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beauty, fashion + hair

All things related to hair, beauty + fashion!

orange you glad?

by Kaylah Stroup January 13, 2014

I used a mix of Special Effects Hi-Octane Orange, Manic Panic Sunshine, Punky Colour Flame, and Manic Panic Electric Lava mixed with equal parts conditioner to get this b-e-a-utiful color. The red from my last dye job had faded a bit, but the biggest reason for change was my roots. It’s like one day I woke up and magically had inch long roots. I applied the bleach to just my roots and then combed it through the rest of my hair after my roots were finished. While my roots lightened the rest of my hair decided to turn an even brighter shade of the red/orange than it was previously. I contemplated not even dyeing it but my roots were pure white which looked a little strange. Anyway, I’m smitten with how it turned out. It’s such a fun color.
xoxo

You can find all my tips on bleaching, dying and maintaining colorful hair here.

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Weekly Nail

by Kaylah Stroup January 12, 2014

Supplies used…
American Apparel Hassid
Revlon Bare Bones
Sally Hansen Grass Slipper
Revlon Mesmerize
Scotch tape (+scissors)
Seche Vite as a top coat

Happy Sunday!
xoxo

*These nails are Klaus approved, clearly.

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what I wore : tiny horses

by Kaylah Stroup January 7, 2014
details 
sweater – Knitted Dove (from last season, this one is similar)
shirt – thrifted
skirt – thrifted
tights – Target
belt – thrifted
ring – fox ring c/o Sea of Bees
shoes –  thrifted
camera bag – Siena c/o Jo Totes
coat – thrifted (similar)

I always liked to say it doesn’t matter what color my hair is, it won’t affect what colors I wear (except red when I have purple hair. eugghh! so gross.) but this orange/red I’m rocking right now has me eating my words. It’s just so fun to pair outfits with this color. Blue looks incredible with it, it pops with black and white, meshes perfectly with tan and my favorite might just be gold. I’m crazy about how all the colors in this outfit look with it. I think I’ll be sticking with this color hair (or a variety of similar shades, and definitely one a bit more orange) for a while! It’s a really fun color.
xoxo

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what I wore : blue + gold

by Kaylah Stroup December 24, 2013
details
sweater – Sugar and Pumpkin Spice Sweater c/o Modcloth
button up shirt – thrifted
necklace – c/o Manic Trout Jewelry
brooch – c/o Under The Shade Of A Bonsai Tree
camera bag – Siena c/o Jo Totes
jeans – Target
shoes – Amazon

I’m still on that sweater kick I mentioned. I see no end in sight. How did I even go this long hating on sweaters?! I actually didn’t like this one the first time I tried it on. Buuut that was most likely because I hadn’t showered yet for the day, had the gnarliest morning hair (which is definitely a daily thing. I’m talking bangs straight in the air errrrday!), and was still wearing pajamas pants. So when I put on the sweater and looked in the mirror I was disappointed it didn’t somehow turn me into a pretty pretty princess with perfect hair. Anyway, after a shower, the sweater and I fell in love. It’s so cozy and that color looks awesome with my hair color! I’m going to be kind of bummed when it gets too warm to wear sweaters again.
xoxo
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what I wore : Life Fantastic

by Kaylah Stroup December 16, 2013
details
shirt – Man Man
jeans – H&M
jacket – c/o HauteLook
scarf – Modcloth
camera bag – Siena c/o Jo Totes
shoes – c/o Twisted Shoes

I’m obsessed with this shirt. The kind of obsessed where you don’t want to wear something because you want to keep it perfect. Not only is it zombie Ben Franklin eating pizza in a cemetery, it was one of the only souvenirs I bought on my first big solo roadtrip. I’m also a huge fan of this style of shirt, raglan shirts are the best!

You guys, I could talk about how much I love Man Man basically until the end of time. They’ve been my favorite band for a really long time but I got to see them live for the very first time at the beginning of this year. Then I miraculously caught them three more times. And by “miraculously” I mean I drove… a lot. Worth every single mile. There are only a few bands I can listen to over and over and over and they’re certainly one of them. There’s just something about Man Man that just sucks me in and I cannot get enough. They’re on tour now, you should go check them out because they’ll blow your mind plus some of the dates are with Xenia Rubinos and she can siiiiing! At the very least, give my favorite Man Man song, Van Helsing Boombox, a listen. (Also try Rabbit Habits, Against The Peruvian Monster, Whalebones & Poor Jackie) You won’t be sorry!

It was really cold taking these pictures. I mean, really reeeeally cold. As much as I totally adore this coat I know that forty outfit posts in a row featuring it would get super boring so I had to lose the coat for most of the pictures. Although I did have to include one photo of it because it looked super snazzy with the jeans and I wanted to show off my new scarf. Anyway, jumping pictures help keep you warm. And that smile in the fourth picture? The look of sheer insanity which is exactly what you need to be a blogger in the winter.

Happy Monday!
xoxo

PS. Here’s a photo I took on the other side of the cemetery right after I took outfit pictures. Isn’t it so pretty!?

