halloween 2018: how i made my imagine dragons costume

I. LOVE. HALLOWEEN. I know I've said this before. Every year I spend months coming up with an idea, then buying entirely too many things to make it work. I try everything on over the course of a couple weeks and am ready to go on Halloween. 

Not this year. This year I came up with an idea a couple weeks ago, and started ordering things last week. It all arrive on Thursday and I put it together for the first time Saturday morning, a couple hours before my Farmoween Halloween party. The panic kicked in immediately and was very real. Nothing worked in real life like it did in my head. 

I was going to be Imagine Dragons. They have been all over the radio this year and I finally got to see them in concert, so it fits my rule of something having to do with my life that year. I'd be this fun colorful dragon and then I'd have a thought bubble that was dry/erase so people could be hilarious and draw things that I'm imagining. 

Problem one: I didn't know what a dragon looked like. 

I did some research on the Google machine and decided it's a lizard with wings. Instead of painting an entire bodysuit like I did the past two years, I bought one. Didn't try it on, just felt good about a medium. [Note: a medium was not good. It was way too tight.]

Problem two: There were zero tails that matched my bodysuit. 

In my head, this was no issue. I'd buy any random tail and spray paint it to match. I never thought about the fact that there is no paint that is holographic like my bodysuit was. I bought a holographic green tail, and ended up painting dark purple over it. It actually worked better than I thought when I started painting.

Problem three: Getting the thought bubble on. 

I had seen thought bubble headbands on Amazon, but they weren't Prime, so I ordered some random thought bubble magnet thing. It was so damn heavy. Thanks to my dad, mom, and boyfriend, we figured out how to peel off the dry/erase layer, glued that to some foam board, then glued all of it to a wire hanger that we wrapped around a very tight headband. With 3 minutes left until I had to leave, it seemed pretty sturdy. I hot glued some nice demon horns on there for extra scary dragon effect.

Problem four: How to do my make-up

Maybe this isn't a problem... this is probably the most exciting part of Halloween now. It helps me feel girly even if I look ridiculous in my costume. I found this tutorial on dragon make-up, bought a dragon scale make-up stencil [turns out that's a thing, I guess], and got to work. I just held the stencil on my face and used a contour brush to put about 5 shades of teal, purple, and blue on my face. It turned out to be much easier than I imagined, and I'm obsessed with it. 

I had other problems like forgetting my wings at home and having to send the other Dragon back to get them, and my shirt constantly hanging out underneath, my other Dragon having a giant costume head that was impossible to stick the thought bubble onto, not having any good shoes, and a lack of people wanting to draw on my thought bubble, but overall- it came together and I'm good with it. Maybe not my best Halloween costume, but it'll do. 

I mean, Instagram likes aren't adding up like I'd like them to, but life isn't all about the likes... right?... 

love,
elizabethany

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what i'm wearin: coachella 2017

I've been to plenty music festivals before, but Coachella is different than most of them. I'm typically worried about how much I drink and how silly I get... but at Coachella, it's about how you look and who you're with.

Before I share all of the things that I saw, let's get to the important stuff, shall we?!

DAY ONE: 
I ordered these pieces while drunkenly going through ASOS clearance one night... knowing they were "Coachella-y" but having no idea what I'd do with them. The night I was packing I accidentally threw them on together and was real into it.

-velvet crop top: ASOS

-lace tie skirt: ASOS

-combat boots: JustFab

-shapers undies: Target

-peekaboo tat: Amazon

-necklace: F21

-heart sunglasses from Santa "Because love, elizabethany!"

For my make-up, I wanted to go real metallic-y. I found the eyeshadow with the most glitter and did a silver/blue smokey eye, with silver and black liquid eyeliner, and blue shadow on the bottom lash. I saw on Pinterest that "everyone at Coachella would have the lip line" and thought it was ridiculous, but ended up loving it. That's the same eyeliner that is on my eyes. 

