The Living History of 'Belle Blossoms'

"Why Miss Katherine, you have flowers in your hair!"-Mr Beebe (A Room With a View)

Quick Disclaimer: I am not being paid by this company to promote and assist in marketing this product. I am simply trying to help out a friend with a new and exciting endeavor.


When I first began wearing flowers in my hair, I never looked back. I don't know what it is exactly about a simple blossom (real or synthetic), that makes me feel so feminine and 'pretty'. Whatever it is, there is no doubt that hair accessories are an integral part of vintage styling. Not only are flowers and decorative accessories important for aspiring 'pin up girls', but they are also making a huge comeback in modern styles. For this reason, I went on a mission to find good quality hair acccessories at a reasonable price.

I first realized the need for quality floral clips etc, when a silk red rose I had in my possession simply fell apart. Looking closely at its construction, I found that it was shoddily made and the barette style clip was a bad idea. It slid out of my fine hair repeatedly but also made it impossible to reposition the clip without damaging my painstakingly achieved hairstyle. A single prong clip is a much better option, which considerably narrows the field of options. Floral hair combs are also difficult to come by.

It was then that my attention returned to a childhood friend of mine who had a business designing hair accessories and other things for children. Her hair bows and hairbands for little girls were so lovingly constructed that I couldnt resist approaching her with the idea of making 'grown-up' options. She jumped at it, and I am thrilled to announce that the prototypes she sent me are some of the best I've tried. For her 'Belle Blossoms', bows, and fascinators, she uses the single pronged clips I mentioned but also covers them with a wonderful non-slip, textured fabric. This means that, not only will those things stay put, but they also don't damaged our perfectly coiffed hair, when moved. The flowers are realistic and soft-bodied (not stiff or bulky), lightweight, and extraordinarily well made.

I can't wait to share these with you on my channel and sincerely hope that you all will visit her site and help her jump-start this new portion of her business. Also, don't forget about the childrens' items she offers, those of you who have little 'belles' to think about.

I couldnt get the darn link to work! So simple copy and paste the web address below into your address bar to view the new line.
http://www.littlebellesboutique.com/category_57/BELLE-BLOSSOMS.htm

Comparing Hair Roller Options.

The purpose of this post is to supplement the video I made yesterday and to add some info that I may not have been able to mention there, due to time constraints. I get lots and lots of questions about hair rollers and yes, I do use many different kinds! Rollers are pretty important to achieve certain types of vintage looks, even if you have the pincurling thing down pat. So without further ado, here is a brief rundown of several different options for rollers and a few facts about them:

WET SETS:



1. Sponge Rollers
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What it is: A lightweight cylindrical sponge over a plastic rod and usually involving a plastic clip attached to the rod that snaps over the hair once it is rolled

What it does: provides a good stable curl that has less tendency to frizz than a pincurl but more than a hot roller. When rolled to the scalp, hair will have alot of volume and tons of curl. when rolled off base, it will provide a lovely bouncy curl, reminiscent of a youthful 1940's look.

Pros: authentic look, comfortable for sleeping in, long lasting curl (especially when used with a setting lotion), versatile styling options, comes in a variety of sizes

Cons: plastic clip tends to dent hair, sponge will fall apart after alot of use, plastic rod and clip comes unattached easily and can sometimes be a pain to find, when you're in a hurry.


2. Pillow or Soft Rollers
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What it is: a sponge type roller inserted over a wire and encased in fabric. The wire ends are also covered in fabric and need simply to be twisted together in order to stay in place.

What it does: provides the same type of tight curl as a rag roller or a sponge roller.

Pros: The most comfortable set for sleeping, tight long lasting curls, less tendency to frizz than a pincurl, no denting since the closure doesnt touch the hair

Cons: When rolling damp hair, pillow rollers take longer to dry since they are covered in fabric and less air circulates, no different sizes to choose from usually, not as secure as a sponge roller set-tends to slide out, twisting at the ends can be difficult to master



3.Old Fashioned Rag Rollers:
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What it is: a strip of fabric, about 10 inches long, folded in half. Hair wraps around the middle and ties after rolling, to secure.

What it does: makes tight and authentic curls, similar to but not quite the same as sponge roller curls.

Pros: the set just looks cute when you're wearing it, makes authentic and long lasting curls, easy to use, economical since you can make them yourself

Cons: curls have no round base to support them and therefore may not be uniform, curls can look 'dented' sometimes, can tend to frizz, depending on the type of fabric you use-hair can take a little longer to dry than a typical sponge roller set

HEATED SETS:


1.Hot Roller
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What it is: A plastic roller in varying sizes that comes in a set and is usually heated over a metal spindle. There are also steam setters that use steam to heat a sponge-flocked plastic roller. Traditional hot rollers are usually textured or flocked in velvet for added security while setting. They use pins or claw type clips to hold them in the hair.

What it does: When properly heated, makes a soft wave curl, the size of which is determined by the size roller used.

