Hairball Alley

Everything’s Coming Up Roses

The past month has been awash with colour. From multicoloured Wee Dottles, to orange eyeshadows, to yellow hair, all mixed up with pink blossoms and green pines.

I’m coming to an exciting point in my life where I’m about to go full time in technicolour. I finish up my administration job at the end of May, and then do a month solidly of creative work, followed by a year of travelling around the world!!

Let’s put that excitement to the side as I work backwords in a film noir fashion, nobody gets killed, though my lover is currently in New York city covered in blood, but that’s his story, but in my tale the ladies all look fabulous.

Last week I was ill, officially dying of the flu I was, according to my mother, so it was a complete write off. At the end of the illness I did my first Wee Dottles photoshoot with the beautiful models Laura and Gemma, of course I had to do hair and makeup, and photography (possessive? Me?!), and it was wonderful, exactly what I hoped. I’ve got a few ideas for another photoshoot in the pipeline for a new set of Dottles too.

Wee Dottles now have their very own Facebook, Online Shop and even a Tumblr- bless ‘em!

I have some fun stuff on this month, taking part in Late Night at The Museum hosted by the National Museums of Scotland with Miss Dixiebelle, along with another World Wars event that they are running, I’ll be at Judy’s Vintage Fair again, a 1930s hat photoshoot with an Edinburgh Milliner and the usual mass of weddings and hen parties that this season brings.

Last week, in my sick bed, I spent a couple of hours watching the fabulous Natalie Wood as Gypsy Rose Lee. Although I’m not particularly interested in burlesque, Gypsy is an inspiration, and as I’m about to hit the road myself I’m seeing her as a kindred spirit in ways, except I intend to keep my clothes on, well mostly.

One problem with the film and poor Natalie RIP, is the adoption of 1960s hairstyles.

Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but it’s not Gypsy!

Gypsy went big upfront only, hair wise I mean, I already said I’m not a burlesque brain.

So let’s be clear, it’s all about being upfront, this is my approach to getting opportunities while I’m on the road, be ballsy and hopefully get the success.

So I’ll start as I intend to go on.

You’re going to want to roller your front, the smaller the roller the tighter the curl, I went for medium.

If you want a little something something on the side, roller that too, if not, just take it straight back pin it at the back, don’t waste your time.

See I didn’t even roller the back, just twisted it up, and put one roller at the top back to make fancy at the end.

Back comb, back comb, left and right.

Smooth the surface, hairspray and roll it in round your finger.

Pin it, top and bottom, and don’t forget the other side of your head.

Remember the bit at the back, I combed it and pulled it to the opposite side that I curled from.

Waved it down my head, using the wave from the combing out of the curl. I pinned in a few place and did a pincurl for a tidy end.

Brush out the front, altogether.

Time to be brazen, grab the end and pull it up, really, just pull it up and tuck the ends in as you pull it up, trust the wave that you have formed, it will make a beautiful shape if you let it, don’t try to hard, you’ll take away the soft natural shape.

Pin that bit with a few pins, and that’s you ready to take on the world.

Finally, don’t forget to add a Dottle, I told you I was going to be upfront.

h--oney asked: You're blog is wonderful! I was wondering if you could help me out with a simple every day style similar to Sarah Ruba (I couldn't attatch a link to a photo of her but if you google 'Sarah Ruba Calvin Klein'!...) I've had a go at many of your tutorials and they're all so great! I'm having trouble with front shaping though, any tips or could you break it down really simply for me?! I bet it's mega easy I just can't get the hang of it! X

Hi Honey, I had a look and I think it’s pretty similar style to Veronica Lake, so you might want to have a peek at my latest post! x

A Sweater, A Sarong and a Peekaboo Bang

A notable absence from blogging signals both my ever increasing busyness, and my easily distractable mind.

In fairness after a long Jabruary, a horrible period lacking in opportunities for businesses, I did some more house moving, the painful memories and difficulties of my last move seemed a distant memory and I have had about 2 months of blissful living.

