What’s Old is New Again: Skin Care: My Guide to Cold Cream

Tags

Beauty, Body, Cleanser, Cold Cream, Drugstore Makeup, Dry Skin, Face, Facial Mask, Feet, Hands, Inexpensive, Jergens All Purpose Face Cream, Makeup Base, Makeup Primer, Makeup Remover, Moisturizer, Past, Retro, Secrets, Sensitive Skin, Tips, Vintage

This post is going to be about beauty.  Skin care, specifically.  It’s the second installment of my What’s Old is New Again posts.  (The first installment was about hair.)  Despite the fact that all the conditions are just right for my skin to be at its absolute worst as of late both with breakouts and sensitivity, it hasn’t been irritated much at all and I am feeling the most confident I’ve felt in a long time about the way it looks.  The reason for that is one very simple, very versatile product I am using.  It’s something many people may not have heard of, or that some people may associate with only elderly ladies.

I’m talking about cold cream.

Cold cream was very popular in the 1950s.  My grandmother used it throughout her life.  My mother used it at one time.  In recent decades, however, cold cream has not exactly been popular with the younger generation.  Still, I am a sucker for good old fashioned beauty and fashion tips and tricks.  More and more, I just love these ways of doing things, and really believe in them.  The women of the past were beautiful, and had such pretty skin.  My grandmother had soft skin well into her old age.  I always admired how beautiful she was and hoped I would be too.  If these things worked for them for all those years, I just have to believe they could work for me as well, and I have not been disappointed.

So, I was inspired to try cold cream.  I did a little research online.  I went to Dollar General (a great place to go if you like the old fashioned beauty products) and saw a 15 ounce jar of Jergens All-Purpose Face Cream.  I read the label, smelled the product, decided to think about it a bit more, did some more research, read reviews, and finally decided to try it.

Image from DollarGeneral.com

Now that I’ve shared how happy I am with the results I’ve gotten from using this face cream, I’ll share some information about it.

First, I will talk about the size and price.

The jar of face cream is 15 ounces.  To give you some idea of how big the jar is about 4 inches tall, roughly four inches across, and approximately 12 inches around.  My jar of cold cream cost $3.75.  I do believe the same jar is $3.50 at Walmart where I live.  From what I understand the cost is usually somewhere between 3 and 6 dollars.  The price on drugstore.com is $3.99 and the price on walgreens.com is actually $5.49.  This face cream is also sold in a 2 pack on Walmart’s website and in a case elsewhere online.  I think this is a really great value.  It’s a multipurpose product and if you don’t use it as liberally as I do, you can keep it quite a while.  You get a lot of product for your money.  I recommend checking the price at your local Walmart or Dollar General, however.  While the price will still be lower than other creams, with more product, at other stores, it would be silly to overpay by as much as 2 dollars if you don’t have to.

Next, from the back of the jar:

Description/Uses

Deep cleans your skin to remove makeup and dirt and provides a radiant, dewy base for makeup.  Also softens and moisturizes to help smooth skin and fight dryness.

I can say that for me, this is absolutely true. What I really didn’t think about when I decided to try this is that it truly does give a smooth, dewy base for makeup. I would describe it as a healthy glow. My makeup doesn’t look at all oily, but I just feel that it brings life to my face.

Directions for Use

Smooth generously over your face and throat.  Remove with a tissue or leave on overnight.

Ingredients: Mineral oil, water, beeswax, magnesium aluminum silicate, sodium borate, fragrance, isopropyl myristate, DMDM hydantoin, and red 4.

Mineral oil, water, and beeswax are, traditionally, the three main ingredients in cold cream.  Mineral oil and water cleanse the skin.  Mineral oil moisturizes the skin.  Beeswax forms a protective barrier on the skin and makes skin care products longer wearing.  Mineral oil is the most important active ingredient.  You may or may not know that ingredients are listed on packaging in order from the ingredient present in the greatest to least percentages.  I consider it to be a very good sign that these are the most prevalent ingredients, listed first on the label.  I also consider this to be a better choice than some other cold creams listing alcohol early on in the ingredients.

