This past weekend, my two friends, E, B, and I went to a pumpkin patch. The three of us used to go together every year, until B went off to an out-of-state college. Now that he's back, we are getting to experience traditions, like this one, once again (yay!). Other traditions of ours include: seeing the new Harry Potter and Twilight movies when they come out, celebrating New Year's Eve and 4th of July, and exploring Downtown Seattle via bus at least twice a year.
Coordinating my nail polish with holidays is something I love doing. Since Halloween is just around the corner, I decided to that there was no better design to use for inspiration than that of a candy corn. The secret to this tutorial is painter's tape.
What you will need
Painter's tape (this works best, but any kind will do)
Scissors
Yellow, Orange, and White nail polish
Optional: Black polish, or another really dark color
Directions
1. Paint the nails you want the candy corn design to be on, yellow.
2. As you wait for the yellow polish to dry, cut out a few small strips of tape.
3. Once the yellow polish is dry, take a strip of the tape, and cover the bottom 1/3 of your nail.
4. Paint the part of your nail that is not covered with tape, orange.
5. Once the orange polish is dry, remove the tape, and repeat step 3. However, instead of covering the bottom 1/3 of your nail, you will want to cover the bottom 2/3.
Something I tend to do every now and then is coordinate my nail polish color with the weather/season. You know, dark colors for the fall/winter, and lighter colors for the spring/summer.
One of my favorite things to wear during the fall: leather boots. If you are like me and wear them 24/7, investing in a good pair is important. They don't necessarily have to be expensive, but they need to be durable.
Here are 3 questions you can ask yourself to guarantee a good purchase:
1. Do the boots have a thick sole (about an inch or more) with a small heel?
2. Are they made of durable material? Natural materials like leather or suede will outlast anything man-made. That said, spending extra money for the real thing will be worth it!
3. And of course, do they fit nicely? If you're going to be wearing your boots all the time, make sure you can walk in them comfortably.
*Edit: for those of you wondering, I got these boots during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. They're by the brand, Frye.
Something I've been loving lately is graphic tees. They've been around forever, and depending on the style, have the ability to look "vintage" after years of wear and tear. They're are also versatile in that they can be worn on the most casual of days, or paired with a blazer for dressier occasions.
I got these two tees at a Quicksilver store when I went to California a couple weeks ago, courtesy of my boyfriend's grandmother.
Erin, of Erin's Lucky Stars recently posted this YouTube video of a guy proposing to his girlfriend at Disneyland. I couldn't help but to pass it on to you all. It got me thinking about all of my friends who have gotten engaged this year, and how much we have all grown up.
When I was a kid, various elements of media (movies, books, etc.) gave me the notion that my life would unfold in the following manner: I would complete all my years of primary and secondary education, go to a big college where I would have the time of my life for 4 years, get married after getting my degree, and somehow, instantly become successful. Granted, it works out that way for a handful of people. For the rest of us, it's a little more complicated than that.
I don't know. I feel like I'm at a point in my life where I'm still trying to figure things out. Where do I want to be in 5 years? Who do I want to be in 5 years? I'm not ready to be married yet, and am not even close to establishing a solid career. As I think about where some of my friends from high school are now, it makes me want to slow down time. My BFF from 6th grade, T, recently got engaged, my other BFF, B, is working off his student loans at his 2nd dream job (Starbucks!), N is taking the time to explore her options as a post-grad, and R is currently setting herself up to rule the world (you go, girl!).
I suppose it's not that time moves fast, it's the fact that I may not have paid enough attention to what was going on around me. From now on, I'm making a goal to enjoy more of the little things in life, like quiet evenings with my roommates, getting to know the people in my cohort, and my ever-changing "favorite song" of Taylor Swift's. Because before I know it, I'm going to be the proud owner of 50 cats, and spending my days knitting sweaters for my grandkids... in a giant rocking chair. Although that sounds really great, I'm just not ready for it yet.
For my birthday this year, my good friend N got me a nail decorating kit that came with 3 skinny-brush polishes, and two styles of french tip guides. In the process of moving from my parent's house to my new apartment, I forgot a few things. One, being the french tip guides.
I've been wanting to try the chevron style for quite some time now, and since I was desperate, I decided to freehand it. The design was extremely simple to re-create, and didn't come out looking too badly in the end.
You will need:
2 colors, one being a skinny-brush polish. Tip: colors that contrast look the best.
A steady hand
Directions:
1. Paint your nails with a color of your choice.
2. With your skinny-brush polish, paint an X at the top of your nail. Make sure the lines at the top of your X are closer together than the bottom ones (see picture below).
3. Fill in all sides of the X, except for the bottom.
4. Repeat these steps on your other nails.
pictures taken and edited by SWEATshirt DRESSshirt, edited on Picnik
