Mani Monday-January 30

Hello hello! Hope you all survived Monday without a scratch. I barely did...I had a case of the Mondays :/

But there's one thing that can make Monday better and that's a manicure!

This week's mani is brought to you by Nicole by OPI Khloe Had a Little Lam-Lam from the Kardashian Kolor collection.

This is with a flash.

Khloe Had A Little Lam-Lam is a blackened teal creme. The formula is great...nearly opaque in one coat, but I did two for good measure.

I received the Nail Perfect for Christmas, which is a device that protects the sides of your nails while you paint them, so there is minimal clean-up and it came with some nail decals. I placed two flowers on each of my ring fingers.

Under a lamp

my two loves-nail polish and Harry ^__^

Have a great week!!

xo, ali

5 Things Thursday!!

hello, hello lovelies!! happy thursday--we're almost to the weekend :)

it's thursday and that means I'm participating in 5 Things Thursday over at Five Days, Five Ways. This week's getting to know you theme is "are you for real?!" so you're gonna learn five little known things about me that you might have not known otherwise. Ready? Go!

1) I was a complete tomboy growing up. I didn't want anything to do with barbies. My favorite color was red. I loved playing softball in a summer league and having my dad pitch me the ball so I could hit it.

See? (I'm in the Florida shirt.) Plus, I was kinda chubby.

Now, however, is a whole different story. I'm such a girly girl, it's not even funny. It's so apparent that people I don't know all that well tell me how girly I am. I love it. I love picking out my clothes for work and my accessories and figuring out what makeup shades I want to wear that day.

2) I've never seen one single Star Wars movie. None. Not one. Maybe I've seen about 5 minutes of one but never a whole one. And you know what? I'm still alive and kicking ;)

3) I do not have any type of college degree. Not an associate's, not a bachelor's. I have the majority of the classes I'd need for one of those, but not a whole one. Someday.

4) My left thumb is double-jointed. I used to gross my sister out with it during church >:)

5) I never had a high-school or college sweetheart. Oh, my life.

What about you? What are things that not many people know about you? I'd love to hear all about them!!

Or, if you wanna join in the fun, click the "5 Things Thursday" button over on the right.

Until tomorrow!

xo, ali

wear-it wednesday--oscar predictions

hello, hello! happy wednesday to you, lovelies!! Halfway through the week :) and I'm actually doing a Wear-It Wednesday on time *gasp*

The Oscar nominations were just announced and the best actress category is filled with amazing women:

Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs

Rooney Mara for Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Viola Davis for The Help

Meryl Streep for the Iron Lady

Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn

But with this honor comes a woman's toughest decision. What do I wear?

I have some thoughts!

for Michelle Williams:

Elie Saab couture, S/S 2012

a romantic dress for the lady that played a hopeless romantic

for Rooney Mara:

Rodarte S/S 2012

edgy, yet feminine. plus the color would POP against her porcelain skin and dark hair

for Meryl Streep:

Badgley Mischka

Fall 2011

(this would be my pick for when I'm nominated ;) It looks super-comfortable.)

for Glenn Close:

Dior S/S 2012

and finally for Viola Davis:

Yves Saint Laurent

I can't wait to see what these fabulous ladies actually wear...it's like the Superbowl for women!

have a great night.

xo, ali

Mani Monday-January 23, 2012

Hey lovelies! Happy Monday to you ladies! Hope you had a great weekend.
Posting two days in a row-that's a good sign! I have for you this week's manicure featuring Zoya Erika.

Zoya Erika is a baby pink with gold shimmer. It goes on pretty sure and it took me 4 coats to achieve the opacity that you see here.

This is directly under a lamp

This is with a flash...from my iPhone camera, which takes pretty decent picture.  In these shots, you can see VNL (visible nail line) so just ignore that.

I wanted to do something fun this week so I got out some scotch tape and went to it.

Scotch tape manis are great...so easy to do!! Just make sure that you stick the tape to your palm a couple of times to get some of the sticky off. I didn't de-stick mine enough and look what happened to my middle finger :(

For the black triangles, I just used Art Deco Black nail art polish with brush.

Like my pjs? I love Chandeliers! I think it goes along with my damask print obssession.

My sister, Ashley, is also hopping on the nail polish train and I'm definitely rubbing off on her. She did a fun little mani last weekend. Here's what it looks like:

And here's what she told me about it:

I used Ulta Mango as my base and Zoya Ashley for the tip. Ulta's Mango has a subtle gold shimmer which I liked, even though I am not a big fan of gold. This color, from Ulta's Salon Formula Nail Lacquer line, went on very easily and smoothly with no globs. I have found any color from this line goes on as such, hence why I'm a big fan of it. Most of my nail polish collection is from Ulta's line.. Zoya's Ashley is beautiful just like me >:)

(and like the person who bought it for her...ME!)It's best described as a lovely berry color and it complimented Ulta's Mango quite nicely. Me gusta. This color combination would be awesome in the summertime. Although I stumbled upon it in mid-January, it was still very pretty--just perfect to brighten up the dull winter outside.

