Monday, February 28, 2011
Ooooh, WANT!
I just found this and I had to share. I want this dress, a lot! It's from City Chic and it's so adorable! I'm loving the print and the belt... it makes me happy. :oP
NOTD: Funky French Manicure
I came across the wonderful blog Chloe's Nails by fellow polish addict Erika. She has some really great (and easy to follow) tutorials. I absolutely LOVE her Funky French Manicure and I was amazed at how easy it was to do! I also added some Konad stamping for a little extra flair as inspired by That's So Fresh. I got started by getting my supplies together...
To copy this mani, you will need:
It seems like it would take a long time but it took me about 30 minutes total including the 10 minutes of Angry Birds/dry time... not bad at all!
Please ignore my hideous cuticles... I need to fix that. And definitely follow Erika's advice about working quickly with the tape. I hesitated on the first nail and my line turned out a bit wonky. That's okay though...
Click to bigify, friends!
I really had fun doing this mani and I want to try other colors... I have them all planned out in my head! I'm tempted to redo them again but it's been less than 24 hours since I painted them. I think I need to try let a mani last at least 2 days or so before painting again. We'll see how long I can hold out...
To copy this mani, you will need:
- Essie Jazz
- OPI Black Onyx
- base coat/top coat
- good old fashioned Scotch tape
- Bundle Monster plate BM20
- Konad Stamper set
It seems like it would take a long time but it took me about 30 minutes total including the 10 minutes of Angry Birds/dry time... not bad at all!
Please ignore my hideous cuticles... I need to fix that. And definitely follow Erika's advice about working quickly with the tape. I hesitated on the first nail and my line turned out a bit wonky. That's okay though...
Click to bigify, friends!I really had fun doing this mani and I want to try other colors... I have them all planned out in my head! I'm tempted to redo them again but it's been less than 24 hours since I painted them. I think I need to try let a mani last at least 2 days or so before painting again. We'll see how long I can hold out...
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thrifty Shopping: Rugged Wearhouse, Goodwill, and Target
Oh, how I love a good deal. Yesterday, I went to some of my favorite spots for thrifty finds. I found a few things I liked and thought I'd share.
I snagged this nautical looking hair clip at Rugged Wearhouse for a whole $1.99. I have no idea what company made it since it was on a generic black card. Oh well! But I am so happy I can wear things like this now that my hair is finally getting long enough. While I was there, I also got this adorable bird necklace for $4.99. It's like the perfect combination of girly sparkle and vintagey roughness. (Yes, I just made up the word "vintagey.")
I'm wearing this in my previous post... take a look for scale/length. :o)
I snagged this nautical looking hair clip at Rugged Wearhouse for a whole $1.99. I have no idea what company made it since it was on a generic black card. Oh well! But I am so happy I can wear things like this now that my hair is finally getting long enough. While I was there, I also got this adorable bird necklace for $4.99. It's like the perfect combination of girly sparkle and vintagey roughness. (Yes, I just made up the word "vintagey.")
I'm wearing this in my previous post... take a look for scale/length. :o)After Rugged Wearhouse, I hit up the local Target. Aside from shampoo and new nail polish, this adorable little pair of cameo earrings found their way home with me. They we're on clearance for a whole $2.48 so of course, I had to have them! I love that the background is black instead of the typical pink or peachy color.
I also went by the Goodwill... it's my most favorite thrifty place to go! I found a lot of things I really liked but they we're either too big or too small and I hate when that happens! But I did find a cardigan that was my size and there are never too many cardies in my closet! One of the Goodwill stores here always has new Target merchandise that's donated by the store. I got this cardigan for $3.75 with the tags still on it. It's still available at Target.com for $17.59 so that's a savings ooooof... $13.84. Shweet!
