đđťââď¸đŠđťâđڰdisguises & that time i lifted from the same place 3 times in 1 day lol đŠđťđąđťââď¸
this happened a while ago in 2021 but i wanted to post about it now that i'm back. it was probably the most fun i've ever had lifting
so disguises / switching up my appearance has always been a part of my lifting strategy but up until this point i didn't really change it up in my day-to-day life. i (used to) have long brown hair so i would wear short wigs with a knit hat, bucket hat, or baseball cap on top for my disguises, changing up the style of outfit along with the hair changes. the hats were essential, not only to hide that it's a wig but also to hide where my real hair was getting bunched up under the wig cap, it was really long and thick and no matter how tight I laid it down, there was always some area that would've looked unnatural if i didn't wear the hat over it.
switching up wig + hat + glasses/sunglasses or any combination of those (and different masks), I could easily look like 2 different people over the course of a day and hit a store twice. but I never risked lifting from the same store 3 times in 1 day just because i was worried if they noticed me in a wig the first time, they might start to get suspicious and really be on the lookout for anyone else in a wig for the rest of the day.
well, unrelated to lifting i was getting really bored with my hair and wanted to change it up so i booked an appointment to get quite a bit cut off and colored to a strawberry blonde. this was right after lockdowns started easing up and salons were finally open again, I think being confined that whole time and seeing the same look in the mirror every day, i'd just had enough and needed a complete reset
i was honestly really nervous leading up to the hair appointment because i'd never colored it before or had a drastic cut (i was at like waist length before and i wanted to get a collarbone length lob). i got so anxious i almost canceled but as i was lying awake one night i realized it could be the perfect opportunity to lift from the same store 3 times in one day. once i started planning it out i got really excited for the hair appointment AND for all the lifting i would be able to do.
a week before the hair appointment, i wore a short black wig to go check out the mall and see what items i wanted to lift, also it was the first time i'd been to the mall since the pandemic so i wanted to see how busy it would be. there were more people than i expected since everyone was wanting to enjoy the lifted restrictions and that gave me more peace of mind that i'd be able to pull it off.
my appointment was late in the afternoon, so i went to the mall as "myself" in the morning with my long mousy brown hair in its natural wavy texture. i was wearing business casual type of clothing, blazer, slacks, low heels, press on french tips, fake engagement ring, trying to look rich yet unassuming and not stand out in any way. I was able to lift 3 dresses, some bras and underwear, and a necklace. that took about half the morning.
there were other items i still wanted but I left them for my next "character" to grab. i went out to my car and drove out to a residential area about 10min away just to make sure no cameras caught me changing. I put on a red bob wig and a bucket hat, crop top, and shorts, changed to platform sandals, and switched from a tote bag to a crossbody. Also took off my glasses, ripped off the press-ons/ring, put on heavy eye makeup, and changed from a disposable mask to a cloth mask. then i drove back to the mall and parked in a completely different area. this time i was able to get the earrings and bracelet to match the necklace from earlier, a few makeup products, and 2 eyeshadow palettes. i think there were some other things that i'm forgetting from this trip but those are the main ones.
it was early afternoon by that point so i went back home and took a quick shower and ate lunch before the appointment. i was still a bit worried about how it was going to turn out but i knew now that i absolutely had to go through with it, not just because of my lifting plan but also bc i would've been a huge asshole to cancel on my stylist last minute.
the appointment itself went really really well! ngl i did cry when she did the big chop just form the release of it, i felt like she was cutting off all the stress of quarantine and it felt a little overwhelming but also refreshing. the bleaching and coloring took longer than i expected but it turned out exactly how i wanted it to. at the end i asked her to straighten it, bc i'd started off with the wavy hair in the morning and wanted to look as different as possible to not be recognized. i barely recognized myself afterwards so it would have been pretty amazing if someone did at the mall but i absolutely didn't want to take any chances.
i went back home and ate dinner before going to the mall for the last time, i was so energized at that point, i was almost high on the rush of the big transformation as well as already pulling off 2 lifts in a day. I was probably too overconfident that i wouldn't get caught just because i felt so different with my new hair, i literally felt like a completely different person than the one i woke up as so it was super easy to play a new character. I redid my makeup and changed into a maxi dress + denim jacket + sneakers, red press-ons, just trying to go for a different vibe than my previous two that day. on my last trip i got a wallet, a bunch of body lotion/wash/mist, 2 candles, a silk robe, a few blouses, and I did my first-ever shoe AND handbag walkout to finish it all off. I don't think i would've even attempted that before. From what i could tell, no one sussed me at all, i did see a some of the same employees throughout the day but none of them seemed to realize I was the same person. in the weeks following, some of my friends and family even did a double take at how different i looked so overall it was a massive success even though i got a little riskier than i normally would've! wouldn't get so cocky again but no regrets now.
on the drive home from the last trip i just remember feeling so thrilled that i'd actually done it, not only did i finally work up the nerve to do something fun with my hair, i'd also gotten a ton of good stuff and no one was the wiser that they saw me 3 times. maybe that sounds crazy to say but that was the moment when i really decided to start lifting regularly again. i didn't add my total for the day but i would guess it was around 2000-2500.
since then i've changed up my hair more, i got a blonde moneypiece and layers and then i went full platinum blonde and chin length (also bleached my brows). it's kind of addicting to change the cut and color every time instead of one or the other, I finally get what people meant when they said thy change their personality when they change their hair. it's actually helped me getting better into character when I'm in the wigs too.
Some people I haven't seen since before lockdown still fail to recognize me at times, it's kind of funny. i love taking advantage of the opportunity w each hair appointment to lift as two different people before and after w/o having to worry about what if i get caught in a wig or having to go through the trouble to put the wig cap etc. I don't go to the same mall every time, i try to switch it up so they never remember what i look like and I still wear wigs too, I actually got some longer wigs now just to give that contrast in appearance, incl a long brown one that looks like my old hair. idk what i want to do with it next, I'm thinking bangs and dye it darker or a fun color (or maybe go straight for a pixie cut bc it's honestly kind of damaged), then i could wear my short and long wigs and still feel like it's different enough.
but yeah, moral of the story, don't underestimate disguises, they can be a lot of fun and a great tool to have. Getting recognized is the precursor to getting caught so do whatever you can to absolutely not be recognized, especially if you're lifting from stores that build cases. your hair is the feature that makes you the most recognizable esp with a mask on!
i don't think i'd ever attempt 3 lifts in one day from the same mall again but it will definitely go down as my most memorable lifting day ever! and if you're planning to change up your hair a lot soon, you can use it to your advantage, i really wish i did it sooner! The difference between how i was treated with my long natural hair before vs. now with a really sleek and polished style is night and day. not just by ppl in stores but acquaintances, ppl at work, etc. I look more mature and get taken more seriously. i dont think i'll ever go back to long natural hair, just because of how i get treated so much better now.
unfortunately people are going to make judgements on us based on appearance and the best way we can fight back is to use it to our advantage.


















