DIY Lara Croft (With Links!)

I wanted to provide all of the details to my best costume yet!

I created my Lara Croft costume – mostly entirely from things I found on Amazon. When I decided to be Lara Croft – I was disappointed by the bad reviews on the Sexy Tomb Raider costume from online Halloween stores.

Reviews said that material was cheap, costume straps were flimsy & easily broke- shorts didn’t cover and created a muffin top look.

So I decided to recreate myself by finding different pieces online!

The costume was such a hit! It was a lot of work to find pieces for the costume that were so perfect- I thought it would be helpful to anyone in the future who wishes to be Lara Croft if I made a blog post detailing quick links to everything I used !

Lara Croft DIY costume :

Shirt:

$9.99

https://www.amazon.com/HATOPANTS-Womens-Cotton-Racerback-Basic/dp/B07455PWF3

Shorts:

$17.99

https://www.amazon.com/HyBrid-Company-Womens-Lifting-Stretch/dp/B01EVYAPN2

Leg straps:

$24.99

https://www.amazon.com/Vivoi-Holster-Magazine-Pouches-Tactical/dp/B0072KWKE0

Water guns (spray painted Matte Black)

$19.79

https://www.amazon.com/Nerf-E2155-Super-Soaker-ZipFire/dp/B076MB1N4P

Combat boots:

(Mine were old from Charlotte Rousse but ang work!) Found these on amazon (similar):

$35.00

https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Essentials-Womens-Collins-Combat/dp/B07PH3X7QK

Halter Chest Harness Tomb Raider SMALL

$44.48

(from Etsy shop- Seller: Vontoon)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/695845193/halter-chest-harness-tomb-raider-small

For the water guns I spray painted them Matte Black- here’s a quick link for matte black spray paint even though any will work!

https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-249127-Painters-Purpose-12-Ounce/dp/B002BWOS7Q

Guns were a little small but held about 2 shots of Tequila ?? (spraying tequila in peoples mouths all night was a must for the costume!)

The arm tourniquet was a last minute edition. I just found an old tank top that was off white/tan and thin material not thick cotton.

I didn’t care about the tank top so I cut the bottom off and tied it around my arm.

Making the edges jagged is a must. You also don’t want a bright white tank top or T-shirt. I added red lip liner and brown eye shadow to the tourniquet to make it appear dirty & bloody.

Gloves:

The only thing I didn’t find online.

I got these the day before in a Halloween Store.

Here are similar options:

https://www.partycity.com/short-black-fishnet-gloves-400457.html

MAKEUP & HAIR

Hair:

French braids. Lara Croft usually wears one friend braid with two small pieces of hair hanging out in the front. But I like myself in two French braids better so I did that.

Makeup:

I did my normal makeup routine and just added streaks of red lip liner (ruby woo from Mac) here and there and smudged over it gently with brown eyeshadow (Cyprus umber from soft glam palette by Anastasia Beverly hips).

Top right of forehead/ above left eyebrow, small mark on nose, small mark bottom chip right side, left side of chest and arm by tourniquet). Pro tip**- to keep yourself looking pretty and less scary try to make marks along where you would want your face to be contoured. I found the dirt look on the outer forehead, cheekbones, and jawline to be even flattering ?!

I hope this detailed explanation is helpful in your recreation of Lara Croft from Tomb Raider! Try not be as disappointed as I was when anyone under 20 asks you who you are and then has never heard of Lara Croft or Tomb Raider.

Four Setbacks We Inflict on Ourselves

Set Backs we Inflict on Ourselves

  1. Not giving it 100 percent

Not giving workouts and diets a 100% effort is the number one set back we put on ourselves. We often find ourselves committing to diets and caving because we don’t want it bad enough or it gets hard.

News Flash- when it gets hard is when the magic happens.

Results take time. Don’t go to the gym and go through the motions. You must connect the muscle to your mind. Make a sincere effort with your form, increase your weight, and don’t let noise in your mind or emotions of the busy day distract you.

Make a lifestyle change; don’t tell yourself I am going to eat healthier. Don’t make excuses for yourself. Don’t think of it as a diet or missing out. Think of it as actively making choices for the body that you want.

  1. Self-Doubt

Do not be afraid of pushing it harder in the gym. Rid yourself of the word CAN’T.

Everyone starts somewhere. Push yourself to challenges you could never imagine being able to do. I am so guilty of this. I avoid pushups, pull-ups, dips, etc. because I have made up my mind that I will never be able to do them.

