(Part 3) Reddit mentions: The best grooming & style books

I'm stealing another redditor's format to make it easier for you to find the useful information in this ramble...haha


DRESS:If you are a small enough size, try looking in the kids'/juniors' section - no joke. My friend only just breaks 5', and she found a really pretty white dress that was a fraction of the price of adult dresses.

Dress shopping is hard :( It's worth finding out about your body type to help narrow your options. When your arms are relaxed at your waist, are your elbows below your natural waist (the smallest circumference of your waist)? If you said yes, then congratulations, you're short-waisted like me and cheap dress shopping will be a bitch because everything cheap is catered to long-waisted women (elbows are above natural waist). If you are short-waisted, for instance, babydoll styles look silly, but empress waistlines/dresses that ruche at the side or wrap around are flattering. If you're long-waisted, I think you can rock a wider variety of styles.

It may be a worth a spin by Ross, Filene's Basement, or the like - often, you can find decent, cheap stuff there.

MAKEUP:For makeup, many people get makeovers from the counters at malls (Bobbi Brown does the most natural-looking jobs). Sometimes these are free, and sometimes they do this with the understanding that you will buy one or two items afterwards. This can cost $30 and up in products, though, so do your research and see who will do it for free. I think the Body Shop does free makeup, although it'll be their mineral-y powerstuffs which don't augment as much as other kinds of makeup would. I, personally, prefer Bobbi Brown because you exit looking like a slightly prettier normal person, and you get some high quality products you can use for the next year (if you wear makeup as infrequently as I do, haha. Actually, I may still have products I bought for prom makeup four years ago).

By the way, Bobbi Brown has some books on beauty that I still refer to - here and here, although this might be most helpful for you if you decide to do your own makeup. The InStyle Secrets of Style books are also like DIY manuals for fashion/style/life in general. You could also check out the blog Already Pretty, although I don't remember if there are many prom-appropriate articles. They do have a lot of confidence-boosting articles, though, and confidence is important for any social event! They also have some stuff on finding the right clothes for your body type, which could help with dress shopping.

EVENT: The event varies from place to place. Mine was a dance in a large hotel hall that came with a seated dinner buffet and dessert buffet. It was chaperoned by teachers. The deejay did a bit of challenging girls vs. boys to dance, but nothing with plastic inflatable goods. He played mostly top 40 songs, and then some songs we had requested (e.g. "Don't Stop Believing" was our prom song). There wasn't a lot of grinding at our school because the clothes were generally too restrictive and the girls were wearing heels, haha. I doubt you'll feel pressured into doing that; some people are totally happy just sitting and talking and eating for the whole time, if those are options for you.



Above all, have a great time! Everyone's nervous, but it is so much fun to see everyone all dolled up - especially the dudes forced into tuxes. Bring a camera and you'll always have something to do :) Best of luck!

I'm not SCA either, I'm an English early medieval re-enactor, but dodgy shoes seem to be a constant in all forms of recreational medievalism. I've been making shoes and other period leatherwork for about 15 years. A good shoemaker will always be popular, but personally I only make them for family and a couple of close friends, because they are about my least favourite bit of leatherwork to actually do. If you enjoy shoemaking, then even if you're "half-skilled" now, you'll get enough work that you'll soon be a master cobbler.

Please bear in mind that everything below is written from the perspective of someone who thinks history ended at about 2pm on 14 October 1066, Haroldus Rex interfectus est and everything after that is just modern :).

Be prepared to waste a lot of leather, especially when you're starting out. Remember that most people have slightly different sized feet, a left shoe is not simply a mirror image of a right shoe, especially in period shoes, always get measurements/patterns for both feet. A last is not a model of a foot, it is a model of the inside of a shoe. Learn to sew really well, I always use saddle stitch but it's not essential, and knot the thread every 4-5 stitches to minimise the risk of the shoe falling apart as soon as the thread wears through, which it will. Use the best quality waxed linen thread you can get, I'd compromise on quality of leather before buying cheap thread. The leather probably doesn't need to be as thick as you think, this may just be me, but the number of shoes I've made and then realised they would have been better, and easier to make, with slightly thinner leather. A shoe that is slightly too small for comfort can often be stretched to fit by putting it on and sitting with your foot in a bowl of water for a couple of hours.

