Disney Half Marathon Outfits .....The Tremaine Transformation Begins .

At last years half-marathon Davina and I marveled at the array of costumes being worn. Some were sparkly, some were sporty and some were just downright amazing - tuba guy we're talking to you. As new and slow runners we decided to just keep it simple and wear Ariel colors, but after seeing so many great ideas we decided to get a bit more adventurous this year. If you've read our posts before then you know our love for the stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella. It's almost as if it would be blasphemous to consider anything else.

Perfection. I die

Our dilemma now lies in how to achieve their amazing look. We're not the type to run in layers of tulle. It's hard enough for us to run in Athleta pants. We did however find these beauties on Rock City Skirts

Drizella = me

Anastasia = Davina

They seem perfect . Not too much fabric, lightweight and spot on with the colors. These are getting ordered for sure. The hard part now is finding the running capris and shirts to match....and no Tremaine outfit would be complete without the lil gold crown and bow.

 

I've  seen some really good RunDisney outfits posted by other gals and have asked for suggestions on where they bought their items, but we'd love some input from you all. Any great ideas? Keep in mind...we sweat lots and need sleeveless shirts or risk getting very fussy. One step closer to stepsisters already.


~ Karen
 

Kill, Refurb, Marry - Transportation Edition

Who doesn't love a good parlor game? Thishappyplaceblog.com and Mouseonthemind.com have transformed the classic "Kill - Boff - Marry" to a more Disney friendly version where bloggers are tasked with matching a part of the parks with these three criteria-- slightly modifying the most risque option for obvious reasons.

This edition of Kill, Refurb, Marry takes on transportation.

KILL - This is an easy one. Just the sound of a Disney bus lowering to let on three scooters with a line of tired kids 50 people deep makes me want to hurt someone. Lets not even discuss the fact that the double stroller won't close, the bags at the bottom of the stroller need to be carried, as does the 3-year old who just. can't. walk. anymore.

No amount of soothing Disney music can make me like the bus system. No matter which way you go-- park-to-resort or resort-to-park -- your stress level will rise. Case in point, this Disney bus fight captured on cell phone (note, bus drivers need a raise). KILL IT before we kill each other.

Visiting my 3-year old in Disney bus line prison. 

REFURB - How many times have you been on the monorail and said to yourself, "if it only went to [insert park or resort that is not already on the monorail line]? If you are me, which I am, you have said it every time you have gone to WDW. I get it, money. Everything costs coin and the monorail is anything but a reliable system. It's more iconic than practical but I would love to see the planners at WDW think about some method of rail that could augment the monorail system. 

Next Stop - The Future

MARRY - I have a love affair with Disney boats. There is nothing more pleasant than a leisurely boat ride from the Wilderness Lodge dock to the Magic Kingdom. It's civilized and if I could just ride around on the boat with a cocktail while chatting with the retiree captain, I would. I'm pretty sure when I retire I will be finding a way to make this my part time job. I found the boat ride below on YouTube. Thanks to the fellow interweber who captured this moment of zen. Can't you just feel the Bay Lake breeze?

Well there you have it. Out transportation picks for this Kill, Refurb, Marry. Agree? Disagree? Let us know. We would love to hear from you.

Until next time!

~Davina

Nailed It...Disney Style

My occupation as a preschool teacher leaves me little time or inclination to get my nails done. With the amount of nose wiping, mouth cleaning and hand washing I do on a daily basis my fresh mani wouldn't last a day. I do however LOVE a good pedicure and I try to treat my fingers before heading on a Disney vacation.

I have long admired the elaborate Disney designed digits on the interweb and since Davina and I are makeup lovers, I figured I'd set out to find us some easy Disney nail art, that we could do ourselves before our next big trip.

First stop is Etsy. Here I found a whole slew of choices and I realized that I've been missing out for a long time. Six pages of Disney dedicated nail designs! Here are a few of our faves from a fellow Boston girl, GuavaJellie. That she is from Boston makes them even bettah'-- excuse us while we go and pahk' the cah'.

Minnie pretty in pink

For the girl who cant stop singing "Let It Go"
Of course Olaf comes with it

Classic Mickey

We know these aren't Disney but how cute is the Super Mario theme?
Davina and I would've been all over these in high school.

The directions on Etsy seem pretty easy and concise. I reached out to the seller/designer Melissa for permission to feature her and she was nice enough to send us a set for review and to use ourselves! Once we get them look for our review, and perhaps even a giveaway. You know we love a good giveaway.

