Not Your Momma's Press Ons!

If you follow me on Instagram then you know how mad I am about press on nails.  I have a fresh new set on every week and I am still able to maintain healthy natural nails! That's right, I do not have damaged nails and the best part is....It's all DIY!

There are a few reasons why press on nails are my go to DIY manicure.

1. They last at least a week even though I work with my hands a lot, being the crafty diva I am!
2. Super easy to apply in just a few minutes.
3. Super easy to take off.
4. No dry time (if you purchase brands already painted or designed).
5. They are super CUTE!

There are two brands (which I think are both made by Kiss) I prefer out of all brands in the market.

The first are ImPress Nails by Broadway.  These nails come in oval or square shaped, glittered, various designs, matte finish and some even come with charms.  They already have adhesive on them, which is my favorite part! These mostly come in medium length; however, some fit rather short on me, which happens to be my preference.  Below are a few examples:

The other brand that I just love are Kiss Press On Nails.  This brand come in square and oval and can be found in really short, short, medium and long lengths.  This brand comes with nail glue to be used to adhere the nails to your own nails. Because of this, I can prolong the wear of these nails.  The Kiss brand is a little more on trendy side and a little more natural looking.  Kiss actually uses nail artists to create some of their looks and this what I love about this brand.  Below are a few examples of the Kiss brands:

These nails are all the rave...well, at least for me! Here are a few tips I use for my application and taking off my nails:

• When using the Broadway brand with the adhesive already on the nails, I first use a nail hardener on my natural nails (not recommended by Broadway).  This is personal preference to keep my nails healthy. I prefer Nail Envy by OPI. Do not use any nail polish for the Kiss Brand where you are using nail glue.  It will not adhere.
• I always use cuticle oil and push my cuticles back in between manicures
• I soak my nails in acetone or Soak Off, an artificial nail remover, for a minute or so to dissolve the nails.  If you do it this way, you will not have any damage.  It comes off pretty quickly and easily! 
• I cut my nails and file them down as short as possible - again this is my personal preference because I do not want my nails separating from the artificial nail.  You don't have to worry as much if you are using nail glue but I still prefer my nails to be as short as possible.
• If you are using the kind where you need to use nail glue, always purchase the nail glue separately as it will hold up better. I never use the glue that comes in the pack.
• Never pull or pry the nails off! This is how you end up with damaged nails.

I get many compliments on my nails and even my co-workers will ask to see what design I have on each week! I have even gotten compliments at the nail salon where I get my pedicures! Trust me these babies are amazing and I am constantly buying new designs!  

I mean just look at all the designs:

What girl doesn't like to have a beautiful manicure that she can actually do herself and save money too! They range in price from $6-$8 roughly at stores like Walmart and Target.

Try them and let me know your thoughts!

Until next time my dearies,

Erica, The Mad Stylist 

DIY Wall Decor

Hi My DIY Lovelies,

I am back with a new DIY home decor project! So after I left Canada, I had a lot of Canadian change on me. Most of this change I used on my frequent trips back; however, the pennies I knew would not be useful since this copper piece has been abolished in the great white north.  So I was left with a crafty problem...."What can I do with my all my leftover Canadian pennies?"

This is when I decided to turn to my good old friend Pinterest! It was there that I discovered that I could use my old Canadian pennies to make some fancy wall decor and I knew just where to put it...

My kitchen is full rich earthy tones which I knew copper would fit in perfectly.  For this project I followed The Crafted Sparrow's blog.  I had just enough pennies duplicate her project.

Here are the materials that I used:

• Cardboard Letters
• My Canadian Pennies, of course!
• Copper Acrylic Paint
• Foam Paint
• Mod Podge
• Mod Podge Spray Sealer (Matte finish)

First, I painted my letters copper.  You will need to allow the paint to dry before going on to the next step.

Second, I took got my Mod Podge and started to pick out my pennies.  Then I glued away without rhyme or reason, heads up and tails up...Again you will want to allow the Mod Podge to dry before carrying on to the next step.

Third, I sprayed them with the Mod Podge Sealer and then you have the perfect wall art for your home!

One of my pennies did fall off but I glued it back in place without any more casualties!

Let me know what you lovelies think about this DIY home decor project and please share your photos if  you decide to do this as well!
Much luv,
e

Tis The Season: Christmas Tree Decorating

I have owned my home for quite some time and I never decorated for the Christmas season until last year. I love this time of year and yet you couldn't tell by looking at my home.  The first thing I had to get was, of course, a tree!  I knew right away that I wanted an artificial tree.  Yes, a real tree would be nice but let's face it...I am not down for the upkeep and clean up nor the disposal.  No thank you.

