My Little Boudoir

Mademoiselle Monday: Mlle Chanel

By Sarah in Fashion, Mademoiselle Mondays, Photography, Quotes
August 16, 2010

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“Elegance does not consist in putting on a new dress.”
-Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel

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“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky,
in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
-Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel

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“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”
-Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel

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“Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.”
-Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel

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“How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.”
-Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel

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“Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.”
-Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel

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“Nature gives you the face you have at twenty;
it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty.”
-Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel

Sunday Mourning: Bumpkin on a Swing

By Sarah in Blog Blessings, Sunday's Best
August 15, 2010

(bumpkinonaswing.blogspot.com)

I interrupt the regular Sunday’s Best series, to share some very sad news…..

While I was visiting some of my favorite blogs from my blogroll yesterday morning, I naturally stopped by Bumpkin On A Swing to see what Lisa was writing about. I was shocked to see a guest post titled, “In Loving Memory“, telling of Lisa’s recent passing.

Even though I don’t personally know Lisa, I sat at my computer and cried. I then cried again when I read Trish’s post at Pink Preppy Lilly Lover (Trish was Lisa’s bestie). In three short weeks a very aggressive form of ovarian cancer took over Lisa’s body, and she passed away. She was only 40. It is truly heartbreaking.

If you’ve read Lisa’s blog, Bumpkin on a Swing, you will gather that she was a happy-go-lucky gal who, while having a taste for the finer things in life, was very down-to-earth and had a heart of gold. This is evident in her many posts about animal rescue and the Gulf Coast oil clean-up.

Lisa always showed a lot of support for My Little Boudoir, by leaving nice comments and kind feedback, for which I am greatful. She was very thankful for the Sunday’s Best post that I wrote about Bumpkin on a Swing. It featured her a post from her “Wordless Wednesday” series on the topic of Chanel. Therefore, I dedicate this upcoming week of Chanel themed posts on My Little Boudoir to Lisa, our Angel On A Swing.

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Bump My Bouffant (…but wait…there’s more!)

By Sarah in Glamour, Photography, Shopping
August 14, 2010

Sex Kitten Bump. Beehive. Hair Bump. Bouffant. Bitch Bump. No matter what you call it, we’ll settle in the middle on “bump” for the purposes of this post.

Tyra Banks

Marilyn Monroe

Kourtney Kardashian

Gwen Stefani

Eva Mendes

Drew Barrymore

Nancy Kwan

Jessica Simpson (dipity.com)

Brigitte Bardot

Angela Bassett

You’ve seen the infomercial for Bumpits. Promising to add instant hair volume, leaving you with the perfect “bump”. When I first saw the advertisement, I wanted them, but I wasn’t willing to pay the $20 + shipping for something that might not work. Then, the commercial became a household joke, because some of the “bumps” are so over-the-top that they look ridiculous. So, I never did fall for the “…and that’s not all” pitch.

Long before a Bumpits commercial and the debut of Amy Winehouse (whose bump is nasty, by the way), I’ve been a big fan of this hairstyle. To me, the look is beautiful, timeless, and yes, sexy. Though “bumps” of different varieties have been popular for centuries, the one I’m referring to was made popular in the 1960’s by fashion icons such as Brigitte Bardot and Jacqueline Kennedy. It has remained stylish ever since, with a recent resurgence over the last decade.

Brigitte Bardot

Jacqueline Kennedy (Life)

Jacqueline Kennedy

Jaqueline Kennedy

I, however, haven’t been able to do a good job achieving this look, because I have baby-fine hair that is on the thin side. It requires so much backcombing and hair spray, that it just looks frizzy by the time I’m done. And, when it does turn out right, it only lasts for a good 30 minutes before it’s flat again.

I recently attended a party at one of my best friend’s house. She was wearing a cute “bump” with a ponytail, embellished with a darling headband. Just like me, she was not blessed with thick locks. She pulled me aside and admitted that she recently purchased Bumpits and loves them. She bought them at her local Walgreens drugstore for a mere $10…and they worked! I was sold. I, too, would now own a set of Bumpits!

A few days later on a trip to Walgreens, I was in search of a set of Bumpits. No success. They had the Ped-Egg (BTW, I own this…and love it), Snuggies (I had a pink one, but got rid of it, because it always slips off my shoulders) and Kinoki Detox Cleansing Foot Pads (I secretly want these, too). They had just about every “as seen on TV item”, but no Bumpits! Not really thinking much else of it, I went on about my daily business, until a few days later, I stumbled upon a set of Bumpits at Ross. They were only $5.99! I snatched them up and couldn’t wait to get home and let the bumping festivities begin.

(drugstore.com)

I am a little sad to report that they are not what they were all cracked up to be. I’m still trying though…

The big ones didn’t work well. There is no way I could wear one without a clip or ponytail in the back, because I’m sure it would slip out within minutes of leaving the house. Also, it is quite difficult to get my hair to cover it all the way. Part of the reason I don’t have enough hair to cover the big one is because I have bangs. Maybe if I had a thinner layer of bangs I would have more hair to comb back over the top of the bump. The only way I can get it to even remotely work is with a fair amount of backcombing and hairspray.

Now, on the contrary, I am quite fond of the one for bangs. I have been able to use it for a little bang bump in the front and also for more subdued version of this Jennifer Lopez look.

