365 Project: A daily dose of KevenJacobs

I absolutely loooove the Sally Hansen nail strips. They keep coming out with new designs, and they’re so easy to put on. I love being able to change them up with so many different styles. ❤ ❤ ❤

365 Project: A daily dose of KevenJacobs

This is my new nailpolish, and I’m in LOVE! It’s called “Gumdrop” by Orly, and I love this brand because it dries super fast, and it only needs two coats so it doesn’t get all gloopy. The other color is “Pink Slip” by Sally Hansen.

Nailed it.

Lately, I’ve been doing my nails more than I can keep up with. I swear, my nails chip so easily, and I hate having to repaint them every three days. I’m trying to save money, so it’s really my only option as of now. But in the near future, I’m getting the gels. I’ve decided.

 

Both of these, I’ve used the Sally Hansen nail strips! I finally had the time and patience to try them out and I LOVE them! They’re so easy! And I love that they don’t have to dry. They don’t last quite as long as I’d like them to, but they’re adorable, and I love being able to change it up a bit!

Nail it Down

I’ve been slacking on updating you guys on my awesome nails… So here’s what you’ve missed. Or some of it at least.

These hands belong to a girl named Hilary, in my education class. I LOVED them; they’re the Sally Hansen nail strips, that I still haven’t tried out for myself. She said they’re SUPER easy, and I thought these looked ADORABLE.

Those are my hands! I used Sally Hansen’s Pink Slip, and OPI’s Siberian Nights. I love the Siberian Nights color, by the way. I’ve been wearing it literally almost every week since I bought it. The first time I used it, I painted all my nails with it, except for my ring finger on both hands, and used gold glitter on my ring fingers. Looked awesome, if I may say so myself….

$8.50 @ Beauty Brands

$6.49 @ Target

I’ve also been using a protein formula, that I bought at Beauty Brands, so that I could strengthen my horribly damaged nails. And it’s working it’s magic. I use it as a base and top coat, and I’ve noticed a huge improvement in the thickness of my nails. Amazing stuff.

$9.49 @ Beauty Brands

And my nails as of Thanksgiving, look like THIS!:

I used Sally Hansen’s Pink Slip again, and China Glaze’s Turned Up Turquoise. Yes, this is how I spent part of my Thanksgiving: Hanging out on the couch, buffing, then filing, then painting. Good timessss.

$7.00 @ Beauty Brands

I REALLY love the Turned Up Turquoise. Especially with my new earrings. Again, I’ll post pictures soon!

Nubby Nails

In an attempt to save some money, or be more cautious about spending all my money before I get paid again, I decided against getting my acrylics done. They really should have been filled last weekend, but I tried to ignore that, and painted them red for my pirate costume.

Tuesday morning, I went to work with them… And my coworker Joelle told me my nails looked super long/ugly, so I decided it might be time to do something about it.

I went directly home, and soaked them in acetone to get the acrylics off. Uh…. it took a long while. And in my impatience, I ended up ripping my own paper thin nail, and excuse my French, but that shit hurt.

So I sported a bandaid for a few days over the broken nail, and even went to class WITHOUT nail polish on…. I don’t remember the last time I did that. I felt nakedddd.

I painted my nails and they turned out like thisss:

This was literally right after I painted them, so excuse the excess nail polish around the actual nail. They look better after I shower anyway.

For my ring finger, I painted on clear polish, and then dipped them in gold glitter that I purchased at Sally’s. I used Sally Hansen’s Commander in Chic for the rest of my nails.

$3.99 @ Sally's

$6.49 @ Target

A lot cheaper than getting the acrylics, but a lot more work/upkeep. I’ve already had to repaint them, and because of the thinness of my nails, they keep breaking.

Which brings me to my light bulb moment: when I realized how much BETTER it would be for me to do GEL nails!

I was in class the other day, with my crippled hand (I genuinely thought about parking in a handicapped space when I couldn’t find parking that morning, but then decided that would be really messed up…so I walked three parking lots away from my class, and was about 20 minutes late), and one of the girls at my table was talking about gel nails. She told me how good it is for your nails, and showed me hers which looked amazing! She said it would help my nails get stronger, and that it flexes with you real nail, so when you get it caught on something, it doesn’t hurt like Hell, like it does with acrylics.

And the best part iss…. DRUMROLL…. she works at a salon a few miles from my house, called Pampered Pinkie, and it’s only $35 to get it done there. Uhh hello. First paycheck at the new job, guess where I’ll be!

CAN’T WAIT!

Retail Therapy, made possible by PAYDAY!

We all know what pay day means… my biweekly trip to Target, and the day I get my nails didd!! And pay day just happened to be on Friday, which happened to follow a horrible day. So I figured it’d be okay for me to spend some of that cashhhh. Retail therapy.

My list included makeup (I was quickly running out, but I didn’t want to run to Sally’s because I was feeling lazy, and in the mood to try something new) and nail polish for my manicureeee. I knew exactly what colors I was looking for, because I had an idea for how I wanted my nails painted.

So here’s what I bought:

$11.99 @ Target

$14.99 @ Target

$8.99 @ Target

This brand caught my attention for some reason… I was drawn to it. So far, I’m really happy with it. I have no complaints! I bought the Lifting & Firming Foundation in New Ivory, the translucent powder, and the blush in Soft Damson.

$7.74 @ Target

$5.84 @ Target

These are products I buy regularly. The Revlon eyeliner is awesome! It’s a pen, but it’s liquid, without being overly liquid-y…. if that makes sense. I buy it in Blackest Black, and it makes winging out my eyeliner a piece of cake… but that’s a secret, so shhh don’t tell. And the mascara is my FAVORITE. It’s L’Oreal Paris, Voluminous Original, in Black. I’m so happy to have a brand new tube, looooove.

$6.49 @ Target

I fell in loveee with this color, Commander in Chic. So I took it and used it with the color Pink Slip, that I also adore! And this is how they turned out:

After spoiling myself, I did feel much better, and am now ready to take on this next week. Hello Mondayyy!

$pending $aturdy$

Okay. Lemme just telll you.. Having Saturdays off, is probably the best thing ever. Except for one thing….. It’s also the day after pay day. Which means it’s time to SPEND.

Yikes.

Let’s recap the last two Saturdays, (by the way, where the HECK did September go!??):

Saturday, September 24th, 2011:

I wanted to see a very close friend, Mara Ray. We decided to hit our favorite spot, Forever21. We’ve been going there for….welll forever. No pun intended. (;

I was a little hesitant at first… considering this place is probably the biggest reason for my shopping addiction… but I sure do love Forever21. For as long as I can remember, Mara and I have taken regular trips there. We used to go on a weekly basis. Favorite store ever.

So anyway… since I was so nervous, being that I hadn’t been there in so long (which would be basically torturing myself, considering I had to break my ridiculous bad habits)(ranting…), I made a promise to myself that I could not spend ANY money, except for on a Mango Chill smoothie from the cafe at Nordstrom… another of mine and Mara’s traditions. This was partially because I had pretty much no money from my paycheck that had I had only gotten a week before (….uh yeah). Ugh. And partially because I wanted to test my strength. See if I could actually go into Forever21, and NOT buy anything.

Side story: One time, I was on one of my weekly visits to Forever21, spending way too much money, for absolutely no reason. Probably charged to my credit card. Anyway, When I was at the register, the guy who rang me out, looked at my credit card, looked back and me and said “Keven? I recognize that name.. You come in here a lot, don’t you?” … Are you SERIOUS? You come in here so much, that they recognize the name on your credit card. Wow.

Back to Saturday… We walked in, and I fell in love all over again. We took our usual route, and circled the store. I loved so many things, and got tons of ideas for fall, but I didn’t pick anything up. I decided to not try anything on, because I knew I couldn’t buy it. And the weird thing is… I didn’t stress about it. I think I’m making some progress here!!

So here’s kind of a list of things I like for Fall, from Forever21:

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This outfit was inspired by a picture of Jennifer Aniston, that I can’t find ANYWHERE, of course. But it’s adorable nonetheless.

And a few more things on my list for Fall from Forever21:

$7.80 @ Forever21

$2.80 @ Forever21

$2.80 @ Forever21

I love tights and socks for fall. It’s a great way to accessorize, and show off your legs, and keeps them warm! Excited to try this out!

$9.50 @ Forever21

$10.80 @ Forever21

Scarves are another accessory I LOVE for fall. I usually layer basic tops, and jackets, and mix and match with different bottoms, and then change it up with scarves.

$19.80 @ Forever21

$29.80 @ Forever21

Sweaters are great for winter in AZ, because it’s too warm to wear heavy jackets. I like to buy neutral colors, so that I can mix and match. And let’s face it, I pretty much always wear black, gray and white anyway.

$27.80 @ Forever21

$29.80 @ Forever21

I also love both of the above jackets; I’ve been wanting a denim one for so long, but I wanted it to be cropped, because I like the look of that better than a full length. FOUND IT!

I was so proud of myself for not spending any money! I’m glad I went, it felt good to be back “home” AKA the mall… and also was stress free, because I wasn’t spending money I knew I didn’t have.

Since it’s still triple digits most days here in AZ until mid October (ridiculous) it was completely irrational to buy anything, because I can’t wear it for another few weeks. But like I said, I got some great ideas!

Friday, September 30th, 2011:

Obviously, Friday does not equal Saturday, but since Friday was pay day, and I had plans with my coworker/work bestie, Joelle, I decided I had to have a new outfit for the night. Plus I was overdue to get my nails done.

I spent around $50, and bought the following items:

Red nail polish (for my toes), “Pink Slip” by Sally Hansen for my manicure, a gray top, and my perfume, “Go Couture Yourself” by Juicy.

And this was the finished product:

Saturday, October 1st, 2011:

I technically didn’t spend any money on Saturday. Just relaxed, and ran a few errands with my mom. I also tried out the news print nails, and they turned out GREAT:

Funny story: I had decided that since I had to work early the following morning, that I was going to stay in and get homework done, and possibly blog a bit. Joelle had texted me to ask if I wanted to go out with her, her boyfriend, and their friend. I politely decline, fully intending to actually finish my homework…

I went to my friend Jeremy’s apartment, because it’s a quiet place to work, with limited distractions. Or so I thought. Apparently, my guy friends, Jeremy, Pete and DJ decided they wanted to stop by our friend Delaney’s party. I was inclined to say yes, but I assured them that I wasn’t staying long.

We headed to Delaney’s and after hanging out in the basement for a bit, I decided to go outside and get some air, because it was a thousand degrees, from so many people being down in the basement. I made my way upstairs, and the first person I saw wassss…Joelle’s boyfriend. Uh oh. Caught up. Being a liar, and a horrible friend. Sorry again Joelle, but it definitely makes for a funny story. And seeing her, made my night!

My outfit for the night:

My newspaper print nails!

(Unfortunately, I didn’t get any good pictures, so this was an idea of what I wore).

So that’s been my past two weekends, and GUESS WHAT! I’m off again next Saturday, YESSS.

Nail craze and mall days

Still counting down for pay day (Friday, please hurry the heck up!!), and I got my nails done yesterday. Smart, I know. But it was $17 for a fill, and my nails definitely needed it, and so did my stress level. I’m really diggin’ the whole one nail a different color trend; I was inspired by my best friend. I used a pink from OPI called “Elephantastic Pink,” and my ring finger on both hands is black. Back in the comfort zoneee. Loved the turquoise, but mannnnn, it was bright!

Elephantastic Pink by OPI

Today, I woke up super stressed. Went to school, had a test in my second class. After class, my best friend asked me to join her in taking her extremely old dog to the vet. I agreed, even though that vet’s office smells like wet dog. Gross. I met a puppy named Sugar; she was a German Shepard. She was THE coolest dog. I decided I’m going to own one. But that’s beside the point.

After leaving the vet, the smart thing to do would have been to go to the gym. Right?… Not my thought process. However, for once, it wasn’t MY idea to go to the mall. Jenn had mentioned she wanted to go to the mall, and I felt I’ve done a very good job lately exercising self control. AKA I haven’t stepped foot inside Forever21, or any store in the mall really, because I know I can’t do the damage I want to. It’s all about that forward progress. So I told her I’d join her. She even promised to buy me a new shirt. What a great best friend I have.

The mall had been screaming my name for months, and I was finally going to show her some attention.

Our first stop was Steve Madden. Ohhhh boy. I wasn’t intending to buy anything, but I saw some cute things for fall, and I always enjoy looking at a good pair of shoes!

WANT:

$139.95 @ Steve Madden

With the black jeweled bow? Uhm… YES PLEASE. So cute.

$129.95 @ Steve Madden

Okay, so Jenn and I both LOVED these; super cute for fall. Skinny jeans. And they’re black… They’d match with EVERYTHING. Must have.

Next stop, we browsed through Arden B. Normally, this isn’t my “go to” store, because it’s a little on the pricey side, and a lot of their stuff is dressier. I’m normally a pretty casual person; don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to dress up. But for the most part, I’m rockin’ shorts and a tank top. I did find a few items for my wish list, though. Obviously.

$98.00 @ Arden B

$98.00…?!?! See what I mean? I loveeee the dress. But why am IIIII gonna buy a dress for a hundred buckkssss when I have nowhere to wear it. Love the color though. WAH. (I’m thinking I might be going through a gold phase…. normally I’m a silver person. hm.)

I also loveddd Arden B’s accessories. They had really cool hair stuff, like feather clips. We all know I loooove those feathers!

