The Fab 40s in Candy Crush
Last month, the Fab 40’s finished out our four month series on Elemental Styles where we created outfits inspired by the four classical elements, Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. Mireille had joined us for the Fire theme as the newest member of this Fab 40s group and now that we have finished the elemental series, it was her turn to choose a theme for outfit inspiration. She chose Candy Crush based on the match three puzzle video game that has been ever so popular on cell phones and other mobile devices for nearly a decade.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this colorful candy inspired game, it features brightly hued candy shaped pieces in a grid format and you have to swap pieces out to create three in a row to clear pieces off the playing board. When you match four or more candies of the same color together, it generates power ups with larger board clearing capabilities. Candy Crush Saga was released by video game developer King in 2012 primarily for play on Facebook but has since expanded with versions compatible with iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Windows 10. This game is considered one of the first and most successful uses of the freemium model. Freemium game models simply mean that you can play through the entire game without spending any money but you are presented with opportunities throughout to make in-app purchases for power ups and other premium game advantages.
At the peak of popularity of this game, King was reportedly earning $1 million a day based off revenue from Candy Crush Saga. In 2014, approximately 93 million people were playing Candy Crush in some version of the digital game earning the company a quarterly revenue of $493 million. Within 5 years of its mobile release, Candy Crush Saga had over 2.7 billion downloads and is the highest grossing and most played video game from the mid-2010s.
According to player demographics, approximately 58% of players are women and 46% are Gen Xers (like us in this Fab 40s group). In recent years, its player base has been growing and expanding to a younger audience. In 2016, Candy Crush Saga won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Mobile Game beating out games like Plants vs. Zombies and Fruit Ninja. The game is considered to be addictive as it uses a compulsion loop which provides pleasurable reinforcement the more a person plays the game. Despite an investigation by the UK Office of Fair Trading concerning exploitive game mechanics especially with regard to younger players, Candy Crush Saga remains the top grossing mobile game in the UK.
I have fallen into the Candy Crush trap more than a time or two in the past decade, but currently do not play the game on any of my devices. I do, however, have several similar matching games downloaded on my phone that I turn to in times of boredom. My current mobile game list includes Farm Heroes and Project Makeover in the matching game genre. I also occasionally play Block Puzzles and Wordscapes.
Now that you have a brief history of Candy Crush Saga, let’s get to how we have styled our outfits inspired by this video game.
As soon as Mireille announced the theme, I first focused on the idea of candy. But I don’t own anything with a candy motif even though I love candy! So bright colors would be the focus. I had purchased two colorful dresses on my birthday thrifting adventure back in May and haven’t had the chance to share them here. One is bright orange with big white polka dots which I was tempted to wear but I wanted more colors than just orange and white. Sure, I could have added other pieces to incorporate candy colors but this brightly colored mandala printed tee shirt dress had all the colors I needed in one garment. But that didn’t stop me from adding more anyway!
The joyful mandala print with giant colorful bursts of whimsical shapes just screamed Candy Crush to me. I could have certainly worn the dress by itself and it would have suited the style prompt, however, I don’t do things that basic! I started adding more colors and prints with a red, white, and blue striped top that reminds me of candy stripes although it is perhaps not quite as bold as a traditional candy stripe print. And then out came the scarves and I started playing around with them until I settled for a turquoise paisley print around my waist and a metallic threaded teal scarf as a headband. I added my colorful tasseled sandals from a few years back and a brightly accented straw bag which looks like it is speckled with colorful candy pieces. I finished the look with my Tagua Nut earrings from Big Earrings.
And then I headed downtown to the colorful fountain for photos when we spotted the ice cream and Simply Sweets shop which was the perfectly serendipitous photo location for a Candy Crush outfit.
Now let’s see the colorful Candy Crush stylings of my fabulous friends. Ada is sitting out this month but will be back with us soon. So today we are only four instead of five.
