How To:Hair Chalking, 90s Inspired Grunge Green Hair

Our decade can easily be defined as the comeback era. We have taken everything good from the past style decades and put a modern twist on them. Grunge and Gothic subcultures have always attracted me because of their aesthetic appeal. My wardrobe predominantly consists of blacks and darker solids. As much as I love prints, it leaves me feeling slightly chaotic. So, I instinctively tend to reach out for solids. I have done a couple of posts previously about how to colour your hair unnatural shades. I have done a post about How To Do Pastel Hair (if you do not have chalk pastel) that discusses how to put the colour in your unbleached hair step by step. I did another one  How To: Lighten Dark Asian Hair Without Bleach where I described in detail how to lighten your dark hair before colouring in a gradual and safe way with the soap capping method.

Grunge styles are inherently gritty. It regales in imperfections, a slight messiness. The colour looks best when it's slightly faded. Opt for a piece-y/choppy shag haircut. Leave your long locks slightly wavy. Your hair should look like it's not been made up. Mr. Cobain and his hair was a huge inspiration in the Spring 2013 designer runways. Just look up Peter Som's Spring 2013 collection to get an idea. The hair was absolutely fantastic. P.S. - Green hair has shown up at the Indian Fashion Week 2014. Check out the Easton Pearson show *here*

Here are a few tips to get the perfect (imperfect?) 90s Grunge green hair with hair chalk pastel:

1. Shampoo your hair and use a light conditioner if at all. I would advice not to use conditioner. It prevents the colour from depositing it's pigments properly even if hair chalking doesn't lead to penetration of the colour into the hair.
2. Use the twisting method I wrote about in the 1st post (scroll up to see link to the relevant post). The friction leads to better colouring. Do it on wet hair. This time I used the blow drier to set the colour.
3. You do not need lightened hair. This green would have showed on unbleached hair as well, not as brightly perhaps but, still would have showed up.
4. But, having said that ^ I did like the effect better with my lightened hair. There was a three tone ombre effect which was everything 90s Grunge hair ideally is supposed to be. You do not need to damage your hair with bleach. You can use the soap capping method instead. Follow the detailed directions provided in my previous post (link provided above).
5. If you prefer a more pastel Grunge effect then you need lighter hair than mine. 

 I used soft hair chalk pastel from Born Pretty. Shade - Dark phtalo green 026. I also have their Magenta 022 (seen *here*). It was very easy to put them in my hair and the colour showed up pretty easily. Just wear regular plastic gloves that you you would wear to colour hair to avoid staining. The pastels did not break while applying and there is still a lot left. They are a steal at only $1.27 each.

images via google, pinterest, tumblr.

Sport it in an off duty ballerina bun hairstyle just like in the 3rd photo. It is the hottest hair trend of 2014, been spotted at Diane Von Furstenberg, Altuzarra to Marchesa. Well so are all kinds of fun braids. Why not try a braided bun like at the Dolce & Gabbana show?

FlySongbird

Black Velvet - If You Please

There is something about velvet. The very texture reminds me of my 90s childhood. My mother got me a burgundy velvet dress that I still have, not that I can wear it any longer, but some things have memories sewn in their every thread. I remember digging out cardigans, jackets, ponchos and myriad other things from old cranky cupboards, things that belonged to my mother, her sisters and some belonged to my grandparents. I loved the vintage musty smell they had. Even though my things are nowhere near as beautiful as those, I would love it if future generations dig something out that belonged to me and have the same feeling I did. Clothes are not merely superficial things used for our vanity, to look good. They all have stories, the older they are the better it is.

I got this very 90s black velvet dress, and my very first corset(clap for me) from Sensation of Night. The parcel arrived this Friday, well within 30 days of placing the order. Sensation of Night is a professional online retailer offering over 10,000 styles of sexy lingerie, costumes, swimwear, dresses and corsets, of course. They have free shipping worldwide and provide a secure shopping experience. And they have some kind of exciting offer going on for the customers all the time.

Now about the products - the corset was easy enough to put on and I didn't suffocate. So, ye(!!) for that. And it is the right fit. The dress is a tight fit. I will not be very comfortable wearing it without sufficient layering (would a leather jacket look insane with this?). But, when I wore them together it gave me photoshop worthy curves. And this is almost too sexy for my style. I will need to tone it down a bit I guess. But, the quality of both products is pretty good. The corset took off 2 inches off my waist smoothly and no suffocation at all! I am amazed, and frankly amused that this is not the torture device I always imagined it would be.