-eyeshadow: Urban Decay

-eyeliners: NYX

-mascara I swear by: Stila Extreme Lash

-lipstick: NYX Liquid Suede in Amethyst

DAY TWO: 
This was my "basic Coachella" outfit, but I loved it. It's a little bit sexy, a little bit grunge, and another excuse to not wear a bra.

-bodysuit: ASOS

-jorts: Express [I had to order two sizes up from my usual jean size]

-belt: Boohoo

-booties: I forget. Probably JustFab or Target

-necklaces: F21 and Amazon

My make-up was a lot darker than Friday because in my mind it made sense for Saturday to be for the sultry. Also, rhinestones were a must each night. I thought I would like putting more on... over my eyebrows, in a design, who knows... but ended up keeping them simple.

-Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes

-rhinestones from Amazon

-blue mascara

-NYX lingerie in Embellishment 

DAY THREE

I planned all of my outfits ahead of time, but brought a few extras just in case. This top was an extra, but I liked it with the bandana, which I learned by day two that unless you want painful lungs the next morning, you should have a bandana handy. 

-patched jorts from Forever21

-top from F21

-combat boots from JustFab

-bandana from Amazon

No matter what, I wanted a LOT of color for Sunday. We'd only be there during the day, it was Easter... color was needed. I used my Alice in Wonderland Urban Decay palette for a teal and purple eyeball, and eventually did a semi-ombre lip with two different Liquid Suedes from NYX. 

A lot of people ask me how I do my eye make-up, and honestly, it's ALWAYS the same formula... normally 3-4 colors... I put a dark one above the crease, a bright one inside the corners of my eyes, a medium shade on the outside corners, and then one final color to blend it all. No real science to it... and most of the time I use my fingers until the blending color.

After MONTHS of looking for ideas on Pinterest and shopping and ordering and returning, I'm pretty proud to say I only copied one outfit, and I probably only spent about... $150ish on everything. I also gained a new love of bandanas.... it's gonna become a regular thing for me, I think.

love,
elizabethany

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new vox box: all for weddings!

I took a quiz on Influenster at the beginning of the summer to see if I'd be a good fit for a box, and they knew exactly which one to send me! I'm so obsessed with everything they sent in the "Vow VoxBox."

This wedding season is my craziest yet, as I've mentioned, and I'm traveling to see four couples tie the knot. They sent me the essentials!

• Pure Silk shaving cream: I've never been one to use shaving cream. I typically use an Intuition razor, so I don't need it, but those are becoming more and more expensive, so I have switched... but still never thought about getting shaving cream. This stuff is the bomb. I tried it on only one leg at first, and definitely got more moisture on the leg and a closer shave. Bonus: it smells fantastic. 
• ecotools Pure complexion facial sponge: I've been trying to get my acne under control lately, so I was pumped to try this. I don't think it helped my face any, but I used it on my body for exfoliation and it was great for that. Also made my shave even smoother on my legs because of the exfoliation first. 
• Olay degenerist luminous perfecting cream: I'm still using Clean & Clear moisturizer because I'm a teenager at heart [which is probably having something to do with the acne...] but this stuff makes me feel like a whole new woman. It doesn't agree with my psoriasis patches and pretty much rolls right off of those areas, and it also doesn't love being combined with my BB cream, but it's great for days I go bare faced. 
• Tide to go stain remover: Does this need an explanation? I'm a messy girl who doesn't like washing her cheap clothes. Of course this is a godsend. 
• Sally Hansen Salon nail polish: Something blue! While the shade is very different than anything I have ever worn, it's definitely pretty, and this brand is great. Definitely an exciting item to get. 

They're all full size, and they're all free as long as I talk about them.... so I'm even more happy with Influenster right now. I don't always go out and buy the free things I receive once I run out, but I'll be stocking up on 60% of this stuff for a long time. 

love,

elizabethany

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wearing: pretty and gray

Not safe: Going on a shopping spree after looking at your bank account and thinking "wow, there's a lot of money in there." I'm well aware of the dangers, and yet... I did it over the weekend.

The first thing I get to show off: this floral cut-out/open back shirt from Forever21. I know it's going to become one of my go-to's.