Jennifer Lopez

I found a few YouTube.com videos with tricks for using Bumpits with thin hair. I’m going to keep trying and I’ll keep you posted…

If you’re looking to try them yourself, and can’t find them at Ross, I also saw them at Wallgreens.com for $5.99. Here are some more photos for inspiration….

Gwen Stefani

Nia Long (Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage.com)

Jessica Simpson

Jennifer Lopez

Eva Mendes

Brigitte Bardot

Sunday’s Best: House of Turquoise

By Sarah in Sunday's Best
August 8, 2010

(www.houseofturquoise.com)

Early on in my blogging I came upon a blog called House of Turquoise. The site features picture after picture of turquoise (and other shades of blue) infused designs.

Judging by all of my Tiffany & Co. related posts and the header of MyLittleBoudoir.com, you are probably well aware that I am quite fond of the color turquoise. So, as you can imagine, House of Turquoise was a treasure of a blog to find.

One afternoon, to my surprise, Erin (the creator of House of Turquoise) left a comment on my Summer at Tiffany post. I have to tell you, this was a big deal to me. It was very exciting to be recognized by a big name blog.

With all of that being said, it is about time that I feature this lovely blog in my Sunday’s Best series. Trust me when I say that it will never disappoint. Please take the time to go back through the archives; there are thousands of photos that are so inspiring and beautiful.

Here is a sampling of what you’ll find during your visit to HouseOfTurquoise.com:

(houseofturquoise.com)

Celebrity Boudoir: Christina Aguilera

By Sarah in Boudoir, Celebrity Boudoir, Décor
July 28, 2010

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This month’s celebrity boudoir belongs to Christina Aguilera. You may have already seen the photos that I am about to share with you, because most of them were featured in In Style magazine and have been shared on many ‘o blogs. When you see how fabulous her boudoir is though, you’ll know why I couldn’t resist posting them. I believe she has since purchased a new home, but these photos were taken in the home that she purchased from Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne (the one they lived in during their reality show, The Osbourne’s). Her decor is a bit eclectic, and features many design styles (Chinoiserie, Moroccan, Hollywood Regency, Paris Apartment, etc.), but what makes it special is that it reflects her tastes, and that’s exactly how every woman’s boudoir should be decorated. Go ahead and throw the “design rules” out the window and create a boudoir that you love and that suits you perfectly.

In this first photo the giant lounger is delightful, especially decorated with the black and white silhouette pillows. I like the one with the ballerinas on it the best.

(In Style magazine)

If you’re truly putting your boudoir to good use, a vision board is always a great idea. I like to collect photos of the places and things that I daydream about. Her wall sconce is pretty sweet too, if you ask me.

(In Style magazine)

A closet with a chandelier and a ladder…now that’s living! Plus, I have always been fond of luxurious curtains separating a room from a walk-in closet or dressing room. Does that dressing room carpet look familiar?

(instyle.com)

Tell me this isn’t a dreamy space of Chinoiserie and Moroccan goodness (I wonder if there’s a genie in a bottle in there)!

(In Style magazine)

If you’re lucky enough to have a bathroom in your boudoir, a bathtub is an absolute must. I can spend hours in a nice bathtub. Can you find the “boudoir essential” in this photo?

(In Style magazine)

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Mademoiselle Monday: Mlle Grier

By Sarah in Mademoiselle Mondays, Photography, Quotes
July 26, 2010

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“But I just loved looking at the clothes of the ’70s.” – Pam Grier

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“I grew up in a family where we weren’t allowed to talk
about beauty or to put any emphasis on physical appearance.” – Pam Grier

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“I don’t believe that I should just do A-movies,
I just do the work as an artist.” – Pam Grier

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Bargain Busting Boudoir

By Sarah in Boudoir, Décor, DIY
July 23, 2010

This past spring, my daughter officially became a “tween” (this is the term they use now when one is in between being a young child and a teen). This meant that her boudoir was in need of two things: a bigger desk and a bedroom vanity. Since I’m sure she’ll want to upgrade to the “teen” look in her bedroom soon, I didn’t want to spend the money on a new desk or vanity. Ok, let me be honest…she already wants to do away with the pastels and go for a more mature look in her bedroom, but I am desperately trying to hold on to the “little girl” decor for a bit longer. Now I can feel my mother’s pain when I began thumb tacking Kirk Cameron and New Kids on the Block posters up in my precious pink bedroom. I was lucky to find a desk that a co-worker was selling for a mere $20. It actually matches the bedroom furniture that I had as a girl.

Here is a photo of my boudoir when I was a child:

my boudoir circa 1980's

Here is the desk that I purchased for my daughter:

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Since I wanted the desk to also serve as a bedroom vanity, I needed a mirror. Not to fear…I came away from an estate sale with one for $10. Since gold wasn’t quite the look I was going for, both the desk and the mirror got a makeover.

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With a fresh coat of white paint (and pink for the drawer pulls), it came out perfectly, and looks oh-so-darling in her boudoir!

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I actually did minimal sanding on this project and just used spray paint. If I had it to do over, I would probably have used regular paint on the desk. What I thought was going to speed up my task actually ended up taking a little longer because I had drips and bubbled up paint in a few areas that I had to sand and repaint in three additional sessions.

The last addition to the set was an Ethan Allen chair that I found for $5 at a garage sale. It is still in need of painting, but being that it is light green, it matches ok for now.

Here are some additional photos for your viewing pleasure… (sorry about the unpleasant yellow date…I almost had a meltdown because I couldn’t get it off, so I just left it…lazy, I know.)