OOTD: Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Dress

One of the best part about the holidays is being invited to ugly Christmas sweater parties.  A few years ago, Urban Outfitters was selling "sexy" ugly Christmas sweater dresses - the one that they were showing online had these two horrible looking kittens on it so I obviously needed it. I paid way more money than I should have and, when it showed up, it did not even have kittens on it.  It was this dress. Clearly, I did not read the fine print that said each dress was unique because they were created from thrift shop ugly sweaters. Regardless of the fact that it is not as ugly as it could be, I have grown to love it. Fully equip with shoulder pads, embroidery, and dangling buttons, it is always a crowd pleaser at ugly sweater parties. With the sheer back and a pair of heels, it is so much better than just wearing a Christmas sweater and a skirt. Keeps the party in "Ugly Christmas Sweater Party."

OOTD: A Disappointing Birthday Party

This year, on the 24th of November, I turned 22. As an obvious rite of passage, I listened to nothing but "22" by Taylor Swift every time I was driving in my car.  Even though every time I hear the first line of the song I think she's going to say "it feels like a perfect night to dress up like Hitler," I knew it was the perfect night to dress up - my friend had a party planned! We referred to it as a "surprise party" so that I would not have to be involved (which is considered a loving gesture to the generally apathetic) but we planned all the details in advance so that everything would go perfectly.  She got me some pink and green wine to drink out of the classiest of red solo cups and 50 chicken mcnuggets from McDonalds. Fifty. It was an incredible gesture. The special fancy adult party room was rented, handmade decorations were crafted, friends arrived, and we played Cards Against Humanity all night, my one request. I've been trying to have a god damn game night for a good 4 years now and I finally used and abused my birthday to make it happen. And, let me tell you, it was a frickin great time. I'm not a crazy rager; I don't like to be at parties surrounded by hundreds of belligerent strangers who keep "accidentally" touching my butt. (How many times do I have to reiterate - when I feel a squeeze,  I know it isn't an accident!) So this was the perfect event - I got to dress up and have a laugh with my closest friends. It was far from a disappointing birthday party, but I won using that card. I won the whole frickin game! Happy Birthday to me, losers!! 

OOTD: How to Apparently Not Win Best Dressed

The best and worst part of being in a sorority is weekly chapter meetings. While there is nothing I love more than dressing up like a classy business woman and seeing all my friends, I could do without the girls asking stupid questions and wasting time that I could be using to watch Hart of Dixie on Netflix. My sorority gives out a weekly sash and tiara to the girl who is voted best dressed by our parliamentarian.  Every week, I show up to chapter, positive that it is my week to win. However, apparently, it is never my week to win. I follow all the dress codes, always wear my pin, and am always showered with compliments upon my arrival, but none of it is good enough for the tiara. This week I wore a J Crew button down with gem neckline and a J Crew, magenta pencil skirt with matching magenta, pointed heels, and even a Lilly Pulitzer bow in the Delta Zeta pattern just to suck up. But of course, I did not win. When your bow, lips, skirt, shoes, and purse match flawlessly, you should be awarded for your success. Instead, I am simply medicated for my OCD. Sometimes things are unfair. 

OOTD: Patterned Pants and Pocahontas Moccasins

You ever wake up in the morning and find the need to channel your inner Disney princess? No? Just me? Well then... 

Usually I tend to go for my favorite, Aurora, and rock some pink or Lilly Pulitzer - what I am generally expected to wear by everyone who has ever met me. Not today though. Today I decided it was time to channel my inner Pocahontas. Clearly, I felt like being the most boring of all the princesses because, lets face it, other than Colors of the Wind, that movie is entirely a snore. If I'm watching a Disney movie, I'm not trying to get a history lesson - I'm trying to swoon over an animated prince and daydream about a life that should rightfully be mine - the life of a princess. But alas, I am not; I am a college student with an "Archaeology and the Bible" quiz which is about 12 and a half steps down from glamorous. Thus emerges my internal need to portray a very unglamorous princess - Pocahontas. 

With my high top, fringed moccasins that my boyfriend so lovingly refers to as my Native American shoes; some flower patterned, polka dotted, loud and proud leggings that he, also lovingly, refers to as "interesting" in probably the least loving way possible; and an oversized off-white t-shirt, I braided my hair into some pigtails, popped on my Warby Parkers, and headed off to my quiz. I got so many compliments on the way there about how bold my outfit was and how I was owning the patterned pants that I showed up feeling hella confident to my quiz. Needless to say, I got a 100. Seriously, wear something fabulous on quiz days because you'll either 1. be so confident in yourself that you'll nail it, or 2. you'll fail entirely but still feel great about the fact that you're looking great. If you look great, there's always that glimmer of hope that a rich man will marry you and that's really all we're working towards, isn't it?

OOTD: Trying to do Autumn in LA

Outfit of the Day: October 28
I grew up in Northern New Jersey where, in October, we have a season called Autumn.  Three years ago I moved toLos Angeles, California and, as it turns out, LA has not gotten the Autumn memo yet. This means, while all my friends are back east, bundled up in their cute, aran sweaters, I'm over here still wondering if it's inappropriate to wear a crop top to class so that I won't die of a heat stroke on the way there. I moved to LA specifically for this weather, knowing damn well that I was getting myself into this struggle and would normally never complain because I love my shorts and tank tops more than anything; however, I recently bought such cute clothes for fall that I fear I will probably never get to wear.  Alas, today I decided I'd try my hardest to channel my inner fall in a way that was LA friendly.  Wearing a flowy, grey skirt (Cotton On), plain white t-shirt (h&m), maroon flats (Tory Burch), a maroon bow (bloomingbows.com), and a fun, feather-covered, light weight scarf that my friend bought for me in Paris, I rocked some fall colors and patterns successfully in the 75 degree weather. To top it all off, I smacked on some red lipstick and headed off to class. Hey LA, watch me do Autumn because you can't stop me!

