Yes, I'm a tourist

{Blouse, Similar Cardigan, Similar Jeans, Sunglasses}



*The Coach wristlet is fairly old, but the Sutton Signature Nylon Go Go Wristlet is similar.  

If you want to know what I was wearing on my feet, just plain old sneakers- they really make this outfit :]. I usually wear sneakers since I do a lot of walking while on vacation, or even at school. Obviously sneakers or shoes with good support will benefit you in the long run. I love flats and heels though, but I only really wear them on dressy occasions or work. When I get back I'm going to break in my flats since they are barely used and give my blisters every time I use them. Hopefully I can start wearing them!

I hope everyone is having a fun summer! Send me your vacation outfit pictures to be featured on my blog! :]

Perfect Manicure

Image from natsnailartlincoln.com

After trying to achieve the perfect at home manicure, I think I finally found a way to have a beautiful DIY manicure (and pedicure). With the help of pinterest, I found several tips to quicken drying time and a more polished, polish.

First, I trimmed my nails, filed and buffed them out to make them look nice and shiny.

Next, I used Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Balm, in this set; and put the balm around my nails with a brush (you can use a Q-tip too). Make sure you do not get any of the balm on the nail! Your nails must be clean, smooth and dry in order to have a pretty polish.

Then you can start with your nail polish! Remember to use a base coat to help ensure less bubbles and a smoother application of color. I put on the base coat on all my fingers, then start with color right away. Usually I do two coats. Next, without letting the polish dry and become easily pliable, I put on the top coat.

Here comes another important step: A bowl of cold water. After putting on the top coat, wait two minutes for the polish to dry, then immerse your nails in a bowl of cold water for three minutes. The post on pinterest says you are done after this, but the nail polish is still not fully hardened- if you go to sleep after or do normal activity, you end up scratching your polish. I then wait about five minutes, then immerse my nails again in the water for about two more minutes to ensure a harden and dry nail polish.

*I only put my thumb nails in the water for the extra time, and when I woke up the next day (I do my nails at night), I had scratches all over my other finger nails. I just put another top coat on those nails and they look perfectly fine! (And feel smooth).*

Tip: If you are doing your toes and your fingers, always start with your toes first. You don't need to put your toes in water since they will be dry by the time you finish your fingers.

Here are my results:

The colors I used were Essie's Poppy Art Pink & Lady Like. (Base Coat & Top Coat were OPI).

Nail Color: Turquoise & Caicos

I am currently wearing Essie's Turquoise & Caicos. It is a really pretty summer color! I also tried a trick from pinterest, seen here. It really does work! However you can still smudge the polish after you soak your hands in cold water for 3 minutes, so be careful!

Electric Blue

{Similar Capri, Similar Top, Similar Shoe}

Black, White & Turquoise

{Blazer, Blouse, Similar Pants, Similar Shoe}

Unfortunately it was hard to find a similar purse to the turquoise Coach purse Amanda had :[. But whatever purse color you choose, coordinate with your jewelry like Amanda did here with a turquoise beaded necklace and ring.

What colors do you like to wear with black and white? Comment below!

DIY 4th of July

If you are like me and want a simple 4th of July shirt without brand names written across your chest, this DIY flag tee is for you. I got this idea from this DIY layered shirt and decided to make an American flag in honor of the 4th (my favorite holiday!). If you want to make this, follow these steps:

I first planned out how big I wanted to make the flag. I opted for 10" x 7", and the blue section is   4.5" x 3". Next, I cut strips of some red, white and blue tee shirts. The strips were about an inch longer than the 10", 4.5" or 5.5" since the fabric will get shorter once sewn. The blue were .5" wide, the red and white were .8" wide.

I then placed down my strips and pinned them and sewed them to the tee shirt.

Then I kept going. I used red white and blue thread accordingly. Therefore, after blue I did the red sections and left space for my white strips. It is about .5" space for each red and white strip, the strips themselves are a little bigger since they curl up on themselves.

*Make sure to wash the fabric (shirts in my case) before doing this project in case of color bleeding. And then wash the shirt once you are done to get your fabric pencil or marker (used to mark what your measured) out.

And this is the result. Again the curling of the fabric won't be perfect, but it will look original and awesome! Sorry for the mirror picture- I don't have any fancy photoshop to flip it. HAPPY FOURTH!

Date Night

{Skirt, Similar Shirt, Flats, Similar Clutch}

I decided to take pictures of my friend, Amanda, today in her date outfit for when she goes to see her beau. The top is actually a cami and a sleevless open cardigan, both which are tucked into the skirt. We trecked through the woods in order to take these photos, but the trails were a little unkept so there were a lot of rolled ankles and plants attacks. Overall, fun photo shoot.