quick, i need a costume!

so, is it just me, or have the past few weeks just flown by?! i remember saying to alex (my boyfriend), "i mean, we have plenty of time to figure out costumes, i'm not going to worry about it too much" and then we obviously stole a delorean and went flying through downtown at 88 mph because it's already the day before halloween! so, if you're freaking out like i started to and you don't want to spend fifty bucks on a costume from one of those seasonal halloween stores that notoriously pop up in late september, i have your solution (i mean, do they seriously expect me to want to pay that much money for a costume that covers less skin than a swimsuit). i've compiled six different costume ideas that you probably have in your closet and you don't even realize it. at the most you might need a quick trip to a goodwill or the dollar store, but that's about it. the costumes are as follows:

1. fox/deer and hunter

okay, so i've seen this one on pinterest a lot, but that's probably because it's so easy. so, if your guy has camo, have him suit up. pretty standard. nothing fancy here. then, all you need is some brown clothing for a deer, or some burnt orange and white for a fox. personally, i have a giant, burnt orange, crocheted, open cardigan thing. so, that paired with a white shirt (like this), some black tights and my knee high black boots (because they have these cute black marking on their legs/feet) makes me a fox. especially when i add some creative makeup (like this). or, following the same concept with brown makes me a deer. all you need for the deer is some makeup and a headband with some twigs tied to it.

2. dancing legend

this one is super fun! have your guy skip the pants and just wear his tighty whities, a button down, and some sun glasses. instant joel goodsen (tom cruise) from risky business. okay, now for you. got a black swim suit? i mean, who doesn't? slap that on and a gray over-sized sweatshirt and some leg warmers (you can just cut the sleeves off of a seatshirt and pull them on your legs if you don't have any) and you're alex owens (jennifer beals) from flashdance. just braid your hair while it's drying (if you dont have curly hair) and then tease the crap out of it to get those infamous 80's locks.

3. mary poppins and bert

have your guy put on a gray button down, gray pants, black dress shoes and a red tie (tied loosely so as to look "un-done"). also, if you can get your hands on a newsie hat, that would be perfect. now, just smudge his face and clothes with some black eye shadow to make it look like he's covered in soot. okay, your turn. you'll need a white button down shirt, a blue or black a-line, knee-length (or longer) skirt, black tights, black shoes, a red belt, and a red bow tie or some red ribbon to make her tie. just tuck in your shirt and pull your skirt up to your natural waist. an umbrella, a low bun, and a touch of red lipstick finishes it off. things that would make it more awesome if you could find/make them: her hat, her bag, his chimney brush thing.

4. breakfast at tiffany's

paul varjak (played by george peppard) - basically, dress clothes: dress pants, white dress shirt, dress shoes, sport coat, tie. if he'll let you, you could contour his face and slick back his hair.
holly golightly (audrey hepburn) - a little black dress, as many pearl necklaces as you can get your hands on, a sparkly broach or a small crown/tiara for your hair, pearl earrings, black shoes, and dramatic winged liner are a must. you can also add black gloves, a pair of big sunglasses, and a long cigarette holder.

5. 50's couple

there are a couple of different directions you could take this. i have three different ideas i'm going to share with you.
june and ward cleaver - your guy will need khakis, a button down shirt, a sweater, a tie, some loafers or other dress shoes, and slicked back hair. you will need an a-line dress, a cardigan, some espadrilles, and some wicked cool hair and makeup.
sandy and danny - he will need black pants, black shoes, a black t-shirt, a black leather jacket, and slicked back hair. super simple. you will need black skinny jeans, a black off-the-shoulder top, some killer heels, a black leather jacket, and some awesome hair and makeup.
dallas and cherry - he needs jeans, a gray t-shirt, a brown leather jacket, and boots or converses. you'll need a button down shirt, a sweater, a pencil skirt, and, preferably, saddle shoes. however, you could just take a sharpie to some white keds and make your own saddle shoes. and, of course, some gorgeous hair and makeup.

