The Saints and Sinners Winterbilly Ball

Hello My Lovelies....

Angel Cake, Garrett Vignolo, Bad Luck Cherry, Lolita Black

Both your Swag Queens here to give you the low down on this new event! The Saints and Sinners Winterbilly Ball was a local car show here in our little town of Stockton, California. It was held at the 99 speed way on the race track, a very inventive location. though it was cold we braved the weather because we where out for a good time, dressed to kill, and ready to cheer on our own Lolita Black in the pinup competition! Everyone there was friendly and warm, just what we like to experience in our culture, the nice people that makes us smile with pride. 

The Pinup contest under tents! yep we toughed it out, that's dedication!

The Bands were playing and the vendors where hot, our own Lolita Black bought a lovely tin purse pinstriped to perfection By Ms. Angela Tombe (Lolita: my own starry eyed review will come later). While there were a  few different vendors there was one that especially caught my eye: Rambunctious Creations, and a few others that where great. we saw some of the classic cars displayed sorry there are no photos....yes I know it was a oversight on my part but mother nature would not allow us to have all the fun we wanted and digital cameras and water don't mix!!! 

Yes its true mother nature rained on our parade, it was rather cute the pinup contest was held under a few of the nice vendors tents. It was funny and though the rain was coming down hard that didn't ruin our spirits we made lemonade out of those lemons and persevered! With the warm hearts of everyone there and the lovely ladies all on display we made it through, our own Lolita Black made it to the top five so Yay for that! Even though she didn't make it to the next round we where still ever so thankful and pleased with the outcome. Congrats to the winner of the competition! 

Thank you to all the vendeos and  the people who put it together it was a lot of fun and we hope to do it again!

Kisses Our Lovelies Catch you later!

 

Return to Beauty Book Review

Hello lovelies....

Your friendly Swag Queen Caption Cherry here with a really good book review!!! I know that skin care is a real issue especially if you are like me and have less then perfect skin, I have oily sensitive skin. not only is it an oil slick by the end of the day but I have skin allergies as well and its hard to try different skin care products with out encoring the wrath of my unforgiving allergies. so finding a more home made approach to aid what is working for me is always something on my mind, well I was trolling the beauty books on Amazon and as you well know every now and again you find a gem! Return to Beauty: Old-World Recipes for Great Radiant Skin By Narine Nikogosian is one of those diamonds in the rough.

I cant say enough good things about this book, its a how to guide to better skin from your own kitchen. She begins the book with explaining her history with skin care and how she experimented with different home recipes as a child inspired by her mother and grandmother. She then talks about the many different skin types and splits the book into those different different seasons along with skin types. Many of the recipes differ between these sections, in case you where wondering what those different skin types are Nikogosian gives a really easy to fallow explanation of them, for instance she states "Normal oily Skin" is a skin type where someone has oil appearing on their 'T' zone at certain times of the day. "Oliy Skin" is a skin type where your skin is oily all over all day, The next skin type is  "Normal dry Skin" which she explains is when your skin feels tight and dehydrated in different times of the day. Lastly is "Dry Skin" which is when your skin feels tight and dehydrated all day.  Each skin type has their own set of recipes in the different seasons and she explains that each skin type has different needs from season to season, which is very true. 

The recipes are very easy to fallow and full of wonderful ingredients many of which I would much rather eat then put on my face but I digress, One recipe I absolutely love in the winter section is the almond oil eye creme. I have to say it was not only very moisturizing, I found it rather delectable and heavenly. I placed some around my eyes at night and in the morning and believe me a little goes a long way, I found that the skin was softer and over all it felt so much better. In the spring is where my skin starts to really act up because its warmer, I really find myself working over time to keep the oil slick away! there where two recipes that I simply adored and they helped me do just that, "the salty white cleanser" and "the cucumber restoration toner". I used them at different times and once together and there is something to be said about home made cleansers and toners. They are magical, I saw a real difference in my skin's oil out put and really every now and again I rotate them in my regimen. 

Now mind you I fallowed the oily skin recipes the others didn't really apply to my skin care but that dose not mean that they wont work out for you, I spent a few months with this book and really tried out the recipes before I formulated my opinion about it. I really wanted to give a real go at it before I wrote a proper review. there are sections on how to give your self a facial, nail care, Hair care, acne solutions, wrinkle care and there is helpful tips that gives the man in your life some skin care solutions as well. Scrubs, moisturizers and masks for your honey to stay fresh and stay looking fine. 

I cant say enough good things about this book my lovelies so please check it out on you reader device or buy the book off amazon trust me the juice is definitely worth the squeeze!  

As always thank you for reading, please let us know if there is a book weather it be art, a how to, beauty or makeup book you would like us to review! by Dolls. 

