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!

Do The Twist

What Jen's Wearing:

Your True Colors Shine Top - Lulus.com

Accordion Pleated Color Block Skirt - courtesy of Sugarlips.com

Platform Mary Janes - Forever 21

Gold Brass Bangle - J. Crew

Spiked Bracelet - Forever 21

Square Monet Bangle - thrift find

I rarely rock pony tails, but when it's 95 degrees out, I have to get my hair off my neck. 

AND... when you love an outfit as much as I do this one, you want to make sure you show off it's best assets!

I was hesitant to wear my hair up in these photos - being that I normally don't wear pony tails too often, but hey, gotta change it up. I wanted to show off the collar of this awesomely beaded button-up I purchased from Lulus.com. It's black, it's got gunmetal beads and it's a button up. Straight up Johnny Cash goodness going on right here.

And let's not ignore this Accordion Color Block Skirt the cushty people at Sugarlips.com let me pick out! Sugarlips, based out of Los Angeles, Cali., is one of my new favorite clothing sites to shop on! Not only do they have a delightfully fab collection of tops, dresses and everything else under the sun  - they support fashion bloggers. MAJOR in my book. 

Love this skirt so much! I can wear it in the summer with tops like this, but in the winter, the colors translate right into fall. 

And, I can do the twist in it! 

Violet Hill

What Jen's Wearing:

Giraffe Print Silk Top - INC International Concepts, available at Macys

Pink Gramercy Twill Shorts - New York & Company

Dany Platforms - Jessica Simpson Collection

Chain Link Necklace - Charming Charlie

Stackable Bangles - Forever 21

Emerald Cut Ring with Crystal Accents - c/o Sorrelli

Marc by Marc Jacobs Bombay Satchel - similar style here

The Italian in me does not handle the heat well. New Jersey was hit with a heat wave last week - at least three days in the upper 90s. While I'm all for summer weather, this is just cray. Anything that causes my bangs to look disheveled I'm not a fan of...  Mother Nature is on my bad side. 

Incorporating shorts into your wardrobe has been made a lot more fashionable and easier with prints and brights. No longer do us girls have to just wear denim shorts - shorts can be styled to the gilt now that we have more options.

I have to thank two things for helping me style shorts: Ridiculous platforms & bright prints. This outfit, which I wore over the weekend to dinner with my favorite British person (my husband), was my compromise to the heat. 

If I have to sweat, I figure I should wear something that distracts from my brow's perspiration - in this case, it was my Jessica Simpson Dany Platforms and neon shorts.

Jen - 1. Mother Nature - 0. 

Band Of Horses

The closest thing I get to anything "western" in New Jersey are the occasional horses on the side of the highway in rural towns aka - not anywhere near I live. I do, however, have this strange affliction for clothing with horses on it. I used to own this bright pink sweater with a huge horse head (not like Godfather style) wearing a flower crown from H&M. If it sounds weird that's because it was.

I guess it's that same odd favoritism that made me lean toward this horseshoe print dress. Besides for the print, it's got that high-low hem ya'll know I'm totally down with, and the color is just as fab. 

Yee haw.... or something like that.

What Jen's Wearing:

Saddle High-Low Dress - c/o Urban1972.com

Gold Turquoise Western Necklace - Forever 21

Peep Tow Leather Wedges - Nine West

Buckle Up Band Ring - Henri Bendel

Turquoise Ring - purchased in Cape Cod 

Hats Off To You!

You know how you see certain styles on others and think, "I can't pull that off." I've felt this way about hats. My husband has told me thinks I look good in em, but it took me a while to find the right one for me.

Fedoras just look cool... guy or girl. Finding the right one is another story. Just because it's a beach hat doesn't mean it looks good on you. Hopefully, when you find one, it's more trial than error. I've seen  fedoras that look ridiculously cool on other people. On my own dome, that was a different story. Plus, I'm gunna be 100% honest with ya'll - if it's more than $15, I'm not buying it. My hat: $10.50. Serious dopeness. 

What I'm Wearing:

Multicolored Band Straw Fedora - Charlotte Russe

Waterfront Dress - RachelRoy.com (purchased with gift card I won from Stylecaster!)

Facet Spike Collar Necklace - RachelRoy.com (purchased with gift card I won from Stylecaster!

Cordstone Neon Bracelet - RachelRoy.com (purchased with gift card I won from Stylecaster!)

Gold and Neon Pink Square Blocks Bracelet - Charming Charlie

Gold Sandals - Zara

New Bond Street Florence Bag - Kate Spade

Straw hats are a seasonal luxury, and unless I wear it to death, it won't go too far in my wardrobe. I see why dudes spent lots of cheddar on their headgear, but I have bangs... that's enough going on in the forehead department. 

And this dress?! Love the color, don't you? I scored it, along with the chain link neon bracelet AND facet spike collar necklace from Rachel Roy.com - all with a gift card I won months ago. Talk about saving those pennies for a rainy day!