-top from Forever21

-old gray zip-up jeans

-jelly sandals also from Forever21

-pink earrings from Charlotte Russe

-bracelet from BlueLans

Summertime is the best time, and colorful eyeliner or eyeshadow combinations are just part of the fun. I airbrushed the rest to make my eyes stand out but now I feel fake. Never again.

I stocked up on some dresses and staples... can't wait to share more!

love,
elizabethany

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wearing: purple and lace

Do you have any weird fashion rules you've given yourself? For some reason, I can't convince myself that wearing my hair up with a lower-cut shirt is perfectly fine. I don't know why I think it's not a good look, but most of the time, I fine a higher collar when planning to throw my hair up.

So this time, I knew I wanted to do my side-braided-teased-pony, and needed to find a top. This lace tee with pleather lining was perfect.

As I'm typing this, I realize that EVERYTHING I'm wearing is from Forever21, including the earrings and shoes.

How fab are these?! And they're probably the best fitting/most comfortable flats I own. I need to see if they have more of the same, but different. They were only $8!

Playing with purple on my eyes is my favorite. Both of the purples are from Urban Decay, called Fishnet and Ransom from the Deluxe palette.

French braid the sides, tease the top, double band it for some extra kick in the back, and I feel like a rockstar.

This was actually for a day when we had Haim in the studio. We didn't get to record anything, but they were hilarious. Turns out, one of them accidentally slapped Chingy in the face one night when trying to excitedly high-five her friend at a club. Oh, the LA life. 

Someone took the picture on 2 instead of 3. Woops. 

Welp. See ya.

love,
elizabethany

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influenster box review: all about mary kay!

I got another Influenster box and this has to be the best one yet!

All products are from Mary Kay, and it told me I was pretty when I opened it! SCORE.


There are already a few things that have made it into my daily routine: The bronzer, mascara, and gold eyeshadow. The bronzer is the perfect color, the mascara is great for daily wear, and who doesn't love a light gold eyeshadow?!

I'm also pretty pumped about the liquid lipstick. It's red with some sparkles and so far stays pretty well for at least a couple hours. The cream eyeliner is also clutch, but because I'm so hooked on my liquid liner, I probably won't use it daily.

The brushes are also top notch. I don't know where my brushes are from, but they're about to find the trash can. The blush brush they sent is soft and thick and everything it should be. I've never had a crease shadow brush like the one they sent, but it seems to be a bit of a life saver right now.

I'll post some pics of all of the products on me soon!

love,
elizabethany

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wearing: winter in the spring

As much as I love getting some wear out of my winter-clearance items, I'm over it. I'm ready for bright colors, flats/sandals, and not worrying about carrying a coat around.

...but here we are... A week into Spring and I'm wearing a scarf and coat and still freezing. I decided to at least lighten it up a bit yesterday.

I'm so excited I finally found a chambray shirt that fits pretty good! It's darker than most, but I feel like it'll be a good contrast with hot pinks and yellows that I wear all the time in the Spring. 

-shirt from Old Navy

-jeans from F21

-flats from Charlotte Russe

-scarf from the streets of NYC

I've been going to work with wet hair lately [and just trying to hide my roots and nappy hair that I decided to show off here, I guess] so the easiest thing is an "LC-braid" that goes all the way down. Then I just double rolled the braided pony underneath and bobby pinned it up.

My fabulous blue liner is from Chella via Ipsy. I love the color, but it definitely doesn't go on easily/well.

How do we feel about the half-tucked shirts? Not going to lie... It took me several attempts to make the "untucked" look, look alright. People on Pinterest make it look so good and easy.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to waste the only hour of "extra time" I have by playing 2048 or trying to decide what to buy from this website.

love,
elizabethany

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presents in the mail: last month's subscription boxes

Each month that comes I always tell myself to post pictures of my Birchbox vs. ipsy, but always forget... now this week I got my first Influenster box [which is free!], and decided I had to share!

If you're looking to get a gift in the mail every month, allow me to help!

