The Royal Wedding!!!

So the reason I didn't blog yesterday is that I went to bed at 9PM (yes, 9 PM) so that I could get up at 3AM to watch all of the royal wedding between Kate Middleton and Prince William (who apparently has no last name?).  Scones were baked, tiaras and floppy hats were worn, and it was all around ridiculous.  I'm sure literally everyone watched it so I don't need to recap it, but I just wanted to talk about a few of the dresses (and also secretly lament that the list of royals I must stalk and marry when I go to Europe is now one shorter).


Prepare yourself for wedding dress overload.  The dress is done by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, which was highly speculated and sincerely hoped for (by me at least).  I am so, so happy for Sarah Burton.  It's such a big moment for her career that she really deserves, given how wonderful her first McQueen collection was.  I also love that Kate went with such a modern, avante-garde design house instead of doing something conservative and traditional.  She wore a Cartier tiara from 1936 (I die), a lace-edged veil, and McQueen shoes.  Also she got to ride in a carriage.  She accomplished like 99% of my life goals in one day.  Sigh.

So, as for the actual dress.  It had sheer, hand-made lace sleeves with a corseted, sweetheart-neckline bodice, padded hips, a voluminous skirt, an 8 foot train, and lace appliques all over the skirt.  I liked this dress a LOT more than I thought I would.  I may even love it.  Initially when I saw her in the car with the lace sleeves, I hated it.  I personally just don't like lace, especially sheer white lace over skin.  It feels a little tacky to me.  However, I understand why she went for the sheer lace sleeves, since she probably had to have sleeves of some sort in Westminster Abbey, and this was a clever solution that still let her show some skin.  Personally, I kept wishing that she could take the lace off for the reception because without the lace this is pretty much my dream dress.  I do think that with the lace on the skirt and the sleeves it is a little on the fussy side, but the sweetheart neckline and the corseted top keep it fresh and young.  It's just such a flattering shape on her, and it makes her waist look tiny!  I also LOVE the padded hips.  It's so signature McQueen, and with that and the geometrically pleated bustle (it's a little hard to see here but kind of amazing) the dress had the perfect combination of modern and classic.  I was a little surprised that the train wasn't longer!  Princess Diana's was ridiculous.  All in all I think this was a great choice for her.  She's always seemed to be like a very grounded, calm person that doesn't push herself into the spotlight, so I like that she went for a simple, classic, and elegant dress.  It matches her personality, but it's also grand enough for the surroundings.  Excellently played.

Can we talk about how gorgeous she is?  She did her own makeup for the day, and she did a great, great job (although I do wish she'd toned down the eyebrows and the blush a little).  She just looks so happy and composed and calm, even though I'm sure she was freaking out on the inside!  I would be.  Also, I've always been a girl that hates veils, but this one with it's simple lace edging...I really like it.  It's making me reconsider my anti-veil stance.  That's saying a lot. 

This McQueen dress on Pippa, Kate's younger sister, was definitely one of my favorite looks today.  I'm a little surprised that she wore white, especially since she was walking behind her sister a lot of the time, but it is such a pretty dress.  The fit is immaculate and so flattering (although she's so tiny I can't imagine much being unflattering on her), and the lacy drape in the front and the buttons down the back added just the right amount of detail without distracting from her sister's dress.  Very well done.  And the little flower girls! Awwww.  Kate's dress really reminded me of Grace Kelly's wedding dress.  The voluminous hips and the sheer lace sleeves with the sweetheart neckline underneath are almost identical, no?  If there's anyone you want to be compared to on your wedding day, I think Grace Kelly is a pretty stellar option.

