Since their arrival onto the music scene in 2013, I Prevail finally released their full-length debut album titled Lifelines.  The Detroit based quartet is made up of, Brian Burkheiser (clean vocals), Eric Vanlerberghe (harsh vocals), Steve Menoian (guitar), and Lee Runestad (drums). Lifelines was released under Fearless Records, who snatched them up in early 2015, making them label-mates with heavy hitters such as Pierce The Veil, Mayday Parade, The Word Alive and more.

Though this the band’s first full-length album, they’re certainly no strangers to the scene. The band’s 2014 EP Heart Vs. Mind sold over 600,000 copies worldwide. After being featured on Fearless’s Punk Goes Pop vol. 6 with their cover of Taylor Swift’s Blank Space, they gained huge notoriety. The single sold over 300,000 copies and 22 Million plus views on YouTube, topping charts everywhere.

Lifelines is a delicious mix of rock, electronic elements, and melodies that send the listener on a new journey every time they hit “play”. Brian’s smooth vocals laced with the ferocity of Eric’s, create a unique sound that’s infectious. Whether you’re a fan of songs that are more soothing and subtle, or ones that pack a heavy punch, there’s something on the album for everyone.

Now onto my personal favorites from the album.

“Stuck In Your Head” – So, the title of this track is incredibly fitting. This track was the second single from the album, a perfect choice in my opinion. Something this band does right is creating catchy hooks that ultimately do get “stuck in your head”. It touches on a feeling that a lot of people can relate to, which is when a relationship hits a dead-end and it’s time to call it quits.

“Scars” – This was the first single from the album and rightfully so. It’s the first track on the album and it completely sets the tone of the album. Inspired by the band’s personal experiences with being away from family and dying relationships, resulting in feelings of depression and anxiety, the song is one of the more personal on the album. While it’s related to the band’s experiences, it’s still relatable.

“Come and Get It” – As soon as I heard the opening riff, I was hooked. The driving force behind the guitar, and heavy groove, come together to create this infectious track. To me, this track is their way of saying “We’re going to be all you talk about for a while so get ready because we’re not stopping any time soon.”

"Outcasts” – This track feels like it was written especially for the fans. The lyrics are powerful, charged and it’s like one big middle finger up to everyone that’s ever doubted you, judged you and every feeling of worthlessness. It’s full of self-acceptance and an unapologetic attitude for being yourself. My favorite line is, “We were never what you wanted us to be
A generation built from underneath.”

“My Heart I Surrender” – One of the softer tracks on the album, this track is about uncertain love and the worry that what you’re feeling is unrequited. Almost everyone can relate to feeling like the one you love doesn’t feel the same but still holding to that silver of hope. Emotionally-charged lyrics combined with soothing riffs creates a hypnotic sound. It’s probably my over-all favorite track.

Lifelines is available now, online on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon MP3 and in stores at Target, Best Buy, FYE and HMV. If you want a preview of what you’ll be getting, check out I Prevail’s album stream on YouTube. You can also catch I Prevail on the road right now, you can find dates and tickets here.

Till next time,

I can't believe October is actually over, I'm shook. But alas, I'm glad it's finally starting to feel like fall here in NC and I can now wear the other 98% of my wardrobe.  I thrive in long sleeves, boots, dark clothing and even darker makeup. Not that I don’t wear dark things all year round, but in the fall I get to pick up even more items to fuel my obsession.

I’ve accumulated a ton of things that I’ve loved for the month of October. I’ll admit I went a little overboard but October just does something to me. Plus, my self control was greatly affected by the “Treat Yo Self” episode of Parks and Recreation.

I have a lot of things to cover so let’s get started.

Clothing:

Magi Skater Dress-Killstar: I’ve lusted after this dress for a while. I finally picked it up while Killstar had their items for 20% off, it’s like they just knew I needed this. This is probably one of the softest dresses I own. It’s incredibly comfortable and stretchy. It’s not too short, which is nice (but I’m also really short so that could be a factor). I’m in love with the pentagram design on the chest; it’s what drew me to the dress in the first place.

Doll Dress-Killstar: Another purchase I made during the 20% off sale. This dress is made from the same soft and stretchy material as the Magi dress. It’s a bit shorter but that’s fine with me. I had been looking for the perfect Wednesday Addams-esque dress and since I loved the fit of my other Killstar dress, I knew I’d love this and I wasn’t disappointed.

