Posted on

How to Make Your Neon Mani POP!

One of the best things about summer is color, and I love to mix a lot of color into my wardrobe and mani/pedi’s. Who doesn’t love a great neon polish during the heart of the summer? After all, they look amazeballs with a killer tan. Unfortunately, I’m sure I’m not the only one who has purchased the most fantastic, vibrant bottle of neon nail polish only to find out it looks like complete ass once it dries, am I right? Well don’t throw out your disappointing polish just yet! There’s a little trick to save the day! Behold.

image-3Can you tell what the secret is? The before picture is after 2 coats and a top coat and it still looks super faded and dull. Gross. The secret is slapping on a coat of plain white nail polish first!

Step 1: clear base coat. Step 2: ONE coat of solid white nail polish. Step 3: Two coats of your neon. Step 4: clear top coat.

AND there ya go. See how much more vibrant it is? That’s all ya need! Try it out, let me know how it works. Until next time, kisses!

Posted on

Anchors Away!

Ok, long story short, I’ve been in the mood for a little accent nail lately, with a little nail art. I love anchors, so much so I have a tattoo of one. Actually, so does my husband, we got matching tattoos on our honeymoon. I chose the anchor because I felt it was very, very symbolic. I have an anchor on my wrist with the coordinates of where we got married underneath, I felt it symbolized ‘where I dropped my anchor.’ cheesy right? 😉 anyway! Who doesn’t love an anchor? If you do, here are some step by step tips to create one in your mani!

image-4

Pick your colors and start with a full mani. I paint the accent nail first and then paint the rest of my hand so it has time to dry completely. [I used Essie “No More Film” for the blue and Essie “Really Red” for the red, & a Sally Hansen nail art pen in White for the nail art.]

Step one: When whichever nail you’re using as the accent nail is completely dry, start by drawing a straight line across your nail horizontally, towards the top.

Step two: Draw a straight line from the center of the first line all the way down. It will basically look like a T. 

Step three: Close to the bottom of the T but not completely, make two rounded lines, one off of each side. They’re kind of like half parenthesis.

Step four: At the top & center of the T, make a small circle.

Step five: Wait for the art to dry and slap a top coat on there.

There you have it! The anchor is that easy! Test it our yourself and send me pics! Until next time, kisses!

photo-1

 

Posted on

Weekend Mani

Aloha friends! So I’m trying my very hardest to keep up with my blog whenever I have time. I’m currently sitting on the floor of my living room while Charlotte (formerly known as Baby R) relaxes in her little nap nanny next to me. My, my, how my life has changed! This time 10 and a half months ago I’d be out to dinner with the hubs, enjoying a couple cocktails before our adventures for the evening began. But honestly guys, when I look over at my boogie and she smiles at me, I wouldn’t trade it for the world! It’s really the best feeling. BUT! This post isn’t about how awesome being a mommy is.. because I could go on about that forever. Eventually I plan on integrating a little motherly wisdom onto this bad boy, but I’ll need way more time for that!

Something you may seriously take for granted before having a newborn? Painting your nails! It really is a luxury! As is blow drying your hair and even being able to take your time…… going to the bathroom. So when my mother comes to take the babe for a couple hours, I jump at the chance to paint my nails. Check out some of my newest creations.

This is what I’m currently rocking right now. It’s a lovely combination of my favorite shade by Essie, “Fiji,” tipped with a new Essie shade from their metallic line, “Nothing Else Metals.” Cute right? It looks silver in the picture, but it’s a pink metallic shade.

This little look is a combination of ‘Kutki’ by NARS and the new “A Stroke of Brilliance” by Essie. Love this look too. The only thing I hate about using the Luxe effect polishes from Essie is that they are a BITCH to get off! You literally have to file the top of your nails for like 20 minutes to get the glitter off. Such a pain. But they look so good at the time, it’s like, whatever! hah

So these are the only two manicures I’ve been able to do with some fun since I’ve had the baby. It just doesn’t seem right for me, I know! I tried the first manicure (the french) when the baby was home and I literally had to do it like one nail at a time before she needed to be picked up or something. It’s a process, LOL!

So that’s it folks. Now it’s time to watch a little bit of the Olympic opening ceremonies before the babe has to be put to bed. I’m beyond stoked for swimming & diving, being a swimmer myself. Can’t wait to watch Lochte kick some ass! I also love gymnastics… hello guilty pleasure! Until next time, sweeties. Kisses!

