My Debut in the Orlando Fringe Festival

I had been hoping for a chance to perform in the Orlando Fringe Festival- definitely a bucket list kind of performance! A lot of cities have a Fringe Festival; basically groups will perform brand new, usually off-the-wall shows in a myriad of designated locations throughout the city. I actually was invited to a part of the Fringe Festival in the spring of 2017, but I had to turn them down. I was in a wedding as a bridesmaid for the entirety of the second weekend, and that’s…you know, ever so slightly important.

In February of 2017, I performed in a premiere of a short play called Welcome to Intercourse. It’s a super cute play and I loved the role I played so much. Well, the author of the play wrote three more short plays and packaged them together as a show called Quickies, and she wanted me to come back to play Peggy again, as well as two other roles. But I couldn’t. I was so upset! I loved the role, but ultimately I wouldn’t be able to do it and I had to turn it down.

Flash forward to this past summer! I got an email from a director I’d worked with previously; Quickies was possibly going to the winter mini Fringe festival, and the actress who originally played the roles couldn’t make it. Would I be interested?

WAS I EVER!

The show was confirmed in late October and we rolled into rehearsals shortly afterward. It was a short rehearsal period, but the four plays are about 10-15 minutes long each, divided amongst the four actors, so all in all it wasn’t too terrible to balance. It was just a lot of practicing lines in the car as I drove to and from rehearsals.

The show only ran for two performances, but we had fantastic audiences and great feedback. It was a new theater for me, and it was fun playing on a new stage. And I loved revisiting Peggy, who’s one of my favorite roles to play. I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback on my performances and it just makes me pleased as punch.

I wasn’t actually in the first of the four short plays. It was a two person retelling of Scheherazade and the Sultan; it was funny and sassy and I loved watching it from backstage. Of course, backstage was about 3′ by 4′ (and that’s generous) and there were three of us back there, so it was a little uncomfortable.

The second plays was called Meet the Pets. A guy brings a girl (me) home after a date so she can meet his pets. So we had a snooty cat (a guy in a tuxedo and a British accent) and a lovable dog (a girl in flannel and corduroys). It was super funny, and while my character started off as a manic pixie dream girl, she ended up being really smart and self-assured. So it was fun playing both sides of the spectrum.

dress: Forever 21
denim jacket: …I’ll have to check?
floral leggings: No Boundaries
boots: Blowfish
hat: Target
purse: Betsey Johnson
glasses: Eye Buy Direct (Moody frames)

The second show was called Buried. It’s short and bittersweet. I played a girl named Grace who runs into her ex-boyfriend in the middle of a graveyard, and you start to put the pieces that it’s a metaphor for her mind, and she’s trying to bury the memories of him, and she can’t…and then BAM guess what it’s real and she killed him and she’s talking to his ghost. It’s one of the trickiest roles I’ve ever played even though it was only about ten minutes long. Grace is both lighthearted and deeply hurt, so there was a lot of balancing. Plus I had to drag around a shovel.

dress: Forever 21
headband: Goody’s
shoes: Keds

The final short play was my favorite, Welcome to Intercourse. I played Peggy, an accountant who just got jilted by her fiance. Her best friend Eva decides they should go on a road trip, and of course their car breaks down outside of Intercourse, Pennsylvania. And who comes to rescue them but a pair of Amish boys! Peggy and Josiah have a deeply touching conversation onstage, but offstage Eva and Ezekiel fix the car, and of course it sounds extremely suggestive. It was a great little play full of innuendoes, and the girl who played Eva is a dream and it was literally so fun to play opposite her.

dress: Modcloth (Blueberry Lemonade dress)
jacket: I’ll check…
shoes: Payless
glasses: Eye Buy Direct (Sophie frames in pink)

I had such an amazing time doing this show. It was such a quick run (haha, get it, Quickies, I’m hilarious) but it was so fun to do. I don’t know if I’ll get to be a part of it again, but hopefully I’ll get to work with this team again in the future!

Disneybounding 101

Ah, Disneybounding. One of the best and most controversial trends to pop up in recent years. Personally, I love it, but some people are divided on the topic, since there’s such a wide spectrum of possibilities.

 

For those who don’t spend all their time in Disney parks and feel a little out of the loop, Disneybounding was created by a blogger named Leslie Kay. Its a specific style of dressing in a manner influenced by a Disney character, film, or attraction. For instance, if I wear a yellow skirt, a navy top, and a red bow in my hair, I can be fairly identifiable as Snow White. It’s a great way to compromise when you can’t fully dress up to go to the parks.

