Thrifted Halloween Costume: Psycho

Halloween may actually be one of my favourite holidays. Oddly enough, it's not even really about going out on Halloween itself, it's more the excitement and fun of putting together my costume. Last year, I was feeling so inspired, I actually ended up creating 3 different Halloween costumes: Liv Moore from iZombie, The Countess from American Horror Story, and Cruella de Vil. I usually like to derive my inspiration from TV shows or movies. This year, I decided to do 2 different costumes! This is the first I'll share with you - stay tuned for the second on Friday.

Bates Motel is a TV show that's gained a lot more attention this year - especially with Rihanna set to star in it, filming right here in my hometown! If you haven't see the show, Bates Motel is a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 slasher film Psycho. So for Halloween this year, I thought it would be fun to re-create the scene everyone knows from Psycho: the shower scene, where Marion Crane is murdered by Norman Bates.

I partnered with Value Village to create the entire costume from thrifted items, and after some searching found the perfect shower curtain and shoes for the look. I did some DIY-ing with some fake black blood and a plastic knife (using only the knife handle and a glue gun), and completed the look with some black and white makeup. Since the movie Psycho is in black and white, I wanted to make the whole costume black and white - hence the black blood and the black and white makeup! It was so easy to pick everything up in one spot, the costume, props and makeup. Plus, it was the perfect place to find a cheap costume: you don't want to spend a ton on a brand new shower curtain for this! I even ended up really liking the white heels I found, so I'll likely get more wear out of those next summer. Now that's a thrifty Halloween costume!

Shower curtain, Fake knife, Fake blood, Shoes & Makeup - c/o Value Village

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Thanksgiving in Preppy Plaid

Black and grey might be my new fall wardrobe of choice (for the most part), but Thanksgiving always gets me all excited about wearing plaids and browns again. It was a full fall weekend, starting with pumpkin spice lattes and the Cranberry Festival in Fort Langley, and then on to Thanksgiving dinner with the family on Sunday, followed by a late Friendsgiving that evening. Needless to say, a lot of eating and socializing took place - what better way to celebrate!

I thrifted this Tommy Hilfiger dress from Salvation Army last year. I'm actually pretty sure it's a night gown, but as soon as I spotted it in the store, I was picturing it style with brown leather boots and a leather braided belt. Finally, a year later, I got around to wearing it! I love the Tommy Hilfiger initials stitched into the pockets, and the preppy plaid print. It pairs so nicely with cognac and camel coloured accents. My parents' house is always freezing (I'm used to a very cozy and warm 500 square foot apartment), so I always make sure to bundle up when I'm there. In this case, that included knit thigh highs and a big waterfall cardigan - another thrifted find.

If you're celebrating Thanksgiving in Canada right now too, wishing you all a cozy long weekend with family and friends!

Dress - Tommy Hilfiger (thrifted via Salvation Army) | Sweater - Peter Nygard (thrifted via Salvation Army) | Necklace - c/o Nobis & Grey | Belt - thrifted via Value Village | Knee Highs - Ardene | Boots - JustFab Ellington Boot

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Burgundy Eye Look for Fall

I'm usually very minimal when it comes to eye makeup. A cat-eye will usually do. But for fall, I do like to experiment a bit more, especially as I find that smokier eye looks bring out my eyes. One colour you may not gravitate towards, but should consider, is burgundy. It's a beautiful shade for fall, and will really make your eyes pop, especially if you have brown, green or hazel eyes.

I kept the technique pretty simple. I used the two shades on the top right of Revlon's ColorStay Not Just Nudes palette in Romantic Nudes (available at London Drugs) and applied them all over my lid. Then I blended NYX's Naked Matte Eyeshadow in Skinny Dip (available at London Drugs) into my lid, starting from along the lash line and up to my crease. I love Real Techniques' skinny little brush for adding eyeshadow along my lower lashline as well.

As you know, I'm a cat-eye aficionado, and let me tell you this NYX Epic Black Mousse Liner (available at London Drugs) is phenomenal! It lasted great all day - on a very rainy day - after applying it for this post (I do always use the Urban Decay Primer Potion underneath too). Then I applied Revlon's PhotoReady Kajal Pencil along my waterline, and sweeped a number of coats of Revlon's Ultra Volume Mascara (available at London Drugs) onto my lashes. All done!

If you give this look a try, show me on Instagram! And I'd love to see what other eye looks you're excited to wear this fall.

Revlon ColourStay Not Just Nudes Palette in Romantic Nudes | NYX Naked Matte Eyeshadow in Skinny Dip | NYX Epic Black Mousse Liner | Revlon PhotoReady Kajal Pencil | Revlon Ultra Volume Mascara

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Workwear for Fall

We're in a really nice sweet spot right now, at the beginning of October. The weather has a definite fall feel in the air, but it's still relatively warm out - not freezing just yet. Right now is the perfect time to wear fall colours and styles...without having to compromise to keep warm!

