Nail Polish That Doesn't Hate Me

Nail polish is not really my thing. As a kid, I used to paint a few sloppy coats of pink all over my fingers. Theoretically, it was meant to go on my nails, but in reality my aim was not so good. I moved onto the gee-I-like-how-it-looks-but-hate-how-it-feels phase, during which I swore off nail polish all together, and in the recent years I've worn it occasionally. My reasons for less frequent wear are simple:

1) While my aim has improved since childhood, my nail polish-applying skills are still sorely lacking.

2) This is not helped by the fact that I am always too impatient to let the nails dry fully before I move on to some other task. This always ruins the polish further, but at least it saves me from spending ten minutes with my hands draped uselessly in the air in front of me.

3) I am not so fond of the smell.

While I'm fairly certain the smell can't be helped, my first two issues have been resolved. How, you ask? Well, meet my new friends Nicole by Opi Nic's Sticks:

Being a fairly low maintenance girl, at least in terms of beauty products, I have no idea who this mysterious "Nicole" is. I'm familiar with Opi, but I've always been too cheap to go for anything but the 99 cent pots of NYC polish. Today, however, on a leisurely stroll through Target, one of these nail polish sticks begged me to buy it. Specifically, Home by Midnight, a black shade that doesn't appear to be available online. Since my old black polish had long since been sacrificed to the cause of costuming in a high school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, I slid the nail polish from the display and bought it.

Long story short, I am a fan. It's super-easy to apply, because it's pretty hard to end up with too much polish on the brush, which just happens to be the perfect width for my nails. It dries in maybe 30 seconds flat, which suits my impatient nature well. Two coats, a total of maybe two minutes, and my nails were completely done. 

Clearly I will be picking up more Nic's Sticks in some other colors. And Nic, whoever you are, if you want to be my best friend, I think that can be arranged.

American Apparel: The Want/Need Edition

I'm liking some of the new styles trickling into American Apparel:

1) Cotton Seersucker Bloomers. $25 for a pair of cutesy undergarments that, should they come into my possession, would be worn as shorts. I'm not the cutesy type, but I'm sure I could toughen 'em up a bit.

2) Tie Dye Interlock Pencil Skirt. Pencil skirts are typically part of fairly put-together outfits, while tie dye is by definition relaxed. So yes, I'm a fan of the contrast in this skirt.

3) Unisex Denim Jacket. I like denim jackets, but the black color here makes it classic and more chic than the typical pale blue faded denim.

4) Super Sheer Circle Scarf. I was lusting over this scarf in solid form, but the sheer version is even cooler. Not to mention more appropriate for the upcoming warm weather. 

I guess a trip into the city to the nearest American Apparel is in the cards. I wanna see these babies in person before I shell out the cash. My head is swimming with ideas for that scarf. What do you think?

Sara Sanskara

I'm really glad this street style photo of Sara Sanskara caught my attention, because I think her clothing line is quite beautiful.

Pretty, huh? I love how the lace, ruffles, and floral prints are tempered by asymmetrical hems for a sorta funky hippie appeal. I'd wear these dresses with chunky, tough-looking boots and messy hair. Yum.

Chloe Sevigny for Bass

I cannot stop thinking about these shoes. Love the many silver-tipped straps, the shiny black leather, &  the sky-high wedge that would cause me to fall considerably more often than usual. Love that they're not feminine or masculine, that they aren't casual or dressy; they are wonderfully ambiguous. 

Also, I assume, expensive. 

Pshh, keep your wonderfully ambiguous / assumed expensive shoes, Miss Sevigny! For the sake of my bank account, I will drool over my keyboard and write love letters blog posts on their multi-buckled glory.

Oh, how I suffer.

GAH Photobucket hates me! Don't worry, lovelies, I'm working on it!

Statues 'n Plaid

Today, as I was walking around the sculpture park at the DeCordova Museum with my family, I stopped to pose with a statue for my own personal amusement. My dad whipped out his Blackberry to snap a photo, and it suddenly occurred to me that I haven't done an outfit post in a while. I was wearing my basic winter uniform of flannel, jeans, and boots, but I asked him to take a photo of the look for my blog so I can at least give you an idea of what I've been wearing these days. It's my version of sweatpants - cozy, comfy, and easy - but less frumpy. 

Not the best quality, but there you go. I'm wearing a men's flannel button-down from Old Navy over an Alternative Apparel tank, Delia*s jeans, Charles Albert motorcycle boots, and an H&M faux leather jacket. I'm carrying my Jumeau bag. The flannel and boots have seriously been my winter staples, because they are perfect for anything the New England weather might throw at them.

And because I love you guys, here's the initial Kori-posing-with-statue picture:

Instead of copying the statue's pose entirely, I amended the position to fit my lame sense of humor. Whereas her right hand is holding an apple, index finger extended, I have my right hand in the Spiderman manner. My left hand is not gracefully curved as the statue's is, but rather forcefully signaling forces of evil to stop in their tracks. Roar, justice is served.

This Is How It Goes Down

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

Okay, children, here's the deal. A bunch of us will agree to shave our heads like the brave and gorgeous people above. We will all do it. You know the whole "strength in numbers" thing? Well maybe a large number of fellow partial-head-shavers will give me the strength to actually go through with it. 'Cause damn that's a cool look.

Okay, probably not happening. Never say never, though. Wow, I'm on a roll with the overused proverbs tonight.

In other news, I checked out Alexander McQueen for Target today.

Most of my dressing room pictures sucked (bad lighting and all), but here you can see the studded shorts, black cropped blazer, and one-shouldered swimsuit. Alas, the swimsuit didn't accommodate my overly long torso, the blazer was not something I'd get a lot of use out of, and the shorts were a bit pricey for a tiny scrap of denim. Oh well. I also quite liked the cropped black trousers and printed gray dress. If I buy one piece from this collection, I'm betting it will be that sweet studded denim jacket, but I didn't see it in the store. Oh, and the harness bikini. I'll check back, though. The quality and cut of all the clothing actually seemed pretty high.

Alright, I've got a stack of magazines to flip through (including the new Teen Vogue and a copy of Indie, which I've never read before), so I'll catch you cool cats later.