Purple Ombre Nails: Sinful Colors and Sally Hansen

As you may or may not have read earlier this week in my Colors of the Rainbow blog, I picked up some new purple polishes recently: Sally Hansen's Lacy Lilac and Sinful Colors' Amethyst. I decided to use both of them this week in my very first attempt at ombre nails. Ayo!

This, as per usual, is easier than it looks. Or maybe it doesn't even look hard to you, who am I to presume?

You can use more than two colors for this technique, but I have pretty small nails so two colors seemed just right to me. If you have long, angelic nails then a) GOFAHKYAHSELF (jk I'm sure you're lovely) and b) Use a third color as well!

In addition to your polishes, you'll also need a makeup sponge. The cheaper, the better because you're about to eff it up. #DontUseYourMACSpongesLadies. I got mine in a package from Shoppers Drug Mart.

.  squishy  .

Start off by painting all of your nails one coat of a white polish. I used Snow Me White by Sinful Colors, which is my favorite white polish. It applies pretty nicely, is opaque after two coats, and is shimmer-free. The white base will make the rest of your colors pop.

Next, swipe some of your first polish across the width of your sponge, like so:

Above that, slightly overlapping, swipe some of your next polish:

.  YEAH i dripped. whatreyougonnadoaboutit?  .

Now using whatever technique you feel comfy with, start dabbing the sponge across your nails. It's going to get all over your fingers too, but don't even think about fretting. We're going to remove all the extra polish with Q-Tips dipped into nail polish remover pure acetone.

While you're dabbing the sponge onto your nails, it's probably going to look at first like the line between the two colors is too harsh. Just keep working at it with your sponge until it's more blended. You can practice on a piece of paper or something first if you're frightened.

You can add a second coat of ombre to each nail afterwards, if you'd like to make it more opaque. I did!

.  omg it's everywhere  .

**Insert clean up time with that Q-Tip and totally-horrible-for-your-skin acetone I was mentioning earlier!**

Now you have a choice to make about your top coat. I've heeeard that with this ombre technique, the colors blend really smoothly and beautifully if you apply a top coat pretty soon after you paint your nails, while the colors are still wet. It's supposed to make them really melt together. However, I was worried that applying top coat while the colors were still wet would really muck up my top coat brush with colored polish. I've had that experience before when I've applied top coat before letting polish dry completely first. It's not that cool.

So I waited probably a couple of hours before I finally applied a top coat to mine... and I like the grainy way it looks!

Also, I changed up the color order on each hand. On the left hand I did the Lacy Lilac at my cuticle, Amethyst at the fingertip. I did the opposite on my right hand.

What do you think of the ombre look? If you don't have the energy to do this to all of your nails, try it as an accent nail!

Refreshing a Thrift Store Mirror

In a recent Thrift Store Finds blog, I showed you this little sun mirror that I bought. It was only $2.99 and it had "refresh me!!" written all over it:

I knew just the place for it - we've had this glaring empty spot on one of our walls for about 5 months now. It needed something. Real bad. Get a look at this:

.  oy  .

But before my little sun mirror could be put up onto the wall, I wanted to give it some fresh paint to make it look a little more cohesive with the other things that were in that area of our wall. Also, I hate the color gold.

Here's a step-by-step of how I gave this mirror a face-lift:

.  start off with a clean mirror  .

.  cover and tape off the glass  .

.  spray paint entire mirror with 3-4 coats of white paint.
.  let dry completely between coats!  .

.  paint all the small rays blue  .
.  add some blue paint around the inner ring  .

.  paint the inner edge of inner ring  .

.  remove tape while paint is still a little wet  .

.  fin  .

I hope you enjoyed this little project. I'm becoming pretty into the idea of painting things white to give them a super clean and crisp feel. Are you refreshing any old or thrifted finds with a coat of paint this spring?


Linking up with Paint Party from Start At Home!

Colors of the Rainbow (Making It A Blog TAG!)

