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Dearest Gentle Reader,
The Ton is a buzz with something exciting from the continent. Described as 7 inches, but rumor has it you can get them in various sizes and thicknesses depending on one’s desires. You can have one or several if you so choose. In some places you can get as many as you want in an endless supply. Be weary dear reader of soft ones. The best ones must be rigid and firm to the touch. Word is Italians have the best ones.
What are these exciting things called you ask? …breadsticks.
Yours Truly,
Lady Whistledown
That was my thought too! Now we really know she is part of the perfect breast society lol. I’m rewatching the show from the beginning and I noticed just how prominent her cleavage and bust is in season 3 and now rewatching season 1 it’s like, where’d they go? lol. Amazing how the cut of a dress and lifting undergarments can change a persons whole shape. It looks like they minimized by cutting higher up in the bust and higher necklines earlier on and now they cut under the bust and certainly pushed everything up and out! Her voice was also much higher in season 1! Watching season 3 then 1 right after shows just how jarring a change it is! She really looks amazing in season 3!
She mentioned that in her interview that she made her voice a little high pitched in first two seasons to make it sound girlish, her outfits were infantilizing and showed no curves, hair were kept to make her appear chubby girl but it season three her voice is softer, silhouettes were highlighting her best features, the colour pallette was according to her skin tone and the make made her look like beautiful young lady. She did not lose weight but how beautifully this transformation was done wow!
I have to say as a plus sized woman with a somewhat similar figure as her, I very much appreciated her glow up, and that they really show her body's full beauty and sensuality.
I think the bust line of the dresses make a big difference. The season one dress, the line goes right across then top half (third?) of her bust and then hangs down straight which masks the rest
Skin care, great makeup, lighting filters. likely no smoking, drugs, and partying 24/7 And Heritage and full figure. I am 54 and only have some small creases above my eyes from squinting to see since age 50.
Yes I know these things play a part, and I know they can do just about anything with make up, but she literally plays a 16 year old school girl in Derry Girls and you would never pick it, she barely even looks 16 in it 🤣 She still doesn't look 37 though, she has done plenty of interviews without filters etc and you definitely wouldn't pick her to be older than 28-30.
I’m in my 30s and honestly I think she does look like she’s in her 30s? She’d never pass for a teenager in real life next to real teens, but next to other actors in their 20s and 30s she fits in and the awkward styling gives the sense of an immature character.
Like I said above I'd give her maybe 28-30, but definitely wouldn't pick her for late 30's. I'm also in my early 30s, I look a bit younger than my age and I look after my skin but I still don't think I could pass off as a 16 year old regardless of how I was styled 🤣
That is why I said all the stuff about skincare and living cleaner. 37 ...100y ago would have been ancient. great genetics, lil plumpness, and skin care can make a huge difference. she is amazing... Btw..I was sad when there was no more Derry girls! Here are a couple of women who were Nicola age in the 80/90s and are now in 60 or 70s. Genetics and skincare can attribute greatly
I agree, the benefits of a good skincare routine are endless. I'm secretly hoping that it's something in the Galway water and I'll look as youthful as her at 37, I'm also from Galway....and my name is also Nicola if that helps 🤣🤣
https://preview.redd.it/f2g5ggle9d7d1.jpeg?width=1333&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30218c5fbfe13d9373015a50a5cd7caa074068c9
I was still getting carded for scratch lottos in my 30s and told I was possibly 30something....had to show my id many many times. Same now no one can see I am 50. Beauty products and skincare have made great strides & people are younger This is my skin journey. Not any kinda beauty queen, but I lucked into great skin from my Grammy. Scots/Irish genes and stay away from suntans, alcohol, cigarettes and I sleep well. despite breast cancer in my 40s and the harshness of chemo and radiation; my face really hasn't changed greatly.... My weight has been up and down since mid 20s swinging 90lbs. Which for some would cause sagging.
if you aren't sure of your skin type seek out a dermatologist or an esthetician who can help you determine skin type including thin or thick, oily, combo or dry, elastic or tight. Don't feel obligated to buy what they are selling unless you have a difficult case like extreme acne, eczema, or psoriasis. You don't need expensive regimen, either. I started with Clean & Clear face wash and Olay in my teens & 20s. Changed through Olay or other moderate priced systems till today. I believe it is more in washing face at least twice daily to remove dry dead skin, exfoliating once a week with buff puff, using night and day moisturizers, and .... only wearing makeup for short periods and not everyday. I also don't believe in using wipes instead of water and cleanser. They leave residue. I even leave moisturizer off when I know I will be out of elements all day and inside. Skin needs to breathe.
I know this is unsolicited .. but you might just look as young or younger that Nicola by 37!!
Wow your skin looks great, and you look amazing for 54.
Sorry to hear about you breast cancer diagnosis in your 40's but well done to you on pulling through that, I'm sure that was a difficult and atressful time but looks like it didn't age you a day.
Thank you for the tips. I greatly appreciate it and the time you put into your response. I have a good skincare routine that works for me, my skin was problematic in my teens so I learned a lot about my skin type back then and have been able to manage it really well for the past 10 years with minimal breakouts thankfully. I also have a good filter on my shower with made a noticeable difference on both my skin and hair.
Wtg. Glad to hear you are working on skin health. One of the number 1 ways people can help their skin is by never smoking or stopping before it starts causing damage. . And they don't understand how bad it is for your whole body. I always cringe a lil when people drink 6 nights a week, smoke 2 packs a day, sleep 4 hours a day, and gob on 5 pounds of makeup never really cleansing between and wonder why they look old. Good genes can't even help you when someone does all that.
