Carly's Holiday Party Pretty Tutorial

By Carly Crossley

I will write the steps below the image.

Enjoy ladies!!

1. Prime eyelid
2. Hold tissue to catch excess glitter
3. Apply extra shimmery eye shadow from inner corner to 3/4 across your eyelid. Use a medium dark color to shade your crease
4. A dark shadow will fill the remaining 1/4.Blend with light up to the brow bone & line lower lashes. Use black eyeliner on top lashes and lower waterline.
5. Apply 2 coats of mascara!

Please post your look if you tried this tutorial on our fanpage with the title "Holiday Party Pretty"!

www.facebook.com/TheModelBag

Also please leave us a comment and let us know what you think!!

Hair Tutorial Thursday! Rag Curls!

So this week I wanna show off something fun.

It's rather simple and is so not harsh on your hair.

I will suggest getting something like lot-a-body setting lotion for these.

Because it will set your hair and keep it from falling..

Plus it doesn't make your hair feel gross!

I hope you all enjoy this!

Learning styles like this can seriously ramp up your photo shoot hair diversity!

Rag curl's for Long hair

Another awesome rag rolling video

Make-up Tutorial Tuesday's! EYEBROW'S!!

So this week its all about eyebrow's.

It is SO important to pay attention to your eyebrow's.

They do matter!

So this week its all about how to style your eyebrow's!

Enjoy ladies and gents!

Products You Don't Think You Need, But Really Do!

By Carly Crossley

Topic 1.) Eye Shadow Primer. 

Have you ever fallen in love with a shadow color in the package only to be disappointed by it's minimalist appearance when you try to put it on? Or have you had it "fluff" away and settle every where except where you actually want it to go? How about having it crease in a matter of minutes? All of these problems can be solved with a shadow primer. The best part:  It's so quick it adds like NO time to your routine, it's so easy that ANYone can apply it, and a tube of this will last you FOREVER.

I am in a long term relationship with this Urban Decay Primer Potion. I use it on myself every day plus all of my clients and this is only my second tube in a year and a half... and I only cracked this one open in August. There are millions more on the market both cheaper and more expensive. This one has proved to be great for the general population; if you feel your lids are exceptionally oily or dry, there may be other ones better suited to your needs. 

Whenever I am showing my clients what a difference this makes in the most simple of ways, I use this little demo on the back of my hand.  On the right, I apply a tiny dab of the primer, pat it down to spread until it is just the tiniest bit still tacky. 

Then I apply TWO color swatches.  On the right, I use an average amount of shadow on a brush an lightly pat it onto my primer.  On the left, I use a much more generous helping and apply it to my bare skin. The results are obvious with the primer'd side showing the shadow at it's full pigment- true to the compact. On the left, the shadow has a diluted, almost watercolor like effect.

After allowing it to set, you can further test the differences by trying to smear the two or by washing them with water and a gentle cleanser. 

 

The other great thing about this particular primer is that the edges diffuse well.  This means, that you can apply the primer to areas where you want your shadow to have the most impact, or areas that don't wear as well like the lids, but you don't necessarily need to apply it all the way to your brow bone.  This lets you easily smoke out the edges of your shadow without feeling like there is a fuzzy line and a harsh edge where the primer stops.

To complete this look I used- Primer potion, Urban Decay shadows in "Bootycall", "Evidence" and "Blackout", Kat Von D Autograph Eyeliner in Black on top, Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes for lower liner, and Tarte "Gifted" mascara.  I will do a step by step tutorial for exactly how to achieve this look soon, but one last artist's trick for now: most people gravitate to silvers with their blues to match undertones, but I have other preferences- exactly opposite from blue on the color wheel is orange. They are what are know as "complimentary colors" meaning they make each other "pop" (look around at marketing and I guarantee you will start noticing these parings- also red/green (hello, Christmas) Purple and Yellow...) but I digress... so when I work with blues, I like to go for peach or even copper tones for my base colors. 

A quick little tester you can do before you run out and buy your primer is to try it out with cream concealer. Like the primer, pat it until just slightly tacky.  This will mimic the effect of the primer and give you the fuller pigment, but you won't get the long wear, precision placement or crease prevention. 

(Forgive my crappy, iphone only pics.  But rest assured that there is no filter, photoshop, fancy lighting or other editing techniques done that might mess up the results.)