I'm so proud of her :')

That's all from here. Hope you have a great day!!

xo, ali

Sigh

Oh lovelies, I'm terrible at this. I kept meaning to make a post but I got distracted. I finally got my iPhone and I cannot put it down. So, I decided to get the blogger app, which is where I'm posting this from.

Since I missed Wear-It Wednesday this week (again), I'll do it in this post for you guys.

Jason Wu is an amazing designer. His aesthetic is very ladylike but he's not afraid to make it modern and use some unexpected color. Clean lines with a touch of whimsy are his signature. I've mentioned him before when I was raving over the peplum trend that's gonna huge this spring. Wu has joined the likes of Zac Posen, William Rast (Justin Timberlake's lie), Missoni, and Alexander McQueen and partnered with Target for a collection, coming to stores in February.

Here are some of my favorites:

the cat bag will. be. mine.

I love the colors used. Navy and red are going to be big this spring and go hand in hand with the nautical theme that's been popping up lately.

I love the color of the last outfit. This mustard yellow is a great way to bring some color to gray February without making everyone put on sunglasses.

In addition to the clothes, there are also going to be accessories following the same color schemes and hearkening back to times when  silhouettes were simple and gave every woman an hourglass figure.

Among these accessories are scarves and bags such as:

Look for Jason Wu for Target and that adorable black kitty at your local Target, starting February 6th. Prices range from 19.99-69.99, so get it while you can!!

I'll be back tomorrow for Mani Monday!

xo, ali

that lovin feelin--thoughts from a single girl

"Some people are settling down, some are settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies.”

-Carrie Bradshaw

Sex & the City, season 5, "I Love a Charade"

This is a quote I try to live by, romantically speaking. If the spark is not there, neither am I. There have been a few select guys that I've had that spark with, but lately, that spark is missing.

My last "relationship" ended in November and kind of did not give me any "closure." It's something I'm working on. Mostly by removing anything and anyone that reminds me of him from my life.

But there was that spark. Those butterflies crashing around in my stomach and that stupid smile on my face when I got a text message from him or we were just watching movies at his house.

Right now, that's what I miss the most. I miss having that spark with someone and those butterflies in my stomach. Honestly, it might be one of the best feelings ever. That anticipation before the first date. The first time he holds my hand or kisses me. To me, those feelings help make the world go 'round for me. Notice, they aren't the only thing, but those feelings are right up there with driving on a sunny day and sleeping in.

The lack of spark is not for lack of trying. There have been a few boys that have caught my eye and a few that I've given my number to, but to no avail. And I think, really, that when I gave those boys my number, I didn't really think they'd text or call me. Why did I do it? For the all-important spark (the all-spark, if you will Transformers fans).

Why is that spark SO important? Why are we constantly looking for it? Why are we so unwilling to let go of someone that treats us like crap just because we feel the spark on the good days?

Are we that desperate for sparks? Is it all it's cracked up to be?

When you find the right person that you have that spark with, though, it can turn out like the Fourth of July...from spark to fireworks.

Mani Monday-Jan 16, 2011

hello, my lovelies!! I hope you all had a relaxing weekend and that the beginning of your week went smoothly :)

Mine sure was. My sister and I work for banks so we benefit from government holidays, so that meant Ashley was able to come home for a long weekend which, coincidentally, was my mom's birthday weekend! Lots of fun was had.

We finally got our first big snowfall in the Buffalo area on Friday morning, but luckily it stopped by afternoon and Ashley was able to drive up that evening and there was lots of Sex & the City watching. 

Saturday was a big day...I got my dad tickets to see Van Halen for an early birthday present. They're coming in March and I am so excited! Ashley and I went to go see Beauty & the Beast in 3D and it was just like when we were kids, seeing it in the theaters for the first time. I love that movie so much :')

Volunteering Saturday night was a blast. I helped get my first cat adopted, a sweet little girl named Amber and we also got in a litter of 5 2-month old kittens. I can almost guarantee they will be gone by the time I go back next Saturday :(

Sunday was my mom's actual birthday and we celebrated by following a family tradition of going to Mass followed by breakfast at our favorite local diner. Later in the day, we went to dinner where I had AMAZING grilled salmon with herb butter. Om nom nom.

Ashley went back this afternoon and I miss her terribly already :( but we will most likely Skype soon and see each other on the next bank holiday. (Hi Ashley!)

I ordered my iPhone this weekend and it should be here tomorrow. I'm super super excite and can't wait to play with it. As much as I hate to say this, the first app I will probably download is Instagram because I am a closet hipster haha. Enough of that. Onto the nails!!

This week's mani is brought to you by Zoya LC and OPI Save Me from the Nicki Minaj collection.

This is 2 coats with Gelous base coat and one coat of Essie No Chips Ahead. I was very happy with how smoothly it applied...no streaks or globs or bald spots. And opaque in one coat! I am in love with the color, too...such a bright coral red creme and it wears really well, too.

But, of course, I got bored and anxious to try out some of my new polishes that I picked up this weekend, so I added an accent nail.

One coat of Save Me with Essie No Chips Ahead

Save me is a holo glitter with both flecks and bar glitter in turquoise and silver. LOVE.

My mom asked me why I only had one nail painted like that so I had to explain the purpose of   an accent nail. She told me that my grandma used to forget to paint a nail and that was her accent nail. Then, she noticed that Hanna had an accent nail on Pretty Little Liars and pointed that out to me. I love my mom.

I do not love that I have to go to work tomorrow :( 

How was your weekend? What's on your nails right now? Talk to me :)

hello again!

as promised, I'm back for my second post, full of Birchbox and Zoya goodness!

Plus a trend I'm loving right now.

Both of my packages arrived today, just as I predicted. I was so excited to get my first Birchbox that I opened it even before I took my coat off!

(I have a bit of an obsession with damask)

my goodies this month included a sample of granola from 'wichcraft out of NYC, Juicy Couture perfume, VMV Hypoallergenics under-eye cream, Miracle Skin Transformer concealer, and a mini Zoya Megan from the Feel collection. That was mom's favorite part. She grabbed that and tried it out right away.

another package that came today was my Zoya order from their promo where you got 2 polishes free and just paid S&H. I picked out LC (coral-y red) and Erika (pink with gold shimmer). Cross those off my list! 

I can't wait to try all my goodies out :)

Now, for our belated edition of Wear-It Wednesday.

A trend I'm really loving right now is the comeback of tights in every color and print. It's something so easy but can add so much to your everyday outfit.

(picture credit: Maisonstyle)

(forever 21)

and, my favorite, that I've seen

those legs belong to the lovely Abbie over at 5 Days, 5 Ways. I love these tights!!

What is your take on patterned tights? Are you more of a solids kinda girl? Or maybe fishnets? Tell me about it!!

quick lil post--getting to know you!

hello, lovlies! My goodness, I'm so sorry for no post Wednesday, when I have a theme day for that day. And there is defiinitely a trend I wanna talk about! Plus, my mom texted me to tell me that my Birchbox finally came!

So, with all that, plus it being 5 Things Thursday over at 5 Days, 5 Ways, you guys are gonna get two posts today. One to make up for the lack of Wear-It Wednesday and the list for 5 Things Thursday.

Since I'm not at home right now (I'm at work..shhh!), I'll give you my 5 Things Thursday list. The topic today is 5 little known facts about me.

Without further adieu:

1) My family and I have 9 cats. Yes. 9.

Beauty, Cricket, Doug, Zack, Cookie, Baby, Dizzy, Naughty, and Lily.

2) I attended Buffalo State College for Public Communications (AKA marketing/advertising) but never finished my degree.  As of right now, I have about one semester left to go.

3) I have to fall asleep facing the wall. I can't fall asleep unless I feel like I'm in a confined space.

4) Going along with #3, I fall asleep to a Harry Potter movie every night. Right now in my DVD player is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

5) I could listen to Florence + the Machine non-stop for the rest of my life, if I had to. Her voice is AMAZING. Her lyrics are fantastic. She's definitely an inspiration to me right now.

Wanna join?
Leave your list in the comments, or make your own list on your blog and link up at Five Days, Five Ways.

mani monday!

I know, I know. I'm already TERRIBLE at keeping my resolution  to blog more. But, I've managed to keep my resolution to eat better and exercise more! I did 2 miles i n 30 minutes  on Saturday morning, walking, and I'm really proud of myself for that. Plus, I started being a do-gooder this weekend too. I had my first volunteer session with our local SPCA. I work at the cat center, cuddling lots of furry friends :3

I'm trying to blog more, guys, I really am. I don't know when I became this busy person, always going, going, going. I suppose all the Bones I've been watching is not helping either. I've flown through the 2nd and 3rd  seasons on Netflix in no time and loving every minute of it.

On to the nails!!

