Actually I don't know if it's new or not, but it's new to me.

After I FINALLY tried Essie last year I became a complete convert after my first bottle.  I loved pretty much everything about it (except the price), and I have happily picking up a bottle here and there.  Until recently.

I heard through the grapevine that L'oreal's new polish collection was kind of awesome and that it rivaled Essie.  That's all it took for me to give it a try.  I picked up a few pastels for spring, and love is an understaement. The pigmentation is great and the formula is smooth, but the brush is what I love the most.  It's wide and thin and lays down the polish perfectly on the nail bed.   Oh and let's not forget the price, $3 cheaper than Essie.  

Sold.

PS.  I also recently tried Butter London nail polish when it was on sale at Ulta.  I'll be honest, I don't think it is at all worth the $16 price tag (or even the $9 I shelled out).

pattern mixing

I am by no means a fashion expert, but I do love clothes and accessories and I especially love a quirky or unexpected mix of pattern.  So I've come up with my tried and true formula for mixing it up.

Exploring

I usually shop at the same places time and time again, but every so often I explore new options.  

A few weeks ago, my sister and I decided to check out Terrain in Westport, CT.  It's been around for about a year (maybe longer), and it is the most lovely gardening/home store I've ever stepped in.  They had so many interesting and different products that I hadn't already seen elsewhere.

My favorite part was the build your own terrarium section (despite my failed attempts to make my own).  They had so many options and darling little details that I was dying to scoop up every last thing.  They also have a beautiful cafe and coffee bar that I am dying to try, unfortunately I had already picked up breakfast(?) on my way...

they say a little duck tape can fix anything...

This weekend I got a little crafty and I LOVE the results.  

I found these tables on clearance at IKEA a few weeks ago.  I hated them in their original state, but knew they had potential.  My first thought was to paint them with chalk board paint.  I soon came to my senses about actually having to paint, and then after having chalk around (my skin is crawling even thinking about it), and I came up with something (I think) much better.

Seriously, there's not much to it.  I just used alternating strips of black and white duck tape (that I found at Walmart).  The tape is so thick that it's a cinch to line up.  In less than an hour, I had all four tables done.  I used 2 rolls of each color to do the four tables.  I used 4 of this table, but if I had to do it again I would get 2 black tables and 2 white tables and I would have only needed 1 roll of each color of tape, but it would have been a little more work to measure out the stripes.

Quick, easy, and cheap.  Wait, that sounds wrong...

you decide

$98 | Shop Bop // $7.50 | Old Navy

I rarely splurge on trendy items or simple basics like a t-shirt.  The two tops above are almost identical in my book, and for a difference of $90.50, I can get three pairs of shoes 

(which may or may not have happened this morning...)

On a (semi) related note, I have been dying to re-create this outfit for ages.  Maybe in neon?

guilty pleasures | coffee

skirting the issue & my first attempt at graffiti

When I first saw this quote (picture?) on Pinterest, this where my brain went.

I'll be the first to admit that I need another skirt like I need a hole in the head, but with spring around the corner (and another snow storm lurking) I just can't help dreaming of warmer days...

peach | mint | lavender

Easter is super early this year, and I certainly don't want to stick out among a world of beautifully dyed Easter eggs.

(Yes, I know pasteled isn't a word.  It should be.)

lace | multi | green

Tweed and lace are having a moment.  Who am I to deny?

damask | polka dot | floral

And my favorite of all (skirt) indulgences, patterns to mix and match to my heart's content!

COME.ON.SPRING

. 

5

(images)

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope you had a good week!  I am constantly emailing myself articles and I thought I'd share a few things I've run across recently.    

Woah! Do you know how much American women spent on nail polish last year??  I know I did my part...

(<- p.s. how cute is this watercolor)

I'm totally crushing on Seersucker and Saddles.  Have you seen her blog?  She has a lot of the same clothes that I do, but actually wears them, and is totally inspiring me to get out of my leggings rut.  I'll be trying this (->) and this very soon.  Like this weekend.

When I'm on a running schedule, I love it.  When I'm not, it is so hard to get started again.  So hard.  Hopefully, this article with the top 10 places to run a marathon will provide some much needed inspiration to lace up my running shoes!

(image)

After seeing macarons e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e (except my local bakery), I've decided that I'm going to give them a try myself.  I'm not sure why, I don't love baking, and they don't sound (or look) particularly simple.  Hopefully this article will help?

(image)

And let's just talk for a moment about those amazing flower mandalas (above).  They are the kind of thing that makes my brain explode with happiness at their mere sighting.  

Flowers + Color + Pattern = LOVE

(image)

Have a great weekend!

soups on

Have you ever come across one of those recipes that is so easy and delicious that you make over and over?  Like every week over and over?  This is one of mine.  I first found it here, and adapted it just a bit.  It is absolutely delicious just following the original recipe, but I exchanged 2 cans of cannellini beans for the pasta, added a whole bag of spinach, and used breakfast turkey sausage (it tastes the same and you don't have to deal with the nasty casings).  If you want to be extra awesome add some shaved Parmesan cheese, and if you want to be super duper awesome (and totally undo the healthiness) make it with this bread.  It is unbelievable.   

buy or diy | eye makeup remover

One of the few real successes I've had with my bazillion pins on pinterest has been DIY eye make up remover.  I LOVE it.  It is just as good, if not better, than any store bought product (drug or department store) I have tried.  I used this recipe and I've made several batches over the last few months.  It's simple, inexpensive, and successful. 

I say DIY.

PS.  I use the lavender scent, and it smells amazing.

bandwagoning

Have you checked out Vine yet?  I'm not sure I'm in love with it yet, but it was fun to play with.

If you love dogs and shoes, you can find me at Shelly Saber.

a little secret

I've noticed recently that I'm starting to look my age, so on a recent visit to my dermatologist* I asked what I should be using to combat this pesky aging problem.  I was a bit shocked by his answer.  

"Have you heard of Cetaphil?  Use it"

He went on to explain that the anti-aging industry is a multi-million (billion?) dollar industry and all you really need is sunscreen and moisturizer.  My product loving self was a little sad.  I mean really, I wanted a miracle cream, or vitamin, SOMETHING.  Anything.  But my sensible** self was kind of relieved.  

Cetaphil it is.

*If you follow me on instagram, you can see all his credentials (he's even a #1 Dad!)

**On a sensible note, have you heard of eBates?  You can earn cash back on stores you probably already shop at.  Such as drugstore.com, where you can get Cetaphil for 20% off + another 6% from eBates.

just around the corner

Valentine's Day will be here before you know it, so I thought a wishlist was in order...

1.  How adorable is this mug from West Elm?  Although if you're crafty, you could make it yourself.
2.  Elephants + Hearts + iPhone = LOVE
3.  If this blog was in English I would totally screw these up make these!
4.  These Tory Burch flats were on my Christmas list.  They still are.
5.  I'm pretty sure these straws would make any smoothie infinitely better.
6.  Heart paperclips might make me do some work.
7.  Who doesn't need a heart umbrella.
8.  Lobsters on my sweater.  Lobsters in my tummy.  Lobsters everywhere.
9.  Silver Lab Puppy.  Duh.  (PS. Did you know these are real?!)**

**I have clearly lost my mind, forgotten/blocked form my memory how not awesome lab puppies are.

closet peak

I love seeing how people organize all their "stuff".  Most of my "stuff" consists of clothes, shoes, and accessories.  In fact, other than my dogs, I might head straight for my closet(s!) if there were ever a fire.  I actually have 3 closets (4 if you count all the clothes and shoes that are living at my sisters right now).  I have been in major purge mode lately, but my closets were barely touched.  What can I say, I know what I like.  Oh, and I partake in trends mostly by indulging in color and keeping styles classic.

In my first closet I keep bottoms, tops, and boots.

No rhyme or reason here,  the things I wear most often are closer to the top.  Genius.

I organize my tops by sleeve length, and then by pattern or style.  If I really like something, I will usually get several colors and keep them together, and if I have several striped long sleeve tops, they get put together.

I use pipe insulation (that I found in the creepster, but I'm sure it can be obtained at any home improvement store) to keep my boots upright and orderly...because no one likes disorderly boots.

My second closet is pretty small, and I keep seasonal skirts hanging and off season skirts folded in boxes below.

75% of my skirts are from J Crew, 24% from Target, and 1% random elsewhere.  As you can see I LOVE pattern.

And finally, my accessory/shoe closet.

shoes!

bags on the left

necklaces on the right

So there you have it.  Soon as temperatures warm up, I might actually start wearing a few of these things...

UPDATE:  Neal would like it noted that he has 0 closets.  It's a lie.  Kind of.

beauty basics

These items are pretty much my holy grail products that I use daily.  As you can see it's a pretty even mix of drug and department store products.  

