I am so excited to share another lovely set of photos from Tyrone Islington! We were going for a very 60s babydoll look with the styling and wardrobe for this shoot. This is one of my favourite outfits, which I have featured on here before, but I just can’t get enough photos of it. I designed and created this little pink playsuit with fabric I got at Mood in NYC. Please enjoy this sweet little set of pictures from Dolly and Tyrone!
It’s hard to believe 2014 is finally coming to a close. This year has been so full of joy and success, good times and great friends. I have a new job which I love so much and is the start of a wonderful career. I have the most amazing group of friends a girl could ever ask for, not to mention the cutest kitten on the planet. And I’ve been able to express my creativity through so many amazing fashion photo shoots and design projects. I performed in an international burlesque festival, got a giant mermaid tattoo, met two of my idols (Yaya Han and Tess Munster) and I even started this blog. I can’t believe what a lucky girl I am and I feel so incredibly thankful to have had all these experiences.
So here we go. This is my year in photos; memories from most of the big events, photo shoots, friends, lots and lots of friends and the most fabulous fashions. Thank you for following my blog and I wish the happiest New Year to you all!
Last weekend my best bud Betty Quirk and I had a stroll through High Park with the lovely photographer Tyrone Islington and my amazing assistant Val! The lovely fall leaves were the perfect setting for a little spooky, halloween inspired shoot. The jacket I am wearing was a costume piece I made a few years ago for a burlesque routine and the skirt Betty is wearing I made for her with the left over material. Betty and I are no strangers to dressing in co-ordinating outfits and I love the way these two looks compliment each other. Enjoy our halloween pinup photos and have a very scary Halloween!
It’s feeling more like spring everyday and nothing says spring quite like Pink Lipstick!
Every now and then I like to shake up my classic red lipped look and go for something more girly, fresh and fun; a pink lip! These are my top 3 go-to pink lipsticks.
Lime Crime’s Pink Velvet – MAC’s Flat Out Fabulous – Pinnacle Cosmetics’ Diva
Lime Crime’s Pink Velvet
This is another one of Lime Crime’s longwear lipsticks, which I love. Again, it’s not the best longwear I’ve tried (it smudges easily when wet) but it definitely stays on better than a regular lipstick. It goes on wet and dries to a matte finish on your lips. Pink Velvet it a lovely bright, Barbie pink. I always get compliments when I wear it. It’s really something unique that most people haven’t seen before. The combination of that electric pop of colour and the super matte look makes for a super sassy look.
Pinnacle Cosmetics’ Diva
Pinnacle Cosmetics is a wonderful company based out of Canada, that produces really high quality makeup. I recently received a couple lipsticks from Pinnacle including Diva. Diva is a high gloss, high shine lipstick that shimmers on your lips. It is very soft and smooth to apply. It has a red-pink shine that is quite beautiful and very different from the matte look I usually wear. I have used this lipstick a couple of times for burlesque shows, and it really comes across nicely on stage. I definitely recommend this lipstick and this brand!
MAC’s Flat Out Fabulous
What can I say? This lipstick is truly Flat Out Fabulous! It’s a bright pink with a touch of purple and super, super matte. I don’t know if I’ve ever worn a lipstick that was as matte as this before. It’s almost tricky getting it on, you really have to rub it hard to get a nice thick coat (wow that sounded dirty). It’s equally as difficult to get it off, which is why I see this lipstick as close enough to a longwear that it might as well be one. If all regular lipsticks were like this I would definitely wear them more often. Can’t say enough great things about this lipstick. Definitely check it out if you are looking for a fun pop of colour that will last all day!
In my hunt for new lipsticks I received a few suggestions to try out Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics lip tars. The last time I saw these lip tars at Sephora there were maybe 6 colours to choose from, but this time when I went to track them down there were so many I was a little overwhelmed! They now come in a huge array of colours and finishes including metallic, matte and gloss. I decided to depart from my usual shade of red and go for something a little darker: “Black Metal Dahlia”. This shade is a very dark purpley-red with red glitter in it.
These lip tars come in a little tube with a separate applicator brush. It goes on pretty easily with the brush but you only need a small amount to cover the lips completely. The colour is beautiful but way more glittery than I was expecting. It is definitely more of a “going out” lipstick as opposed to an “every day”. I also found that it did not dry at all, even though I was told it was a longwear lipstick. This stuff would definitely not pass the make out test. It could be that I put too much on or maybe because I didn’t use the lip primer that is recommended on the packaging, but at $22CAD (almost $25 with tax) I wasn’t about to buy another product just to put this one on.
Overall I really like the look and feel of this lip tar (did I mention it smells like mint?) and would like to try some more colours, but I’m not sure if it really lives up to all the hype.
I’m just about to head out to a fabulous burlesque themed photo shoot! What are YOU up to today darlings?
You lipstick fiends look hungry for some new flavours!