What do you think? Any special beauty routines you do before hitting up WDW or do you keep it natural? Let us know!

Sparkle on

~ Karen & Davina

The Eyes Have It: The Down Low on Disney Lashes

If you know anything about Karen and I, you know we love false lashes. We seek out special occasions to wear new lashes and have been known to take a selfie or two simply to capture the lashes-- even before selfies were a thing (yes we are old).

Lash Selfie Circa 2008

We have always admired the Disney character lashes and it seems ladies around the world do too. Here is our round up of the top 5 Disney lashes-- with a special shout out to Japanese girls who seem to have this market cornered.

#5: Disney Villains. Who doesn't love to be a little bit bad? These lashes (most available on Amazon for $8.99) will have heads turning. It takes a brave gal to pull off some of these bold looks, but if you like to steal puppies or find yourself sabotaging young love at the bottom of the sea, these may be just right for you.

Bad Ass Lashes

#4: Daisy Duck. I have always had a strange fascination with Daisy's lashes. She is so glam and somehow ends up overshadowed by her BFF Minnie. While the US lash market seems slow in capitalizing off her look she is even hard to locate globally. This set was nowhere to be found (in the obvious places) online-- but I betcha I would find this in every major drugstore in Japan. Road trip anyone?

What? Nobody wants duck lashes?

#3: Maleficent. I know, I already mentioned villains. But with the recent MAC and Maleficent make up collection, this bad girl needs her own shout out. This collection is long gone, but you can find it for a price online. Amazon has these lashes listed at $33. An investment for something this fleeting for sure, but wouldn't it be fun?

If I wear these, do I get Angelina's cheekbones?

#2: Minnie Mouse. A lash list would not be complete without Minnie included. Search for Minnie lashes and options abound. Unfortunately, they all seem to be in the wrong country making looking like Minnie a bit cost prohibitive. I did find some fun ones on Amazon at a reasonable "add on" price. For $9.90 (with a total order of $25) you can get the Minnie lashes below. I'm not gonna lie. I just ordered them.

Japanese drug stores must be heaven

And finally, at #1: No lash list would be complete without a princess or two. My princess of choice will always be Ariel so I was thrilled to find the lash set below right down the street at my local Walgreens. At only $7.99 it's the perfect price point for a gal just trying lashes out for the first time, or some old pros like Karen and I trying to save a few coins.

These really should be waterproof-- I'm just sayin'

Did we miss anyone in our list? Let us know in the comments below. We would love to hear from you.

~Davina and Karen

Moderate Marathon Style

   If you've read our posts before then you know that we completed our first WDW half marathon this year and have signed up for the 2015 as well. Our first half was an annual girls trip so we went all out. A room at the Contemporary with easy monorail access and a few other perks we enjoy as two girls out and about on their own. Our next one we are bringing our husbands with us. One is running , the other has no clue he's even going - it's my husband who's clueless... it's best left that way for a bit. Disney in November at the Wilderness Lodge then again in January is paradise for me, but not so much for him.

  Anyways, we decided to be a bit more practical this trip since we needed two rooms and booked at Port Orleans Riverside for the first time. Actually it's our first time staying at any moderate on Disney property at all and we wanted to know your thoughts. We're not so worried about the transportation to the race as we were last time. As nervous first timers we set the alarm mega early and got there with so much time to spare, we could have gone back to our room for a nap , then returned. I have no doubt that all will go well, but its a resort we are unfamiliar with as far as rooms, food and everything in between. We're hoping all of you can give us your input , do's and don'ts and anything else you find useful. It looks like a beautiful spot and we are super excited to try it!

I'll take a mimosa right here please

Thanks for the help!

~Karen

Star Wars Weekend 2014 - A Newbie Retrospective

Last year we had the good fortune of being at Disney during the Limited Time Magic, May the 4th Be With You. It was amazing. The characters, the dance party, the fireworks. It psyched us up so much we naturally thought, "we need to be there for the real deal". So we planned on a weekend in 2014 to visit during Star Wars weekend.

Let me begin by saying that it was fun. We all enjoyed ourselves-- I mean how can you not? But it was different from the Limited Time Magic and I can't figure out if the unexpected spontaneity of the May The 4th weekend has some extra pixie dust, or Disney needs to adjust a few things. Here are my thoughts on what worked (and what didn't) as a Star Wars weekend newbie. 

