let's get personal
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by g
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by h
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dear diary,
things are BORING right now. I was recently asked the question, 'what are you really up to?' and my honest answer was, not very much. My days are simple. I set an alarm the night before for my 9am classes, with the high hopes of getting up early, doing makeup, and getting ready. Typically, I wake up and set alarms for 30 minutes later until all I have time to do is throw on a semi-planned out outfit, brush my teeth, grab a mask, and head out the door. I try to match my masks with my outfits, which has been a fun challenge since my mom is making me masks and sending them, and they're all made with fabric we've had since I was in high school, and they're covered in cartoon whales in various shades of blue and with the occasional pop of red. These masks are fun, and they remind me of high school, when I would walk to school with a bag made out of the same fabric. After classes I go to my school's library. Its always bustling with activity, and I've noticed that the people on campus are so well dressed. I'm getting a lot of fashion inspiration from the girls I see, and being in the library makes me feel like I'm a part of something, truly a student on my campus. After the library I go to work or go home. If I go to work I get to spend two hours hanging out with first graders, all who are excited to see me and say funny things and are in general very cute and pleasant. I get to make cool crafts there, and I spend a lot of time detailing out these art projects and ignoring my students who constantly ask for help haha. After work I go home and eat dinner with both of my roommates, family style all gathered around the table. Its a cute time of the day to reflect and just hang out and talk. Hopefully, by the end of the day I've finished my homework, so I have the freedom to lounge around and binge watch Selling Sunset on Netflix. Things are ordinary, and mundane, but I love it. I'm finding the extraordinary things in my ordinary life. This month, that's what we hope to share with you, and maybe you'll find that your life that you thought was ordinary, is actually pretty extraordinary. |
dear diary,
life needs to slow down right now. I feel like old people always say that there aren't enough hours in the day and I used to think that was a lie. I used to think that they were too many hours in the day. But I have recently became an old person and agree too much with there not being enough hours in the day. Between working two virtual jobs, online school, clubs, and student orgs and not to mention hanging out with friends, taking care of my kitten, and taking time for myself and my mental health, my days are long and exhausting. Being in a virtual environment has made getting in touch with people too easy and can make it hard for us to take a beak to catch our breath. It makes me realize that I am growing up and am not quite sure how to feel about it all. Growing up is scary and I sometimes wish I could hop in a time machine and go back to when g and I were kids and would wear our matching Hello Kitty shoes and walk home together from school. I will also be turning 21 this month and honestly can't believe it. I remember imaging my 21st birthday as a kid, like what I'd be wearing, barhopping with my friends, my love life, and who the hell I would actually be. I think back to who I was last year on my birthday and compare it to who I am and where I am now and I don't recognize that person. Which is all good change, thanks serious breakup and pandemic, but also so surreal to think of how much can change in a year. I hope that this time next year I am an even stronger and more badass version of who I am now. Life is moving past me so quickly and I can't seem to figure out how to slow it down and enjoy the moments that I am living in. I want to pause on the everyday things that makes life so magically and bottle that moment up and take it with me as I go. This month I want to capture these feelings and moments to remind myself of how things used to be so I don't forget who I am and where I came from. We need to start celebrating and romanticizing the ordinaries of our lives and write a love story to ourselves <3 |
the soundtrack to our lives
I usually listen to the same 10 albums and for a long time that was all I needed. But now as I change and start to grow up some more, I need different music to be the soundtrack of my life. I started to listen to my Discover Weekly and have been making a new playlist. It is still a work in progress and I'll continue to add more songs to be the soundtrack of my life.
Listen to it here!
Listen to it here!
trashcan on fire
by h
sometimes i ask myself "why am i single?" and then i have a photo shoot by a trashcan with my fisheye lens and it all makes sense.
at least the pictures are cool, right?
at least the pictures are cool, right?
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21, now what?
dear diary,
so this is 21? i drank too much pink whitney and moscato and danced far too much with my college friends. we all had a sleepover and stayed up talking about everything and nothing. we went to ihop in the morning while hungover as hell and talked about what all we got into that night and came home and napped. i am 21 and a proper adult. so, now what? is this when i become the person i have always been meant to be?