Finally, a lot of people, especially the beer and bash brigade, will tell you medieval shoes don't have enough grip and want modern soles. Don't give in to them, wet grass on a steep slope can be challenging, but apart from that I've never had any real difficulty walking, running or fighting in authentic shoes. There are special cases, such as people with disabilities or people planning on walking a very long way on modern road surfaces, but in general medieval shoes are as comfortable and effective as modern shoes. If you really want to improve the grip, hobnails or strips of leather glued on to make a tread are reasonable compromises.

Resources:

The most comprehensive online resource: http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/SHOEHOME.HTM
I printed out the entire site several years ago, and still refer to it frequently.

Two pages with shoes good for novices to make:

A nice guide to making simple early medieval shoes:
http://dineidyn.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/a-beginners-guide-to-turnshoes.pdf

Very very simple, but authentic early medieval shoes (without hurrying I can knock out a shoe in 2 hours using this method), a bit wasteful of leather but the offcuts can used for toggles, etc:
http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk/resources/authenticity/basickit/basickit15.html#frontseam

From the same site, a guide to early medieval shoe fastenings:
http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk/resources/authenticity/basickit/annex11.html
(Ignore what it says about bone/horn/wood toggles, there is virtually no evidence for them in the archaeological record. Admittedly they wouldn't survive well in the ground, but their total absence, as compared to other small items of the same materials, suggests they weren't used. The leather toggles it shows are far more likely to be authentic.)

This looks like a possibly useful Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/periodshoes/?fref=ts
I only found it while I was writing this, but it looks promising.

If you're interested in early medieval shoes this Facebook group may be useful (both for research and selling):
https://www.facebook.com/groups/624164817603195/?fref=ts

A word of warning about Facebook groups - be wary of posting to groups that are not explicitly SCA-oriented. The SCA has a very different approach to authenticity to that of most European re-enactors, and SCAdians can be subjected to very unpleasant levels of mockery and vitriol.

Printed resources:

If you're seriously interested in historical shoes, this is just about essential:
http://www.amazon.com/Archaeological-Footwear-Development-Patterns-Prehistory/dp/9089321179/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421324590&sr=1-1
Vast selection of shoes, with (very small) cutting patterns.

This is also very good, has a different selection of shoes. I would strongly recommend both books but if you have to choose this would be my second choice:
http://www.amazon.com/Stepping-Through-Time-Archaeological-Prehistoric/dp/9089320024/ref=la_B001KCUT80_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421324595&sr=1-2

Much less comprehensive, and less useful for reconstructing, but well worth a read and half the price of the other two:
http://www.amazon.com/Shoes-Pattens-Medieval-Excavations-London/dp/1843832380/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421324583&sr=1-1

The raw food movement and plant-based diet is hailed as being the way to achieve alkalinity. Whenever you hear 'pH', you hear 'water' which is what certain vegetables and fruits contain. Instead of using medication to treat a condition, whole foods heal and strengthen the entire being minus foreign substances common in pill form. The old adage "You are what you eat" applies here hence eating processed, non-organic foods (ex. dairy) will acidify blood and lead to a host of health issues. Pretty scary stuff, right?

Who doesn't want to feel and look his/her best? And becoming alkaline seems to be the path everybody should follow...?

Cons

• One hundred percent organic produce is one of the tenets in a raw food diet and also a con given the costs. However, someone can grow his/her own fruits and vegetables but the hindrance is once the particular item is gone you will have to go to the store. Speaking of costs, some raw foodists suggest buying a dehydrator to takes care of any form of "baking" but not at the cost of time. On average, a lot of dehydrating requires 4-8 hours!
  
  
• Raw: Food in its purest, whole, form and not cooked to preserve the nutrients. Steaming vegetables is acceptable and raw soups can be "gently warmed" in a blender -- since this is where most of the food is made -- or on the stove on very low heat.
  
  
• Second, think of your home like a cocoon. All of your creature comforts and safety are in one place until you leave. With this said, traveling and an alkaline diet do not always travel well. Certain but most raw foods stay fresh for a certain amount of time until it needs refrigeration and bringing a blender on a plane - even if it is portable - is not exactly practical! Unless you're going to a region where raw food and produce stands are aplenty, it is highly unlikely the diet will be compromised.
  