Here is a closeup from Christmas Eve. Here, I had used the cold cream as a cleanser, moisturizer, and makeup base. I know it isn’t Christmas anymore, but this is a recent photograph.

How I Use Cold Cream

Face:  I use cold cream on my face as a cleanser, makeup remover, moisturizer, makeup base, or face mask.  To use as a cleanser or makeup remover:  I apply the cold cream generously all over my face (including my eyelids), the front of my neck, and my earlobes the way you’d normally wash your face with soap, in small circles.  I then use a facial tissue to remove the excess cold cream.  If I’m using it as a makeup remover, I gently rub until I see the makeup dissolving and mixing with the cold cream, and then wipe clean.  If you do feel unsure after you wipe it off, you can repeat this process, but it’s usually unnecessary for me.  For use as a moisturizer, or makeup base: I apply a small amount in a thin layer and allow it to penetrate the skin for a minute or two before doing my makeup or going to bed.  I just take this time to do something else.  As a facial mask:  I apply a generous layer of cold cream and wear it during my bath and then wipe it off.  You can also wear it to bed, though I don’t recommend doing it that way if you like your pillow cases.  Also, a note:  Some people like to rinse the cold cream off, I don’t do this as water can actually be drying to your skin–odd, I know–and I want to keep that protective layer that is left behind when I wipe off the cold cream.  As well,  some like to use cotton pads rather than facial tissues to remove the cold cream, but I have tried this and did not find it as effective.

Hands:  On my hands, I use the cold cream as a moisturizer sometimes when I need something very moisturizing or want my hands to be extra soft.  I simply apply a very small amount to my hands, it doesn’t take much.  A little goes a long way, so I only use enough so that my hands glide across each other smoothly.  I have a lot of trouble with the skin on my hands cracking and bleeding, and this really honestly helps without burning and hurting.  However, I typically wind up washing off the excess if I’m going to be eating, going out, or touching things that are fabric.  Again, the cold cream makes a great makeup remover, and I don’t know about you, but I often have makeup on my hands when I’m finished applying it, so I will rub the cold cream on and remove it with a tissue or wash it off.  (It’s actually very hard to get eyeliner or mascara off your hands, and especially out from under your fingernails with soap.)

Feet:  When I use this to moisturize my feet, I typically massage it into my feet, wait just a bit for my skin to absorb it, and then put on some thick fuzzy socks.  (Be careful what socks you use as this might stain.)

Body:  Very rarely if I feel extra ambitious or have a whole lot of skin irritation, I will use this as a body lotion.  When doing this, I allow plenty of time for it to be absorbed into my skin before dressing.  You can put a towel down or wear a bathrobe while you wait.

Cold cream is not just for the ladies.

At one time, cold cream was on men’s faces as well. They used cold cream for pre-shave with a hot towel in order to smooth and clean the skin and soften the hairs. They used it as shave cream. They used it for a moisturizer to keep skin soft and healthy.

I hope this will be interesting for someone, and perhaps it could be helpful for someone who is curious about trying cold cream or who needs to find a gentle, moisturizing cleanser.

What’s Old is New Again: Hair

Tags

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Beauty, Breakage, Fly Aways, Frizz, Hair, Hair Care, Hairstyle, Old Fashioned, Pin Curls, Retro, Skin, Sleep Bonnet, Sleep Cap, Stay On Satin, Time, Traditional, Tried and True, Vintage, Waves, Women

Finished wet set pin curls. These were not very precise at all. Just a quick set.

Same set at a later date, brushed out for soft waves with a bit of curl at the end.

I always did gravitate to classic clothing styles, hair styles, and makeup looks.  I’ve tended to use tried and true, reasonably priced beauty products from  well established brands.  Over time, though, in my adult life, I’ve become more and more interested in things from the past, doing things the good old fashioned way.  I think I’m just becoming more comfortable in my own skin and expressing that 1950s lady inside me which has been waiting to get out and play.  Honestly, that interest and those tendencies have really grown and thrived more and more since I entered into a traditional relationship with David.  I just find myself looking for old fashioned solutions for many things.  Not the least of which is beauty.  Which is why I’ve decided to start this little mini series.  I’ve been using some beauty tricks and products women have used for decades, at the very least, and having success with them, so I thought I would share this here as a part of my Modest Style category.  What’s Old Is New Again.  This installment is about hair.

