My First Night in Drag

I've always wanted to get into theater and other areas that have to do with singing or acting, it just looked like a lot of fun...so when I was presented with an opportunity to dress in drag - as a man nonetheless!  I took it and ran with it. I've never performed before so I was slightly jittery right before going on stage..but my performance was very well received and I had a great time!  I performed on Saturday night, how funny that Lady Gaga performed in drag on Sunday! Is it in the air? Here's a shot of me as my drag alter ego, Marlon Brandingo.

 Marlon is totally a badass (but sort of a pretty boy with that earring) 

who gets reallytheatrical on stage and exudes a lot of energy.

Today, I'm back to regular, ultra femme, Retro Natural. T'was so nice to be a guy, I'm gonna do it again in September! Perhaps I'll get into acting next! I think I scared my neighbors, they're kinda macho!

Any performers out there? What style do you do? What made you get into it? I'd love to hear some cool stories!


~The Retro Natural

Summer Hat Hair Tutorial

It's almost time for the next edition of Natural Bloom and I'll be featured with a summer hat tutorial. You'll have to wait 'til September 1st to read the e-mag so here's a teaser photo for now ;)

~The Retro Natural

Outfit Snapshot : Leopard+Brown

Just an outfit shot, I took this a while back but never got around to posting it, probably because the coloring is a bit funky..que sera, sera! :)

My dusty boots from Burning Man look oh so interesting next to my tweed pumps!

Note to self: Find similar shoes with a shorter heel and get more leopard print stuff!


~The Retro Natural

Sunshine Award! (Part 1)

I've been trying to get this post out and I don't think it ever would have unless I change the rules of the game...I'll adpologize now to whoever created the Sunshine Award process! But I must say thank you to the lovely Funbi of DatFunkyFro as I've been awarded the Sunshine Award (albeit a few weeks back!) and

 
Thank you for the recognition Funbi, I'm quite honored! I gotta apologize for the delay in posting, I meant to save the image and my mind went and wandered off somewhere. Forgive me :D I'm to link to my award presenter (check!), tell something about myself (I can't eat mushy fruit, mushy fruit = spoiling fruit to my mouth! - check!) and award 10 others (I only got to 5, so half of a check?!)


You so Beeriful
Naturally Me
Lola LaShea
Le Salon Des Naturelles
& LoveNWright

Do check out these folks and subscribe, fun blogs indeed! I'm gonna try to do a part 2 so I can tag 5 other sunshiny folks :)

Til then!

~The Retro Natural

A VintageTreasure

I scored this absolutely lovely find at a local yard sale. It was love at first sigh! This is my new bedside, vintage floor lamp with a beaded lamp shade. 

Edited to add, this lamp only cost me $3.00...I know...steal!  I was prepared to pay closer to $10 but they woman offered it to me for a whopping $3..I think the heavens were smiling upon me! :)

What happens when you're too giddy to set up the tripod? You get a bit of a blurry 

photo but using flash was outta the question, wouldn't do it justice!

I tried to fix the coloring here to show the true colors..this is about right.

Perhaps it belonged to a flapper back in the day?  I'll cross my fingers on that one ha! Have you scored an amazing vintage or retro find lately?

~The Retro Natural

Summer Retro Gardening

Hello Lovies!

My little make shift garden has been updated and I figured I'd give you an update! No need for unnecessary words, let's get to the good stuff!

 Showing off my $1 watering pitcher, it's an electric teal blue color!

Watering the jasmine bush. It smells nice now but it
smells really nice in the spring time. My bar fight scar is showing..kidding,
I've never been in a bar fight before, but you knew that!

The tomato plant we got from Costco on a whim sprouted one
little cherry tomato so far, the direct heat isn't helping so we have 

an umbrella covering it.  Thanks to that, it'll actually bear fruit now!

 

  These are some other tomatoes that my beloved picked, they started growing wildly in the back of the house one day and they're the most delicious tomatoes I've ever had. I hated raw tomatoes before tasting fresh,
home grown ones..love them now!

This little sweetheart started growing on its own. It's lemon mint! I  have no idea how it actually grew, my best guess is that the lemon mint clippings I got from the Farmer's Market somehow ended up in the soil. Nevertheless, it's growing like a champ and it tastes nice. Smells...well ...lemon-esque :)  (I'm trying to grow another tomato plant in the tiny pot to the left with seeds from a tomato, how adorable, right?)

Do you grow anything? How's it coming along during these months?

~The Retro Natural

The cap I never thought I'd Wear Again!

Yep...I used to make fun of these things when I was younger... "Ugh so ugly!" "Do I have to look this ridiculous when showering?!" 

Now look at me...modeling (and loving) my big poofy shower cap ;)

..that's my peachy pleated skirt in the background, gotta wear that this Summer!

~The Retro Natural

Make Up 101 - Every Bit Counts!

If you're using the new Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals Matte like I am, this is a little gift from the makeup goddesses ;)

Get the last bit out of your container by turning it over - you should probably close it first ;) - and using something like a metal letter opener to pry off the bottom. I had no idea it actually came off! I'm running low..can you tell how desperate I am?! hahah..time to go get some more!

My bareMinerals Matte, I'm considering trying Valana Minerals though, they have tons of shades for brown skinned gals out there..it can be really tough to find a great mineral make up that matches your tone. 

Have anyone of you tried Valana yet?

Anywho, back on topic...so there's a little lip you can use to pry off the bottom. 

I seriously can't believe the MacGyver in me didn't figure this out until after purchasing my second pot of make up!

Ah, my make up container is open and I'm not worrying about not having enough make up to last me til my order comes in the mail, yes!

That'll show that makeup pot! Get your full money's worth, riiiight?

~The Retro Natural

Classic Ride Spotting - Case 045

I made up that case number, ha!

