Through my iPhone Lens

Happy Monday, Friends!

I am checking in with you all after a nice weekend with my sister and the babies up on the Central Coast. It was wet and rainy but we got in a lot of quality time, a Pure Bar Method work out class, Thanksgiving with friends and seeing Breaking Dawn Part 2. So. Much. Fun! But exhausting... so you get a photo laden post! That is what everyone wants to see anyways, right? 

My Stella and Dot pieces from this look up close!

 YOU GUYS... I urge you ALL to click on this link and check out all of the FABULOUSNESS that Stella and Dot has! Buy for yourself, pick up some gifts, ask me any questions or for suggestions!! The jewelry is gorgeous, trend right and decently priced. PLUS... I am holding a giveaway for anyone that makes a purchase!

Speaking of Giveaways....

People's Annual Sexiest Man Alive has been named, and it is NOT Ryan Gosling! Haha. I was watching The Notebook on Thursday night and Instagrammed this pic of RG. I got so many GREAT comments. I will share when I write a full post on this year's sexiest man. Keep in eye out!

 SO the WINNER of the $20 CVS Giftcard is JORDAN! Congrats lady! I will be emailing you asap!

 My latest mani... SUPER fun! My nails are ready for the Holidays!

And NO, they were not painted USC's colors for the big game this past weekend. I am not a crazy football fan. Plus I was at a UCLA household, that would NOT have flown! Ha! I am wearing OPI 'Goldfinger' and 'I have the blues for red'.

 A neon and neutral look that I didn't photograph for the blog!
Old Navy Rockstar Denim, Old Navy Sweater (similar in stripes), Kendra Scott 'Rayne' necklace, Mossimo Top, Mossimo 'Kaelyn' Booties

Who says that neon is only a Summer trend?

 LOTS of quality time with my cutie patootie nephew and niece. My nephew is a TOTAL ham, such a love bug and has the best laugh I have ever heard. He is SO much fun. My niece is ALL smiles, loves to be held and is a cuddle bug. I am so blessed to have them in my life!

 He apparently has a sweet tooth! He couldn't get enough of this Pumpkin Pie Push Pop and was sneaking cookies! I may have even given him a shot of whipped cream, straight from the can! Haha. He LOVED it. My sister did not. ;)

I hope you all had a great weekend. I am looking forward to a short work week and another weekend away! I LOVE the Holidays!!

Manicure Maniac

HAPPY Memorial Day!

I hope that you all are enjoying the long weekend with your families and loved ones. I am so THANKFUL to live in a country that is protected by brave and selfless men and women. THANK you to those that serve, have served and that sacrificed for Americans.

It has been awhile since I posted a mani on the blog. For those of you that don't know, I gave up getting regular mani/pedi's about a year ago after a career change. I do my own and think I have gotten pretty good at it. I change my nail color every 5-6 days and LOVE trying out the latest trends and colors. It is the easiest way to go trend crazy without spending a lot of money and being age appropriate. I feel like Instagram has been the best way to showcase my latest color combo versus posting weekly on the blog. But since Heather of Glitter and Gloss began her Manicure Monday link up a few weeks ago I will participate every now and then. :)

After going neutral on my nails for my Birthday, I was craving something BRIGHT and fun! I posted a few color combo's on Instagram asking for everyone's opinion since I couldn't choose at that moment. Everyone picked the blue/yellow combo. And I didn't follow everyone's suggestion. Haha. When I actually went to paint my nails I wasn't feeling it. Plus I have that yellow on my toes and don't generally like being matchy matchy! 

 Combo One: Sinful Colors "24/7" and OPI "Gargantuan Green Grape"

Combo Two: Essie "Turquoise and Caicos" and OPI "My Chihuahua Bites"

Combo Three: Sinful Colors "Neon Melon" and OPI "Dating a Royal"

 My Pick...Combo Two :)

 Rings (Left to Right, Top to Bottom)

Jewelmint 'Always have Paris' ring (it's double sided and rose gold! OBSESSED)

Jewelmint 'Sweetheart' ring in Silver (I get SO many compliments on the original gold one that I HAD to have it in silver too)

Kendra Scott 'Tela' ring (This was a special stone that they don't sell but the Turquoise is similar and they are ALL on sale for $25 at KendraScott.com)

Jewelmint 'Always have Paris' ring 

Hope you enjoyed this post! Make sure to head on over to Glitter and Gloss to see what the other creative minds came up with!

