Hi, everybody!! I hope that you and yours are all staying safe from the monstrous Hurricane Sandy that is traveling up the coast to visit. My school FINALLY cancelled classes (after the federal government and all public transit in DC shut down), so my friends and I have made it a point to spend the next day at least relaxing, eating, sleeping, and being merry as we're shut in our apartment.
So, this past Friday, six girls from CUA's Drama School and I were given the opportunity to act in a murder mystery called Murder at the Juice Joint at the adjacent Theological College. Apparently, the seminarians living their had bored of their annual Oktoberfest and decided to mix it up a bit by holding an interactive murder mystery party instead. However, being a seminary, they were severely lacking in actresses to play the female roles. Thus, we were all contacted and said that we were interested in participating.
To prepare, we had a meeting with the man in charge where he explained the premise and we chose our roles. I played Molly Moll, a character who is described as "Notorious Nick's girlfriend. One of the most popular women in town, Molly had no interest in Nick until she realized what he could do for her lifestyle. A prima donna, Molly loves to be the center of attention and will go to all lengths to get it". With that super intriguing character description and an information packet that told the convoluted and juicy plot, I was incredibly excited for the murder mystery performance.
Since the mystery takes place in the 1920's, we were asked to dress in period appropriate garb that aired on the conservative side (since we would be performing in a seminary). My suitemate Lauren (who was one of the other actresses) and I decided to go all out with flapper-worthy hair and makeup. However, I faced a predicament when I had to style my medium-long layered hair into a suitable style. After some research, I figured out how to transform my do into a sleek bob. Check out the tutorial below!!
First I parted my hair horizontally, the top section being my shortest layer and the bottom section being the rest of my hair. I clipped the top section out of the way and divided the bottom half into tiny equal sections. I then french braided each of those sections horizontally along my scalp, securing the ends with rubber bands. After the entire bottom half was braided, I pinned the tails of the braids to my head between each of the french braids.
Next, I unclipped the top layer of hair and created a shallow side part. I sprayed heat protectant and applied smoothing pomade to the layer before running my flat iron along each 1-2" section of hair. I used the flat iron to curl under the longer back of my hair to make it slightly shorter, as well as to curl under my half grown-out bangs to make them look sleeker, shorter, and fuller.
Finally, to finish off the look, I slid a silver beaded headband around my head like a crown and VOILA!! I had a sleek faux bob worthy of any flapper.
I also styled Lauren's medium length wavy hair into a 1920's chic chignon for the party! After creating a deep part in her hair, I separated sections about two inches back on either side of her part. I clipped both of those sections out of the way and twisted the remaining hanging hair into a low ballerina bun pulled slightly to the right side. I pinned the bun securely against my head before letting the front sections down. I sprayed each section with heat protectant and hairspray before using my Bed Head Dual Waver to create deep waves (that resembled finger waves) down each section of hair, overlapping to create a consistent pattern. After spraying the waves with more hairspray (AquaNet holds for days), I tucked the ends of each section into the chignon, arranging the hair around the bun's perimeter and pinning it in place. I then placed decorative white flower clips to either side of the chignon to dress up the style and pay homage to the name of her character, which was Rosie.
After hardcore strugglebussing through makeup application (makeup is not my forte in the slightest) and getting dressed in a tiered lace shift dress with black tights and pearls and bangles, I felt like a legitimate flapper!!
I still wasn't sure what exactly to expect from the party, but I was eager to learn. When we arrived at the beautiful Theological College, we were ushered into a room that was made to look like a 20's era speakeasy, complete with a live jazz band. When the other seminarians arrived in full character and costume and the party began, I was instantly caught up in the character and quickly lost myself in the role of scandalous Molly Moll. After two hours of lies, bribery, murder, deceit, delicious food, and oodles of fun, the rest of the girls and I were flattered when the seminarians all cheered and applauded for us before we left the party. I had had so much fun, that I was sad to leave the party, and wished it could have lasted longer. The coordinator gave us a monetary stipend for our work that in all of the excitement, I had completely forgotten about. As my friends and I walked home, we all relayed our experiences to each other, and I reflected on how happy that performance made me; moments like that reaffirm that I have chosen the most perfect career path for me.
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| The Vintage Vixens! |
Have you ever been to a murder mystery party?? Or dressed up as a flapper (or 1920's mobster)?? As always, let me know!!
Stay safe if you're in Hurricane Sandra Dee's path!!
Love, Leaza
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