-h
so this is 21? i drank too much pink whitney and moscato and danced far too much with my college friends. we all had a sleepover and stayed up talking about everything and nothing. we went to ihop in the morning while hungover as hell and talked about what all we got into that night and came home and napped. i am 21 and a proper adult. so, now what? is this when i become the person i have always been meant to be?
-h
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you are the main character
by g
I'll set the stage for you. A cool, indie song that is mostly guitar is playing as a camera follows a bright red jeep as it makes it way through the winding roads of a neighborhood with big leafy trees that extend far over the road, making a natural tunnel to drive through. The houses are regal, elegant, and colorful. Its me behind the wheel (of course, as I am the main character) and I have amazing makeup, and I'm driving perfectly without making any mistakes, my fingers drumming on the wheel to the beat of the song as I drive through more of the same windy, tree lined streets. Eventually the scene begins to darken, the music softens, and I leave the beautiful neighborhood and head back to my own. A nice house in the suburbs with no big trees, and as I turn my car off and get out the music cuts and the movie begins. What follows this opening scene is a 2 hour drama/comedy about my life as a totally unique and interesting person, and the outfits I wear get the designer nominated for an Oscar for best costume design.
The outfits in question are featured below. Quirky and vibrant with lots of mixed patterns and lots of layering. The kind of indie outfits that work on screen in moody teen films where the background is grey concrete and identical tan houses all in rows. The background characters would be dressed in a similar, over accessorized fashion, but all their outfits would feature one consistent pattern that they always wear anytime they show up. My boyfriend would wear stripes, one of my roommates would always wear plaid, and the other would always have polka dots. H, the only other main character to be featured in this film of my life, would always be the pinnacle of sophisticated elegance, wearing monochrome outfits with dainty and regal accessories. And then there would be me, in eclectic rags with 7 jackets on and 2 pairs of pants layered over one another. Important to note is the Kate Spade bag, only featured in one of these pictures, but a staple to the wardrobe nontheless. It is the Kate Spade bag that will be the legacy of the film, the iconic symbol of the great movie of my life. In 10 years people will search far and wide for the Spencer dome cross body with polka dots that was featured throughout the movie. They will look for their own pair of adidas superstars like mine, and a dainty little gem necklace, but it is the purse that will become the beloved symbol. In fact, its the poster for the movie, the DVD cover, the netflix image. That cross body bag, artfully posed and angled.
In the movie of my life, this is what I would wear.
The outfits in question are featured below. Quirky and vibrant with lots of mixed patterns and lots of layering. The kind of indie outfits that work on screen in moody teen films where the background is grey concrete and identical tan houses all in rows. The background characters would be dressed in a similar, over accessorized fashion, but all their outfits would feature one consistent pattern that they always wear anytime they show up. My boyfriend would wear stripes, one of my roommates would always wear plaid, and the other would always have polka dots. H, the only other main character to be featured in this film of my life, would always be the pinnacle of sophisticated elegance, wearing monochrome outfits with dainty and regal accessories. And then there would be me, in eclectic rags with 7 jackets on and 2 pairs of pants layered over one another. Important to note is the Kate Spade bag, only featured in one of these pictures, but a staple to the wardrobe nontheless. It is the Kate Spade bag that will be the legacy of the film, the iconic symbol of the great movie of my life. In 10 years people will search far and wide for the Spencer dome cross body with polka dots that was featured throughout the movie. They will look for their own pair of adidas superstars like mine, and a dainty little gem necklace, but it is the purse that will become the beloved symbol. In fact, its the poster for the movie, the DVD cover, the netflix image. That cross body bag, artfully posed and angled.
In the movie of my life, this is what I would wear.
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texts i never sent
by h
This month marks me being single for 6 months. Back in March I broke up with my long term boyfriend and have been struggling with being single ever since. I have good days where I am happy to be single and pursuing my dreams and other days when I want nothing more than to call my ex-boyfriend and just talk to him. He made it pretty clear that he never wants to speak to me again, ouch, and late at night when I can't sleep I have to fight the urge to text him.
So, instead of texting an ex that would most definitely not respond, I started a note on my phone of texts I wish I could send to him but never will. This is where my feelings towards him will live for the rest of entirety. Not in his inbox but on our blog.