• I always start with Boscia BB Cream.  I have pretty decent skin (as far as blemishes go), so I don't need (or like) a super heavy foundation.  This one is perfectly sheer and natural.  I mix it with ELF Shimmering facial whip for a dewy look.  I've tried several highlighting creams and I really like this $1 version the best. 
• I am really loving the new Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette.  It's nice and compact and has everything I need on a daily basis.
• Next, I always heat up* and curl my lashes with my Shu Uemura eyelash curler that I've had for 20 years.  I love it, and wouldn't think of using another.  After trying every mascara made, I've finally settled on Loreal's Voluminous in waterproof carbon black.  Fair warning--it is very difficult to remove.  I love it so much, however, I'm willing to deal with that.  
• Finally, I my favorite lipstick/gloss is Maybelline's superstay stain/gloss.  The formula is amazing, and it never creeps anywhere it doesn't belong.  And when all else fails, I just slap on some lemon drop EOS lipbalm, and call it good.

*I use my hair dryer to do this for about 10 seconds and then test it on my hand before I touch my eyes with it. 

want & why

Well, the holidays are over, time to start a new wishlist...

want | why

you learn something new everyday

The weirdest thing happened to me recently, I learned something very interesting about myself.

I am an INTROVERT!?

Although anyone who knows me, would probably just say, duh.  

It opened my eyes to, ehem, myself.  Weird.  

After my big discovery, I announced it to all my friends, and one of my forever friends sent over this article.  

I could relate to every.single.word.  Maybe you're in the same boat?

image

four eyes, and then some

After leaving behind my one pair of (old) glasses for the bazillionth time, I decided that I needed an extra pair (or three).  Warby Parker was already on my radar, but then I remembered that I had seen a few optical companies had popped up recently that were offering a free pair.  So after a second trip to the Warby Parker showroom in NYC and a quick Google search for "free glasses", I had three pairs on their way to my mailbox.

The Warby Parker glasses are definitely my favorite.  I don't know if it's because they are the only pair that I tried on prior to purchasing them, or that I paid for them, but I love them the most nonetheless.  (I most certainly will be headed back for these and these very soon.  And possible these!)

These glasses from Firmoo.com are my second favorite, and they were free (for the most part).  I love the contrasting stems (is that what they are even called?).  What I don't love as much, is the thickness of the lenses.  I am practically blind, and my lenses are very thick. Firmoo had several options for the "thinness" of the lens varying from $10-$90.  I chose the cheapest version because I planned on these being a spare pair.  Now that I have them, I really love the frames and wish I had splurged for thinner lenses.

I also love these glasses from Coastal.com, but I don't think they are quite as flattering on my face as the others.  I adore the color, and they arrived the quickest.

Oh, and you can't beat free!

one week in...

We are officially one week into the new year and I have yet to finalize any "New Years Resolutions".  It's not that I haven't been thinking about them, I have, but clearly they have not been a priority.  Until right.this.moment. Yup, here they are.  

Sort of.

Like I said yesterday, I really just want to be a better me.  There are a few areas in which I don't think I've been my best, or that I just want to improve.  Knowing myself, a list that looks anything like the one above is that fastest route to #epicfail for me.

The first, and most important, thing I need to do is to put myself first.  Which seems a bit selfish, I even hate writing it, but I truly believe that you are only as good to others as you are to yourself.  I have always been willing to drop everything, no matter how important to me, to help someone else.  Hopefully keeping this in the forefront of my mind will help me to keep my priorities in line.

Focus on small steps for big change.  While I do believe in taking a leap of faith, the biggest changes more often happen with the smallest steps.  One of my favorite bloggers is doing "The 52 Project" wherein she is going to attempt to accomplish one small goal each week.  I think it's a fantastic idea, and I'm seriously thinking of coming up with my own series of weekly goals.  I think I can do anything for a week.  Of course at this point it will be more like the "50 Project", but I can live with that.

And finally, I want to be more mindful with my time.  I find myself mindlessly flipping through blogs, facebook, and instagram for obscene amounts of time.  While all these platforms have been created to be more "social" they have made me anything but.  I need to delete the blogs I no longer connect with and get back in touch with everyone I do connect with (like you!), delete a few "friends", and post more pictures of things that inspire me.

I think that should just about do it for this year.  I hope you follow along and check back this time next year for an even more awesome me.

leggings are not your friend(sssss)

I have approximately 52 pairs of leggingsssss.  

Well, maybe not 52, but definitely enough not to have to do laundry.  For a while.  For the last 6 months I've made these guys my BFFs, I'd say at least 6 (if not 7) days of the week I've worn leggings.  They're easy, you can look somewhat put together (if you actually wear shoes), and they pretty much always fit.  The problem is though, that your real clothes start not too fit.  

And that's where I start off this year.  

Meh.

I've been thinking about New Years resolutions for about a month now and I really haven't come up with much other than I just want to be better...happier, healthier, and all around more awesome.  I know, duh.

Making (and keeping) resolutions seems so daunting.  

Let's talk about those tomorrow.