Feathers?

I mean, I really like painting my nails.  However, in my exploration of the blogosphere, I've discovered that apparently some people are now painting feathers onto their nails.

Like, these kind of feathers:

Here's a Trend I Want to Go Away!

Wedge.  Sneakers.

Now, when my sister told me a few months ago that she wanted a pair of these monstrosities, I was stunned that such a thing was being produced.  Little did I know that, located in New York, she was privy to the beginnings of what is apparently now a nationwide trend.  Or so People Magazine Style Watch would have me believe.

Ladies, do you not understand that you are one front platform away from wearing a Spice Girls-era sneaker (or trainer, as I'm sure they would call them)?  And that the very concept of a wedge sneaker is contradictory?

Q: What do wedges do?
A: Dress up your outfit a bit, at the cost of comfort.

Q: What do sneakers do?
A: Make your feet comfortable and occasionally look super fly and casual.

Q: What do wedge sneakers do?
A: NOTHING GOOD FOR YOUR STANDING, EITHER PHYSICALLY OR SOCIALLY.

In sum, please do not wear these.  Discourage this trend.  The only people who can get away with this are J. Lo and Rihanna because, let's face it, everyone is looking at their asses anyway (I am not going to get into the objectification of women in this society, it is beyond the purview of this post and, I hope, its readership.  This post is about shoes.).

A Nail in Edgewise

Hallo friendies,

For this bitterly cold day, a shock of color to warm you up! I did three coats of Essie Mademoiselle, waited a good long time (like a couple of hours) and then free handed (!) the orange bit with Essie Orange, it's Obvious. Painted it all over with a coat of Revlon Quick Dry topcoat and voilà! Bright, cheery nails!

Have you all been rocking any interesting designs lately?

It's Friday and I Like Dogs

This is the furry child I hang out with a lot while I'm stranded here.  She's pretty cool.  Hope you enjoy seeing her as much as I do.  Happy Friday everyone!  I hope you all have a relaxing weekend planned.  I myself will be reliving some of my college days helping out at my alma mater.  It's always more fun on the other side of the degree.

With love,
Harris

A Rose by Any Other Name...

...would still suffocate you with it's scent, at least in the form of this candle.

Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer, Do

What can I say?  I babysit a lot.  Children's songs are always floating through my brain.

A while back I became hooked on the idea of needing a new scent.  I had been wearing Burberry for Women Eau de Parfum for like, forever (but seriously, since I was seventeen, that is a lot of life transitioning to stick with one scent).  So I started hunting around, determined to make a well-researched decision.  I tried a number of different products, and I'll do a quick rundown of those in a post soon, but I want to focus on the scent I selected.  Much to my surprise, it ended up being Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Parfum.

Melt on Down to Sunny Santiago

If only a Chilean vacation were in the cards at the moment.

Recently, I had the pleasure of being in my local Anthropologie and caught a whiff of a deliciously fruity scent.  I searched a bit and realized it was a Voluspa Santiago Huckleberry Candle.

Image via Beauty.com

They had both a large version and a mini candle available and, not wanting to commit to the large version should the scent of it have a deleterious effect on the health of my sinuses (review of culprit to follow shortly), I selected the mini version.  Happily, no such effect has occurred, so I will definitely be investing in the large glass iteration when the time comes.  The scent is fruity and mellow at the same time, and subtly fills the room with it's slightly tropical fragrance.

This week is going to be smell-tastic, as I've recently gotten into candles and scents, with some big hits and at least one conspicuous miss.  This one definitely falls into the hits category, so sniff away, my lovey-dovies.

Essie Sleek Stick Nail Appliqué Review

Last week, I found myself in CVS for some necessities, but, as usual, found myself perusing the cosmetics/skincare area of the store.  Having successfully convinced myself not to purchase anything extra for a change, I started to head toward the checkout.  It was at this point that something new and unfamiliar caught my eye.

Essie Sleek Stick Nail Appliqués

So I picked up a set in Over the Moon, a kind of gray-mauve with a smattering of cool silver dots near the nail bed.

I prepped my nails as suggested, and then went ahead and applied.  The stickers are, according to the packaging, UV cured, with the idea being that they are as durable as a no-chip manicure.

I found them relatively easy to apply accurately, although one of my nails stubbornly refused to let me put the sticker on correctly (but I'm pretty sure that has more to do with the deficiencies and shape of my own nail).  As you can see, they're pretty nifty looking once they're on, and the variety in sizes means I got at least a pretty good fit for each finger.

So, did it last?  Well, kind of.  The appliqués certainly don't live up to the standards of a good no-chip manicure, which I know from personal experience last at least ten days with no visible signs of wear.  After only three days of wear, the tips are unattractively shredded, enough that I'm going to remove them and use some good old fashioned glitter polish to brighten my day.

Not my fave look.

All in all, for $10, I wouldn't make this a regular habit just based on how quickly they look raggedy, but to jazz up my nails for a fun night out, or just a new and different look that I totally couldn't replicate on my own, I'll definitely look toward these snazzy new patterns.

If any of you have tried this product and found a way to make it last longer, do let me know!  Happy New Year to everyone!