Country Womens Association

First formed in 1922 the country women’s association was formed in Queensland and New South Wales. In 14 years following each state would follow suit. Although there was a group in each state it wasn’t merged as an Australian organisation until 1945 by Mrs Marfell the CWA’s first president. . The first committee considered various aspects of the national bill and its anomalies regarding the issue of women marrying foreigners.

In Adelaide 1946 the first annual conference of the CWA of Australia was held, the next being in Sydney were delegates where appointed to go to the associated country women’s of the world conference in Amsterdam.

By 1985 NSW saw is first member elected to the national office as president, Mrs Dorothy Ross, until then the states took turns in hosting a president. Presidents now are elected for a 3 year term.

Now the CWA is the largest women’s organisation in Australia with approximately 25,500 members across 1500 branches.

They are a self funded organisation, non party political and non sectarian organisation.

When they aren’t submitting legislative changes to government they are partaking in crafts, public speaking, floral arts, and music, computing and of course cooking. They help out victims of natural disasters, war and famine through a range of fund raising. On a small scale they make knitted toys which are presented to the ambulances to hand out to seriously ill children during emergency transports to hospitals. Booties and knitted clothing are given to premmie babies and much more. The CWA have an extensive cookbook collection and now they have there very own scone mix in supermarkets (keep you eye out next time your in the cooking isle) and let’s face it, who doesn’t love a CWA scone!

If you would like to find out more about the CWA or join contact them on:

Website: www.cwaa.org.au

Email: cwaa-nat-pres@bigpond.com

How To: Half moon nails

I’m using:

• ·         Sally Hansen Double Duty Base and Top Coat
• ·         Revlon 760 Cherry Crush nail polish
• ·         Sally Hansen Nail art pen 01 White

Before you begin make sure you have plenty of time on your hands to do this (and if you have kids wait until they have gone to bed, as I found out)

Im going to show you 2 methods;

           Traditional way

1.       Coat your nails with a base coat and let completely dry

2.       Using the nail art pen draw on the half moons, do the outline first and then colour in

3.       Carefully paint your nails with your colour and let dry

4.       Apply top coat.

My way (I found it much easier after trying the above first)

1.       Coat your nails with a base coat and let completely dry

2.       Paint colour on as you usually do (full nail, and two coats if required) let dry completely!

3.       Draw on half moons as per above

4.       Apply top coat

Problems I came across

The traditional way is very tricky and I found myself going over the white again anyways. The nail art pen will cover the colour easily so you can draw it over the top of the colour and not see any of the dark colour coming through. Depending on what top coat you use I found that the white cracks under the top coat, but was fine if applied over the top. Make sure the paint is completely dry before applying the nail art pen or it just smudges.

I really liked the concept of the art pen. It was easy to use, good consistency and was happy with the colour. They came in a wide range of vibrant colours for all types of nail arts. They retail for around AU$12.95 and available from Priceline stores.

Carnivals and Regional Shows of times gone by

In light of the Newcastle show coming up I thought it would be nice to focus of the wonderful carnivals of times gone by. Imagine that nostalgic feeling of an old fashioned carnival. As you entered the grounds gates you are greeted with a huge colourful balloon arch and the festive feel of balloons clustered around the grounds. Filled with entertainment of carnival games, circus clowns, a brass brand, and what carnival would be with out carnival food. This all set the stage for an afternoon of family fun.

Can you imagine the entire area is alive with colour and entertainment, fixed attractions, gaming and strolling attractions.

Did you know the first Newcastle show was held on May 19^th 1902 and only paused to run during WW1 and WW2 because the grounds where used for Military reasons.

Now, how to get the perfect vintage look to wear to the show.

