Skin Care, the Sun, and Me

Hello my Lovelies,

How are you all this fine spring day? Your Swag Queen Cherry here.....Well its sunny out and spring is knocking at my door and I have to say that I am extremely happy for some warmer weather with all those beautiful swing dresses in my closet calling my all a twitter name. Taking the change in the seasons my skin care regiment as far as the home made scrubs, bath additives, and masque have changed as well. As I've talked about in my "Quick Tips" post, I still lotion before my skin is dry after a warm bath or shower and I have to say its been a while and it is working out very well I now have baby soft skin from head to toe. In the summer and spring months my skin is more exposed to the harsh elements of the world or more to the point the sun's rays and the dry heat of the California valley summers.

Now I am a great believer that everything in moderation and I would never tell someone that lives their lives out in the sun to cower in the shade, but for me and my easily burn to a crisp skin the sun is not my friend. That is not to say that there aren't some great many perfectly swell things that the sun gives us for instance our dose of vitamin D is provided by the sun. what I do know is that the sun can age your skin prematurely if you have consent exposure and for me that is a major deal breaker, besides that I have naturally tanned skin so I dont really need help in that area.

One of the things I do to stay out of the sun will.... seem a bit odd to those who dont live the vintage lifestyle out loud as Lolita  or I do but..... here it is I carry a parasol. yes I know what it sounds like and yes my parasols are very pretty I'll review the site I purchase them from some time.... but there you are, I go no where with out one in the summer to protect my fussy skin from the sun's rays. More or less its a great way to always have some shade in an other wise none shady place, and people respond in really great ways sometimes.

The next thing is very simple but the one thing people always find bothersome to keep up with and that is good old sunblock, I use the highest spf I can possibly find. yes I slather the stuff on before I leave my house from head to toe, I dont just use it in the summer or spring I use the stuff year round. I go through bottles and bottles of the sensitive hypoallergenic stuff in the summer, and I cant tell you how important this is because if you want your skin to stay healthy the sun beating down on it isn't the greatest way to do that. as of late I have taken to smaller strapped dresses so, making sure I am protected all over is a large issue for me. now I know that some very high sunblocks are just as good as a lower spf but I say nay to that....because I know that for me when I was trying different levels of sunblock the lower ones felt more like lotions and did nothing for my skin. Remember I have fussy skin LoL!

Well because our bodies consists of approximately 60% water it is no doubt that staying hydrated is one of my big must haves in any season. I try and drink a few bottles of water a day, Once I stopped for whatever reason and noticed that my skin suffered. over all I just looked very tired and worn out, so I started up again slowly with a bottle a day then two. now I try to drink three or for smart water bottles a day, yep drinking water helps you stay looking refreshed and awake. Now I know that some people dont like to drink water, they just dont like the plan taste. I would say that women do some pretty unpleasant things for healthy beautiful skin, they inject toxins into it, they have harsh chemicals scrub off the first layer of skin, they do so much just to have great looking skin so I say to them is drinking some water too unreasonable?

Well this next thing I do is rather simple again and that is staying inside as much as possible, unless there is a specific reason for me to be out like a cars how, special engagement, pick-nick or photo shoot I am usually inside the house. I keep busy with my art work, photography and this lovely blog, there is very little reason to subjugate my skin to that much sun in the first place so with that said I dont get out much till the sun is down and gone for the night. Because I have classes at night I have become some what of a night owl a new habit that keeps the sun away because its not even out, this is better for me for another reason as well. I Unfortunately have asthma and during the warm days the air quality isn't so good so I have to stay in any who!

In the end I believe people will do as they please this is just how I deal with the sun and all it's nerve testing moments, moisturizing and staying moisturized is really the one thing I am compulsive about...well besides the sunscreen...and carrying around a parasol....LoL any way stay safe and remember that you only have one body with skin on it so take care of it as best as you can!!!

As always keep it classy!!!

March Madness

Hello my lovelies, 

Cherry here and Ooooo....my march has been very busy but new posts are coming so stay tuned!!! I'd love some suggestions as to what you would like to see here so leave me a comment!!! After this weekend I will have another dress rehab for you all and more thrifting swag to be had! Love you all!!!

and as always keep it classy!!!