Posted on

Keep your nails in the shade

I have been really back and forth lately with the colors I choose to put on my nails. There is one thing I have noticed, my toes are all bright, bright, bright, while my fingers are a little bit more… subdued. Well, I don’t know if subdued is the right word for it, but they’re not hot pink. I wanted to share with you guys a couple of my favorite shades right now. Take a peek.

Now, the purple and the green are basically flat out primary colors. I have the green on my nails right now and while I’m kind of digging it, I don’t know how long it’ll last being that it is THIS green. See….

Like… green green. The whole point of buying the purple and the green hues were because I am kind of attracted to all things Fall right now. I think it may have something to do with the baby and my hormones, because I really have no other way to explain it, hah. I want to wear sweaters and boots right now and paint my nails Linkin Park at Midnight… I’m all about Fall right now even though summer has just kicked off. So these two shades have been my happy medium. I don’t have a picture of what the purple looked like on, but I can say that I did love it! The greatest thing about these two colors from Revlon is that they last a super long time without chipping. I had the purple on for over a week and it just looked worn as it was growing out with my nails but not one nail started to chip. So I highly suggest this brand. The green is 571 – Posh and the purple is 240 – Impulsive. I just love the names too! hah These two colors were actually on sale at the drug store for about $5.

My next love, which I am surprised I didn’t talk about first, is my coveted blue shade from NARS.

Sorry kids, had to take the picture off of my instagram.. I thought I had another one saved but it doesn’t appear to be so. (Speaking of… follow me on Instagram! TheRachelRoss of course) SO! I originally saw this color on Pinterest, of all places, and I was like I HAVE TO HAVE IT! And it took exactly one week for me to go out and find it. The color is called Kutki and it is part of a very fabulous limited edition collection of colors. Doesn’t the phrase “limited edition” give you anxiety? It’s like why can’t you just put a time limit on it? It really gets the job done of freaking me out and making me believe I have to buy something right then and there or else it could be gone forever. Actually… I did end up snagging the last of these from Lord & Taylor so I guess the whole Limited Edition and limited time offer thing is pretty legit. ANYWAY! For me, this is the perfect shade of blue for the summer! Essie’s Turquoise and Caicos is all the rage every summer, but if you want something a little more true blue, this is the shade. It was $18 at Lord & Taylor department stores, and totally worth every penny. It kept its bright shine and didn’t chip for the week and a half I kept it on. Perfection.

The last color is I Need a Refresh-Mint by Wet-n-Wild. I really liked this color because it’s kind of a combination of the blue and the green I’m so into right now. Sadly, I don’t have a picture of this one either, but take my word for it, it’s a lovely color!

So that’s it kids! A couple of my favorite nail polishes right now. I spotted Essie’s new resort collection in the store yesterday but somehow contained myself from buying every single one of them, don’t ask me how! That is so unlike me! haha. I am crushing on Mojito Madness and Off the Shoulder, so I may have to make some new purchases and do another little review for ya soon. Well, it’s beautiful out and my pool is waiting for me. So until tomorrow, have a lovely day! Kisses.

Posted on

Spring Fever Manicure

Have you seen the episode of How I Met Your Mother when they all agree to not watch the Super Bowl until they can sit down and watch the recording together? And Ted goes out into the world wearing those ridiculous blinder goggles so he can’t see anything pertaining to the game? Yeah…. I need a pair of those goggles when I go out to drug stores.

I stop at CVS for cotton squares and I leave with my hands full of crap I don’t really need. Case and point: my latest love bird manicure. So remember my anti-Spring manicure that I was ranting and raving about? That lasted all about 2 days… maybe less. While I am still madly in love with my camo-green hue known as Armed and Ready by Essie, something else caught my eye this weekend and I couldn’t wait to get home and try it.

I am such a big fan of Sally Hansen’s nail decals. They’re easy, affordable, and adorable. I actually haven’t used them in a while as I’ve been religiously painting and re-painting my nails every other day, but I found a decal I could just not refuse. So Springy and so cute! Check it out.

Look at the little love birds! They’re just soo cute, I can’t even! NOW! Most of the time when I use these decals, I do the exact opposite of what I did up here. I usually paint all my nails except for the ring finger and apply the decals only to those fingers. But these were so cute to me I opted for the reverse. Then I couldn’t decide wether I wanted to use blue or pink on my ring fingers… so I did both. :]

You will notice the pink on my right hand is my coveted color, Fiesta by Essie. The blue on my left hand is the color I keep talking about using! Blue Away by Sally Hansen. So seriously, doesn’t it look like spring kind of threw up all over my hands? Yeah, I know. This will probably last me until Monday (if that). We all know I have serious ADD when it comes to my nails.