The Fab 40’s is a group of five fashion bloggers from around the globe. Each month we choose a different theme with the goal of taking on style trends and showing how we each interpret and incorporate them into our own lives. With five widely varied views, you are certain to find something that speaks to you each month and encourages you to continue to have fun with fashion after the age of 40.
Daenel of Living Outside the Stacks
I am absolutely swooning over Daenel’s colorful duster paired with her flared denim for a perfectly delicious boho summer style.
Mireille of Chez Mireille
How adorable is Mireille’s candy striped dress? I love the colors and all of her yellow accessories. Such a scrumptious concoction for an end of summer outfit.
Suzy of The Grey Brunette
Suzy went for a bright beautiful color blocking effect in candy shades to create a scrumptious confection of happiness and joy.
And Me!
Give me all the candy colors and all the candy, too, please!
Before I sign off, I did take a photo of how I wore this outfit for the rest of the day home. While all those scarves were fun to wear, they are completely impractical for hanging around the house. And you might already know that my toes get too cold to remain without socks for very long.
We are still looking for a few more bloggers in their 40’s who may be interested in joining this group either on a permanent basis or as a guest blogger appearing only occasionally with us. If you are interested, please let us know either in the comments or through email. We would love to expand this group by adding a few more members for some additional style diversity.
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Dress-Thrifted / Bag-Burlington Coat Factory / Earrings-Bug Earrings / Shirt-Charlotte Russe / Sandals-DSW / Scarves-Old
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
50 Comments
Michelle Kellogg
Wow! I played Candy Crush so much back in the day when it first came out. That game is very good, and addictive. I haven’t played it in some years now but I love the colors of your outfit. Very candy-oriented! I’m 44 and so far I am enjoying my 40’s You ladies Rock on!! #anythinggoes
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Michelle! This was such a fun theme and a totally random thing to research! Haha. I had lots of fun creating the outfit and writing the post. So far my 40’s have been the best decade of my life to date! I am just hitting my stride and should be on top of the word by 50!
xoxo
Shelbee
Ellie
Love the Mandala print on the dress and great way to style it with the striped button down! I can totally see candy crush reflected here!
I’ve only played Candy Crush for a short time, I was just bad at it and couldn’t keep the focus to keep trying LOL. Some years later I tried Farm Heroes which I liked better and for some reason I found it easier LOL. Still have that on my phone but haven’t played in a while.
Ellie
Ellibelle’s Corner
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Ellie! I was really happy with how this whole look came together although it did take some time to get it just right! I haven’t had Candy Crush on my phone in years, but I do still have Farm Heroes on there. I never play it anymore though. I should probably delete it!
xoxo
Shelbee
Mike
This is so cool, Shelbee! I really like how you based your outfit on the popular game, “Candy Crush”!
I admit that I never actually played this game (though I’ve played earlier variations of it on game consoles). My absolute favorite game (and the only one that I play) to this day is “Fortune Street”, which is basically like “Monopoly”, only better, with various board maps based on real world geography (one board is based on Japan and another on Antarctica, etc
), interesting game play (you can buy stocks to help increase the capital of the property that you own!), good music and good characters. I highly recommend it. For someone who like math lot, this is the perfect game!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Mike! Fortune Street sounds like a cool game! My kids love Monopoly so I may suggest it to them. I am not much of a gamer at all and really only play the few on my phone when I am super bored like sitting in a waiting room or something like that! Otherwise, online games of any sort are just not my thing!
xoxo
Shelbee
Mike
You’re welcome, Shelbee! If your kids love Monopoly, they’ll love Fortune Street! The only catch is, it’s only available on Apple devices. Like, I play it on my iPod (my main reason for having it!), but can’t play it on my Android phone or tablet.
