Find Out What Nail Polish Looks Best With Your Skin

Just thought I'd make a quick tip video! I know a lot of people already know this, but it might help a few people and it was fun to put together. =D

My camera was on auto-focus and it was focused on my shirt and behind me! Sorry about that.... :/

Want more quick tip videos like this one? Let me know in the comments!

I will be getting some designs hopefully soon... we've had some personal things going on in my family right now and it's pretty hard. For now I'm kinda just filling in with videos that are a little easier to make... but I'll try to get nail designs soon.

If you have any other ways to test your skin tone, make sure to leave them below!

Peeping Toms

So this weekend was a weekend full of Yesterdog, Adult Grilled Cheese sandwiches from Marie Catrib's, eggrolls, a brilliant haircut, and lots of other miscellaneous awesomeness. (like seeing friends and family) I didn't actually go home because it was Easter, I went home because it was my good friend Adam's wedding! :) It was also a great opportunity for my man friend to (finally) meet my parents! (not to worry, he survived) Even though going home wasn't to celebrate Easter, I still decided to celebrate Easter on my fingernails, using the iconic yellow marshmallow treats we all manage to gag down during the Easter holidays... Peeps!

Fun game with Peeps that I learned this weekend- Peeps jousting- take 2 Peeps, stick a toothpick in the chest of each one, microwave them, and whoever gets poked first from expanding loses. lol

Anyway.

I used Orly Lemonade as a base, then mixed with CND Bicycle Yellow, and later AAmerican Apparel Raccoon to shade. American Apparel Raccoon was also used for the eyes, and Pure Ice French Kiss was used for the Peeps logo. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Carpet Nails

For some reason, I get inspired by carpet designs a lot. There are some fabulous rug/carpet patterns (especially in Vegas!), and carpet patterns work really well as nail art. (at least I think so). Today's nail art is inspired by a rug pattern that I saw online!

I used American Apparel Trenchcoat as a base, with American Apparel California Trooper, American Apparel Cocoa, and Orly Pink Chocolate for the flowers. For the center of the flowers, I used American Apparel Raccoon, then outlined the flowers very loosely with American Apparel Cotton. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

I Refuse To Wear Pants This Winter...

...only skirts, tights and stockings! 

The sartorilist, Garance Dore, Gossip Girl

Trauma, Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, Day 1

Not going to be taken seriously with this pouting pic.

 Started my trauma rotation yesterday. Everything was all hunky-dory until about two hours in when I started feeling really faint, I couldn't stand for longer than 10 minutes and I'd need to sit down. Which, as you can imagine, in a trauma unit is very frustrating and made me feel a bit useless + I'm on a diet (not really, just watching what I eat because I haven't had time to gym). What was worse was that I ended up running to the bathroom and then passing out in the corridor. Thankfully a very sweet nurse found me, picked me up and then continued to follow and dote on me the entire shift, watching me like a hawk in case I fell over again! Here's me a 5ft.2 doctor with a baby face trying to be taken seriously in a serious trauma unit and then I go and pass out! Arg! 
I think I'm used to seeing sick people in all sorts of states but seeing a live person on the brink of death, not breathing and pouring out blood profusely is a completely different vasovagal experience on it's own!


 It's interesting to see the experienced trauma guys on call switch off and go into the zone, they're like terminators on a mission (search and destroy the pathology) which I can imagine must be pretty scary for the patients. Another thing that amazes me is the amount of people who get shot, stabbed or thrown out their cars in this town! I'm blessed that I've received my medical training here in South Africa where maybe our high rate of violent crime deters most but for me it provides an ideal environment to receive the best training in the world in trauma and emergency care.

"In a sand-coated tent hospital, Navy doctor Mark Hernandez, right, checks on a Marine whose leg bones were shattered by an improvised explosive device (IED). The hospital, part of a surgical and trauma unit, was originally designed to break down quickly and follow frontline action. Because fighting has congealed around specific cities and towns, many such portable units have abandoned tents for more permanent facilities." Mantra: I will be as hard core as these guys!

Well I eventually had to get over myself (and my diet), bought a coke and got my hands in. I worked my butt off for the rest shift and got a great compliment from the trauma surgeon on call in the end!


 I remember during an episode of Boston Med how one nurse would treat every patient like they were a relative. Every old man like her dad, every young girl like her sister and she inspired me to do the same. It makes you very protective of them and gets rid of all laziness and mediocracy. Yes it might be tricky if they die or the prognosis isn't favorable but in the words of C.S Lewis:

 "To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."

"Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained." 

My trauma course packs and Moleskine notebook where I jot down everything I learn. Finding the big (not so portable) A4 guide is a bit silly because I can't carry it around in my backpack - talking about backpacks I'm still searching for the perfect one that's comfy but matches all my scrubs (difficult endeavor).

