Vertigo Nails

I have been laid up all week with vertigo and let me tell ya it is noooo fun. I haven’t been able to workout since Monday which totally stinks for me because I hardly ever go a day without getting some sort of Crossfit workout in. My sister Mandy and I have been training for a half marathon as well, so I’m worried this is going to possibly put a stop to my training. I’ve always thought how awful it would be to get injured and not be able to train…I never considered having a “mental” injury forcing me to take some time off. The doctor wants me to stay active, but there is no way I would be able to go for a run or throw some weight around right now when I’m lucky to get out of bed without falling over. Too bad though since this is the one and only time in my life I will be on steroids…it would be kinda fun to see if I could hit any PR’s! :)

I went to an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist who was great and he said he thinks I have a Viral Infection of my Inner Ear. He’s not really sure though and if the vertigo persists for more than two weeks, I need to go in for more tests. I really don’t think it’s anything serious, I just think I was over doing it.

All this being said, I do know I could still be a lot worse off and I have a lot to be thankful for! I think maybe Life is forcing me to slow down for a reason. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to do that half marathon or maybe I’m supposed to be spending a lot of extra time at home with Westin or maybe I needed to be knocked down a notch and fed a slice of humble pie. Well, there’s no doubt I need to be humbled a little more often.

Today has been the first day I’ve been able to really do some stuff around the house which felt great! And I did my nails! Yay! I think that’s what I love most about pretty nails…it doesn’t take much to do our nails but it sure makes us feel really good about ourselves! It’s the simple things in life that really count right?!?

I bought these Dashing Diva Nail Wraps a while ago because they are just so darn cute and decided they would be perfect for Vertigo Nails. I wasn’t sure I would be able to polish my nails very well but turns out it felt REALLY good to focus close up and it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. I have to say these wraps have been the easiest to use so far. I’ve used other Dashing Diva wraps as well as OPI nail wraps and Sally Hansen. This particular design went on the smoothest by far of any of the wraps I have used.

I am still in love with Vinylux and cannot wait to sample all their pretty colors. This pink is called Pink Bikini and it’s from the Creative Nail Design Summer Collection 2013. I also used the CND Vinylux Locket Love gold polish for the trim on the index finger and the design on the ring finger. The square black studs are from Dollar Nail Art.

Have any of you had an injury that has held you back or kept you out of the game of life? How did you deal? Did you find a Silver Lining?

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you are all having a great week!

Tootles-Anna

I don’t really know how to begin this post. I’ve rewritten these first few sentences a hundred times now and have decided that there are no words to explain why I decided to post about this family except that I feel the need more often than not to write about something bigger than the color of my nails…

Katrina Lawrence passed away May 6 due to complications from the delivery of her sixth child. Click on the picture below to see her memorial page on Facebook.

I had grand plans of doing a big tutorial and another giveaway today, but made the easy decision to use whatever little influence I have to help this family and donate to their cause instead. I don’t personally know the Lawrence family but I just can’t even begin to comprehend what they are going through. As a mother my greatest fear is facing the loss of a child but equally frightening is leaving my son without a mommy. I witnessed so many people help my sister when she lost her first baby…people who didn’t know her….and in the face of such a terrible tragedy people’s compassion and willingness to give is a particle of hope that helps ease the pain in the slightest way.

The bank account information is listed in the photo if anyone would also like to make a donation at Wells Fargo Bank. I truly hope all the information I have posted is accurate!

And because after all this is a nail blog, here are some nails for Katrina…I read that green was her favorite color. It’s hard to tell but I stamped the Chinese symbol for “love” on my ring finger. They named their new baby boy Jet Li, who I’ve read is healthy and doing well. :) The Lawrence family runs a karate business in Utah. They live about five hours north of St. George. I believe we might have mutual friends on Facebook, which is how I saw Katrina’s story.

