Unofficial Product Review: Kiss Nail Artist Kit

Funky DIY Nails. Revlon Red is the base coat, with one swipe of China Glaze's silver "Swing Baby" in the corner, topped with dots and lines in Kiss Nail Artist Paint Black, and a clear topcoat. I found my vintage ring at Sleepy Poet.

These Kiss Nail Artist kits have often intrigued me, but before dropping hard-earned money on every kit & color I wanted to find out if they were worth their dollar. I bought the kit below at the drug store to test them out. I'm still perfecting my dots and stripes, but these nail paints were fun to experiment with! I love the tiny brush, and the polish quality is chip resistant and opaque. I didn't find the nail stencils to be very helpful, but I'll try those again later. (I don't think I waited long enough for the base coat to dry before applying the stencil.) Anyhow, I would feel confident buying this nail art kit in other colors, and I probably will!

Vintage Spring Shopping with the Ladies!

Pastel Vintage stockings and my vegan Dr. Martens. Can't wait to team them up!

We hit the vintage and thrift shops along Central Ave. (in Charlotte) yesterday in search of some spring vintage goodies. My sister-in-law Megan found a black and white lacy camisole at Buffalo Exchange, I found some pastel stockings at Century Vintage, and at Hong Kong my niece Louise got a red plaid shirt. That little strip of stores along Central Ave. between Pecan and Thomas Street is a fun little afternoon shopping spot if you're into old treasures!




Ms. Louise!

Current Obsession: Bill Cunningham

(Image is property of The New York Times.)


2011 November 20th On The Street spread by Bill Cunningham. Hear the photographer's commentary. (Image is property of The New York Times.)

5 Reasons I'm Obsessed:
5.Bill Cunningham marches to the beat of his own drummer and approaches life with so much enthusiasm!

4. He is a former milliner (hat maker).

3. In a digital world, he still shoots with 35mm film.

2. He lets the street talk to him. New York Times doesn't say: "Hey Bill, find people wearing fall reds for us." Instead, he spends a ton of time on the street and when he begins to see a theme emerge, that's what the story becomes.

1. He is more fascinated with the fantastic things women and men are wearing in their daily lives than with celebrity fashion.


This Film will Inspire You:
Bill Cunningham New York

Museum-Worthy Headwear

While Dan and I visited the Chanel exhibit that Amanda blogged about last month, I wandered next door into the Fashionable Silhouettes exhibit. I loved perusing the ever changing headwear that women and men wore through the ages. According to the Mint Museum website, Fashionable Silhouettes is an acclaimed historic costume and fashionable dress collection featuring garments and accessories spanning three centuries of fashion history.



The styled white paper "wigs" on each mannequin were great too!







The Fashionable Silhouettes exhibit runs through December 31 at the Mint Museum on Randolph Road in Charlotte.

Feather Hair Extensions: There's more than meets the eye

I alluded to the debate over feather hair extensions in this post after coming across many fly fishing bloggers who were posting about how the trend has affected the supply for their sport & craft. Since then, the story broke into the mainstream, and even more information is available about a darker side to the trend. Here is how the trend is affecting others.....

Fly Fishermen & Fly Tiers
The grizzly feathers used for hair extensions are primarily used by fly fishermen and folks whose craft is "tying" or making fishing lures. These hobbyists are having a tough time buying the feathers that they've always been able to get their hands on because of this hair trend. There is now extreme demand for limited supply and the demand is driving prices for the feathers way up.

photo credit

Tackle Shop Owners and Farmers
Tackle shop owners are seeing a boom in demand for the feathers in their stores- so much so that farmers can't keep up with it. Some suppliers are happy about the increased demand, and some are just miffed. Given the fleeting nature of fashion trends, tackle shop owners and farmers know this trend will go away, along with the money, and they don't want to alienate the fisherman and fly tying customers who have been loyal to them for years.

Roosters
Grizzly Roosters are bred and genetically modified to produce those beautiful striped tail feathers that are used for fly tying and now hair extensions. It takes a rooster about a year to grow the feathers and then they are "harvested", which means their tail feathers are plucked or their pelt is removed. The roosters that don't survive this process are euthanized. Another method is to put the rooster down before removing the pelt. These roosters are bred for feathers and are not used for food.




More Information:
Fashionistas ruffle fishermen's feathers

Hair salons: Fly-fishing feathers are 'in'

One Stylist Explains: Why I’ll Never Do Feather Hair Extensions

A Fishing Blog's Perspective: How Silly can it Get?