Pros: convenient, easy to use, provides a good base for updos and looks that simply need a little extra volume, time efficient, very little frizzing

Cons: heated products need a heat protectant spray to prevent damage to hair, not a very long lasting option, can be pricey, not a very authentic option usually, curl is loose and slippery, heat can cause burns if rollers get very hot (and they should get very hot), bulky for traveling

*for longer lasting curls with the same appearance as hot rolled ones, try a dry pincurl. Simply roll hair with a curling iron, slide the curl off the iron, and pin it to the scalp with a single pronged clip while the curl cools.


2.Hot Sticks
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What it is: a bendable piece of rubbery plastic with a loop at one end and a heated coil inside. Roller secures by being inserted into itself.

What it does: provides the most authentic curls for vintage looks, as offered by a heated set. Curls are tight but easily relaxed through brushing and can be formed over hands to make locks, a pageboy, or waterfal waves.

Pros: convenient when a cold set is not possible, rollers get *hot* so the curl takes rather quickly, relatively easy to use, curls most hair types-even those typically difficult to curl, inexpensive, no denting from pins or clips, convenient for travel

Cons: not as secure as other rollers since ends pop open quite often, heat can be damaging to hair, tendency to frizz (can usually be overcome by more brushing), hot centers can burn fingers, texture of roller can pull hair if not careful

There are plenty of other roller options, such as velcro etc, but I am not familiar with those types at the time of this post. So we'll save those for another time. Until then, I hope this little guide is helpful for some of you.

"Chignon Mignon"

After the Kim Kardashian request, I also received this photo, which is a still from a Hercule Poirot movie, I believe. It's just lovely and speaks of traipsing about the English countryside in tall leather boots and sniffing alot. I often think traipsing about the English countryside would involve sniffling. I could be wrong since I'll be the first to admit I'm not very well traveled. But I tend to curl up into a little ball when faced with lots of clouds and rain and it does seem as if there is alot of that going on in these movies. Anyway, if I were to take a walk through wet grass, this is just the hairstyle I'd like to be wearing. It's casual and easy, while at the same time very elegant.

It is a variation on a classic chignon, as is the photo I posted of Kim a couple of entries ago, but this one takes it a step farther and tends more towards a 'knotted' effect, than a 'rolled' one. Either method is lovely, so for my tutorial today (available on my youtube channel) I sort of did a combination of both. I kept the front smoothe and sleek but let the back do what it wished.

The greatest thing about a style like this is that the options with it are endless. For a casual or work hairstyle, keep the front loose (like the photo) and blousy. The rolls and knots are the only embelishment you need! For evening, try jeweled combs at the sides (where the twists are most prominent) or even floral combs would add some glamour. You can also keep with that floral theme and add a huge flower over one ear or find a saucy little pillbox hat to cover the flat portion of hair at the crown. So many variations here!

Keep in mind that for a look like this, jewelry should be understated, so as not to take away from the elaborate look of the 'coils' and if you are blonde, the look will be even more eye-catching, since the details will be more visible.

I hope you all try this one out and let me know how it goes for you!

Lovely Blog Award *sniff sniff*

I happily, and very proudly, accept my "One Lovely Blog Award" from Unlaced Beauty!
http://unlacedbeauty.blogspot.com/2009/10/tagged-blog-award.html

But of course i must comply with the rules of receiving such an award, and they are:


Accept the Award
Post it on my Blog
Post the name and link the person who has granted the award
Post the award onto 15 other newly discovered blogs
Notify the Bloggers that they have been awarded

So here are my chosen :

the bookyeti vignettes (private blog)
the silent podium (a guy may have issues with posting this girlie award but his blog is one of my favorites)
irisonyoutube
Meet Me At Ruby's
Red Lips Bride
Bobby Pin Blog
Diaryofavintagegirl
The Freelancer's Fashion Blog
casey brown designs
diamonddame
rascalkosher
inkyknits


I don't subscribe to that many blogs so I couldnt get all the way to 15, unfortunately. Anyway...:)

Small Comfort...

As my channel progresses, I find that my subscribers range in age from 15 to 50 and everywhere in between. Which means I get request for looks from Miley Cyrus to Rita Hayworth...from Katie Perry to Kate Hepburn. Though I am happy to oblige w/ the classic looks, I usually have to refer the little ladies who request modern looks to other youtubers who specialize in keeping 'up to date'...heh heh. I hope I don't offend by doing so, but really, I have so little time per week to devote to this little venture that I really do like to focus on the looks with which I truly feel a measure of kinshiip. That said, I was surprised indeed when I recently received a request for the following look by Kim Kardashian:








It's lovely! The mention of her name prepared me to forward the viewer to Makeup By TiffanyD without even glancing at the photo...yes, I'm ashamed to admit it. But I was very happy with the look Kim is featuring in these photos and am anxious to re-create it. I also find it somewhat comforting. Now if I could just find some extra hair??