Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from me to you,

I hope you're all having a fun, safe and of course scary weekend!

...and yes, of course the dinosaur trend translated to my decorations.

Happy haunting!

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura

Last Minute Costumes

…that aren't Eleven from Stranger Things (although I'm definitely not against it).

TV or Movie characters always make good last minute costumes, because most looks can be recreated with things you already own. But it is still important to pick a character with a very distinctive look. Because no matter how perfect a recreation is, there's always that risk of looking like you forgot to put on a costume (especially to people who don't know that you don't dress like Rory Gilmore on a daily basis). So here are three easy and foolproof ideas:

Angie Tribeca 

Get a pantsuit that's just a little too big, a police officer set from the toy store, and most importantly bangs! If you're not a brunette I'd go with a cheap wig, but if you are then clip on ones (or scissors) will do the job just fine. Bonus points if you find a friend with an orange jump suit and a fancy belt who can go as Diane Duran. Oh, and if you're not watching the funniest show on TV, then you need to drop everything and fix that right now.

Chanel #3

I love her to pieces, and there are so many options for this. Sorority Girl #3, Med Student #3, or my personal favorite (and probably the easiest costume) Mental Patient #3. You need grey sweats (1&2), slippers, and a hospital gown, and of course the iconic earmuffs. Comfiest costume ever.

Corey from Empire Records 

I've always wanted to do this, and someday I definitely will.  Liv Tyler's iconic outfit is one of the easiest, but most recognizable looks ever.  Fuzzy sweater (over a red bra if you're a perfectionist), plaid skirt, worker boots, and done. Now all that's missing is your empire records employee badge and maybe a Rex Manning record if you wanna go the extra mile and get a little crafty.

Happy Halloween!

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura

picture sources 1, 2, 3 

Pumpkin Perfect

Orange is a tricky color to pull off. Reminiscent of pumpkins and falling leaves it should be the ultimate fall color, but it also is so bright and summery that it just tends to look a little wrong with fall clothes …or worse like you're trying a little too hard to look like an extra on Halloweentown.

But "Playing Koi" from Essie's fall collection is the answer to this conundrum:

Not bright but dark and rusty, Playing Koi is the perfect way to to incorporate some orange into your fall-style without looking like you forgot to adjust your manicure to the season.

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura   

Murder Mystery

If there's one thing I love more than fictional mysteries, it's a good true crime story. Scratch that,  it doesn't even have to be good. Any low budget "mockumentary" will entertain me for hours (I promise i'm not a sociopath). So it doesn't come as a surprise that this fascination would draw me to the one thing I could never get into: Podcasts.  

It's not that I don't like the concept, I'm just not good at listening to them (the same goes for audio books). Unless I'm listening to them while doing a mindless activity like painting my nails I will either get distracted and wander off or just fall asleep.  

My Favorite Murder by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark changed that:  

Two best friends discussing notorious murders as casually as their favorite nail polish.  It's brilliant, a little scary, hilarious without being tasteless, and oh so familiar because it's pretty much how conversations with my friends tend to go.  What really makes these fascinating are, however, not the famous pop culture mysteries, but the "hometown stories" from friends and fans – as these twisted tales often don't make it past the local paper. Maybe it's the familiarity, maybe the subject matter, or maybe the unique way it's done – but suddenly I have no problem listening to a 90 minute episode without getting distracted halfway through. More please. 

That said, I know that talking about "favorite murders" might not sound quite right. So it is important to remember that "favorite" in this context is used to express fascination and curiosity and not approval.  

Check out My Favorite Murder on iTunes,  

and follow them Twitter for updates.

Peace, Love and Lobsters
Laura

ALL CAPS

I am loving the baseball cap trend right now. I mean, it's always been a go-to accessory for me, but the fact that it's actually in style means that there's a much bigger selection to choose from. From wool, tweed and velvet, over suede to satin… There's one for everyone and (almost) every occasion. I  think I'll need one of each: 

River Island Wool Hat  / Rag & Bone Tweed Hat

H&M Velvet Hat / New Look Velvet Hat

 Rag & Bone Suede Hat / ASOS Satin Hat

Which style is your favorite? 