The inital game is a free download, but if you want the extra board maps and characters, it will cost you a little money. And while I usually don’t “buy” inside features for app games, I did for this one because I was so hooked on it. I’ve been playing since 2012 (when it came out) so it’s been a while, but I think the most I spent was $20 for everything. It was worth it because I love the game, and I still play it to this day. I’m not a gamer either (I suck at coordination and anything relating to that), but this is pretty easy to play as it requires a bit of strategy, which I’m good at. And like you said, it’s perfect for playing while waiting at a doctor’s or dentist appointment as it takes my mind off of what I’m about to walk in to! I wrote a blog post about it on my blog a while ago. You can check it out here:
https://postcardpurposes.wordpress.com/?s=fortune+street
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks for all the fun game info, Mike! We do have Apple products so I will look into it.
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Oh, I fell into that Candy Crush habit, too. It was such fun until it became a must do. Then, I deleted it and moved onto a different match three game. I play lots of them, but only for a while, then delete them. Give me all the Mahjong games, though!
You look so fun in all of these pictures. The dress is cute on its own, but all of the added bits make it even better! How lucky you have a Candy and ice cream shop nearby as background. The photos are fabulous!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Marsha, thanks so much! This was a really fun style prompt and I had a blast putting all these pieces together! It took some playing around though to get the combination just right. I usually end up deleting those games, too. When I get to levels that are too hard to beat, I get bored and just give it up! Delete and move on to the next thing when I am feeling bored enough to play a phone game!
xox
Shelbee
Lise
Such a cute, colorful dress. I love it!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Lise!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sandra W Magle
Interesting concept, and you all did something totally different. I really can’t wear any of the colors any of you have on, but you all look Fab. I may pop the theme to my doll group and see if they can use it for weekly themes. Thanks, Sandi
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Sandra! This was a really interesting theme and super fun to create an outfit from it. I love that idea of sharing it with your doll group for weekly themes! How fun is that?
xoxo
Shelbee
Daenel T.
This was so much fun. I love how we all used similar colors, but looked so different. Your pattern mixing and matcching is second to none!!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Daenel! This was a wonderful theme! And all of our outfits are so vibrant and joyful! I would wear any one of them any day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Tamar Strauss-Benjamin
Such a fun look and fun place for a photoshoot!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Tamar!
xoxo
Shelbee
mireille
I loved seeing the progression of your outfit: the stripes and the scarf made it really spectacular. And leave it to you to give us a little history about the game: It was really interesting. Well done, my friend.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Mireille! This was such a fun theme! Great pick! I love all the bright colors in all four of our outfits, too. I would wear all of them! And yes, of course, I went down the research rabbit hole! I tend to do that when I am at a loss for what exactly I should write about.
xoxo
Shelbee
Anna
I think you absolutely nailed it, Shelbe. I guess your outfit looks great is because you were not afraid of layering
bright colurs and bold prints. Mission accomplished 🙂
https://lookingfabulousat50.blogspot.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Anna, thanks so much! I was definitely being unafraid to style something very bold and visible! And it made me happy all day long.
xoxo
Shelbee
Mike
You’re welcome, Shelbee! Have fun with it! In some ways, the game teaches the basic fundamentals of money spending (basic concepts of investing, stock buying and budgeting), so your kids can learn about money and have fun at the same time. 🙂
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Mike! Oh, my kids know about the fundamentals of money! They love saving theirs and spending mine!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lovely
Love this theme and what a fab outfit, Shelbee! I love everything about this look and it was interesting to learn these facts about Candy Crush.
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Lovely! This was really a lot of fun to style! The end result made me smiley all day long.
xoxo
Shelbee
Suzy
I’ve never played Candy Crush in my life lol! I’m just not a gamer…I don’t have the patience! But it was a really fun theme, wasn’t it?! I adore your dress, Shelbee. It’s exactly what I would gravitate towards whilst shopping! I love how you styled it—adding more colour and prints to the candy coloured party! And your choice of setting was perfect. Now I need to think about the September theme!