  
• Information. Even as I type this, the knowledge of a plant-based diet was acquired from books. Learning all of these new things are exciting! It's especially rewarding when you find information complementing each other. Unfortunately learning about achieving "optimal health" is strictly matter of opinion with misinformation being the crux of it all. I have not read enough of these books to find one written by a medical doctor. One book I read The Beauty Detox Solution advocates a strictly plant-based diet to eliminate toxins causing weight gain and skin problems. Although the author is a raw vegan -- to a point -- she stresses a concept she named "beauty food pairings" which pairs easily digestible foods to cleanse the body. Initially I liked what I read since I began applying the principles to clear my acne. Although as I went further in the book, the author contradicted herself and posed a lot of scare tactics like if you have acne then "your organs are not functioning properly". She also pushes taking digestive enzymes before meals. I never had to before and when I did try the diet, the pills did nothing except garner me weird looks from friends and family which I told "I carry my vitamins with me". All in all, I quit Beauty Detox and have never felt better. Choose your materials wisely and always do research.
  
  Collectively, I hope all of your responses shed light on your question. Good luck!

Hey there,
I was diagnosed too around 23 yrs old with alopecia. I kept feeling like while I was loosing my hair "well, if I keep the rest of my hair I can deal..." Then it was crap... if I can keep the rest of my eyebrows it'll be ok.

I had alopecia areata and then it progressed to alopecia universalis (hair gone from all over your body). My hair was lost all over for about a year (surprisingly at that time I met my boyfriend who I am now still with, 3 years later! :) ).
It was really hard, but I think it's easier to go through it now at 24 than if you were like 14 or 15 years old (kids can be so cruel!!!).

There's an awesome book I really liked reading :
http://www.amazon.ca/Your-Hair-Falls-Keep-Dancing/dp/1933449586

I had a really shitty time at first (people telling me "well, isn't there anything you can do??). Lots of crying in the shower (it seemed like every time I washed my hair I lost so much!!)

I actually wish I still had no hair (my hair is growing back like a mowhawk). There are some pretty awesome wigs out there that look better than your natural hair!!.

My eyebrows grew back eventually on their own, but when I had none, I got cortisone injections from the dermatologist and that helped them and my eyelashes grow.

I'm so thankful I can now go around the house with my boyfriend with no wig! I even found a yoga studio I feel comfortable enough at that I only wear a little beanie to practice yoga!! You'd be surprised how accepting people can be as long as you learn to accept it yourself :)

I hope this helps.

All I know is that I think this was a blessing to me in a weird way. I'm much stronger and nicer and more accepting than I was before!!!!

Good luck :) xoxoxo

Black hair in general grows a bit slower than our Asian and Caucasian counterparts- clocking in at .9 cm a month versus (Asian & Caucasian each coming in at about 1.3 and then 1.2 cm a month), but please know that it is possible to grow ethnic hair long!

It's great that you're regularly getting it trimmed. That's one of the best things that you can do for retaining length.

If her ends are dry, have you thought of trying a new hair routine? If not, I recommend you (or whoever does her hair) take a peek at this book. Many people can get overwhelmed at the special care that ethnic hair requires but after you get a great routine it all becomes so simple! I love how easy it is for me compared to when I used to chemically straighten it. Anyway, I just wanted a reason to drop that book haha. I know how important it is to love our hair so hopefully she begins to love hers, too! It's some of the most versatile hair on this planet. Quite lovely, really. :)

I'm writing this as a main comment so I know you'll see this, rather than down in response to /u/hambonedinosaur. I also see that you already say you're going to go for it, but I thought I'd toss in my two cents anyway.

EDIT: If you read one thing I have to say, be it this - check out this reading about the PA here. It's from The Piercing Bible, a fantastic source about anything piercing. It's extremely helpful, and it's what convinced me to get my PA. Seriously. It's really helpful.

I got my PA last summer, about 9 months ago, and I have no regret about it. I was pierced with 12g, which I recommend. 8g is unnecessarily large for initial piercing, and will lead to A LOT of bleeding. I'd say go for 10g at most. With 12g, there wasn't too much bleeding. It healed very quickly, my gf and I had sex three or four days after.

