DANGEROUS WOMAN

As I was looking through my closet for Halloween ideas, I saw this babydoll dress that reminded me of Ariana Grande. I thrifted it at Goodwill, last year, but still haven’t had the chance to wear it. With this dress, I already completed half of my costume, so it was the perfect piece to build on.

There are certain elements that define Ariana’s signature style. Aside from babydoll dresses, chokers, over-the-knee boots, and sky-high ponytails are also her trademark. Her Dangerous Woman look resonates with me most, since it’s so dark and sultry. For my costume, I wanted to recreate that album cover.

The most iconic part of the cover was definitely her latex bunny mask. Wearing skintight fabric over my head sounded extremely uncomfortable, so I chose this lace one for more breathability. I thought the veil was more fitting for Halloween, and it could also be tucked back if needed. 

Although I do own over-the-knee boots, I opted for these booties, since they elongate my legs more. My over-the-knee boots are flat, whereas these platforms are 2.75” tall.

The choker was the most difficult item to find, since most of the faux diamond chokers I saw were really tacky. Ariana wore a chunky diamond necklace that I would imagine Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn wearing. I wanted to emulate that classic Hollywood glam, but anything similar was completely out of my budget. Instead, I thrifted this BaubleBar choker for $8 on Poshmark.

For the final touch, I tried my best to do her high ponytail, but it was such a struggle. Doing hair isn’t my forte, even with a simple ponytail, like this. I spent around 30 minutes retying my hair and it still drooped to a regular ass ponytail. My goal is to perfect her hairstyle by Halloween.

This was a fairly easy costume to put together, since most of the garments were things that the average American girl wears. Chokers, stockings and black boots are staple pieces that many of us have. Tying a ponytail is also priceless. If you decide to be Ariana for Halloween, then you’re probably already halfway there.

+ Lipstick | MAC’s Black Knight

+ Mask | Amazon

+ Choker | BaubleBar (Poshmark)

+ Dress | Goodwill

+ Stockings | Romwe

+ Booties | Steve Madden (Poshmark)

Photography | Adam Redfield

xx

Dana

THINK VERTICALLY

I have never owned a jumpsuit, since they never seem to fit me. I’m 5’2”, so most are too long, and I’m too lazy to tailor anything. I randomly found this in the dress section of Goodwill, and I really liked its muted minimal stripes. For a white secondhand garment, I was surprised by how spotless it was. I walked into the fitting room with very low expectations, since my experience with jumpsuits always ended the same. This time it was different, and the jumpsuit fit like a glove. 

Without shoes, the hem touched the ground, but it didn’t my swallow my feet. Everything about it was just so flattering. It has criss-cross straps that completely expose my back, and the high-waisted silhouette lifts and accentuates my butt. There are deep side pockets that can fit my phone, keys, and wallet. The vertical stripes even elongate my figure and make me look taller. The only thing I don’t like about this jumpsuit is how complicated it is to get in and out of it. If you know me, you know that I drink a A LOT of water and that I pee A LOT in result of that. It would be a bitch for me to wear this all day long, so I would only wear it to short outings.

+ Hoop Earrings | Claire’s

+ Jumpsuit | Forever 21 (Goodwill)

+ Heels | MRKT (hand-me-down)

Photography | Adam Redfield

xx

Dana

RIHANNA RED

BEFORE

Rihanna's Loud album was the inspiration behind my hair. On the cover, she had this exact same fiery red. She's one of my top fashion icons and I look to her for many hair and wardrobe ideas. I just love how unapologetic and unpredictable she is. Loud was released in 2010, so it took me almost a decade to do this. 

The Internet simply confused me, and I couldn’t find a general consensus on whether I had to my bleach my hair or not. Black hair is always tricky to work with, since extreme colors usually require bleach. Some said they had to start with bleach, while others said they achieved the color without it. Since I couldn’t find the answer, myself, I emailed Lan, who dyed my hair last year. She ironically did the same shade several months ago and bleach was in fact, the answer.

Last year, she dyed my entire hair blonde, but it had grown down to my ears. I’m so glad that I reached out to her because I would have grown it out, otherwise. Before moving onto another color, I wanted to appreciate the blonde for as long as possible. Now that I knew it would save so much time and money, I booked an appointment, immediately.

AFTER

This session took a total of 5 hours, which is half the amount of time it took to go blonde. Lan began by bleaching my hair and leaving it in for 2.5 hours. She had me sit under a heating lamp to help speed up the process. The bottom portion of my hair was already blonde, so the color was really uneven after being bleached. The top half was yellow, while the bottom half was nearly platinum. I was worried that this would also make the red uneven, but I didn’t see any patchiness, at all.

After washing and blowdrying my hair, Lan applied the red dye, which made my scalp extremely tingly. It was really uncomfortable, at first, but the feeling disappeared after 15 minutes. She sat me under the lamp for another 30 minutes, and then shampooed and conditioned my hair, again. She left my roots unbleached and dyed it burgundy, so that it will look more natural once it grows. For the final touch, she sprayed my hair with Ionic Color Lock to help retain the color. 

The red turned out exactly as I envisioned, and I walked out of the salon feeling like a completely different person. It’s the boldest color I've ever done, so I definitely turn heads and stand out everywhere where I go. Not only is it a kickass color, but it’s also so forgiving and low-maintenance. Unlike shades of blonde and pastel, I only have to use red shampoo, once a week, to maintain its vibrancy. This is the best color experiment I’ve had yet, and I can’t wait to come back to see what else Lan can do.

+ Tube Top | Wild Fable (Poshmark)

+ Necklace | Etsy

+ Lipstick | MAC’s Ruby Woo

xx

Dana