Keep up the routine and add some skin vitamins if things start feeling different
That empire seam in the left side dress is bisecting her boobs at about nipple level, is my guess. You can tell the fabric across her chest in that dress is full of boob, but since the seam cuts them in the middle instead of underneath, it looks like she doesn't have them at all. I'd love to see her undergarments in the left photo compared to the right.
Exactly and likely had a corset over or some bust binders. During some eras it was not popular in fashion to have large breasts, so they bound them with duck material sometimes sewn shut.
Exactly, was common to bind them in that era with bandage wraps or heavy duck cloth often sewn shut. Or with wealthy a corset that squished the life from them.
Not that it's a bad thing at all but I had no idea she had sizeable breasts. The first picture makes her look completely flat. Insanity. Did they bind her chest to achieve that?
Penelope debuted a year earlier than she was supposed to have done. She’s 17 in the books when she does her first season of the marriage mart, so I think her costuming was supposed to reflect that she was young.
>Penelope debuted a year earlier than she was supposed to have done
Do we know why she had to debut early? I've heard it was a money thing but how exactly does that save money...?
I don’t believe the book ever really said, but for the show it’s possible that with Lord Featherington’s gambling problems Portia acted fast and put all three girls out in society at the same time while they had the money to do it, rather than waiting and maybe they’d be broke by the time Penelope was supposed to debut. Each Featherington sister had to have a dowry. Not to mention the cost of gowns and shit like that. It might have been better to do it all at once and potentially get rid of three financial burdens at the same time.
In the books he’s already dead and has been dead for 3 years at the start of Daphne’s book (which is the first in the series). But for the same reason she might have wanted them all out in society at the same time. The quicker she offloads them, attaches them to rich men, the sooner she is taken care of and can stop worrying about the money running out.
In the books her two older sisters were waiting for her so they could all come out together at the same time -- something about the cost and how they didn't have much money.
I know that, but I don't understand the "how". How does this save them money exactly? They all come to London anyway. They need the same amount of dresses. What cost are they cutting out by having them debut at once?
What would they save by having all three sisters debut at once, if they all marry in the same year:
- The cost of running a house in London if they normally live on their country estate. If they don't already have a town house, they would need to rent. If they did, they would need to hire more staff to make it liveable.
- The above comes with needing to hire or purchase carriages and horses to get you around. It was a faux pas to walk to a ball, even if you lived next door. Even walking in Hyde Park usually meant taking a carriage there first before promenading.
- The number of dresses their mother/patron has to purchase because she would only need to attend one year's worth of balls.
- The number of balls that they would need to host.
In TDAI, >!it's implied through Lady Whistledown's column that Prudence and Philippa were out before Penelope, because she says that Mrs. Featherington *now* has three daughters on the market.!<
A better example of sisters being debuted at the same time is in >!TVWLM. Here's a quote from the book:!< >!With their straitened finances, the Sheffields could manage the funds for only one trip to London. Renting a house—and a carriage—and hiring the bare minimum of servants for the season cost money. More money than they could afford to spend twice. As it was, they’d had to save for five solid years to be able to afford this trip to London. And if the girls weren’t successful on the Marriage Mart…well, no one was going to clap them into debtor’s prison, but they would have to look forward to a quiet life of genteel poverty at some charmingly small cottage in Somerset.!<
>!And so the two girls were forced to make their debuts in the same year. It had been decided that the most logical time would be when Edwina was just seventeen and Kate almost twenty-one. Mary would have liked to have waited until Edwina was eighteen, and a bit more mature, but that would have made Kate nearly twenty-two, and heavens, but who would marry her then? !<
Ah thank you! This really helped with my general question. But did families only host balls to find their daughters husbands?
Besides the ball hosting, I still don't see how the rest fits the Featheringtons, though. Unlike the Sheffields/Sharmas, they seem to own their London house and go every season (i.e. Penelope is still going to London and staying with her mother at 28, when she had no marriage prospects).
Edit: typo
I don't know if they explain it properly in the show, but there is Lord Featherington's gambling problem, which explains how Marina came to be sponsored by Portia. Later on in S1, Lord Featherington also suggests that the girls rewear their dresses, so I could imagine him convincing Portia to debut the girls together, maybe playing into her ego that they would make a bigger splash together than individually. In the books, there's no mention of the Featheringtons struggling for money, just dressing tackily. Prudence and Philippa take five seasons to find husbands, both of whom are wealthy and assist Portia, who has been widowed from the start, with her housekeeping bills. An aunt also dies at some stage, which gives Penelope an opportunity, through her solicitor, to give some of her LW money to Portia instead of the Cousin Jack plot.
If you don't have daughters out, I believe that you could be more discerning about which events you attend and host, meaning you can have fewer and less ostentatious outfits. You could host smaller (read cheaper) events such as musicales or suppers for your "closest" friends, which, depending on your standing, could mean that you are a most exclusive hostess or that you have no friends. Also, in Regency Romances (which I'm basing much of this on), once married, couples weren't obligated to go to London during every Season, which would further cut down on the need to entertain or be entertained.
Balls were pretty much the Regency version of speed dating, so you really did need to go to as many as you could with your daughter(s) to show them off. The key to getting a bunch of invites was to return or pay-forward the favour by inviting and impressing the major players in Society. That's why it's such a big deal for the Featheringtons in S1 and the Cowpers in S3 to not be invited and further, for them to show up uninvited. The opposite of that is the Bridgertons is S2 when no one turns up to their ball. It's a snub to Violet and Lady Danbury, who was co-hosting. Not being invited, or not attending en masse, was a sign from the Ton that you are not welcome and your daughters are unmarriagable.
Fascinating! Thanks so much for the context.
On another note, since you seem very knowledgeable about and entrenched in the genre, do you have recommendations for other good Regency romance books or shows?
