Fashion. Music. Family. Life.
Hello and happy Monday! I thought I’d start off the week by telling you about a nice little local event happening later this week at emma jane boutique, called the Summer Solstice Festival on June 19, 2014 from 5-8pm! All the details are in the flier above, and I’ll be there, so I hope to see some of you there!
I’m ending this week of nails with an awesome new site I was recently introduced to called Born Pretty. Anything you can think of related to nail art, polish, tools and care can be found on this site. The folks at Born Pretty asked me to choose three products to review (pictured below), and I’m very excited to try them out. Stay tuned next week as I really get creative with some awesome nail art, and have a wonderful weekend!
FTC Disclosure: I received product and was asked to review the product in return. Although I did receive product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own
I’m excited to continue “Nail Week” here on Any Second Now with one of two product reviews. First up is a product called Nail Cones. The concept is simple: polish your nails, not your skin! Created by yet another mother and entrepreneur extraordinaire, Cindy Christman wanted to get away from the “Q-Tip” clean up process (you know, where you dip the swab in nail polish remover and hope to the beauty gods you don’t damage your manicure any further). To combat this issue, Cindy came up with a sticker to surround the nail, where the nail polish would end up on the sticker and not your finger, resulting in a salon quality finish.
I followed the instructions as written on the package, and even watched the You Tube video to make sure I was doing it correctly (I started off with just three for purposes of this review). The stickers are actually very easy to use and does provide a way to get a nice edge (really do tuck the sticker tightly under the tip of the nail for the best result). Not bad for my first attempt, and I’m sure I’ll get better with more practice. For the price point of $5.99 for 60 stickers, it’s a great way to get a clean finish to your home manicure!
Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
This is week is “Nail Week” on Any Second Now where I’ll be reviewing a few new nail products and colors (all pictured above). To kick it off, here are some great tips for longer-lasting care for your nails from Bellus Academy’s Director of Spa Nails, Trudy Reynolds. I’ve definitely used a few of these tips myself, including using oil on my nails and cuticles and wearing gloves when washing dishes!
Hello Chip Free Nail Polish: Tips for a Longer-Lasting Mani and Pedi
Women have all been there. They get a mani and pedi and the next week it has somehow chipped! That means back to the nail salon to have nails redone. Bellus Academy Director of Spa Nails, Trudy Reynolds, is here to help. She gives her at-home daily care tips to help preserve your next mani and pedi. Hello chip free nail polish!
For a longer lasting manicure and pedicure Trudy recommends:
· Apply SolarOil with Cuticle Away. This product is applied to fingers; follow up with a good moisturizer for the rest of the hands and arms. The SolarOil acts like a shampoo and conditioner for nails and should be used daily, especially before bed.
· Wear gloves to wash dishes! Washing dishes can take a toll on a manicure. Be sure to wear rubber gloves to protect polish the next time you do the dishes.
· Reapply Top Coat. Reapplying a top coat after the manicure helps preserve the polish life. If wearing CND Vinylux polish, we recommend the purchase of a CND Vinylux Top Coat.
· Use FootLogix Products for Pedicure. Consult your nail technician for the appropriate product that is specific to your needs. Follow the manufacturer’s directions and use daily for a longer lasting pedicure.
Bellus Academy has three campuses located in San Diego County alongwith a fourthin Manhattan, Kansas. They continue to elevate the beauty and spa industry through breakthrough education in Cosmetology, Esthetics, Make-up Artistry, Spa Nail Technician and Massage Therapy and innovative business practices. To learn more about Bellus Academy, please visit www.bellusacademy.edu.
(FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.)
If you are a regular follower of my blog, you know I’m a sucker for a great pair of glasses. The love of spectacles runs deep in my family, so when I was asked by the folks at Lookie Lous to try their readers, I immediate thought my sister would love them. Touted as “The headband that’s a reader, that’s a headband that’s a reader,” Lookie Lous bring practicality and style together by creating glasses that are fairly difficult to lose. Created by mother and entrepreneur, Kelly Coty, the idea for these functional frames came out of necessity: she became tired of losing her reading glasses or stretching them out because she would always put them on her head so she wouldn’t lose them.
Rholnna chose the smoky London Grey readers in a magnification of +1.5, and we were also given a clear pair to try out. She loves the fact that the London Grey pair are dark enough to use outside, but light enough for indoor use. But she also states her favorite feature is without a doubt the fact that she can easily push them out of the way by either wearing them as a headband, or dropping them to her neck, where they fit just as snugly as they do on her head. In her work at a residential unit, she loves that the functionality carries over to the workplace. But from someone who knows my sister well, these readers sleek look truly fit Rholnna’s active lifestyle. I think Lookie Lous has a new fan on their hands! Have a wonderful weekend!
The reason why I like Lookie Lous is that they are very convenient to use at work. I work at a residential, and at the end of the day when it’s bedtime for the kids, I have to sit and do my paperwork. When the kids are calling my name or asking questions, I usually put my glasses down and then sometimes forget where I put them. All I have to do with the Lookie Lous is use the feature of the headband and I will always know where they are. I love using them at work because working with kids is non-stop, and there is no way of ever loosing these glasses!
– Rholnna Jiao
(FTC Disclosure: I received free product and was asked to review the product in return. Although I did receive free product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.)
Here are the rest of my photos from the #ModeMay Instagram photo-a-day challenge by DepecheMode.com. I had SO much fun with this photo challenge! True, part of the fun was getting two of my photos selected to be re-posted by DepecheMode.com, but most of the fun was the creativity, seeing all of the other wonderful pictures and meeting new people to interact with and follow on Instagram. It’s nice to know there are so many kindred spirits who share the same love for Depeche Mode as I do. As always, thank you for following along, especially when I indulge in sharing some of my favorite things. Enjoy!
