Category:

beauty, fashion + hair

All things related to hair, beauty + fashion!

what I wore : orange you glad

by Kaylah Stroup


details
jean jacket – thrifted
lapel pins – tooth by Hooptedoodle, donut by Valley Cruise Press, deviled egg by Seltzer Goods
shirt – Forever 21
necklace – c/o Shlomit Ofir
pouch – c/o Seltzer Goods
camera bag – Jo Totes

We had some unseasonably warm weather last week. Mid-seventies in November!? I’m a bit swamped at the moment and had to use my one free day to cram a bunch of work in but since grocery shopping was on the agenda I figured I could slip away to the beach for outfit photos real quick. Technically taking outfit photos does count as work for me but since a lot of the time it feels like play it’s hard to justify it when I have a lot to do. I’m glad I did it though because I totally dig these photos, and time at the beach, no matter how short, is always refreshing. I really don’t think I would fare well not living so close to the beach.

I’m finally getting back into the swing of reading again. It had been a while since I finished a book but I’ve been taking the train a lot lately so I’m able to steal minutes here and there to read. Last week I finally finished The Undertaker’s Daughter, which I had been reading since June. Whoops. I usually keep a pretty large stock of books to read but since I wasn’t reading regularly I hadn’t picked any up in a long time. One thing that was on my shelf was The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I’d kind of been putting off reading it. I think amazon might have recommended it to me based on the other books I’d purchased. I’m only fifty or so pages in so far but definitely enjoying it. I’m also reading Library of Souls, the third book in the Miss Peregrine series. LOVING IT. I’ve never really been one to read two books at once but I’m actually enjoying it. I might try to do this all the time. Anyway, it feels SO good to be reading again. I missed it.

Hope you’re having a lovely start to your week!
xoxo

 

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what we wore : no bones about it

by Kaylah Stroup
dog skeleton costume, skeleton
 

Way before I ever adopted Klaus I wanted to get a dog of my own so I could dress him or her up in a skeleton costume. I don’t know why but something about dogs in skeleton costumes just melted my heart. I kind of forgot about that until I saw this one at Target. I told Jeff about it later and explained how badly I wanted it but didn’t know when Klaus would actually wear it. He was like “Get it! He can wear it all the time!” That’s a good man, justifying my stupid purchases. So next trip to the store Klaus got a skeleton costume and all my stupid little dreams came true. I didn’t think it was possible for this puppy to get any cuter but I was proven wrong. He will totally be wearing this thing all year long. I own skeleton footie pjs so I guess Klaus and I will be able to match in the evenings in the winter too!

Unrelated to this outfit post but in the spirit of Halloween I crossed off one of my big fall goals – visiting a haunted house! I’ve had two experiences with haunted houses in the past. The first was with my mom, and brother when I was eleven or twelve. I spent the whole time with my face buried in my brother’s back. I didn’t look at single thing. The second time was in Niagara Falls the next year. I wanted to redeem myself after the first haunted house so my aunt and I bought tickets, walked maybe ten steps in and then I ran out. Since then I’ve just presumed haunted houses weren’t my thing and wrote them off. Even as a huge chicken, I loved the idea of haunted houses. I desperately wanted to be able to go so this year I made it one of my goals.

Last weekend myself and five of my friends visited Spooky Ranch. There is a fun house, haunted hay ride, 3-D clown house, and “extreme nightmares” haunted house. You guys, I don’t remember the last time I had that much fun. IT WAS A BLAST. Seriously, I can’t think about it without getting this massive cheesy grin on my face. We actually all had so much fun that while waiting in line for the last attraction we started looking up other nearby haunted houses so that we wouldn’t have to call it a night. Sadly it was too late and we wouldn’t be able to make it to another before they closed for the night.

I’m bummed I missed out on haunted houses all these years but I guess I’ve got the rest of my life to enjoy them. I cannot wait to go to another!
xoxo

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my lapel pin collection

by Kaylah Stroup
pin game, lapel pins

If you’ve been following my blog for any amount of time, you might have noticed in my what I wore posts that I kind of have a thing for accessories. Fun necklace, rings, brooches, lapel pins, etc. I love them all. I 100% do not abide by the quote “before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.” I basically do the opposite. Before leaving the house I usually look in the mirror to make sure I have at least a few eye catching things on.

These last six months or so lapel pins have become pretty darn hip. I’m ashamed to admit that I’m usually kind of sour when things I love become super popular but there are so many independent companies out there making them and you can find one for just about any interest you may have. I’ve welcomed this boom with open arms. I love finding new brands with lapel pins. They’re small, and usually cost less then $10 a piece so they’re easy to collect. They’re a really awesome way to support creative folks and their businesses (…at least that’s how I justify having so many!)

I thought it would be a fun idea to share some photos of my collection! This little three dollar bulletin board from the deals section at Target is the perfect way to display them all. It’s nice to see them all at a glance instead of storing them in a dish where I may forget what all I have.
 

valley cruise press, lapel pins,
lapel pins, collection, lapel pin,
asilda store, lapel pins

 Directly above in the dish are a few of my favorite and most worn pins.

