Makeup Tutorial: Autumn Glitz

You may have noticed that we've started stocking makeup from Sugarpill and Shien Cosmetics!

I was very, very excited about this as one of my obsessions (other than lingerie, of course) is makeup, and lots of it. I love being creative with colour and style, and Sugarpill's colourful pigments are perfect for this. 

I'll be putting together fun and creative tutorials to show you what you can do with these products!

In this tutorial I'll be creating a vibrant Autumn-inspired look with some of my favourite Sugarpill pigments; Poison Plum, Love +, Flamepoint, Buttercupcake and Hi-Viz Neon. I'll finish with the Glitzy lashes and Shien Cosmetics Cobra Lily Lipstick.

I love my makeup bold and bright, but you can lay it on as thick as you like, and be as creative as you like. The great thing about these pigments is that with less product on your brushes, you can create a more subtle look!

Step 1: Using a fairly thin brush, or one that's flat, apply Love + along the crease of your eyelid and curve outwards in a flick. Don't worry about being messy on the lid at this point, as you'll be blending upwards. Take time on creating the curve of the flick; if you have trouble keeping the line, you can cut a curve out of some paper or card and use this as a template.

Step 2: Apply Poison Plum just along the crease of the eyelid, creating a smaller flick inside the red. Using a small blending brush, soften the edges where purple meets red. To do this, load a small amount of Poison Plum onto the blending brush and gently buff where you want to blend.

Step 3: Using a clean brush, tidy up the lid below the Poison Plum. Using a slightly larger brush, apply Flamepoint above the red, higher up towards the inner eye, sloping down to meet the flick of the outer eye.

Step 4: You may need to start building colour up in layers in order to blend everything together. I added more Love + in-between the orange and purple to blend the two together. Leave the area above the orange while you do this, as you don't want any purple/red getting up there.

Step 5: Apply the Buttercupcake above the orange, along the bottom of your eyebrow to define shape. To make my eyes pop I also add the yellow to the inner eye and the eyelid, which also defines the crease. Add a touch of Hi-Viz pigment to the inner eye, and sweep along the yellow just below the eyebrow.

Step 6: Using liquid or gel eyeliner (I swear by Collection's Liquid Liner), create a cat-flick, starting low on the inner eye and gradually sloping upwards to the outer eye. With the eyeshadow flick already there you can mimic this shape. Add your favourite mascara.

Step 7: For a really glam look, add the Glitzy False Eyelashes to your upper lash line. I find eyelashes always seem a bit big for my eyes, so I cut mine down slightly.

Step 8: Use red lip liner and Shien Cosmetics Cobra Lily Lipstick to add the finishing touch!

I'd love to see how you get on! #playfulpromisesmakeup or @playfulpromises on instagram with your looks!

Your Xmas Wishlist Results!

The results of our wishlist survey are in!

You told us which Playful pieces you had your eye on this year, with the top results above. 

The French Knickers (available in black and ivory) were designed as easy gifting options, and it seems that you agree! The limited edition camisole and french knickers (available in teal or lipstick) followed along with the autumnal Edie set. 

Gift Vouchers and Frilly Knickers also make wonderful gifts, and Anastasia still remains a firm favourite!

We believe that lingerie is all about the wearer, and results of the confidence that lingerie brings are just a bonus! So we were very glad to hear that our fans like to treat themselves, even at Christmas. And why not? As Ru Paul says, if you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love somebody else? 

It's also interesting to see the age range of our fans, which seems to be quite varied! Pants for everyone :)

Make sure to shop our Xmas Gift Guide and Stocking Fillers!

Lingerie Secret Santa

Karolina of Karolina Laskowska came up with the brilliant idea of a lingerie Secret Santa between the independent lingerie brands. 

As the person behind Playful Promises, I can say it is a brand born out of the love of lingerie, so I was more than up for sending out a secret gift in return for secret gift back! After working hard all year it seems like such a nice treat to receive a mystery gift.

Last year I received an amazing sheer black and red underbust from Pop Antique with a matching fascinator.  It also touched me when I contacted her to thank her that she’d taken the time to stalk me on Facebook and look at my photos, going to the trouble to choose a set she thought fitted with my personal style. How awesome is that?

The other nice thing about this range is it is an opportunity to introduce some other independent brands working hard and to give us a chance to support each other and encourage our customers to shop independent this Christmas.

There are a number of independents brands taking part this aside from the ones I already mentioned year including:

Kiss Me Deadly – good for golden screen inspired glamour and they support the feminist cause. I like brands with a conscience.  We all have to make a living but no need to sacrifice your principles in the process.

Ayten Gasson – good for silk and UK made. Knowing the designer personally I can also say she is very nice. I like to spend my money with decent and nice people. Don’t you?

Clare Bare – if I had to pick a lingerie brand to represent California dreaming through English eyes this is it! 

Angela Freidman – the designer behind this brand used to run the NY Ballet Costume Department and you can really feel this when you look at the level of craftsmanship in her work. 

