NOTD: Patchwork Manicure

This manicure was inspired from Chloe's Nails. I used OPI Black Onyx, OPI Jade is the New Black and Essie Jazz. :o)

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

Bashful

Staring at my feet and my cheeks are getting warm...

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:

• Essie Jazz
• OPI Black Onyx
• base coat/top coat
  
• good old fashioned Scotch tape
• Bundle Monster plate BM20
• Konad Stamper set

I painted my nails with Seche Clear base coat and then 2 coats of Essie Jazz. (This polish has to be my absolute favorite neutral color!) Then I added a layer of SecheVite top coat. After that, I played Angry Birds on my phone for ten minutes while it dried and then I proceeded to use Erika's instructions for the scotch tape. I used the OPI Black Onyx as my second color. Once aaaaaaall of that was done, I added the designs to my ring fingers using the Bundle Monster BM20 plate and sealed it all in with a final coat of SecheVite.

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...

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)

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 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!

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!

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 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!