I think what struck me the most about this wedding were the crazy hats.  In the US, no one wears hats to weddings, especially indoor weddings.  I consider it rude to wear hats (or apparently 'fascinators' as the UK announcer was calling them) inside, but I could count on one hand the number of women at this wedding not wearing hats.  I...I think most of them look silly.  Definitely entertaining conversation pieces though.  How fierce does Victoria Beckham look in that dress?  I'm sure she designed it.  She looked pretty grumpy throughout the ceremony but she is ridiculously pregnant and wearing platforms and real clothes and up relatively early so props to her.  David is so adorable with his suit and medal.  Aw.  As for the princesses Ferguson of York...oh, dear, those hats.  Wow.  Lady Gaga would be proud.  The pink one looks like a bow with antlers and the blue one looks like a bird on top of a space ship.  I wonder if when Brits watch American weddings they wonder where all the hats are?

Images via nymag.com, dailymail.co.uk, women24.com, people.com.

Apartment Decorating AKA I Feel Old

I know I did an apartment shopping post a while ago, but I'm actually moving into an off-case apartment soon (eek!) so this is actually relevant this time.  I am so excited to decorate my room.  Y'all don't even know.  My room at home is white and Tiffany's blue, and I haven't changed a thing in it in the last 5 years, so I'm itching to do some decorating.  Here are some of the things I'm craving:


IKEA Vika Table, $169 at ikea.com, Let Them Eat Cake Giclee Print, $22 at etsy.com: I am extremely particular about where I like to do homework.  My ideal situation is a couch but since there is no way I'm getting a couch in my room next year (probably for the best), my runner-up is a table.  I can't work at a normal desk.  They feel so constricting and studious and depressing--the same reason I can't work at the library, and I hate having those tall hutches that block out everything in front of you.  They make me claustrophobic.  So I'm going for a table, which I can do homework at, do my makeup at in the morning, watch stuff on my computer at, read a book at, etc.  Plus a table is useful for when I live in a real apartment after college!  I like this table because it's affordable, it's modern and clean without being too stark or boring, and the shelving is so convenient.  How cute is that pink print?!  I love anything with a Marie Antoinette riff, and I absolutely love quirky prints from Etsy.  I have one in my room now that says Keep Calm and Shop on.  Adorable.

PB Teen Perfume Lamp Base, $29 at pbteen.com, IKEA Aborg Rug, $39.99 at IKEA: I like to read in bed before I go to sleep, so a good lamp is essential.  The base of this lamp was made to look like a vintage perfume bottle.  That completely sold me.  The shape is so fun and vintage glam, but the metal showing through gives it a fun, modern twist.  I think I'd do it with a white drum shade with black trim.  The color palette for my room next year (finally living off campus!) is blush pink, black, and white.  I have wood floors but I think I want a little rug by the side of my bed to make getting out of bed in the morning easier, and this is such a fluffy rug in such a gorgeous plummy-pink.

Target Swoop Floral Armchair, $149.99 at target.com, Coloring Book Floral Duvet Cover, $79.99 at urbanoutfitters.com: This chair is my absolute favorite thing in this post.  I NEED TO HAVE IT.  I love anything with a baroque print in a modern color palette (hello, black and white damask), and I want a slipper/wingback chair for my table/to read in in general.  I've realized I won't sit at a table and do anything unless in the chair is comfy, and this one has the potential to be comfortable and cute.  I adore this duvet cover.  I already have one for next year but this one is so sassy, with it's randomly colored in roses.  It's a little bit modern, a little bit whimsical romantic, and a whole lot of chic.  Plus you could use it in a ton of different color palettes by playing off of one of the many colors of the roses.

What do you guys think?  Do you have as much fun room shopping as I do?  Also is anyone else watching the royal wedding tomorrow night/morning? I know I am!

Images via ikea.com, etsy.com, pbteen.com, target.com, urbanoutfitters.com.

Review: MUFE 23L Aqua Eyes Liner

This eyeliner has been on my wish list FOREVER.  You know how wanting something for a really long time can make you build it up in your head and then once you actually get it it's never as good as you thought it would be? Yeah.  I wanted a light, shimmery liner to put on my lower waterline to make my eyes look brighter and wider and more awake in general, and the MUFE Aqua Eyes liners are my absolute favorites.  I wear contacts and have dry eyes, so I'm always using eye drops, and these liners stay in place through all of that.  They are legitimately waterproof, last forever, and are just creamy enough not to drag but firm enough to let you create a thin, steady line.  I can't say enough good things about these liners.  Honestly.


I got the 23L liner, which Sephora describes as a metallic pink champagne.  I'd say it's a metallic peach champagne, but close enough.  Out of the light (where I could not get it to show up in my pictures for the life of me), it's slightly darker than my NW15 skin tone and shows up as a warm nude.  In the light it's a light, shimmery/metallic nude peach.  It's very pretty.  Also, I just spent a solid minute trying to scrub that swatch off my hand and failed.  This liner isn't going ANYWHERE until you want it to.  Here's the pencil itself--it's a pretty long pencil, and will probably last me about a year.

Now, here's my only issue with it.  I should have realized that since I am uber-pale, to lighten my waterline/inner eye lid lighter than it already is I need a pencil that's basically white.  This is about the same color as my lid, so it adds a little brightness and shimmer for an overall pretty effect, but it doesn't do that much lightening.  That's not the pencil's fault, it just doesn't have as much impact as I was expecting.


So, overall I'd give it an A-.  The pencil itself is fantastic, but I had to take off a few points for the low-impact effect.  I would really recommend this for slightly darker skin tones--it would be absolutely lovely.

Review: Essie Pink Parka

This nail polish is an interesting story.  After getting my nails done with a neon pink Essie a week or so ago, I was craving for a neon of my own.  I stumbled across Essie Pink Parka and it looked so vibrant in the swatches that I had to have it.  Well, none of those swatches mentioned that it was a MATTE.  Yep, a matte nail polish.  Apparently something about the pigment used in neon polishes makes the finish matte.  Ugh.  I strongly dislike matte polish.  It makes my feel like my finger nails are dirty and gross.  I am not a fan.  However, there is a somewhat happy end to the story, so keep on reading.


Pink Parka is from Essie's Fall 2009 collection and is apparently discontinued.  However it's very easy to find on eBay and Amazon.  I got it for about $7 with shipping, and since Essie is $8 in stores it was a pretty good deal.  It is a straight up neon pink creme.  So neon that it actually glows in the dark (well not really, but I'm pretty sure it could if it wanted to).  These pictures were taken out of direct sunlight on a cloudy day, and that's how bright Pink Parka is.  There is actually no way it could be brighter or more neon.

As for the application...ugh.  Matte nail polishes dry very, very quickly.  This means that if you pick up a normal amount of polish on the brush, half the nail will be dry before you finish painting the other half, and your nails will end up looking chalky and streaky.  You need to pick up a lot of polish on the brush and paint as quickly as possible to get an even coat, and you're still going to have to do at least 2 and probably 3 coats.  And then it has a very matte finish that can only be remedied with 2 coats of a super shiny top coat, like Seche Vite.  The one plus side to the whole matte thing is that this polish dries SUPER fast, and the matte finish can be defeated with some top coat.

So what's the verdict?  I'm going this polish a B.  I love, love, love the color, but the matte finish is a killer and the application is a pain.  I think the wear time is going to be average--on day 3 I have slight wear around the edges.  So all in all, this color is worthwhile if you want something truly neon and have the patience to deal with the finish and application.

Hat Attack!

Happy Thursday everybody!  I'm sure you're all as excited as I am that it's the weekend (although in my mind weekends start Wednesday night.  Just sayin).  As a nice little end to my week, the kind folks at Hat Attack gifted me an adorable sun hat.  They asked me for a picture of how I'd style the hat in exchange for 20% of the proceeds for that hat's sales in May being donated to the Skin Cancer Foundation?  How awesome is that?!  The particular hat they sent me isn't on the website yet but check out hatattack.com for some adorable summery hats.


Anyways, they gave me the choice of a few hats and I chose the sun hat because it reminds me of Jane Austen (I'm a total Austen nerd, I confess) and because it's just so darn cute.  It's a braided raffia hat with a little green silky detail around the crown and it's giant and floppy and adorable.  Now, I don't usually wear hats, so I may have had an hour long dress up session alone in my room to figure out how to wear a hat.

I ended up wearing it with a dress and a skirt.  I feel like it's such a summer hat that I wanted to wear it with summery clothes (even though it's not remotely summery outside right now).  On the left I'm wearing a vintage cardigan, necklace, and belt, an Anthropologie dress and Urban Outfitters sandals.  On the middle/right I'm wearing an ASTARS shirt and Forever 21 skirt.  This hat just makes me want to frolic around in a meadow.  At first I wasn't sure that I'd get a lot of wear out of it but I'm starting to think that during the summer it might actually be a great idea, especially to save my hair color and scalp from the sun.

What do you all think?  Are you pro or anti the floppy sun hat?

Q&A and Pretty Things

Sooo today I got asked to answer some questions for Rebecca Minkoff's official Tumblr (if you aren't familiar with the brand, she makes adorable handbags and accessories), and since some of the questions were fun I thought I'd copy the post here.  It's mostly about things I like and LA in general (where I hear it's actually warm now.  Unlike Boston where it is the middle of April and still barely 50 degrees and raining.  Not amused).


Here's the post:


What are your top three…
LA spots: The Huntington Gardens, a huge collection of various themed gardens that are great for impromptu photoshoots, Pinkberry, cliche but still pretty amazing (and necessary in the LA heat), and Buster’s Coffee, a fab retro coffee shop tucked away in Pasadena where you always feel like a ‘regular.’
Things to see in LA with an out-of-towner: Rodeo Drive for the fun, stereotypical LA experience, Venice Beach Boardwalk for a more unusual but still quinessential look at LA culture, and the La Brea Tar Pits, because what other major metropolitan city has a bunch of tar pits with dinosaurs sticking out of them in the middle of its downtown area?
Cities: Los Angeles because it’s my hometown, Prague because it’s like a real life Disneyland, and London for the shopping.
Musicians: Florence + The Machine for when I’m feeling a little offbeat or ethereal, ADELE for her amazing voice and touching lyrics, and Taylor Swift for cliche, if catchy songs to sing in the shower (where no one will judge you for liking them).
TV shows: Secret Diary of a Call Girl: ridiculously trashy, but well-done and starring some amazing outfits.  True Blood: vampires, camp, and Southern culture.  What more could you want?  Mad Men: both for the nuanced story lines and the fantastic, period-accurate costumes.
Blogs: Cupcakes and Cashmere: the cutest combination of adorable clothes, recipes, and decorating tips, Garance Dore: the famous French street style blogger, and Temptalia: the best makeup reviews and swatches you’ll find on the Internet.
Things to do on a rainy day: Curl up with a blanket inside and watch Pride and Prejudice (the Keira Knightley version, of course), play dress-up in my closet, or bake a strawberry-rhubarb pie (my specialty).
Things to do on a sunny day: Drive around in LA with the windows down listening to obnoxiously loud and happy music, ride my horse, or sit outside with a giant glass of iced tea while reading a book.
Ways to relax: Painting my nails, watching trashy TV, and hanging out with my adorable fox terrier Sophie.
Books: Pride and Prejudice: who doesn’t love this book?  It’s got romance, drama, hilarious relatives and endearingly real characters who actually make mistakes.  100 Years of Solitude: whether you read this in English or in Spanish, this book is stunningly well-written and inspiring, in it’s own dark, mystical sort of way.  The Custom of the Country: the original Gossip Girl (Leighton Meester actually studied the main character while prepping to be Blair), this novel chronicles the rise of a sociopathic 20th century social climber.

