I Woke Up Like This:The Curly Dames Guide to Easier Vintage Styling

The Curly Dames Guide to Easier Vintage Styling!

   I will admit to YouTube being one of my guilty pleasures. I mean those vloggers' are awesome and have steered me to more than one awesome sale. A Vintage Vanity  helped me sew my first circle skirt, Lucy's Corsetry inspired me to make the jump for my first corset, and I could just keep going on and on. If you need the help , inspiration or just want to know what's happening in the vintage community this is one of the easiest and most easier accessible mediums in which to do it. One of the most popular topics have been hair tutorials. I don't know how many hours I've spent in the mirror with my tablet or laptop on the counter following step by step instructions from Cherry Dollface or some other popular you-tuber.
 

 However when you're a curly girl things just don't look same; no matter how great these styles are and no matter how closely you follow the steps. You need different products and depending on the style you need to follow different steps and learn the cheats because its going to look different on your hair.  This hair of the day started with me following a vintage forties hair instructional booklet and it did not go well at all. The steps were not working for my hair and it was just all around bad. I really had a bad moment, though I worked it out in the end.
   I get asked the question a lot as well as heard the subject breached on more than one occasion. Yes! you can do vintage styling with naturally curly hair or with natural hair. No their is need for heat styling you can keep your hair in its natural state if that is your choice (it is certainly mine). However what the majority of people don't tell you is that you do have to do a few things differently. Victory rolls on a person with straight hair that's been roller set will never look the same on someone that has curly hair no matter your curl pattern. So you can't sit down at your vanity with that expectation and read these six tips and your hair will come out even better than expected.

HOTD/ Review: Joie And The Battle Against The Frizz!

    So I'm sure many of you can understand the ever going fight against frizzy hair. Lol noone probably knows this more than me, it's like my hair frizzes up just to piss me off. We all have our personal hard earned routines. Me included that consists of  wash twice a week , hair mask, serums, blah-blah-blah. But the second I touch a towel to my head and it doesn't matter what it's made of , whoosh! So I went to air drying which is a major gamble in and of itself. Which leaves us finally to this review/ hair of the day.  Finally I've got a good routine down that works for my hair , especially with the issues I have dealing with my Lupus. I'm also going to share my favorite products and top 5youtube vloggers that helped me with the journey.  Lastly we're going to try out my first blow-dry! I've always been a no heat doll but clearly that's not working with my frizz. So I have  the vintage model Conair diffuser dryer for curly hair to to try out.
         So let's get started Dolls and dukes shall we.

     I am a big  believer in natural and do it yourself products. A lot of people don't realize especially if you are a person like me with health issues. But everything you put your body soaks into your skin and blood stream, etc... And with all the unnecessary products that are in basically everything its something to think about. So whatever I don't make myself I make sure to use natural and organic companies.  Its important to say that I'm not a beautician, or expert! I am just Sharing a routine that has has finally worked for me.

   Pre shampoo Treatment 

I know this kind of thing usually takes time so I tend to reserve it for weekend washes.  But if you have the time on a regular basis your hair will be the healthier for it.

MAYO PRE-POO TREATMENT:  

2tbs olive oil
2tbs coconut oil
Spoonful of mayo

Egg white (1)

After mixing all together separate your hair into four sections. Concentrating on your ends distribute the throughout your hair and leave in  for about 10-30 minutes. Then wash, condition, and dry as usual.

Hot oil treatment

This can be done either as a conditioner or a pre-poo treatment. If you find that your hair gets weighed by oils in a negative way, then I suggest using this as an pre shampoo treatment.  You will get the benefits without the negative effects.

1tbs almond oil

1tbs olive oil 

1 the coconut oil 

Warm only enough to for it to soak into your hair. You do not want it to actually be hot or you can be seriously burned. Saturate from roots to ends and cover your hair up. Leave in for 5 - 10 min. and continue the rest of your routine.

AFTER SHAMPOO RINSE 

Apple cider rinse

In a spray bottle take one part water , and one part apple cider vinegar. Shake up then spray your hair hair down liberally. Put on a shower cap and let sit for 5-10 minutes then rinse and condition as usual.