(photo credit)
I also went by the Goodwill... it's my most favorite thrifty place to go! I found a lot of things I really liked but they we're either too big or too small and I hate when that happens! But I did find a cardigan that was my size and there are never too many cardies in my closet! One of the Goodwill stores here always has new Target merchandise that's donated by the store. I got this cardigan for $3.75 with the tags still on it. It's still available at Target.com for $17.59 so that's a savings ooooof... $13.84. Shweet!
(photo credit)I also love to buy plain cardigans like this so I can add my own personal touches... ribbons, flowers, bead, etc. I'm trying to decide what I want to add to this one, if anything. Ideas anyone? lol
Wedding: Taffeta Bridal Shrug
After looking at bridal shops trying to find some sort of "cover-up" to wear with my wedding dress, I came to the conclusion that I was not going to find what I wanted at a chain store. I wanted something unique but still elegant and flattering. I searched Etsy for something and I came across this beautiful Dorethea Shrug made by Countessa. I fell in love with every single one of her items but I knew this one would best match my dress' style.
I was a little concerned about ordering something like this over the internet but Countessa was a pleasure to work with. I made a special request for white taffeta so it would be the same fabric as my dress and she promptly sent me a swatch to make sure it met my approval. Then she took my measurement via email and created this wonderful custom piece. I was thrilled to receive it in the mail yesterday... everything about it is perfect... the sleeve length, the back, the ruffles. I love it!
On a side note, I'm generally comfortable with myself, chubb and all, but one thing that I have always had issues with is the dreaded back fat. I hate, hate, HATE seeing pictures of myself where I have that little roll bulging out over the top of a tight tank or tube top. Call me weird but it bugs me to death so I love the fact that the shrug hides that without hiding everything else.
Anywho, I'm just really excited about getting the dress and shrug together. My dress should come in a few weeks and I can't wait to pair the two together to see the final look. Now I I just need to get my under garments, shoes, and a veil. Oh the decisions!
I was a little concerned about ordering something like this over the internet but Countessa was a pleasure to work with. I made a special request for white taffeta so it would be the same fabric as my dress and she promptly sent me a swatch to make sure it met my approval. Then she took my measurement via email and created this wonderful custom piece. I was thrilled to receive it in the mail yesterday... everything about it is perfect... the sleeve length, the back, the ruffles. I love it!
On a side note, I'm generally comfortable with myself, chubb and all, but one thing that I have always had issues with is the dreaded back fat. I hate, hate, HATE seeing pictures of myself where I have that little roll bulging out over the top of a tight tank or tube top. Call me weird but it bugs me to death so I love the fact that the shrug hides that without hiding everything else.Anywho, I'm just really excited about getting the dress and shrug together. My dress should come in a few weeks and I can't wait to pair the two together to see the final look. Now I I just need to get my under garments, shoes, and a veil. Oh the decisions!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
NOTD: All Cracked Up!
I've been really curious about the crackle nail polish that's been so popular as of late but I haven't seen it at ANY stores in my area, not even Ulta had it. So I finally hunted some down on eBay and ordered. I try not to order things like nail polish via eBay since I've heard so much about "knock-offs" being passed as the real deal. I just got tired of waiting and figured that if it sucked, I'd be out a whole $7 bucks. So on to the polish...
I finally got out the real camera to take some picture and yes,
my bathroom walls are the same color as the polish. It's not an illusion!
I had only seen the crackle in black until China Glaze posted some of their new colors on their Facebook page. The moment I saw Crushed Candy I knew I had to have it. It's almost identical to For Audrey which is my all time fave China Glaze polish. Love it!
I finally got out the real camera to take some picture and yes, my bathroom walls are the same color as the polish. It's not an illusion!
I had only seen the crackle in black until China Glaze posted some of their new colors on their Facebook page. The moment I saw Crushed Candy I knew I had to have it. It's almost identical to For Audrey which is my all time fave China Glaze polish. Love it!
For the "under" color, instead of the typical black I keep seeing used, I decided to use the mini Ulta polish I got in my free make-up kit last week. It's called Dance Teal Dawn and works marvelously with this shade of the crackle polish... it's like a little nail polish earth quake happened and you can see all the fault lines! Here is my handy work...
