Spring Manicures – 9 & Counting!

I feel like Spring has just begun, but from the number of colorful manicures I’ve already rocked…you’d think the season was long gone.

I’ve been going back and forth from gel polish to regular polish, from dark colors to light colors, from short nails to long nails and I’m loving the variety.

If you follow me on Twitter, or Instagram, you’ve probably seen most of these manicures, but I wanted to do a full recap on the blog.

Get ready for some serious, mani-porn!

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REVLON: Midnight. I went out to dinner with one of my best friends and she was wearing a fabulous navy/green/dark blue polish, I couldn’t stop staring at the color! Once I left dinner, I had to have it. I’m not sure which brand she used, but I went to CVS picked up this dupe. I nabbed this bottle at the end of March, but I WISH I had purchased it during the Fall/Winter. I think it’s way too dark for the Spring time, but I’m glad I was able to sneak one wear in. This polish will definitely be making a return this Fall :)

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New York Color (NYC): Manhattan. This is an all time favorite of mine. While it’s clearly more of a Fall/Winter shade, I wear it year round. This was a quick mani – obviously not my best work lol. But a great color, nonetheless. Plus, you can’t beat $1.99 bottles!

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Sally Hansen: Coral Reef. I have a history of adoring basically every Sally Hansen product ever made, and we can just add this polish to the list! Such a great spring color, super girly, super Springtime, super fab. For $3.99, it’s an excellent drug store steal.

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Wet N Wild Megalast: I Need a Refresh-Mint. This polish has some positives and negatives. Good news first – awesome color! When you want pastel, baby blue nails, this is what you have in mind. Thick brush for applicating is always a plus too. Bad news – if you do not wear a base coat… this polish will stain your nails. Seriously, stain. I knew I would just be wearing it briefly, so I didn’t bother with a base coat and now, over a month later, I still have blue remnants on my nails. Definitely not a good look. Now don’t get me wrong, I loved the polish…just be sure to use a base coat! :)

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Gelish Mini: Orange Cream Dream (Candyland Collection Spring 2012). I purchased this color last Spring when it came out & had not worn it until recently. I was in the mood for something different and decided to give it a try. It has great coverage and a nice shimmer – it wore very well. While this polish was part of a Spring collection, and I really did like it, I think it’s better suited for Fall.

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Gelish Mini: He Loves Me He Loves Me Not (Love in Bloom Spring 2013 collection). I could go on for hours about how much I love this entire collection! The Love in Bloom line is hands down my absolute favorite of the Gelish Mini polishes. This particular color wore so well – excellent coverage, not streaky at all. Added bonus – the deep purple/pastel shade seemed to match everything I wore!

Gelish Mini: Sweet Morning Dew (Love in Bloom Spring 2013 Collection), and Gelish Mini: June Bride on my ring finger. Ahh, another LIB favorite! I wore this manicure on Easter to compliment my yellow H&M lace dress (see below). When I think of Spring, I think of this color. It was the perfect blend of pastel peach, pink and orange shades. A full coverage polish, super feminine!

Gelish Mini: Sweet Morning Dew (Love in Bloom Spring 2013 Collection), and Gelish Mini: June Bride on my ring finger. Ahh, another LIB favorite! I wore this manicure on Easter to compliment my yellow H&M lace dress (see below). When I think of Spring, I think of this color. It was the perfect blend of pastel peach, pink and orange shades. A full coverage polish, super feminine!

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Sweet Morning Dew for Easter Sunday :)

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips: Bling it On. I recently decided to break from gel manicures for a bit, just to give my nails a break, and I opted to try nail stickers! They claim to last for 10 days and come in an assortment of fun designs and patterns. I selected these pink glitter strips and was shocked by how easy they were to apply! Totally fool proof. I left mine on for about a week before I got bored & wanted a change, but they held up very well!

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips: Bling it On. I recently decided to break from gel manicures just to give my nails a break. So in the meantime, I opted for nail stickers! They claim to last for 10 days and come in an assortment of fun designs and patterns. I selected these pink glitter strips and was shocked by how easy they were to apply! Totally fool proof (tip: use a base & top coat). I left mine on for about a week before I got bored & craved a change, but they held up very well – perfect for an event or fun night out!

Nina Ultra Pro: Violet it Ride. My current obsession! I picked this Nina polish up at Sally's Beauty Supply over the weekend and have been literally obsessed with it ever since! (When I say obsessed, I mean you can go through the photos on my iphone and 9/10 of them will be manicure shots). The polish looks like a very vibrant, neon purple in the bottle, but it wears slightly less aggressive - it has little more pink to it. Regardless, it's unlike any polish I've ever worn and I am SO in love with it right now!

Nina Ultra Pro: Violet it Ride. My current obsession! I picked this Nina polish up at Sally’s Beauty Supply over the weekend and have literally been obsessed with it ever since! (When I say obsessed, I mean you can go through the photos on my iphone and 9/10 of them will be manicure shots *See below). The polish looks like a very vibrant, neon purple in the bottle, but it wears slightly less aggressive – it has little more pink to it. Regardless, it’s unlike any polish I’ve ever worn and I am SO in love with it right now!