Because I do what I want!

I saw the "Colors of the Rainbow" TAG videos going around YouTube and it seemed like a fun little challenge, so I wanted to make a blog version of it. Is that allowed? SEE IF I CARE.

Check out some of the random goodies that I'll be enjoying as the weather warms, around the Colors of the Rainbow theme:

Red:
Red is one of my least favorite colors, but I don't want to shun it completely from my life. For that reason, I'm happy to have a small accessory in the color, like this pair of aviator style glasses. I got these sunglasses a couple years ago from Forever21 for probably about $6. They are a classic shape and I like to wear them with a white t-shirt and blue jeans shorts.

Orange:
For this color, we have a tie! The first orange item is my Sally Hansen Cuticle Massage Cream. It's become a staple in my nail routine and I do think that it's helped to improve the look of my cuticles. It contains apricot oil, which I've read is good for your cuticles, but I don't know why. After I massage this shit into my nails and fingertips, they immediately look more hydrated - it even makes my nail polish apply better!

The second orange item is my..... wait for it..... Nerf Turbo whistle spiral football. YUP I'VE GOT ONE. It's the world's most excellent toy and one that stays with me through every move. Technically it's only half orange, but there was no way in hell I was going to leave it off this list. No way. Dave and I have already gotten use out of it down on our beach this season.

The whistle aspect is awesome. They don't make 'em like this anymore. No, I mean it - as far as I can tell, they literally do not make these Nerf whistle footballs anymore at all. It's an actual relic - the year 1989 is even imprinted on it!

Yellow:
Here's something totally random and partially inappropriate. This neon yellow sports bra is part of my new (and growing) collection of Forever21 sports bras. In the last 6 months or so, Forever21 has started coming out with more activewear - in other words taking two of my top interests (Forever21 and fitness) and making them exist in the same place for me. Hooooozah. I've got three other colors in this style as well and they're all bright and fantastic (light blue, neon orange/pink, and mint).

Green:
It's my Clump Crusher LastBlast mascara from Covergirl! I love this stuff. I don't have too terribly much to say about it because the product does what the name indicates and leaves your shit clump-free. That's one of my top criteria for mascara... it should be one of yours, too. I've already gone through one tube of it and am now on my second. It's my go-to and I use it just about every day.

Blue:
It's another tie, although both of these blue products are lip balms. The first one is my Eos sweet mint lip balm, which seems to be my favorite of my Eos lip balms for no real good reason, since they're all essentially the same thing as far as I know. The second is my Maybelline Baby Lips balm in Quenched.  I use each of these balms pretty much daily.

Indigo:
This was one of my recent purchases from one of Vancouver's Salvation Army stores - a short sleeved indigo shirt covered with small white polka dots. It's got a mock turtle-neck type of high neck line, ruched shoulders, and three adorable buttons going up the back of the neck. Its weighty material and high neck make it perfect for summer evenings around here when it will still get a little chilly.

Violet:
These are two brand new polishes that I felt my stash needed because I don't have very many purples. The first is totally a Barney purple from Sinful Colors, called Amethyst. I haven't used it yet but in swatches it appears to be shimmer-free and quite opaque. The second purple polish is one that I could have sworn I owned already... but in double checking I realized I must have just seen this polish in stores a million times without ever actually purchasing it. Once it became apparent that it wasn't a part of my pastel collection, I went out and bought it. You might be asking why on eaaaaarth I'd buy another Sally Hansen pastel polish from this Hard As Nails XTreme Wear line, based on my luck with their pastels in the past. To that I'd say... Gahhhh I don't know!! The color drew me in!! I'm assuming this polish will be just as difficult to work with as the others, but I'm going to use it anyway ;) This one is called Lacey Lilac.

In addition to your standard ROY G. BIV colors, the Colors of the Rainbow Tag also includes a pink item and a multi-colored item, SEW... Sewprise! Keep readin.