Don't worry one bit about your size. Your piercer doesn't care, and they'll understand about it being small. I'm average sized, and when I got pierced it was the smallest I've ever seen it. I think it knew the needle was coming, and was trying to hide. /u/hambonedinosaur said the receiving tube (goes down your urethra to receive the needle) was the worst part. I disagree with this. The tube wasn't painful, just awkward feeling. I'd never felt anything stretch/put pressure on my urethra like that before, it was definitely interesting. If your piercer starts to use foreceps instead of a tube, ask them to stop and use a tube instead. And don't worry about the pain of the needle, it's instantaneous and gets better as soon as it's through. The euphoria that comes after outweighs the pain 10:1 and makes the pain seem like nothing. You will be walking awkwardly after and the next day or two as you figure things out haha.

I wore thin pads for the first couple of days, and it was plenty to catch the dribbles of blood that came out with movement. At night, I slept with a rubber latex glove and paper towel gently rubber banded on. That helped a lot not spreading mess in bed. The first night was by far the most bleeding of all nights, but it wasn't much at all (a teaspoon maybe?). I was scared as shit to get a boner and tried my best not to. You really don't have to worry, you will get a boner in your first few days, but it's not going to be as catastrophic as you may believe (at least I did, I thought it would make me start bleeding).

It's important to keep it clean. When you shower, take a minute to lather your hand, gently rub the soap around. Put soap on the ring, and turn the ring so it rotates as much as possible through piercing hole and urethra. The first week or two you will get dead cell build-up and (while you're still bleeding) dried blood on the ring. It's very important to thoroughly get this off, it is uncomfortable as fuck for shit stuck on your ring to go through the hole. If you happen to not take a shower every day, make sure you clean the ring at least once a day. I recommend soaking it (I put soapy water in a shot glass and let it soak for a few minutes, while I brushed my teeth), then using a q-tip and saline solution to gently rub/scrub any build-up off. You'll noticed after a week, two, three, that your ring stops getting as much build-up as it did, and then you can stop cleaning it as religiously. Still give a minute to clean it whenever you shower.

If your piercer only gives you the jewelry they put in you and no extras (that's what mine did), MAKE SURE YOU GET EXTRAS! Doesn't matter where, whether you buy them there or at a mall or whatever, just have a few extras lying around. You never know when you'll need one, and don't want to be caught without one. I've lost the ball in my compression ring a few times - thankfully not the ring, but could've easily happened. Just last week I lost my horseshoe ring at work when I was going to the bathroom and noticed as I was shaking off one of the balls had come unscrewed, and as I noticed that, it went flying and went down the drain of the toilet. RIP horseshoe ring. And (you may be different from me) when I got home 9 hrs later and put my compressing ring in, it took a bit of convincing to go in. So don't leave your ring out for an extended period for a long while, it could shrink.

Going back to gauging, I recommend NOT starting at 8g, start at 10 or 12. It's easy to go up. I'm at a 10 now and am planning on going to an 8g in a few months. I'm taking this slowly. One of my friends who has a PA said that (if you don't want to gauge to a 0 or 00 or whatever) 6g is a good stopping place - just the right size, good weight, etc.

Anyway. That was a lot longer than I had planned making this. It's going to be awesome, and I'm confident you're going to love it. Don't let your douchebag brain get you all worked up and worried about how much it's going to hurt or how terrible it's going to be. Tell that little voice to stfu and go sit in the corner. It won't be nearly as bad as anything that little voice in your head will make you think it'll be. You're going to love it as soon as your pierced.

Cheers, and good luck! (Sorry for the essay....)

It was part of the cultural changes that occurred in the early 20th Century.

Advertisements for depilatories for women can be found in magazines going back to the mid 19th Century. Women's fashions at that time covered most of a woman's body, so removing underarm or leg hair wasn't perceived as something necessary. However, advertisements of the time often marketed to women creams which would give them 'perfect complexions'. Part of the idea of the perfect complexion was not having hair anywhere but the top of the head. So women who were a little more hirsute than average would want a way to get rid of excess hair on their upper lip or forearms.

