It’s my super cute look number two for Halloween!

Outfit

It just so happened that on a previous trip to Texas, I’d stumbled across this cool authentic cheerleaders outfit. I’d had it stored away for a special occasion, and wouldn’t you know it; it’s just perfect for Bonnie Rose – it even has a ‘B’ on it!  The amazing red suede wedges are from the Spring Summer collection at Siren Shoes.

Makeup Products

Base – Bourjoris liquid foundation in ‘vanilla claire’.

Bobby Brown concealer in ‘cool sand’

Face of Australia Translucent powder in ‘Outback’.

Highlighter – cream highlighter by Urban Decay

Eyeshadow – Urban Decay.  Base- ‘Polyester Bride’,  Lid- ‘ Shattered’, Crease -’ Mildew’.

Eyeliner – Liquid eyeliner in black by Essence

Mascara- Loreal Telescopic in black

Lashes - The Face Shop

Blush – MAC ‘Desirous’

Brows – Brow shadow by Ardel

Lips – Pencil in “No. 6” by Stephanie Marais, lipstick in “Trolley Dolly” by Chi Chi

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!

2012 Calendar

On Friday the Some Fancy Ladies™ 2012 calendar finally arrived at headquarters here, and OMG!! It is freaking amazing! So get on over to the website and order your copies now – If you place your order before the end of October, your copy will come personally autographed by each of the ladies. Don’t wait – we’re shipping right now to get your Christmas orders across the world in time!

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!

But firstly….. Thank you for all the input on the last post. I have a HUGE follow up coming for you in a few days when I’ve finished putting it all together. You’ll love it!

Extra … Extra… Read all about it!

Vintage Pinup Photography just got better!

I can hardly contain my excitement when I tell you this…. I’ve just joined forces with the amazing Helen McLean – Pinup Photographer, in our quest to give you the fanciest pinup photos you could wish for!

Remember when I spent the day with Helen and she shot these of me?

You may already be aware that I’m a specialist vintage stylist, tackling weddings, workshops, and private clientele; but teaming up with a talent like Helen means so much more! Now, when you want to capture your very best pinup self, be it classic or cheesecake; you’ll have me as your very own personalist stylist for the session. It’s all very exciting really!

My wonderful friend, the internationally renowned burlesque performer, Foxtrot India went under my brushes last week as she posed for these glamorous shots… what a beauty!

Read all about our dream team and all the dates and rates for booking your own pinup photography heaven.

You just know there’s going to be some amazing blog shots coming out of all this work!

*Please note – all images are copyright to Finessence photography and are used here with permission.*

The gorgeous contestants await their moment on stage; what a gaggle of vintage goodness!

The chaps were very impressive this year, breaking out quite a variety of looks from the Mad Men inspired 60′s looks…

Something a bit ‘flash”!

..to Victorian brocade frock coats and monocles..

..and the Teddy Boy in burgundy velvet with his mini tie and amazing hair!

Not to be out done, the ladies brought out their best and shone in an array of colours and eras.

1st Runner up for Best Dressed was the incredible Alison Waters and her Fontana Sisters 1950′s dress from Rome.

The Winner in her beautifully crafted and coordinated 1920′s ensemble.

I’d like to believe that this is just a small window into what heaven looks like, and that was only the start of the fair!  I have much, much more to show you and a secret to reveal next time!

]]> http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/2011/06/01/the-love-vintage-fair-in-melbourne-the-best-dressed/feed/ 9 http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/2010/12/21/showing-melbourne-how-50s-is-done/ http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/2010/12/21/showing-melbourne-how-50s-is-done/#comments Tue, 21 Dec 2010 01:00:19 +0000 Super Kawaii Mama http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/?p=6558 The last few weeks have been a couple of the biggest and busiest I’ve had in a very long time. December is flying past in a blur and I’m only just today beginning to think about Christmas. I’m kind of surprised my body has managed to keep up the pace what with all the working, partying and coming in at dawn.. eehemmm..

I’ve posted a few shots on Twitter as the week progressed but I’ve put together a selection of my favourite pics from the last week to give you a glimpse into the goings on.

We kicked off last Thursday with opening night for The Ultimate Rock n Roll Jam Session in Melbourne with a seriously fun photo shoot and the cover of MX!

Ezra Lee and I looking all 50′s glam.

The wonderful Helen McLean came along and took some great shots of the morning too.

There was a whole lot of larkin’ around going on with the boys, (sorry Dave, I couldn’t resist) as they jostled for position over who was going to get to drive the Cadillac. (That would be none of them!) But we managed to stop traffic quite effectively that morning, and one poor punter even went totally upside down crashing into a park bench as he couldn’t take his eyes of the scene!