 

Why can’t you dress up for the parks? That’s a great question! There’s a rule in place that no one over the age of fourteen can dress up for the parks. A lot of people think that’s unfair, but it’s really a great rule. Let’s say that five-year-old Jenny goes to Magic Kingdom for the first time, and she’s so excited to meet Cinderella. So they get to Fairytale Hall, and it’s a forty-five minute wait, and Dad isn’t too excited about that. But wait! A teenage girl in a Cinderella dress is standing outside Fairytale Hall. Close enough! Dad sends little Jenny up there, and Cinderella puts her phone away long enough to take a picture and scribble an autograph. But that’s not the same. It’s not the same at all. And imagine this- if Jenny goes up to “Cinderella” and the princess swears at her and says she’s just trying to have fun and leave her alone. Jenny would be heartbroken, right? Disney magic ruined. So yeah. Save your costumes for Not So Scary, when the party wristband can set you apart from the real characters. Maintain character integrity!

 

So that’s where Disneybounding comes in. It’s a great way to “dress up” as those beloved characters (or even attractions!) without being in full costume. The best way to do that is to pull from the color schemes of the characters- yellow, navy, and red for Snow; aqua, purple, and red for Ariel; red and white polka dots for Minnie Mouse. You get the idea. A lot can be done with makeup and hairstyles as well, although wigs should be avoided. Not only does that send you into costuming territory, but really, y’all. It’s Florida. It’s swampland. Y’all are gonna sweat to death.

 

Another way to pull inspiration is through accessories. I’ve used a necklace with a gold comb on it for Rapunzel, and a necklace with a thimble on it for Wendy. A lot of Etsy sellers create beautiful bows, custom ears, and themed flower crowns as well that can make you intsagram ready in no time. Some of my favorite shops are Ever After Bowtique, Soundsation Ears, and Magic by Courtney; all three of those shops are run by fabulous ladies who do good work.

 

But Caitlin, you say, have you ever Disneybounded? Have I ever! Here’s some examples.

 

I put together a Disneybound pajama outfit for the 24 hour day at Magic Kingdom the one year I went (RIP, but mostly RIP to the cast members who worked all night). I wore a white tunic from Target, lavender leggings from Walmart, and cream lace shoes from Payless. I made the flower crown myself, and the satchel was a gift from my friend Carrie (Pascal was hers but she lent him to me for the night). Her pajamas bound was even cuter- green plaid pajamas and bear slippers, because she was Merida!

My hipster Kylo Ren disneybound is probably my all time favorite. The dress is one of my faavorite Modcloth purchases, the Bells of London, Ohio dress made by Dear Creatures. I wore it with black low top converse style shoes and made myself a flower crown- the best part is the hidden Darth Vader.

I had a blast running around Studios and taking pictures, especially when I went to Starbucks. I had a conversation that went like this:

 

Barista: What’s your name?

 

Me: Can you please…can you please write Kyle Lauren on it?

 

Barista: …

 

Me: …

 

Barista: Okay.

 

So then flash forward to when they’re calling my name.

 

Barista: I have a venti peach green tea lemonade for…Kyle Lauren?

 

There was a dad wearing a Star Wars shirt leaning against the bar. He looked at the cup, then me, then back at the cup, and he started laughing hysterically. “Come on!” he chortled. “Kyle Lauren! Kylo Ren! It’s so funny!” Thank you, random dad. The barista might have looked at me like I had twelve heads, but I appreciate your laughter.

On St. Patrick’s Day a while back a bunch of us met up in our best green disneybounds. I chose to go as Pascal, so I wore a green dress from Pink Rose, a brown Faded Glory belt, a pair of Nicole sandals from Ross, and a Forever 21 flower crown that had been admittedly rather sparse, but I spruced it up with some extra blooms left over from another project.

Elsa is always one of my favorite cosplay choices, especially when my sister and I are disneybounding together. For Frozen Fever Elsa, I wore an aqua tank and white shorts and a flower crown made by my sister. As an extra surprise, she ordered the Frozen Fever bows from our favorite Etsy shop, Ever After Bowtique, and added them to the backs of our crowns. You can also see that Lindsay went a little more intense with her disneybound- she cosplays as Anna and has made three of her outfits so far, so she wore the vest from her Frozen Fever cosplay, but styled it with street clothes.

