Monday Mani: DIY Studded Nails!

Monday's Mani features one of my favorite accessories - studs!

I couldn't pass up these awesome stud nail decals at Harmon's - $2.95 for a pack of silver, gold and multi-color studs! 

I've been a long admirer of nail salon Valley NYC - they have some of the craziest nail designs hands down, including studs, acrylic bows and 3-D Japanese nail art. But since I haven't made it there yet, this DIY confection will do.

What I love about this mani is that it looks like it took some effort to create, but it was beyond simple thanks to the studs.

However, the studs started to fall off this morning, and I painted my nails last night. Maybe I'll just use one as an accent instead of all 5 fingers.

What's your Monday Mani look like?

Safari Chic

Before I get into anything else, who's going to LuckyFABB in September!? I'll be there!

What Jen's Wearing:

Elephant Print Safari Tank - Forever 21

Pleated Maxi Skirt - c/o Urban1972

Yellow Braided Wooden Heels - Gap

Gold Necklace, from the MiMi Gilded Lily Collection - c/o Sorrelli

Triple Band Crystal Ring, from the MiMi Gilded Lily Collection - c/o Sorrelli

I am the LAST person you'd ever find in the jungle... or even camping. I can appreciate nature, and all the fabulous-ness it provides in fashion but anything that causes my bangs to look disheveled, puts me remotely close to bugs... or makes me sweat -  I don't participate in. 

No safari excursions for me. 

I'll stick to admiring from afar. I love this elephant tank, though. It's light and airy, and has that camo green shade that's tribal.

And the jewelry - also has a link to safaris. My gold, spikey petal necklace is from Sorrelli's Fall MiMi Collection called Gilded Lily. I love that it's got an edge to it (literally) yet features a bit of shine from the tiny crystals. Plus, the ring I'm wearing below is from the same collection, too. Triple bling. Safari chic indeed. 

Accessories:

Spiked Bowler Bag - Primark UK

Zebra Bangle - Urban Outfitters

Horn and Gold Accent Bracelet - last year's LuckyFABB gift bag

Use Your Illusion - 3 Ways To Rock T-Shirts

What Jen's Wearing:

Guns N Roses Tee - H&M (similar GnR tee here)

1969 Raw-Edge Denim Shorts - Gap (found here)

Spiked Smoker's Flats - Bakers Shoes (similar style here)

Round Sunnies - Urban Outfitters (similar style here)

Black Basic Satchel - Zara

Rhinestone Chain Necklace / Spiked Bracelet - Forever 21

Gold-Toned Stud Ring - C. Wonder

Square Bangle - thrift store find

Being a child of the 80s, I'm always drawn to hair metal bands tees. Recently, I passed up an REO Speedwagon tee that I'm now regretting I didn't purchase - and I'm on the hunt for a Warrant tee (head's up). Even though I had no idea (at the time) what GnR were singing about as a kid, now, I can appreciate Slash's fro and top hat. Even if Axel Rose is kinda douchey now.

Speaking of 80s fashion, this outfit is my homage to hair metal bands... The cut-off shorts, a vintage rock tee, some shades and of course, my favorite accessory, my bangs.

I absolutely love a good t-shirt. While some think they're too casual, here's my tricks for rocking t-shirts that get the thumbs up:

1. Try a blazer - Sometimes when I'm headed out with friends, I'll throw on a tee and jazz it up with a blazer. A blazer looks like you made an effort to get dressed - if though you really didn't!

2. Mix graphic tees with floral skirts - Tucked in, you'll get a put-together outfit that's feminine.

3. Classic t-shirt and jeans... with killer heels - Wear your sexiest shoes with your favorite tee and skinny jeans. Instant minx appeal!

Never Say Never

Some people collect coins, baseball cards... porcelain figurines and other strange knick knacks. Me, I collect shoes. And it looks like my hobby for shoe shopping isn't slowing down anytime soon. These three pairs alone were purchased this month. Perhaps it's my lack of will power over these stems, but I'm blaming the 80s revival for allowing us children born in that year to wear the colors that once ruined family photos... But in a good way.

If someone would have told me that I'd be wearing neon and nude shoes 10 years from now, I would have made Italian hand gestures and raised my eyebrows in disbelief.

Nude pumps? I'd be like, "Where's the fun in that?"

Here, today, I'm admitting that I was wrong, and I've seen the light. And the road that it shines upon is filled with yellow heels and nude wedges...

I think I need an intervention...

Shoes (from left to right)

Yellow Braided Wooden Heels- Gap

Neon Sandals - Gap

Iris Wedges - Blowfish Shoes

Neon Animal Mani -DIY!

Just a quick nail DIY post before the weekend... and TGIF in the worst!

I've seen manis with a pale nail (or just a clear coat on bottom), and figured I'd do something that makes the design stand out.

This neon animal print mani is super easy, and can be done with any colors. The trick is using an outline color, in this case, black. Use a nail polish with a super thin brush - and try to steady your hand as best as you can to create the animal spot's outline. Or, try a nail pen.

Enjoy! 