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what I wore : the perfect jacket

by Kaylah Stroup December 5, 2013
details
jacket – c/o HauteLook
sweater – Kohl’s
rings – question mark ring c/o asianiCandy, purple ring c/o demiflux
patch – Explorer’s Press
backpatch –  Olivia Mew
cat lady pin – Thora Ford Jewelry
necklace – c/o Rings & Tings
camera bag – Siena c/o Jo Totes
jeans – Kohl’s
boots – Forever 21
Guess who took outfit pictures in the rain? Yeah, that’d be me. I headed out in the fog to take some pictures at the cemetery because I thought that would look super neat. I get there and there is a guy mowing grass. Fine, no big deal, I’ll head to the back of the cemetery. As soon as I get back there it starts to sprinkle. I hurry and pose, continually checking over my shoulder to see how close the man on the tractor was getting. Five minutes or so pass and it starts to sprinkle a little harder and he’s definitely getting closer. Too close for comfort in my opinion but I’m determined to photograph this outfit because I feel darn cute. A few more minutes pass and I’ve got all my detail shots taken when it starts to pour. I dashed back to my car all bummed out because I normally spend a lot more time taking outfit pictures and I reeeeally loved this outfit …so much so that I ended up wearing it a few more times later that week. To my surprise, when I looked through the pictures that evening there ended up being quite a few I liked and well as the unsurprisingly completely out of focus photos that inevitably happen when you’re rushing around like a huge creepy creep taking pictures of yourself in public.

Anyway, this jacket. I. am. in. love. I haven’t even touched any of my other jackets since getting it. It’s perfect. I received it a few weeks back from HauteLook. HauteLook is a free, members-only website that hosts limited-time, limited-inventory sale events. They feature women’s and men’s apparel, accessories, and shoes, as well as kids’ apparel and toys, beauty brands and home decor. Sign up here to find out about their latest sale events, there are new ones added daily at 8am Pacific time.  HauteLook has just launched Nordstrom Rack for HauteLook that
features ongoing sales so members can browse and shop great brands at a
great value 24/7! Plus, members can return items in-store or online. Below are some of my favorite items that are currently on HauteLook. Aren’t those boots the cutest? They’re such a steal.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5
Hope you’re having a lovely Tuesday!
xoxo

Yes, this is a sponsored post. But you best believe I really do love this coat and HauteLook is pretty darn awesome. Thanks for helping support the companies that support The Dainty Squid!

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what I wore : fall colors

by Kaylah Stroup November 12, 2013
details 
glasses – Dylan c/o BonLook
dress – Foxtail & Fern Dress via Modcloth
sweater – TJ Maxx
ring – Firefly Collections
brooch – c/o Under The Shade Of A Bonsai Tree
camera bag – Siena c/o Jo Totes
tights – JCPenney
shoes – Amazon
Geez, long time no outfit post! I really miss taking outfit pictures at least once a week. My new hair color and the gorgeous colors outside (which coincidentally go really beautifully with my hair!) inspired me to finally try and get back into it. It’s kind of a bad time to try and get back into the swing of things with winter coming but a little bit of snow never stopped me before. (Here’s some past snowy outfits.)
I’m crazy about this sweater. It’s comfy as heck and it has elbow patches which automatically make almost any piece of clothing the cutest. I bought it at TJ Maxx in Pittsburgh when I went there for a couple days to see Man Man last month. I like picking up pieces of clothing on my travels because then they forever remind me of that trip. Doing that is like buying souvenirs that aren’t tacky. Not that I don’t love super tacky souvenirs, I most certainly do. It’s just Pittsburgh is too close to home to want to wear something that says “Pittsburgh” on it.
Hope you have an awesome Tuesday!
xoxo

Pssst. Here’s two older outfits featuring the same dress. 1 & 2

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nail sticker FAQ & tips!

by Kaylah Stroup September 26, 2013

This page is under construction! Check back soon for an updated link!

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what I wore : fall flowers

by Kaylah Stroup September 25, 2013
details
hat – thrifted
sunglasses – c/o Oasap
shirt – TJ Maxx
necklace – Overlay Triangle Necklace c/o Fab
rings –  triangle c/o Spotted Moth, gem c/o The Northern Sea
overall dress – Forever 21
tights – Target
shoes – Lunar Ballet Flats via ASOS
bag – c/o Oasap
pouch – Set of 3 Camera Print Bags c/o Fab

Can I tell you a secret? I hate that overalls are in style right now. Don’t get me wrong, I love overalls. I own at least five pairs. They’re cozy as heck, and cute to wear around the house. But something about seeing them everywhere kind of drives me nuts. The only good thing about it though is they’re becoming way easier to find. I’ve spent hours scouring thrift stores for ones my size and rejoiced in finally finding a few pairs that fit. But now so many stores carry them! Of course, I’m not down for spending too much money on them but I do still love to browse and stalk them until they go on clearance! Anyway, point of that story was that I was lured into Forever 21 with the idea they might have some overalls at a decent price. I didn’t find any but I did find this adorable overall dress. I have a feeling I’ll be spending the majority of this fall season in it.

For this post I teamed up with Fab to style items from their two top categories, jewelry and women’s (clothes/shoes/accessories). I chose this adorable necklace and this set of bags. The bags are so great because a. that print is the cutest and b. the different sizes make the set really versatile. The biggest makes a perfect beach tote. The smaller two fit in my purse to hold all my miscellaneous odds and ends.

Happy Wednesday! Hope it’s sunny where ever you are in the world.
xoxo

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About Me

About Me

Hello!

I'm Kaylah! Renovating a 150-year-old home in Northeast Ohio. Likely found in my garden.

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THE DAINTY SQUID
  • blog
    • all the posts!
    • stroup mansion
    • some of my favorite posts
    • plants + gardening
    • beauty, fashion + hair
    • reviews
    • window shopping
    • explore everywhere
  • about me
  • contact
  • shop