Capitol Culture Couture

My friend Ryan turned 30 this month, and to celebrate, he threw a Capitol Culture-themed bar crawl celebration.

When I first got the FB invite, I had no idea what Capitol Culture was-- I had never heard of it. The invitation suggested we google "Effie Trinket" for inspiration. Following Ryan's advice, I promptly flipped open the macbook and got to Googling. It didn't take long to realize this was a Hunger Games theme. I've not seen any of the movies or read any of the books, which explains why nothing on the invitation made any sense to me.

However, whether you've seen the movies or not, the theme was crystal clear.

What I learned was that Capitol Culture is all about luxe. Being overly frosted, sparkled, and made up. More is more. To me, it seems like a satirical view on society and our country's obsession with material things and outer appearances. Either way... I was into the theme because the brighter the colors and wilder the make up = the better the pictures.

Here are some of the photos I used as inspiration for my outfit and hair/makeup:

One thing was certain: I needed drama. Drama on my eyes. Drama in my hair. Drama everywhere.

Another thing was also certain: if I went too dramatic with the whole get up, I could run the risk of looking like a Baltimore City street walker, so I needed to subtle-it-down a little.

My friend Kelly manages a hair salon and was able to help me accomplish the hair and makeup looks I had in mind. (Thank you Kelly, again, for your help!) Here's what we came up with:

This was about halfway done the makeup application. Lashes applied,
bright lip, green shadow, and the start of the gemstones being glued to my face.

My hair was everything. Several french braids and fishtails pulled to the left,
tied together, and crimped. Then all of it was teased. The bottom was dyed pink and silver .

I used a pin (for clothes) as a bright hair accessory to match the pink hair dye.
Because my hair and makeup were... aggressive (albeit pretty, IMO)...
I went with a bright, but simple, dress choice.

In the elevator on the way to the party-- excited to see everyone's looks!

With my friend Mallory and the birthday boy.

Close up of final make up, and Mallory's fierce eye shadow.

The group.

B&W version of the makeup photo. I just thought it looked cool without color.

If you were going to this theme party, what would you do?! Any good ideas for next time?

Until then,

GJU

GJU Featured in the WSJ

Remember my blog post about bold and beautiful brows? (Here's a reminder: The Bold and The Beautiful: Brows) 

Well, on Halloween, my thoughts were included in a broader piece about the bold brow trend. Elizabeth Holmes, style reporter for the WSJ, found my blog while doing her research for the piece. I was so excited to share my opinions with her, and flattered to see that some of my comments made it into the article!

Here's the link to the article: http://t.co/rgMYxLaZXl

Bits and pieces of the article

Read up! This is some good stuff! And that includes you, man friends. "Guy-brows" are in. 

I'll leave you with this thought:

pucker up

Like Lil' Mama says, my lipgloss is poppin'. #preach

On a related note, I'm an avid fan of Mac Cosmetics, especially their lipgloss and shadows. Even more, I'm a fan of their recycle program. I've mentioned this before on GJU, but here's a friendly reminder: When you bring in 6 empty Mac cosmetics cartridges (they can be anything- old lip glosses, eye shadows, blushes, whatever) they will gift you a free lipstick, lipgloss or eye shadow in return.

I'm a lipgloss girl. I like feeling shiny and, I don't know... supple. Therefore, I usually go for a lipgloss trade-in.

Today, however, I wanted to try something new. I went the lipstick route. I love how chic a red lip looks, but I have never felt that I could pull it off. After trying on a bunch of different shades to see which complemented my skin tone, I narrowed it down to one neutral tone, a peach tone, and a bright pink.

The girl at the counter convinced me to get the bright pink since it was most outside of my comfort zone. She made a good point that 1) it was a color I'd not usually pick for myself and 2) why not go with an adventurous color since I was getting it for free? Valid.

The color I chose was "Saint Germain."

And here it is, on...

It's a little "pinker" than I'd usually go for, but at the same time, I think it has a young, fresh look.

Do you prefer lip gloss or lipstick? Any good color suggestions? Shoot 'em my way :)

The Bold and the Beautiful: Brows

I'm a firm believer that eyebrows matter.

