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The Most Epic Post Ever

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“The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.”

Woo! The last couple of days have felt like an unbelievable whirlwind. I had every intention of keeping up with SLB, but as suggested in the quote above, sometimes even the best laid plans don’t always turn out the way we envision. Between school, the excitement over Halloween and all of my other various responsibilities, I am just now getting the chance to sit down and take a moment to reflect a bit. This brings me to the title of tonight’s post, “The Most Epic Post Ever”. Pretty big build up, huh? I am referring to this as the most epic post ever simply because I have so many things to share from the past few days — just look at this as a fusion of Weekend Recap/Fashion Friday/Halloween Inspirations: Part II. I just found out that thanks to Hurricane Sandy’s projected path of doom, I don’t have classes tomorrow which feels like the most perfect timing. Just when life was starting to feel slightly overwhelming, I can now reel everything back in and spend the day getting my life together.

So, without further delay, let me get the ball rolling with a recap of Halloweekend 2012. The short version: it. was. great. The long version: I got to spend back-to-back nights in costume with some of the very best people I know, and the combination of the two made for such a fun time. Here is a photo from Friday night, when I dressed as Miss. Muffet (bucket labeled “Curds and Whey” included):

The second night I was a 90’s pop star (see this post if you are forgetting what the sparkly tube top was for). Unfortunately, I didn’t snag a photo of the costume on my DSLR, so an Instagram upload will just have to suffice:

When I get to dress up for something, I feel totally in my element. The past two nights weren’t any different and I am so happy I got to share these moments of euphoria with so many great friends. And now, let the count down for Halloweekend 2013 commence!

Last week, I also got the chance to feature one of the coolest ladies I know in my fashion column for The Eagle. You can read the article here.

Meet Katty Hargrave-Kerns:

Katty went abroad to Kenya her entire junior year of school and when she came back to DC, she had completely reinvented her style. I admire Katty for her sheer badass-ness (I know, not a real word but it’s the only way I can describe her). For one, she is one of the few girls I have seen successfully pull off dreads and still look absolutely beautiful with them. For two, she is able to incorporate all of the pieces she picked up in Kenya pretty seamlessly into her wardrobe, creating this whole new, eclectic style.

And finally, just a few more potential costume ideas for anyone who is still celebrating Halloween and might need a burst of inspiration. I wanted to focus on group costumes this time around, here are some of my favorites that I might just have to pull from next year:

All Time Favorite: Fanta girls

Most Relevant to Pop Culture: The Fab 5

For When You’re Running Out the Door: The cast of Girls

Tried and True: The Spice Girls

Best Coed Group Costume: The cast of Jersey Shore

Do you guys have any other good costume ideas? What did you end up dressing up as for this year’s Halloweekend? Tweet me or leave a comment below. If the power doesn’t go out tomorrow, I will surely be doing some baking/camping out in my apartment when the storm hits, maybe I can share an apocalypse themed recipe or outfit? More adventures to come, rain or shine.

♥

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Halloween Inspiration: Part I

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Looking at my calendar this morning, I realized that we’ve got about 2 1/2 weeks left of October, which means only 2 1/2 weeks until Halloween. In other words, it’s crunch time. I was about to cave and buy a Wonder Woman costume off of Amazon, but something stopped me from pressing that oh so convenient/tempting/dangerous 1-Click order button. Thinking back on my past halloweens, I don’t think there was ever a year where I simply bought a costume. Last year was particularly memorable: I wrapped myself in duct tape, photoshopped a Natty Light beer logo to say “Maddy Light” and stuck a duct tape pop top to my head. It. Was. Great. So instead of squandering my creative energies on a holiday where creativity is the absolute key to success, I decided to do some brainstorming and come up with my list of the very best DIY Halloween costumes — hopefully this will give you guys some inspiration as well before you go running for the nearest Halloween super center.

Best Overall Costume: Katy Perry

I know, I know, this might seem like a shocker — why on earth would a mainstream popstar get the number one spot for best halloween costume? The same reason Lady Gaga and Britney Spears would have captured the top spot in years past: variety. Literally every music video or awards show is a costume opportunity. You could be Candyland Katy or Army Katy or Smurf Katy or Peacock Katy or (my personal favorite) Kathy Beth Terry from Last Friday Night. You can’t wrong with a mouth full of metal and neon eyeshadow.