Peace, Love and Lobsters 

Laura

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys

October is just around the corner, which means it's only a couple of weeks until Halloween, and since it is never too early to get into the spirit it's the perfect time to get a head start on that Halloween reading list. And when it comes to horror, nothing beats a good anthology.

Slasher Girls and Monster Boys features 14 stories that all draw inspiration from a classic book, film, or song – not necessarily from the horror world – and use it to create something new …and terrifying. 

Even though I am a huge horror fan, I trend to be rather picky about the kind of horror I enjoy. So most anthologies end up being really hit or miss, but with this one I can honestly say that there wasn't one story that I felt like skipping. Every single one–even those with themes I usually don't care for–was so well written that it kept me interested (and chilled) throughout. Plus, my favorite part of it was probably to identify what each story is based on. Here are a couple of my personal highlights:

The Birds of Azalea Street by Nova Ren Suma

The first story of the collection, is about teenage girls, a creepy neighbor and birds (lots of birds). On the eerie instead of the scary side, it's perfectly situated at the beginning of the book, as it sets the mood without being too much.

Verse Chorus Verse by Leigh Bardugo

This one takes place in a rehab facility and deals with the pressures and sacrifices that come with being a teen idol. The theme definitely makes this one stand out a little, and without spoiling anything I have to say that the inspiration for this story is right up my alley.

The Flicker, The Fingers, The Beat, The Sight by April Genevieve Tucholke

Tucholke is the only one of the authors I was actually familiar with, so I expected to like this one. And I wasn't disappointed. The story mixes one of my all time favorite books with a famous urban legend. That said, it isn't anything new, but sometimes a feeling of familiarity can make things scarier than they actually are. So in a way this works in the story's favor.

Stitches by A.G. Howard

This might be the goriest out of the stories. The imagery is nothing for the faint hearted, but if you're not turned off by a little blood (and severed limbs) it's an excellent read with a very classic horror feel.

All in all, I was really impressed with this anthology and would recommend it to anyone who loves a good scare.

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura

Old School

No matter if you are actually in school or just feeling a little nostalgic for the good old days, there's just something about a fun high school comedy that appeals to almost everyone 

…especially if it's set (or made) in the 80s:

Freaks and Geeks:

Even though the show that ran from 1999-2000 is a cult classic, it took me until now to actually watch it.  I've never seen anything so relatable, touching but also just plain hilarious. The stellar cast (young James Franco!) is just the cherry on top of this masterpiece of a show. And the best, it's available on both Netflix and Amazon Prime. If you check out just one thing from this list, make it this one.

License to Drive:

“An innocent girl, a harmless drive, what could possibly go wrong?” This movie is pretty much the Superbad of the 80s. A hilarious ride (pun intended) from the opening sequence to end, that perfectly captures teenage recklessness in the funniest way possible.

Everybody Wants Some:

Set during the last week before College, Everybody Wants Some is technically not a high school comedy but I just had to put it on the list. I've seen a lot of people calling the movie aimless, but to me that's part of its charm, as it is about that last chance to actually be aimless before it's back to the classroom (or the real world) on Monday.  

What is your favorite high school (or college) comedy?  

Peace, Love, and Lobsters 

Laura  

Libraries & Poe-Ka Dots

Just when I though Out of Print already had everything a book lover could want, they put something new on the shelf. And their new collection of leighweight cotton and silk blend scarves might be my favorite addition yet:

I'm in love with the Pride and Prejudice design (and I'm not even a fan of the book).  You can't really tell that it is a book cover unless you unfold it, and a bit of mystery is always a plus …as are brilliant  puns "Poe-ka Dots" anyone?  I can't wait to see this collection grow (Nancy Drew scarf, please).

Which cover would you like to see on a scarf?

Peace, Love, and Lobsters
Laura