#OOTD: Happy Halloween!

Let me just start by saying that I’m not a huge Halloween person. My mom has never been that into it, so I didn’t dress up or go trick-or-treating a lot as a kid. The theater person in me loves costumes, so I actually don’t mind dressing up, but I also don’t see the point in spending a lot of money on a costume. This year at the school where I teach, some of the teachers thought it would be cool for all of us (who wanted to) to dress up like superheroes. I already had another costume in mind, but I decided to be a team player and see what I could come up with. As I was searching Pinterest and around Google Images for ideas, I realized that I already had the basic outfit for Catwoman, so ta-da!

All I had to do was buy cat ears, paint my fingernails black, and make sure to do a cat eye wing with my eyeliner.

Some of my students thought my cat ears looked more like bunny ears, but I was just happy to find some that were black.

Here’s a close-up of my eye makeup. I used Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner (which is probably my favorite eyeliner of all time), Benefit Roller Lash Mascara, and POP Beauty Eyeshadow (all from Birchbox). I don’t do a cat eye very often, but whenever I do I love how it accentuates my eyes.

I didn’t realize this until after I’d already gotten my costume together, but Catwoman is played by my celebrity doppelgänger, Anne Hathaway, so it’s almost like I had on two costumes! 😉 I have to admit, dressing up was a lot of fun. I have a feeling I’ll convince myself to do it again next year.

October Birchbox Review

As I mentioned in my first Stitch Fix review, I’ve been a Birchbox subscriber for over two years. I’ve always loved getting things in the mail, and surprise things are even better. Birchbox is a relatively inexpensive way to try new beauty products, and since I’ve been a member, I’ve discovered several products that I’ve added to my routine. One of my favorite things about Birchbox is how they do reward points. You can write a product review on everything you get in your monthly box. You’re rewarded 10 points for each product, and every 100 points is worth $10 to spend at Birchbox. I like writing reviews anyway, so it’s cool to get something out of them. I’m a big fan of hoarding my points so I can get more things, but you can spend them whenever you want once you’ve reached the first 100.

Since most, if not all, of the items in each month’s Birchbox are surprises, I don’t always like everything I get. I usually try everything at least once, unless it’s something I know I’ll never use. It’s fun to switch things up and use my samples until they run out, and they last a lot longer than you might think. Here’s what I got in my October box.

The pretty pink marbled box and the monthly theme, The Power of Beauty, correlated with October being Breast Cancer Awareness month. I received the BioRepublic Cucumber Breeze Mask, Macadamia Style Extend Dry Shampoo, Number 4 Restore and Repair Oil, Too Cool for School Dinoplatz Highlighter, and Benefit Roller Lash Mascara. I didn’t even try the dry shampoo or hair oil because those are products that I never use. I know some people love using dry shampoo, but I’ve never been interested in trying it. I’ve tried different hair oils before, but it’s not something I necessarily like. I have tried/used the other three things in this box, though.

You’re welcome for this lovely picture of me in the BioRepublic Cucumber Breeze Mask. Ha. I’ve tried another mask from this brand and didn’t really like it, so I wasn’t too excited about this one. I kind of like the one-size-fits-all mask that you take out of the package and put on, but it’s also kind of hard to get lined up and placed properly. This mask stayed on better than the last one, and my skin felt a lot softer when I was done. I’m still not a face mask person, but they’re fun to try from time to time.

It may be kind of hard to tell, but I’m wearing both the Too Cool for School Dinoplatz Highlighter in Baby Pink Clam and Benefit Roller Lash Mascara in the above picture. Highlighter is another product that I don’t usually see the need for, but I really like this one! Because I’m so fair-skinned, I feel like most highlighters don’t really look good because they go on too yellow. This one, as you could probably tell from its name, has a pink tint and goes on really light and sheer. It’s really pretty! As for the mascara, it may be my new favorite. I’m really picky about mascara, which may be surprising considering that my eyelashes are naturally long and curly. I actually don’t wear mascara on a regular basis because I don’t really need it. But when I do put it on, I want it to really separate and define my lashes. My old favorite mascara–Mirenesse iCurl–is another Birchbox sample, and my friend told me to try the Roller Lash mascara to compare the two. It’s too soon to say which I like better, but the Roller Lash one does live up to the hype. It makes my lashes look a lot longer and really opens them up, which makes my eyes look brighter and bigger. I’m excited to keep using it!

