Angelica Photography

Hello dear readers,

my wonderful friend and super talented photographer, Maja Topčagić / Angelica Photography from Bihać - Bosnia and Hercegovina, recently asked me to take photos with her and I, of course, said yes. She is not only a talented photographer but also a wonderful person. Additionally, she has been extremely accommodating and easy to work with. You can see more of her work on her facebook page. Can't wait to work with her again!!!

Here are the photos we've done.

I'm wearing my 1930's black pencil skirt with pleated ends, the 1940's floral Whirlaway Frocks blouse, Cloche 1920's hat, 1920's T-strap shoes, black 1950's hat, fur fox stole, Nerzstola, Mink fur jacket and black 1950's gloves. Every piece of this is - vintage.

"We are born at a given moment, in a given place, and like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season in which we are born." said Carl Gustav Jung. It makes no sense to say it about currently living people, really. I can only say it about history. Any period would suit me! I am a history geek and I am infatuated with any time period, but I belong in the 1920's, 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. It’s funny, people have always told me I was born in the wrong time period. I’ve thought about this a lot, what other time period I would live in. I love the Roaring 1920's: Being a flapper, guys, and getting the right to vote, and cars and all those exciting things. I also love the 1930's. Even if it was the Great Depression, there was amazing culture. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Follies left and right, George and Ira Gershwin, and let’s not forget 1939, the greatest single year in film history. I probably love the 1940's and 1950's most – wartime and postwar world is fascinating. I adore big band music and swing dancing, and some of my favorite movies came out suring this decade. And love seemed so real and genuine.  That’s the main problem I have with life today: how complex and unemotional things have become. With all the advancing technology, as great as it is for things like health care, it’s really driven a wedge in person-to-person contact. It has fostered a time where people don’t dream or fantasize or believe in anything they can’t see or touch. People in general seem to have lost reverence for the humanities, for literature and art and history. Young people especially have lost a sense of common decency and kindness towards others. The world is so instant-gratification-oriented. Everyone is so impatient. Time is so fleeting because people don’t stop to appreciate a moment, they’re always rushing and so busy looking ahead to the future. I would just like to go back to simpler times, when the world wasn’t so convoluted with texting and computers. I’d rather send a letter than a text message. I’d rather stand in a field and breathe sweet air and look up into the night sky and see the beautiful stars, instead of standing on a concrete street corner and breathing in exhaust fumes and looking up into the sky filled with smog that man put there. I just want to live in a time where a moment still meant something.

I love this quote by the wonderful 1930's lady from the blog Tea of the Vintage Baroness - she said:

"I don't wear vintage to get the compliments and those who would judge mean so little to me that as long as I feel like I am putting my best foot forward and expressing my true self, then I am a happy gal."- Tea of the Vintage Baroness

With love,

Idda van Munster

Portrait: Questions answered!

My portrait.

Make-up by me:

Powder: Max Factor BiH Facefinity All Day Flawless 3-in-1 Foundation Nude 47

http://iddavanmunster.blogspot.fr/2012/10/review-of-new-max-factor-products.html

Compact powder: Artdeco Dita von Teese porcelain
Blush: Benefit Sugarbomb

Eyebrow pencil: MAC brunette

Eyeliner: Max Factor Colour X-Pert Waterproof Eyeliner in black

Eyelashes: Artdeco Dita von Teese nr. 32

Eyeshadow: N.Y.C. NEW YORK COLOR EYE SHADOW CUBE SKYLINE - LIGHT PURPLE

Lipstick: Artdeco Dita von Teese nr. 607

© Safet Hadzimusic Photography

Questions and my answers you asked me on my facebook fan page:

What are your staple products to achieve your perfect vintage look? 

I love the new Artdeco collection by Dita von Teese.  Compact powder for the perfect porcelain skin, liquid eyeliner for the cat-eye look and lipstick in the shade between red and orange. Must have is also: sunscreen SPF 100.

Do you have any secret tips, tricks and products to perfecting the classic winged eye? 

