May round up.

Meal portions today vs 1950s meal portions.
An interesting article by the Huffington Post, but wouldn't it be worth mentioning rationing?

Broaching the subject of collecting.
A post on collecting brooches and finding some cute ones on the web.

My Goth Maintenance.
Sary's maintenance to upkeep her Goth look, sadly I do a lot more than her.

Heal jeans with a monster patch.
Heal a patch in your favourite jeans using this cute monster patch tutorial.

Cars, caravans and candy stripes.
Fleur's post on her attendance to a car show, I love her outfit and cute photos.

Building a complete Lolita wardrobe.
A wonderful and long post on how to build up a Lolita wardrobe, well recommended for everyone interested in Lolita.

The Salon Surgery's Sleeping beauty.
A few tips to help keep your hair tamed while you sleep.

"So you're not Gothic anymore?"
A great post by Amy, one I can really relate to. I'm fed up of dressing casual and being accused of not being Goth anymore.

Rita Hayworth pincurl tutorial.
A tutorial from Va-Voom vintage, just discovered this blog.

The secrets of make up brush cleaning.
Another new blog I've started following.

My baby gender reveal cake.
A cute idea if you're expecting a baby and awaiting to hear the gender.

How to stay cool during Summer.

Found via Tumblr, original source please?

It's being quite hot the past few days and hasn't rained for weeks, the long awaited and infamous British Summer has finally appeared. I love being able to walk out the house without make up on (thank you sunglasses) and holy Mary is that my legs?! However I'm out of practise, I'm a sweaty irritable mess. Where is that relaxed and elegant look I always see in summer photoshoots? I did some research and practise on how to stay cool, I thought I would share my experiences and you're welcome to do the same.

Your hair.
Depending on how humid the weather is or your hair type you might find your usual 'do failing on you. Lets not forget that F.R.I.E.N.D.S episode with Monica's humidity hair, yikes. Curly hair does tend to frizz and straight hair appears more lank. Also adventurous updos and elaborate styles are more likely to fall out and flatten. So it's looking pretty grim on the hair front!

My hair type is straight and fine, sometimes a gift sometimes a nightmare. I tried curling my hair with rollers and it fell out within an hour, rag curls are probably the best option or a heated curler with a good hold hair spray. Curly hair can be tamed with a defrizzing serum, John Frieda's frizz ease remains the favourite. Those of you who have thick hair may have to consider getting your hair thinned out or styling your hair more appropriately, a thick curtain of hair over your neck and back is not going to help.

The obvious answer to hair and hot weather is a simple updo. If you have a fringe and it's quite thin like mine you might want to consider pinning it back, damp fringes are uncomfortable and look awful. Quiffs are a brilliant way of keeping your fringe off your face without making too much effort.

There's plenty of hair accessories you can use in Summer, such as a hair scarf to tie hair back with or an alice band. Hair clips are also handy for keeping wispy bits out the way and making your updo more interesting, flower hair clips are wonderfully appropriate for Summer. You can wear a hat of course, personally I don't wear hats and I've never tried it. But it's recommended in sun safe rules and it'll keep the sun off your face, you will need to style your hair accordingly or you'll suffer from hat hair. A low bun should work nicely.

Your make up.
This is the biggest issue with me, year after year. I don't want to part from my red lipstick and my heavy concealer melts. I need layers of concealer to hide my dark circles, woe be me. The main problem with summer make up is sweating and over heating, it creates streaks and your face can appear patchy and red. This can be solved or at least made better if you switch your products.

Swap your foundation for a tinted moisturiser with the right spf, use either primer or powder to mattify your skin. Alternatively skip the foundation base altogether and use a facial suncream, never use suncream that's designed for the body it will make your face greasy and feels horrible. If you need areas covered up I recommend a mineral or lightweight concealer.

Lipstick can be a complete disaster if you're not prepared, it may bleed and the lipstick tube can literally melt in your bag. Consider switching to a lighter formula or use a stain instead. You can use foundation and lipliner to help prevent bleeding but it'll happen eventually, so keep checking regularly and don't apply anymore product than necessary. 

Eyeliner directly on the waterline doesn't last long at all, try long lasting eyeliners or try using liquid or gel formulas instead of pencil. There are self described "waterproof" eyeliners but it can only last for so long, apply only as much as needed. A waterproof mascara goes without saying of course, if you can find a waterproof version of your favourites I recommend you buy them. Always apply some form of base before using dark or coloured eye shadows otherwise it'll crease quickly, a primer should work quite well to hold this off.

