Sunday, August 24, 2014

For Trevelyn

Hey there. 
It brings me great sadness to be writing another post like this, but I feel I must share my heart with you.  Friday night my suite mate and dear friend Trevelyn Campbell was killed in a car accident.  She was an absolute light in the lives of those around her.  She may be the most genuine person I have had the pleasure to know.  If she gave you a compliment, she meant it.  She spoke her mind, yet she would never hurt the feelings of another.  I became friends with her in the last year.  At first I wasn't sure how we would get along, but the more time I spent with her the more I grew to love her.  She was a fellow beauty lover, sporting all kinds of fun lip and hair colors.  She was one of the most amazing artists I've known.  Her work simply blew me away every time.  I got the privilege to live with her for the last two weeks during band camp, which was supposed to be the beginning of our year long adventure.  Although I will not get the opportunity to spend as much time with Trevelyn as I would have liked, I know as a fellow daughter of Christ I will see her again in heaven. 

I'm sorry to be such a downer, but I feel like her light should be spread.  If any of you have any questions or need prayer for anything please feel free to comment below.  Have a Super Sunday!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Monday, August 4, 2014

Fun with Zoya

Hey Guys!
So today's post is my messing around with some new zoya polishes that I ordered online.  These are definitely some of the best ones I've used from this brand.  Hope y'all enjoy!




The color on my ring finger is Zoya  Magical PixieDust in Cosmo, and the rest of the fingers have Zoya BluCosmo is definitely my favorite of the PixieDust line.  It is mostly silver glitter with other colors and holographics throughout.  I like that there is a combination of big and small glitter, yet it's not as rough or sharp as the first round of the OPI liquid sand ones which were the same kind of deal.  It takes a few coats to get the glitter solid, but it looks beautiful once you build it up.  Blu is a great, solid baby blue.  I've really been into light, creme finish polishes lately, and this one definitely fits the bill!  I used two coats out of habit, but I probably could have gotten away with one.  I also really like the way that these two polishes go together.  Cosmo makes a great accent nail!  I have really grown to love Zoya as a brand, and I can't wait to try more!

I hope y'all enjoyed this post, and please feel free to leave comments below on other posts you like to see.  Have a Marvelous Monday!
~ Mary Elizabeth 

Monday, July 21, 2014

Really Late Fourth of July Nails

Hello Friends!
So I'm a slacker.  Don't judge me.  But here I am!  So I had to work on fourth of July this year :( but that doesn't mean that I couldn't do fourth of July nails! So... here they are!
 So first of all, let's ignore the little polish mistakes that I didn't clean up.  I got lazy.  Anyway, this is a lot easier than it looks.  I got several comments along the lines of "OMG how did you do that?" It's really not that hard.  So for the red I used OPI Red Hot Rio.  This is the only red I have that is not a purply red, and I think it worked out pretty well.  The blue is OPI Unfor-Greta-bly Blue.  The white is Julie G White Orchid. For the stripes, I started with the white and let it dry.  I took some small pieces of striping tape, put it on my hand to unstick it a little, and then place the pieces vertically on my ring finger nail.  Then I applied Red Hot Rio over the tape.  Next I carefully pulled the tape off.  Finally I finished all the nails off with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.
I hope y'all enjoyed this post and had a great fourth! To close here's a picture of my family on the fourth.
 Have a Marvelous Monday!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Monday, June 16, 2014

Nudes n' Brights

Hey Everyone!
Today's post is a cute look that I thought I'd give a shot.  It's an interesting combination on nude polish and a bright color.  If you try this out feel free to substitute the green I used for any other bright color you like. 




Now each nail was done a little differently.  For the pointer and pinky, I started with a base of Zoya Mitzi.  This is a kind of sour green color.  It has a matte finish, so if you want it to shine you'll need a top coat.  I used some striping tape and made a diagonal.  Then I painted over the nail (below the tape) with OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons.  This polish is really growing on me.  I was a bit hesitant about it when I first bought it but now I actually like it!  For my middle finger and thumb I started with Don't Pretzel My Buttons as the base.  Then I laid two pieces of striping tape in the middle of my nail in a chevron.  Then I went over it with Mitzi.  Be careful wen removing the tape so that you don't mess up the polish underneath.  On my ring finger I simply used two coats of OPI DS Classic.  Finished it all off with a coat of Seche Vite top coat.

