Nails of the Month

1. Party nails; So I am just not impressed with Essie’s new formulas lately! This is the second time I try a new summer shade (in this case, DJ Play That Song) where I have to apply a ton of coats for it to only be semi-opaque. What’s going on! So not impressed. I decided to add a party nail (because, well, why not) using O.P.I.’s The Living Daylights. They just blow Essie out of the water with their glitters, don’t they?

2. Leopard mani; I was SO excited to try this fabulous manicure from the lovely Jen Fabulous. It was so much fun to recreate, especially now that I have dotting tools! I first did an ombre over the nails and then used the tools to make the leopard spots randomly throughout the nails. I got so many compliments from strangers with this one – I can’t wait to do it again!

3. The Big Blue; Hated it! Yet another Essie flop this month. When I saw Bouncer It’s Me sitting on the shelves, I HAD to have it. It looked so vibrant and perfect for the summer. When it went on though, it was a different story. So blah and flat. I was not impressed. I actually liked it a lot better on my toes than on my nails. The more I try these neons, the more I think that they need to be layered over a white base to really have the impact they are meant to have.

4. Little Mermaid nails; This was yet another fun Jen Fabulous nail tutorial. Of course, Jen’s looked glorious, while mine looked…questionable at best. I was headed to Disney for Labor Day weekend, so I definitely wanted a Disney-inspired manicure. After several failed Mickey silhouettes, I decided to try my hand at this Little Mermaid one. Things were looking great until Ariel’s seashell bikini top. Oops.

Lovable Friday!

1. Ombre sneaks; It’s no secret. I love all things ombre, especially when they come along with a DIY challenge! The uber talented Gissi, of The Architect of Style, broke down the steps of how to achieve perfectly rose petal dipped canvas shoes, and I have to say, this looks like something I can give a whirl. Maybe I should wait until after I finish my year long studded sneaker DIY, huh? Ha.

2. Donut piñata; Homer Simpson would be so proud. Although I’m pretty sure I’d never be able to DIY my own piñata, this one is just so cute it hurts. Definitely for those with a sweet tooth, it would be a perfect detail to any fiesta. If anyone tries it, definitely let me know!

3. Gold dot shower curtain; While shopping for a new shower curtain (life is super exciting these days), I stumbled on this amazing one. Unfortunately, it is no longer available (& had an outrageous price tag anyways), but it would have added such a touch of kitschy class to our master bathroom. Everything happens for a reason though: I was able to find an even better (& affordable) one that fits in perfectly with our mermaid/sea theme. Details soon!

4. Gold leaf barrette; Speaking of gold, this beautiful hair clip is the perfect accessory to jazz up any outfit. I honestly think it would even make a gorgeous bridal hairpiece for a boho chic wedding!

5. Lime Crime’s Babette; I’ve been on a Lime Crime high lately (hello unicorn packaging!), and have been obsessively stalking their new products. Babette had been in the works for some time, and now that it has been released, I need me one. Too bad I waited too long and it is now sold out. Drats.

 

Nails of the Month

I know I’ve been MIA, but I was busy celebrating my birthday! It was a great week (yes, I milk it for as long as I can), but I’m ready to jump back into the blog full force. I can’t think of a better way to come back than with Nails of the Month!

1. My Little Pony; when choosing these fun, pastel colors, I couldn’t help but think of MLP. Growing up, it was my favorite cartoon and I must admit, I am still enamored by all the pretty ponies. This is the same ombre as last month, just with a third color added for more depth. I used Essie’s Bottle Service and Play Date, along with Savina’s Light Mist.

2. Pinkie; sometimes I can do simple. Super embarrassing to admit, but I forgot I had this Essie shade. I discovered it while cleaning out my overflowing polish rack (first world problems). Bottle Service is a super bright and punchy pink: perfect for the summer. If you want to go full on neon, add a white base coat underneath.

3. Half moon; another great tutorial by the wonderful MissJenFabulous. What I loved about this one is how deceivingly EASY it is. This is one of those manicures that got attention everywhere I went from friends down to straight up strangers. I’ve tried half moon manicures before, but they have required taping the portion of your nail you’d like mooned, which always ended up really messy and at least for me, the tape would rip off my nail polish 80% of the time. With this tutorial, Jen suggested painting the nail in full in whatever color you wanted to be the accent moon (in this case, Essie’s No Place Like Chrome) and then painting over it in the top shade, just ending short to create the half moon effect (I used Lime Crime’s Peaches & Cream). How easy is that????