In the nineteen teens, women's fashions changed. A type of blouse colloquially referred to as a 'pneumonia blouse' became popular; they were extremely sheer and delicate, which meant that thick, dark underarm hair could be seen beneath them. Also, sleeveless evening dresses became fashionable, especially on the dance floor (ballroom dancing was a craze at this time.) These fads mostly occurred among the upper class. There were a number of popular women's magazines at the time, but Harper's Bazaar specifically targeted upper class women, and they were the first ones to run advertisements encouraging women to get rid of underarm hair.

[Here] (http://imgur.com/WrgTZmN) is the first known ad for underarm hair removal; it ran in Harper's Bazaar in May 1915. This was such a novel idea at the time that they don't even use the word shave; they refer to 'smoothing' women's skin. Shaving was something men did. This Gillette ad is from 1916; it was the first razor marketed especially to women. Again, no 'shave'. It referred to 'smoothing'.

I know you asked specifically about legs, but I wanted to explain where this started. By 1925, ads for underarm hair removal were common in women's magazines and middle class women had picked up the habit as well. As 1920's women shortened their skirts, these same magazine ads began to recommend removing leg hair. They would show images of women in short skirts or bathing suits with perfectly smooth, hairless legs. This Veet ad from 1924 is a great example. This one, also from 1924, specifically uses the word 'limbs' in the text, which was considered more feminine than 'legs'.

Women in the teens and twenties were going through a period of rapid social change which affected every aspect of their lives. They began to actively take part in the new consumer culture that was developing, and industries responded by making products especially for them. Women's magazines then advertised the products widely. Hair removal was marketed as a necessary female trait, and the offending hair was referred to in ads with words like objectionable, unsightly, or embarrassing, while hair-free women would be referred to as clean, dainty, and sanitary.

The ritual of removing female body hair became widespread by the 1940's, as these products became cheaper and hair-free female bodies began to be seen as normal. The practice went along with other behaviors which became common in the 1920's, like wearing makeup and trying to 'reduce' (lose weight). These things changed the concept of the feminine ideal in America.


Some sources:


The Body Project : An Intimate History of American Girls

Hope in a Jar: The Making of America's Beauty Culture

Caucasian Female Body Hair and American Culture, by Christina Hope. This was an article published in 2004 in the Journal of American Culture. I cannot find a copy of it online, but it is quite informative.

I'm so happy for this thread! In American libraries, go to 646 to find cosmetics. I would totally encourage you to stop in next time you're near your local branch, because free makeup books are awesome.

Sephora's book would be great for beginners, lots of pictures, and has some product suggestions as well.

I also liked Carmindy's books for beginners or easy looks. They're easy, approachable, photo-heavy.

Paula Begoun's Beauty Bible has a very dense chapter about classic makeup and application. I definitely recommend it if you want to learn application for work, or formal or conservative situations. If you're more into fashionable and creative makeup it has less to offer there, though it's probably still worth a skim.

Color Me Beautiful (website) was the 90's classic for finding your undertone.
Life in Color by Jesse Garza is a beautiful newer book, mostly about clothes but it has a chapter on coloring and makeup. I think this one's great for learning about complementary colors.

How to Look Expensive has a fun chapter about makeup, which is not really about looking expensive. It has a couple pretty tutorials and lots of dupes.

Bobbi Brown has a new book, Everything Eyes (2014). I only flipped through it but it looked gorgeous. Check it out for applications for various eye shapes and makeup for glasses. Her books Living Beauty and Beauty Evolution are also great if you're starting with makeup in your 30s or later.

Robert Jones has a kind of specific personal style and uses a limited color palette, but I think I recall his books have a lot about contouring, eye makeup, and formal occasions/photos (edit grammar).

I've been obsessed with color my whole life. I had my colors done when I was in middle school. Now I'm an "older redditor".

It's taken many years, but I finally come up with a simple 80% solution.


First, consider your natural hair color. If it's grey now, use the color it was when you were younger.

• Cool hair colors: Black, brown-black, white-blonde and ash
  
  
• Warm hair colors: Red, auburn, brown, strawberry blonde and yellow blonde
  
  
  Pick one of the following palettes based on your hair color:
  
  
• Cool: Black, gray, magenta, purple, blue, turquoise, maybe green, and maybe red
  
  
• Warm: Brown, beige, green, yellow, orange, red, maybe turquoise, maybe purple.
  