Skeleton Body Con Dress- Boo Hoo: I just recently started shopping from Boo Hoo and I’m mad at myself for not doing this sooner. This shop is a goldmine. They have a ton of designs to choose from, with new styles added daily, and they’re almost always having a sale. I came across this skeleton dress and immediately added it to my cart. It’s incredibly soft and it hugs your curves, but it’s still flattering. It’s comfortable and it’s perfect for the Halloween look I have planned (stay tuned).

Flannel- Wal-Mart: Y’all, I swear I had no intentions of picking up a flannel when I went into Wal-Mart. I went in needing a few groceries and…we all know how that goes. I randomly came across this fitted, green flannel and it was only $13 so I couldn’t pass it up. It’s comfy and I didn’t have any green flannels so...it’s mine now.

Combat boots- Uptown Cheapskate: I love combat boots and my other pair sadly passed away after a The Academy Is show (RIP). I found this pair of combat boots at Uptown Cheapskate for around $7. They’re comfortable and pair well with everything.

Candles and Décor:

Coffin Light- I saw this and I couldn’t say no. It was only a few bucks at Dollar General. It features a haunted house and bats on the front, with a color-changing LED light in the back.

Black and Purple Roses- If you want a bunch of cute Halloween décor definitely try Dollar Tree. I picked these up and paired them with a purple vase and a black glitter branch.

Bath and Body Works Fall Candles: I think we all saw this coming. It took everything in me to not pick up every single candle I saw in the store. I managed to leave with just three: Sweater Weather, Flannel, and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin. I couldn’t leave without at least one pumpkin scent. This particular one isn’t overly sweet, which is nice because I’m not too keen on scents that are too sweet. It has the perfect amount of sweet pumpkin and spice. Sweater Weather is an old favorite of mine. It has a crisp, clean scent with hints of wood, juniper berry and sage. Flannel has a warm, musky scent and those are my favorite. This is a blend of “crisp autumn air”, bergamot, mahogany and soft musk. I don’t know how they put autumn air into a candle, but I dig it.

Witches Hat- I mean, it’s a witch hat; how could I not buy it?

Entertainment:

The Black Parade 10th anniversary album/ Living With Ghosts: So…of course we’re not surprised. I pre-ordered this bundle the minute I got the email. I didn’t even question it. The Black Parade is such an iconic album. It was a huge influence on the music scene when it was originally released and it continues to inspire the scene today. It helped shape the band, their fans, and it’s still one of the greatest concept albums ever made. Each song told a different story, one more intricate than the last. The characters, the concept art, the music videos, all of it came together to create an album more legendary than the band could even fathom. The album features all of the original tracks from The Black Parade plus live demos, alternate versions, and unreleased tracks. I’m obsessed. When will My Chemical Romance not own my heart?

Till next time,

One of the many things I adore about fall are the warm colors that emerge once things begin to cool down and the season changes. Bright colors and prints slowly begin to transition into deeper tones and rich colors, which are a personal favorite of mine. Maroons, deep berry tones, rusty orange shades and forest green – I love it all.

With fall comes cool, crisp air and cozy nights in and for those that want to add a little more spice to their wardrobe (and we’re not talking about just pumpkin), Adore Me has a huge selection of bras, sleepwear and lingerie to fit every occasion. I’m personally a huge fan of their bras because as a busty gal, I don’t want to sacrifice looks for comfort and Adore Me allows me to have bras that look great and feel even better.

Everyone that knows me knows that I love a good matte lip color – the darker the shade, the better! A few of my favorite picks for fall are ColourPop’s Prim and Too Lips in the Ultra Satin formula and Notion and Guess in their Ultra Matte formula. The satin formula dries down to a semi-matte finish and it’s not as drying as their matte formula so it’s perfect for those that aren’t a fan of extremely matte lips.

I’ve picked out a few pieces from Adore Me’s collection that pair nicely with each shade.

I paired this bra and panties combo with "Too Lips", a deep plum brown shade. The "Aisley" push-up in this warm purple color is the perfect addition to this fall look.

 Next, I have "Notion", a deep red violet shade, paired with the "Matisse" romper. I love deep berry shades in the fall, plus you can never go wrong with black. I fell in love with this lacy romper the moment I saw it.

Next up, I have "Prim", a darkened red paired with the "Mikelle" cami and shorts set. This satin set from Adore Me will have you volunteering for Tribute.

Lastly, I have "Guess", a blackened violet shade. Definitely not for the faint of heart. If you're a fan of dark lip shade's you'll love this one. I paired this with the "Padmay" pajama set. This set is proof that you can be both sexy and comfortable at the same time. I'm all about comfort on cool fall nights. 