There are two main tricks I have when it comes to my hair.  The first is a product I’ve been using at night.  A sleep bonnet.  That’s right, a satin sleep bonnet.  I know, I know, very old fashioned, and not something you’d expect from someone such as myself, but I wanted to give it a try and I have been so pleased with the results.  You see, my hair is long, curly, thick, and has tended to be a bit on the temperamental side.  So when I saw a satin sleep cap in the hair care and styling products at Walmart, I went home and researched it online, asked some questions, read reviews, and read about what part satin plays in healthy hair.  Satin sleep caps and pillow cases reduce the amount of friction between your hair and your pillow while you sleep.  That part seems rather obvious.  The sleep cap also holds in moisture, which helps to prevent drying, frizz, and breakage.  However, I also learned that cotton pillow cases absorb oils from your hair.  I had never stopped to consider it, but it’s certainly easy to understand.  The first sleep cap I saw was shelved with all the other styling products, hair brushes, bobby pins, and barrettes, those sorts of things.  However, they are also sold in the ethnic hair care section, which was directly across from the other hair products at Walmart.  I looked at both kinds of sleep caps.  One was called a Sensations Satin Slumber Cap and had a thin elastic around the very edge, the other was the Stay On Satin: Satin Edge Bonnet.  I chose to try the latter.  It was a bit less expensive, and I thought it would stay on better.  The one I purchased was pink, which is my favorite color.  That was just an added bonus.  I have been wearing the sleep cap for a while.  When I’m sleeping, or when I’m just lying down relaxing in private.  I am very pleased with the results.  My hair is shiny and healthy.  When I went in for my regular trim, it had less split ends than it typically gets between trims.  I have so much less frizz, and fly-aways.  I just wake up with good hair.  I take the sleep cap off and it looks more or less as good as it did when I put it on.  Some benefits you won’t see on the package or in reviews are that it keeps your hair out of your face when you’re sleeping, or doing your makeup or skin care routine, and if you wear it when changing clothes, it will protect your style so that your top doesn’t muss your hair.  Honestly, that was a very welcome bonus.  The final, very important aspect, is that the satin bonnet protects my pin curls and allows me to sleep in them, which brings me to the other very important technique I’ve made a part of my hair styling, and in a sense, hair care routine.

Gone are the days of frying my hair with a curling iron!  I still use a flat iron before having my hair trimmed, to ensure that my trim is even, no matter my curl pattern.  The rest of the time, though, it’s pin curls all the way.  Pin curling is a technique in which sections of hair are wrapped around the finger(s) and then pinned to the head, and left in for a period of time in order form a curl.  Then, when it is time to style, the pins are taken out and the hair falls in curls.  I use the elevated pin curl.  With this technique, the curls stand out from the head rather than being pinned flat.  Check out my post about A Vintage Vanity to see Jennifer’s elevated pin curl tutorial.  My sets vary in curl pattern from one time to the next.  I like a change, and I’m not too particular, because I tend to like a more natural look.  I generally direct my curl toward my face on each side, and roll in the same direction all over.  I do my wet set two different ways.  I always make sure it is damp, and not wet, either by letting it dry naturally for a bit, and brushing to force out some of the excess water, or by blow drying part way, before pinning.  Then I will pin the curls and either dry it the rest of the way on a low heat setting if it is during the day, or put on my sleep bonnet and leave them in overnight, taking them out after I’ve done my morning routine.  I prefer to allow them to air dry.  The longer I can leave my curl in the better.  It makes for a more defined and more resilient curl.  I also don’t like to use any more heat than I need to in order to prevent breakage.  When I do use heat, I use a leave in conditioner.  Sometimes, however, when I am in a hurry, or just don’t want to be seen walking around in a bonnet, I will quickly dry my hair completely, pin it in curls, spray it with a bit of hairspray, and then get the hair warm and allow the curls to cool and sit before taking them out and finishing them using hairspray again.  This cuts down on the time and leaves you ready to be seen much sooner.  The disadvantage of course, is that the curl is just not as strong or as resilient when brushed or combed as compared to a wet set.  Now that I’ve explained how I do my pin curls, I’d like to talk a bit about why I like them so much.

