I Heart Sundresses

I don't understand how people can not love dresses.

I hear "they're uncomfortable" a lot. Yeah, fancy ballgowns and some dresses can have detailing or straps in inconvenient places. Good dresses, though, are like big t-shirts. Comfy and soft.

Once the weather is consistently above 80 degrees, I generally refuse to wear pants, so you can probably imagine how many dresses I own. My latest obsession is the incredibly comfy sundress, particularly the cute ones from Target you can pick up on the cheap. Here are my two best finds so far:

Mossimo Kimono Sleeve Dress (Black)

Mossimo Kimono Sleeve Dress (Quartz Gray)

This dress is like wearing an extra large t-shirt...but cute AND versatile. Throw on ballet flats and some great shades and you're ready for the mall, groceries, coffee or whatever. The kimono dress is so great, I bought it twice, and I could be persuaded to enjoy a third. Best part? $18 each. I've spent more on worse things.

Steve Madden Heaven Flats in Black Patent

Simply Vera Vera Wang Square Sunglasses in Red

My favorite accessories at the moment. Mr. Madden wasn't kidding when he named those shoes "Heaven." They're as comfortable as the dress and they go with everything.

When the evening rolls around and you need to grab a drink with a friend, simply add heels and something shiny.

Christian Louboutin High Heel BlackWood

Cha-Cha Japan Black Bead Expandable Bracelet Vintage (courtesy of www.lillysvintagejewelry.com)

I do not own either of these pieces, but I'm hoping if I endorse his shoes, Mr. Louboutin will send me samples to try. I'm and 8 1/2. Just sayin'.

Dress numero dos has been harder to find pictures of, but is every bit as enjoyable as my kimono dress.

Xhilaration Juniors Ruffle Tank Dress in Fuchsia Print

Xhilaration Juniors Ruffle Tank Dress in Black

The fabric could be called lightweight or flimsy, depending on your world view. Either way, it's $20 and way cute. I, of course, bought the fuchsia and black.

Bottom line: There is great summer fun to be had in either one of these lovely dresses, and I'm looking to see what other gems Target has in store for me.

At Long Last...Chinchilla Vanilla!

The day has finally arrived. My Chinchilla Vanilla arrived.

Not a newly released color. It's actually discontinued. I fell in love with the color when I got a pedicure years ago. It has become my Holy Grail. Over the last few years, I have picked up a handful of white shimmers in hopes of finding an adequate substitute. No such luck.

Then, on a whim a few days ago, I Googled the name. Just to see what I could find. Behold. EBay. I bought two. And now I have them in my greedy little hands.

Because of my good fortune, you all get to see all the attempts at duplicating the real thing.

The Contenders, from left to right: NYC Nail Glosses - #205; Pure Ice - Platinum; Nina Ultra Pro - Pink Ice; China Glaze - Chinchilla Vanilla (the real deal!); and China Glaze - Rainbow

#205, Platinum, Pink Ice, Chinchilla Vanilla and Rainbow

#205, Platinum, Pink Ice, Chinchilla Vanilla and Rainbow

It's amazing how much the minute differences make when choosing your perfect shade of white.

#205 is actually a pretty good option, and an inexpensive buy. The brush is awesome, application and formula are decent. The flaws on my nail are due to some "help" from the cat and my own laziness. If I hadn't found my Holy Grail, this probably would have been my go-to white.

Platinum is a decent drugstore option, as well. Application is a bit tricky, though. It shows the brush strokes pretty easily, and no amount of topcoat will hide them. This one doesn't wear as long as the others, but is a cool color, nonetheless.

Pink Ice doesn't really have much, if any pink that I can see, and is just a bit too gold to play well with my skin. Formula and application are good, and I'll admit I haven't worn it enough to really critique that aspect. Pretty color, just not as good for me.

Chinchilla Vanilla (!!) got my eye because it's a deceptively boring color. On its own, it's a lovely neutral that applies well, doesn't show chips and lasts for several days. Brush strokes pretty much disappear with a top coat, and it's not too sheer...but not completely opaque either. It also looks great with nail art. My pedicures have included snowflakes in blue and silver and a lovely red and black orchid design.

Rainbow looked close in the bottle when I bought it, but upon application, it obviously looks way more pink than I anticipated. That said, it goes on and stays put like I expect of any China Glaze.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have new polish to play with...

Summer Color

This summer has been one of experimentation with color for me. Hot pinks have been my signature look since high school. I've worn reds and purples and corals and lots of white and lavender shimmers pretty regularly, but that's about as far as I've gotten. Last summer, I picked up some blackened purples and an almost black...and I loved them. Since then, my mission has been to further expand horizons.

Here are some of the fun colors I've worn over the last few weeks.

Essie's "Chinchilly"

"Chinchilly"

 

"Chinchilly"

 Essie's "Chinchilly" is a great grey color. The application is a breeze. Two coats are all you need and it has a nice gloss before the top coat. I added flower decals from Cina Nail Creations (Lacy Love is the name of this set.) for a little something extra. Sadly, this color is impossible to capture with my camera, but the blurry picture on the bottom is the closest to real life.