Something that I found so interesting when putting this together is to see the progression of my feeling towards him and our relationship. I think by having these in chronological order shows an evolution of sorts between me and my feelings.
So, instead of texting an ex that would most definitely not respond, I started a note on my phone of texts I wish I could send to him but never will. This is where my feelings towards him will live for the rest of entirety. Not in his inbox but on our blog.
Something that I found so interesting when putting this together is to see the progression of my feeling towards him and our relationship. I think by having these in chronological order shows an evolution of sorts between me and my feelings.
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my secret dream
by g
I'm here to share a secret. This is 'dear diary' after all, and it would only be fair if something ESPECIALLY juicy was included in this month's issue. I've long been a lover of vibes and aesthetics. If any of you follow us on instagram, and like the loyal fans you all are also watch our instagram stories, you'll know I'm a big fan of emoji vibes. I love to capture my essence and my moods with the cute little emoticons, of which there are thousands, a fact that I for some reason didn't fully realize until recently. The possibilities that exist with emoji vibes! There is so much more to emojis than the faces!
Alongside loving vibes, I also love aesthetics. I love conformity in the sense of having a uniform look and aesthetic. I like my room, my hair, my style, my bathroom, my pets, and my car to be neatly packaged into a similar aesthetic. Unfortunately, I have never been able to fully accomplish that. And that is one of my secrets, that I yearn for an aesthetic and have failed each time I attempt to create one. My tastes change so rapidly and quickly, and I have very little money and very little design skills to be able to create something on a budget. I am stuck roaming thrift stores trying to piece together a life from the discarded remains of someone else's.
Recently I have come across an aesthetic however that has changed my life. It has altered my course of existence. Things will never be the same now that I know this aesthetic exists, and I lie in painful agony knowing that I will likely never be able to attain such a level of grace, of elegance, of pure sophistication. My heart breaks at the fact that I am doomed to be a simple human with changing tastes and a sincere lack of ability to create a cohesive vibe around myself, try as I will. But now, at least I have something to look up to and dream about. An unattainable aesthetic that I may one day achieve. It is this cat.
Alongside loving vibes, I also love aesthetics. I love conformity in the sense of having a uniform look and aesthetic. I like my room, my hair, my style, my bathroom, my pets, and my car to be neatly packaged into a similar aesthetic. Unfortunately, I have never been able to fully accomplish that. And that is one of my secrets, that I yearn for an aesthetic and have failed each time I attempt to create one. My tastes change so rapidly and quickly, and I have very little money and very little design skills to be able to create something on a budget. I am stuck roaming thrift stores trying to piece together a life from the discarded remains of someone else's.
Recently I have come across an aesthetic however that has changed my life. It has altered my course of existence. Things will never be the same now that I know this aesthetic exists, and I lie in painful agony knowing that I will likely never be able to attain such a level of grace, of elegance, of pure sophistication. My heart breaks at the fact that I am doomed to be a simple human with changing tastes and a sincere lack of ability to create a cohesive vibe around myself, try as I will. But now, at least I have something to look up to and dream about. An unattainable aesthetic that I may one day achieve. It is this cat.
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Oh to be a cartoon cat wearing red sunglasses and lounging prettily in the shade. I suppose my secret isn't that I'm obsessed with aesthetics, but rather that I am so deeply bored with life as we know it that I would give anything to escape into a cartoon and be a white cat for the rest of my life. We've all been there, please tell me I'm not the only one who during these past few months has dreamed about being a small fairy living inside a tulip, or a frog peeping out of the shallow water of a stream, or a cartoon cat with immaculately manicured red nails.
Alas, I cannot be a cartoon cat, and in an effort to try and put a positive spin on things, maybe its good that I'm not. Because I was meant to be me, grace, a simple girl with extravagant tastes who runs and extravagant blog with her outrageous best friend and who enjoys it immensely. I was meant to be living in a junky, dirty town, where I go thrifting every saturday with my roommates and take nice walks along shady downtown streets to look at all the old houses. I was meant to fawn over cartoon cats and fairies an bratz dolls and imagine a life that is bigger than my own, but most importantly I was meant to appreciate the life that I do have.