I really, really like the ease of this mani... it's a lot of effect for minimal effort. I used a base coat of Seche Clear, then I painted 2 coats of Dance Teal Dawn, followed by a single coat of the Crushed Candy Crackle. The crackle appears amazingly quick... it amused me thoroughly to watch the cracks and lines appear! Then after a couple of minutes, I sealed it all in with a coat of Seche Vite. Here are my left and right tips for comparison.
As always, click to bigify the picture for more detail.
I really, really like the ease of this mani... it's a lot of effect for minimal effort. I used a base coat of Seche Clear, then I painted 2 coats of Dance Teal Dawn, followed by a single coat of the Crushed Candy Crackle. The crackle appears amazingly quick... it amused me thoroughly to watch the cracks and lines appear! Then after a couple of minutes, I sealed it all in with a coat of Seche Vite. Here are my left and right tips for comparison.
As always, click to bigify the picture for more detail.I honestly love, love, LOVE this polish and I think will order some of the other colors, especially Black Mesh and Lightening Bolt. They just look so awesome!
So have you tried the crackle polishes? If you have, do you prefer a certain brand or do you have any great tips, tricks, or ideas you'd like to share?
And on a final note, I realized I totally match the bathroom today. Oops!
So have you tried the crackle polishes? If you have, do you prefer a certain brand or do you have any great tips, tricks, or ideas you'd like to share?
And on a final note, I realized I totally match the bathroom today. Oops!
Friday, February 25, 2011
I Can See Clearly Now, The Blur is Gone...
When I turned 24 a few years ago, it herald some new things for me in life. Some of those things were awesome... landing my current job, I bought a new car, and I got an apartment with the Mister. That was also the year, I started wearing glasses. I was not too happy about the last part!
It all happened because I was getting terrible headaches at night and after a couple of doctor visits with no diagnoses, my doctor suggested I get my vision checked. I went to an optometrist and found out that I am woefully near sighted which was causing my eyes to try to do this sort of "auto-focus" all day long and by the end of the day, the strain was causing me to have the headaches. The doc told me contacts or glasses should clear it right up.
I wanted contact lenses but no matter what brand I tried, I could still feel them in my eyes and they drove me absolutely nuts! So after a month of puffy, red eyeballs and even worse vision, I decided glasses were the better option for me. That was when I got my first pair from JC Penny's. I really wish I could find a picture of them but they were generic silvery-pink wire frames and there was nothing that special about them aside from the color. I still ended up paying about $180 for them total. The sad part is that I wore them maybe 20 times.
I wasn't happy with how that pair matched a lot of my clothes or jewelry. I wanted to get a different style but I was not about to spend another two hundred bucks on glasses. That was when I heard about the best thing EVER for us four-eyed girls on the Clark Howard Show. There's a company called Zenni Optical and they sell glasses, super cheap. Clark swore by them so I thought I'd give them a try and ordered a pair. I have been addicted ever since! The colors, the style, the CHOICES! I compiled a sampling of some of my glasses and this isn't even all of them.
(Click the picture to bigify it!)
And yes, the sunglasses are prescription also! The best part is that each pair cost me between $12 and $20 bucks and that INCLUDES the tint or anti-glare coating. Quality wise, I think they're great. The color holds up on the plastic frames and I've only broke one pair and that was because I sat on them with my big butt. If I had a pair of glasses that didn't break in that situation, I would be amazed.
So let's do some math... for the cost of one pair of glasses at the mall, I can get between 10 to 15 pairs from Zenni. In addition to saving all that money, having so many options helped me to embrace wearing glasses. I'm not self-concious about them at all anymore and I even feel like they're an awesome fashion accessory... what do they call it now days, geek chic? Yep, I'm rocking it. :oP
Lots of Love!