I slack with my ab exercises because I thought my body just would never have abs. The second I started really trying and believing in myself I saw results.

It is the challenges that are hardest to us that change us the most.

Ask yourself this: Why Not Me? What does anyone who is doing it have that I don’t have?

  1. Forgetting we are in Control

Diets are HARD. Cravings are real. But at the end of the day, you are the only one in control of what goes in your mouth.

If you tell yourself you will not eat certain things. It is up to you and you alone to not eat them.

When you cheat your diets and your workouts, you are ONLY cheating yourself. Skimping the last 10 min off your cardio, swinging through your reps with bad form, sneaking that cookie. Who are you lying to? Who cares? The only person you are hurting is YOU!

  1. Not making improvements/adjustments

Eating the same things every day. Not switching up workouts, increasing cardio, increasing weights, trying new things, etc.

YOU WILL PLATEAU.

You know how much effort you are putting in. Make an effort to make tomorrow better than yesterday.

Current Update

Hi Friends!

It’s been a long time since my last post unfortunately, but I’m back and going to make a sincere effort to keep my posts more consistent!

I just wanted to update everyone with my progress.

My last show was August 2014, Muscle Beach! After this show (My first ever) I gained 15 lbs in two weeks. 0_0 This was a result of the fact that I didn’t reverse diet out. I continued to consistently gain about 2 lbs a weeks until I reached an all time high for me (135 lbs at 5’2”). Then I plateaued.

I was a complete GLUTTON after my show. I was eating very few meals.. averaging 2 meals a day. They would be HUGE portions, often fast food, tons of dairy, always ending in excessive dessert. I was drinking coffee with cream and sugar (EVEN though I prefer black coffee). I was eating candy before bed just because I could. I wasn’t even enjoying my food anymore. I was drinking every opportunity I got.

I was unhappy with the mirror. My face and arms looked fat for the first time in my life. My only way to get back was to start another show prep.

So here I am 8 weeks out from my first show! I plan to do 3 back to back. May 2nd, May 16th, and May 23rd! yay!

I am back down to 118 lbs, and ideally plan to weigh about 110 at my show date. Last years show, I weighed 103 and felt too skinny.

Here are some pictures of my progress and my next post will shed some light on my current training schedule, cardio, and diet!

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Thanks for reading!

Choosing a Competition Bikini

Choosing a bikini is a very important part of preparing for a bikini competition. I would recommend allowing yourself at least 8 weeks before your show when placing an order for a bikini. Most of the time you will receive your bikini two and half weeks after you purchase it. However, I recommend leaving time to make sure it fits right, looks right in person, and in case anything else goes on you want to leave time to order a new one.

Cost of bikinis can range from $100 to $600 and sometimes more or less depending on crystals, seller, and connectors.

When I first saw the cost of bikinis I thought that it was an outrageous rip off. But realized soon after that it is actually reasonable. Even if you buy a plain bikini and add Swarovski crystals yourself, you will spend about the same because the crystals are very expensive. A pack of about 12 is five dollars. I needed like 20 packs to cover my bikini.

My three favorite sellers of bikinis are Kristal Bikinis, Ravish Sands, and Ingrid Romero Bikinis.

My first show bikini was from Kristal Bikinis. The color was powder blue and the price was $175. Then I spent an extra $120 on crystals from A.C. Moore and bedazzles it more. This was the end result:

bikiniiiiii

Ravish sands has very high quality bikinis as well and many pro bikini athletes wear these.

I like Ingrid Romero bikinis because they are unique.

I received my Kristal bikini in 2 weeks from purchase. She was very prompt with my emails. I paid through pay pal. I gave my bra size and waist measurements.

Choosing a color is very hard for me. I really love reds, blues, and pinks. I have heard that judges favor red. What it comes down to is what you love in the end. Choose a color that compliments your hair, skin, and eye color. Ask your friends, family, whoever for their opinion, but in the end your must love it!

Dealing With The “Nay-sayers” of Competing & Staying True to Your Goals

This topic is crucial to recognize when you chose to compete in a bikini competition. THERE WILL BE NEGATIVE OPINIONS ABOUT YOU.

Bikini competitions are relatively new and many people are ignorant. The NPC Bikini division wasn’t developed until 2009. This is the first year that the Olympia is on TV. There is little understanding for female bodybuilding. Bikini was introduced to appeal to the girl who wishes to look less muscular and more feminine. There is a focus on beauty and stage presence as much as there is on physique. For that reason, the bikini division has a lot of backlash and many think that it is not a serious category.

