Last week was such a busy week, but fun as well. Everything culminated in the Birmingham Vintage Fair, which was the first one organized by local girl-about-town, Rickie Josen (photo above).  Rickie asked me to be a part of the fair several months ago and I said yes, not knowing what I was letting myself in for. I’ve never done a fair, especially a makeup stall at a fair!  I barely had time to get ready, and my hair was a hot mess, but I think the scarf saved it…a bit.

I decided not to attempt a full face of makeup on anyone, but instead decided to compartmentalize things by offering a lip + bronzed cheek combo; eye makeup; Aladdin Sane (David Bowie) lightening bolt; or eye brow shape ups and fill ins. Eye makeup and eyebrows were the most popular, followed by the cheek+lips combo. Sadly, no brave glam rock takers for the lightening bolt (.  SIDE NOTE: aren’t these photos by Charles Davis amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing?! I’m wondering if he has a special filter on his camera to make my barely made up skin look so darn silky smooth o_O? I digress.

The event was held at the AE Harris building on Northwood Street, just off St. Paul’s Square. The space is industrial and huge. I didn’t even know it was there. The whole day had a kitschy, homemade, relaxed feel. Traders were either selling vintage or local handmade goods.

How can I forget the food stalls? I ate my way through cake in between makeup sessions. Kiss Me Cupcakes, Urban Coffee, Too Bizzy 2 Bake and more were all there.

And there were two 70s inspired rock bands who performed both original and cover songs.  Out of the two, I preferred Naked Remedy (below). The only problem with having the band play is that the music was entirely too loud for the space. Once they started playing, there was no way I could communicate with my customers.

While this year’s theme was the 1970s, which coincided with fashion trends of the season as well, the theme of the next fair will differ. Rickie claims to have themes for the next two mapped out in her head. I’m glad she’s going to carry on with this venture, as I think it’s exciting for smaller, local traders who can’t afford to hock their wares at the bigger vintage fairs that tour the nation.

A big thank you to the super talented Charles J Davis for his photography, especially the great shots of me doin’ my thang . You can see all of Charles’ photos from the Birmingham Vintage Fair on his Flickr stream here.  You can also check out the rest of Charles body of work on his website .