Category:

beauty, fashion + hair

All things related to hair, beauty + fashion!

bike style

by Kaylah Stroup

Thank you prAna for sponsoring this post.

cleveland blog, kaylah doolan, the dainty squid, state bicycle co, green hair state bicycle company, the dainty squid, kaylah doolan, cleveland blog

Since moving to the city, and making the friends that I did I’ve had to adapt my wardrobe to be a little more…uh, what’s the right way to say this? flexible? real life-able? Does that make sense? I guess what I’m saying is as much as I love photos of fashion bloggers in pretty dresses, and heels with their bikes that just doesn’t suit the way I ride. Every piece of clothing that comes into my wardrobe has to be useful. I like to wear things that look nice, but that I can still stretch and move in. I always mean to share more photos of me on my bike and what real bike style looks like in my world but the truth is it isn’t all that cute most of the time.

I’ve had to be very selective about what I wear on my bike. I ride hard. I ride fast. So my clothing has to be comfortable, breathable, and definitely not have a massive seam down the center. *ahem* If I’m not asking too much, I’d still like to look cute. Enter prAna! When the opportunity to work together presented itself, I jumped at the chance. Their clothes are cute, versatile, and probably best of all, mindfully made in order to support fair trade and sustainable practices. prAna’s one core believe is to give back more than they take from the world. Check out this video they made about sustainabiliy and being a conscious consumer! It’s awesome to find companies that care!

cleveland blog, kaylah doolan, bike style, cleveland, pats in the flats

details
sweater – Rockaway hoodie c/o prAna
shirt – Target
jeans – Kara jeans c/o prAna
boots – Palladium Boots

I chose the Kara jeans specifically because they were made from organic cotton that allows for breathability and movement. Y’all they feel like biking in pajama pants, and I could not be happier! Most importantly, the seam is comfortable to sit on for long periods of time. Wahooo! A nice bonus -they come in eight different colors! That means if you’re on of those folks who likes to stock up on your favorite clothing finds, you can stock up without looking like you only wear one pair of jeans. I wouldn’t know anything about that though…

I’m so happy to have found prAna and this clothing that looks great but is still able to handle all the ways my body moves. I love that I can hop off my bike, walk into a restaurant and not look like I just hopped off my bike based on my outfit choice.
xoxo

PS prAna has also offered The Dainty Squid readers 15% off with code ‘F17CGKD’! It will be active until 10.17.17. 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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what I wore : leopard print

by Kaylah Stroup

overalls, the dainty squid, cleveland fashion blog what I wore, fashion blog, kaylah doolan, the dainty squid, cleveland, green hair

details
hat – black hat via Target (currently on clearance!)
glasses – Louise via Warby Parker
sweater – summer robe c/o Moorea Seal
pin – Ace Ventura by Two Ghouls Press
top – Charlotte Russe
overalls – released hem overalls via Charlotte Russe (also on sale!)
shoes – tassel slip ons c/o The Fix

It’s faaaaall! Or at least it feels like it. After a summer of trying to avoid spending any time in my apartment because it was so darn hot in here, this last week and a half have been such a relief. I’ve got a pumpkin scented candle burning, and there’s a cool breeze blowing in. Without a doubt, this is the best time of the year. I could not be any happier.

I’m also super pumped to be able to wear comfortable clothing again! I can’t be the only one who starts to get reeeeal tired of wearing just a tank top and shorts. I truly don’t understand how other girls look so cute in the summer. For two straight months, I’m essentially just a sweaty gremlin. Sooo, I celebrated the new season by picking up two new pairs of overalls. I don’t know how I ended up browsing Charlotte Russe’s site, it’s not in my normal rotation of places to shop for clothing, but I’m sure glad I did. They have so many different pairs of overalls, aaaand they’re way cheaper than the pair of Levi’s I’d been eyeing up. Even though they said they weren’t available in stores I decided to pop in anyway.

I fell madly in love with a pair made from a light colored denim. I was buying those for sure. This black pair though, I wasn’t convinced. They fit really nice but I’m still trying to save all the money I can because roadtrips will always be more important than clothing to me. Buuuut the sale was too good to resist considering I know how often I wear overalls (basically always.) After putting together this outfit I am so so so happy I “splurged”. I foresee wearing this exact outfit basically all fall and winter!

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body talk

by Kaylah Stroup

green hair, braid, the dainty squid, kaylah doolan

Body image is such a strange, strange thing. In my case, it can also be a very fragile thing. This post could go a thousand different ways but let’s start here…

I’d like to think that I know better than to be jealous of something I see on instagram. I know that most people out there aren’t purposely posting their less than flattering moments, that they’re really only posting when they look or feel good and that’s perfectly fine! It’s not that I want to revel in their ugly photos or anything. For me, it’s just so easy to get discouraged when I see beautiful person after beautiful person after beautiful person. Perfect body after perfect body. I know, and have briefly written about how one person’s beauty doesn’t take away from your own but some times it’s hard not to feel crappy. I’ve been struggling with that a little bit lately.

On top of this, Jeff and I went shopping together a week or two ago which should have been a fun thing but I left feeling a little bit blue.  I’ve found that most stores in the mall don’t really carry clothes that I would or can even wear. My local H&M is consistenly sold out of anything that isn’t a size 2 or 4. I rarely fit in Forever 21’s clothing and their plus size section is too big. It’s like there’s a gap of sizes that got left out. If I do magically fit in their clothing it’s obscenely short. Again, making it unwearable. Then when we went to Victoria Secret, where Jeff was so kindly offering to buy me something, they didn’t have my bra size.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s small fries. I don’t regularly shop at the mall nor did I really need anything but it’s hard to not feel discouraged. I felt like a giant. Like I was “too big” to be a woman. This is a super crappy feeling I deal with quite often. I am not a delicate flower. I have never been. In middle school I was proud to be bigger than all the boys. I was strong, and not to be messed with. Somewhere along the line I became self consious of my size. I wanted to be small, delicate, “feminine”, and perhaps most of all, shorter.

This whole flare up of feelings at the mall happened two or three days before I needed to take some photos for an “in kind” campaign I was doing with Athleta. That just means they sent me some clothing in exchange for photos. I had picked out two things I was super excited to wear – a striped sports bra + a cozy sweater. I picked the two of them together with a specific photo in mind that I would take. My deadline was approaching, and despite any negative feelings I was having toward my body, I had to get at least one photo.

I took a handful, not expecting too much. Wouldn’t you know it I LOVED what I was getting. I ran back in front of my camera, posed some more, and got even more photos I loved. Photos that made me feel good about my body. Photos that showed me my own body in a different light. That helped me remember how incredibe my body is. Maybe its not the thinnest, daintiest, petite thing but it’s a damn work of art. This body is strong. It houses all the good things I have inside me. Most importantly, it’s the only one I have.

So what if it will never grace the cover of a magazine? Ahem, I mean, I did that already. So what if it doesn’t garner attention from every dude on the internet? I don’t want that anyway. So what if I can’t buy cheap-o clothes from the mall? I should make smarter purchases, anyway. It’s like I’m intelligent enough to know that the reasons I want my body to look a certain way are stupid but still can’t help but sometimes feel like my body could be ‘better’.  Fitting into clothes from the mall wouldn’t make me happier. Being pestered by more men who only like the way I look certainly wouldn’t make me happier. So why do I feel this way sometimes? It makes no sense.

I guess I just wanted to write this post to 1) celebrate a time when I felt really happy with my body and 2) share that even the people you might look up to still struggle with the same things. It’s only human.

Quick run down of some important things –

  • The beauty of another does not take away from your own!
  • Everyone EVERYONE struggles with their appearance from time to time – even that human who you think is like the ultimate good lookin’ person! Chances are every once in a while they look in the mirror and think “who is that dingus?”
  • Taking selfies isn’t vain, sometimes it can be a really cathartic experience that will help you see things a little bit differently.
  • STOP COMPARING YOUR BODY TO OTHERS. Everyone is built different.
  • Not being petite doesn’t make you any less womanly or worth any less.
Bra + cardigan c/o Athleta.
Leggings by Girlfriend Collective. They are PURE MAGIC. Literal best leggings I have ever owned. They’re made from recycled water bottles. Plus they earn major points for using models with a variety of different body types.
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five of my favorite hair products

by Kaylah Stroup

the dainty squid, hair, kaylah doolan, hair care, products for colored hair Five of my favorite hair products…

Hask Placenta. Out of all of the products I use daily (make up, hair, face & body care, etc) this has to be the one I’ve been using the longest. I am a die hard fan of this stuff.  It’s a leave-in instant conditioning treatment. I apply it every single day after washing and towel drying my hair. It makes my hair so soft and manageable. I can tell an instant difference on days I don’t use it. I’ve been recommending it here on the blog for years, and have received countless emails and comments from folks saying it helped them out big time too. If you try one thing from this post, make it Hask Placenta!