March signified a change in the air and work picked up, now that April is here, it all seems to be going crazy, my emails continue to get more bizarre, questions get more inane, opportunities become more surreal.

My big change year came full circle as me and Vanity Thrills took to the Scottish Tattoo convention once again, and once again worked harder than would seem reasonable for a weekend.

I started a range of hair ornaments “Wee Dottles”, which I’m currently obsessing over and preparing a large quantity of.

I started my photographic make-up VTCT qualification, took lots of photos with my SLR, got a Pinterest page and a www.hairballalley.com (also based on Tumblr) for more time-wasting, and watched a lot of Film Noirs.

On that last point, aside from my Dottles, I’m now obsessed with “The Bitch”, ‘Moronica’ Lake, sorry but I beg to differ with this opinion of her, I think her quite fantastic.

Her hair is not as voluminous as many 1940s starlets, but is smooth and relatively fine, her definitive waves, not curls, are the highlight of her films.

After watching The Glass Key last night I was completely won over, her style and charm is undeniable and today I wanted to be Veronica. The problem with today was it was snowing, and raining, and windy, so I saved myself for this evening and set my hair in some hot rollers.

Medium rollers set for a good long while, a few rolling down from your heavy side part slightly toward the face.

The rest rolling down your head, you don’t need loads of rollers to get this look, it only need a bit of curl, don’t go mad, you’ll only make brushing out hard work.

Note, it’s all very “off base”, you don’t want any volume on top.

Take em out, you should be a bit curly, but not insanely so.

Give it a good brush out, with your Denman and maybe a little hairspray.

Then you’re shaping it, I’m trying a figure gesture to get the point across today, sorry if this is mince. But think, pull the front back away from your face, and clip it, you’re then going to gently pull in a “C” shape toward your face, clip it there, then a backward “C” shape, pull it away from your face and clip. See easy!

See, pull the front back, before you pull the next bit forward. Clear?

Look, more fingers, same thing, back away from the face, then forwards, then back, it’s a bit like skiing, but way more fun, and you won’t break your leg.

Hairspray the hell outta it!

Do your best with the back, I’m not going to lie, I just gave it a brush under and hoped for the best from the waves. And that’s it, this is the easiest yet, god I’m getting lazy!

That really was too easy, I need to work on this Bitch look next…

“I’ve reached a point in my life where it’s the little things that matter… I was always a rebel and probably could have got much farther had I changed my attitude. But when you think about it, I got pretty far without changing attitudes. I’m happier with that.”

lelbetch asked: i love your blog! its great!! I love doing vintage hairstyles, the one problem i have is finding the balance of dampness while doping my wet set. How wet is your hair when you set it? and what kind of setting lotion do you use? thank yoU!!

Hey, thanks for the comments. My hair is close to bone dry when I set it. I dampen it down slightly with setting lotion/water mix in a spray bottle so I get a good coating on each section of hair before I pincurl or wave it.

Hope this helps!

Kxx

Anonymous asked: Would you consider starting a youtube channel?

I was just told that you can earn £200,000 a year from You Tube sponsorship, even this is not enough.

I’m not a fan of video tutorials, they make me cringe.

I’ve always preferred learning from looking at pictures and figuring it out myself, so I hope I can cater to the people like myself. Also I work all the god-given hours of the week already, editing videos would just be mentalism, but then I have been known to partake in that, I might do a demo at some point for pincurls or waves, but not a talkie.

We do hair workshops and 1:1 tutorials at Miss Dixiebelle, which work a lot better because people can ask questions and get practical answers on their hair at the time, answering questions about other people’s hair is near impossible unless you have the hair in front of you xx

We Need to Talk About Audrey

It’s no secret that I’m more than slightly obsessed with the character Audrey Horne, from Twin Peaks. I’ve mentioned her on my blog many times, and half my wardrobe is based on her 1950s style. It’s not just the character to be fair, Sherilyn Fenn, the actress formally known as Audrey and hardly seen since, had the classic 50s sex kitten look down.

