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Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas Eve!!

It's finally Christmas Eve! There's no snow up here in Illinois... although I've heard parts of Texas have some :( HRMPH. Oh well, I'll get over it. For most of the month I haven't really been in a Christmasy mood... and I figured out why! It's because I didn't have any finals! For nearly my entire life, the beginning of Christmas was marked with hours of painful test-taking. But I didn't have any of that this year. I guess I have to figure out a new way to remind myself it's Christmas (cold weather is out of the question - TEXAS!). 

Anyways, I'm finally getting into the swing of things, thanks to my loves Bing Crosby and James Stewart. Right now I'm watching Holiday Inn - next up is It's a Wonderful Life! Here's a little clip that makes me cry every single time. Get your tissues ready!




And something a little more cheerful while you dry your eyes.



MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Wacky Westville Nails

Did you know that nail polish is magically cheaper in tiny towns in the middle of nowhere? Well I didn't. Until today! So then I bought a zillion. Most of them were actually only a dollar, which is frickin' sweet. Anyways, I did my nails, and my mom and sister's.

Found this at Claire's, but didn't buy it. Weird..?
 Tri-Stripes [Me]

I started off with a layer of orange/gold.

Then I taped off sections of my nails, adding in other colors.

Not what I pictured, but still kinda cool

Burgandy [Eileen]

Eileen's lovely hand!


Zig-Zag Mani [Mom]

The pic makes it look smudgey, but it really wasn't. I just used some scrapbook scissors and tape.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Bestest Christmas Movies

Right now, I'm sitting next to the fireplace at my grandma's house, watching some Hallmark Christmas movies, and thinking about all of the new nail polishes I want. It's the truth, don't judge. These questionable made-for-tv movies have got me thinking about some of the awesome Christmas movies out there! Here's a few of my favorites, which you should definitely check out!

I'll Be Home For Christmas


This absolutely adorable movie, starring the even more adorable Jonathan Taylor Thomas - and some skank named Jessica Biel - is one of my favorites. It's got everything you could want in a movie: cute love story, a sleazy guy who's still loveable, a roadtrip, a santa marathon, and a one-horse open sleigh that dashes through the snow.

It's a Wonderful Life


Yes, this movie is in black and white. Get over it - some of the best movies are!! This movie is slightly like A Christmas Carol... only about one million times better. This movie spans the lifetime of George Bailey, a small-town guy with big dreams, only... things never really go the way he plans them. One day, he hits an all-time low and decides that the world would have been better off if he had never been born - and an angel out to prove himself grants his wish. This movie is hilarious, heart-breaking, infuriating, and guaranteed to make you cry tears of joy no matter how many times you've seen it.

Remember - "Every time a bell rings, and angel gets his wings!"

Jingle All the Way


*Arnold voice* "Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen!!"

If there's a person out there who doesn't like this movie, then they've obviously had too much eggnog - or not enough. This is perhaps one of the best Arnold movies. Ever. Arnold, a typical 90's-movie dad, works too much, neglects his wife and child, and forgets to buy his kid's present - a Turboman toy. The whole movie chronicles the epic battle between Arnold and Sinbad as they duke it out over the last remaining Turboman toys in the entire universe. If you like funny accents, ridiculous chase-scenes, and tons of actors who make amazing faces, then this movie is for you.

White Christmas


Show me a person who doesn't love Bing Crosby's Christmas songs, and I'll show you a turd. You've probably heard every single song in this movie, since they're really popular and you just don't know it. This movie is actually pretty similar to one of my other favorite Bing Christmas movies, Holiday Inn, which you should check out if you like this one. Bing and his buddy come home from the War and become big singing/dancing entertainers. Along the way, they meet two lovely ladies, whisk them away to an inn in the middle of nowhere, and start putting together an epic Christmas performance. Of course, this movie has to have an argument between two of the lovebirds, but the spirit of Christmas always makes things work out in the end!

The Santa Clause


Tim Allen + the Dub-Dub Song = perfection

Everyone in the world has seen this movie, so I'm sure I don't have to do a recap.

I like about a hundred other Christmas movies, but these are enough to get you started!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Christmas Lizards?

I need a new camera
I hope these look Christmasy. They remind me of lizards. I dunno. This is another simple one - just one layer of green and another layer of green glitter.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

That's What Friends Are For

It's been a while since I've posted a song. For some reason, I got really tired of most of the Christmas radio stations, so I've been turning to an old favorite - Disney songs! I usually hate fandubs with a passion that burns brighter than a thousand rising suns, but this one is actually pretty hilarious, since the guys make GREAT faces. Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Lots O' Sparkles!