Evo love touch shine spray. This stuff is magic. It helps hide split ends, and tames fly-aways. I spritz some on the ends of my hair after it’s dry on days I wear it straight to help make my hair seem shinier and less dull. It makes my hair look so much healthier, especially when it’s in need of a color touch-up. It also smells very very very good.

Argan oil. I started using argan oil when I bought a curling wand. I apply it to dry hair before using any heat styling products. The result is softer, smoother looking hair. I’ve tried other brands of argan oil but always end up coming back to this one by Arganics. It smells the best, and leaves my hair with the best results.

Aveda shampure dry shampoo. The only dry shampoo I have ever liked! In my opinion, nothing beats clean hair but on days I can’t wash, this dry shampoo comes to the rescue. It helps my hair appear less oily and gives me a bit of volume. It is important to note that it is very easy to overdo it with this stuff. One little puff goes a long way (which also helps justify the price! I haven’t even made a dent in my bottle yet!) This stuff is also really great if you want to give your hair a little bit of texture before braiding or putting it up. My hair is extremely straight which kind of makes for blah ponytails. Adding just a bit of this dry shampoo gives me exactly what I need for the perfect messy bun.

Herbivore sea mist. First of all, this smells amazing. Even if it did nothing I’d probably still want to use it so that my hair would smell that good. I use this spray on days that I want to wear my hair straight. My hair is naturally very, very straight and kind of lifeless. This spray gives me a little bit of volume, and texture without little effort. I find its most effective when I apply to dry hair and then scrunch.

Other than those things I don’t use too much else.  Sparks Color Care Sulfate-Free Shampoo + Conditioner is awesome for helping maintain my hair color and I’m a big fan of their color protecting spray for days I’ll be out in the sun a lot. I also use coconut oil to condition the ends of my hair fairly regularly (I slather it on the ends of my hair before bed, lay a towel down on my pillow, then wash and rinse as normal in the morning!)

If you have any hair questions or are looking for more tips + product recommendations, check out my hair master post! 
xoxo

 

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what I wore : stripes forever

by Kaylah Stroup

cleveland fashion blog, ohio blogger, striped dress, kaylah, the dainty squid

striped dress, black and white, the dainty squid, kaylah doolan, fashion blog, modcloth daisy natives, lapel pinmoorea seal cleveland blog, cleveland fashion blogger, ohio, fashion blog, kaylah doolan, green hair, striped dress

details
sweater – Charter School Cardigan via Modcloth
dress – Modcloth, years ago (similar)
pin – Daisy Natives
tote – block print tote c/o Moorea Seal
glasses – Louise via Warby Parker
belt – vintage
shoes – Barrow flats c/o Moorea Seal

Long time no seeee! I’ve been truly slacking on the outfit posts this month. If I’m being honest, I’ve basically just been living in my favorite outfit – on days the weather isn’t five billion degrees. It’s so easy to fall into a fashion rut. Although, I don’t necessarily consider feeling super cute being in a rut. Just a fashion blogging rut. Being forced to put on something different is actually one of my favorite things about sharing outfit posts. Otherwise I might just wear the same three or four outfits on repeat…

eastern black swallowtail caterpillar

caterpillar

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Same dress, different colorway from around this time last year! Can’t believe how much my hair has grown.

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five products to help combat facial redness

by Kaylah Stroup

For as long as I can remember I’ve had a red face. Maybe not all the time but one that reddens very easily. My skin is super sensitive. I blush at the drop of a dime, physical activity definitely equals very rosy cheeks, and after washing my face for the night? Its bright red. It’s the reason I don’t dye my hair light colors and the reason I almost always wear makeup. In the grand scheme of things, its not a huge deal but I do feel self conscious about it. I guess I just assumed that was what I was stuck with. That was my skin, whatcha gonna do about it?

Recently I was watching a medical show on television where someone was diagnosed with rosacea. I saw a lot of similarities between my skin and theirs. I don’t know that I have rosacea but it got me researching what I could do to maybe help my skin a bit.

A few weeks later, I feel like a new lady! I see such a huge difference in my skin. There were two products* in particular that I started using that made me want to write this post. I don’t know how many other people out there had sensitive, red, skin but I’ve gotta share!

Five products I use to combat facial redness!

