cotton candy nails

finding new and unique nail designs is probably one of my favorite ways to spend my time. I have so many polishes that I honestly get bored just painting them all them all the same color. That's why little switch ups, like my favorite glitter or accent nail, are ways to keep my nails fun. But, I recently came across a technique that allowed me to use a bunch of pretty colors together in a SUPER simple day that gave my nails the look of a gorgeous cotton candy sky or a Claude Monet painting- which just so happen to be two of my favorite things. Win, win!



how pretty are these?! Getting this look was easy-peasy! First paint you nails with a flat opaque white- I used OPI "Alpine Snow". Then choose 3 or 4 colors that will work well together. I went with a pastel look and chose a light/medium blue (Orly "Snowcone"), a pale mint green (China Glaze "Refresh-Mint") a light lavender (Essie "Lilacism") and a pale pink (OPI "Mod about you"). Using a variety of the colors, make blobs of nail polish on your nails, layering the different colors over each other. Then, while the polish is still wet take a plastic bag or plastic wrap and press down on the blobs, smearing the polish together. Then remove the plastic and allow the polish to dry. Once it's had a chance to dry a bit, apply your top coat. I've always found the best top coat to be Seche Vite- it's thicker than most and allows the polishes to blend together even better.

now this manicure is definitely messier than most, but if you tape off around your nails using normal Scotch tape, you just remove the tape once they're dry and you have clean edges. Use one longer piece to go along one side of your nail, around the top of your nail and back down the other side, and then another smaller piece to cover the base of your nail (as close to the cuticle as you can get). Then just take a q-tip soaked in nail polish remover to clean up any rogue polish.

super simple! And oh so pretty :)
xx,
Marissa

tiny bubbles

the Internet has been FLOODED with pictures, outfits and posts dedicated solely to this little cutie from J.Crew. while I love the looks that different bloggers and fashionistas have been able to put together with this piece, the $150 price tag was just a bit too steep for me!


what's a girl who loves all things pretty and preppy, but can't rationalize dropping that much dough to do?! eBay of course! I was able to find an exact dupe for the beloved J.Crew "Bubble Necklace" for less than the sales tax on the original, with shipping included!


I've gotten oh so many compliments on this piece whenever I wear it, and it serves as the perfect pop of color for so many different outfits. With my hot pink dress from H&M, its a perfectly preppy combination of brights. but I can totally see it paired with a simple crew neck t and jeans as the weather starts to get cooler. get yours here!
xx,
Marissa

Nailed

my nails, and their constant rotation of colors and designs is something that I'm sort of known for. I have a nail polish collection that most people would consider ridiculous and the patience to create patterns and designs without a problem. lately the manicure that I've been LOVING is leopard print. I've managed to make some interesting color combinations (purples, teals and bright pinks), but this weekend I opted for something a little more natural.


easy-peasy to get this look! start with a neutral base color (I used Essie "Playa del Platinum" a nice taupe, mushroom gray) and apply two coats for a nice opaque finish. Then take a beigy nude (I tried Spoiled "Show Me Some Skin") and make oval shaped dots on your nails. I liked the look of 3-4 larger sized dots spread over the nail. Don't make them too big though, you'll need room to outline then with the black. Then take a regular black polish (I used the black Art Deco nail art polish that I always use for designs. It has a super skinny brush that makes designs and lines SUPER simple) and make wavy C-shaped lines surrounding the beige spots, but not fully connecting around them. Then finish off your manicure with a super skinny topcoat (My all time favorite? Seche Vite Dry Fast Topcoat of course!)

now normally a manicure is lucky if it makes it past the 3 day mark for me before I'm bored and need something new, but this one lasted almost 5 days! I can't even tell you the amount of people that would stop me, or grab my hands to compliment my nails and almost EVERY SINGLE ONE asked me if they were the Sally Hansen nail polish strips, or something similar.


another manicure I'm loving- all black nails with a super sparkly French tip. the dark version of my grown-up glitter post!

my nails are most definitely my favorite accessory for adding some pizazz to my outfits. Sometimes with the job you have, type of work you do, or place of employment you have, accessorizing and setting yourself apart from everyone else can be a bit tough. I LOVE using my nails as a fun little pick me up :)

what are some of your favorite pick me ups during the day?



xx,
Marissa

scorched summer skin

now I don't know about you, but I remember being a little kid and never worrying about sunscreen. I didn't even have my first real burn until I was in college and boy, was that a slap in the face with reality. The older you get, the more susceptible your skins is to damage- especially the sun. there seems to be a new tradition with my skin that I always get one good burn the first weeks of summer. you'd think I'd learn from this over the past few years, but of course, this year didn't prove to be ANY different.

sitting by the pool with a bunch of my girlfriends last sunday left me looking quite an adorable shade of pink. lucky for me, my skin decided to forgo the bubbles that I got a few years ago and instead chose to stay pink, turn into tough leather and then develop cute crater like patches of dry skin- lovely I know. While some might be saying that this is a bit TMI, it's important for you to understand just how terrible my skin was, to understand how AMAZING this product I found at Sephora truly is!

