Be My Baby and Brenda Dean Paul

Anyone a fan of the Ronettes? I never used to be, until I listened to Be My Baby the other day for the first time since I was about 12. It inspired me to look for a few pictures of this talented yet troubled girl group, so I got on the old google images and my God. They rocked the socks! Winehouse has NOTHING on these girls. So I've decided to take some tips from Ronnie Spector et al in terms of hair and make-up. More is definitely more.

Its quite an easy look to achieve. If anyones interested, here's my way of looking like Ronnie in a jiffy. Just try to steer clear of any overbearing music tycoons, history has a habit of repeating itself...

Make-up
The base needs to be flawless and matte. I'm not a fan of powder (I find unless you have quite oily skin or a decent brand it tends to look rather caked on) so instead I applied a blend of Maybelline Mousse foundation and Maybelline Dream Satin foundation with a brush for a natural yet flawless look. I then swept a rose blush (NYC Colour) over my cheeks, emphasising the apples. I applied a thin sweep of liquid eyeliner with a slight cats-eye flick (too much and you end up like yr going to tie a torniquet around yr arm and break into a wobbly version of 'Valerie') and a LOT of black mascara - at least 3 coats, think Twiggy here! Finally, a smudge of highlighter (Benefit does the best ones) to accentuate the cheekbones and inner eyes, and a slick of Sexy Motherpucker Soap and Glory lipgloss produces perfect Motown glam!

Hair
Also relatively easy - if you have long hair, that is. Start by sectioning the top layer of hair and securing it towards the front of yr head. Now sweep the rest of the hair back, and working from the underside upwards, backcomb the roots, fixing with hairspray. When you have built up the beehive size you want, flip the sectioned top layer over the backcombed hair, smooth down and tame stray hairs with more hairspray. Then gather hair together and fix in a side ponytail. Now for the finishing touch, grab youself a pair of curling tongs or straighteners, whichever work better for you, and create some loose curls in the ponytail. Part your fringe on the side, add a touch of serum, et voila! You're good to go.

Expect to see me walking around looking like this >
for the majority of the next month.


In other news, I've been reading a book called Bright Young People (by D.J Taylor). It's an in-depth study into the decadent lives of the young 1920's socialites such as Robert Byron, Elizabeth Ponsonby and Brenda Dean Paul, and I have never been so wistful in my entire life. Ohhh, how I wish I could have attended their bath and bottle party - in which Londons brightest young aristocrats and bohemians rented out St Georges Baths and partied through til morning to the sounds of a jazz band. There were coloured lights illuminating the pools, giant inflatable horses and flowers floating in the water, and cocktails flowing all night.
The thing that got me the most though, was how far ahead of their time these people seemed to be. Take this picture, for example. Yes, its black and white and you can obviously date it due to the photo's quality, but everything else about it is completely contemporary. The poses, the fancy dress frivolity, the sheer abundance of fun. Even Tallulah Bankheads outfit wouldn't look out of place on todays high street. Their parties may have ceased nearly a century ago, but their legacy of decadent fun remains, and in my eyes, they were the originators of cool. Read the book, you'll see.

© Copyright Betti Hunter 2009