If you haven't already, definitely check out Adore Me. Their collections feature a wide variety of styles, sizes at affordable prices. There's something for everyone which is one of the things I love about them. Let me know some of your favorite picks for Fall!

So Halloween has come and gone (but it’s still spooky in my heart), and even though we’re about to be bombarded with peppermint everything and Christmas trees – I have one more Halloween look for you all.

I was inspired by Jamie Genevieve on YouTube to recreate this look. If you haven’t watched her videos, I highly suggest you do. She’s incredibly talented and her style is flawless.

This is my super-quick and easy take on her look that I kind of threw together one night using a handful of products.

On the glam side I used my favorite face products: Maybelline Matte Fit Me Foundation, Elf Blush Pallet in Dark, Kat Von D Shade and Light Eye pallet, Elf Contour Kit, Maybelline Hi-Light in Nude, ColourPop Ultra Satin lip in Prim, and a pair of Kiss lashes.

On the skeleton side I used black and white eye shadow sticks. Now, if you’re going to wear this look out I would highly suggest using a white face paint or a super light foundation to ensure that your look lasts all night. I just used what I had on hand because I was playing around with this look and I wasn’t going out.

When doing this look I suggest doing your glam side first, but apply your lip color last so that it doesn’t smudge with your skeleton side. I also suggest a matte formula so that it doesn’t transfer to the skeleton side. My satin lip formula blended with the white pencil a bit so that’s just something to keep in mind.

For the skeleton side, start white your light base because it’s a lot easier to add black later than to add white.

With your black pencil (or liner) basically map out where you want your shadows to be. A reference photo is helpful. Around your eye, underneath your cheekbone (where you would normally apply your contour), your nose, and under your jaw.

After you map it out, use a dark shadow and a fluffy brush to blend out the lines and add depth.

Then, extend the corner of your mouth upwards and add in tiny lines onto your mouth.

And you’re finished.

This look is fairly simple and quick and you can make it your own and add any finishing touches you want. Wigs, glitter, or even adding different colors to create a watercolor skeleton – whatever your heart desires. There’s also a ton of skeleton accessories and clothes out around this time of year. I bought a skeleton body con dress from Boo Hoo and I also have a skeleton crop top from Nikki Lipstick *pictured above* (both will be featured in my October Faves).

Now I’m off to mourn Halloween being over.

Friday the 13^th is one of my favorite horror films. Aside from the Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween series’, the Friday the 13^th series is one I can watch over and over again. I even have a tiny Jason Voorhees that sits on my dresser and watches me while I do my makeup. It’s casual.

So of course I had to recreate one of my favorite costumes that I’ve ever done. This is also probably one of the easiest special fx looks that I’ve ever done because it involves no liquid latex.

What you’ll need:

Eye shadow

Cream paints

3D Blood Gel

Coagulated Blood

Camp Crystal Lake shirt (I’ll link to the exact one I have)

Start by painting your face to look as dead as possible. Using my eye shadow pallet, I darkened my eyes using greys and dark brown to create a sunken-in appearance. Add more shadow as you go until you get your desired look.

Once you have that down, use your cream paints to start creating bruises and trauma around your face. I started by using mixing red and purple together, stippling on the color with a cosmetic sponge around my eye bone, cheek, and mouth. Add more color in the places where you want the deepest bruises to be. Incorporating brown and black helps to add depth to your bruises – this also helps when you figure out where you want your wounds to be.

Use an eyeliner to map out the places you want to lay the blood gel. Fill a mug with water and heat it up so that you can place your blood gel into it to get it warm. This makes the gelatin easy to use. When you take the gel out of the mug, wait until it gets warm to place it on your skin, please do not use it while it’s still super-hot. Use a spatula or a pallet knife to place the gel onto the places where you want your wound. Apply as much as you want, using your tool to smooth it out and add texture to the skin. You'll want to work fast so that the gel is still warm. It's easier to use while it's still warm because it starts to clump as it cools and then it will not stick onto your skin as well. 

You can create whatever kind of wound you want, make it look as simple or as gory as you choose. This gel is easy to manipulate and it’s more simple that liquid latex. Plus, it’s good for those that have a latex allergy.

Once your gel has dried a bit, use a black cream shade to darken certain places around the wound, the create depth. Use your coagulated blood to fill in certain areas around your wound and face. A helpful tip: add black eye shadow or cream paint to certain areas of the gel to darken it. The blood gel is a bright red and this helps to make it look more dried and add dimension. Now, it’s all about aesthetic. Use your materials to add any finishing touches you want.

And you’re finished!