Manicure Maniac: Sparkle Accent

Oh Monday, we meet again!

Even after a really relaxing weekend I am still not prepared for you. 

I spent the weekend in Palm Springs. It was CRAZY windy and we spent much of the weekend indoors, watching Lifetime movies. So cliche ;)

I am obsessed with Palm Springs and going out there is one of my favorite getaways. The place holds a lot of memories for me so I definitely battled with a Ghost of the (recent) Past. Taking on each day is the only way to move forward, some days being easier than others. 

I wanted to share with you my manicure from last week. If you follow me on Instagram this is old news, sorry friends! But I found a picture on Pinterest (shocking I know as my obsession continues to grow. I pin every night before bed and prolong my bedtime by hours. It is a true sickness!) and knew that I HAD to try it out for myself. 

This manicure was done by none other than the great Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere. This picture is from her Twitter account via Pinterest.

I already had a nude polish that I am obsessed with. It is 'Naked' by Deborah Lipmann. It is truly nude and not pinky which is what I love about it. I needed a pink glitter polish and did not want to spend a ton of money (I am getting cheap, I guess. Haha) and I happened to read this post by Katie and I headed straight to Target. I picked up Revlon 'Sparkling' for $3.99. SCORE! It was exactly what I was looking for. 

 I LOVED this manicure. It lasted for six days (mine usually last 4-5 days). It was natural with a slight pop. It was needed after 3 weeks of dark polish. 

Have you done anything fun to your nails lately?

Have a great week y'all!

Manicure Maniac: Glitter Tips

It's just another manic Monday!

(and I wish it were Sunday)

Are you all ready for another week? It is August, friends! Where, oh where, has the time gone?

Since we cannot go backwards I am going to have to make the most of the day :)

I am clearly not prepared for the week and I didn't wear anything worth photographing so you get another manicure post. Woot Woot!

I don't know how I find myself buying a new polish so often. It is like they jump into my cart and seek me out. I was so proud of myself that I only spent $27 bucks at Nordy's the other day. But I got ONE thing, Chanel nail polish. (I am jaded) I mean, who goes into Nordstrom and spends so little? Haha. Anyways, I have been in love with the Quartz color and bit the bullet. I am SO glad I did. It is a gorgeous color and is perfect for the Fall transition.

When I started painting my nails I was originally going to to my ring finger's in the gold/brown glitter. But as I started painting I decided to do the tips. I am not much of a french manicure girl, I like my nails a little funkier, but I really love how this manicure turned out. Tell me what you think!

***The nail polish looks more gold on than the taupe you see in the bottle***

Manicure Maniac: Ombre Nails

There are so many bloggers who do INCREDIBLE manicures. Their creativity, patience and extensive color combination's amaze me. Jenn, at The Looks for Less, does a series called 'Manicure Mondays' that I am obsessed with reading. She has used dead snake skin and actual feathers in her manicures and they looked amazing. Another Jenn, at The Stylish Housewife, has become manicure obsessed and has become the 'nail stamp' queen! Check them out (if you don't already!).

With that said I just want to document the 'cooler' things I do with my nails. If you follow me on Instagram you probably have realized how much I paint my nails. A lot. Three times a week sometimes. It is relaxing and therapeutic. It is also a way for me to justify my nail polish addiction. I have been wanting to try the Ombre look for awhile now. I first saw it on Lauren Conrad and then I saw Jenn's version. It was a toss up on the colors, Corals or Purples. I decided on Corals due to the fact that I am missing a purple needed for the perfect Ombre look. 

 Left to Right: Essie 'Silken Cord', OPI 'Cajun Shrimp, OPI 'Bright Lights, Big Color', Essie 'Tart Deco', OPI 'Royal Flush Blush'

 These two products are what MAKE my manicure. I use two coats of nail magic which has truly helped strengthen my nails. This is the longest my nails have EVER been. I let each coat dry completely before adding the color. It seals my nail and has helped eliminate chips. I then do 2 coats of color. Followed by one coat of Seche Vite (best. ever.). When using Seche I make sure to coat the edge of my nail and bring the polish around to wrap it underneath my nail (if that makes sense).

Have you tried the Ombre look?