Manicure Monday

Essie "Very Structured", Rimmel "Caramel Cupcake", Watch: Nordstrom's Rack 

It's official: I have become a watch person. This is the third timepiece to be added to my collection, 4th if you count the two bands for one watch head (which counts), and boy, isn't he cute? I have been wanting a brown leather watch since envying my cousin Adam's about 4 Thanksgivings ago so it is about time I have one of my own. Soak in this casual goodness.

Manicure Monday

I forgot to wear rings today, just completely forgot something I wear every single day, not to mention they sit right in front of my face each morning. My brain seems to be out of commission today, not really firing on all cylinders if you will, but I guess that's a small price to pay for the fun times had in San Francisco this weekend. I am dedicating a whole post to my adventures, maybe even two so that is something to look forward to, once my brain decides to wake up for the week. In the meantime, here are some pretty nails for your day.

Manicure Monday

I have been on the hunt for a really killer nude color and though I am not sure that I have totally found "the one" just yet, this Rimmel Caramel Cupcake shade has been growing on me. Plus it drys in 60 seconds so that is a major plus in my book. 

Yes, it is practically the same color as my skin tone and yes, it does blend in with the sand a bit but when the light hits it a certain way, it is pretty great. And I just envision the color totally popping against a more bronzed skin tone so here's hoping.

Manicure Monday

Greetings from the left coast! I still can't believe that I am here in Southern California and that I am here to stay. Guys, I live here. I mean, how did this happen? Since I will be living out of a suitcase(suticases, actually) for about a month, my embarrassingly extensive nail polish collection is not here...yet. I had to focus on bringing shoes and clothes and selected only a couple bottles of polish but one I chose was this electric blue that really makes a nice statement. Oh, and see that bracelet with the flowers right there? That's my first purchase as a resident. Picked it up at this cute bead shop in Laguna beach. I think it's safe to say I'm going to like it here.

Manicure Monday

This is me in the car because lately I feel like that's the main place I have been. Driving to do Christmas shopping. Driving downtown for work meetings. Driving home to see the family, driving back and then driving home again in 5 days. So, while at a red light on one of these many occasions, I snapped a pic of what I have been rocking on my nails, a subtle lavender color that I think has been in my nail polish collection for a few years now. I'm talking like potentially 3+ years. But as long as it still rocks, I going to rock it, it's as simple as that. And I will keep rocking down the highway on my way to my holiday vacation.

Manicure Monday

It has been a crazy few days with visitors in town for my ugly sweater party and the reason for my oh so festive nails. This was a quick job and my first attempt at Christmas nails. I think for when it gets closer to the end of the month, I might go for some candy cane nails or maybe even a strand of lightsbut in the time crunch that was Saturday night, a nice green and red combo was just the ticket.

Manicure Monday

I had a lovely "me" weekend these past couple days and man, was it great! One of the things I checked off my list was getting my first ever shellac manicure and I am happy to say that the most difficult thing I had to do was decide on a color that would be on my nails for two+ weeks so it was a success.

I know what you are thinking, how is this the first time you are getting a shellac manicure? You have been missing out, it lasts forever!  You will love it! It won't chip! One of the best things ever! Yes, yes, I have heard them all and I have to say that post treatment, I could not agree more. But, if you are like me and are new to the game, I figured I would share a bit about what you can expect because who wants to look like a rookie? No one, that's who.

First things first, there are a few terms being thrown around referring to this manicure like shellac, gel based and gel polish. No need to fear, these are all referring to the same thing. Now if you don't know, one of the main benefits of a shellac manicure is that fact that the color will last 14 days or more on your own nails so there are no fake nails involved. How can this be you ask? Well, this is a special type of polish (gel based) that is essentially cured under UV light to give you a lasting manicure.

There are three steps or layers to complete a shellac manicure. After your nails and cuticules are trimmed and ready (note: your nails should not be buffed or shiny before the polish is added. It will stick better this way), the first coat of the base polish is applied. Each hand then spends a couple minutes under this funky UV light contraption that sets the polish. There are two coats of the base applied. Next is the actual colored polish and as you can see, I went with a solid shade in the brown family that works for fall though a french tip is also an option. One coat of the color, then UV light, another coat and another stint under the light. Lastly, there is a top coat that seals in the whole procedure and sets the nails. Another perk of the shellac process and the use of the light means that the manicure is totally dry when you get out of your chair so I had no fear of smudges when heading to the outlets afterwards and perusing the clothing racks. So all in all, solid experience and the whole thing took a little less than an hour.

There are a couple things to look out for because like most things, this may not be for everyone. Some people's nails do not take to this process and the polish will essentially be peeling away from the nail or "slide" off. Luckily for me, I have not seen any signs of this so I think I am safe. There is also a special way to have the shellac taken off your nails. You can do it yourself at home by soaking your nails in acetone nail polish remover for about 10 minutes but it really should be part of your service at the salon. They can properly remove the shellac from your nails after it starts to grow out so talk to your manicurist and find out if is included beforehand.

Because of the durability of the shellac, this works great for trips to the beach, special occasions or in my case, holding up against doing dishes, cleaning my apartment and watching Friends on Sunday. But let's just pretend I did something a bit more exoctic.