Dressed up for den making

Now, when I got back from the Big Chill, a little over a week and a half ago, what was my first thought? Not "ooh, I actually have a whole house to live in, as opposed to a length of fabric and some poles"? No, it happened to be - let's go and make a den in the garden... Okay, so my brother co-erced me into helping him make it - however it was very enjoyable! There was one major difference though, this would be a den I could stand up in! Nothing like being hunched over for four days to make you grateful for high ceilings.

So, armed with a multitude of blankets and rugs, lots of clothes pegs, the frame of our swing and some not-very-robust gardening canes, we proceeded to create a little 'hang out space' for the afternoon. It was rather idyllic, reclining in there and reading 'The Moomins' aloud to little brother (I love those books!), eating yummy food, reading 'A Room with a View' and roasting marshmallows in the evening. Even having to dismantle the den very speedily ahead of impending rain didn't mar the day.

And (of course!), the den also then played host as a backdrop, with both parents taking photos. However, it was pretty dark in the actual structure, so I had to emerge into the light. I wanted an outfit that would be a total juxtaposition with the setting - so in the end I took a classic Russian princess, mixed with Alexander McQueen A/W 08 (a girl in a 600 hundred year old elm tree sounds like it was made for me! Definitely one of my favourite collections of his) as my inspiration.

This was achieved with a long lace skirt from a charity shop stall at the Big Chill, along with a big underskirt, and my favourite blue fifties jacket from a local vintage shop - the crafted tailoring never ceases to amaze me. I then added a faux fur stole (also from the same charity shop stall at the Big Chill!), beige and dark blue t-bar shoes from ebay and a silk scarf from the much-mentioned hatbox full of inherited scarves. The blue ring used to belong to my great-grandma, who collected costume jewellery.

I've been doing my hair in this style quite a bit recently, after working out how to do it in three minutes. The method is as follows:
1.) Take a thin silk scarf or length of fabric and tie your hair in a top knot.
2.) Bunch the leftover fabric in your hand and wrap your hair around it to create a loose bun shape.
3.) Keep in place using a lot of kirby grips and some big clips.
4.) Tie a silk scarf under it.

Et voila! Hair a la Audrey Hepburn in a matter of minutes.. I am very low maintenance, so this suits me fine. A reader recently asked if I might describe my beauty routine, so here it is:

I use an exfoliating facial scrub on my face every now and then, and that's about it in terms of beautifying! Make-up (if I'm wearing any) comprises of brown Body Shop eyeliner, a bit of mascara and either vaseline or lipstick (Rimmel does great shades of reds and golds). Sometimes I use Too faced 'Liquif-eye' liquid eyeliner if I want to dress up.

Hair wise, I use Tresemme shampoo and conditioner and my morning routine usually consists of brush-and-go! I very occasionally curl my hair, but try not to use any styling products or hair appliances regularly, to avoid damage. I combed it straight recently, and it's nearly waist length!

Talking of questions, I've been thinking about maybe doing a Q&A post soon - so please do fire away, the quirkier the better!

This is my first atttempt at a scheduled post (being away on holiday right now, which might explain a noticeable lack of response. This summer has been so unbelievably action packed!), so I hope it's  all gone according to plan. I'll look forward to catching up when I get back.

Dressed up for den making 2010-08-19T04:30:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Unknown