Friday, June 25, 2010

Summer Nails to Share

E is out at a sleepover.  And I'm watching 2 of my nephews.  So the boys (M & nephews) are hanging out in the basement.  Hubby is here, too.  So there's a lot of boy-ness going on in my house right now, with just me & Lucy to keep up the girl quotient.  Fortunately, she has a pink collar.

What to do?  Let's talk nail polish...especially some fun summer shades.  Sorry I'm so late in posting these, but I was...uh...yeah, taking that blog break.

What do I have to share?  3 of the 4 shades in Essie's Spring Resort Collection and 1 shade from Sephora by OPI's Havana Nights Spring Collection.

Guest-nailing for me here are E's toes.  This was a really fun pedi to do.  Next time, I'm adding white polka dots.  On alternating toes, are Sephora by OPI in Havana Dreams ("sheer pale sky blue") and Essie Turquoise & Caicos ("a flirty & pretty tropical aqua").  I love doing the every-other-nail look on E.  Too young for me, but perfect on my almost-8-year-old.  And I love these colors on E - such a perfect pedi for going to the beach.  But neither of these applied well. For a little girl's nails, they are fine, but I tried Havana Dreams on my fingers and it was a bit streaky.  Then again, I have found that to be the case with some of the Sephora by OPI pale colors (especially Run With It, which I *love*, but it just never applies right).  And I think the Essie T&C would really need 3 coats on a grown-ups nails to be even. 


Such cute little toes!!

Next up, my pedi.  Let me pause to note that I got the Essie colors as a set of 4 minis.  When you look at the pic, I just want you to realize that it's a mini-bottle and that my feet really aren't that big.  This is Essie Lapis of Luxury ("a dreamy ocean blue").  This one applied pretty well.  I realize the names are supposed to mesh it into the collection, but it reminded me of a cornflower blue crayon - very pretty blue (not quite as turquoise-y as it looks to me on my computer). Not sure if it's too bright for me...we'll see.  Maybe as a mani color with navy toes? 


And finally, my fave from the collection - Playa Del Platinum ("an elegant & sheer sandy gray") here on my fingers.  For a pale color and for an Essie, it actually applies really well, and I've worn it at least once since then.  Love it.


Hope you have a bit of a girlie weekend...that was mine!  I think I should leave the boys downstairs and take my girlie-pup upstairs to watch a chick flick.
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Thursday, June 24, 2010

Another Shoe to Share (My Sub for the Ares Platform Heel)

Let me just start this out by saying that I love J Crew shoes (um, except for the more masculine styles which just aren't me).  They are oh so pretty.  I love their colorways.  They are so yummy-looking when I scroll through the website or flip through the catalog.  And then cold, hard reality hits.  The flats really just aren't as supportive as I'd like.  I honestly think some of my Target flats have more support and cushioning.  And they tend to run narrow - especially up front in the toe box where, thanks to bunion genes running amok in the womenfolk of my family, my foot runs wide.  (I am the only girl who hasn't had bunion surgery - my sister had it in college - ow!!) 

And then there is the heel issue.  I love the look of heels.  I completely agree that most girl people, myself included, do look better when wearing heels.  I just don't feel as mobile or as speedy.  So I wear flats or a lower heel - which, admittedly is hard to find in a cute, not dowdy, shoe.  I really try to stick to 3" max, and yes, I like a thicker heel if I'm planning to walk much.  Maybe for my mid-life crisis when I turn 40 in a year and a half, I'll actually learn how to walk in heels and start wearing them as a default.  (yeah right...)

So while I admire the J Crew shoes from afar, they just don't work for me in 99% of cases.  Joley flats and Danielle flat sandals being the exception - both of which I have and love, but definitely realize are not cushioned or supportive for all day walking.

So, as with my Sofft sandals from yesterday's post, once again, I found myself with a near-dupe of a J Crew sandal - in this case, the Ares Platform Heel (#25485, $215), pictured below. 

My version, purchased from Loehmanns for about $40, but still available from Piperlime - and now on sale for $29.99.  Granted, they definitely aren't as edgy as the JC version, but they are wearable for me.  Maybe it helps that I have longer legs, I don't know.  White Mountain Medusa:

And the IRL on my toesies. 

I don't think I've worn them in an outfit pic, but I'm sure that I'll get a pic of them soon enough.  Especially now that I'm hopefully back in the blogging saddle again.

How much do I love these shoes?  Tons.  Way comfy, even for a heel.  Totally stay on my foot.  Great neutral go-with-everything color.  Last time I wore them was with a white shirt & white jeans and they were fab.  Love them with regular jeans.  And I think they'll work with some of my summer dresses, too.

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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Happy Summer in Dress & Sandals

So it's really truly officially the start of summer.  I don't know about you, but for us, summer arrives in stages...first the pool opens Mem Day weekend, then spring sports end (yay!), then school's out (yay yay!!), and finally we have the official 1st day of summer right as we hit our stride into full-on summer.  Been a bit absent - I think I last posted before we went down to NC to see the inlaws for my FIL's 70th bday, and here we are in June and we just got back from a 5-day weekend there to play at the beach once school let out.  It is a long drive, but I can't complain about traffic because it could have been SO much worse.  Looking forward to shorter drives for the rest of the summer, though.

Funny summer stories for you:

- Today E pulled out one of her teeth.  It was almost out and she did the last yank.  Atta girl!  But yes, ewwww.

- M caught his first shark this past weekend.  Ok, it was a 15" dead baby sand shark that he stepped on in the surfand then reached down to see what it was.  My & my cool head...I was walking down to the water with the camera and after he showed dad, he came running out of the surf with it to show me.  I freaked out and just said "Throw it back!"  I wasn't sure if it was dead or alive, but in either case it really skeeved me out.  Me, with the camera....and totally didn't take a picture.  And let's add an ewwwwwww for that one.  Oh, he's such a boy.  And clearly, I'm not so good with the surprises...  I do fairly well with injuries like head wounds and all that, but it's the critter stuff that gets me.

And summertime, as always, means easy dresses.  I love 1-piece dressing.  It just doesn't get any easier than that.  Here's yesterday's outfit for a few errands before we went to the pool.

Loft knit sheath dress from several years ago and black Sofft sandals.  Black dress + black sandals...ok, maybe it's not that creative, but it always works. 

I got these sandals from DSW and they are insanely comfy!  (Sofft, duh....)  Anyway, I highly recommend.  Plus, the ankle strap has enough give that I can actually slip them over my heel without unbuckling - always a bonus.

Funny thing is, when I was browsing around the J Crew website, I found a pair of heeled sandals that are way similar - the Knotted Macrame heels ($27829, $225).  And you all know that (1) I just don't do heels that often, and (2) most J Crew shoes just don't work on my feet - way too narrow and not enough support.  So basically I have the JC look in a much more comfortable shoe.  And it was quite a bit less price-wise.  Works for me!

Close up of my Sofft sandals:


J Crew Knotted Macrame Heels:


Good enough!!  And both shoes have that lovely piece on the back of the heel and we all know that's for hiding a less than perfect job of buffing your heels, right?

Hope you all are enjoying the summer! Stay cool and stay safe.
Polyvore from yesterday:
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