$19.00 @ Arden B

$19.00 @ Arden B

After Arden B, we made our way to my number one storeeeee, FOREVER21! I missed Forever so badly. I wanted to cry with joy and kissed the glittered floor when I walked in the double doors and saw the massive store in front of me. Okay, I’m taking it a little far here…. but you get the point. I was insanely happy. For some reason, though, I wasn’t focused at first. I thought I lost my groove. I couldn’t find anything in there, and after circling the store, I got frustrated. So, I stepped outside for a cigarette. (I know, I know… I said I was quitting. And I’m doing a horrible job. I even caved and bought a pack today…. nooooo). After my little break, I thought maybe it was just that I wasn’t meant to buy anything. But when I stepped back inside, I got my swag back. I started picking things up, found a dress I’ve been eyeing, and took four things to try on.

I liked this dress, but online it looks more pink, and in person it was more orange. Plus, I wasn’t sure where I’d wear it, so I decided it wasn’t a smart investment. (I think that shows some progress too! Woo hoo!!)

$19.80 @ Forever21

I especially liked it because it’s bright, and I love bright colors with my dark hair. ALSO, the slits in the side showed off my tattoo perfectly. So cute. But it can wait.

I did end up buying (or Jenn ended up buying…) a cream sweatshirt that says “Be You” on the front, and a basic, black, form fitting, long sleeved dress to wear under it (neither of which I could find online, to show you). But I like the idea of wearing the two pieces together and rockin’ my converse, or separately for different occasions. The black dress would be especially good for mixing things up, ’cause you can dress it up, or down with the right accessories. That’s smart buying.

I decided at this point it was time to quit while I was ahead, and leave the mall. But the shopping didn’t end here.

Later tonight, I was at my friend Jeremy’s apartment. His roommate (and my friend) Pete wanted to run to Target to get a few random things. And even though I’d already been shopping for the day, I wanted to go with. HAA.

So, we got there, and Jenn and I immediately went off separately from the boys and did our own thing. We were headed to the clothing section when BAM!! we were hit in the face with another nail polish display. I’m tellin’ ya, they get me EVERY time.

I ended up finding a gold (it’s the new color) that I really liked, and picked it up with every intention of buying it. But then, I looked up to see the Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips by Sally Hansen. I’ve seen these before on people, SUCH a good idea. They’re strips of nail polish that you cut to fit your own nail, and they’re supposed to last much longer than polish. And I haven’t been able to find them anywhere. All of a sudden, here they were!

I wanted two. I really enjoyed the almost metallic looking “Raise A Glass” and “Misbehaved.” They were almost the same base color, and I wanted to do the whole, one nail different, but I didn’t want to pay like 10 bucks for each?! Are you kidding, that’s ridiculous…. So I settled on the “Misbehaved,” and opted to paint the rest of my nails black, (or maybe just one, I hadn’t decided…) and made my way to the checkout line.

$9.99 @ Ulta

$9.99 @ Ulta

But then, we ran into the accessories aisle. I found sunglasses I want. But at this point, I was getting tired, and hesitating buying the nail stuff, since I JUST got my nails done. So I set down the adorable orange glasses, and the nail stuff, and sulked out of Target. I will be back for you Sally Hansen. I must try this stick on nail polish.

So today was definitely an adventure. But I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress in terms of self control. I normally would be freaking out and buying everything, but I managed to leave content with two items, that are very versatile. I’m super stoked to wear this new outfit. Hopefully it’s cool enough one of these nights for a sweatshirt….. !

Perfect example of why I’m BROKE.

A couple weeks ago, I went to happy hour at Ra Sushi with a friend of mine. We were chatting away when our waitress came up to take our order, and we noticed her adorable nails. I freaked. She told us that she got them done for her trip to Vegas. They were bright, and funky, and each nail was different. I fell in LOVE.

I decided to switch it up. I normally get the same color every time I go, which is like “Pompeii Purple” by OPI. Boring, right? So I wanted to have some fun. Here’s how mine turned out:

(please excuse the lameness of my camera phone….) But I thought they turned out super cute. However, they cost me $50, when normally it’s more like $30. Super fail, considering I have $3 until Friday… ugh, ridiculous.

Addiction.

Perfect example of why I'm BROKE.

A couple weeks ago, I went to happy hour at Ra Sushi with a friend of mine. We were chatting away when our waitress came up to take our order, and we noticed her adorable nails. I freaked. She told us that she got them done for her trip to Vegas. They were bright, and funky, and each nail was different. I fell in LOVE.

I decided to switch it up. I normally get the same color every time I go, which is like “Pompeii Purple” by OPI. Boring, right? So I wanted to have some fun. Here’s how mine turned out:

(please excuse the lameness of my camera phone….) But I thought they turned out super cute. However, they cost me $50, when normally it’s more like $30. Super fail, considering I have $3 until Friday… ugh, ridiculous.

Addiction.