If you love vintage glamour, but hate your dry and old looking skin, enter my contest! One lucky winner will get a home spa set (retail value $79) from Sothys!

Sothys Home Spa Products

The prize contains:

Sothys Aroma-Sothys Energizing Shower Gel
Softly cleans and tones the skin. It contains essential oils of eucalyptus, cardamom, nutmeg, and neroli for an energizing fragrance while leaving your body feeling refreshed. Price: $24

SOTHYS Aroma-Sothys Energizing Bath Essences Tablets
Effervescent, playful and revitalizing bath pebbles which enrich the bath with their tonic and energizing fragrance… a particular moment of pleasure and wellness. Price: $26

SOTHYS Aroma-Sothys Energizing Essential Oils Elixir
Magical, this very concentrated dry oil is an invitation to happiness: when massaged, it restores tonus and felicity… the skin is divinely satiny and full of energizing active ingredients. Price: $29

To enter, post a comment — preferably with any ski care tips for those of us who don’t win *wink*

Contest is open to all in the US and Canada.  Entries must be made before midnight (Central Time), December 14th, 2009.

Good luck!

Tags: beauty, Contests, skin care, vintage glamour

Often I am asked “How do I dress vintage without looking cheesy?” or, “I love vintage makeup looks, but if I wear it, will I look old or out of date?” Here are a few tips to know:

Don't Be Afraid Of Going Vintage Glamour!

Think structure. Think of your own bones like you would consider the bones of your home when decorating your space. In decorating, you take the style into consideration; a cozy cottage with rustic charm may not take an Eames era makeover. When trying a vintage fashion look, keep your own bones in mind. Most period dressing had a body type in mind as well as in vogue and that may not be yours. Even alterations may not make that flapper style sheath dress float over your curves as you’d like… So be as realistic about vintage fashions as you would the style and fit of contemporary ones; this is also true of vintage hairstyles and makeup. Sometimes we just can’t wear what we love and pull it off.

Don’t remain frozen in the past. Retro & vintage looks can look outdated & just plain horrible if they are beat-up & dusty looking. You wouldn’t want your home to look frozen in time (think about some of those homes you visit which have not been updated!). The easiest way is to make sure you have authentic pieces with modern support. A contemporary dress with 40’s makeup (heavy top lashes, red matte lipstick); pair antique shoes with a new suit; mix in both a vintage handbag and retro jewelry with an au courant sweater set and skirt.

Keep your clothing clean & bright so it looks like you choose it, not froze it! Never, ever wear that 1960’s poly top with a stain on it — no matter how cool and mod it is.

Makeup tips for following vintage glamour looks. Keep the color palette to colors which flatter your tones and coloring. You can follow the look or design of cosmetic application, using colors and shades you already own.

Two words commonly associated with vintage faces are pale and powdered, but remember to keep these basic make-up tips in mind:

• Don’t go lighter in foundation as it will make you look washed out & old.
• Remember, too much powder collects in lines & on dry skin areas (again making you look older), so keep it light &/or use a lighter weight foundation.

Tags: beauty, Hairstyles, vintage fashion, vintage glamour, vintage style, wearing vintage clothing

High-Five Fridays are easy ways to acknowledge cool articles you’ve read during the week, or a way to give a high-five to a blog or blogger you just like in general by giving them a link — and some readers, we hope! Here are mine for this week:

1 One of Klaudia’s Shoe Fits is finding boots like Brigitte Bardot wore in 1968’s Shalako.

2 At GadaboutMedia, Deanna looks at the shades of history in cosmetic powder colors.

3 At Collectors’ Quest, Val Ubell wishes she had saved her clothing because it’s vintage now — and I agree! (Not only do I wish I had saved more of my own clothing for the return of the 80s, but if Val had saved her own there would be more to buy!)

4 & 5 At Kitsch Slapped, Deanna (how does she write it all?!) shows us vintage cosmetic products used to hide bare legs during wartime rationing — and, while researching vintage mesh purses, she discovered an unusual bit of film history.

Tags: beauty, collectibles, cosmetics, film history, handbags, Makeup, Shoes, vintage fashion, vintage glamour

Lucky Shops is a shopping event hosted by Lucky Magazine in New York, November 5-7.

Lucky Shops Ultimate Shopping Event

To celebrate, one lucky Shop It To Me member will win a VIP gift bag from Lucky Shops!

The VIP gift bag contains Amrita Singh bangles, Kiehl’s products, a Clu tanktop, tons of other fun beauty products, and more — with a total value of $750.

To enter, just do the following:

1. If you’re not already a Shop It To Me member, join now (It’s free and you’ll save money with the Sale Mail alerts!)
2. Visit www.luckyshops.com to find out more about the Lucky Shops Ultimate Shopping Event
3. Leave a comment on this blog post, telling Shop It To Me what you think is the most exciting part of Lucky Shops

The lucky winner will be selected on Friday, October 31st at 5pm PST via a random drawing of all qualifying entries.