What people don’t understand is that it is just as difficult to achieve. There is just as much hard work put into it and it is just as admirable of an achievement. The difference is the end goal of what you want your body to look like.

There are still weeks of meal prep, hours a day in the gym, emotional and financial struggle involved.

While training for my first competition, I experienced first hand how much people will criticize what you are doing. I don’t know if this is because it is a “bikini competition” or simply because you are doing something extreme that draws attention.

While many people don’t intend to be criticizing you, it is easy to let these remarks get to you.

Here are some of the comments I can remember:

While sitting at a family party, everyone is eating lasagna and mashed potatoes and other delicious foods. I am eating grilled chicken and asparagus out of Tupperware. I am offered some food and I politely decline. “Jenny can’t eat she’s competing to look hotter than other girls in a bikini.” It was after that comment that I thought to myself, “what am I doing?” I was NOT enjoying my food. He was right. It was all to look better than other girls in a bikini on stage. How shallow and pathetic is that? I was missing out on good food and times with family. But I knew that wasn’t my purpose and I shook it off and kept eating.

Explaining to the woman I babysit for that I would be competing again. She says, “Oh, Jenny! I only feel comfortable telling you this because I love you. You were too extreme! Your body doesn’t like that! I wanted to shove a cheeseburger down your throat and tell you to be happy! Don’t do this to yourself again.” This time I could only laugh to myself. What does this woman know about my body? In fact, I was very happy during training. I had more energy and felt healthier than ever before in my life.

Other people would tell me that my face looked so much better “fuller”. Some would tell me that the whole thing was “sexist”. People would say that I looked too thin.

There were times that I would question my reasons for competing. I would wonder if I was seeking attention. I would wonder if it was unhealthy and I was obsessed.

Here is the quote that I use to keep me focused:

“It’s not about a trophy, a placing, or a prize. It’s about setting goals and surpassing them. It’s about discipline, dedication, willpower, reaching deep down and finding strength that you didn’t even know you had. It’s about structure and putting in work and following the plan. It’s science and I’m a living experiment. It’s about being better than my former “best” and proving to myself that I can achieve this. That’s why I do it & that’s what it’s all about.”

I saw this quote on Instagram from another bikini competitor and couldn’t think of anything better to describe what I do and why I do it.

This next competition I will focus on this message. There are two ways of competing. You can tell people. I do this because it holds you more accountable to your actions. Or you can stay private. This is good because you avoid discouragement from these comments. Both take strength. Choose what is best for you.

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What it means to be “Skinny-Fat”

What It Means to be Skinny-Fat

If you follow fitness accounts on Instagram, chances are you’ve heard the term “Skinny-fat”.

This is a term that I had no IDEA what it meant when I first heard it, but now that I have an understanding of it, I couldn’t relate to it more.

I have never been technically overweight in my life. I don’t come from an overweight family, I have always been participating in sports, however I have indulged in an unhealthy relationship with food.

I have spent a lot of my life drinking soda, eating icecream, drinking alcohol. Still, I never saw myself reach overweight. I have, however, been “skinny-fat”.

Skinny-fat refers to being out of shape. Usually it refers to someone with a small body frame. They may lack muscle tone and have a muffin top, or cellulite, or bit of a tummy. Usually their limbs are on the skinny side but nothing looks firm or toned.

Here are two examples of me when I am skinny-fat. I feel horrible in my own skin here. I am killing myself with cardio on a daily basis. I am drinking alcohol, eating large meals very spread apart with little to no nutritional value.

Screen Shot 2014-12-11 at 1.09.46 PM

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Then there is me when I’m at my most ideal, yet unrealistic to maintain, stage weight. This is the result of weight training, extremely clean eating, and manipulating my water.

Screen Shot 2014-12-11 at 1.21.00 PMScreen Shot 2014-12-11 at 1.13.42 PM

So what does it look like when I eat relatively clean, drink plenty of water, lift weights, and do no cardio?

Screen Shot 2014-12-11 at 1.23.48 PM Screen Shot 2014-12-11 at 1.23.59 PM Screen Shot 2014-12-11 at 1.23.34 PM

This is balance. This is a cheat meal every 3 days. No cardio.

So you choose. Weights or cardio?

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