Nail Polish

Nail polish is so hot right now. I love nail polish because it makes me feel just a little more put together. My toenails are ALWAYS painted, no matter what. I honestly don't think I have gone a day without my toenails being painted since around the 6th grade. Fingernails are a different story. I should keep my fingernails painted (and I try to), but I have a bad habit of peeling it off when I get even the tiniest chip. I'm definitely a stress-biter, which is totally embarrassing at the nail salon. But I'm working hard to change my ways.

Personally, I've always been a fan of OPI. Their polishes are of great quality, they have fun colors, even more fun names, and (this might seem weird) their brushes are appropriately wide. Essie polishes are adorable, but I have trouble painting with my left hand with their minuscule brushes.

Just this week, I ordered a couple butter LONDON polishes that I am SO excited for. Has anyone ever tried butter LONDON? Their polishes are non-toxic and they have fabulous colors. They are a little more expensive than OPI and Essie (running at around $14 a bottle), but I will be sure to let you know if they are worth it or not. Much of that will depend on the functionality of the brush.

It used to be that I only really wore traditional colors on my nails, but I'm trying to branch out. I am loving dark colors for fall, but since I'm not a big black-wearer, I am totally on a navy kick. I'm wearing navy on my toes right now and I LOVE it!

The butter LONDON colors I ordered:

Royal Navy

All Hail The Queen

My other go-to colors:

Glitzerland
Wearing this on my hands now!

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

Melon of Troy

Colors I want to try:

French Quarter for Your Thoughts

Rosie Lee

The Old Bill
WANT this copper color!!! LOVE IT

Polyvore

I'm no graphic designer, nor a fashion expert, but I'm really starting to enjoy playing around on Polyvore.

For those of you who don't know what Polyvore is, it's basically a website where you can search for different products (apparel, accessories, makeup, etc.) and put them all together in a "set." I had never heard of it until I started using Pinterest a lot, where a bunch of people will pin different sets that they make or like on Polyvore. Some people use ti to display trends for different seasons and things like that, but I just like it for putting outfits together. Here are a couple of the sets I have made in anticipation of the fall:

I wish I knew more about graphic design and stuff so that my sets looked better, but I still like to be able to see what items will go well together, even with things that I already own. Also, Polyvore allows me to look at the MOST expensive designer items, so then I can look for similar things that might be less expensive (or if I REALLY like something, I know what I need to save up to buy).

Seen in sets: J Crew, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Ray Ban, Madewell, Tory Burch, Alexis Bittar

Looking Forward to Fall

Fall is by far my favorite season. Its the best, and I don't know how you can even argue with that statement. Although I could go on for days about why fall is awesome, here are my top reasons:

1. Weather, obviously. As the leaves start to change and the ridiculous humidity goes away (in NC at least), everything just gets better. Its warm enough that you don't have to wear a heavy coat; even at night a light jacket will suffice. I long for those "crisp October nights" of Chapel Hill that Charles Kuralt spoke of so fondly. When you live somewhere that has so many trees that change to an array of reds, oranges, and yellows like Chapel Hill, its hard not to love the fall.

2. Scents. Okay, I don't know about y'all, but walking outside in the fall and getting a faint scent of bonfire gives me this excited feeling that will literally make me stop in my tracks just to breathe for a few minutes. Its not just the natural smells of the air that I love in the fall, but also the burning candles that smell of cinnamon, apple pie, and pumpkin spice. Not that JMC and I don't burn candles that smell like that year-round just to remind us of how great fall is. Obsession? Maybe.

3. My birthday. Who doesn't love the season their birthday is in? (unless your birthday is in any season but fall... just kidding... but really). Although I have come to terms with the fact that 21 was the last birthday that I will ever REALLY look forward to, everybody loves their birthday.

4. Clothes. Boots, jackets, scarves, UGGs... I'm getting excited just thinking about being able to wear a decent amount of clothing and not feel like I'm burning alive.

5. It's acceptable to be pale. Working full-time has really put a damper on my summer tan. I'm already ridiculously pale (which I'm sure my dermatologist will be happy about), so I am anxiously awaiting the fall when everyone else will be pale and I won't look so ghostly in a group.

6. Christmas is coming. Christmas is AWESOME. Just the anticipation of Christmas is awesome. JMC is basically obsessed with Christmas, so we definitely participated in the Christmas in July specials on TV a couple weeks ago (Elf and Christmas Vacation are totally year-round movies, though. Just saying.). His mom starts decorating on November 1st, and you better believe that JMC will have Christmas radio on POSSIBLY starting at the end of October.

While others may not be as obsessed with fall as I am, I think we can all agree that it is about time for this hot weather to be GONE-ZO.