NOTD: Gilty Pleasure and Delphinium

After my bright and bold mani last week, I felt I needed something a little soft and sweet this week. I picked up a bottle of Sally Hansen Delphinium at Target today (on clearance for $4.25, woohoo!) and I knew it was just the right color for this chevron zig zag idea that I had. I used my Bundle Monster plate BM-201 with Sally Hansen Gilty Pleasure which a nice antique gold to create a subtle yet interesting look. Not to sound like a narcissist, but I really like this one a lot, lol!






Thanks for reading!
- Kim

NOTD: Chartreuse Shatter

I feel like I have been such a bad blogger as of late... I haven't had the time to take pictures and post my manicures the past couple of weeks like I normally do. After we got back from New Jersey, my mister's grandfather passed away so we had to pack back up and go right back to Newark for the funeral. It was so sad but we're very thankful we got to see him the prior weekend. Sorry for the Debbie Downer moment... on to the nails!

So after keeping my nails just plain old pink for a week, I needed something a little more fun and wild. I had picked up a bottle of Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Chartreuse Chase on clearance from Target a couple weeks ago and this was the perfect time to try it out. After that, I just added some OPI Black Shatter in a random design to liven it up a bit.




This was my first time using the OPI Shatter... I've been solely a China Glaze Crackle girl up until now. I have to say, the application of the OPI is a lot smoother than the China Glaze but it doesn't shatter as nicely in my opinion. I don't think most people would really be able to notice a difference though... just us polish obsessed girls would be.

Thanks for reading!
- Kim

NOTD: Multi-Colored Blooms

Hey guys! I was feeling a bit uninspired last night when I went to do my nails so I decided to wait until today. I still didn't have an idea of what I wanted to do so I got dressed and that's when I had a 'eureka' moment. I have this top from Old Navy that I just adore so I decided to do my nail design based on the fabric.

This the top that inspired me. You can get it at Old Navy for $13.00 now.

There are couple things I would have changed about how I did these but overall, I like the look. I used OPI Skull and Glossbones for my base. Then for the flowers, I used Zoya Gemma and Jules, Orly Pointe Blache, China Glaze Solar Power, and OPI Chop-sticking to my Story. I like that it's so colorful yet neutral at the same time. I hope you guys liked this mani too and until next time...

Thanks for reading!
- Kim

I'm Back Like a Vertabrae

Ahhhh.... home! I've been MIA for a few days because Pete and I had to travel up to New Jersey for his cousin's big, fat italian wedding. We had an amazing time but, I'll tell you, there is nothing quite like home especially after a loooooong nine hour drive back to North Carolina! Here are a few pics from our adventure that I took using Picplz...


If you want to see more, just check out my tumblr page... I'll admit that I was really bored in the car and ended up posting a ton of pictures all over my Twitter and Facebook pages. I had to find some kind of way to keep myself entertained since Pete did all the driving. :o)

As an aside, I've gone an entire WEEK without painting my nails. (Oh my gah! Kill me now!) I'm definitely changing this polish tonight and I will have a NAIL post up in a few!

Thanks for reading!
- Kim

NOTD: Doing Just Peachy

Hey guys! Just a quick post today... I did these nails using China Glaze Peachy Keen for my base. Then I did the flowers and polka dots using China Glaze For Audrey and Tree Hugger and Orly Pointe Blanche.





Thanks for Reading!
- Kim

NOTD: Dandelion Puffs

A little while back, I came across an adorable dandelion manicure on tumblr and I finally got around to doing my own version. (The original is by MaD Manis... check them out!)





I used China Glaze For Audrey, Kiss Nail Artist Black, and Sinful Colors Nail Art White. It was very simple and literally took me less than 20 minutes from base coat to top coat. Awesome!~

Thanks for reading!
- Kim

NOTD: Fiercely Fiona

Hey guys! I picked up a couple of new polishes at Ulta the other day. They were (still are?) having a buy two, get one free sale on Orly and China Glaze so while I was taking advantage of the sale, I also found a bottle of OPI Fiercely Fiona on clearance for $4.99. Awesome! I ended up using it for my mani/pedi today. (Yes, I actually did my own toes for a change!)

I wasn't that into nail polish when the Shrek collection first came out so I missed out on all of those. I will say that I wish I picked this color up sooner. It's bright and summery and will go well with color blocking trend that's so popular this season. I'm thinking I need to rock a blue dress and orange cardigan with these nails...






And on to the toes... I did the design with my trusty Kiss Nail Artist paints in Black, Silver Glitter, and White and then I slapped on BIG gemstone for some added bling. I feel ready for the surf and sun now!~


Thanks for reading!
-Kim

Old Navy Decorated Tanks via CrowdTap!

If you haven't heard of Crowdtap, you're missing out. I started using their site via Facebook and it's really interesting (and rewarding!) Essentially, they put the consumer in contact with businesses. You can tell companies what you think about their products, discuss topics on threads, and answer "Quick Hits" which are survey questions about products, businesses, and services you may or may not use all in order to gain points, samples, and even cash. The best part is that you can do it at your leisure unlike some other survey sites. I can answer one question or if I'm bored outta my skull I can sit there and click until I run out of questions to answer.

