March 2016 – Vintage Frills

vintagefrills / March 31, 2016

Win Two Tickets to Swingamajig Festival (Ended)

I love this time of year, things really start hotting up on the vintage calendar and it’s a great time to start planning which events you’ll be going to this year. On such event is the fabulous Swingamajig Festival, which will be coming to Birmingham on 1st May.

Swingamajig is a one day vintage inspired festival. You can expect music, dance, cabaret, walkabout, art installations, street food, performance and over 4000 of the UKs best dressed ladies and gents! You can see the full line up and details on the Swingamajig website.

I’ve teamed up with the organisers to offer two tickets to give away to my readers, so if you’re looking for a great vintage event to start the year this might be just the thing.

To enter follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter Giveaway below. Once the competition has ended a winner will be picked at random and I’ll get in touch to let you know if you are the lucky winner.

vintagefrills / March 30, 2016

Benefit Totally B.Right Skincare Review

When it comes to beauty products I’m definitely a skin care girl. Taking care of my skin is one of the little bits of pampering I always try to make time for as a busy mum and I absolutely love trying new products. My first taste of Benefit skin care, was a bout a year ago when I started using the It’s Potent eye cream which is an absolutely amazing product. I really wanted to try more from their skincare range so I recently bought a gift set containing mini versions of their full range. I decided to write review as I’ve been absolutely delighted by all the products I’ve tried and I’m definitely ready to start investing in the full sized versions when I bank balance allows!

The set contains a great selection of products for all skincare needs, from moisturiser to sunscreen everything is covered. I’ve been using all the products every day and they’ve worked really well with my skin. I’ve never really had any problems with my skin which is generally quite clear. However I’ve recently turned 30 and have found that my skin needs a little extra tlc as I’ve got a bit older and these products have really helped.

One of the things that really attracted me to the products was the gorgeous packaging. Although I try not to let it affect my decisions, this packaging looks absolutely gorgeous and would look fab on a vintage dressing table. I especially like the glass bottles which look really traditional. The full-sized products have even prettier packaging and have a fun tiki feel to them.

The sample size bottles are quite small, but as with most high-end products a little goes a long way. I’ve found that everything has lasted really well and with everyday use this has been over a months supply, which is actually really good value for money. I’ve used most of the products together and they’ve been a great base for full make-up looks.

The first product I used is the Foamingly Clean face wash. This is a surprisingly thick and creamy formula and not at all like some of the more drying ones I’ve used before. I’d say this is a bit more like a hot cloth cleanser than a face wash, as it spread quick thickly over the skin and is relatively moisturising. I use this after removing all my make-up to get my skin completely clean. I’ve found this one really gentle and kind to my skin and it works really well with my cleansing brush.

The Instant Comeback facial serum can be applied right after cleansing. This lovely serum is a great anti agin product which helps protect against visible signs of ageing. I’ve found that this really helps to plump out my skin and make it feel smoother before applying my other skin care products. The formula is really quick drying, so I don’t have to wait ages to move on to the next stage.

The Triple Performing facial emulsion is a great all round oil free lotion. It contains SPF, so it’s a great product to use in the summer. I’ve been using this under the moisturiser to give my skin an extra boost and it’s worked really well. It contains plant extracts, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E to provide extra moisture. Even with the cold weather and having the heating on my skin has not dried out at all, so I’m really happy with the results.

The It’s Potent Eye Cream is definitely one of my all-time favourites. My eyes really suffer as a result of always staying up late and getting up early with the kids, so they need all the help they can get! It contains great ingredients to help keep the skin elasticity in tip-top shape and also to fade dark circles. It would take a miracle to make my dark circles disappear, but this cream definitely helps. The cream also feels really nice on the skin and even makes me feel a bit more awake and perky in the morning. If you’re looking for a really good all round eye cream, I couldn’t recommend this one enough.

When it comes to moisturisers, I have quite a few that I really like. I’m definitely not loyal to any one product. The thing I particularly like about the Total Moisture facial cream is that it has a reasonable thick formal. It’s a great in between if you like a heavy moisturiser that absorbs quite quickly. I use Nivea Creme at night and usually use Botanics moisturiser by day and this has a consistency half way between the two. It certainly works really well on my skin, keeping it soft and supple all day.

The last product is Dream Screen, which due to the time of year I’ve not actually used yet. I’m looking forward to trying this one when the weather gets nicer and I’m impressed at how high the SPF is. At SPF 45 this would be a good one to pack for a holiday. I take protecting my skin from the sun quite seriously so this will definitely get a lot of use this summer.

The Totally B.Right gift set is currently available at Boots for just £18.

