Diamonds & Dames - Barbara Wayne

So I had this ambitious idea to do a weekly post, sharing all of my Social Media activity over the past week and calling it the 'Week in Lisa Freemont Street'...unfortunately, I just don't always have the time to post , so I hated to see that be such a sporadic entry. Therefore, I've removed those posts so as not to mislead my readers, and am going back to my blog 'formula', such as it is.

My 'formula', initially, was to create posts around my YouTube videos, so there would be a place to put supplemental info like product information, inspiration photos etc. That's what this post will be, and in the future, if I am inspired to do other entries (as I'm sure I will be), those will come as well. It's just not logical for me to think that having the time to post regular weekly posts will be a reachable thing at this juncture. I'm busy and I embrace that.

So anyhoo, last week's entry to the 'All Request' series, 'Diamonds & Dames', was one that I've been requested to do for a while, the casual bathtub updo that Shirley Ross wears in Paris Honeymoon.



The movie is not a great one. 1939 was a pivotal and spectacular year for movies (I mean, come on...Gone With the Wind, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, The Wizard of Oz, Goodbye Mr Chips...the list goes on and on), so the less fabulous movies sort of faded into insignificance over time. Unfortunately, this was a mediocre offering at best. I think it was originally supposed to be conceived in title as a sequel to Waikiki Wedding (1937) but it is definitely not. Instead it's just a simple little love triangle situation with a few good songs thrown in. While the story is tepid and the performances a bit stilted, one can't deny the power of Bing's vocals and his duet with Shirley Ross, 'I Have Eyes', which is undeniably appealing.

The hairstyle I did for this video is one that is based on the aforementioned 'bathtub hair' and it's suitable for pretty much any occasion, though it was definitely worn as a 'casual' style in the film. The hair was meticulously set, yes, but it was also supposed to suggest that it had been just 'thrown up' for the bath, and therefore not too much care was taken in my version to construct or polish the curls.

Shirley Ross (as Barbara Wayne, in the film):



Yours Truly, hamming it up:

Supply List:

You will need the following items.

1. A head o' hair. At least shoulder length.
2. Motions Foaming Wrap Lotion. Another setting lotion can also be used.
3. Foam Rollers, smaller sizes.
4. Hot Sticks (or you can use bendable rollers on damp hair alternatively)
5. A Denman Styling brush (yep, I'm specific about the brand.)
6. Grip Tuth Styling combs (yep, I'm specific about that too)
7. Hair Spray (not so specific here, but I love Elnett and Vintage Glam, from Sally Beauty)

Steps:
*Please follow along with the following video, as you read these steps. That way I ain't gotta take pictures too...ya get me?

1. While hair is damp from a shower,prep it with a setting lotion and part it on the side. Then roll the top, front section away from the part, using smaller rollers. This is especially important if you have bangs, since wet setting them will make them more durable.

2. Roll the rest of the hair in bendy rollers, if damp, or blow hair dry like I did and apply my favorite heated rollers, Hot Sticks. The placement of the rollers isn't really important for this style. Just get it up there and try to be gentle.

3. When hair is set, (I usually wait about an hour with Hot Sticks, if I can. So they'll have plenty of time to cool...)unroll the curlers carefully and brush through so that hair is nice and frizzy. You're mainly trying to break up the product here. If you're concerned about damage, brush carefully from the tips to the roots.

4. After brushing the hair out, smooth out the front section first. Arrange it however you feel it looks best; don't mimic me too closely here, since not all faces are the same. Focus on smoothing it into shiny waves and pinning as you see fit.

5.Now brush out the rest of the curls a little more smoothly. Gather them and bring them to the top of the head, securing with a Grip Tuth comb facing downward into the upswept hair.

6. A lot of hair will have fallen loose over the top of your head. Now grab individual sections and brush them over your fingers until they shine...pin and arrange them as you like. Keep some of the 'frizz' in there since that's sort of the point, in these era specific styles. Little tendrils falling over and around your forehead are a plus; they add softness and femininity.

7. That's pretty much it. From there you can run a natural bristle brush up the back and spray those baby hairs into submission, add a flower clip, a ribbon...whatever.



Hopefully this little video sufficed for those of you who requested it. It was fun to do and I have so much more in store for you!!

Til Next Time,

xxoo,
Ashley