  
  Second, consider your overall appearance: does your face look clear/bright/contrasty or soft/gentle/muted? If you answered soft/gentle/muted, tone down the colors in your palette as follows:
  
  
• Bright colors: Turquoise, blue, purple, magenta, red, orange, yellow and green.
  
  
• Muted colors: Teal, powder blue, lilac, mauve, oxblood, rust, gold, and olive.
  
  
  When you go shopping, wear your absolute favorite shirt or scarf. Preferably something you've had for a few years and still love. Your favorite will be a good color for you. Anything you try on, hold it up to your face, and ask yourself if that color looks as good on you as your favorite.
  
  
  The best book on the subject is Color Me Confident

I'm back!

Usually the info about beauty, makeup, and hairstyles, are found in fashion history books, so here a couple of general fashion history:

• Auguste Racinet. Complete Costume History, is like THE fashion history book. Published in the 19th century, includes info not only about fashion, but beauty, hairstyles, interior design, fabrics, prints, etc. If you want to buy it, take the version of the link. There is a cheaper edition, but it is smaller, and the point of this book is the amount of detail in the illustrations, so go for the big one.
  
• Pictorial Encyclopedia of Historic Costume: 1200 Full-Color Figures, by Karl Rohrbach
  
• A Pictorial History of Costume From Ancient Times to the Nineteenth Century: With Over 1900 Illustrated Costumes, Including 1000 in Full Color, by Wolfgang Bruhn & Max Tilke.
  
  Some books about beauty:
  
  
• The book Facing Beauty:  Painted Women and Cosmetic Art analyses the beauty and makeup through the eyes of art, from the Renaissance to the early 20th century.
  
• Face Paint: The History of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge, she is a makeup artists for celebrities and fashion editorials, and she has a YouTube channel with videos that are a nice complement to the book.
  
• Beauty and Cosmetics 1550–1950, by Sarah Jane Downing.
  
• If you're more like a experimentation person, take a look at The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty, which ahs tutorials for hair and makeup.
  
• Classic Beauty: The History of Makeup, by Gabriela Hernández.
  
• This edition of Arqueología Mexicana (E37) is all about body modification in the prehispanic cultures: face an body paint, tattoos, ear, mouth, and nose piercings.... It is sadly not available to read online, BUT you can buy it and they send it anywhere in the world. It is a bilingual edition.
  
  Here some online resources:
  
  
• On this site there's a compilation of articles about makeup through the ages.
  
• Here's another cosmetics site with more resources from ancient times to the 2000s.
  
• A little bit about Victorian Makeup and beauty.
  
• A paper published on a dermatology journal, COSMETICS AND SKIN CARE PRODUCTS: A Historical Perspective, by ZoeDiana Draelos MD.
  
• Silvousplaits on YouTube reproduces historical hairstyles.
  
• Also on YouTube, Janet Stephens is my favourite with the most accurate historical hairstyles, and a ton of research behind. She does not upload so often, but you can follow her on Facebook too.
  
• If you're fluent in Spanish, you can download this paper about body modification in the prehispanic Mexico.
  
• A little bit about tattoos in Ancient Egypt.
  
• A LOT of downloadable papers about body modification in Ancient cultures.
  
  And finally, not a resource, but LBCC Historical sells beauty products from historical recipes of different centuries, but you know, without lead and stuff XD
  
  Yeah, I'm a fashion history nerd, in case you haven't noticed.

Some of the best info is held in two books:

The Art of Perfumery, by G. W. Septimus Piesse amazon link here

and

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Soaps, Volume 2, by W. A. Poucher, Vol amazon link here

The first is historical, but very helpful to explain what perfume manufacture was like in the nineteenth century, and how basic accords were made. Also, he gives some very simple and helpful ways to reproduce the scents of flowers which are hard to capture in nature by using other materials.

The second book (by Poucher) is part of a 4-book series. This volume, along with Vol 1, are the most useful. They lay out some of the very fundamental building blocks of how perfume ingredients are made, reconstructed - how to create basic accords, what the essence of accords are, how they are shifted slightly through changes in ingredients, etc. It's a perfect mix of technical information, historical background, and practical advice.

