Space Age Style

Has it really been almost a month since I last posted? I promise you, dear readers, that I have not abandoned this blog intentionally!  It seems that lately my schedule is jam-packed with things to do, and as I am now the official bass player for the Heymakers, I suspect that I will be staying quite busy.

But anyway, enough of my rambling excuses ;-)

I thought perhaps you might enjoy a few still photos from the Space Rangers scene we shot this past weekend. This time I wore another costume consisting of a fabulously shiny silver catsuit and lipstick red armor. The armor is an original design made by the amazingly talented Roxy Almblade--didn't she do a fantastic job?

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Wild Blue Yonder

The fabulous Naomi of Arthelia's Attic sent me one of her classic snoods in the newest color available--bright royal blue. As always, her snoods are well made and the perfect finishing touch to a vintage outfit!

The first series of photos is by Atomic Age Pictures in classic pinup style. The second set is by Bobbysoxer Photography, and shows how snoods are a must for both glamour and noir ;-)

xoxo,

Amanda Lee

Hello Valentine!

 

Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day!

 

This year, Doug Monce and I put together an aeronautical-themed shoot, inspired by a WWII pinup I came across some time ago. I'm wearing a pair of 1940s cream rayon shorts with striped insets, 1940s red leather heels, and a retro cropped sweater. I'll be posting the second series of photos from the shoot tomorrow, featuring the newest color snood available at Arthelia's Attic. Do stop by and check 'em out!

 

xoxo,

Amanda Lee

Miss February

This month, I am the featured model at World Fashion Media News, an online magazine devoted to fashion and modeling. I was pleased as punch to receive the invitation to be Miss February! I'll be writing articles for upcoming issues of the magazine, so stay tuned!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

The Hotel Congress Incident

Two weekends ago, I attended Tucson's Dillinger Days with my friends Veronica, Lana, and Doug. The event, known as the "Hotel Congress Incident," is one we like to go to—the Congress is always a treat to see, even if the event festivities drag on a bit. Mostly, we enjoy seeing the turnout of fabulous vintage cars, checking out the other attendees' ensembles, and sneaking in a bit of vintage shopping.

This year, I outfitted my two best pals in retro clothing from my wardrobe. I'd just received a package from the fabulous NudeeDudee, and the two tops she sent were perfect for a 30s look! I wore her navy blue and white striped sailor top, paired with a retro red skirt borrowed from Veronica and blue 40s heels. Veronica wore the gingham wrap blouse with a blue skirt from her closet, and a vintage bluebird pin borrowed from me. Lana wore Jitterbuggin's delightful green and white floral feedsack blouse, with tan 50s wool pencil skirt that I thought had a bit of 30s flair to it and red accessories.

After lunch at HUB Restaurant and Creamery, we headed over to Razzle Dazzle Vintage. I did my best to restrain myself (by visualizing the immense sale pile occupying my guest bedroom) and came home with lovely 1950s jacket accented with beaded "fireworks" designs, a yellow satin late 1930s blouse, and red 1940s-50s box purse trimmed with white saddle stitching. Not too shabby and still within the allowance I gave myself!

After an hour or so at the store, we were all shopped out and headed home. Of course, as Lana and I are big coffee drinkers, we stopped at drive through coffee shop for a caffeinated treat. I went with the cherry cordial frappe, which turned out to be a sweet way to end the afternoon!

xoxo, Amanda Lee

Best Beauty Finds of 2012

I thought it would be fun to do a recap of my top five favorite beauty finds of 2012. We all know how much I enjoy trying new products (incidentally, this year I am going to be using up and/or swapping my stash of products in the name of frugality), and so here are the best of the bunch!

1. Bare Escentuals Matte Foundation: I'll admit that mineral foundation has never really interested me—call me a makeup snob, but I never could bring myself to really buy into the mineral craze Well, after trying it out last year,I'm a convert now! I need to do a proper review, but I have found mineral foundation to be an excellent fit for my skin type and coverage needs—and, believe it or not, Bare Escentuals Matte foundation photographs really, really well! It's been my go-to foundation for the past several months, so much so that I've actually tossed a lot of my foundation stash. It may not work for everyone, but it's a definite 'win' for me!
2. Bare Escentuals Ready Eyeshadow Duo in The Nick of Time: I tried out this pressed shadow duo at the same as the BE foundation, and found it to be a real winner too. Both shades have a fabulous buttery texture, last incredibly well, and are non-irritating. The shades really make my green eyes pop—Chance is a creamy pinkish white (similar to MAC Vapour), and Kismet is a rich, plummy brown (similar to MAC Haux.) As a side note, Kismet closely resembles the foundation shade Max Factor created for Lena Horne (named Light Eygptian), which supposedly was used as an eye shadow on Caucasian actresses in the 40s.
3. Kiss Me Blinc Mascara: This is a tubing mascara, which means that it stays on until you are ready to remove it with warm water-no flaking or smearing ever. I have sensitive eyes prone to irritation (which means they water like crazy until the offending product is gone), and being pale, I like to wear brown mascara instead of black. Blinc mascara comes in a great medium brown shade perfect for blondes and redheads (it comes in black as well), and doesn't bother my eyes at all—it's a must-have for anyone with sensitive eyes.
4. VanityMark Brow Pencil in Blondie: As someone with nearly colorless brows, a good brow product is a must-have for me. I prefer pencils to powders, but regardless of product type, I have always had a hard time finding the right shade. Most products marketed for blondes are too dark, too taupe/ash, or too orangey for my coloring, making for a frustrating search. VanityMark Blondie is the perfect neutral beige shade, easy to apply, and long lasting too. So, unless I happen to be lured by the siren call of another magical brow product, I'll be sticking with this!
5. Natural Calm: Now, this isn't technically a beauty product—but it is health-related, and health plays a role in appearance. For years, I have suffered from migraines, and over time, the number of migraines I was getting each month, as well as the length and intensity of the headaches, increased. I've tried several prescription medications, but found the side effects were much worse than the cure, and so I was resigned to suffering through three to five migraines a month. That is, until I read that a magnesium supplement can help reduce or eliminate migraines. I ordered a bottle of Natural Calm, a flavored powder you mix with water, and started taking a dose every day. In the past four months, I've had a total of three migraines—a huge improvement! If any of my readers also suffer from migraines, you may want to check this one out.

Well, these were my top five finds of 2012! What were your favorites?
 
xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a wonderful new year!

I have to say that 2012 was a good year for me, but I have a feeling 2013 will be an even better one. I'm not making any specific resolutions, but I am changing my way of thinking--replacing "I'll try to..." with "I'll do...". I've got a lot of plans in the works, and this year I'm going to stop trying, and do them!

Tomorrow I'll be posting my must-have beauty finds of 2012, so stay tuned!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee