This is what fall looks like...

All of the sudden the weather got perfect. I mean really, painfully perfect. I found myself exclaiming, "It's so nice out..." every time I went outside. The skies are sunny and blue, the temperatures are mild... these are the kind of days that make you thankful to be alive. So I've been filling my time with lots of lovely little things that make my heart full. This is what fall looks like (around here)

Crafting (I made this!)

Arguably too much Octoberfest (and a few extra pounds to show for it)

So naturally I went with OPI's "Every Month is Oktoberfect" for my mani/pedi

(the perfect moody, vampish purple with flecks of orangey red)

Family dinners (al fresco, followed by fireside smores)

picnic lunch catch-up with an old friend after 3 years apart 

A (not-so) spooky read, fitting for the month

sweet potato pancakes at brunch (al fresco) with my sweet girlfriends

a pretty convincing breakfast invite from my daddy

Long runs outside (in hopes of offsetting all the Sam Seasonal...)

The perfect running buddy (and equally perfect view)

Halloween costumes for pups (and the funniest snap chat from my brother)

doing some decorating with baby pumpkins 

driving around with the top down and embracing the crazy hair that ensues

Beaufort, boats, more beer (this time Blue Moon, dockside)

cozy cooking (dutch oven ziti, shrimp scampi)

burning my seasonal Christmas candles 

In case you didn't notice, I've been doing everything I can outside.* I swear the fresh air is therapeutic. Making some (tough) decisions, but reminding myself not to take things (especially myself) too seriously. Trying to embrace it all- the work, the struggle, the climb uphill and the subsequent coast back down. 

*If I were to come up with a witty title for this post it might be faAL FRESCO... punny, right?

hair did, nails did, erythang did

My sweet momma and I went for mani/pedis yesterday. Never mind the fact that it's still 50 degrees outside, with Easter being this weekend, it seemed like a necessity. I knew I wanted something springy, not too milky-pastel but not overly bright. More like if a jelly bean and a marshmallow had a baby. Make sense? Good. I picked..

essie "Turquoise and Caicos" for my hands

and OPI "If You Moust You Moust" on my toes.

I was so happy with my choices, but I had to laugh when I realized how perfectly these hues match the CAbi spring collection... I must have really been channeling Thin Mint and Power Pink...

thin mint jegging

power pink blazer

What can I say? It's official, y'all. I'm a CAbi girl through and through (and wouldn't have it any other way...)

p.s. Kendi did a post on hot pink blazers! I love our design team... so on trend! Our version has pretty princess seaming and the sliiightest peplum, so it's insanely flattering and feminine. j'adore. 

p.p.s. remember my first attempt at seafoam green nails?

fall swaps

It's not quite fall yet. In fact, I very much fell in love with late summer this same time last year. The mild days, empty beaches... I don't hate it. But, as we do with anything, I find myself constantly looking forward whatever is next, the sweet season lingering just beyond the horizon (only a few more days!) 

On Thursday I'm off to Florida, visiting my BFF and working in the office a few days, but I think the timing of the Autumnal Equinox couldn't be more perfect! I'm considering this trip my last hurrah of summer... short dresses and bold colors, and then when I get back I can fully embrace the new season. These are the swaps I fully intend to make, as the air gets a little cooler, crisper and the leaves begin to change. 

I'll trade...

Coral for Cranberry. My go-to color for summer will be replaced by a warmer, richer, yet equally vibrant hue. I have big plans for this top by Cynthia Rowley. Big plans, I tell you.  

Sandals for Moccasins. I love my gold, strappy sandals, but moccasins are made for jumping in leaves. Minnetonka is the only way to go. 

A True Ab-Original for Skinny Dip'n in Lake Michigan. My nail polish all summer long is bright and punchy, and though I'm not quite ready for the dark, moody shades of winter, I'm ready to embrace shimmery, muted neutrals. 

Tanks for Undone Oxfords. To quote my brother (directly) "When the sun's out, the guns are out." I'm not going to comment on his affinity for the tank mank top, but I will say I've exercised my right to bare arms all summer. Now I'm ready to ease into cooler weather with classic oxfords, buttoned up just enough with sleeves haphazardly rolled.

(via)

Leather for Suede: I love leather year-round. (Sorry PETA people) But now that suede is finally seasonally appropriate, I can't wait to incorporate it into some of my favorite looks. 

(I'm lookin at you, MacAlister Wedges!)

Iced Lattes for Chai Lattes: I've never been much of a Chai girl (I swear espresso runs through my veins,) but the spicy aroma is hard to resist this time of year. 

So tell me, how do you plan on embracing autumn?

She was... An American Girl

Well friends, are you gearing up for Independence Day? I must say it is one of my favorites... a house full of family, gorgeous, sunny beach days, watching fireworks from the boat, and eating so much delicious food (all while wearing a bikini... makes for quite an adventure.) And such a welcome break in the middle of summer. 


To prep for the week's festivities, my mom and I got mani/pedis yesterday (for America) and it left me feeling pretty patriotic from tip to toe. 

[Red Lights Ahead... Where? and Simmer and Shimmer]

The cute Vietnamese girl who did my nails realllly tried to talk me out of the blue sparkles on my fingers (she knows I usually go for coral, red, or orange) but I tried to explain that it was my civic duty to sport red, white, and blue this week. She wasn't buying it. 

I really love it though. It's super fun. And looks like fireworks on my nails. 