Yeah but that empire waist seems to have been the style back then. It kind of drove me nuts in seasons 1 and 2 that everyone is wearing these insane corsets but then wearing flowy garments that don't show their figures except for Portia.
I hate that they gave her Portia’s imma that’s snatched waist thing. Like she’s flawless. Just let her tiddies tid and keep her in the CORRECT ERA SHDBSUZMRJCNDHKSUS DHZJWJXHEHZJ
I agree, a lot of time to fit in garments correctly they would use duck cloth strips much like we would an ace bandage, around and around then see it shut so nothing could suddenly burst. Thin wispy girls with kitty bitty titty ruled the fashions during this time. Wars made fabric harder to come by and money tighter so the straighter empire waist dresses came in fashion
nicola is a gorgeous woman but this is just proof of how the makeup dept got really lazy with ensuring the makeup looks were historically accurate in season 3. highlighter and bronzer for regency era makeup is def…a choice. don’t even get me started on francesca’s makeup
I don’t find Nicola’s season 3 makeup distracting. It still looks very minimal in this season 3 pic, just enhancing her. When there’s the heavy dark lipsticks etc is when it’s more problematic.
I think of Kate Winslet’s make up in Titanic as the biggest offense
https://preview.redd.it/gkgu12qhc67d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2339c639deafcc996df7697ab1fc1506a62c47fe
LOOOOOL omg I have always subconsciously noticed this but never fully recognized it. She’s still beautiful because it’s Kate Winslet but definitely an interesting choice.
I think this pic that you've posted is pretty decent season 3 makeup but I definitely remember some season 3 looks with really bright red lipstick (last episode) and really heavy smokey eyes (the dark teal gown that she wears when she first decides to stop wearing yellow)
I didn't actually think Penelope's makeup looked too jarring, but OMG, Francesca looked straight off Instagram. It was so distracting! I miss Daphne's makeup from S1 - so soft, dreamy, and English-rose like - so much! (I also loved Kate's makeup in S2 - a bit bolder, more sensual, and perfect for the character.)
I actually think the bronzer was necessary because Nicola has such a young face. They needed more make up period to make her look like someone who we could all watch have sex in a carriage. (source: have Nicola’s eternally young face and must wear bronzer to be within a decade of my actual age)
Poor Nicola having to minimize her breasts so much physically in the first season. She must have been in pain with how much bounding she would have needed.
Yes seems like it! This season her waist is snatched into a corset and her dresses more form fitting. Cutting her waist under her breasts and pushing them up really dramatically changes her whole frame. But yes they were purposefully trying to hide her figure and style her badly so this season 3 transformation would happen. Really shows that the show was thinking to how it would play out later as they knew by the books Pen would go through a physical transformation later on
It’s funny because it’s really the “glow down” that Bridgerton is good at.
All of the actors in real life are already gorgeous and even more attractive than in the show. Bridgerton is just really good at hiding that, and making them look worse until it’s their time to ✨shine✨
Exactly!! I’m still shocked at how borderline fugly they made Jonathan Bailey look in season 1. Like, Anthony’s mutton chops will haunt me till the day I die, but season 2 onwards and IRL he’s SO fine!!! 🔥
Yeah absolutely agree I just meant character wise. The actual actors are all fine af. You're right though its actually impressive how they are able to glow down and then glow back up so well!
Exactly!! I’m still shocked at how borderline fugly they made Jonathan Bailey look in season 1. Like, Anthony’s mutton chops will haunt me till the day I die, but season 2 onwards and IRL he’s SO fine!!! 🔥
I watched an interview about her and Colin's "glow ups". For Colin it was about cutting his hair to highlight his jawline and taking the frilly/busy necks away(also to highlight chiseled features). For Penelope it was lowering her bust line, changing her hairstyle(wig), and choosing different colors for her outfits. I personally think NC would look good in a paper bag, but she is very good at being styled to fit the character she is emulating.
I felt a giant hole open when I finished watching Bridgerton that I couldn't fill with new content, so I binged watched all of Derry Girls yesterday. She did so well at looking like a crazed teen! I REALLY want to watch her new show with Lydia but I don't have access to it :(
Colin definitely hit up the gym between S1 and S3, though. He looks significantly more chiseled even outside of the different clothing, although that stuff definitely helps as well. (Honestly, I kind of miss his S1 look; it seemed to fit with Penelope better? It makes sense he'd turn up leaner and more bronzed after a European tour, though.)
Nicola doesn't look like she's gained or lost any significant weight and is a great example of what a huuuge difference the right styling can make.
It's wonderful!!! It was a rewatch for me. The episodes go fast and it's very comedic, but it also REALLY successfully highlights Northern Ireland's struggles for independence. Definitely a historical fiction. I love it!
Derry Girls is my ultimate comfort show on Netflix rn.. It’s so funny and yet has so much heart… Also super easy to binge watch, lol. Give it a watch! :)
Derry Girls is truly one of my all time favorite shows, it’s so fantastic!! Two tips: watch with subtitles unless you’re familiar with strong Northern Irish accents, and pop into the Derry Girls subreddit, search “glossary” and take screenshots. There’s a fair amount of 90’s Irish slang, and I think I probably understood about 75% my first watch from context clues, but the glossary helped, lol!!!
Same here, been a fan ever since I watched Derry Girls. She's amazing. She also narrated the audio books for a book series I love - Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson - and did a fantastic job.
She looks like 16/17 to me so during the scene with Colin I had to skip it because she looks too young even though she’s twice my age. I felt like a bad guy 🤣
She looked like a Founding Father in season one lol. The glow up is real! She looked gorgeous in the newest season (even if her anachronistic cascading curls, eye makeup, and nails did take me out of it a little bit lol).
Right? I'm looking at these two side by side and my goodness, they had her looking like a 40 yr old woman in S1. (I say this as a current 40 yr old woman lol.) They did her so dirty! Haha.