Have you tried any of Benefit’s skincare products? What would you recommend?

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vintagefrills / March 29, 2016

Kingston Bloggers Meet with John Lewis and Rossopomodoro

It’s actually a little bit ridiculous how behind I’ve got with blogging. Looking through my computer at all my pictures, I’m spotting pictures of things I did last year that I wanted to blog about ad never got round to! So I’m trying to catch up a little bit and share some of them on here. One of those things was a lovely blogger meet I went to back in December at John Lewis in Kingston. I love meeting other bloggers who live nearby and John Lewis always organise fab local events which I really enjoy going to.

This was a lovely informal meet with a few bloggers, most of whom I’ve met before. We had a lovely meal in the Rosopomodoro restaurant which had recently opened in the Kingston store. The food was absolutely amazing and I’m going back next week to try it again and write a proper review. I can’t wait. The restaurant is absolutely gorgeous and looked particularly good decked out for Christmas, which feels like forever ago now!

It was great to drink some bubbles and chat about all things blogging with the other lovely ladies. The lovely Fay was also there, I love that my best friend is a blogger too! When you work from home it’s really nice to get together with other people who do the same thing as you and this was like a little work Christmas party for me. It was also my birthday that day and everyone made me feel really special. Weirdly I was at another John Lewis event on my birthday the year before, so I think it’s becoming a bit of a tradition!

One of my favourite departments in John Lewis is the haberdashery and during the meet we got the chance to sit down in the department and try a few craft activities and have a chat. Rather than choosing a sewing project like I usually would, I had a go with a quilling kit, which is so much harder than it looks! I still have the kit and I’m going to give it another go soon! Why I didn’t take any pictures at this point I don’t know (blame the Cava).

I was too busy having fun to take many pictures, but I really enjoyed the evening, and if you find yourself in Kingston I would definitely recommend a trip to John Lewis and Rossopomodoro, for a bit of shopping and a nice meal. Look out for my full review of Rossopomodoro in the next couple of weeks. I’ll also be attempting a big catch up on the blog so expect a lot of posts!

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vintagefrills / March 27, 2016

I’m Selling Vintage Again!

I’ve loved old things, especially vintage clothing for a really long time. Long before I started blogging, I ran a website selling vintage clothing, I also sold at vintage fairs and had a stall at Portobello Market. When I had Lila I decided to cut back on work and stopped selling. This is one of the reasons I started blogging, so I still had a way to enjoy all things vintage and be a bit creative.

Vintage Fair Flowers by Sutton Floral Arrangements and some bit from our stall.

Last September Lila started full time school, I can’t believe how quickly she went from being newborn to being in Reception! With a little more time on my hands I decided it was high time I started selling again. These days I mostly sell on eBay as well as my Etsy shop where I sell mostly 1950s bits. I absolutely love hunting out lovely vintage again. The whole process from finding items, to cleaning, repairing and photographing them is something I really enjoy, and being able to do a job that surrounds me with gorgeous vintage things is the best thing ever. Selling vintage definitely isn’t a job that will make me rich, but I feel so blessed to be able to be a stay at home mum as well as a blogger and seller.

Vintage Fair 2 Some of the pretty vintage dresses I was selling and tea and cake from Rose and Olive

I recently did my first vintage fair in years, just a little local charity one and I enjoyed it so much. Vintage fairs can be a bit hit and miss, but even when I don’t make much money I really enjoy doing them. I love meeting people and talking about clothes and there’s always a good supply of tea and cake to get me through the day! This time I took Jessica with me, so she could see a bit more about my job and she had a great time.

I’ve shared a few pics that I took on my phone during the fair. It was orgnised by a lady who is running the London Marathon to raise money for Asthma UK and I think organising a vintage fair is such a great way to do something for charity. The day was a great success. If you’d like to donate to this fantastic charity, you can visit her Just Giving page.

A few people have asked on social media where you can buy some of the stuff in my pictures from the fair. Quite a bit of it is on my Etsy store and a lot of it is still waiting to be photographed and listed, but I will try and get it all online by May as there is lots of lovely stuff for Spring coming up.

If your interested in selling vintage here are a few useful posts with lots of advise I’ve learned along the way.

So You Want to Start a Vintage Business?

My Tips for Selling at Vintage Fairs

My Ebay Selling Dos and Don’ts

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vintagefrills / March 26, 2016

March Favourites

It’s been a while since I shared a favourites post on here. When I’m reading other people’s blogs I always love to read them, so I thought it was high time I shared the things I’ve been enjoying this month. From beauty products, to books and vintage treasure these are my favourite products from March.