I hope y'all enjoyed, and if you give it a shot then leave it in the comments below!  Have a wonderful week!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Monday, June 9, 2014

Graduation Nails

Hello Lovelies!
Today's post is how I did my nails for my sister's high school graduation.  Before I begin, I just want to say how proud I am of my sister.  She is one of the hardest working people I have ever met.  She is going to the same school as me in the fall, which is very exciting :) These are not my school colors (which would have been a good idea but I didn't think about that), but they went well with my dress.  Enjoy!




I started with a base of two coats of OPI Antibreak.  Then I used my Kiss art polishes in gold and black to add the stripes.  I am personally proud of myself for how straight I made those lines.  It's something so much more simple than you might think.  I hope y'all enjoy this cute look, and have a magnificent Monday!
~ Mary Elizabeth
Ps Here's some pictures of my sister's graduation!



Friday, May 23, 2014

Crosshatch Nude

Hello Lovelies!
I hope y'all are having a fantastic day so far! Today I am doing my first actual nail post in quite some time.  Sorry about that, but I've had a pretty busy life (as you may recall from my last update).  Today I wanted to share with you a crosshatch design I saw on pinterest.  It's super easy but cute at the same time.



I started with a base of OPI Steady as She Rose.  I used two coats, but I probably should have used three.  It came out a little thinner than I thought it would.  I like this polish because it is flattering on my skin tone and is very work appropriate.  For the crosshatch I used my Kiss nail art polish in black.  I'll leave a link to the actual tutorial here since it's a little difficult to explain.  One disappointment I had is that my Seche Vite top coat smudged my nail art.  If any of you know of a quick dry top coat that won't smudge designs let me know in the comments below!  I think this is a really cute and simple way to incorporate nail art into your nail routine.  Hope y'all enjoyed, and have a fabulous Friday!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Update 5/10/14

Hello Blogiverse!
I thought I would update y'all on what's been going on in my life since my last post.  I know it's been a while but I hope to get back in the game once I'm done with school for the semester.  This has been a great semester.  I've gotten to have some exciting new experiences.  I was a part of a dance concert at the beginning of April, which is pretty new for me.  I did theatre in high school, but I really have never done anything strictly dance before.  It was kind of a favor for a friend, but I ended up having a lot of fun.  Also I got to be a part of the percussion ensemble this semester.  I may have talked about this before, but I am a music major, and my principle instrument is flute.  Percussion is something I've never even dabbled with before this semester.  I got to play steel drums which was an absolute blast.  I really appreciate all the help I got from the guys in the ensemble, and I loved getting the opportunity to learn something new.  In other news, y'all may remember a post I wrote about a year ago about my friend Lakim who passed away.  We just had the one year anniversary for that tragedy.  It was a tough day for a lot of my close friends, but it also served as a day of celebration for all the positive things that have come from his passing.  Also, about a week ago I had my 20th birthday! I can't believe I have surpassed the teenage years.  I had to play in the pit for my school's production of The Wizard of Oz that day, but that night my friends and I went to see Divergent in theatres.  I really appreciate having friends who love me and made my birthday special.  Here are some pictures of what's been going on! (sorry they're off center I couldn't get them to cooperate)
My friends and I at the ballet


My friend Andrew and I before Beeson Ball

Lamda Chi Alpha semi formal with Jimmy
My friends and I crashed a prom! #punklife



















I hope y'all enjoyed this little update! Also, if you want to see what all goes on in my life or just want to know right when my posts go up feel free to follow me on twitter and instagram! I'll link my usernames at the bottom :) Have a super Saturday!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Twitter: @theatre_geek151
Instagram: theatre_geek1712

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Valentine's Day Ideas

Hello there!
It's that time of year again  and I have some nail designs to share that you might like to try!  These are just fun, Valentine's Day themed nails that are simple and time friendly.  Hope you give them a shot!


 This first design is based on something I found on pinterest.  I used two coats of Zoya Mickey as a base color.  Then I used Essie Penny Talk for the french tips.  In the pinterest post they used tape to get the french tips, but I just kinda freehanded it.  This takes very little time if you have a steady hand.