Even though I was running around like a crazy person, Mr SKM and the rest of my family still managed to come and see the show on opening night. How’s this for an iPhone photo of Mr SKM and I? I’m so impressed by the quality of these.

Fashion note: Mr SKM’s shirt is from Route 66 and my dress is an original 1950′s sequinned wiggled dress! It even has a matching jacket to go with it. Sigh…

An after show Christmas party saw me faffing around with some $2 shop holly to fashion into a last minute headdress backstage.

Lipstick note: I know you’ll ask so, this lipstick is a super cheap $3 one found at Priceline; “Poppy” by Savvy DB.

Then this Friday was an even bigger night again as we had a short spot on the 7pm Project, 50′s Friday to run and then get off to see The Reverend Horton Heat concert too!

I must have had about 30 or more dancers out on the pavement as well as all the boys and my lovely pinup girls. We made quite a sight outside the theatre!

Some of my lovely friends who helped out on 50′s Friday, Katie Cupcake, Nada and Miss Meg.

Friday night’s outfit was a special custom made dress from Something Else Clothing and it is simply divine! A scarlet red cotton sateen that fits like a glove.

Can I keep it? Please?

Then after all these evening shenanigans I headed off to see The Reverend Horton Heat at Billboard with friends and another very special ‘Flame’ dress from Something Else Clothing made just for the occasion!

It has been an absolute whirlwind and and absolute blast these last few weeks, so I am very ready for  great big Christmas nap. Bring on the pudding and the brandy!

]]> http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/2010/12/21/showing-melbourne-how-50s-is-done/feed/ 12 http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/2010/11/24/im-so-rock-n-roll-i-should-be-in-jail/ http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/2010/11/24/im-so-rock-n-roll-i-should-be-in-jail/#comments Wed, 24 Nov 2010 06:02:18 +0000 Super Kawaii Mama http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/?p=6429 Ha ha! Nah, not really.. but I thought I was about time I got my act together and told you all why I’ve been doing all this travelling about the country of late and why my postings have been a tad sporadic.  I’ve been working with The Ultimate Rock n Roll Jam Session on their national tour! ( You may remember me meeting them here)

We started out doing a bit of a sneak peek in at the Queen Street Mall last week, before kicking off the season last Friday night.

And although they were riveted, most of the crowd looked at us like we’d just been dropped off on the last space ship!

Friday night was the first of the big 50′s Friday night’s that we’ll be doing in Brisbane, Melbourne and then onto Sydney. Just what is that you ask? To help set the scene for this moment in Rock n Roll history, we put together a Best Dressed in 50′s for the audience as well as a classic 50′s fashion parade, showcasing some of the most beautiful evening dresses of the time along with some cute updated 50′s looks.  And we’re doing it all again this week before heading to Melbourne for the next leg of the season!

So I’m spending a lot of time running around making sure things look spiffy, hanging out with beautiful women and talented musicians.. Geez what a job!

Images by Clive Fox- Fox Media Marketing

From left to right – Me, Ms Vicki, Ezra Lee, Mistress Chrissy, Nick Barker, Chantelle,Dave Larkin, Bettie Butcher, James Blundell.

Seriously, could we be having more fun?!  If you’re in Brisbane this Friday and want to come and join us, please do! All the details can be found in the ticket section of the Ultimate Rock n Roll Jam Session website. But if you can’t make it, don’t despair… we’re also having an online Best Dressed in 50′s Facebook contest! You do need to be an Australian resident (or in Australia next June) to take advantage of the big prize for this one though. Check out the details here and send in your photo to win an ALL ACCESS double pass to the big Rock n Roll  /Rockabilly Festival, Wintersun 2011 worth over $500!!

I’m off again to Brisbane on Friday morning for the show and I’ll be live tweeting all the fun from backstage too, so if you want to follow along, just search the hash tag #TURRJS. You can also follow the show on Twitter here, and as always, Super Kawaii Mama on Twitter here too.

Held at the Honey Bar in South Melbourne, there were large blue drinks, tiny umbrellas and blow up palm trees – all the things a kitschy Blue Hawaii party should have.  Check out the fun we had!

Jimmy America and I.

Grace from Living Footprints & Violet Le Beaux

Me, Nicole from Planning with Kids, Grace and Violet.

Grace’s cool dress and perfectly matching trainers.

Imogen from Inside Out Style, David Krupp – Nuffnang Country Manager and Nicole

Kruppy & I

Sarah, Nuffnang’s blogger liaison and I have a bit of fun with the saggy palm trees!

