Hairstyles - Come and Go.

  Hair styles have come and gone over time with some even making an appearance more than once while others faded into the mists of time.

Today, I'll be exploring several different hairstyles that evolved due to a variety of reasons.

The first one, the Bedford crop, made its appearance in 1795 due to a tax placed on hair powder combined with a shortage of flour caused the Duke of Bedford and his followers to ignore powdered wigs and revert to short hair.  They used a bit of wax to hold the side part in place but otherwise, their hair was natural.  This type of hair do made its appearance again and again over time as it alternated with longer hair styles.

The second, the Titus Cut, also appeared in 1795 but it was the first short hair cut for females.  In this style the hair was cut quite short and swept upwards to expose the neck.  The hair cut was a result of the French Revolution where they cut women's hair quite short so they could be placed in the guillotine.  The style disappeared when the French Revolution ended and long hair became fashionable again but it reappeared in various styles in the 1920's and the 1960's.

Then there are sausage curls which originally appeared in the 1830's in which women gathered their hair on each side of their head and force it into ringlets that framed their faces.  Although the style disappeared for awhile, it reappeared in the early days of the film industry when Mary Pickford chose to wear that style.  She popularized it again.

Of course, there is the standard bowl cut that has made its appearance throughout history.  It appears as early as the 12th century in Europe.  This simple style had the hair cut about the same length all around the head.  It got its name since a bowl was placed on the head and used as a cutting guide. It made an appearance in the 1960's again when the Beetles their version and soon it spread around the UK and America.

Another style that's been around for a very long time is the mullet.  Yes it was popular in the 1990's but it's been around since Homer's day but the term Mullet didn't appear till the Beastie Boys used it in one of their songs.  It is said the style kept men's necks warm and dry while making it harder to grab a warriors hair during battle.  It never really went out of style but kept coming back again and again.

There is also the Pompadour, the style associated with Johnny Cash and Elvis but it has been around since the mid 1700's when Madame Pompadour who was the mistress of King Louis XV.  This style has the hair coming off the forehead in a roll but before the country singers began wearing it, women wore it as part of the Gibson Girl style.

These are just a few hairstyles that have come into popularity, gone, and come back.  On Monday, I'll be looking at the history of wigs and their use through history.  I hope you enjoyed reading about these stories.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

Foundation for the Face!

 I use a bit of foundation myself but I always have trouble choosing the correct shade.  I always think I need something darker but I've learned to use just a touch with my sunscreen to get the proper look.

Foundation is not something new as it has been around for a very long time.  There are references to it being used in Ancient Greece and Rome.  Unfortunately, foundation at this point consisted of white lead which was quite poisonous or they used a white chalk to create the desired pale skin.


This trend of using white lead continued all the way to Queen Elizabeth's court in the 16th century.  It was better known ass Venetian ceruse, a mixture of vinegar and lead use to cover the smallpox scars on the face and make the skin quite pale.  Unfortunately, this mixture was deadly and could kill people.  In addition, it could rot people's teeth, cause hair loss, and permanently discolor users skin.

Around the time of Charles II in the 17th century, women preferred a darker skin tone due to having to stay inside to avoid the plague.  By the 18th century, pale skin once again became the desired skin tone. Fortunately, by the 19th century, people were using mixes of zinc oxide, glycerin, or calamine lotion to cover imperfections or discolorations, These liquids only came in red, pink, and white shades.

In Germany, an actor mixed zinc, ochre, vermillion,  and lard to create the first greasepaint used in theaters. He developed it to cover the line formed between his wig and his forehead.  Others were so impressed with his mixture, they wanted it so he began producing greasepaint commercially.  Pretty soon, greasepaint was the standard in theater for foundation.  Unfortunately, it did not work well in the movie industry during closeups.

Max Factor was unhappy with the appearance of greasepaint on screen so he desired a new type of make up in 1914.  He called it Pan-cake.  It was talc based and applied with a damp sponge so the powder laid beautifully on the skin to create a more natural finish, especially during closeups.   Hollywood fell in love with the way it made them look on screen and actresses begged to get some for their personal use.  Eventually he released it to the public in the 1930's because women wanted to recreate the glamorous look Hollywood starlets wore.

Liquid foundation finally appeared on the scene during the late 1930's and 1940's  as a leg film when women quit wearing stockings.  Women used this foundation on their legs to even the color out and "cover up" their legs. The mixture was resistant to being rubbed off, sweated off, and didn't transfer color to other things.

Women in America were able to obtain certain types of make-up during World War II because the government declared it would help keep the moral of the men up whereas most make-up in Europe and other war torn countries couldn't get it commercially.  After the war, make-up became available again to all.

In 1952,  Coty released a tinted foundation designed to sit lightly on the skin, was free from grease, and came in 6 shades. Since then, other lines have created a variety of foundations in so many different shades, most everyone can find something.

As I said earlier, I use a bit of foundation in my sunscreen to give me a bit of color, smooth out my skin, and keep me from looking so pale in the middle of winter.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear. Have a good day.

