Halloween Zombie Costume DIY

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Halloween is definitely one of my favorite holidays, but I've always struggled with costume ideas. Procrastination is my enemy. Also I've outgrown the "sexy" insert animal, profession, etc. types of costumes. Though over the past few years I've come up with my own category, decidedly alluring, yet grotesque/scary. It's a careful balance to make people simultaneously fear for their lives and want to come home with you. So for the next few weeks I'm going to feature my scary sexy last minute costume ideas for those that love to procrastinate and scrambling on hallows eve for a costume!

My first feature is one of my faves. This was the year Walking Dead premiered and zombies were all the rage! I made this costume the day of! All you need is to paint your face with lighter foundation, use some purple and green eye shadow under the eyes, toss some fake blood everywhere and voila! For the scars Sean used strip of toilet paper and liquid latex to adhere to my skin and smooth over the edges so it looked seamless. I was suprised at how effective it was!

Costume:
Old Shirt splattered w/ fake blood
Black lacy bra
White boy shorts
Wellies (you know so I can step over dead bodies w/o getting dirty)

Makeup:
Light foundation
Regular eye shadows and gel eyeliners

Special Effects:
Toilet Paper
liquid latex

Photo Diary Cayman Islands

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I've been to the Caribbean multiple times but never have I ever seen water as clear as the Cayman Islands. It was simply an amazing experience!

Must do's include:
Renting a car and driving around the island
Rending a bike and biking up 7 mile beach with many beach stops
Eating Conch
Going to the Bio Bay to see millions of glowing creatures in the sea (this tour only happens when the moon is a sliver so check schedules! And remember to bring snorkel gear to jump into the water, the experience is surreal as your body is lit up by tiny micro organisms reacting to your movement)


Selfie with matching sunglasses!


Just some hair flipping in the balcony.


Or not. Wearing H&M scalloped bikini (so similar to the chloe scalloped bikini)


Incredible sunsets every day on seven mile beach.


Catching the golden hour on the beach


Taking a short walk on the beach in my lulus dress (yes people asked if I was the bride)


Backless on the beach.


All sorts of dress flipping on the way to dinner.


Pretty shutters at Camanan Bay.

The next day was probably one of the best days of the trip. We lounged on a yacht while visiting Star Fish Point, Sting Ray City, and some snorkel spots.


Me being rubbed by a sting ray.


Enjoying the super clear water.


Just some snorkeling.


Just some underwater acrobatics.


Just hanging out.


Brushing up against a sting ray or vice versa?


My attempt at chasing one down!

That's it for the first half of our trip! More to come!

Cayman Islands

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And here's a little video we made of our trip to the Caymans! I didn't realize how clear the water was until we went to DR a month later!



Details on all the places to come!

Floral Fridays: Paper Flower Bouquets

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Just a few additions to my Etsy store: Sparkle & Champagne



Which flower is your favorite?

DVF on the beach

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This little DVF silk blouse I picked up at Nordstrom Rack made the perfect sunshield in the Caymans. The drapey front made it less plain and full sleeves have a piratey effect. And the all silk fibers kept me cool while lounging around the resort in the Caymans a few months ago. More to come on the entire trip...including a little video we made.







[wearing Diane Von Furstenburg blouse, crochet bikini, Prada sunglasses]

onesies are for grown ups too

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Sometimes it's so easy to just throw on a romper and some bold jewelry for a fun date night. Especially this one by Toby in an unexpected cornflower blue with deep v neck and open back. Onesies are definitely for adults too!





[wearing romper from Tobi.com, Shoemint Romy heels, Kate Spade clutch, cuffs from Thailand and Mexico]

Paper flower bouquet

Pin It Now! Just a quick update with the latest order i sent out yesterday.

Life through the iPhone cayman island

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Just got back from an amazing trip to the caymans!  Spending a day on a yacht was my absolute favorite activity!  

Langford Market DIY Paper Flower Making Event

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A few weeks ago I did a DIY paper flower workshop at the Langford Market in Merrifield, VA. It was such a wonderful day of flower making and chatting with shoppers. Sheena and the girls were a ball to work with! I will post the tutorial for the crepe paper rose I showed everyone how to make, but I've been so busy with Sparkle and Champagne orders and travel that I haven't had a chance to put it all together. Since it's my first tutorial I wanted to make it perfect!

Blonde Salad X Steve Madden

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steve madden trome by dianali featuring black shoes

First I want to say I think the Blonde Salad is adorable, I used to read her blog. And second I'm totally pro designer knock offs because how are the rest of us normal human beings supposed to afford cute things?

But there's knocking something off and taking credit for its creation. Everyone remembers the Giuseppe Zanotti scalloped lace-up heels from a few years back, and just about every big brand has knocked it off. I own a pair of the inspiration shoes myself! But then in January Steven Madden came out with the Blonde Salad Capsule collection, that Chiara claims to have been the creative director. And what do you see as one of "her designs"? The replica of the GZ! What's even worse is Steve Madden already came out with this particular model for Shoemint, yes you remember the Romy (and yes I own them). So they took a shoe that was already "created" then rebranded it to the Blonde Salad.

I'm not saying this isn't done all the time. After Rachel Bilson claims to design Shoemint shoes, but do I really buy that? *Skeptical eyebrow raised* I must be naive or something because I expect a little more honesty from bloggers, but then I guess if it's a big enough opportunity *cough* aka money, then they will do just about anything.

Back when fashion blogging first started it was kind of nice reading honest reviews and uncovering designer inspired items, but I guess success, fame, and money have a way of killing it. I'm not saying they shouldn't be paid for their audience and brand power, but a little integrity would be nice. Then again if Steve Madden threw a bunch of money at me to basically rubber stamp a collection and take a few pictures that look like I'm "designing," I'm not sure I'd turn it down either. Just food for thought.

Happy earth day

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I've been so busy with orders from my etsy shop that I haven't had time to put up my tutorial!  But I'm still drawing inspiration from nature and these lovely cherry blossoms just bloomed outside my office.  

giant paper flower

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Well I finally did it! It only took 6 months but I finally got around to making a huge wine colored rose, 15" across! I love how the dye gave the petals a nice striated texture, really looks like a real petal. The pop of color is amazing. And of course it's available at my Etsy Store: SparkleandChampagne.