Remembering Gene

                                     Remembering Gene

                   With her satiny raven black curls, sparkling aquamarine eyes, high cheek bones, ruby red lips and porcelein complexion, Gene captivated all who beheld her on the silver screen.

Just as her career in Hollywood was sky rocketing as quickly as possible, however, the actress would be forced to resign her stardom to her countless psychological afflictions. As her fame and publicity dispersed in the midst of the various shock treatments she'd be forced to undergo, however, her fans would never cease to remember the undimming effects of both her exquisite beauty and charming screen personality. So, in honor of her Birthday the 19th of this month, I have compiled a list of 19 unknown facts about the legendary actress. Enjoy!;)

(1.) Born in Brooklyn, NY on the 19th of November in the year of 1920 to both Howard Sherwood Tierney and Belle Lavina Taylor. 

(2.) One of the highest acclaimed beauties of her time. 

(3.) Married to the renowned French-born American fashion designer (1941-1952)

(4.) Her father who set up a corporation, Belle-Tier, to support her acting career would later steal all of her money. 

(5.) Columbia Pictures signed her to a sixth month contract in the year of 1939.

(6.) Humphrey Bogart who would star opposite her in the film "The Left Hand of God" immediately saw signs of mental instability very similar to the signs found in his own mentally unstable sister in Gene. Bogey would proceed to support her during production by both feeding her her lines and enouraging her to seek psychological help.

(7.) She would later attempt to flee "The Institute of Living" in Hartford Conneticut after a total of 27 shock treatments but was later caught and returned.

(8.) Had been romantically involved with JFK at one time

(9.) She would later become an outspoken victim of shock treatment claiming that a large portion of her memory had been destroyed by it. 

(10.) Faced suicidal struggles and was readmitted to Menniger Clinic in Topeka Kansas after almost jumping from a ledge 13 stories high. 

(11.) Would be released from Menniger the following year after a treatment consisting (in it's final stages) of working as a sales girl in a large department store.

(12.) Would attempt to make a comeback in a film offered to her by 20th Century Fox in the film "Holiday for Lovers" (1957) but was forced to quit due to a bout of unbearable stress.

(13.) Tierney later dropped out of the film and was readmitted to Menniger.

(14.) Made her official screen comeback in the film "Advice and Consent" which was released in 1962.

(15.) Had two daughters named Antoinette Daria Cassini and Christina Cassini with first husband, Oleg Cassini.

(16.) Tierney's contraction of rubella would be the cause of her daughter, Daria's premature birth which would also cause her to be deaf, partially blind with cataracts and faced with severe mental retardation.

(17.) Tierney would later blame herself entirely for her daughter's various ailments after learning that the cause of her contraction of Rubella had been caused by a fan who would later confess sneaking out of quarantine (infected with Rubella) to meet Tierney at her Hollywood Canteen appearance. 

(18.) Tierney's autobiography entiteled "Self-Portrait" in which she candidly discussed her life and how it had been affected by mental illness would be released in 1979.

(19.) In her younger years won the heart of Prince Aly Khan. 

(20.) Lost her battle with emphysemia and died in the year of 1991. Her bout with emphysemia had been brought on by years and years of smoking. Gene had taken up smoking years and years before in hopes of lowering her voice as she'd felt that her voice sounded like "An angry Minnie Mouse." 

And in the end, despite all of her bouts with crippling depression and psychological ailments, her fans will never cease to see her as anything but her captivating and beautiful self, the image she left behind in her early appearances on the silver screen. 