So my secret is this: sometimes I wish I was different. I wish I was more exciting and more extravagant. I get caught up in the glamour of snapshots and curated moments that don't necessarily reflect real life. And I get sad thinking that my life isn't like these false things. But in the end, my life is pretty good. And if I can't be a white cartoon cat, at least I can buy some red sunglasses, put on some fake nails, buy an issue of Vogue from the second hand store, and pretend that I am.
all images via pinterest. send us an email for removal or credit.
Alas, I cannot be a cartoon cat, and in an effort to try and put a positive spin on things, maybe its good that I'm not. Because I was meant to be me, grace, a simple girl with extravagant tastes who runs and extravagant blog with her outrageous best friend and who enjoys it immensely. I was meant to be living in a junky, dirty town, where I go thrifting every saturday with my roommates and take nice walks along shady downtown streets to look at all the old houses. I was meant to fawn over cartoon cats and fairies an bratz dolls and imagine a life that is bigger than my own, but most importantly I was meant to appreciate the life that I do have.
So my secret is this: sometimes I wish I was different. I wish I was more exciting and more extravagant. I get caught up in the glamour of snapshots and curated moments that don't necessarily reflect real life. And I get sad thinking that my life isn't like these false things. But in the end, my life is pretty good. And if I can't be a white cartoon cat, at least I can buy some red sunglasses, put on some fake nails, buy an issue of Vogue from the second hand store, and pretend that I am.
all images via pinterest. send us an email for removal or credit.
what i love right now
by g
I'm going to avoid the term 'monthly favorites' so I don't sound like a beauty blogger from 2013, but essentially the post that follows is my monthly favorites. I have rapidly changing tastes and find my self obsessing over new things on a week to week basis, so at the moment writing this, these are my favorite things right now. I will likely not like most of these things in a few weeks, but some may stand the testament of time. One can only wait and see. But right now, this is what's making me happy and keeping me sane.
Fashion Instagram Reels
If you don't already follow our instagram, outrageousbyus, you most definitely should. We've struggled with our instagram platform for a while now, what to post, what to say, who to follow. Lately however, there has been one source of joy on instagram that keeps me coming back time and time again, and that is instagram reels.
I'm the type of person who won't jump on a trend until it is well over. The hipster in me keeps from from checking Tik Tok every day and downloading Among Us. Instagram reels is a safe grey area where I can enjoy Tik Tok content without actually having to be on Tik Tok. Plus, instagram's algorithm is crazy good at delivering you random content that is perfectly suited to your interests. My instagram explore page is on point, and my instagram reels are a dream come true. I love seeing what people wear to school, and 80s inspired dream girl looks, and my personal favorite, Sex and the City inspired outfits.
I'm the type of person who won't jump on a trend until it is well over. The hipster in me keeps from from checking Tik Tok every day and downloading Among Us. Instagram reels is a safe grey area where I can enjoy Tik Tok content without actually having to be on Tik Tok. Plus, instagram's algorithm is crazy good at delivering you random content that is perfectly suited to your interests. My instagram explore page is on point, and my instagram reels are a dream come true. I love seeing what people wear to school, and 80s inspired dream girl looks, and my personal favorite, Sex and the City inspired outfits.
Redbull Infusions
If you haven't found a coffee shop that serves these you need to take a stroll downtown and find one. Redbull infused with flavored syrup is the single best drink, and midday pick-me-up known to man. Both h and I are obsessed. As I write this h is drinking one and I am thinking about drinking one. My personal all-time favorite is a lavender redbull infusion, but I've been branching out with flavors and discovered that coconut and pineapple is also a very good flavor combination. Warning: These are seriously addictive, so only try them if you're prepared to be spending 5$ a day on a drink.
Poptropica walkthroughs
Poptropica was a special and unique experience, and for those among us who played on this website as a kid, you get what I'm talking about. But for those of you who unfortunately never discovered Poptropica until now, I give you these videos. Poptropica was the most fun I had as a kid and now it is the most fun I have as an adult. Unfortunately, due to Adobe recalling its Flash plug-in and ruining all of our collective childhoods by putting every memorable and charming website that ran on adobe flash - a moment of silence for Moshi Monsters, we will never forget you - the old and most exciting Poptropica islands are no longer available to play, so all we can do is watch this random guy on YouTube play them. Hopefully they'll be back up and running soon, in which case you won't be hearing from me for a few weeks because all I will be doing is playing Poptropica.
