Manicure Maven - a shameless plug

Just as a little PS to everyone, if you're interested in nail polish I'd recommend you check out my new blog, Manicure Maven.

It's just beginning to get off the ground, but I'm really excited to work on it! I'll still be posting my NOTDs here every once in a while, but the majority of nail posts will now be made over there.

Feel free to stop by! The first post of a series called Shinedown will be up tonight! If you like glittery, sparkly things you'll definitely want to check this out.

Freak flag? Totally waving it right now!

I don't know about anyone else, but I love seeing how people organize things in their homes. I especially love seeing the clever ways people come up with to keep track of all of their beauty supplies! I don't have, or honestly even wear, that much make-up, but I do have a collection of a different kind.

As you're probably gathered by now, I have quite the collection of nail care items. Most of them are polishes, but I also have my fair share of treatments, top coats, decals, and manicure tools.

I sort of fell into the world of nail polish when I was really little and my mom gave me her shoebox of old polishes. Since then I've been building my own collection. Last year I kept everything in stackable storage containers from the Container Store, which worked really well. Over the summer I actually ran out of room, so I moved on to the big leagues:



an IKEA Helmer. Ohhh yes.



An entire filing cabinet IS necessary. I'd heard of other girls on the MUA boards discussing these, and I decided it was time to get serious. Okay, and I thought it was really cute.


Top drawer! Greens, blues, purples, golds, yellows...pretty much anything that isn't pink or red.


My favorite drawer. Reds, oranges, and pinks. You've probably been wondering what's up with the writing on the lids. No? Too bad, you're hearing about it anyway.


This drawer, which is always a mess, has not only my topcoats, tools and lotions, but also the difference between normal and obsessive. Yeah, I have swatches on color wheels of each color. And yes, there's also a matching spreadsheet. Mmhhm, this is totally not normal. Want to take it one step further?


The Franken-drawer! Full of tons of different glitters and random polishes for those times I feel like being a mad scientist.

And there you have it! Yours truly is a walking, talking nail salon. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to redo my pedicure.

NOTD: Flashback!

I thought I'd show you guys two of my previous NOTDs that I've tweeted about in the past! They were taken with my iPhone, can you believe it? They're such good quality!

The first was taken on August 10th in the Pearl District, according to Lily-Mae my lovely 3GS.



I am in love with this color which is called Dirty Sexy Money by Misa. Don't you love that name, too? So sassy!

The next is a tried and true favorite of mine.



Short Shorts by Essie! Hands down my FAVORITE neon ever. One thing I love is that even though it's a neon you can get away without using a topcoat. I wore this on my toes almost all summer.

Alsoooo, isn't the bow ring adorable? I've been wearing it constantly. That picture was taken on August 20th on my way to the music video shoot! Maybe I was hoping the hot pink would help keep me awake all night?

Here's a little sneak peak of how I keep things organized, too.

NOTD: Essie's Cute As A Button

Today I'm wearing Cute As A Button by Essie. I've got it on my toes, too! I don't usually have matching fingers and toes but I thought it looked cute. The past week or so I had been wearing incredibly vampy purples and reds, but I thought I should end my summer on a bit of a lighter note. This is two coats and it applied extremely well. My nails and I haven't been getting along too well lately, and I've had some major peeling going on. Not sure what's causing that but luckily you can hardly tell when they've got polish on.



It really is a gorgeous pinkish coral and it doesn't make my hands look pale or blue. I've been on such an Essie kick lately, especially since they've started releasing colors other than their usual nudes and sheers. Don't get me wrong, I love the look of a natural pinkish manicure, but on my hands I tend to go for bold colors. I think nails are a great place to experiment and it's something you can change every day if you'd like.



If you follow me on Twitta (@sweetcalifornia) you'll know that I always have to include a bling shot. Don't forget, Tuesdays we wear our fake engagement rings! ;)

NOTD - I'm having a tantrum!

I haven't done a NOTD in ages!

NOTD (and hair ramblings)!

NOTD!



This is You Make Me Vroom! by OPI. As you've probably noticed by now, I'm all over the place when it comes to doing my nails. One day I'll be wearing a soft, baby pink, and the next it's lime green! What can I say? It's easier to experiment with nail polish than it is to buy an entire new wardrobe.



It doesn't really come from that bottle. Wouldn't that be awesome though?

I'm planning on getting a haircut and I'm going to make my appointment right after I post this! From 12 to 16 I had the same exact hair cut and every 6 weeks I got it dyed the same exact shade of red. Because I was acting in LA, I needed to always look like my headshots as well as be able to play younger. When I took a hiatus to go to college, I decided to just let my hair grow -- which it has! It's long now, and I love it.



I think though, that I need a change. So, we're going redder (yay, those roots will be gone!) and shorter. Definitely layered and maybe even some bangs. I'm so excited, and hopefully I'll love it! So, say toodoloo to my long hair!

NOTD

This is Spark by Sally Hansen. For some reason, I always take pictures before I clean up my cuticles. I'm not sure why, but I do.



I like this color, but it's so hard to capture it. It's more purple in real life and there are flashes of gold also. It's completely opaque in two coats, too.

And I just HAD to post this because I'm in love with it.



I did this sometime last week, and of course, it's a mess. I promise you I cleaned it up and fixed the dot I messed up before I left the house. I got so many compliments on it and it was actually pretty easy to do!

NOTD

Today's Nail Of The Day is Gargantuan Green Grape by OPI. I love to wear this green when I have nails on the shorter side. I usually end up putting on two regular coats and one thicker coat on top since it is on the streaky side. Lighter colors do seem to be more difficult to work with.

Spinning Tires, Painting Nails, and Fortune Cookies

As a warning, this post is all over the place, but that's kind of how my brain feels right now too!

To begin with, I feel like I'm stuck in a rut, as if I'm not doing anything productive right now. Nothing that's impacting myself or others in a positive way. I'm just existing. I can sit and think and plan for the future as much as I want, but none of that will happen if I don't start doing things now. The question is, what should I be doing? I know in the fall I'll have a lot on my plate, most of which I'm really excited about. Sure, there's anxiety about transferring schools and meeting new people, but there are also classes I can't wait for, clubs I want to join, and all sorts of volunteering projects I'd like to get involved in, especially ones that are involved with the elementary schools nearby. That being said, that's the fall and I won't be going back to school until the end of September.

I would like to spend time this summer figuring out more about who I am, and what makes me truly happy, as cliche as that sounds. I'm known for telling people to do what makes them happy, and I really need to be better at following my own advice. So there we go, something for me to think about and work on.


Moooooving on...I spent some time yesterday organizing, which is actually something I love to do. I used to be somewhat messy and incredibly unorganized, but living in a 11x13 box for 8 months definitely helped me improve those skills! I kept my side of the dorm room insanely organized and it really helped a lot. It still got messy at times, but when your space is that small, it's not too hard to get it neat and tidy again.

Anyway, what did I organize?


All of these.


That's right. Nail polish. I have quite the collection.

Now I know that's something most people aren't interested in, but if you are or you just want to stare in bemusement, you can see pictures from that here. Everything is nicely labeled and color-coded and now that I've gotten rid of quite a few...I can buy more! Just kidding. I think. I'll spare you from my thoughts about all of the spring and summer collections that are out now.

And one last note, a very good friend of mine left home today to spend his summer in China! This is so exciting to me because I know he loves the country and everything that goes along with it. So if you want to read about his adventures (I'm sure there will be MANY!) you can find his blog here.