  1. Coppertone water babies 50 SPF sunscreen. An obvious one – I am now wearing sunscreen on my face every single day. Since I’m pretty heavily tattooed, it was already part of my routine to wear sunscreen on basically every visible part of my body. Somehow, like a dummy, I didn’t consider how important wearing it on my face is. I picked up some baby sunscreen since it was a high SPF and I felt that it would be gentle on my skin.
  2. Vichy Purete Thermale facial cleanser. I had begun using this cleanser before starting my little hunt to reduce redness but immediately noticed how much more calm it left my skin compared to others. I love that I can use it to take off my eye make up as well. It’s one easy step that leaves my face feeling clean but not dried out or irritated.
  3. Tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is said to be good for a massive number of ailments. I used to use it on my cheek piercings to get rid of bumps. It worked really well and I’m wondering why I haven’t been using it on everything all these years.
  4. Thayers witch hazel. First of all, holy smokes, this smells amazing. Basically I bought witch hazel because I read multiple places that tea tree oil shouldn’t be used by itself on your skin since its so strong. I could have chosen any number of products to use it with but wow, witch hazel was definitely the right choice. Its known to be calming, help tighten pores, and smooth all without drying. Every night I wash my face with the cleanser mentioned above then squirt a little witch hazel on a cotton pad, add a few drops of tea tree oil and run that over my face and neck. My skin feels so amazing afterward. Most nights Jeff even joins me in this routine! 
  5. Vichy aqualia thermal moisturizer. I was already using (and lovin!) this moisturizer but adding tea tree oil has made such a huge difference. I simply swipe some up with my finger and then add a drop or two of tea tree oil on the top before using it. Even without the tea tree oil, this is my new favorite moisturizer.

vichy, cleanser and moisturizerrose petal, witch hazel, skin care routine

Do you have any skin care products you especially love because they’re calming? I’m pretty darn happy with my current routine but always open to hear your rave reviews!
xoxo

*Obviously I listed five products in this post. All of them contribute to the overall appearnace of my skin but the two I feel made the biggest difference are tea tree oil and witch hazel. I seriously cannot recommend adding them to your skin care routine enough!

I guess I should remind you that results may vary! What works for me might not work for you. I’m not a medical professional, just a gal experimenting with different products.
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twenty-seven

by Kaylah Stroup

the dainty squid, birthday, balloons, green hair, colorful

cleveland blogger, ohio blogger, cleveland, green hair

kaylah doolan, ohio blog, fashion blogger

details
hat – Target
sunglasses – Moorea Seal
shirt – 3/4 sleeve top via Target
skirt – denim front button skirt via Target
sandals – pansy via Amazon

TWENTY-SEVEN.

This is officially the “other side” of my twenties. Well, twenty-six was… and twenty-five probably was too but for some reason I tried to hold on the idea that I wasn’t closer to thirty than twenty. No denying it now. Still a little confused how I’m this old but don’t feel any more like an “adult” though.

I’m hoping that by the time this post goes live I’ll already be outside getting some early morning miles on my bike. Ideally I’ll get twenty-seven miles in today but I might poop out early, and that’s fine too. In previous years I’ve written about how I’m going to do something relaxing but if I’ve learned one thing in all my years it’s that I’m happiest and most satisfied when I’m busy. So I’m going to do my best to make it a full day of bikes, beach, coffee, and food!

Sparklers with my dad, then smoke bombs with both parents. This one with my dad looking down is easily the most flattering of the three of us. Later photos would show us choking. Its incredible how smelly those things are. Probably cut at least six months off my life breathing that stuff in. Happy Birthday though, right?

PS. You should check out my instagram stories for a super cute GIF from this shoot that I wasn’t able to include in this post.

Here’s a peek back at previous year’s birthday outfit posts featuring balloons!  2013,  2014, 2015+ 2016! Some things really never seem to change…

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mellow yellow

by Kaylah Stroup

A few years ago I was really good at documenting my hair dye adventures. I always made an effort to take before and after photos, and write down what colors I used. Eventually I kind of got stuck in a rut where I was doing the same colors in rotation every few months. I guess it just didn’t seem like it was worth the time to document it. Looking back I definitely wish I had taken photos of the colors while they were fresh and typed out what dyes I used.

Yellow is a completely new color for me. In the ten plus years I’ve been dyeing my hair – this is a first! It’s the only color I hadn’t done yet. Clearly, it’s not pure yellow but that is without a doubt the main color. I’ve got a bunch of photos for you here today, as well as a little bit about the process from green to yellow.

above – 5/31. Fresh green + blue hair.

below – 6/25. No dye applied since the photo above. I had been rinsing with hot water, and using this mask to condition and purposely fade the color. On one hand I feel like “wow, it faded a ton” and on the other like “dang, that color really stuck around!” Either way, it faded beautifully. If it weren’t for my roots, I’d have probably rocked that color for a lot longer.