HOTD: When all else fails keep it classic

    Hey Dolls & Dukes it's been awhile. I'm sad to feel that nip in the air summer will but over soon; but on the bright side it will soon be time to pull out the furs. So it's time for another hair of the day. I know We're all familiar with those days when nothing  you do to your hair turns out right. Even better than that your hair doesn't even look like it belongs to you. Well when this happens I trust in my good 'ol friend the snood.

   You know the beauty about the snood is that it can hide a multitude of sins. You can dress it up, get creative and some pearls or skull studs. Dress it down , use it just for a bun cover. The point is they are alot more versatile then one may think. You can even tie your fav scarf as a snood. Basically they're just yet another hat for a vintage girl. Here a few of my favorite snood looks to give you some inspiration!

      So get creative and have fun with those snoods dolls,and share your favorite looks with us to share on our Instagram. As always darlings 

Get Ready With Me!

Hey Dolls and Dukes! As requested here's another hair tutorial for you all, please excuse the horrible video i was rushing. But this one's a quickie; all you need is.

• an oil of your choice(which i already used before starting the video)
• 6 bobby pins
• A scarf
• 2 decorative hair pins

That's all, hope you enjoy. As always catch up with me on instagram and have a Swingin Day Amigos! 

              Fashionably Speaking...Joie Cuentista 

Red Lips and a Pillbox and You Can't Go Wrong : New Hair of The Day

  Well it's that time again for another hair of the day and I had a lot of fun with this one dolls. I have said this on numerous occasions don't be afraid to explore with hats, you will be surprised what they can bring to your looks. They spruce up a plainer dress or even make something old brand new. Don't think that you're the one person in the world that hats do not look good on because that's simply not true. I assure there is a style of hat for everyone and one of the most classic styles that makes everyone look amazing is the holy-grail of hats the pillbox. So lets get started shall we?

Hair of The Day:

Rolled bang with a ponytail

1. You just need 2 Bobby pins. Separate the bang section of your hair. Next after you finish with your pomade/ teasing if your hair requires. Gather the ends of you hair as if you are starting a pincurl,however roll under instead of the normal way. Slip a Bobby pin on either end of your bang then take your fingers and do your tweaking.

2. Smooth a bit of oil into your hands and work it through your hair, be sure to get your ends this will give you shine and prevent frizz. Brush your hair through and gather your hair into a low pony. Take a small section of hair a wrap it around the elastic pinning it with a Bobby pin. 

3. Place your hat on the crown of your head. Use hat pins to pin it in place but of you don't have them you can get away with a good ole Bobby. 

The Pinup Dolls Top 3 Speedy Hairstyling Tips / I woke up like this

   Hair for us ecentric Fashion and lifestyle ethusiasts can sometimes get complicated. Thankfully we have our starlets and muses of yesteryer to look back on for inspiration. But we don't always have the extra time to spend on our hair and so-on to make ourselves even more breathtakeningly stellar than we already are. So its great for both asthetic and time managment reasons, that we Dolls have a few good solid staples that you know like the back of your hand. The number one being today's topic which is hair, Pinup gals go-to do.  And no style is more classic than the good ole' victory roll.

  While some occasions call for elaborate and time consuming styles; lets be honest that's just not everyday life. We usually only have a few minutes at the most daytoday to alot for our hair during our normal routines. So while our finshed may look elaborate or very meticulous to others us Dolls know that we typically don't go around spending hours getting ready. And any shortcuts you can do to help you along and speed you up are well appreciated. 

Top 3 Speedy Vintage hairstyling tips:

1. Anything you can do the night before will cut your time down exponentially. 



From the "Vintage Hair" book

A) For many this means curling your hair. To cut back on the heat damage I recommend a technique called "Rag Curls" . You can do this quickly the night before and your Curls will last the entire week and look even better than a rollerset in my  opinion. 

Straight hair dolls

- take a old cotton shirt (etc) rip or cut it into strips.

- gather a section of your hair about a 1" or so and take a strip placing it at the end of your hair 

- as you would with a rollerset roll under until you reach your scalp. Then simply double tie together the two remaining ends 

- repeat the steps until you have done you're entire head

Curly hair Dolls

We all know our issues so here are some tips to prevent waking up to a disaster 

- I reccomend picking up Not Your Mothers Curl Pudding from the Not Your Mothers Line. It works on all hair types and does wonders, defines, prevents frizz and fights humidity as well as gives shine. 