This next design is my favorite of the two.  I used OPI Steady as She Rose as the base.  Then I used one of my dotting tools to plave two dots next to each other on the nail.  Then I dragged the dots together to a point in order to make the hearts.  For this I used OPI It's All Greek to Me.  Warning: I would wait a bit for the hearts to dry before applying top coat.  I smudged one of the hearts on my thumb because I used top coat too soon.  I love how cute and simple this one is.

I hope you get a chance to try one or both of these out for Valentine's Day!  If you do, I would love to see a picture of your take in the comments.  Have a terrific Thursday!

~ Mary Elizabeth

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Zoya Color2014 Swatches!

Hey Everyone!
Many of you may know that during January Zoya did a promotion where you pay shipping and choose three nail polishes for free.  I apologize for not posting about it, but obviously I did an awful job of keeping up with the blog over the break.  Anyway, I wanted to show y'all some swatches of what I got.  I don't do very many swatch posts because I don't buy nail polish very often anymore, but I am going to try to swatch when I do buy.  I apologize for the photo quality.  I have the worst natural light in my room due to the winter conditions.  I used two coats in every picture.  Hope y'all enjoy!

 This first polish I got is Heather.  This is a light grey-ish purple creme shade with the teensiest bit of shimmer.  I really like this color because it is subtle and appropriate for just about any occasion.  The consistency is a little on the thin side but fairly easy to work with. 

 This polish is called Elodie.  It is a gelly consistency coral color.  This one was a bit of a disappointment.  I was hoping for a bit more opacity, but it's still a pretty color.  I might try this one over a white base and see what happens.

Before I continue I just want to apologize for the crappy pictures of this one.  I was struggling to take the photo with my left hand.  Anyway this one is called Vanessa.  This is a purple toned red.  I have been after this one for quite some time.  This one has a slightly gelly consistency also, but it's much more solid color.  I really enjoy this one.  I haven't worn it for an extensive period of time yet, but I have high hopes for it :)
I hope y'all enjoyed this post, and I hope to have some valentine's day looks this week.  Have a wonderful Wednesday!
~ Mary Elizabeth

Monday, February 10, 2014

Nude Chevron + Update

Hello Lovelies!
I feel like a broken record when I say I'm sorry for being so absent on the blog lately.  Things have been a bit crazy, plus the wifi at school can be a little on the slow side.  Anyway today I have a quick post about a really fun nail design that I tried out the other day.  I really think the colors are classy and fitting for any outfit.  Also, I am going to add a bit of an update at the end so y'all can see a bit of what I've been up to :)

So for a base color I chose OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons.  This is one color that I don't use very often.  When I originally bought it I thought it was a little weird against my skintone, but now I am beginning to like it a lot.  I waited for the base to dry so that the tape I used wouldn't pull all the polish off.  Once it dried I placed pieces of striping tape in V formations on my ring finger nail.  I painted over it with Sinful Colors Black on Black and then removed the tape.  I finished it off with a layer of Seche Vite top coat.  I really like the very southern, classy style of the chevrons.  I think it has a pretty design, yet the subtle colors make it wearable.  I hope y'all like it too! Now, on to the update!

So I had a great Christmas break/JanTerm.  I worked pretty much the whole break.  I am very grateful that I was able to return to the job that I had over the summer without any problems.  I also enjoyed getting to see my family and spend time with my friends.  Only downside: I got in a car accident about 2 weeks before I had to go home.  My car wasn't able to be repaired, so I was not able to get a new one in time to come back to school so my grandpa flew me back.
This is me and my best friend's baby sister Cami! Ain't she a cutie?

Putting the angel on the tree!


Got to fly in my grandpa's plane!

Daddy's helping with pre-flight
Now that I'm back at school we've had quite an adventure! Y'all may have heard about the "snowstorm" that hit the south? Well my school got hit with that.  School was cancelled for about a week.  The roads were covered with abandoned cars because the ice kept people from being able to get home from work.  Around here it's been called "snowpocalypse."  Yup, keep laughing, northerners.
A Floridian's reaction to snow :)

Here's what the front of the school looked like after an hour

This hat is a result of the amount of knitting/crocheting I've been doing lately.
 So I hope y'all enjoyed this most overdue post, and I hope you have a Marvelous Monday!
~ Mary Elizabeth