Grinchmas & Disneyland Holiday Celebrathions

Good afternoon my lovelies!

First and foremost, MERRY ((belated by like a day oops)) CHRISTMAS!

I hope your days were all merry and bright, and filled with lost of family, cocoa, and cheer. :) I spent the morning with my family watching the ABC Disney Parks Christmas special on tv ((because come on now, what else would I be watching?)) and opening gifts. I then later on spent a good majority of my day playing the Sims 4 with the new stuff pack "Vintage Glamour" that came out recently about a week ago. I must say, this is my favorite stuff pack to date because I love vintage hairstyles and clothing, and a few other things I love are the vanity's, the new beds, and THE BUTLER option. Can I just say how much I missed that feature from the Sims 2? So glad it's back! To end the day, we ate turkey, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and a variety of sweet treats, and watched Beauty & the Beast. 

How was your Christmas (or Hanukkah) spent? Let me know how you celebrated in the comments below.

So one thing I love about the holidays is how beautiful places, especially theme parks are decorated. I had the pleasure of going to both Disneyland, and Universal Studios for Grinchmas. Both parks are both beautifully decorated, so it's hard for me to pick which one I loved moth, so I thought I'd show pictures and a "diary" so to say of both. Enjoy :)

Universal Studios

Just a Gryffindor thinking about what trouble I can cause next. ;) Jk I'm too good for that haha.

Dress the the Alfreda Dress in Flocked Red from Pinupgirl Clothing. Absolutely love this dress! 

FINALLY MET A MINION MY LIFE IS NOW COMPLETE

I'd been hearing great things about the giant donuts, so of course I had to try one for myself! They were as delicious as expected :) 

Minion goggles! Aren't they cute? :D 

Love my Gryffindor scarf and Head Girl pin. ALSO- the hot butterbeer is to die for!

The entrance to Universal is so beautiful at night <3 

The Whoville tree! 

Disneyland

The Christmas tree on Main street. I think my favorite tree is the one on Buena Vista street at DCA though, or perhaps the one in Cars Land made of tires.

Of course I had to get artsy with the focus xD

The castle lit up and snowy is my favorite. <3

Small World is also such a beautiful sight.

My sister and I! 

Selfie in front of the castle! Earrings from the Etsy shop FemmeDeBloom. 

Had to get a pic in front of the tree. Dress the Hamilton dress from Unique Vintage. One of my most coveted dresses! Not only do I love the name (where are all my fellow Hamilton fans at?), but it sort of reminds me of Scarlet O'hara's Twelve Oaks barbecue picnic dress. 

Hope you enjoyed this little picture diary, :) 

Disney's Moana Review + Thoughts

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 So on Thanksgiving, I went to the movie theater in order to see the very highly anticipated Moana. To sum it up in three short words: I wasn't disappointed. Alright, maybe that seems a little negative, considering that I LOVED IT! 

I mean, let's face it, ever since I found out that Lin Manuel Miranda, the powerhouse behind the hit musicals In the Heights and Hamilton (my current favorite musical!) was writing the music, I knew I would love it. Today, I've complied a quick little review, or just some of my random thoughts on the movie. I also filmed a video for my YouTube channel, which is right here if you'd like to watch that :)

First off, the animation and visuals are stunning! I love how the water gleams and glistens, as well as how Moana's hair fluttered in the wind. I feel like Disney stepped their animation game up and took it to the next level, and i'm excited to see more animated films executed hopefully similar to Moana.

Second, the story is wholeheartedly a good one. This is were the spoilers start to kick in, so if you don't want to be spoiled, READ NO FURTHER! 

Are you still reading?

Don't say I didn't warn you!

:P

 I am a HUGE fan of the fact that not only was this a cultural piece, which we could always use more of in the media, film, and television, but the story was unique to Disney as there was no romance or no central "big" villain- it was different- and just what Disney needed to do. As a child who grew up on Disney, I must admit that most tales centered or had some sort of central romance with the main character (not that I hate those types of stories- infact I love them). What is important, though, is fending for yourself and being strong, which is exactly what Moana is. Moana is truly such a strong, stand alone, empowering female, one in which we haven't seen in a long time. 

One of my biggest reoccurring thoughts while watching Moana is that it's sort of the love child of Mulan and Pocahontas. I mentioned this in my video but I didn't elaborate too much Mulan just because the "protecting my family and my people" themes were very strong, and OF COURSE the grandma reminded me of Mulan's grandma! It reminded me of Pocahontas because the tribal type beat of the music and also how Moana was so ready to explore and was very headstrong, just like Pocahontas in "Just Around the River Bend", and also just like Poca, Moana had two animal sidekicks. 