I’ll begin with the obvious.  If you haven’t figured it out, I love vintage and I love the traditional lifestyle.  I like having that reflected in my appearance, and pin curls give me that classic look.  Pin curling was a very popular technique from the 1920s to 1960s.  This is really the time period from which I take so much inspiration.

Pin curls are also a perfect way for someone who already has a natural curl to make their curls more even and give them more definition.  Sometimes naturally curly hair can have fuzzy curls, curls that tend to intertwine, or even more than one texture to deal with.  When I have styled my hair using pin curls, they come out in smooth, shiny curls.

Perhaps most practically, pin curls–I have used this word a few times now–resilient.  One of the other beauty tips I have taken heed of is not to wash my hair so often.  I like my style to last.  The sleep bonnet helps with this, as do the natural oils present in my hair.  In addition to these factors, pin curls also just stand up very well to a good brushing or combing.  If my curl does fall to a wave, all I have to do is pin my hair back up and then take it down again.  The curls bounce right back.  For lasting results, I’ll pin my hair back up and sleep in them again, then wake up the next day with curls as nice as the first set.  If you’re short on time, I have been known to do very big curls, which give a nice loose curl or wave depending on your hair.  I have done as few as 6 for some soft curl or even as few as 4 for flippy waves if I just do not feel like messing with it at all.  In my experience, these have been pretty fool proof.  Even if they’re not done precisely, they can still yield a nice style.  I’ve never had a bad set.  Overall, this styling method just meets all my needs, so why turn back now?

I hope this post will be interesting and helpful.  If you have any questions or any tips to share, please feel free to leave a comment.  In my next What’s Old is New Again post, I’ll be talking about skincare.

A YouTube Favorite: A Vintage Vanity

Tags

1940s, 1950s, A Vintage Vanity, Beauty, Beauty Guru, Classic, Classy, Curls, favorites, Hairstyles, Interview, just for fun, Koontzfan2, Modest Style, Pin Curls, Q&A, Vintage, Vlogger, YouTube

Tonight, I’m sharing one of my favorite YouTube channels here on Love Built To Last.  The channel is called A Vintage Vanity by KoontzFan2.  You can browse her videos here.  I think this little lady is absolutely adorable, and seems so sweet.  I found her YouTube channel while watching pin curl videos, and watched several that day.  I subscribed after that and just love every video I’ve seen.  She does great vintage hairstyles and also shares other vintage related interests.  Which is why I thought I should share her here, as I personally have a love for vintage, thrift, old movies, and even the relationship dynamics from those time periods.  So, if you share any of those interests, please check out the links (above) to her channel, or this collection of videos.

First, do check out the A Vintage Vanity Promo video, which will give you a nice introduction to her channel.

I also thought I’d share a few neat videos that I really loved where we get to learn a bit more about her.  That’s always fun to see for bloggers and vloggers alike in my opinion.

This is the video which lead me to A Vintage Vanity.  All About Elevated Pin Curls, my current styling method of choice.  I don’t think I’ll ever turn back.

My two favorite styles of hers to this point:

In this video, she interviews a lady named Jenny who grew up in 1940s/1950s America.

If you like these videos, you may also be interested in her playlists, including a sewing series and a collection of Downton Abbey hair tutorials.  She also has a blog, a Facebook page, and Twitter.

Please note that I haven’t been asked to post this, though she was very nice and gracious when I asked if it would be okay to share. I simply loved her channel and thought it was worth sharing.  I hope you’ll check out her channel and find some classic, classy hairstyles to learn and enjoy.

Goodwill Style

Tags

1950s, black, Blouse, blue, coral, Dresses, Goodwill, homemade dress, lace collar, mandarin collar, Modest Style, Modesty, nautical, Print, Style, Thrift, Vintage

I’m here to share a new thrift post for my modest style section.  I hope you enjoy it.  The camera I’m working with isn’t all that great, so I apologize for the picture quality.  Hopefully you’ll still enjoy this collection of vintage finds.