Perfect eyeliner is very elegant, sophisticated look with the all important element of vintage glamour. Generally, getting that perfect, flattering line is hard! I look down into a mirror to apply it so I can see the shape and match them up better. A lot of people are afraid of liquid liner. And for good reason! At first, it can be a little tricky to work with. But, as with all things, practice makes perfect! Using a black liquid liner with a very thin brush gently drag the brush along your lashline starting from the top inner corner of your eye toward the outer corner of your eye. Use a hands-free mirror and keep your eye relaxed and slightly open as you line. After you have lined both eyes, be sure to compare the liner on each eye. Are they even? If not, simply take a pointed q-tip and lightly drag the line along the eye to make it symmetrical to the other eye. Don’t worry if your liner isn’t perfect after your first try. It took me lots of practice to get it down. Don't forget – always follow your natural eye shape.

Do you have a beauty motto you live by? 

The only real beauty and elegance is in the mind; If you've got that, the rest really comes from it.

What is it like being vintage in a modern world? Do you find it difficult?

 I've never had a really bad reaction, but some people just don't "get it". The response is usually very positive; strangers and friends lusting after my latest finds. I also find that people don't realise some of my outfits are vintage, they assume that they have been bought from expensive boutiques. Wearing vintage means to be often overdressed compared to today fashion. There's no special occasion needed to wear a lovely dress. Every day is a special occasion! When people judge you and make fun of you that person feels badly about themselves. I am dressing for me, not anyone else.

Who is your ultimate beauty icon and why? 

When it comes to what inspires me, I would have to say it is a composition of many different things. From films and music to fashion and icons. I always feel so inspired by all these old classic beauties. Elizabeth Taylor, Ann Blyth, Ava Gardner, Ginger Rogers, Dovima, Suzy Parker, Doloroes del Rio, Debra Paget, Myrna Loy etc. These women had true talent and were true elegant women. No matter how many times I see one of their movies, I am always stunned at how amazing they were. One of my favorite style and beauty icons is Marlene Dietrich, because she was very in tune with what her own personal style was. As probably someone of you noticed, I admire strong women. Women who know what they want, work hard to have it and still have time to be caring, loving, feminine. „The most powerful of women are women who let themselves be inspired by greatness in other women“ – said Dita von Teese.

My love.

What music or musicians do you like?

 I live and love with music! I had my first music affair with jazz and rock’n’roll. And here & there with classic music. I enjoy listening to Miles Davis, Duke Ellington… Thanks goes to my father! There’s nothing I love more while I’m cleaning house or pinning up my victory rolls than listening to my favorite tunes. Nearly every vintage lover adores the Andrews Sisters and Elvis Presley, of course - but check out some of these other musical talents from the 1930’s to 1950’s: Dinah Shore, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Glen Miller, Ella Fitzgerald, Perry Como, Mario Lanza, Frankie Laine, Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry and The Chordettes.
Oh my, I love Edith Piaf and Billie Holiday! Annette Hanshaw is another favorite of mine! I must not forget the music of the WWII 40's - the great great Vera Lynn and the great great Marlene Dietrich.
But that’s not all:
I also enjoy listening to metal music: In Flames, Deftones, Volbeat, Five Finger Death Punch, Killswitch Engage... Yes, you read it right!

Do you feel that wearing a red lip enhances the way you feel? Do you have a perfect go-to red lipstick? 

Flawless skin is the most important thing, then red lips. Red is a timeless symbol of elegance. Yes of course! Because red lipstick is a timeless classic, worn by elegant people and movie stars all over the world for many decades. It is the most feminine color, the color of the fantasy " femme fatale " woman, which symbolizes seduction and glamour. Men are drawn to it, women feel confident wearing it. It gives power and a sense of mystery. Red lipstick is the ultimate weapon in the art of make up.

Your brows are impeccably structured. How do maintain them and make them so perfect? Do they hold a strong importance in your beauty routine? 

The secret of beauty: perfect eyebrows. It’s no secret that I am obsessed with eyebrows. More often than not, eyebrows are overlooked. Many women really underestimate the power of amazing eyebrows. I read the book „Beautiful Brows“ by Nancy Parker with a lot of photos of before - after look. You must have a feeling to discover the best brow shape for your face. Well-groomed brows can make you look polished and bring focus to your eyes, while ungroomed brows can make your overall look messy, and over plucked brows are just, well, scary.  Draw an imaginary line from the tear duct peak to the outer edge of the iris. This point indicates where the top of the arch should sit. Fill in sparse areas on the eyebrows with a sharpened eyebrow pencil. Apply light strokes over the existing hairs. Choose a brow pencil that matches the natural color of your eyebrows.

Do you have any advice for girls wanting to try the vintage look but are nervous about taking the plunge? 