There’s no one more important in establishing this fact than the wonderful, god rest her soul, Elizabeth Taylor.

I spend 50% of my life trying to be Audrey yet I don’t have a bob. 1950s bobs and short cuts are quintessential, keep it short, set it tight, pencil in those eyebrows heavy and you have a killer look.

BUT… when you have all those fabulous Rita dos to consider you need to keep it long don’t you? This is why it is of vital importance that everyone perfects their own mock bob.

There’s so many different things you can do with a mock bob, consider the possibilities, not just 50s, this is going to take you from the 1920s Louise Brooks, in any of her hair forms

To Natalie Wood 60s style

And everything in between

First thing to think about is curl, how much curl, how tight the curl and how big the curl. Even a classic Louise Brooks, you should curl your ends to help you with the style.

Next do you want a wave shaping? A fringe? Well you’re going to curl that in too. This is the fun part, just try things out, directions, size of curl, you can get some great effects from just going wild.

Once you’ve brushed out to suit your style you’re going to need a mountain of kirby grips, and possibly a little backcombing, depending on your hair type and the volume you want, and a heap of hairspray.

Every mock bob is going to have the under-section of hair pinned at the nape of the neck and it’s up to you to get creative with what you can do from there, especially at the front.

Nothing without lipstick, as always.

This is my Lizzy Taylor tribute, but I might well be bobbing all week. Hopefully I’ll have a glamorous assistant on Friday in the shape of the beautiful model and talented artist Eleni Kalorkoti, who has the privilege of having a bona fide bob, oh the fun we’re going to have! 

Anonymous asked: Hi Kay, I've really enjoyed reading your blog. I have a question regarding brushing out curls. My curls may looked soft and polished right after brushing out but after half a day of moving around in the office, they tend to have a frizzed out look. I've noticed in photgraphs of everyday women from the 40s that frizzy curls were not that all uncommon, however I would still like to be able to tame my mane. I've tried pomade but if I fiddle with my curls too much, they fall out. Any tips?

Hi there, sorry taken a while to respond to this, I have no excuse but laziness!

Thanks for following the blog.

There’s a few things you can try out, if you aren’t up for embracing the frizz (which is what I tend towards, again out of laziness, I’d rather brush it through, sleek the top, coat in a bit hairspray, top up my red lipstick, put on a beret and pull my best Bacall face). Heavy products like pomades/oils will make your curls fall quicker, but they do stop frizzing, so it’s a catch 22 really, but oils are a lighter option.

Here’s some alternatives you can try out

1. try using a very small amount of light hold hairspray throughout the day to coat the hair

2. use more setting lotion when you curl your hair

3. use an invisible hairnet

4. try a shine spray after curling

5. just pin your hair up at the end of the day, why not change your style you have a basic wave shaping there from the curls it’s the ideal time to change it up!

Hope that helps!

Glamour -Getter

My mum’s first choice of name for me was Rita.

Now don’t get me wrong Kay is alright, there’s Kay Francis…

Kay Kendall…

and the lovely Kay Starr…

…but, everytime I see Rita I curse my mother’s decision.

To be fair to my beautiful mother, who is one of my favourite hair models, Rita would sound horrible in most Scottish accents, maybe she did me a favour with the 1 syllable name that even the broadest of Scots can’t add much flavour to.

Moans over, I have this fabulous/hilarious article by Rita called “Every Woman Should Glamour for Attention”.

It’s a typical all over the place article by a filmstar, but there are a few gems in it which I can get behind in a Glamour Army kind of a way…

“Combine the two, mystery and sincerity, and you have a womanly personality which is irresistible. For the mystery will intrigue and the sincerity will gain and hold respect”

“It is your duty to be glamorous. This workaday world needs all the enchantment it can get and it is up to you to provide your quota.”