WORKED - The excitement. It's hard to describe the nerdy tingles that run through your body when you hear the Cantina theme song playing as you walk into the park. While Hollywood Studios could still be enjoyed by those not into Star Wars during Star Wars Weekend, it would take some serious Force to ignore the movie theme at every turn.

just try to ignore the Storm Troopers on pedestals 

Storm Troopers take over the main stage

Oh Han. 

DID NOT WORK - Crowds.  I know, I know. Disney gets crowded. But Hollywood Studios is already on the small side. Couple that with a parade route the length of my kitchen and eager 40 year old nerds (I am married to one, so I can say this without pause) trying to catch a glimpse of one of the celebs in the motorcade-- well, your kids aren't going to see much. We tried to watch the parade and maybe caught a glimpse of the top of Mickey Mouse's ears-- maybe. We still aren't sure. I'm just not into throwing elbows to wave to the guy who played Jar Jar. I have no photo proof of the crowds as I think I went and bought a cocktail. Or some popcorn. Or maybe both. 

WORKED - Happy accidents. Here's a tip for next year. Skip the parade and head to the back of the Mouse hat. When the parade ends the characters have to go somewhere and if you position it right, you will have an AMAZING vantage point for all your favs. We just pulled over to tie some shoes, and then the pictures below happened.

Not planned at all

An unplanned side-eye

Glamour Droid Shot!

Slow down Boba Fett!

There were more photos, but as you can see from the above, it was just us watching the characters walk by. No crowds, and an impromptu parade of sorts. Even the droids spun around and beeped for us for a bit. Way more fun than standing in a line of people 10 deep waiting for a parade you never get to see.

WORKED, and at the same time DID NOT WORK - VIP access. So there is this new trend at Disney where if you would like to pay a boat load of money you can get pretty much whatever you want. I say this is new because in all my years of traveling to Disney I have not seen the have and have nots divided so blatantly. 

Let me explain.

I knew from blog posts and the like that getting character autographs Star Wars weekend was a lesson in patience and sometimes futility. So when I saw that Disney was offering a dining option with the characters I was all in. There were two choices. One was with the Disney characters dressed up like Star Wars characters. The other was the Star Wars characters themselves. We opted for straight up Star Wars characters. It was breakfast and we got to see Darth Vadar, Boba Fett, Storm Troopers, Greedo, and Jawas. I'm not even going to go into how much my French Toast cost me. It was slightly ridiculous at $49 per adult and $29 per child, but hey-- nobody was forcing me to do this. I was considering this an investment in time saving. It was fast, but good. We had some themed breakfast items:

C3PO breakfast pastry anyone?

Enjoy Yoda yogurt parfait you will

 And we got to meet all the mentioned characters:

We traded Jawas some JetBlue pins for gold coins. 

set your blasters to "look at the wrong camera"

Greedo swagger

my husband is the side-eye master

Breakfast was at the Sci-Fi Drive In, so we sat in a car and watched clips of the various Star Wars movies as we ate our overpriced meals. Overall, a really good time. One could argue that we were paying to get to the front of the character line. True. But at least we got some pastries in the process. What I didn't expect, were all the people who paid to get to the front on every line. All day. And also into the evening.

Disney also offered front of the line options for the parade, the fireworks, and around Star Wars weekend in general. It felt like one velvet rope add on after another. When my 6-year old asked me to hold him up so he could get a glimpse of James Arnold Taylor at the end of the day finale,  at first I was like "who?" and then I held him up as high as I could and glared at the ropes that separated the audience into various categories.

VIP offerings are a slippery slope. One thing that was always nice about Disney is that we all have pretty much the same access and definitely the same treatment. Sure, the celebs skip the lines-- but you kind of expect that and it happened quietly. What I don't love is this new trend of creating visible class systems that make me feel like my price of admission is somehow worth less. Shouldn't we all have a shot at the best parade route spot or fireworks view? The fact I'm pretty good about carving out good spots and that my family just didn't have a chance made me feel a little bleh. And who wants to be at Disney and feel bleh? My advice, if there is something you know to be a priority for your upcoming trip, check and see if Disney offers an upgrade experience.  Even if you decide not to go that route, at the very least you will know/understand the situation when you see the ropes that divide. . 