You should wear what you want, and when you wear it with confidence, who has the right to criticize someone who looks good and feels good? Wear what makes you feel beautiful. And if you feel beautiful in what you're wearing, other people will pick up on that vibe and see how beautiful you really are.

Hope you enjoyed.

If you have any other questions - write an email on:

aidadjapo@hotmail.com 

or message me on my facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/IddavanMunster

As always sending lots of love,

Idda van Munster

Review of the new Max Factor products.

This post is going to be a review of the new Max Factor products.  

I was lucky enough to be sent some pieces, including Max Factor Facefinity All Day Flawless 3-in-1, nailpolish, eyeliner and more, from the lovely people at 

MAX FACTOR Bosnia and Hercegovina. 

Thank you so much - hope you will be satisfied with my review!

Now, on to the review!

1. Starting with the foundation:

Max Factor Facefinity All Day Flawless 3-In-1 Foundation is a multi-tasking foundation that is a primer, concealer and foundation in one. It was developed for women who want their foundation to easily deliver a long lasting professional finish, which diminishes the need for imperfection touch-ups and stops the undesirable midday shine. It contains “Micro Correctors” (I’m not sure what these are!) which are supposed to help protect from sweat and excess sebum. This also contains SPF20 which, if you are a frequent reader, will know that I always look for SPF in make-up products.

The foundation itself, is quite liquidy in texture, which makes it really easy to apply and blend into the skin.

The shade I chose was Nude 47, thinking it would suit my skin tone.

So, let me show you the coverage on my face, since I guess that’s the important part if you are looking at this review!

It was really easy to apply and it covered most of the redness on my skin and evened out the skin as well. So for the concealer part and foundation part, this is pretty good, it leaves the skin soft although I can feel I have foundation on if I touch my face.

What about the primer part? I deliberately didn’t apply my own Primer because I wanted to test out the claim that it keeps your face matte all day. And you know what? It’s actually really good! I was shine free 10 hours, which is a really good deal. The foundation also contains SPF, but this isn’t really something extra because a lot of foundations contain SPF. And even if your foundation contains SPF, you still need to use a face cream to make sure your face is fully protected from sun damage. Well, I've got to say this is by far one of the best foundations I have ever had! It leaves you're skin so soft and silky, also it's so easy to apply and doesn't really clog up on the face. 

What do you think?

2. Lets try the eyeliner:

Max Factor - Colour X-Pert Waterproof Eyeliner - his eyeliner is a liquid eyeliner, that has several colours - the colour I'm showing today is black.

The most important thing when selecting your liquid eyeliner is to have a good look at the applicator. This one is made of a kind of sponge and shaped into a point, so it’s ideal. It means you can apply a thin line or a thicker one and the sponge gives you so much more control than a brush. If you haven’t used a liquid eyeliner before, this is an easy applicator to perfect your straight line and flick motion with.

The eyeliner is really pigmented, and applies great colour after just one application. With the applicator, it is simple to use and gives you a lot of control. The eyeliner dries quickly and leaves a stunning black look on your line above your eye lashes. It has good staying power, and lasts throughout the day. It is water proof, but doesn't take a lot to come off with make up remover.

I really love this product. I would definitely recommend it!

3. Really important for me - my nails:

Personally, I've always wanted the absolute red. This is a sophisticated sense of color and glamour that epitomizes classic. This is very typical and expressive look, and I dominated and ended in 110 shades of Red Passion Glossfinity.

The formula is quite good, it’s thick without being gloopy, and it’s easy to apply. It takes two coats to reach opacity.

It says “for up to 7 days” on the bottle. I can’t remember if I have ever actually worn a polish for that many days in a row!

Your nails say a lot, but no nail choosing can be a key moment. This is a personal message that others noticed. They see you every day, seven days a week. So the nails should not only look good, but they look good in those seven days.

I always do my nails with the half moon manicure. You like it too?

4. Lips:

Max Factor Colour Elixir lipsticks are available in 15 shades. I love the shade 853 Chilli.

“Chilli” is a dark red kinda plum color, with a bit of shimmer in it. The color is really nice for fall and again I like using just a tiny bit for day.

and here the final look:

Have you tried these products? What do you think?

Write a comment or e-mail me if you have any questions aidadjapo@hotmail.com

Hope you enjoyed.

Thanks for reading.

With love,

Idda van Munster