6. ellie and carl from "up"
ellie and carl from pixar's "up" are such a cute couple and their love story is just adorable. for this, i'm just going to show you pictures because they're pretty self explanatory and, this way, you could just save the picture on your phone and head to goodwill to make sure it's as close as possible to the original.

aaaaaaaaaaaand (drum roll please)...

this is our costume this year! yep, we're going to be carl and ellie. it's super cute, i know. so, since you probably want to see one of these awesome ideas come to life, here is a picture of our costumes

so, alex's costume is based off of older carl, but he already had everything but the glasses (which are just sunglasses with the lenses popped out). i only had the shoes for mine. i didn't have awesome purple capris or a wicked cool patterned top like hers, so i just hit up a local second hand store for my essentials. how much did i spend you ask?

my shirt: $3.99

my pants: $3.99

my headband: $1.00

his glasses: $5.00

time spent: 2 hours

so, for about $15 after tax, we are a super cute pixar couple for halloween! i'm pretty proud of myself for finding purple pants. i went into the store with multiple outfit ideas (all based on about 8 minutes of a movie that tells carl and ellie's love story) and i spotted purple pants in about .5 seconds after walking through the door. i also bought a second shirt, but one of my friends decided this one was better, which was my first instinct as well.

so, i am living proof that you can, in fact, create a halloween costume from things you already own and a quick trip to goodwill and the dollar store. so, i seriously hope that, with these ideas, you can completely avoid those dreadful halloween stores this year.

until next time,

-kristin

did you use one of these ideas for your costume? how did it go? did this inspire you to create a different costume? tell me about it below!

the most amazing thing i've ever done for my skin

i'm the type of girl who has had very dry, extremely sensitive skin her whole life. for in stance: oh, look at this fancy new mascara! just kidding, feels like i dumped hydrogen peroxide in my eyes. cute, fun smelling, off-brand lotion? nope nope nope. not unless i want a strange-looking rash for a few days. forgot to use shave gel (i actually use conditioner in place of shave gel, but you get the idea)? oh, well looks like i'll be sporting some red polka dots. all over my skin. anyway, you get the idea. well, my mom has been telling me for weeks to try sugar scrub. but not just regular sugar scrub, all-natural, homemade sugar scrub like all the posts i'm sure you've seen on pinterest (like this one or this one or all of these).

fast forward to thursday. i've been struggling with my stupid dry skin, momma has this secret weapon against problem skin, and we have the whole day to hang out and do whatever. soooooo, enter sugar-scrub-making extravaganza. momma has taken a bunch of different recipies from the internet and frankensteined  them together, but really, no matter how you make it, it's basically impossible to mess up. so, just try out some of the above recipies and tweak as needed. you'll get a feel for what the consistency should be and how strong it should smell once you try out your first batch.

so, we quested for all of our ingredients, we mixed, we adjusted, we mixed some more, etc. and eventually we came up with three different scents (orange clove, lavender vanilla, and vanilla coffee) and enough sugar scrub for about ten people. i got pretty excited, considering how yummy they smelled and then (realizing it was pretty late in the evening) i had to promptly get in my car and drive the two hours back home. it was late when i got home, so i just flopped into bed and passed out. the next morning i woke up and started cleaning the apartment, you know, doing laundry, tidying up the living room, etc. and then it hits me: i have some kick-butt sugar scrub waiting for me! so i grabbed my jar, ran to the bathroom, and started scrubbing. it was love a first handful. in fact, i'm pretty sure i used way more than they recommend, but a little extra sugar scrub never hurt anybody, right? you have no idea how soft skin can be until you try it. believe me. this is the first time i've not had to put lotion on after my shower in, well, my whole life.

i will admit that at first i was like "oh great, feels like i just covered myself in motor oil". it's kind of strange, but just rinse normally and give it time to soak in. then you can bask in the glory of baby-soft, freshly exfoliated skin. and, yes, i did use it on my face. i have combination skin and my face has been soft, smooth, and moisturized all day and i am loving it. i should have listened to momma a long time ago. you hear that mom? you were right. again. but, i mean, when is she not?

until next time
-kristin

p.s.
if you do decide to make your own, comment below and tell me how it went: what scent you made, how easy/difficult it was, which ingredients you decided could be left out vs. which ones just had to be in there, etc.

something brand new

so, i've never done this before. i've followed blogs for years but i've just never felt like i would be any good at having my own. well, times they are a changin', and i decided to give it a try. who says i cant do this? usually me. anyway, hope you like it. i'll have my first actual post up soon. thanks for stopping by!

-kristin