 
It would be crazy hard to link to where each of the pins are from so instead I’ll link to all the folks I own pins from and then you can blame me when you blow all your money on pins!
Valley Cruise Press 
Explorer’s Press 
Asilda Store 
No Fun Press 
Fair Goods
Pintrill
I like cats
ShellyMarz
Hooptedoodle
Spellcaster
Seltzer Goods
Applesauce Industries
Thora Ford Jewelry
If you see a pin in my collection that you can’t seem to find in the links above, just ask!  

Do you collect lapel pins? I would love to see your collection!
xoxo

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what I wore : blending in

by Kaylah Stroup

 

details
jeans – Skinny jeans c/o Macy’s
camera bag – Jo Totes
boots – Palladium Boots

Insert obligatory few sentences about how much I love fall. The colors, you guys, the colorssss! 😛
This is my first year having orange hair in autumn. I usually try to avoid it since strangers inevitably ask dumb questions and make rude comments. Seriously, where do people come from that calling a stranger on the street “pumpkin head” is acceptable?! I wasn’t ready to dye my hair a new color so I just decided to roll with it this year. While the comments are just as annoying as ever I kind of love having a hair color that matches the season so well. Just down the street from me there is a tree that perfectly matches my hair and every time I walk under it I hope anyone who see me is appreciating just how awesome it looked. Hah!
I knew since I blended in so well this year I had to make sure to go find a pretty background to take outfit photos in front of. My obvious first choice was the cemetery! I’m pretty sure there is nothing prettier than a cemetery in fall. I visited Monroe Street Cemetery (which I blogged about last fall) and it did not disappoint. It was a struggle to not pick up every single pretty leaf I found to press. Can this season just last forever!?

 

Hope you’re having an excellent week.
xoxo

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what I wore : I’ll never get out

by Kaylah Stroup
details
sunglasses – c/o
sweatshirt – Kin Ship Goods
button up shirt – Classic Plaid Poplin Shirt via Old Navy
lapel pin – Explorer’s Press
jeans – TJ Maxx
shoes – c/o Famous Footwear
camera bag – Jo Totes
Fall means I basically just live at the beach. Every year when the weather starts to cool down I just start writing post after post about how great it is (which will totally come back to bite me some day when everyone realizes how magical the beach is in cool weather!) The weather this last week or so is what I live for. It’s not too cold but there is a definitely chill in the air. I don’t know why exactly but I seriously just love it so much. If the weather could just stay like this all year long…

At my favorite beach there are two sections. One is like the main beach and the other is a little area on the other side of some trees that is pretty secluded. I’ve actually never seen anyone else hanging out on that part which makes it feel like it’s my little secret. It’s definitely not but it’s fun to have somewhere in the city that it’s almost a guarantee I can go there and be alone. It’s also an awesome spot to take outfit pictures when the lighting is right. (Here’s another post from the same spot!) The only thing is that for some reason all the trash washes up on this side. I mean, the other side is usually a mess too but this side is even worse. Surprisingly enough on my latest visit to take these photos there wasn’t much trash at all but there was tons of beach glass! I found a few rare colors that I was super excited about and one of the coolest finds of all, a little porcelain doll hand. I can’t decided whether I think it’s the creepiest, or the coolest but you best believe it came home with me. It absolutely had to go in a jar with the rest of my neat-o beach finds.

xoxo

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what I wore : queen of summer

by Kaylah Stroup

 

 details 
dress – Target (a few years back)
sunglasses – Lilly c/o Moorea Seal
nail stickers – Echo via Incoco

I’ve been trying to find the perfect time to wear this hat but y’all it has been way too hot to even try to look cute. I’ve basically been living in over-sized tshirts and my undies. These last few days I’ve gotten up early, taken my bike ride before even eating breakfast to beat the heat, and then stayed inside all day hibernating. I have three fans set up facing me in my office yet by 3 or 4pm I have to give up and take my laptop into my bedroom where I have a window A/C unit to continue working. I’m struggling through these last few weeks of summer. Being out early to ride has really opened my eyes to how lovely mornings are in the city though so yesterday I woke up super early and headed out to take outfit photos before it got too hot. I can at least pretend to be queen of summer, right?

Despite it still being incredibly hot so early, my morning was wonderful. I got pictures I was happy with and I even saw some deer! I thought I saw something move out of the corner of my eye which I presumed was someone walking their dog and marveling at the girl tromping around in the flowers. When I looked up I saw two deer were watching me through a hole in the fence. It was so lovely, we just started at each other for a while before they were scared away by a train. I really enjoy sharing little moments like that with animals.

Can we talk about something kind of off topic for The Dainty Squid? Errrr, hold up, I never want to feel like something is “off topic”, I’d like this to be a place where I’m able to talk about all of my interests! I’ve mentioned it before but there are definitely topics that I feel maybe a little bit weird talking about and one of those things is makeup!

