Wednesday, 27 July 2011
More from Helena
" I look forward half a century and imagine a world where every woman will rejoice in the possession of beauty. By beauty I do not mean a uniformity of figure, a perfect regularity of feature - how deadly that would be! I mean rather grace and mobility of movement, loveliness in colouring and the harmonious interplay of mind and body"
- Helena Rubinstein, The Art of Feminine Beauty, 1930
Tuesday, 26 July 2011
Vegetable Bouillon Cure
8 1/2 oz carrots
4 oz potato
3 1/2 oz turnips
2 onions
2/3 oz white dried beans
2/3 oz split peas
2/3 oz lentils
4 quarters water
Cut vegetables and place in a large pan, cover with cold water and simmer for 4 hours.
Days 1 to 3
On awakening take teaspoon of sulphate of soda dissolved in warm water. Go back to bed for one hour and wait for this to take effect.
Drink up to 8 glasses of Vegetable Bouillon a day.
Days 4 - 7
Breakfast - Coffee with milk
Whole wheat toast with butter
Whole wheat toast with butter
Lunch - a thin soup (preferably more bouillon), a small sandwich and a piece of fruit
Dinner - lean meat, green vegetables, toast, fruit, water
Ensure that you take a large glass of water before or after eating and vitally make sure that you are not drinking any alcohol.
Helena Rubinstein - The Art of Feminine Beauty, 1930
That's torn it
"There are a few, a very few women, who can drink without having it show in their faces. But most women, if they drink more than a little, begin to acquire a tell-tale look. Their eyes are slightly duller, skin slightly sallower, lines slightly harder. Not a great change of course, but a subtle one that is sensed rather than seen. It is an unattractive and disturbing change. At the first shadowy trace of it the woman who cares about her appearance reduces her drinking to a veritable minimum. If she misses its stimulating effect and feels a let down she takes some added exercise, uses her brains to tackle an intricate problem, becomes interested in something other than herself. She soon wonders why she ever needed liquor at all. And it isn't long before her mirror tells a pleasanter tale."
Better than Beauty: A Guide To Charm, 1938
Thursday, 21 July 2011
Wednesday, 20 July 2011
Wonderful Women Norwich: Business Card Boutique
I have two confessions to make today. The first is that the last Wonderful Women Norwich meeting was over a week ago and I still haven't blogged about it and the second is that I woefully failed to take any photographs.
We held a Business Card Boutique at the lovely Maids Head Hotel in Norwich, which dates back to the 13th century. Although a Norwich institution I find it surprising that few people seem to know how gorgeous it is inside.
Despite being a Tuesday night - and normally very quiet- there was another meeting in the bar which seemed to consist of old teachers of one of our members, my doctor's father and an assortment of vicars. The manager could not have been more helpful and we soon found ourselves a table just outside the main bar which was both large enough to hold ReeRee's business card collection and suitably far away from the noisy vicars.
The first order of the day was to welcome new members and to go round the table updating on what we have been up to since the last meeting. As the topic was business cards I had asked people to bring their own cards (if they had any yet) as well as examples that they themselves had collected. We then talked about why we had chosen our cards, what we liked about them and what we thought could be improved.
We then delved into the cards in front of us and talked about common blunders that people make and how our own cards could be improved. We also chose cards that we particularly liked (or not as the case may be) and talked about what attracted us to them.
This is a very interesting exercise and helps to concentrate the mind on what you want from your own cards. Seeing so many different examples at one time really does pinpoint what works and what doesn't. We found that we (on the whole) liked similar cards and our reasons for choosing them were roughly the same - they were striking, the quality of them and the images used. We found that we didn't like cards with poorly posed photographs or ones that were too cluttered.
So what did we learn? I think the point that came across most was that the quality of your business card reflected the perception of your business. That cards that were cheap, poorly conceived or that lacked information about the nature of your business or proper contact details invariably found their way into our 'dislike' pile. This may not stop you picking up the cards but would certainly make them more likely to find their way into the bin when you cleaned out your pockets.
Choosing your business card can be a tricky business and, if you are not carefully, an expensive wasteful business if you don't get it right first time. There are also some lovely examples of cards that are quirky/successful or quirky/unsuccessful if you look around on the internet but my favourite 20 can be found here
Thanks again to the Wonderful Women who braved some windy and rubbish weather to come to the session.
We held a Business Card Boutique at the lovely Maids Head Hotel in Norwich, which dates back to the 13th century. Although a Norwich institution I find it surprising that few people seem to know how gorgeous it is inside.
Despite being a Tuesday night - and normally very quiet- there was another meeting in the bar which seemed to consist of old teachers of one of our members, my doctor's father and an assortment of vicars. The manager could not have been more helpful and we soon found ourselves a table just outside the main bar which was both large enough to hold ReeRee's business card collection and suitably far away from the noisy vicars.