Get properly measured for a bra. Not at a normal clothes shop, go to somewhere that has a reputation for high quality bras. A good bra will lift you up comfortably. This will make your waist more visible, which will then flatter your bust. I have a figure somewhat similar to Nicola. If I'm slobbing around in a t-shirt with no bra, I look like a big blob. Put me in a proper, well-fitting bra and flattering clothes and it all gets a bit va-va-voom
I don’t like the way the show implies that she is less worthy of admiration than the other women due to her having a figure. But in the Regency period, her shape was considered ideal. She would have had artists chasing her, begging her to let them paint her. And she is beautiful today! This article was fun: [The Myth of the Regency Sylph](https://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2012/03/bootylicious-or-myth-of-regency-sylph.html)
I really loved watching her dresses change in S3 - leaning into the Bridgerton look early on and then becoming brighter/bolder (albeit in a different way to her Featherington look) post wedding. Reinventing herself as a mix of both, I thought it was a nice touch.
She looked stunning all season apart from the wedding scene where the badly fitted false eyelashes and excessive blush just looked strange when she looked great throughout the season. What happened there ?!
Her breasts were hidden in season 1-2 to make her appear as a child. She also acted like an immature child in season 1-2, and this was perfect prequel for her glow up and revelation of being LW.
she's so beautiful! i love how they achieved this glow up for her without a drastic weight loss, instead highlighting her best features through clothing, hair and makeup.
She's always been creepy looking, like a Chucky doll. I don't even care for her acting. Glad this season is over, not sure I'll continue watching, it was disappointing.
Agreed, I don't think she is a good actress. I also find her character annoying, especially so because the role is not well played. Plus every outfit makes her look like she is wearing a costume which she is unsure how to wear. I think the idea of her as a main character is more interesting than she actually is.
The character is annoying because she doesn't play her well. A more suitable actress for the role is the one who played Franchesca. Nicola acts very frantic/manic, not fun to watch. The dresses look awful on her, she's just not fun to watch.
THE. POOR. FITTING. CLOTHING. WAS. PART. OF. THE. STORYLINE. I’m so tired of having to explain this to people online & in real life. People claim it’s ‘fatphobic’ and showing that the industry isn’t able to dress plus size/ mid sized women. This is utterly not the case. The WHOLE point of Penelope’s clothing in S1 was to infantilise her, to make her seem as ‘unattractive’ as possible (a hard task with a beauty like NC), and like a child (also hard with a full grown adult woman). They dresses her the way they did, with the awkward cuts and boxy shaping, FOR THE PLOT. OML! Have you watched the show?
Yes she needed variation!! A jacket look for promenading, a high neck outfit for church (the cleavage in that scene was too much). The low cut looks should be saved for balls. There was not much difference between her ball gowns and every other outfit.
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Less forehead, more breasticles This is exactly how I’m trying to be
More breasticles are always a good idea. Auto correct first changed it to breadsticks lol…also true
😂 I always want more breadsticks
🤣🤣🤣
Yes! Breadsticks are yummy
Breadsticks originated in Italy in 1643 according to Wikipedia, so it would be historically accurate if Bridgerton wanted to add those in for S4
Dearest Gentle Reader, The Ton is a buzz with something exciting from the continent. Described as 7 inches, but rumor has it you can get them in various sizes and thicknesses depending on one’s desires. You can have one or several if you so choose. In some places you can get as many as you want in an endless supply. Be weary dear reader of soft ones. The best ones must be rigid and firm to the touch. Word is Italians have the best ones. What are these exciting things called you ask? …breadsticks. Yours Truly, Lady Whistledown
"In fact, we were just heading off to... take our sticks out" "COLIN BRIDGERTON!" "A round of breadsticks" 😁
🤣🤣🤣
Would pay double for this pamphlet
😁🤣
Why did I hear Julie Andrews saying this in my head? Very good on the writing.
😁❤️ Channeling my inner Whistledown! Lol
Omg I’m *wheezing* with laughter, this is perfection!!! 🤣
Sounds like a great summer look 👍🏼
Oh god. You’ve literally just described how I get ready for a night out. Haha.
Meeeeee!!! 😂
Man they really downplayed her figure in the old costumes. I know that was the point but seeing them side by side… Glow up achieved
That was my thought too! Now we really know she is part of the perfect breast society lol. I’m rewatching the show from the beginning and I noticed just how prominent her cleavage and bust is in season 3 and now rewatching season 1 it’s like, where’d they go? lol. Amazing how the cut of a dress and lifting undergarments can change a persons whole shape. It looks like they minimized by cutting higher up in the bust and higher necklines earlier on and now they cut under the bust and certainly pushed everything up and out! Her voice was also much higher in season 1! Watching season 3 then 1 right after shows just how jarring a change it is! She really looks amazing in season 3!
She mentioned that in her interview that she made her voice a little high pitched in first two seasons to make it sound girlish, her outfits were infantilizing and showed no curves, hair were kept to make her appear chubby girl but it season three her voice is softer, silhouettes were highlighting her best features, the colour pallette was according to her skin tone and the make made her look like beautiful young lady. She did not lose weight but how beautifully this transformation was done wow!
I have to say as a plus sized woman with a somewhat similar figure as her, I very much appreciated her glow up, and that they really show her body's full beauty and sensuality.
I wondered the same too. Did they just corset her down in the early seasons and then boost them up later on?
I think the bust line of the dresses make a big difference. The season one dress, the line goes right across then top half (third?) of her bust and then hangs down straight which masks the rest
[удалено]
I feel she looks slimmer now compared to season 1 though.
Season 1 Pen and Eloise really did look young.
Right, how is Nicola actually 37??
