Vagina :: The Zine

1991 Felix Gonzalez-Torres Untitled (Perfect Lovers)

Mon, 28 May 2012 18:22:34 -0500

Wall clocks, slowly fall out of sync. Nothing lasts longer than the lithium ones he said. Do you...

Brights for Spring! Good evening, beautiful babes! Now that...

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:31:49 -0500

Brights for Spring!

Good evening, beautiful babes! Now that spring is in full bloom, we can put away our somber gray and black clothes and add a jolt of color to our wardrobes. At first, it can seem daunting to wear bold brights, but they can really make you glow. And while I have many problems with the incredulous Southern mama’s handbook, “Suck in Your Stomach and Put on Some Color”, there was certainly some truth to that last bit.

So how do you mix color? Depends on how you feel! Blue plays nice with pink in a youthful cotton candy way. Mustard orange and blue and pale pink and yellow is as yummy as a peach cobbler. The rule of thumb is to keep the silhouettes in proportion. With a full-circle skirt like the one I’m wearing from Forever 21, it’s important to wear a top tucked into the waistband to focus the volume on the bottom and streamline the top. With a straight skirt, however, like this designer one I scored from Buffalo Exchange, I added a bit of volume with the knotted peach top with polka dots from Forever 21. You can also pair down any of these brights with a pair of skinny jeans, like these black ones from Urban Outfitters. A neon yellow belt is just extra credit. I paired all these looks with two pairs of shoes, cream raffia espadrilles from Banana Republic and simple yet stripy nude heels from Zara.

For the makeup look, I like to stand up against the bright colors. I’m wearing my cult-favorite NARS lipstick in Shiap with a thick winged liner. I was inspired by one of the beautiful ladies I shot for SXSW Street Style, who wore this makeup look with bright yellow cut-off shorts (and you thought I was pushing the envelope) If you just want to experiment with a bright look, go to Sephora and try this lipstick on. Just trust me here. The hair is best kept loose and wavy to offset the bright tones. It also looks cute with a simple, messy bun. Oh, and heart-shaped sunglasses for a true Lolita vibe, and to ward off UVA rays, of course.

So don’t be afraid to mix brights this season! If you have any style questions you can always ask meby tweeting @TheVaginaZine or emailing yours truly at RachelM [at] TheVaginaZine.com.

—By Rachel Martino, Vagina Style Editor, Beauty//Fashion Guru and stylish YouTube star

*This article appeared in Vagina’s Spring 2012 issue, now for sale on our Etsy as well as at Domy Books and MonkeyWrench Books in Austin!

Celebrate!

Fri, 04 May 2012 19:01:00 -0500

So many reasons to celebrate with a party tonight… 1. After long nights, awl stab wounds, and...

Case Of The Virgin-Whore

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:30:00 -0500

I am unabashedly a virgin. When some friends learn that I’ve never had sex, they’re confused. “But...

Let's Talk About Sex, Ladies

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:37:00 -0500

Full disclosure: I may have been saving that headline for a while. But back on topic! Vagina now has...

Ladies, Remember to submit your pieces for the Spring Issue by Sunday, April 22 at 11:59pm. Send...

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 12:17:00 -0500

Ladies, Remember to submit your pieces for the Spring Issue by Sunday, April 22 at 11:59pm. Send...

Why Men Love Bitches: A Review

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:34:00 -0500

Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dream Girl - A Woman’s Guide to Holding Her Own In A...

Letelier’s Pâté Mixes Tradition With Local Flavor

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:31:13 -0500

Jackie Letelier remembers being sent to school in Chile with pâté sandwiches packed for her lunch....

Hello, dear ones! Interested in advertising your bakery, Etsy...

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:47:51 -0500

Hello, dear ones!

Interested in advertising your bakery, Etsy shop, or blog to a couple hundred babes around the world? Well, we’re interested in helping you do just that! There are three different spending levels to accomodate any budget and if you’re really looking to splurge, we can even throw in a guest post on our website! Email me at Hillary-Anne [at] TheVaginaZine.com by April 27 for more info and we’ll work everything out.

There are just 10 days left to submit your work for consideration in Vagina’s Spring 2012 issue. You can email your reviews/prose/poetry/illustrations/photography/comics/whatevva to myself or any of the editors, whose email info you can find right here! We absolutely, positively want you to share your goods with us but the deadline is set quite firmly at 11:59pm on Sunday, April 22.

And while we’re talkin’ dates and times, don’t forget that the Kickstarter for our Spring 2012 issue ends on April 28 at 10:20pm central standard time! We have some amazing rewards that we’d love to share with some amazing backers. Even just $20 will get you a Vagina tote bag or tshirt, a copy of the Spring issue, a place on our Supporting Sisters & Misters page, a handmade Vagina notebook, a Vagina button, a Vagina sticker, and a Thank You card! That’s a lot of awesome for twenty bucks, y’all.

