The bullet bra…worth a shot?

So who can, and who can't, embrace 'the bullet', or is it a roulette too far?

The bullet, It's a tricky look to pull off. Some women look stunning, their pert points enhancing gorgeous hourglass figures; like Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth and Elizabeth Taylor. Yet other images on the Wacky World Wonderland have shown me that pyramided points in the breasted region can go…well…tit's up!

 

As a child I believed that women's breasts of the 40s and 50s had gone through some form of evolution. That they in fact used to be cone shaped (insert childish imagination of woman with ice-cream cornets stuck to her chest), thus we peer into the bizarre understanding of my former self!

 

Right, so is it a smoking gun? (Yes, I am enjoying how pun-tastic this article of clothing is!) Looking at some images I feel that ladies with smaller breasts would find it possibly a bit disheartening; it can make them look less fulsome and more angular. They also look as if they might desperately attempt their own rocket-launch skywards (three-two-one…thunderbirds are, well you get the picture). Larger 'gals' looked like their chests could become overly dominated, looking like they'd had a fight with a couple of traffic cones and lost!

 

Yet, I feel so curious (dangerous ground there, Alice!) How did the belles of by-gone days do it? Monroe only ever looks glamorous and Hayworth was only ever HOT! What gives? Is there some sort of 'pert imparting fairy' that bestows the best endowment on a rare few?

 

No my darlings, it is tailoring!

 

Clothes used to be driven by darts, everything was stitched for an hour-glass. The bullet shot to fame because it was all about maximising this shape (there is also a possibility that the points were to emulate nipples, therefore giving them a more sensual image). Clothing nowadays is less about enhancing and more about revealing, trouble is sometimes it 'reveals' that your not a curvy, Gilda, but more like a boxy Keira.

 

Trouble is some people simply kill their looks with them, while others just look drop-dead-gorgeous. It's about what other 'equipment' you have in your arsenal *wink-wink*.

 

In my opinion? Bullets are for belles with slightly bigger bosoms, but you have to be careful that you don't end up looking like you have weirdly floppy fun-bags, staying up-right by prayer alone. Also having curves helps, Monroe was the human equivalent of an hour-glass, she was able to enhance and in someways reduce her plentiful bosom.

 

Clothing, if you are wanting to get 'the look' of the 40s/50s, then go for it! Find your nearest Vintage store, as ordering online is fine but I prefer to try things on before I buy. If you're near Beccles : http://www.vintagemischief.com/ it is the ONLY place to go. Great people, lovely atmosphere, they even off a fitting service! Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

(Above: Gossard Oh La La, longline…I much prefer the looks of this, it still has an essence of vintage! But is far safer, lol. )

Another thing is to make sure your 'bullet' is fitted correctly. Go to : http://www.investinyourchest.co.uk/ a VERY awesomely wonderful person suggested this WebBlog to me for discovering how to, like the title says,'Invest In Your Chest'.

 

So…yes or no? Not a clue. I would want to try one for fun, just to see. Because, let's face it, we all just wanna know! But I doubt I would make it a staple. Why? I want my chest to impress not impale any suitors.

 

So Pip-pip, darlings.

 

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Betty Grable and gumption.

If I said, 'Million dollar legs' what would be your first thoughts? Dancing star with gloriously beautiful pins? Betty Grable was one of the most talked about pin-up's of the 40s. Hosiery specialists all over proclaimed her lovely legs to be a thing of beauty for stockings. She was also well-known for her glamorous hair-do's, her long locks were nearly as envied as her lush legs.

As I was typing this, my sister was curling my own red locks, in the attempts to create Betty's well known up-do, commonly known as the Peek-A-Boo Do… I was dotty over the name alone!

10 minutes of curls and sisterly banter later, I was ready for phase two of this intrepid undertaking. My hair was so curly I looked like a Parisian poodle parlour pooch (try saying that nine times! Actually…please don't, I doubt the screen could take that much spit!)

I had to leave my barnet to cool for a few minutes. Why? Because we cheated and didn't use rollers; if the ladies of the 40s had curling tongs at home, they would have done so too! Cheating is absolutely imperative when it comes to beautification! If not when would we have the time to groan about how fat we feel, how much we hate skinny girls and how we have finally realised our true calling…to be an uber hot curvy woman who munches and lunches, darling!

When my hair cooled I brushed out the curls to make it puffy. Boom! Fluff ball attack, I really did look like something the cat hacked-up. Never fear, I told myself, I'm sure it's all part of the process (I was internally screaming at this point.)