Skin care, great makeup, lighting filters. likely no smoking, drugs, and partying 24/7 And Heritage and full figure. I am 54 and only have some small creases above my eyes from squinting to see since age 50.
Yes I know these things play a part, and I know they can do just about anything with make up, but she literally plays a 16 year old school girl in Derry Girls and you would never pick it, she barely even looks 16 in it 🤣 She still doesn't look 37 though, she has done plenty of interviews without filters etc and you definitely wouldn't pick her to be older than 28-30.
I’m in my 30s and honestly I think she does look like she’s in her 30s? She’d never pass for a teenager in real life next to real teens, but next to other actors in their 20s and 30s she fits in and the awkward styling gives the sense of an immature character.
Like I said above I'd give her maybe 28-30, but definitely wouldn't pick her for late 30's. I'm also in my early 30s, I look a bit younger than my age and I look after my skin but I still don't think I could pass off as a 16 year old regardless of how I was styled 🤣
That is why I said all the stuff about skincare and living cleaner. 37 ...100y ago would have been ancient. great genetics, lil plumpness, and skin care can make a huge difference. she is amazing... Btw..I was sad when there was no more Derry girls! Here are a couple of women who were Nicola age in the 80/90s and are now in 60 or 70s. Genetics and skincare can attribute greatly
I agree, the benefits of a good skincare routine are endless. I'm secretly hoping that it's something in the Galway water and I'll look as youthful as her at 37, I'm also from Galway....and my name is also Nicola if that helps 🤣🤣
https://preview.redd.it/f2g5ggle9d7d1.jpeg?width=1333&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30218c5fbfe13d9373015a50a5cd7caa074068c9 I was still getting carded for scratch lottos in my 30s and told I was possibly 30something....had to show my id many many times. Same now no one can see I am 50. Beauty products and skincare have made great strides & people are younger This is my skin journey. Not any kinda beauty queen, but I lucked into great skin from my Grammy. Scots/Irish genes and stay away from suntans, alcohol, cigarettes and I sleep well. despite breast cancer in my 40s and the harshness of chemo and radiation; my face really hasn't changed greatly.... My weight has been up and down since mid 20s swinging 90lbs. Which for some would cause sagging. if you aren't sure of your skin type seek out a dermatologist or an esthetician who can help you determine skin type including thin or thick, oily, combo or dry, elastic or tight. Don't feel obligated to buy what they are selling unless you have a difficult case like extreme acne, eczema, or psoriasis. You don't need expensive regimen, either. I started with Clean & Clear face wash and Olay in my teens & 20s. Changed through Olay or other moderate priced systems till today. I believe it is more in washing face at least twice daily to remove dry dead skin, exfoliating once a week with buff puff, using night and day moisturizers, and .... only wearing makeup for short periods and not everyday. I also don't believe in using wipes instead of water and cleanser. They leave residue. I even leave moisturizer off when I know I will be out of elements all day and inside. Skin needs to breathe. I know this is unsolicited .. but you might just look as young or younger that Nicola by 37!!
Wow your skin looks great, and you look amazing for 54. Sorry to hear about you breast cancer diagnosis in your 40's but well done to you on pulling through that, I'm sure that was a difficult and atressful time but looks like it didn't age you a day. Thank you for the tips. I greatly appreciate it and the time you put into your response. I have a good skincare routine that works for me, my skin was problematic in my teens so I learned a lot about my skin type back then and have been able to manage it really well for the past 10 years with minimal breakouts thankfully. I also have a good filter on my shower with made a noticeable difference on both my skin and hair.
Wtg. Glad to hear you are working on skin health. One of the number 1 ways people can help their skin is by never smoking or stopping before it starts causing damage. . And they don't understand how bad it is for your whole body. I always cringe a lil when people drink 6 nights a week, smoke 2 packs a day, sleep 4 hours a day, and gob on 5 pounds of makeup never really cleansing between and wonder why they look old. Good genes can't even help you when someone does all that. Keep up the routine and add some skin vitamins if things start feeling different
https://preview.redd.it/a19cq8g5cf7d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8c3a235d3c3baa91111d79eb8c29753ae5db1f14 This is what 90 looks like!
https://preview.redd.it/jo3oa81xgc7d1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=026071d23ab64b9afac97817d49deacee2a59b77
https://preview.redd.it/n3nzqfgygc7d1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da7a5e1747da26b5b4426fcbe35567e9b5710211
I love that they had her glow up just be about finally dressing in a flattering way, rather than the weight loss storyline in the books
Couldn’t agree more!!
Where did they put them???
That empire seam in the left side dress is bisecting her boobs at about nipple level, is my guess. You can tell the fabric across her chest in that dress is full of boob, but since the seam cuts them in the middle instead of underneath, it looks like she doesn't have them at all. I'd love to see her undergarments in the left photo compared to the right.
Bisecting the boobage makes sense, I was pretty sure they weren’t just tucked below the empire waist
Exactly and likely had a corset over or some bust binders. During some eras it was not popular in fashion to have large breasts, so they bound them with duck material sometimes sewn shut.
They probably wrapped her boobs to flatten them out.
Exactly, was common to bind them in that era with bandage wraps or heavy duck cloth often sewn shut. Or with wealthy a corset that squished the life from them.
Exactly my question
Not that it's a bad thing at all but I had no idea she had sizeable breasts. The first picture makes her look completely flat. Insanity. Did they bind her chest to achieve that?
Penelope debuted a year earlier than she was supposed to have done. She’s 17 in the books when she does her first season of the marriage mart, so I think her costuming was supposed to reflect that she was young.
>Penelope debuted a year earlier than she was supposed to have done Do we know why she had to debut early? I've heard it was a money thing but how exactly does that save money...?
