Instant, Rock Hard Nails

I love wearing nail polish.  I wrote a whole post about it over here.  But I also hate wearing nail polish. This is probably a familiar story for some of you out there.  You meticulously apply one coat of nail polish to your nails.  It looks a little bit milky and transparent but you aren't worried.  You apply another fresh layer of polish and its perfect.  A glistening, smooth finish.  You admire your nails and carefully keep your hands still and only handle things by the pads of your fingers, IF absolutely necessary.  The night winds down and you take one last look at your beautiful tips and head to bed.

The next morning you wake up and are horrified when you look down at your nails only to see the impression of your pillow case weave imprinted in your nails.  Nooooooooooooo!

Thats the worst, isn't it?  I was so sick of this happening as I perused the aisles at my local walgreens I spotted a little red bottle that would change my life.

Perfect home manicure finish, exact here

At $5.99 a bottle it seems a little unnecessary but let me tell you, its totally worth it.  A medium-ish layer applied on top of wet polish sets and hardens in minutes.  I kid you not.  For an hour or so you probably shouldn't poke and prod at it on purpose but its amazing.  You can sleep on you  nails without pillow print.  I can even do my nails right before I step out and they dry to a hard and shiny finish.  I think this is a must have for every girl.  There are a few other products out there similar to this I have used and enjoyed, one specific is Revlon Liquid Quick Dry which is at an identical price point.  Give it a whirl and let me know what you think! I refuse to be without a bottle since I've discovered these amazing top coats. 

Nail Lacquer: Accessorizing for Pennies

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

A glimpse of my collection of nail lacquers

The saying goes the devil is in the details.  Well manicured nails are definitely a seemingly small thing that can play a huge role in putting the finishing touches on an outfit.  I don't mean in terms of the color being matching or complimentary but rather that neat, clean, well polished nails really elevate any look. Nail polish is such an easy and versatile accessory that can be changed in the blink of an eye.  A lot of women treat themselves to a mani but I love settling down on the couch with a bottle of polish and treating myself to a fresh set of nails. 

Amazing quality polishes at a more affordable price point, see here

Everyone is familiar with the slightly pricier brands like Essie, OPI and China Glaze but I'm a huge fan of ULTA brand polishes.  They come in a wide array of colors, I have yet to set out in search of a color or finish and not find it here.  My personal preference is for matte finish polishes, I don't think the pearly finishes look quite as flattering on me.  At $6 a bottle they aren't that big of a bargain BUT a couple of times a year they come on sale for $1.99 each.  That coupled with a $3.50 off $10 that is a mainstay of ultra discounts a set of 5 polishes comes out to $6.50.  Thats $1.30 per bottle!  That is a deal you cannot beat and with my nail polish obsession it doesn't break the bank either.  I am a believer in high quality polish--finish and durability are important points for me--these bottles do not disappoint in either category.

On another note, does anyone else do their nails at night and wake up in the morning to an imprint of their bedding because the polish wasn't rock hard dry?  Keep a look out for my perfect solution to this annoying little hurdle that keeps some women away from home manicures and paying too much for manis at the salon. 

ULTA Polish //Original Price: $6.00/ea//My Price: $1.30/ea//Total Savings: 78%

The Purge

Before setting out to fill in the "holes in my closet" it was important for me to figure out and catalog what I already had. I truly see how important it is to (1) know what clothes you have (2) have them visible because there are few instances I put together an imaginary outfit and go hunting for the pieces that I want. My goal is to purge my closet of the clothes that I have a bizarre sentimental attachment to wearing in the future and the ones that I know that I will never be able to squeeze into. I was mildly successful in both of these avenues. I read a tip online that for clothes you feel attached to for no reason just take a picture and get it outta there, so I snapped a few pics on my iPhone and was able to get rid of another chunk of clothes.  I am guilty of keeping some pants that were a little snug but managed to give away the ones where I couldn't even get the button to fasten.

Finally letting go of some old stuff

As I mentioned above its vitally important to do a systematic review of closet inventory at least once a year.  I knew I had a love of colored pants and had picked up a few here and there, little did I know I'd hit every color of the rainbow already.  Glad I finally got them all together and neatly arranged so I can pick out exactly what I need.

One of the joys of closet reorganizing, rediscovering your past purchases

Going through and sorting my clothes allowed me to rediscover the wardrobe I already have.  I'm realizing this is a little bit about buying new clothes but mostly about learning what works for me.  Learning how to combine the pieces I already have and breathing new life into them is going to be the real challenge here.  I still need a solid foundation of basics to lay the meshwork of my style and then use the interesting pieces I've picked up along the way as adornments.  After weeding through the screen printed Ts and unflattering tiered cotton tank top dresses I was left with some beautiful textures and prints.  I had bought these more recently but they were buried underneath the other drab prints and textiles I'd been keeping around. 

Plush gray sweater, heavenly soft. Black lace top with stud detailing.

Light cotton T with delicate lace inset. Monochrome print top.

I picked up a few great deals around holiday time and even managed to hit some things from my list!

Embarking on a Journey

I was out shopping for some clothes today and wandered through the juniors section at Macy's and was appalled and how unappealing everything there looked to me.  So cheesy, sparkly, tight fitting and mass produced.  I chalked it up to it being holiday season and the end of the year.  Then it dawned on me it wasn't the Juniors section that was the problem--it was me!  I'm in my early twenties, time to high tail it over to the big girl section.  This isn't to say that wonderful pieces can't be found stuck even in the kids section for us petite girls but its time for a paradigm shift in my wardrobe.

I'm a big bargain hunter, I don't believe in paying more money for a clothing item than I could realistically carry around in my wallet.  That being said I am now seeing the importance of having high quality, staples that will last for years and can be used in an endless variety of combinations and permutations.

Part of the reason my wardrobe has failed to transition is because I am still a student.  After completing my bachelor's degree I kept on rolling right into grad school and am currently in year three of a four year program.  The academic rigor required was one of the excuses for me slouching around in the same stuff I've had for years.  Occasionally I'd go on a "fashion" bender e.g.: I really wanted a cropped black blazer, when I finally found one I bought 5 in all different colors.  Excessive.

I'm a very concrete-sequential type person.  I like to make lists and cross things off.  One of my fav bloggers Franish introduced this concept of having a list of items you need and filling them in.  That sealed the deal for me.

I'm going to create a list, hopefully an amalgamation of what many ladies out there in the blogosphere have already put out and then start slowly working my way through it.  Like I said I'm budget conscious, as a student one of my last expense priorities is on clothing, and will keep that in mind as I venture through this.

This will be a blog about my journey to discovering my own style, body type and eventually transitioning to a wardrobe suitable for work, home and night.

I want to blog because it keeps me honest.  Even if nobody else every sees this, it gives me a space to be accountable and track my progress.

Click here for the list, or scroll up and click on the button above.

Comments? Thoughts? Items to add to the list?  Please feel free below!