Introducing: Nail Art Gallery Magazine

My new job has taken me into the beauty industry, and I couldn't be happier! Nail art is not so different from the art I have dealt with previously. It's all about imagination, creativity, a steady hand, and executing a vision. I love that nail art is so popular right now. As someone who adores wearing color, sparkle, and personal style, this is all right up my alley.

That is why I am thrilled  to announce the new publication I have been working on. Enter: Nail Art Gallery Magazine . This digital publication is free to view on your tablet or computer. Simply click on the link and be inspired by these cool designs, including many for the holidays.

It was a lot of hard work putting this magazine together, but in the end, it was so well worth it. I am happy with the premier issue and am looking forward to producing these bi-monthly and exploring new media. I hope you'll join me!

Happy Nail Painting!

King/Queen for a Day

I mentioned on Twitter (yes, I Tweet, but I'm not sure if I like it or am doing it right) that it has been a good week for royalty. Let me explain.

Last Tuesday, her Majesty celebrated 60 years on the English throne. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to watch the Diamond Jubilee. Think about it, both Charles and William are too old or will be too old by the time they ascend the thrown to reign for 60 years. So it was with great excitement and pride (being of English descent) that I got up early to watch the Queen and the celebration covered by the Daily Telegraph.
Elizabeth actually is very important to many of us. True, she has no real political power, but what she represents is something far greater than anything any elected official has achieved lately. She symbolizes national pride; she is living history; she has stayed strong in the face of a drastically changing world; Lillibet is truly a woman to look up to.

The very popular "Keep calm ..." posters were actually spawned from the British mentality of keeping a stiff upper lip, and Lillibet personifies the ability to keep calm and ever so regally carry on. That's why I like her. The Queen is always graceful; the Queen is always calm. You don't see the Queen cry over hard work, or a war, or even death. You see the Queen muscle on. God Bless her! In honor of Lillibet I collected some of my favorite Keep Calms from Pinterest as well as an Instagram photo of my toast to Lillibet, which consisted of wine purchased from an English store in Santa Monica.

Also included is my champagne toast to the Los Angeles Kings on the tv screen. Last night the Los Angeles Kings won their first Stanley Cup!! I grew up with a dad who loves hockey and loves the Kings, so last night was a special one for my father who has waited almost his entire life to see this victory. Now, I am not a sports fanatic, but the passion my dad has for hockey is ever inspiring to me. My dad stuck by his team through all of their lackluster seasons and never gave up hope that one day they would be recognized for being the best. That's the thing about sports and about dads: they teach you to never give up on the people you care about. I shudder to think where I would be today if I had a father who gave up on me when I wasn't at my best.

Lessons learned from monarchy: keep calm and you set a great example; wait long enough and a once in a lifetime opportunity will find you, so long as you have goals.

Hope today is a calming one : )

Rainbow Brite

One of the best things about having an iphone is having Instagram. I am totally addicted! You can also view photos on Webstagram.

As I have stated before, I love color. It makes me so happy that everyone is wearing tons of color for spring and summer. So these rainbow instagram pictures totally caught my eye and I had to share. I urge you to follow them along on the 'grams: laughs_4_girls and girls_zone. **You can find me on instagram under shmeth.**

Feeling boldly inspired by these bright beauties, I picked up a couple of colorful pieces over the weekend. I got these light blue stunning shoes and this great tribal print rainbow dress from the great Target. Although it's cold out right now, I wanted to pop my work outfit yesterday so I grabbed these purple and rainbow jeweled heels to wear with my velvet pants. These shoes are by a brand called Ragazza and I got them at Bloomingdales a couple of years ago. This just goes to show, you dont have to pair every color in the rainbow together to have fun with this trend. A basic black or black & white outfit will look so much more contemporary with a pop of color in one accessory.

Cheers to a colorful day!

Gleam On!

What does your makeup collection say about you? I have a penchant for designer labels even when it comes to makeup (sorry, but I have yet to find drugstore products that work for me and my skin as well). But since I don't wear a lot of makeup, I can afford to splurge on department store buys every now and again. Among names like Dior, Chanel, and Clinique, I am happy to say I have placed my newest love, Lip Radiance by Melanie Mills, and it is one of the single most inspiring products I own because I know the story behind the woman who thought of it. Melanie truly believes in gleaming from the inside out, and her products help make women happy, healthy, and glowing.

I had the immense privilege of interviewing Emmy winner Melanie Mills for Made Woman Magazine. Melanie is the genius, inspiring, beautiful, kind, entrepreneur behind Dancing With the Stars makeup and has also done makeup for several other TV shows and movies. Despite this fame, she is still down to earth and oh so real. You must check out my interview with her (where you will walk away loving her!) as well as her line of Lip Radiances and Gleam Body Radiances here.

I had to have With My Heels On. It's a gorgeous color and covers my lips perfectly. I have to thank Melanie for being such a delight ... and I will thank all of you in advance for checking out my interview : )

Vegas: The Fabulousness

If there's one thing I love more than a cupcake, it's shopping. And Vegas has the best shopping! Since it was President's Day weekend there were excellent sales too. Nothing beats shopping in Vegas : )

Above:
Troy Surratt lip gloss shaped like a champagne bottle (color is 24 Karat Couture) and Deborah Lippmann nail polish in Here Comes the Queen, all found at Juicy Couture.

The Chandelier Bar at the Cosmopolitan.

My sleeve of cuffs that I wore out on our last night. All vintage, save for Eurotrash cuff and JoAnn Doxakis bracelet. The background is my Juicy Couture coat that I love!

I went a little crazy at Kate Spade and walked away with this multicolored fringe necklace called Twist & Shout. It reminds me of falling confetti. I paired it with my favorite turquoise necklace handmade by Denise and a hot pink Elizabeth & James silk tunic, to fully embrace the color trend in fashion right now.

My new Kate Spade purse is this cool mint colored shoulder strap beauty that converts into a clutch. <3!

As you can see, the jewelry drawers at Kate Spade offered up lots of tempting choices.

Maybe my favorite cupcake of all-time: this Louis Vuitton window display. Instead of a cherry, it has a purse on top : ) Looks good enough to eat...

Great window displays from Prada and YSL inside Crystals City Center.

This cool display of rings was actually at the Monte Carlo gift shop. They were all adjustable and just $10. I didn't buy any, but I thought they made a cool display, and if you are in a pinch for some bling while going out in Vegas, this is a good place to stop.

The second to last picture is HALF of the jewelry I brought with me to Vegas. I think I officially own more jewelry pieces than I do shoes. I call it my Vegas Survival Kit.

In all actuality, I didnt even cover all the stores I wanted to. But maybe that's a good thing. Happy shopping : ) Have a Fabulous day!

Free Yourself

Thank you, Lisa Super for sending me this creme de citron hand cream by JR Watkins. It's all natural, which I love (I am sooo not a make-up person, so my beauty regimen has to be really rigid to keep things looking good without help). Lisa's work can be seen in Somerset Home
and in the upcoming issue of apronology. I love the slogan for this brand: free yourself. Products that are free of dyes, parabens etc. only leave room for natural beauty to shine through. And Lisa, thank you for freeing your hands up to create beautiful projects.

*For more on natural beauty products and options, check out this article, written by yours truly for Made Woman Magazine.