In the last few years I’ve really started getting into make up. I mean I wore it in high school but really really bad eyeliner and purple eyeshadow don’t count for too much. Hehe! I still have a lot to learn but I love to experiment. Maybe once a month or so I allow myself to purchase one or two new things to test out. The latest thing that I’m interested in is lip color. Not so much lipstick, but basically anything else. I’m not sure what the big deal is with lipstick but I feel uncomfortable in it. I kind of feel like this scene in Bruno (<— that’s NSFW) which is hilarious because lipstick is definitely not going to be what people look at when they stare at me. I think basically what it comes down to is that I like matte finish since I do own a few matte lipsticks that I really love.

Anyway, I’m way into lip stains. I feel fairly comfortable wearing them and I’m always looking for new brands and products to try. A little while back when I was browsing the oh so dangerous make up aisles at Target I spotted Maybelline Color Blur lip colors. I chose My-My Magenta which matches my hair wonderfully. It’s super bright and I am LOVING it. The finish is so nice. It lasts for a long time without any touch ups, and I basically want to buy errrrrry color. It’s fun to branch out, and to still be able to find new things to try. I like pushing myself to do things that make me a bit uncomfortable. Having magenta lips definitely makes me a little bit self conscious but they just look so darn awesome!
xoxo

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what I wore : blue + white alright

by Kaylah Stroup
details
sunglasses – Mollie c/o Moorea Seal
lapel pin – Spellcaster

I may have just found my new favorite dress. Modcloth recently released their own collection of clothing and this was the piece that stole my heart. I don’t know why but I love blue dresses. I was just thinking the other day about a phase I kind of had where basically all the outfits I shared on the blog were blue dresses. Actually, even now my closet is mostly blue dresses and black and white striped dresses. Anyway, this dress scores a little star in each one of the boxes on the list of things I look for in a really really great dress. Pockets? Check! Long enough to not show the booty? Check! Wear it all day with minimal wrinkles? Check! It’s also made of pretty heavy material so it’ll transition into cooler weather easily.

Speaking of cooler weather, I am so looking forward to that. I know every blogger on the planet goes on and on about how amazing fall is but that ain’t gonna stop me. It’s currently 86 degrees and I am melting but we’ve had a few days where the temperatures dipped down to give a preview of whats to come. I might even like fall weather more than I like Christmas… and that’s A LOT. I just can’t wait to get back to wearing the clothes I love (like my jean jacket, constantly) and not be sweaty all the time.

Hope you’re having a lovely day!
xoxo 

Gratuitous hair cut photo. Eeeeep! I just love it so much.
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what I wore : birthday attire

by Kaylah Stroup

Yesterday I turned twenty five! Eeep! But I’ve been celebrating for a few days now and I’ll probably keep celebrating this week because that’s just how I roll.  

Jeff took me to Oglebay over the weekend to celebrate. I cried over how cute tamarins are, ate the best burger of my life, devoured chocolate that was too good for words, took a bath in a massive bath tub, rode an aqua cycle, and we had a stinken fire place in our hotel room! (We cranked the air up so we could at least turn on the fire place for a little bit!) I’ve been feeling more than a bit worn down by the city so it was SO nice to escape if only for a few days. I’m back home feeling refreshed, and ready to get down to business – an excellent way to start my twenty sixth year!

Here’s to making this year even better than the last!
xoxo

Just because I love silly traditions here’s a peek back at previous year’s birthday outfit posts ft. balloons! 2013 + 2014

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what I wore : my most “revealing” dress

by Kaylah Stroup
details 
dress – Solstice c/o Apricity
jean jacket – thrifted
sunglasses – c/o
sandals – c/o
phone case – c/o

Hey there. Long time, no see… or at least it feels like it. First there was the road trip which despite my best intentions didn’t produce any outfit photos. Then I came back to Ohio, which is obviously considerably cooler (literally over 40 degrees cooler) but the humidity this last week has been stifling. The kind of humidity where you’re sticky and just gross feeling no matter what you’re up to. My days have been me sitting in front of a three fan system I rigged up without pants on at my computer desk. Even like that the humidity was still awful. Craigslist apartment browsing in other cities awful – West not South because I’m pretty sure y’all got it even worse down there.

Luckily the weather gave me a break so I could wear this beautiful new dress from Apricity! I’ve done a really good job the last few months ridding my closet of things that aren’t easy to wear. Dresses that are a bit too short, are hard to style, don’t feel casual enough or need ironed. Call it lazy, but I’m just being practical. This dress is a perfect addition to my “new” wardrobe. It’s incredibly cozy, doesn’t need ironed, and makes it look like I put in more effort than I really did.

It’s kind of funny because this dress was actually a little bit out of my comfort zone at first. It’s the v-neck! I don’t what it is but I have always felt funny showing off cleavage. Looking at these photos I realize it wasn’t as revealing as it felt the first time I put it on – like at all. It actually looks so normal in these photos that I’m wondering why I’m even telling you this. Every time I looked down though, it was like “WOAH, BOOBS!”* I felt good in the dress, maybe a bit like I was showing off the girls too much, but being able to see myself gives me the confidence to wear other things I might consider too “revealing”. That’s one reason I love taking outfit photos.

Hope you’re having a lovely, not too humid, week!
xoxo 


*It’s the view looking down, it always looks so much more dramatic. Right?!

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