The Essential Cardigan Sweater!

By Gracie Lynn

Style and Fashion from Pre Pin-up to Post Zombie

Hello Lovelies!!! 

It is so wonderful to be with you all here at The Model Bag (thanks so much for inviting me to join ya all here!). I just wanted to take a few moments to introduce myself and then we can get down to the real business… 

FASHION!!!   

My name is Gracie Lynn and I work predominately as a Pin Up model, but I have been modeling for over 18 years now. I started out as a standard size model, have been a plus size model, still do fitness/bikini modeling and am sometimes even an actress. I have a passion for the entertainment industry, pinup/car culture and a serious love of fashion (lets not even get me started on shoes… we will save that for another blog).  I am also a firm believer in looking great on a budget, and believe me we will talk about that too. I can not wait to spend time with you all here and will happily answer any questions you may have (and know that if I don’t know the answer I can find someone who does!).  Well, that is a bit about me, and I look forward to getting to know all of you, so lets start off this first blog with one of my favorite pieces of clothing/accessories…. 

THE CARDIGAN SWEATER!!!

You all may not know, but the Cardigan sweater was first considered men’s wear… Shocking, I know. According to my sources (those fine folks at Google) “A cardigan is a type of sweater or jumper that typically buttons down the front. Named after the 7th Earl of Cardigan, James Thomas Brudenell, a British military commander during the Crimean War”.  Of course, we all now know the cardigan sweater as that nifty button or zipper up sweater that we can throw on over everything from jeans and a t-shirt to the most formal of dresses for the ladies or with dress pants or khakis for the gentlemen.  The best thing about the Cardigan sweater in my mind though is that it can be used all year round and since it is a light weight sweater it does not take up too much space, so is easy to haul around with you everywhere.

Of course there are a million styles of Cardigan sweater.  From the twin sets made popular by the ladies of the 50's to the rather frumpy sweater many of us may remember our childhood TV teacher Mr Rogers wearing, this versatile accessory has been around and in rotation in wardrobes of both men and women since the 1700's and shows no sign of ever truly going out of style. You want an idea of the variety of Cardigan sweaters available today, just hit up Google images  (or your other favorite search engine of choice) and you will see that styles range from short and cropped to almost knee length and from rock to ruffly. You may think they make men look rather preppy, but believe you me, rock and roll/alternative guys can rock the cardigan as well. I have a Goth pal who can wear a Cardigan like no one else, so you folks who view yourself as having an alternative style… the Cardigan is for us all! 

 Now in my opinion you need at least 3 of these awesome sweaters in your wardrobe at all times(mind you, I have waaaaaayyyyy more, but for those of you just starting out...3 is the magic number). Now I Love color and pattern, but you can not go wrong with the basic essentials.  In order to cover ALMOST every wardrobe need you just really need 3 basic sweater colors. Black, white and grey… now you may ask why these 3 vs the many other available options well the answer is really as basic as the colors, they go with everything. Prints, solids, and colors, out of these three sweaters you will always find one that will go with your clothing choice for the day. And don’t feel that you have to spend a ton of money to get a great sweater. They come in all price ranges and I am actually a huge fan of hitting the clearance rack between seasons and stocking up (that is how I get my fun color and patterned sweaters and not worry about breaking the bank) and of course, my white sweaters as well since I go through at least one a season (white is so hard to keep white after all).  Wear them open, buttoned up with one button buttoned or even belted, this versatile sweater will get you through chilly mornings, cool summer evenings, an extra layer under that heavy winter jacket or the sub artic AC temperatures in Florida in the summer. This sweater works for every day.

Well,  I am gonna keep this blog entry a bit short, so as not to overwhelm ya with all the details. But I would love to hear from you, with any questions, or comments you may have. We will also discuss in later blogs topics like what to wear out, what to wear to a go see and many other topics.  I look forward to “chatting” with you every week! 

Hugs my Lovelies!!!

Gracie Lynn

December's Featured Model : Xarah Von Den Vielentegen

Name Age: Xarah von den Vielenregen,

height : 5'7"

 measurements : 37-27-40

1. When did you start your career?

I started in 2004. I always wanted to model, but that time I had a boyfriend who didn't like this idea. After I broke up with him, everything went really fast. I did some shootings and after that a lot of great photographers wanted to work with me...