Green for Katrina

Thank you so much for reading. I believe it is important on a daily basis to do whatever we can to make the world a better place and help others in any way that we can. I feel totally inadequate and I know this post may seem miniscule but I felt inspired and have learned it’s equally important to listen to our inner voice and follow our hearts.

Tootles–Anna

Yesterday marked the end of my 7 day Vinylux Challenge. I must admit, I love this new polish!!! CND claims it will last 7 days chip free and although I did not see those results I was extremely pleased that mine lasted five days chip free! In Vinylux’s defense, I am ULTRA hard on my nails! I usually can only get about 9-10 days out of gel polish.

My ring finger corners chipped off at day 3 but it was on the verge of breaking before I applied Vinylux. I wore gloves when I shoveled loads of gravel on Day 4 and when I put my hands in hot bleach water throughout the week washing dishes and counters but other than that I didn’t protect my mani at all. And I consider myself a busy person. :) I did four Crossfit Wods, mowed the lawn, deep cleaned my house, helped my husband install a Lifetime Shed (hence the gravel shoveling!), soaked in the jacuzzi at my in-laws, did my friend Tennille’s nails, and I’m sure tons more super hard strenuous housework that I just can’t seem to remember (wink wink). As you can see, Vinylux held up pretty darn well. My cuticles on the other hand look atrocious!

I personally would have changed my polish at day 5. By day 7, the ends were bare, it was starting to lift around the edges, and they were quite dull. I would still recommend Vinylux to those who like to change their mani every 5-7 days. Also, if your favorite salon isn’t offering Vinylux yet, it’s available retail to the public, so pick up a few shades PLUS the top coat and take it to the salon with you. In fact, I would buy the top coat and keep on hand to apply every 3-4 days regardless. I added an extra top coat to my nails at Day 4 and I know if I hadn’t they wouldn’t have made it as far as they did.

Vinylux by CND 7 Day Challenge

Day 1 Vinylux–Tropix, Cream Puff, and Black Pool.

Vinylux 7 Day Challenge: Days 2-7

I’ve had the pleasure of doing some beautiful nails the last few weeks for my BFF’s :) In case you are wondering, I get a lot of my inspiration from Instagram. Instagram has to be the number one spot for nail ideas these days. It’s crazy how many nail accounts are on there! I was totally overwhelmed when I first signed up and started following people, but once I got the hang of it and became comfortable on there, I love navigating around and trying to find the styles that reflect mine and my friends tastes the best. Some of my favorites are The Nail Guru, Haus of Lacquer, Pattie Yankee, Nail Decor, Nailstampfanatic, Noemihk, Nails4dummies, and many many more! Most of the accounts I follow just use regular polish but my favorites that I listed above are primarily licensed nail techs so they post pictures with gels and acrylics.

My pictures below are all gel polish…I only do gel polish or regular polish these days, ever since I “retired”, because I don’t want to file in my house and get dust everywhere and I don’t want fumes from hard gels and acrylics in my house.

Bright, Fun Summer Nails

These are cute Tennille’s nails. I was trying to replicate China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy in gel polish, which was really hard to do. I got as close as I could by layering OPI Are We There Yet with OPI Pompeii Purple GelColor and a light coat of Gelish Shake it Till You Samba. It’s really not that similar to Flip Flop Fantasy, which is a bright neon peachy pink, but Tennille loved it! She’s going to Phoenix this weekend and needed some funky summer nails. :)

Glamorous Modern Nails with Turquoise, Plum, and Gold

These nails were for the lovely, beautiful Nicole :) I was trying to remember the nails from Instagram that inspired these and it was a combination of three different photos…none of which looked nothing like these turquoise and plum nails, but it gets the wheels turning in my brain looking at other people’s work :)

For the gold glitter accents, I mixed a few drops of Gelish Golden Treasure and loose gold glitter on a little scrap dish and then I actually apply it with the tip of an orange wood stick.

