Boys Of Summer

I apologize for the lack of posts this past week. I just got back from vacationing in Hawaii! It was absolutely amazing. I wish I could have taken the sun back with me, but for some strange reason, I found my reunion with the rain to be quite refreshing. I will always be a Seattlelite at heart. What is your favorite thing about the city/state/country you live in?

This week's list for MUSIC MONDAY (OK--..."Music Thursday", as I should be calling it):
1. 'O Valencia' The Decemberists
2. 'Follow Through' Gavin DeGraw
3. 'Just The Way You Are' Bruno Mars
4. 'Boys In The Summer' Jessie James
5. 'Boys Of Summer' DJ Sammy or The Ataris (both versions are awesome)
6. 'I Could Say' Lily Allen
7. 'You Make It Real' James Morrison
8. 'Stolen' Dashboard Confessional

How-to: At-Home Pedicure

Although I enjoy going out for an occasional pedicure, I prefer to do my own nails. It saves me money, and I always get to use the exact color/brand I want. Over the years, I have discovered red to be my all time favorite winter nailpolish, while hot pink stands as my signature summer color. I wanted to share with you lovely bloggers the steps I use to achieve your very own at-home pedicure.

What you will need:
-a place to soak your feet in warm water for ~10 minutes (I usually use my bathroom sink)
-nail clippers and a cuticle cutter (you can find these tools for cheap at a dollar store, Target, Wal-Mart, etc)
-nailpolish of choice (below, I have the color 'Lavender' from F21)

optional:
-cotton balls/pads to remove pre-existing nailpolish
-sugar scrub, to slough away dead skin (see below for home-made recipes)
-nail file
-top coat (I usually don't use base coats or top coats. Especially base coats, because they tend to make your nailpolish peel faster.)

Steps:
1. Soak feet in warm water for ~10 minutes. If you would like to exfoliate, you can use a foot scrub. For home-made recipes, visit this website.
2. Cut nails to desired length. I prefer mine to be short.
3. Using a cuticle cutter (you can also use a 'cuticle nipper' or a 'cuticle pusher'), cut away the cuticle on each nail. Be careful not to cut too close to your actual skin. The cuticle cutter I have pictured below also doubles as a great tool to clean the surface of the edges of your toenails.
4. Apply 2 coats of color to nails that are clean and dry. I usually skip the top coat because the thinner your nailpolish is, the longer it lasts. However, you don't want to add too thin of a coat, because in my opinion, the more opaque nailpolish appears on your nails, the more put-together it looks. I decided to add a top coat this time for glossiness. See picture below for finished product.

-If you accidentally get polish onto the skin that is close to your newly painted nail, take a q-tip that has been dipped in remover, and gently rub away the polish.

Good luck!

T Is For...

While blog surfing, I stumbled across Signe Pling who had posted a few of her favorite things starting with the letter "E". I thought it was a fun idea, so I decided to do the same. I randomly chose the letter "T", for myself.

1. turtles- I recently got a turtle named Gary, and love him to pieces.

2. train tracks- someday, I will take outfit pictures with these in the background.

3. teenage love: "There's kind of this euphoric feeling of when you're falling in love for the first time-- and you're always looking for someone who makes you feel like that again. That's what the song is about-- how being in love makes me feel like I'm living a teenage dream." -Katy Perry for Seventeen Magazine on her song Teenage Dream

all images via WeHeartIt

I tag: anyone who is interested!

Sparks Fly

image via WeHeartIt

I would consider my music choice to consist of a plethora of genres, making it extremely diverse. I enjoy both indie and mainstream, as well as classic, pop, rock, and r&b. But when it comes to Taylor Swift, I will always be the first one to admit my obsession with her music. I was lucky enough to attend a show that was a part of her Fearless Tour earlier this year. It was one of the most amazing experiences ever. She is SUCH a talented song writer, who always seems to uphold a positive image. Her song, 'Sparks Fly' will be one of the many tracks on her newest album, "Speak Now", which is expected to be released on October 25th (you can find a live version on YouTube). I would describe this song as mysterious, romantic, and innocently seductive. I am counting down the days!

This week's list for MUSIC MONDAY:

1. 'Sparks Fly' Taylor Swift
2. 'Walking On A Dream' Empire Of The Sun
3. 'Goodnight Goodnight' Hot Hot Heat
4. 'VCR' The xx
5. 'Love Like Woe' The Ready Set

Face Value

this image is via WeHeartIt

I absolutely love face masks. Whether they are home-made or store bought, I am always looking to try new recipes/products. Here are a few that I have either tried in the past or have recently discovered:

Soft Skin

You will need: 1 tablespoon of egg whites

-apply egg whites to clean skin, making sure to avoid the eye and lip areas

-leave on for ~10 min and rinse

The Clinique Way

One of my favorite face masks is the Acne Solutions oil-control cleansing mask by Clinique. I use it once or twice a week, and after a 5 minute application, it leaves my face feeling clean and smooth. This product can also double as a spot treatment.

The following recipes are from Seventeen Magazine (I have not yet tried these, so I cannot guarantee success):

Calm Redness

You will need: 1 cucumber, 1 tablespoon plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon fresh cranberries (mashed)

-grate cucumber, and combine with yogurt and cranberries (amounts listed above)

-mix ingredients to create a paste

-apply to any red areas of face, neck, or chest

-leave on for 5-10 min and rinse

Brighten Skin

You will need: 3 tablespoons mashed papaya, 2 tablespoons mashed banana, 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon coconut water, and 1 tablespoon yogurt

-combine ingredients (amounts listed above)

-stir mixture until it forms a thick consistency, chill in fridge for 1 hr

-apply mask onto clean skin, wait 5 min, rinse with cool water

Stop Breakouts

You will need: 1 teaspoon canned pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon flour, and 1 egg

-combine ingredients, beat mixture with fork until smooth

-apply a thin layer onto clean skin, wait 20 min

-rinse with lukewarm water, pat dry

*You can also use honey on its own as a mask, and leave it on for ~10 min. (I have tried this one, and it works wonderfully!)

**Be sure to take caution with these face masks if you have food allergies. Best of luck!

this image is via WeHeartIt

Fall/Back To School Hairstyles

Hey Everyone! For those of you who are in dire need of some new hairstyles (like myself), I thought you would be interested in this video. I have been watching MacBarbie07's YouTube videos for quite some time now and I think that for being so young, she is incredibly mature and has a great sense of style. Enjoy!

xoxo
SWEATshirt/DRESSshirt

Dress Me Up

dress: Urban Outfitters $30 SALE //white tank: Banana Republic gift from Mom(SALE) //boots: Nordstrom, Star Ling $60 SALE (Anniversary sale 2009)

I'm going to try to be more of a dress person this fall. To me, dresses have always been a timeless symbol of feminism. They are versatile in that they can be worn during the hottest days of summer, as well as the snowiest days of winter. While on the Yahoo! website today, I came across New Dress A Day. It's a blog documenting a woman's goal of transforming one hideous dress a day for 1 year, on a budget of $365. That's $1 for each dress! Pretty amazing, huh?