A lipstick Review!!!

Hello Lovelies...

Its your friendly Captain Bad Luck Cherry on the USS Ship Swag Queen here to give you a great review on this lipstick I’ve been using. Now let me first say that a Pinup or Vintage gal is naked with out her signature red lips, Like Maiko’s are naked with out their white face makeup.

Red lips are a seductive way to draw people’s eyes to your lips making them appear fuller, they where made popular in the 40’s and 50’s through cheesecake art and the stars on the silver screen. But not every red however is made equal and they come in so many different shades. The trick is to find the right red for you, one that flatters your skin tone while giving you just that right pop of color that makes you feel you can face the world with a cheeky amount of sassy fierceness that embodies Pinup to you. Like Geisha’s, a Pinups red lips are apart of their look, we Pinups and Vintage girls prize our red lips as a symbol of glamor and femininity.

Knowing that even if I am not fully gleamed up and just on the go, I don’t leave my house with out my red lips. So I’m always on the look out for new shades of red because I not only get bored with the same color, but I like to change up my color tones with the seasons. Now for lipsticks I am absolutely in love with NYX round lipsticks, Tarte lip Surgence Natural Matte Lip stain in “Fiery” and my Black Opal in “Heart Throb”, I rarely venture into a different cosmetic label when it comes to lipsticks because I am a creature of habit and I like to stick to what I know unless it’s totally amazing or it’s a gift. Not only that I am a girl of modest means I don’t like to spend the juice if it’s not worth the squeeze, so I am very critical about the lipstick I do choose to buy outside of my old reliable! Now there is a problem with that and that is because one of my stand by favorites, my beloved Black Opal color in “Heart Throb” was discontinued breaking this little dark heart of mine.

Fortunately my best friend’s girl friend cheered me up one day with a gift and anyone that knows me knows my love for lipstick so she gave me the Cover girl Lip Perfection Lipstick’s and the Milani Lip Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Gloss Pencils. Now first impressions of both was that I wasn’t going to like these, in the past I have been very hypercritical of Cover girl because their lipsticks because the pigmentation was sheer rather then a full color burst as I would like. I’m the kinda girl that only likes one application to last the day and sadly in the past I’ve never felt I got that out of this product. As for Milani I didn’t know what to expect because I had never tried their lipsticks so it was a first for me.

I was however pleasantly surprised at the results and have a new love in lipsticks, as shown on my photos below. They are very long lasting and the pigmentation on the Cover girl lipsticks is amazing for an over the counter product. Not only that when combine with the Milani lip pencils I have to say it’s a pop of glittery perfection that just makes me smile with glee. Now for the Milani lip pencils I really love them on their own as well very pigmented except for one but that dose not make it bad never the less the products are very good.

I was pleasantly surprised by how wonderful the products where and would definitely buy them on my own in this case the juice defiantly worth the squeeze!
        I hope this was helpful, catch you next time my lovelies.

A Thrifty Review!!!

Hello My darling Ship mates!

Are you one of those people that want to shop in thrift stores but by some magical situation you can’t find one? Well look no further because have I got the scoop for you! The Thrift Shopper is this amazing site that if you place your postal code in the little box on the front page lets you know about the thrift stores near you. I have been using this site to locate new places to shop to further my scope of where to get the vintage goods. 

The site is owned and run by Michael and Cookie, a couple of self proclaimed thrifting addicts from the Sunshine state of Florida. There is also a forum on the site where people can trade ideas and let others in on where the great swag is buried. What’s very admirable about their directory is that they only post thrift stores that are charity driven so that we know that our contributions are going to a good cause, just another reason for me to get the warm and fuzzies when I buy a new vintage dress from a place that is all about a good cause. 

They welcome any additions to their directory and their staff is welcoming and friendly. It’s really a great tool for finding new places near you. Places you might just pass by with out thinking twice, I know if it weren’t for this site a lot of swag wouldn’t have been had so for that I am raving about this place. 

So my lovelies there is the scoop take a look at the site and start searching for new places near you, and if you have any additions for their sites as far as new thrift stores that aren’t listed please don’t hesitate to contact them Here!!! and fill out the little form on the page. 

                       Thanks as always for reading Dolls!!

How to find the Perfict Red for You

Ahoy Honey Bunnies!!

Your Swag Queen Cherry here with some helpful tips here! There are a lot of different ways to tell what red is right for you, and a lot of this is bearing on what you are confident wearing and skin tone. Here is how I was taught which was the 'right red' for me and what tones to stay away from, oddly enough the people that taught me were my mother and grand mother; talk about knowledge handed down from mother to daughter.