I love fall style when it comes to workwear. This dress has actually been in my closet for years, after I thrifted it from Value Village, and I finally pulled it out this season to wear for work meetings. The grey colour goes well with my mostly black-and-white wardrobe as of late, and the pointed collar just looks so prim and proper. I love it! One of my favourite ways to jazz up a collar even more is to add a statement necklace. I like how this one can be seen not just in the opening at the front, but actually peeks out along the sides of the collar too. Adding bright red accents is one of my favourite ways to make a grey outfit look extra chic. I tend to stay away from nude or grey accessories when working with a grey outfit, as I find they make an outfit look too drab.

Let's hope this fabulous sunny weather sticks around, and there will be lots more outfits like this to come!

Dress - Alberto Gabbana (thrifted via Value Village) | Necklace - Nobis & Grey | Purse - via Richmond Night Market | Heels - Aldo (thrifted via Salvation Army)

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

The Best Lip Treatment For the Lipstick Lover

I am a self-proclaimed lipstick addict. I wear lipstick a lot, and while I love wearing it, it does sometimes leave something to be desired by the end of the day. It's not always super easy to wipe off with makeup remover, and sometimes it can leave my lips feeling a bit worse for wear.

Over the last year, I've curated a selection of my favourite lip products, and considering I've been using on the regular now it's fall (and lips start to get even drier), I thought it would be the perfect time to let you in on my must-haves! Especially now that dark, vampy lipsticks are getting more face time, it's important to make sure your lips are in their best condition for ideal application.

Keep on reading for a closer look at the 3 parts of my lip treatment: 

NYX Be Gone! Lip Remover (available at London Drugs)

I am shocked that this product hasn't been around longer, and that it doesn't get more buzz. This is seriously a holy grail of makeup item!! I swear, take your most stubborn lipstick, apply a little of this stuff on top (as if you were applying a lip chap), and then just wipe if off in one swipe! It's the best way to make sure you don't destroy your lips trying to get it all off. I found this at London Drugs while picking up one of the NYX Liquid Suede liquid lipsticks. They were selling them side-by-side, since the Liquid Suedes are waterproof, but I think this Lip Remover works awesome for any lipstick.

e.l.f. Studio Lip Exfoliator (available at London Drugs)

I first discovered this holy grail lip product while filming an e.l.f. Cosmetics haul video with London Drugs, and I've been buying them ever since! I love that it's in a lipstick tube, it makes for super easy application. Just dab your lips with water, use circular motions to scrub your lips with the exfoliator, and then use a wet cotton swab to wipe away. It's the best way to remove any dead skin, making sure my lips are nice and soft for tomorrow's lipstick application!

Almay Age Essentials Lip Treatment (available at London Drugs)

I've been using this so much lately I almost need a replacement already! I have never been much of a fan of lip balms - part of me fears that my lips will get addicted and be dry all the time - but this stuff is amazing. If I go without, my lips don't get uncomfortably dry, yet it's the perfect way to seal in moisture after I'm done the first 2 steps of my lip treatment! I put on a very liberal coating on my lips after using the e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator. It's also supposed to reduce the look of lines on and around the lips, so I make sure to apply over the lines of my lips.

PS. I actually love this product for days when I want to skip wearing lipstick. It has a really nice natural-looking sheen to it that's perfect for those low-maintenance makeup days.

Now your lips are the perfect canvas for those awesome fall lipstick shades!

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta

Hetki Designs at Vancouver Fashion Week

Fashion Week is always a fun and exciting part of my September calendar, but this season was a bit more special than usual. This time, I had the opportunity to see Kate Schreiner's collection, Hetki Designs on the runway.

You may remember Kate from this post I wrote about her design collection here - she was actually a student of my mom's, back in elementary school, has been a follower of Vancouver Vogue here for years, and I had the opportunity to see her grad fashion show earlier this year. I was really drawn to her grad collection, as she focused heavily on slow fashion: designs that were meant to be eco-conscious, something I work towards here on Vancouver Vogue as well. So it was pretty awesome to have the chance to now see her designs on the runway at Vancouver Fashion Week with a full audience. Her eco-conscious designs are made with classic cuts that have just a hint of trendiness: items that are meant to stand the test of time and be worn for years, not months.

Inspired by Kate's slow fashion mantra, I wore a fully thrifted outfit to the show, including a set of funky Zara overalls I found recently at Salvation Army. One of the buckles was actually missing, so I ended up doing some quick fixes before I could wear it, but it was worth the bit of extra effort. The shirt and shoes were both thrifted from Value Village.

Overalls - Zara (thrifted via Salvation Army) | Shirt - Talula (via Value Village) | Shoes - Call It Spring (via Value Village) | Purse - Just Fab

Photo by Ed Ng Photography

Photography by Dale Rollings

Happy Styling! xo

~ Britta