Although I loved this movie, it's not my all time favorite, or even in my top 10, it's definitely in my top 15-20 though. The more I think about the movie, the more I would like to see it again, it's a great family movie. One of the reasons why I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I could have is because it brought back some painful memories of when my grandma passed away, whom I was close to, as Moana was close to hers, and I couldn't watch the ending part when the grandma comes back as the stingray and convinces Moana to return the heart without getting emotional and upset. I really loved the movie though! I 100% recommend!

Thank you for reading! Have you seen Moana? What did you think? Let me know :D  

#Whositsstyle with Whos its + Whats Its

So if you're a Disney fanatic like me, you're constantly wearing and looking for cute Disney themed merch to wear on the daily. One of my favorite online webstores is Whos Its + Whats Its! They have a great assortment of items, from t shirts to hats; all perfect items for Disneybounding, or just a casual nod to your favorite character. Check out the webstore here. 

Here are a few looks I've put together featuring some of my favorite items:  

Hundred Acre Woods Long Sleeve Tee here

Neverland beanie, found here

Featuring the Daughters of Triton shirt found here

Cute, huh? :D

I especially love the Daughters of Triton top, and also not shown is a super cute 7 Dwarfs muscle tank top that is PERFECT if you're a big Snow White fan. 

Thank you for reading and taking the time tr read my blog! Still have a long way to go- I want to retouch the layout and whatnot. Also, do you guys like these outfit posts? Courtesy of Polyvore.com, one of my favorite websites and one I've used since 2008! If you love fashion, style, and have always dreampt of working with high end, designer clothing, than this is definitely the site for you. Check out more of my outfits at xfashionablyfabulousx.polyvore.com

Love, Layla

A Very Special Anniversary

So welcome to my blog! 

Not only is today going to be the anniversary of my first post, but it's the anniversary of a very special day to me, and this is the day that I first became a Disneyland Annual Pass holder,,,wow,

So many of my best memories have been made here, and I'm thrilled to death to say that it is my happy place and my home away from home.

In order of this momentous event, I thought I'd share a timeline of a few of my favorite memories :) 

I now present, a scroll through memory lane. 

((Not going to lie, I put this together while listening to the Paint the Night & Disneyland Forever soundtracks, & totally cried tears of joy haha))

Like my first selfie at main gate and when I didn't know what Disneybounding was but did a cross of Anna & Elsa

like that time I rode Radiator Springs Racers for the first time :)

and the first pair of ears I ever bought myself... of course it's a bow :)

like Disney & Starbucks...amirightladies? & I also might have gone on Radiator Springs Racers three times in a row :) YAY FOR NO LINES! 

and that one time I got the most Instagram worthy picture of the balloons! 

                                                  

& the first time I dressed up for Dapper Day, which was also the first time I saw Paint the Night & fell in love with it. I miss being dazzled by millions of dazzling lights :(

& like that one time my sister made the varsity cheer squad as an incoming freshman & I was so proud that I took her to DCA.

& the first of many trips for my friend Ivonne & I.

& how that one time I decided to start the first day of the year right by going to Disneyland :)

& the one time Flick kissed me

when I went with two of my best friends

& we went crazy on King Triton's carousel :)

& got a warm hug from Olaf :)

& that one time I met my one true love <3 

I LOOK INTO YOUR EYES AND THE SKY"S THE LIMIT I"M HELPLESSSSSSS

& that one time I wore my castle print Jenny to the parks

& that one day I bought my sister an annual pass and I bought Tangled tsum tsums and met Rapunzel & Flynn. He asked if our crowns were stolen or if we were actual princesses and Rapunzel scolded him how dare he ask such a question of course we were princesses. xD

& spring Dapper Day when I painted the roses red :)

when I Disneybounded as Belle :)

like that time when I saw the Frozen show for the first time in forever, Disneybounded as Elsa, & danced with a special needs girl who sang "Once Upon A Dream" to me.   <3

& that one time I spent my 23rd birthday there, which was exactly 20 years from the first time I spent my birthday there, at three. 

& the first day of fall!

& THAT TIME I SAW MY GIRL SALLY IN THE HAUNTED MANSION!

& that one time I Disneybounded as the mistress of all evil, Maleficent. 

Like Pinup at the park when I Disneybounded as Jack Skellington.

& when the wonderful cast member at the Mad Hatter shop gave me a free pair of Jack Skellingt            

& that one time I had the best. meet & greet. EVER. with Jack & Sally

& THAT ONE TIME I MET GASTON!

& he sassed the Queen of Hearts XD

& that one time I Disneybounded as Dumbo's mom and was serenaded by the Dapper Dans to "When I See An Elephant Fly" <3 

& my last recent trip, which was fall Dapper Day, to where I Disneybounded as Captain America/Peggy Carter (because my shield purse didn't arrive in time in the mail :/ ). Just a wonderful day. Check out this picture the @cozyreverie drew of me! I have to say that's probably one of the most flattering ways to have ever been complimented.<3 

It's me :D

What are your favorite memories at the parks? How long have you all had you annual passes? I would love to hear :)