Black Velvet Dress, Black Corset (both available right now at $17.99 each)- c/o Sensation of Night

Shoes - B.K. Market

FlySongbird

Nuclear Head Explosions

 My head might actually explode.
---
Read about how much I love this jacket from Choies - here

I went for seapunk inspired make-up for this look, with the sea green shimmery lips and all. It went with the jacket and my general mood that day.
*There are affiliate links in this post(like all my received items posts usually have). Help me earn something if you love me. V-day being around the corner and all. Show me some love, "show me the money."

Leather Jacket ($30.39) - c/o Choies

Wayfarer Sunglasses ($6.99) - c/o Choies

Black Jeggings - 20Dresses

Charlie Chaplin Graphic Tee - B.K. Market

Army Green Color Block High Top Denim Platform Sneakers - c/o Persunmall

And as someone I know pointed out, even Chaplin looks sad on me. Well, he was a sad fellow, in a way. Wasn't he?

Leather Jacket Again

I am really happy to let you all know that I have got a leather jacket of my own. It doesn't really get very cold here, but I have worn the jacket on all possible cold days since I got it. I even wore it out for a walk (with track pants). I got the beanie and these cool socks from Front Row Shop. I'm massively excited to finally get my hands on a white kajal! Got it from Gariahat a couple of days back, haven't tried it out yet.

I will be doing an outfit post on them soon enough.

Leather Jacket ($30.39)- c/o Choies
Melting Striped Socks ($5), Military Green Beanie ($12) - c/o Front Row Shop
Red Lipstick - Avon
White Kajal (INR250) - Lakme Eyeconic

Girl, Interrupted

Wishing You 

A

Happy New Year

~

with this rather demented "artwork" (term used very loosely) of mine.

Dress - c/o Front Row Shop; Get it here

I'm A 90'ies B*tch

Currently playing in a loop in my head, my PC playlist and my phone.

This is a song you guys!
♫
"I love it"
 by
Icona Pop (ft. Charli XCX)
A good dose of indie pop+punk+electro house
1990-2010 sort of merges in our minds as a single decade because of similar styles, music and other cultural influences. This song & its video essentially has everything I loved about these 2 decades even though it came out in 2012.
Discovery c/o R.
And this is not grunge. Grunge is more poetic, depressed and slower, whereas punk is fast paced, angry at everything and anything. Grunge is also dissatisfied (who isn't!) with everything but with a marked difference, though influenced by punk, it tends to be darker in theme and expression.
Neither Avril Lavigne nor Miley Cyrus are punk musicians. They both sing pop, teeny bopper kind of songs irrespective of their occasional personal style choices. You won't believe how many people actually believed Avril was a punk musician back in her days.
There you go, Grunge/Punk music+style lesson 101 for the day.

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Films And Music To Keep Warm On A Sunday Evening

Movies I want to watch in a loop

1. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
2. Moonrise Kingdom
3. Stand By Me
4. Paris, je t'aime
5. Into The Wild
6. Almost Famous
7. Lost In Translation

Songs I can't stop listening to

1. The Samples – "Could It Be Another Change"
2. Dexys Midnight Runners – "Come On Eileen"
3. Galaxie 500 – "Tugboat"
4. New Order – "Temptation"
5. The Innocence Mission – "Evensong"
6. The Smiths – "Asleep"
7. Cracker – "Low"
8. Sonic Youth – "Teen Age Riot"
9. XTC – "Dear God"
10. Cocteau Twins – "Pearly Dewdrops' Drops"
11. Michael Brook – "Charlie's Last Letter"
12. David Bowie – "Heroes"

The OST of "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" basically....don't judge me..I just watched it this afternoon

and

Gwen Renée Stefani

Today was the first day of my new class. I did take film studies as a pass course during graduation but for some reason today felt like the first day of the rest of my life. On the way I kept saying that in my head but somehow the words were all coming out jumbled up. I haven't been this excited for a class ever. I am looking forward to tomorrow. Can't remember when I felt that way last.
I came back and started reading Madeline's formspring. Her answer about Gwen made me go gwen-song-hunting on youtube and I found this Gwen Stefani song "Cool". I couldn't quite remember the words but the moment that music started I was lost. You can't forget such stuff once you have heard it so many times in the past no matter how much time has passed. They bring back old memories and it's hard to believe I was still a teenager then. I was so hormonal and angsty!
I never really gave her enough credit for the love for deep red lips in my heart. I would look at her pictures and tell my best friend I would have red lips just like that and she would look at me like, "like hell you would ever do that!" and now see how far we have both come in our personal style journeys! So I am dedicating this post to Gwen and her awesomeness..her make-up,her hairstyle, her style..ahh I die..I like her line L.A.M.B quite a lot too..woohoo..enjoy ogling at the pictures!