above – 7/2. Immediately after bleaching. I was shocked to see how blue my hair was still. Part of me wanted to dye it green again but I had already purchased an abundance of yellow dyes. I presumed it would turn out mostly green after adding the yellow.

below -7/3. After dyeing + styling. I couldn’t believe just how yellow it turned out after I failed so hard to get the blue out.

the dainty squid hair, green hair, yellow hair, sunshine hair

To be 100% honest, this is not my best dye job. The blue that was in the bottom layer of my hair when it was green ended up looking pretty rad with the yellow on top of it. It turned a beautiful light green. I wasn’t planning on keeping any green in my hair but it ended up working out pretty well. I enjoy the yellow to green fade I’ve got going on. It makes the transition a little bit easier on me. Even though I’ve been dyeing my hair bright colors for all of my adult life, its still a bit of a shock each time I change colors.

There was one spot that apparently either got missed when I applied the bleach or had a lot of blue in it on accident from when I dyed my hair back at the end of May. Sooo there was a spot in the middle of my beautiful yellow that was green. I was very self conscious of it the first week or so.

As I always try to mention in any posts I write about hair, half the fun of dyeing your hair is the adventure. I never really know what it’s going to look like when I start. Ya win some, ya lose some. Not that this is even a loss because it looks way rad and I’ve been able to fix up the splotch by essentially painting the hair around it so it’s a natural looking darker area instead of just a spot.

I only used one dye for this which is also a first for me. I’m usually the master of dye mixing! I decided to try a brand completely new to me – Arctic Fox. Cosmic Sunshine was the color I choose. Even now I feel like it’s too early to form a complete opinion on it since the fade time will play a factor but first impressions were definitely good. It smells nice, applied easily, and hasn’t given me any issues with staining my hands or clothing. So far, so good!

arctic fox cosmic sunshine

I’m not sure how long I’ll stay yellow but I’m certainly glad to have finally pulled away from green. I still can’t believe I kept a hair color for that long! I feel like I’ve got the color changing bug again.
xoxo

YOU CAN FIND HAIR DYE TIPS AND GUIDES IN MY HAIR MASTER POST.

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what I wore – feelin’ myself

by Kaylah Stroup

yellow hair, mimi chica, romper, green hair, the dainty squid kaylah doolan, yellow hair, black felt hat, colored hair, fashion blog romper, yellow hair, yellow and green hair, cleveland blogger yellow hair, fashion blog, cleveland blog, outfit post, ootd, the dainty squid cleveland fashion blog, cleveland blog, yellow hair, dainty squid, kaylah doolan

Y’all, this might be my favorite outfit I have ever shared here. Nearly ten years of sharing funky outfits on the internet and one simple romper rules them all.

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A few weeks ago Jeff and I were laying in bed when he just randomly spits out “Can I buy you a romper?” It was reeeally stinken cute the way he said it so nervously like he anticipated a “no”. He explained that he’d someone wearing one recently and thought I’d look really cute in one. I told him that with my long torso I wasn’t sure I’d find one that fit comfortably but that I’d be more than willing to go try some on for him. Of course you can take me shopping, duh!

Target didn’t have much of a romper selection but TJ Maxx came through – as always. TJ Maxx is my jam! I quickly found three that I liked enough to try on and the second I tried on this starry one I knew that even if he wasn’t sold, it was coming home with me. Luckily he loved it just as much as I did, if not more. Jeff doesn’t really buy me clothes so this romper feels really special. I love wearing it, and I love wearing it even more when I’m with him.

I can’t believe this whole time I’ve been missing out on rompers. Sure, I tried on more than a few after getting this one that were definitely way too short for my body. Perma-wedgie! But finding the right one is so worth the annoyance of trying a bunch on. It’s SO comfortable and it’s like the easiest possible outfit to wear. Paired with this hat that I now wear constantly, cute sunglasses, and literally any shoes I want – I feel like a million bucks. I can’t believe I’ve survived summer without one before this. On really hot days, it’s so much cooler than wearing anything else! I’m changed woman. The last few times I’ve been to TJ Maxx since I head straight to where I think rompers might be. I need more!

details
hat – Target
sunglasses – TJ Maxx
romper – TJ Maxx
necklace – tooth necklace by Goingsnake Silver
shoes – espadrilles c/o Viscata Barcelona

PS. To my long torso pals, the brand of the romper is Mimi Chica. I obviously can’t speak of how all their rompers fit but if you’ve found it hard to find ones long enough starting with this brand might be a solid idea. They have a few available on their website, at Tillys, at Nordstorm, and Nordstrom Rack!

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