Photography by Tor b551.com
How do I keep my skin looking great? I don't. I wear lots of make-up on stage which is why it looks porcelain in the pictures but in real life it is an ongoing battle to keep my skin in good condition. Make-up, late nights, a few too many champers and my skin gets positively grumpy with me. I also have extremely fair skin and so am very prone to freckles at the first peep of sunlight through the clouds. In addition to this, the illusion I was under that in passing my teenage years that I would be magically endowed with clear skin has fallen rather short of the mark.
So it's simple for me, 30+ sunscreen, even in winter. Make-up wipes by the bed for those nights I cannot summon the energy to wash my face, or in my make-up case for the trip home from a gig along with a little travel pot of moisturiser. All over body moisturiser, I am religious about this after a shower because the water in the three places I am most, England, Germany and Australia, is very hard and dries skin quickly. My friend Bea Devile has also instructed me to body brush or use exfoliating gloves for lovely legs but I'm terrible at remembering this.
My other indulgence is the 'Brazened Honey' face mask from Lush. It works like magic when my skin looks really tired and I just need to perk it up before a show or the day after a show when I want to go out again and not look like I dragged my glittered behind into bed at 6am that same morning.
As far as make-up goes I seem to stick to my staples. One of my lifesavers in hiding tired under eyes is a concealer called Touche Magique by L'Oreal. I'm pretty sure any illuminating concealer would do though. A decent red lipliner, I have stupidly sharpened mine to the point where I can no longer see what brand or shade it is so I'll have to do some investigating! I often use just lipliner all over instead of lipstick for a show as it will not budge, but of course a decent red lipstick for after a show is a must.
Also, loose face powder, not compact. Trust me.
Black liquid eyeliner and false eyelashes. They are a bugger to learn how to use properly but once you do, what a difference it makes. I still curse and swear when I'm putting on eyelashes as do most of my friends but it's worth it in the end! I once blogged about another burlesque lass, Khandie Kisses I believe who told me once that she had so many false eyelashes she thought they might form one giant eyelash and crawl around her apartment. I'm proud and terrified to say that I am at that stage of monster movie eyelash take-over.
As to how to put them on properly, it's all just practise I'm sorry to say. One day I promise you'll get to the stage where you can put them on while on a moving train. You'll still curse and swear though.
Finally, the perfect nail polish. I go pink for 60s and red for everything else. My particular red being a bottle of Chanel 159 Fire Red which as I hold it up to the light now, I see is over halfway used. Tragedy!
Hair, well when it comes to hair I am lazy. I'd rather have someone else do it but I feel it is necessary as part of my sartorial education and I try, although I do make more shortcuts than I'd like to admit. I'm in love with my Vintage Hairstyling book by Lauren Rennels. If you'd like to learn how to do your own vintage hair and make-up there are also a few fabulous classes available.
In Brisbane see the facebook page for the Bombshells Academy http://tiny.cc/330z7 to join classes and learn everything you need to know on vintage hair and make-up.
So that concludes my ramblings for another night. I'll try to do a blog on clothes at some point if I can focus for long enough!
x Bella