Tiger Halloween Make Up!

 What:

• bareMinerals "Prime Time"Foundation Primer
• bareMinerals "Mini Full Flawless Face" brush
• Covergirl "Tropical Fusion" 205 eyeshadow pallet
• NYX "Love in Rio" eyeshadow pallet 
• bareMinerals "Mini Concealer" brush
• Dior Addict "It-Lash" Mascara
• NYX "Noir Liquid Black Liner" 
• Urban Decay "24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil"
• Rimmel London "Professional Eyebrow Pencil"
• bareMinerals "mineral veil" protectant powder
• Maybelline "410 Blissful Berry" lipstick
• Palladio "Baked Bronzers" in Atlantic Tan

Why:
Last weekend, my sorority had our annual crush party.  This year's theme was "Jungle ParaDiZe" seeing as we have to somehow incorporate our letters into everything. (That being said, I am a Delta Zeta.) I was pretty excited when I heard that we had a jungle theme because I have had this tiger dress sitting in my closet for AGES! For some reason unbeknownst to me, my mother and I happened upon it in forever 21 and thought that I needed it about a year ago. Why anyone would ever need a dress with a giant tiger face on the front, I do not know; but I needed it, so I bought it. (That is the story of my entire life summed up in one sentence.) A few days before the event, I was scrolling through instagram and I saw British blogger and youtuber, inthefrow, dressed up as a tiger with the most incredible make up. I needed to replicate it. She hadn't posted her tutorial yet so I had to just copy her from her instagram photo.  I pulled it up on my computer, put on some Taylor Swift, and situated myself with all kinds of ridiculous make up in my bathroom, ready to make myself look ridiculous(ly fabulous).

How:
I started (as I start all make up routines) with the bareMinerals "Prime Time" foundation primer. I put it all over my face to ensure that the make up would last though out the entire event. The event was at a hot, sweaty club filled with a mob of drunk sorority girls and their dates so, while I didn't expect my make up to last 10 minutes, it stayed perfectly the entire night and there is no doubt in my mind that bareMinerals was wildly responsible for that. After the primer, I took the "Mini Full Flawless Face" brush that I got with my bareMinerals "Up Close & Beautiful: 30 Day Complexion Starter Kit" and began to use it to apply the orange eyeshadow from the Covergirl "Tropical Fusion" eyeshadow pallet to parts of my face.  I applied it to my forehead around my hairline and right above and between my eyebrows, to my cheeks (where one usually would apply bronzer), and under my jawline. Then, using the same brush, I applied the white eyeshadow from the NYX "Love in Rio" pallet to the middle line of my forehead, around my eyes, above my cheek bones, my nose, the area above my lips, the area below my lips, and the area above my jawline. At this point I was looking entirely ridiculous - it was time to add black. Using the bareMinerals "Mini Concealer" brush, I began to make the nose line by applying the black eyeshadow from the NYX "Love in Rio" pallet starting near my tear duct and dragging the brush in a clean, straight line to almost the end of my nose. I then went back and blended the bottom parts so it would look like a tiger's nose (reference: my dress). I also used the black to be actual eyeshadow! (For once, I am using it for it's given purpose!) Once I had the nose, it was time for the stripes.  I continued to use the same eyeshadow and brush and made fur-like, sketchy lines around my face. To make the ones on my forehead a little lighter, I later went back over them with a little orange and white eyeshadow so they wouldn't overshadow my entire face. It was time for my eyes! I used the Dior Addict "It-Lash" mascara, as per always, because it is the most amazing mascara. I created the thick top eyeliner and wing effect with the NYX "Noir Liquid Black Liner" and used the Urban Decay "24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil" for the bottom waterline.  I continued to use the pencil to make my nose effect by applying it to the front and bottom of my nose, making sure to not go entirely around the nostrils.  I made a line from my nose to my mouth and then 3 little dots on each side to be in place of my whiskers. Nearing the end of my look, I applied Maybelline "410 Blissful Berry" lipstick to add a pop of color and some Palladio "Baked Bronzers" (in the shade Atlantic Tan) to my neck to avoid looking like my head was not attached to my body.  Finally, I finished the look by protecting it all with the bareMinerals "mineral veil" powder.  As I mentioned earlier, bareMinerals was definitely the reason this look lasted all night (not sure if it was the primer or the powder but they are both amazing). I straightened my hair, made a tiger ear headband, painted my nails orange with black stripes, put on my tiger print high heels (created by using the orange eyeshadow on the white parts of zebra heels that I had), and headed off to have an amazing time at crush party with my best friend and my handsome boyfriend as my tiger date!

When:
This is a perfect look for Halloween! A tiger is such a cute, fun (might I add EASY) costume! It's an animal print that most stores don't sell so there's a huge possibility you'll be the only tiger at the party. The costume can be made easy by buying a cheap orange dress or shirt and simply painting orange stripes on it (which is exactly what I did for my boyfriend's costume).  It's also a fun costume for a sorority event like a date night or exchange that could fit so many themes. You could even be Tigger from Winnie the Pooh in a cute group costume with friends who love Disney. Doing the make up isn't nearly as difficult as it may seem and is definitely worth it. I got so many compliments and everyone told me that I was easily the best tiger at the event which always feels great! Hope this helps and you're the best tiger at the party too!!