The first find I wanted to show you.  A blue striped vintage blouse with a nautical theme.  This picture doesn’t necessarily do the blue color of the stripes justice, but it’s very pretty.  I absolutely love the collar and the tie.  I have nothing else like this in my closet.  Puff sleeves, however, I have a few of.  I have a weakness for them.  They’re cute and feminine.  I don’t have very big shoulders, and they kind of balance out my chest.

Okay, so the shape of this doesn’t show the absolute best, but I have had it for a while and it is definitely one of my favorites.  This one is homemade, but thrifted.  It is a short sleeved, knee length cotton dress in a blueberry print   .  It is actually sort of an a-line shape.  It nips in a bit at the waist and then the skirt is a bit fuller.  The really  odd part about this one is the closure.

It has a hidden zipper in front that combines with a matching fabric bow snap closure, coming to a high, round neckline, as seen above.  I wear this all the time, with sandals, sneakers, or ballet flats.  It’s definitely different, but I am all about this dress.

I love love love polka dots.  I really have a thing for them.  I guess a lot of people who like vintage clothing feel the same way.  As a matter of fact, I wore a black and white polka dot dress the first time David came to visit.  That dress had a slightly lower neckline, though not indecently so, and a smaller waist, so I was understandably thrilled when I found this one to replace it.  My favorite feature about this one might actually be some people’s least favorite.  The lace collar.  It definitely says vintage to me and though I have only worn it once, I had so much fun with it.  I actually bought a white bow ponytail tie to wear with this one.  Maybe too much for some, but I don’t mind going all out when I wear a retro look.  It suits me and it fits my personality.

This is actually my most recent Goodwill find.  It’s fully lined, with a sheer overlay and a moderate, round neckline.  The print is actually black with a coral floral, but the center of the flowers are a sort of deep red.  I liked it when I first bought it, but it was a bit big so my mom was nice enough to take the arm opening up just a tiny bit.  I liked it much more then, but while I was getting ready for a date night, it occurred to me to add this red ribbon I’ve been using as a sash.  I love it even more now.  It really flatters my shape much more.  It changed the shape of the dress entirely so that it went from being relatively straight to having a more fitted waist and fuller skirt.  It has the illusion of pleats.  Please feel free to try this out on your own.  Little adjustments like this can make a big difference in thrifted pieces.  Be creative, make them your own, and examine the possibilities to easily flatter your shape.

This dress is almost sort of a cobalt blue color with a white and pale yellow star burst print.  As you can see, it has a cream colored piping trim around the sleeves, shoulders, and collar.  I think the top of this dress is channeling a bit of inspiration from the Eastern hemisphere with a bit of 1950s mixed in.  The neckline is somewhere between a v-neck and a mandarin collar.  There is a satin tie at the waist, and the hips are free.  This dress is definitely a new favorite.  I typically wear it with white sandals.  I have worn this dress to church, on date night, and to a recent wedding.  It has a midi length and is extremely versatile.  I already can’t wait to wear it again.  That’s how much I love it.

I hope you have enjoyed my collection of photos of Goodwill finds.  If you have some favorite goodwill finds of your own, please feel free to tell me about them in the comments below, or share a link to a post about them.  I love to see thrift store  style posts, and would always be happy to find another modest style blog to follow.

All photos in this post were edited using fotoflexer.

A Dozen of my Favorite Manly Characters

Tags

1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, African Queen, Angel and the Badman, Charlie Allnut, Clark Gable, classic fims, Dark Passage, Detective Philip Marlowe, Donovan's Reef, favorites, film, Frank McCloud, George W McClintock, Gone With The Wind, Humphrey Bogart, It Happened One Night, John Walton, John Wayne, just for fun, Key Largo, List, manly men, McLintock!, Michael Patrick 'Guns' Donovan, movie classics, Peter Warne, Quirt Evans, Ralph Waite, Retro, Rhett Butler, Rusty, Sean Thorton, Television, The Big Sleep, The Quiet Man, The Waltons, top dozen, Vincent Parry, Vintage, Without Reservations

 

I have a lot of ideas for new posts, but haven’t started any of them.  Most will take a little time and thought.  I’m also visiting David again, so I’m not dedicating a great deal of time to writing for my blogs.  In the mean time, though I was thinking, just for fun, I’d share a list of a dozen of my favorite manly fictional characters with you.  So, here goes.

