West End Festival: Mardi Gras

 WARNING: Picture heavy post!

Yesterday I went to Glasgow's West End Festival Mardi Gras, and damn it was good fun. It was almost going to be cancelled this year, but thanks to a sponsorship deal was brought back in full force.

I'd actually found out entirely by chance that the parade was on the night before, and dragged my mum along with me. Thanks to the combination of concrete, sun and lots of sweaty people, Byres Road was ridiculously hot, but despite that it was an awesome day.

Taking part was a crazy variety of groups; charities, the Conservatoire, dance groups, cultural arts societies, CND, nurseries, steampunks, drummers, plus many more I forget.

Red and Black Week, day 6: Contrast Make Up

 

I finally made it to the last day of Red and Black week! Had I been prepared and thought posts out in advance of the week, I might have found it easier, but nonetheless it was a fun week.



You can tell that my foundation is a little too dark here, but I'm in the process of saving for a new one.

While my entry to R&B week was probably my most successful post (and, had I planned the week out better, should have been my finale), I actually really enjoyed doing this make up. Other than on my lips red isn't a colour I really use in make up, so this was a new one for me - and I loved it!
 



I love this shot!

Although high impact, it's almost laughably simple. It was somewhat inspired by Cruella Deville, hilariously enough (101 Dalmatians was my favourite book as a child), as well as comic books (where the top lip is often coloured in black for shading - I also think in some adaptions Harley Quinn from Batman has the same thing). Lacking red eyeshadow lip crayon was used - which worked actually very well - and a thin line of eye liner stopped me looking like I'd just tried to rub soap into my eyes.

Had I been intelligent I'd have done something with my hair to match it, but ah well. I'll maybe play around with that another day. If you plan on wearing lipstick like this out, I would recommend using some lip sealant so you don't get transfer between the black and the red. I'd probably pair the look with Katelynn's nails from Life of A Baby Bat from day two of the week here.

I've really enjoyed taking part in Red and Black Week this year - I've got to meet so many amazing bloggers and take part in a general outpouring of creativity, and I've loved it. I'd like to thank Ms. Kitty for hosting the event, and all you lovely people who have commented and joined in. It's been great, and hopefully I'll see you all next year!

Fee

Red and Black Week 2013, day 5: Walk Into The Sun

Amazingly, I've reached day five of Sophistique Noir's Red and Black week, with not a day missed! I thought I would lapse somewhere, and there have been aborted posts that didn't work out, but all in all I have managed to get entries up with some fore-planning involved. Still, there's one day left to go so I probably shouldn't be too hasty in my celebrations.

Miraculously, the weather has cooled down somewhat, but I've been left hypervigilant for the next heatwave (forgetting, of course, that the Scottish summer consists of a week of glorious weather, after which it's hideous until the following year). I'm terrible for remembering to reapply suncream, and dislike covering up because surprisingly I do actually like to feel the sun sometimes (recently, however, it's also been too warm to wear more than the bare minimum of layers).

Parasols have been used in Egypt, Greece, China and in India since the BC years, and make a fantastically effective barrier against the sun. They first came into popular use in Britain and France around the mid 17th century from China, and became particularly popular in the enthusiasm for Japanese culture and art in the 1800s.

They remain popular in various countries and subcultures, notably in Goth and Lolita fashion, but still can be immensely practical. To tie in with R&B week, I've collected my favourite red and black parasols from around the web so you photophobic goths can survive the summer months. For those of you in the southern half of the globe, fear not; many of the parasols included double as umbrellas.


£5.85, here.

This square umbrella is more modern and unusual in it's design, and would be great with a casual short and vest top look, or perhaps an elegant three piece suit.

£23.95, from here.

This Battenburg lace parasol has an unlined portion to show off the pattern of the lace, but still protects you from the sun. I'm considering getting this one!

£11.99, from here.

I've always been fond of this paper design, and I'm swithering over this one myself. Many of these on the web are decorated with cherry blossom or other designs, but this one is plain for your own decoration, if you so choose.

£36.00, from here.

This is one for the gothic lolitas out there! There's a few too many ruffles for me, but there's something charming in it's frivolity. This one also has the advantage of doubling up as an umbrella.

£14.95 from here.

I own the black version of this, and it's an excellent umbrella as well as a parasol; the classic shape works well with victorian outfits as well as providing full coverage from the bright hurty thing. I should say that the Edwardian style umbrellas don't fare in wind as well as their normal counterparts, so beware of what weather you take them out in.



See you for the last post tomorrow!






Fee



Reference - A brief history of parasols & umbrellas (now defunct, but I'll find another source).

P.S. apologies for the cheesy title. I just couldn't let pass the opportunity to reference a song from one of my favourite bands.

Red and Black Week 2013, day 4: heatwave fashion

 

It's day four of Sophistique Noir's Red and Black Week! I'd have liked to have shown you some of the craft projects I've been working on, but I never managed to get the fabric on time and so I'm afraid that plan had to be scuppered. So it's back to outfit posts for me!

Not seen - pair of red shoes. It was too hot to take more than a few photos.

I have to be honest and say that this one isn't my best - the temperatures peaked yesterday when I was preparing this post, and I was overheated and tired (hence the grumpy expression). Still, it was fun to play with the simplicity of the dress and the use of colour pops.

I love the heart shaped cut out on the back of this.

Also on a red and black theme is my most recent ebay purchase, which will arrive today -

Included here because it has a red lining. (Picture taken from here.)