Our first Anna and Elsa Disneybound was a lot more intense. This was when the movie had only been out for a few months and the princesses were at their first meet and greet location in Epcot. Lindsay usually likes to wear wigs, so she wore her Anna wig, but the rest of her outfit was clearly street clothes in Anna-inspired colors, which balances out. I wore a dress from Ross and sparkly shoes, and we both wore the park tiaras. I also styled my hair and makeup to be Elsa-inspired.

For another example, I custom ordered a beautiful set of holiday Anna and Elsa bows (also from Ever After) for me and my sister. To be super honest, I don’t have any full photos of our outfits and I don’t remember what we wearing, but aren’t these bows cute? Amber custom made them after I had a terrible experience ordering from Caleigh’s Crowns (which has now closed), and not only was she brilliant to work with, she delivered them to us personally in cute holiday gift bags with candy canes!

I don’t always disneybound as just Elsa- this was my adorable Kristoff inspired outfit! I wore an embroidered peasant top and a gray skirt, both from Forever 21, navy leggings, my black Hamish boots from Blowfish, and my Kristoff bow from Ever After Bowtique. And of course I posed with a troll. I think that’s like a rule or something.

This is a sweet and simple Alice in Wonderland disneybound- a blue dress from Target, a white lace top from Forever 21, a blue bow from Ever After Bowtique, and my trusty iCarly sandals. It was cute, comfortable, and just identifiable enough.

Dapper Day is another great opportunity for subtle disneybounds! I’ve documented my Queen of Hearts, Queen Elinor, Rapunzel, and Wendy themed outfits before, but my very first one was a simple disneybound of the house from Up. I wore the Air of Adorable dress from Modcloth with the same Modcloth oxfords I wore for Rapunzel, plus a small petticoat, the Grape Soda pin, and a borrowed vintage hat. It was subtle, but effective.

You don’t even have to be at Disney for a disneybound! I went to Unviersal in a Hogwarts student disneybound (who else is a Hufflepuff?) I wore my Record Time dress in black from Modcloth, a yellow coat from Forever 21, black tights, black combat boots from Charlotte Russe, and a black hair bow from Forever 21. It was a great time (and my wand fit in my coat pocket!)

Here’s another example of a more subtle disneybound. I bought my sister these matching shirts from Tee Public for Christmas, and we styled them to be the stepsisters from Cinderella. She wore a lime green tank, aqua shorts, and an aqua bow to be Drizella, and I wore purple shorts and a pink bow to be Anastasia. (Even better, our mother disneybounded as the stepmother! We don’t have any pictures, unfortunately.)

And just for fun, here’s one of my favorite meet and greets in a Disney inspired outfit. I wore my Arendelle crest shirt from Tee Public and my Kristoff bow from Ever After for a VIP meet and greet at the Frozen singalong for my birthday. Clearly I had a little bit of fun (and was super embarrassingly excited to meet Kristoff!)

What are some of your favorite Disneybounds? Do you have any tips, tricks, or rules for disneybounding? Comment below if you want to see a follow up blog or video about disneynounds, and maybe you’ll be featured!

 

Look of the Day: 1920s

Look of the Day: 1920s


I have always been so scared of sidebuns! I was afraid they would make my head look fat and lopsided. Which is…admittedly…a strange fear. But still! I LOVE how this hair and makeup turned out. Like, totally.

Hairrrr:


#1: I spritzed leave-in conditioner (the Healthy Sexy Hair stuff, purchased for super cheapo at Ross) on second day hair, combed it out, and teased the top a bit.

#2: I gathered the hair into a loose ponytail on the side, teased it, and kinda…piled it up into a loose loopy bun. And then stuck bobby pins in it till it looked okay. And then put in a little flower snap clip that a friend made for me.

#3: Spritz all the hairs with hairspray, straighten the bangs, and voila!

Makeup Tutorial: Simple Spring Look by melmphs

Melissa cracks me up so much, you guys! She’s a Tennessee girl like me and she’s hilarious. No filter whatsoever, and I love it. She’s so sweet and extroverted and friendly and her videos are super fun.

I didn’t do false lashes or a quite-as-bright lipstick, and I didn’t do the smokey-bottom-lash stuff, but I REALLY love how this look turned out on me. And I especially love how it works with the hair.

———

Dress: Forever21
Shoes: Payless
Hair flower: made by a friend

———

Face
Covergirl 3 in 1 Outlast Stay Fabulous foundation in 805 Ivory
Rimmel Match Perfection concealer
Nyx cream blush in Natural

———

Eyes
Wet ‘n’ Wild trio in Sweet as Candy
Physician’s Formula Malibu Strip
Elf 100 shadow palette
Maybelline gel liner in brown
Covergirl liquiliner in black
Maybelline The Rocket mascara in blackest black (waterproof)

———

Lips
Revlon lip butter in Sweet Tart

———

Perfume: Bath and Body Works Paris in Bloom

Nail Polish: Sephora by OPI Miss Bossy Pants (from the Glee collection)

Want to see me attempt a particular look or tutorial? Want to see a review on a product? Want me to make a video? Ask me here!

Look of the Day: Hair Despair

My hair. Oh sweet mother of mercy, what is wrong with my hair? It’s neither straight nor curly. It’s neither blonde nor brown nor ginger. Its length is unremarkable- neither short nor long. And the frizz. OH SWEET MOTHER. THE FRIZZ. I’m trying to avoid heat styling since it’s summertime, but even with a healthy spritz of leave in conditioner my hair has an aura of frizz. Someone please come save my hair.

In the meantime, I shall take solace in the fact that it looks like I have a dimple in this picture.

Oh, and I attempted a Pinterest tutorial of a fancy four-strand braid, and that ended in approximately 3.7 seconds.

Makeup Tutorial: Flirty Pop by allthatglitters21

I wrote a whole description of the video and it vanished when I posted.

Anyways.

I’ve really been loving Elle’s videos lately. They’re so sweet and personable, and her looks are always so polished. This particular look is not quite so polished on me, but that’s mostly because I  still attack my face with makeup the way a first grader attacks a new coloring book page. Eventually I’ll learn how to put on makeup without looking like a fingerpainting project gone horribly awry. That’s what practice and tutorial are for, right?

My favorite part of this is the teal eyeliner on the lower lashline. I’m absolutely terrified of putting anything other than a neutral color on, around, or near my eyes, for fearing of looking more clownish than I already am, but I got the teal eyeliner in a mini set from Ulta and have been really wanting to try it. So thank you, Elle, for getting me out of my comfort zone with some fancy eyeliner!

Outfit:
Top: Target
Shorts: Target
Sandals: Payless

Face:
Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse in 110 Porcelain Ivory
Nyx stick concealer in Porcelain
Nyx cream blush in Natural
NYC bronzer in Sunny
Hard Candy bronzer in Tiki

Eyes:
Maybelline Color tattoo in Inked in Pink
L’oreal Infallible shadow in Amber Rush
Hard Candy duo in Peace (lighter shade)
Smashbox Limitless Liner in Onyx
Smashbox Limitless Liner in Metallic Teal
Maybelline the Rocket mascara in Blackest Black (waterproof)

 

Lips:
Maybelline Color Whisper in Petal Rebel
Maybelline Color Whisper in One Size Fits Pearl

Perfume: Bath and Body Works Beautiful Day
Nail Polish: OPI In the Spotlight Pink (from the Femme du Cirque collection)

Have a makeup tutorial you want to see me attempt or a product you want me to review? Ask me here!

Outfit of the Day: Pocket Full of Sunshine

I tried smiling better. I think I look like Lumpy Space Princess.

Anyways.

I’ve reached that point where i hate every single item in my wardrobe. Do you ever get that, or is that just me? I’m just so bored with my clothes. Plus I haven’t gone running in ages so I’ve gotten all squishy and lumpy.

Again, Lumpy Space Princess.

Today is the first day of the year that I’ve broken out my favorite pair of sandals! It’s been in the 70s and 80s all week, so I figured it was time. Aren’t they cute?

(They also fasten with velcro. And are size 4 1/2 in childrens. And are from the iCarly line at Payless. #YOLO and whatnot.)

Also, every time I curl my hair I look like I’m going onstage in The Music Man. I have these Victorian little girl sausage ringlets. So then I brush it out and I look like a mess.

Someone please teach me all these things.

Outfit:
Top: Forever 21
Dress: Target
Sandals: Payless
Barrette: I’ve had it for so long that I have no clue

Face:
Covergirl and Olay corrector
Maybelline Dream BB Cream
Rimmel Match Perfection concealer
Physician’s Formula translucent powder
theBalm blush in Hot Mama (Birchbox sample)
Wet ‘n’ Wild Idol Eyes in Pixi

Eyes:
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bold Gold
Physician’s Formula Classic Nude palette
Rimmel Scandaleyes liner in Sparkle Black
Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in Brown
Almay Blue Eyes shadow (brows)
Maybelline One by One mascara
Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara

Lips:
Mox Pomegranate and Fig lip balm
Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in Apricot Twist

Perfume: Vera Wang Glam Princess

Nail Polish: Disney Villains Varnish in Queen of Hearts

Retro Beauty

9/27/12

This dress makes me feel lovely. I don’t know if it’s the demure style, or the grown-up colors, or the fact that the first time I tried it on I couldn’t get it to button, the second time it fit, and the third time it fit even better, but I really love it.

I had to go to a TACS educator’s conference. As you’ve probably guessed, it was SO BORING. And since it’s the Tennessee Association of Christian Schools, the dress code is super modest. And, I mean, it’s not like I dress like Whorey McSlutSlut, but I have a lot of boob and tend to wear above-the-knee skirts. This dress, with its ladylike neckline and longer skirt, worked perfectly- although next time I think I’ll wear a cami, because if you saw me at juuuust the right side angle you could see some boob lines. OH WELL. GOLD STAR FOR TRYING, RIGHT?

Also, my hair looked better as the day went on. It was still kind of wet and frizzy at this point, and oops, the headband is the wrong shade of navy, but oh well. It softened and got prettier later.

Also, I had delicious Mexican food.

Dress: Forever 21 via eBay
Shoes: Payless Shoe Source (kid’s department)
Headband: Goody’s

Nail Polish: none!
Perfume of the Day: Miss Dior Cherie

Grumpy Mime

9/12/12

If I looked pissed off in this picture, it’s because I was. I couldn’t find the production binder for the show I’m directing, even after tearing up the house for fifteen minutes before I left for work. Thankfully, I found it in my car right after this photo was taken. And then I felt dumb.

This dress makes me feel like a nautically inclined mime. It’s not the usual print I gravitate towards- I tend to avoid horizontal stripes like the plague- but this dress is so comfy and constructed just right. I added the cardigan since it’s getting a little nippyish in the mornings, although I had to take it off when I started reorganizing the library shelves because wow, my classroom got super hot. Also, it looks like I’m barefoot, bt I’m not. I’m wearing gold flats.

From the children’s department.

Oh, well.

I wore this for charades day! I had my students play charades for nonverbal improv, and it was awesome. I picked all movie and book characters, and it worked out that the girls kept getting the superheroes and the boys kept getting princesses. It was hilarious.

Dress: Forever 21 via eBay
Cardigan: Target
Shoes: Payless

Nail Polish: NYC Big Apple Red Creme
Perfume of the Day: Vera Wang Glam Princess

This is Me Being Sassy

8/23
I was in a hurry and my sister was taking my picture, so here, enjoy some of my big sister sass.

I hate my hair like this. I have a weird aversion to having my hair just straight and down, so I end up sticking in side clips. And I look like a dork! I need to come up with a better option. I used to wear headbands all the time, but they tend to make me look about fourteen.

This was my Easter dress from 2011, and it’s a miracle that the cheap boning hasn’t busted out of the top yet. I would just take it out, but I don’t want to mess with it unless I have to. But really, the boning in the princess seams curves in such a weird way that it makes my already impressive rack look at least a cup size bigger. DO NOT NEED.

I went with the sensible flat sandals today for two reasons- one, because I learned the hard way that one should not wear heels whilst teaching a class about movement. And two, because I wanted to show off my nail polish. I have an audition tonight, so I took off the dark raspberry nail polish on my fingers (OPI Katy Perry The One That Got Away) and replaced it with a different Katy Perry nail polish, Teenage Dream. But on my toes I layered the pink glitter over the raspberry, and gah it looks pretty!

I need to do a post about my new love of nail polish- of OPI polishes, specifically. They’re amazing.

Also, my sandals fasten with velcro. They’re size 4 1/2 in children’s. And they have iCarly on them.

Dress: Target
Top: Target
Belt: Forever 21
Sandals: iCarly from Payless

Nail Polish: OPI Katy Perry Teenage Dream/One That Got Away
Perfume of the Day: Harajuku Lovers Baby