Let me know if you use these products or any similar ones!

Media Monday: ABC Takeover

It’s a rare Monday night when you won’t find me on my couch from 7-10 p.m. Yes, sometimes things come up and I have to deviate from my normal schedule, but if I don’t have anything else going on, you can bet that I’ll be tuned in to Dancing with the Stars and Castle. I know that my days of being able to watch three hours of TV in one sitting are probably numbered, so I’m enjoying them while they last.

Dancing with the Stars: I have always loved dancing. Like a lot of little girls, I wanted to be a ballerina and was pretty devastated when my mom took me out of dance lessons to take piano instead. I love watching movies with dancing in them (musicals!) or that are about dancers, so naturally I’ve loved DWTS from the start. My mom and I started watching it together, and when I went away to college I kept up with it as best as I could. Once I graduated and lived on my own, we started watching it “together” and then talking on the phone after every episode to discuss our favorite dances. We’ve kept this tradition up for more than four years, and it’s a big reason why I love DWTS so much. As for the show, I love watching the celebrities (hopefully) improve week after week and see what stories they tell with their dances. In recent years, I typically have one or two favorite celebrity dancers and vote for them as much as possible. Below, I listed a few of the couples that I remember being really invested in. I used to find and save some of my favorite dances on YouTube, but there are way too many of them to keep track.

Favorite DWTS Couples
J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff (Season 13)

Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas (Season 14)
Shawn Johnson and Derek Hough (Season 15)
Meryl Davis and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (Season 18)
Sadie Robertson and Mark Ballas (Season 19)

Castle: I started watching Castle kind of on accident. It’s always been on right after DWTS, and one night, I believe during the first season, I went to turn the TV off and instead got sucked into the show. I’ve watched a lot of crime shows over the years, but this and NCIS are the only ones I’ve stuck with. I even own all of Castle’s seasons on DVD; I get a new one every Christmas and try to watch as many episodes as possible over break. I like its mix of drama and comedy, and the show totally pulled me in with the whole Castle/Beckett relationship dynamic. I also like all of the supporting characters and how they interact and fit in with everyone else. The bromance between Esposito and Ryan is probably my favorite relationship after Castle and Beckett. Ha. It’s really hard to pick favorite episodes of this show, but here are some that I have watched over and over again.
“Always” (Season 4): The ending of this episode is what fans of the back-and-forth romance between Castle and Beckett waited four seasons to see!
“The Wild Rover” (Season 5): Ryan goes undercover in the Irish mob. It’s interesting to see a different side of Ryan than viewers are used to.
“The Lives of Others” (Season 5): This is kind of a re-make of Rear Window, and Nathan Fillion does a good job of inhabiting the Jimmy Stewart role.
“Veritas” (Season 6): This episode wraps up the overarching storyline of Beckett’s mom’s murder, and it’s a great resolution.
“The Time of Our Lives” (Season 7): Castle somehow ends up in an alternate reality where he and Beckett don’t end up together, and the results are pretty funny. Plus, Castle and Beckett FINALLY get married!

So, if for some reason you try to get a hold of me on a Monday night and can’t, now you know the reason why. I’d love to hear if you like these shows, too (or if you have other shows that you try to always find time for)!

#OOTD: The Leggings Train

I have been pretty anti-leggings since they became acceptable to wear instead of pants. Let’s just get one thing out of the way—LEGGINGS ARE NOT PANTS. Whew, glad to get that off my chest! Ha. I still stand by that rule, but since buying a pair of leggings last spring, I’m no longer as resistant to them as I was before. In fact, this outfit may be dangerously close to breaking that rule…so please be kind.

Take #1: Typical Outfit Pose

I’ve had this sweater (a Gap outlet find) since college, and it’s still one of my favorites. It’s super easy to style and perfect for those cool fall days when I don’t want to wear a jacket or cardigan.

Take #2: When Your Photographer (aka The Boyfriend) Tells You to Look Away
What I like about these leggings is that they don’t necessarily look like leggings. They’re made to look like jeans, pockets and all. Plus, they’re super warm and comfy.

Take #3: When You’re Tired of The Boyfriend’s Photo Suggestions (ha)

Boot weather = my kind of weather.