So what do you think? Too much or too cute? I hope you like them!

Posted on

Armed and Ready

Well I’ve done it again. I walk into a drug store for chap stick and I walk out with my hands full of new nail polish shades. I think I need nail polish rehab, for reals. But really, how can you honestly contain yourself when you walk past the beautifully colorful walls? It’s no easy task, especially when brands like Essie release their new resort collection, I’m a goner.

If you’re like me, which I don’t know how many of you sane individuals are, I typically pick out my shades by their names. Whenever I go to get my nails done in a salon I always feel rushed by the employees to pick out a color. It’s not that simple! But I usually crack under the pressure and grab the closest bottle to my hands and end up sad and angry with my decision. I try to take my time, but usually the deciding factor for me, is the name. If there are two almost identical colors, I pick the one with the cooler name. Is that weird? Well this past week while perusing the new Essie collection it happened again. I just finished reading the Hunger Games series so this particular shade stood out to me right away, based on its name. ;] It’s dark for spring, but I’m kind of digging it.

This is Armed and Ready by Essie. It’s kind of sexy. You can’t really tell from the pictures, but it has this slight tinge of copper shine to it.

See? I happened to be wearing a kaki color maxi dress today and opted for an army green makeup scheme and this color nail polish fits perfectly with the whole look. I’m kinda diggin’ it.

But wait, let’s get back to the Hunger Games… have you read it? I finished the entire trilogy in about 4 days, total. After finishing the third book I slipped into a little mild depression. I’m sad it’s over. I was so engrossed in the series I think I might have to go back and re-read the entire thing because no book I’ve attempted to read since has satisfied me.

Anyway, that’s my little random side note for the day. If you need a nice little change up from the typical bright and cheery colors of spring I highly suggest this one. It would also match a brown leather belt perfectly too. And guess what? You can win one! (shameless plug for my giveaway, thought it segued perfectly)… If you haven’t done so already, put your name in to win a gorgeous vintage leather belt from my favorite designer, Linea Pelle. Sign up here! You have til Tuesday. And as Effie would say, may the odds be ever in your favor! ;]

Posted on

Happy Friday. :)

Happy Friday folks! I don’t have much to post about today, boo. I have my 29 week checkup a little later this afternoon. It’s so crazy to think about… when you first get pregnant the doctors won’t see you for weeks because you’re “not pregnant enough” and then you go once a month… and now I’m at every 2 weeks! That’s how you know you’re nearing the end. I can’t believe in a few weeks I’ll have to go once a week. I may as well just set up a sleeping bag in my doctor’s office! I got an e-mail this morning from my baby app that says only 74 more days to go! Insane. Our crib arrived yesterday!! I can’t wait to put that together. Right now Baby R’s room is Matt’s office when he works from home on Friday’s & weekends. He’ll have to find somewhere else to set up soon.

Anywho. I feel good today because I did a little shopping this morning. Doesn’t spending money on things you don’t really need always make you feel better? It works for me! I am in a particularly good mood though because I bought 2 maxi skirts today that are not maternity! AND they’re a size small. The fact that I can still wear normal people clothes in a size small puts a smile on my face. My father, who is somewhat of a photographer, wants to take those artsy “pregnancy photos” of Matt & I this weekend. I was on the prowl for a sheer black maxi skirt to wear in the pictures and I was lucky enough to find one at Forever 21. Now if only a hot pink blazer would appear out of thin air I would really feel satisfied. I also got some sweet new rings today too. Check it.

Isn’t instagram the coolest app ever created? If you’re on it follow me! TheRachelRoss of course.

& This is the look I’m going for during this little photo shoot…

I don’t really know quite what to do for these pictures. My dad is all about it though, so I’m hoping he’ll have some cool and creative ideas. At first I was like, I’m never taking pictures like that, they’re so lame. And then I saw some on a tv show or something and I was so drawn to them! They really looked amazing and the couple looked so happy… I was like oh damn, now I want to! I didn’t say anything though because… like… who the hell do you tell? I don’t want to hire some cheesy glamour shot photographer to take our awkward “family photos” so I just didn’t say anything. Luckily my dad brought it up on his own. I’m excited! Even if they come out cheesy and incredibly awkward it’ll still be something nice to have, and if nothing else, will give us a good laugh. We should be doing that sometime this weekend and if they come out nice I’ll post a few! Hell even if they come out a little ridiculous I’ll post some. Why not have a good laugh at my expense, right? :]