One an unrelated but pretty note, here are 3 cheerful summer accessories I'm craving: Raffia Braid Sunhat by Hat Attack, $80 at hatattack.com, Emi-Jay Jewel Collection Hair Ties, $10.99 at emi-jay.com, Kenneth Jay Lane Enamel Branch Cuff, $187 at shopbop.com: I want a cute sun hat.  Of course, that would imply that I was living somewhere sunny (ahem, I'm bitter), but I've been watching a lot of Jane Austen, which always makes me want to frolic around in a sun hat and drink tea.  I have the tea part down, but I need a hat.  I like this one because it's not too wide as to be ridiculous, the raffia is a pretty natural huge, and the chain/floral detail give it a fun, edgy/girly twist.  I've blogged about these hair ties before, but I've never been able to justify buying them because, well, they're glorified hair ties.  But I've seen them on a lot of girls recently, and they just look so cute and pulled together in contrast with a regular elastic.  They come in different colors but my favorites are the jewel tones--they're still fun and bright, but they're a little more sophisticated than a neon.  How adorable is this coral shaped turquoise cuff?!  It's so great for summer because the coral itself is unexpected but perfect for summer since it's so beachy, and the bright blue is just such a fun pop of color.  I'd love this with a white sundress and some brown, cowboyish boots.

Images via: hatattack.com, emi-jay.com, shopbop.com.

Essie, China Glaze, and Barbie

Sorry for not blogging on Friday!  It was Relay for Life at my school, which is a 12 hour relay for the American Cancer Society, so I was doing that instead.  Everyone should do it if it's available at your school, because it's really fun and it's a great cause!


Anyways, on a more frivolous note, I got my nails did this weekend in some pretty fab colors.  On my toes I have Essie's Flirty Fuchsia.  I really wanted something obnoxiously neon on my toes to make me feel cheerful and summery since the Boston weather has been so terrible, and I love me some pink, so neon pink it was.  I LOVE THIS COLOR.  It's just bright enough to be noticeable, but it's not glaring, and it's actually a pretty flattering color.  It went on nicely in 2 coats.  Another alternative to Flirty Fuchsia is Essie's Pink Parka.

Now on my fingers I got China Glaze's Stella.  These pictures came out so wrong.  It's such a pretty color in real life.  It's a medium-dark vibrant purple with bright pink shimmer.  Out of direct light it's a pretty vampy purple, but when it catches the light that pink shimmer comes out and it becomes this fun, bright warm purple.  It's just a really happy, pretty color that I wish I had in my polish collection.  It covered nicely in 2 coats as well.  I always get things named Stella because it was the name of my first blog and it's also the name of one of my sorority's founders. :)

For some reason I can NOT get this video to center.  Someone made a life-size scale model of what Barbie would look like if her proportions were scaled up to normal human size, and it is truly terrifying.  She wouldn't be able to standard and her organs wouldn't be able to fit in her body.  It says a lot about the unrealistic body expectations we develop as kids, huh?  I wouldn't WANT to look like Barbie.  Barbie looks grotesque--and the Bratz dolls aren't much better.  It's about time that we get some normal-sized, non-sluttified dolls for girls to play with, no?

Craving: UK Drugstore Beauty

So one of the reasons that I'm super psyched to go to Spain/the Schengen zone in general (too much EU reading, gah) is for the drugstore makeup/beauty products.  They have so much stuff with such better quality control/stricter manufacturing standards than we have in the US.  Also stuff that's basically just awesome.  I rounded up a few awesome sounding products that I've seen in my favorite UK beauty blogger videos.


Bioderma Crealine H20, Boots No. 7 Quick Thinking Wipes, Max Factor Aqua Lash Mascara: Apparently this Bioderma stuff is the best makeup remover ever.  It looks, smells, and feels like water but it takes off EVERYTHING with zero irritation/scrubbing. Also it just looks so happy and French and healthy.  You can actually get these Boots wipes in the US but I tend to associate anything Boots with the UK so...They're great because they take off most any makeup and they clean and tone/moisturize your skin.  So if you're lazy and you just want to go to sleep without washing your face, just use these.  Done and done.  I love Max Factor.  SO MUCH.  But it isn't sold in the US anymore, so I am totally stocking up on Max Factor Aqua Lash when I get to Europe.  It's fantastic because it's super buildable, keeps your lashes soft, and never flakes or smudges.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, Bourjois Delice Bronzing Powder, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer: My favorite YouTube beauty guru, Pixi2Woo, uses this Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation.  It looks light with good coverage, and seems to add some healthy radiance to skin while also ifnusing some lovely vitamins and antioxidants.  So this Bourjois bronzer is shaped like a chocolate bar and chocolate scented.  Um.  Yes.  It's a lovely deep brown with subtle golden shimmer and just looks so pretty and natural on.  I struggle so much with finding good bronzers, and this may actually work on pale skin.  Apparently this concealer is super cheap and crazy effective--it stays on all day without budging.  I have dry AND oily skin and I have a lot of trouble with concealer longevity so this sounds fab.

Has anyone tried any of these?  Thoughts?

Images via boots.co.uk, anapettusdiaries.com.

It Makes Sense in My Head

Do you ever have the perfect idea of how you want something to look/be in your head and then get terribly disappointed when you can't find it in real life.  It happens to me ALL THE TIME.  Case in point: sundresses and perfume.

If I could wear one article of clothing (given that the weather doesn't change) for the rest of my life, it would be a sundress.  It's light and layerable, easy to take from day to night, and fun and flattering on most body types.  Now in my mind the perfect sundress is something along these lines.  It has the shape of this dress from Topshop but with more of a sweetheart neckline.  The skirt is an a-line, the length is between midthigh and just above the knee, and it's a thick cotton-blend, matte fabric.  The print is white with florals, but not a cute little ditsy floral, a big, vibrant, almost savage hothouse floral, and the straps are a medium tank width.  But can I find this magical dress?  NO.  I saw something like it on Anna Friel in Pushing Daisies but I think it was vintage :(  This Topshop dress is a decent option, and it's not that expensive (but I have no idea how Euros convert to dollars so perhaps it is).

As far as perfume goes, I'm one of those people that really wants a signature perfume.  So far my signature one is Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel.  I tend to like heavy orientals with a hint of sweetness and some florals/fruits.  Ideally I want to smell like chai spices--spicy with a dry heat and then honey and vanilla snaking around in the background and adding a mysterious sweet twist to it all.  Look at chai spices.  Aren't they pretty?  I love that smell, all the cinnamon and cardamom and nutmeg, because it's so sassy and spicy, but it's also very comforting and cozy.  Coco Mademoiselle has some of the spiciness and the coziness, but all the florals and fruits take it into slightly too girly, generic territory for me to 100% love it.  I pulled up Black Phoenix Alchemy lab for a friend this week, and now of course I've realized that they have all the perfumes I want and I will be forced to buy them.  Gah.  BPAL is a sort of underground California-based perfume oil company.  They sell hand-blended perfume oils (aka little tiny vials of extremely concentrated perfume) at decent prices and the scents and descriptions are literally OUT OF THIS WORLD.

The three I'm thinking of ordering are Bengal, O, and Katharina.  They're all $17.50 for 5ml (which sounds like a little but it will last FOREVER) or $4 for a little 1ml sample. Bengal is a "sultry and unruly blend that emulates the ambient scent of the markets in ancient Bengal: skin musk with honey, peppers, clove, cinnamon bark and ginger."  Doesn't that sound delicious?  I think I want to order a big one of this.  It just screams mysterious and elusive and exotic and basically awesomeness incarnate.  O is "The scent of sexual obsession, slavery to sensual pleasure, and the undercurrent of innocence defiled utterly. Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla."  I don't really think that needs to be explained.  I've heard some mixed reviews of it so I think I'll start with the sample size and see how it goes from there.  Last but not least, Katharina (named after the character from Taming of the Shrew!  Aka my fave Shakespeare character) is "a strong, willful blend with a soft, utterly lovely soul: white musk with a trickle of bright, sharp apricot and orange blossom."  I love the idea of smelling like apricots--they're so crisp and tangy, and the orange blossom would add some delicate sweetness while the musk grounded it all.