Karolina Laskowska - recently graduated Karolina works with beautiful fabrics and lace, including vintage kimono fabrics. I especially love the latter after having lived in Tokyo!

Now this is my Secret Santa  - can you guess who it is for?

The full list of brands taking part are:

Previously Chicago, Alexandrea Anissa, Betty Blue’s Loungerie, Dottie’s Delights, Evgenia, Kiss Me Deadly, Playful Promises, Angela Friedman, Harlow and Fox, Clare Bare, Karolina Laskowska, Made By Niki, Nearer The Moon, La Lilouche, Ayten Gasson, Pop Antique, Britta Uschkamp, FRKS

Follow the lingerie secret santa on instagram with tags #lingeriesecretsanta, #lingerieinsidertips, #lingeriegifts & #shopindependent

Shop independent this Xmas – be inspired by our secret santa!

Guest Brand: eLai

You may remember back in 2012, we held a design competition for budding lingerie designers to have their design make it into our collection. We had such an amazing response that we ended up choosing three winners and making the pieces into a mini-collection - one of those winners was Eva Lai. Since graduating, Eva has been working on a beautiful new luxury lingerie brand, eLai. We love her work so much that we've started to stock some accessories and bodysuits on the guest brand section of our website.

We had a chat with Eva to find out a little bit more about her brand!

What sparked your interest in fashion design? 

I have always loved drawing and anything crafty even as a child. Like most girls, I was really into clothing and fashion. The satisfaction of creating something beautiful from scratch is what drew me into design.

Is there anything in particular that lead you to study fashion?

Being a fashion designer was an ambition at a young age, and the skills required seem to be what I am good at, so I worked towards the goal, and fashion school was the natural path to get there.

 What is it about lingerie that you found the most interesting?  

I love all areas in fashion. But I think lingerie is the most personal and intimate item a woman can buy. It is such a specialist subject, having to think about the fit and how the garment could support and enhance the female body, and whether it'd be comfortable against the skin etc. Details are key in lingerie because the garments are so small. I enjoy the challenge of what I can do with a tiny little bra & knickers. It's amazing how every stitch is so visible and it is all about details and accuracy.

You're a recent graduate and your brand has developed so fast. What's your secret?

I wish it could develop faster! Haha. I haven’t got the funding to invest in advertising and the only way to bring brand awareness is though social media (so thank god for internet!) I just try to stay true to my creative vision, and do things my way, instead of the traditional way of what a lingerie brand “should” be. I want eLai to grow organically, so customers would appreciate the products for its design and quality, rather than because I just spent a lot of money on celebrity endorsement.

 Being a one woman team must be a hell of a challenge! Do you think about getting some extra hands on board? 

It is so hard to do it all myself, but at the same time it means everything is done to the way I like. I do however have a lovely team of models/MUA/stylists that helps me massively when it comes to imagery… my darling photographer Polly Hanrahan has been brilliant at bringing my work to life in all my lookbooks. I would love to have more young talents to make eLai bigger and better in the near future.

How has your work evolved since you began your own label?

The first few collections were so different from each other, I tried dark boudoir, cute & colourful, to glam sportlux. As I was still trying to find my style as a brand and figuring out who my customers are. But I have learnt so much since I started and now I have a much better idea of what works. I think it is important to constantly evaluate the business and change your direction based on current social and economical factors. It is good to show a different side as long as it stays true to your brand ethos.

What are you fascinated by at the moment and how does it influence your work?

I am obsessed with sleek lines, so I’m really into the sportlux style at the moment, which shows in my Constellation collection. I’m also fascinated by Olivier Rousteing’s use of chains, embellishments, and the craftsmanship to create textures in his Balmain collections, which I find really inspiring!

What's eLai's ultimate aspiration?

To have my own atelier & showroom in London. I would love for customers to be able to just come in and have their pieces made-to-order.

hat's the main source of inspiration for your projects?

Usually something with a narrative- a film or a character. Fabrics/ materials. Certain fetishes. What I want to wear…

Who's eLai's customer?

Someone who values designs and craftsmanship in a made-to order product; who appreciates unusual pieces with a sense on humour; who thinks comfort is key; who wants to be effortlessly seductive; they would wear eLai for themselves because it feels good and empowering (and bonus that it happens to have a hint of naughtiness) 

What's the most challenging part about what you do?

The business side that involves lots of numbers.

And what's most rewarding?

When I receive emails from customers telling me how much they love wearing my designs…that’s when all the hard work feels so worth it!

What is the biggest lesson you've learned since starting your own company?

Don’t give up just yet…patience is key!

 If you could give some advice for a lingerie designer-to-be, what would that be? 

Love what you do, learn from every opportunity, make good relationships (it’s a very small industry) & work really, really, really….. hard!!!

Shop eLai at Playful Promises!

Victorian Spiritualism: Supporters and Sceptics

For this year’s Halloween shoot, we decided to take inspiration from the Victorians, and their strange obsession with the spirits of the dead!