Separate your hair into to sections and brush it out. I know us curlys have issues with combing and brushing because of the frizz however there was a reason for the 100 stroke a night our sisters from the past did. It allows the oils at your scalp to distribut all the way down your hair shaft and us curlys really need it. It won't just improve dryness problems but it will also allow to train you hair and improve the look of your curls.

- Part your hair into 4 sections and using about a dime sized amount for each section work it through and twist you your hair. You'll have perfect curls in the morning

B) If you are not already you need to be sleeping with a silk scarf. Not only does it protect your style but it protects your hair from breakage and other problems (if you ever noticed that one side of your hair is a bit longer than the other, or the back of your hair is shorter; it's because of your sleeping patterns and pillowcase). If you just can't stand to sleep with something on your head than I recommend either purchasing a silk pillowcase, or sewing a piece of silk onto your pillow.

C) Also if you aren't a wild sleeper, considering on how exactly you are styling you hair you can fix your hair the night before and tie it up. Then the only thing to do is refresh it in the morning. If you are brushing our a curl set I recommend putting on a hairnet under your scarf so that your curls don't droop overnight.

2. When your pressed for time the biggest go for simple styles and cheat where you can.

my formula is this you hairstyle whatever you come up with will only take you three minutes if you stick to this.

• Pin
• Roll
• Tuck

3.  Accessorize, Accessorize, Accessorize! This is what turns drab to fab and it will most certainly do the same for your hair. If you don't have time to do anything at all you can pin the front of your hair

into some bettie bangs tuck the sides behind your ear and pin in a some flowers on either side. Or you could simply tying an chiffon scarf around your head, grab a turban pull out your bangs into a roll and tuck the rest of your hair safely behind the turban. These are just a few examples but whether your hair is curled or not you will look like you put a lot of time into your hair.

    I Woke Up Like This: left side part victory rolls with double rose clips.



•     Left side part victory rolls with roses 
•   4 bobby pins, pomade or oil ( I use frankincense and myrrh oil)

and last but not least two flower clips. I got these at Unique Vintage

however of course you are not limited to flowers Nasty dress is one of

my fave, sites for unique hair pieces.

•  Start by parting your hair. I choose the left side but please choose

the best side for your facial shape and looks. Then rub a bit of oil or

pomade in your hands and run it throughout your hair

• next with your finger section your hair from crown to ear and 

do a victory roll placing a bobby on either end (I explain how exactly

to a victory roll in the post "Not Just A Victory Roll")

• Lastly place a flower (or whatever your choice) at either

side of your head.  All Done!

I Woke Up Like This: Channeling Good Ole Betty (HOTD)

Inspiration Look: Betty Page
 

Well hello Darlings I hope we're all finding ourselves happy, fashionable and fabulous. It's come to my attention that we haven't done HOTD or OOTD posts on here or FB in an awful long time so here begins the return : "I Woke Up Like This".

  I woke up this day totally feeling like I was Betty Page incarnate (deluded I know, don't tease me lol) and this is my absolute favorite photograph of her. So for today's "I.W.U.L.T." we're going to try to recreate this classic look and try to see how close we can get.





Channeling Good Ole Betty

Supplies:

• Comb and brush
• Bobby pins
• Scarf long enough to wrap around the head and tie into a bow

Steps:

• Section out your bang and pin it out of the way
• Next you can do this a few ways. It's not a rule for your hair to be pin curled, curled, or roller set. You can wear your hair straight and brush it out, fluff out next day curls (which look really awesome), or if your a curlie like me just go with what you got ;).
• After you've combed or brushed your hair back, you want to fold the scarf to your desired width then tie it around your hair. The ends of the scarf should be facing up or be at the crown of your head. Then tie into a bow.
  
• Now for the bang. Mimicking a pincurl roll the ends of your hair around your finger and roll up keep hold of the loop. When you get to your head take two bobbies and pin on either side on the loop. Flatten your bang and spread it and using bobby pins pin like loco to get your desired shape. And hopefully this is what you get!
 

 

 

Yes Kiddies, you too can discover the incomparable world that is... Vintage!