Grey and Pink Flirty Nails

For these nails I used OPI Gelcolor in Pink Flamenco and Alpine Snow and Gelish in Jet Set. I stamped the lips, hearts, and stripes on with OPI nail polish (for stamping it needs to be a polish that is almost opaque in one coat) and hand painted the monochromatic roses on the thumbs and dots on the index finger. I love how these turned out!

What makes a great nail salon or spa? I think about this question a lot. The salon of my dreams would be ultra clean and bright with tons of natural lighting as well as bright overhead lights. The nail tables would be unique and modern and the pedicure area would be so comfortable clients would have a hard time staying awake. I would offer my guests refreshing treats and showcase live music occasionally. I don’t have plans in the near future to open a salon just in case anyone was wondering because my dream salon would require large amounts of financing and I know in order for it to be uber successful, I would have to devote my life to it, which isn’t my top priority at the moment, but a girl can dream right? :)

I’ve put together a few salons that I think would be an amazing place to spend the afternoon. Although they aren’t necessarily my dream salon, these salons are dreamy in their own right and I hope one day I can visit each of these salons for some pampering!

1. ten20 Nail Salon, Boulder, Colorado

I love the industrial look of ten20 Salon! I love the big cushy chairs for the pedicures and I love that they have a mega screen TV where you can watch movies while you’re getting your nails done! This salon would be the perfect place for a girls day out!

www.ten20.tv

www.ten20.tv

2. L’acqua Nail Spa Lounge, Dallas, Texas

This salon is close to how I imagine my dream salon! I love how it has two levels, I love the white interior–it gives it a clean, sanitary, crisp atmosphere, and I love the bright shots of brilliant blue color throughout! I would add a white piano in a corner somewhere and it would be perfect!

www.lacquaspa.com

www.lacquaspa.com

www.lacquaspa.com

3. Color Salon By Michael Boychuck, Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas has evolved into one of the premier luxury spa destinations in the world, and Color Salon by Michael Boychuck at Caesar’s Palace is one of the ultimate spots to pamper yourself while vacationing in the Nevada desert. I love the posh decor of Color Salon. It has an eclectic, serene atmosphere that Boychuck explains “…has been designed to have a minimal amount of color pigment in it. This allows the stylist to see the real skin, eye and hair tone for max results. It is the most beautiful salon in the world in the greatest city in the world.”

www.michaelboychuck.com/color.php

www.caesarspalace.com/colorsalon

Color Salon by Michael Boychuck–the most luxurious salon on the Las Vegas Strip

4. Auberge Du Soleil, Napa Valley, California

My dream salon would have a panoramic view of amazing scenery–imagine sitting in the comfiest pedicure chair of your life gazing out at the magnificent ocean or majestic mountains or in the case of the Napa Valley Auberge Du Soleil, beautiful rambling vineyards. This resort and spa is definitely at the top of my dream vacation list!

Napa Valley Luxury Spa-Auberge Du Soleil

Majestic Napa Valley Views from Auberge Du Soleil

Auberge Spa, Napa Valley

Auberge Du Soleil, Napa Valley

5. Blush Nail Lounge, New York, New York

I love how cozy Blush Nail Lounge looks! I love how the nail tables look like restraunt booths and the pedicure chairs are built on individual platforms. I love the exposed brick walls. Hopefully I’ll be able to visit NYC and check out Blush Nail Lounge soon! :)

www.blushnails.com

www.blushnails.com

This is for Nancy, an amazing, generous, kind lady…

Tropix is my favorite CND Shade and it’s perfect for summer time!

I just am so excited about this product I can’t wait till Day 7 to review it, my initial plan, because I wanted to show a day by day slideshow of the durability of Vinylux. I am still going to review this on Day 7 so it’s possible you might be sick of hearing about my Vinylux mani by next week! :) I really hope I am chip free by Day 7 but I am EXTREMELY skeptical. I am even going to wear gloves any time I do hard physical labor (which is all the time because I am such a hard worker! wink wink) and I am going to protect them somehow when I do my friend Tennille’s nails on Monday. After all that, I am curious how they will look next Wednesday…

My Vinylux Spread! I bought Tropix, Fedora, Negligee, Cream Puff, Wildfire, Rock Royalty, Strawberry Smoothie, Black Pool, and Midnight Swim plus two top coats

I prepped my nails by filing into a nice square shape, pushing back my cuticles, buffing smooth, and cleansing with 99% alcohol. CND recommends ScrubFresh to cleanse but I’ve always used 99% alcohol and it works great.

