Muted Nails

 

I'm a bit of a bright nail color rebel, even in spring. This color is Essie's Master Plan and it is a soft, sophisticated, gray varnish. It reminds of a lighter version of Chincilly, which is why I think Master Plan is a good gray polish if you want to wear one in spring because it's less cold & industrial looking than others in that color family. I actually went off nail polish for almost a year with the fanciful idea that I was going to grow long, strong, natural nails. But that never happened and I was tired of sacrificing manicures for the idea.

Essie's Master Plan

Anyone else have any out of the ordinary go to spring colors?

Chateau Chic? The Parisian Dresser

My dresser is the first thing I see in the morning so it's an area I've maintained to help me feel relaxed as I wake up. I actually got this dresser set (the 2nd piece is reflected in the mirror) from an ad on craigslist! I was told it was very old but I don't know its age specifically. Delving a little into the things on my dresser I love the most ... 

"Antiqued" table top clock is from Pier 1. The soap holder I bought from a gift shop at Versailles. If you ever visit Paris, I encourage you to take the quick train ride to visit the Palace. That was the highlight of my French vacation a few years ago.



Closer photo of one of my many souvenirs from France

And finally I got these postcards from the showing of Anna Karenina in Salt Lake City that I keep slipped into the mirror. You will come to know well that Leo Tolstoy is one of my favorite writers (I did name my dog after him!)

"There are as many loves as there are hearts" Tolstoy

Going to leave you with a few photos from my excursion in Versailles

Gardens

In the halls

Gold Fountain

Michelle

Happy Hair

For the first time in a while, I am becoming happy with my hair. Years of bleaching and heat made it very dry, frizzy and scary. But I've been on a new routine for about 6 months and it has made a huge difference. As follows ...

1) Stop coloring. And that included coloring to try to match my natural color. I decided I was going to grow it out no matter how bad or ugly it looked. Thankfully, ombre is trending! A lot of people ask if I had a my hair professionally "ombred". Nope, just roots and regrowth.

2) Cleansing Conditioner. I'm about halfway through my first bottle of Wen and the results were beyond expectation. Harsh shampoos with sulfates precluding me from having super soft hair - no more. I also only wash my hair a couple of times a week.

3) Minimal heat tools. I always air dry and then will curl my hair starting about 5 inches down from my roots. The first day looks like (above), day 2 settles into soft waves (no additional styling required) and day 3 may require a few touch ups or I pull my hair into a braid or bun. Usually after this I will end up washing my hair and repeating above. Once in a great while I straighten my hair but mostly try to avoid this since I notice it does the most damage to my hair.

And that's the hair routine. I also had chopped it off to my shoulders a few months ago to get rid of the damaged ends and am currently trying to regrow it into a long healthy mane following those steps. Any other hair tips I must know about?

Michelle

Baroque on a Budget - The Dining Room

Welcome to my dining room, or nook as it may be. I wanted to create something baroque and extravagant for little cost (with the exception of an item or two). Starting with the cheapest but most time consuming piece of the puzzle ... The Stenciling

I ordered a damask stencil online and completed this project myself. It is definitely a DIY anyone can do; though I would recommended only doing one wall, as an accent, since a) the pattern could be too overwhelming if you do an entire room and b) it is a simple but time consuming project. I absolutely love the end result.

Materials used: A stencil, painter's tape (you want to tape the stencil to the wall before you paint over it), paint, roller frame, roller cover. This is optional but I kept around wet wipes for any errors made along the way.

These chairs were such a great find. I bought them at a local consignment shop from a lady who reclaims vintage furniture by painting & reupholstering. As a big fan of vintage, saving money, and the DIY this is something I want to start doing myself down the road. When buying furniture I always recommend shopping thrift or consignment shops first - you'll find more unique and cheaper options. Anyone who does furniture reclaiming, link me to your projects!

Note of caution: be careful when ordering items online described as "antique white" or "cream" if you don't want a yellow tinted piece. This wood bench is beautiful, but you can see the difference in color between the photo in the link and my actual photo of the bench. I've been meaning to sand & repaint it to more of a cream/white color to match my chairs but haven't just yet.

I got this mirrored panel as a gift and it took me forever to figure out where it should go. I originally wanted to put it in my bedroom but it didn't seem to go as a stand alone piece. Then I was afraid if I hung it next to the damask stenciling it would look tacky, but when I finally did it I found they really complimented each other. The damask reflects off the mirrored panels, making it look even prettier in person. Sometimes when you put two things together you don't think will work, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

And finally I tried to keep the tabletop accessories simple. Taper holders and taper candles purchased from Pier 1 and the pop of red in these Parisian inspired placemats helps breakup the monochromatic whites and creams.

Just to point it out, I do have a new blog title! Let me know if you like.

Michelle

February Faves & Fails

I never cease to read another person's product recommendations, hoping to discover a holy grail, so I thought I'd do my own monthly favorites roundup. Since I haven't quite created a niche here the products will probably vary from beauty to home goods. I am also including "fail" items, because who doesn't want to know what sucks?

Starting with the good and probably most impressive of the month

1. Wen Cleansing Conditioner
A co-worker was bugging me to try this and finally gave me a couple samples to try. I was always a skeptic of Wen, being part of the "if it sounds too good to be true it probably is" school of thinking. But having tried it, bought my own bottle, and used for a few weeks, now I can't imagine going back. I can't speak to long term results and whether it really repairs heavily damaged hair but mine has never been so soft.

2. L'oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder
This foundation helps keep my oily skin under control and is super easy to apply. Very light and smooth. I find this to be an especially nice travel staple since you can apply with your fingers and practically don't even need a mirror. Warning: dry skin beware with this one!

3. Em Matte Lipstick in Just Fab

In February I tried to wear as many bold, dark lipsticks as possible before the inevitability of spring and found myself coming to this one the most. It lives up to the matte description and has good longevity.

4. Lust Perfume from Lush
Appropriately named. This jasmine scented solid perfume always gets compliments when I wear it. Not a scent for the meek! But I do want to switch to something lighter for spring.

5. MidSummer's Night Fragrance Spheres from Yankee Candle
I must love strong scents; this fragrance is very musky and masculine but I love it. I prefer using the fragrance beads as opposed to candles, no muss no fuss!

FAIL

Em Cosmetics Waterliner

Em Cosmetic's had a product on my fave list, and now on my fail list. But fair is fair. The problem isn't so much the actual content of the product but the packaging. I bought two waterliners, one arrived broken and the other broke within a few uses. Thumbs down.

Coming up later this week ... birthday haul!

Michelle