Vintage Bangs at Va-Voom Vintage

Brittany at Va-Voom Vintage is having a week of vintage bang tutorials. Day one- Audrey Hepburn. Great start! Be sure to visit everyday for some adorable vintage hair styles.

Daniela Turudich Vintage Lifestyle Books Reprint!

I am so excited to see on Amazon.com that some of the Daniela Turudich books are going to be reprinted in July 2013. Right now there are four titles that will be available, but I have a feeling that if they do well others won't be far behind.

Below are the books available that you can pre-order at a really great price. I also included 2 books that are not in print at this time, but still have a few copies floating around.

Moving Sale!

MOVING SALE! I got a job in North Carolina and now I have to move across the country. My gain is your gain- everything in my shop is 30% off until December 5th! Use the coupon code HAPPYMOVE.

Here's a preview of what is available right now:

Triple Victory Roll Tutorial

Arthelia's Attic posted about this video on facebook by Amanda Lee and I LOVE it! Just in time to practice for Viva Las Vegas 15. I almost wish I didn't have my hair cut into a 1920's bob last month.



There are more of these vintage-loving gems on Atomic Age Picture's youtube page. Also visit Amanda's blog The Call of the Jitterbug Doll.

Viva Las Vegas Series #15- Train Cases

If you gals are like me, and you might be if you like to read my blog, then you have a large amount of make-up. I just never know what kind of mood I will be in and what colors I will need. Plus, some days I need a little extra oomph and add a touch of sparkle to my eyes. So basically what I'm saying is- I have a LOT of make-up and need a stylish place to put it. I was lucky enough to find a 1950s Samsonite Ultralite train case with tray and key for about $35 and I would gladly kill for it if anyone tried to take it from me. I am able to fit all of my make-up in it, plus a small bag of jewelry and some hair styling products. It is probably my most essential item in living a vintage lifestyle because it means I can be mobile at the drop of a hat.

If you don't have a train case, I would seriously suggest getting one. To make it easy on you I found a few on etsy that looked like they were in decent shape and most of them come with a tray. Some people don't care and like the extra room without it, but I find it a must. Below is a snapshot of the etsy treasury I put together for you. As an added plus, there are 2 of the exact same case I have in the listing. FYI, decent train cases don't usually stick around, especially with a tray, so if you find one you like don't wait too long to get it!

Train Case Treasury

Viva Las Vegas Series #13- Victory Rolls Tutorial on Diary of a Vintage Girl

If there is anyone who doesn't read the blog Diary of a Vintage Girl (is there actually anyone who doesn't?!?) the magical Fleur de Guerre has posted one of the best tutorials I have seen for Victory rolls. Isn't she brilliant? Her hair makes me want to grow out my bangs- should I?

Las Vegas Series #12- Pomades for Men

If your man hasn't been reading the Art of Manliness blog he needs to get his tushy on over there immediately! Not only do they have ruggedly amazing posts about manly man things (like how to wrestle an alligator or how to be a professional stuntman), they also have giveaways. Right now they have a blog post on vintage pomades, how to apply them and wash them out and their modern equivalents. Perfect for VLV 14!

Adorable Hair Clips

Is it wrong for me to be in love with these hair clips by Chew Chew's Closet on etsy, even though they are technically meant for children?





One perk about the kids thing is that they are made extremely well and the clip is enclosed in fabric, so gals with fine hair won't get their hair pulled out (I hate that!). If you have super thick hair you might want to request a custom piece made with a jumbo clip.


Another perk is that they are super affordable. Most clips are between $4-5. I just love this heart clip, don't you?

I almost added this as a Viva post, but decided I should leave it up to you my readers to decide if these are too cutesy for VLV. I don't think so. I could also see these being used for Kawaii and Lolita outfits.

Personally I would plan an outfit around these cuties...