I love how the color changes with the lighting. I can't help but snap a pic every.single.time!

*Told you…and these are just 6 shots! I love how the color changes with the lighting. I can’t help but snap a pic every.single.time!

So there you have it. In the last two months, I’ve had nine manicures! I’m not sure if that’s normal, but it only really pans out to one per week – c’mon, that’s not terrible!

I love experimenting with new colors and straying from my usual go-to shades, I’ve been picking up a ton of polishes here and there for the Spring & Summer. I can’t wait to share :)

What polishes are you loving this season? If you have a new color to recommend, I’d love to hear!

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St. Patrick’s Day Manicures

I may be Italian, but I’d never miss the opportunity to celebrate a holiday on my fingernails!

Here are some of the best St. Patrick’s Day manicures I’ve seen yet!

Sparkly green ombre! Source.

Sparkly green ombre! Source.

Orange, white & green chevron. Source.

Orange, white & green chevron. Source.

Nothing like some serious glitter! Source.

Nothing like some serious glitter! Source.

Mild green polish & clover accent nail. Source.

Mild green polish & clover accent nail. Source.

Matte polish with a glossy glitter accent nail. Source.

Matte polish with a glossy glitter accent nail. Source.

While I doubt I’ll be enjoying any corned beef or cabbage this evening (ick!) I just may be playing around with my collection of green polishes!

Are you rocking a St. Patty’s day manicure today? Tweet me a pic. :)

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Gelish: “Love in Bloom” Spring 2013 Collection

Just what we need in the midst of this chilly Winter – a bright (and colorful) light at the end of the tunnel… Spring polish collections! Most major brands have announced their lines, but I was anxiously awaiting one in-particular. :)

My preferred Gel brand, Gelish recently released its “Love in Bloom” line for Spring 2013, and it looks fab!

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From left to right: Sweet Morning Dew, A Petal For Your Thoughts, All Dahlia-ed Up, He Loves Me He Loves Me Not, Garden Tea Party, A Mint Of Spring. Source

The six bottle collection features a palette ranging from warm pinks and oranges to cool greens and purples.  It’s honestly difficult for me to choose a favorite! I am looking forward to trying them all – Sweet Morning Dew, Garden Tea Party, and He Loves Me He Loves Me Not are definitely at the top of my list.

At this point, anything that is not a dark red, green, blue, purple, black, or brown is exciting to me – I’m ready for color!

Will you pick up any of the colors in this collection?

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Beach Vacation Must-Haves

There’s no better way to beat the New England cold than to escape somewhere warm. I’m heading to the Cayman Islands for a nice little vacation, and I couldn’t be anymore excited! While writing a packing list, I realized there are some things that I couldn’t imagine being on the beach without:

VAca Must HavesJPG1) Fun, printed bikinis. Bright colors, of course!

2) IPad -it’s perfect when you’re unable to use your cell, and much easier than toting your  laptop around!

3) Big sunglasses – need I explain more?

4) A good beach read. I’m currently in the middle of Safe Haven, I want to finish it before I see the movie.

5) Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Lotion. I love the gold shimmer in this one.

6) Floppy hat – love these when I’m laying out.

7) Gold flip flops – they’re perfect for the beach & going out at night.

8) A fun manicure! I’ll probably go with a Gelish polish so that it’ll last my whole vacation, but I’m not sure which color just yet – something bright!

9) A beach cover up. These are essential – perfect for when you want to get up and grab lunch, take a walk, or need to cover your skin.

I cannot wait to get away, I am really looking forward to soaking up some sun! These are just a few of my must-haves, is there anything else that I should throw in my beach bag?

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Best Dressed: Grammys 2013

Let me start by acknowledging my little announcement last night that I was going to boycott the Grammys …

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…myself, and the rest of New England have literally been snowed in for 3 days now. I cannot tell you how many movies, re-runs, and mindless television I’ve watched – talk about stir crazy/cabin fever.

Mid-blizzard

Mid-blizzard

Post-blizzard. So much snow!

Post-blizzard. So much snow!

However, I couldn’t help but watch the live red carpet on E! It’s not that easy to opt out of all that fashion! I had so much fun blogging about the stars’ outfits last year … and who could forget that Louboutin Manicure?!

So, without further ado – let’s get to it. Here are my picks for the best dressed at the 2013 Grammy Awards:

Shaun Robinson: (waiting for confirmation on designer) Looking fabulous in purple!

Taylor Swift: J. Mendel. Wasn’t too crazy about her hair, but I loved the dress – she always kills it in JM!

Nazanin Mandi (Miguels’ Girlfriend): (waiting for confirmation on designer) I love when the stars have a significant other who is a red carpet star in their own right! Last year at the ACM’s it was Lacey Buchanan, Jake Owens then girlfriend, this year it was Miguels lady! Cute LBD & fun hair. She makes her man look good – hot hot hot!