The Dutchess & The Duke

What Jen's Wearing:

Peter Pan Lace Top - Charlotte Russe

Pink Jeans - Forever 21

Cut-Out Peep Toe Pumps - Nine West

Black Leather Satchel - Zara (similar style here)

Faceted Triangle Bracelet - Forever 21 (buy it here)

Rhinestone Cord Bracelet - Charming Charlie

Pink Rhinestone Lanyard Bracelet - Henri Bendel

I'm convinced the British influence American fashion and retail more than anyone... Or at least me.

I'm not the first to make this observation, but I will say that I feel like it takes the U.S. months for us to catch up to trends that already happened in the UK.... like, two years ago.

Plus, being married to a Brit has it's advantages. During my last trip to England in 2010, I came across many shirts flirting with adorable Peter Pan collars. To me, Peter Pan collars wreak of baby doll cuteness. They're the ultimate in gawking at your age with something that is fashionably adorable, no matter how young or old you are. 

And you can thank Alexa Chung for inspiring this outfit. You should be jealous of Alexa Chung, actually. She can do no wrong... Google homegirl up. Peter Pan and her need to go into business together.

I swear England is so ahead of the fashion game... The rest of us, or those in New Jersey searching for fashion glimmers among a plethoras of malls, have to admire from afar, and dream of the day they get to visit Miss Selfridge, Oasis and River Island, again.

What's Your Style Personality?

What Jen's Wearing:

Striped Racerback Tank - Forever 21

Yellow Circus Pants - Forever 21 (similar style here)

Lucious 21 Glitter Pumps - Lulus.com

Round Sunnies - Urban Outfitters

Rose Bangle - gift from a friend

Green Rhinestone Necklace - H&M

I've always viewed style as the most outward way of expressing oneself. After all, style and personality goes together like PB+J. 

Think about it: clothing is a non-verbal representation of yourself. You're putting something out there for strangers to get an inference into who you are - colors, prints, cuts, trends... all play a role into your style personality. Judging? Perhaps, but in a way that gives others a glimpse into the unique person you are. 

Sorta like wearable personalities... 

Look at people like The Man Repeller, Betsey Johnson, Daphne Guinness... All are eccentric personalities who's style perfectly matches their individualism. 

I hope my style personality shows that I'm a person who's not afraid to be a little bold, is creative, who doesn't mind being young at heart and doesn't always follow the rules when it comes to "what is normal" or "the standard".

What's your style personality?

My Blue Heaven

I know, I know. Stripes on Monday's post AND today? I swear it wasn't intentional - unless I just declare this Stripes Week...

What Jen's Wearing:

Heritage 21 Tank Dress - Forever 21

Striped Blazer - Forever 21

Coral Vision Wedges - Etienne Aigner

Elegant Crystal Fan Necklace - c/o Sorrelli

Wendy Brandes Exclamation Point Ring 

Don't ask me why I bought a blazer when its 95 degrees out... Even I find it strange the amount of outerwear in stores lately. Talk about jumping the shark - me included.

Regardless of my weakness for stripes, the blazer will make the rounds in my wardrobe year round.

I don't normally like to wear plain dresses unless I can compensate for it with lots of jewelry. And by the looks of it, a neon rainbow threw up on my arm...

Bracelets (from left to right)

Neon pink braided bracelet - won with tickets from an arcade (Serious. I played lots of Skee Ball for those tickets).

Neon rhinestone bracelet - Rachel Roy

Purple Lanyard Bracelet - DIY!

Summer Stripes

Things I love:

1. Jewelry that lets me take a little bit of my family with me. In this case, it's this awesome brass locket I bought from Le Papier Studio on Etsy. I get to carry a reminder of Harley and Mike around with me whenever I wear it.

2. My newest addition to my growing Kate Spade New York handbag collection. This one is called the Kaleigh Vanston - it's striped and oh so dreamy. Never met a striped anything I didn't like! The interior is a grassy green - definitely my summer bag!

3. Mixing patterns. In this case, I went with two classic prints - stripes and plaids. Personally, this outfit is simple, but it's one of my favorites due to the black, purple and white color scheme and how girly the skirt makes me feel.

What Jen's Wearing:

Striped Scoopneck Tank - Victoria's Secret

Plaid Flounce Skirt - Urban Outfitters

Strappy Wedges - DSW

Custom Silhouette Locket - Etsy via Le Papier Studio

Kaleigh Vanston Striped Handbag - Kate Spade New York (similar style here)

Chunky Gold Ring - Forever 21

Black Leather Bow Bracelet - Henri Bendel

Gold Buckle Bracelet - vintage

Spiked Bracelet - Forever 21

 4. Good hair days.

Mani Monday: Seeing Double

I will be one of the first to admit that there's a lack of fly nail joints in New Jersey. Can we get it together, people?

I simply have no alternative but to DIY my own designs - as every time I go to my friendly neighborhood nail spa, they give me strange looks when I ask them to do simple designs. Even asking them to paint one nail a different color is like asking them to carry my first born. It's uncomfortable, to be honest... so I rather just do it myself. 

And although this mani isn't the most creative, it's one of my favorites! I love the mixture of contrasting colors that compliment each other. I'll end up doing this a lot this summer, as painting my nails two colors like this gives me more to play with in terms of my manis matching my outfits. Simple and effective. I think so!

For this duo, I used Color Club's Disco Nap, which came with my Gossip Girl themed Birchbox for May, and Essie's Flirt. Love the metallic/coral combo!