For the Lives That I Fake

Last week, I got to go to Seattle to see The Pretty Reckless live in concert. Well, it was more of a show. I think I overuse the word concert. I definitely prefer shows, even if sometimes I just want to sit down. I was lucky to have my boyfriend drive & tag along with me to what I could only describe as "angry girl rock" and I'm so glad he's so accommodating of me. I wasn't in a rush to get there "on time" as previous experience has shown me this does little good. We had a hell of a time navigating the stupid one-way streets, and it took us more than five minutes to get to the club that could have been easily spotted from the off-ramp we took had we known it was there. 

Half an hour after the doors opened, we finally wandered on in, and the first thing I did was start scoping the location of the merch booth. When Brandon finally located it, I plopped myself in the nice, short line and got myself a basic black tee with the name and the Going to Hell logo on it. In retrospect, I wish I'd waited til the end of the show, as I did get a touch tired hold it the whole time.

The opening band was Louna, a female-fronted Russian band. I'm sure if loud rock was my kind of music in the first place, I'd have really liked them, but since I'm basically a country girl through and through, the music didn't do much for me. Another problem I had, with both bands in general is that this type of music, if you don't know the words, there's almost no way in hell you're going to understand 90% of the words anyway. As Brandon pointed out, he basically got the lines that were repeated a lot, but not much more. I missed basically all of Heaven's Basement, as I was getting severely overheated and had to step outside the bar for their performance.

Finally, at 10:30, here came my girl. I know you can't always take a fan's word on someone they adore so much, but Taylor looked beautiful on stage. The "raccoon eyes" that so many people still seem to have a problem with really suit her in person, I promise. Now, we were standing near the back of the lower section (about 35-40 feet away), as I've got a tall boyfriend who was considerate enough not to go around view-blocking. While the room seemed to be filled with all sorts of people, most of them were skinny or just average, and somehow I got the two widest people in the entire audience standing in front of me once the main show started. Step where I may, I had a hard time getting a view.

An iPhone camera isn't really the best in the first place, and from as "far" back as I was, I had to use full zoom, so yes, the pictures are on the fuzzy side. And I took plenty with my hands stretched as far up as they could go. Moving lights and people, plus Taylor busily rocking all over the stage didn't leave me with a lot of good shots. Still, I enjoyed the show, more than some people I fear. Yes, I took pictures galore, but I waited until after the show to get online with them. It made me sad seeing people tweeting and instagramming the second they took pictures, when Taylor was still on stage singing her heart out for us.

Taylor was a giant tease at the end of Cold Blooded, and had to keep revving up our cheer for more than five minutes before the final word and jams of the song. I admit she was right, we were pretty tame for a rock crowd. Then again, I've never been part of a rock crowd, and probably won't be again, and I was still recovering from a cold. Even when I was trying to scream, my voice was a little on the weak side. On another sad note, being so far back, I didn't get to see any of the writhing on the ground that Taylor's famous for, nor her panties when she lifted her shirt.

The highlight of the show for me though was between Miss Nothing and Going Down when there was just music, Taylor went over and took a drumstick from Jamie, banged it around a few times on the drum, and without even looking back, chucked that drumstick at the crowd. Everyone in front of us ducked to avoid losing an eye, and Brandon had to step quickly to the side. It bounced off the wall we were leaning against and landed on an empty space of the floor in front of us. Darling boyfriend that he is, Brandon bent the hell over, grabbed it before anyone else could, and handed it to me. It says The Pretty Reckless on it, as well as Jamie's name, plus it has marks all up and down it, and was briefly used by Taylor Momsen herself. Definitely the best souvenir I've walked away with from any show I've been to.

For all my pictures on a public Facebook gallery, click here.

PS. Possibly the cutest thing ever was at the end before the final "title track" song was just the look on Taylor's face as she said "ladies and gentlemen, you're all going to Hell!" I mean... she should work as a tour guide at a haunted house or something.

Brand Snob & I Don't Care

I honestly don't have a clue how I end up reading some of the things I end up reading in my day-to-day life, and it often leads me to having a lot of scattered facts about some idea or another. Of course I can't think of any examples right now, but if you mention something to me that I've read about in some way at some point, I could suddenly recall some useless information for you. So I can't tell you how I cam to be reading about the lingerie industry today (although I admit it probably didn't take much to lure me in, however it was done).

I learned some reasoning behind subscription sites (which I love in theory, but...) like AdoreMe and IntiMint (both of which I've ordered from) is that consumers are tired of the prices at Victoria's Secret, the unchanging styles at Victoria's Secret, the fact that you can't personalize the Victoria's Secret website to your personal needs and likes.

I also learned that in the beginning, Victoria's Secret didn't do so well. There was nothing to distinguish them from the cheaper brands. They're marketing geniuses, it seems (you know, unless you're offended by the whole thing, to which I say: whatever), but all that aside, there's still plenty of reasons I choose Victoria's Secret time and time again over these subscription sites.

1. consistent value. when I first signed up for IntiMint, it was just to get the 1$ bra, panty, and robe for getting others to sign up. since then, they have begun including more and more camis and tees on their site and bringing in "designer" underwear that costs infinite amounts more than the original bras and panties cost (I'm having this problem with all the Mint sites right now, to be honest, with perhaps JewelMint not being quite so bad), and none of the original good value options there were before. 
2. no bogus "showroom" page. okay, so it's fun to take the quizzes when you sign up for the subscription sites, and "find out" a little more about yourself. what irks me is that you mark your size - and you still get a showroom full of DD+ items. I understand if it's sold out in my size, but if it never came in my size, please get it out of my showroom. I really think across all sites, there's just one showroom, nothing has ever felt "special picked" just for me based on any sort of quiz results.
3. when you find something you like, why change it? I found my perfect bra at Victoria's Secret nearly 5 years ago. good fit and perfectly comfortable. I own like, 8 of this bra in various colors and prints. when I try other bras, they just don't feel the same for me. if I do get adventurous though, I like being able to try on a new style before I buy it, rather than having to deal with returns.
4. easier returns. don't ever return your Victoria's Secret mail orders by mail. shipping is deducted before your payment return. most of the subscription sites offer free shipping and returns, but I always find it a hassle to print out return labels, and waiting for a confirmation of return when something doesn't fit (this happened to me with AdoreMe... I thought I could wear a small, and it was too big, and of course, they don't have XS). I like being able to take an item that doesn't fit directly into the store... and then trying on a different size to make sure that one actually fits.
5. better quality. you get what you pay for. if you pay $50 for a bra, it's gonna last you. I still have the first of my favorite bras from Victoria's Secret and it still is in perfect shape. a little rougher for the wear I suppose, but I'm definitely ripping seams in my IntiMint pieces from the use they've gotten in the last year and a half. 
6. actual customer service. I just prefer talking to real people, having them be able to look at me when they make recommendations. I've never found anyone at Victoria's Secret to be anything other than helpful when I go in with a question, and they don't overload me with information.

I don't know, I really don't like the way that IntiMint has been going since it's launch, but I'm still a fan of AdoreMe most days. But I suppose deep down, I'm just a name brand girl who doesn't mind spending a few extra bucks for something I really love, rather than save and just get something I kinda like and might not even fit.