Valentine's Day with Tart Deco

Oooh- I just added some new hair accessories to my online etsy store Tart Deco. Some hair flowers and a mini hat like these:

Marabou Love Hat Topper

Lena's Jewel Hair Fascinator

I will also be adding a few more each day. Here's a sneak peek just for you:

If you are interested in either of these, send me a message at tartdeco at gmail dot com and I will create a reserve listing for you. You can also keep an eye on my etsy store widget to the right for newly featured pieces.

Viva Las Vegas Series #6- Brushing Out Pincurls




ps this is not actually Einstein's son

 I don't know about you gals, but the first time I did a pincurl set and tried to brush it out I felt like my friend on the right here. Something must have gone horribly wrong. It took me back to my first perm when I ended up looking like a scared poodle and almost passed out from the smell (this was in the 70s). It took quite a bit of reassurance from my friends and a lot of patience and pomade to calm me. Now if I don't look like Albert Einstein's son over there when I first unravel my curls I feel like I did something wrong ;)

Ava Gardner

Here is how I brush out my pincurls to go from afro (right) to fabulous (left):

First I unroll each curl and then use my fingers to start separating the curls slightly. This will help to prevent tangling when you start to brush them out. If I have tight curls I might also give them a once over with a super wide toothed comb.

Next I commence to brushing through my hair once. DO NOT use a bristle brush! Your hair will turn into a mat of frizz and you will be done for. Use a paddle brush like the one on the right. This will help to keep static to a minimum and doesn't damage the curl as much.

After this first go-over is when most gals begin crying and jump in the shower. Do not despair! This is when a little bit of pomade and a lot of perserverence will prevail. My absolute favorite pomade is called Motions Shine Enhancing Pomade. It is light with a slight fragrance and it adds just a hint of glimmer. I bought a jar on a whim a few years ago and now a pack of wild wolves couldn't pry it out of my cold dead hands. Sometimes you can find it at Walgreens if they have an African American hair section. I buy mine at Target and it costs between $5-7 a jar, which lasts almost a year for me.

After the first brush through, touch a bit of pomade with your fingertips and warm it up by rubbing it in your palms. Warming it helps to spread it easier. Remember to use a little bit at a time. You can always add more but once you have too much you usually have to wash it out and lose your curls. After it is warmed up, use your fingertips to apply it to your hair, starting from the middle of your strands towards the ends. You don't have to cover all your hair because it will spread more when you do the next brush through.

Rita Hayworth

After you add pomade to the curls, start the next brush through from your roots to the ends. You will begin to see the curls line-up into ridges. If it doesn't happen right away, try another brush through. Once you start to see some shape to your hair you can look for any patches of frizziness and dab a small bit of pomade on it. Once you have the general shape together that your hair will take you can then use hairspray and ratting to add rolls or reshape your bangs.

Have fun!

Viva Las Vegas Series #1- Hair

For my first VLV post I decided to start from the top down with a roll and pompadour how-to. I have the best results with a wet set so I am going to cover that.

First, you have to wash your hair, obviously ;) I use Queen Helene's Mint Julip Shampoo because the shampoo recipe hasn't changed since it first came out in the 30s and it roughens up the hair cuticle enough to keep a good curl. Plus it smells divine! I don't use an in-shower conditioner because it slicks up the hair and makes the curl fall too soon. I do use a lightweight spray-in conditioner.

Next get yourself a good setting lotion. I like to use Lotta Body. The bottle says to dilute the lotion which I suggest doing or it gets crunchy, but I use half as much water as they suggest. I haven't been able to figure out a way to do consistent pin curls on myself so I use soft curlers and roll using the same diagram as the pin curls. The curls are slightly larger this way but I get very similar results. Plus it is easier to sleep in these curlers because they are essentially squares of foam covered in material. Do yourself a favor and pick up a sleep cap so you don't accidentally pull a curler out as you sleep.

Once you have all of your supplies you need some hints on how to roll your hair to create the look you want. I have posted a few pages below from the book 1940s Hairstyles by Daniela Turudich on rolls and pomps. Unfortunately this book is out of print but every once in a while you can find a copy that isn't too outrageous. I have included an Amazon box so you can see how much the book is going for right now. It is updated as new copies become available. Click on the pics to enlarge.