1. Rhett Butler played by Clark Gable in Gone With The Wind
2. Sean Thorton played by John Wayne in The Quiet Man
3. George W McLintock played by John Wayne in McLintock!
4. Michael Patrick ‘Guns’ Donovan played by John Wayne in Donovan’s Reef
   
5. John Walton played by Ralph Waite in The Waltons
6. Quirt Evans played by John Wayne in Angel and the Badman
7. Peter Warne played by Clark Gable in It Happened One Night
8. Vincent Parry played by Humphrey Bogart in Dark Passage
9. Detective Philip Marlowe played by Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep
10. Frank McCloud played by Humphrey Bogart in Key Largo
11. Rusty played by John Wayne in Without Reservations
12. Charlie Allnut played by Humphrey Bogart in African Queen

I have loved these characters for a long, long time.  If I were going to say something lead to my love of the manly man, it’d probably be one, or all, of these guys.  Le sigh.

Looking for Blogs to Follow: Modest Fashion, Vintage, Thrifting, 1950s, Traditional Relationships

Tags

1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Blogging, Cooking, DIY, Fashion, Food, Lifestyle, Love, Modest Fashion, Modesty, Philosophy, Relationships, Thrift, Vintage, Weddings, Writing

I am looking for blogs to follow!  I’m having trouble finding modest fashion blogs, although I remember finding all kinds of them before…I stupidly didn’t follow them, [sigh] how I do regret that now.  If you have a blog you think I’d be interested to see.  Please comment on this post.

The things I am interested in reading about include (but are not limited to, by any means) the following:

• Modest Fashion
• Vintage Anything
• Thrift
• 1930s-1960s
• Emphasis on the 1950s
• Modesty In General
• Traditional Relationship Dynamics
• Hair Tutorials

Those are mainly the things that I like that relate to this blog, but I’m also interested in food blogs and even DIY and things related to weddings.  (No, I’m not getting married right now but we know we will, and hope it will be sooner rather than later, and what girl doesn’t like to look at that stuff.)

 

So, if you read this post, please, feel free to make yourself known by leaving me a comment and I will be more than happy to check out your blog and possibly follow it  Also, if you know of a blog that you read that I might be interested in, please feel free to let me know.  I appreciate any responses and will definitely respond to everything as soon as I can.

Modest Style: Good Deals at Goodwill

Tags

Dresses, Fashion, Jacket, Modest Dresses, Modest Style, New Year 2012, Shoes, Style, Thanksgiving, Thrift Store Fashion, Thrifting, Vintage

Yesterday I picked up some good finds at Goodwill I’m kind of excited to wear and thought I’d share them here.  This is a little glimpse of what my style is like.  By the way, I don’t only wear dresses & skirts.  I have pants, both jeans and dressier pants, and wear them often, but I get most excited about the pretty dresses.  Both the 2 dresses and the swing jacket cost $5 each.  The two dresses are in a comfy jersey knit fabric, which travels very well.  A must in a long distance relationship.  Both dresses are knee length, and I have tights to match them for this winter as well as boots and an older thrift store find, rust colored shoes that will match the first dress.  I don’t have a detail shot (low camera battery) but the second dress has a lot of detail at the neckline, which is not very low at all.  Very sparkly.  I just might wear it to kick off 2012.  Who knows.

 

 

 

Not part of yesterday’s visit…

 

Previously thrifted rust color low heels I think will complement my new dress nicely.

I’ve had those shoes for at least a couple years now, and they are one of my favorite finds.  They’re suede on the sides, suede bow, leather tip, leather heel.  Very good quality vintage shoes.  They will probably make an appearance for Thanksgiving this year.  Needless to say, I plan to keep them around.