So remember the day that I showed you the fishtail braid? Well on that very same day, I ran some errands and went to the market and as soon as I parked, I saw this lovely, sexy little sweetheart. It's so shiny and it was the pearliest blue..*sigh* totally made me droll a little! Oh and just in case you're wondering, these glasses I'm wearing are cheap, discount store shades..I'm 99% they're fake wayfarers too lol..ask me if I care!

Photo's not the best, apologies, snap n go shot through the windshield!

Just wanted to give ya a look into my weekend day, back to your regularly scheduled program! :)

~The Retro Natural

Bikini Fun and an Natural Bloom E-mag!

Hello folks!

Are you enjoying the summer so far? I'm absolutely loving it! I've worn my new bathing suit out recently and it survived the test run to the beach. You know, doing a test run with a bikini (especially one with a small top!) is always a good idea...we don't want things popping out or slipping up in front of a large crowd (unless that tickles your fancy!) so it helps to create a good level of confidence when you wear it once prior to something of a larger, more extravagant function. I'm bringing this one with me to the A Million Queens Natural Lifestyle Expo :)

My hair was a bit "special" on this particular day..the wind kept at it and it's really fluffy looking. 

But such is the result of a fun beach day so no fretting here!

 1st Edition of Natural Bloom!

In other news, I'm proud to announce that I'll be contributing to a very cool e-magazine called Natural Bloom chock full of fabulousness and adorable hints of retro sprinkled through the pages. Can you spot them? The gal behind Natural Bloom', the lovely Jc (blogger of The Natural Haven), reached out to me to include my Gibson roll tutorial. I was happy to oblige but now I'll be contributing to the future e-mags with new tutorials! How cool, right? Sooooo that means you'll have to check out the e-mag for some of the tutorials. Don't worry, I'll tease ya with a photo and be sure to link ya to the webpage for all the goodies! ;)  The first mag was a huge success and I know the future editions will be as well! Thanks to Jc for the fantastically cool offer!

Open publication - Free publishing - More bobeam

Be sure to let Jc know what ya think in the comment section!

~The Retro Natural

p.s. Did you spot Ms. Josephine?! :)

Layered Curls Tutorial

 
Ashley inquired about a tutorial for the layered curls. I show a quick one at the end of this video.

Enjoy!

~The Retro Natural

Summer Looks: The More Polished Fishtail Braid

Here's my more polished looking fishtail, I think I did a pretty good job (could've done a better job at not snipping off my nose!), have you given it a try yet?  This is a perfect example of how simple rolls can be combined with another style to create something interesting!

I made this decorative hair comb the same morning and it came out pretty nicely. I literally glued fabric to a piece of stiff plastic from some accessory packaging and then glued little flowers, glass stones and fuzzy whatchamacallits to it lol.  Then I glued on a plastic comb. Super easy!

~The Retro Natural

Summer Weekend Looks: A Fishtail Braid!

Hello, Lovies!

I've been a busy, busy gal but I'm trying to be really good about my posting..I don't want ya to forget about me! I've been into slightly more interesting looks lately as it relates to my hair and one style I've been wanting to try out is the fishtail braid. It's similar to a french braid but more intricate looking. I did this style on hair that was braided in large plaits and the front section of hair was put into rollers. This is a messier version on me but I'll post a close up of a more polished braid in the next post.

Adding a few rolls instantly seems to make this look more rockabilly. I like it!

I'll have to take another photo of the t-shirt I'm wearing, it's vintage and from my beloved's grandma.

I was inspired so I gave it a try and rushed it a bit because I had to head out but I checked online for videos and there are tons of tutorials out there! Luxyhair has an amazingly gorgeous tutorial showing you the steps to creating this cute, beachy do - perfect for lounging poolside with a mimosa in one hand and your favorite book in the other...so check out her video below and givie it a whirl!

 

Alright, so now you've got the steps in order right? In the next post, I'll show an after hours, polished version of the fishtail braid.  Stay tuned!

~The Retro Natural

Tag! I'm it and perhaps YOU too!

I've been tagged by the very funky Funbi of Dat Funky Fro, let the sharing begin!

Why do you write?
I write (and post photos!) because it's a fun way to express myself and hold onto memories. I love going back in time to see how I thought, dressed, even styled my hair. I also write because I wanted a little hub for the gals who like to mix vintage with natural hair and I didn't see a little hub for it so I figured I'd create it myself. It's been very fun!

Share your three pearls of wisdom
1. You're always the source to your own happiness (or unhappiness), ask yourself in any given situation if you're happy at that particular moment. If the answer is no, do what you need to do to be able to say "yes"!

2. Carry red lipstick and liner, you never know when you may need to spruce up your face a bit and this is one of the fastest ways to do so!

3. Volunteer at some point in time during your life. Someone helped you out at one time or another and even if you can claim that no one ever helped you out, it'll still feel good. Each one, teach one!

Tag 5 other bloggers!!
I'm tagging XXblackbeautyXX, Pop-O-Matic Deluxe, Nicole is the New Black, Onyx Rose, and The Naturalista Files


You're suppose to do the same things gals, share why you write, share 3 pearls of wisdom and tag 5 others. :) ok go!

~The Retro Natural

Black & Gold Embroidery

I like circle skirts, they're so simple and yet so elegant. This one I found at a Goodwill isn't vintage but the embroidery was so pretty, I had to get it.  I feel like it may be a costume piece. I don't mind that though..maybe if it were red, white and blue - I think I'm alright with black, gold and yellow.

My head got cut off twice so I said forget it, but I promise, it's me!

I wore this vintage cuff, I forget what thrift store I got this from but it was in Riverside. I've found amazing things at the shops in the IE!

~The Retro Natural