Now the first thing to do is talk about color in question when it comes in cosmetic form, there is such a thing as cool reds and warm reds. Warm reds usually have warm undertones like yellow, orange, and pink where as cool reds have blue and even purple undertones. You can tell these differences in the chart below.

Now knowing that you have to understand that the same undertones apply to skin tones, your skin tone could be very cool or very warm. People with cool skin tones have a pinker hue to their skin where as people with warmer skin tones seem to have a more yellow undertone that gives you a more golden look. the best way I was taught to decipher this was the white test, my grandmother gave me two paint cards she got from a paint store, one was a off white and the other a very stark true white. She said if the off white looked better next to my skin then I have a cool skin tone if the stark true white looked better then I was a warm skin tone. Needless to say I’m a neutral tone because both cards looked good next to my skin tone and through further experimentation with color I found I look good in both warm and cool reds.

My case is an exception and not the rule, and the rule is warm reds look better on a warm skin tone they just pop more and in the latter Cool reds look better on a cooler skin tones. This is because cool reds complement cool undertones naturally and warm reds do the same for warm skin tones. But to me this is only a frame work for choosing the right red for you, I am a firm believer in breaking the rules and breaking out to make a statement. So if you are the kind of girl that wants to make a statement with their lips rather then sticking to the rules then why not walk out in a bright blue lipstick or wear a hot pinkish red that just is too shocking for words; its all about what you are confident and comfortable wearing.

Keep it Classy honey bunnies!

Rockabilly T-shirt DIY

Hello my lovely ship mates!!!

It is I, your friendly neighborhood Swag Queen, Cherry, with my first attempt at a tutorial. Bear with me you gorgeous D.I.Y. babies, this is my first try, and I promise I will get better with time.
First of all, I am calling this “My Boyfriend’s T-shirt” because I didn’t actually buy these shirts, no, my Honey took care of that already. If you are like me, you have a guy with great tastes in t-shirt prints, or you see an over-sized men’s t-shirt that you absolutely cant live with out, or he is throwing that great shirt away, then this is for you. Now, first you have to save the shirt from being thrown away, like me. I rescued a few shirts so there will be more tutorials coming.
Here is an ever so easy way to turn that Boyfriend’s T-shirt into a cute sweetheart neckline tank top for those casual days! So here are the A.B.C’s  on how to make it!
What you will need:

• A T-shirt
• Pins
• Tailors chalk
• Sowing sheers
• An Iron and Ironing board 

Step A:

• First you want to take apart the shirt at the seam’s to survey how much material you have, basically taking stock of the surface space you have to work with.

Step B: 

• Next, take the side with the pattern on it, or the front, and mark the pattern you want. I did this using tailors chalk. (If you don’t trust yourself to do this free hand then you could use a pattern from the store as long as it is fits on the short space.)

Step C:

• Here I marked the back of the pattern.

Step D:

• Here I took a peace and marked the facing for the sweet heart neckline.

Step E:

• Here I cut the ever so important straps.

 Step F:

• Here I sowed the straps together using my trusty sowing machine I named “Trudy”.

Step G:

• Here I put a safety pin at one end to better turn the strap inside out so wrong sides are facing and the seam is clean on the outside.

Step H:

• This is what they look like after you turn the seams inside out.

                          Have a break at this point trust me

                                                                     your nerves will thank you! 

Step I:

• Here I pinned the facing I cut out to the neckline.

Step J:

• This is where I added the straps to where I want them to hit me on the top front.

Step K:

• here I drew a line so you know where to sow.

Step L: 

• Here I pressed the edges down.

Step M:

• Here is where I marked the back strap to the facing in the back. (Okay this is rather tricky because you have to feed the strap through the bottom in order to have it flush and not sown on the wrong side, I assure you this is not the right way to do this but it was the way I was taught LOL! So I suggest a little trial and error, which I had to do to get it right)

Step N: 

• After that is all squared away, sow the side seams and you are all done. (the beauty about jersey material is you don’t really have to finish your seams at the hem because it does not fray!

That is something this lazy girl loves!
The Optional step:

• This is purely something you can to at your own leisure; I gathered the neckline just at the bust to further promote the sweetheart neckline.

 And here is the end result!!

The Flexable Rules!

Thrifting is something that is near and dear to our hearts, but we know that for some who have never even visited a local thrift shop it can be a daunting task. It’s intimidating to walk into a seemingly jumbled area full of second-hand goodies that you don’t even know exactly what you could possibly do with it all, worry no more! You can follow some simple and flexible rules to help enhance your shopping experience.

1. Set a budget!

• It’s important to know your limit! Being a glamour girl on a budget isn’t easy and trust us we know what it’s like to have eyes bigger than your coin purse. A set budget keeps you in line and on task, forcing you to focus about the real need verses the champagne dreams.
• On the other hand, and this is the only exception to this rule, if you absolutely have to have that one large ticket item then by all means get it, but that is the only thing you buy, and the rest is in the wash for that specific trip.