I love Vinylux because it doesn’t require a base coat! I applied two color coats of Tropix (Coral) on all but my ring finger and then did two color coats of Cream Puff (White) on my ring. I waited till each coat was dry to proceed to the next coat and made sure to cap the free edge. I did a fairly generous Vinylux top coat and let it dry thoroughly, and then hand painted the black roses on the ring finger, let the rose dry thoroughly, and did another top coat on the ring finger. CND says it takes approximately 8.5 minutes for Vinylux to dry. I waited a few minutes and my nails were dry to the touch and within a half hour they were completely dry. Here’s a few more pics….sorry my cuticles look retched! I’ve been cleaning all morning and should have worn gloves! Oops!

Here’s a good full sun shot!

I’ll try to do a tutorial for these roses soon! Super simple!

Coral, black and white Mani with Vinylux by CND

Instagram Giveaway To Win Vinylux Summer Brights Kit

Make sure to follow me on Instagram to win this Vinylux Kit! Rules are on my Instagram account @chicnailstyles

Follow me on Instagram and find out the rules to win this kit! The kit includes four new CND shades and a top coat in the new Vinylux system! Super Sweet! And so easy to win! Also, be sure to enter my Mother’s Day Giveaway! Details are listed under my DIY Pedi tutorial or click on the Giveaways link to the right…the prize is amazing, I promise. :)

Well that’s all for now but I’ll be back Friday with a post about the nail salon of my dreams…check back soon! Thanks for reading!

Tootles-Anna

Cick here to read more about CND Vinylux

Click here to read more about CND Vinylux

CND Vinlyux–a new polish promising one week of durability and wear!

I am really excited to try Vinylux. I have to admit, when I first heard about it, I was skeptical. I heard CND was releasing a new polish that would last a week and I figured they were just going to make nail strips like everybody else. Then I saw that it is actually going to be a polish, but I figured it would be at least double the cost of regular polish. However, Vinylux is almost ready to be released at our local beauty supply stores, and I have found out it will be the same cost as OPI with 62 colors to choose from! And you don’t need a base coat! All my skepticism has vanished!

CND is a brilliant company. They’ve released dozens of products that have changed the course of the nail industry. Shellac, Brisa Gel, Solar Oil, Retention + Acrylics…the list goes on and on. I really believe Vinylux will be revolutionary and is being released at the perfect moment.

In case you haven’t noticed, nails are hot right now! Everyone is obssessed with nail fashions! Gel Polish has been taking the nail world by storm for the last few years, but gel polish removal can be time consuming. On on the contrary, Vinylux is perfect for the nail enthusiast who wants a simple color change on a weekly basis. And for pedicures I am positive Vinylux will be the perfect product! If it will last a week on hands, Vinylux will last at least 4-6 weeks on toes, no question.

I can’t wait to try Vinylux and review it! I promise as soon as it is available in St. George and I can get my hands on it, I’ll let everyone know what I think. If I can, I will do a giveaway…I’m not sure if Vinylux will be sold to the public yet or not. But I would sure love to give a lucky reader their own Vinylux set of polishes!

I hope everyone is having a great Monday! I am going to spend all day cleaning my house…it needs it sooo bad…hopefully I don’t chip my polish or break a nail! :)

Tootles-Anna

Mother’s Day is two weeks away and if you haven’t decided on a gift for your mom yet, I bet she would love a pedicure! If you can’t get to the salon for some pampering, I am going to show you how to spoil her in the comfort of home! And first things first, you should enter my giveaway to win almost everything you need to give her an amazing, unforgettable Mother’s Day pedi!

To qualify for the giveaway there are a few rules. I have listed them below:

1. You must be following my Chic Nail Styles Page on Facebook and share this blog post on your wall. Click on the link below to start following me!

2. You must comment on this blog post. In your comment, I want you to tell me what you would give your mom on Mother’s Day if you could give her anything your heart desires. I know she deserves it! To comment, click on the “Leave a Reply” box at the bottom of this page and follow the directions. :)
3. Please Pin the “Mother’s Day DIY Pedicure Giveaway” picture above to Pinterest. Simply click on the Pinterest icon in the top left corner and it will take you to your Pinterest account.
4. I will only ship to the U.S. If you don’t live in the U.S. you will be responsible for shipping charges.
5. If you are under the age of 18, I need your parents permission to send you the prize.
6. Giveaway ends on May 6. Hopefully you will get it in time to give your momma a pedi!
7. This contest is open to all my friends and family but I promise the winner be picked from a random drawing!

The prize package is super sweet! It’s valued at over $80 and includes everything listed below:

OPI Papaya Pineapple Scrub (I am having a hard time parting with this because it is seriously HEAVENLY!)
CND Scentsations Mango & Coconut Lotion (My favorite massage lotion and it will smell splendidly with the scrub!)
China Glaze For Audrey Nail Polish (my number one favorite nail polish color!)
OPI I Eat Mainly Lobster Nail Polish (my number two favorite nail polish color!)
Essie Winter Collection Trial Sizes (not pictured but includes Where’s My Chauffeur, Snap Happy, Leading Lady, and Beyond Cozy)
OPI Strawberry Margarita (not pictured)
Seche Vite Top Coat
CND Sticky Base Coat
2 Pairs of OPI toe separators
2 yellow foam buffing blocks
2 wood nail files
1 metal cuticle pusher
1 package wood orange sticks
2 Star Pro Foot Files (read more about them HERE)
1 Bottle CND Nourishing Polish Remover (not pictured)
1 Trial size bottle CND ScrubFresh (not pictured)

I cannot wait to hear what everyone would give their Mom’s if they could give her anything! And I cannot wait to see who will be receiving this amazing prize package!

Tutorial for a super deluxe DIY Mother’s Day Pedicure

I gave my terrific, wonderful, dear mother a pedicure a few weeks ago and as I was preparing for her arrival early that morning, I realized this would be the perfect inspiration for a blog post! My mom does not get a pedicure nearly as often as she deserves. She works so hard taking care of her mom/my grandma, who is 93 years old. She helps me and her other four kids (2 awesome brothers, 2 fabulous sisters) so much. She has been faced with many challenges in her young life that would put a lot of people over the edge. She does so much for everyone else around her, and the least she could do for herself is tell her professional nail technician of a daughter to give her a pedicure once a month. Needless to say, our schedules don’t quite coincide as well as we would like. But we finally made it work, and of course I took tons and tons of pictures to document this special day!

To get started, you can add a little extra atmosphere by providing a snack for your mom, playing her favorite station on Pandora, picking flowers from your garden, offering her a refreshing drink, or burning a scented candle…

Spring rolls, hot tea, music, flowers…

healthy spring rolls with homemade almond coconut dressing

Burn a scented candle…your sense of smell is the number one way to improve your mood!

I placed fresh roses from my garden in a Mason jar and let my mom choose the playlist from Pandora…

The first thing you will need is a foot tub. I used the Footsie Pedicure Bath. I love the Footsie Bath because they have disposable liners and they heat and shake and vibrate for a little extra oomph! If you plan on giving yourself or your friends/family a lot of at home pedi’s, I would recommend investing in a Footsie Bath. The cost will run anywhere from $80-120 and you will have to buy the disposable liners 100 at a time, which cost between $70-100.