Friends

Hello My Lovelies,

Cherry here with just a little shabeal about some people I have meat over time here on the inter webs. While writing this little blog in the dark corner of the internet I meat some great ladies that I want to talk to you about. These people are the sweetest people I have ever meat, and that is saying a lot for having meat on the interwebs! but they are genuinely great people that I believe I need to give my thanks to... 

The first is Callie of "Sew Craftful" She is an amazingly wonderful seamstress that I really look up to! She was very kind in answering my questions and we became friends in the process. I even made a response video to one of her You Tube posts about vintage patterns, because of her I have found a new love for patterns of this kind and I keep an eye out when for them when thrifting. She is really amazing and knows her stuff, and is willing to answer your questions with this pleasant professional tone that really impressed me. I suppose its why I look up to her and aspire to be a better seamstress even though I know I lack some of the polish that she seems to embody. 

The second person I want to highlight is Jasmine from "The Makeup File", this girl is fabulous. we meat on a pen-pal website and we have been friends ever sense, she is so talented and really nice. I have to say she is a regular bowl of laughs and like us new to blogging, I foresee great things for this gal and she is more then happy to answer questions and keeps up with her comments. I have to say she and I have bonded over our respective blogs and have really banded together as friends and fellow bloggers, p.s. we plan to collaborate on a post at some time...more on that later. She loves makeup, nail polish the entire beauty industry like a bee loves honey so in knowing that who better to keep up with for all your beauty needs!

First I would just like to thank these lovely ladies for befriending this larger then life vintage gal, I value friendship and keep them really close to my heart. As I said before they are genuinely great people and their blogs are more then a must read they are a have to! I love you gals tuns and I just wanted to say thank you for being a friend!!! 

Well thats all for now catch you lovelies later, and as always keep it classy!  

Josie Maran Review

Hello my Lovelies!!

Cherry here and today I am coming at you with a great review about Josie Maran Cosmetics. this was a gift I received during the holidays and really I'd like to thank my in laws for getting it for me, every year its something new and exciting. this year was no exception I recieved a Maran Argan oil bath gift set as shown above. It came with Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter in a vanilla fig,  Whipped Argan Oil Intensive Hand Cream in vanilla fig, Cleansing Oil for Body in vanilla fig scent, Then there was the small bottles of pure Argan oil. one in the sent of vanilla Fig, the other in the sent of jasmine, lavender, rose and the Organic moisturizing oil.

Now for years Argan Oil has been praised for its restorative properties to both skin and hair, I dont have to tell you that you can use it just about anywhere. from your head to your toes Argan oil can restore the luster to you hair moisturize your skin and cuticles!!! I've even found through my own research that there is food grade Argan oil that you can consume in your food to help with digestion and aid in the prevention of over all unhealthy disorgers. In knowing this its safe to say that these products are rather expensive, But if you where going to spend you hard earned cash on something the juice better be worth the squeeze so to speak. 

I have been useing these produces for a few days now and I have to say that it is deffinitly worth the squeeze! the products I use the most is the whipped body butter, the cleanser in the shower and the 100% pure Argan oil moisturizing oil on my scalp after washing my hair. I have to say that my skin looks and feels great! Much better then when I use the body lotions I usually use from bath & body works, I feel that over all my skin looks moisturized and it seems that my skin absorbs the product better then the other products. In saying that I went back to see if after my gift runs out I can keep up this good skin habit and I nearly choked at the price, 45$ seems a bit steep for me but I resolved that its a small price to pay for something that works so well for me. As I stated in my review of Return to beauty Book I have less then perfect skin and because I have allergy prone skin its hard to try new products that dont make my skin wig out! these products did nothing of the sort, they seemed to work with my skin rather then against it. So for the price I think I will be purchasing it again with a shaking finger clicking the confermation button. 

I know that smell is a large issue with some it is for me as well and I have to say the sent is rather sweet but not overwhelming or offensive I rather like the sent to be honest. the scented oils smell exactly the way they are labeled but again the scents are not over powering or overly heavy, I found them light and really nice to apply after getting out of the shower. I found that the over all scented oils work really well as base perfume for when I just get out of the shower and rub a little on my finger tips and then on my Décolletage.

 

 In knowing this I did look for similar products that where a bit more pocket book friendly, but the reviews on the different products didn't seem to stack up to this product so I had to concede I have been ruined because the Josie Maran products are just that worth it! In summation if you are in the market for some Argan products at a reasonable high end price then look no further this company is the one for you! 

Catch you on the flip side, Ta!  

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.

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!