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.

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Next to ” How do you wear red lipstick?” the second most question I’m asked by readers is, “How do you get those amazing eyebrows?” And the answer is, “At the hands of a highly skilled professional!”

Brow maintenance is a highly underrated factor in created a perfectly polished look. But a DIY job is likely to be a DIYD job (that’s Do It Yourself Disaster).  There are two things that ever woman (and a lot more men) should have at their disposal – An eyebrow guru and the perfect eyebrow pencil.

As someone who is naturally blessed with eyebrows of Brooke Sheilds follicular proportions, I learnt very early on that keeping them under control would make a break or girl come high school. But it took me some time to find just the right person in which to place my trust for this highly skilled operation.

First, my disaster story. And like all good disasters, this takes place on the eve of my wedding.

As a well organised bride with 24 hours up my sleeve before my Vegas wedding, I made the mistake of visiting a local beauty parlour for a bit of a touch up.  I didn’t think that my brows were particularly out of control, but I did want them to be perfect for the next day.

(Aside – I should add here – NEVER have your brows done less than 48 hours before a big event as you’ll sometimes experience redness, swelling or a reaction to waxes that you’d hate to happen just then).

Right, so I showed the technician a photo of how I usually styled them and let myself relax on the table.  About ten minutes later she smiles and chirps at me, “All done. Wanna take a look?” Having no inkling of the horror that awaited me  I took the mirror from her hand and looked up…and it was a moment right from a Hammer film. I had no eyebrows!!

Okay, so maybe not exactly none, but what I didn’t know was that the trend in Vegas was to shave them off to little more than stubble then pencil them back in again. Oh dear god. I immediately broke out in a cold sweat, grabbed my bag and headed for the nearest department store to try and track down my saviour in pencil form.

Still to this day I hate the close up photos from my wedding because I just don’t look like me.  And let that be a lesson; before trying out someone new to wax your brows, first test out their rudimentary skills as a bikini waxer, then ask to see their book of before and after shots. Brow shaping is an art and a science, and more importantly, it is one that EVERYONE will see.

To find the right eyebrow technician, choose someone who has been in the game for a long time. Someone who takes the time to analyse your face shape, as well as your life style (do you generally wear much makeup?), what style you’d like to replicate, (high glam, free spirited, silent film star…) and is able to translate all that information into the correct solution for you.

Just like hairstyling, I also suggest taking along pictures of brow shapes you love so that nothing is lost in translation, but keep in mind that what will work on you will be a version of your ideal.

I personally recommend brow tinting for everyone, not just light blondes; but do remember that tints come in many different shades so if you only see blue black on the technicians swatches, maybe give it a miss!

I don’t recommend getting your brows tattooed, because just like hemlines, the fashion for brow shapes change. And not only that, as your face changes with age, your brow shape can be an instant facelift and you don’t want to rob yourself of that option.

So in the spirit of sharing and caring, I took along my camera yesterday when I went to visit with my own personal Eyebrow Queen, Eileen Harper. Elieen has been looking after me for at least ten years now, and with more years in the beauty industry than I’m sure she’d care to mention, I have the utmost trust and faith in her work.

After a few months of travelling around, I hadn’t been for a touch up in a while. Here’s how things looked before hand..

Okay, they’re not so dreadful that they’ll jump off the page and smoother you, but the could certainly do with some attention and cleaning up.

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It all looks rather surgical, but that just goes to show what a precise operation it is..

No, this isn’t me screaming in pain, but in fact laughing hysterically at how ridiculous it is to be taking one handed photos of yourself while having your brows waxed. It was very hard to hold still and serious during the ‘operation’ while we shot these.

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And that’s one side done.

You can see how this is a far more involved and multi stepped process that just lining yourself up in the mirror, tweezers in hand.  After both my brows have been shaped, I then have them tinted with some dark brown or blue/black tint.  This is especially handy if you don’t want to pencil them in for drama each day, or if your heading off on a swimming holiday. And that’s the salon part done.

For those of you in Melbourne, you can find my own personal Eyebrow Queen at Eileen Harper Beauty Therapy in Canterbury on (03)9836 2294.

The next day, after any redness has subsided, they are ready for the final touch.  I almost always pencil my brows for a crisp dramatic frame.  Rather than using an actual brow pencil though, I use the Dior Powder Eyebrow pencil in sable.  In is much easier to apply than a hard pencil, easier to blend and build to the desired intensity. Using the brush on the end of the pencil, I groom them into shape, then with fine, short feathery strokes, I finish of the shape I want for the day.

And that’s it.  Brow perfection!