I also knew that I wanted it to be as tall as I could go without it crowding my living room so this meant about 6-6.5ft.  I also wanted my tree to have pine cones! I searched and searched and searched...and could not find a plain tree with pine cones.  All the trees out there either had snow on them, or was pre-lit or was 7ft tall.

This is when I decided to bring out my crafty side...what am I saying?! I am always crafty!
I bought a plain 6ft tree and then I headed to Michael's where I found small pine cones for $0.50 (there were 3 on a branch each).

I also bought some wire cutters and pliers as mine were "misplaced" in the move to Toronto.  These can be found in the jewelry making section of the craft store.  I also bought some wire to use to attached the pine cones to my tree.

Once I had all my tools, I began to create my dream Christmas tree! Below is a brief tutorial and I apologize for the photo heavy post!

First I cut a small piece of wire

I then would cut one of the cones off my pine cone branch

This is where you would take the small piece of wire previously cut and wrap it around the small piece of stem still left on the pine cone using the pliers - Be sure to leave a piece of wire straight to be able to attach to the tree

Once you have the wire wrapped tightly onto the pine cone, give it a few tugs to ensure it is secured

Now you can cut off as much of the remaining stem on the pine cone as you can

Take the pliers and flatted out the wire at the start of the wrapping to ensure it doesn't stick out to cause injury

Take the pine cone and attach it to the tree by wrapping the wire around a branch until there is no wire sticking out anywhere

The finished result!

I hope my experience with decorating for the season has inspired you to accessorize your home! If you have any questions at all - please feel free to leave them below in the comments section.  Ideas are welcomed as well as comments!

Merry Christmas my fashionistas....

Much luv

e

Another DIY Protective styling Project: Braids!

Dear Fashionistas,
Let me start this blog off by apologizing for my absence.  Sometimes life calls but that is no reason to abandon my Style post!

Now that that's out of the way....on to my current DIY protective styling project.  As you know I have been very active these days and Atlanta is pretty humid so keeping my hair looking decent and avoiding the need to touch it everyday is key in my life right now! I have been really enjoying a round of protective styles.  This time I decided to go with braids.  I have been avoiding it for a while because of the time one has to commit to doing their own braids.  However, I know the payoff is worth it! Below are the results and different styling techniques I created with my braids.

This style is a simple bun with a front section of braids wrapped around the bun

This is just a quick, messy bun - a ponytail twisted in two strand and wrapped into a bun

This is a quick, messy bun with half the braids down in the back

Here I braided half the braids and let the back hang

This is an elegant bun, it took a little effort to get it flow this why by pinning the braids in sections

So, it took me forever to do these braids! I started on Friday night and completed about 25% of them that night.  I did not start on them again until after lunch the next day and kept at it, off and on, until about midnight or so.  My fingers were killing me! I used 3 different colors and two different brands of hair...the main brand I used was a new one that was made for dipping the ends in hot water.  The other brand was a cheap brand I bought a long time ago.  Even though the cheaper brand worked out fine...as time moved on, I can tell a different with the cheaper hair.  It started to feel a little rough at the ends, whereas the other brand held up better.  I did not burn the hair at the ends as we did back in the 90's, instead I dipped the ends in hot water and that helped to seal the ends.  I also parted my hair in funky little geometric shapes in the front.

Yes, it took a long time...but I love them and it was worth it! I would definitely do them again.

Ta-Ta for now my lovelies,
e

My New Hair Obsession: Loc Extensions

I don't ever do professionally done braids or twists.  As a matter of fact, I had some braids done about a little over a year ago for the first time and I am 100% sure I would never do that again. I have nothing against braids.  I do have something against women thinking that they have to have their braids or twists done tight so that they last.  I was even more disgusted that when I had my braids done, many of my friends were saying that the pain I felt was normal and offered some home remedies....NO HAIRSTYLE IS WORTH PAIN AND ANGUISH!  You should never allow a hairdresser to style your hair in a style that could cause damage and pain. This should be common sense but....it's not. 

I also decided to never allow someone to braid my hair (with extensions) because no matter how much I told the hairdresser to loosen up, she just claimed she knew what was best.  I can't stand this quality in a hairdresser which is why I hardly ever go to one and when I do, it is only one lady. 

