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. 

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?

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"]

twirl

I got an early Valentine this past weekend...

Twirl by Kate Spade. Doesn't it just look like the perfect little Valentine? (Confession: I haven't been able to part with the box yet! Ahh somebody sign me up for Hoarding: Buried Alive!) But seriously, I am loving it. I am not usually the type of girl who wears perfume every day, but I have been wearing this stuff nonstop since I opened it! Here's part of the description from Sephora.com:

Created to evoke a flirty feeling of "joie de vivre," Twirl by Kate Spade encapsulates the floral fragrance of a garden in bloom, finished with a twist of fresh fruit. 

Infused with a dash of happiness and embodying that final twirl a girl does before she heads out for the day, this fragrance's fruity top notes sparkle with pink watermelon, blackberry, and red currant. Heart notes of fresh flowers take the next dance, including orange blossom, jasmine, and magnolia. The fragrance dries down to a base of luminous musks and a touch of a French macaroon—straight from the patisserie, of course.

And of course I wouldn't be me if I didn't mention OPI at least twice a month. Lately I have been wearing this hue...

it is perfect for Valentine's Day and it earned the approval of one of the little boys I babysat yesterday morning. He put down the airplane he was playing with to grab my hand and say, "You have pretty nails."  Adorable. Question: at what age do boys learn that this behavior is unacceptable? And who is teaching them this nonsense?

Guilt-free Friday!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Until next time...


Hey it's ok...


... to spend more time shopping for "interview-appropriate" attire than looking for jobs, filling out applications, writing cover letters and revising your resume. Combined. (Even if you don't technically have any interviews lined up. Yet.)


... to occasionally try on clothes one size too big for that added confidence booster when you're having one of those days. And certainly explaining why you won't be purchasing when the pushy saleswoman asks... "Oh sorry dahhhling, they're much too big, I was practically swimming in them" 


... if the right shade of grey nail polish makes you feel infinitely cooler than you actually are.

"You Don't Know Jacques" by OPI... works every time. 

Sparkle-icious + the market (continued)

This afternoon while I was driving I realized that I left our the "+ the market" portion of this morning's post. True Life: I'm a crack in the head.

Anyways... In my personal finance class we each had to pick a stock at the beginning of the semester, and the person who's stock increased/grew/whatever the most (obviously I haven't learned much...) was the winner. Well.... I picked Ebay.

And I din't win. I was in the top 10 though. Starbuck was in the top 10 as well. (Why didn't I pick Starbucks?!) But the winner picked...

I was moderately pissed because I think I single-handedly made her win with my OPI addiction.

That's all.

Sparkle-icious + the market

Have you seen Burlesque? Me either. But I did my part to support Cher's Botox fund by purchasing Sparkle-icious from OPI's new Burlesque Collection. Adore adore adore. 

It is ridiculously fun and festive. Perfect for anything from a Christmas cookie swap to a swanky holiday soiree! 

girl date

Jordan and I had a fabulous date last Wednesday. We always joke that we would make the BEST boyfriends... except for the "boy"part. The day started with manicures at Ki Spa in Wilmington. Next, we grabbed a quick lunch (salads and Chicken Florentine pizza... on wheat!) We spent most of the late afternoon browsing blogger and having girl talk and then we had to go to class (I know, right?) But we finished off the night with a delicious dinner... lobster tails! I cooked, of course. :)

Let's talk nail polish.

Ki Spa uses Zoya, which I was excited to try for the first time. I decided on "Kelly" one of their new shades for fall.

It is a delightfully moody, mysterious, elephant grey. (It did turn out a little darker than I expected, though.) 

Jordan and I were happy with Zoya, but I think we remain OPI girls at heart. In fact, Jordan proceeded to purchase two new hues Friday. Btw, be sure to check us out on "Faces of Addiction: OPI Edition" along with our adorable roommate Britney. We are total nail polish junkies. 

Glitzerland

Now I ain't sayin you a gold digger you got needs...

-Kanye

So we have talked about my unabashed affection for all things golden here here and here, right? Well, I'm currently swooning over this little gem from OPI's Swiss Collection for Fall 2010.

"Glitzerland"

Obsessed? I sure am. It is the most glamorously gaudy gold (pardon the alliteration) with the perfect amount of sparkle. I plan to wear it all fall, especially when I am rocking this purse. Also, the inner elf in me just adores how much it resembles tinsel, so it will be perfection for the holidays! 

lacquered up

Primped for the holiday weekend yesterday with a mani/pedi. Surprisingly, I strayed away from my typical coraly pinks and went for something a little different. I'm quite pleased with the results. :)

Manicure:

"Kiss on the Chic" by OPI (duhhh) Kind of reminds me of the shade that my girl Giada usually wears...

Oh Giada... how I wish I could be you. 

Pedicure:

"Shorts Story" a kind of magenta-ish pink. (Disclaimer: It isn't as pink as this picture.)

nailed it

Ok, so I'm addicted. So what. New color: Baguette Me Not. I'm an unabashed carboholic, so the name alone justified the purchase. And it is a shade of pink, so hello... oh so practical. 


Well, if you think I'm bad about nail polish, meet Melissa of The Daily Nail. Homegirl decided to try to rationalize her massive nail polish collection (which is now up to over 500) by painting her nails every day for a year. But not just painting them, she is a graphic design artist, so her designs are incredible. Check out her blog!  

Perfectly Polished

Sunday night I pulled my first all-nighter of college. 14 hours in the library, multiple cups of coffee, and 20 pages later, I finished the night, er morning, with breakfast, a shower, and a nap. After I woke from my slumber at approximately 1:30pm (yikesorama), I rewarded myself with a trip to Ulta and later had chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream for dinner. You're only in college once, right?


Well, now let's talk about nail polish. 

These are the latest additions to the family... I mean collection.

1. Cozu-melted in the Sun, from the Mexico collection (just in time for Cinco de Mayo!) In person it looks a little more pink than the picture... and mega-sparkly.)
2. Conga-line Coral- so bright and fun... perfect for summer!
3. Melon of Troy- I tried this color out when I got a mani/pedi last weekend, and it is lovely!


To the untrained eye they may all seem strikingly similar in color, but I assure you they are vastly different. And I love them. Happy girl... and did I mention that it's summer? Holler.