One company that likes to poll the masses on CrowdTap is Old Navy. Anyone who knows me in person knows that I pretty much LIVE in Old Navy clothes. I would even estimate that a good 80% or so of my clothing comes from their stores. It's that serious, lol. Recently, they offered a sampling of their decorated tanks to try out. I signed up and they mailed me four coupons for a free tank top (one for me and three to share). As soon as I got my coupon in the mail, I headed straight to Old Navy to pick out my new top. Here she is:

I chose the Frosty Peach version because, well, I just adore anything pale with ruffles on it! It also seemed to be the most versatile of the designs. (The Plummy Mummy came in at a close second though!) The picture really doesn't do it justice! The ruffles are so light and airy looking in person.

If you would, please pardon my craptastic picture quality, lol... it was already dark when I got a chance to take some pictures but I wanted to share some of my outfit ideas. (Also, blogger kills my photo quality when I upload anything that's not a close up... if any of you ladies know how to counter that, please let me know! You'd be my hero forever!~) Anywho, on to the outfits.

Work Ready
(Bella wanted to be a part of my pic! ♥)
Pants-Lane Bryant; Cardigan-Target; Necklace-Kenneth Cole; Shoes-Thrifted

Dinner Party
Tulip Skirt-Target; Shoes-Forever21; Bag-Gifted; Necklace-Express; Cuff - eBay


Girl's Night Out
Jeggings-Target; Vest-Old Navy; Shoes-Forever21; Belt-Ashley Stewart; Earrings-Thrifted

My only complaint about this top is the length of the straps. They seem a bit long and I had to keep checking to make sure my 'girls' weren't hanging out. When I wore it to work today, I put on a sports bra underneath to make sure I didn't have any wardrobe malfunctions, lol. It was still cute and I got a couple of compliments on it but I think I'll hem the straps up an inch or so when I get a chance. Overall, its a cute top, sturdy construction, and easy to style. I'd definitely buy this on my own but I'd like to thank Old Navy for providing it to me! I can't wait to see what my girls pick and what outfits they come up with!~

Thanks for reading!
-Kim

NOTD: Pink Wednesday - Wild Flower Field

I joined the Pink Wednesday group a long time ago but I always forgot to paint my nails pink or I had another design that I'd rather do. I know, I know... I'm not sure why I committed to do such a thing when it obviously wasn't that high on my priority list either, lol. Well have no fear, my first Pink Wednesday mani is here... finally.

For this one, I painted my nails Essie French Affair and then free handed some grassy, flowery fields using Kiss Nail Artist Black. It was pretty simple to do and took me about 20 minutes to apply. :o)





Thanks for reading!
- Kim

NOTD: Star Spangled

I decided to go with "Old Glory" and I also went with the rustic flag stripes as suggested by Dani Rage. I changed the design a little bit by adding silver glitter tips and half-moons instead of the blue in the corner as a way to kind of pull the two designs together. I see some flaws here and there but overall, I like how they came out. I think I just need to practice painting stars and stripes, lol.


For the colors, I used OPI Dating a Royal, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Rapid Red, Sinful Colors Nail Art White, and Kiss Nail Artist Silver Glitter.





Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a safe and happy 4th of July!

-Kim

Coming Soon: Freedom and Fireworks

I'm still rockin my "Black and Woo" nails but I'm planning on changing them tonight to something a little more Red, White, and Blue for the 4th. I had a couple of ideas floating around in my head so I grabbed a color wheel to test them out before I did anything on my own nails. Here's the wheel.


Some are awesome, some are neat, some are edgy, and some make me say "What the eff was I trying to do with this one?" For the colors, I used various combinations of OPI Dating a Royal, Salley Hansen Insta-Dri Rapid Red and Whirlwind White, China Glaze China Rogue and Hologram, China Glaze Crackles in Platinum Pieces, Tarnished Gold, and Lightning Bolt, Zoya Jules, and Kiss Nail Artist Silver Glitter. Yeah, it was a lot.

I found that putting the color wheel in my scanner worked a lot better for me than than trying to photograph them, lol. I also circled the ones I liked the best and gave them names 'cause I'm a dweeb like that. Now I just have to pick what I want to do...

Here are the names and a brief explanation of each:

1. "Old Glory" for obvious reasons.
2. "Olympic Gold" Seriously, it look like something the gymnastics team should be wearing!
3. "Liberty Bell" since it's all cracked up.
4. "American Abstract" because of the random paint strokes.
5. "Old Picket Fence" I know that's a stretch but my mind works in mysterious ways. When I think of the Fourth, I think of BBQ's in backyards surrounded by... white picket fences! This one happens to be old so the paint is cracking off. Don't question it!

So what do you guys think? Which design do you like best or what could make them better? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!~

Thanks for reading!
- Kim

P.S. -- I think this post is a clear sign that I have WAY too much time on my hands! lol