Swirly Twirly Gumdrop Nails

Elf is one of my favorite Christmas movies. And my favorite quote from the movie is when Buddy the Elf describes how he got to NYC,

"I passed through the 7 levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gumdrops, and then I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel"

Obviously Hoboken would be the sea of swirly twirly gumdrops. Or at least that is what I choose to believe.

So when I found this fun Swirly Twirly Gumdrop polish from Daily Lacquer. I had to try it out.

I like it! I think I will try layering it over a light pink or a black polish for a different look next time. 

xo Lizzie

Nails That Rock!

Remember the post I did with the flower power nail wraps?

Click here if you don't.

Well a recent post on the Inspa blog used a photo of my nails for their post about rock music inspired nails. The other nails featured are out of my league and took a lot of time & talent to do... mine however are just simple nail wraps. I feel like a cheater!

Another thought after looking at the other photos featured... "Oh how I wish I had more elegant hands"!!!!

PS... the John Lennon nails are my fave from the Inspa post!

Image source: spaweek.com

Click here to read the Inspa post about nails that rock.

xo Lizzie

A Gift For The Hostess

Last night JT and I went into the city for a friend's cocktail party on the Upper West side.

 We went in a little early and stopped by Strawberry Fields in Central Park because it was the anniversary of John Lennon's death. People gather around the Imagine mosaic and sing Lennon's songs. If you are a fan of John Lennon, it something you should experience at least once. My first time seeing this gathering was a few years ago and I teared up hearing so many people that didn't know each other sing in unison.

After our Strawberry Fields visit we went to Riposo wine bar for a bite to eat. We each had a glass of Riesling and split a soppressata flat bread and a truffle panini... SOOOO good! Highly recommend Riposo!

After stuffing our faces it was time to go to the cocktail party and stuff our faces some more! The food at the party is always wonderful, our friends do such a great job, so I never go empty handed - gotta bring a hostess gift.

This year, with so much going on, I was a little less creative and took the easy route, buying something. I think I still did a pretty good job though.

My cocktail themed gift included a bottle of Emeri Pink Moscato (sooo good!), a bottle stopper and coasters from Kate Spade.

I liked the bottle stopper so much, I bought one for myself too...

The coasters have cute cocktail themed idioms on them.

The packaging was too pretty to cover up, so I just tied them together with ribbon instead of wrapping.

I cut out a letter K (the couple's initial) for the gift tag and attached it. 

Oh yeah... my nails.. glittery gold! 

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Glitz Blitz

This party was such a great kick off to the holiday season! I have to go recover on my sofa now and watch Home Alone.

xo Lizzie

Mint Chip With Rainbow Sprinkles

Mint Chip ice cream is my very favorite ice cream and topping it with colorful rainbow sprinkles makes me smile from ear to ear. For my birthday I decided to match my nails to my favorite treat...

I used Sally Hansen's Xtreme Wear Mint Sorbet as my base and topped it off with Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday polish.

Happy nails!

I really like the Happy Birthday nail polish, I can't wait to try it on other colors!

xo, Lizzie

Sparkle & Shine Time: A Festive Holiday Manicure

Merry Christmas Eve! I am getting ready for all of the festivities and merriment! Knowing that I haven't seen a lot of the people I am seeing tonight since I got engaged, I decided I better do my nails. Everyone will be asking to see the ring! 

I found these sparkly nail wraps with brightly colored Christmas lights printed on them from Incoco. They were very easy to use and they are made of real nail polish.

Well my nails are ready to party, I just have to get the rest of me ready now! Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas Eve! XO Lizzie

Magnetic Nail Polish From Nails Inc London

My fun find in London- nail polish with cool effects named after streets and landmarks in London! They have great colors and this was the first time I had seen magnetic effects nail polish. I bought Piccadilly Circus, Big Ben, and Houses of Parliament. The names range from well known places to much more obscure street names, that only Londoners would know.

Nails Inc. London nail polish in Piccadilly Circus.

The magnetic nail polish has metal in the paint and when you hold the magnet built into the cap over your painted nail it creates a striped design. Very cool! 

Magnetic Polish by Nails Inc London is available in the US at Sephora.

Gift with purchase! 

I wish there was a nail polish named after the streets and places of New York! I am sure it is in the works somewhere! For now I will have fun playing with the colors of London! xo Lizzie

take a moment tuesday; flower power nails and joss stone

It's the last day of my 20's and I am taking in every second of it! 2 things are making my day more beautiful...

My nails are party ready! I used Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips. These were a total impulse buy! I was drawn in by the bright colors. I didn't have very high hopes for how my nails would turn out using these so I was shocked when they actually came out looking like the glossy poster on the end cap at CVS.

Contents inside the box.

Strips before application. The strips are made of real nail polish.

These were a lot easier to use than what I had expected. After I got the first nail done, the rest were a breeze. I got them all done in 30 mins and there is no dry time with these!

They come in many different patterns & colors (butterflies, houndstooth, blue jean, sparkle, etc). I went with the "Girl Flower" print because they were so bright and look like a party on my nails. 

Now that I have flower power nails it seems only fitting that I listen to Joss Stone's newest album! She released her CD today (7/26)! I bought it for myself as a birthday present and as usual I am impressed by Ms. Stone. It is a very different sound than what I expected or what I am used to, it's more raw and grown up with no sugary candy pop coating. This album reaffirmed why she is my favorite singer! The girl has talent and I look forward to hearing even more from her when she performs as a part of her new super group, Super Heavy! You put my favorite rocker (Mick Jagger!) with my favorite vocalist? I can't handle it! 

Hope you are having a groovy Tuesday! ;) Keep on truckin' towards the weekend! xo Lizzie

take a moment tuesday

Is it really only Tuesday?  Things I do to get me through to the weekend...

Painted my nails. Wonderful way to slow things down and take a min to myself. 

Makes for a great excuse not to do anything, "Oh yeah I would... but my nails aren't dry yet!"  ;)

Nail polish color is by essie called "smooth sailing". It's a beautiful deep glittery periwinkle blue. Reminds me of a river glistening in the summer sun. I hope the rest of my week is "smooth sailing"!

"smooth sailing" by essie 

espresso with just a touch of frothy milk and a dusting of chocolate & sugar. mmmm...

"larabee dot" espresso cup and saucer

by kate spade.

I recommend topping your coffee drinks with chocolate shavings, it makes your small moment of relaxation feel more indulgent and special. I use sugar grinders from Cape Herb, love the butterscotch & vanilla one!

There is nothing like a blank sheet of paper and colored pencils to clear my head. I see endless possibilities. A little art therapy does wonders for my mood. I stare at the sheet for a moment of dazed happiness, a million ideas jumping and elbowing their way to be be picked first, and then... I unleash! My creativity comes pouring out of me and all is good in the world again.

I did my part, now COME OOONN weekend! 

xo Lizzie

diy: fun flirty summer nails

easy, fun ways to get creative with your nails this summer


during the summer months i like to get more playful with my nail polish. i don't do the store bought decals, rhinestones, or gemstones though, those just aren't for me. i have never been one to shy away from dyi projects, so i decided to google fun nail style ideas. there are a lot of talented ladies out there that have posted their own how-to's. these 3 were my favorites (click the links for step by step instructions):

mermaid nails - by cupcakes & cashmere 

newspaper nails - as posted to wikihow

lace nails - by behind the seams

i'm inspired, i think i might try doing my nails in a pastel rainbow tonight! :)