Mercedes-Benz Swim Week: Escape Lounge

One of the best parts of the weekend was seeing these two beauties, Rosa (fabgirlmag.com) & Netty (thefashionableesq.blogspot.com)

Although I did not have time to attend all of this past week’s fashion events that make up the Mercedes-Benz Swim Week here in Miami, I was able to swing by to some on Saturday. I have a small confession to make: these events can make me all of a sudden feel very introverted. I usually feel a little uncomfortable since I can be pretty shy in novel situations, but the Escape Lounge held in the Sagamore Hotel made me feel so welcome! Hosted by the lovely Annie Vazquez (better known as The Fashion Poet), it included a photobooth, nail bar, makeup station and complimentary braids from the amazing Blo Bar.

Seriously, how great is this???? For the final look, check out my Instagram.

I loved how inviting the lounge felt, and combined with the gorgeous interior design of the hotel, I couldn’t help but feel refreshed and relaxed. Later, we attended the ASOS Penthouse party at the Soho Beach House, where we were gifted with the most gorgeous rooftop terrace view of Miami Beach and of course, beautiful models showing off their swimwear. I think we were so entranced, we must have forgotten to take pictures (ooops!). Thankfully, this adorable Miami blogger did not.

Overall, I felt very flattered and honored that I was graced with admission into these great parties, and I can’t wait to be experience more. And for those fashionistas, check out the blog tomorrow for an outfit post!

Indie Craft Bazaar: Color Your Summer

I know I have mentioned here on the blog how much I love all things handmade, local and unique, which is why I got so excited about the Indie Craft Bazaar that took place last weekend at Revolution Live. Although I was really looking forward to it, I wasn’t sure what to expect. As usual, my expectations were not only met but surpassed! What great local talent!

Not only that, but I was able to finally meet two wonderful ladies that I have known via the Internets for years: Roxy & Jojo. We had such a great time together and although I got gluten-ed (damn you, delicious Tarpon burgers!), I think it was a successful first adventure (of many, I hope).

I’m on somewhat of a shopping freeze until next month, so it was very hard not to let my shopaholic tendencies get the best of me, but I did snatch up plenty of business cards for future shopping.

So many fun pieces to sift through – I personally squee’d when I saw the Boston Terrier pillow (they are made from actual photos of pets she has photographed) and was in awe of the beautifully hand-crafted accessories at Real Vintage Elegance (look at that tiara!!!).

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Britelites Color

Confession: I really don’t know why I chopped off my hair. Not only because I miss the length, but also because I basically had a killer ombre that had barely faded. Ever since then, I have missed my fun locks more than anything, so when I stumbled on Britelites, I knew I had to give it a go! It’s temporary hair color that you simply just roll onto your hair. You may think this sounds like hair chalk, but the difference is that it is vibrant (even on dark hair) and lasts!


I had a blast playing with all the colors (for this post, I used the red, blue & purple), and loved the results! Warning: it can get messy, but it easily washes off with soap and water. And definitely do not be afraid to use multiple shades – that’s what really creates bright and bold hues. I personally can’t wait to give it another go for this week’s Swim Week events!

Want some even better news? I have a coupon code to share with all of you! Type in “melificent” at checkout to receive 10% off your Britelites purchase!!! Hope this helps you all have an even more colorful and fun summer.

Melificent disclosure: Company provided me with the product in return for review above. However, all opinions are my own.

Lovable Friday

1. Miami’s Vixen Workout; leave it to a Miami girl to put together a 60-minute workout to booty music while rocking sky-high heels for maximum results. But seriously, this is nothing to scoff at. I have not yet attended one of these killer sessions, but I hear they are beyond fun and get your heart rate begging for mercy. Who wants to be my partner in twerk (did I really just use the term twerk)??

2. Unicorn sweater; there are few better things than allowing a unicorn to keep you toasty in chilly weather, am I right? OK, so maybe there are (like Henry Cavill for instance), but right now, it’s all about this amazing unicorn sweater. It’s a little grade school mixed with a little magic, and I clearly must have it for our upcoming European travels. Did I mention my birthday is coming up??

3. My Little Skeleton; by now, you must realize that I am a huge My Little Pony fan. I have a decal on my laptop, I went to Build-a-Bear and created my own Rainbow Dash (she is named Daenerys, naturally) and somewhere, have a collection of all my vintage ponies. So when I saw this anatomical sculpture of a pony, I had a physical reaction. Although there is no glitter, streamers or confetti, as I would imagine would make up one of these bad boys, I approve. ;)

4. Lime Crime; I don’t know what took me so long to discover this FABULOUS beauty line, but just yesterday I stumbled on the pure glory of Lime Crime and their lipsticks, nail polishes and eye makeup. Not only are they fun, wild and fantastic, but their creator, Doe Deere, looks like she stepped straight out of an anime. Does she realize she now has to be my best friend?