Who doesn’t love thrift store fashion?

Modest Costume Inspiration

Tags

50s, Budget, Costume, Fashion, Halloween, Holidays, Inspiration, Modesty, Rockabilly, Style, Thrifting, Vintage

I thought my second post would be more specifically about traditional relationships, but with Halloween coming up soon, I’ve been checking a lot of Halloween posts all over the internet: decorating ideas, costume ideas, and baking ideas.  I’ve been talking about costumes.  I even figured out what I’d be wearing at the beginning of this month.  It’s always interesting for me, deciding on a Halloween costume because since childhood I’ve been wearing costumes that I or my mother and I put together.  It’s so much fun that way and you never see another person wearing the same costume.

Right now, most stores seem to be stocking “sexy” costumes, scary  costumes, wacky costumes, or a combination of those adjectives.  Women’s costumes in many combinations of spandex mini skirts and shorts are fixtures in the costume aisle, and most of them cost more than a nice blouse.  I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with a sexy costume, or even with showing off your body if you’re proud of it.  But there are those of us out there who want to be pretty, feminine, and cute or maybe even sexy and modest as well.

So, in the spirit of budget-conscious modesty, let’s press on shall we?

• Thrift stores can be our best friend both in terms of low prices and modesty.  Goodwill is a wonderful thrift store.  They generally have good quality items, you can find one almost anywhere.  Not to mention they have a store locator on their website.  There are also plenty of other thrift stores run by non profit organizations, some belonging to churches or other religious organizations.  When you buy at these places, you can feel good about your purchase because the money you spend will be beneficial to you as well as society.  If you’re into living green this is a good option as well because you are buying second hand.  But what can you find?
• Some thrift stores have second hand costumes from stores or sometimes even costumes that have never been worn direct from stores or factories.  Personally, I don’t really bother with these.  But sometimes you can also find masks, tails, mittens that look like paws, and other costume accessories.  These can definitely be cool to find.  If you want to do this you’ll need to go early and often.  When they start putting these out will vary by store.
• Thrift stores carry evening gowns for very low prices.  Sometimes you can even luck up on wedding gowns for next to nothing.  These may be in mint condition, just need a trip to the dry cleaner, or maybe have some minor problems.  It isn’t really that important if you’re using it as a Halloween costume.  As a matter of fact, if you found one that was stained you could even cover it with a fake blood stain.  As to modesty, evening gowns often come in long lengths and vintage ones generally come with relatively modest necklines.  You might even find one with long sleeves or a high neckline.  A lot of bridesmaid dresses have high necklines.
• My dress for last year’s Old Hollywood Starlet costume was a black evening gown from Goodwill.  It was made of black velour and had a modest v neckline, long sleeves, and slits that came slightly above my knees with sheer fabric insets.  I wore this with the faux fur capelet and faux fur hat shown in the photo at the beginning of my post and some Old Hollywood inspired makeup.  The photo for this blog is from that night.  For my hair I went for a loose, voluminous curl in a style reminiscent of Lauren Bacall.
• You may also find jumpsuits at Goodwill.  I’m not much for these for everyday wear…but they can make a good costume.  For instance, a black velour long sleeved turtleneck jumpsuit can be used in combination with animal ears and face paint or hoods or masks to make cute animal costumes.  You’d also have the advantage of soft fabric that would be form fitting.
• You may be able to find long skirts and peasant tops or dresses to dress as a gypsy, a fortune teller, a hippie, a pioneer.  You are only limited by your imagination.
• There are plenty of fifties-style options, provided you can find the items you’re looking for.  Thrift stores are a gamble as far as looking for something specific.  It may take time to do that, and you may want to begin your shopping extra early and go often.  You could be a June Cleaver style 50s homemaker with a full skirts and a cute apron, maybe even an oven mitt.  You could go for a pencil skirt and fitted cardigan.  There are also plenty of 40s and fifties pinup options.  A search engine should give you all the ideas you’d need for that.
