If you’re as young as me (*ehemm*), you may be lucky enough to have a grandfather who introduced you to the secret world of men’s hairstyling.  Not giving away all the secrets mind you, but letting you sit and watch as he readied himself for a day at the shops, running a comb through his shiny hair before returning it to his top pocket.  There was no one hour hair dryer action and touch ups of spray tans, these daily mirror rituals were the stuff that my Hollywood heroes were made of.

What I saw as I watched my grandfather do his hair, was a moment fast disappearing in time. A time when men use that marvellous stuff, pomade, to give them the slick, shiny look that had once set a beaux’s heart racing.

The word “pomade” in English is derived from French, pommade, meaning “an ointment”.  The root word is the Italian “pom” meaning “apple” because the original ointment recipe contained mashed apples. So don’t get confused and rub this stuff into your apples, cause its not going to do them any good!

The first popular commercially made pomades were Royal Crown Hair Dressing and Murray’s Superior Pomade, and who can forget the fabulous Brylcream ( I swear by the stuff).  The problem though, is that these gems (and the skills of their proper application) have been all but lost by the wayside, only accessible to those committed souls who go searching them out.

Finding a good old fashioned pomade hasn’t been the easiest thing for chaps for quite some time. With the advent of all the wax-y, gel-y, stick ‘em up until they crack products out there, the romance of the old has been pushed the dusty back shelf. But some canny friends of mine, with killer hair, are bringing back old school pomade and making men swoon worthy again.

Images from left to right: Johnny Cash, Gene Kelly, High Life Pomade, Folding comb, High Life moustache wax, Scotty Baker, Atomic Life.

Atomic Life, operating out of Sydney, understand that the road to successfully bringing back the romance of the past is all about getting to the heart and soul of it. I spoke to co-founder, Paul “Squizzy” Taylor about how how he and co-founder Ben Livingstone made  Atomic Life  happen.

“We started just over a year ago when Ben met Adam Dorsett (Mr High Life) at the Tattoo Expo in 2010. We then met Adam again at Viva 2010, and got talking to him about pomade. We thought about making our own, but realised we like High Life so much that we should try and bring it into the country. So we had a chat to Adam (and of course our wives), and the fruits of Atomic Life was born.

We decided that our focus should remain old school and for the rockabilly bloke, seeing that ladies were catered for quite well. Our first market was at the Rock n Roll Markets in Tempe in October 2011. From there we’ve traveled across Sydney, up the north coast to events at Brisbane, Port Macquarie, and Taree, and are now making our first trip to Melbourne.We then decided to contact Prison Blue as we both wore their jeans, and they were happy for us to bring their stock in too.

 We have since expanded our pomade importation to include Cock Grease, and are also looking at some other favourites to bring in. We’re also looking at getting our own pomade made too which is very exciting. So our focus like I said is about old school rockabilly….think jeans, hanes tee’s, pomade, and a Pendleton and you’re pretty much there. Both Ben and I think it’s important though not to just go out and use the scene for our own profit, but to actually support to scene in terms of getting out to gigs, and supporting all of our friends that make the scene what it is… That’s what it’s all about.”

While we ladies have an arsenal of grooming products at our disposal, a gentleman’s shaving cabinet appears sparse in comparison. How very fortunate for them; and their hip pockets.  But if you’re man’s toilette is so sparse that it only contains a worn down disposable razor and a bottle of Brut; then I suggest you stage an intervention!

With Movember now in full swing, I’m pleased to finally have the opportunity to introduce Mr SKM to Atomic Life.  He has graciously (and astonishingly) offered to go the “Full Poiroit” for Movember, and I’m hoping to reward the end of the month with some High Life Stach Wax – moustache wax, in an attempt to see it remain.

So I’m hoping, that with an army of wily Christmas elves to fill stockings around the country with pomade and suggestive notes, that 2012 will be the year of the well groomed man.

Happy Halloween! – Well almost..

I’m actually on top of my Halloween planning this year and as a result I have THREE, yes count them 3 big Halloween pinup look tutorials for you!  The first of these is my classic Halloween Witch look, shot here with my Some Fancy Ladies™ team.