Essie's "Meet Me At Sunset"

"Meet Me At Sunset" Pedi

I love, love, LOVE this orange. Like Chinchilly, the formula is great. Two coats, nice and shiny, etc. I added the red flower with Art Club Nail Art Lacquer in the creatively named "Red," and a yellow rhinestone in the center. In case you can't tell, I dig flowers, especially in the summer. Also, please ignore the wounds on my foot. I have a playful cat who thinks he's a big, scary hunter and he sometimes forgets his teeth hurt.

Zoya's "Rica" from the Sunshine Collection

"Rica"

Rica was every bit as great for application as both of the Essie polishes and "Caitlin" from my previous post. I normally gravitate to creme finishes and the occasional light shimmer or glitter, but Zoya is giving me reason to make exceptions. The Sunshine Collection is very sparkly, but still gives a smooth finish and isn't hard to remove like a lot of glittery polish. I did find it worked better to remove the polish and then wash dishes or take a bath to soak off the remaining traces of glitter. One layer of top coat is all you need for extra sparkle. The pictures really don't do it justice.

Zoya's "Ivanka" from the Sparkle Collection

"Ivanka"

 I won't bother repeating praise of the formula, because it goes on pretty much like "Rica," but with a little more glitter. The bottom picture was an attempt at showing the sparkle, but it mostly made my skin look uber-white. This was a huge departure from my usual pinks and purples, but I do like the result.

"Rica" and "Ivanka"

"Rica" and "Ivanka"

I've seen some awesome Ombre manicures lately, and I got bored one night and decided to try my hand at this. This was my first attempt, and it's far from perfect, but I really like the idea. "Rica" was starting to bore me, and "Ivanka" was still sitting on my table, so I grabbed a cosmetic sponge and gave this a shot. In hindsight, I probably should have started with something a little more similar in color on the first try.

I do think you'll soon see more attempts at the Ombre look. I think some of the Zoya sparkles and shimmers would be a cool way to liven up some creme polishes. Yes, yes. I would expect to see more soon.

First Post!

Hello? Anyone out there?

So, this is my first post as a beauty blogger. Neat, right? As you can see in the "About Me" portion of the page, I started this blog to share ideas and offer help to anyone who likes the idea of doing their own hair, makeup and nails but doesn't know what to buy or how to get the look. I also love to shop, so I plan to post ideas for fun and affordable clothing, accessories and, obviously, shoes.


Where do I get ideas, you ask? How do I learn how to do the things I do? I watch the pros. I've always been good at putting together colors and patterns. I watch Project Runway, America's Next Top Model and What Not To Wear. I read Cosmo, Lucky, Glamour and Vogue, though not religiously. I check out other beauty blogs and venture to beauty supply stores. The usual places. I think the biggest key to anything is experimenting to find out what works.

I have always had a few challenges that caused me to have to find my own way. I have pale skin. Very pale. Not the pretty peaches and cream or porcelain a la Nicole Kidman or Alexis Bledel. Too many gingers in my family for that. I got strong pink undertones and freckles, giving me skin that burns and burns but never truly tans and looks pasty if I don't get a little sun. Foundation rarely matches. My hair isn't straight, but it isn't quite curly, so wash and go is never going to be an option without serious chemical treatment. I've gotten good at working with it, thankfully.

Now, enough about me. Let's get to the goods. That's why you're here, right?

Nails have been my most recent obsession. They're easy to experiment with and don't leave you with lasting effects like bad haircuts.

My stash. And my cat's feet. More on him later.

I cleaned out a bunch of old polish not long ago, and this is what remains. I naturally gravitate to pinks and purples, but I'm branching out.

I'm currently rocking a mani/pedi featuring Zoya's Caitlin.

Zoya describes Caitlin as "Smoky purple-tinged medium gray with smooth, opaque creme finish. Sultry, mysterious and impossibly chic, a shade that will have everyone intrigued."

I LOVE the color. Bright enough to be fun and interesting, but the grey base keeps it neutral enough to go with the week's wardrobe. The formula applies smoothly and Zoya's brushes are great. The brush is pretty compact, so it's easy to maneuver. The finish is awesome - You really don't NEED a topcoat. I use Beauty Secrets Moisturizing Base Coat and Top Coat (available at Sally Beauty Supply). I did my nails Monday night, and I'm still chip-free on Thursday.

I only recently discovered Zoya polishes, and I'm highly impressed so far. As a bargain shopper at heart, I balked a bit at the $8 per bottle price tag, but a 4-5 day manicure with no chips makes the price well worth it.

Taken in natural sunlight.

Look how shiny!

The flower was drawn with Art Club by Color Club Freesia Spirit and the center of the flower is Crystal Glitter.

Matching Pedi

You can click on the pictures to enlarge them to see more detail. Just don't look too closely at my toes...Is it just me, or to close-ups of your feet make you look like you are in desperate need of a foot scrub and moisturizer?