Beauty + Style = White Nails + Leopard Print

My latest beauty craving?  Mod white nails!  So for my latest round of gel/shellac, I went with IBD Just Gel Polish in Whipped Creme.  Basically this is just the opaque white color that River Oaks Nail Spa uses for the white tip in french manicures.  FYI, I've found that the IBD brand tends to last longer on my nails than the CND Shellac or OPI Gel Color brands.

Trend: Statement Necklace vs. Pendant Necklace

Should we store all of our statement bib-type necklaces in favor of the long, layered pendant look?  I recently bought two cute necklaces that I wanted to compare.

The Incumbent = Bib-Style Statement Necklace

I'm so sick of seeing those rhinestone, bib-style statement necklaces that J Crew has been pushing season after season.  Surely these are out by now.

Oh, and I'm sure you've never seen this necklace before:

The J Crew Bubble Necklace- it's everywhere!!

We tried it...Lash Tinting!

We at BeautyNow love Edward Sanchez Vanity Lounge in West Ave.  Such a chic space, great location, and, of course, talented technicians like the famous and fabulous Edward Sanchez himself.  The perfect place to experiment with lash tinting!

Lauren and Edward at a blogger event at Vanity Lounge.  A stylish pair!

Although it may sound counter-intuitive, I wanted to get my lashes dyed to be more LOW maintenance.  It is so much trouble to put on mascara in the morning with a toddler tugging at your leg, but my lashes are blond at the tips and I wanted a little more definition for my eyes without any hassle.  

Beauty + Style: Topknot + White Dress

Warning: I'm kind of a style-stalker, and I may stop you on the street if I think you look cute!  Behold Jennie, this adorable girl I saw shopping at SAM and lilli in West Ave.  Neat bangs and a topknot paired with dangly earrings and a light, glossy lip.  What an easy, breezy summer look!

Product Find: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure

For years I have assumed that the best polishes are the ones you find at the nail salon, like OPI and Essie.  But I picked up a bottle of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure at the grocery store, and I have to say it looks smoother, shinier, and most importantly LASTS longer than the salon brands. I think I'm a convert. The pic below is on DAY FIVE, people, and not a chip in sight! And I did my nails myself here, so it wasn't a professional job to begin with: