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Co2okie!!!

I've gone over a bunch of different strains and wax. Now, its time to talk about some edibles. There are a bunch of different types of edibles you can make. Anything from brownies to even fried chicken. What i'm going to talk today is True Labs Co2 chocolate covered Oreos. In all honesty, these could be considered dangerous because of how delicious they are. I call these crack cookies because as soon as you take a bite, you want another one. There are a few methods of making edibles. The most popular to the public would be canna-butter. But, that isn't the only way. You can also use Co2 oil or even use wax to make edibles. Im which both of these methods tend to be stronger. The chocolate cover oreos are made with 44mg of Co2 oil. The perks of using Co2 oil over canna-butter is the taste and potency. Canna-butter tends to taste a lot like weed and sometimes seems weak because its hard to distribute how much goes into a product evenly. Co2 is very easy to spread out in food so it has a more even potency throughout the products. The Ture Labs Oreos are absolutely great for low tolerance patients that aren't fans of smoking but need a natural sedative. They are fantastic for pain relief and insomnia.  Hopefully you get to enjoy one or two during this winter hibernation months!!! -Colin 

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DEATH STAR!

In celebration of this weeks Force Awakens premier we present to you Death Star! Finally an indica that is appropriate for night and day time. Of course it would be named after Star Wars. Death Star is a blend of the indica strain Sensi Star and the sativa Sour Diesel. Both strains have such dramatic effects that you would think the high from them being put together would drive you insane. Death Star is known to be a heavy indica, which is true but, the amount of euphoria that it takes from its sativa side is amazing. This strain is recommended for daytime or nighttime. It has great pain relief and tones of mental help. I would say this is a great strain to keep around for an anytime use. Its fairly popular now-a-days so, i'm sure you won't have trouble finding it! Keep it real! -Colin

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Token Tuesdays with Colin: Blue Dream

When crossing the Blueberry indica strain and the legendary Haze sativa strain, you get an absolute amazing hybrid called BLUE DREAM!!! This strain is as good as it sounds. Every aspect that you look for in a sativa and a indica strain is within this strain. This type of hybrid is considered a sativa dominate. What that means is, when you smoke blue dream you get the euphoric creativeness that you would from a normal sativa but also, you get the relaxing pain relief that you would get from a normal indica. Patients that suffer from pain, depression, or nausea love this strain because normally they would have to smoke a heavy indica to relieve the threshold of these symptoms. Which usually make you very tired and unmotivated. But, because blue dream shares the best of both worlds, it doesn't make you drowsy but still gives you the pain relief with the desired motivation. A great strain to have in the morning with your cup of coffee.

Have an awesome week!!!! Peace -Colin

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Token Tuesdays with Colin: Green Crack

This strain is the one that everyone brings up when they try to nay-say marijuana. In no way at all does Green Crack have anything to do with real crack or even butt cracks for that matter. This strain was originally known as "Cush" and hit the scene in the early 90's in SoCal. Somewhere in its travels thru California, Cush got sold to Snoop Dogg and his crew. Its said that Snoop Dogg took a few hits of Cush and said that he was going to call it Green Crack for now on because of how quickly it hits you with energy and how much he just wanted to keep smoking it. This strain is a fantastic morning weed. It gives you every benefit of caffeine and gives you a lot of creative juices. Artist tend to keep Green Crack around cause of how well it helps to break through creative barriers. A great med for anyone who needs motivation, stress relief, anti-depression and pain relief. This is one of the most sought after strains out!!! Have a hazy week ya pot heads! -Colin

 

 

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Token Tuesdays with Colin: Trainwreck

TRAINWRECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I. Fa-king. Love. This. Strain!!!! Seriously tho, one of the best scented and best tasting types of marijuana in my opinion. If you are looking for a cerebral “head high”, as the kids are calling it these days, this is a perfect strain to pick up. Trainwreck has been a household name for us marijuana abusers for decades now. I’m sure if you said the name “trainwreck” around your hippy parents, they would know exactly what you’re talking about. Besides giving a crazy awesome head buzz, this strain is great for patients that suffer from depression, anxiety, appetite stimulant, cramps associated with PMS, RLS, DDD, nausea, muscle aches, and eases pain from nerve damage. I personally have found myself leaning towards this strain whenever I’m in need of a pick me up. It helps take a bad mood and turn it right around. It’s also great to smoke during the day because it gives you a euphoric state of mind with a high amount of energy. 

Smoke em if you got em boys and girls! Have a gnarly week!

 

-Colin

 

 

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Dab Rigs

A few weeks ago, I touched on a cannabis product that most of us stoners call dabs. This week i'm going to talk about one of the methods you take dabs. Dab rigs are essentially bongs for the most part. They do make dab pipes but, they are absolutely awful and I don't recommend using them. The way you use dab rigs is a bit different.... Some say that it reminds them of how you would smoke crack and in which is why some don't partake in a dab sessions. You can use any normal water bong. The only extra pieces you need is a torch, dab nail and a dabber. Dab nails are made out of either quartz, ceramic or titanium. Each nail has different benefits. Dabbers are a glass or titanium rod that you use to touch the dab (wax) to the dab nail. You consume the dab by heating the nail with the torch then taking the dabber with the wax on the end of it and putting to the heated nail. The reason that dabbing is even popular is because it sedates you more than any other way of consuming marijuana. For patients with pain, some say it works better than the best narcotic. For stoners, they say it feels like the first time they've ever smoked again. Dabbing is the ultimate high. Peace! -Colin

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Dot Work Tattoos

Dot work, also known as stipple shading, is a shading technique that artists have been doing for many many years in tons of different forms of art, whether it's pencil, ink, paint, digital art, etc. I've never been able to successfully create something that great using stippling, because I'm an impatient person as a whole. When I say that this technique takes time.... It is such an understatement. It's definitely a tedious technique, that one must be very meticulous about where to place every little dot!

When it comes to tattooing, it isn't much different. Dot-work tattoos have been my favorite style of tattoo for quite some time now, I just wasn't been able to find a tattoo artist in my area that I would trust with such a task, until I came across Alan Lott of Dogstar Tattoo Co. and I fell in love with his work instantly! There are tons of artists who do dot-work, and do it well. If you're thinking about getting some dots done, I wouldn't just go to any tattoo artist. I would find someone who has done it quite a bit, of course! I found the guy who did my most recent tattoo, through a page of tattoo artists all around North Carolina! I feel like a lot of states have pages like this on Instagram, so search for one for your state! One of my favorite dot-work artists is the lovely Hannah Pixie Sykes. It's a dream of mine to get tattooed by her for sure!

XO
MELANIE

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DUPE THAT!

I've been very into makeup recently, and trying out new products, and finding things that I've really been loving! But with that, I feel like I'm spending SOOOO much money just to keep up with this new interest I've developed! 

I was at a drag show, when I ran into a friend that I don't ever get to hang out with, and she was alone at this show, so I hung out with her, and we started girl gabbing about everything from clothes, corsets, drag queens, and makeup! I was telling her how much I've been spending on makeup, but not in a bragging way. More like a "IHATEMYSELFFORSPENDINGSOMUCHONMAKEUP" kind of way. She asked me if I had ever heard of DUPETHAT, and she pulled their instagram page up, and told me to scroll through!

Dupe That is a website / Instagram (@dupethat) that finds you damn near perfect dupes for makeup and beauty products, such as lipsticks, eyeshadows, bronzers, concealers, and even makeup brushes that are typically on the pricier side! You would really be surprised at how many amazing dupes out there, that you probably wouldn't think you'd be able to find an almost exact match for, and at a really affordable price! If I can find a deal, on something that's already really great, I'll absolutely go for it, and Dupe That has definitely changed the way that I'll be shopping for makeup now!

XO
MELANIE

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SEPTEMBER FAVORITES!

2015 needs to slow down, because I feel like I did my August favorites yesterday...... LETS GET RIGHT INTO IT!!!!!!!!

BEAUTY :

Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum

Contouring is still the huge make up trend still this month it seems, and earlier this month I told myself I'd stop using my Kat Von D foundation that's too light for me, as a concealer (IT'S FULL COVERAGE DON'T JUDGE ME.) I wandered into Sephora on a mall visit that I shouldn't have been buying makeup on, and saw they had just came out with a new concealer, and BOOM. I asked an associate at the store about it, and she said it was a dupe for the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (which I love but it's too expensive for me to justify buying) so I was instantly sold. It's definitely not as full coverage with the first layer, like the NARS concealer, but it's definitely buildable. The NARS concealer is $29, and the Sephora one is only $14 and pretty comparable, so it's definitely a new favorite! It blends easily, it comes in 20 shades, it's affordable, and is perfect for a highlight! I'll be repurchasing when I run out for sure!

FASHION:

Warm Beanie

This seems like such a basic thing, but where I live is in a ridiculous in between weather kind of thing right now. It's really warm during the day, and it gets really cool at night, and having a mostly shaved head, I always need to keep a beanie nearby to cover my head and ears. It's easy to throw on, be warm, comfy, and beanies look cute with just about anything, in my opinion!

INSTAGRAM PAGE:

@StudioMucci :

I came across this page through my explore page, and it caught my eye because of a bright pink colored picture like most of the pictures on Amina's feed! Amina Mucciolo is the founder of Studio Mucci Luxury Handmade Goods, a shop of home and party decal! She's best described as a unicorn in human form.

This month was pretty magical, because I got to see Purity Ring in concert, I went to my first Gay Pride festivities and meet some of my favorite drag queens! Overall, it was a pretty good month, but I'm excited to get into October, the spoopiest month of the year! I love Halloween so much, and my costume is going to be MAJOR. I'll probably do a video about that next month, so keep en eye out!

XO
MELANIE

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A Few Quick/Easy/Affordable Room Decor Ideas!

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In the last year I have moved around living spaces quite a bit, so I'm always decorating, then stripping it all down, and packing up and moving. Hoping that's all being put to rest now, and I can actually call where I'm living now, home for awhile! But with all of this moving around, I've learned quite a few things about making a living space cute, for very little money, and very quickly! Here's a few things I've done!

1.) Obviously.. String Christmas Lights:

This ones pretty obvious, because I know tons of people who have lights up in their house/rooms, year round! I've done this to every room I've lived in for the past 4 years, whether I snagged a few strings of lights from my mom's Christmas lights stash, buying them from a store around that time of year (lots of stores sell them year-round, in different colors depending on the upcoming Halloween,) OR even a thrift store, which was the last place I bought mine and they were just $1.29! To put these up, you can use tape, nails, or thumbtacks, which all take seconds to do!

2.) Pictures/Polaroid Shots:

I recently discovered this little decor tip myself as of the other night! I'm so bad at keeping all of my polaroid pictures together, and I don't have a little photo book for them or anything. So as I've been packing and unpacking this week, I've stumbled across a ton of pictures that I forgot about completely! I started to make a little pile of them, whenever I would find one, and I started to tape them to my wall in my room, with scotch tape, and I'm starting a border of them all around the door to the bathroom, from my room! If you don't have a polaroid camera, no worries! You can use any kind of pictures to do this! 

3.) Frame Yours' and Others' Art:

If you have any kind of prints, or original art pieces made by yourself, or others, get a frame for it, and hang that bad boy up! I refuse to put any kind of paper up on my walls, unless it's framed, (thanks @SkyHookSuicide for teaching me that when I came over that one time!) You can find frames for fairly cheap at your local thrift stores, or dollar stores! Also, tons of websites online have free printable images you can frame if you don't want to go out and buy prints!

4.) Display Shelves:

You can find shelves that are pretty easy to assemble and put up, at craft stores, WalMart, Target, Big Lots or sometimes even a dollar store! I took a little interlocked square shelf from my mom's house that she had for years, but never used, and put my Polaroid camera, a pink mineral rock, and a cute little Zine that I bought from one of my favorite artists, but you can pretty much pick anything you'd like to display, that look cohesive all together! This can also be a form of storage as well!

5.) Little Plant Friends:

As a moving in gift, my friend bought me a little succulent plant as a house warming gift, and we went to the thrift store and bought a little jar pot for him to sit in, and I feel like it ties my desk together! Beware where you sit your plant friend, because they obviously need sunlight to stay alive! I try to move mine from my desk to the windowsill throughout the day! We went to the local farmers market and picked my plant up for about $7, and the pot was just $4 from our local thrift shop!

All of these ideas and TONS more, can be found on Pinterest, if you just search "Home Decor on a Budget," "DIY Decor," "Cheap Home Decor," etc. I go through Pinterest from time to time, and get new inspiration, and ideas when I feel like things are getting boring again, and I redo everything, to keep it fresh! I don't have pictures of my current space, because it's still under decor-construction, but once it's complete, I'll post pictures!

XO
MELANIE

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Dead Lotus Couture

I've been on this random kick of obsessing over everything latex, and oil slick. I think it's from watching so many Violet Chachki videos, and consistently lurking her instagram, and watching Rihanna's "S&M" music video a hundred times.

I've always loved vinyl, and latex and I've been especially into it all recently, because I'm planning for my Halloween costume, because I'm going to be Him from Power Puff Girls, and wanted to wear a latex catsuit as skin instead of painting my whole body red. Yesterday, I stumbled across the London / Milan based company, Dead Lotus Couture, and immediately wanted basically everything.

"Dead Lotus Couture's identity is bourne of an emotional world, comprising sinuous, sensual shapes that reveal a dark spiky elegance with a sophisticated touch. Volumes and devious geometry are combined to bring out your foxiest alter ego."

A big part of what DLC stands by, is the way their garments hugs the wearer, so that every curve you want to see, is accentuated to the fullest, and shape your body to it's absolute best! A big part of why I love DLC so much is the photography on their entire site, including their product shots on the listings. All of the women look very powerful, and very sexy! 

Follow Dead Lotus Couture on Instagram:
@nange.magro_dead.lotus.couture

XO
MELANIE

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Instagram Makeup VS. Drag Queen Makeup?

"My type of man is a man in a dress!" I always say.

With Drag Queens really coming to the forefront of media and pop culture, I thought I'd chime in a little. ALSO. Before you read any further, and are confused about the difference between DRAG and gender identity, please read this wonderful article I've provided HERE!

The MTV VMA's this past Sunday has been the buzz on everyone's newsfeeds on every social media, I'm sure, because I can't scroll even a second and not see something about Nicki Minaj dragging Miley Cyrus, or seeing #KANYE2020. If you watched the VMA's, or just saw at some point through social media, you probably know that as the 2015 VMA's Hostess' closing performance for the show, Miley Cyrus performed a song "Do It", off of her new album that I have absolutely no intention of listening to after this performance. I've always been sort of on the fence about how I feel about Miley, within the last few years, but I think I have a clear opinion after the VMA's. 

I LOVE DRAG QUEENS SO MUCH. I spend a lot of my free time keeping up with some of my favorite drag queens through their social media, and YouTube accounts, and I go to their shows when they're in town. Drag was introduced to me a few years ago, and I've been addicted ever since. It's inspirational for me in fashion, makeup, and style aspects of it all. I was really disappointed with the performance because the queens were literally used as props for SHOCK value for the mediocre song performance. EVERY single one of those women has a name, identity, and talent and not a single one of them was credited, even with a name. At the very LEAST, they could have been announced as most of them being drag super-stars from RuPaul's Drag Race, or ANYTHING for that matter. I won't drag this out any longer, and make this post more about me complaining about this performance, and let's talk about something VERY relevant, and talked about!

Is Instagram making girls into drag queens? I've been very interested in this topic for awhile now, because I myself follow tons of drag queens, and tons cis-gender female makeup artists, whose makeup  techniques are beginning to mirror each other, whether these women realize it or not. Am I saying it's a bad thing? Nope! Though, I think it's definitely interesting, and something worth talking about! I'm not here to clock the way anyone does their eyebrows, or highlight and contour their faces, but it's definitely good to know where these techniques have come from! 

Makeup artist Wayne Goss has had quite a bit to say on the topic, and as he put it, "We are using the exact same techniques with the same heavy hand..." and basically that these techniques were created to turn a male into a "heightened" featured woman, through the power of makeup, and aesthetics! I'd say I definitely agree with what he says, but I don't think it's a bad thing. I personally have tried some of these techniques myself, probably with a lighter, less experienced hand because I'm not a makeup artist by any means. BUT, if that's what you do with your makeup, and that makes you feel good, do you boo! It's just makeup, and it washes off and down the drain at the end of the day! 

I could talk about this a lot more, but I'll cut myself off right here for now! 

Watch the video below to hear more if you're interested! AGAIN. I'm not telling anyone how to do their makeup, do what makes you happy! It's your face <3

XO
MELANIE

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August Favorites!

August has come and gone already. Everyone's going back to school, and fall is dawning upon us slowly. I love watching these kinds of videos on YouTube from all of my favorite YouTubers, so I thought it would be cute to start a sub-segment here on WCW about my favorites of the month! Basically, this is going to be a post going through a few of the things that I've been obsessing over, throughout the month of August in the categories of beauty, fashion, music, Instagram pages, and other random things I've been loving! Let's get right into it!

Beauty :

Laura Mercier Oil-Free Silk Creme Foundation:

 

So I've been looking for a new foundation for a few months now, because my skin has been changing so much recently with the weather and season! More recently, my skin has been pretty oily, and problematic. Before discovering this new holy grail foundation, I've been using MAC Studio Fix Fluid, Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation, and a Sephora Brand foundation. All of them are fine foundations, but not for me. Personally, I don't have the best skin, and I have lots of acne scarring, and I tend to break out a lot, especially because of my restaurant job. Because of these things, I like a full coverage foundation. I was shown this Laura Mercier foundation by the amazing girl at Sephora who worked there, and always knows what she's talking about. She gave me a sample, and used on me, and I fell in love. She applied it with a Beauty Blender (more on that later) and it basically transformed the way my makeup looks on my face. I used the sample, and the next day at work, I have several people comment that my skin looked it was glowing, and it looked healthy, and bright, which was so amazing to hear because I'm usually pretty self conscious about my foundation look. I got a few more sample pots of it, before I purchased it recently, because it definitely wasn't cheap. I finally had the $50 to buy it, and I'm so happy I did, because you get what you pay for, and I've been so happy with this foundation. It's my new favorite, and go to foundation! 

Beauty Blender Makeup Applicator Sponge:

I've used so many kinds of brushes, and sponges and nothing can even hold a candle to how much I love my Beauty Blender. I've bought either knock offs of the BB, and nothing has ever worked as well for me as it has! It's completely transformed the way I've been wearing my foundation, and concealer! It's definitely one of those makeup things that when you buy it, boom, you've done it, and you don't have to worry about buying again, for awhile, SO why not just go out and do it?! I realize that now, but before I did, I never realized the difference between a BB and the knock off ones I'd been using before, but the BB is a lot more squishy, softer, gentle on the skin, and it really blends your makeup really well! I don't even mind cleaning it! I was always really bad about cleaning makeup brushes, because it took so long, and I'd have to wait for them to dry, which took forever. You just put any kind of anti-bacterial soap on this bad boy, run it under some cold water, and squeeze squeeze squeeze until the water runs clear, and the BB is back to it's original color! I use my BB wet, as it was advised to when I bought it, so I can pretty much use it right when it's done being cleaned! I don't consider myself to be great at makeup or anything, but I do mine every day, and I've used it every single day since I purchased it. It's usually about $20, and it's well worth it!

SmashBox Step-by-Step Powder Contour Kit:

The same girl who put me onto the Laura Mercier foundation, also helped me find a contour kit that worked for me, and even showed me step by step how to contour, and highlight my face! Since my skin is on the oily side, I should use a powder contour kit so I'm not adding any more oil to my face, and this palette is perfect for that! It comes with an amazing brush that has worked really well whenever I've used this palette! The palette comes with three shades; the contour color, bronzer, and highlight color! There are millions of videos and walk throughs of how to contour, so I'm not going to get into that, but I WILL say, my makeup has never looked better after using this palette! The colors blend flawlessly, and even though I'm not great at makeup, this palette is really easy to use, and comes with basically a diagram next to the mirror IN the palette. It's pretty much fool-proof. 10/10 would recommend!!!!!

FASHION:

I've been so involved with work recently, and it's not a job I can dress up to (I'm a waitress at a Mexican and Colombian restaurant,) so I'm usually really casual. Since I don't ever have days off, I've been all about comfort recently.

Vans Sk8 Hi's:

I have 5 pairs of these sneakers in different colors, and I could LIVE in them basically, like I kind of already do. They're easy to throw on, but they still look good, and effortless. I won't say too much about them, but they're pretty comfortable, and wearable. I love them in all colors, and I plan on getting so many more pairs!

Ray Ban Club Master Sunglasses:

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As sort of a TREAT YO SELF after moving into my new apartment, I celebrated by getting myself a new pair of sunglasses that I would cherish, and take care of. I usually keep sunglasses around for awhile, and treat them well, so a friend told me I should just splurge on a nice pair. I have a pair that look like a dupe of the club masters, that are from Urban Outfitters, which are great. But they're made cheaply, and the bridge bumper on them fell off, and that's when I decided, I needed to get a pair of Ray Ban Club Masters, because treat yo self, right? I wear them every single day, and I feel fancy as fuck in them! 

Instagram Page:

@NinaBlackWolf :

I love makeup artist Instagram pages soooooooo much. I could honestly scroll for hours, in envy. Nina's Instagram is definitely one of my favorite pages to lurk for an embarrassing amount of time. First of all, she's GORGEOUS. Hair, makeup, style, and relationship goals ALL over her page. 

I would recommend you check out any and ALL of the things I talked about here! 

XO
MELANIE

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WCW: Amandla Stenberg

Sometimes great, and big things come in small packages. That is the exact case here with Amandla Stenberg! You probably recognize her as Rue, from the 2012 movie adaptation of The Hunger Games. Named after the Zulu word for power, has been quoted to be a force to be reckoned with, and she couldn't have been molded to be anything less than powerful, even at the young age of 16! Being called the voice of her generation because of her outward, and vocal opinions and stance surrounding the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the past year or so, she wants all to know, she will not remain silent. 

I've been following her on social media for quite some time now, and I'd say she's also becoming a fashion icon for a younger generation, as well as an amazing, and wise role model. It seems like a lot of her inspiration comes from very 90's silhouettes, and lots of vintage looking pieces as well. 

XO
MELANIE

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Prepping Your Wardrobe for Fall/Winter

As we all know, but probably don't want to admit to ourselves, Summer 2015 is coming to an unfortunate end. Anyone else feel like they did absolutely NOTHING? I can always tell Summer is just about over when I start to see back to school commercials, and advertisements with deals and sales! It's amazing because who doesn't like a good back to school sale discount. It's a bittersweet time, but we can all get through it together! Let's talk Fall and Winter fashion, shall we?

Fall is my favorite season of the year because of the fashion! I love cool weather, layering, leather, plaid, and knitted sweaters, and all of the above are fashion factors in the upcoming season! The photo above is of me last Winter, wearing my Vile "Some Like it Vile" bodysuit! 

So in celebration for the upcoming season, I'll be giving a quick run down of some pieces I think are pretty essential for the Fall/Winter season fashions!

THE LEATHER JACKET / BLACK BOOTS

"I thought my life would suddenly improve if I got a leather jacket, and I was literally 100% totally right." What more can I say about a leather jacket, honestly? Also, black booties, or combat boots instantly make an outfit look 10 times more bad-ass, with so little effort. Wear both of these babies together, and you'll be stopping traffic.

THE LONG CARDIGAN / PLAID

A long, draped cardigan is the perfect cherry on top of just about any outfit. An outfit as simple as a t-shirt, and denim shorts (or dungarees like shown here) can be amplified with a cardigan like this one, to give it an instant Fall, chic vibe!

THE DENIM SHIRT / BOOTS+SOCKS

One of my favorite things about fall fashion is mixing baggy, oversized silhouettes with tight, fitted silhouettes like this oversized denim shirt, and these velvet leggings! Another favorite is wearing socks peeked out over a pair of boots, over leggings like I imagine wearing this outfit! 

SHORTS+TIGHTS / BOMBER JACKET

Even though the weather will be cooling down, that doesn't mean you have to pack away your shorts just yet! Throw a pair of tights under them, and you've got a signature fall fashion style! I personally don't get very cold on my legs, so this works for me through fall and most of winter as well! 

I'd say my biggest inspiration for Fall fashion would have to be NYC based fashion blogger Luanna Perez of LE HAPPY! I've been following her for so many years now, and it's so amazing to see how far her blog has gone, and all of the opportunities she's been given!  Her looks are so well put together, and I love to see all of her looks in the Fall and Winter season! 

Follow Luanna Perez on Instagram: @Luanna90

XO
MELANIE

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Christine McConnell, Gothic Bake Queen

If you ever wondered what kind of magic you would get if you put Tim Burton, Alfred Hitchcock, Vincent Price, and Paula Deen all in the same room, and they brainstormed on a project, Christine McConnell's sweet treats are pretty reminiscent of what they would all create together! The 32 year old, self taught baker, photographer, stylist and artist based out of LA, is the epitome of 50's housewife with a morbid and grotesque twist!

Baking is a hobby to McConnell, and she makes her living off of beauty photography, and other odd jobs! Trained in hair and makeup styling, but completely self-taught in baking, just by watching YouTube videos! Her hobbies and life work evoke the 1940's, 50's, and 60's but with a campy, creepy twist!

I first heard about Christine McConnell when she created "Seven Generations of American Women" by replicating women family members dating back as far as 2000 years! 

Follow Christine McConnell on Instagram: Christine McConnell 

XO
MEL

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Blogger to Follow: Eugénie Grey of FERAL CREATURE

Starting out in 2007, Los Angeles/New York City fashion blogger Eugenie Grey has made her mark on the fashion blogging community, and even further than that. Fashion, food, and travel are the main components of her blog! Since her start in the fashion blogging world, she's definitely taken over, and made a name for herself, having fashion clients such as DKNY, Calvin Klein, H&M, American Apparel, Levi's and Uniqlo! She's a brand consultant for many, a social media manager, and a psychology, and business management student, but her main passion is personal styling, and creative writing!

I think what I love most about Eugenie's style is that she's one of those fashion icons that can go from really put together and chic, to casual and kind of outlandish! She has a illusive and transcendent style, remarkable versatility, and she's definitely not your pedestrian fashion blogger! 

Follow Eugenie Grey on Instagram: @FeralCreature 

XO
MELANIE

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Now Trending: Septum Clickers!

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I feel like this trend is going to be here for awhile, so I'm finally going to chime in about it! I thought this one was a temporary fad that was going to fade in a couple months, but I'm so happy I get to actually post about it, because I see it sticking around for awhile! Yes, I'm talking about the beautiful Septum Jewelry Clicker Rings! I can't even begin to explain how beautiful I find this jewelry! 

The first times I saw these rings, I was fascinated to say the least. Some of them look like little nose chandeliers, and it gets me every damn time. I also feel like they look regal as hell, and can make anyone look like a queen. I have my septum pierced, but I have to be very particular about what jewelry I wear in my septum, because if it hangs too low, it'll interfere with my philtrum lip piercing! Until I find one I like, that I feel like will look fine with my other piercings, I'll just admire all of the beautiful people I see wearing them! Some of my favorite fashion icons like Rihanna, FKA Twigs, Zoe Kravitz, Lady Gaga, and so many more have all been spotted rocking this look, and wearing it all too well.

If you like the look, but are squeamish about piercings, and needles, or you're not sure about the commitment of getting the piercing, NO FEAR. There are just as many faux septum clickers, as there are actual septum clicker rings (maybe even more faux ones, than pierced ones honestly..) So if you just want to try it out, you have plenty of options! 

Some of my favorite shops that have these rings are the LA based Handmade Jewelry Company, VIDAKUSH and UK based shoe and accessory company LAMODA! I've ordered one from Vidakush before, as a gift to a friend and when it came in, I was so pleased with how gorgeous, and well made it was! Also, you can find tons and tons of them on Etsy, and Amazon! If you're not sure about spending the money on a clicker online, and want to see some in person, head over to your local, reputable piercer at a tattoo and piercing shop, and take a look at the selection they may have. Since this trend is so big right now, more and more shops are beginning to carry these!

XO
MELANIE

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Style Inspiration: Aya Sato and Bambi

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Aya Sato and Bambi are two women from Japan who basically do it all! The first time I had seen them was while aimlessly scrolling through Facebook, and coming across a video of these two badass babes dancing their asses off, looking cool as hell doing it too! Of course being the Japanese fashion nerd I am, I was instantly interested by just what they were wearing. It was when I researched a little further, that I realized that they were a couple, and I fell even more in love.