I recommend you carry around emergency mini version of your make up, a corrector pen and a hand mirror. Handbag size tissues are always handy for blotting your skin, applying powders and soaking up sweat. A skin mist or toner is a clever idea for refreshing and cleaning your skin, if your make up has ran this can be used to remove it and start again.

Your clothes.
I recommend wearing cotton whenever possible, always check the label before buying a item for summer in mind. If the material is synthetic avoid it because it traps heat and smells in, specially polyester. Cotton is the favourite and thankfully available for many clothes but good quality silk can be a good alternative. Certain materials like pvc, velvet and leather are obviously not recommended!

I love being able to wear my bloomers as shorts in the summer and my vintage slips as pretty little dresses, they're a cooler alternative than denim shorts. If you're wearing a corset put a slip on first, a corset against bare skin might rub and cause irritation. Putting ice packs on your corset before wearing is a good idea, it's like the Summer version of pulling warm clothes out the tumble dryer in Winter. Fishnets are the coolest hosiery you'll find, dampening them with cold water only makes it better. The idea is that the water evaporates over your skin and cools you down, check your suncream is waterproof though.

You don't have to have to wear the kaftan look but if you do avoid draping loose fabric unless they're very light weight. Humid and hot weather does make you gasp for breath more, clothing that's fitted across your waist and bust can be uncomfortable. That's also applied to shoes, your feet can swell and get very sweaty. If they're too tight normally you've got no chance wearing them in hot weather, also be aware that if your feet are sweaty they'll rub against your shoes more often.

Carry around a cardigan or cotton blazer for sunset, a spare top and a extra pair of socks. Consider switching your leather handbag for a cotton version, it'll feel less sticky on your arm and your make up has less chance of melting in it.

General advise.
The accessories I haven't mentioned yet can't live without are my sunglasses and hand held fan. Sunglasses are available from your high street but you can look in your nearest vintage shops for cheaper ones, just be aware not all sunglasses can protect your eyes from the sun. Always check before buying! Parasols are also a delightful accessory, sadly I haven't one in my budget yet. 

Piling on the perfume attracts insects and may create heat rash so try a scented mister on pulse points instead. For sweat problems you can try using a strong deodorant or Antiperspirant, there's several brands on the market that are particularly harsh on sweat. Always check it protects from yellow and white marks though, you're more at risk of these stains during Summer. Dress shields should be used for fabrics that don't respond well to tough washing.

I've tried out some old wives tales recently such as running your wrists under a cold tap or soaking your feet in a bucket of cold water. It's supposed to cool the blood running through the veins in your hands or feet and consequently lower the temperature of the rest of your body. This actually did work but I found the feet soaking a bit unpleasant, the cold tap was a better option. A quick cool shower works just as well.

There are some myths that didn't work, like not moving. How am I supposed not move? I understand not exercising but not moving whatsoever? I tend to laze about and moan like an overfed cow in the heat so it wasn't difficult, but I didn't notice any difference. There was some I couldn't try out, such as eating a hot curry. I have serious stomach problems and I don't have a deathwish. Someone also recommended not eating heavy meals but I can't resist my mother's Sunday Dinner, sorry.

Always keep yourself hydrated and follow the sun safe rules!

                                                                                                                           Recommended reading:                        
Hydration tips from Water Aid, have a good read of the website it's quite interesting.

My previous post on summer skin care.

Protecting your skin in the sun from the NHS.

Your local weather report.

My Q&A post regarding sun safety, suncream and tanning.

3 things I need to see on a blog before I follow.

Found via Tumblr. Original source?

Before I follow a blog I check through it to see whether I would read it frequently, I tend to avoid personal blogging because it doesn't interest me and I hate blogs with unreadable text. All the usual things. However there's three main things on a blog I would like to see more often, if you're a good blog I'll follow you regardless but I think these are particularly important.

• A page about you.

This is one of the most important pages to add to your blog, it gives readers an insight into you and provides a form of contact. It should include a form contact (preferably email), your name, location and a description of yourself. Even if you're not a personal blogger I think it's important for your readers to know who's behind the posts. 

• Tags, archives or sections.

Don't use lots of tags because it makes more difficult to find the post your reader could be looking for and stop using silly ones, this isn't Tumblr. Correct tags will help your reader find the appropriate post and loop read your blog (find one post that leads to another that leads to another...). Sections are quite handy but you don't have to list every worth blog post in them like I do. But I think a good archive is important, it allows your readers to quickly browse through your history and see how frequently you post. Personally I hate drop down menus, in order to open up a post I have to leave your homepage and it's more difficult to browse through your archive.

• A quick and simple commenting system.