Costume with Most Pop Culture Relevance: PSY from Gagnam Style

This costume is easy and will certainly earn you points for out of the box thinking. Even better, when the song comes on, all eyes will be on you and your sweet moves. Excuse me while I go watch the music video another 50 times…

Most Badass Costume: M.I.A

I’m going through a serious M.I.A phase right now. Beyonce was definitely in the running for this spot, but M.I.A wins bonus points for originality. I get the feeling that on Halloween night, I will see at least 20 girls dressed up in full “Single Ladies” attire. I hope to maybe see at least one though in a geometric jumpsuit, bright lipstick and some chains… or you know, a polka dot body suit if you’re feelin’ fly.

Easiest Costume to Throw On When You’re Running Out The Door: a tie between Lana Del Rey and Jess from New Girl

Grab your large barrel curling iron, eyeliner, lip liner and the most Lolita outfit you can find and you’re set to be this melancholy songstress for the evening. Even better, in Lana Del Rey’s latest music video, she wears a white tshirt and cut offs and seduces a biker gang of greasy old men. So if you own a white tee and cut offs, you too could be Lana.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jess from New Girl is another personal favorite of mine. Probably because Zoe Deschanel is the closest thing I have to a celebrity idol, and I am already convinced I am Jess from New Girl when life gets really hectic and I just want to sing to people or tap dance or make light of an awkward situation too soon before it’s appropriate. So yeah, grab some glasses, throw on a ModCloth inspired ensemble and be everyone’s favorite primetime hipster.

I have at least 7 more costumes to write about, but that would be too easy so… teaser alert, stay tuned for Halloween Inspiration: Part II for more fun and creative ideas! If you have your mind made up on a costume already, good job, I commend your holiday spirit. Share any thoughts or inspirations with me via twitter or in the comments below. Goodnight to all of my ghouls and goblins!

♥

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How To: Survive the Week from Hell

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Hello readers! So late last night as I attempted to juggle a full load of homework, responsibilities for my internship, a new article for my fashion column and duties for my sorority, I had a stunning realization — this is my first “Week from Hell” of the semester. To clarify, by “Week from Hell” I mean a week where every part of your life seems to converge and there don’t seem to be enough hours in the day to make it all happen. Fortunately, these weeks only come about every 1 1/2 to 2 months for me, and I have developed some tried and true methods for handling them as gracefully as possible.

Photo Credit: Sephora

Buy a good concealer + a multivitamin

These two items will do wonders during your week from hell. I have been using Makeup Forever’s Full Cover Concealer every morning for the past three months and it makes 4 hours of sleep look like 8 hours. Not that buying a new concealer should encourage sleep deprivation, but desperate times call for desperate measures — or in our case, a super blendable, buildable concealer that will keep you looking fresh until you’ve managed to catch up on your sleep.

Taking a multivitamin every morning is a habit I just started this semester but it’s a routine I will continue to stick with as the year progresses. I don’t know if this is the works of a placebo effect talking, but I simply feel healthier when I have it in my system. Whether or not it really boosts my immune system can be up for debate, but I haven’t gotten sick yet (knock on wood) so I think I’m reaping some of the health benefits.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Caffeinate, but don’t over caffeinate

I have always prided myself on not being a coffee drinker. Sure, I would order the occasional tall skinny vanilla latte from Starbucks, but on the whole I try not to drink it on a daily basis. However, during a stressful week when tension is high and sleep is scarce, coffee can be a life saver. For me the key is moderation. Usually one small cup in the morning and another in the late afternoon will cover me — any more than that and I turn into a cracked out crazy person with little ability to focus on any one thing for more than 3 minutes at a time. I learned this particular lesson the hard way.

Photo Credit: The Harry Potter Lexicon

Listen to Harry Potter books-on-tape

Some people like to work to classical music, others prefer the sound of a crackling fire or thunderstorms — I happen to find comfort and relaxation in Jim Dale’s narration of the Harry Potter series. If you haven’t listened to Harry Potter books-on-tape (or should I say, books-on-mp3?), I one hundred percent recommend giving it a try. It is my go to soundtrack for late night study sessions, rainy days and nights when I have trouble falling asleep. If you have trouble concentrating with all of the voices, might I also suggest any of the Harry Potter movie scores — that’s what gets me through my final exams.

Photo Credit: Sleep & Wellness Medical Associates

Sleep

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Sleep. Even it’s only for a few hours. You are not invincible and all-nighters are best left to nocturnal creatures. Go to bed, wake up, and start fresh.

Take mental health breaks

This blog is my mental health break. Going to the gym is my mental health break. Cooking is my mental health break. Taking like 30 minutes to an hour to just do my own thing between work and class is a saving grace. Even if it’s a trip to get ice cream or taking a really long shower, setting aside those little moments are a big part of staying sane.

What do you guys do to stay calm during your most stressful weeks? Hope some of these tips were helpful, I’m off to tackle a logo design!

♥

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