I just popped into Sephora really quick while out to lunch to see if they by some miracle had the Buxom Gloss in "White Russian" (which they did- it's just as amazing as I hoped for it to be!) (possible review? hmph we shall see) and decided to see if anyone there could point me in the direction of something to help my poor skin. Of course I happened to be standing in from of the Murad section right under a section that said something along the lines of "Too much sun?" and offered an entire assortment of creams, serums and treatments for those who are a bit scorched. The link above takes you to the Sephora website and has a Starter Kit with minis of the entire line. I just asked the associate for a sample of the Serum and the Night Lotion to try out and see if they were worth the $60 (yikes!) and $89 (double yikes!) price tag.

side note- most people don't know this, but you can ask Sephora associates for samples of the majority of everything within the store FOR FREE! so next time you're thinking about taking the leap and dropping some serious dough on a new foundation or face cream, give it a test drive first!

but back the creature that was my face- this stuff is AMAZING! I woke up the next morning after using both the serum and the night lotion and honestly saw a difference in my face. It wasn't so leathery and had started to crack, which at first scared the heck out of me, but then I realized that it was a good thing! I shedded like a snake for a day or two, and now all that remains of my horrible face is a few new freckles where the worst of the burn was. now while these products were expensive to say the least, how amazing they worked just shows that you get what you pay for when it comes to skin care.




exactly a week after I started using the miracle serum and cream- here's my face completely sans makeup! I was just about ready to swear off staying a member of the general population, thank goodness for Sephora :)



xx,
Marissa

lashing out, again!

long time no blog, I know... I know! But this blog hiatus has made way for HUGE changes in the life of little ole' me. A big girl job, first and foremost- only a year after graduation but hey, whatevs! and relocating back to my parents- wompp, wompp.

it has however been great to be back in the element of what I studied in school, know a lot about and honestly are truly interested in. Not many people can say those things about their career, and the fact that it's my first full-time job out of college, I'd say makes me a pretty lucky girl! :)

but onto more important things, namely mascara and all things lashes! A while back I did a post on my favorite drugstore dupes for amazing high-end mascaras, and have a new amazing one to add to the list. now I can't remember if it was the girl I work with who has the most amazing lashes that recommended this to me, or i just lucked out- but either way, we may have a new Holy Grail mascara to add to the list!

if you loved the look that Lacomé Hypnôse Doll Lashes gave but hated the $26 price tag, then look no further than L'Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black for an almost exact dupe! This mascara gives you the long and gorgeous look of falsies without all the bother.










keep in mind these pictures are taken wearing the mascara over my other mascara (Benefit's BADgal lash) from this morning and still gave mile long lashes with minor clumping. ah-mazing!

if you're used to a big fat brush applicator, don't be turned off by the small bendy plastic brush. you'll get used to it and love the long results you get!

xx,
Marissa

chop shop

Somewhere, a fat lady must be singing. She has to be, since I'm finally happy with my hair. A couple weeks back I posted that I was finally, after 15 months!, getting the haircut that I desperately needed. I found a great Aveda salon in Marblehead that had amazing reviews online went ahead and made my appointment. The experience was great, and I left feeling beautiful, but the more time passed, the more I realized that it wasn't exactly what I wanted. So, instead of being bummed and letting it grow out, I took matters into my own hands. I went back to my roots and made an appointment at the salon I've been going to since I was a little girl (that my entire family still happens to use- btws) and could not be happier!

Hello gorgeous hair!









I went in with a few pictures of Kourtney Kardashian (my Holy Grail of gorgeous locks) and left with full, bouncy va-va-voom hair. Love, love, love it! If you happen to be in the North shore/Boston area, check out Toni at Incognito Revealed in Swampscott. Ah-mazing!

xx,
Marissa

walk it out

so like the rest of the modern world, a new year means a New Year's revolution. however, unlike most people who make big and extravagant resolutions like quitting smoking or working out every single day- I decided to be a little more realistic. making smarter, and better choices in my every day life and basically just being healthier. my new apartment, literally blocks from the beach (which still makes me squeal with delight- btws) has jump started a desire to walk the beach whenever I can. I started this morning, a lovely day off, with a couple mile walk on the beach before dropping my car off at the mechanic.

now, I don't know about you, but I can't be expected to get physical without some Jazzercise worthy duds. Hello- duh!


lime green sports bra and neon pink love pink shirt. perfect! just excuse the mess that is my face and hair :)

and while working out, getting in shape and general exercise are of course super important, a great landscape is certainly the icing on the cake. can you get much prettier?!


walking the beach, the city in the distance, movin' a shaking to some nicki, jay-z and wiz- can we get much better? nope.

xx,
Marissa

ps. guess who's finally getting a haircut tonight?! 6:30 cannot come soon enough!