Retro and Thrift: February 2016

Sunday, 21 February 2016

3 ways to support other girls.

GIRLS. We need to start supporting each other, now.

I am as guilty as the next girl for being bitchy and unsupportive of other girls. A bitchy comment is a knee-jerk reaction for many, but unnecessarily pointing out another girls flaws does not achieve anything – seriously!

“Stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it ok for guys to call you sluts and whores.” – Ms. Norbury (Mean Girls)

This is as relevant today as it was 12 years ago so why are we still not supporting each other? Think of what women could achieve if we were to support each other. Being supportive of other women does not take much effort. In fact it probably takes less effort than being a bitch and you get a warm fuzzy feeling afterwards! Here are 3 simple ways on how to support your fellow girl-friend!

1. Spread positivity.

Being positive towards others is always good thing and it’s so easy to do. If you think a girl is pretty or really clever – tell her, it will brighten up her day and yours too. If you’re too shy for face-to-face compliments, try spreading the positivity online. Commenting on an Instagram pic or sending them a cute message on twitter can go a long way.

2. Challenge lad culture.

We’ve all been there, overhearing your guy friends talking badly of girls – ‘she’s fat/ugly’ ‘she’s not even fit’ ‘she must be a lesbian’… I could go on! Politely remind guys on why these comments are inappropriate. Many don’t realise how damaging and problematic this form of lad culture is, and if they’re decent guys they will understand and change their ways. Guys aren’t the only ones though, bitchy girls need to be called out too (myself included!).

3. Celebrate female achievements.

Being jealous is one of the main reasons people are bitchy. Thinking another girl is prettier than you or has achieved more than you can make you feel negative but it doesn’t have to be this way I promise. Next time you see a girl doing something amazing, try complement her on her achievements rather than denouncing them out of jealousy.

Women already have the power to achieve so much, but if we helped and supported each other we could achieve so much more. Let’s stop the bitching and start supporting.

“There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other!” - Madeleine Albright

Monday, 8 February 2016

Four Things I've Learnt in Four Years of Blogging

Retro and Thrift is 4 today! Yes, four years ago today little 16 year old Courtney was sat at her laptop telling the world about her new makeup purchases - Lipcote and a Next eye shadow set. I still use and love Lipcote but I think (and damn well hope) we can all agree that my writing and photography skills have improved a lot since then? Besides developing the obvious skills that coming with running a blog, I feel that it's taught me a lot more - here are my top 5.

1. Be yourself

Now this sounds super cliche but hear me out. After four years of writing this blog I finally feel like it is mine and it reflects me. For at least a year (possibly two) I fretted over every single post - wondering whether it would fit into the perfect white background world of blogging that had emerged into the mainstream. Blogging really took off and so did the technical side - SEO, social media strategies, expensive photography equipment etc etc. I felt completely lost - I was just a teenager writing from her bedroom. Out of anxiety, I stopped writing for a while or forced posts out when I could and that definitely showed. I felt like I wasn't good enough to blog but how can you not be good enough or fit in when you're writing on your own platform in your own space? I feel like I have overcome this now and can finally create content that is honest and reflects me - even if it is a little bit sweary sometimes!

2. No pressure

Following on from the theme of blogging anxiety I feel that I am finally learning not to give myself a hard time if I don't or can't write/create content. If you've been a long time follower you'll probably see a pattern emerging in my posts and it centers around my academic calendar unfortunately. In fact, over the next few months I might seem to disappear again because I'm finishing University (eep). However I'm normally extra active on other social media such as twitter and instagram during busy periods because I love to procrastinate on them!

3. Get involved in the community.

This would actually be one of my top tips for any blogger out there who feels a bit disconnected from blogging. Getting more involved in the blogging community really does pay off. I began chatting more and more to fellow bloggers on twitter, commenting on others blog posts (we are all guilty for forgetting to!) and just generally being nice to people. You get so much out of this because 1) you make new friends and connections 2) people will return the favour 3) it really inspires and spurs you on to write more.

4. Share it with your close ones.

It took me a good few years to tell my friends and family I wrote a blog. I actually did this by creating a facebook page for my blog and inviting everyone on my friends list to like the page - a really clever way of 'coming out' if you're struggling to tell people. It is very daunting at first as some people do find it a very odd hobby, however in 2016 blogging seems to be becoming a lot more popular and well heard of. It is also good for promotion of your blog - you're close ones are usually your cheerleaders and I've received several really exciting opportunities through telling people I have a blog!

These are just a few things I've learnt from blogging but I will be talking more in the future about what I wish I knew when I first started, as well as some tips and tricks for new bloggers.

Monday, 1 February 2016

Quick how to: Winged eyeliner

The blogging world is saturated with eyeliner tutorials however after drawing flicks on my eye lids for over 6 years now you'll be shocked to know that I've never shared my winged wisdom on this blog. Liquid eyeliner in my opinion is one of the easiest ways to look glam and add a vintage twist to any look, but it can be tricky when you first start out. Here are a few tips to get your wings on point:

1. GUIDELINES

Can anyone remember those guidelines we used in primary school to write on plain paper neatly? This kind of works in the same way. I often skip this step but if you're unsure of where to draw your flick then use a angled eye shadow brush to mark it out. You want your flick to accentuate your eye; if it's any lower is will drag your eye down and any higher and it will drag it too far up. Try and connect it to your bottom lash line if that makes any sense!

2. THE REAL THING

Now it's time for the real thing. Trace over your marker with liquid eyeliner; be sure to keep the line sharp though. I'm using Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner in Black - it is literally the best one I've ever used and so cheap too.

3. THIN LINE TIME

Now you need to draw a thin line across your whole lid. Don't go too close to the inner corner of your eye though because the makeup will rub off into your tear duct which is not a good look and probably not great for your eyes either. Start off thin even if you want to go thicker.

4. BUILD ON IT

Now for the tricky bit - building up the shape! I do this by joining up the flick with the rest of the line. Again, start of thin and progress to a thicker line if you want later on. I try and make it look like a natural 'swoosh' on my lid rather than a line has been drawn if that makes sense!

5. MASCARA

It's now time to finish it off with some mascara or maybe some false lashes if you want to look extra glam.

6. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

I'm sure you've heard it all before but practice does make perfect (well almost perfect). I still struggle some mornings after over half a decade of doing this shit! Don't get bogged down if both eyes look slightly different; I used to get so annoyed but then realised that not many people look at both of your eyes at the same time for long enough to notice.

If you liked this quick how to tutorial then you'll love last weeks 'quick how to' post on how I do my eyebrows: