Ten Delicious Ways to Smell Like Roses

In the month of February I've been thinking a lot about ways to get myself in the Valentine mood. Many women find fragrance very sensual and there is nothing like a good rose fragrance to make me feel like the sexiest woman on the planet! Roses have been bathed in, poeticized, and planted in gardens for centuries due to their romantic qualities. If you are new to bathing yourself in roses here are some of my favorite products and ways to indulge in this timeless art.

@->--

1) Margarita Bloom's Wanderlust Hibiscus and Ginseng conditioner in "Roses" ($22) - this conditioner started me on a serious rose kick which is why I can't stop talking about it! I never knew how clean, sweet, and pure rose could smell until I discovered this little gem. I keep a full bottle with me at all times and reapply every three days because that's how long the scent lasts!
2) Lush's Imogen Rose perfume ($2-$70) - A gorgeous combination of rose absolute and rose oil with a touch of powder. Get the big bottle, you won't regret it.

With Jo Malone you can have a scent coffret!

3) Jo Malone Red Roses home candle ($65) - Jo Malone is known for exquisite fragrance and "red roses" is no exception. A combination of seven different roses mixed with violet, lemon, and spearmint to create a voluptuous rose fragrance to fill your home. This scent is available in various forms such as a room diffuser or cologne as well!
4) Mighty Leaf Tea Mandarin Rose tea ($12) is beautiful, aromatic, and tastes of wine, chocolate and roses. Could there be a more perfect blend for February?
5) I love the idea of drawer liners, what a quaint and simple way to fragrance your clothes! Imagine pulling a perfectly matched set of bra and panties from a drawer that exudes a lilting rose fragrance. Can there be anything more chic? Amazon.com has several options but I love the Asquith & Somerset English Rose Scented Drawer Liners ($18/six sheets) for their botany book illustrations.

Marie Antionette would approve of this salt soak!

6) Antionette's Rose Garden Himalayan Sea Salts ($18) - Another divinely scented product from Margarita Bloom! I love how this salt soak fills the bath room with the smell of roses, softens skin, and scents you from head to toe!
7) Lush's Turkish Delight Shower Smoothie ($35) - The moisturizing qualities of this shower smoothie are unparalleled! This one has a touch of jasmine for a smooth rose fragrance that won't leave your side. Smooth it on, rinse it off, sniff yourself all day.
8) Fragrance in a car is often overlooked which is why I love this Vintage Rose Auto Air Freshener ($6/pack of four) hanging from the mirror. The 3-D design is very rockabilly. You can also find this at your local Pep Boys.
9) Lush's Rose Jam Bubbleroon ($6) - I adore this bubble bar for it's rich rose fragrance with a touch of coconut for sweetness. You can get two baths out of this one too!

Excuse me while I order these with my husband's credit card!

10) A Real Bouquet of Roses! ($35-65) - Roses are great in any room of the house but I especially love them in the bedroom. They look so elegant on a lady's nightstand in colors that complement the room. After you get your roses USE THEM. Crumple a rose in your bath, scatter the petals over your sheets, or make candied rose petals for cooking.

Betsey Johnson's Comeback - Why Full-figured Girls Should Care

Back in February when Betsey Johnson filed for bankruptcy and closed down all 63 stores the internet exploded. Where would all the kitsch-loving retro-inspired fashion bloggers buy their cupcake dresses and rhinestone cat necklaces? As a fan of the brand for years I have amassed a sizable collection of Betsey Johnson necklaces, bracelets, shoes and bags. As a full-figured girl I was dismayed at the lack of sizes in her clothes--all her stuff only went up to a junior's size large, her bras only to a modest C-cup, some dresses went up to a very slender size 12. When Betsey Johnson stores closed down I did not weep, the one and only time I was in one the only clothes on the sales floor were in sizes 0, 2, and 4--if you wanted a larger size the salesgirl would have to pull it from the back. As someone who works in retail I know these decisions are not arbitrary, Betsey Johnson LLC was clearly sending a message to women everywhere: they don't want chubby women to wear their clothes.  The brand was tailored to Betsey-clones with skinny bodies, small frames, and preferably blonde hair. Girls like me could only stand outside peering through the frost-crusted window into a warm world full of pink tulle, roses, glitter, and lace.

See this dress? It's authentic from the 1950's but there is only one.

This is Betsey Johnson's Tea Party dress. She made it every season in a  new color, just not in my size. 

While Betsey Johnson LLC tanked my local Macy's still carried the jewelry and handbags. Before the announcement of the bankruptcy Betsey fans may have noticed a steep price drop in the brand's shoes and handbags, that's because the accessory part of the brand was sold to Steve Madden in 2010. Steve Madden scaled back the brand considerably and a few months after the bankruptcy announcement the Betsey website was up and running again, minus the clothes. Betsey herself blamed corporate structure and the "stores [that] started knocking off my $250 prom dresses for $49.” I find the statements by the designer very short-sighted when it comes to the changing climate of American retail and the shifting attitudes of the American buyer. Women interested in Betsey's clothes could afford her dresses in the failing economy if only the garments fit and flattered a more mature body, as one analyst said "the younger women that buy her don’t even have jobs anymore, let alone income.” In other words the American women with buying power are not young, rich, AND skinny anymore (arguably the BJ-trifecta necessary to wear her clothes.)

Send in the Betsey clones! Young, rich and skinny only please!

Lucky for us ladies with meat on our bones Steve Madden acknowledges this shift in the buyer's market and will be resurrecting the clothing brand in Macy's and Nordstrom stores. “ 'They’ll be young in spirit like Betsey is, but accessible for women up to 40 years old,' said Lisa Andriulli, a vice president of Macy’s. [She] added that the dresses have classic Johnson touches like fun prints and petticoats, but are sized more generously." Hopefully this means more wearable clothes for a wider variety of women that will still retain that retro aesthetic and young party-girl sensibility. However this is not the first time Betsey has promised diversity in her clothing line only to release Pink Patch in the same old tired junior sizes. Hopefully under the influence of a successful mass-market retailer like Steve Madden Betsey Johnson's resurrection will mean I can finally buy her iconic Marilyn sweater in a misses size large or extra-large and a tea party dress in a proper size 14. 

Farewell, 2012!

Looking back 2012 has not been a bad year but it hasn't been a great year either despite all the life-altering choices I've made. I've never been one to look back, or regret anything I've done, so the idea of resolutions and reflections is foreign to me. New Year's sails by with little consideration except for a drinking binge and then a family dinner the next day. Not a very anachronistic way of celebrating! In my attempt to return to tradition I will start reflecting yearly on what I've done, where I've been, and where I am headed. I've always felt that progress is evident, that is doesn't have to be measured. I'm realizing now that celebrating progress and victories is a form of motivation and I can use all the motivation I can get! So there is resolution #1 - Track my progress and celebrate my victories.

Relationships

• The biggest milestone in my life this year was definitely getting married. After an eight year relationship this seemed the most natural thing in the world, yet we put it off for years due to financial constraints, family pressure, and career instability. We finally tied the knot on May 19th, 2012 by getting dressed up in our 1940s finery, going to a quaint little wedding chapel, and then going to dinner with our parents. I'm convinced now that this is the best wedding one can have and I would definitely do it all over again!
• 2012 was yet another year that I let my friendships slide. I find the more I work the less energy I have for the women in my life, the only one I keep in contact with semi-regularly is eden, and considering we saw each other thrice in 2012 that is saying something! I dream of hosting soirees for friends, having glamorous teas and luncheons, and planning shopping trips. Resolution #2 - Have a meaningful encounter with a woman in my life while optimizing fabulousness every month.

Finances

• After getting married my finances changed dramatically in 2012 when my husband took over. He now gets 70% of my paycheck for bills, savings, and expenses while I get 30% for gas, lunches, shoes and clothing. I've had to learn to spend on a budget when before I would just dip into my living expenses if I found something I really wanted. Mr. Anachronistic Style is more fiscally responsible than me so he is concentrating on making our money work for us. We are now saving for a new car, a house, and a yearly vacation!
• 2012 has also been the year I've done away with credit cards. My husband paid off the last card for me and we closed the account. My buying habits have changed dramatically since price is an issue and I do have a budget without my credit cards. I should have more money in the long run since I don't have a 25% APR hanging over my head but when I'm faced with a fabulous pair of kate spade sunglasses that is cold comfort indeed. Resolution #3 - No store credit cards.
• Career-wise I will make more money this year, whether it is through a promotion with my current company or jumping ship to a new one. I need more money, I will make more money, that is not a resolution that is a fact.

via.

Health

• This is the dead horses we beat every January 1st and is usually the first resolution we break. 2012 has not been a successful year for my health, and by health we all mean our weight don't we? I weigh more than I ever have and some of my favorite clothes don't fit me any more. My Achilles heel is chocolate, I cannot go a day without a rich and chocolatey dessert and some days I have dessert with every meal. This year I will tell myself no, in fact I've been doing it for the last week since I weighed myself after Christmas. Resolution #4 - Control my sugar intake, only have a small portion of chocolatey decadence and try to limit it to once a day.
• I will never exercise because I hate sweating with the passion of a thousand suns. However I can control my food intake and that is the other half of my chocolate-problem. Since I took a new job this year I eat lunch out five days a week, which is expensive and fattening. I hope that by packing my lunch instead I'll save money and calories. My eating strategy is crowding out the carbs and cheese by favoring fruits and vegetables first. Resolution #5 - Always eat my vegetables. Eat them first, grab seconds, then eat the rest of my food. The goal is to leave less room for the bad stuff!

Miss Mosh for Lime Crime

Beauty

• I finally realized in 2012 the art of the perfect cat-eye. I've decided that the cat-eye is the best way to create drama, shape the face, and look polished with very minimal effort. Good skin, defined brows, bright lipstick and the perfect cat-eye are my go-to beauty staples when time is an issue. After fooling around with creams, felt tip pens, and liquids with a tapered spongey applicator I discovered the quickest and cleanest cat-eye is achieved with inky liquid eyeliner and a fine script brush. My favorite are these from Lime Crime ($14). Speaking of good skin my struggle with oiliness has not abated, for 2013 I hope to find the perfect concoction to keep me matte for 8+ hours. Resolution #6 - Find the perfect foundation primer and make-up setting spray to keep my oily skin in check.
• My skincare routine has been adjusted in response to changes in my budget. I've switched to drug store Cetaphil since many dermatologists and actresses recommend it. It is cheap enough that I can keep a bottle in the shower and one on the sink to make twice-daily cleansing easy. Since I'm using a cheaper cleanser I find exfoliating more important so I use Margarita Bloom's Prom Queen Micro-Dermabrasion Creme ($30) that comes in a huge jar and smells like lemon meringue. The thing missing from my beauty routine is a moisturizer and an SPF. Resolution #7 - Find a daytime moisturizer with SPF and a heavier night-time one.
• Fragrance has played a big part in 2012. My discovery of Margarita Bloom has entertained my nose AND made me proud to display the products on my sink and vanity. The Wanderlust Hibiscus and Ginseng conditioner in "roses" ($22) has brought me to new heights of olfactory pleasure. I also discovered hairspray in 2012 (late to the party, I know!) and my obsession with Kenra #9 took off. Since the Kenra smells like cotton candy I combine it with Bedhead Candy Fixations Totally Baked prepping and volumizing hair meringue so my hair smells like fresh lemon pound cake! With my discovery of hair products all those retro hair tutorials became a million times easier!

Elle Denmark

Style

• In 2012 I felt that I've purged more clothes than I bought. I'm still refining my style and I don't buy anything unless the fit or quality is impeccable. Quality over quantity has been my mantra for a few years now and I'm having fewer Old Navy or Forever 21 purchases in moments of weakness. My basics are slowly being built up and I'm purging items I've only worn once or twice. Every six months I switch out my closet from winter to summer and create piles for donation, for eBay, and for consignment. I hope to continue this tradition until I have a closet full of good-fitting and wearable separates and great quality dresses. Resolution #8 - Purchase only the best I can afford, no cheap thrills or moments of fashion weakness!
• Speaking of summer I have traditionally failed at summer dressing. Few people know that I moved to Hawaii for graduate school and didn't last a month in Hawaii's tropical heat. Ohio has hot summers but we also have air-conditioning everywhere, I found myself in the tropics with a wardrobe full of synthetic fabrics and black spandex leggings. I was utterly unprepared for the indoor-outdoor living but when I looked at the other girls in cotton dresses and no bra I realized something about dressing for the heat. Since then summers have been less soul-sucking in Ohio and I've worked on mastering the art of summer dressing--each summer I cultivate city shorts, espadrille sandals, knit dresses and gauzy tops. In 2013 this dress from pinupgirlclothing.com is going to be my savior, I'll probably need it in all three colors. 
• I need more retro kitsch in my wardrobe. Now that I've built up retro-inspired basics I need more blatant retro separates in my closet. I want to build a retro silhouette with more obvious pieces instead of relying on my favorite pencil skirts. Resolution #9 - Integrate full skirts and fitted bodices into my style.

Marie Claire

Blogging

• In 2012 my blogging took off for the first part of the year and then tapered off dramatically the second half. There's no coincidence that my blogging tapering off coincided with switching to a new company. My hardest resolution of all is identifying what it is about my new job that detracts from my blogging and fixing it. Blogging in a creative outlet, a form of self-expression, a way to share my interests whether anyone is reading or not. Resolution #10 - Blog consistently, at least once a week with original content and regular features.

Here's to a fabulous 2013!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Anachronistic Style is here to wish you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a smashing New Year! We will be back in 2013 with a new attitude, new content, hopefully a new layout, and a new perspective on blogging. Until then I sincerely wish you and yours the safest and happiest holiday season ever!

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween. I'll be attending a party tonight but since I have to work all day I won't be in costume...unless that costume is an over-worked retail manager! In which case I win first prize.

Style Icon: Bree Van De Kamp

Let's continue with style icon week! A style icon is a personal saint of your style world and serves many purposes--such as a starting line for a killer outfit or a persona to channel when things get tough at work. These women kick butt, take names, and look good while doing it. Their style is to be admired, dissected, and emulated but never copied--each should make you try to be a better version of yourself! 

I love shows about middle-aged women. Television shows with young characters tend to target young people so if I want intelligent, self-possessed and feisty women I look to shows like Desperate Housewives. There's no surprise that my favorite housewife is Bree Van De Kamp. Her life is far from perfect but she insists on keeping up pretenses. She's a perfectionist. If I stayed home all day I would run a home as tight and neat as Bree who's spent years polishing the routine of her life. A lot of the comedy in the show surrounds how Bree keeps it together despite all the drama in her life while maintaining her perfect middle-class facade. In season four she tells her son "This family's reputation is already hanging by a thread. I mean first people thought that your step-father was a wife killer then your sister takes up with her history teacher and now we're supposed to parade a little bastard up and down the street? We might as well sit on the porch and play banjos!" And her style! Bree looks like she stepped out of a Ralph Lauren Polo ad. She taught me all the colors I could wear as a pale-skinned red-head to look stunning. Like a Stepford wife she has a strong twist of the 60s in her wardrobe--classic cuts, pearls, jewel tones and pastels, and that lovely flippy bubble-inspired hairdo!

Fabulous!

Style It: Bree had one of the best pregnancy wardrobes ever, as if every piece was bought from Modcloth and let-out just for her. To get an everyday Bree Van De Kamp look the classic cuts and candy colors of Old Navy or J.Crew will fit the bill, just be sure to mix your high and low with some fabulous faux-estate jewelry like this and lady-like shoes from here.

Style Icon: Joan Holloway

Continuing with style icon week! A style icon is a personal saint of your style world and serves many purposes--such as a starting line for a killer outfit or a persona to channel when things get tough at work. These women reveal a part of yourself and encourage you to foster other virtues. Their style is to be admired, dissected, and emulated but never copied--each should make you try to be a better version of yourself.

Joan Holloway is a natural choice for a style icon. Mad Men has been inspiring the fashion world since it started airing in 2007. Joan won me over instantly with her easy grace, classy business clothes, and complete self-possession. She's polite yet blunt, elegant and put together. Most of all she's good at her job, makes it her art and excels at everything she does. She uses her femininity like battle armor, she is very calculated in how she dresses and what she reveals to those in the office. She uses her love life to blow off steam but keeps her personal life perfectly separated from her professional career. She maintains her facade at all times and keeps other people's secrets as well as her own. She has more integrity and honesty than anyone in the office. She clothes herself in shift dresses and high-waisted pencil skirts and never shows cleavage, as a curvy girl this realization completely changed my work wardrobe. Joan taught me how to show off my curves without exposing my body--a lesson every woman should learn.

Youch!

Style it: Look for jewel tones, little sleeves, scarf-like details around the high-neck, and a pencil silhouette. I've always had good luck at Banana Republic ($150) and J.Crew ($198) for shift dresses, keep in mind that spindly models do not show off the Joan-like possibilities of such dresses!

Style Icon: Wanda Woodward

I've been dealing with RL recently and my blog has gone forlorn and unattended. To get myself back into the posting mood I've decided to share several of my style icons with you this week. This blog is all about different inspirations and incorporating them into your personal style. Identifying your style icons is a very important process. A style icon is a personal saint of your style world and serves many purposes--such as a starting point for a killer outfit or a persona to channel when things get tough at work. These women reveal a part of yourself and encourage you to foster other virtues. Their style is to be admired, dissected, and emulated but never copied--each should make you into a better version of yourself.

My first style icon of the week is Wanda Woodward from the movie Cry-Baby (1990). Wanda is part of the title-character's gang and is a true rebel without a cause, she comes from a very normal family and should be well-adjusted. She joins the drapes (slang for greaser in Baltimore at the time the movie takes place) because she is so privileged, things came too easy for her in life so she's bored. As a very sexual character (she is played by Traci Lords, famous for creating porn while underage) Wanda is the only one from the Cry Baby gang that is single, she puts up a wall between herself and men. Her style moments are plentiful (the whole movie is a style moment, really) and she draws attention in every scene with her blonde hair and baby bangs. She makes me want a leather motorcycle jacket. When she's not wearing a pencil dress like in the scene below she sports a longer gray pencil skirt, tight black off-the-shoulder tee, saddle shoes and her red Cry-Baby scarf around her neck. She says at one point "You'd never catch me dead in a full skirt." She knows how to stand up for herself and she exudes danger and un-attainability  Be sure to check out some of the musical numbers on Youtube to get a real taste of the movie.

Isn't she fabulous?

Style It: Cry-Baby is such an obscure movie I had a conniption when I found this T-shirt at Hot Topic($23) and I channel Wanda whenever I throw on this red scarf ($10) from Vivcore.

1940s-style wedding!

So several months ago Mr. Anachronistic Style and I tied the knot after eight years. We never really had the money for a wedding and have been supporting ourselves for years so we decided to do something quick and simple. My concept was the 1940s, during wartime many couples were married in their back yards or in wedding chapels before the men shipped off to war. Weddings of this time period were simple and bittersweet affairs.

We decided not to invite anyone to our wedding except our parents. Whenever we attempted a guest list it always got out of hand so we kept it simple. We chose a local wedding chapel for its retro appeal and it was our most tasteful option in Columbus. Mr. Anachronistic Style wore his grey Mad Men for Banana Republic suit, wingtip shoes and a pink striped tie. He had to wait on me since I was fashionably late to my own wedding.

My dress was the Ava dress from pinupgirlclothing.com. The wrap style and longer length were so 1940s! My bouquet was white and pink hydrangeas (my favorite flower) and I realize now how slimming a bouquet is, I should carry one every day! My purse was a gift from my husband for my birthday last year and was made by Guess. My sunglasses are kate spade, my shoes are Madden Girl found at DSW. My rhinestone necklace was genuine vintage. My lips were Lime Crime Retrofuturist and my toes and tips were Essie Lollipop.

We make such a picturesque couple! It doesn't hurt that Mr. Anachronistic Style fills out that suit so well.

Detail shot of our shoes and my hair. I wanted victory rolls and I got them! My nude platform pumps actually had little white polka dots, I had to add my own quirkiness to such a classic retro look. After the wedding we spent some time with our photographer Stephanie Atwood and then met our parents at a swanky restaurant for dinner. The whole affair was nice and relaxed, just the way I wanted it!

Beauty on a Budget with Revlon

If you're a make-up aficionado like myself the drug store may be the last place you'd find yourself trolling for make-up. Stores like Sephora, Ulta, and the MAC counter are bright and vibrant and fun (with great sales people for all that fabulous free advice!) but Mid-century American women had no choice but to buy their cosmetics at drug stores or the occasional department store. Revlon has been around since make-up was first packaged and sold and believe it or not the same colors mid-century women chose are still available today! As soon as I saw this diagram I picked up a tube of Fire and Ice on my last grocery trip. I love knowing that I am wearing an authentic 1950s lip color with my anachronistic ensembles. So far I am very happy with the color, a pretty pinkish-red that glows on my lips. The color is moist and subtly wearable. The packaging leaves something to be desired, and I had to spend several minutes peeling off the unattractive price label. Also the lipstick has wear issues, I'm used to expensive lipsticks with high pigment content that last until lunch and leave a stain all day. I found that layering is key with the Revlon lipstick: use a liner to fill in lips, apply lipstick, press powder onto lipstick, re-apply lipstick. Repeat after lunch.

Overall I am happy with my purchase and plan on collecting all the colors in the chart above to achieve a retro lipstick collection. At $5 a tube I really can't pass these up even if they do need a little more work to last. After this little experiment I am more interested in trying Besame cosmetics...if I can get the same authentic retro colors with a higher pigment content, more durability and that gorgeous golden lipstick bullet? I'd happily pay the $22. In the meantime enjoy some matching nails and tips ads from Revlon featuring some of the colors above for inspiration.