Autumn mists....mellow fruitfulness my arse!

We all know that Autumn brings nothing but damp weather and that means.....Frizz.

The curse of the modern woman!

Snoods are a godsend taming the back of the hair but don't bung it on like Ena sharples pulling it to the front of your head! I was in North Yorkshire at the weekend and the abuse of snoods and hairnets was appalling!

Think Vivien leigh in 'Gone with the wind'...a snood is a dressing for the back of your hair! you must add height at the front. A centre parting like Vivs will only work on a slim face really, for chunkier Madames try a roll at the front (a pompadour) or two soft rolls.....(not baps)

Take this lady here in the B&W photo. A genuine wartime photo. Her rolls are actually more like loose twists. Secured with a few pins they work better on longer heavy hair. Have a fiddle on these long dark nights, you might get a satifactory result.

Thats all for now mes enfants!

B.

Where is Summer?

'Achh. I grow veary of ze wezzer....' Marlene was always complaining about the bloody weather, these European Bohemian types are always a tad dreary..

Here's a little foreign inspiration for you. This bird is German, met her on a cruise in 1937-thank God for depilation...she looked like Sasquatch prior to some nifty tweezering and a pot of wax.

A Simple stylish finger wave, set on damp but not sopping wet hair! Lots of setting lotion but use the plant -mister thing to put it on.

It's all about following your hairs natural direction...don't go against the grain! Again a photo tutorial is coming but right now I've a lazy kidney and I'm not of a mind to post it...

Mme Beryl.

Crich

Well, Mme Enid and myself attended the WW2 event at Crich. 'Dunkirk to Alamein' (via D-Day and Chow Mein it would seem)
There was little opportunity for hairdressing. The sun shone and the cider flowed and Mme lost the urge due to a lack of available space.
Mme Enid kept it simple hair wise this weekend, a simple victory roll with chignon.

If only posting pics was as easy...damned lack of rotational ability....Anyway this was easily achieved. The hair was sectioned with the two rolls in about 3" sections and rolled and pinned (I use grips to secure it and pins to secure the top of the rolls.) The chignon was purely twisted..until it turned up on itself and then secured with pins. A liberal coating of hair spray left a hole in the ozone layer above Crich and kept Enids hair in place.

Pin curling and rocket science.

Pin curling, well it's up there with learning mandarin and splitting the atom.
Well, not quite.... it's all about the basics.
See the pictures? If you go wrong it's usually because your technique is wrong. How do you know you got it wrong? You'll have piggly-wiggly tails sticking out the ends of your curls.
so then you need to follow a pattern. This is where it gets tricky and a friend is a help!
See these two ladies? Jolly good friends by the looks of things and perfectly Coiffeured as a result. Go to my photobucket site to see patterns for setting your pin curls and I'll be adding a pin curl photo-tutorial after Easter. All images belong to me, rob them at your peril.
http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t299/Sredni_Vashtar/

Implements! Implements! Implements!

So, before we begin here's a list of things you might need.

Setting lotion (this really is good stuff and works better than modern gels and sprays) although there are some good heat defence styling products on the market that hold and protect.
Amami is still available for about £2 a bottle (in the old ladies section of superdrug, you know-next to the hairnets and those funny curlers that look like something from Ann Summers* see pic to top left!)

A big tub of hairgrips and hairpins
Sponge bun rings (about £2.99 from Claires accessories) which you need to cut (to make a long 'rat' this is to create a roll at the back of your hair)
Dinky curlers (can be found on ebay, try 'vintage curlers' it usually brings them up. Other makes are Lady Jayne and Ariel.
These are just the basics! but a good way to start.
A hood hairdryer is also handy, it allows you to set your hair and dry it thoroughly without blowing your 'do' away! I bought mine from Sallys hairdressing supplies (in most big towns) You look damn silly in them...but they work. I look like Frankenstein in mine. Fact. *see top right for Hood Dryer. (loads on Ebay)

Madame Beryl

Bonjour!
I am Mme Beryl. This is my blog.
Born in a back st in Rochdale (Gracie and I weren't close) I clawed my way to the top of the Hairdressing tree/ladder (whichever euphemism you prefer).
I trained in Paris under Mme Singe, a hard taskmistress with an eagle eye and a deadly tong.
My assistant Mme Enid (a Scunthorpe lass, don't hold it against her) will guide you through the styles and help you choose a becoming style.
Merci,
Mme Beryl.

Bienvenue a Salon Beryl.

A small, yet informative home for the modern Madamoiselle seeking how to perfect that 40s look..

Madame Beryl trained in Paris, she coiffeured the Bright Young Things of the Thirties and Waved the hair of the Hardworking Women of the Forties.

A frequently updated Virtual Coiffeur des Dames for the WW2 re-enactor or student of style!

'How to's' and original photos to inspire you!

Got a question? Ask Madame! Leave a comment and she will respond!

Merci!

Mme. Enid (Sous Coiffeur)