May 17th: Personal Jesus (top photo); May 18th: A Question of Time
May 19th: Strangelove
May 20th: Barrel of a Gun
May 21st: I Feel Loved
May 22nd: Goodnight Lovers
May 23rd: In Your Room
May 24th: Devotional
May 25th: Freelove
May 26th: World In My Eyes (selected by DepecheMode.com)
May 27: Behind The Wheel
May 28th: Walking In My Shoes
May 29th: Halo
May 30th: The Meaning Of Love
May 31st: Enjoy The Silence (taken at Amoeba Music in Hollywood)
As promised, here are my pictures from #ModeMay, a photo-a-day challenge on Instagram from DepecheMode.com (original post here). I’m posting just day 1 through 16 first, then the last half afterwards. All items pictured are from my personal collection. Enjoy!
May 1st: Speak & Spell (top picture); May 2nd: A Broken Frame
May 3rd: Construction Time Again
May 4th: Some Great Reward (autographed by Alan Wilder)
May 5th: Black Celebration (selected by DepecheMode.com)
May 6th: Music For The Masses
May 7th: 101
May 8th: Violator
May 9th: Dave Gahan’s Birthday
May 10th: Songs of Faith and Devotion
May 11th: Ultra
May 12th: The Singles (81-85, 86>98)
May 13th: Exciter
May 14th: Playing The Angel
May 15th: Little 15
May 16th: Sounds of The Universe (my CD was stolen, so I substituted Delta Machine)
Last month, the folks at DepecheMode.com held an Instagram photo-a-day challenge called #ModeMay. Each day, fans were asked to post a picture with the theme of the challenge of the day. Later that night, DepecheMode.com would re-post their favorite fan image. I almost didn’t participate, because I found out about it on Day 2 of the challenge and had to catch up. I will post all of my pictures on two separate posts this week, but here is the exciting news: Two of my images were chosen! Words could not express the excitement I felt to have my simple pictures chosen by DepecheMode.com, especially since all of the images were from my personal collection. Oh, and a very happy belated birthday to Alan Wilder, who turned 55 yesterday. Hope you all had a great weekend!
Here is the first of two images that were chosen. Black Celebration was the theme, and I made the last minute decision to just post all of my records from that album. About two hours later, my picture was reposted!
I floated between creative pictures, and straightforward pictures of my collection. For this day, I recruited my son and my niece to emulate the shadow image on the cover of the single “World In My Eyes”. It ended up being the second of my images to be chosen!
I’ve been posting a lot about Fashion Valley Mall, because it is one of the premier malls in the San Diego area and one of my absolute favorites. They are a part of Simon Malls, which is a part of Simon Property Group. Recently, Simon has revamped their look and strategy, resulting in an elevation of their brand. Some of these changes can be seen immediately at Fashion Valley Mall, where they will be introducing new amenities to enhance the shopping experience, such as free Coat & Package Check, which will be available at Guest Services during regular shopping center hours. Fashion Valley will also offer several other unique services including complimentary personal shopping sessions, electric vehicle charging stations, soft seating areas, mobile charging stations and free Wi-Fi, all leading a more enjoyable and convenient way to shop. I’m excited about the changes and for those of you in San Diego, the weekend is a great time to take in the “New Simon” at Fashion Valley!
Starting today, you will see a number of exciting changes at Simon.
We have a new simon.com uniting our malls, Premium Outlets and Mills centers in one easy to use, beautifully designed website. We’ve launched our first Simon national advertising campaign in industry leading magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Elle and GQ to name a few. All key centers will feature our new, modern, stylish look and feel with updated collateral, signage and Guest Services uniforms. In addition, we will soon unveil a number of new, innovative digital initiatives and cutting edge event programming to support our retailers’ business and deliver the joy of discovery to our shoppers. All of this (and more) will enhance the shopping experience for millions of consumers and reinforce Simon’s position as the nation’s preeminent shopping center destination.
Stay tuned for more news over the coming months from the new world of Simon.
(Thank you again to Noelle from Curator PR for allowing me to share these changes at Fashion Valley! )
Last Thursday, I was invited to attend a wonderful event for a great cause: Wine and chocolate tasting presented by R.A. Rauch & Associates with Eclipse Chocolate at the Pantai Inn in La Jolla, where the proceeds benefitted The Wounded Warrior Project. Prior to the tasting, I was afforded a tour by sales manager Paula Ruthenberg, who showed me around the Bali inspired hotel grounds and in one of the gorgeous luxury villas. I truly felt I was transported to another place because much of the décor, furnishings and carved art were imported directly from Bali. What a lovely backdrop to the decadence of wine paired with chocolate by Eclipse Chocolate. Thank you Kim Whittemore for the invite and everyone at Pantai Inn for a lovely evening!
The stunning views from the hotel were enhanced by soothing flamenco music by Anthony Garcia.
Entrance to the lobby.
The lobby area.
I love the Balinese details throughout the hotel, including Balinese translations of items around the lobby. Clever!
The entrance of “The Gathering Room” with a magnificent mural painted by artist Ed Piffard.
More from “The Gathering Room” where typically a Continental breakfast is served while overlooking the ocean view. Breathtaking!
Ray and Will of Eclipse Chocolate.
My favorite wine & chocolate pairing of the night was the port dessert wine paired with the Chile Burnt Caramel (pictured above). Separately, each had a tad more sweet and heat than I’m used to. Together, they balanced each other out into this smooth taste sensation.
Ray and Will with Robert Rauch of R.A. Rauch & Associates. Robert Rauch with Pantai Inn owner, Larry Jackman.
Moi! (Photo by Fritz Harmon Photography. All other photos in this post were taken by me.)