Jimmy America and I hamming it up as per usual.

A brilliant night was had by all in spite of the very un Hawaii weather that Melbourne put on.  Thanks Nuffnang for another great night – when’s the next one?

Sometimes my life is a little crazy; well actually it is a little crazy all the time! But the other week I was given a great opportunity to capture it all for you.

Thanks to Nuffnang and Panasonic, I was sent the brand spanking new Panasonic Lumix G2 12.1 mega pixel camera.  It is half way between a point and shoot and a DSLR.  I’ve had the old point and shoot camera here for quite some time and never find I can get the result I wanted, so I switched to a big DSLR. I haven’t had any spare time to really learn how to use this yet, and find I always have to mess around quite a bit. And while those shots are lovely, carrying around a whole camera bag full of equipment does rather cramp my style.  The sorts of events I get around to aren’t really the type of things where I want to be schelping around extra bags.  So I’ve been trying to figure out the perfect solution for something that would fit into my handbag, but still do a cracking job at capturing my moments no matter what the conditions.

When it comes to taking photos I may have an eye for composition, but I certainly don’t have any technical knowledge. In fact when someone asked me the other day what aperture speed I’d used to capture an image (after seeing it on the LCD camera screen), I blushed and said, “A good one?”. Yep, no technical knowledge whatsoever. I went home and told Mr.SKM this while he had a very good giggle at my expense.

Funnily enough, while we were watching TV the other night, a commercial came on with a guy showing an exhibition of his photography, being asked similar questions and giving similar answers to mine.  Mr.SKM and I were both laughing going, “hey that’s you!” The extra funny bit was when at the end of the commercial, we saw it was for the Panasonic Lumix G2 – the exact camera they had just sent me to assist my novice ways! This is the ad here.

Okay, so this new camera arrives looking like a baby SLR, all black, fancy and miniaturised. Of course the first thing I did was to experiment with which handbag was the best fit for it before even taking a shot.  But I’m not going to bore you with technical details I don’t understand, instead I’m going to take you with me on my weekend and show you how the Panasonic Lumix G2 captured it along the way.

*(None of these photos have been altered in any way – they are RAW, straight from the camera)*

On Thursday I had a bunch of errands to run including a little ‘research’ at Chapel Street Bazzar.  The chaps there were kind enough to let me photograph some of my favourite things as I went along. I hadn’t had the time to experiment much with the camera, so this was a great opportunity to check out how it would handle close ups, things behind glass and to mess around with all the auto artistic photo settings.

Then it was on to a quick cup of tea with Violet Le Beaux before dress fittings for Friday night’s big event.

Come Friday it was time to hit the town for Miss Burlesque Australia. I was privileged to be a part of the judging panel for the Victorian heat, watching the girls get their spangles on.. and off… for the title. Given that it was held in a nightclub it was quite dark, so it was time to see if the Panasonic Lumix G2 could capture the ambience without any flash or me having to worry about ISO stuff. I just set it on auto and shot. Did I mention the camera has an articulated LCD touch screen? This fantastic feature meant I could angle the screen to make sure I could get my friends and myself into those arm length shots! I can just touch the screen to move the focus area and make sure it is all working, even while still in front of the lens.

Saturday morning I was up early for another big day, heading out for a radio interview first up. I had about two seconds to get an outfit shot before heading out the door, so I handed the camera to Mr SKM to snap my favourite new vintage dress.

Of course, I couldn’t photograph myself while I was on air, so again I passed the camera across to the studio assistant and asked her just to press the GO button. Easy peasy!

I raced off from the interview to the shops where I had to pick up food and a very special cake as Saturday was also Miss Three’s big birthday!  Time to capture some colour, action and festivities. Because the Panasonic Lumix G2 has Intelligent Auto Mode, which means automatic light, shutter speed, focus blah blah blah.. I only needed to worry about playing with Miss Three and not spending all the time playing with the camera settings. Oh and because it also captures HD movies I didn’t need to go and find my video camera as well. It was all there, at my fingertips, ready for those classic birthday moments.

After all that there was still Sunday to go. I’d been asked to come and perform in a friends Tableau Vivant gallery evening – A Doll House. Time to break out the super huge hair, massive lashes and work it as Dolly Varden! Again, I had little time to take photos and so the twisty LCD touch screen came in handy to snap away and get some shots of the wild hair and makeup creation.  I often find that taking photos indoor of an evening can create really harsh shadows and be difficult to light. So I wanted to see how the Panasonic Lumix G2 would handle these conditions under pressure. Once again, I set it to Intelligent Auto Mode and tis is what happened. Not bad hey?