Hugs
Suzy xx
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Suzy! I am not much of a gamer either but I will sometimes play these mindless ones out of boredom. But then I get bored of the game itself and put it away! Haha. This was such an excellent theme. I love all the bright colors and styles that we all brought out for this prompt! So much fun. I look forward to the September prompt!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kathrine Eldridge
You crushed this look Shelbee! I adore the mix of prints. So glad I haven’t tried this game because I know I would be addicted!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Kathrine! This outfit made me really happy! All the colors and patterns are just so vibrant and smile-inducing! Those games can be really addicting, too! I get bored too easily with them though to get addicted. Haha.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
This outfit is so fun!!
Jennifer
Curated By Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Jennifer! It made me happy all day long!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michele Morin
Your bold and beautiful mix of patterns inspires me!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Michele!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sheila (of Ephemera)
Wow, what a funky and colourful outfit, Michelle! I love the fountain (?) backdrop for it too. This is a really fun combination of colours and patterns, and it all works so well! The scarf and your hair “unleashed” are just spectacular! Such a great boho look! Well done!
I have never played Candy Crush (never had a phone) but it did not escape my notice! Ha!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Sheila! I had a lot of fun creating this outfit. And I was super stoked about my unleashed hair with the scarf tied in it! I am so glad that it made an impact and elicited your response of “spectacular”! For a woman who has hated my hair for most of my life, I am finally loving my hair!
I love that you never had a phone, too. Good on you for keeping yourself out of that whole clusterf*ck!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
Well you already know that I adore that dress! LOL! Oh yes, this outfit certainly speaks to the frivolity and bright colors of Candy Crush. And yes, I used to play frequently.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Hehe, thanks so much, Michelle! I am not at all surprised that you adore this fun little dress! I have worn it a few times this summer because it is super easy and comfortable in the heat and you don’t have to add much to it to make it stand out!
xoxo
Shelbee
Chickenruby
I love the mandala print dress, it’s gorgeous to worn on it’s own. Sorry but I really couldn’t wear those sandals, I couldn’t stadn them being laced up around my shins. I’ve never played candy crush but I do play Project Make Over and other popping/matching games Matchington Mansion and Toon blast. Thanks for linking with #pocolo
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Suzanne, thanks so much! The sandal straps don’t bother me too much, but then again I rarely have shoes on my feet for more than an hour at a time. I am usually at home…barefoot. I have been playing Project Makeover for just a few months and it is already irritating me because I have been stuck at the same level for the past week! Grrr. Happy gaming!
xoxo
Shelbee
Niki
What a fun blog hop! I love the outfits & the info on Candy Crush! Thanks for sharing on Traffic Jam Weekend!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Niki! We have lots of fun with this little group!
xoxo
Shelbee
Emma Peach
Such a fun theme and a fabulous outfit! I love all the bright colours! Thanks for linking up!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Emma! This was a super fun theme!
xoxo
Shelbee
stephanie 139a
Fun photos and fab colours – and gah! that game – it’s deleted here! Thanks for sharing with #PoCoLo
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Stephanie! This was a fun style prompt but I am with you on deleting that wretched game!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lucy Bertoldi
Shelbee love this outfit so much!! Featuring you on my Friday Linkup post!!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Lucy! I will be circling around soon to the new Friday posts!
xoxo
Shelbee
Rena
Shelbee,
What a fun theme and you look like a delectable confection. I, too, have fallen in the clutches of Candy Crush; the last time was a year ago after I retired. To make things worse, I kept getting unlimited lives so there was no need for me to put the game down after I’d run out of lives. I was on a massive dopamine high for several days until I just had to delete the game. I wrote a blog about the whole episode.
Rena
http://www.finewhateverblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Rena, thanks so much! And oh my word, what a story about your Candy Crush problem! I don’t think I’ve read that post. I will have to go search it up and check it out. I was playing so many phone games at the beginning of the pandemic that I ended up with a really bad case of elbow tendinitis! Like tennis elbow but I was calling it phone game elbow. It was really kind of sad and embarrassing for me to admit that phone games injured my elbow!
xoxo
Shelbee