I’ll Give You The Mani

March 31, 2015March 31, 2015 ~ Taylor Justine ~ Leave a comment

I'll Give You The Sun Cover Inspired Manicure One of the most anticipated YA reads of 2014 became one of my absolute favorite books of 2015, and maybe even ever! I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson is a contemporary to rule all YA contemporaries, and I am so glad it came into my life. I have a feeling my overzealous review/opinion of this book might get a bit rambly, so bear with me!

Told from alternating perspectives of a set of twins, this book is liquid poetry and art. If I’m being objective, it could be a bit much for some people who don’t have the patience for flowery language, but it was just enough for me. Love and loss are the main themes, and it ultimately left me breathless.

I have a hard time forming sentences that correctly express my love for this story, so I’ll just throw out some adjectives instead: heartbreakingly beautiful, moving, inspiring and literally a million more. If you want to be moved to laughter and tears, I beg you, PICK UP THIS BOOK.

**I’m not sure if you can tell, but I feel rather strongly about how how incredible this novel is!

Now, let’s give you the mani!

Tools I Used // Essie Mojito Madness + Blanc + Julep London + Jeanne + Bailey + Nadia + Karen + Myrtle + Cover Girl Flamed Out

This was another design that used ALL the polishes. Clearly I’m on some sort of rainbow kick, and I ain’t even mad! I went pretty literal with the design of this manicure, sticking mainly with the gorgeous rainbow sunburst on the white background. You’ll need as many polishes as you can carry, plus some, and for me that included my trusty stash of Julep and Essie colors.

I’ll talk rainbow stripes first. I went with a random order of colors to mimic the lack of pattern on the cover. Grab your striping brush, or skinny paint brush in my case, and go to town! While I would have liked my colored stripes to be a bit thinner, I think I made it work. This design is great for ya’ll who are worried about painting intricate images because it doesn’t have to be exact!

I stripped the dust jacket off for a bit of accent nail inspo. To play with the orange and white, I used striping tape (my fav technique) and a vibrant orange. Voila, you’ve got yourself a contrasting, geometric accent nail!

Did you love I’ll Give You The Sun as much as I did? Let me know what you thought! Happy Reading!

{ICYMI} P.S. I Still Love You Bow Challenge

March 29, 2015March 29, 2015 ~ Taylor Justine ~ Leave a comment

My love runs deep for a couple things: nail polish, books, boys and BOWS. You know what embodies all of that? To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and Miss Jenny Han! When I first read TATBILB, I loved it. It was a cute, quick read that had me smiling to myself the whole way through (and I got a great mani out of it too!).

So when Simon Teen and Jenny announced the sequel, P.S. I Still Love You, I was all about it! And as a social media gal, you know I truly appreciate a good teaser campaign to get fans excited. That’s why I love this bow challenge, and wanted to share will all of you!

To enter, dust off your hair bows and snap a selfie on Instagram! Tag @MissJennyHan and @SimonTeen, include the hashtag #PSIStillLoveYou and you’re good to go. Oh, and make sure to check out the official rules so you know what’s going on.

Can’t wait to see all of your hair bow selfies! Happy Reading!

Reading Slump: Common Cures

March 25, 2015March 25, 2015 ~ Taylor Justine ~ 5 Comments

As my fellow bookworms can tell you, two seemingly innocent words (when paired together) can instill the fear of You Know Who in each of us: READING SLUMP. I’ve had my fair share of these dreaded moods. When everything you pick up refuses to catch your eye, and it seems like you might be on the verge of the worst break up in history (between you and literature, of course).

Well, don’t fret. I have a couple tricks up my sleeve to get out of this mood quicker than Harry can disarm his opponent!

Put down what you’re currently reading. A lot of times, when you’re not exactly feeling the book you are trying to read, you lose interest and find something else to do. It’s ok to put a book down, I promise. It doesn’t have to be for good, it just might not be the right time!
Don’t read what you THINK you should be reading, read what you WANT to read. We all get caught up in peer pressure; when we feel like we should be reading more “classics” or “adult books.” PSH, you do you boo! If you want to read nothing but romance novels, DO IT. I love YA lit, and I’m proud. Read what you love because you don’t have to prove anything to anyone!
Pick up an old favorite. Grabbing one of my all-time fav books, like HP or The Lunar Chronicles, reminds me why I love reading when I’m worried I’ve forgotten. You’ll be more inspired to grab a new one when you remember why you love books!
And if all else fails… Don’t force it! The worst thing you can do is push yourself so hard in a direction you don’t want to go that you end up (God forbid!) resenting books! Take a break and do something else for a while. If you only read one book that month, it ain’t no thing! You’ll find your way back soon enough, us bookworms always do.

Do you have a sure-fire way to avoid the dreaded reading slump? Don’t be selfish! Share the goods in the comments below. Happy Reading!

Nail Polish Favorites // Spring 2015

March 22, 2015March 22, 2015 ~ Taylor Justine ~ 2 Comments

SPRING! My favorite season is finally upon us, and I am overly excited for the gorgeous nail polish trends this year.

I am so inspired by the Pantone collection, En Plein Air, for Spring 2015. It’s a gorgeous blend of soft pastels and understated bright shades that you’d find in florals & nature, and ultimately will stand out beautifully on your nails. We seriously can’t do wrong with any of their choices. You know who else has channeled this trend TO PERFECTION? Essie’s collab Spring 2015 Collection, Flowerista, with Rebecca Minkoff.

I could continue to rave about how passionate I am when it comes to the absolutely gorgeous colors gracing nails this season, but how about I just show you?

Marsala – As Pantone’s 2015 Color of the Year, Marsala is rich and robust, which lends itself to great manicures. I love Mint’s Moonlit Stroll as the perfect, wearable version of this trend. It has so many dimensions, and when I have it on, I can’t keep my eyes off it!

Nude – If you ask me, a good nude is always on trend no matter the season. When you’re looking during spring, you need a nude that brings new life and depth into your wardrobe in the same way the earth begins to find life again after winter. If you’ll bear with me, I’m about to start my lovefest over Essie’s spring collection! Picked Perfect is one of two nudes in their new collection, and this guy specifially is a warm almond shade I’ve fallen in love with.

Teal – I’ve already mentioned how much I love Essie’s Spring Collection this year, so obviously my teal of choice this season is Garden Variety! There is no lack of pigment here, and if you want a punchy, funky teal, you’ve come to the right place.

Grey – I always crave a nice grey with blueish undertones for spring. It really is the ultimate color that allows brighter, more showstopping shades to take center stage. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Essie’s Petal Pushers is perfection! Another home run for their spring collection.

Dusty Pastels – Whether it’s blue, pink, purple or green, pastels shine brightest during the spring. This year, I’m extra loving the dusty versions of these soft shades. Julep’s Shelly, a dusty mint, has been the apple of my eye for the last couple months, and I can’t wait to continue to wear it through the spring months!

What are your picks for Spring 2015 nail polish trends? Happy Reading!

Some Other Manicure, Maybe!

March 20, 2015March 20, 2015 ~ Taylor Justine ~ 3 Comments

In Some Other World Maybe Cover Inspired Manicure // Novels and Nail Polish I was thrilled when St. Martin’s Press reached out to me with their new YA/Adult contemporary novel, In Some Other World, Maybe. It’s possible that I was more excited about the cover than the actual story right off the bat. I mean, look at that beautiful rainbow watercolor-looking gorgeousness! I was ready to paint away before even opening it.

Thankfully, the book lived up to its beautiful cover, and I ended up loving them equally! In Some Other World, Maybe follows three separate story lines with characters that intertwine and intersect as everyone grows up in modern America. The characters learn about love and loss, life in Hollywood and how to make it in this messed up world. It was a fun and unique story that I really didn’t want to put down until it was finished!

