Mani Jami

lifeintheme Mani Monday Tags: , Leave a comment

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Recently, my old college buddy Vanessa (AKA Vee-Booty during the Big Booty cheer) sent me a sample of some Jamberry nails. A couple of days later, my old grad school friend (AKA no nickname) suggested I do a review of Jamberry nails. My friends have good timing.

I decided to spice up my Jamberry review by comparing it with other nail wraps/stickers/whatchamacallits. My sweet husband picked these Essie and Fing’rs wraps up at the Dollar Tree for me. I would love to tell you what each wrap is made of, but I cannot find any information on any of the packaging or websites of all three of these companies. It’s a mystery!

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The first picture is of my nails on Saturday after the wraps were first applied. The Fing’rs wrap is on my thumb and the Essie wrap is on my middle finger. These two wraps did not file away cleanly from the edge of my nail. The Fing’rs wrap looked especially ragged. The Jamberry nails had the shiniest finish (although the Essie wraps were purposefully made half matte as part of the design).

The second picture is of my nails as of an hour ago. The Fing’rs wrap did not last long. The Jamberry wrap on my pointer finger had a wrinkle in it when I applied it, so it went bye-bye during my extra-hot shower today. The Essie wrap is chipped away from nail edge and cuticle.

My friends say that Jamberry nails last up to two weeks for them. I am obsessed with hygiene, so my manicures never last as long as my friends’ do. However, I will say that Jamberry wraps were the best out of all the wraps I have tried. They look the best. (I have formerly used OPI x Sephora wraps. They looked like stickers but had good lasting power.)

If you are a person who does not have time for a regular manicure or believes that the manicures on Pinterest are attainable with a regular nail brush, then these Jamberry nail wraps are for you. Check out Vanessa’s website here. Also, let me know if there are any other things you would like me to try out for you.

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P.S. Did you watch the 40th Anniversary of SNL last night? Martin Short has still got it!

Weekend Watchlist: Valentine’s Day

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Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. My husband and I take turns being in charge of it every year because it’s really not fair to make the men do all the work (just like women shouldn’t have to do all the housework). I have planned a whole weekend of fun for him, but I can’t tell you about it because he reads my blog. He might even be my only reader this weekend.

Anyway, here are my picks for this weekend:

via TV Guide

c/o TV Guide

If you missed it yesterday, you can still watch Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown online here (if you are a cable subscriber). I’m really bummed that all of the Charlie Brown specials are no longer on Netflix, but I guess it was a really good strategy for ABC.

c/o zap2it

c/o zap2it

If you want a little less romance and a little more laughter, I know the perfect show for you. Whether you’re a cynical singleton or a hopeless romantic, you can never go wrong with the SNL Valentine’s Day special. It’s on NBC tonight at 10:00. Also, don’t forget to watch/DVR the 40th anniversary special tomorrow night. I’m so excited for it that I almost wish Valentine’s day was over. (Almost.)

c/o Old Fashioned

c/o Old Fashioned

I saved the best for last. This might be a shameless plug since my husband was the lead editor on this movie, but Old Fashioned is a realistic look at how hard it is to date (specifically for those who are Christians). The cinematography is beautiful, and the music is great. (I would say something about the editing, but you know I’m biased). Check it out at your local movie theater.

I hope you’re having a great Valentine’s Day. I ate so much chocolate that I gave myself a stomach ache.

Mani Monday: Another Nail Fail

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This is after less than 24 hours of wear. I must admit that my Monday posts are getting to be quite embarrassing. My nails do not usually look so Lindsay Lohanesque. (P.S. Remember when LiLo made it cool to go get a chipped manicure? P.P.S. Remember LiLo? I heard her name mentioned on the radio today and was honestly surprised that she still exists.) IMG_1340
There are some glitter nail polishes that are so dense that they are made for one night wear. This one was not advertised as such, but it does have an unusual amount of glitter. I may try to wear this one without a basecoat and topcoat like a high density glitter lacquer. Unlike last week’s Deborah Lippman polish, this one actually does looks very pretty on and does not have a horrible formula.

Normally, I would’ve redone my nails after such bad chipping, but I was busy figuring out what I should do with my hair for the screening of the film Old Fashioned, which my husband co-edited. You can watch the trailer here.

Here’s my huge hair before I styled it.
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I’ll let you see the results on the big day since I haven’t figured out what to do yet.

Do you have any ideas for my hair? Do you want to style my hair for me? (Please?)

Mani Monday: $20 Nail Polish???

