R3 Daily

Jason Wu for Target Flap Satchel Review

2012-02-10T06:45:00.000-08:00

Hey girls! Someone requested a review of the Jason Wu for Target flap satchel. I had seen that Kisten from the PolishPauper had been fortunate enough to snag the bag, so I asked if she could do a quick review for us. Darn it if I don't want this item now too!

Hey lovelies! On Sunday, I got up early and made my way to Target for the unveiling of the Jason Wu collection. Now I love fashion, but I don’t usually go to this extreme, but I had fallen in love with this purse, sigh! I will admit that I am a bit of a purse snob, so I had high hopes, but low expectations about the quality.

There were only two, so I was super glad that I got up early to grab one. The first thing I noticed was that is was much bigger then I was expecting and that it didn’t look cheap! The faux leather trim did not look overtly fake and the metal accents felt substantial, which give the cotton canvas purse a higher end feel. Inside there is a ton of space, as well as pockets galore including a zipper divider pocket! The quality on this purse impressed me since sometimes the designer collections have fallen short in the past, it is the little touches like the feet on the bottom, the ability to shorten the long strap and the metal accents elevate the purse from looking like a cheap knock off. Well done Jason Wu for Target, there may be hope for the designer collections yet! Now if I could only find that dang trench coat!

Jason Wu for Target Give-Away!

2012-02-08T04:54:00.000-08:00

We're giving away a Jason Wu for Target Blue Stripe Tote and a Straw Clutch to two lucky ladies! Here is how the give away will work.

Give-away #1: Jason Wu for Target Blue Stripe Tote and one bottle of each of the following Cult Nails Polishes: Feel Me Up, Awakening and Time Traveler. (Photos of the polishes will be added later as I am on the wrong computer right now. Sorry)

Give-away # 2 - Jason Wu for Target Straw Clutch and one bottle of each of the following Cult Nails polishes: Quench, Time Traveler and Feel Me Up. (The perfect colors for this collection!)

How to Win: Follow this blog and let me know how you follow and leave a comment letting me know which prize you would like to be considered for and if you were lucky enough to snag something from the sale and if so what you got, for 1 entry. Like us on Facebook and come back and let us know in the comments here for 1 entry. Like us on Twitter and let us know in the comments here for 1 entry. Post about the give-away on your blog, Facebook or Twitter and leave a link in our comments here for 1 entry. It's as easy as that! This is open to international followers. A winner will be selected on Friday Feb 24th, 2012.

And just because it's a Jason Wu for Target kind of week, here is what I'm wearing today, taken in my bathroom super early this morning, and since I don't want to be late for work, these are not the best pics. Sorry!

Jason Wu for Target Review - Pic Heavy

2012-02-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

I picked up several pieces from the Jason Wu for Target collection over the last few days. I was able to score a few pieces online as well as in store. I didn't get the shorts I wanted and am contemplating taking the plunge on Ebay if the prices aren't too jacked up. I haven't been hit by the designer fever that has taken over at Target and H&M. But Jason Wu is one designer I would love to have an original from. This collection for Target is not the same as his regular collections. It is drastically different while still staying true to his style at the same time. When I think of Jason Wu I think of clean lines, the little details that make a difference, classic while still a bit edgy. Exactly what I love. I read a lot of reviews that the collection looked cheap. I however have a different opinion. There were some pieces that were definitely "cheap" like the t-shirts. But um it's a t-shirt, so yeah. Without outing specific brands I know of one t-shirt manufacturer that makes the same exact t-shirt and slaps 2 different labels on the inside. One retails for over $50 and the other for $5. SAME EXACT T-SHIRT! So maybe I just tend to be a bit more open. Or maybe I am just blinded by my Jason Wu Obsession! LOL!

Those of you who are/were interested in the collection already know what the pieces look like. The Internet is saturated with photos of the collection, and quick google search is all that is needed, so I won't bore you there, but I did want to delve a little deeper into the details as I see them.

I wore one of the tops today and wanted to take some outfit of the day pics, but I had the gym after work, so I didn't wear the outfit tonight. (Can you imagine wearing this to the gym? LOL!) I definitely wasn't about to put it back on and do my makeup again after the gym, so this is what you get to see of it. I went back to Target today and tried on another top so I took a picture in the fitting room.

Here's a closeup of my nails. I put on Feel Me Up last night. I fully intended on using some stamping plates and doing some flowers in Time Traveler with red centers. But I was too tired (read: lazy) to follow through on that one.

Anyway, let's get onto the details shall we? Here is a closeup of the details on the top I wore today. The lines are good, the sewing is good, no complaints. I think this was $26.99 - I have paid $60 for similar quality shirts at department stores.

A look at another shirt. This one to me was an impeccable example of the quality. I found this one to be really well made. I was seriously impressed that this shirt was $26.99. Easily worth between $60 - 80 if it were at a department store.

Just for reference I decided to throw in this 100% silk Rachel Roy shirt that retails for $395. (No I did not pay that for this shirt! You know me better than that!) You can see the frayed thread on this shirt. Um hello! for $395 there should not be this fraying. (not even for what I paid for it should there be this fraying) But besides this the quality of this shirt is great and it is 100% silk. The Jason Wu for Target shirts are Polyester at best. These are the details that allow the collection at Target to be so affordable. But believe me side by side, not knowing anything about material and brands, Juan thought the light blue Jason Wu for Target was comparable to the Rachel Roy shirt in quality.

Details on one of the dresses. The material on this dress is thin and a bit flimsy, but super soft. Worth the price of the dress, but no more. This one was a bit baggy, so I sized down and it was still a bit loose. But with a nude belt and camel colored wedges, this is going to be a perfect summer BBQ dress!

Up next: The pleated skirt. This was another well executed piece. LOVE this skirt, but since I'm not 5'8"it goes to my knee, which means I will need to bring it to a tailor to bring up the length a bit. Who knows what that will cost or if it is even worth it. But with a 90 day return policy, I have the time to find out and decide.

This is where the outer layer of the skirt is sewn to the lining. A little pucker but when you undo the sewing it will undo.

This is where you can see the cost savings. This looks like I sewed it on myself. Actually I think I would have done a better job. Just sayin'

Now onto a tote and two clutches. First up the tote. I am not typically one to carry a tote, but this one is amazingly thick and good quality. I have seen some department store brands equal in quality and even a bit inferior in quality go for a lot more than this one.

Love that it has the little detailing on the bottom.

A look inside reveals a zipper pocket and two side pockets. Love that!

not one exposed seam on the handle of the bag.

Onto the clutch. Here is where I have a complaint. Target had three of these clutches and all of them were a bit off in evenness if you ask me. See how the left seems to be a bit lower than the right. No matter what I tried with any of them, they all lifted on the right as if they were put together just a bit off. But overall it isn't something that is big enough to effect the $29.99 price tag. The "straw" material is a canvas material that looks like it will clean easily too. No worry of staining. I LOVE this bag! I would say this is perfect for a summer wedding or a dressy afternoon event, or even a cute little vacation clutch to a summery location, but I would never call this an evening bag.

A look inside!

OK one of my biggest grips with handbags is that I think they should have a middle piece with a zipper so I can separate my stuff and make it easier to find. I can never seem to find this feature in any bag other than B Makowsky, and with the exception of a few of his bags, I am just not a huge fan of his style. So I was super stoked to see this feature in a $30 bag! Wahoo!

I loved it so much that I bought the lace clutch too! Love the hardware! This is a great one to transition it from a day clutch to an evening clutch. This bag is cloth and lace. No canvas on this one. Online it looked as if it were faux lace, I was happy to see they didn't skimp on this one.

I have a few pieces coming in the mail still and I haven't seen the large bag, so I can't comment on that one or any of the other pieces. But overall I was impressed.

What's the point of this review if the items are supposedly sold out at every Target. Well for one my Target still had tons of stuff left. They said they just put out more this morning. Also people will start returning stuff they don't want soon. And with a 90 day return policy, those items that don't sell on Ebay will most likely end up back at Target right before the 90 days are up and will most likely end up on Clearance and you can really score then! Lastly if you decide you just can't do without, you may want to check out Ebay. Some of these items might be worth the bit of the price hike on there if you can get over the fact that people bought them just to resell them at a higher than retail price. I wouldn't go super high over the retail price, but if there is an item you just can't live without, then it might be worth it for you.

Oh and for those who saw me post that I would be doing a give away and posting details on here today, sorry for the delay. I will have the giveaway posted before I leave for New York, but this post got so long, I think that that giveaway needs it's own post. Also we are still fleshing out the details of the give-away. But keep an eye out as I will be giving away the tote and the cream and black clutch to two lucky people! You didn't think I would buy all this and not think of you guys did you? So if you're a die hard fan like me and missed out, there's still a chance to score a piece from this collection! Stay tuned...

Did you get anything from this collection? Was it a dud for you or are you just as obsessed as me? I would love to hear your thoughts!

I Never Thought of Myself as Preppy

2012-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

I was hoping I would be announcing a The Pats won sale, but unfortunately the Giants took the win! So sad for all of us from MA - but congrats to all the Giants fans out there! Unfortunately that means no sale. :( Maybe next time.

Every time I wear this jacket I feel like a prepster. This is pretty much how you see me dressed during the week for work. Since we live in FL, I tend to dress in layers, a light shirt with a sweater or jacket, since I get cold inside but it's hot outside. I was exceptionally tired on this morning as witnessed by the bags under my eyes. I don't think I'll do many outfit photos right after I get up anymore. I wonder how I will dress once I start staying home and working strictly Cult Nails?

Top: Old Navy - I got this one a while ago, but they have a real similar one in a different print here.

Jacket: Navy Blazer from the Gap. I got this one on clearance a while back, but here's a similar one at Forever 21

Pants: I got these at Express a few years ago. Here's a very similar pair on the Express site.

Shoes: Carlos by Carlos Santana that I bought last year at Marshall's. Here's a cute Nine West pair on Zappos though.

Hoop earrings from Forever21 and Bracelets are my Alex and Ani bracelets from Zeeberry.com that I wear just about every day.

Messing around with the color settings to disguise just how tired I look.

I pretty much throw my hair in this ponytail everyday. I just don't have the desire to do my hair at 5:30 in the morning. Halfway through the day, I wish I took the time though. But to be honest, now that I go to the gym a few days each week and I'm committed to it, it's a waste to even do my hair for work. I just end up throwing it in a ponytail afterwards anyway. I used to go 2-3 days between washes, but with the gym, that's kind of gross, so unless it's Tuesday or Thursday or the weekend, the hair goes up in the morning now. I do try to dress up the ponytail with either some height or something so it doesn't look like I just threw it up.

The Instagram shot - Oh yeah - I'm poppin' that collar!

I had on Enigmatic on my nails on this day. But we have a Spring color coming out at the end of March that would go perfect with this outfit.

I know this is a blurry shot, but this is the only one that even comes close. It is a very sheer jelly creamsicle color. It keeps wanting to photograph as a bright orange. The color you see on my pinky finger is exactly what it really looks like, but this is three coats to take out the sheerness of this color. This was created by request for a Cultie. You can see how sheer it is in the bottle. I can't tell you how much I love this color! I can't wait for this to come out! (Outside of testing a color, I refuse to wear them until they are available for everyone. It keeps me as excited as everyone else to wear the next collection. But imagine having the colors about 2 months before everyone else and not touching them, apparently I like to torture myself!)

Guess Who's Going to NY Fashion Week?!

2012-02-02T05:39:00.000-08:00

Well one day of it anyway! (As of right now.) I am so excited, I can't even begin to tell you! I am working with The Nail Taxi who has been a part of Fashion Week for quite some time now and she will be using Cult Nails polishes in two of the shows she is working! I just want to scream with the excitement! Actually, I am more excited to meet Cinnamon, the founder of Nail Taxi. I'm kind of geeky like that!

I was thinking about it and it is so funny even to me how my mind works. If I had an option to meet a celebrity or a business person I admire, I would want to meet the business person. I'm just not into the whole celeb gawking thing. I love seeing what they wear and things like that. I enjoy the work that they do, but I don't have a need to know who they are dating, what they are eating, where they do whatever, that stuff just doesn't interest me. Now don't get me wrong, I don't live in a bubble, I hear the news and get wrapped up in what's going on, I admit it, but I am not one of those people that LOVE to read everything they can on a celebrity. But I love reading everything I can on business people I admire. Maybe I hope some of that rubs off on me. LOL! Anyway, I digress....

My point is, a few years ago I read an article about the Nail Taxi. I thought about how brilliant this lady Cinnamon was and then when I saw she was providing services to Fashion Week, I thought she was even more brilliant. The concept behind her business - They are a mobile nail boutique that brings professional nail services to their clients wherever they may be. They are currently in 10 cities throughout the U.S. and they are in select areas in Canada and the Bahamas. Imagine being at work and not having time to run out and get a pedicure, but having someone come to your office and meet you during your lunch break and providing that service? That is amazing! I wish they were in my area, because I would totally take advantage of a service like that on the regular.

So when I got the opportunity to send Cinnamon my polishes for consideration for some of the shows she does for NYFW, you bet your bottom I jumped at the opportunity! Now I am flying out to NYC to attend the two shows that will be using Cult Nails! I know Cinnamon is probably going to be super busy, but I am excited to see what she does in person and meet the genius behind Nail Taxi! So it is a win win for me! YAY!!! You know I will keep you all up to date, so be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter and if you have an iPhone follow me on Instagram, I'm CultNails on there, so you can follow along on my latest adventure next Friday!

Now I am just trying to work my way onto a radio show out of New York that I have been listening to for years. I hope they accept and ask me to come on the show! Fingers crossed on that one!

Now what manicure to wear....

A Step Back in Time?

2012-01-31T05:40:00.000-08:00

First off, I want to thank everyone for the kind words. I think Sid gave us her answer last night. I got home from work and she was running around and rolling around like a puppy! She slept through the night, no accidents and this morning was running up and down the stairs like she used to do. So I think we are just going to hold off to see how long this streak will last and just put off the inevitable a bit longer. I'll for sure keep you guys updated.

This last weekend we took the kids and two of their friends to Universal and went to HardRock for dinner. I took a few pics of my park outfits, which I will probably share later, but for now I am going to share what I wore to the HardRock Cafe.

We took the pics inside the hotel room and they all came out in Sepia tones. Kind of interesting how that happened. At first I thought I would correct the colors, but in the end the outfit looks a little vintage (even though its not), so why not keep a vintage touch to the photos?

What I'm wearing:

Top: A silk batik top I bought from a local store called The Standard Collective that I grabbed on clearance 1/2 off at $44. They don't have a website, but on their Twitter it says "A lifestyle boutique bringing together the best of Melbourne Fashion Designers, Artists, Musicians and Athletes. (In the Melbourne Sq. Mall)" Unfortunately they don't seem to actually use their Twitter since their last tweet was last year. They also have a Facebook page, I'll have to check out if they use that. I have seen this store in our mall for quite some time and never go in. But I am loving this top! I need to see who makes it and get a better pic and more info to you guys on it.

Skirt: Target Exhilaration Tulip Skirt in navy $14.99. I LOVE this skirt. I really am loving these hi/lo skirts right now, but some are just a little too short for my age. This one strikes the perfect balance for me.

Shoes: Target Exhilaration Tatum heeled sandals in tan for $25.98 on clearance right now. I scored mine on clearance for $9.98 at our local Target, so check your local store first if you like them.

Accessories: My Alexand Ani bracelets and some hoop earrings.

I posted this pic to Instagram. Even though I look angry, I love this pic. LOL.

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Tough Decisions

2012-01-30T04:24:00.000-08:00

I always said if I became a burden to those around me due to health or an accident I wouldn't want to live. I still feel that way, but how do you transfer that to your pet? We have a dog who is turning 13 this year. That's 91 in dog years. She has arthritis so bad that she is constantly shaking. She is deaf and going blind and has no control of her bladder anymore. She is up all night crying. Not barking - crying. We put a gate on the bathroom door and made a little home for her in the bathroom for the night time, and she hates it. She has never been kenneled, so this is pure torture for her. She doesn't understand why she has to stay in the bathroom all night. We put a gate in the door and leave the door open, I just imagine how scary it would be for her if the door was shut with her in it. I think about getting her a kennel, but for a dog who has never been in one, I can't imagine that this would be better than the bathroom for her, but I still wonder. We just can't leave her out at night or when we are not home anymore though, because our carpets, couch, pillows or anywhere else she chooses to lay would be ruined, she really just can't hold it anymore.

We brought her to the vet and after several tests, the best that they can tell us is that she has doggie Alzheimer's, but that it could be diabetes insipidis which would be ridiculously expensive to treat (according the vet) or it could be that she has a brain tumor or injury. Running tests for either of these things would be extremely expensive (again according to the vet - we haven't actually gotten the cost yet but we are going to get it today hopefully). The vet recommended putting her on a certain medication that would rule out one of these things based on whether it works or not. It would take several months before we would know if it works or not. If it doesn't we can move on to the more expensive medicine for the other option. Or we could fork over tons of cash and have test after test run until we figure out what is wrong with her and go from there.

I just don't know what to do. Part of me thinks she has lived a good life and is probably miserable and it is time. But the other part of me thinks of those good days where she seems like her former puppy self. I think that she isn't "sick" that we know of and if it is Diabetes is that a reason to put her down? But at the same time, are Juan and I suppose to stay up all night with her and let her continue waking the kids all night with her crying. Her crying is loud and intermixed with the occasional barking and it is impossible to sleep at night. I feel so dizzy and nauseous from the exhaustion in the mornings. What are we supposed to do?

I guess I am just here putting my feelings in writing, hoping that an answer pops out of all this. But it still isn't any more clear. I'm torn. What is best for her? I wish she could just tell me what she wants.

Community Service

2012-01-27T07:09:00.000-08:00

One of my goals for Cult Nails is to create a community of women and men who help and empower each other. I remember before I started Cult Nails I would day dream about owning my own company and making a difference in the community I live in. I have these grand ideas that I still want to make happen as we grow the cult so to speak.

As I grow Cult Nails and interact with so many of you, I realized one thing though, I am not just in my community. We have become a global community. I try to volunteer my time and money in my community now. I do what I can to make a difference. I believe every little bit counts. But the realization that we could make a global difference is just amazing to me!

So I wanted to see what you guys do for the community you live in. Let's promote community service. What do you do in your community? Small or big let us know. Do you know someone who is involved with making a difference? Let us know. We would like to regularly feature someone who is making a difference in their community. Who knows, maybe it will increase the awareness to what you do or get more people involved. And of course there just might be some polish in it for those we feature and/or nominate someone for us to feature!

I can't wait to hear how you all make a difference! Email us at info @cultnails.com (no spaces)

Colored Jeans? Why Yes I Will

2012-01-25T03:15:00.000-08:00

Everywhere you look there are colored jeans. I first noticed red jeans everywhere and my daughter just had to have a pair. A few months ago while doing some online surfing I came across a pair of cobalt colored jeans. I became obsessed and needed a pair. Finally I found a pair of WorkCustom cobalt jeans on ideeli.com and had to get them. I've only worn them a few times because I am still having trouble trying to figure out what to wear with them. Then while in Cali, I picked up a pair of mint colored jeans at H&M. I would love a pair in a burnt dark orange or red color, but after that, I swear that will be enough in the colored denim dept. I think these will come and go after this summer, so I don't want to invest too much. But I do need some stuff to go with them. I have found that Polyvore is the perfect site to help me get ideas on how I want to put outfits together. So off I went trying to come up with some outfit ideas for my new jeans. The key is finding items that will go with just about everything. The hard part is trying to keep the look current and out of the 80's!

The obvious look is the black shirt and booties. So I tried to come up with some other ideas like a blush colored shirt and gold flats, a brown sweater and nude sandals and a grey sweater and black shoes. I like the simplicity of everything, making the jeans stand out. I have a few similar items in my closet, which is nice, so I can't wait to try a few of these ideas together.

For the mint green jeans, I would love to get daring and wear a bright colored shirt like this fuchsia one, but I don't know that I actually have the nerve. I love the idea of a rocker look that is balanced out by the pastel color of the jeans. The next two are the easiest and most obvious, a blush colored tank or button down white top. I think I'd wear the button down with a belt around the waist though. Otherwise I'd feel too frumpy.

As for nails with either of these looks, I would go either dark like Black Out or light like Crusin' Nude and let the jeans be the focal point.

Cruisin' Nude

Black Out will return in late March

The colored jean trend seems to be a love or hate one. Which camp do you fall under?