BIRCHBOX: A delicious Ghiradelli minty chocolate, sample of Viva La Juicy, small nail polish, mask samples, and my new favorite make-up: Chella highlighter pencil [that I also got in ipsy a couple months ago].

IPSY: Cute little bag as always, lip crayon, mascara, blush/bronzer, nail polish, and eyeliner pencil.. and a trial size of an exfoliator mask.

INFLUENSTER: Dry shampoo, glitter nail polish, snack bar, work-out headband, and mask. 

Every month I say I'm going to cancel Birchbox, but I never do. The thing is... they rarely give full-sized things, and there are a lot of facial masks/shampoos involved. That's not the kinda stuff I'm going to use. That all goes straight into my "sample box," which I pick from when I'm going on a trip or a guest needs something.

ipsy typically gives you mostly full-sized things, and more make-up than anything. They normally go straight to my daily make-up box. Plus... I've stocked up on make-up bags that can be used as clutches or gifts for others! [Hey... I bought it, I can totally give it as a present!]

As for Influenster... I'm not totally sure how it works. This one is actually free, but I signed up for it and took some quizzes etc 6+ months ago and just got my first box. I'm not entirely sure how they pick who gets a box each month, but it's worth ten minutes of your procrastination to try! 

My goal for this month is to find a different monthly box thing to subscribe to so I can get rid of Birchbox but still get multiple goodies in the mail! Anyone have recommendations?!

Also.. if you get any of these, let me know your faves/thoughts!

love,
elizabethany

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what ya wearin wednesday 112013

"Why are you having to finish What Ya Wearin Wednesday now?! It's THURSDAY!" You're right! You know the days of the week! Now suck it and enjoy. 

[That was a real thing said to me five minutes ago.]

@muchachamary showed off this outfit, that she got for under $40! 

@msjsg also went with red and black, and I'm loving her subtle-sexy bodycon for her job as a teacher!

@stylebyhistory had light colors that still look beautiful in the fall!

@ksnedegar with my fave- braided to the side 'do.. and another fun-colored scarf!

All sortsa color blocking from @JenDBradley!

Apparently @amsnedegar didn't realize she didn't have shoes on... I think she wanted to show off her impeccable matching skills. 

Fun floral pants! @jannashepherd is my trend-twin today!

Can't decide if I like the leather stripe or the laced-up back of the boots on @anam_xo!

And @fangirlrenee knows it's always fun to rock the Chucks!

Also fun: @alliangel324's cheetah fishnet and asymmetrical skirt!

NOT fun: @BrookeRadio's awful sweatshirt... she's lucky she rocks the hat so well.

@tannerlinwood with the skater dress and boot socks! Approve!

Also approving @ms_vdv's tights and little cowboy booties.

How gorg is @bradlisan's 10 minute updo and Marshall's dress?!

And uh... @cadyeimer's new purse... I want it. That color!

Even though she was also inspired by someone with the initials TS, I'm thinkin' @broadway_lover89's new hair is fab.

By now, we should all know @mollskat is going to do some beautiful make-up every time.

Boot socks! I'm glad @kkruz found some she likes, cuz I still haven't.

Chambray and mint! @toribabyy14 knows how to please me.

@lettybradio shows that simple sweaters, leggings, and boots can be cute! And her friend snazzes it up with trendy leathe skirt and fur vest.

And @ambs829 spotted this yesterday... since Halloween season is still going on......... ohhh, Morgantown.

I got an order from Forever21 right before I left the house, and knew these pants would be my new fave/easy to style. They were only $11!, and will match just about anything.

jeans- F21 online clearance

shirt- F21 YEARS ago, but it's still one of my faves

boots- Charming Charlies $5

scarf- BlueLans.com $3

I actually liked it better with my white necklace, but I have this weird neck issue right now and it hurts to wear necklaces and ugh that's a whole 'nother story.

I think this week was pretty good! Let's keep it up, ya hear?! And don't forget, you can now use #WYWW if you wanna make it easier.

love,
elizabethany

PS SOME of my faves are posted on the HOT blog!

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