Below you'll find part 1 of 5 of her biography "A Shattered Portrait"

Happy Birthday, Gene! xoxo


~Erin <3

The Value of Self-Assurance

"Nothing is impossible, even the word itself says I'm Possible"~ Audrey Hepburn

The Value of Self-Assurance

Learning to Believe in Ourselves

                            I might as well coat the saying in caps lock, maybe then I'll be able to denote the value of this three worded bit of advice! But then, perhaps the saying has grown too cliché  for anyone to really care anymore. Maybe it's become worn out, a mere whisper, like the ashen cobalt of a pair of once vibrant sapphire jeans, the weathering of time causing us to forget it's radiance. I suppose one can easily compare the tattered affect left behind by overuse to the washing machine and the pair of blue jeans. Maybe a few gallons less of laundry detergent could've prevented the color from dispersing. I suppose, however, that overuse and abuse can't be the only factors to blame in the sayings' dimming. Obviously these factors dictate the fact that it has become spread too thin. Sort of like a three inch square of butter spread over a dozen pieces of toast... it can only go so far and bear but a certain density on each slice. Like a child over indulging in candy, the sweetness, the delightfullness of the flavor diminishing with the queasy affect that gluttony can leave on every one of it's victims. Maybe that's what it was that destroyed the value of this saying... gluttony. But then, perhaps it's currently hackneyed status can also be blamed on the weather and toll that time can have on anyone and anything! Either way, however, there's no denying how clichéd the term has grown throughout a series overdoses and negative effects brought on by age. But then, I suppose nothing can lose it's true beauty, it's true worth, even despite it's withered appearance. Maybe, like the pair of discolored blue jeans, we merely have to look closer to understand it's beauty. Perhaps we ought to study deeper into it, truly dissect it to understand the genuine advantages woven inside of it. It's almost like looking deeply into the denim to spot those soft whispers of sapphire concealing themselves beneath the wear and tear of old age. Ah! yes... and now, here it is, that overused saying I've been rambling about, to... '"BELIEVE IN YOURSELF".

"Always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, Sweetie?"~Marilyn Monroe

It's a saying that moms, dads, aunt, uncles and grandparents repeat over and over to us while we struggle in the midst of our teen years and early adulthood. I suppose that due to the fact of hearing it so frequently we grow accustomed to merely nodding our heads, agreeing to it and then sweeping it back under the rug, we grow programmed to lose sight of it's real importance. One thing, however, that we must ask ourselves is... "Do and have I genuinely believed in myself throughout the years?"and "Did I miss any opportunities of obtaining a higher place in life, a greater stature of success due to the underestimation of my own capabilities?" Well, have you? I know I have! And far too many times at that! So, in conclusion to this thought, I want you to always remember the first and most vital ingredients towards the road of both achievement and success, to... "BELIEVE IN YOURSELF". In the end, after pleasing God at all times, our sole purpose in life exists primarily in our state of self-satisfaction, the outlook we bear on our purpose in life. An unhappy person is most likely disheartened due to the death of his self-worth, his inspiration to keep on chasing after his dreams. When one gives up on himself... life becomes far from worth living.

You see, in reaching for the stars at all times and never growing discouraged by the seemingly trillion mile distant from those glittering diamond-like spheres spread about that velvety onyx sky, our hope will never dim, our self-worth will never fade and die. Success also exists in the strength to believe that you CAN while all others tell you that you can't. So, never stop chasing after your dreams, never grow discouraged, but, most importantly... BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

                           

xoxo ~Erin

Vivien's 100th Birthday

                                 Vivien's 100th Birthday


              I remember a couple of years ago, holing up in the basement, my eyes pasted to the computer screen as I drank in the life of one of Hollywood's greatest actresses, Vivien Leigh... better known as Scarlett O'Hara from the classic and astoundingly successful film "Gone with The Wind" in which she starred alongside a dashing young Clark Gable. My mind floats towards her legend, especially on this Nov. 5th, the 100 year anniversary of the astoundingly beautiful actress' birth, the day her charm first debuted itself on this earth. That's when it all began! And although this astoundingly beautiful British actress' presence has been been long absent from the cameras and sets of Hollywood, her legend shall blaze on in the spark of her roles in such notable films as the Southern Belle, Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind and Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire. So, in her memory on this special day, I have compiled a list of 10 fascinating facts about the gorgeous screen legend. enjoy!;) 

(1.) When she started working with a talent agent at the start of her career, her married name had been Vivian Holman. Despite her agent's wishes to change her name to "April Morn" she instead opted to switch the spelling of her first name from Vivian to Vivien and then decided upon the last name Leigh, after her husband Herbert Leigh Holman.