This weeks manicure is brought to you by Target's awesome sale endcaps. I picked up an e.l.f. 5 polish set on clearance. It came with a gold glitter topcoat, a shimmery red, rose, shimmery purple, and a holographic glitter graphite. Of course, the gold glitter bottle broke when I tried to open it. I guess I just don't know my own strength.

Right now, I'm rocking the shimmery purple, known by its official name of "Royal Purple." It's a shimmery red-toned violet color. It went on fairly smooth and I didn't have any problems with bald patches or it being too goopy. It's a great set of 5 nail polishes for (when I bought it) $4.25. I definitely suggest you pick up a set if you can.

Hopefully, my first Birchbox will be arriving shortly and I can share it with you guys. I'm expecting my two free Zoya polishes to be coming any day now as well, so be expecting  post about that.

See y'all tomorrow!!

xo, ali

I don't wanna lose your love toniiiiiight

Do you ever just have a dream that sticks with you all day? That you can remember, scene for scene? I had one of those last night. With everything that's been going on lately, you'd think I'd be having nightmares, but this dream was pretty good.

I should start by saying how much I love Gabe Saporta (follow him on twitter here) from Cobra Starship/Midtown. He's so fly, so handsome, so talented.

I actually had kind of a run-in with him one night while out with friends. We were in the "hipster" district of Buffalo called Allentown and all of a sudden, he was coming out of a local sub shop/chain. I rolled down my window and just shouted, "Gabe!! I love you!!" Not the most original, I know, but it's all my teenage heart could muster at that moment. He said he loved me back, anyways :)

Why am I telling you all about my love affair with this electro-hipster? Because he was the star of my dream last night. Most that I can remember is him. Cobra Starship was playing at a school auditorium and when I happened upon the very sparse audience, they were performing a Midtown favorite of mine--a cover of The Outfield's "Your Love." I figured that with the few people that were in the audience, this was now my chance to impress Gabe and maybe even have a shot with him. This is why it was a dream. Never in a million years would this be happening. I remember finally getting to see him and hug him and get my picture with him. When I hugged him, he was SO SKINNY!! Skinny is not my type at all. Neither is overly muscular. I just like a guy somewhere in between ;)

And that was my dream. It may have happened because I fell asleep with the song in my head and also had some very chocolatey milk before bed.

What's been  your favorite dream that you can remember lately?

Happy New Year!! and Wear-It Wednesday

Hello lovelies!! So sorry I've been absent. The holidays were great and I hope yours were too. My sisters came to visit--Ashley from Erie and Aimee from Charlotte. Ashley could only stay for the long weekend, but Aimee was here for a week. We all spent Christmas together and went to see Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. I received so many great gifts including a nail dryer for my Sunday night manicure. :)

That brings me to my next topic! I have some exciting things planned for my blog--a couple theme days to start. Mondays will be Manicure Monday (which is pretty self-explanatory) and something I'll be highlighting today--Wear-It Wednesday where I'll share my favorite runway looks and trends. That will come a little later in the post.

I also wanted to talk about resolutions. They are so hard to keep. Why is that? And why do we insist on making the same ones if we knew they didn't work last year? I guess all we can do is try to do and be better. Which is where some of my resolutions come from. Over the past year, I actually changed my eating habits and started walking almost everyday and I lost 30 pounds. One of my resolutions is to keep that going and drop more weight. I don't set a goal so I am not disappointed when I don't reach it, but am happy when I see the scale go down. It helps that I got new walking sneakers for Christmas and picked up Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred.

The next resolution I made is extremely relevant--to blog more!! I really enjoy it and definitely need to make it a more regular thing. 

And finally, I have resolved to not let people take advantage of me or take me for granted. This may be the hardest one to keep as  I am definitely a people pleaser and never want to ruffle any feathers. It comes with the territory of being a middle child.

Anyways. I'm going to work hard at all of these and they will definitely give me something to talk about here.

On to Wear-It Wednesday!

This winter, I am loving a lot of things but today, I want to spotlight peplum! For those that don't really know what peplums are, it's pretty much a ruffle or flounce attached to a skirt. They definitely recall those days when ladies were ladies and wore gloves and hats. A lot of designers showcased that on the runways in a lot of different ways.

Jason Wu-Spring 2012

He's doing a line for Target that debuts in February--so excited!

more Jason Wu.

Peplum shirt from asos.com

and a little twist to the peplum trend from Dries Van Noten!

What are your thoughts on the peplum trend? It's definitely something I want to try out for spring. I absolutely LOVE anything retro.

(I just told my mom I'll be getting a peplum skirt from Torrid and she told me I don't need anymore flounce. Oh, mom!)