Kim
P.S. -- I hear a disclaimer is good for when doing unsolicited reviews of products so here goes... I am not affiliated with Zenni Optical or Clark Howard. I just happen to love their products and I love a good deal... I also like sharing good deals with other people because, well, I just do. I mean really, who doesn't like saving money? :o)
It all happened because I was getting terrible headaches at night and after a couple of doctor visits with no diagnoses, my doctor suggested I get my vision checked. I went to an optometrist and found out that I am woefully near sighted which was causing my eyes to try to do this sort of "auto-focus" all day long and by the end of the day, the strain was causing me to have the headaches. The doc told me contacts or glasses should clear it right up.
I wanted contact lenses but no matter what brand I tried, I could still feel them in my eyes and they drove me absolutely nuts! So after a month of puffy, red eyeballs and even worse vision, I decided glasses were the better option for me. That was when I got my first pair from JC Penny's. I really wish I could find a picture of them but they were generic silvery-pink wire frames and there was nothing that special about them aside from the color. I still ended up paying about $180 for them total. The sad part is that I wore them maybe 20 times.
I wasn't happy with how that pair matched a lot of my clothes or jewelry. I wanted to get a different style but I was not about to spend another two hundred bucks on glasses. That was when I heard about the best thing EVER for us four-eyed girls on the Clark Howard Show. There's a company called Zenni Optical and they sell glasses, super cheap. Clark swore by them so I thought I'd give them a try and ordered a pair. I have been addicted ever since! The colors, the style, the CHOICES! I compiled a sampling of some of my glasses and this isn't even all of them.
(Click the picture to bigify it!)And yes, the sunglasses are prescription also! The best part is that each pair cost me between $12 and $20 bucks and that INCLUDES the tint or anti-glare coating. Quality wise, I think they're great. The color holds up on the plastic frames and I've only broke one pair and that was because I sat on them with my big butt. If I had a pair of glasses that didn't break in that situation, I would be amazed.
So let's do some math... for the cost of one pair of glasses at the mall, I can get between 10 to 15 pairs from Zenni. In addition to saving all that money, having so many options helped me to embrace wearing glasses. I'm not self-concious about them at all anymore and I even feel like they're an awesome fashion accessory... what do they call it now days, geek chic? Yep, I'm rocking it. :oP
Lots of Love!
Kim
P.S. -- I hear a disclaimer is good for when doing unsolicited reviews of products so here goes... I am not affiliated with Zenni Optical or Clark Howard. I just happen to love their products and I love a good deal... I also like sharing good deals with other people because, well, I just do. I mean really, who doesn't like saving money? :o)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Bella Roo
All together, on the count of three... 1... 2... 3!
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
This is my sweet girl, Bella Roo. She was looking especially gnarly after her trip to the vet today so I had to take her picture and exploit her puppy charm. Poor thing!
Torrid Tortures Me with Cuteness!
I found myself browsing clothes on Torrid and I found this amazingly cute skirt. I want it a lot! I just LURVE smart looking clothes that I can wear to my office without violating the dress code but are still youthful and fun. This little red number would definitely qualify!
I was thinking about ordering it but it's still out of my price range for what I'm willing to spend on a simple skirt. I'll have to wait until it goes on sale or even better, when it goes on CLEARANCE! (I love that word!) Aside from the price, I have honestly never bought anything from Torrid so I'm iffy on their sizing and what not.
A friend of mine gave me a dress from there that's a size 20 which is what I normally buy but this one is rather loose fitting and I worry about "the girls" falling out of the top which is definietly a problem I am NOT accustomed to! And to confuse me even more, I checked out their size chart and based on measurements, I should order a 24/26. So yeah, I really have no idea what size to get and I really don't want to go to their brick and mortar store here! It's at the scary mall where people get shot and kidnapped. (No joke, that place is a safety hazard!)
So what are your experiences with Torrid? Is their sizing typical and my dress is just a fluke or should I adhere to the size chart and order the bigger sizes?
Lots of love!