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Would you pay $20 for nail polish? That’s how much Deborah Lippmann glitter nail polish costs.
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As much as I obsess over nail polish, I couldn’t shell out 20 clams for half an ounce of finger paint. I almost didn’t buy this bottle that I found at T.J. Maxx because it was $6.99. However, curiosity got the best of me. I really wanted to know what made a $20 bottle of nail polish so special. Plus, this color is called “Flash Dance.”

Do you want to know what makes this bottle of nail polish so special? It’s special because the formula won’t even last a full 24 hours.
IMG_1317Isn’t that terrible? If a nail polish costs $20, it should at least last a full day’s worth of wear (and maybe wash your dishes for you).

Flash Dance has a lumpy formula and  a matte finish. It took three coats of topcoat to make it shiny enough to appreciate the different tones of glitter. This is disappointing because I really was excited for my hands to look like the 2015 New Year’s ball.
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Have you ever had a mani as bad as this one? Let me know in the comments!

Weekend Watchlist

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Courtesy of tvguide.com

Courtesy of tvguide.com

It’s the weekend! It’s time to sit on our couches and watch stuff. After all, isn’t that the American dream?

I have a tradition of watching every Peanuts holiday special. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. If you haven’t already watched Happy New Year, Charlie Brown, then do so immediately here.

Courtesy of backtothefuture.com

Courtesy of backtothefuture.com

Also, since it is 2015, I feel that it is my duty to recommend that you watch Back to the Future Part II. If you are one of those people who cannot watch a trilogy out of order (ahem, me), then you better start watching them ASAP. If you don’t own Back to the Future on VHS or DVD, then you can either order the DVDs on Netflix or rent it on Amazon Instant.

The Oscar nominations were announced this week. Currently, there are only two nominees on Netflix, Virunga and Ida. I have not watched either of them yet, so I’ll talk about them later.

There is much controversy over the Oscars. All of the nominated actors are white. The last time this happened was in 1995. All of the nominated directors and screenwriters are men. All of the films nominated for best picture feature a male as the star, and only one of those stars is not white. (Need a visual aid?) The rest of the list doesn’t fare much better.

I want to say how disheartened I am by the lack of diversity of this list. However, since “Everything is Awesome,” a farcical song that brainwashes beings into not questioning the status quo, is nominated for best song, I’m not sure my lamentation will make any difference.

Manis, Movies, & Luke Wilson

lifeintheme Wildcard Wednesday Tags: , Leave a comment

I mentioned in my last post that blogging regularly is one of my New Year’s resolutions. Since my theme for my blog is themes, I have, of course, decided upon themes for each day of the week.

Mani Monday: A day to show off my newest nail polish find. These manicures will all be in accordance with my theme for the month. Since January’s theme is the New Year, expect a lot of glitter.

My New Year's Eve mani

My New Year’s Eve mani. Not the best color combo, but lots of festive glitter to commemorate the ball drop. 

Wildcard Wednesdays: A day reserved for whatever pops into my head on these days. I imagine that they will mostly consist of philosophical pop culture musings and amusing stories of bad things that have happened to me.

Weekend Watchlist (Fridays): Weekends are for relaxing, and I know that most of America spends it on the couch watching Netflix. I will recommend movies/shows based on the month’s theme.

Since it is 1:50am, it is technically Thursday. However, I am calling it Wednesday because I have not gone to bed yet and also because I have a Wildcard Wednesday story involving Luke Wilson.

I was leaving Target on a dark, drizzly night. Thus, I was being more cautious than usual on the one-way side street towards my house. As I neared the stop at the end of the road, I noticed a midnight-blue sports car trying to turn the wrong way into my road. I turned towards the curb and tried to stop quickly without skidding on the dark puddles underneath my wheels. My heart tried to keep up with my rising blood pressure as I watched the car Tokyo-drift around me, narrowly missing me. For a split second, I made eye contact with the driver. We were barely a foot apart. Deep-set eyes drilled into mine. I noticed how calm he was. I sat for a moment after he passed. I realized I was holding my breath.  I exhaled as I thought about what had just happened. I remembered the puppy dog eyes, the square chin, the modelesque woman in a shiny dress possessively touching his shoulder. Was that… Luke Wilson?

Cheating on My New Year’s Resolutions & My Theme for 2015

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I meant to begin blogging again right after the new year started. Blogging regularly is one of my New Year’s resolutions. I am not good at resolutions.

