Tag Archives: classic

Take A Brow

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I started wearing makeup at an early age. When I was 13 I asked if I could and my request was granted. I was then taken to the nearest store in search of mascara and eyeliner because I had no idea the various types of makeup to wear. Those were the only two items I bought. It was a start and proof that I had a lot to learn about the cosmetic world.

There are times when I wish I could go back and tell my 14-year old self not to over-pluck my eyebrows. I present to you Exhibit A: my freshman high school picture.

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Here I am with my black, heavy-rimmed eyes and tons of black mascara. No foundation, no blush and no lip gloss or lipstick of any kind. It was the mid-90s and I was super gothic so there’s my explanation.

When I was 16 I bought Kevyn Aucoin‘s makeup book, Making Faces. I’m sure I saw it on MTV or some fashion show that featured it. I devoured that book when I got it. I read it cover to cover learning all about cosmetics and the different looks I could achieve. That book was, and still is to this day, like magic to me.

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So back to my over-plucked brows. I seriously wish I could tell the teenage girl me to knock it off with the over-tweasing. But since I can’t I time travel, I had to come up with another solution. Luckily, I’ve met some great professional makeup artists over the years that have shown me the way to be a makeup Jedi. I learned that I didn’t have to continue to be ashamed of my lack of eyebrows and I learned how important they are. So much that if it’s a day I’m not going to wear any makeup, I’ll fill in my brows at least. It’s amazing how much your eyebrows define your face.

I was recently given the most lovely gift from my sister from another mister, Johnnie Mae‘s brother, Ryan. He is a professional makeup artist in California. He gave me Too Faced‘s Brow Envy brow shaping & defining kit. I could not wait to try it! Below is some before and after and photos of the product.
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The case is so pretty and the kind you can nicely display on a vanity if you wanted to. It’ll also be vintage gold in about 50 years because of it’s timeless look. It came with a fold-out tutorial and three individual eyebrow stencils: So Sweet, Too Pretty and Super Sexy. The tutorial gives great and easy step-by-step instructions to create a classic Hollywood eyebrow. I LOVE the setting wax and highlighter. Makeup tip: the highlighter is a great way to shape up the eyebrow and basically make the lovely eyebrow you just created pop. 🙂
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The Saint & Sinner: A vintage-inspired photo shoot with And How! Imaging

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I love photography. I love admiring the images others create and I enjoy creating images in front of the camera. I think the camera is one the best inventions. To capture our moments in time is such a beautiful thing to me.

Last month my husband and I had the pleasure of creating a vintage-inspired photo shoot with the lovely folks of And How! Imaging. And How! Imaging is Amy and Charles Rouyer who are two very creative people. Their work ranges from pin ups, portraits, conceptual, events, bands and musicians, girls + cars and weddings. They create some great photo shoots and capture the subjects of their photo shoots well. Our inspiration was the 1920s and we just took it from there. When we arrived they had many props and a great setting for us to come up with a theme. I wore a black dress from the 1920s that I had picked up on our trip to Virginia. My husband wore his jazz age-inspired suit. We sat on a church pew, picked up an old, old bible and posed in front of many items that hark back to this time. My husband, being the silly person he normally is, took a few naughty shots. It reminded me of the purity and conservative facade people gave during this time in history, yet, underneath it all, something else could be lurking. Me looking like a saint and him looking like a sinner. 😉 It was a lot of fun and I definitely recommend booking a photo shoot with them. They are great people to work with. Go ahead, check out what I’m talking about ☞ And How! Imaging.

Below are the photos from our photo shoot.

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All Aboard for 1950

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To celebrate Valentine’s Day, my husband and I set on an excursion to 1950. Before you start asking where the DeLorean is, I’ll explain that this wasn’t a scene from Back to the Future. The Tennessee Central Railway Museum hosts excursions to the DelMonaco Winery in Baxter, Tenn. My husband and I couldn’t resist jumping on board this retro voyage.

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Of course we had to dress the part. I mean, we literally live in vintage clothing any chance we can get. The day before I went to my favorite antique warehouse to scout out a vintage hat. I found a hat…and a 1950s vintage ladies suit. It fit like a glove and I was thrilled to have brought it home. My husband wore a vintage suit as well and we arrived at the station bright and early Saturday morning.

Mr. & Mrs. before boarding.

  Mr. & Mrs. before boarding.train5

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Our train car host greeted us dressed in his uniform and assisted us to our seat. He thoroughly gave us our instructions for the three-hour trip to the winery. Before you think you can’t handle a three-hour trip on a train, I have to point out that the winery had a staff member on board that conducted a wine tasting that lasted the entire trip there. We sipped on whites then reds, tasting the most driest to the most sweetest wines the DelMonaco Winery produces.

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Viewing the countryside from this angle was quite interesting. We traveled through a few towns but for the most part, we drank in the rolling hills of slumbering scenery while sipping on fine wine. A few times we passed by houses and caught a few people waving as we traveled by. We had the opportunity to see our state from a point of view we hardly ever get to see and it was a treat.

The passenger train we traveled on is a restored classic 1950s era American streamlined stainless steel passenger train. The museum has preserved this gem well and we felt so pleased they have. When we arrived at the winery, I snapped a few shots of the ladies restroom/lounge with my camera phone (sorry for the poor quality).

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Who wouldn’t want to gab with their girlfriends while powdering your nose or ensuring the curls in your hair are behaving? 🙂

Upon arrival at the winery we had approximately two hours to have lunch and check out the winery. Unfortunately it was a chilly February day so we stayed inside instead of exploring the grape vines. The winery had live music and guests sat around round tables enjoying their favorite wines they purchased as a result of the wine tasting.

When it was time to board we had a few folks snap our picture with their camera. One gentlemen pointed out that people no longer get “dressed up” to go on trips. That they just throw on a pair of jeans just to be comfortable. For my husband and me, this is part of the fun. We love to dress from days gone by and it definitely adds to the event.

Dining car

Dining car

Before we boarded to go back to the city.

Before we boarded to go back to the city.

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On the way back we sipped on one of our recently purchased wines and I put on some Bessie Smith while we enjoyed the wine. We plan to take another excursion once the weather is warm and take a picnic when we go. This was by far the best Valentine’s Day celebration I’ve had so far. I highly recommend booking a trip on one of the Tennessee Central Railway Museum‘s excursions. And if you don’t live close by, check out what is in your state. After this trip, I declare we bring back railway travel.