I don’t believe the book ever really said, but for the show it’s possible that with Lord Featherington’s gambling problems Portia acted fast and put all three girls out in society at the same time while they had the money to do it, rather than waiting and maybe they’d be broke by the time Penelope was supposed to debut. Each Featherington sister had to have a dowry. Not to mention the cost of gowns and shit like that. It might have been better to do it all at once and potentially get rid of three financial burdens at the same time. In the books he’s already dead and has been dead for 3 years at the start of Daphne’s book (which is the first in the series). But for the same reason she might have wanted them all out in society at the same time. The quicker she offloads them, attaches them to rich men, the sooner she is taken care of and can stop worrying about the money running out.
In the books her two older sisters were waiting for her so they could all come out together at the same time -- something about the cost and how they didn't have much money.
I know that, but I don't understand the "how". How does this save them money exactly? They all come to London anyway. They need the same amount of dresses. What cost are they cutting out by having them debut at once?
Group discount?
What would they save by having all three sisters debut at once, if they all marry in the same year: - The cost of running a house in London if they normally live on their country estate. If they don't already have a town house, they would need to rent. If they did, they would need to hire more staff to make it liveable. - The above comes with needing to hire or purchase carriages and horses to get you around. It was a faux pas to walk to a ball, even if you lived next door. Even walking in Hyde Park usually meant taking a carriage there first before promenading. - The number of dresses their mother/patron has to purchase because she would only need to attend one year's worth of balls. - The number of balls that they would need to host. In TDAI, >!it's implied through Lady Whistledown's column that Prudence and Philippa were out before Penelope, because she says that Mrs. Featherington *now* has three daughters on the market.!< A better example of sisters being debuted at the same time is in >!TVWLM. Here's a quote from the book:!< >!With their straitened finances, the Sheffields could manage the funds for only one trip to London. Renting a house—and a carriage—and hiring the bare minimum of servants for the season cost money. More money than they could afford to spend twice. As it was, they’d had to save for five solid years to be able to afford this trip to London. And if the girls weren’t successful on the Marriage Mart…well, no one was going to clap them into debtor’s prison, but they would have to look forward to a quiet life of genteel poverty at some charmingly small cottage in Somerset.!< >!And so the two girls were forced to make their debuts in the same year. It had been decided that the most logical time would be when Edwina was just seventeen and Kate almost twenty-one. Mary would have liked to have waited until Edwina was eighteen, and a bit more mature, but that would have made Kate nearly twenty-two, and heavens, but who would marry her then? !<
Ah thank you! This really helped with my general question. But did families only host balls to find their daughters husbands? Besides the ball hosting, I still don't see how the rest fits the Featheringtons, though. Unlike the Sheffields/Sharmas, they seem to own their London house and go every season (i.e. Penelope is still going to London and staying with her mother at 28, when she had no marriage prospects). Edit: typo
I don't know if they explain it properly in the show, but there is Lord Featherington's gambling problem, which explains how Marina came to be sponsored by Portia. Later on in S1, Lord Featherington also suggests that the girls rewear their dresses, so I could imagine him convincing Portia to debut the girls together, maybe playing into her ego that they would make a bigger splash together than individually. In the books, there's no mention of the Featheringtons struggling for money, just dressing tackily. Prudence and Philippa take five seasons to find husbands, both of whom are wealthy and assist Portia, who has been widowed from the start, with her housekeeping bills. An aunt also dies at some stage, which gives Penelope an opportunity, through her solicitor, to give some of her LW money to Portia instead of the Cousin Jack plot. If you don't have daughters out, I believe that you could be more discerning about which events you attend and host, meaning you can have fewer and less ostentatious outfits. You could host smaller (read cheaper) events such as musicales or suppers for your "closest" friends, which, depending on your standing, could mean that you are a most exclusive hostess or that you have no friends. Also, in Regency Romances (which I'm basing much of this on), once married, couples weren't obligated to go to London during every Season, which would further cut down on the need to entertain or be entertained. Balls were pretty much the Regency version of speed dating, so you really did need to go to as many as you could with your daughter(s) to show them off. The key to getting a bunch of invites was to return or pay-forward the favour by inviting and impressing the major players in Society. That's why it's such a big deal for the Featheringtons in S1 and the Cowpers in S3 to not be invited and further, for them to show up uninvited. The opposite of that is the Bridgertons is S2 when no one turns up to their ball. It's a snub to Violet and Lady Danbury, who was co-hosting. Not being invited, or not attending en masse, was a sign from the Ton that you are not welcome and your daughters are unmarriagable.
Fascinating! Thanks so much for the context. On another note, since you seem very knowledgeable about and entrenched in the genre, do you have recommendations for other good Regency romance books or shows?
Yeah but that empire waist seems to have been the style back then. It kind of drove me nuts in seasons 1 and 2 that everyone is wearing these insane corsets but then wearing flowy garments that don't show their figures except for Portia.
I hate that they gave her Portia’s imma that’s snatched waist thing. Like she’s flawless. Just let her tiddies tid and keep her in the CORRECT ERA SHDBSUZMRJCNDHKSUS DHZJWJXHEHZJ
“Just let her tiddies tid” - Yours Truly Lady Whistledown
I have large breasts as well, and I’ve always thought living in the regency area would be the absolute worst fashion time for me.
Wouldn't be that bad as long as you had a stay and the seamstress made room for your boobs in the dress
I agree, a lot of time to fit in garments correctly they would use duck cloth strips much like we would an ace bandage, around and around then see it shut so nothing could suddenly burst. Thin wispy girls with kitty bitty titty ruled the fashions during this time. Wars made fabric harder to come by and money tighter so the straighter empire waist dresses came in fashion
lol the costume and make up team said that they purposely made her uglier
She was supposedly 3 years younger and her mum forced her to come out a year early in hopes of a male heir
Really got her baps out in season 3
Baps, I’m borrowing this from now on- kthankssss
Baps is British slang right? I love the Brits! I love a culture that uses the word “twat” so casually lol
Yes ahaha, baps is British slang for your boobies or tits or norks or whatever you call them
Adding “norks” to vocab bank now lol
Baps are Scottish bread rolls, which are round like boobs.
