pick 3: Nail Polishes for Spring

I’m starting a new series on my blog called Pick 3; in this series I’ll be picking my top 3 favourite things in a variety of categories and share with you why I’ve chosen them.  Note this won’t be limited to just Beauty – I plan on doing Top 3 in Travel, Fashion, Recipes, etc.  The opportunities are endless and I’m pretty excited about it.  So I hope you enjoy!

I’ve been doing my nails more often now that the weather is getting warmer, so I thought I’d kick this series off with sharing my top 3 nail polishes for Spring.  I expected this to be a fairly easy one but then I started going through my polish collection and I realized otherwise.  It was a bit tough but I finally narrowed it down to these three:

Essie Play Date:  Described as a soft, yet bright purple, this might be one of my favourite polishes EVER.  It has a fantastic formula; you could potentially get away with one coat but to get the true colour you really need two coats.  I always get so many compliments when I wear this shade and it’s been my go-to Spring polish for years now.

Deborah Lippmann She Bop: I don’t own many Deborah Lippmann polishes but the ones I do own are highly regarded.  This is described as a fresh, flirty pink cream; I would describe it more as a cool-toned pink with a hint of a purple undertone.  The formula on this polish is stellar, easily buildable but fully opaque with two coats.  This is a great everyday shade that is subdued enough to wear to the office but a nice step up from a neutral colour.

Essie Lounge Lover: This is a new addition to my collection and its fast-becoming one of my favourites, particularly for my toes!  Corals are pretty much a no-brainer for the warmer months but what I like about this one is the fact that its slightly more muted and leans more to the pink side, which is really nice for Spring.  The formula is pretty good, although at times I can find it slightly patchy so there’s a two-coat minimum requirement with this one.

Notable mentions include Essie’s Mint Candy Apple (although the formula can be a tad frustrating) and Peach Daiquiri (another one of my favourites but I use it more in the Summer months);

If you had to pick your top 3 polishes for Spring, what would they be?  Let me know below!

Spruce Up Your Space for Spring!

 

So I like to consider my blog to be a beauty AND lifestyle blog – but somehow I never seem to get many lifestyle posts up. The beauty stuff always sucks me in!  So I’m going to make a concious effort to split my focus a little more equally between the two.

Spring is here (despite what it may or may not look like outside) and I couldn’t be happier about it!  I love all the fresh and bright colours that come with Spring and Summer and I always like to incorporate a few new items into my home to celebrate the new season, and to keep my space looking fresh and modern.

Unfortunately my house is a bit of a construction zone right now and it’s not conducive to decorating.  I’m hoping things should be wrapped up within the next few weeks, after which I’m going to dive head first into decorating, room by room.  I hope to share my plans and progress on my blog so stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, to feed my decorating urge, I’ve decided to put a little post together to share the types of things you can add into your own personal space to liven things up a bit. None of these are crazy expensive (in fact, the majority of them are on sale!) and you don’t need to incorporate all of them to make your space feel lighter and brighter – even just one or two should do the trick!

OUTSIDE  1. A cheerful doormat to greet guests; 2. Pretty glass patio lights (perfect for decks or patio umbrellas); 3. A colourful home for our fine feathered friends.

KITCHEN  4. A modern take on the fruit bowl (for all the delicious fruit soon to be available!); 5. Fun tea towels to add a pop of colour; 6. Adorable Bunny tumblers (Easter themed but too cute not to be used all year-round!); 7. Sunset- inspired Ombre placemats to brighten up your kitchen table.

LIVING/FAMILY ROOM  8. A faux-but-realistic-looking succulent arrangement;  9. Bring some of the outdoors indoors with some Floral wall decor (I wonder if you could spray paint these?); 10. A lightweight but super-soft clamshell print throw (for cool, rainy days); 11. A lovely little tealight holder; 12.  This Birds on a branch sculpture would make a fun centerpiece on a coffee table; 13. Leave messages or keep track of a grocery list on this chalkboard marquee sign; 14. Fill up a pretty vase and add a hint of fragrance with this Pineapple Basil potpourri; 15. Add some Vibrant throw pillows as one of the easiest (and cheapest!) ways to transform a room!

Note – I’ve selected all of these items from two of my favourite home decor stores – Pier One and Urban Barn.  Another one of my favourite places to shop for home things is Homesense and Winners!  They always have a great selection and even better prices.  If only they had a website you could purchase from…

What types of things do you do to spruce up your space for Spring/Summer?  Let me know what you’re doing below!

Thanks for reading!

This & That Fridays – March 11

Ugh it’s been a week! TGIF!

Has anyone tried the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream?  I’m thinking of giving it a try and it seems that people either absolutely love it out right hate it.  So torn.

Have you seen the sneak peaks of the new Too Faced Sweet Peach palette?  I want it for the packaging and peach scent alone.

Oh Marc Jacobs, you always suck me in with your beautifully designed purses.  At first I wasn’t sure about the canvas cross-body strap but I think I like it – it’s something a little different.  That colour is just amazing too.

I think we’re going to BBQ this weekend, the weather here has been unbelievable.  I saw Crocuses blooming yesterday!!! CROCUSES!! In March.  If I seem unreasonably excited about that it’s because flowers don’t usually bloom here until May.

I’m super annoyed because I thought the next Sephora VIB Sale was in March, turns out its not til April. I have so many things I want to buy but I don’t want to pay full price for them because I’m cheap.  Guess I’m sucking it up til April #firstworldproblems

DYK that Fossil offers personalized embossing on a selection of their leather goods?  What a cool gift idea!

Looking for a recipe for Homemade Cadbury Cream Eggs?  Here you go! (seems like too much work for me, I’ll just buy one from the store, eat half of it, and throw the other half away when it I realize I’ve forgotten how unbelievably sweet they are).

Have a great weekend!

Plain White Tees!

There’s nothing I love more than a simple t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans.  Come summer, I swap the jeans for shorts, preferrably denim. It’s simple and casual, soooo comfortable and just easy.

My fashion inspiration for this look (and about a million others), hands down, would have to be Jennifer Aniston.  She is like the poster child for making jeans and tees look amazing (also LOVE her hair in this pic):

Image Source

Apparently she gets her t-shirts tailored…and while I’d love to do that, let’s be honest – never going to happen.  Taking things like jeans and dress pants to the tailor are a big enough struggle for me, I can’t ever see myself taking t-shirts. Fairly certain she’s not picking up the $20 t-shirt at her local mall however, so I suppose if you’re spending a hundred dollars or more on one t-shirt, getting it professionally tailored only makes sense.

I’m always on the hunt for perfect, plain white tees!  I used to love Gap’s version but they’ve completely changed theirs this year and I’m not a fan of the fabric so they are out.  I prefer a v-neck, fitted but not tight and a light cotton with just the right amount of stretch in them so they keep their shape but don’t cling.  Not too much to ask, right?

 

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I’m going to head out this weekend and see what – if anything I can find.  I’m pretty picky about what I like when it comes to t-shirts so it’s very likely that I’ll be coming home empty handed.  If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them!

Wishing you a great weekend!