A word to the wise, pay attention to people’s names at the beginning of the book. I ended up going through a couple chapters before realizing that the characters (major and minor) we are first introduced to show up in all three of the story lines. Once I realized that, I actually went back and reread some of the book to clear up the confusion!

Now, let’s paint a watercolor masterpiece!

Tools I Used // Essie Bikini So Teeny + Blanc + Mojito Madness + Julep London + Zoya Odette + OPI Guy Meets Gal-Veston

This mani used A LOT of polishes. This might be a record for the most polishes I’ve used in a cover-inspired manicure thus far! I really wanted to capture the watercolor rainbow vibe of the cover, and so I pulled out all of the polish stops.

To start, I painted two coats of Essie Blanc and sealed with a quick dry top coat. If I may go off on a quick tangent, I finally jumped on the Seche Vite bandwagon, and it feels like home. I will probably never use another top coat, it’s that fantastic!

Now down to the nitty gritty: the how-to of the watercolor look. I adapted the main technique from a tutorial by The Beauty Department, one of my daily reads for all things beauty! Grab your acetone/nail polish remover and a small container to hold it. I personally use the bottle cap because it’s super convenient! You’ll also need a brush to paint on the design.

On a small square of foil, place a drop of your first color. I went with a watercolor base of Bikini So Teeny on all five nails. Dip your brush in the acetone, then into the color. I did this one or two times to get it diluted a decent amount. Dab the polish on your nail, and don’t be afraid to further dilute the color by dipping the brush back into the acetone without adding more color. The top coat you applied to the first coat will keep the nail polish remover from stripping the base color!

Continue the dilution technique for all colors desired. I decided to do a different color combination on all five fingers because I wanted to capture the beauty of the rainbow! Make sure all of the nail polish remover is dry on the nails before painting a top coat, otherwise you’ll have holes in the final polish layer.

Have you tried a watercolor manicure before? What techniques did you use? Happy Reading!

All Green Everything

March 17, 2015March 17, 2015 ~ Taylor Justine ~ 3 Comments

Happy St. Patrick’s Day friends! Grab a Guinness & a green book, and in my opinion, you’re good to go!

Happy Reading!

Lucky Look {St. Paddy’s Day}

March 15, 2015 ~ Taylor Justine ~ Leave a comment

St. Patrick’s Day is one of those fun holidays that inspires great nail art. Who doesn’t love a good green, gold and/or rainbow manicure every once in a while? So this year, I wanted something office appropriate, yet still festive to celebrate the one day a year it’s acceptable to drink green beer!

I love a simple ruffian manicure. There’s something so unique, yet elegant about the design that I can’t get over. And on top of its inherently classic look, it’s so simple to execute! I went with the two most perfect St. Pat’s Day lacquers I own: Roc Solid {Julep} and OY-Another Polish Joke {OPI}.

Let’s just discuss this gold for a moment. It is LITERALLY perfection. It sparkles, it shines, it does everything. But to make it even better, it’s not a rough, chunky glitter. It is basically liquid gold, and I’m in love! Look at it in the sun, I mean LOOK AT IT!

Ok, now that I’ve gushed about my love for that gold polish, let’s get down to the design. I always freehand my ruffian manicures, but a French Manicure decal can do the trick if you’re afraid to go without a guide. The trick to free-handing a ruffian mani is to make as few polish strokes as you can. Get a good amount of polish on the brush, set it down in the center of the nail where you want to start the second color, and fan out the brush as you move toward the tip. That way it naturally creates the gradual spread of polish.

I chose to switch up the colors on two accent nails, but you could do any combination.

What are you wearing on your nails for St. Patrick’s Day? Happy Reading!

Novels and Nail Polish

A pretty, little blog that celebrates well-written books and beautiful nail polish.

Month: March 2015