Shellacking It

Have you heard about the new nail trend Shellac?  Creative Nail Designs, the creators of Shellac, claim the polish lasts 14 days without chipping and dries instantly; basically, once it has been applied you can go about your daily chores without worrying about smudging your polish. I'm already sold! There is nothing I hate more than smudging my polish after a recent mani & pedi. Right now there are only 12 nail colors available, but I'm hoping that number will soon grow. You can visit the CND website here to learn more about Shellac and find a local salon offering Shellac services. One of the glamour.com bloggers actually tried out the hype of Shellac and posted her thoughts and experience here. Stay tuned for pictures of my own Shellac manicure!

Top Five Beauty Finds

A couple weeks ago I shared a post on my top five beauty finds. Since then, I have discovered a few more items that I'm slightly obsessed over. Here are a few of my January favorites.



This cucumber gel masque from Peter Thomas Roth is a great hydrator. It helps to tone down irritation, especially during the harsh winter months, and is great when applied right before a work-out.



Rusk Thickr hairspray is great for fine hair girls like myself. It adds a perfect amount of texture for a blowout and helps keep style all day long.



This isn't really a new beauty favorite. It's been one of my favorite drugstore exfoliants for years now. St. Ives Apricot Scrub has a refreshing scent and it leaves my skin feeling baby smooth. I believe it works best when used before my face wash.



Bare Minerals and I have been friends for years now. It works great for my oily skin, which by the way has suddenly decided to become a oil/dry combination skin which has me very flustered! If you are interested in trying Bare Minerals I suggest visiting a Bare Minerals store and let the professionals help you decide what color is right for you. I promise you will not regret it!



Best. curling iron. ever. I'm not joking. This Hot Tools iron works great with my fine, and sometimes, limp, lifeless hair. The temperature rises to above 430 degrees, which will help keep those curls full of life all day!

P.S. Katie from I'm Just Sayin': I will post a picture of the contents of my bag once I find the time to clean it out and make sure the post is worthwhile!  xx

Paris Nights & New York Mornings

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Corrine Bailey Rae is definitely one of my favorite artists. Her cool, smooth voice is so enticing and immediately draws you in to her lyrics. I am beyond in love with her new album, The Sea, with one of my favorite tracks being Paris Nights/New York Mornings. This track is so fun and makes me want to frolic (I like to frolic a lot, see here) through the city streets.  I sincerely suggest you check out the album, you too will fall in love.



I believe this would be a good frolicking dress.  This asymmetrical cream dress with frill trim and belted waist can be found at Asos.

No Good, Very Bad...

{Iceland, home of Sigur Rós, image found here }

Today was one of those days. I'm sure everyone knows what kind of day I'm talking about. The day started out promising I was ready for work on time, which is always a plus, and I remembered to take tea with me! As the day progressed, though, it was full of bad news, terrible work attitudes, and to top it off I hit my knee on the glass door so hard it made me nauseous and I immediately hit the floor. But just when I think I have it bad, something reminds me that my troubles of the day are minute compared to the battles of others. So I have decided to count my blessings and be thankful for another day!

 

Looking Ahead

When the holidays are over I immediately look forward to warmer weather. It turns out I am not the only one who is thinking of crashing waves and sunbeams, Victoria's Secret revealed its 2011 swimwear collection. I believe swimwear is one item you can have fun with, whether it's funky prints or zippers and other hardware. Some of the trends I am searching for are punchy colors, animal prints, bandeau tops and hipster bottoms. Below are a few of my favorites.



{I love the royal blue color in this suit found here}



{You can find this lovely animal print suit here}



{Isn't this nautical suit lovely with the skirted bottom?}

Merry January

{Champagne and strawberry batter...yum-o!}

This year and I have already become great friends. I l.o.v.e rainy, gloomy days and that's exactly what 2011 has given me so far. Although it does make me want to nap all day, it makes my heart very happy. As I promised I have included pictures from this past weekend, including this wonderful recipe for Strawberry Champagne Sparkler Cupcakes. Please do not compare mine to how wonderful the recipe looks. Strawberries are not as yummy as they are in the summer and I had no time to make the chocolate ganache (I'm still working on this whole cooking/baking thing). My New Year's Eve festivities were full of fun, as they usually are when my crew gets together!

{Champagne buttercream frosting}

{Finished product minus the strawberries and ganache}

{Lulu's Fruit Cocktail dress, Forever21 earrings and cuff, Michael Kors watch, Charlotte Russe heels, Essie 'Trombone' nail polish}

{Forever21 clutch, and 2011 glasses}

Bucket List

I know I promised to deliver a wonderful NYE dessert idea today, but after leaving work, rushing to the grocery store, rushing home to exfoliate, and rushing to my spray tan appointment, I finally realized that I should have picked up flour at the store. I hate when I forget things. I honestly swear I will post this awesome recipe with lots of NYE pictures on Monday. In replace of my forgetfulness I have decided to share some items on my bucket list. I believe that resolutions and bucket lists could go hand and hand, so here it goes:

1. Learn to speak Italian- My father is Italian plus I think the language is beautiful.

2. Learn to play the piano- The only problem, I'm not musically inclined.

3. Become a vegetarian for a year- CHECK! I decided to try this in August 2009 and have been a vegetarian ever since! Although, I have introduced fish back into my diet.

4. Run a marathon- I have completed two half-marathons within the past year and those were pretty rough.

5. Live in New York City- This is probably the most intimidating item on my bucket list. I am very much a people person and rarely like being alone. A move to NYC would most definitely be a huge step for me, but I think it would be life changing.

Have a wonderful New Year!