About Whiting Farms

WWWList: Backyard Sunbathing

Are you landlocked when the temps are rising to 90 degrees and beyond? Want to work on your summer tan but there's no pool in sight? No worries! Pack up a summer tote with some natural sunscreen, big sunglasses, a blanket and a crossword puzzle and head out for a lazy afternoon in the backyard! A tall deck or a rooftop would also do just fine! Be sure you're away from prying eyes and spend some quality time with yourself just relaxing, cross-wording and daydreaming in the sun!

Crocheted Boho Tote Bag

Crossword Puzzle Book

Natural Sunscreen in Lime and Coconut

Custom High Waisted Bikini with Pockets

Vintage Suede Teal Heels

Pink Floral Silk Head Wrap

Vintage Round Jackie O Style Sunglasses

Current Obsession: Fables by Barrie Swimwear

I'm loving these curvy retro suits for summer! I remember seeing this company a few years ago in Bust Magazine and I'm glad I've rediscovered them via Etsy, because their Summer 2011 line is amazing! All made in the USA!


Ashley Swimsuit

South End Soul- Fashion & Hair Show

More photos at QC After Dark. Above fashion & hair by Joey Hewell.

I crawled out of my creative cave Saturday night on a whim to meet up with Vanessa at the South End Soul Fashion & Hair Show. It was one of those nights where I would have been content just painting and sewing into the late hours but I finally figured- it's Saturday night- I should really get out of the house!

Current Obsession: Pure Fusion

Pure Fusion Makeup- Ocean Coral Collection

My ultra-sensitive skin has always limited the makeup I could wear on my eyes, but these vibrant hypoallergenic eyeshadows might just change that! Pure Fusion eyeshadow collections are made by one single lady in Canada using her own formulas. She just had a baby (i love that indie sellers share this kind of info) so she developed a line of non-toxic nail polishes that are safe for children and pregnant mothers.


Bluebell Collection

Why do I love these shadows? Because they are made with natural ingredients and no perfume, talc, parabens, dyes or bismuth oxychloride (i'm not sure what that is but it sounds gross!). Plus, they are cruelty free and don't use animal testing. Welp, gotta go place my order now...


Rainbow Brite Collection


Blueberry Beauty

Host a Spring Clothing Swap!

All clothing images from www.zwwzy.etsy.com. I compiled this collage in Photoshop.

Last week I attended a spring clothing swap hosted by my friend Melissa of Mason and Virginia. It forced me to do some spring closet cleaning and allowed me to catch up with friends, pick up new (used) duds, and be part of a group donation to the secondhand store. Melissa has the clothing swap process down to a science, so I'll share how she does it, so that you can host one too!

A Walk in the Woods

Here are a few shots from a beautiful photo shoot using local pieces this week. See the full shoot in photographer Lindsay Hess's facebook album.

Spring Runway Trend: Macramé

Christian Dior, Spring 2011 Ready To Wear

macramé: (noun) The art of knotting threads or cords into patterns without the use of tools; An ancient craft that saw a surge in popularity in the 1970's

If you've ever made a hemp bracelet or friendship bracelet, you were doing macramé. If your grandmother has her potted plants hanging from the ceiling by green, orange or beige knotted ropes, they are probably macramé.

After its heyday in the 70's, macramé has since had a reputation of being stodgy and old-fashioned. But this craft has always had two enduring qualities: loose movement and unlimited, intricate design possibilities. Updating macramé with slinky, modern textiles (instead of stiff cording) has made it a breezy look for spring 2011. With a revival of 70's style and nautical gear on the runways, several high fashion designers have taken the craft of macramé to the next level:

The Real Deal: Fergie's Halftime Talons

For fashion inspiration, I usually like to look to designers and everyday people, not celebrities. But every once-in-awhile a celebrity wears something so bizarre and interesting on such a public platform that it can't be ignored. I am talking about the metallic talons that Fergie of Black Eyed Peas was wearing during the Superbowl Halftime Show last week. After the game I saw tons of blogs talking about how much they loved or hated the long finger accessories.


I didn't really care who loved or hated them. What I really wanted to know was:

1. Do these sparkly claws really exist?
(And could I buy them if I wanted to?)
2. Who made them?
3. How much do they cost?

After some digging I found the answers.