So, I started to do some research on Pinterest and YouTube on protective styling as I wanted to give my hair a break for a while and my exercise routine was killing my hairstyles.  I soon decided on loc extensions. I always loved dread locs but maybe not the permanence of it all...Below are pictures of my first attempt of doing my own loc extensions.

So to begin this hairstyle, I started with Marley Twists completed with Marley braid hair.  The two brands I used were Freetress and Femi.  The brand does not matter though. I pre-wash the hair to get any residue off the hair and to soften the hair. I do this by allowing the hair to sit in a sink full of warm water and mild shampoo.  I then allow it to dry overnight.  Also you may have noticed that I have some red tips in some of the pictures.  This is because I used a red hair for the marley twists and allowed some of of the red hair to peek out.  The ladies I watched on YouTube were Alex Elle of the Good Hair Blog, Tammyluvslyfe, and Cassandra Becai.  Just search for them and you should be able to find these ladies. 

I plan on doing this style again very soon with some purple highlights...yes I said purple. I can't wait to see the results.  Also, I had some pretty rad styling on my locs. I promise to write a blog on styling them. I also received sooo many compliments on this hairstyle from other women and men.  Most times, I could not believe the attention I got with this hairstyle. 

The silver beads in my hair I purchased eons ago from a beauty supply store in the 90's when braids were really popular. For the life of me, I cannot find anything like them now and I recently lost one so I am down to just 3.

By the way...please follow me on Pinterest! Linking up is a beautiful thing! 
One luv,
e

Vegan Cupcakes from Dulce Vegan Bakery & Cafe

Every since I realized that I am highly allergic to dairy, it has been such a battle when it comes to eating out.  At first, I would tell the waiters at restaurants that I was vegan to avoid dairy.  This did not work because most waiters I encountered could care less about what I "chose" not to eat. Finally I just tell people that I am highly allergic and they serve me with more caution.  

I have been a semi-vegetarian for years.  I eat fish and eggs every now and then when I am out but for the most part I am completely vegetarian at home.  I also avoided milk because I simply HATED the taste.  I had no idea that dairy was causing the unexplained allergic reactions I was having.  My doctors would keep me supplied with an arsenal of harsh medications to combat the reactions.  All this makes me think that perhaps I should be vegan...it's much kinder to my body.  More to come on that note as I am cutting more and more things out of my diet all the time...

Now that I know I am allergic to dairy...now comes the realization of the things I can never eat again (the non-vegan variety that is) like sour cream, macaroni and cheese and my favorite...strawberry cupcakes.

One day I decided to Google for vegan bakeries in Atlanta.  I know I can trust vegan establishments.  That's when I came across Dulce Vegan Bakery & Cafe.  I read the website and was excited but it was not until I liked their page on Facebook that I became highly excited.  The pictures of the food and baked goods made me take a trip to Kirkwood to see if I can once again have my beloved strawberry cupcake!

Vegan Cupcakes: Banana Fig, Strawberry and Banana Split

I decided to buy two others to try. I love figs so I tried the banana fig cupcake and I got a discount on the banana split cupcake simply because it was 1 day old...and then of course, THE STRAWBERRY CUPCAKE! It was actually a vanilla cake with strawberries baked inside and strawberry frosting. All three cupcakes were delicious! I have a new place to get cupcakes. Sorry A Piece of Cake, no shade...but Dulce is where it is at for me! I ate all three cupcakes and is still reaction free!

I also plan to try the food and lattes served at Dulce as well. I think it would be a great place to venture out with a girlfriend or date...

Vegan baked goods are totally in!

Until next time my fashion lovelies,
e

DIY "Take Me Home" Baby Set

I can't wait to have my own child(ren) someday so that I can make clothes and accessories such as this one for my own.  I would have my own mini model!  Years ago, I developed a few patterns and put them all together to create a "Take Me Home" baby set.  This set was created to be a baby shower gift.  The intent is for the mother to have something precious in which to bring the baby home.  I was elated when finally a mother shared photos of her new baby girl in the clothes I created!

I usually use Bernat Baby yarn for this set.  Yes, the buttons are a pain to add but are so worth the extra mile. The booties have a chain stitch created drawstring which ties into a bow.  The set includes a baby beanie, onesie and booties.

Please let me know your thoughts on this "Take Me Home" baby set.  Who says mommy is the only one styling?! Baby has to come home in style too!

Forgive the watermarks on the photos...I just had to share my work! Photos provided by Our365.

Until next time my fashion lovelies....
e