Please note: Prize can only be sent to a U.S. mailing address.

Tags: Accessories, beauty, Contests, Fashion

In the March 27, 1950 issue of Quick Magazine (sent to me by Deanna — who continues to drag me into her snare of ephemera), an article on “Cherry Bounce,” a new color in lipstick, rouge, and nail polish from Dorothy Gray.

News of Dorothy Gray Cherry Bounce, 1950

The very brief Quick article says the colors danced their way onto the fashion scene on the heels of a new dance invented by the Fred Astaire dancers.

Now dancing couples do The Cherry Bounce in store windows across the country, music publishers have translated it into sheet music and Mercury has recorded it for American’s bouncing juke boxes.

I could find very little of this dance-cum-color… A vintage ad for Dorothy Gray’s Cherry Bounce in a College of William And Mary publication, dated March 21, 1950 (link is to PDF; ad is below).

Vintage Ad For Cherry Bounce Cosmetics By Dorothy Gray

I was surprised I didn’t find anything “cherry bounce” in connection with the Fred Astaire dancers — maybe fans of Fred can turn up something about the dance? However, I was able to disc-cover that Mercury indeed did put out the Cherry Bounce recording. It was by Bobby Sherwood And His Orchestra, Mercury # 5468 (March 14, 1950)

This recording featured Kai Winding, as part of Sherwood’s orchestra; Winding would later be known for his service as Music Director for the Playboy Club — now that’s a Cherry Bounce! *wink*

Kai Winding At Playboy Club, 1966

If anyone has more info — especially color images of Dorothy Gray “Cherry Bounce” cosmetics, recordings of the song, copies of the sheet music, etc., please share!

Tags: beauty, cosmetics, history, Makeup, music, vintage glamour, vintage magazines

I know you’ve quite possibly been getting dizzy from all the circle skirt & Vertigo posts of late (and I promise other stuff is coming soon!), but I couldn’t help but show you this darling vintage powder compact with artwork by Hilda Terry. Look at her shake that circle skirt! (He sure is lol)

Hilda Terry Vintage Powder Compact

For more on Hilda Terry, visit 8HendersonPlace.com.

Tags: Accessories, beauty, circle skirts, collectibles, cosmetics, Makeup, vintage glamour

In the March 27, 1950 issue of Quick magazine, news about Max Factor’s latest invention:

Hand It To Max Factor

The cosmetic maker who invented pancake make-up scored another “first” with a new purse dispenser for hand-lotion ($1). This lipstick-sized container (l.) holds a week’s supply of lotion, released by a simple tap and refilled from the “World of Beauty,” another $1 container for the dressing table. (At cosmetic counters.)

Vintage Max Factor News

Tags: beauty, cosmetics, history, vintage glamour, vintage magazines

Remember when sunlight was simply something divine to sit in?

Elizabeth Taylor Sunning Her Stunning Self, 1955

Tans aside (and certainly Liz was coveted for her pale skin), it not only felt fabulous but such natural lighting made for fantastic photographs. OK, having Liz’s looks, it was hard to take a bad photo, but still…

Now, even when you have slathered on a slew of sunblock, you’ll have a million people warning you of the damages of bathing in the rays of the sun. Just tell them you’re sunning your inner vintage Liz Taylor, and sunlight in a little moderation won’t kill you or anybody else.

Elizabeth Taylor Sunning Herself on the Set of Giant (1955); photograph by Sid Avery.

Tags: beauty, vintage glamour

Continuing on the movie themed cosmetics, there’s a new Twilight lip product to be released on July 1:

This special limited edition Lip Venom is a sneak preview of our highly anticipated Twilight Venom, debuting this Fall. Lip Venom V is not your typical DuWop venom. Instead of a gloss, Lip Venom V is a shimmering crimson lip stain suspended in a venom-laced liquid lip conditioner with a bite, and contains argan, avocado, olive oils and vitamin E.

This product should be shaken before use to represent the blending of the human and vampire worlds and applied repeatedly until lips are plumped, revitalized and the desired intensity of color has been reached.

Only a limited number of Lip Venom V have been produced. Vampires may live forever, but this offer won’t. Due to limited quantity and exclusivity of this offer, limit 2 per customer.

Twilight Lip Venom V

According to the makers, Lip Venom is a blend of essential oils (including cinnamon, wintergreen, and ginger) that cause the blood to rush to the surface of the lips, flushing and swelling them slightly.

Tags: beauty, cosmetics, Films, Hollywood, Makeup, Shopping

Deanna’s review of 1976’s Sparkle reminds me that Illusions has lip gloss named after some of their favorite films, including Sparkle, Mahogany & Dreamgirls.

Tags: beauty, cosmetics, Films, Makeup, Shopping