I wanted to create something classic, simple and easy to follow. A look that you can put together for your own private Halloween party, or perhaps with a little more on, something to take out on the town.

Outfit

In this shot I’m wearing a vintage Rago girdle with stockings by Jonathan Aston and shoes by Bordello.  The hat you can find at any discount store in the costume section. For a great alternative to this vintage, all in one girdle, the Kiss Me Deadly Vargas dress is the perfect solution.

Makeup Products 

Base – Missha BB Cream, YSL Touche Eclate no.1, Face of Australia Translucent powder in ‘Outback’.

Brushes – Eco Tools

Highlighter – Missha ‘Oven Pop Blusher’

Eyeshadow – Physicians Formula Baked Sweets trio

Eyeliner – Liquid eyeliner in black by Essence

Mascara- Almay Intense iColour in black

Lashes - Eyelure ‘ Naturalites’

Blush – MAC ‘Desirous’

Brows – Brow mascara by Prestige

Lips – Pencil in “Poppy” by Savvy, lipstick in “Frosty Berry” by Savvy

Download!

Not only have my wonderful Some Fancy Ladies™ team helped me create this great image to share, we’ve created a download for you to use this Halloween as a wallpaper for your smart phone or desktop!  Just visit Some Fancy Ladies here and it’s all your’s for free!

Stay tuned for the next Halloween Pin Up look instalment where we’ll create a super sexy 60′s Catwoman!

Today’s makeup look comes courtesy of the sale currently on at Target here that I indulged in this week. I went in just looking for a good red polish and discovered they have loads of cosmetics on sale. So I splashed out a whole $10 for a new polish and lipstick that inspired today’s pink-tastic look.

Nails – “Raven Hot” by Chi Chi

Eyes – “Last Call” &”Grifter” by Urban Decay 

Lips – “Trolley Dolley” by Chi Chi

3/4 Lashes – The Face Shop

This is one of my favourite eye makeup colours on myself. Not something I wear when going purely vintage, but I love the soft pink purple hues and that bit of sparkle without it being over the top. And given that today’s activity was an outing to The Smurf movie, I thought the pink would be a good counter balance.

Are you always on the hunt for a stay on lipstick that actually works? How to get your lipstick to stay on is one of my most frequently asked questions, and unfortunately there is only so much you can do short of tattooing your lips. My everyday tips for wearing red lipstick will help you to a degree, but serious staying power? I always thought that was the realm of fantsy. Until I tried this stuff.

In my eternal quest to try all the red lipsticks on the market (how full are my bathrooms cupboards?!), the minute I saw these new Maybelline Super Stay 24 hour Colour advertised I wanted to put it to the test.  My test came in two parts, as I didn’t want to invest the money off the cuff on the very slim chance it may actually work, so this is what I did.

FRIDAY

1.00pm- Wander into Target (also available at Priceline and on sale at the moment I think) and start casing the joint to uncover this new lipcolour.

1.05pm- Get distracted by liquid liners before remembering again why I was there.

1.15pm – Find the VM stand for the new Maybelline lipcolour and am amazed at the huge number of colours on offer. Which red do I want?

1.20pm – decide that before picking a colour, I should give this a proper hard core trial.  So I paint a slash onto the heel of my hand, following the instructions and waiting for it to dry. this ought to be good given how many times a day I wash my hands. I wonder if it will last more than the next three hours.

6.00pm – Am marvelling to Mr SKM that the lip colour is STILL there! What kind of thing is this?

SATURDAY

9.00am – It’s even lasted the night without any fading.  Okay then you stubborn stuff, here’s a real test.

11.00am – Clean the whole house, including bathrooms without gloves on.

3.00pm – Beer and wonderment.. and also a bit of a worry.  The lipstick is still there, clean and bright; what the hell is in this stuff??

After such a  vigorous non facial test, I decided to give it a go and see how it lasted through eating, drinking, greasy foods and the ultimate pash.  AND IT DOES!!

Here’s the thing though, none of these stay on lipsticks are going to remain highly moisture filled, so you do need to keep applying a balm over the top.  When you apply it, you need to paint it on carefully with your lips somewhat stretched so they are flat.  Then you have to wait about 4 minutes for it to dry and stop being sticky before applying the balm.  The feeling is a little odd, like there is a bit of a barrier between you and the world, but for the results it is worth it.