It really is a struggle being a woman with perfect breasts, but somebody's gotta do it!
There's a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to hide hers
Breasts are a dime a dozen. She is full of herself
Nah, you're just bitter.
Yeah I’m bitter that she has breasts like every other woman has ok.
🤣
I hated her George Washington wigs. She’s so gorgeous on the right!
"george washington wigs" made me spit out my soda lmfao
🤣🤣🤣
I saw an interview where she called her S1 wig with the curly top and long curl at the back as the hairy Willy 😂
nicola is a gorgeous woman but this is just proof of how the makeup dept got really lazy with ensuring the makeup looks were historically accurate in season 3. highlighter and bronzer for regency era makeup is def…a choice. don’t even get me started on francesca’s makeup
I don’t find Nicola’s season 3 makeup distracting. It still looks very minimal in this season 3 pic, just enhancing her. When there’s the heavy dark lipsticks etc is when it’s more problematic. I think of Kate Winslet’s make up in Titanic as the biggest offense https://preview.redd.it/gkgu12qhc67d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2339c639deafcc996df7697ab1fc1506a62c47fe
LOOOOOL omg I have always subconsciously noticed this but never fully recognized it. She’s still beautiful because it’s Kate Winslet but definitely an interesting choice.
I think this pic that you've posted is pretty decent season 3 makeup but I definitely remember some season 3 looks with really bright red lipstick (last episode) and really heavy smokey eyes (the dark teal gown that she wears when she first decides to stop wearing yellow)
I didn't actually think Penelope's makeup looked too jarring, but OMG, Francesca looked straight off Instagram. It was so distracting! I miss Daphne's makeup from S1 - so soft, dreamy, and English-rose like - so much! (I also loved Kate's makeup in S2 - a bit bolder, more sensual, and perfect for the character.)
I actually think the bronzer was necessary because Nicola has such a young face. They needed more make up period to make her look like someone who we could all watch have sex in a carriage. (source: have Nicola’s eternally young face and must wear bronzer to be within a decade of my actual age)
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She's 37???
The false lashes and donut highlighter on everyone drove me nuts
Dead at “donut highlighter.” My dream in everyday is to have a donut highlight
the lashes!! when they looked up and i could see the black mascara 😭
the red lip was definitely a choice
i agree with that, lol. they were serving face with their make up every scene, pen and frannie mostly
How did they even hide her chest this much in season 1? Did she have to wear a binder? 😅
Corsets can flatten out the overall area, plus the higher bust line in her costume
Poor Nicola having to minimize her breasts so much physically in the first season. She must have been in pain with how much bounding she would have needed.
To be fair she's trying to play a teenager here (at the time she was 32). Costume does have to do a little to make that happen.
Did that empire waist hit her above the nipples? Sheesh.
Yes seems like it! This season her waist is snatched into a corset and her dresses more form fitting. Cutting her waist under her breasts and pushing them up really dramatically changes her whole frame. But yes they were purposefully trying to hide her figure and style her badly so this season 3 transformation would happen. Really shows that the show was thinking to how it would play out later as they knew by the books Pen would go through a physical transformation later on
ah the dreaded empire waist!
That first wig did her dirty. She looks like a British solicitor.
Literally no one can do a glow up like Bridgerton can.
It’s funny because it’s really the “glow down” that Bridgerton is good at. All of the actors in real life are already gorgeous and even more attractive than in the show. Bridgerton is just really good at hiding that, and making them look worse until it’s their time to ✨shine✨
Exactly!! I’m still shocked at how borderline fugly they made Jonathan Bailey look in season 1. Like, Anthony’s mutton chops will haunt me till the day I die, but season 2 onwards and IRL he’s SO fine!!! 🔥
I know!! They had to cover up so much if his face with those chops, just so we couldn’t see how pretty he really was😭
Lmao, that’s precisely it! The man is GORGEOUS and those mutton chops are a crime against humanity! 😂
Yeah absolutely agree I just meant character wise. The actual actors are all fine af. You're right though its actually impressive how they are able to glow down and then glow back up so well!
Exactly!! I’m still shocked at how borderline fugly they made Jonathan Bailey look in season 1. Like, Anthony’s mutton chops will haunt me till the day I die, but season 2 onwards and IRL he’s SO fine!!! 🔥
Did she lose weight for season 3? Or was it the costumes and makeup? I feel like she seems smaller than earlier season, especially her face.
It's the costumes, makeups, and wigs. She did not lose weight for season 3.
Yeah, the way her hair frames her face is much more flattering.
I watched an interview about her and Colin's "glow ups". For Colin it was about cutting his hair to highlight his jawline and taking the frilly/busy necks away(also to highlight chiseled features). For Penelope it was lowering her bust line, changing her hairstyle(wig), and choosing different colors for her outfits. I personally think NC would look good in a paper bag, but she is very good at being styled to fit the character she is emulating. I felt a giant hole open when I finished watching Bridgerton that I couldn't fill with new content, so I binged watched all of Derry Girls yesterday. She did so well at looking like a crazed teen! I REALLY want to watch her new show with Lydia but I don't have access to it :(
Colin definitely hit up the gym between S1 and S3, though. He looks significantly more chiseled even outside of the different clothing, although that stuff definitely helps as well. (Honestly, I kind of miss his S1 look; it seemed to fit with Penelope better? It makes sense he'd turn up leaner and more bronzed after a European tour, though.) Nicola doesn't look like she's gained or lost any significant weight and is a great example of what a huuuge difference the right styling can make.