Kim
I was thinking about ordering it but it's still out of my price range for what I'm willing to spend on a simple skirt. I'll have to wait until it goes on sale or even better, when it goes on CLEARANCE! (I love that word!) Aside from the price, I have honestly never bought anything from Torrid so I'm iffy on their sizing and what not.
A friend of mine gave me a dress from there that's a size 20 which is what I normally buy but this one is rather loose fitting and I worry about "the girls" falling out of the top which is definietly a problem I am NOT accustomed to! And to confuse me even more, I checked out their size chart and based on measurements, I should order a 24/26. So yeah, I really have no idea what size to get and I really don't want to go to their brick and mortar store here! It's at the scary mall where people get shot and kidnapped. (No joke, that place is a safety hazard!)
So what are your experiences with Torrid? Is their sizing typical and my dress is just a fluke or should I adhere to the size chart and order the bigger sizes?
Lots of love!
Kim
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Mail Call: Old Navy... How Do I Love Thee?
I ordered some amazing tops from Old Navy last week and they arrived in the mail on Wednesday. I tried them on as soon as I got them and I love this style! I was so impressed with the fit, that I immediately went back online and ordered 2 more. (the green check and bright white to be exact.)
The blue and pink shirts are the Ruffled Gauze tops. You can get them here. I ordered size XXL but I could easily have fit into an XL. I like the loose fit flowing style though so I guess just order according to your preference. (Tighter fit: size down. Loose fit: regular size.) Old Navy calls the blue one "Purple Floral" but there is nothing purple about it. It's a nice blend of baby blue, dark blue, gray, and a orangy-peach color. I wore it to the office today with a blue cardigan and a peach chunky bead necklace. Precious! I wish I had thought to take a picture of it but oh well! I'll get a shot next time. :o)
The middle gray top can be found here. It's a dainty floral print which is popular for this spring but the muted gray with pops of yellow give it a little edge in the world of pink, blue, and purple blooms. It was also a steal at $14.99. Love it!I can't wait for the other two tops to arrive. I'm already planning outfits in my head. I'm also thinking about ordering another color of the gray top. So let me ask you guys... do you buy multiples of clothing items you like in different colors and patterns?
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Monday, February 21, 2011
NOTD: Oooh Shiny! Half Moon Mani
I started out with a reverse french manicure using Sally Hanson Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Gunmetal and OPI Black Onyx. I felt it was a little too plain so I added some Kiss Nail Artist Paint in Silver Glitter. C.U.T.E!
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Friday, February 18, 2011
Trippy Hippie Dance Anyone?
I know Thom Yorke has always gotten his groove on but this video is just too much for me! lol I love the song though... Radiohead always delivers! Enjoy!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
New OPI and a Big Ulta Haul
I like orange. It's number 3 on my top colors list. I picked this orangy shade up at Ulta today on clearance. It's called Chop Sticking to My Story by OPI. I just love earthy brown undertones that make it an orange my pale complexion can live with.
I also picked up a bunch of other things at while I was at Ulta...
The first picture is what I spent the most money on. The polishes are the OPI and the 3 Ulta brand colors from left to right are Bombshell, Glitter Top Coat (I guess they ran out of names, lol) and Fuchsia Crush. I also got some powder and an eyebrow pencil. The can is another awesome product I discovered a little while ago and can't live out. Who ever invented dry shampoo is my hero!
Now to the super-awesome part! Ulta has a promotion going on that if you spend $17.50 on Ulta brand products, you get this awesome makeup kit free. That's right... EVERYTHING in the second picture was free including the cute little bottle of Dance Teal Dawn polish which I lurve.
I love getting a great deal and not to toot my own horn but *toot toot*! This was a steal! For just under $37.00 I picked up all of this stuff and I have all NEW makeup to wear. That is something that definitely makes this girl happy!
Lots of love,
Kimberly
P.S. -- I also promise to start taking real pictures with a real camera. The cell phone has made me lazy because everything is all there together but man, the picture quality sucks!!
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