2. Junebugs and Georgia Peaches http://junebugsandgeorgiapeaches.blogspot.com/ This blog is run by two ladies, Amanda and Katie, who I find very inspirational in terms of their fashion sense. Any time they blog about their outfits, they always include where they bought each item-- very helpful to those of us who are always on the lookout for lovely things to add to our closet. Speaking of which, one fun feature of the blog is "Friday Favorites": posts where Amanda and Katie share beautiful clothing, accessories, etc. that caught their attention on online stores. It can be dangerous if you love online window shopping as much as I do, but I try my best to resist spending too much money and it's still fun just to look. 3. Glamour Daze http://glamourdaze.com/ This blog is a goldmine! It is not centered around one particular person or persons, but it has seemingly infinite posts on vintage fashion, hair, and makeup organized by decade (1900-1960s). As a fashion history enthusiast, I could spend hours and hours on this blog since it is appropriate for research as well (they call it a vintage fashion and beauty archive). My favorite part of this blog is that they also run a Youtube channel where they post archival footage of everything from mid-century fashion shows to 1940s beauty tutorials! If you are really interested in reading about fashion history and getting inspiration from the past, this blog is for you! 4. Besame Cosmetics https://besamecosmetics.com/blogs/blog This a blog run by the cosmetics company, Besame Cosmetics. Now, I have mentioned before that I am not a huge makeup fan and do not wear it on a daily basis. However, Besame is my absolute favorite cosmetics company; and if any makeup line can make me want to go through the trouble of applying mascara and lipstick, Besame can. They are the only company that I know of that exclusively produces makeup in vintage inspired packaging and creates replicas of products used from the 1910s to the late 1960s. For instance, one of their most popular products is their 1920s cake mascara; a water-activated mascara that comes in a solid block like what was used before the kinds of mascara we know of today. Everything from their lipstick and rouge shades to their powders and perfumes faithfully captures the glamorous feel of vintage makeup. Using it is fun and makes me feel like a golden age Hollywood star! Their blog talks about the historical inspiration behind their products, features users of their makeup, and includes posts on the history of certain cosmetics such as the old classic: red lipstick. Be careful though, it might make you want throw out all of your modern makeup and fill your vanity with Besame! Thank you for reading, and I hope you found some inspiration in these blogs! |
About Me
Greetings, readers! My name is Jordie, and I am a tea obsessed, history loving young lady who just happened to be born about 60 years too late. Archives
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