The first order of the day was to welcome new members and to go round the table updating on what we have been up to since the last meeting. As the topic was business cards I had asked people to bring their own cards (if they had any yet) as well as examples that they themselves had collected. We then talked about why we had chosen our cards, what we liked about them and what we thought could be improved.
We then delved into the cards in front of us and talked about common blunders that people make and how our own cards could be improved. We also chose cards that we particularly liked (or not as the case may be) and talked about what attracted us to them.
This is a very interesting exercise and helps to concentrate the mind on what you want from your own cards. Seeing so many different examples at one time really does pinpoint what works and what doesn't. We found that we (on the whole) liked similar cards and our reasons for choosing them were roughly the same - they were striking, the quality of them and the images used. We found that we didn't like cards with poorly posed photographs or ones that were too cluttered.
So what did we learn? I think the point that came across most was that the quality of your business card reflected the perception of your business. That cards that were cheap, poorly conceived or that lacked information about the nature of your business or proper contact details invariably found their way into our 'dislike' pile. This may not stop you picking up the cards but would certainly make them more likely to find their way into the bin when you cleaned out your pockets.
Choosing your business card can be a tricky business and, if you are not carefully, an expensive wasteful business if you don't get it right first time. There are also some lovely examples of cards that are quirky/successful or quirky/unsuccessful if you look around on the internet but my favourite 20 can be found here
Thanks again to the Wonderful Women who braved some windy and rubbish weather to come to the session.
Added:June
I have not had a massive haul this month and, as you can see, some of the additions are modern. But that is one of the advantages of collecting every day items and a great way to feel less guilty about buying lots of new products.
Favourites this month have to be the two No 7 items - a complexion milk and some foundation. I also rediscovered a long lost lipstick from The House of Dolly Parton which I think deserves a post all to itself.
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Are You Made for 'Fire and Ice'
"What is the American girl made of? Sugar and spice and all things nice? Not since the days of the Gibson Girl! There's a new American beauty... she's tease and temptress, siren and gamin, dynamic and demure. Men find her slightly, delightfully baffling. Sometimes a little maddening. Yet they admit she's easily the most exciting woman in the world! She's the 1952 American beauty with a foolproof formula for melting a male! She's the 'Fire and Ice girl'. (Are you?)
Fire and Ice was launched by Revlon in 1952 with a two page spread with model Dorian Leigh. Playing on, what they termed, the duality of women the campaign was backed up by "Fire and Ice Beauty Contests" with guest judges such as the gorgeous David Niven.
A tongue in cheek questionnaire was designed by Bea Castle and Kay Daly (how much each women can take in credit is up for debate). If you could answer 'yes' to over 8 of the 15 questions then you were a 'Fire and Ice woman'.
Some of the questions featured:
Have you ever danced with your shoes off?
Did you ever wish on a new moon?
Do you blush when you find yourself flirting?
When a recipe calls for one dash of bitters, do you think it is better with two?
Do you secretly hope the next man you meet will be a psychiatrist?
Do you sometimes feel that other women resent you?
Have you ever wanted to wear an ankle bracelet?
Do sables excite you, even on other women?
Do you love to look up at a man?
Do you face crowded parties with panic - then wind up having a wonderful time?
Does gypsy music make you sad?
I can exclusively reveal that I am NOT a Fire and Ice Woman by this questionnaire which actually makes me a little bit sad :)
The range was re-released in December 2010 and the advert was updated for a modern audience with Jessica Biel.
Friday, 8 July 2011
Rubbing It In On Valentines Day
Today I spent an absolutely fantastic day in Great Yarmouth with Gemma (the lovely Retro Chick) with the intention of soaking up a little culture, eating some fish and chips and generally rejoicing in our flexible working lives. Whilst we failed on the fish and chips front we did manage to squeeze in an unexpectedly traditional afternoon tea and culture in the form of the "Secrets of the Saucy Seaside Postcard" exhibition at the Time and Tide Museum.
One thing that caught my eye was this charming card with the even more charming sentiment expressed:
You try to look like a film star
and it's quite a difficult task,
for although your face is covered
'til it's almost like a mask,
with paint and lipstick and the like
it often makes us wonder,
if ever you'll achieve success
disguising natural blunder.
Oh how I would laugh if I got this particular beauty next Valentine's Day.
One thing that caught my eye was this charming card with the even more charming sentiment expressed:
You try to look like a film star
and it's quite a difficult task,
for although your face is covered
'til it's almost like a mask,
with paint and lipstick and the like
it often makes us wonder,
if ever you'll achieve success
disguising natural blunder.
Oh how I would laugh if I got this particular beauty next Valentine's Day.
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