And, in case you were wondering, this song will certainly be blasting out my speakers for the next few days...

There's just something about driving around with the top down, hair blowing like crazy, and belting this song. That's America. 

touches of Valentine's day

Only a few days left until the sweetest day, and things are certainly starting to shape up around here...

glass jars filled with sugar cookies that, at a glance, might be mistaken for lace doilies

I guess you could call this Christmas cactus a late-bloomer, but it suits me just fine. The fuchsia blooms seem more appropriate now than they would have in December anyway.

a little pampering (manicures to celebreate a sweet friend's birthday) and gorgeous red polish.* (2 strangers have stopped me to tell me so & one even grabbed my hand! It reminded me of this exchange last year and has me thoroughly  convinced I should wear red polish all the time.)

 My mom's mantle always looks good...

 ... but I'm especially fond of the sweet, romantic touches it has right now (like this adorable photo of my parents, tucked inside a pretty glass dome.)

 This precious boy is all hearts & kisses after a fresh haircut this morning!

 It has finally been cold enough to wear these cozy fingerless gloves Taylor gave me in December! (J. Crew)

 A vintage-inspired mug

 No shortage of love notes

And I'm sure you're seen photos similar to this one all over Twitter and Instagram, but I'm loving the Valentine's cups at Starbucks!

Click here to see last year's touches of Valentine's day post.

*psst... it's the gel nail polish! Great for when I know I'm going to be particularly hard on my nails.

Bordeaux

It seems I'm always on the hunt for the most perfect shade of red nail polish. Last February, I was head over heels for OPI's A Oui Bit of Red... très magnifique. 

And then in September I stumbled upon The Thirll of Brazil, also by OPI, and it is quite lovely indeed. 

[Thrill is not quite as pink as Oui]

Lately though, I've been a big fan Essie's Bordeaux. I think it is just prefect for Valentine's Day... deep and true, just like red- and love- should be. 

[note: it looks significantly darker in the bottle. the website calls it a deep red wine, and on my toes it definitely looks more red than wine. But while we're on the subject, do you mind pouring me a glass? Kidding, duh it's 9am... Make it a mimosa! ]

Do you have a signature shade of polish? Do you prefer pink over red?

Psst...

Hi cats, just wanted to let you in on neat little dealio our friends at Zoya have going on. Now through January 9th you can get 2 of their amazing polishes for free! No purchase necessary, just pick your hues* and enter code "ZOYA2012" at checkout. All you do is pay shipping! 

I know I talk about OPI an awful lot, but Zoya polishes are really great and completely natural! My first experience with the brand was at the best spa in Wilmington, and if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me. The only problem? Picking just two!

Cheryl

Ibiza

 Jem

 Salma

I'm trying to resist buying shades similar to ones I already have, but how can I resist my namesake... Caitlin! (spelled correctly!)

Thanks Refinery29 for filling me in on this amazing offer!

*offer excludes polishes from their new True and Fleck collections

grey matter

Taylor calls me a girl of extremes. I'm either starving or stuffed, exhausted or wide-awake, there's seldom any in-between. The rule applies to nail polish too. During the warmer months I tend to favor bold, sunny shades of orange and coral. But when my nails aren't brightly-hued, I'm a sucker for a chic, monochromatic grey. Here are a few of my favorites...

[From Top: 1. OPI "You Don't Know Jacques" 2. Essie "Playa Del Platinum" 3. Butter "Fash Pack" 4. OPI "French Quarter for Your Thoughts" 5. Zoya "Kelly"]

Guilt-free Friday!

Happy Friday! Ok, so I'll admit it. I've been a little off on the guilt-frees, but I'm never without a good excuse explanation. You see, what had happen wuz... Guilt-free Friday typically signifies the start of the weekend. But now my weekend starts on Sunday. So Friday is kind of like Thursday, and I still have my two busiest days left before I get to kick up my feet for a little r&r. So, I've come up with a solution. From now on, I will schedule all spa/salon services for Friday afternoons, that way I can get in the guilt-free mindset. Perfect, rrright? Kicking things off with a mani/pedi today, and I'll be darned if I see a single chip before Sunday. Hope you have a pampered weekend too, dahlings...


Hey! It's ok...


if a triple-digit heat index justifies a Teen Mom marathon


to drop $250 on a handbag without batting an eye, but to feel physical pain when it costs more than $50 to fill up your tank. Foreign leather goods? Yes. Foreign oil? No. 


if 97% of your pop culture references are outdated. And you're not even old enough to rent a car. When did 21 become so old?

[polish of choice for today is tart deco by essie. 

if you like it you should check out jordan's blog and win it. holler]

Braziliant

Do you remember playing that game at slumber parties where you flip through yearbooks and pick one potential future husband from each page? No matter how terrible the selection was, you had to pick one boy from each page. Oh to be 11 again...

This morning while we were attentively listening to our classmates' final presentations in Digital Multimedia, Jordan and I reinvented this little game. After drooling over the Essie Brazil collection (out in June) we flipped trough each page of polish (i.e. the entire Essie website...) and picked out one shade from each page. The competition was significantly more competitive that the selection of boys from my childhood days, but then again I went to a tiny private school...

If I could pick just one shade from the Brazil collection I would go for braziliant, but I have a feeling I will be purchasing absolutely shore as well...

And maybe a few others...

[smooth sailing, too too hot, and meet me at sunset]

So tell me, if you had to choose just one from this collection, which shade would you go for?!