jenna

Free People Jenna One-Shoulder Top in MOONLIT ORCHID.

That hemline is seriously killing me. Obsessed!

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NAILS INC. Florals...For Spring? 4-Piece Nail Polish Set Swatches + Review

Spring nail polish collections have been few and far between, true story; so when I spotted NAILS INC.'s Florals...For Spring? 4-Piece Nail Polish Set y'all know I couldn't resist tapping that add to cart button. As if the reference to The Devil Wears Prada wasn't enough to reel me in; the gorgeous array of spring shades did the trick lickety-split!

Mornington Terrace is a Hot Pink Creme. NGL, I am so tired of pinks rn; but this cutie is in a league of its own. Mornington Terrace is a haute hot pink creme that was made for all of the spring things! During application I was surprised to see that this one was super thin on coat one; but thickened up to the perfectly plump opacity you see here by coat two. Staying power is utterly incredible - I've been wearing this one for 7 days now with nary a chip or tipwear. Natch! This is 2 coats.

Savoy Place is a Pinky-Nude Creme. Oh snap! Ladies, this was a surprise hit for me, and I am here. for. it. Savoy Place is a posh pinky-nude creme that slayed me because it has that iced coffee, rosy nude touch that makes it feel positively perfect for both spring and summer! Formula is a dream with this beauty! It self-levels and dries lickety-split; plus it lasts for so. many. days. Highly, highly recommend this lovely if you're seeking a new neutral for your collection! This is 2 coats.

Hampstead Road is a Pink-Toned Lilac Creme. I live for a good pastel purple, so y'all know this one made. me. giddy. Hampstead Road is a lush lilac-toned pink creme that gives me spring fever whenever I take a peek at my tips. This beauty has a blissful formula - applying smoothly and evenly in two coats flat with no running or messy application. This one will look brilliant on tips and toes this summer! This is 2 coats.

Primrose Hill Road is a White Creme. White polish will forever be my kryptonite, and this beauty didn't disappoint in the least. Primrose Hill Road is a crisp, clean white creme that will undoubtedly make your tan pop this summer! This beauty is simple in shade; however, I did find the formula to be a little tricky to work with. Unlike most NAILS INC. polishes, this one did get a little flirty with my cuticles on coat one; but after a quick clean-up, and a little extra care, coat two applied perfectly. Loving this one for year-round, obvi. This is 2 coats.

AVAILABILITY: Sephora

PRICE: $22.00 for the 4PC Full-Size Set.
SHOP THE POST

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NOTD: OPI Nail Lacquer Collection in In the Cable Car-Pool Lane

Two coats of OPI Nail Lacquer Collection in In the Cable Car-Pool Lane. Plum Purple Crelly.

Ooh ladies, this shade is serving!

In the Cable Car-Pool Lane is a perfect plum purple crelly with reddish undertones that is a true stunner to look at. This one would make a decadent jelly sandwich color {think summer picnics!}; but it is every bit as brilliant flying solo! Yes, it can come across as slightly bald or sheer, but I preferred it that way as it it allowed for the plummy parts to shine through. If you prefer it darker, however, just add another coat. Formula was a dream {no flurting with cuticles wth this beauty}; and there was zero staining upon removal. Loves it!

What nail color are you rocking for #ManicureMonday?


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BOOK REVIEW: Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop {A Beacon Bakeshop Mystery Book 1} by Darci Hannah

"Beacon Harbor’s changed you. In New York you were always in your Wall Street tower counting money. Now you’re frying donuts, conversing with a ghost, and chasing after a backwoods enigma who just might be a closet poisoner. You picked a strange day to give up wine, Lindsey, darling."
After catching her fiance, and rising celebrity chef, Jeffery Plank, in the arms of his pastry chef, Mia Long {on a slab of Himalayan salt, no less!}, thirty-something Wall Street megamind, Lindsey Bakewell, elects to say farewell to the Financial District, packing up her New York City penthouse, and Newfoundland pooch, Wellington {aka Welly}, and fleeing to her childhood vacation destination of Beacon Harbor, Michigan.

The wealthy daughter of an ex-model mother, and a Wall Street wiz father {who moonlights as a baker}, Lindsey has inherited beauty, brains, and baking ability - the latter of which she plans on using to open a bakery and cafe. On a tipsy night alone, Lindsey purchases a fixer-upper lighthouse in idyllic Lake Michigan online; and before she knows it, her new life path is set in motion. However, looks can be deceiving; and Lindsey soon realizes that she has her work cut our for her in getting her new home in tip-top shape for the big bakeshop grand opening.