I’ve had these three pieces for awhile, so they aren’t available anymore, but I found some cute and comfy options if you’d like to jump on the leggings train with me:
Gap Side-Snap Sweater and Eyelet Front Sweater

   
Gap Brooklyn V-Neck Pullover and Calvin Klein Leggings


ABS by Allen Schwartz Knit Leggings and BareTraps Harly Boots (really similar to mine)

Let me know what you think about this whole leggings train. 😉

Everyday Essentials: Hair

We all have those products that we use consistently, ones that we discovered work for our various needs, ones that we just straight up like. I like trying new products, but sometimes it takes lot of convincing for me to do so. I know what I like, and I know what works for me (most of the time). This Everyday Essentials series is my way of sharing the products that I love/use regularly in the hopes of helping other people find things that might work for them. This is the kind of post I’d want to read if I was in the market for new products, so maybe it’ll help you out!

Let’s talk about hair–specifically, my hair. In case you haven’t noticed from my pictures, I have naturally curly hair. I don’t remember it being curly when I was little, but by the time I was in high school it became an awkward wavy/curly mix before finally deciding to go full-out curly. I used to hate it and would straighten it practically every day, but now I love it (except when it’s super humid and it either goes flat or Texas-size, can I get an amen?). Finding products that work and do well with my curly hair has been hit-or-miss, but I really love the ones I use all the time. So, without further ado (clockwise from top left):

Dove Quench Absolute: Before using this curly-hair shampoo, I used the one from L’Oreal’s EverCurl line. I liked it, but after awhile I wasn’t sure it was doing anything for me. I switched to Dove’s when I realized it was cheaper, and I like it better now. My curls still hold their shape after using this, even if I let it air dry and don’t put anything in it.

Big Sexy Hair Root Pump Plus: My stylist introduced me to this mousse years ago, and it’s been a must-have ever since. I use it on the days when I want my hair to look “nicer” and more defined, especially on the second day.

Miss Jessie’s Pillow Soft Curls: When I was looking for a different styling product, one of the specialists at Birchbox recommended this for me. Miss Jessie’s is a line dedicated to curly-haired ladies, and they have products for all different types of curly hair. This gel is really light and does leave my hair feeling really soft. My only complaint is that it doesn’t hold as well on the second day as the Root Pump Plus, so I use it more for casual days/looks.

Suave Professionals Firm Control Hairspray: To be honest, I’ve never really been loyal to a certain brand/type of hairspray. I like it to be strong and really hold my hair in place–I’m kind of picky about it, actually. Ha. My mom uses the regular pink-can Suave, so that’s what I’ve used most. I used this Aussie Volume stuff for awhile, but it wasn’t impressive enough for me to keep using. This Suave Professionals kind is new to me, but I wanted to try it because of the humidity control and to see if it would keep the volume in my hair all day. So far, so good—plus, I really like its scent.

There you have it—my four (curly) hair care everyday essentials. I’d love to hear what your essentials are, and let me know if you decide to give any of these products a try!

Media Monday: Fall Movies

Welcome to what I hope will become a (semi) regular series on Ever Emily—Media Monday! I’m using “media” as a blanket term to give me free license to talk about whatever movies, TV shows, music, and books I feel like discussing, and I’m sure I’ll come up with even more things to stick under the media umbrella in the future. Like everyone else (which may be a stereotype, but probably not a completely false one), I love talking about my favorite movies/shows/books/songs, etc, and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you.

Do you have certain movies that you have to watch at certain times of the year? I know a lot of people, myself included, have favorite Christmas movies that they make time to see every December. As I was thinking about my movie-watching traditions, a list of fall favorites came to mind. A couple of these are Halloween-related, but the rest are just ones I find myself wanting to watch as the weather starts getting cooler. All 10 of these are great movies to watch on those cozy nights, preferably with candles lit, some soup, and a warm beverage of your choice. 🙂

1. Hocus Pocus: I saw this movie for the first time at a Girl Scout Halloween slumber party when I was probably 9 or 10, and it scared me. It didn’t take much then, and it doesn’t take much now. Ha. Anyway, since then this movie has become one that I HAVE to watch every October. It’s hilarious—I never get tired of the three Sanderson sisters’ attempt to stay alive and young forever. In case you need any more convincing about just how awesome this movie is, check out Buzzfeed’s “23 Reasons Why Hocus Pocus is the Best Halloween Movie of All Time.”
   