WORKED - Shopping. I heard horror stories about lines for days at Darths Mall. Apparently that was just the first weekend. The weekend we went was pretty quiet and totally manageable. It was like the Christmas Tree Shop for Star Wars stuff. Those of your from the New England area will totally get that reference. Everything you think you want but have no idea where to put it when you get home.

It's a trap! Don't buy it. 

Refer to photo caption above

Here's a fun fact. I asked the cashier at Darth's Mall what the hot items were. He paused, thought about it and said, "well, whatever they were, they were long gone the first weekend." And there you have it.

Would we do it again? Probably. Yes we made some newbie mistakes, but all-in-all we had a great time and I really can't complain. I mean, I can. I can always find something to complain about, but Star Wars Weekend is a tough, hard core nerd-out weekend and so long as you go prepared, the entire experience is out of this world (pun intended). 

Do you have some tips for navigating this inter-galactic weekend? We would love to hear them. Feel free to comment and let us know what we should have done differently. 

May the force be with you. Always.

~Davina

My Name Is Karen And I'm Addicted To Mouse Ears

 For months I have been stalking custom Disney mouse ear sellers on Instagram for one of their auctions or flash sales to open up so I could buy a pair of custom Ariel ears I had my eye on. I'd leave my email for an invoice, only to find out I was 20th to do so . I'd bid in an auction only to be outbid in 3 seconds and watch the bidding go to over $100 . I love you Ariel ears... but not that much.

Then one day while searching, between bidding and swearing I discovered cutebowdaddyo on etsy
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CuteBowDaddyO?ref=l2-shopheader-name

And Instagram... http://instagram.com/cutebowdaddyo

On a whim I emailed her to see if she could make two pairs of ears for my daughter. I say they're for my daughter but let's be honest... you know who will be wearing them as well.  And just like that she emailed back and said "sure"!  Seriously ???? That's all it took to get the ears I've been hunting for for months? Well I feverishly ordered a pair of Tinkerbell and Ariel ones and the results are below

Ah mazing...and a dinglehopper

My daughter lost it over these..the pom poms like the ones on Tinks shoes are just too much

Once these arrived in super speedy time, we ooohed and ahhed over them for hours. My daughter put a pair on and declared them the most comfortable pair of ears ever. They don't tighten too much by your ears and feel super lightweight. The quality is amazing as well, which is why when we saw these Summer time Olaf ears on Instagram, we knew we needed to have them as well. My girls love affair with Olaf is strong...

I mean just look  at him and his beach chair...

The sellers name is Leah and from start to finish she has been a gem. She also sells bows so I kept adding to my order and she very patiently kept my invoice going so everything shipped for a low price. She even sent a bonus bow for my daughter which she wears almost every day... so no picture to show you. We at Best Friends like to share the love when we find something great and handmade so how does a giveaway sound? Its easy! Just use rafflecopter below to let us know you follow us, tweet about our giveaway and you're entered! The prize will be this gorgeous Elsa bow from cutebowdaddyo that I had to hide from my daughter... or else it may have gone right to her hair.

Attached to an alligator clip with a shimmery blue lace its really just the cutest thing ever.

Don't let this bow go...enter now!

Enter Here!



Good luck and happy entering!

~ Karen

Who Knew Maleficent Loved Fake Lashes Like We Do...MAC Did That's Who

  The countdown to Maleficent in theaters has been a long time coming in my house. My huge fan of the baddies daughter asks monthly when it comes out and here we are in the home stretch. We here at Best Friends have made it clear how much we love makeup, and when that makeup says anything Disney on it , we love it even more .Naturally MAC paired with Disney again for a Maleficent collection ~perfect timing for the movie release~ in stores and online now.

The line includes lip gloss, lip liner, brow pencil, highlighter pen , nail polish and...LASHES!!

These beauties deserve their own picture.

  You can get the lashes in the set above or the 36 lash which isn't individual lashes. Either pair we love and are ordering for our next trip.

Pucker up for true loves kiss, Which of course is sold out. Angelina lips denied again.

Eye Shadow x4 in Goldmine, Ground Brown, Concrete, and Carbon

 
 

  The sculpting powder , which I've recently become in love with , is also gone. I'm sure most gals were hoping to get those cheekbones and swooped them up quick. I suggest hitting your local MAC store or counter where you should have more success. As of today the only items available online are the LASHES!! and the shadow quad. MAC has free shipping right now so if you want those at least head over there right now!





.https://www.maccosmetics.com/whats_new/12800/New-Collections/Maleficent/index.tmpl



Happy Makeuping!!