If you've got moderated comments then remove the captcha, you're not going to piled with spam as soon as you without it. In reality spam is easily removed with one tick of a box and moved into a spam folder. Also make sure the comment box is pop up so it's easier to use in Bloglovin'. If your comment system isn't quick and easy to use a reader may stop leaving comments, you'll be surprised how quickly people give up.

What's the future for Goth?

Found via Batsjustbats on Tumblr.

Also known as Day 29 of the Goth Challenge – What do you think will happen to Goth in the future? I've being saving this part of the challenge for quite some time. I have certain fears and hopes for the future of Goth, some will probably never happen and others are going to happen whether I like it or not.


Fears:

• Goth will develop into so many sub genres it breaks apart.

Goth attracts a number of people with different interests and backgrounds, things cross over and people leave only to come back with new ideas. This is generally a good thing, I personally think a subculture needs to develop in order to continue. But I fear things will get so mixed up Goth will be lost amongst it. Our subculture is so diverse and alive right now I find it hard to believe that anyone could claim Goth is dead, I don't think Goth will ever actually die out. At worse it will develop beyond recognition.

• No new generations join us.

What if the next generation just doesn't find Goth? Or doesn't like Goth? There'll be nobody to continue and develop the subculture. This is probably the least likely to happen fear in this list but it still nags at me every time I laugh at a newbie's hideous make up, I'm guessing it's a mix of guilt and my brain taking revenge at my stupid thoughts.

• More bad attitudes.

I can tolerant the bad eggs in the subculture at the moment, the number is minimal and I know who to avoid. But if more pretentious douchebags or elitist elders appeared I would have to take a step back, I think for the first time in my life I would appreciate the lack of Goths in my area. 

Hopes:

• New styles of Goth.

One of the best things about the Goth subculture is our vast range of styles, we never forget our old school styles and there's so much room to experiment. Although we've previously being quite snarky about new styles I still welcome the discussion. I would love Gothic Lolita to gain more acceptance and Gothabilly to become more interesting.

• Blogging becomes more popular.

Blogging has brought me a community and I've met some wonderful people online I'm proud to call my friends, before blogging I was quite lonely. I've never met a Goth in real life and read only about them in books. Although I'm now quite satisfied I would like more Goth blogs to read and I hope it brings an opportunity to other Goths to reach out.

• Goth becomes more accepted in the mainstream or we gain a better reputation. 

Over the years I've seen more Goth characters in tv shows (stereotyped ones I admit) and more high street chains trying to appeal to the alternative, this is a good thing I promise. I have to be realistic though, as a subculture that adores the dark side of life I doubt we'll ever be fully accepted.

I'm quite uncertain about the future of Goth to be honest, I'm just going with the flow and laughing off the "Goth is dead!" remarks. Goth will develop and change from what we know today but the basic core will never disappearl, it will always be around but perhaps in another form and different community. 

Some bad news in the crafting front.

Source.

Sorry to tell you this but I no longer have access to a sewing machine and I will be unable to make a tote bag tutorial, I feel pretty bad! I'll still be doing beauty tutorials so I've set a new poll up.

Red hair inspiration.

I'm being thinking about dyeing my natural blonde hair red for a long time, I've previously experimented with a pink fringe but I had to get rid of it for work. Red would be acceptable in the work place and I love ginger hair when done right.

Source.

Wow I just browsed that Tumblr for at least half an hour, I like the movie Titanic. The character Rose has wonderful costumes but more importantly really awesome hair, except when it has ice in it of course. Sadly I will never have curly hair like her but I can fake that colour with hair dye.

Rita Hayworth (originally Rita Cansino) dyed her hair dark red to attract a variety of film roles.

Source.

I love Christina Hendricks hair, it's loose and perfectly ginger without being overly bright. The loose waves look attainable and touchable, I hate hair I can't stroke or touch.

Source.

Jessica Chastain is usually seen with wavy locks but I love her hair purely for that beautiful strawberry blonde hair colour, I rarely see blonde crossed with ginger. This would probably be the best tone for me to start off with, I still remain blonde with ginger over tons. But I know I'll just reach straight for the bright red bottle first.


Hopefully this month or next I'll be making an appointment with my hairdresser to finally become ginger, awesome!

How to host a meet up.

Kitty's called Lilo! Found via Fuckyeahcats.

Whether it's for Goths, vintage lovers, bloggers, crafters, etc this post should help you organize a meet up for your community, communities are handy if you're not surrounded by other like minded people. A meet up would provide a chance to meet the people you've being social networking with and bond more. Plus it would be a wonderful day with the people you have mutual interests with and makes for great blog posts.