Click to buy a Footsie Pedi Tub at Sally Beauty

If you don’t want to spend the money on the Footsie system right now, my next soaking recommendation would be a beverage tub from Target. The cost for this is around $14-20. You can add some hot rocks to the bottom of the tub for added enjoyment.

Click here to buy a beverage tub like this at Target

And if you don’t want to spend any extra money right now on a soaking system, just use your largest kitchen mixing bowl you have. Everyone’s got one of those extra large metal bowls sitting at the bottom of their cabinet collecting dust right? If yours isn’t collecting dust and you use it on a regular basis mixing yummy treats, you might not want to use it for a pedicure. In that case, you could use a cleaning bucket. Just make sure you rinse it really well. Cleaning chemicals are not meant for skin contact.

I arranged my mom’s pedicure in my living room so she could watch a show if she so chose to. I also have big windows in my living room that let in lots of natural light for me and offer a pretty view of the greenery for my mom. My living room has carpet floorings, so I moved our computer chair plastic floor thingy (you know what I mean right?) to where I was placing the pedicure tub and then put a bath towel under the Footsie tub to soak up any splashed water. If you are doing it on tile or wood floors, I would just put a bath towel down and dry up any splashes when you are done. I have a pedicure footrest I bought on Amazon for $25–HERE is the link to it. Obviously, if you don’t plan on doing a lot of pedicures, you wouldn’t want to spend the money on this. However, if you do want to start painting toes or giving pedicures to friends and family, this footrest is AMAZING and well worth the $25! If you don’t buy the footrest, just have your mom rest her foot on your lap. Your lap will have a nice clean bath or dish towel over it, of course. :)

I sat on a little folding stool I bought at TJ MAXX for $9. I LOVE these stools and use them all the time for everything! If you don’t have a stool, lower a computer chair down to the lowest setting, use a house stool, a small table, or you can even kneel on the floor and just have your mom put her feet on the floor while you are working on them.

Here is a pic of my pedicure station…

Here is what my pedicure station looks like! Click to enlarge

I have two little end tables I placed next to my station to set all my tools on. I also placed a clean, fresh towel anywhere my tools would touch. I am a clean freak when it comes to feet–you can spread germs and fungus and all kinds of gross things around if you don’t use sanitary methods. Nobody wants ugly fungus on their toe nails. :) You will also want about 3-4 extra hand towels for drying her feet. I like to have lots of extra towels on hand just in case they get dirtier than I anticipated. Also, when you are clipping and filing toe nails and pushing back cuticles, please be VERY careful! Don’t hurt your mom! Be gentle and proceed with care and love :) Be sure to use lots of hand sanitizer throughout the entire procedure. Sanitize your hands and your mom’s feet right off the bat. Lather her feet up in sanitizer before they enter the foot tub.

Here are the steps for the DIY Pedicure:

HERE is a link to a good foot massage tutorial.

A few other ideas would be to add a mask to her feet after step 3 or a paraffin dip after you’ve massaged both feet. If she has really dry cracked heels, scrub her heels with the foot file after you’ve sanitized her feet but before you put them in the water. Just put a towel down over the water and your lap to keep it from getting too dirty. I also love Callus Eliminator, which you can buy at Sally Beauty. You would put this on after you clip and file her toe nails and let it sit with a plastic baggy for five minutes. You need to be really careful with Callus Eliminator though because it can damage healthy skin. Make sure you only get it on dry skin. It works wonderful to get rid of tough calluses though. If you have nippers, you can gently clip her dry skin around her toe nails, but the key word is gently. You need to be very careful with feet because they are more prone to infection than other parts of our body. You can use a cuticle remover as well, which you would apply after you have clipped and filed her toe nails. If you soak her feet long enough, you shouldn’t need one as the skin will be soft enough to push back voluntarily. I usually try to push back my cuticles on my toes after I shower at least once a week.

Here are a few more pics from my mom’s pedicure…we had a lot of fun! :)

I sprinkled rose petals in her water for an extra special touch!

