writing now: fall purchases

I haven't really been in the mood for fall fashion lately.  Maybe I'm just in denial.  I'm just not ready for winter.  I have, however, been really into nail polish!  Some of the fall releases are really helping me ease into fall.

essie lady like, essie case study, essie sew psyched

I had a really hard time deciding between a few of the more nude-like colors in the fall release, but walked away with lady like, case study and sew psyched!  One thing I don't like about essie nail polishes is that they *never* look like they do in the bottle once they applied on me.  They look *nice* but not quite the same.

The picture above shows all two coats with no base or top coat.  In the pictures below you can see that they have a tendency to apply more streaky than polishes that I'm used to working with.  They take an incredible amount of patients to work with, but I think the end result is worth it.  I've gotten more compliments on my nail polishes while wearing these, than I have any other polish.

First up, lady like:

This polish exudes femininity.  As I'm trying to really define my style and figure out WHO I am and the image I want to portray, feminine is definitely the cornerstone oft the picture that I'm developing. I'm currently wearing this on my toes and it really disappears.  I've been on the hunt for the perfect nude *everything* and that has proven quite difficult with my skin tone, but I think this will be my go to nude pedi!

Next case study:

This polish was not what I was expecting when I purchased it.  I'm wearing it now and have been hearing I love that nail polish.  It puts me in the mind of femininity without being too in your face about it.  It's more along the lines of, "Yes I care enough about my appearance to care for my nails, but please take a look at this wonderful bag I'm carrying instead, thanks."  You know...it's there, but it's not THERE!
 
Lastly, sew psyched:

This is somewhat out of my comfort zone.  I never really got into the whole mint green trend of this summer, but I was intrigued by it!  I find that this nail color is a nice compromise!  I plan to wear it this week as a test run of sort.  If I end up disliking it as a full on mani, I'll wear it on my toes!

My mani was lady like earlier in the week:

I was really impressed with the wearability. I had little to no tip wear.  Although it takes *extra* care to apply this polish without it being streaky (and I didn't really do a good job with this first run through, I was late for dinner :( ), it is worth it!

 And here is my case study mani from later in the week:

This week: Sew Psyched! Ciao!

wearing now: sweater dresses

Last fall/winter I was obsessed with finding the perfect sweater dress!  I never did find *the one* but I did walk away with a couple that are perfectly acceptible!

 Wore this to work and to a celebratory lunch for a co-workers birthday.  No one ever wears heels in my office, but I love these little booties.  Never really felt comfortable enough to wear them on a regular basis, but I realized that I really can't be worried about what other people think of my shoe choices!

I'm always unsure of how to accessorize a cowl neck.  I don't really *care* for them, so I don't have many and I never really give it any thought.  Until I wake up in the morning and have to accessorize.  Then I'm stuck looking in the mirror and digging through jewelry boxes.  Finally, I gave up and decided on bangles.

writing now: washing makeup brushes

I'm the first to admit I don't take care of my brushes the way that I should!  When I was in college I was religious about it!  Every Sunday I would wash ALL of my brushes that had been used that week. I purchased special makeup brush wash and took care to use that as a pre-rinse, followed by a "gentle" baby shampoo.  Then, real life came along.  Work, a social life, things just got in the way.  I was lucky if I washed my brushes once a MONTH, let alone once a week.  Did I mention that I love liquid foundation?  Yeah, kinda gross!

Now that I've moved to a new area and don't have much of a life, it's time to start again.  I immediately searched blogs and you tubes for the hot new trend in make up brush washing.  You can find ANYTHING on the internet these days!  While searching I found some interesting things that I've started to incorporate into my wash routine.

1.) Make a soapy solution of shampoo (I'm using some samples I've snagged from hotels throughout the years) and a couple of drops of tea tree oil in a cup.  Tea tree oil is a great way to remove the bacteria from brushes, especially face brushes.  I add tea tree oil weekly to my face brushes and just about once a month to my other brushes.
2.) Rinse brushes and drop into the cup for a short soak.
3.) A few minutes later, I put a couple of drops of shampoo in my hands, and swirl a brush around in it.  Then rinse until the water runs clear.  Sometimes I have to repeat this more than once, especially with a foundation brush.
4.) Then I place each brush on my bathroom counter with the head of the brush hanging over the edge like so:

5.) Once my brushes have been rinsed, I wrap a couple of squares of toilet paper around the head of each brush to shape them like so:

This helps to shape the brushes as they dry.  I have found that it increases drying time, so that's something to take into consideration!  Hope this helps :)

writing now: never forget

image credit here

We will never forget the tragedy that unfolded 10 years ago today.  The lives that were lost.  The lives that were changed forever.  That fateful day brought our country together under the most tragic of circumstances.  We never thought it could happen...not here. 

Today is filled with ceremonies, documentaries, pictorials.  I can't bring myself to watch video from that day, but am so touched reading the stories of communities in and around NY and DC that pulled together to support each other.  The communities that lost countless souls.  I can't help but feel for the children who never had the opportunity to meet their parents, who are now a part of history.  The husbands and wives, parents and siblings that sent there loved ones on about their day, not knowing that that would be the last time they would see them alive.  So many lives have been changed by that one day.  Some for the better, I'm sure.  Some are closer to their neighbors than ever before.  So many for the worse.  So many still suffer, a decade later.  PTSD, anxiety, fear.  Such sadness and despair. 

Still: So angry. So sad.  So strong.  United we stand.