Thrifting
I've been thrifting my whole life, so seeing influencers finally discover that good clothes can be found in second-hand stores warms my heart and makes me a bit jealous because, see above, I am an aggressive hipster and I don't like doing anything that could be considered 'on-trend'. But thrifting is too wonderful a thing to give up because influencers have decided that its cool.
I specifically have been loving the second-hand stores in my town that buy and resell clothes. Its more of a curated thrifting experience because these stores only sell newer items that they've sorted through and checked for quality and relevancy. Its a great way to get name brand clothes for cheap, but with that being said these clothes are a bit more expensive than stuff you could find at Goodwill. Generic second-hand stores tend to have pretty dated, frumpy clothes. So if you're looking for cuter, more trendy looks, I would definitely recommend finding a place near you that promotes selling on-trend clothes.
With that being said remember to be a mindful consumer! Before you go out and purchase lots of new stuff take a look at your current wardrobe and see what you can reuse or transition over into fall. Always remember to shop mindfully, and only buy stuff you really love!
I specifically have been loving the second-hand stores in my town that buy and resell clothes. Its more of a curated thrifting experience because these stores only sell newer items that they've sorted through and checked for quality and relevancy. Its a great way to get name brand clothes for cheap, but with that being said these clothes are a bit more expensive than stuff you could find at Goodwill. Generic second-hand stores tend to have pretty dated, frumpy clothes. So if you're looking for cuter, more trendy looks, I would definitely recommend finding a place near you that promotes selling on-trend clothes.
With that being said remember to be a mindful consumer! Before you go out and purchase lots of new stuff take a look at your current wardrobe and see what you can reuse or transition over into fall. Always remember to shop mindfully, and only buy stuff you really love!
Getting a haircut
I read somewhere that the perfect way to transition into fall was by getting a haircut. I've always used haircuts as a way to visually showcase that I'm starting fresh. After a breakup, starting a new school year, or just generally wanting to get a feeling of a brand new start. I got my hair cut for 11$ at the Salon Professional Academy in my town. If you're looking for a cheap and quality haircut I'd recommend finding a beauty school near you. The haircuts are less expensive because they're done by students, high schoolers or college students that are in the process of getting their certification to be a hairdresser. But they give quality cuts and all the styles are overseen by a professionally certified beautician. Even if you just go to get a trim a haircut is a great way to transition into a new season.
Checking books out from the library
I'm slowly getting back into the habit of reading every day, and checking stuff out from the library makes this easy. Free books! What more could a person ask for? Find a library near you, sign up for a library card, and check out a book and start reading. I'd recommend Marilyn In Manhattan. It's a biography of Marilyn Monroe during the years she lived in New York. I love Marilyn Monroe, but the book is good even if you aren't a fan of hers. Its all about fashion, friendship, taking risks, and growing as a person and an artist. A great read if you're looking to be inspired.
Bratz Dolls
On the New Year h and I made little mood boards, and on mine I wrote "Bratz doll state of mind". This is one such obsession that has stood the test of time and likely always will. I love the extravagence of bratz dolls. The clothes, the makeup, the confidence, the outrageousness. All of it works and I love it. I'm trying to convince h that next month's theme should simply be, 'Bratz Doll', we'll see how it goes.
Above all, I've been loving posting on this blog. Even though our weekly number of readers is small, its fun to post and be creative. I'm looking forward to the month of October. I'm setting some goals for myself to write more, read more, keep my room clean and budget my money better. Is October going to be a fresh start for you? What are the things you guys are loving right now?
Until next time!
xx
-g
Above all, I've been loving posting on this blog. Even though our weekly number of readers is small, its fun to post and be creative. I'm looking forward to the month of October. I'm setting some goals for myself to write more, read more, keep my room clean and budget my money better. Is October going to be a fresh start for you? What are the things you guys are loving right now?
Until next time!
xx
-g
