Style Inspiration: Raven Madison

Outfit Details- Sweater: Target, Tank-tops, Skirt, and Fishnets: #forever21, Shoes: (knock off) Doc Martins

Ok, so I have a confession to make. One of my favorite books is called Vampire Kisses. Usually, if I have to tell someone the title because they asked or something, I always say it kind of mumbled under my breath, because it really does sound terrible if all you hear is that. The description provided by Amazon is: "In her small town, dubbed 'Dullsville,' sixteen-year-old Raven -- a vampire-crazed goth-girl -- is an outcast. But not for long... The intriguing and rumored-to-be haunted mansion on top of Benson Hill has stood vacant and boarded-up for years. That is, until its mysteriously strange new occupants move in. Who are these creepy people -- especially the handsome, dark, and elusive Alexander Sterling? Or rather, what are they? Could the town prattle actually ring true? Are they vampires? Raven, who secretly covets a vampire kiss, both at the risk of her own mortality and Alexander's loving trust, is dying to uncover the truth." I'm not saying that that isn't the plot (because it totally is), but even with that this just sounds like a horrible book. It's kind of one of those things where it sounds really bad until you read it, and then it's amazing. I don't know, you might have completely different taste in literature than I do, but I love this book. It's worth at least checking it out from the library or something, because I can easily read the whole thing in a day, but it's a whole series, so I've been re-reading a book a day all week.
Why do I love it so much?
1. Although it does have the whole "Twilight-in-love-with-a-vampire-oh-no-forbidden-love" thing going on, it does it in a way better way. Who else was totally disappointed that the Cullens were normal? I wanted to see some coffins and some kick-ass Victorian drapings in their house, but oh-no, it's just gotta be all modern instead. Not in "The Mansion" of Vampire Kisses. They got all kinds of freaking awesome vampire-house cliches up in there. And it's amazing. I really want to live in The Mansion.
2. In the second book, when (OK, like in Twilight) Alexander leaves Raven to protect her and everything, rather than using the Bella Swan way of dealing with her issues (which usually consists of frantically blinking while sullenly breathing through her mouth, i.e. NOTHING!), Raven sits around kind of sad for a little while, then does the logical thing, and tracks him down, goes to find him, saves him from danger , and takes him back to their town. Personally, I like her way much better. I love Raven as a character, because she's kind of snarky, and confidant, and isn't afraid to just go do something herself if she needs to.
3. The clothes!! Raven is goth, in a town of preppy, tennis-outfit-clad "Dullsvillians," and her wardrobe consists of ripped fishnets, heavy eyeliner, and combat boots. I love that all of her outfits are always described, and they always sound amazing. If anything, read it for that. Even if I'm not inherently goth, I can still completely appreciate her style. I'd like to imagine that she'd aprove of what I put together today, even if she'd probably add some sort of a corset, and an arm full of rubber bracelets.
I feel like, over all, this is kind of a relatable story, though. Or, at least, to me it is. A huge part of the book is being an outsider, whether it's of your town or of your species. Throughout the series, there's a human who wishes she were a vampire, a vampire who wishes he were human, and people who are just outcasts of their small town. Plus, I think everyone's met their share of Trevor Mitchells in life (I promise this makes complete sense if you've read the book). I also love that instead of having Raven and Alexander meet in some cliched place, they first meet (well, kind of) when she breaks into his house and is snooping through the downstairs, hearing him blasting The Smiths upstairs and assuming it's safe to walk around. Which is why I had to take a photo peeking in a window. She really does look in windows and break into the mansion a lot...
So, I would suggest this book to anyone who, like me, is a little bit obsessed with vampires and other Halloween creatures and black lipstick, and has an unfortunate propensity for semi-terrible teen-romance books (don't judge me).
I hope you all have a glitterific day!
Love,
Chloe

