My Favorite Glittery Nail Polish

If Pinterest is correct, then I think this is how you're supposed to photograph your nails for polish-related posts, right?

Hi friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. As you might know, I was away at Alt Summit this past week, and just returned home last night after an extremely long day of travel. So first let me start this post by admitting that I am only somewhat conscious as I type this. Now that that's out of the way...

I have to now confess that I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to fingernails. I do not consider myself to be a nail art pro by any stretch of the imagination. I've had a professional manicure fewer times than I have fingers on my right hand (or left hand for that matter), and I'm still not really sure what cuticles are...even though I get the sense that they are bad and I'm not supposed to have them. An actual nickname of mine is "man-hands." In any case, I do like to throw on a coat of polish every once just to surprise people...and myself, and tried on a couple new ones before my trip to Alt. I was surprisingly happy with how they turned out, and ended up getting so many compliments and questions about my nails during my trip (so flattering) that I figured the topic would make a good post for my first day back (am I right, or did you leave already? Hopefully you're still here).

So, anyhow...this isn't really a how-to for painting your nails with detailed kitten faces or anything of that sort, but rather a recommendation for a few great polishes that I love. Again...I'm not a pro. For my sparkly nails here, I first applied a coat of silver "Trixie" by Zoya, let it dry completely and then applied a coat of "Set in Stones" by Essie. I finished the whole thing off with "Double Duty Base & Top Coat" by Sally Hansen. Possibly the best thing about this combination is how chip-friendly it is. Even when little flakes eventually come off, you can't really tell because it all just blends in with the super glitteryness of it all. Case in point: these photos were taken this morning...five days after painting them (with the wear and tear of travel and a conference to boot)!

My daughter has also used the "Set in Stones" by Essie on top of black and colorful polishes and the effect is gorgeous. The one caveat that I would actually feel bad about not mentioning, is that it is the pits to take off (I don't put things in bold all that often, but this warrants it). For some reason those tiny specks of glitter hang on for dear life, and you just might need a chisel to release their hold. Obviously that hasn't kept me from using it...in fact it will probably remain a favorite of mine for months to come, but at least I've done my part to keep you fully informed. Do you have a favorite polish that you can't get enough of? I'd love to tuck it away in my to-try file for the next time ol' man-hands needs to dress up. xox Ez

P.S. The other colors shown on the paper above are: Licorice by Essie, Gargantuan Green Grape by OPI, and Sunrise Skies by Piggy Polish (purchased at Ulta).

A Subtle Golden Touch

Lately (for far too long actually) I've been crushing on glamorous little pops of metallic gold on everything from home accessories to fashion. I especially love it when the gilding is done in an understated or unexpected way...like a sprinkle of gold studs on the heel of a pair of black flats or a gold stapler on a desk. Pretty! 

For Any Room: Love Print by Jennifer Ramos - Twine

For the Dining Room: Rose Gold Flatware | Ceramic Heart Mug - West Elm

For the Washroom: Gold Frosted Linen Makeup Clutch - Gift Shop Brooklyn | Nail Varnish - Sephora | Gold Eye Pencil - Sephora

For the Living Room: Hand Painted Pillow - Me Longings Studio

For the Office: Acrylic Clip Board (via) - Russell + Hazel | Gold Floral Pattern + Painted Stripe Cards by Rifle Paper Co. - Greer Chicago | Acrylic Stapler (via) - Russell + Hazel

For the closet: Superstar Bobbi - Ban.do | Eternnal Flats - Zappos

High + Low: The Rhinestone Necklace

New Years is all about the anticipation and excitement of a promising year ahead. Even when it's a low-key night, I like to ring in the new year with a little bit of glamour. You could easily dress up any outfit, including the comfy standby of jeans and a tee, by adding something like the Flower Lattice necklace from J.Crew. But afterspending that comes with the holidays, I'm sure purse strings have been tightened. So I've found a few shining alternatives, at a fraction of the price, that will still have you looking like a million bucks!

Flower Lattice Necklace $228 - J.Crew | Rhinestone & Pearlescent Chain Necklace $14.80 - Forever21 | Pretty Pearl Leaf Necklace $16 - Dorothy Perkins | Hematite Large Statement Necklace $38.50 - Last Call

What to Wear: to Ring in the New Year + Free Printable Gift Tags

Hello and happy Monday friends! Today will be the last What to Wear post created in partnership with Anthropologie. It's been so fun creating these illustrations to share with you, and I want to thank you for all your lovely comments over the past few weeks. This partnership may be over, but I'll be back with new illustrated posts after the new year...so keep a lookout for those if you're a fan.

But I'm getting ahead of myself...for today I'm delighted to have Ruby here to share her outfit pick for a festive New Years Eve party she'll be hosting for her friends this year, and to wish you all a new year filled with style and fun!

Ruby Wears: 

• Goldleaf Cocktail Dress
• Velvet Sophie Bolero
• Opaque Tights
• Rolling Ribbon Satin Pumps
• Sweeping Circles Double Strand Headband
• Horta Champagne Glass

And now scroll down for special set of free printable holiday gift tags featuring both Grace the bear and Sofie the deer...

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This post was kindly sponsored by Anthropologie. All opinions, illustrations, and fashion selections were made entirely by me.

Giveaway: Win Any Bag from Moop

Today is my birthday, so it's the perfect time to share a reverse birthday gift with you all! For 24-hours only you can enter for a chance to win an amazing handcrafted bag from Moop. You get to choose any design you'd like from the Moop shop (your prize could potentially be valued at over $230). Both domestic and international readers are welcome to enter...and Moop will take care of the shipping cost to wherever you live too!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED

• Visit Moop and find your favorite bag...it can be for you or to give to someone incredibly awesome.
• Come back here and leave a comment on this post sharing your selection and why it is perfect for you.
• Be sure to include a valid email address and your first name and last initial with your comment or I won't be able contact you if you win.

• For a second entry, pin the bag you'd like to win over on pinterest. Include the hashtag #moopshop and @moopshop in the pin's description.
• Come back to this post and leave a second comment with the URL of your pin. Be sure to include your email address, first name, and last initial with this comment too.
• The giveaway will close tomorrow at 10am (Central Standard Time). The winner will be contacted by email and I will update this post with the winner's name as well.

Hurry on over and make your pick! Good luck to you all! xo Ez

UPDATE: This contest is now closed. The winner is being chosen by random selection and will be notified by email in just a short bit. Check back at the bottom of this post for the winner's name later today! Thanks for playing...and for all your sweet birthday wishes too! xo Ez

Update on Thursday, December 6, 2012 by Ez

Congratulations Monica P....you are the lucky winner! I've emailed you to confirm your win. Thank you again to everyone to participated in the giveaway! xo Ez