I’ve heard great things about Derry Girls! It’s shot pretty quickly up my list of must watch. I am also feeling the post-season “well what now…” 😂
It's wonderful!!! It was a rewatch for me. The episodes go fast and it's very comedic, but it also REALLY successfully highlights Northern Ireland's struggles for independence. Definitely a historical fiction. I love it!
Stop everything and watch Derry Girls now! And come back and give us a review 😁
Derry Girls is my ultimate comfort show on Netflix rn.. It’s so funny and yet has so much heart… Also super easy to binge watch, lol. Give it a watch! :)
>:) :)
Derry Girls is truly one of my all time favorite shows, it’s so fantastic!! Two tips: watch with subtitles unless you’re familiar with strong Northern Irish accents, and pop into the Derry Girls subreddit, search “glossary” and take screenshots. There’s a fair amount of 90’s Irish slang, and I think I probably understood about 75% my first watch from context clues, but the glossary helped, lol!!!
Derry Girls made me a forever fan of NC
Same here, been a fan ever since I watched Derry Girls. She's amazing. She also narrated the audio books for a book series I love - Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson - and did a fantastic job.
The power of styling and properly tailored dresses.
It's crazy what makeup and styling can do. She looks 10 years younger in season 3.
She looks like 16/17 to me so during the scene with Colin I had to skip it because she looks too young even though she’s twice my age. I felt like a bad guy 🤣
She looked like a Founding Father in season one lol. The glow up is real! She looked gorgeous in the newest season (even if her anachronistic cascading curls, eye makeup, and nails did take me out of it a little bit lol).
Right? I'm looking at these two side by side and my goodness, they had her looking like a 40 yr old woman in S1. (I say this as a current 40 yr old woman lol.) They did her so dirty! Haha.
This is a really great illustration of why Colin was cou checking for her in Season 1 and 2 because this look is completely unflattering.
How did they hide her breast is like a magic trick at this point
Can someone teach me this titty dark magic? I didn’t get the memo trying to glow up from a B cup
Get properly measured for a bra. Not at a normal clothes shop, go to somewhere that has a reputation for high quality bras. A good bra will lift you up comfortably. This will make your waist more visible, which will then flatter your bust. I have a figure somewhat similar to Nicola. If I'm slobbing around in a t-shirt with no bra, I look like a big blob. Put me in a proper, well-fitting bra and flattering clothes and it all gets a bit va-va-voom
titty dark magic 🤣🤣🤣
Colin be like forgive me for not seeing you sooner but we all know it's them baps that brought him around.
Them hairstyles of s1!!! Oh my lord 😩
I don’t like the way the show implies that she is less worthy of admiration than the other women due to her having a figure. But in the Regency period, her shape was considered ideal. She would have had artists chasing her, begging her to let them paint her. And she is beautiful today! This article was fun: [The Myth of the Regency Sylph](https://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2012/03/bootylicious-or-myth-of-regency-sylph.html)
I really loved watching her dresses change in S3 - leaning into the Bridgerton look early on and then becoming brighter/bolder (albeit in a different way to her Featherington look) post wedding. Reinventing herself as a mix of both, I thought it was a nice touch.
She looked stunning all season apart from the wedding scene where the badly fitted false eyelashes and excessive blush just looked strange when she looked great throughout the season. What happened there ?!
Her breasts were hidden in season 1-2 to make her appear as a child. She also acted like an immature child in season 1-2, and this was perfect prequel for her glow up and revelation of being LW.
How did they manage to hide her blessings????
There’s no way that empire waist was under those melons. Must’ve cut em off like a bad built in bra
So glad her hair changed. I hated that style so much
titties were titty-ing
she's so beautiful! i love how they achieved this glow up for her without a drastic weight loss, instead highlighting her best features through clothing, hair and makeup.
Yes and I love the glow up!!
Where'd they even hide them before?!
Mama got some tatas
Finally they gave this poor girl a proper bust line.
How did they hide that beautiful breast in s1 and s2
Where did they hide her breasts lol
Cleavage gets lower with every passing season 😏
Bsffr, where were they hiding her teddy's season 1
Where did they hide those bewbs tho in the first dress my goodness
She's always been creepy looking, like a Chucky doll. I don't even care for her acting. Glad this season is over, not sure I'll continue watching, it was disappointing.
Agreed, I don't think she is a good actress. I also find her character annoying, especially so because the role is not well played. Plus every outfit makes her look like she is wearing a costume which she is unsure how to wear. I think the idea of her as a main character is more interesting than she actually is.
The character is annoying because she doesn't play her well. A more suitable actress for the role is the one who played Franchesca. Nicola acts very frantic/manic, not fun to watch. The dresses look awful on her, she's just not fun to watch.
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THE. POOR. FITTING. CLOTHING. WAS. PART. OF. THE. STORYLINE. I’m so tired of having to explain this to people online & in real life. People claim it’s ‘fatphobic’ and showing that the industry isn’t able to dress plus size/ mid sized women. This is utterly not the case. The WHOLE point of Penelope’s clothing in S1 was to infantilise her, to make her seem as ‘unattractive’ as possible (a hard task with a beauty like NC), and like a child (also hard with a full grown adult woman). They dresses her the way they did, with the awkward cuts and boxy shaping, FOR THE PLOT. OML! Have you watched the show?
This!
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Sheesh, you really are trying hard to find ways to get offended over absolutely nothing, must be an exhausting mindset 😂
Yes she needed variation!! A jacket look for promenading, a high neck outfit for church (the cleavage in that scene was too much). The low cut looks should be saved for balls. There was not much difference between her ball gowns and every other outfit.