Also if you haven't heard, our presale event has begun. Check it out on the Cult Nails website!

What to Wear for White Trash Olympics?

2012-01-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we got together with some friends for some Karaoke at a dive bar, or like Juan calls it - White Trash Olympics. I have been meaning to post these for a while now, and just never got around to it. So here it is...

Ha! I was fixing my hair getting ready, but dang - look at those guns! 3 months of Strong classes at my local gym 3 days a week and already my body is changing!

Oh my gosh becky! Look at her butt! It's just so round... I know I have a big butt for my body, but I never realized how much it sticks out! And this is with a loose covering the top of it!

What I'm wearing:
Top - From Asos, similar one on Asos.com here
Jeans - From Forever 21
Jacket from Francesca's Collection
Shoes: Carlos Santana Peep Toe Pump that I've had for a few years now, a cute alternative on Zappos.com here
Nails - I was wearing the "Bad Devious Nature" but didn't take a picture.

I posted this on Instagram. Love this pic in black and white, big butt and all. Well not exactly BIG, more like shapely really. If you have an iphone, download the Instagram app and follow me on there. I'm Cult Nails on there. I try to post at least one photo a day.

Juan rocking out

Oh here's a pic showing my nails! HA!

I tweeted this that night - but for those who don't follow me on Twitter, I found it so strange that the ladies room had to toilets side by side with no partitions. I had to take a picture! LOL!

Coming Soon - The Let's Get Nekkid Collection!

2012-01-23T03:15:00.000-08:00

Our next collection is finally ready and just a few weeks behind schedule! LOL! This collection is near and dear to me and I feel like it is a big risk. I am actually a bit nervous about this one since it is so different than anything we have done before.

If you know me, you know I think even when I sleep. I take many dreams as a jumping point. I feel like a lot of what I am thinking or feeling gets incorporated into my dreams and then I try to determine if it was just a random dream or something more.

Well I had a dream one night that I made a collection of 6 various shades of "nude" that represented those of my family. See I always see nudes that are this pasty color and that does not represent me at all. I wanted one for me, something that would go with my olive yellow skin. Apparently this thought was brought into my dreams and in my dreams I made one for my moms milky tan skin color, one for my skin color, a beautiful pale ivory for my cousin's skin color, a light chocolate color for my other cousin and a super dark brown that reminded me of my "grandfather". (not my biological grandfather but he is the guy my grandmother married and I knew as one of my grandfather's as a kid.) I always thought it was so cool how different we all looked and even as a kid I thought it was so cool that my family had such a mix where most of my friends families all looked the same. I don't know why I thought that made me so lucky, but I always loved that about my family. In my dream I peppered my blog with all these family photos from when I was a kid while telling this story. In reality, that is just a bit too personal for me to be sharing. You all know what Juan and I look like, but I'm not about to ask my family to expose themselves to everyone for Cult Nails. It wouldn't be fair.

When I woke up from that dream, I knew I had to do it, but I needed to pair it down to only 4 colors. I started with opaque cremes, but I felt it was too stark and mannequin hands. I then moved on to make them thinner and more sheer and I loved them, they were perfect. But then hasn't that been done already? So I decided to add gold shimmer to all of them. And then I decided to make the colors a little "off" not an exact skin tone match, but more of an enhancement. Because frankly I want to show off my nails, not hide them to look like the rest of me. I also wanted colors to look good on everyone and not be so "skin tone" specific. So all that from one dream! LOL!

Needless to say when we were trying to name the collection Juan and I kept going back to the all skin tone thing, so we decided to twist it up just a little bit more and we named each color (with the exception of toxic seaweed) after a nude beach.

So here I bring you The Let's Get Nekkid Collection!

This is a very subtle sheer light tan color. This was inspired by my mom. The shimmer is what makes this one stand out. It is very subtle, yet brings some fun with the gold shimmer.

This one is inspired by my skin tone. Coco actually mixed this one! While I was making the others she sat there and made this one for me. It was the summer time and I had a bit of a tan going on, and then we made it a bit more vibrant so it wouldn't be an exact match and added the shimmer.

This was inspired by one of my cousins. Her skin color is so beautiful. I remember as a kid, I wished I was as dark as her. Her skin reminds me a lot of Halle Berry's skin tone. But again I didn't want an exact match, I wanted something reminiscent and a bit different. Then a co-worker told me I should make Power Thief with gold instead of silver shimmer, because the silver shimmer clashes with her gold jewelry. Well her wish is my command - this is the same neutral shade with gold shimmer.

This one was inspired by my Grandpa Al. He passed away when I was young, but he remained a huge impact on my life. He would tell us stories about what it was like growing up black when there was so much racism going on in our world. He always told us your skin color did not matter as long as you were a good person and worked hard. He told us stories of how he worked his way up from a shoe shine boy to a concierge. I didn't understand the impact of racism at such a young age, but I understood that he was a great man, and he had an amazing story and that I needed to accept everyone and work hard. Just thinking of this brings tears to my eyes. A lot of the stories are hazy as I was so young, but I still remember sitting out my grandmother's porch loving to listen to them. He was so inspirational to one little girl and I don't know if he ever even knew it. I miss seeing the way he would look at my grandmother and the way she would look at him. Love knows no race or color. Phew - need to wipe my eyes and move along here... This is a deep chocolate brown (think Hershey bar) with gold micro glitter.

Limited Edition: Toxic Seaweed. This was a lab screw up that I loved, but of course had to make some changes to. We gave them a color and they missed the base, but then we added more glitter and brightened it up a bit and we had a Cult winner. I will tell you now, this has the same flake issue as Clairvoyant. So when this one sells out, it will not be coming back. This is truly a limited edition polish - completely out of my control. When it is gone, it is gone. So sad to just think about. But originally when I started Cult Nails, I wanted all colors to be limited edition and always have a rotating stock, so I guess I am getting some of that now. LOL! We are working on sourcing a different ingredient, but I can't make any promises so we are just playing it safe and calling it Limited Edition.

We will be starting the pre-sale soon on this collection. We would have already started, but we wanted to give you all notice to plan. The pre-sale will be for entire collection purchases only. We will ship out all pre-sales before making the collection available on our site. As with all pre-sales, we give a special price, so the pre-sale collection will sell for $40 (That's $10 off). From there each bottle will be available for purchase on our site for $10 a bottle. We don't have dates yet, but it will be some time this week! So keep an eye out for our emails and our announcement on Facebook!

My Cali Trip

2012-01-22T03:00:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here in Houston at the airport writing this post since my flight to get home has been delayed a few hours. Hey a girls got to keep herself busy after all. (You won't actually see this until Sunday which by then I will be home already.) I warn you now, this is a pictureless post since I did not get any pictures at the lab, but for those of you interested in how it went, here you go....
First and foremost I have to say it was an amazing experience. I spent the day learning so much. I wish I could share a lot more with you guys, but I am not allowed. Who knew that polish industry is so top secret! LOL! There were many things that I liked and a few things that I thought could be done differently. But isn't that always the way when you are on the outside looking in. Sometimes it takes that outside perspective to make a positive change and other times the outsider is an idiot that needs to learn a little more before offering up suggestions. So I kept my mouth shut since I'm not sure which side of the camp I fall under in these particular situations. LOL!