Pink:
I was raving about this pink cardigan earlier this week in my Thrift Store Finds blog. I've been wearing it at least once a week for the last several weeks:

Multi-colored:
I bought this vintage flower print dress on my very first shopping trip after we moved to Portland in early 2012. It was in one of Portland's ubiquitous "boutiques" - a place called Red Light Clothing Exchange on Hawthorne, which is a popular street for cool stuff in general. Tuck that into your "When I'm in Portland" boot.

.  SELFIIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!  .

I had a ton of fun going through my apartment to find items for this Colors of the Rainbow blog! I'd love to see YOUR Roy B. Biv goodies, so I tag YOU to do this blog as well!

To name a few specifics, I tag:

• Lauren at Much Ado About Somethin'
• Jessi at Haircut and General Attitude
• Angie at Angie's Boblog
• Emily at Osborne... My Life in Words
• Amy at Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins
• Emily at Isn't That Charming

Have you checked out my new Facebook page yet? We can chit chat there OR WHATEVA YOU WANT!!! Facebook.com/akaBaileyBlog

Summer Clothes from Forever21 and Target

Spring and summer make me want to shop.

THERE I SAID IT.

At 28 years old I still have yet to out-grow Forever21 - I can always find something there that I love - so I've definitely been hitting up their location on Robson St. in Vancouver for some warm-weather stoooooof to put on me body. We also took a trip to the States last weekend for some bulk shopping in Bellingham, WA, so I got some thangs from the Forever21 and Target stores there, too. There is no Target in Vancouver yet, but several of them did just open across BC earlier this month.

Here's what I've been accumulating from Forever21 stores over the last month or so:

1. Big, loose grey cotton tank for workouts - $5.80

2. A pair of long black leggings NOT for workouts (all of my other leggings are for working out in! Figured I should have one pair that's not for fitness) - $6.80

3. Another big loose comfy tank for working out in - $6.80 (it's exactly like the grey one, I don't know why it cost $1 more) (OH wait, it's because I bought the pink one in Canada and the grey one in the US)

4. Simple khaki cotton shorts - $11.80

5. Basic brown cami (on my receipt I see this color is referred to as "Pine Bark" - hah!) - $3.80

6. Black waist belt with gold/black buckle (see below for detailed pic) - $4.80

7. Adorable little silver heart ring (see below) - $1.80 (in other words, my finger WILL be green after I wear this)

8. Thin leopard print waist belt (see below) - $3.80

9. Basic sage green cami - $2.80

10. Navy and cream checkered long-sleeve button up. This looks heavy in the picture, but it's actually very light and even a bit sheer. I can't wait to wear it!! - $23.80

.  me new belts  .

. ♡ .

Not pictured above are this colorful pair of sunglasses that I've been rocking! These were $5.80:

.  tropical island party ON MY FACE  .

Before getting to my Target stuff, I have to take a moment to confess that I also bought something at Wet Seal. I'm not proud of where I got this bathing suit.... but I am quite proud of the suit itself. This minty-teal bikini is SO FREAKING PERFECT:

The suit was sold in separates and was on sale for "Buy one, get one half off," so both pieces together only cost about $21 (plus tax). Love that it comes with the option of putting straps on it because a completely strapless suit would be a big step for me. #NotSexyEnoughForStrapless

Moving on to Target! I don't usually get many clothing items at Target because typically when we travel from Vancouver to Bellingham for a shopping trip it's to buy a TON of non-perishable food, bath, and home goods. But I mean, #LETSBEHONEST - I'm not going to spend an hour and a half (or more) in the car to get to a Target without looking at their clothes a littttttle bit while I'm there.

I picked up three pairs of shorts:  A light-colored denim pair with white crochet detail on the sides and two pairs of "board shorts" (which I like to wear with my bathing suit). Sidebar: Anyone else feel like rocking a bathing suit in public is exactly like wearing your underwear in public? Because I have a bit of a complex about the entire thing, and wearing board shorts over my bathing suit bottoms helps me feel a little more normal about being otherwise nearly-nude in public.