Stars and Stripes and My Very First Giveaway

Outfit Details- Shirt: DIY, Skirt: Thrift Store, Tights: #h&m

This is my 101st post, so I figured it'd be a good time to do my first giveaway. We ended up with an extra copy of Wreck This Journal, so I thought it would make a fun giveaway.  It was written about on Rookie, and described amazingly. It says that "It’s an amazing set of creative prompts, all of which ask you to write in a diary, but in such a way that you get your hands a little dirty in the process. Each page has its own instruction, and although they’re predominantly focused on drawing, writing, and other traditionally creative arts and crafts, you’ll sometimes come across something like this: “Document your dinner. Rub, smear, and splatter your food. Use this page as a napkin.” OH, OK! This is a diary for those who like to dig in flower beds and would totally eat the worms that they found if someone dared them, a logbook for introverts longing to get in touch with their rough-and-tumble sides, and a journal for those who want a break from writing about school and crushes and parents and would rather just WRECK SOMETHING FOR ONCE. Sounds fun, right? That’s because it is."
Here are some pictures of what are my favorite pages in my copy of it:

How to enter:
-Anyone can enter, but you must be either following me on Bloglovin, or have liked my page on Facebook.
-To actually enter, leave a comment below, and give me your name and email, a link to your blog or Facebook, or some other way to contact you.
-A winner will be chosen on Wednesday, March 6th, so be sure to enter by then!
Good luck!
I hope you all have a glitterific day!
Love,
Chloe

Gothic Frida Kahlo And Her Mink

Outfit Details- Flower crown: DIY, Mink: Vintage, Blouse: #forever21, Belt: #forever21, Skirt: Thrift Store (tag says h&m), Socks: Tim Burton art exhibit, Shoes: (knock off) Doc Martins

This weekend, we went down to Carpenteria, and went to the flea market and then to St. Joesph's thrift store. I got a vintage slip at the flea market, which I plan to dye bright purple, but the thrift store was amazing. I would definitely recommend it. There were tons of really good clothes, and I got three skirts (including the one I wore today), each for 2 dollars, and a really cool kind of rockabilly dress for 3. Draped across one rack, I spotted a chestnut tail poking out. When I pulled it out, it was none other than a little mink. I have no idea what it was doing there, as it didn't appear to belong there, but when I asked they said I could have it for 2 dollars. Of course, I immediately purchased it and called him Maxwell. This morning, I used a little bit of hot glue to attach a clip under his chin so I could wear him as a stole. People kept asking to touch it, if it was real, and if I'd hunted it myself, to which I replied "Sure, "Yes," and "No. It's from a thrift store." At lunch, his clip came off of his chin, so after I ate I pulled him off of my neck, and while examining where the clip had been, scolded "Maxwell! Why won't you stay around my neck?" Of course, it was at this moment that a group of my classmates walked past, sending me some very odd looks. My friends and I agreed that while he was around my neck, it was just like "Oh, look! She's so quirky and unique!" but as soon as I'm holding him and talking to him, it quickly becomes "Oh, God. Don't go near her. She's freaking crazy. Avert your eyes!"
For my flower crown, I went outside and picked some flowers yesterday, including camellias and lavender, along with leaves from my lemon tree. I'll have to do more of a step-by-step of this the next time I make one (which will probably be as soon as this one wilts), but this time I was just kind of figuring it out as I went. I used jewelery wire to wrap each flower together, making sure they were each cut with enough stem to wrap around, then I used the same wire to wrap them onto an old headband. I was wearing it around last night when my mom said I looked like a goth Frida Kahlo, so I just kind of went with it. My hair isn't long enough to braid, so I just kind of pinned it all on top of my head, and put on the flower crown.
I may or may not have worn both my crown and my mink to PE, and it may or may not have looked something like this...

I hope you're all having glitterific days!
Love,
Chloe (that crazy chick who talks to her mink)

The Epitome of Teenaged Angst/ Mother Moon

Outfit Details- Shirt: Old Navy, Skirt: #h&m,  Socks: Payless, Shoes: (Knock-off) Doc Martins