Another one of my New Year’s resolutions is to read the Bible in 90 days. I even cheated at this resolution. (I hate cheating, but I know how few of my New Year’s resolutions ever come to fruition). I began reading in Leviticus, where I had left off reading in December, instead of Genesis. I figured this head start would help me finish reading it by April. As of today, I am two days behind.

Only one of my New Year’s resolutions have ever come true. Last year, after many years of refusing to even make a New Year’s resolution, I decided that I needed to work on my attitude. I made a resolution to be less bitter and more forgiving.

This resolution was hard to live by, especially for a person who remembers every bad thing that has ever happened to her. However, the Holy Spirit was at work in me. This was not a pie-in-the-sky dream to win the lottery or become a hand model. This was a decision to be more like the person God wants me to be, so I received the benefit of supernatural help.

One of the reasons my New Year’s resolutions were never successful was that they were so nebulous. Last year I learned that breaking down my goals into practical steps is the key to success. Here is how I broke my resolution down:

  • Be Less Bitter
    • Forgive those who have hurt me
    • Pray for those who have hurt me
    • Do not judge people’s present actions based on past mistakes
  • Be More Forgiving
    • Think the best of others
    • Do not make assumptions about others
    • Humbly remember how many times I have been forgiven

Through God’s grace, I released the burden of bitterness and put on the yoke of forgiveness. It’s much lighter, and I’m much happier.

This year my resolution may sound less lofty. However, I think it is the next step for me in my spiritual walk. My goal this year is to reach out to people. Here is how I am breaking it down:

  • Reach Out to Others
    • Invite each family in my apartment building to dinner
    • Be on the lookout for ways to help others
    • Pray for my husband daily

Last year my theme was letting go. (Yes, Disney copied me.) This year my theme is thoughtfulness. I want to make an intentional effort to support and encourage those around me. (Also, I want to recreate the neighborly relations that I see on television shows from the 70’s.) Will you pray for me? What are your resolutions for 2015?

Day 12: The Holly and the Molly

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(I had a better title for this post, but I forgot it. Don’t blame me. Blame my mom-in-law for making Jack Daniels carrots. I’m so drunk right now. Just kidding. They are awfully good though.)

Christmas day is a special day. It is a day where we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior while sitting around in your pajamas and stuffing your face. However, sometimes your new Christmas pajamas (another good thing from my MIL) just seem too casual for Christmas dinner. This presents a problem because pajamas have a stretchy waistline that are perfect for holiday eatings. The answer to this dilemma is simple: a Christmas sweater vest. Throw a Christmas sweater vest over your pjs, and suddenly you are fancy. I prefer this one with holly on it because people like it when you wear stuff that rhymes with your name so that they can make clever jokes about it. It’s a definite people-pleaser.

On the other hand, Christmas mornings are usually pretty low-key. You can do the whole #iwokeuplikethis thing. If you are a B-list celebrity, this means that you rock a full face of make-up, including a nude lip and clear mascara. The rest of us just brush our teeth and rub the sleep out of our eyes. In the spirit of Christmas morning coziness, my husband and I created gingerbread versions of ourselves for this sweet hoodie.
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(Note that I am holding my new Korean Barbie from 1987. It specifies that the Korean language is “different than Chinese and Japanese” and also that Koreans are a “polite” people. The 80’s were a very special time in America.)

Anyway, it’s time for me to go play Star Munchkin 2: The Clown Wars with the family, so I better go.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas.

The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Saviour

You Better Watch Out!

lifeintheme The 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

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It’s Day 11 of The 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters. In other parts of the country this day is called Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is a very special night for people around the world. This is a night when a fat man in a red suit who has been peeping at you all year comes to every home in the world.

How does this obese man keep tabs on every person in the world? That’s obvious. He uses a surveillance team. Personnel on this team has access to some of the best espionage technology in the world. Don’t ask me how I know this.

Let’s change the subject. Here is my eleventh Christmas sweater. It has an elf climbing up my shoulder on the back.
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Tomorrow’s the final day of The 12 Days of Christmas Sweaters!
Have a festive Christmas Eve.

Santa’s Secret Operative

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IMG_1288What have I been doing today? Well, it’s a secret. You’ll have to wait until Christmas to find out.

Just kidding. I felt a little under the weather today, so I didn’t do much. I watched Garfield’s Christmas, Claymation Christmas, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, and The Desolation of Smaug. It was awesome.

IMG_1289Happy Day 10, guys! Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve, so be sure to come back and check out my super sweet sweater.