     You know you gotta love children, I don't think there is anyone on this earth more naturally accepting. If no one else you can count on children to love rockabilly, pinup; frankly any chance to be different. I'm sure that's the case for that little tike in your life who would just love (why wouldn't she after all) to look just like you. However with the assumption that vintage ages you most parents (and in my case Aunts lol) shy away from dressing their children likewise. This assumption is completely wrong, especially in the case of children. There are a plethora of both vintage and vintage reproduction shops that are dedicated to only children. I think people assume children's fashions in the 1920-60's basically didn't exist and were just miniature versions of adult fashions.

    

Kiddies Guide to Vintage Discovery

 

     Now buying Vintage for children is a little different than buying for buying for us Dolls. For starters and most importantly! Children are always growing, you can barely keep them in anything for a decent amount of time. So for that alone score one for vintage (high five for team rockabilly woo-hoo!), However like we also know vintage can get really expensive and that especially happens with children's wear. Because in the end you're not going to get your moneys worth like you would with an adult I wouldn't recommend the pricer items until later teens (16+). Also get familiar with your local community children's consignment shops are becoming increasingly popular and you may just find a hidden gem in the mix.

   They're also a lot of great local children's specialty vintage and reproduction shops that are always worth finding out about. As always there's your local Goodwill which you can find some great vintage children's finds if you're willing to take the time to look. The important thing with the places is making sure you go on your local rounds. We all know how hard it is to keep kids in clothing so these places are always getting new stock, you're job is to go and weed through it. Get to know the people working there and exchange numbers and they'll call you when something comes in that you'll like (its always important to establish relationships). 

           The actual selection of pieces is very important because you want something that's going to last. Children aren't like us they don't care what vintage means, they just what to run, play, etc...So you go for the same types of pieces like you would for yourself. When you're going through the rack's or reading the descriptions online you want pieces that are stretchy so that your child can move and not feel constrained by some of the older stiffer fabrics. You're also looking for things with elastic in them so you can get a descent amount of wear out it; kids are constantly growing and you'd hate to get a favorite dress or top only for your child to not be able to wear it in six months. Another thing to help you in selection is to beware of the head opening in shirts, (button downs, or vintage tees) be
sure to make sure there's a bit of stretch there. You want them to be able to dress themselves. It's also good to look for pieces that are or could become convertible; for example a little swing dress could be worn a top with a cute pair of leggings and so on.


     It's inevitable your children will grow out of their clothes; but don't be afraid to keep really memorable pieces. I have a rule in our small little vintage community we have to care then share. When I say that I mean, for as long as we have our pieces we treasure them. Then when its time (have your last dance together) you find a new home to make room for more vintage collectables. Your local consignment shops will always give you a good deal if you want to go that route. If you have a Ruth's Closet in your city they are always taking donations and as you know proceeds go towards House of Ruth. And you can go back to your vintage store and get discounted for next purchase. But we all know they're at least three pieces that hold too much memory to go so what do we do with them if they can't be worn anymore? Well instead of throwing it in a box in the basement turn those
old memories into art.

     The most important thing when shopping vintage for your child is the actual piece the item. Here are a few target questions to ask yourself when shopping that will make you feel more confident about whether you're picking out a quality garment. What's the state of it? How does it look, feel? Is the stitching intact, how do the seams look? Check for runs, tears and rips also get into the light how is the color. Is there any yellowing or discoloration? Think
about what your child is going to be wearing the item for. Obviously we buy vintage because of the character so you'll rarely buy an item with nothing wrong whatsoever. However depending on how bad you want it, where you're wearing the garment to...some of these target questions I've given you can be fixed or covered up creatively (ex: patches, temp. stitching glue etc.) . Always wash clothing before giving to your child to wear a lot of these pieces have been in these stores for a long time ( say no more).

  
  


      I know a lot of parents are afraid to shop for their kids online period let alone vintage but don't be it's a great resources. Once you have your childes measurements, have brought a few pieces and with these rules I've given you should feel sufficiently confident to venture out. Here are a few awesome
companies, now do me proud girls!