I've always wanted a coffin bag, and I finally got myself one! :D

  

  

I do actually have more elaborate things planned for the next two days, thankfully, though I think they will be posts mainly focusing on make up. 

Until then, best wishes!

Fee

Red and Black Week 2013, day 3: Subtle Colour

It's the third day of Sophistique Noir's Red and Black Week, and I'm back to doing what I do best - preening and taking selfies. This one does actually qualify as an actual gothic outfit, though it's rather casual compared to some of the other posters of this week. Indeed, it is an everyday look for me, and done somewhat on the rush here. :P

This outfit is something I wear often - the dress is one I got for a school dance (it looks far better worn casually with some black tights, as here) from River Island, and the boots are from Marks and Spencer. It is indeed possible to find goth friendly clothing there! The bat necklace is a birthday gift from a dear friend from a local alternative shop.

However, you might be wondering where the red is in this one. And it's true - I don't have a lot of red in my gothic wardrobe, though I have no idea why.

Here we are! Punching my cliche card is one of my favourite hair pieces, my skeleton hair clip - also filling in the day's theme of red, black and white. I picked two of these up from Claire's around halloween, as they were about half the price of the Kreepsville 666 ones. It's not a lot of red, but it's tricky making me do colour - I wondered about making my own fake blood spattered tights to match with this outfit, but regretfully only after preparing this post (and no time to do so!). Thoughts on this?

Still, there's always my favourite scarf (which would be more appropriate were the weather cooler). Now, I'm off out to go buy my mum some cheese for her birthday (yes, you heard me), so TTFN!



Fee

Red and Black Week 2013, Day 2: The Little Things (with extra book review)

 

It's day two of Sophistique Noir's Red and Black week! I'm hoping to get a post up every day on a variety of topics from fashion to photography, but whether I manage that or not remains to be seen. Nonetheless, today I shall be posting about smaller ways to get into the spirit of R&B week.

As previously mentioned, Red and Black Week rather snuck up on me - I'd contemplated all kinds of plans on looking into getting more red into my wardrobe, to looking into cultivating appropriately coloured flowers, to go on massive eulogies on the symbolism of both colours. Then exams happened and I entered into the frantic scramble that is the part time job market, and suddenly it was the start of the week and I didn't have a thing prepared!

My bedroom back at home is mainly purple in colour (and not in a particularly classy way, but now I'm out the house there's no point redecorating) - regretfully this doesn't work well with R&B week, but I do love the colours for decorating and have reorganized my bedside table to better get me in the mood of the week (the owl remains because it's adorable). 

I'm also re-reading Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh right now, the cover of which actually ties in very well. For those who haven't read it or seen the film, Trainspotting is a bleak but also darkly humorous collection of short stories detailing the lives of a group of Edinburgh drug addicts, and the struggles in their lives between addiction and redemption, often held back by their own situation. While drug users are often vilified in the public consciousness as criminals or wasters, Welsh exposes the truth of Britain's 'classless society' and how difficult it is for the characters to avoid and escape their brutal lives; indeed, this novel still resonates very strongly with me and modern Glasgow, despite being written twenty years ago - I actually took my username from one of the famous monologues in novel.

Now, back to cheerier subjects, I hope to see you all again for the next day of Red and Black Week! I've loved seeing everyone's posts and interacting with bloggers I wouldn't have otherwise, and I'll definitely be posting again. 

Until then, TTFN,

Fee

Red and Black Week 2013, day 1: In with a vintage bang!

 

It's the start of Sophistique Noir's Red and Black Week! Not having been blogging for long enough, I haven't had the opportunity to take part before - however, I have been looking forward to it (ironically, it still managed to sneak up on me and I had to prepare in a rush. Derp). 

Oddly enough, I  decided on vintage for my first post - despite claiming to mainly dress like an eighties reject I have now put in two submissions to events held by Sophistique Noir inspired by the early 20th century. :L Nonetheless, I do enjoy dressing vintage, and it's perfect for the surprisingly sunny weather here in Caledonia.

Surprisingly, virtually everything but the shoes, the cardie and my bracelet in this outfit are from Primark - I haven't shopped there in a long time as I'm trying to buy more ethically, but I absolutely adore this skirt; it's pretty good quality for the shop, and is glorious for summer weather.

The make up and hair are just a repeat on the same vintage look I've done before, only slapdash because I had to do it with no supplies and in a rush because I'd forgotten Red and Black week was on. :I

For me, red as in nature is like a warning in fashion, but also an invitation, which you can really see in vintage style. As a lip colour, it's a slash across the face that manages to be provocative and attention grabbing, whilst almost untouchable. It's highly feminine, but also incredibly strong and empowering (as femininity should be I suppose). I'd wear far more red lipstick if it weren't such a bloody nightmare to eat/kiss/drink/exist whilst wearing it.

Covering up in the sun is important! Stupid posing, less so.

 One of the benefits of being at home over the summer is having access to a decent quality camera, and while I'm still struggling to get a decent space to take photos in (as you can see in the awkward poses and locations) and work the timer, it's a massive relief not to have to use my phone as my primary photography device. I'm hoping to take part in R&B week (which makes it sound more like a musical appreciation week than a celebration of colour...) with not just outfit posts, but crafting, photography and other means - we'll see if I can manage a full week.

Milk bottle legs!

 Until then, I need to depart and start ironing and working on the Dundee Feminist Society website (I'm Liaison officer! I'm super excited about this and will post more about it at a later date). 

Until then, TTFN!

Fee