Advertising, submitting, donating… that’s a lot of info! But you can always email me if you have any questions or concerns. Hope to hear from y’all soon!

Sincerely,

Hillary-Anne

Vagina Editor-In-Chief

Whore

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:30:17 -0500

Whore, I am. Slut, I strive to be. Not an artist, dancer, or warrior poetess Certainly not a mother...

Sorted History

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:30:28 -0500

At first there was Sean. Star of the drama club with bulbous green eyes that sparked fire among all...

My Fair Lady

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:30:21 -0500

There were no Connie Chatterleys resting beautifully on their backs having casually brought...

Gingerbread Man

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 18:31:12 -0500

Once she ran to see the distance her legs would take her. It wasn’t far. She tried again. She...

Ask Rachel!

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:53:00 -0500

Looking for a great liquid eyeliner? Not sure where to find red oxfords to help you experiment...

Hello, Spring!

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:50:00 -0500

Hey y’all, It’s finally Spring! (At least, it is in Austin. My sincere condolences to...

Le “Je Ne Sais Pas” :: Classic French Chic If I...

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:30:00 -0500

French style personified

Red Brogues complement the look

A navy blouse is décontracté chic

Brigitte Bardot, French sex goddess

Audrey Tatou as Coco Chanel

Smashbox in Lavish is a chic red

Stila in Kitten for flirty eyes

L’oreal Lineur Intense Pen

Le “Je Ne Sais Pas” :: Classic French Chic

If I learned one thing from my study abroad in France, it was this: French women are well-dressed mysterious creatures. There is something about them that reads relaxed glamour. Yes, I realize that is an oxymoron, and so is the perfect style they employ called “décontracté chic” casual, yet elegant. Little by little I was able to pin down how French women create their messy yet sexy fabulousness.

So here’s what you need: a liquid liner pen you can master (I love the L’oreal Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Liner Pen, $8), a perfect red lipstick (I have three favorites— Smashbox in Lavish, $22, mark in Cha Cha, $9 and L’oreal Colour Riche, $8 in British Red). These makeup products are for two separate occasions. When wearing the red lip, it is almost an after-thought worn with very minimal makeup (French women tend to have perfect skin) and a light coat of mascara, nothing else. As for the liquid liner, it’s applied thickly à la Brigitte Bardot with a nude lip. A light shimmering apricot eye shadow like Stila in Kitten is extra credit.

As for clothes, French women veer toward somber tones; navy blue, black and gray are among their favorites with splashes of cognac and deep red. Pair a sheer navy blue polka dot blouse with a black pleated skirt, red oxfords and a sexy cat eye. Mix it up with a striped shirt (the French call these marinières) with black skinny jeans, messy waves and a bold red lip.

French beauty swings in the balance of coiffed and messy, made-up yet just-rolled-out-of-bed-with-my-lover. So try throwing on a coat of red lipstick tonight with some messy waves and see where French chic takes you.

How to be impossibly French by Helena Frith Powell.

Parisian Chic: A Style Guide by Ignes de la Fressange

Vogue’s Street Style Slide Show from Paris Fashion Week

—By Rachel Martino, Vagina Style Editor

My Life As A Fat Girl

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:00:05 -0500

I once had a friend, a male friend I should note, who gravely offended me. Me, who takes life mainly...

Bonsoir, babes! I am so excited to introduce Vagina’s new...

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 18:13:00 -0500

Bonsoir, babes!

I am so excited to introduce Vagina’s new Style Editor, Ms. Rachel Martino! Rachel is based out of Nashville and is a style and fashion lover! She took her love of everything fabulous to New York for an internship with mark Cosmetics and rocks her stylish tendencies on her YouTube channels in English and French and has her own Fashion blog! Speaking of, Rachel is an English Writing and French double-major studying at Belmont University. She enjoys traveling, tweeting and applying any one of her 24 lipsticks. Y’all may have already seen her SXSW Street Style articles or even met her at SXSW when she was taking your style pic. She’s thrilled to be joining the Vagina team and we’re thrilled to have her with us!

If you have some style pieces you’d like to submit or style questions, send them to Rachel! You can contact her at RachelM (at) TheVaginaZine.com. Remember, if y’all are ever interested in editor positions with Vagina, just email me and we can chat!

Sincerely,

Hillary-Anne

Vagina Editor-In-Chief

Meet Me In The Middle: A Poem

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:00:00 -0500

As I am a reasonable woman, I have decided in the spirit of fairness to entertain the notion that...

Film Review: The Big Empty

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:00:05 -0500

“The Big Empty,” based on the story by Alison Smith and written and directed by Lisa Chang (titled...