While it doesn’t dry out and crack like others I’ve tried, if you don’t apply the balm, there is a tendency to chew at your lips if it gets too dry and that will simply peel the colour off. But if you can avoid doing this, you will actually have lips that last overnight! And it really doesn’t smear, smudge or kiss off!

So as you can see this was a big winner for me, so much so that I bought three different reds, each fabulous!

Keep Up The Flame – A non shimmery red with an almost warm hue.

Reliable Raspberry – A more hot pink version of red.

All Day Cherry- My fast favourite with a touch of shimmer and a rich blue red, cherry hue.

(Shown in the image holding them left to right – Cherry, Flame, Raspberry. Wearing All Day Cherry.)

Verdict – At around $21.00 these are definitely worth the money and something you should have handy for big nights out or gastronomic adventures when you need to look your best.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending some time with Micheline Pitt of Pinup Girl Clothing fame.  Not only is she a gorgeous model, but she’s a very talented makeup artist and graphic artist as well. Triple threat right there!  I took some time to chat and compare notes with Micheline after watching her work on fellow blogger and plus sized model Teer Wayde.

Candice - Hi Micheline, it’s been a pleasure to watch you work today. You were saying during your session that you never officially trained as a hair & makeup artisit. How did you start working in this field, was it trial and error?

Micheline- Well, pretty much I looked at myself and realised I could be doing a better job of my own hair and makeup, so I went out there and got any kind of eductional material I could get. The Kevin Aucon books, those really kind of helped me get to the core of those things I didn’t really get. I worked on my friends and I worked at a hair salon actually, and that’s where I got my start doing makeup for people, weddings and events. I had to use crappy makeup for it, so I had to hone my skills that way.

I really learned the most on myself then my friends.  When I moved to New York city and worked with MAC up there, I really got into the eduction system they had, (or used to have, it was really amazing).

C- You mentioned that your training in fine arts really helped you develop your makeup skills. Are there any specific rules that you’ve taken from your art back ground and applied to the makeup as theory?

M- I rarely ever use black to shade anything. I like using colour to give more depth and blendability. I like using multiple shades, like on someone’s cheeks to really give that definition. Almost like a painting; doing that with the skin, using different hues, having opalescent powders and stuff to give the skin like a blue or gold hue -that I really enjoy and it changes it up slightly.

So I think I definelty play with colour theory a lot.

C- You said that everyday your look takes an hour and a half minimum to achieve, so for people that say have a maximum of 20 minutes, half an hour to get ready, what are the keys things you’d say to them you must have?

M- The keys are foundation, concealer, powder, blush mascara lipgloss and then like a brow pencil.  Something to give you definition, even out your skin tone and give you a little colour. Put something on your lips and mascara makes a huge difference. I usually go for more a black brown when I don’t have eye makeup on because black is way too harsh.  If I don’t have time to do my hair, I’ll put it in a bandana or a scarf and pull it back and then maybe just fix my bangs.  So there is ways to menouvere around it, but when you want to wear your hair down or in a style you’ve got to make that committment for time and sometimes you just don’t have it. Scarves are my best friend when I’m lazy.

C- It seems to us too, that the pinup scene here is Australia is very different to the USA, as it is in the UK.  Since you’ve been here a few days now, what major differences have you noticed?

M- Well I see that there is definelty a lack of availability of real vintage here and I get that feel from talking to other people  so it’s really hard. I see a lot more girls wearing reproduction which is great becuase there is some many great reproduction brands out there.  They’re also mixing it with other pieces to kind of make it their own.  I feel like the style here is way more colourful and creative than it is in the States. It tends to be a little bit more purist there as far as things go and I feel like the girls here a bit more creative with the styles and the things that they’ll mix and their colour palettes.  Girls are way more bold with their style.

As far as the hair, I’ve noticed a lot of girls here with red hair! It seems to be a big thing this year because back in the States I noticed a lot of red hair too – that’s the thing now – red hair.

C- With the work that you’re doing with Pnup Girl Clothing and that whole scene, have you noticed that there is a a strong difference between say Classic pinup and more of the Neo Pinup?