“Even the stay-at-home who has no chance to sparkle beneath the bright lights can be glamorous, for glamour does not demand public attention but is something you can be famous for even amongst a limited circle of friends or even in one’s own family”

She recommends expressing your “innate womanliness” through, perfect hair, perfect hands and a perfect voice (at least 2 or 3 registers below the everyday), carefully chosen perfume, and steeliness of spirit… make of that what you will.

Anyway, let’s work on the “perfect” Rita hair. 

First off, here’s my easy wave shaping method for wet setting…

Side part and comb hair back, securing with sectioning clip,

With hair securely clipped, comb the remaining part of the section back on itself, into a ‘c’ shape

Give that hair a little nudge up with the comb still in it, and stick a clip in to hold in place before removing the comb (which should have created a little ridge by nudging it up a little),

Now reverse the hair ‘c’ shape again, but pulling the hair away from the face, so the hair is now snaking over your hairline, again give a little nudge up with the comb, you can see the little ridge in the picture, this isn’t a really hard fingerwave ridge, just enough to encourage a shaping, and clip again,

I rolled in 2 pincurls with the ends of the waved section of hair.

2 finger pincurl, for slightly looser curls, 1 finger ones can be pretty crazy stuff to deal with and tame sometimes.

Now I’m thinking a good number of large pincurls throughout the hair.

I sectioned my hair into 3 layers.

Pincurls starting at bottom layer.

I noticed Rita often had a section of hair from the back coming over the front, so I simply combed that forward and pincurled beside the first pincurls I did with the wave.

All of this can be done with heated rollers or tongs, as always though I like the wet set effect for a traditional and long-lasting look.

The next morning comes the brushing out and using my new camera again, which I am trying to get used to using for this, but it’s not easy, I may revert back to the old one for blogging!

 I brushed out well for this style as I wanted looser waves rather than curls.

I do the sides before the front wave section,

I brushed through the wave, and remember I brought a section forward from the back in the set, well I combed that over the front wave, and tucked the ends behind the front section.

Now I just need to work on my voice.

And as Rita says:

“The girl born with pretty features can be lovely but it is the girl who uses her intelligence who becomes glamorous”

Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home

It’s 2012 now, happy new year, and I resolve to get back on top of my blog. 

After Japan, it went a bit festive, and moving house is never the best time to try and get anything done.

I’m now finished my Christmas holidays, a lot more chirpy than I started them. Spending time with my nearest and dearest, getting dressed up, getting clients dressed up and playing with my new camera, have given me a well needed boost after the stress of moving.

One thing I got the chance to do in the holidays was to model some of Miss Dixiebelle’s lovely head wear, and so my obsession du jour was born.

I’m a huge hair ornament fan, never more so than seeing the Geisha attire in Japan, but I’ve heard this is the year in fashion for hair ornaments and I’m running with it.

For my shoot with Fiona Timantti hats and Miss Dixiebelle’s range of vintage jewellery, I did a basic pincurl set in my hair, which I took out half way through to change for some classic waves. This is my favourite kind of set for getting the finished femme fatale waves.

The set was basic large pincurls (wrapped around 2 fingers), with a wave shaping at the front, which I promise a tutorial on this year!

You can see the full shoot on Facebook

Now, if today is anything to go by, my obsession with headscarves will be long continuing, but the lovely Emma made my day on Hogmanay at work, when she gifted me with a leopard print Bubble Betty. 

If you’re not familiar with these retro delights, favourite of older ladies in the UK certainly, but in dire need of a revival not only because they are incredibly practical and keep your hair dry and untouched by the hellish wind but because they looks stylish (do not beg to differ, they are chique, it’s only connotations that makes my boyfriend laugh at me in it), then you need to get familiar.

If there’s one piece of important advice I can give this season, it’s don’t go outside uncovered!