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Mardi Gras – A party for your soul!

Smiling woman wearing a fruity turban

What is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras or Carnival is a traditional street celebration very popular throughout the world and particularly in America and Brazil. The largest parades take place in Rio and New Orleans. Strings of beads or other knick-nacks are often flung into the crowd from impressive floats that are paraded through the streets. Everyone is encouraged to dress up in their most impressive costumes and masquerade balls often form part of the celebrations.

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Learn more about Mardi Gras

When is it?

This year’s carnival season in New Orleans runs from Jan 6th to February 25th, other places may vary.

What’s it all about?

With its origins steeped in the Christian faith, the event offers a much needed opportunity to let down your hair and celebrate the wilder side of society. Held just before lent, Mardi Gras is all about indulging. Feasting on the things that will be abstained from during Lent (meat, sugary foods, alcohol etc) and also indulging in the sort of reckless behaviour that we are normally expected to refrain from, such as public drinking and social satire. I guess the idea behind it is it’s easier to be ‘well behaved’ if you’ve got it out of your system first.

So, if a massive street party with parades and masquerade balls is up your alley, then Mardi Gras is definitely for you!

Is there a theme?

Purple, gold and green are the traditional Carnival colours. They are said to represent justice, faith and power, respectively.

Carnival is all about big, bold headdresses and elaborate costumes. Imaginative masquerade balls are part of the celebration and participants are encouraged to dress in surreal and secretive attire. In some traditions the costumes are taken one step further. Witches to scare away winter, or comedy representations of (un)popular political figures.

And it’s all about the music too. Brass bands, dancing, everyone crowded together in the streets. Fiesta!

A wonderful theme to work with, it is very open to interpretation. This makes it a popular theme for parties and festivals (such as this years’ Shindig Festival).

Link to Shindig 2020 site

The Headonista at Carnival

At The Headonista we LOVE to dress up. We are passionate about creating captivating costumes and headdresses. Big, statement pieces or intricate character ideas, we can create whatever you can imagine.

Whether you are a performer looking for a show stopping headpiece or simply a party-goer wanting to stand out from the crowd…we’ve got you covered.

Our Carmen Miranda headdresses are very popular for Carnival, this eye-catching pineapple turban is one of our best sellers!

Pineapple Turban, elaborate headwear

And we have a whole collection of fun and impressive headwear that is perfect for Carnival

As always, our books are also open for unique commissions – whatever your idea, we can make it a reality! Get in touch with TheHeadonista to discuss your design ideas..

Wherever, and however, you chose to celebrate you will always look fabulous in a Headonista creation!

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Halloween – trick or treat?!

Halloween Zombie Hand Fascinator

Halloween – trick or treat?!

Halloween is always a great time of year for ghoulish fun. Here at theheadonista.com it’s always a good time for dressing up. These days Halloween is all about extravagant fancy dress and an excess of sweets… but look back at the origins of this holiday and you’ll see that it’s about so much more than fancy dress and treats.

Halloween, or Samhain as our celtic ancestors called it, is the time of year when the veil between the worlds of the living and dead are thinnest. Traditionally this means that the spirits of the dead are closer and more accessible than usual. Gifts of food were given to appease hungry spirits and to show that the ancestors are venerated and respected. The tradition of dressing up can also be traced back to our celtish ancestors. The Celts wore costumes made from animal hides to aid them in their ceremonial predictions for the coming year.

Halloween – trick or treat?!

Whether you are dressing up for fun, to scare the locals or to commune with the spirits of your ancestors…The Headonista has you covered! Is your inner Goth just screaming to get out?! Are you zombie curious, feeling mystical, supernatural or just downright horrific? Anything is possible. With one of my headdresses all eyes will be on your head!

Day of the Dead, El Día de los Muertos Fancy Dress Fascinator

Dressing up is always fun and Halloween is the perfect time to explore your dark side. This Halloween why not trick others or treat yourself at theheadonista.com

Check out my Halloween collection here or get in touch if you want to order something bespoke

…and with the Day of the Dead —  El Día de los Muertos to celebrate on the 2nd of November it’s only a couple of days before you can wear your creation again!

Halloween Spider Fancy Dress Fascinator

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How to look sexy for Valentines

Feeling stressed about the pressure to look hot for your date on Valentines? Want to know how to instantly transform into a sexier you, without spending a penny or watching what you eat? Then read on…

If you want to know the miraculous way you can cling film yourself skinny, the perfect make-up technique to keep you looking young, the right words to say to make anyone swoon at your feet…

Then you’ll have to read a different blog, because the truth is all of that is bullshit! There is only one thing you can do to make a significant impact on your sex appeal…and it isn’t about forcing your body to be a certain shape, or scripting the perfect chat up line. The single most important thing you can do to look sexy this valentines is…

Whatever sparks your confidence! It may sound cliche but it’s true. When you feel good about yourself it shows. It gives you a glow that no highlighter can mimic.

We all have things we don’t like about our appearance. But when we focus on those things, we magnify them out of proportion. So my advice for looking sexy is really to create a moment of self care…Putting on sexy clothes and doing your make-up may help, if that makes you feel good, but it certainly isn’t essential. What really matters is how you talk to yourself in your head, how you feel.

So, whatever you’re wearing this valentines, I hope you have a smile to go with it, ‘cos you really are worth it.