The best thing about all this playing around is that I managed to get all these great pictures while on the run, without extra bags, without lots of messing around and with very little knowledge. (I have to admit I didn’t read the whole manual) So what this means is that I know I can get fantastic results with little effort, but that because the Panasonic Lumix G2 has so much of the functionality of a DSLR too, I can spend the time to play around and learn at my leisure.

So, how would you like one of these all for yourself? You would? Well, thanks to Nuffnang and Panasonic you have the chance to WIN one for yourself!

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me how the Panasonic Lumix G2 would make you a better photographer! Make sure that your comment is linked to your blog, twitter, email or some other contact method.

Worth $1200.00 RRP this is one Fantastic prize!!

The Panasonic G2 retails for $1299 with a 14-42mm  (which is what I was using) or the Twin Lens Kit $1599 with both a 14-42mm & 45-200mm Zoom Lens.

The competition is open to Australian residents only, (sorry guys, I have something else great coming up for my international readers before the end of the month) and there is one camera to give away between the nine blogs hosting the contest.

All the T’s & C’s can be found here.

You saw some of the Cowgirl and Apple Picking shots last week, this week have a look at Cherry Picking…

I totally love the glossy red colours that shine through in this one. We had so much fun on the day messing around, I even captured a sneaky little iPhone pic of what I was really doing up there on that ladder.

Yep, I’m a total HAM!

..

But there is one shot that Helen and I worked on exclusivley as a concept idea between us and it has turned out spectacularly well.  Inspired by Gil Elvgren’s “Stepping Out”, we created this..

.

What a keeper!

]]> http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/2010/08/13/more-amazing-work-from-helen-mclean/feed/ 16 http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/2010/08/02/pin-up-perfection-shooting-with-helen-mclean/ http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/2010/08/02/pin-up-perfection-shooting-with-helen-mclean/#comments Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:42:19 +0000 Super Kawaii Mama http://www.superkawaiimama.com.au/?p=5608 Oh boy have I been looking forward to showing you this post! The other weekend I had the opportunity to shoot with Helen McLean – Pinup Photographer extraordinare!  I met Helen at the launch of Femme Fatale magazine (which she graced as cover girl herself), and have been talking all things Cheesecake ever since!

Based here in Melbourne, Helen offers Pinup Photography packages that are simply divine. There are all sorts of themed shoots you can do and she even has a big wardrobe selection on hand, which means that you can either bring your own outfits or choose from the selection on hand.

Helen and I first started organising our day over email, throwing around concepts for what we wanted to achieve, artistic references and any ideas we both wanted to incorporate. Just planning something like this is a tonne of fun! Given that I was doing this shoot just for myself and not for any other label meant that I could wear what I wanted and have some playtime doing what I love to do.

The morning of the shoot I packed up my car with dresses and jewellery I wanted to use to compliment what Helen had already told me she had.  I was even able to pack a few special props to add to our theme.

Apples, Cherries, Fancy Dresses Galore!

More scarves and hair flowers than you can poke a stick at! And see those.. RED COWBOY BOOTS with SPURS! You know what I want to wear!

Even old school Coke bottles and extra boobs should you need them.

After being treated to champagne, we talked through how we wanted to shoot each look for the day. We considered hair and makeup, what order we needed to do everything in and started piecing together the perfect outfits.  Helen is fantastic at creating beautiful hair and makeup looks for her girls, but because we were trying to fit lots and lots into one afternoon, I came pre-done to save time.

So once we were all together the fun began. In fits of laughter and to the strains of Julie London in the background, I commenced posing it up in true Pin Up fashion.

I’m thrilled to tell you that Helen McLean Photography has come on board as a Key Sponsor for Super Kawaii Mama – which means a bonus just for you my readers! All you have to do when booking your own Pin Up Package with Helen is mention the code SKM to get 10% off the total booking price! The offer is running until December 2010, and provide you secure your booking by then you can shoot later.

What I love so much about doing something like this is that it is the gift that keeps on giving. You’ll have a ball playing around and doing the shoot, you get to live a fantasy, take home some amazing pictures and have presents for your par amour to keep on their desk! You can do it by yourself, with friends, or even organise it as a special present for someone you love.

No matter where you’re coming from Helen can organise a special shoot for you, you don’t have to be Melbourne based. You could be coming from anywhere in Australia or even overseas. In fact, if you’re flying in she’ll even pick you up from the airport to save you having to hire a car or pay for cabs, and even serve you champagne to set the mood!

So how did my day turn out? I am OVER THE MOON with these!

Yes, it is as much fun as it looks, so head on over and check out Helen’s page to find out all about how you can live your pin up dreams for the day!