Willow's Room


Posh Girl Vintage

The Couture Baby

Ballyhoo Vintage  (this is a favorite of mine)

Dapper Lads

 

In a Mysterious Mood; Let's Try My Classicwood Wrap

  I am a strong believer that sometimes a girl wants to look how she feels. If you're feeling quirky you might pull out those great go-go boots and your 60's mini dress. If you're feeling sexy that red wiggle dress and lace garter will certainly do the trick. But when you're feeling mysterious I have the perfect unexpected solution. We'll call this one the Classicwood wrap; I'm sure you can picture your favorite tinsel town actress, singer, or model heading out for a drive. Or an elegant night out, even a stylish way to keep out the bitter cold with a heavier scarf. Don't be afraid to try this on Darlings; its will give you a effortless sexiness that will have all heads turning. This truly is a great vintage look and one of my favorites... so try it out and send in your pics.

The Classicwood Wrap:

1.  Chose a scarf.  You want a long scarf for this one; it needs to be long enough to wrap around your head and loop around your neck twice. I went with a great find I found at H&M but for anyone that's shopped there. Finding a great scarf in that store is a one in a millón; so here's two great vintage online boutiques for scarves at both ends at the price spectrum.  Totally Scarves you can find them on etsy the owner sells a collection of beautiful scarves something for every taste. Dressing Vintage is a high-end designer vintage boutique. Their scarf collection is amazing as is other finds. The price point is higher however keep in mind these are vintage designer brands your buying Chanel, Hermes, YSL, etc...you get the idea. 
2.  Fold the scarf duh.  Really simple we're going for a triangle so you have two long tails on either side.
3. The Tail. Part your hair to the side and pull your hair into a faux victory roll low ponytail. Part two a section of hair on each side and loosely roll it back into the ponytail. Look in the mirror and lift the roll to add fullness. For the back you have two options if you want the scarf to lay very flat and tight to the head. Twist the hair hanging from your pony and make a small tight, tight bun; other wise to give your scarf some fullness let your ponytail hang free. If you have straight hair you can tease it just a bit to give yourself some fullness.
4. We're getting warm.  Take your scarf and like I demonstrate in the picture place it just behind the faux rolls we've just fluffed up. Snatch a few bobbies and pin the scarf in place (I would place one just about each ear but close to the roll where its concealed).
5. We're Smoking Dolls. Take the tails of your scarf make sure they're even then cross them and wrap them around your neck twice. You want the scarf to tighten especially on your head. The part that's around your neck should be snug but not uncomfortable. (this look doesn't work if its droopy so take the time to be neat. If you need to twist the tails of the scarf as you wrap do that just make sure its snug against your neck when your done.) End the look with tying the scarf at the side of the neck. This sounds strange but make an vertical bow. Continuing pulling on the bottom tail so that you are only left with the top loop at your shoulder. Fluff it up and tuck in the small bit of scarf left. Or leave it hanging. Top the look of with your favorite shade of matte red lipstick, a vintage pair of cateye shades and a black wiggle dress and Darling you're SMOKING!

This is what you should have....remember send in your pictures of your own versions and variations of my Classicwood Wrap for me to share.

Fashionably Speaking... Joie Cuentista

HOTD: Back to Black / The Jackie-O

Yes we are back from hiatus and I am back to black! So here's a Quick one for you Dolls. I promise you'll look Jackie-O fab and all you need is three items or less. So let's get started:



A bunch of bobbies, some hairspray (if this is need for your hair), and a comb
 



Some kind of sheen is also great to have, I use coconut oil for everything. The brand in the picture is my preferred

And a hat

 

 

Alrighty Dolls this one is as simple as it gets, sometimes we get caught up in the beauty of all these complicated styles that we forget what its like to just fluff and go.  This gives you an idea of how you can maintain the authenticity of your look while still sticking to your time clock on in a pinch.

 

 

The Inspiration:

Okay like I said the beauty of this one is that its a get up and go. there's one step which is to part your hair to either, then place your pillbox hat on the crown or back of your head.

 

Tips:

Its not necessary to curl your hair at all.  One option would be to fake all together by pin-curling the ends of your hair either tucked up or flipped under to mimic flip curls or curls. You could also just fluff out your second or third day roller-set.

If you're a curly like me there's no to go overboard with straightening your hair then curling them again. Just work with your natural curl (we've already got it why not flaunt it Dolls). Use bobbies to tame unruly strands and guide your tresses into the direction in which you want them to go.