The denim shorts were probably around $20 and the board shorts were $14.99 each.

.  summertiiiiiime and the swimming's easy with board shorts to make you feel like you're not naked in front of strangers and/or friends  .

.  these shorts are everywhere this season  .
.  do not be fooled into buying an expensive version from some fancy store  .

I also grabbed this hat from Target, which was on sale for 20% off of its $12.99 price tag. Head sunburns are no joke, people.

.  protect ya neck head  .

So I know that seemed like a lot of stuff, but keep in mind these purchases were spread out over a couple of months!

Does the thought of warm weather make you go a little nuts-stuff-off-the-walls when it comes to new clothes? What is your favorite new item for the spring and summer?

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Linking up with Style Elixir today!

TONS of Thrifting Finds

I've been super slacking on posting the bevvy of thrift store goodies that I've been picking up over the last couple of months. From t-shirts to picture frames to tiny mirrors, the Salvation Army stores in Vancouver have been doing the trick for me. WANNA SEE??

The pattern on this simple tee kind of reminds me of dragon scales. I needed some more patterns in my wardrobe; I wear a LOT of single-color shirts. This shirt may have still had its original tag on it when I got it from Salvay: 

.  $2.99  .

I was in a totally Boston-loving mood when I scooped up this tee a few weeks ago (but really who am I kidding? I'm always in a Boston-loving mood)... Super pleased to spot a Harvard tshirt in the middle of a Vancouver, BC thrift store:

.  $2.99  .

So I got this next tee fully OK with the fact that I had no clue what this logo was for. I just LOVED the different shades of light blue and the fit/feel of this tee. After a shit ton of Googling, I now know that this logo is for a brand of apparel called Matix and their "slogan" (or whatever) is "From the Ground Up" - which leads me to believe that what I thought was an eagle head is actually a phoenix.  You might have already known that by looking at it, but perhaps I've just got eagles on the brain.

.  $2.99  .

This little number jumped out at me because it looked too nice to be chilling in a Salvay rack. Although, I guess I'm always pleasantly surprised by the great things I find at the Vancouver Salvation Army stores. This indigo mock turtle-neck shirt is a nice, substantial fabric but its short sleeves keep it warm weather appropriate. It'll actually be perfect for Vancouver spring/summer evenings because the temperature still gets a bit chilly at night. It didn't look like it had ever been worn before, and I love the cinching around the neck and sleeves.

$5.99

And look at these adorable little details! Buttons down the back of the neck and a keyhole!

These are some casual shorts I found - they're loose and comfy and not too short. It's hard to find shorts that fall between "Mom length" and "hoe length" these days, #AMIRIGHTLADIES?

.  $4.99  .

I like that they have a tie at the waist, and the flap pockets on the back give me a little more junk 'n the trunk. Ain't nothin' wrong with that.

This small sun mirror actually jumped off of the shelf at me like a freaking ninja star and poked me in the face while shouting, "YOU CAN BRING ME HOME AND PAINT ME WHATEVER COLOR YOU WANNA!!!!" I was forced to oblige. You'll see that project soon in a blog, sew stay tewned.
{Update: See what I did with the sun mirror here!}

Still on the lookout for glass bottles to use as vases, I was TOTES thrilled to spot this little gem on the top shelf in the back of the store. You should have seen the way I snatched it off the shelf - like I was really worried that someone else might come along and grab it before me.

Just like with the bright blue pot I bought for our lemon cypress tree, I am excited to put something bright green into this blue bottle.

Finally, here's what has become my favorite thrift store find as of late - a bubble gum pink cardigan! I wear this all the time now - especially with the sleeves rolled up. I love the herringbone detail on the front and the way it looks/feels a little bit retro - possibly an 80s or early 90s sweater?

.  cheese!  .

That's just about all of the thrift store thannngs I've scooped up recently, but stay tuned for more fun stuff from Forever21 and Target soon!

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