Did I have fun playing with the polishes? Yes!!! It was totally different than I expected. I didn't get to go hog wild and just grab what I wanted. Although being in the room with all those options, you know I totally wanted to - so they were probably pretty smart in keeping that off limits. But they did take a lot of different bases and glitters and shimmers and more out for me to play. Some they pre-mixed so I could see what they could do in certain bases, others were just put in clear bases. They didn't let me just play with raw ingredients. It was very controlled.

I brought with me all 20 colors for the remainder of 2012. These didn't include our first two collections we are putting out for 2012 with 5 colors in each collection. It hit me - we are putting out 30 colors in 2012! WOW! The down side is by creating everything so far in advance - I may change my mind and want to do something different and it will be too late. But the positive side is that everything will be ready to go and if I come up with anything else it will just be an in between collection.
We went collection by collection doing a lot of writing to describe what I was looking for and the feeling of each collection, then once we had that down it was time to walk around the room amid hundreds of options and do the work - like ok this base and that base and then that shimmer and then that... you get the picture. From there the lab is going to go and put it all together for me and send me the "final" product. Some things they had out for me to play with, made me pull some of what I had intended and do something totally different. I can't wait to share some of that with you guys. The plus side is I brought Coco's collection with me and that will be a collection sometime in 2012 and I brought a few colors to finalize with me that were asked for by bloggers and Culties and friends and that will be a collection in 2012 as well! Oh and remember when I said we may add more in between collections if I get inspired in the year? Yeah well I got inspired there and there are two in between collections already in the works! One will have 4 colors. An amazing true black opaque that shines like nobodies business and three toppers for it and then a later collection that will feature three other toppers to put over the black or any color for that matter. I originally wanted a black jelly, but after trying the two options and getting this amazing black opaqueness made, I felt I wanted that more.

Those will be the only clues I give you guys to the future collections. Now on to the question everyone is asking - what is going on with Clairvoyant? Well it turns out that the iridescent color changing flakies were not a big seller for the manufacturer who made them. So they discontinued them. Then some little girl came along and made this amazing flakie polish and so everyone else decided they would do the same and bought up all the amazing supply on this little girl! LOL - OK so that is totally narcissistic of me! HA! HA! The reality is that Flakies suddenly exploded on the market and as us aficionados know I am not the one who invented flakies, it just so happened that my flakie came after some amazing flakies and before other amazing flakies, so I am in the middle of the flakie buy out. Just a mere coincidence as far as timing goes.

ANYWAY, I have two upcoming flakies that depleted the rest of my labs supply. They can't get more because it is no longer being made. Well let me rephrase - they can get more from overseas, but all our polishes are currently made in the U.S. with U.S. sourced ingredients. All the ingredients have to have FDA approval to be used in nail polish, and by going overseas if even one ingredient is off, that can kick out the approval. So it is safer to buy from already FDA approved manufacturers. So will Clairvoyant ever come back, I'm not sure. We are going to look at options. There is are other flakie options that are not iridescent, but the effect changes, so that doesn't work. There is something else going under FDA approval now which is a new type of flakie that may work, but it can be a year before it is available. Of course there may be another manufacturer that we just haven't unearthed yet, but again all those things take time. So while we were very excited to have Clairvoyant back in stock, at this time we are deciding to do the research and come up with the best option without compromising quality or safety. I just wish the lab didn't wait until the final hour to let me know. I mean honestly, I found out the day they were supposed to ship to me! HELLO? Communication please?

With that being said we had several other different polishes coming with these same flakes, which we are now having to change. boo... the two flakie polishes for the next two collections have already been made, so we will have those - BUT these will be limited edition. When they are gone, they are gone. We do not intend to bring them back once they sell out. Well of course unless some miracle happens and we can start sourcing an equivalent ingredient, but at this point if they come back at all - it won't be anytime soon. :( It's kind of the same situation with holo's - other countries can make them, but we can't here because the ingredient isn't FDA approved. Which is another thing being worked on, so I hope that changes soon. I have talked to overseas labs, but not sure we want to really go that route as I mentioned before.

So there you have it, my visit in a nutshell. There was so much more we discussed, like the bottles (do we change them?), the caps (what kind of custom options do we have), deadlines, screen printing, storage, polish testing. etc.. Needless to say it was a very busy day and I learned a lot! I shared what I feel is safe to share, and I hope you all enjoyed the update.

Today is the Day!

2012-01-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

Today I head out to the lab and I can't wait to get there. I don't know how much I'll be allowed to share with you guys, but you know I'll try to get as much of a scoop as I can. I sent a package to meet me at the hotel loaded with a bunch of polish color options created by me, bloggers, culties, my kids and my friends. My goal is to work on these creations in the lab and get everything for the year finalized once and for all. This will mean that everything will pretty much be set for the rest of the year and avoid future delays. I don't know how many we will be able to get to in the limited hours I have there, but I'm hoping it's most of them. Worst case I'll have to go back out for a second trip and believe me, I don't mind that! LOL! Playing with polish all day? No not that! Ha! But it will be nice to know I have everything for the year set and then start working on next year. Apparently this is how the big dogs do it! (Said in my most sarcastic voice.) From a business perspective this makes sense. Everything is ready to roll and there are no delays and your year's business plans are all set. From my perspective the downside to this is the advanced planning leaves very little room for on the fly polish creations set to what everyone might be feeling and you all know we change our minds often! I think there will still be some tweaks, edits and additions throughout the year, but for the most part, I think this is a great idea.

My goal for 2012 is to release a collection every month and a half or two months. one collection will be more of the basics that my line is in need of. And the next collection will be more fun. And just back and forth like that throughout the year. Or at least that is how I envision it, but I am flexible, so let's see how it pans out. I want to focus on collections that work together too, so there may be a mix of basics/classics with the fun like I have been doing. I'm just very excited for what 2012 will bring. A little bummed that my Jan collection is delayed to Feb, but it is what it is. Better right than rushed.

Now for those who wondered what I wore to the airport, well, I wrote this post before Thursday and who knows if there will be a last minute change, but I took this outfit on a test run last weekend and this is most likely what I'll be wearing today! We went scouting some locations to take some marketing photos for Cult Nails, and decided to test out some shots while we were there, so you get two Outfit of the Days this week!

I went with the black leggings, a white tee, an oatmeal colored cardi and coral necklace. I think I would like it better with the gray tank and brown cardi, but this will work. I'm not huge into wearing leggings, but man talk about super comfy! I can definitely wear this on a long flight and stay comfy.

I am so loving this run down location. But if there isn't a train there when we go back, I'll be bummed. I'm hoping this is one of their pit stop locations, otherwise we'll have to keep looking. I envision this as the perfect backdrop to a very formal look for some unique Cult Nails marketing.

