How I did 20s make up

So the other week I went to the Colchester Jazz Club's Summer Party. It was wonderful fun, made all the better by my Eric joining us for a change! 

Due to a bit of idiocy on my part I couldn't sew up my red gingham circle skirt and go as a picnic blanket as I'd intended! 

Cue crazy dashing round shops looking for something twenties inspired to wear instead. Dress finally found I realised I should really do some make up to go with it! 

Now, make up has never been a hugely strong point for me, but I'm getting a lot better! 

I still think these photos look better in black and white! 

I went for a fairly heavy "film star" type look, but dispensed with any heavy foundation due to the amount of dancing that would be happening! Didn't think everything sliding off my face would be a particularly good look! 

So, if you're not going to be doing anything too strenuous, start here!

1) pale foundation. You're looking for doll like skin, looking flat and flawless for those 1920s cameras! 

Again, if you're not sweating too much, you could try covering your eyebrows and re drawing them completely, but I personally feel like I wouldn't be comfortable wearing such a stylised look out! I'm not the brave! I just used a brown liner to accentuate my own eyebrows a bit!

2) I swept a pale pink across my eyelids, right up to the eyebrow. 

3) then used a charcoal colour (that had a teeny bit of sparkle to it) and swept that across my eyelid, into the crease, and nearly up to the insides of my eyebrows. 

4) then I used my black and white smudge stick. The black I smudged on the outside of my eyelash line. All along the top of my lid and just underneath and on the outside of my lower lid. The white I used on the inside of my lashes on the lower lid. 

5) for a bit of extra definition I used a black kohl liner on my top lid and took it out to the side in a gentle flick. 

6) pile on the mascara! I did the lower lashes as well, just not quite as heavily!

7) tidy up under your eyes, maybe a sweep of pale powder. I didn't bother with blush (dancing makes me red enough!) but I think it helps with the doll like look. 

8) I used a deeper than normal lip liner. Really accentuate the Cupid's bow and don't make your lips as wide as normal either. Blot the edges with foundation. 

Ta dah! 20s style inspired make up! 

I wouldn't wear this day to day! But I quite like the smoky eyes toned down a tad for an evening look. Although everyone I asked said they liked the look even if it was heavy, that it was just a bit different! 

Which was nice of them :-) 

Jo :-)

P.S. do you have a make up go to? Like trying new styles? 

Shortening a Skirt

There's nothing fabulous on my sewing table at the moment. Indeed, as you're reading this I'm hopefully nipping down the A1 to get home! 

So I've just put together a quick post about shortening the length if a skirt. 

I picked up a lovely (probably 80s) olive green skirt from a charity shop in Cupar for 99p the other day. I'm getting a good 30s or 40s vibe from it if I style it right, but currently, it's just too long! 

To make life slightly more interesting, it's got false buttons up the front, a zipper and button that actually fasten the skirt at the back and a split in the middle at the back to give you that extra bit of freedom of movement. 

Here's what I plan to do. It's probably an evenings work for me with one of my sewing machines. Although the last skirt I shortened I did by hand, and it didn't take too long! 

1) decide how long you want the skirt to be. 

Mine will be 67cm from the waistband. This is the same length I use from my circle skirts (found by measuring my petticoat!) and I find it fairly flattering on me. 

2) hand sew the split at the back closed so it can't be seen from the outside. 

Because the split will end up being stupidly short if I left it, I'm going to sew it up by hand just catching a few threads from behind so it will just look like a continuation of the seam at the back of the skirt. 

3) measure the length of your skirt from the waistband and  mark using a straight edge with washable pen/pencil or tailors chalk. 

Or be lazy like me and iron a crease in as you go.....

4) add a two cm hem to this line and cut off the bottom section of skirt. 

5) fold over twice up to your drawn line, iron and pin your hem. 

I hate ironing but it makes such a huge difference in sewing! 

6) stitch all the way around your hem just less than 1cm from the edge of your skirt making sure you get the folded material behind. 

When I hand sewed a hem I used a very basic running stitch. With the machine sewing, I'll use a matching colour thread and try to match the stitch length to the rest of the seams or hems on the skirt to make it look less obviously altered. 

7) iron again (must I...?) and wear your newly shortened less frumpy feeling skirt with pride! 

Jo :-)

P.S. do you remember you can shorten things in charity shops? What was the last thing you altered? 

P.P.S. apologies for the rubbish photos. I haven't sewn it yet as I've got an eight hour drive ahead of me today! To Essex!!