Jamberry Nails Review

I’m a total nail polish hoarder! I love the stuff and literally change my nail color twice a week. I’m really loving the deep winter colors right now, but I’m slowly transition to light, spring colors. Since I just can’t get enough nail stuff, I thought I’d try something different. I’d heard quite a lot about these new-fangled nail things called Jamberry so I figured I’d give them a shot. My mom ordered me a set of cheetah print nails to try. In my opinion, it was a waste of money and here’s why.

First and foremost, Jamberry nails are expensive. I think my mom paid $15 for the set. Granted, they are pretty! However, at that price I just assume pay a little extra and get someone to do my nails for me at the salon. The price wasn’t the worst part though; the process was! To stick these things on you have to size them to each individual nail, place the print on your nail, take a hair dryer, hold it near your nail, and allow the heat to melt the glue on the print to your nail while pressing down on it so it will stick. Then, you must file down the excess print to the exact size of your nail. This is a long process to repeat for each nail!

After I finally finished my nails, I went to bed for some well-deserved sleep. I woke up in the morning, went along with my usual routine, looked down at my nails, and what do I see? The prints beginning to peel away from my nails. Perfect. Ultimately, these stick-on nails lasted about a week at best. I was not impressed at all.

I wouldn’t buy Jamberry nails again. I think the idea is very clever but the product has to be easier to use and needs to last longer. For now, I’ll stick to my Essie and O.P.I obsession.

Spring Pottery Barn Collection

Snow is on the ground outside my window again and I’m housebound. Again. As much as I delight in this fluffy stuff while I’m on the ski slopes, I don’t enjoy it when I’m at home in Maryland and trying to get things done. During my recent trip to Charleston, I indulged in a few lovely spring things to remind me that the end is near. I hopped on over to Pottery Barn (see what I did there?) and took in a few pretty things.

Although I have no big house of my own to decorate or even an apartment to style, I still daydream about the home decor endeavors I will eventually take on when I marry my rich, handsome husband (speaking of which, where are you, bro!?). There’s nothing wrong with that, right? We can all dream!

Pottery Barn Style

Is there nothing more beautiful than hydrangeas in the spring? I could just look at them all day. I’m hoping to run to the market quite often this spring to pick up a bouquet that can sit on my table. Flowers bring a home to life!

Another love I have is animal print! I won’t wear fur but I certainly like faux fur blankets and pillows. Spring can still be chilly so I like to keep around the cozy luxuries of the winter. Honestly though, when is animal print not in style? Always appropriate!

I also adore crisp white bedding with distinct spring/summer colored accessories. Throw pillows and blankets really make a bedroom inviting. When I retreat to my room, I want to feel relaxed and content. Coordinating colors does just that for me.

Do you see a trend here? I love animal print! Believe it or not, these are candles in jars covered with cheetah faux fur. You can score them for about $35. Still cheaper than Dyptique so count your blessings!

Something I’m trying this spring is to mix cool and warm colors like this. The dark fur on the throws and the off-white throw with the gray tufted couch is really beautiful! Understated elegance at it’s finest.

Last but not least, I’m in love with the way this dresser is set up. There’s a lot of interesting things going on here. The candelabras are several sizes, the glasses around them are very robust, and the tray to the left enhances that sense of height that the other objects give.

Tell me about your Pottery Barn love in a comment below!

Tres Chic for the Weekend

Happy Friday loves! I’m so glad the weekend is finally here so we can all stay inside and bundle up with our pjs on. Or you can go out and enjoy good weather if you’re lucky enough to be in a climate with it! It’s a bit chilly where I am and there’s nothing I’d love more than some California sunshine. An afternoon on the Santa Monica pier sounds divine at the moment!

For those of you who plan on venturing outside in warm weather I suggest including “winter tones” in your style choices. Bold red and black speaks volumes on any lady while an animal print adds interest and incorporates the fur we all love to see and wear. By no means do I expect any of us to be able to afford Bvlgari or Prada, but there are many retailers, such as Target or even H&M that have similar items at half the price. The crazy thing about designer labels is that you’re paying for the name and slightly better quality than what you might find in Forever 21. I’ll pay for quality but I don’t like to pay for a name. Shop around and find great options similar to the ones you see above and recreate this look for less.

The Dress

Speaking of clothing, have any of you seen “the dress” everyone’s Facebook and Twitter feeds are blowing up with? The debate is whether it’s blue and black or white and gold. I thought this would be simple to solve by looking at it but apparently there’s an optical phenomenon going on and not everyone sees the same thing. Regardless, I want to draw attention to how silly things like this somehow make much bigger news than say, all the religious minority women that are being kidnapped and sold at markets by ISIL (don’t believe it, then read for yourself). How on Earth are we as a culture and society more interested in a dress than we are the well-being of women in another country? True, we can’t personally do much about it, but we can give our time in drawing attention to this horrifying act. It’s something to think about.