Look at the sky! That was just amazing!

What I'm wearing:
Tee: Basic white tee that I picked up at Walmart years ago.
Sweater: Flirty Cardi from Victoria's Secret for $29.95. They don't have this style anymore, but they have similar ones here on sale starting at $19.99!
Leggings: Black leggings from New York and Company that I bought years ago on clearance for I think $5. They have them on sale now for $10.50 here.
Shoes: Frye Regina ballet flat in dark brown from Zappos.
Necklace: From Francesca's Collections, I scored this one on clearance for $7.
Sunglasses: My Kate Spades

Of course with a little coaxing, I was able to convince Juan that he needed to do some outfit of the day photos too. He came home and edited his photo, so I think it might be easier to get him to do more of these. But seriously, I dress down and this is what he wears? He does this to me every time! If I dress up, he's wearing ripped jeans and a stained shirt, when I dress down and comfy, he throws on a nice sweater, jeans and shoes! LOL!

Brrr It's Chilly Out

2012-01-18T03:00:00.000-08:00

January usually brings chilly weather here in Florida. Some days can be downright cold, but it doesn't usually last very long. Typically we see temps in the low 70's but breezy during the day and in the 40's at night. If you live in a cold climate the low 70's might sound nice, but for me, it's just cold. I allow myself to break out the scarves and boots anytime the weather gets below 70 during the day.

I was hoping to show off the nails a bit more here.

love the lighting of this picture and how my hair looks!

Top: Ivory fleece shirt from Old Navy. Similar here and a hot pink tank

Infinity Scarf from H&M - Gorgeous one on Etsy here

Jeans: from Express, I scored mine at their local outlet for $15! Similar ones on their site here

Boots: DIBA which I scored years ago on clearance at DSW. Similar pair on Zappos here

Sunglasses Kate Spade which I scored for $40, but I can't seem to find them online at this price. But you can get them here.

Bracelets: My Alex and Ani bracelets.

Earrings: Gold hoops from Forever 21

Juan loves this photo. I'm not really a fan of it. My eye color really stands out here. My eyes range from brown to Orange amber mixed into the brown. It's a pretty unique brown if you ask me. When I cry they turn almost green. Now that color I love - but not worth the puffy eyes. LOL!

My manicure that day was the "Bad Devious Nature". I think I want to name this one "A Little Bit Mischievous" If I can convince Juan to help me relabel them all...

Polish Removal Tutorial

2012-01-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

I have been getting a lot of questions on how I remove my polish without staining my nails. It's actually quite easy and I am sure there are several techniques that work, but this is mine. I used to go crazy back and forth with the cotton ball, now I just barely wiggle the cotton ball on my nail and go almost straight out. But let's take a look and maybe it'll make more sense.

1. Drench your cotton ball or felt square with polish remover

2. Place it on your nail for about 5 seconds. (up to 30 seconds for glitter polish)

3. Slowly wiggle away from your finger towards the free edge of your nail

4. This should remove all the polish in one swipe

5. Fold the cotton ball or felt and repeat on the rest of your nails. I typically use two cotton balls together if they are small ones, or one jumbo cotton ball. I can typically remove the polish off 3 or 4 fingers with this technique before needing to grab a new cotton ball.

6. You now have polish free nails ready for your next manicure!

It's very quick and easy to do and there is no staining on the nails or skin around the nails. I hope this tutorial helped you out. If you have a different technique, I'd love to hear it!

Travel Outfit Options

2012-01-16T11:37:00.000-08:00

On Thursday I am flying out to California for a very brief trip. I fly out on Thursday and return on Saturday. The last time I went to Cali, I remember feeling extremely claustrophobic on the way home. I flew by myself on a red eye thinking if I flew overnight I would totally fall asleep. Well I am not one for sleeping in public, so I should have known better. I sat by the window and the two people next to me were sleeping. I felt trapped in an extremely small space surrounded by morning breathe. I can still feel the small panicy feeling I felt during that flight as I write this. Just thinking of these two flights, I am getting a little anxious. Ironically I flew to Vegas for Cosmoprof last July with zero problems and the flights are just about equally as long. So go figure!

Anyway, I usually wear jeans and my Ozbootz when I fly. But I really want to amp up my look a bit more and not look so slouchy. Since this is such a short trip, I am trying to pack as light as I can so I can just carry on. My goal is one outfit to wear there, one for the way back and two outfits for while I am there. (One to meet with the lab and one to go out with an old friend.)

I was thinking I could roll leggings and a t-shirt pretty small, so I was looking for a legging style outfit. I still might wear my Ozbootz just because my feet are always cold, but I also needed more flat shoe options for running errands. I wear heels 90% of the time, and unless I wear my converse, there is no place for sneakers when out running around town. (Well unless you have a totally cute pair of street sneakers, which I don't have!) I just prefer to wear shoes. I have heels and sandals, but flats just never look good on me, I recently found the Frye Regina on Zappos and fell in love. I have flat wide feet and I hoped these would make my feet look just a little slimmer and not be painful.

I don't know if they exactly make my feet look slimmer per say, but I am totally obsessing over them right now and want the black ones! Oh how I need the black ones! Because my feet are wide, flats actually tend to hurt my feet, where heels don't do this for some reason. I think it's funny that people always tell me they can't wear heels because they would fall or be in pain, that is me in flats! Because of that I rarely wear them and when I do I feel frumpy. These just might change that for me. They are so soft and sooo comfy. I have never had such comfort in a flat shoe. I don't like spending more than $100 for a pair of shoes but at $128 with this comfort level, I don't care!

Blah, blah, blah, boy am I chatty today. SOOO my point is, long flight + obsessing over my new flats = outfits options needed that are super comfortable and centered around my latest obsession.

I went onto Polyvore and created some outfit options using items that are similar to what I already have in my closet, this way I don't have to go shopping for any clothes since the shoes were expensive enough. Here are some ideas I came up with. I made 3 options with black leggings and 3 options with brown leggings. I need an outfit for each flight. Help me pick what I should wear, pick one outfit from the black leggings option and one from the brown legging options and help me decide!

Black Legging Option 1

White tee and chambray shirt with my Alex and Ani bracelets

Black Legging Option 2

grey tank and brown sweater and long coral necklace

Black Legging Option 3

Cropped coral jacket, white tee and long know necklace

Brown Legging Option 1

White tee, navy blazer, camel colored scarf and my Alex and Ani bracelets

Brown Legging Option 2

Purple tank with the chambray shirt and a long silver necklace

Brown Legging Option 3

White tee with the optional gray sweatshirt and blue scarf

Edited to add: I am mainly wearing this in an airport and on a plane, so the local temps aren't really a concern. I am always freezing on a plane, so I am trying to stay warm. But the temps here will be a high of 73 and low of 59 and in Cali where I will be a high of 64 and low of 48. And yes I do dress this warmly in those temps, I am always cold! It drives Juan nuts! LOL!