Mom was able to check out her phone while she was soaking her worries away…

Sophie, our Brussels’s Griffon, enjoyed Mom’s pedi too!

Here I am working hard! Wear comfy clothes when you give your mom her pedi!

My mom has cute toes!

We used CND Hotschke Totschke and OPI Which is Witch with hand placed hex glitters…

If this sounds like too much work, take you and your Mom to your favorite salon and spoil yourselves with a girls day out! I’m sure you both deserve it!

Let me know if you have any questions and I can’t wait to hear from everyone! Remeber the giveaway ends May 6 at midnight!

Tootles–Anna

Swimsuit season is upon us here in sunny southern Utah. I’ve always loved summer time, but in years past, I would dread any occasion where a swimsuit would be the appropriate dress code. Which happens a lot for my family because our in-laws have an amazing pool and backyard and my little boy loves spending time at the Washington Rec Center.

Westin’s favorite place in the world–the Washington Rec Center

I’ve been asking myself a lot lately why this swimsuit season is so different than others and I think there are several reasons…

1. I am not working (outside the home!) and am able to stay home with Westin and hopefully fill this summer with tons of fun memories and experiences. I don’t know why this makes the thought of getting in a swimsuit more enjoyable, but it does. I know, it also doesn’t make a whole lot of sense :)

2. I am not afraid of the sun. Read my blog post here to find out why. Being that I’m not afraid of the sun anymore, I am able to tan. When I am able to tan, I am also able to look ten pounds thinner because it’s a fact that a tan person looks thinner than a pasty white person. :)

3. I might possibly be coming to terms with my body. It doesn’t hurt that curves are “in style” nowadays. Also, I work really, really, really hard at Crossfit and I guess I don’t look totally gross. And after being super motivated by ChickenTuna (ChickenTuna blog link) I am going to work really, really, really hard on eating as healthy as possible all summer long. It’ll be a lot of fun to find healthy summer snacks to munch on while hanging out by the pool! :)

4. There are soooooo many adorable, cute, fun swimsuits available now that are also so figure flattering! Which brings me to the whole purpose of this post!

Here is my swimming suit wish list!

I’ve included all price categories in my swimming suit wish list. I normally don’t spend a lot of money on a swimsuit, but I might splurge this year since I plan to spend a fair amount of time in it! I’ve spent a lot of time online looking at suits and Dillards actually has a great swimsuit selection! I love that I can return it to the store as well if I don’t like the way it fits. Also, all of my choices are in the 1-piece category because I have the tendency to get horrible stretch marks any time I gain weight…and I gained a lot of weight when I was pregnant. Besides, I wouldn’t want to be like this mom…

Really!?! Sorry for posting but I couldn’t resist! This picture cracks me up…but if I get enough complaints I promise to take it down! :)

Betsy Johnson Beauty Mark Swimdress

I love this Betsy Johnson swimsuit! It is priced at $148 on Dillards website. I would wear For Audrey by China Glaze on my nails if I had this suit. :) A French Manicure would be pretty as well.

Betsy Johnson Beauty Mark Floral Print Swimdress–click to buy at Dillards

My all time favorite color-For Audrey by China Glaze. Click to buy at Ulta.

Coco Rave Practical Magic Swimdress

Coco Rave has adorable swimsuits! I love these two styles. They are both priced at $94 on Dillards website, although I think you might be able to score a great deal on eBay. If I buy either of these two suits (which are my top choices right now) I would end up getting the black color, which is great for pool/summer nail color options! Anything goes awesome with black! I would do a bright coral one week, bright pink the next, sophisticated nude after that….the possibilities are endless!