1. 1.       Grab a cotton collared shirt and tie at the waist, roll up the sleeves
2. 2.       A pair of Dungarees (that’s jeans to us) remember to keep them dark. Acid wash look didn’t come in until the 80’s, preferably a high waisted set and roll up the bottoms to mid calf. Belly buttons were not shown in the 50’s. If you don’t want to wear Dungarees,  a cotton high waisted pant that comes just bellow the knee
3. 3.       A cute pair of matching ballet flats
4. 4.       Make up – Keep the face simple. Follow my previous blog for make up instruction, but instead of red lips try a soft pink lip gloss.
5. 5.       Large hooped earings - Optional
6. 6.       Pile your curls on top of your head and pin, grab a scarf or bandana. Tie around your head so the bows on top and pin in place or pull your hair back into a pony tail and circle around a pretty chiffon scarf.
7. Women did not usually go about dressed casually often. The 50’s were more a formal time. Outfits such as the one above were suited to picnics and BBQ’s, Teens and Girls however had a bit more latitude and Dungarees were worn by young women, rather than the mature lady.

You can find out more about the history of the Newcastle show and its current events here

Newcastle Show Ground 1930

Vintage Makeup – Doing it on a budget

So you don’t have a lot of cash to throw around. Well neither did our Vintage Diva’s. Think about it 40’s -50’s the world was at war, there wasn’t a lot of money. They had to make do with what they had. So what do you need to re-create that Vintage Diva look? For the basics you’ll need foundation or a base, a neutral Eye shadow, Black Eyeliner, Blush and red lip stick. Of course you can elaborate on this

BASE

·         Foundation – Use what ever you’re accustomed to, Women of the days used pressed powder (hence women saying I’ll just powder my nose)so if you are after a more authentic look perhaps going for a matte finish or even use a translucent powder on top. You don’t want too much of a shine.

EYES

·         Eye shadow – you want to keep the eyes light or as neutral as possible so find one that matches your colouring. I use Revlon Colourstay makeup 12 hour eye shadow – 02 Coffee bean, it’s a compact with 4 shades in it from a pale neutral tone to a dark brown, this one has a slight shimmer but mostly a matte finish, for more of a shimmer try Revlon 14 Nude Elements – But any brand will work. The only reason I am using the Revlon one is (and since we are talking about doing it on a budget) Revlon have promo’s every so often if you spend more than, it think its about $39.00 then you get a make up case with usually an eye shadow compact, blush, mascara, lip stick, nail polish and a sample size foundation, it varies each time. Since the Foundation cost about that much you get the rest for nothing – Bargain. You can also register your email on the Revlon website and they will tell you when its “gift time”. Now where was I? Ohh yes. If you’re using a shimmery eye shadow keep it to evening events and matte for day time. Cover the eye lid right up to the brow bone in the neutral colour. Use a soft brush or a fluffy brush. I use Ecotools – eye shadow brush (sorry it doesn’t have a number)

EYELINER

·         Depending on how dramatic a look you want you can use either a Pencil, Liquid or gel liner – what ever you are comfortable with. I’ve been using (and again its because it came with a buy it get something else free deal (you just got to love free things) for a liquid liner Rimmel Glam Eyes Professional Liquid liner in Black. I’ve also used Rimmels Soft Kohl Kajal eye liner pencil – Black or Revlon’s black line, it has the smudging tool on the end. Draw a line on the top starting from mid eye and take it out to the end of the eye. Then kick it out to the side just a bit. For a more 40’s look keep the line thin with just a slight kick, 50’s thicken the liner above the eye a little but keep the kick thinner and stretch that kick out a little more, for a 60’s look thicken the liner up to marry with the top of the kick (see diagram).

MASCARA

·         False eye lashes were big with the movie stars. There is a huge variety of false lashes out there. Find ones that you feel comfortable wearing. Or if you don’t want to where false ones, opt for mascara that gives you thickness and more definition. Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express – Glam Black, Rimmel Glam Eyes 001 Black or Revlon Lash Fantasy Total Definition Blackest black – this one has a primer that goes on white and then the black mascara that goes on over the top. Coat the top lashes only

BLUSH

·         Use something with more of a slight rose’s vintage pink tone to it, but nothing to strong. I use Revlon 05 Berry Rich, Revlon 004 Barely Buff, L’Oreal Glam Rose’ Blush Duo. Take a big soft brush, tap off the excess and in a line bring it down towards the corner of your mouth and blend in any lines.