What to wear on a Date Night

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

A friend recently asked me what to wear for a date night with her hubby. It's one of those things where you want to dress up a little more than you would on a day to day basis, but sometimes a datte night with your man is just going out for some coffee or a casual dinner. So how do you make it a bit more special while still keeping it casual? One of my favorite outfit styles to wear is all black. I typically accent an all black outfit with gold accessories. I love it because it could literally be a black t-shirt and black jeans and with the right accessories, you will look dressed up.

Here I paired a pair of black jeans with a lace cutout top. If you like to wear heels like me, you can put on a pair of black booties, otherwise if you're more of a flats girl, a pair of ballet flats are perfect for this outfit. Finish the look off with a gold belt, a simple long gold chain necklace, cold hoops and a gold cuff bracelet and you're good to go! The best part is that each of these items individually will work in your closets for years to come. I love buying clothes that I can pair with multiple items that will give me years of use. Hmm now that I look at this outfit, I'm going to see what I have in my closet and wear something like this over the weekend!

I would top this outfit off with a bright manicure to offset the darkness of the outfit. Cult Nails Awakening would be perfect for this outfit. It keeps the outfit edgy and provides a pop of color. Since we're having free shipping through Saturday, now's the time to stock up on some great polishes, so if this one isn't part of your arsenal yet, head on over and grab it!

Outfit breakdown:

Style Stalker lace tee
$100 - glassworks-studios.com

Dorothy Perkins black jeans
$27 - dorothyperkins.com

Victoria's Secret heel boots
$80 - victoriassecret.com

TopShop ballerina shoes
$50 - topshop.com

French Connection yellow gold jewelry
$24 - asos.com

Layered jewelry
$25 - nastygal.com

Dorothy Perkins mesh jewelry
$11 - dorothyperkins.com

Zara belt
$9.99 - zara.com

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Are you on Pinterest? I discovered Pinterest through a friend a few months ago and I love it. I don't have a ton on there yet, but for me it is the perfect place to put outfit ideas, nail art ideas, home decorating ideas and way more all in one place. I can just log on and cruise around and find so many things. I love following other people on there, it gives such a great insight into someone else. I actually have gone on some friends boards and scoped it out and was able to pick the perfect Christmas gifts for them! Talk about knowing exactly what someone likes and wants!

What I love is that you can surf the web and when you find something you like, you can pin it. Later when I go back and look at my boards, it's so easy to find what websites everything came from because all the pins link you right back to the source. Even better, if I am browsing a friends board, if I find something I like, I can easily see where it came from. I love it! If you're on Pinterest, come on over and follow me.

Here are a few of the things I have pinned on my board.

From My Style Board

From my Shoe Addiction Board

From my For the Home Board

From my Hair to Wear Board

Drom my All About Nails Board. (These are from chitchatnails.com)

I hope to see you guys on Pinterest!

Wearing My Alexander McQueen Faithful Bootie!

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

So many of you have been asking if Juan got me the Alexander McQueen Faithful Booties for Christmas. Yes he did! But it took me a little while to really accept that he bought them. I was debating on returning them because it is such an outrageous purchase for us. It really isn't my style to spend so much on fashion. So while I wanted them, I just didn't know that I could really truly keep them. But they are so beautiful and once on my feet, Oh My! They are actually comfortable and so well made, I just had to keep them. I have only worn them once, so of course I had to make it an Outfit of the Day!

What I'm Wearing:

Dress: Max & Cleo Purple Banded Dress. I scored this one at Ross for $4! Similar by American Apparel here

Sweater: Zara's

Belt: Old belt I don't remember where I got it. Similar on Asos here

Textured Tights: Target, similar here

Shoes: Alexander McQueen Faithful

Bracelets: Alex and Ani

Earrings: Basic hoops from Forever 21

I'm wearing Cult Nails Enigmatic on my nails:

The Nail Art Contest Has Begun!

2012-01-09T18:28:00.000-08:00

I posted all the pictures on my Facebook page! Go vote for your favorite nail art design and not only will the one with the most votes win, but if you vote for the winning photo, you will get entered to win some Cult Nails polishes too!

Marta from www.chitchatnails.com

Jacki from www.adventuresinacetone.com

Jasmine from www.webhautejas.com

Anna

Paula

Rachel from www.polishedcriminails.blogspot.com

Now you just need to go to our Facebook page here and vote!

It's Cult Nails Birthday!

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Jan 11th marks the one year anniversary of our launch! We actually started working on Cult Nails about 9 months before we launched, but we mark our launch day as the first day of the brand. It has been a year full of up and downs. Fortunately for us it's been filled with more ups than downs. It hasn't always been easy, but I have enjoyed almost every minute of it. There have been times where I didn't think I could do this, but more often than not, I am so glad I am getting to live this dream. The best part of Cult Nails is the community we have been able to create. Culties are such a genuine and fun group of people. You guys have made this year what it is and I thank you!

To celebrate our Birthday, we are giving everyone, everywhere free shipping for one week through the Cult Nails website. It doesn't matter how much or how little you order or where you live. As long as we ship to your location, we will ship your order free! Free shipping is good through Saturday January 14th, 2012.

Photo courtesy of Juan

If you subscribe to the Cult Nails emails, you already have heard about this special. Here I decided to post some swatch pictures of all our available colors. (Sorry Clairvoyant is not in stock at this time. If all goes well it will be back in a few weeks. Unfortunately it won't be in time to be included in the sale.)

Awakening

The Bad Devious Nature, which I want to rename A Little Bit Mischevious

Cruisin' Nude

Enigmatic

Hypnotize Me

Iconic

Time Traveler

Power Thief

My Kind of Cool Aid

Mind Control

Living Water

Let Me Fly

In a Trance

Vicious

Hope you enjoyed the swatches!

Nail Art Contest

2012-01-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

I purchased a bunch of Nail Art supplies for a give away and then forgot all about it. SO now that it's on my mind, let's have a contest! Email me an original photo using any Cult Nails polish in a nail art design and we will post them on Facebook for a chance to win all the fun items below and more!

Contest Details: Email a nail art picture using at least one Cult Nails polish in the design to maria @ cultnails.com. (It can be one you featured on a blog previously or a new design and you don't have to be a blogger to enter!) Deadline: Friday Jan 13th! (Oh scary! It's going to be Friday the 13th and you belong to a cult? watch out! lol) I will post all the pictures on Facebook on Sunday Jan 15th and all our Facebook Culties can vote for their favorite nail art design until Saturday Jan 21st at midnight EST. The person with the most likes will win! BUT wait - I can't leave all of you who are not skilled in nail art (like me) out. SO as an added bonus - one of "likers" will also win a prize!