I would also second the info previous posted about consulting the demonstration formulas at GoodScents, and also the DIY forum at Basenotes. The DIY forum can be a bit advanced, but some folks will help you with basic questions - just be sure to first search through their older posts with advice for beginners (I had many questions answered here that I would have spent weeks asking for otherwise.)

If you are actually looking to start studying and making perfume, my advice to a beginner is that there will be a lot to learn ahead of you, and it's best to embrace this as a great part of the process. To this day, I am constantly asking myself questions, learning about new materials, studying new things, finding better ways to work, etc. It's an unlimited field of inquiry. If you're learning all that alongside study of perfumes out in the marketplace, both fields of study will complement each other. You'll begin to understand how fragrances are made, and when you first recognize a scent component being used in a mainstream perfume, it's a bit of a revelation!

They're just jealous of us! But seriously, I have been getting strangers randomly coming up to me making comments my whole life. Compliments, yes, but some were very . . . over enthusiastic or even occasionally subtly condescending. People sometimes seem to be half-charmed, half-frightened by red hair. And some just plain fetishize it.

The history goes way back. For example, mythology and Western iconography portray Mary Magdalene as having red-gold hair, which was a visual shortcut associated with “fallen women” and sexuality. And there’s the whole DaVinci Code thing about Jesus and Mary Magdalene having descendants and a rose being the symbolic representation of the ongoing bloodline, possibly literally expressed genetically through red hair. (That would be something the fine folks over Conspiracy might be interested in, if they weren’t mostly garbage people.)

I have come across a couple pretty cool books about the history of redheads -

Roots of Desire: The Myth, Meaning, and Sexual Power of Red Hair

And

Red: A History of the Redhead

That one has a pretty good blurb summarizing how rich and interesting the genetic and cultural history or red hair is:
>With an obsessive fascination that is as contagious as it is compelling, author Jacky Colliss Harvey (herself a redhead) begins her exploration of red hair in prehistory and traces the redhead gene as it made its way out of Africa with the early human diaspora to its emergence under Northern skies. She goes on to explore red hair in the ancient world; the prejudice manifested against red hair across medieval Europe; red hair during the Renaissance as both an indicator of Jewishness during the Inquisition and the height of fashion in Protestant England, under the reign of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I; the modern age of art and literature, and the first positive symbols of red hair in children's characters; modern medicine and science and the genetic and chemical decoding of red hair; and finally, red hair in contemporary culture, from advertising and exploitation to "gingerism"and the new movement against bullying.

For a cheaper read there’s An Esoteric History of Red Hair

Honestly, what I find most annoying is people asking me if my hair color is natural. It’s not super prying, exactly, but I just don’t like it.

High The two girls here are named Kara and Hayley and both of them love books. Hayley is six and she would love this book I did tell her she was a little old for it but she really loves the movie and it would make her happy. Kara is really obsessed with braiding everything right now so she would lovethis book so she could learn more that just a regular braid. They are both awesome kids who have been through a lot of changes recently and they both love reading. both of these books are on their wishlists and prime so there should be no shipping issues if they are chosen. Thanks for the offer it is really sweet of you.

Don't have a favorite online tutorial, but I bought this book Eye Candy on a whim a few years back and it has served well for "how to" tips and inspiration for a long time. It has a section at the beginning that talks about different methods of color applications (brushes, etc.), what is the difference between media (powder shadows, creams, gels) tips for brow shaping, and so forth. And then the bulk of the book is individual eye looks, from fairly natural looking to super dramatic, and it gives you a step-by-step, almost paint-by-numbers guide to creating the look on yourself.

Can't speak for everyone else regarding primers, but I usually only use them if I am applying the shadow in the morning and I am really wanting it to look the same all day and into the evening, like if I have an event to go to. The other time I use primer is if I have a shadow color that I like, but it normally applies kind of "weak", the primer will help you get more color payoff because the shadow clings to it better than a bare eyelid.

Hello! Welcome to RAOA :D

Oooh soaps! That's awesome. Do you have a website or anything where you sell your soaps? I've seen Dead sea mud in soap, but never thought about how someone who wants to make it would obtain some >_> maybe this? or here's some Pink Himalayan Salt.