!Bye Bye!

I will go recharge my batteries now

I feel wonky

You do it too

Return of Retro Hair: The Crimp

Honest confession : I love crimped hair and also super voluminous hair. I have hunted down several tutorials on youtube for achieving both. (Once I ended up with both & all my friends kindly told me I looked mad). So when I was approached by Very to do this post I was like "awesome!".

For many of us, the idea of crimped hair stirs up distant memories of teenage sleepovers and rad ‘80s music. But when it comes to creating the coveted ‘bed head’ look, crimping is back and it’s bigger than ever. Geri Cusensa created the modern crimping iron in 1972 for his A-list client Barbara Streisand. While curls and waves were considered to be romantic, Babs was looking for an edgier style to help her stand out from the Hollywood set.

get this styler here

This new hair tool helped her to achieve a voluminous and textured effect that quickly became a hot celebrity trend that could be achieved by us as well.
While Jodie Foster was adopting the crimped look to complement her oval face, British fashionistas were snapping up the iconic Babyliss crimpers in record numbers to copy the A-list look. The dominion of ultra-straight and sleek hair in the 2000s saw crimping fade into background, with our crimpers gathering dust under our beds – along with our leg warmers. But with textured hair once again taking over the catwalk, crimping has returned as a socially acceptable form of hair styling and a great way to achieve retro-inspired style.

Here’s how to update the crimped look, helping you to avoid a frizztastic feel:
- Wash and thoroughly condition your hair. If your hair is prone to breakage, spray in some leave-in conditioner for a bit of added protection.
- Towel-dry as much as possible then blow on a cold setting until ¾ dry.
- Mist your hair with a thickening spray for a bold ‘bed head’ look.
- Avoid crimping your entire head, which will make you look like an extra from the Wedding Singer. Instead leave your roots and fringe straight, crimping random sections of your hair to add texture. Try not to crimp the very ends of the hair, or else the intense heat may leave you with split ends.
- An easy way to update crimped hair is to pull your hair up into a high ponytail. But avoid this if you have thick hair, as an edgy crimped look can easily become a frizzy mess.
- If your hair is severely damaged, the crimping look can be achieved without heat by plaiting your hair into tiny braids. Set aside a couple of hours for this and carefully make all the plaits uniform, or else you risk ending up with an uneven crimped effect. Which screams 80’s schoolgirl in a very bad way.

Resources: 

 Do You Dare Crimp Your Hair? 

Crazy Crimps 

To Crimp Or Not To Crimp Hair

Sponsored Post but I do love crimped hair a lot!

Style Inspiration - Through The Decades

Life always seems simpler when you were a kid. I have loved something from every decade in terms of fashion, culture or music.. My least favourite decade for some reason was the 50's till I discovered the counter cultures of that time. For me the 30's were a transition from 20's to the 40's. The economic slump had brought in a lot of restraint in clothing as well. An element of rebel and/or free spirit is all that is needed to please me. Here are some photos that represent that.

women boxing on the beach in 1920's

Pin up style with a twist of blue,reminiscent of 40's Hollywood glamour

1947 Dior Paris

Paul Smith and Balenciaga did their take on the 1950's teddy boy/girl subculture

Teddy fashion

60's-time for the sexual revolution-twiggy-gotta try this soon,have been thinking for years

1970's-80's glam rock icon David Bowie in an androgynous look..it was different from the androgyny we see today

Love the vintage-y 90's feel

The horror punk inspired dark vibe is so cool here

Right now there's a major revival going on when it comes to our clothes. The kind of music we listen to, the shows and movies we watch influence us in a major way. What you wear is the easiest way to let someone know who you are or at least give them a glimpse of that. I was too busy running around in my sneakers and flat platforms and raising extra hell for my mom throughout the 90's and 2000's (Y2k, that didn't stick..it sounded odd to me then also).. The anti fashion era is what I grew up seeing, loose grungy attire and attitude is what I was mostly around. And the TV shows back then were so awesome. Now most of them are unwatchable. I also wore these rubber sandals with ankle straps and loved them to pieces.

Which is your favourite decade and why?

And here's a parting photo..found it funny..

bloggers - what people think you do