Initial interest.

Start by making a blog post, twit, etc asking if anyone would be interested in a meet up. A community discussion would be brilliant for finding out activity ideas and good locations. Now everyone knows there's a meet up happening it's time to make it official.

Place and time.

You need to decide on an appropriate time and date, you don't have to ask every single person if that date is okay before confirming. Just make they have a good amount of time to book in any holidays from work and mark it in their calender. Some people won't be able to make it but don't keep changing the time to suit other people, stick to your time and place to make it easier for everyone else. Keep reminding people every month with an email or blog post whatever you prefer, when it gets closer to the event you can post weekly with new of information and photo previews. 

Finding a venue can be more tricky than you think, you need a good amount of space on a budget. Predict how many people will be interested and quote this to manager, it's important if you're considering having food or are using seats. If it's a good meet up you could try a village hall or a community centre, they're usually willing to rent them out for a low price. Function rooms in pubs are fairly priced and may even let you use it for a free during the day. If it's a small meet up I recommend using a pub or coffee house, you don't need permission to meet there if there's only a few of you. You could even host at your own house if you're generous enough.

Personally I recommend you skip the food and ask people to bring their own nibbles to share, if it's in a pub or coffee house you could organize some cupcakes on a tray but don't go overboard. Food rarely gets finished at meet ups because everyone is too busy talking and enjoying themselves.

There's a few things to consider before deciding on a venue, number one is consider the location. Is it central and easy to find? Are there enough tables and chairs? Would food be an issue? Would it be okay if we brought equipment (for example a sewing machine or face masks). Always check with the manager if they're okay with the meet up theme and activities involved.

One long last important things: please check the weather! Don't plan a tea party in the graveyard with no back up.

Themes.

Whether you want a theme if up to you, if meet ups are regular it's a good idea to have a themed one to keep things fresh. Keep the theme optional though, if you have to dress up as a pirate to enter people may not come. Typical themes include:

• Zombies.
• Victorian.
• Alice in Wonderland.
• Tea party.
• Make do and Mend.

The more creative the better, most people love to get dressed up and plan outfits.

Spread the word.

Use your blog, twitter, facebook or anything social networking website to get the message out. You could try handing out flyers in your area and pinning some up in community boards. Contacting a magazine would be better but only if it's a large meet up and could appeal to a wide audience.

Activities.

During the meet up I recommend using activities to get everyone relaxed and talking, you can't have an awkward silence with knitting needles clicking away! There's a few ideas to get you started:

• Diy beauty, make your own face masks to apply or give each other a manicure.
• Crafting, teach each other to knit or make a quilt together.
• Party games, they lighten the mood and make everyone laugh.
• Do something for charity, you could do a walk together and make a blanket for hospitals.
• Baking, help each other with icing cupcakes. Keep it simple and yummy.

The activity should relate to your meet up but don't be afraid to think outside the box, if it's a large group you could set up a few activities so there's something for everyone to enjoy. Activities usually involve bringing materials and equipment, ask everyone to bring something in. Personally I would ask individuals to bring a certain something but just in case bring your own box of basic supplies, some people will forget or be lazy.

Hosting.

Now you've finally organized your meet up you can practise your hosting skills. Being a host usually involves being nice and sociable, making sure the party doesn't flop and everything is organized and ready. Don't panic if anything goes wrong, the meet up is about having fun and making new friends.

April blog round up.

Pusheen! I love her. Found via her Tumblr.

Coffin Kitsch's guide to bandanas, on video!
This video tutorial saved my arse (or greasy hair) a few weeks ago when it taught me how to use a bandana Rosie the Riveter style.

Graveyard Picnic's new dress.
I particularly love her hair in this post, a simple but beaut outfit.

Dani Deathbiscuit's outfit post.
Posting for the blue hair and cute stripy jacket!

Spotting the palette of early Spring.
A new favourite  blog for me to follow and what better than this post? I particularly love the red hair on her and the use of brown in her outfit, the whole outfit is just wonderful.

Little Doodles: Batman!
I love her illustrations and bird jokes.

Wearing black actually makes you cooler.
A post from Siouxsie Law that has given me a comeback to that old age: "Aren't you hot wearing black?"

Make do and Mend: Tips on taking care of your clothes.
Anything with the Make do and Mend poster entertains me, I love that poster!

Goth blogging 101.
Useful tips for blogging from Amy and a cute photo of her, bahah.

Old Haunts: Vintage lifestyle & beauty blog.
A new vintage blog on the scene and it's well worth checking out, plus she has an adorable face.