In the previous post we looked at the rise of spiritualism and how it can be considered an important time for women’s rights; this time we'll look at the Spiritualist "celebs" and sceptics.

By the 1860s spiritualism had become a part of British Victorian culture, drawing in devotees all across the social spectrum, from Queen Victoria herself to the poor. There were spiritualist newspapers (The British Spiritualist Telegraph, Medium and Daybreak, Two Worlds and more) and societies (The Spiritualist Association of Great Britain, The Spiritualists’ National Union and more), with London having a great number of societies itself. 

With a little imagination and a repertoire of supernatural skills, mediums became celebrities. It was a calling for the theatrical of nature, with each medium able to channel different entities, each with a distinct personality. They could be aggressive, such as Annie Fairlamb's male spirit, Sam, repeatedly hitting a male guest until he guessed his name correctly. Others were flirtatious, such as Elizabeth d'Esperance's manifestation of Yolande, a girl who kissed and caressed her sitters. 

With the freedom from corsets and such an enclosed space, it was no wonder that these "spirits" were often quite sexual in their interactions; a famous example being the young and pretty Florence Cook and her manifestations of Katie King. A name that had cropped up in various séances up to 20 years prior, Katie King was said to be the daughter of Henry Owen Morgan, a long-dead pirate (who was never said to have a daughter, but would crop up in séances himself to prove this fact). In 1872 the female spirit announced that she would stay with Florence for 3 years, attempting to make herself visible via ectoplasm drawn from Florence's body. Soon Katie was fully formed, and could interact with the living world as an incredibly material form, sitting on laps, touching and on one occasion revealing her naked form. Funnily enough, she looked very similar to Florence, despite the medium being "tied up" inside a cabinet, yet none in Cooks' circle seemed to want proof of the two being separate beings. 

Others were more than dubious that such a flesh-and-blood manifestation could be conjured. On December 9 1873, a skeptical sitter, William Volckman, grabbed "Katie" by the wrist and waist in a fit of anger. Guests wrestled Volckman away, but not without the spirit ripping away a chunk of his beard, which furthered his belief that it was Florence in his grasp. Witnesses claimed that Katie King had vanished into thin air, and Florence was found still bound inside the cabinet. Volckman published his opinion, fueling the critics, while supporters denounced him for breaking the proper etiquette required in a séance; a delicate spiritual balance which could kill the medium. Funnily enough, Volckman was betrothed to another famous medium, Ms Guppy.

Concerned at this bad PR, Florence Cook approached William Crookes, an eminent scientist that would later be knighted for his work. Crookes had already been investigating various mediums and appeared convinced of the reality of the supernatural, but didn't believe all claims from individuals. They began a series of "private séances", with Florence invited to stay at his home for months on end. The idea was that Crookes would be able to witness both Florence and Katie in a room together, without the possibility of accomplices. An idea that was somewhat difficult to prove when Florence's sister, Kate, also lived in the house. Crookes created 55 photographs of Florence and Katie, although only a few remain today. Many of the photographs, as expected of the technology of the era, were poorly shot and lacked detail but did feature two figures, although only one face was in view, the other wrapped in an "ectoplasmic" shroud. 

Despite Crookes' findings, the skepticism grew; it was suggested that the two were having an affair, what with her being a pretty young woman, alone in his house. It's not unlikely, Crookes was clearly enamored with Florence, writing: "Photography was inadequate to depict the perfect beauty of Katie’s face, as words are powerless to describe her charm of manner. Photography may, indeed, give a map of her countenance; but how can it reproduce the brilliant purity of her complexion, or the ever varying expression of her most mobile features?" Bet his wife (expecting her 10th child!) was happy with that.  Did this infatuation allow him to be easily duped, or did he begin to assist in her fraudulence? 

In 1875, Katie announced she would be leaving Florence, and said her final goodbyes. With the spirit gone, there was no need for Florence to continue investigations, and she revealed to Crookes that for two months she had been secretly married to a man named Edward Corner. She left her position as a medium for 6 years, only returning to manifest a new spirit, Marie. Eventually, another dubious sitter, Sir George Sitwell, noticed that the "spirit" wore a corset underneath her robes, grabbed hold of her and pulled aside the curtain covering Florence. An empty chair spelled the end of Florence's career, and she vanished into obscurity. 

William Crookes received overwhelming criticism over his investigations, and soon ceased the research, although he remained a supporter until his death. Despite this, his scientific career was a long and distinguished one, including a knighthood. Shockingly, he wasn't the only logical thinker to be drawn into spiritualism, with another famous supporter being Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a medical man and the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Doyle's wife, Jean, was a medium and he himself supported some outrageous claims, including two young girls who had claimed to photograph the Cottingley Fairies (they were actually paper cut outs). Doyle virtually abandoned Sherlock Holmes, and began writing books on spiritualism instead, clashing with the skeptical Harry Houdini, who argued that all spiritualism "evidence" was just cheap tricks.