What do you all think?  Would you order from BPAL?  Even if you aren't convinced, go wander around their website.  It's wonderfully morbid and offbeat (in a fun way) and they have more than 500 perfumes in the most interesting categories/series.  My favorites are Wanderlust, a series of global cities--past and present--and what they would smell like conceptually (so London is a twisted, dark tea rose, etc), and Sin & Salvation, which is 7 deadly sins themed. 

Images via topshop.com, chai-wallah.com, theteaspot.com.

Review: Zoya Kimmy

Zoya Kimmy is the second of the two Zoya polishes I got with their last promo.  Zoya describes it as a gleaming metallic candy apple red brightened by gold sparkle.


I'm sorry that these pictures are less than awesome.  There was no sunlight today, and it doesn't seem likely that there will be any sunlight for the next few days, so I figured I may as well just post the pictures I had.  The finish is similar to Zoya's other metallic glitters, like Edyta or Valerie, an opaque base with thick, multi-hued microglitter in contrasting colors.  In Kimmy, the base color is a candy apple red and the shimmer is red and a bright gold.  From the description I was expecting more of a red with a slight hint of gold, but in any sort of direct lighting the gold really stands out.  The combination of red and gold turns this candy apple red into a reddish orange.  Really in almost any light it turns into a metallic red-orange.  That's definitely not what I was expecting, but it is pretty and flattering on my NW15 skintone.  It reminds me of fire--red, orange, gold, gleaming and shimmering metallic finish.  You can really see the gold in the bottle picture.

The application of Kimmy was standard Zoya--easy to apply, opaque in 2 coats, self-leveling and quick drying.  Since it is very heavy on the glitter, it is harder to remove than a cream polish but it also lasts longer on my nails.  One issue I have with Zoya is that it is very picky about what topcoats it works with, and it does not like Seche Vite.  That's a problem for me because I love Seche Vite and how quickly and shiny it dries.  What I do is layer I coat of a topcoat Zoya polishes do get along with, generally a random Sally Hansen, and then I do Seche Vite on top of that, and it seems to work.


Zoya is a 4-free polish (not 3-free like OPI and Essie), and the brush is a little smaller and more unwieldy than an OPI brush. 


Awkward Chic rating: A-.  I like the formula a lot, and I do like the color, although it's not what I expected.  Orange isn't really my thing, but the red and the gold twist to this one keeps it interesting and sassy, so it works for me.

Dressing Up...My iPhone.

I feel a little silly blogging about this, but it's so cute that I just couldn't resist.  A few days ago I mentioned I got a new case for my lil baby iPhone, and it finally came so I had to share it.


I got this case from lipstickshades.com, and let me just say right off the bat that it is expensive.  Possibly overpriced, depending on how much stock you put on things getting customized/monogrammed.  But it is darn cute.  Just to recap, the way Lipstick Shades works is that you pick your base case for your specific phone (they have a ton of adorably preppy designs for a wide variety of phones), then you pick the colors you want the design to come in, the style of the circle in the middle, the style of the monogram, and the color of the monogram.  There are a LOT of choices to make.  I was originally thinking of doing a crazy post-Baroque damask pattern, which is so me, but my roomie pointed out that I tend to get sick of busy things very quickly and that since this isn't cheap I should probably get something a little simpler.  I went with the stripes because they're very clean and classic but still young and fun.  As for the colors, I picked a vibrant medium pink for some spunk--it's the perfect bubblegum pink, bright but not neon--and the white to tone it down a bit.  I like the contrast of the pink and black a lot, and I went with the swirly monogram because I am pathetically girly at heart.  The way these monograms work is that the first letter is your first name, then it's your last name, and last is your middle name (don't ask me why, that's the classic monogram style I guess).  You can also get different styles and fonts of monograms.  I'm really happy with how this turned out.  It's sassy and cute and very me.