Iceland Part 2, The Countryside.

I signed up for three tours while I was in Iceland.  One of the tours took us out to look at four main sites but the day was rainy, cold, and quite windy so I spend the minimum amount of time outside taking pictures.  The rain and wind made the day seem so much colder.

The first stop was at the exhibition focused on the 2008 earthquake.  This exhibit is found in a small mall just outside of Reykjavik and just past the geothermal plant that provides all the hot water for the city.

This is one of the posters that explains more about the 6.3 earthquake and the damage it caused when it hit Iceland in 2008.  There are a couple of other posters providing more information and a glassed over area on the floor that covered what looks like a open lava area but it may be lights.

This shoes what one house looked like after the earthquake.  In addition, there is an actual kitchen dining room set up which shows broken dishes all over the place.  It was quite interesting to see the display.  

On the way to the caldera, the bus stopped long enough for us to grab a couple of photos of some Icelandic horses.  They are quite small but sturdy and they have no problem surviving the rough weather.  It was hard to get this photo because too many people wanted selfies with the animals.  

Before long, we headed off to visit a caldera, Kerikd crater.  This crater actually has a lake at the bottom but since it was winter and so cold, it had a layer of ice over it.  The last time I took this particular tour, we didn't stop here so I'm glad I got to see something new. 

From here, we head off to the Gullfoss waterfalls which are absolutely breathtaking, especially in summer.  Unfortunately, it was not quite as impressive because of the rain, sleet, and wind we had to put up with.  In addition, there was a bit of ice on the walkways we had to watch but overall, it is still a great visit.

Gullfoss Falls

Gullfoss Falls.

We had lunch at the Geyser park which had a huge number of active geysers.  There was a place which offered four awesome choices of soup so I chose to warm up first before I headed off to check out the geysers.

The geyser area has the original geyser which still sends off lots of steam but does not actually blow that often but another one, Strokkur, is much more active.  You can see it above as it bubbles and steams.  If you watch carefully, the water level begins to move and suddenly

The hot water begins to shoot up into the air.  There is a small fence around this geyser to keep people a safe distance away.

And it looks like a cloud when it has reached its height.  I feel lucky to have managed these three shots without anyone stepping in the way to take a selfie.  From here I headed back to the bus but on the way I passed a young geyser that boiled and bubbled but didn't shoot up.  In addition, I saw what looks like a small geothermal plant for the hotel and buildings at this park.

I hope you enjoyed these photos I took and shared with you.  I'll be back to my normal columns on Wednesday.  Have a great day and let me know what you think.  

Empire Building

The Viking empire expansion time table!

You Too!

You too can be a Viking!

13 Santas + 1 Cat = 1 Icelandic Christmas.

While on the Circle Tour, the guide shared information with us on the Icelandic Christmas traditions. It is interesting that Iceland has 13 different Santas at this time of the year.  Each Santa has a specific day they bring gifts to put in shoes placed on the window sills beginning on December 11th.  This continues until December 24th.  Each Santa has it's own identity such as the one who steals pans so he can eat crusts on December 14th, or the one who loves to lick bowls and arrives on the 17th.

The other interesting thing about these Santas is they are the off spring of two trolls.  Their mother, Gryla is a smart but evil troll who searches for children who do not behave well the whole year.  She takes them to make a stew out of.  Her husband, Leppaludi, is less smart and definitely quite lazy.  He is her 3rd husband.

Then there is the Christmas cat who is not a very friendly cat because it hunts children who did not receive any new clothing for Christmas.  Once it finds such children, the cat eats them.  You find cats all over the place.  As you can see, there is a huge Christmas cat sculpture out in the middle of the courtyard near the concert center.  It is ferocious looking and found in windows and all over the place.

The cat is also the household pet to the parents of the 13 Santas so that may be why it goes after children to eat them.

Christmas is a very very unique season over here.  In addition to these stories, the city of Reykjavik is decorated with so many lights that everything shines.  On a trip I took (more on that next column) I saw gas stations decorated with lights, cemeteries with crosses decorated in lights, trees stuck here and there covered in lights.

As I said, Christmas is everywhere.  This tree is just outside the Harpa Concert center.  I"m must sure how tall it is but it is quite tall and filled with lights.  

This is what many of the streets look like with Christmas bells hung above the streets.

Finally, even at the docks they have strings of lights strung across the boats tied up at the port behind the Harpa center.  

I hope you enjoyed the quick look at Reykjavik during the holiday season.  I'll share some last photos in the next entry before I move on to more of my usual things.  If you ever get a chance to visit this country do so,  It is so much fun.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.

Happy New Year.

Happy New Year from Iceland.  The video of the fireworks was taken at the Lutheran Church downtown.  Although, the use of fireworks is prohibited most of the year, Icelandic Search and Rescue is allowed to sell it as a fund raiser at this time of year.  Everyone fires it off beginning around 8 PM and all of it around midnight.