OH Also! I just want to give a little update on my last manicure. As I posted here the other day, I previously purchased & painted my nails with a polish I found at none other than Forever 21… my current favorite place apparently. Well, it was only $2.80 as you remember, so let’s not all act shocked and surprised when I tell you that it chips horribly. Well, no, that’s kind of a lie. It doesn’t chip horribly, but it does chip quickly. It started to chip the day I painted my nails… which is kind of a bummer, but for less than three dollars I guess I can’t really complain right? And honestly, I paint my nails so often that chipping doesn’t really bother me because I’m already planning my next manicure as my current one is drying. SO! Just wanted to fill you in. A cute color, and certainly a steal, but it’s no Essie, obviously. ;]

So that’s all for now, loves. Have a wonderful weekend! xo

 

Posted on

Pretty Little Manicure

I don’t know about anyone else, but I am undeniably obsessed with Pretty Little Liars. I didn’t even know the show existed until this past January. There happened to be a marathon on ABC Family and I got sucked in for almost 24 hours, like, literally didn’t leave my couch. I wouldn’t even have eaten if it weren’t for my bestie bringing me some dinner. That was pretty much the end of it, after that day I was hooked. Aside from trying to figure out who “A” was for an entire season (I won’t say who it was, but I will say that I totally called it on day 1), one of my favorite things about the show was the girls’ manicures! Did they not always have the hottest nails? I was on the prowl for a hot pink blazer the other day (with very little luck)… but I was lucky enough to stumble across this hot little nail polish in Forever 21, and it totally reminded me of a color one of those girls would wear.

Check it out!

I really, really liked this color when I saw it in the store… and for $2.80, I think it would be ok even if I didn’t. Not really gonna break the bank. But alas, I put it on and was very pleased!

I was all set to paint my nails sky blue but it’s been cold this week and I want to save that for some warm weather! So what do you think? Like the color? Not too shabby for less than $3 right? So this brand is called Love and Beauty and the color is appropriately called, Olive! So cute. :] You guys like it?

I’m off to get a pedicure today as my stomach has grown to the point where I can no longer reach my own toes comfortably. Now don’t get me wrong, what girl does not love getting pampered? It just makes me a little sad that now I am forced to get pedi’s every so often hah. I am torn between a summer bright or a deep purple, like Linkin Park at Midnight by OPI … so we’ll see what happens!

Posted on

March Favorites!

It’s that time of the month again! Let’s take a look at some of my current favorite things this month.

Sand Tropez by Essie – This is one of my favorite nail polish colors. I am so drawn to it because, honestly, I have no idea what kind of color it is. Is it a nude/neutral, is it a brown, is it tan? Like… what are you? I just don’t know. But whatever shade this is, it looks amazing when you wear it. I’m convinced it is the kind of hue that would work with any skin tone, pale to tan, I really don’t think you can go wrong with this one. Another A+ by Essie!

 

 

 

 

Thick rimmed Aviators – I have a really sick obsession with sun glasses. I haven’t quite reached Nicole Richie’s level yet, but give me some time and I think I may just get close. I used to never wear sun glasses because I hated the way they looked on me. I have a tiny, tiny pea head and I always thought they just looked big and weird on me. As I grew up, and my eyes got worse than they were, I realized I kind of needed them for my health…literally. My favorite shape of sunglasses are definitely aviators, I feel like they are universally flattering for any face shape. Right now I’m obsessing over thicker rimmed glasses like these two above. The tortoise shell are from Aldo and the black ones are Chanel.

 

 

Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Face Polish – this is something I just dabbled in. I actually got this in a whole mess of samples from Fashion Night Out this past September and never used it. I had a LM tinted moisturizer that I really liked and when I found this buried beneath my makeup collection I figured I should give it a try. All I can say… is touché Laura Mercier. Flawless skin indeed. It’s a gentle exfoliant that after washing away makes my skin feel like a new born baby’s. It’s uh-mazing. Now… does it wash away black heads and clear up acne? Probably not. But whatever, it makes my face feel silky and I looooove it. BUT! Remember ladies, do not use an exfoliant every day because you are washing away essential oils and layers of good skin! (To read more about that, go here).