(2.) Vivien Leigh could never seem to forgive the first critic who had referred to her as "a great actress" for, in her opinion, it left her with, in her own words "such an onus and such a responsibility" of which she had been simply "unable to carry".

(3.) Vivien ultimately won the role of Scarlett over Paullette Goddard, Jean Arthur, and Joan Bennett all of whom had been narrowed down for the role. 

(4.) The parents of both Vivien Leigh and Scarlett O'Hara were from French and Irish descent. 

(5.) In the famous "I'll never be hungry again" scene in which Scarlett downs a radish and then vomits, the sound of vomiting had to be recorded by her costar Olivia DeHavilland, the reason having been speculated as to have evolved around Vivien's refusal to make such noises due to her idea of it not being very "lady-like".

(6.) Vivien Leigh was paid between $25,000 to $30,000 dollars for her role as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With The Wind" while her costar, Clark Gable was paid $120,000 dollars for his role as Rhett Butler. 

(7.) The actor who played Beau Wilkes (Melanie and Ashley Wilkes' young son) in Gone With The Wind later stated that Vivien had been very kind to him and was "one of the loveliest ladies" he had ever met.

(8.) Vivien was 25 when she played Scarlett O'Hara while the actress who depicted her mother was merely 28 yrs. old, scarcely three years older.

(9.) Tennessee Williams (the author of "A Streetcar Named Desire) said that Leigh as Dubois was "everything that I intended, and much that I had never dreamed of".

(10.) Vivien Leigh was later noted to have claimed that it had been her role as Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire that had finally "tipped me over into madness". 

And that concludes our post, my lovely readers! You now know 10 new facts about Vivien that you'd probably never known whilst looking upon her sparkling sapphire eyes and beholding her mesmerizing performances amidst the silver screen. So, with that said, cheers to Vivien and a Happiest 100th Birthday to her! May her legend live on for hundred years yet to come! Have a wonderful Tuesday night, my Beauty Queens! xoxo <3

Vintage Halloween: Part 3

Vintage Halloween: Part 3

Alrighty! Here we go, the final post on vintage halloween costumes (perfect for those procrasinators who've waited until today/the day before halloween to start putting one together;)). Enjoy! 

(1.) Sabrina

Ah! Sabrina Fairchild, the character brought to life by Audrey Hepburn's flawless screen magic and breathtaking beauty. She's the perfect depiction of that ugly ducking gone all Cinderella-style! The story of agirl whose image and entire outlook on life becomes transformed by her life-changing experience in Paris while attending a school of the culinary arts. A girl who finds love in the midst of a most unexpected gentleman, a man with a heart nearly as cold as stone, no time for love... no use for places like Paris, his mind set solely on wealth and cutting a great business deal. With an overdose of society glamour and class, this costume is sure to sound off some oos and ahhs!;) 

Here is a link with Audreys glamorous (doe-like) makeup look. Take a look at some of Sabrina's look in the classic film. If you need any ideas, I've also provided a link to a Sabrina-esque lbd quest on Etsy! Enjoy!

http://getglamorous.blogspot.com/2007/08/audrey-hepburn-makeup-step-by-step.html

http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=all&includes%5B0%5D=tags&page=1&q=black+dress+audrey+hepburn

(2.) Lucy

And then there's Lucy, the coniving, featherbrained, and scheming wife with a hunger for a place on stage or behind a camera of the famous bandleader from Cuba, Ricky Ricardo. This light-hearted and comedic costume is perfect for all of my fellow Lucy fanatics out there! So, with the links below, hopefully I'll be successful in guiding you to the perfect polka dot dress, pearl earrings, hair bow, big lashes and fiery tomato red hair! Enjoy!;)

Lucy-esque Dress Search on Etsy

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=I%20Love%20Lucy%20dress&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US&search_type=all&includes%5B0%5D=tags