Coco Rave Practical Magic Swimdress–click to buy at Dillards

Coco Rave Practical Magic Ruffle Swimdress–click to buy at Dillards

Victorias Secret Beach Sexy Swimsuits

These two suits are from Victorias Secret and they are adorable. I really, really, really want the crisscross back suit, but am nervous the ruched bum won’t have enough coverage. I love that it’s a full coverage front but super sexy as well. However, I am afraid I will cross the sexy line and just look downright trashy, like the unassuming mother pictured above. Do I order it and return if I don’t love it? What to do, what to do? They are both reasonably priced, under $60, which is a nice feature, and they both come in black. I am tempted to order one in black and one in turquoise though! I believe turquoise is the loveliest swimsuit shade of all the swimsuit shades to swim in…ever! :) I also believe I would wear OPI My Chiahuahua Bites with the turquoise suit, possibly with a gold glitter fade. :)

Back view of Victoria’s Secret Lace Up 1-Piece…define moderate coverage VS :)

Victorias Secret Lace Up One Piece–click to buy at Victorias Secret

Victorias Secret Ruffle Pushup One Piece–Click to buy at Victorias Secret

OPI My Chihuahua Bites–Click to buy at Drugstore.com

Target has great swimsuits as well!

This Clean Water swimdress is sold on Target.com for $39.99! You can’t beat the price and it’s absolutely adorable. It also comes in four different colors. I love this turquoise shade–it would look fabulous with a light pink nail polish such as Essie Luscious Lips.

Clean Water Swim Dress–Click to buy at Target

Essie Luscious Lips–click to buy at Nordstroms

I would LOVE to hear from my readers which swimsuit is your favorite! I love them all, but am leaning towards the Coco Rave or Victorias Secret suits. However, if I bought the Clean Water suit from Target I could maybe get two suits, or get a new maxi coverup as well. Descions, descions….

Whichever suit I decide on will be adorable and maybe I will even be so bold as to post a selfie in my new suit! After my tan is good and tan…everywhere…and I’ve been eating really well for a few weeks…and I’ve taken a shower and applied a lot of makeup…and my nails are freshly manicured…and I look decent enough to be on the world wide web in nothing more than a swimsuit! :)
Maybe I can even get my wonderful sisters to model their new swimsuits! (We are in a race to find the cutest suit! I think I’m winning…)

As always, thank you so much for reading! I hope you are enjoying your week!

Tootles–Anna

We watched Silver Linings Playbook for the first time last night and loved it! We bought it on our AppleTV as soon as it was released. I have been dying to see this movie ever since I first watched the trailer and it wasn’t out in theaters very long in St. George and then it took FOREVER to release to DVD. My husband informed me it was getting really good reviews even before Jennifer and Bradley’s award nominations, so I knew it was going to be good! I was soooo excited when it was released this week!!! On a side note, I thought Bradley Cooper’s performance was amazing. Even more so than Jennifer’s. Jennifer won the Oscar for her role, which was deserved, but it’s a shame Bradley was up against Daniel Day Lewis because Bradley did an amazing job. However, I don’t know if anyone has a chance against Daniel Day Lewis. Ever. He should be in a category all by himself. :)

Oh! Another amazing aspect of this movie–The Alabama Shakes are part of the soundtrack! We watched them on SNL a few months back and have been listening to them on Pandora daily ever since! They are soooo amazing–a little bit rock and a little bit blues….love them!

I thought it was interesting because they made an effort to focus on Jennifer’s nails throughout the movie. They were a dark charcoal grey color. I haven’t read the book yet but I have a feeling there is an explanation and certain significance to her nails in the story. Here are a few pictures…

You can kinda see the charcoal grey color on her nails in this screenshot…I really hate that jersey now after watching the movie :)

And here you can catch a glimpse of her nails…

This is just a great shot of them practicing :)

I love charcoal grey nails! I’m thinking they must have used a gel polish for the movie–either Gelish Jet Set or Shellac Asphalt. Those were some of my most popular colors last fall and winter, which is when this movie was released.

I’m going to post a picture on Instagram and see if anyone knows the story behind her nails…if there is one. Leave a comment if you’ve seen the movie! Let me know if you know the story behind her nails! First one to give me the details wins a prize–something fun–like a pretty charcoal grey polish!!!! :)

Excelsior!

Tootles-Anna