Seasonal Sparkle

I'm either giving you a great gift idea, a great gift hint to drop to someone, or a great gift-to-yourself idea! Or even just something pretty to look at. Either way check out these stunning Kate Spade Metro Grand watches I stumbled upon last week. 

Talk about perfect holiday sparkle for your wrist, but also with the option to switch out the strap! To me the whole switching out the strap concept reminds me of the kinds of versatile watches that were around when I was a kid. Switch out the strap or the coloured bezel and it's like you've got a whole new watch! I like these ones because one is party perfect where as the other one is more streamlined and classic... okay, maybe not the neon pink as much but definitely the black! 

I'm torn on which combo I love the most: I'm very drawn to the classic gold and black, but how fun is the rainbow and pink?

Ringing in 2013!

Wishing you all a safe and happy New Year's Eve as we welcome 2013! Can you believe it?! 

Festive Duds: Christmas Parties

I always love the holidays because not only can you put glittery things on your Christmas tree, but on your body as well! The more sparkle, shine, glitter the better and more festive you look. Sadly this Christmas season I do not have any "formal" parties to go to that would require a fancy dress or outfit. But that doesn't mean I can't live vicariously through Pinterest! It also doesn't mean I will be wearing anything boring. At every chance I will be rocking sequins and/or festive shoes and/or lots of jewelry! I vow to light up my work lunch and over dress for my low key house parties. Maybe even throw in a red lip just because it's the colour of Santa's hat! But, back to living vicariously through Pinterest, here are a few of my festive faves for Christmas parties...

Probably my fave due to simplicity

Gold!

Black Sparkle

And let's not forget about the potential to throw in some Winter Whites! What are you going to be wearing this holiday season?

Casual Sequins

When I think of sequins I automatically think about an event or occasion. I love wearing sequins for New Years, my birthday, Christmas, etc. What I never thought about until recently, was making sequins a bit more casual - a bit more wearable for any day. I saw on Pinterest several such outfits that took a sequin piece and made it more casual. Or rather gave a casual outfit some elegance and sparkle!

Now a days sequin clothing comes in all shapes and forms. You can get sequin blazers, tops, shorts, skirts, dresses, pants - you name it, they make it! Similar to clothes with leather or stud embellishments, these pieces are everywhere, and made to mix and match. Previously I had posted about how shoes can take a casual or comfy outfit to the next level - why not do the same with sequins? 

The pictures that really caught my eye have gold sequin tops mixed with a light denim. Maybe this hit home because I have a gold sequin top collecting dust in my closet. I have (sadly) only worn it once, and that was last New Years eve. Not only can you add sparkle to an average day (who wouldn't want that?), but a sequin top can become your ultimate accessory. Oh the outfit ideas... I can't wait to break it out now!

Monkey See, Monkey (try to) Do

Is it just me, or is nail art huge nowadays? It seems to be everywhere I look. When I say nail art, I am referring to multicolour nails, intricate patterns on nails, embellishments creating a 3D nail - basically anything other than one solid colour.

On TV the other day, I saw a beauty segment where the host went to a nail salon and got a different design on each nail. One nail had very tiny beads glued to it, another had a black and white check pattern, and so on. Although I wasn't necessarily taken with any of her designs, I did start to think a little more about trying something myself. Enter: Pinterest. I saw a cute design that involved a neutral base and a glitter overlay. I figured something simple like that would be a good start for me (I like colours but didn't want to start with anything crazy).

The inspiration on the left and my handiwork on the right.

For my base I used the OPI colour At First Sight. I applied my usual two coats and let it dry fully (like 12 hours). Then I took a piece of regular tape and laid it diagonally across my nail, choosing to cover the cuticle as was done in the picture I was working from. I then did two coats on the exposed area, one after the other, on each nail and removed the tape pretty much right away. I worried if I let it dry too much the tape would take some of the polish with it. I did a quick clear coat over the whole nail and - VOILA!

Overall I'm quite happy with the result! A very subtle first foray into the world of nail art. Have you tried any designs or embellishments on your nails?

Outfit Planning

Do you plan your outfits in advance? If so, how far in advance?

I am an EXTREME outfit planner. That being said, it's not random outfits, but rather I plan for specific occasions. You might think that sounds reasonable; here's the extreme part: those occasions can be months away. It's August and I'm already thinking about New Years Eve! No idea what I'm doing for NYE, but I am brainstorming what to wear. 

I think what happens I see a photo of an outfit, or am shopping online, and suddenly I'm trying to figure out where I can wear that! This sounds like a chicken and egg riddle: which comes first, the outfit or the occassion? This is one outfit that got me thinking about New Years:

Pretty cute and festive, right?! Maybe it would be a good outfit for my birthday? (Also, in January)

I'm sure you can see how this is a slippery slope. I should just take a deep breath and focus on what to wear next week... because let's be honest, I've got this week figured out :)