BEAUTIFY: Ninja Turtle nails... but not how you're thinking.

I know I said I learned my lesson about being lazy in the last post, but I was lying.  (From laziness comes... something something, mother of invention... blah blah nachos...)

When my polish starts to chip and I don't feel like busting out the remover or completely redoing them, I'll just paint the tips with some glitter. (Inspired by this style.)  If the polish hasn't peeled off too much, this usually makes them look fresh again with only minimal work.

I had been having reservations about this flat green color all week, and I'm sure my husband will never help me pick a polish color again after my incessant ranting about how I thought this color made my fingers look like stubby ninja turtle hands.

Michelangelo thinks I'm being a dick.

Adding some drippy-looking navy polish with a layer of blue and purple glitter seems to have tricked me into liking it, for now.

It's not a terrible shade of green, really.  But it IS the exact hue that smothered every inch of colorable space in my high school, including my graduation gown, which incited a four-year-long hatred of all things green.  I thought that teenage angst was long gone, but apparently some things don't just disappear like that pair of JNCOs hidden in the depths of your closet for waaaaay longer than you care to admit.

Read More

BEAUTIFY: Ain't Nobody Got TIME to Post!

Just in case anyone was wondering what I have been up to, the above photos just about sum up the most interesting parts of the last nine months I haven't written anything here!  Really though, it's been quite eventful lately and I wish I'd make more time to write, more often.  Maybe that can be a belated New Year's Resolution?

So I turned 30 this past year...  My mom wigged out that I was actually looking forward to it, haha!  It feels good to be out of my 20s, honestly- at times they seemed more annoying than my teenage years.  You think you've figured things out, everyone around you acts like you're a capable adult, but really you're still pretty naive about things.  Maybe it's just me.  

I'd like to think that I take every chance I get to grow and learn and play and love.  Lots of self-evaluation and listening to others helps me on this journey.  That's really been my focus lately, to be more self-perceptive and to listen better, to everything, everyone.  Seems simple, but really it's easy to miss a lot when you stop actively trying to do these things.  Love, friendship, health, family, creativity...  all these things need constant nurture.  Well duh!  But it's the "obviousness" of these things that makes us forget, makes us lazy.

I guess making time to write more would contribute to these aspirations.

Maybe tomorrow.

Read More

BEAUTIFY: Triangle Man, Triangle Man...

        I'm gonna go ahead and say it:  I have attempted this manicure several times before and it always ends in FAIL.  I've tried using triangle-shaped tape decals, a mini paint brush, and have now had mild success with using a tape stencil as a guide.  I had higher hopes (and more detail) in mind for this but ended up so frustrated that my lines STILL weren't perfectly straight that I just left them like this.  I know, it's not the worst, but I'm a little OCD and these crooked triangles kinda bug me.  At least the colors complement each other and my skin well; I still think it's funny that I actually really like to wear gold now.  It all started with my wedding ring... I had to have nail polish to match it!  I still love all things silver, but this past year has been all about change and I'm more than willing to dive head first into something new... even when that something is as simple as adding a new color to my wardrobe.

        As an added bonus, here is Particle Man by They Might Be Giants.  I was trying to think of a title for this post and this silly song popped into my head, so I went with it.  And if you actually remember seeing this on Tiny Toons, there is a high possibility that we could be friends.

Read More

BEAUTIFY: The NAIL FAIL Files!

        Yucky yuck yuck ew!  I decided to try out the nail marbling trend at home which resulted in very mild success.  At least I was a source of entertainment for my hubby who watched as I unceremoniously stuck my fingers into strange, swirly liquids, hoping for the best.  I think I did a decent job not turning my hands into a globbly nail polish mess thanks to the tips from others who have tried this (put tape your fingers or use vaseline, etc.), but it seems almost inevitable that you WILL make some kind of a mess during this process...

Like this!  (from http://www.emybloom.com)

        Thankfully the polish is only a very thin layer, so it's not that hard to clean off.  The designs came out pretty cool on my nails but I had some problems with bubbles and wrinkling on the edges where my nails meet my skin.  Overall it was fun but slightly tedious and I feel like I was using a lot of nail polish for just one nail at a time.  I think I might be happier if I practice this and experiment with proper color combinations because the white base looked really bad with the colors I chose.  (I picked a white base because most of the tutorials suggested that.)  I will totally attempt this again at some point.

Read More