   
2. Casper: “Can I keep you?” Yes, sweet Casper, yes, you can. This movie, another on my October must-watch list, still makes me cry. And James Horner’s lullaby from the score is one of my all-time favorite instrumental pieces. You should give it a listen.

   

3. Sleepy Hollow: This is another movie that I try to watch every October, for obvious reasons, but I don’t always get around to it. I’m not a scary/horror movie fan at all, but this one is an exception, probably because it’s pretty silly sometimes. I mean, you can’t really expect less from a Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration.

   

4. You’ve Got Mail: This is probably one of my favorite romantic comedies, which for me is really saying something. The dialogue is great, even if the technological aspects in this movie are pretty humorous to look back on. The movie starts out in the fall, which is probably why I always feel the need to watch it this time of year.

   

5. Moonstruck: If you’ve never seen this movie, you might think that Cher and Nicolas Cage make for an odd romantic pairing. Just do me a favor and watch this anyway, because they are great together. I also like how their characters’ Italian families and heritage play a big role in the plot.

   

6. The Hunger Games series: With the exception of the first movie, all of this series has come out around my birthday, which is in November. I always try to go see the latest one as soon as I can, and I also try to watch the previous ones before I go. I can’t wait to see the last one when it comes out next month!

   

7. Meet the Robinsons: I associate this movie with fall because I watched it for the first time at a campus-wide movie night my very first semester of college. I fell in love with its family-oriented themes (even if it did make me cry) and have since showed it to as many members of my own family as possible.

   

8. A Cinderella Story: This movie has a Halloween Homecoming dance and football, both of which just scream fall. Plus, I am not above admitting that I had a huge crush on Chad Michael Murray back in the day.

   

9. The Inheritance: In my junior or senior year of college, I remember inviting one of my English-major friends over to my best friend’s dorm room (she had the TV/DVD hookup) for a fall movie night, which consisted of drinking tea and watching this. I love historical/period movies, and this one is so simple and sweet. I don’t think it’s very well-known, but it’s a lovely little movie.

   

10. Thumbelina: I totally just watched this last week when I kept thinking about the “golding of the leaves” scene when the fairies change the season from summer to fall. This was one of my favorite movies as a kid—I have a pretty distinct memory of “making” one of the boys in my Kindergarten class act out “Let Me Be Your Wings” with me.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my favorite fall movies! I’d love to hear what you think of these, and of course I’ll take any suggestions of ones to add to my fall must-watch list.

#OOTD: Fashionable Friday

Yes, I totally use #ootd (outfit of the day, in case you didn’t already know that) when I post my outfit selfies to Instagram. For some reason, it makes me feel like I’m “on-trend” and know what I’m doing. #sorrynotsorry

Like a lot of teachers, my district has Friday jeans day. However, this year we have to pay $1 for every week we wear jeans, instead of just getting to do it for free. The money is going to provide scholarships for three graduating seniors, which I think is a great idea, but I don’t always want to pay $1 to wear my jeans (it’s my stubborn side coming out). On the weeks when I decide that I’m not going to wear jeans on Friday, I want to wear something low-maintenance and comfortable. We have a shorter schedule on Fridays because of our professional development afternoons, so I often feel like I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off to teach and help my kids in 33 minute class periods. The last thing I want to wear on those days is something that impedes my ability to jet (haha) around my classroom.

Top: Sonoma Life + Style (Kohl’s)
Pants: Jessica Simpson
Shoes: Payless

The weight of this shirt makes it perfect for fall/spring transition weather. The fabric actually feels more like a sweatshirt instead of an actual sweater (if that makes sense), which makes it extremely soft and comfortable. I know it might be hard to see in the picture, but those pants have zippers on the bottom and other elements that give them a motocross-kind-of-feel. I usually don’t feel edgy, so it’s pretty fun to wear pants that are. I’ve had those little gray oxfords for about a year now and love how versatile they are. Seriously, they go with everything.

All of these items are older and not available in stores anymore, so I found some similar options if you’d like to try a look like this:
Floral Crewneck Sweater (all of the colors look great)
Ponte Pants (I bet these are insanely comfortable)

Bass Enfield Oxford

Feel free to share your favorite fashionably comfy outfits!