Beauty: I have a few beauty favourites that I’ve been using everyday this months. A few new ones and a couple of trusty favourites…

My all time favourite skin saviour, is one I use every single month. Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish is my absolute favourite skincare product of all time. Whenever I run out my skin seems to suffer. This gentle hot cloth cleanser is packed with essential oils and lovely ingredients and not only does it remove all traces of make-up, but it also leaves my skin looking and feeling fabulous. I wrote a proper review of it last year and you can read it here.

My go-to perfume at the moment would have to be Poirier d’un Soir by Miller Harris. This luxury perfume has a gorgeous powdery old-fashioned scent, which I’m totally addicted to. I like musky traditional scents and this one is absolutely divine. The perfume lasts all day and people keep asking me what I’m wearing. It is a little on the pricey side, but for something you wear every day I always think perfume is worth investing a little extra in for a great product. I’d really like to try more from Miller Harris as I was so impressed with this one.

My hands really haven’t enjoyed the cold weather or all the hand washing vintage clothes, which I seem to spend all my time doing. I love a good hand cream and L’Occitane is one of my favourite brands. I picked up these two lovely handcreams while I was on holiday in Bruges recently and I’ve been using them non stop ever since. I chose the lavender as it’s such a classic and the grapefruit and rhubarb because I love the sweet fresh scent. My hands have really benefitted from using them and I’m hoping to buy some more scents soon.

Make-up wise I’ve been really enjoying several eye products this month. Although I usually hate felt-tip eyeliners, the Eyeko Fat liquid liner is definitely an exception. This one is perfect for creating perfect vintage winged liner. I usually combine it with a normal liquid liner, I use this on the outer eye and to create the flick and a normal liner for the more delicate inner eye. I love how dark the product comes out and how easy it is to create a precision cat eye.

My favourite mascara over the last few months has been Benefit’s Roller Lash. I’ve always used Benefit mascaras anyway and to me this is their best yet. It has an easy to use plastic wand and adds loads of length and volume to lashes. I love how much it separates my lashes and I haven’t found another product that compares to it for a while.

My last make-up product is one that came in my most recent Birchbox. The ModelCo brow More Brows, is a great product for create well-defined and shaped brows. I’ve used it everyday since I received it and absolutely love it. See more about this one in my most recent Birchbox review.

I’ve been using a Magnitone Cleansing Brush for absolutely ages now and I recently picked up a new one in a lovely pastel blue colour. This cleansing brush helps your cleanser to really clean your skin and gently exfoliates. I absolutely love how much my skin glows after using it. I wrote a full review of the magnitude brush a while ago, which you can see here.

My last beauty product for this month is a selection of products I picked up at Rituals. I’m a huge fan of sugar scrubs and have tried so many! I’d had my eye on this one for ages and kept seeing it in the shop and wanting it. While I was in Bruges I thought I’d treat myself to some new products to enjoy while I was there, so I picked up my long coveted sugar scrub along with a body cream and foaming shower oil. As well as making my skin feel wonderful, these also smell absolutely divine. The scent from the body cream lasts for hours and I’ve really enjoyed using all the products as a set.

Books: I’ve got through so many books so far this year. I finished re-reading all the Harry Potter books, re-read the His Dark Materials trilogy and have indulged in lots of lovely feel good chick-lit books.

My favourite book that I’ve read this month would have to be Wickham Hall by Cathy Bramley. I’ve read her other two books this month as well and I absolutely love them. this one is set in a stately home and has a lovely easy-going plot. It’s the kind of book I read when I want a little light-hearted escape and I can’t wait for her to write more books!

Fashion: I’ve been pretty good this month and not spent much on clothes. At the moment I’m on the lookout for some more accessories to go with my vintage outfits.

I have recently developed a bit of an addiction to vintage jewellery and I love that you can still buy so many pretty things at absolutely bargain prices. My collection has certainly grown recently. I did a little vintage jewellery haul on the blog a few weeks ago and as I’ve picked up a few more bits since so I’m planning to do another one soon.

As you may have seen in a few of my outfit posts, I’ve got a bit of a thing for vintage Enid Collins bags. They were originally made in Texas in the 1960s and I love how bright and cheerful the colourful beaded designs are. My collection has really grown over the last year and I now have a total of 10! I must write a post about them all soon.

My favourite shoes this month are these gorgeous pink ones from Hotter. I think the colour is beautiful and the leather is lovely and soft. As with all Hotter shoes these are extremely comfortable and easy to wear and I can see myself wearing them a lot at vintage events this summer. The Sandy shoes also come in a gorgeous mustard colour, which I would have bought if I didn’t already own some mustard shoes. I really hope they bring these out in more colours soon.