New Week, New Style: Trying a new Nail Color

Hi, world!  This week on New Week, New Style, I'd like to focus on our nails.  Most of us have that signature color that we reach for, and while that's great, why don't we shake it up every once and awhile?  Here's a few colors that I love!

Blue Polish

I love a really great blue polish.  It's so fresh, and so unexpected on your nails.  This shade, called No Room for the Blues by OPI is a great shade of blue, it's not too bright, pastel or dark.  This color would look great with a neutral outfit, but it would also pair well with reds, pinks and yellows!

Green Polish

Green can be a bit tricky to wear. If it's got too much of a yellow tone, you might look like your nails are diseased.  Too pastel, they tend to look chalky.  I like a nice, bright kelly green, like this one.  It's Envy by Piggy Polish, and it's a lot of fun.  With this on your fingers, you'll have everyone green with envy for your manicure!  Try this color with your gold jewelry, the two will really pop off of each other!

Yellow Polish

Yellow is another color that's hard to wear.  Unless you're very young or like a punk rock look, I'd steer clear of the neons.  The best yellows are ones that don't have a brown undertone to them.  This clear yellow is perfect, and the pastel shade makes your nails a bit more demure.  It's Lemon Fizz by China Glaze. A note about yellows: they tend to be a bit transparent, so you may want to put this over a base layer of white.

Purple Polish

Purple is one of my favorite colors, and I think it's so versatile.  Most people look good in purple, and most shades of purple suit most skin tones.  I don't think you can go wrong with any shade of purple!  For my personal tastes, I like a bright purple, like Purple with a Purpose from OPI. If you like the idea of purple, but don't feel this brave, try a pastel purple, as they'll look very close to a pastel pink.

Red Polish

Red is a classic color, but many people are afraid of it.  Too many, in my opinion.  I beg you all, if you've never worn a bright red, go try it today!  It's so fun to wear red on your nails, and it's versatile!  This is the one bright color that you truly can wear from the corporate meeting to daycare to drinks with the girls.  There are many shades of red out there, from red-orange to red with blue undertones.  I like a classic red, like Really Red from Essie.


I really love all of these colors, and want you all to try them.  If you're looking for more ideas about nails, there are plenty of blogs and websites out there dedicated to manicures, testing polishes, and trying funky new stamps or techniques on their nails.  One popular one that I follow is Chloe's Nails, you'll find a lot of great information there!

So tell me, do you have a favorite, non-traditional nail color?  And how do you wear it?

New Week, New Style: Stacking Bracelets

So sorry I'm late with this post, world, my 'puter was being naughty yesterday!

For this week's, New Week, New Style, I've decided to cover bracelets. I love bracelets. I can't count how many I have. But when it comes to putting them together, sometimes you have to be creative.  They can be a bit boring if you don't do something new and fresh with them.  So this week, I challenge you to stack your bracelets!

 Here's a look at just some of my bracelets.  How did I get so many?!?

The first (and easiest) way to stack bracelets is to simply stack them by color.  Use any and all bracelets you have, but stick to one or two colors.  It doesn't matter if some are beaded, bangle, tennis, or any other kind, just as long as they're within your color scheme.  Here's one stack I did, concentrating on yellows and oranges:

Here's another, this time in purples and pinks:

Easy, right? The second way to stack is by using a single bracelet as an inspiration.  For instance, here's one of my absolutely favorite bracelets.  I love the colors and the vintage feeling of it.

However, on its own it feels a bit plain.  For my first stack with this bracelet, I went, again, with colors.  I pulled all the bracelets I could with colors I found in this first bracelet.  This is what I came up with:

Fun, huh?  Next, I tried to stay more with the vintage feeling of the bracelet.  I dug through some of my heirlooms, brought out the pearls, and viola!

See? Two totally different looks, based off one bracelet.  Let's try it again, with a different bracelet.  This is a tiny Asian inspired bracelet, and I love it.

Okay, so I'm going to stack using both the colors and the feel this time. Here's my creation:

I love it!  Now, here's my last little tip.  Sometimes I'll pick up a set of bracelets with two or three bracelets in a similar hue or feel.  Here's one I got awhile back:

Cute, but could use some jazzing up.  I decided to add some more beaded bracelets, but in pinks and plums. Here's what I came up with:

So much better!  I love this look, it's so easy to achieve, and it's a blast to do!  Plus it's free, you can use all the bracelets you already have.  If you're going with the stacked bracelet look, I'd keep the rest of your jewelry fairly neutral.  Maybe one statement ring on the opposite hand of your stack, no necklaces, and simple hoop or stud earrings.  You won't want to take the focus off these babies!