After my last post about my favourite lipsticks I got so many awesome suggestions for longwear lipsticks to try, so I went to Sephora and picked up a couple. My friend Kate suggested I try the Sephora Cream Lip Stain in “001 Always Red” which I grabbed along with a new product Sephora has launched called Rouge Infusion Lip Stain, which I got in the shade “Cherry Nectar”.
Sephora Cream Lip Stain – Always Red
As I sit here with this lipstick on I am realizing how much nicer it is than the MAC equivalent! They are almost identical in colour and at $16 it definitely beats the $29 MAC product, though I think the MAC longwear is still the longest lasting of all the ones I’ve tried. Still, it is doing a great job of staying on while also being very light and comfortable to wear. The MAC lipstick is really dry if you don’t use the top coat, but this lipstick has more moisture and I can hardly even feel it on my lips. This will probably be my new go-to for an everyday, classic red! Thanks Kate for your wonderful suggestion!!
Sephora Rouge Infusion Lip Stain – Cherry Nectar
Guys… I can’t believe I’m saying this but, this is my new favourite lipstick. Not only is it a luscious deep, sexy, purpley red, it also lasts really well (passing the makeout test). It goes on wet and stays really moist on your lips. At first I was concerned that it wasn’t drying but when I pressed my lips to my hand there was no transfer. It almost feels like a lip balm but stays like a longwear. Excellent product, I’m very impressed with it and will definitely be going back to get a few more colours.
Right before winter I found this beautifully embossed polyester fabric that felt thick and warm and perfect for a cute winter dress. I used a t-shirt pattern for the top and added a circle skirt on to the bottom. Super simple. super quick and incredibly cute! In the photos below I paired it with a homemade headband and cameo necklace. The boots are ‘To Be Announced” from Solestuck. I love the little bit of metal at the toe and heel of these boots. They are like jewelry for your feet! My lipstick here is “Diva” from MAC.
Photos by If You Fall Photography
It’s time for another edition of DOLLY’S FAVOURITE THINGS!!!
Anyways, this is my lovely post about my favourite lipsticks! For me lipstick is like the cherry on top of a look. It’s not 100% necessary but it takes what could be a simple outfit and makes it extra yummy. I pretty much wear one of these three lipsticks every day. This photo doesn’t really do them justice, especially since the difference in shade is very subtle. I also mostly wear longwear lipsticks, which I find more practical because they don’t rub off.
Lime Crime – Red Velvet
After hearing many excellent things about Lime Crime I finally decided to try out their Velvetine Lipsticks and bought both Red Velvet (pictured above) and Pink Velvet. These are longwear lipsticks and they go on very wet but dry to a matte finish. Red Velvet is such a lovely rich, deep red and I’ve gotten so many compliments on it. My only qualms with this lipstick are; A) if you have dry or cracked lips this stuff will just sit on top instead of either adding moisture, like a regular lipstick would, or covering up, like other longwear lipsticks do. And B) it does smudge when wet, so if you are eating (or making out) expect it to get all over your face (and someone else’s).
MAC – Russian Red
This lipstick is the quintessential red lipstick that every girl should own. Dita Von Teese totes this one around too, so you know it must be good! It’s a bold, matte, shade that falls somewhere between Cherry red and Blood red on the red-spectrum. This is a regular lipstick, and because of that I wear it much less than my other favourite lipsticks. But it is just too beautiful not to pull out when you’re feeling extra glamourous.
MAC Pro Longwear – Lasting Lust
This is my absolute favourite and most used lipstick. Not only is this lipstick the perfect Cherry red, it also goes on really easily and stays on all day and all night long. I will warn you though, if you put this lipstick on incorrectly it can do some strange things. The proper way to apply MAC Pro Longwear Lipstick it to put ONE generous coat on your lips and then let them dry, preferably for a good 5 minutes. It needs to be really dry before you put the top coat on. Sometimes I skip the top coat all together, but it does feel very dry if you do that. If you put the top coat on while the lipstick is setting it will not dry properly and will feel crumbly and strange on your lips. Also if you put on a thick coat and then later add another thick coat you will get the same crumbly effect. After eating or at the end of a long day you will notice it fading slightly. It is ok to reapply if the coat is very thin but usually I will take it off completely and reapply a fresh coat.
How can a plus size pinup like myself not be absolutely inspired by the beauty that is Tess Munster? She is smart, strong, confident and of course radiantly gorgeous. I can’t remember how I stumbled upon her blog My Plus Size Life but as soon as I did I fell in love with this inspirational woman and have been following her on social media ever since. As her blog will tell you, Tess is an L.A. based Plus Size Model, Make Up Artist, Blogger, and founder of the #effyourbeautystandards body positive movement. And this fashionista was recently named one of the world’s top plus size models by Refinery 29, Huff Post, & Vogue Italia. Not only is Tess endlessly stylish, showing off an array of looks in her makeup and fashion, she also preaches self-love, self-respect and self-confidence. A girl after my own heart!
Tumblr: www.tessmunster.tumblr.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TessMunster
Blog: www.theplussizelife.blogspot.ca
CLASSICALLY CURVY 