I have also started to use the book Vintage Hairstyling by Lauren Rennells which is much more affordable at $34. She has a great blog Bobby Pin Blog, which is a good companion to her book.

1920s Flapper Treasury

Here is my 20s etsy treasury called Flapper Follies and DooDads. There are some absolutely gorgeous pieces, including an authentic headband from a shop called The Butler's Cottage who bought a lot of hair accessories from a woman whose relative was in a dance troupe in the 20s & 30s. The stories those headbands could tell...

Flapper Follies and DooDads

Vintage Eyebrow Tutorial

Hey Kittens! Brittany at Va-Voom Vintage has put together a nice little tutorial on how to pluck your eyebrows for a vintage look. While you are at it, check out her other tutorials.

Under the Biltmore Clock Flapper Fashions

Just on a lark, I searched for "flapper" on blockbuster online and the short film Under the Biltmore Clock came up starring Sean Young. It's an American Playhouse adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story "Myra Meets His Family." Not being a huge Sean young fan I was pleasantly surprised at how well cast she is in her role as Myra and the delightful song and dance she does towards the end of the movie really clinched it for me.

What I love best about this film is the wonderful hair accessories. I found myself waiting patiently for each new scene because Myra had a new wonderful matching ensemble.

I am on my second rental of the movie and the fashion alone in the movie is moving me to buy it. It may not all be 100% period, but it is certainly imaginative and the extra care taken to match the accessory fabrics to the clothes, especially when matched to the lining materials, makes me love them.

Don't be surprised if you see a line of Tart Deco headache bands soon. I am definitely inspired!

Curling Your Hair with Paper

I'm not sure why I never ran across this before, but I have just been turned on to how to curl your hair with paper. According to various sources, you can reuse the paper too. How green! I found some instructions on how to use paper bags, which seem to be thick enough to handle multiple uses, so visit the links below for more info.

The Lost Art of the Paper Curl- Mother Earth News

Old-Fashioned Hair Styling: The Paper Curl- Associated Content

 (picture taken from MotherEarthNews.com)

Vintage Hair Tutorials

I just discovered the user PinUpSweetShoppe on Youtube. She has the most adorable tutorials, including this one on how to tackle the "day after" look. Make sure and check out her Victory Rolls tutorials too!

Halloween Hair Goodies

I've just added some fun Halloween themed hair flowers to my etsy shop. They are a quick and easy way to add rockabilly flair to your costume or just to get in the spirit.

As a special gift for my loyal readers, if you are a follower of this blog you can get an extra 10% off your entire total in my shop! Just enter "blog follower" in the notes to seller and wait for me to send you an adjusted invoice. I can also refund to your paypal account if you want to pay right away.

Rockabilly Fashion

If you are planning a rockabilly or 1950s themed wedding, you probably already have a good idea of what you want to wear or look like. However, you may be someone who is in the wedding party or invited to one of these weddings and have no clue where to start. Or perhaps you just want more info on the style. This post is for you. Brides, I will be dedicating an entire post to wedding dresses soon.

There really are no hard and fast rules about rockabilly fashion, which can be liberating and frustrating at the same time. Usually the look is based on fashion from the 1950s and moves its way outward. Some people like the nostalgic 50s look with sweaters, pencil skirts and crinolines. Others go for a harder edge and prefer jeans, leather and tattoos. Or maybe you mix the two. The big thing is to accessorize! If you wear glasses, get online and find a pair of vintage cat-eyes or raybans; if the glasses aren't too petite or fragile you can usually have your prescription put into them. Guys, get a chain wallet or letter sweater. Gals, hair flowers are a must- in every color.

The purpose of this post is mainly to point you to the Rockabilly Fashion links section (to the right) where I will be continually updating sites that I feel give you a good example of what is out there. I also started a flickr set for my wedding guests to give them an idea of what they could wear if they wanted to indulge in our theme. If you have some pictures you think should be included in my set, please let me know.