As for the quality of the case, it's not the sort of case that's going to save your iPhone from a five foot drop.  It's just a plastic shell, not too thin or flimsy but definitely not thick.  It clicks on in the corners, and the design comes up around the sides but not on the front.  It's a very minimalist, clean design.  The case itself is pretty glossy, which can translate to slippery if you're clumsy like me.


All in all, I'd give this an A-.  I love how it looks, but the price is a little high.  But it's so cute.  Sigh.


Also, just an FYI: later this week I hope to post reviews of Zoya Kimmy (currently wearing and loving) and Zoya Breezi, and surprise--next fall I'm studying abroad in Sevilla!  So just a heads up that I won't stop blogging from September-December, but I will be talking a lot about Sevilla (hopefully with lots of pictures) and European clothes and makeup etc etc if the internet access is as reliable as I was promised.

Review: Zoya Areej

Zoya Areej is one of the polishes I got with the recent bogo Zoya promo for their summer collections--I got Areej and Kimmy, a shimmery golden red.  I think with shipping I spent $10 on 2 polishes, which is pretty good as far as Zoya goes.

So here's Areej.  Zoya describes it as a soft, muted cool fuchsia pink with a creme finish, which is pretty true to life for me.  It's so, so much prettier in person (my nails are in bad shape, so any manicure looks terrible right now). 

The formula was standard Zoya, opaque, covered in 2 coats, dried without bubbles, pretty self-leveling, basically easy to deal with if not epically mind-blowing.  As for the color, it's a little brighter in person and SO PRETTY.  Let me preface this by saying that I don't really do pink polishes on my fingers.  I do vampy cremes and shimmers, occasionally a red or a navy, but pink?  Not so much.  However, I love this color.  It's bright enough to be fun but not so bright that it's neon, it's a nice medium fuchsia, not too like so it's twee, not too dark, and it just has such a girly, cheerful vibe without being too cutesy for me.  I'd love this on my toes too!

Overall Rating: A+.  The formula is good, and the color is unique (at least for me) but also wearable and fun.  Definitely worth the $5.

And Now for an Update on Taylor Momsen

Shock and horror, she looks exactly the same!  Or potentially even more like a zombie stripper than she did before.  Before I sarcastically mock TMoms, I just want to say that I understand having a specific look that you wear every day that becomes a part of your persona.  On a much, much more restrained scale, I like to do my cat-eye gel liner every day because 1. I think it works for my eye shape and 2. I have a very hourglassy body type that looks best in '50s style dresses, so I like to do a little '50s style makeup.  So I understand where you're coming from, TMoms.  I just think you've taken it a lil too far.


We get it.  You were all cute in How the Grinch Stole Christmas but now you want to be all grown-up and badass and rebellious.  Fine.  Totally deserved.  But does having hair that looks like it was ripped off the head of a life sized mermaid Barbie doll and then made into a wig used by an extra in Flash Dance really accomplish that?  Or does it say "I am legitimately insane and these mangy extensions are eating into my brain?"  As for picture #2, I'm sorry, but thigh-high pleather boots, a bra, and a button-down are not an outfit unless you are Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.  TMoms, I'm sorry, but you are no Julia Roberts.

It gets even better.  Why not pair a cheap, Victoria's Secret bustier with a crucifix, thigh-highs, and some sort of odd leg harness?  Perhaps because it makes you look like a futuristic brothel girl who has a Single White Female fixation on Madonna?  Just perhaps.  Also, the "I f*** for Satan shirt?"  Really?  We get it.  You're super badass.  This is just tasteless.  Which one of your parents saw you wear this before you left the house and went, "yes.  I am okay with my daughter wearing this because she looks like a classy young lady with stand-up moral values."  Also, leather granny panties?  Where do you even buy those???

 You know what would be super rebellious for her at this point?  Taking out the extensions, scraping off the eyeliner, and doing a simple, clean Jason Wu-esque outfit, not even super girly but just something uncomplicated and fresh.  Now that would be truly shocking.

Images via gofugyourself.com.