~Karen

She's Crafty, She Gets Around. She's Crafty, She's Always Down

For anyone who gets the Beastie Boys reference for the title of this post, I salute you. 

It's been awhile, but it's time to pick the Crafty Tuesday series back up again! This is where we find some of the best Disney related crafts out there on the interweb. Sometimes we buy these crafts, sometimes we just admire from afar. Either way, we like to share the magic with all of you.

The weeks crafty theme is "shhhhh, I like Disney". I sometimes forget that the general population might not understand my Disney obsession. So it makes sense when not on property (or in the general Orlando vicinity) to tone it down a bit. Wearing my mouse ears on the subway ride to work might get some looks. So I am always on the hunt for items where I can show off my #disneyside (see what I did there?), without coming off as complete loon.


I've got stuff fit for a castle.. tote

Commuting to work and need a good bag for your book and lunch? How about a castle tote? I imagine your fellow commuters not in the Disney know will think you have a thing for medieval castles. And that's ok... because you and I know the truth.

Etsy - $33

Does my hair smell fishy to you?

Little Mermaid colors are the Best Friends favs. Which is why this Little Mermaid themed headband makes me happy. Supposedly it fits toddlers all the way to adults-- which may result in some 4 year old girls giving me the stink eye for stealing their look. I will let you know if I get into any fights on the playground.

Etsy - $14.99

Those poor unfortunate soles... of my feet

I had no idea that this post would be heavily weighted with Little Mermaid finds but I had to include these Ursula knee highs to the shhhh, I like Disney collection simply because these would be so easy to pull off quietly. I imagine wearing these to work under my obligatory black works pants feeling like I have the best secret in the world. Is that a sea witch on your calves? Why yes, now sing. KEEP SINGING!!!!!!

Etsy - $12.00

Pass me my feather, I got to fly

Aside of the long lines for the Magic Kingdom attraction, Dumbo doesn't normally get much play as a fashion icon. Which is why I felt I needed to include this very cool infinity scarf inspired by the dumbo colors in this collection. Magic feather not included.

Etsy - $24.00

These are only a few of the finds out there. We know there are others--how do you guys bring Disney into your day to day? Let us know in the comments section. We would love to hear from you!

~Davina

The return of two slow girls...Run Disney has us hooked

 I'll start by saying that this is a long overdue post, but seemed appropriate now . 2014 was the year we ran the Disney Half Marathon for the first time ever at the age of 41. For a time training we did think we might die...but surprise ! We did not. Watching all the tweets from the 2013 marathon made us envious and planted a seed that maybe, just maybe, we could do this. We bought the right sneakers , set our alarms for early morning runs and started. There were times when we both thought we had made a mistake signing up, but we kept on cruising all the way until January 2014.

 While we are far from fast and by no means "athletes" we crossed the finish line and cried and cried and cried. I wasn't sure if we'd return the following year previous to crossing, but as soon as I did cross I knew we'd be back. It was exhilarating, empowering , fun and not too shabby for two old ladies who a year before couldn't run a mile. So just this week as soon as it was open we registered for the 2015 half marathon. It sold out in a day, but if you're ever thinking you want to try one, Disney is it.

 Aside of the elite runners who were finishing when we were huffing away at mile 4, we were surrounded by people like us with a love of all things Disney, taking walk breaks, marveling at running down main street in the dark while amazing people with some of the best signs ever cheered you on. My personal favorite " worst parade ever".

Starting line chaos.

 3 a.m wake up call means no makeup. I wanted to wear my fake eyelashes

Slow and steady was our motto and it served us well. Next year I'd like to amp it up a bit but for us its really about the experience and setting goals for yourself. The whole weekend was amazing, the weather was perfect and we felt like we were right where we were supposed to be. Dressed in Ariel colors , but not quite brave enough to wear a full costume, we did see many that made us jealous. The stepsisters are on our radar for next year.  Any suggestions?

Not one to miss a girls weekend Stitch displays my medal proudly. He slept the whole race

Lashes on ! Celebratory drinks at California Grill. A Best friends tradition

 We know there are loads of people who obsess about Run Disney out there and blog about it frequently. We consider ourselves two average girls who decided to start running so we could run at Disney World. In the process it turned into much more and for all those who thought we'd quit at mile 10...in your face. WE RAN A HALF MARATHON!!

See you in 2015 suckers.


~ Karen