Betty had victory curls at the front of her do. My first attempt went a little flat, but undaunted I tried again. They were doing these during the Blitz, how hard can they really be?

Utterly fatal words. Thirty minutes later I was still attempting curl one…fifty minutes…an hour and fifteen minutes.

At one hour and forty I was close to chucking the brush at Grable's smiling face. The woman wasn't even in England during the Blitz, she'd had hordes of people dressing her hair and was making masses of movies!

Close to tears I decided to have a coffee break, before trying again. All the while I kept referring back to Betty's picture, the lightness of her hair, it's ice-cream swirled front curls whipped me up into a frenzy. I had to try again,*cut to Darcy in BBC version in sweaty shirt after fencing lesson, breathlessly saying…”I will conquer this!”*

 

My real problem? Too O.C.D about precision. Everyone's hair moves and handles in a completely different way. Obviously mine was going to sit differently compared to Betty's. Once I realised this, it went a lot faster.

 

It's pretty much hair sculpture. I rolled a small front section of hair towards my crown, then twisted it slightly to the front so that I could see the curl. Wonderfully simple in the end! My advice, make sure you have loads of bobby pins, hair spray, and time!

 

To finish I simply: brushed my hair up at the back, twisted it, and pinned. If it looks a little fuzzy, curl the ends and pin with a little hair spray. My love for Grable was restored! I feel I wrestled a wild beast today and…maybe…on the way of taming it a little.

 

Pip-pip, darlings!

 

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High brow?

The frames of the face, without them the features would be nothing. I recall the shock we had when a sibling of mine ( who shall remain nameless) snipped off her brows. She was left with a startled expression for months, we had to lovingly draw them in. Never underestimate the power of the brow. Just look at our vintage ladies!

 

Clara Bow 20s 'It' girl, her brow were nearly completely straight with just a little curve near the bridge. Very striking and I would say difficult to do.

 

 

 

Jean Harlow in the 30s took over the mantel and the curving brow blossomed. You can see the high thin arch mooning above the eye.

 

 

 

 

Rita Hayworth in the 40s, love this woman, so darn sexy (the first time I saw her was in Shawshank Redemption, she was the woman the prisoners watched in the movie who flicked her hair.) Her brows are arched and a little thicker, this gives a softer look overall. A far cry from the twigglet thin brow of the 30s.

 

 

Marilyn Monroe, finally gave them a subtle quirky triangle look in the 50s. Widening the eyes without giving her a startled look. Utterly beautiful!

 

Looking back you can see the experimentalism of women. How they used their small freedoms to express themselves. The brow lines show a mini revolution, I feel, stating 'I define myself!'

 

I tried and tested the Marilyn brow myself look. So can you! Don't worry, no plucking required!!!!!!

Get yourself a brow pencil with a brush, some clear mascara a well lit room and a large glass of something lovely. Because these things are supposed to be fun.

Brush from the centre upwards (the natural ridge of your face towards your hairline.) From that point brush down, this will create a triangle. Gently stroke over with a pencil to fill in the blank places (I have curly brows so even drew in the point). Use the mascara as glue so they won't fall back into their natural curve.

I live by the Urban Decay: Naked 2 palette…an outstanding investment! I used a little bit of foxy (creamy white/yellow) followed by a dusting of bootycall (shimmery pink) underneath to give a freshly plucked looked.

Go experiment, see what looks good on your face. I have the pointed arch just off centre, where as you may find it better further away i.e more Monroe.

 

A few brow-tips:

 

• If you are plucking why not cool the area you intend to do with an ice cube, this way it will numb the nerves and hurt far less.
• Use sharp tweezers. They do lose their plucking power. Slanted, stainless steel are the best. If you can get hold of some by TweezerMan: http://www.tweezerman.com/store/product/slant-tweezer/#
• Brow pencils are brilliant. Try to work with the colours in your hair, this will give you a good natural look (unless your going for a full-on Monroe!)
• If you have curly eyebrow hair, like me, clear mascara can set them in-place without fear of them fuzzing.
• Don't pluck just before a big date, give yourself 24hrs, as some people can have red blotches or even find it causes some pin-head spots. Wipe lemon and water over these and they will reduce.
• Less is more, don't over do the plucking. You can do so much with a sweep of a bow brush and a pencil!

So enjoy but don't over employ the tweezers…

Pip-Pip Darlings!

 

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