Short 'n Chic: Now With a Master's Degree

The past few weeks have sort of been a flurry of activity around here.  On May 20th I graduated with my MA.  I'm not much for ceremonies and such, but I'll admit that it was a nice day.  My mom threw me and two of my friends a little party with tacos and margaritas and a really good cake.  We ate, drank and were merry, and I couldn't ask for anything more.  I'm sure you're dying to know what I wore on my nails, so I'll share some pictures.  Since I don't have a camera right now I haven't been able to do any macro shots of my own hands, so these will have to do.

Sorta looks like I have NOTHING on my nails, doesn't it?  Not so.  It's OPI Bare It In Trafalgar Square, which is one of my favorite nudes.  A lot of you suggested that I do something with a glitter gradient, and I thought about it...I just didn't have the time.  I opted for something easy and chic, and this OPI fit the bill.  

Here's me with my mom and dad after the ceremony.  It was really warm that day and I couldn't wait to get that robe and silly hat off.  I know I said in my last post that my graduation dress was lavender, but when I found out that it was going to be 85 degrees that day I changed my mind last-minute and went strapless.

This great little embroidered peach and white dress is from the H&M "Conscious Collection" and only set me back $19.99.  I added a black belt and black peep-toes to break up the pastels.  I got roughly a million compliments on this outfit, so I think I made the right choice.  And even though Bare It In Trafalgar Square may have been a little matchy-matchy with the peach of the skirt, I still liked how it looked.  The dress is 100% cotton and I don't really remember being hot at all that day.  If you like this dress and live near an H&M I suggest you snap it up.  It's a good deal.

I like this one.  It's my best pal and me walking toward the ceremony.  We had to wear these silly graduation hoods for the MA degree with white and blue.  Anyway, cute photo.  

Aside from graduation, like I mentioned before, I've just been trying to relax a little and spend time with friends and family.  I'm dating someone new now, and I love spending time with him.  Also my best friend is moving to Boston soon, so I keep trying to be with her also.  Over Memorial Day weekend she and I went to my parents' lake house for a partytime with my family.

me on my uncle's boat last Friday night (dress from Target)

a nice sunset

S'mores around the campfire.  That's Essie Bikini So Teeny on my nails, which I am totally in love with.  It's an absolutely gorgeous cornflower with just a hint of shimmer that I thought was perfect for Memorial Day.  

So, that's what's been going on.  If I get a camera soon hopefully I can actually start blogging effectively again.  Maybe I'll try to borrow one soon.  But rest assured that I am busy and happy.  Happier than I've been in a long time, really.  I miss you guys.

I Need A Little Break

I can't count the number of times that I've written an I-need-a-hiatus post.  But I haven't posted for a while anyway, so I thought I would come back to tell you that I need to leave again.  There are personal things going on in my life that necessitate my full attention and that I can't detail here.  I don't want to let anything negative disrupt my routines, like blogging and talking to you guys on the regular, but unfortunately that can't be the case right now.  Also, this week is busy because I'm graduating on Sunday (!) and there are preparations that need to be made, dresses that need to be picked out, people that need to be seen.  


I've been trying to give myself a mental break over the past few days, and I think that will continue on into this week.  I've been spending every waking (and sleeping, actually) moment with friends and family, trying to get in as much non-alone time as possible.  Cooking lunch with my mom.  Watching baseball with my dad.  Spending time with my best friend before she goes back to Boston for the summer.  Spending time with my oldest friend before she moves to Atlanta in a couple weeks.  Spending time with another friend who I've unintentionally kept on the back burner for years while I've been busy; I realized that he is one of the most important people in my life, and I rarely make time for him.  It's things like this that have been occupying me, and I'm sure it's because I'm realizing that I'm leaving Cleveland soon and that these are the people I love.  And I don't want to be alone all the time anymore.  So I'm constantly spending time with these people; having sleepovers on their floors, watching Planet Earth in our pajamas, eating breakfast for dinner at a [crappy-but-delicious] diner, shopping, laughing, laughing, laughing.  And that's what it's all about, right?


I'll leave you with these images:

My parents' lake house is a couple hours south of here, and I relish my time there.  I don't get to spend much of it down there, but when I do I have moments of pure bliss, like the ones you see above.  The drive relaxes me; one hour on the highway, one hour on windy, hilly country roads.  Then when I get there this is what I see.  I was there with someone new in my life a couple weekends ago, and I remember looking at him at one point (actually, it was during a stop on the drive down) and saying, "I'm deliriously happy right now."  Which is not a sentiment I often, or ever, express.  But that's what I want out of the next couple weeks.  Happiness.  Family.  Friends.  Kitty snuggles.  Hand-holding.  Laughter.  Joy.

To end, if anyone has any suggestions for GRADUATION NAILS I'd certainly appreciate them.  Just leave them in the comments.  I mean, that's if you actually READ this whole post, and if so...kudos.  Edited to add:  my graduation dress is lavender and the gown is black, if that helps with suggestions.

I miss you all.  I'll be back soon.

Sally Hansen Salon Parchment

My blog posts have been on-the-go lately, and this one will be indicative of my lifestyle right now:  clutching a Starbucks iced coffee cup.  Actually, I have two Doubleshot Lights poured into this cup.  I find that two of them gives me a nice buzz for at least an hour, and when these pictures were taken I had just finished grading the exams for my class.  I was tired.

Sally Hansen Salon Parchment is (I think) part of the spring Alexander Wang collaboration (along with Oxblood and Petrol--I kind of wanted Oxblood just for the name, but it's just your basic vampy).  I got it specifically for layering with a glitter.  I thought it was a sheer milky jelly, but it isn't.  It's a sheer, definitely, but it has a slight pearl finish.  It wasn't what I wanted, but it's still kind of nice.  I got another sheer also (Wet n Wild Sugar Coat) to layer with glitter, so we'll see how that goes later.  I'm pretty into this look, though.  This is two coats Parchment, one coat OPI Rainbow Connection, and another coat Parchment.  My nails were described the other day as having been "birthday cake-d," so I'm pretty satisfied.  They remind me of a sugar cookie or something.  Sort of subtle but loud at the same time, and  that is ideal.

I'm feeling pretty good today, school-wise!  Things are pretty much done.  Which means I survived earning a Masters degree.  Graduation is May 20th, so all I have left to do is walk across that stage.  I feel like I clawed my way here, so I almost think I should celebrate in some way.  But I'm totally mentally exhausted and surviving on very little sleep, so I kind of just want to watch tv in my underwear (plus Cleveland is HOT right now; my apartment feels like the threshold to hell).  Here was me Wednesday:

Hadn't slept.  Hair was not behaving.  Slight bit of down time in the library.

Here I was yesterday, post-exam-grading:

Smugly self-satisfied, right?  Taken to commemorate my last real working day as an MA student.  But my hair is still frizzy.

I'll probably do a post to wrap up stuff about my degree and with any advice for those who think they might want to go on for an advanced degree in the humanities.  I am by no means an expert, but maybe I can help someone.  I have one more e-mail to send to my supervisor at the museum, and then I need a nap.

Oh, and then I also start my summer responsibilities.  No rest for the wicked.  But there are pigtails for the wicked, and that's what's important.

So, Parchment?  Thoughts?  Sheers and glitters?  Jelly sammies?  Please tell me things.

China Glaze Riveting

This'll be a short post.  I just don't want you guys to forget about me ;)

This is China Glaze Riveting, which I know you've seen a hundred times before.  But never on me!  It went really well with the maiden voyage of my Bike Lane Dress, which I got in January.  It was finally warm enough to wear it.  Anyway, Riveting is a fiery orange jelly with gold shimmer that's very dense, formula-wise, for a jelly polish.  It only took two coats to be pretty much completely opaque.  I really like it.  It lights up in the sun.  Of the three Capital Colors polishes I got (this one, Fast Track, and Smoke and Ashes), I actually think Fast Track is my favorite.  But this one was really close to claiming that top spot.

Anyway, I feel like I've been doing pretty well the past week.  I powered through my final papers on very little sleep and a lot of caffeine, and that allowed me to focus on other things aside from whatever feelings I might be feeling.  I still have other [time consuming] obligations to complete, but I hope I remain distracted.  

I can't wait to sit in the sun and read Moby Dick.  As Carrie Bradshaw would say:  the best we can do is just breathe and reboot.  And I need that.  I don't have the luxury right now, but maybe soon.


Oh, and happy May.