Stitch Fix Review #1

As a Birchbox subscriber for over two years, I’m no stranger to the joy of getting a monthly box of pretty surprises. I love getting to sample new hair and makeup products, and I’ve discovered a few favorites to add to my routine along the way (future blog post? I think so.). I’d heard of Stitch Fix before but had kind of forgotten about it until one of the bloggers I read regularly (Kate from The Small Things Blog) mentioned it in a post about subscription clothing services. After doing a little bit of research on my own, I decided to give it a try, and now I’m officially hooked.

In case you haven’t heard of Stitch Fix before, it’s an online personal styling service. Each Fix comes with five clothing items/accessories picked out just for you by a stylist. When you sign up, you fill out a Style Profile that asks everything from your typical clothing sizes to what you think of certain styles/outfits. I actually had a lot of fun filling mine out. You can also connect your Style Profile to a Pinterest board or other social media, which I highly recommend. It gives your stylist one more piece of information to use when they pick things out for you.

Once you’re done with your Style Profile, you decide when you want to receive your Fix. You can subscribe and receive them automatically every month or quarter, or you can sign up to receive them individually whenever you want (which is what I do). When you schedule your Fix, there is a note for you to fill out for your stylist to let them know of any special requests. It’s important for you to be specific in that note, especially if there’s something in particular that you want to receive. Once you’ve filled that out, you’re good to go!

When you receive your Fix, you have three full days to decide what you want to keep and what you want to send back. They provide a postage-paid mailer for you to send unwanted items back in after you’ve gone through the checkout process online. When your Fix ships, you pay a $20 styling fee, which will be applied to whatever items you decide to keep. If you decide to keep all five items, you also get a 25% discount on the entire Fix.

This review is actually over my second Fix. I received my first one back in August, and I was surprised by how well everything fit. Even though I only kept one item (a pair of awesome black skinny jeans by Just Black), I felt like my stylist Kathryn did a great job of figuring out my style. I requested her again, and she did a good job the second time around, as well. I’m planning on keeping her as long as she keeps sending me things I love. First, here’s a couple of introductory pictures:

I have to compliment Stitch Fix’s cute packaging. I love their colors and how they put everything together.

Every Fix comes with a styling card that contains outfit ideas and a note from your stylist. Kathryn’s notes have been cute so far—I like seeing what she says.

Item #1: Market & Spruce Sawyer Space Dye Dolman Sleeve Knit Top
Item #2: Kut from the Kloth Karen Baby Bootcut Jean (different than what’s on the card)
Item #3: Bancroft Leighton Metal Bauble Necklace
This is one of the outfits Kathryn suggested in my styling card. I loved this top. Spoiler alert: it’s the one item I kept from this Fix. It’s so soft and versatile. I love the color, pattern, and weight. I tend to stay away from dolman sleeve tops because I think they make me look wider, but everyone I asked said this looked good on me. I’m so glad I kept it! I liked the necklace, but I don’t wear the statement necklaces I already own enough to justify getting another. As for the jeans, I specifically asked to try a pair of Kut from the Kloth bootcut jeans, and these were really nice. However, the denim was stiffer than I usually like, and for some reason Kathryn sent me a short inseam, which I think made my legs look stubby.
Here’s the Market & Spruce top with the Just Black skinnies I got last month. I foresee this outfit being on repeat this fall/winter.

Item #4: RD Style Calandri Contrast Sleeve Poncho

This picture really says it all. I know ponchos are supposed to be on the big side, but this was huge on me. I told a friend that I would totally model this in a situation of “what to wear when you want to feel completely unattractive.” Just no.

Item #5: Papermoon Locust Embroidery Detail Blouse (same jeans/necklace as above)
This top was so lovely. I loved the color and the fun embroidered detail on the shoulders. However, it was just the tiniest bit too small for my liking, and I also felt like it was on the short side. My torso’s not super long, but I think longer shirts are more flattering on me.

Even though I only kept one item, I still consider this Fix a success, as I would have also kept the jeans and Papermoon blouse if the fit had been spot-on. As with my first Fix, I loved the surprise of opening my box and seeing what Kathryn had chosen for me. I’ve already scheduled my next one, although I’m going to practice some self-control and not get it for six weeks.

I’d love to hear what you thought of my Fix! And if you decide to give it a try, I’d really appreciate it if you would use my referral link. 🙂