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1950′s Inspiration
50′s fashion is definitely one of my all time favourites (after the 90′s that is of course) – I don’t know whether it’s because I’m a sucker for Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe or just because I love how the women always seemed to look so classy and sophisticated (their style was always so immaculate).
I personally (along with many other high heel loving girls) owe the 1950′s a big thank you (I mean if it wasn’t for the invention of the stiletto heel we would all still be walking around with those awful chunky kitten heel things they use to wear… (scary thought I know). And tbh what exactly is there not to love about waist nipping dresses, pointy stilettos, cat-eye glasses and puffy skirts? (Grease lovers I know you share just as much love for this era as I do!!)
Here is some 1950′s inspiration I have for my spring summer 2013 wardrobe!!
Homemade Banana face mask
After a jam-packed day I thought what’s better than a nice natural face mask to pick me up ( and as there quick and easy to make I had no excuse not to). My personal favourite is a banana face mask as it never fails to relieve my skin of any toxins. As I swear by it I thought I’d share with you my recipe.
Ingredients:
1 Banana
1/4 of a lemon (the lemon gives the mask a slight tingle so don’t add more than recommended)
2 table spoons of oats (I find the oats kind of act as an exfoliator)
1 teaspoon of maple syrup – normally I use honey but as it was nowhere to be found in the kitchen I had to settle for some maple syrup (which works just as well).
Instructions:
1. Mash the banana and squeeze on the lemon juice
2. Add the oats and maple syrup into the mixture
3. Stir lightly until the oats are spread out evenly
Once finished the mask should look like a very lumpy porridge (don’t let the appearance put you off, it works wonders). Apply the mask slowly as you need to avoid the eye area (ever got lemon in you eye before? Yikes).
I generally leave the mask on for 5-10 minutes as it works quite quickly, your face will tingle at first (a nice tingly, not unbearable) but after about 30 seconds to a minute will stop. When your face starts to feel tight and firm you can wash off the mask as it has worked its magic. I like to scrub my face with the mask for a minute or two before completely washing it off.
Straight away you will notice that your face feels smooth, firm and cleansed (and what else can you ask for)!!!
I hope you love this mask as much as I do, let me know how you get on.
P.s. Tie your hair up – banana and oats aren’t a good mixture to get in your hair (trust me I know, its happened a few times).
What is the Chinese culture…
I remember when I was at college and I found myself in a conversation with a Chinese student, we were conversing about the old Chinese tradition foot binding. Instantly I was fascinated and wanted to know more, I was full of questions, what, why, when, how and where. Today I stumbled across this image and my fascination started all over again, this time I was intrigued as to why this painful process was enforced on young Chinese girls.Foot binding originated in around the 10th or 11th century and continued for approx 1000 years. It was originally perceived as being fashionable among wealthy women, indicating high social status. The tradition gradually spread through the Chinese culture and by the 12th century even the poorest families were partaking in foot binding.
When a girl was about 3 or 4 her feet would be tightly bound so that her toes were turned towards the sole of her foot, the foot would then shrink as the child’s arches of the foot was broken. The process took several years restricting and altering the grown of the foot, often resulting in infections and severe pain for the young child. In the early 20th century after several anti-foot binding campaigns the Chinese government made it illegal. Foot binding was a liability to the communist government as women were less able to work in fields and therefore unable to support their families. The procedure left many women with life long disabilities making it difficult for them to walk and squat. Although foot binding took many years to decease it eventually died out due to the threatening of the death sentence for participating.
My question is why did this continue for so long? What did families have to gain from putting their females through this horrendous pain? Well… Chinese women were controlled by their fathers, husbands and sons, by having their feet bound it hindered their freedom as they were unable to travel long or far due to the unbearable pain. Also, the security of marriage ensured a families place in society. Smaller feet were seen as beautiful and made the girls more desirable. Having tiny feet made their movements more feminine and dainty, increasing their chance of marriage. To me these beliefs sound all to familiar.
Today the concept of beauty is an on-going issue that women face daily. We often see women wearing uncomfortable tight heels, squeezing into spanx, waxing, plucking and under going surgery to fit the stereotypical image of what is beautiful. So is our culture actually any different to that of the Chinese in the 11th century? We also want the security of marriage, to be desirable and tend to idolise those with smaller proportions. Although we find ourselves having more freedom the majority of women still remain passive and subordinate to men. And lets face it, if we saw an amazing pair of Loubs (tight or not) we too would crush our feet into them (whatever the cost) if they made us feel beautiful and attractive.
To me it seems the myth of beauty has been destroying the fabrications of societies for centuries, and to be honest I think it always will. As Alex Comfort once said “A women’s greatest asset is her beauty”.