This is what I wore yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to post until now. There was a full moon last night, so it was the perfect time to go pray and party with The Mother Goddess, who is the Queen of the Moon (especially the full one). Every since I got my witchy book, I've been especially interested in magic. Well, even more than I was before. So far, I've been working on reading palms and tarot cards, but the book has a bunch of other cool stuff in it, too. I'm already planning my May Day party, and trying to form a coven with my friends. I love the book because it's filled with crafts, spells, feminist fairy-tales, and a lot of encouraging readers to be themselves. Needless to say, I've been carrying it with me everywhere for the past month or so. So, last night, I made myself a flower crown out of flowers in my backyard (you can't really see it in the two pictures I'm wearing it in, but I wore it today, too), and once the moon came out, I lit a red candle (The Mother is also linked with the color red) and just kind of wandered my back yard, looking up at the moon. I really liked the passage about The Mother in the book, which describes her as "playful and ironic," and tells abut how she kind of oversees everything, but over-all just wants to have fun. That just seems cool to me.
Now, about the angst; Over the weekend, my dad pulled out his old records (from a very extensive collection), and told me that as long as I took good care of them, I was free to explore them to my heart's content. He showed me how to use our record player, and how to hold the vinyls and everything. He's got a ton of Smiths albums (possibly every one, but I'm not sure), so I've been listening to those a bunch, along with VU (from The Velvet Underground), some Toy Dolls (namely "Dig That Groove Baby"), and some Oingo Boingo. There's some other ones, too, but those are my favorite's so far. My absolute favorite for the moment, though, is "Hatful of Hollow" by The Smiths, mainly because it has "Heaven Knows I'm Miserably Now" on it. I've barely left my living room sense, preferring to lay or sit on the floor, listening to the records. On Saturday night, I had The Smiths cranked up on the record player so that I could hear it in the next room, and dyed my hair blue. Then, I spread an old towel on the floor, and lay there in front of the player for a few hours while my hair sat. I felt like the epitome of teenaged angst (hence the title).
I hope you're all having a glitterifically angsty day!
Love,
Chloe

Style Inspiration: 3AM (Kate Nash)

 

Outfit Details- T-shirt: #modcloth, Skirt: #forever21, Tights: Vintage (Mary Quant), Shoes: Ross, Belt: American Eagle

Kate Nash's new music video for 3AM came out the other day, and I automatically needed to wear an outfit inspired by it. It was filled with rollerskating, 70's style outfits, crochet blouses, and a bunch of glitter. Plus, the song is super awesome and has been stuck in my head all day.

Also, I really loved her hair. At first, when I saw pictures of her "new look," I had kind of mixed feelings about it, because I always loved her style, and I really loved her shorter hair cut. But then, I kind of thought about how it's totally her right to try something new, and to change her style from time to time. I read a post she wrote on a music blog about it, and how she's just kind of evolved, which everyone does, and that she's proud of the music she was making when she was 18, but that she's not going to just recreate it again and again, because it would be boring. The article thing's really cool, so you should check it out if you get a chance.
This was all right after Underestimate the Girl came out, and people were starting to kind of freak out because it was actually dark, and angsty, and punky sounding. And, yeah, at first, I was kind of freaked out too, but then I listened to it about 20 times, and I loved it. It kind of went along with The Mansion Song, which also had a lot darker lyrics, and more wailing vocals, and I love that song, too. I kind of realized that Underestimate the Girl, and, later, Death Proof, really were just natural progressions, and they completely made sense. Plus, I saw a video of her preforming O My God at Bestival, and kind of went "Oh, it's OK. She's still Kate Nash." There was also this video of her singing You're So Cool, I'm So Freaky there, where I kind of loved her dress.
 Kate Nash is a Riot Grrrl, and that's part of what I love about her! She'll pretty much do and wear whatever she wants, and I can totally stand behind that. To a bunch of college students, she said what has pretty much become my favorite quote ever, "Wake up every morning and tell yourself that you’re a badass bitch from hell and that no one can fuck with you and then don’t let anybody fuck with you."
So, yeah. She's kind of my favorite person, ever. Which is why I'm super-mega-foxy-awesome-excited that I got tickets to see her in LA on May 10th!! You can look at her tour dates here. I'm also super duper excited for her new album, Girl Talk. Look at the amazing preview thing for it!!

I will probably have other Kate Nash-inspired outfits in the future, so I specified that this one is for the 3AM video. For my hair, I braided it back, then put in my extensions, and parted my bangs to either side. Then, I safety-pinned a fake rose onto a black ribbon, and tied that around my head. I wore my new skirt from Forever 21, which reminded me of the crochet top Kate wears in the 3AM video, over my awesome tights, which reminded me of the bright swirly colors of the rollerskating part. In the video, I think she wears fake eyelashes on her bottom lids, but since I don't have any, I just drew them on to get the same basic look, and went super minimal on the rest of the makeup. It's not an exact replica, but I was just going for a similar over-all look as the video.
I hope you're days are glitterific!
Love,
Chloe