Accent Nail - Love it or Lame?

As I've mentioned here, I frequent my nail salon quite regularly. I'm always looking for something new and different I can do to my nails, but tend to shy away from any sort of "nail art" that my manicurist (often) suggests. The latest trend I've been seeing a lot of recently is an accent nail and I am intrigued. Although I've yet to see this on a "regular" person on the streets, I've noticed it a lot in the celebrity/gossip/fashion mags and am tempted to try it out myself. What do you guys think?? 

LOVE it or LAME?

 

 

If you're on board with this trend, but don't know how to pick your accent color, refer to this post for some tips on color pairing!

 

 

Source: Photos courtesy of Pinterest.

The Color Wheel (your new BFF)

At a very young age, I've always had a thing for color. Odd as it may sound, I've somehow committed to memeory every crayon name in the Crayola box and I could probably draw a color wheel on the spot if you asked me to (not that you would.. but just sayin'...)! The reasons behind my early love for color is unknown, but perhaps this explains why I incorporate color into my outfits so much. Of course I have my days when I resort to the neutrals - blacks, tans and the 50 shades of gray - but I'd have to say I think my wardrobe consists of more color than most. I'm sure there are several reasons why people shy away, but I think often it is because they are scared to mix and match and make too much of a color statement. I guess I've always subconsciously resorted to my color wheel knowledge when choosing what to wear, but it wasn't until recently that I realized what a fabulous asset the color wheel can actually be! 

So here's the 411-

Primary Colors: Red, Yellow, Blue

Essentially, these are the only colors you'd ever need (if you were an artist). In the fashion world, however, life with only these colors would be quite boring. Which is why we have....

Secondary Colors: Orange, Green, Purple

These colors are born from the combination of primary colors. (i.e. Red + Yellow = Orange, Yellow + Blue = Green, Blue + Red = Purple) 

Does this take you back to elementary school Art 101 or what??? ;)   SO, you may know these basic color wheel facts or you may not. But that's not the point. The point is, with this basic knowledge, deciding on your next colorful outfit should be quite simple. As a basic rule of thumb, try to select color combos based on whether they are next to each other on the color wheel (analogous color schemes, such as blue-green, green, and blue-yellow), or opposite each other the color wheel (complimentary color schemes, such as purple and yellow or blue and orange).

Here are some of my fave combos:

Analogous ~ blues and greens

Analogous ~ blues and purples

  

Complimentary ~ pink and green





Complimentary ~ blue and orange






Complimentary ~ purple and yellow

So study up on the color wheel... or hang one in your closet... and start rocking color this summer with confidence! :)

 

Cheap & Chic Dresses!

There is little that makes me happier than going on a successful online shopping spree! I have been on the search for a few dresses for upcoming weddings this summer/fall and feel like I hit the jackpot tonight. Two super cute dresses that didn't break the bank:

Coral Backless Dress

Zara ~ $89.90 + free shiping!

 Emerald One-Shoulder Dress


ModCloth ~ $47.99

Unfortunately, purchasing more than 2 dresses didn't fit into my budget, but here are some others I loved that didn't make the cut (all under $100!):


Light Pink Knee-Length Dress

H&M ~ $34.95

 One-Shoulder Navy Blue Dress

LuLu ~ $60

Multi-Style Convertible Dress
 

Target ~ $29 (and soo many colors!)

Black Strapless Ruched Dress

Express ~ $48.93 (on sale)

Just Another Mani Monday...

One of my favorite simple pleasures is a fresh mani! Not only do I adore the two women that do my nails (Sidenote: If you're ever looking for a GREAT nail salon in the Portsmouth area, I highly recommend Sarah and Vicky at Strictly Nails!), but I feel like a fresh coat of color on my fingertips can actually add the finishing touch to any outfit.  Here are my top 5 shades for the (hopefully) sunny days to come:

1.) Mint Candy Apple
Mmm, doesn't it just sounds delicious?!

2.) Barbuda Banana
I've actually never done the yellow-nail thing, but its def on my to-do list soon!

3.)  Mesmerize
This color just reminds me of the beautiful buildings of Santorini.... a destination that is on my bucket list for sure! I guess this polish will have to do for now.... siggghhhh

4.)  Haute as Hello
Refer to my Crazy for Coral post here. Enough said.





5.) Lilacism
Lilac word association: pretty. spring. fragrant. calm.
I'll take any of the above, please! 

Check out all the other glorious shades of Essie here. What are your favorites???

J.Lo's Idol Dress

Did anyone see J.Lo's dress on American Idol this week??? It was beautiful! I had to find out where this was from (not like I could afford it anyways...), but I did some digging and found it!

From Salvatore Ferragamo's spring 2012 collection:

Runway

Jennifer Lopez on American Idol
May 17, 2012

Not sure the occasion I would ever wear this, but its gorgeous... right??

Crazy for Coral

I have always gravitated towards color when I pick out my outfits, so I am thrilled that one of the hottest trends this season is just that. Pastels, neons... you name it. One of my faves for spring is coral. It gives any outfit the perfect amount of pop and I am having to restrain myself from buying every coral piece I see. Here are a few of my top picks:





Love the design and draping of this coral dress.

Perfect for a summer wedding!




My all time favorite color combo- coral and aqua.
These would spice up the simplest outfit.





Effortless.





J Brand coral jeans




Obsessed with these hand-made helloberry bracelets I found on etsy!




I have to say I'm a little over the leopard trend,
but the belt accent adds the perfect touch to this coral skirt.

Are you all coraled out yet??? Hope not, because I'm willing to bet you'll be seeing a lot more of this hue as the weather gets nicer. And I'm not complaining.