Talented on all levels, Aya and Bambi are models, photographers, fashion icons, and most impressively dancers! The two are madly in love, engaged to be married, and they are not shy about it, despite Japan isn't a gay marriage legal country. The two are able to do what they love together, and that's so inspirational. I'm so tired of hearing this, but.... GOALS. Their following on social media is expanding by the day! Aya and Bambi have been working side by side with the queen Madonna herself, as her backup dancers! CLICK HERE to watch Madonna, Aya and Bambi performing 'Living for Love'  on The Ellen Show from earlier this year! An absolutely visually Vile performance! The two were also spotted on the Vogue Magazine Instagram page modeling/dancing in "The 10 Best Bridal Dresses of the Season." I can't wait to see what their wedding is like, and what they end up wearing!

I'm such a sucker for Japanese fashion of all sorts, and they are doing it all right. The fishnets, platforms, harnesses, leather, lace, spikes, buckles, chains, all black everything, body piercings, shaved hair and typically dark makeup all just work so well together. Somewhere between BDSM and 80's punk fashion, Aya and Bambi are truly a different breed of fashionistas! Dancing in this fashion seems like it would be very hard to do, but nothing could stop these ladies. Keep an eye out for this power couple, I see them going very far! Even if their style isn't quite your cup of tea, I'm sure you'll at least be able to appreciate their spectacular dancing because it's really like nothing I've ever seen before!

Follow Aya on Instagram: @ayasato1006
Follow Bambi on Instagram: @bambi_0615

XO
MELANIE

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Actual Woman Crush Wednesday: Ari Fitz // TOMBOYISH

First things first, before I start talking about this absolute queen of a human being, we need to have a definition of the word "androgynous":

androgynous
adjective an·drog·y·nous \an-ˈdrä-jə-nəs\

: having both male and female characteristics or qualities

: suitable for both men and women

Meet Ari Fitz, formerly known as Arielle Patrice Scott. Ari is a filmmaker, Youtube personality, and star of MTV's "Real World Ex-Plosion" and called "Most Compelling Cast Member" of the season, and was also voted on Buzzfeed as one of fifteen "Androdgynous Models you have to Follow on Instagram!" Ari was discovered by a photographer at a local festival she was attending, and was introduced to a top modeling agency in San Fransisco  , and instantly attracted some really big name clients like Levi's Sprint, Michael Kors, and Macy's! When she had time between all of her modeling work, she began to chase her dream of pursuing filmmaking as she always wanted to! With just $200, Ari put together her first short film "The Anniversary," which led her to be discovered by MTV, and that's when they contacted her about doing The Real World. She jokingly responded about being on the show, landed the part, and ended up being a crowd favorite! 

After the show aired, she wanted to find a creative outlet to utilize her talent in film, and interact with her growing audience, and that's when she started her self titled YouTube channel! In just a few months, her channel took off and in no time she had over 500k views. TOMBOYISH started right there with her channel as it all started to take off! TOMBOYISH is a segment of her YouTube channel where she visits different androgynous women fashion icons all over the country, who are everything from fashion designers, rappers, bloggers and models, about what androgynous fashion means to them, all while giving fashion advice for anyone looking for guidance for dressing more tomboy! All of these women are so inspiring, and I fell absolutely in love with the TOMBOYISH segment instantly when a friend introduced me to it!

With the success of her YouTube channel, and the great response the TOMBOYISH series, Fitz then started TOMBOYISH the clothing line because there aren't many options for those that are a little tomboyish! SHOP TOMBOYISH HERE!

I couldn't think of a better time to write about Ari than right now, with the recent legalization of same sex marriage in the entire United States! I know yesterday was the last day of Pride Month, but I'm just going to continue celebrating this huge milestone we've reached as a country! 

Ari Fitz is such a style inspiration for me, especially since I'm in this very transitional phase with styles right now, and I'm trying to find a style that works for me again. I feel like this YouTube channel is exactly what I've been looking for, so I will definitely be pulling inspiration, and ideas from a lot of the styling TOMBOYISH videos! I HIGHLY suggest checking out her styling videos, and the TOMBOYISH segment on her channel!

FOR MORE ARI FITZ (because I know I definitely can't get enough of this beautiful soul)

https://instagram.com/itsarifitz
https://twitter.com/itsarifitz
http://itsarifitz.tumblr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/itsarifitz

XO
MELANIE 

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