This is a fast and simple way to create an undead look for Halloween. It’s also great for anyone that loves Friday the 13^th as much as I do. You can find these materials from any Halloween store for extremely cheap. I found my coagulated blood and 3D blood gel from Spirit Halloween for under $6. You can also find them on Amazon. Everything else were things I already had lying around. The camp counselor shirt is one I’ve had for years from Rotten Cotton, a great places to find horror movie shirts. I have one more tutorial left to put up. Even though it’s already Halloween, we all know I enjoy being spooky all-year around.

Happy Halloween!

There are a ton of Halloween looks that can be put together with little to no effort. You don’t have to go out and buy a ton of things in order to look good on Halloween night. For my last minute babes that want to put together a quick and affordable costume, I have three different costumes just for you.

All three of these looks involve the same few products and require minimum effort. You can do any variation of these and put your own twist on them to make them your own according to the things you have on hand.

1.      Minnie Mouse

For this look, I put together a simple eye look and then used a pencil liner to draw on a nose. I paired it with a nude pink lip and a pair of ears. Throw on a dress and some white gloves and you're good to go.

You can pick up a pair of Minnie ears just about anywhere: Target, Wal-Mart, or any Halloween store. For those that can’t seem to find any, you can DIY a pair like the ones I’m wearing.

What you’ll need:

A headband

Black cardboard or Construction paper

Glitter tape

Scissors

Hot Glue

-Cut out two similar ear shapes and hot glue them to your headband. You can find reference photos to use as a guideline.

-After your ears are in place and have dried, use the glitter tape to make a bow shape (or ribbon if you prefer), and then hot glue it to the middle of your headband.

2. Cat

For this look I did the same eye makeup I did for the Minnie costume and extended the outer wings and the inner corner to create a dramatic cat eye. I added some extra “fur” to my brows using a brow pencil to make them appear bushier. Use your pencil in light flicks to create hair like marks to the front portion of your brow to achieve this look.

Similar to the Minnie nose, extend the liner to the bottom of the nose and the outside of the nostrils. Draw a line from the bottom of your nose to your cupid’s bow.

Add some tiny freckles above your lip using your eyeliner.

Using your eyeliner, extend the edges of your top lip, curving upward as if you were creating a fake smile. Color in your top lip with the eyeliner or a black liquid lipstick if you have one. Black lipstick can be found just about anywhere this time of year and it’s fairly cheap (the one I used was only $3).

Add some whiskers, cat ears and a tail and you’re done!

3. Vampire

For some reason I’ve never done a vampire costume before, and I love vampires. The look I created was inspired by the vampires on The Vampire Diaries. It’s one of my favorite shows and I love the creepy vein-like appearance the characters get once they vamp-out. It allows you to add a bit of creepiness to your costume.

For this look I took the eye makeup from the cat eye and added darker shadows to create a deeper smoky eye.

On the blower lash line, take a dark burgundy lipstick or blush and use a fluffy brush to blend it out, dragging the color down lower than you normally would. For this step, I used the Elf Blush Pallet in the darker shades.

Using the same lipstick (or lip liner) draw zigzags down your cheek, leading from the lower lash line to create a vein-y effect. Use your eyeliner to add depth to the veins, then use your finger to smudge the lines and blend it into your skin.

Next, add a dark red lip. The color I used was the Ultra Satin lip color in “Prim” from ColourPop (it’s only $6). Some alternative shades are: Nyx Matte Lip Cream in “Copenhagen”, Wet n Wild Matte Lipstick in “Cherry Bomb”, and Wet n Wild “Wine Red” (all under $7).

Next, take some of the lipstick or blush from before and smudge it next to your mouth.

Last, add blood.

Now, if you want to take your look to the next level you can add fangs or mold some using fake nails. I chose to not use fangs for my look but you can add any finishing touches you so choose.

I added a red lace masquerade mask that I picked up from Target last year for a little something extra.

These looks can all be paired with whatever sort of outfit you want. I live in all black, so I paired them all with a black skater dress from Forever 21 (it was around $15).

I have a couple more Halloween looks planned so be on the lookout. If you have any suggestions for some quick and easy Halloween looks let me know!

Movies and creepy TV shows aren’t the only way to get into the Halloween spirit. I’m someone that has to constantly have music on in the background and I have a ton of specific playlists for just about every mood, seriously you should see my Spotify. So I thought, what better way to get those spooky vibes going other than a Halloween-themed playlist? These songs are a few of my personal faves: everything from horror movie scores, to soundtracks, and more. I personally listen to these songs no matter what the season, but for those in search of Halloween-specific songs, here’s a list for you!