THE LIPS

·         And of what Vintage Diva is without the trademark red lips. There are a few different products that I like to use; it’s really hard to find a really good red. Now firstly I line the lips to stop bleeding, this is up to you it you want to line the lips. I use Rimmel Exaggerate Full colour lip liner definer 024 Diva red (only because it was a buy 1 get 2 free deal with Rimmel) use what ever brand you are comfortable with. For the lips I use a lipstick and a gloss. If I'm after a more casual look I use a gloss, Rimmel Volume Booster lip plumping gloss 054 Allure. This one plumps up your lips. You will need to have clean lips before using this product. It will also give you a bit of a tingle for a while, but nothing uncomfortable. You can feel it plump your lips; basically it feels like your pouting a bit. It has a brush applicator and has a bit of shimmer to it. Now I use two different reds, Revlon Colourstay 345 Red Velvet. It’s a more bluey red. I really like this colour. If I want to vamp it up a little more for evening, I apply the Rimmel gloss over the top. I also use Revlon Living Lipstick Rich Raisin Frost 741 its more of a darker red wine red, it has a smell that reminds me of my grandmothers make up. This was a free One in Revlon’s “gift time’ bag.

You really don’t need to be going out buying loads of expensive make up. With the above basic pieces you can create your look. Watch out for sales and deals. My make up bag is over flowing and the only thing I’ve paid for is Foundation and the odd Nail polish or Mascara, the rest all came with the purchase. David Jones & Priceline are great places for deals. If you were more expensive make up Estee’ Lauder and a few of the other Brands usually have a gift time as well. If you spend so much in one transaction you get there gift pack free. It’s worth a look.

Eyeliner Diagram:

For a 1940's look keep the liner simple

Bring it into the 50's with more of a kick

And glam it up with a retro 60's look

Do you have a Vintage Makeup tip or Favorite products? Share it with us - Write a comment!

Tell us what you want

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A blog on shoes, makeup, clothing, lingerie, how to's etc. You pick!

Bye for now
Dollz n Divaz xxx


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Women of the Era’s – 1940’s

Hi Dolls and Divas

I’d like to welcome you to the first blog of ‘Women of the Era’s’. I hope you enjoy them and take something away.

The 2^nd world war played a major role in the everyday fashions. To match the ecomonic atmosphere designers used the general wartime scence, the drabness and uniformity. This continued after the war ended in 1945. People just ‘made do’ with what they had and if something broke it got mended.

Military uniforms were seen at almost all civilian social occasions, this included a trip to the cinema’s, weddings, special gala events and even restaurants. At this time it was impossible to avoid the uniformed men and women.

Stockings of all types were scarce.  Not even rayon stockings were readily available. Women were encouraged to wear ankle socks.  Stockings might be found on the black market and later in the war many befriended an American G. I. in the hope of a pair of the new nylon stockings.  Otherwise it was make do and mend again and in the case of stockings, make do with leg make up or gravy browning and get a friend to draw a straight line down the back of the leg. 

Face make up was in short supply and news of a fresh stock of well known branded lipsticks at the local chemist meant that the shop sold out within an hour.  Munitions workers were encouraged to wear make up as a protective barrier to the grit and chemicals they worked amidst.     

Women working in dangerous conditions were helped to keep up their morale and Max Factor officials from America visited munitions factories handing out the new pancake make up and lipstick.  Ponds cold cream, Vaseline and Vitapointe conditioning cream for hair were the few items usually available.  Munitions workers often had skin that turned canary yellow if they handled lots of explosive materials.

The Veronica Lake hairstyle was very popular as was peroxide bleached hair.  Glamorous styles with curls were preferred to the short styles of the twenties. 

Some factories even installed hair salons to improve women's long term attendance. During this era Princess Elizabeth popularised the wearing of a headscarf tied under the chin. 

Clothing, textiles and furniture marked with the Utility scheme met certain specifications and were of good design.  By the end of rationing utility goods came to mean goodquality.  Many older citizens in their eighties still have damask tablecloths, blankets and easy chairs bearing the CC41 mark shown in the header are in good state.  