Robot Love

I'm a sucker for a deal, I've made no secret of that. The dollar section at Target is the death of me, but on occasion, I do find some useful stuff! Today's nail design is based off a little robot notepad that I bought- there were socks to match the notepad too, but they were kid's socks, so I didn't get them. (I may have small feet, but not THAT small! lol) I love the little robot guy- he's super cute on the notepad, and I did my best to recreate the cuteness. :-D I got to use a cool new polish as the base for this design- Deborah Lippmann's Yellow Brick Road, which is a yellow jelly that comes out April 15! I wish that I had prettier nail lines, because I think this polish rocks, and my funky nails don't do it justice!

I used Deborah Lippmann Yellow Brick Road as a base, with China Glaze Hey Sailor! for the red, Orly Gumdrop for the robot, mixed with Orly Sapphire Silk to shade as well as for the arms. For the grey, I used Orly Mirror Mirror, for the eyes, I used American Apparel Cotton, with American Apparel Hassid for the pupil and for his smile. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat.

Beep! Boop! Boop! Beep!

Disclosure: Some of the products used in today's post were sent to me by the manufacturer for review.

Fem-animal

I love zebra-print nail patterns. They're simple, fun, and usually fairly fast. For today's nail art, I wanted to do a slightly different twist on it, so I added a 'frame' of hot pink to the edge of the nail. I also did accent nail in polka dots, which breaks up the abundance of zebra pattern. Plus, as an added bonus, I used Color Club Raspberry Rush from the new Color Club Wicked Sweet collection, so they smell delicious! (even through top coat!)

I used American Apparel Cotton as a base, with American Apparel Hassid for the zebra stripes, then framed the nail in Color Club Raspberry Rush. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche Vite top coat

Funky Floral

Lately I have been swatching new collections like my life depends on it, and hope to get a couple of them posted asap. Some greaaaat new colors this spring/summer. It's funny, there are some that I expected to love, yet don't, and some I expected to dislike, but love. Goes to show that you never can tell. I'm working hard to be a more frequent poster again, even devoting some of my lunch hours. (my only time of respite from the daily grind, as it were) Even today, I'm typing this over a steak taco salad with corn salsa, sour cream, cheese, and of course, guacamole from Chipotle. Not really my first choice of lunch, but it's the only place near work where I can order and pay online. (I forgot my wallet at home this morning) Still tasty, but the corn salsa is burning my face off. Anyway, I digress.

I always love when I find cool patterns out in 'the wild', so to speak. When I say in 'the wild', I refer to when I'm out doing other things, whether it be grocery shopping, clothes shopping, or out running office supply errands for work. In this case, the pattern I loved was actually the pattern covering a spiral notebook or planner, I can't remember off the top of my head. I loved the bold pops of color that took the white and black flowers to another, more mod level, and we all know how much this blogger loves her mod. Also, who can resist clean, bright colors that pop off the nail? Not me, that's for sure. For this design, I even got to use one of the new Mod Mattes from Zoya, Phoebe, which looks amazing with top coat.

I used Zoya Phoebe as a base, with American Apparel Cotton for the flowers, American Apparel Hassid for the center dots applied with a dotting tool, then American Apparel Manila, Finger Paints Heavenly Hydrangeas, China Glaze Electric Pineapple, and Zoya Jancyn for the center colors. Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche vite top coat. Doesn't Phoebe glow? Love it.

Where is your favorite place for inspiration?

Stuck on Me

Did you know that Barry Manilow wrote the Band-Aid jungle? Today's nails were the product of a suggestion by one of my coworkers, Erik, who noticed that I had a bandaid on one of my nails (it's my quick broken nail temporary fix until I can fix it for real), and thought it'd be a fun nail idea. So, today's nails are my interpretation of the strip of fabric with a beloved jingle, Band-Aids!!

I used Zoya Helen as a base, with Urban Outfitters Nude 3 to highlight, and Zoya Helen and Zoya Dea to shade and for the dots. (as the perforated holes in the plastic type of bandages) Topped it all off with 2 coats of Seche vite top coat.

Are you stuck on band-aids?

Hoover DAMN!

So today when I set out to do my nails for the blog, I really wanted to do something totally unique and awesome, especially since I haven't been posting as much lately due to lack of time. I decided to paint one of Las Vegas's finest landmarks- the Hoover Dam! It may not sound thrilling, but the structure and it's artistic shapes, lines and design really spoke to me. I drove out there, because really, does a picture really show it all? Not even close. I wanted to get every detail, from the immense concrete wall barricading the billions of gallons of electricity producing water, to the wires, the steel, the rushing water... I think this design is one of my favorites, I spent a ton of time getting it precisely how I saw it with my own two eyes...

...too bad it was dark out.

;) Happy April Fool's Day!!

XO

-Melissa