This book and this seem interesting.

I thought this was funny :3 and here's a badass cat!

I watched this video a long time ago and it's my favorite (:

Thanks for the awesome contest :D

I don't use this, but I know friends who do, it comes HIGHLY recommended
http://learningherbs.com/ I DO have the Wildcraft game, and it is quite fun!
I also have a friend who does soap making, and myself and others make our own bath products
https://www.brambleberry.com/ (soap making supplies)
http://crunchybetty.com/ (DIY cosmetic stuffs from food)
https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/ (Herbs, and teas and all in between)

ALL of these have some recipes, and other content associated with them, but you will have to do a little digging. And yes, they want you to buy their stuff, but you have to from somewhere right?
Hope that helps and is what you are looking for.

ETA: https://www.amazon.com/Enchantments-Spells-Bath-Beauty-Enhancement/dp/0738701688/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473051633&sr=8-1&keywords=Enchantments+Edain+Mccoy Author isn't a fave for some, but this book is just recipes and goodies for the bath and stuff.

Well, I knew about three, but since no one recommended any, here they are!

• Classic Beauty: The History of Makeup by Gabriela Hernandez
  
  
• HISTORY OF COMPACTS AND COSMETICS: From Victorian Times to the Present Day by Madeleine Marsh - the author of this book talked about the history of makeup in two of Lisa Eldridge's videos, and it was incredibly interesting! ( Video1 Video 2 )
  
  
• Fashions in Makeup: From Ancient to Modern Times
  by Richard Corson
  
  All of these are on my wishlist, but I hoped to add some cool other books that I hadn't heard of. :)

Well, I'd recommend my books (but I'm obviously biased :) ). There's a big ol' list of em here:

• The Fundamentals of Men's Style: How to be a well-dressed man
  
• Style for Short Guys
  
• Style for Tall Guys
  
• Style for Fat Guys
  
• Style for Strong Guys
  
• Style for Thin Guys
  
  Other than that, Reddit's own /r/malefashionadvice is excellent, there are heaps of extremely knowledgeable gents in there who really know their stuff. Same goes for Style Forum.
  
  I shop anywhere and everywhere. Most of it is done locally here in Australia, but I try to shop online to test out American labels wherever possible. I have some Lands' End stuff on the way, as well as a big order from J.Crew and Dockers. There are lots of sales on in the US at the moment so it's a good time.

I'm agnostic and from the West - but why do we completely dismiss the possibility that perhaps (some of) these women wear hijabs/burkhas et al by choice? And not because of coercion from outside, misogynistic sources? What if they feel that it's a way of expressing themselves and participating/holding onto their culture?

Edit: If you have the time/the money/the desire, you may want to consider reading this book.

It was in the curriculum for one of my upper level history courses called "Church and State."

The first two months I did 30-60 minutes of cardio every other day and started eating less knowing absolutely nothing about fitness and nutrition.

Then i bought this book and some other books about a healthy diet. I followed the routine for 60 days, started counting calories (2000calories, then 2500, now 3000). Today I had my third workout at the gym, looking to get some of that muscle back (I'm as strong as I was with 13 years, ouch)

i'm sorry, i thought that challenge was very popular.

you do a lot of body-weight exercises for all body parts like 3-4 times a week. in most of the sessions, the time between the excercises is limited to keep the pauses as short as possible. every week there is an evaluation session where you can test your skills and might move up to a harder "level" of the exercise.

This is the book: https://www.amazon.com/90-Day-Bodyweight-Challenge-Men/dp/3868837736

In France, the notion of citizen / citizenship, secularism ("laïcité"), and the "Public" have specific, important components that are often poorly understood by non-French. It is something worth reading about.

Style for Fat Guys highly recommended.

Lisa Elirdige did a few videos about the history of makeup and recommends this book

You should read "Hope in a Jar" by Kathy Peiss

It's a book by Mark Lauren, there's one for men and women on German Amazon, unfortunately only the male version in the US for some reason:

http://www.amazon.com/90-Day-Bodyweight-Challenge-Men/dp/3868837736/

There's this one however, for women: http://www.amazon.com/Body-You-Guide-Womens-Fitness/dp/0345528972/