Lucy-esque Makeup Look

http://blog.jessicaharlow.com/2011/10/i-love-lucy-halloween-makeup-tutorial/

(3.) Scarlett O'Hara

Next up is one of History's most renowned fictional characters. The young, selfish and once wealthy young girl named Scarlett. A girl who lived and suffered during the Civil War, broken by the tragic loss of her father, his wealth and his plantation. Scarlett, however, remains far from emotionally shattered as she keeps her mind glued on winning over that one man who she can never have. In the meantime, she'll live to captivate and win over the hearts of three men, a group of men who she really couldn't care any less about. Men whose pocket books are her prime motive! Her costume look is perfect for all of my "Gone With The Wind" fans out there as well as all of those fascinated by the Civil War era! Scarlett makes the perfect Southern Belle! Here's a guide to achieving her look!:)

Makeup-look

http://jolieasie.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/old-hollywood-makeup-breakdown-scarlett-ohara-in-gone-with-the-wind/

Her dress of Drapes!;)

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=scarlett%20o%27hara%20dress&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US

(4.) Comic Book Queen

In the center of retro comic books, I'm always very intrigued by a comic book artist's techniue of depicting human's, their emotion, the way the light hits their hair. Anyway, while searching on Pinterest, WeHeartIt, etc., I was beyond inspired by the endless diys for comic book characters. Here's the makeup look before! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNQuZ4c34P8

(5.) Jackie O

Ah! Jackie O, one of America's top fashion icons. A woman who's intigrity, class and elegance astounded the entire nation. Why not emulate her flawless look tomorrow evening? A perfect costume especially for all of my fashionistas out there! Check out the links below for the perfect Jackie-inspired look!;)

Makeup

http://inthemakeup.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/the-jackie-o-glow/

Fashion

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=jackie%20o%20dress&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US

Also, don't forget your strands of glossy cream-colored pearls, big sunglasses and pillbox hat!

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=pillbox%20hat&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US

(6.) Priscilla Presley

Yes! The wife of the king of rock... Priscilla Presley's look seems to be rocketing to fame ever since Lana Del Rey's records hit the top charts! To retro fans, Lana donns Priscilla's 60's-esque look perfectly! The big hair, big lashes, thick thick thick cat-eye eyeliner, the retro styled dresses, etc. So, for all of my Lana or Elvis/Priscilla fans out there, her look is a creative and unique choice for Halloween, sure to get plenty of attention! Check out the links below for her makeup and hair look!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RB50668W284

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pya_q0SsjA

Also, a suggestion for attire in emulating Priscilla's look... what's better than channeling that famed wedding dress she wore while wedding the King of Rock? 

I recomend taking a look at your local Goodwill to find a dress reminiscent to hers! As for the veil, a fluffy head to toille over a glittering tiara would be perfect!

Here's a side by side of her and Lana Del Rey

(7.) Snow White

One of the most famous cartoon characters depicted by Walt Disney as the literary princess "Snow White", this classic disney illustration of her remains a timeless favorite to many! Heres a look inspired by the 1930's one dreamed up by Disney! Heres to achieving the look of the "fairest maiden in the land". "Skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood and hair as black as ebony." Also... you mustn't forget your poison apple either!;)

Here's Kandee's take on the look!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvaC9AdRlxI

And here's a shopping guide for the fairytale princess' beautiful jewel-toned gown!

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=snow%20white%20dress%20women&order=most_relevant&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US

(8.) Coco Chanel

One of fashion's earliest pioneers as well as most notable icons and classiest of women of all time, Chanel makes for the perfect Halloween look for any fashion-dazed girl (like me;))! Follow the links below to guide you in achieving her flawlessly elegant and classy look!

Her Dress

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=black%2020s%20dress&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US

Her Hat

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=20s%20hat&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US

Her Pearls

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=20s%20pearls&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US

It looks like that's it, hopefully you enjoyed these past 3 vintage costume guides for Halloween (which is tomorrow... yikes!)! Now it's time to hurry to your nearest stores, your Walmarts, Targets and Goodwills and hunt all of the required items for your vintage-esque costume look! Ttfn, my readers!;)