Prize:
1st Prize - Most votes for favorite Nail Art Design

Set of nail art brushes
Set of dotting tools
set of BM plates (the second set released)
5 wheels of nail art accessories
3 Cult Nails polishes (winners choice of any 3 in stock colors)
Cult Nails Get It On Perfecting Base Coat
Cult Nails Wicked Fast Quick Dry Top Coat

2nd Prize - One of the "likers" of the winner (random selection)

3 Cult Nails polishes (winners choice of any 3 in stock colors)
Cult Nails Get It On Perfecting Base Coat
Cult Nails Wicked Fast Quick Dry Top Coat

So what are you waiting for Culties? Start sending those nail art pictures in!

I have an Announcement!

2012-01-05T17:15:00.000-08:00

First OMG! OMG! OMG! Did you guys see that we were recognized as The Best Indie Brand of the Year 2011! Juan sent me that email to work today and I about fell out of my chair! I can't even begin to express what that means to me! And even more exciting, I was nominated by her readers as one of the Best Indie Brand of the Year 2011 too! That means that so many of you also feel the same way! I mean we are talking about me being grouped with the likes of Fyrinnae, OCC, Sugarpill, theBalm and more! WOW! I don't even know what to say! Just being nominated by your guys is enough for me honestly! In the grand scheme of things this may not seem huge to some, but for me it is a HUGE honor! Next I will take over Magazine Beauty Awards! LOL! It will happen one day...

In other news, and this is huge! And it makes me shake even announcing it! It seems so real and final just posting it on here. But here goes... I quit my job today! I felt it was time that I put my energy into Cult Nails full time. The thought of not having a steady paycheck and roping in on a serious budget is beyond scary! I think I have a few months left where I can work Full Time and have Cult Nails, but I don't see it being much longer than that. But SURPRISE of all surprises, my boss asked me if I would consider a job share option, where I worked part time instead! You guys have no idea how good that made me feel! My work has been beyond amazing as I took this Cult Nails venture. My CEO who started the company I work for with a few other co-workers has offered me unlimited advice whenever I have asked for it. My boss has been beyond flexible when I have needed it for the Cult, I just didn't think I could ask them for anything more than I already have. Most companies would have told me to take a hike by now. To me this says so much about the company that I work for and the people there. They want me to succeed yet value me enough to want to keep me. I swear days like today are the days dreams are made of!

I'm not sure yet if the part time thing will pan out. I truly hope it does. And since I never talk about my day job on here, I hope finally doing so does not jinx it! But my main priorities right now are finding the perfect replacement and if it works out that we can job share that will be amazing. If it doesn't work out, I wasn't expecting the option, so I am no worse off then what I originally thought I would be. And really getting to devote more time or all my time to the Cult is just an awesomely amazing thing!

Admittedly though, the thought of not having a steady paycheck is kind of freaking me out! What if I don't sell enough polish to pay my bills? Feed my children? or worse feed my fashion habit? LOL - ok I have gone without that last one before, so I'm sure I can do it again, but the thought did cross my mind! I mean I'm nothing if not honest! I guess this means I need to work three times as hard to make the most amazing polishes you guys have ever seen!

But most importantly - I owe you all a HUGE THANK YOU!!!
Cult Nails celebrates it's one year anniversary on 1/11/12 and I can't believe how much it has changed my life in one short year! I am hoping we can do an anniversary sale. It looks like some of the bottles of Clairvoyant will be sent to me ON 1/11, so we may offer a pre-sale starting on our anniversary, since we should have it within a week of that. Once I have confirmation that the date will hold I will let you all know! Fingers crossed!

Oh and did I say THANK YOU? Well how about just one more time then :
THANK YOU!!!

Off Track Already

2012-01-05T04:36:00.000-08:00

My goal is to blog more this year. It isn't easy with everything going on, but it is such a great release. But already I almost fell off track! I fully intended on editing some photos and doing another outfit of the day post, but then I had a friend over for dinner and had to do some other things and kind of lost track of time. Since I don't show other brands on here really, I want to do a few different things with my blog in 2012, so since I was slacking on photo editing, why not show some phone pics and go over some ideas. Especially since I need your help with some of these.

Horrible focus, but here I'm wearing Clairvoyant over Blackout and a GingerKitty Designs necklace made with Clairvoyant.

1. I want to do more features on my blog. So if you do a post with any Cult Nails product, even if it is nail art, email me a link to your post. I love reading all your reviews, the good and the bad - it helps me grow. But I also want to continue doing blogger spotlights. I will choose from the emails I receive and ideally feature a different blogger each week. If you want to be considered just shoot me an email at maria @ cultnails.com

A key at my friends house. I love her decorating style and can't stop myself of taking pictures of things in her house.

2. Another feature I am definitely going to do more of is the Outfit of the Day posts. But I need to come up with better titles for those posts. I am always refining and redefining my style. But at 37 I am finding it harder to express myself with fashion. I feel that a lot of the things I like to wear are more appropriate for a 27 year old than a 37 year old. But the stuff that is appropriate for a 37 year old is just too old for me. So as I find my way, I will document more of it. Plus I LOVE having a reason to get dressed up. The downside is that I hate having my picture taken. It makes me so uncomfortable. I have a very hard time relaxing in front of the camera, so I hope this helps me in that regard.

Juan and me taking a walk on the beach on Christmas Day

3. Speaking of fashion, I want to dress you too. I really have a thing for all things beauty, be it nails, makeup, hair, clothes or shoes. But when I was in my 20's I worked at Express and the thing I liked best was helping women find themselves through clothes. How they could dress their body needs and still look amazing. I had so much fun, I thought I should have my own makeover show. Hey when I dream, I dream big! Why be a stylist when I can have my own show! LOL! Yeah because I am just so comfortable in front of the camera - this makes logical sense! ANYWAY - do you have a fashion or beauty question? Need a new hairstyle? Need to know how to dress your body? Have a hot date coming up? Email me your questions and I ill feature different questions on here and offer my opinion.

Stolen from my friends Facebook page. She is coloring her hair this color. All I can think of is that this is the hair I want. So I snapped a pic so I can remember how I want my hair to look. Time to let it grow out a little!

My goal is to blog Monday - Friday. Taking weekends off or possibly just a quick post. If there is anything else you would like to see, let me know. I also read all my blog comments but am horrible at responding to them. So my other goal is to do a better job at responding.

Trying to come up with a white that is not so streaky and not so stark white. This is a fail. This was FOUR coats! UGH! If only I could get this look in two coats!

If you don't know this by now, I am a fairly open person. You can pretty much ask me anything. I share my email rather openly and try my best to respond to every email. I very much enjoy sharing parts of my life with you guys, and I'm looking forward to another great year!

Outfit of the Day

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

After yesterday's long post, I'm exhausted! LOL! So how about a simple outfit of the day!

I kept it simple, we had errands to run, so I needed something easy and comfy.

What I wore:
Tank with metal beading. I purchased mine a few years ago, but here is a one with a similar effect.
Sweater from Old Navy
Jeggings from Charlotte Russe
Boots from Charlotte Russe. I purchased mine a few years ago, but they have similar ones here.
Hoop earrings.
Nails: Cult Nails Living Water