.this thing called life.

Getting to where you’re going.

Life after college can be jarring. I’ve been out for almost 4 years now and feel like I’m no where closer to being an adult.
Jobs are never what they seem like before starting them and you have to decide what is really important to you. In my case the question has always been “Do I do this for money or for love?” And my answer has always been LOVE.

The last 4 or 5 months have taught me a lot about getting to where you want to be. The journey. Staying true to yourself and realizing that when people start to change the person that you are, it’s time to leave.

Sometimes it hard to leave and sometimes you don’t jump… You are pushed. But in the end you will survive. I am so glad I was pushed because I would have never taken that leap on my own!

I have climbed a mountain (repeatedly, daily) and found I can do it again and again. Even when I feel like I will die. I get to the top and take a deep breath. And everything is still ok. The world still turns and the sun still shines.

That “I just slept in my jeans” feeling.

Staying up til dawn. Sleeping for 2 hours and then going off to start your day, when your night has just barely been over. The taste of last night’s rum and diet coke still on your tongue. That stiff feeling in your muscles from dancing all night and sleeping on someone’s couch or floor. The silence in the night air that can only properly be filled with great, epic music that will always remind you of that night.

Nail Art - Ombre technique

I have never been the kind of girl with perfect nails. Most of the time I had black chipped polish and I didn’t really care. But thanks to Pinterest and it addictingly easy way to pass around fun ideas, I have started to try new things with my nails. (and hair, clothing, cooking, etc!)
I wanted to share my first attempt at the “Ombre technique” that I did for the Easter Weekend.
I’ve seen a few different ways to do this, but the basic principle is the same throughout all of the tutorials I found.
THINGS YOU NEED:
-Make-up sponge wedge
-at least 2 nail polish colors ( I like to use three but I think up to 5 would work)
-nail polish remover
-Q-Tips
I used purple, pink & light gold for a sunset/Easter looking nail.

Unscrew all the tops to the nail polish so that you can work quickly.
(Don’t use the quick drying polishes, you need the time to apply the different polishes PLUS the sponging effect drys quicker than normal applications on the nail)

I found that 2 coats of each color works well on the sponge. And you can always go over it again later to build up the colors.

Paint the sponge in the pattern you want, usually striped but can be circles etc. Be generous with the amount of paint on the sponge, it will soak up the paint. Some people like to get the sponge a little damp first, but I didn’t.

Once all the colors are on the sponge go ahead and start sponge dabbing your nails (gently, remember! you can always go back and add more color, but you can’t take away!)
You WILL get polish on the surrounding skin, that’s what the Q-Tips & nail polish remover are for later. Its Ok!

You will need to reapply the polish to the sponge, its okay if the colors bleed or overlap… that’s the look we’re going for right!?

Then take a Q-Tip and dip it in the polish remover. Get any extra polish off of the surrounding skin. Some people use small paint brushes for this, but a Q-Tip works just as well.

Then let your nails dry completely.
(shouldn’t take too long since the sponging effect only puts a light layer of polish)
Then add a clear top coat to seal in the awesomeness you just did and give it a little shine.

Then you’re done! I usually give it another clear coat the next day just to add another layer to protect against chipping.

Here is how my first attempt came out:

Helpful websites for this project: TheBeautyDepartment & LaynieFingers