 I have nail ADD as of late. I don't think I've kept the same polish on for more than two days - which is fine, since I bought some new ones that I want to try out :]

Starry Night Nails

First layer - Revlon Top Speed Teal-ish

Layer two - Nicole by OPI Me + Blue
That one was really easy. I basically had the bottom layer just because the Me + Blue was pretty thin, and layering it would have looked weird lol.

Smoldering Nails

Ulta For Bitten
I'm not really sure what to call this color, and it's hard to see from the pictures. It's a dark, almost black base with red/gold shimmers. Check out better pictures here.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Candy Cane Nails


 More Christmas nails!! I got this idea from the awesome pics on the Chloe's Nails blog I was telling you about. Mine don't look quite as awesome (I'll explain why in a bit) but I think they're still pretty sweet.

Attempt #1 - Smudgey

This was my first attempt at the stripes. I was just going to free-hand everything, but i thought it looked a little... smudgey. But it was still really pretty! And then I took it all off and started over.

Attempt #1 - I thought they looked better in this direction. Fingers look weird though.
Alright, here's the second pass at this look. I think it came out better AND I figured out the best way to do it.

1. Apply layer of white polish. I used one from Sally Hansen called "All the White Stuff." But it's just white, so get over yourself. Once it's pretty dry, apply a layer of Seche Vite (SV) and let that dry.

"But why are we adding the topcoat now, Laura?!" 

Because that clear layer prevents the tape (which is the next step) from ripping the white polish off. Clever, huh?!

2. Use Scotch tape to tape off a thin-ish line for one of the red stripes. You can attempt to do both stripes at once, but I wouldn't. One at a time is hard enough. Once you've got the tape in the right spot, smear some glittery red polish up in there. Try not to get it all over your hand, but if you do, it's no biggie right now. Once the polish is on, let it sit for a couple seconds, and then quickly remove the tape.

After I finished about three quarters of the stripes, I figured out that the best way to remove the tape was NOT to peel it off, but instead grab it in the middle of the strip and pull it up towards the red stripe. I hope you can visualize that. It's hard to describe, but easy to do. This prevented the red from shooting off tiny strands everywhere. If you do get some red outside of the lines, don't panic. Take a Q-tip and some polish remover and lightly blot the excess polish. If you remove a little of the white, that's ok, you can dab a bit more. The SV covers up a lot of layering mistakes.

3. Once the first set of stripes dry, add yet another layer of SV, let that dry, and repeat the whole process for the second set of stripes. Once it's all dry, and ONE MORE layer of SV, and you're done!! I won't lie, this took freaking forever. I think I went through like 5 TV shows (that's how I count the passing of time).


Finished product.

I went to the grocery store yesterday, and some old man followed me around the ENTIRE store, whistling "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Here's to you, Mr. Creeper -


MWahahaha Justin Bieber. I picked this one because: 1. I hadn't seen it. 2. The version I wanted wasn't on YouTube. 3. There's a hip-hop Santa bustin' moves. Enjoy!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Red & Silver Xmas Nails


Ignore the color outside the lines. I did this really fast.

So, I had my first of many Christmas parties last night! I was running kinda late, but I was determined to do my nails before running out the door - and this is what I came up with! It was incredibly simple and fast (5 minutes).

1. Nicole by OPI OMB! - This polish is gorgeous. It's kinda hard to see in the picture, but it's a shimmery red. Yes, it is from the Justin Bieber line... Yes, it is called OMB! which stands for "Oh My Bieber"... but it looks pretty! Don't judge me.

2. Silver glitter polish. I actually can't remember the brand right now... but it doesn't really matter. I kinda think the glitter makes it look a little snowy.. Maybe it's just me.

3. Top coat of Seche Vite and you're done!!

"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't be Late)" - Alvin and the Chipmunks 

Thursday, December 1, 2011

HAPPY DECEMBER DAY!!!

A picture from Happy December Days past. 2006?
HAPPY DECEMBER DAY!!! If this is your first time hearing of December Day, then you need to get with the program! Laura, Kelley, and I started this holiday back in highschool, and every year it's celebrated with the wearing of ridiculous Christmas clothing, the drinking of hot chocolate, and the blasting of Christmas tunes. In honor of this joyous occasion, I present to you my favorite Christmas song of all time - The Dub Dub Song.

Unfortunately, this song isn't really called "The Dub Dub Song." In fact it's "White Christmas" - originally sung by Bing Crosby and then later covered by The Drifters. The first time I ever heard this song was when I watched The Santa Claus a zillion years ago, and every time I heard it I'm reminded of the awesomeness of that movie, my friends, and doo-wop music. If you'd like to see a slightly more hilarious rendition of this song, check this out.