• If you like pants, the 40s could definitely be your friend.  Find yourself a pair of high waisted pants if you can.  Tuck in a feminine blouse and wear a pair of simple pumps, then make the difference in your hair and makeup.  Pin curls are easy and all you need is some bobbypins to make them.  Just twist small sections and pin.  There are many youtube tutorials about this and probably others about this kind of hair and makeup.
• What about regular stores?  The first year of my relationship with David I dressed as a sexy cat.  But I didn’t buy the sexy kitty costume we’ve all seen.  Walmart had sets of tees with designs on them and coordinating headbands that made sort of dressed down costumes.  I purchased a cat one.  It had a cat belly, near the collar of the shirt was the design of a pearl collar with a cute pink tag.  The back of the tshirt even had a tail.  The coordinating headband was shiny black and bright pink cat ears with feather accent.  I paired this with a corduroy straight silhouette skirt I had in my closet, fishnet pantyhose, and cute black pumps with pink hearts on them matching the cat’s tag.  Then I simply curled my hair and used facepaint to paint a little pink nose and whiskers.  I wore pink lipstick and subtle eyeshadow.
• Dollar stores like Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Dollar General, all usually have inexpensive costume accessories like hats, ears, boas, horns, all sorts of things.  Some of these for a dollar or even less.  They also generally have face paint for a dollar or 2.
• You can spice up your modest Halloween costumes with some wild and crazy makeup.  Walmart has been keeping some crazy false lashes and eyeshadow kits for a few years now.  Some very interesting designs of eyeshadow that you press on sort of like an artificial tattoo. Those kits can be a bit more expensive.  But I do believe they’re under $10.  They’re probably less expensive than a mask.  If you don’t want to pay that much…Walmart stocks some crazy colors of eyeshadow, lipstick, and nailpolish in Bon Bon, NYC, and Wet N Wild.  Again, the dollar stores usually keep some crazy, bright colors of makeup at very low prices.  They’ll be inexpensive enough to throw away if you’re not going to wear them again, and makeup is meant to be worn on the face and around the eyes.  It’s been tested to be safe, and can sometimes be found in formulas for sensitive skin, even at low prices if you look very hard.
• The craft aisle might also be your friend.  Felt is pretty inexpensive, and with a little imagination you might glue a felt belly on a t-shirt or attach some felt ears to a headband and create a no-sew costume in a pinch.  There are also plenty of more ambitious projects you can find inspiration for in the craft aisle, but I’d prefer to stick to the simple ideas here.
• Clearance shoes can sometimes be found at Walmart for as little as 3 dollars at the change of season.  House shoes or slippers might make an inexpensive addition to a costume.  They can be found at many discount stores and department stores.  Silky ballet style slippers come to mind for a ballerina, fairy, princess, etc.  They’d also be a comfortable inexpensive alternative under a long evening gown.  (Who will see them?)
• Finally, a really great idea is to shop in your own closet for costumes.  There are the standards like cowgirl, farm girl, hippie…  Things that can be done with jeans and shirts you already have.  Sports fan…if you’re already a sports fan.  Or if your boyfriend/husband/roommate/brother/anyone you could borrow from is.  You can make this more feminine with pigtails and coordinating ribbons.
• There are more creative costumes if you have a cocktail dress and plenty of jewelry.  You could be a movie star or possibly even a beauty pageant contestant or a prom or homecoming queen.
• A plaid skirt and white button up shirt can make a school girl costume.  It does NOT have to be a short skirt.  It’s possible to do this modestly and just be cute.  Just make sure it fits well.
• Perhaps you have a blazer and trousers  or a skirt.  You could come up with a corporate costume.
• Business attire can also make for a great secretary costume, and if it’s to be worn appropriately for business, it shouldn’t show too much skin anyway, should it?
• A vintage inspired skirt suit and big sunglasses could have you on your way to a Jackie O costume.
• Finally, if you’re like me, you have a lot of vintage inspired clothes and can put together a good vintage look.  This year, I’m going for a Rockabilly costume, and every piece of it is coming from my own existing wardrobe.  That’s right, my costume will cost a grand total of nothing.  The costume will have me all covered, and nice and warm.

I hope these ideas will be of some use to someone, and that you and yours will have a very happy Halloween.