M- Well I own purist products and I own reproduction. I kinda mix it up depending on how I feel that day.  To draw a line in the sand and say you have to be one or the other is really no way to go about it.  You know one day you could wear normal jeans and a little top, maybe a flower in your hair, and the next day maybe you want to wear high waisted jeans and like a vintage top or something. I like to mix it up personally, it’s hard to get real vintage. It also doesn’t necissarily fit the way you want it to.

It’s great with reproduction companies, especially with Pinup Girl Clothing, because I’m the Production Manager there, I really work on the fit and consistency of our products. Really making it fit and making it last and wear well is the most important things. Becasue we have so many different brands we offer a diverse selection for girls.  Our things cater for being a bit more sexy and girly than other brands that tend to go for the more 40′s, and I hate to say it, but a bit more ‘Matronly’ look. I like to cover my boobs too… but there’s a difference.

Things that fit the figure is the biggest thing.

C- Talking about fit and figure I kow there has been a lot of pressure of Pinup Girl Clothing to do more plus sized pieces, what are your thoughts on where you cut that of?

M- We used to do 3X and 4X before I even worked there, and the stuff just sat there, it took forever to sell.  The proof is in the pudding- girls can ask for it all they want but are they going to buy it? And that’s what it comes down to. We are dipping our toe in 3X and 4X, and if they buy it, awesome; but we are not going to change the cut and style of our dresses to fit different body types.

C- It seems that that is they only way to go about it. You can’t take a dress that you’re making in a sample size and just keep upsizing that rather than looking at what’s the foundation of f the body type that you’re trying to dress.

M – If you have a good grader it helps but changing the cut and style and fit of a dress isn’t somethng that we are going to be able to do becasue a lot of them are empire waist cuts for curver girls, but they are afraid of their figure. They are afraid  of tight fitting dresses. And that’s something they have to get away from. Just because you’re plus sized doesn’t mean that you can’t be sexy and wear something tht’s form fitting, cause a lot of times these loose fitting dresses make them look bigger and that’s what we’re trying to teach them about. Spanx are your best friend – even thin girls wear them!

We all have different body types and dressing for your shape is the most important thing. Everybody can have an hourglass figure, no matter what size you are. It’s all about making it look the way you need it to look.

C- Shopping options for us here in Australia are much more limited than in the States, so many of us spend  big part of our budget online. Other than shopping with Pinup Girl Clothing, do you have any favourite online stores?

M- Freddies of Pinewood in the UK. Their jeans are amazing! I love their jeanas, I love their crop tops. The quality is amazing and the style is really cool – that’s my favourite palce to shop online.  Another place that I shop on line is, well eBay is my best friend and of course eBay ship to Australia.  I’m so married to Pinup Girl; it’s my baby and working there with the team and Laura who’s the owner and head designer, it’s hard to stray away from that becasue I get to make what I love.

C- They’ve clearly put a lot of effort into the product development. Every single piece I’ve bought from them has been bang on. Seaming quality; where they know it’s going to be under duress…

M- And we have all of our own custom patterns and fabrics.  We spend a lot of time developing them. I drew one in the computer for two years to get it perfect and it’s launching this fall finally.

C- Just lastly, for aspiring Australan Pinup Girls, what is the number one piece of advice you’d give them?

M- Good hair and makeup, good photographer. That’s the grounds of becoming a good pinup girls and putting yourself out there.  Without those things it doesn’t matter how pretty you are, how perfect you are, if you don’t have those no-one is going to look good. Make sure you have a good photographer, make sure you have a great hair and makeup artist that is going to do you up; and make sure you have the right clothes that fit you well and make you feel sexy.

The best way to get that perfect picture is to practice in the mrror. Making those expressions and face and learning that when someone says “sexy!”, that you make the right face. Or  I need you to be intense, or I need you to smile. Having that ability to pull that out when they ask that of you is what makes a good model.

C- It really is a craft isn’t it. Not just about getting out there and smiling.

M- It is. It takes a lot of practice, tht’s the biggest thing.

C- Thank you so much for taking with us today, it has been an absolute pleasure.

M- Thank you! I love Australia, it’s so cool and thank you!