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J.Lo: Anthony Vaccarello. The woman is rock solid & looked amazing in this black gown!

Faith Hill: J. Mendel. There’s a lot of chatter about this dress, but I think she looked great! It fits her like a glove and the beading was so fun! Side note: did anyone else see the serious rock on her pinky finger!?

Kelly Rowland: Georges Chakra. More often than not I find Kelly Rowland on my list of best dressed. This black geometric, cutout number looks incredible on her!

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Rihanna: Custom Azzedine Alaia. Rihanna is usually a total hit or a total miss – I have to say, what a pleasant surprise to see her so cute & cleaned up tonight! LOVE!

Those were some of my red carpet highlights! Unfortunately, I was disappointed with Carrie Underwood & Beyonce – they both looked great, but I think that they could of done something a little more fun! Maybe next year.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve loved the addition of the mani-cam to these awards shows. It might be more exciting to me than the red carpet itself! My Mom is too funny – I think that being the person who gets to man the mani-cam may be on my list of dream jobs. ;)
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Who were some of your favorites on the 2013 Grammy Red Carpet?

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Dunk-a-Roo Dip!

Last weekend was a busy one. I spent Saturday night in New Jersey for my cousins 21st birthday. We had a huge family dinner before everyone went late night bowling – it was an all around great night!

Here’s the official 12:00am 21st-birthday picture ;)

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So adorable- Happy Birthday Kelley!

After a late night in Jersey, I was running around Sunday morning/afternoon before the Superbowl with a million things to do. I realized that I wasn’t going to have much time to bake anything to bring to the Superbowl party we were attending.

A ton of ideas were running through my mind about what I could make. I was in my car when I remembered seeing a Dunk-a-roo dip on Pinterest a few months ago. I was hung up on it, so I googled the recipe.

3 ingredients, no bake, I was totally sold.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Package Funfetti Cake Mix

1 Plain or Vanilla Yogurt cup

Lite cool whip

Mix the above 3 ingredients together (I added more sprinkles) and leave in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

Ta-da!

Ta-da! (Thank you to my boyfriend for snapping this picture on his phone, because I didn’t take any!)

I served the dip with chocolate, honey and chocolate chip teddy grahams. It was a huge hit and beyond easy to make – I will definitely be making this one again!

Stuffed to the max - chilling in the corner with my babe <3

Stuffed to the max on Superbowl Sunday – chilling in the corner with my babe <3

Have you found a phenomenal & easy Pinterest recipe? Please let me know! :)

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Winter Manicures

Did January literally fly by, or was that just me?

I’ve been up to a LOT & am trying to recap everything in a few different posts. Naturally, my first one is dedicated to my favorite topic – nails! I’ve had a few January manicures  that I wanted to share -

1) Sally Hansen – Shell We Dance. I rang in 2013 with this color! It’s an all time favorite, and I was craving something neutral after my dark and dramatic holiday nails. This fit the bill perfectly.

Sally Hansen - Shell We Dance

Sally Hansen – Shell We Dance

2- Zoya -Loredana. This is a matte polish, however, I used a clear topcoat since I knew that my cuticle oil would destroy the matte film. This was such a fun color!

Zoya -

Zoya – Loredana

3- Gelish – Sugar Daddy. Sometimes you just crave BLUE! I swear, every few months I really want blue nails. I got so many compliments on this manicure. Sugar Daddy is one of my favorite blue hues!

Gelish - Sugar Daddy

Gelish – Sugar Daddy

4- Forever 21. I happen to love Forever 21 nail polishes (even if they don’t have names lol)! They’re cheap, wear pretty well & have an endless variety of colors. Whenever I have the urge to cut all of my nails off – red is my go to polish of choice!

Forever 21

Forever 21

5- Gelish – Night Reflection. LOVED this color. I cut my nails even shorter before this manicure, but I wore this polish longer than any of the others. The eggplant shade is a Winter favorite.

Gelish - Night Reflection

Gelish – Night Reflection

6- Gelish – Double Shot Espresso. I’m currently wearing this polish…going on day 6 and my nails still look flawless! I wanted something dark, but not black…or purple…or blue. So this brown was perfect. It reminds me of Sweet Chocolate, minus the shimmer! I’m hoping this one lasts me a while!

Gelish- Double Shot Espresso

Gelish- Double Shot Espresso

I am going to the Cayman Islands in a couple of weeks…

Can't wait!!!!

Can’t wait!!!!

…and I plan to do a really fun bright pink/orange/yellow/green manicure before I leave! I haven’t decided, but I’m looking forward to something a little more upbeat.  I’m thinking Gelish Tiki Tiki Laranga or Shake it til you Samba!

Gelish Tiki Tiki Laragana or Shake it til you Samba!

 

You know 'Shake it..' is an all time fave!

You know ‘Shake it..’ is an all time fave!

I’ll let you know!

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