2. Survey the playing field.

• In this case you want to do a walk around before selecting items, get a feel for the layout of your local store. Once you’ve done that you’ll know where to go for whatever items you are looking for in the future.
• If you already know your store then it doesn’t hurt to look around for the new talent; Thrift store’s stock is constantly changing, what was there yesterday, might not be there today so keep an eye out.

3. Pace yourself.

• Don’t rush! It’s good to plan your day around this particular shopping trip, because if you rush you might miss something delightful.
• Thrift stores are a treasure trove, you don’t mow through it. If you move too fast you’ll miss out on that incredible vintage dress, or that awesome hat hiding in the corner.

4. Be aware of your measurements.

• Knowing what your size is in various measurements and conversions is one of the most important keys to shopping in general. Vintage sizes are very different from the way we size our clothing today. People love to say “Oh Marilyn Monroe was a size 12.” She was in what we consider vintage sizing. In modern sizes she fits in a smaller size. It is extremely important whenever you are buying vintage, to know what your measurements are, and that the conversion equates to your size now.
• Here is a measurement guide of what you should measure. Always know your measurements!

 

7. Make friends with your Tailor.

• If there is one thing you should spend your hard earned cash on it’s a good tailor. Tailors are becoming fewer and fewer over the years, it’s becoming a lost art! Start a good relationship with them. Be charming and friendly and they’ll take extra good care of your garment, it’s like any good relationship. Once you find a good one never let them go!

Here’s an example from one of Lolita’s experiences:

...“So I visited a tailor who charged me an insane amount of money to replace a couple of zippers. But one day I had a dress delivered that was too big in the chest and waist. Having no tailor, I went to a bridal shop that offered alterations. She charged me a decent amount and I was very pleased. I figured bridal tailors deal with picky brides, and that they’d do a good job and she did"...

This is just an option if you don’t have a tailor handy, look to bridal shops! 

       8. Find a good dry cleaner.

• Most vintage pieces won’t be washing machine safe (of course there are exceptions) because of this you might have to send things out. We also suggest not skimping on price, for a good dry cleaner. They take care of your precious garments and know to handle them with care; this is another relationship that needs to be nurtured.
• However, if you don’t have the money for a dry cleaner, there are dry cleaning kits sold at stores like Target. I certainly have to do that as I don’t have the scratch for dry cleaners all the time.

9. Find a good shoe repairman (Cobbler).

• This is a tough one not every place has one. It’s a disappearing profession, but if you can find one again like the Dry Cleaner & Tailor, it’s a relationship that helps the vintage world. They not only repair and dye shoes, they can repair belts and purses at times!
• The cobbler is the ace, so you won’t have to throw away shoes you love because the sole is worn out. It also helps when you don’t have a lot of money to replace them, up-keep is key when you’re on a budget so things won’t fall apart on you.

10. Have fun with it.

• Above all else have fun, thrifting is a really pleasurable activity for the vintage girl. You’ll find unique items that have history, it’s a way for you to connect with your love for vintage and make things relevant again.
• Bring your friends and make a game of it, share your finds and after it’s all said and done sit in a café and gab about the day.

Set Sail!

Ahoy Mateys!!!

We are Bad Luck Cherry and Lolita Black the Swag Queens! Your 'go to gal pals' for all things thrift. We feel it’s our mission here to help give you fun and interesting tips on how to thrift, and how to make it fun. It is our belief that you don’t have to break the piggy bank to be gorgeous; in fact you can be quite  frugal and still look fantastic!

These tips are generally for everyone but especially for the Glamour Girl on a budget! We plan to give you girls some 'food for thought' when it comes to Vintage Culture, and keeping it fun and fantastic with advice and suggestions for your own vintage wardrobe additions. We have found great items in thrift stores; a lot of which we never would have been able to find or afford at retail prices. These types of delightful finds always further 'wet our appetites' for all things kitsch, and we want to share those experiences with all of you.
 

While we don’t profess to know about everything, we do hope our tips and knowledge will be helpful for you lovely girls. There will be many different facets to our part of this blog that will range from 'easy how to instructions', to the more advanced, there will also be different tips on how to shop, historical accounts of fashion, and pictures of our very own personal Swag! In the end, we’d like to help you ladies get ideas to enhance your appearance (even tips on how to keep your lipstick from getting on your teeth!), and help you to maintain your precious vintage clothing wardrobe without 'breaking the bank'.

So come aboard with the Captains; Swag Queen Lolita and Swag Queen Cherry, let’s get on our sea legs, and get this ship a'sail!