Another option is to either put your hair up in a French roll and place the hat on crown of the head. Or you can put your head up in a really tight knot and tuck it up under your hat similar to an Audrey Hepburn style.

 

In the end you'll have something that looks like this:

 

Fashionably Speaking…Joie Cuentista



 



 

Frizzy, Limp, and Just plain glim...But that's okay I Got a Scarf Look #2

Okay here we go time for look number 2 Doll's get those scarves out cause this will be quick.

Step 1:
Separate you bang and put the rest of your hair in a French roll that's it, I don't need to tell you how to do the French roll we've all done that style at least once. So...on to next stage.

Step2:
- Take your scarf folding length wise (for this I used a long scarf one you can wrap around you neck about twice). You want to fold it as small as you can but keep it flat not round.
- Making sure your tails are even holding the tails in your hands bring the flat side of the scarf up and under your French roll.
- Continue up behind your ear, then bring it around behind your bang
- Instead of tying directly where behind your bang section your going to twist the two ends around
- Twist the ends a second time
- That will give you a little twisty pull that back so that its flat
- Reverse back to behind your roll, but don't double over where you've already gone there should be two separate sections where you can clearly see your hair in-between.
- You can either leave your tails hanging, tie them into a bow or tuck them into scarf where its already tied.

Step3:
- Unclip your bang and comb it out
- If you need to curl your hair do a flip curl on the ends only, holding the curling iron for about 8secs.
    - Separate in two sections lightly tease and then smooth back down
- Get a little pomade ( I personally use coconut oil it works for everything) smooth it on the hair and gather the ends of the hair.
- Your basically doing a roll but instead of going under your going up
- Take two bobbies and pin inside either end of your roll
- Next do your tweaking to make sure it frames your face to your satisfaction.

And that's all folks > * <

                                           Fashionably Speaking…Joie Cuentista

 

 

 

 

 

Frizzy, Limp, and Just plain glim...But that's okay I Got a Scarf Look 1

         So I did this look the same day I went to the theatre, (look for the OOTD post 'Catching a Daytime Show) to be honest I was having a really bad hair day. I couldn't get my curls to act right what so ever I swear I must have spent forever in the bathroom so I said forget it and decided to straighten out my hair and curl it. I had planned to this this really fabulous Dandridge in Carmen inspired look but...when I got out of the shower my hair was a frizzy mess. my roots were beginning to puff up and my hair was frizzed up with humidity. Basically I looked like the before picture of a hair ad, not a good look. 

        But never to fear cause when all other hair options fail a Doll can always fall back on her trusty scarf. I know that a lot of people don't like them cause you think your stuck with just one look but that's not true, in actuality the possibilities of a scarf are endless. Once you learn that you have options with scarfs you'll begin to look at them different ways.  So this week I'm going to show you Dolls some different hair looks to do with those scarfs for those days like I had, and not only that I'll show you some other uses as well. I hope you enjoy.

The Curly Dolls Hairstyle Lookbook

I bet this isn’t the ideal palette you expect to start with when you get up to start on your hair…But for many Dolls it is. If you’re a Curlie like me stick around for some tips on vintage hairstyling with your natural texture.

            One of the key pieces in putting together any look and for us Vintage Dolls one of the key pieces to keep our looks authentic is our hair. Unlike what people think we don’t spend hours and hours on our hair but we do spend time on it none-the-less. We cut, color, curl, pin, roll, tuck, tease and that’s just to name a few. A lot of us follow some of our favorite YouTube vintage hair and makeup gurus like Lisa Freemont street, and A Vintage Vanity to name a couple of my favorites and we follow them religiously. Then feeling extremely proud of ourselves when we’ve mastered yet another style. However here’s the thing if you’re like me you notice an extreme lack in these tutorials for women with naturally curly hair or even women of color. For us Curly Dolls were often left a little baffled after watching these tutorials as great and informative as they are they are often of little use for women with really curly hair, or coarse hair, etc…. We have no idea how they will look on our hair and we have no idea how to begin cause at least half of the steps we don’t need.

            Many of us either don’t straighten our hair at all or like me very rarely nor have no desire to, so there is little to no use for the pink foam rollers or a curling iron which the majority or most vintage styles start with. So what’s a curly girl to do?