2. What kind of model are you (glamour,fashion,alternative,everything)?

I started with alternative (mainly gothic and fetish) modeling, now I am mainly doing glamour and pinup shoots...

3. What are you hobbies,favorite movie,favorite music,etc?

Actually, work and hobbies really mix up. I work 24h. But I do a lot of sports, I love all kind of alternative music. My favourite movies are : Perdita Durango, The Pillow Book, Jackie Brown...

4. Is modeling your full time job?

No, I am working as a burlesque dancer full time. The shootings I do is more for this kind of work and for fun. Only sometimes I do commercial work...

5. What do you know now that you wish you did when you 1st started modeling?

If I look back, there is nothing I regret or would have done different. I learned a lot by just doing and meeting great people I worked with.

6. Where do you want to take your modeling in the future?

I would love to do more commercial shoots and can't wait to work with more amazing photographers !

7. Who is your favorite photographer,model,designer?

Oh, there are too many...

8. What was your best & worst experience as a model?

I have lots of good experiences, luckily I never had a really bad one. Unfortunately I had it several times, that I did a shooting and never recieved photos. And I had it a few times, that there was a makeup artist involved, who was so bad, that I wished I had done it myself...Once, I was booked for a men's fashion compaign. Surprisingly they used my photo for a full window in all their fashion stores. That was great !

9. Whats your dream modeling gig?

I do not have a special dream modeling gig. I had some, just would love to do more bigger campaign shoots...:-)

10. What advice would you give a new model entering the industry?

Take it easy, the more experience you get, the more easy everything gets...But never do anything you do not like, only because someone is telling you have to do it ! And always check the references of the photographers you work with.

What are YOUR top 10 must have's for your model bag?

carmex

makeup

chewing gum

water

underwear

highheels

businesscards

pocketmirror

mp3 player

phone

www.xarah.de

www.facebook.com/XarahvondenVielenregenFans

Trade for Trade- It's their hard work, give them your best.

By The Vintage Doll 

As a public figure and model, with over 300,000 fans, one thing I get asked to do a lot by small businesses and companies is to allow them to send me their products to review, take photos with and share with all of my followers. 

They send me products I get to keep for trade to post and promote them and what they do on my social feeds. It's basic trade work. They get seen by all of my followers who know and trust that I bring them good quality items and brands they can trust, and I get to build my own collections, wardrobe, or whatever they sell, in keeping the items they send. This is one way that I have been able to build my pin up wardrobe, working with small but amazing clothing lines that deserve to be noticed and get their names out there.

It's my job as the model to be trustworthy and promote these brands to the best of my ability. They work hard and spend a lot of money in making their product. Sending out free items to a model and trusting she will keep her word in promoting and representing them and their business in a positive and productive way can be a scary thing to do. I have heard many stories from companies and brands who say they sent items to models after a deal was discussed for trade work and the model received the free product but did not hold up her end of the deal and never contacted the company again. Doing things like that and being so unprofessional in this field in the industry ruins it for all of the trust worthy hard working models. 

Trade work like this is basic and what you are is a walking talking billboard for these brands. You need to do the best you can in representing them. No, you aren't being paid money wise but you are being paid with free product some of which in my case has been very expensive high quality items. Do a good job! Always give your best because not taking trade jobs serious could really hurt your credibility. These are brands and companies that work hard in what they do. They could some day vouch for you and how you carry yourself when worked with and how professional you are. If you decide to slack and blow it off just because money isn't involved, your wrong. The companies money is involved and that's serious for them so don't take advantage. 

Trade work isn't about getting free stuff, they are paid jobs that a company has hired you for to represent them. The free items are just the payment, serious payment so make sure to take the job seriously. 

Trade work and promoting has become a big part of what I do and the main type of modeling I do. The best part for me is to see a small business I get involved with and help promote succeed and grow after we work together. Hard working people with a dream that I get to be apart of and in a small way help that dream come true. 

There are a lot of different types and avenues of the modeling industry. Some jobs bigger and more serious than others. But all jobs are jobs and everyone is benefiting from it in some way to help their careers move forward in a positive way. Keep it professional and treat each job like it was your dream job. They chose you to represent something important to them, so give them the best you have! 

Xoxo The Vintage Doll