Sometimes I see people who have over-waxed or gotten a little too happy with the tweezers... and honestly, they run the risk of crossing the fine line over into trashy-town. Thankfully, it looks like the trend is moving away from barely there brows.. and I think it's for the better.

Gwen Stefani

See what I'm saying?

The good news is that full brows are "in" for fall. They're sultry. They tell a story. They draw people in and bring attention straight to your eyes. Think of Brooke Shields a la her Calvin Klein days. Sex. Pot.

Brooke Shields

We're seeing this bigger, bolder brow on our favorite celebs as well:

Diane Kruger

Camilla Belle

Chloe Moretz

Keira Knightley

Sofia Vergara

This goes for men as well:

Mr. Beckham, himself

R. Patz

I've always been on the bolder brow bandwagon. I have a thick head of hair, so for me, I didn't really have a choice but to the go with the fuller brow flow:

How do you do your brows? Do you like to keep them a little fuller in the fall? 

(p.s. This article in Elle gives some fabulous tips on shaping your brows to achieve the perfect arch!)

Until next time,

GJU

Photos: Glamour

Red Carpet Review: Golden Globes 2013

Award season is in full swing, ladies and gents! Last night, the Golden Globes red carpet did not disappoint. There were hits, misses, and other questionable choices I can't even begin to categorize. 

For today's post, I've pulled and reviewed some of my favorites and least favorites. Do you agree with these choices?

Let's start off on a positive note. Jessica Alba looks stunning in this coral fitted gown. Her red lip
and old Hollywood glam hair are perfect. I could do without the furry clutch, though.

J.Lo... just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

The slit on Lea Michelle's dress is pretty high up there! And she seems a bit too tan for the middle
of January, don't you think?

George looks dapper, per usual. Stacy Keibler looks like an armadillo. I've seen better.

Emily Blunt can do no wrong in my eyes. This dress fits her perfectly, and the side
cut outs are on trend, but not overdone. 

It's nice to see young actresses dressing their age on the red carpet.

This dress emphasizes how small Giuliana's body is in comparison to her head.
She looks like a bobble head... and I'm not sold on the lacey collar.

Hayden looks absolutely gorgeous in this mermaid style gown. 

Halle Berry, what happened?

I love that Jessica Chastain chose this pastel color dress. It's gorgeous against her pale skin
and red hair. However, something about the fit of the dress is sloppy. 

There's a lot going on here. Too much, maybe. Sparkles, feathers, fluff, mesh, updo... 

Pretty color, but Julie Bowen is being swallowed up by this gown. Way too big!

Lucy Liu is wearing my parent's old dining room wall paper.

Lena D. looks drab. I hate to say it because she's so sweet... but between the brown color
and the prom-like style, it's just boring.

I can't put my finger on the one thing that doesn't work here. Kerry looks gorgeous, but something's off.
Maybe her hair should be up off of her face? Maybe the mesh on the bottom should be shorter?

This dress makes Nene Leakes look bigger/wider than she needs to look.

T. Swift needs to take a steamer to this dress immediately. Otherwise, it's nice to see her
step out of the champagne-colored feminine dresses, and go with something more bold.

Sienna Miller's two piece ensemble scares me. Also, I applaud her for the natural
make up... but there needs to be a pop of color somewhere. A red lip would look
gorgeous on her!

Her expression says it all. Not good.

Now THIS is what the Golden Globes are all about. Amy Adams is sheer pefection in this blush
mermaid style gown. Her hair is perfect. Her make up is perfect. Work. It. Girl.

Snapshots

Recent snapshots:

Make it your own:

Photos 1 and 2: Shirt, J.Crew; Necklace, Stella & Dot, Shorts, J. Crew

Photos 3 and 4: Dress, Francesca's Collections; Sandals, LOFT (similar); Necklace, Stella & Dot

Photo 5: Dress, Francesca's Collections; Bracelets, c/o Avon

All: Mascara and Eyeliner, c/o Avon

So.. the question is a little delayed (oops!).. but how was your weekend?