5. Critter flats; oh, Marc Jacobs. Why do you toy with my heart? Along with Kate Spade, I’m pretty sure they are well on their way to destroy my bank account. Look at these kitty & mouse flats! Look at them, people! Would you even wear these? They are little works of art. If someone stepped on me while wearing a pair, I think I would go postal. And wait. While searching for a link to share with you all, I discovered he did not stop at cats & mice, but also made BOSTON TERRIER flats to match his iPhone case (which naturally I own). ::waves fist in anger::

 

Nails of the Month

Say hello to a new feature!!!

I’m pretty sure everyone knows by now that I kind of have a problem with nail polish. Namely, my collection looks like something you find at a beauty salon and I may recite the name of Essie colors like they were my children’s. But hey! Everyone has their vices, right? I could do a lot worse than nail polish. ;)

So I’ll be chronicling all my manicures for the month and then linking the tutorials I followed (if they are all fancy-like), and the colors I used, since I get a lot of comments/questions when I post them on my Instagram. This way, I can share the information with all you guys, while also reviewing some shades at the same time! Like it? Good!

1: Galaxy nails; This one was super fun, and surprisingly easy! As long as you have a variety of shades (I don’t have that problem – heh), you should be good to go. Especially when you are following this fantastic tutorial. The colors I used were China Glaze’s Smoke & Ashes for the base, along with Sinful Colors’ Love Nails, Essie’s Boom Boom Room, Savina’s Light Mist & N.Y.C.’s Starry Silver Glitter.
2: Ombre nails; So after such a kick ass tutorial, I decided to subscribe to MissJenFabulous‘ videos, and found that her ombre how to was her top rated. Naturally, I had to give it a try. This one? Even easier than the galaxy nails! Since my nails are so short, I decided to only choose 2 colors, but next time I’m going to go big and try 3. Also, here’s a tip: I personally think you should choose really bright hues that are not similar for the best effect. You may not be able to note the ombre effect if they are too close in hue. Don’t be timid! I used Essie’s Tart Deco & Boom Boom Room.
3: Fancy nails; I’m a big fan of the fancy nail. It just gives a simple manicure that omph that makes it special. Unfortunately, I really needed that with this mani because I was pretty disappointed with the main shade, Essie’s Absolutely Shore. As you see, it’s not very opaque, and that was after like 4-5 coats! Not my favorite color…For the fanciness, I used Essie’s Boom Boom Room again (didn’t realize how much I used it in June) layered with Essie’s Over the Top.
4: Color club; After several recommendations from another polish-obsessed friend, I decided to give Color Club a try. As their name suggests, they carry some pretty fun hues that are very pigmented, so naturally I was drawn to the brights. The one that really caught my eye was Age of Aquarius, this amazing aqua. It is simply the perfect shade for summer. New favorite! Best part? They come in for a lot less than Essie, China Glaze or O.P.I. and (at least in my experience) last so much longer!

Squeeworthy: Clinique’s A Different Nail Enamel

Clinique never fails me when it comes to safe & effective beauty products. I was in love with their new CC cream (here) and I felt no different after checking out their new line of nail polishes, A Different Nail Enamel for Sensitive Skins. It’s formulated to minimize skin sensitivity (that not only includes skin, but eyes as well). Why is this important? Well, did you nail enamel can cause irritation and even contact dermatitis on the thin skin around the eye? It’s actually considered a significant allergen source for those in the dermatological community!

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Lovable Friday!

1. Hair Chalk; Since my hair is shorter now, I don’t really have all the options I did before for fun ombre and fashion colors. That’s why I’m all about these temporary hair chalks! They are easy to apply, come in vibrant colors and wash out without a problem. Sign me up!

2. Batman Money Clip; I have a lot of nerds and dorks in my life. And I would never have it any differently. When I saw this Batman money clip, I knew I had found the perfect gift item! Definitely keeping for future reference.

3. Glitter Mani; Although I’m no longer very adventurous when it comes to unique manicures (they always seem easy enough, don’t they???), this one has me itching to attempt a recreation. I mean, does this read princess or what? May be worth the effort! ;)

4. Flamingo Bikini; It’s almost time for bikini season…well, let’s be honest. It Miami, it’s always bikini season! My first bikini encounter will be next weekend at the Floatopia event, and oh how I wish I could debut this ADORABLE number from Victorias Secret. Not only is it electric and fun, but it represents the 305 with its quirky little flamingos to the tee! Total must have.

5. DIY Ottoman; IKEA makes it so easy to have a fresh and hip home on a budget! Its affordable furniture makes it easy to use for DIY’s, especially this one. Seems like after only a few easy steps, you can have a statement piece for your living room (or even bedroom – think of it in front of your bed!). Best part? The grand total is a whopping $8! Love.