Women of the silver screen included:
Lucille Ball

Height:	5' 6"
Nickname:	Queen of the B movies
Born:	Aug 6, 1911
Died:	Apr 26, 1989  (78 years)
Maiden Years:	1929-1946
Birth Name:	Lucille Desiree Ball
Raised in:	Jamestown, New York

Katharine Hepburn

Height:	5' 8"
Nicknames:	Kate First Lady of Cinema
Born:	May 12, 1907
Died:	Jun 29, 2003  (96 years)
Maiden Years:	1925-1942
Birth Name:	Katharine Houghton Hepburn
Raised in:	Hartford, Connecticut

Betty  Grable

Height:	5' 4"
Nicknames:	The Pin-Up Girl The Girl With the Million Dollar Legs
Born:	Dec 18, 1916
Died:	Jul 2, 1973  (57 years)
Maiden Years:	1934-1951
Birth Name:	Elizabeth Ruth Grable
Raised in:	pin-up girl

Rita Hayworth

Height:	5' 6"
Nickname:	The Love Goddess
Born:	Oct 17, 1918
Died:	May 14, 1987  (69 years)
Maiden Years:	1936-1953
Birth Name:	Margarita Carmen Cansino
Raised in:	Brooklyn, New York

  

Accessories

Hi Dolls and Divas

I wanted to do a section on where you can get vintage accessories in Australia. There is a lot of stuff out there but it refers to the USA or UK. Choosing the right accessory can really make your outfit work. But remember – Don’t over do it.

Now firstly if you are after REAL Vintage you could try your luck at Antique shops, OP shops like your local salvos, raid your Nanna’s jewellery. But if your like me and to busy with kids, work and other commitments then have a look at the places below.

Equip:

I have fallen in love with there Mademoiselle range, its very 1920’s -40’s look. Elegant fabric corsages embellished with diamontes and pearls. I Love the fact that the corsages and brooches have not only a pin but also a clip so you could take it from garment to your hair and really get your moneys worth. They have a beautiful range of necklaces and chains, rings, bangles to braclets you name it! They have some gorgeous over side Vintage inspired Rings and the prices wont leave you broke either

Check them out:  http://www.equipyourself.com.au/

Diva:

As the name suggests. There current seasons range is very much like Equips. Its very pretty with creamy peach coloured brooch’s embellished with shiny black beads. A Brooch like this will set you back around AU$16.95, so very reasonable. They too also have the full range from rings to chains, hair pieces

Check them out: http://www.diva.net.au/

Bower bird Vintage:

This is an Australian online store, they have some beautiful vintage inspired handbags there are deffinatly worth a peak. Prices for bags start from about AU$15.00. they also have a lovely range of hats and hand crafted accessories and if you get in quick they are having a sale on at the moment. (Bower bird vintage also stock vintage clothing)

Check them out: http://www.bowerbirdvintage.com.au/greatbuy

eBay:

Don’t pass it up! Seriously, you can shop from home at midnight in your underwear. So as far as time goes, its convienient. Just make sure you read the sellers feedback and make sure you are getting exactly what you pay for.

Some search suggestions: Vintage Inspired, Vintage, Retro & add in what accessory you are after. You’ll be amazed at the range you can find.

Just also keep in mind the postage charges. Sometimes its cheaper and quicker to buy it at a store rather than pay over the top postage and wait 21 days to receive it. So just keep that in mind

Check them out: www.ebay.com.au

Burlesque Baby:

This is another one of my favourite online stores. You can buy everything there from Eyelashes to shoes and dresses. Even fans and parasols. They have a very cute range of vintage handbags and make up bags.

They have the largest range or false eyelashes I have ever seen and they are so gorgeous. I think there prices are very reasonable. You are buying quality items. Worth a look

Check them out: www.burlesquebaby.com.au or visit there store: 567 Wellington St Perth WA 6000 AUSTRALIA

All the opinions expressed here are my own. I have not been paid for any of my reviews and am not affiliated with any of these stores.