 

Skintimate Moisturizing Cream Shave – I know this is pretty random… a shaving cream and all, but I really enjoy it! hah. It’s one of those shaving creams that doesn’t lather, which can really take some time to get used to. To be honest, I didn’t really like that at first because I feel like without all the lather I can’t keep track of where I’ve already shaved and I go over the same spot on my legs like 100 times, so I will say it’s not for everyone. However, it’s super silky and as soon as I step out of the shower my legs already feel like I just applied a nice fresh coat of moisturizing lotion without applying anything at all. Bottom line, it makes your skin feel silky smooth and it smells FABULOUS! The scent is called “Cashmere Rain.” Now… does it smell like cashmere in the rain? I wouldn’t know because I would never be crazy enough to get cashmere wet, but we’ll take your word for it, Skintimate. Whatever the scent is (or isn’t) it still smells amazing.

 

Clinique Happy Perfume – Every girl has a scent for every season… and if you say you don’t, I’m just going to assume you’re a liar. It’s impossible to wear one scent all year round and I cannot wear heavy scents in the spring or summer. It is only natural to switch it up. I have two that I love, love, love for the warmer months. One is Ralph, that I haven’t had since High School but continuously ask for on birthday’s & Christmas (cough, husband & family, cough). And the other is my all time favorite, Clinique Happy. The name of this perfume really just says it all, doesn’t it? Just smelling it makes me happy! As soon as the weather hits like… 55 degrees I spray this ish all over the place. I wait all winter long for warm weather so I can wear my summer scents. This is the perfect smell for sun dresses and flip flops!

 

Sperry Top Siders – So, I’ve always had a love for these shoes but never quite knew exactly what I would wear them with, since they’re kind of boat shoes and I do not own a boat, so I never bothered buying a pair… I just admired them from afar, like a creep. On my most recent vacation I found a pair on sale in Florida and I was like screw it! I’m getting a pair… I’ll figure out what to wear them with later. Little did I know, you can pretty much wear them with everything. And let me tell you, they are the most comfortable shoes I own right now! (aside from Uggs, of course). These are perfect for March and April because it’s not quite flip flop weather yet but wearing these kind of let’s you get ready for summer without letting your toes freeze. They’re adorable and they come in a billion different color and pattern combinations. Do yourself a favor and invest in a pair if you haven’t already.

Those are a few of my favorite things this month that I am totally addicted to. A bunch of these things are playing a huge role in getting me ready for the warmer weather that is so close, yet so far! This time last week I was laying out in my back yard… today I’m actually wearing Uggs and a wool sweater. Hey mother nature, get your act together, please and thank you.

What do you guys count on to prepare you for spring and summer? What’s your current obsession this month?

Posted on

Revenge of the Orange.

Well I knew it was going to happen sooner or later… I would want to paint my nails with that new orange polish from Essie before my hands got a tan. It happened last night. I was fishing through my polish collection and I just kept coming back to it. I wanted to use it again but I knew if I gave myself a complete neon manicure I would just end up hating it 3 hours later and I wasn’t about to go through that again. So I decided to mix it up a little bit. I was going to use my new orange polish, just not all at once.

I mixed three of my current favorite shades: Fiesta, Orange, it’s Obvious!, and A Cut Above. All from Essie.

I started with the basic, painting all of my nails except for the ring finger with Fiesta, the bright and punchy pink. Then I went back and filled in my ring fingers with Orange, it’s Obvious. I applied two coats and let my nails dry completely.

On my ring fingers I added A Cut Above. I tried to apply it so it looked like the glitter was falling down my nail. I applied one coat to half my nail, let it dry, then went back and added another coat to just the top quarter of my nail. Once I let that dry I added just a small amount to the tips. I’m not 100% sure I accomplished the look I was going for, but I kinda dig it regardless.

Before the glitter.

& after.

 

So I’m pretty happy with the way this turned out. I really love hot pink & bright orange together and this was a great way of tapping back into my neon orange obsession without going overboard.

Funny story about these colors… I love them so much together that I wanted them to be the colors for my wedding. One night, my maid of honor and I are sitting in Dunkin Donuts, sipping hot chocolate, talking details about the wedding and I told her I wanted my theme to be hott pink and orange. She looks around… crinkled her nose like she just smelled something terrible, and goes… “Like…… Dunkin Donuts colors?” womp womp. That was all it took to make me change my mind, and fast. haha Honestly now I think I would have been able to pull it off, but better to be safe than sorry, right?

Anyway.. just a nice little side note. Felt like sharing. So this is my manicure for the week. Let’s see how long I last before I switch to my other new obsession… sky blue!