Fast forward six months, and Lindsey's opening day has arrived - coinciding perfectly with Memorial Day Weekend. As the shop is bombarded with supportive neighbors and legion of influencer and Lindsey's BFF, Kennedy Kapoor, fans alike; it is crashed by an equal amount of haters in the form of local protestor Fiona Dickel and her cronies, and...Mia and Jeffery, here to exact revenge. As things get physical {we're talking flying pastry, stolen americanos, and loads of shoving}, Lindsey's hunky neighbor and resident love interest, Rory Campbell {who happens to be acting as her barista for the day}, takes Mia outside where she promptly collapses, and later dies. When it's determined that cyanide poisoning was the cause of death, Lindsey's shop is closed down indefinitely. Now she's made solving the mystery her mission; but it may just be the death of her.

Oh, how I wanted to love this one, as I adore a good culinary mystery; but right out the gate Darci Hannah's Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop takes a downward turn due to the timeline. Timeline leaps can brilliantly work in the Marvel and DC verses; but in a mystery novel? Absolutely not. Those six months that were completely jumped over were pivotal for understanding and getting to know Lindsey's new community and neighbors, and how they vibe with one another - especially when you're talking about the first book in a new series where you have no background information from prior installments to go on. Not to mention showing us why, precisely, Mia and Jeffery have a score to settle with Lindsey - because obvs it can't just be a breakup. Forgoing this was confusing, and set the tone for frustration as a reader.

That aside, I can't say that I ever warmed up to any of the characters. I found both Lindsey and Kennedy to be a little immature for their late-thirties age {repeatedly referring to a police officer as Officer Cutie-Pie and using social media to drag someone through the mud}; while the insta-romance with Rory Campbell felt unnatural. Not to mention the introduction of a possible ghost haunting the lighthouse and communicating with Lindsey came off as a little too hokey and ridiculous to believe. I did have a soft spot for Welly; however, he alone could not save the story. Womp womp. Had the timeline jump not taken place, I honestly feel as if I could have warmed up to the characters and locale enough to stick around for book two - unfortunately, it did not; therefore, I won't be returning to the Beacon Bakeshop.


Star Rating: **1/2


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NOTD: OPI Downtown LA Nail Lacquer Collection in Metallic Composition

Two coats of OPI Downtown LA Nail Lacquer Collection in Metallic Composition. Rose Gold Shimmer.

'Tis the season for girly shimmers! Y'all, I live for shimmers during the winter season and this one is so. good.

Metallic Composition is a romantic rose gold shimmer that literally screams ice-skating-and-cocoa-in-the-park date, amiright?! The formula here is so brill! It's not streaky, it applies flawlessly, and I didn't see a single chip or signs of wear for all of the 8 days that I wore it. It even survived helping 140 second graders make thumbprint turkeys, and that's saying something. Grab this one fast ladies!

What nail color are you rocking for #ManicureMonday?


xx

moon city

Free People Moon City Ruffle Hem Top in LOLLIPOP.

Okay, but wouldn't this look so adorbs paired with high top Converse for the warmer months?!

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NOTD: OPI XBox Nail Lacquer Collection in Trading Paint

Two coats of OPI XBox Nail Lacquer Collection in Trading Paint. Apricot Creme.

Y'all, I live for a good juicy shade, but they are few and far between, so major props to OPI for releasing this gem for spring!

Trading Paint is a ripe apricot-meets-peach creme that was made for the playful vibes of spring. This cutie is fruity and fun with a formula that is TDF, and vacay-perfect staying power - we're talking 6 days, no chips, no tipwear. Seriously obsessed, and highly recommended!

What nail color are you rocking for #ManicureMonday?


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BOOK REVIEW: Changeling {Sorcery and Society # 1} by Molly Harper

Ages ago I read Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer's Cecelia and Kate Novels - a trilogy about magic in high society Victorian London. My fondness for those books has remained with me to this day; so when I spotted Molly Harper's Changeling {Sorcery and Society # 1} I surmised that it would enchant me in much the same way as the former. While the time periods are practically spot on, and there is magic involved; I found this one to be lackluster in comparison, and quite trying to make my way through. Though it picked up towards the end; it failed to do so enough for me to be interested in continuing on with the series in Book 2. Womp womp.

Fourteen-year-old Cassandra Reed wasn't born into glamorous Guardian society; rather, she was strategically placed there by one Mrs. Winters following an incident wherein she accidentally displayed her long-dormant {and unbeknownst to her} magical abilities.

Born to a family of {supposed} non-magical Snipes as Sarah Smith; Cassandra has lived her entire life in the Warren serving the magical Winters family as all Snipes do. You see, as per law, Snipes are to pander to Guardians as servants, completely powerless; while Guardians provide them with shelter. A Snipe displaying magical abilities, like Sarah, is taboo, and must be concealed. Thus, Cassandra is born. Though Sarah's family is none to pleased to see their child ripped from their arms; creating a new identity for her in the form of Cassandra Reed is the only way to keep her family, and herself, not to mention the Winters family, safe.

While most young women in Guardian society have trained their entire lives on the ins and outs of society, etiquette, magic, and magical families, Cassandra is given a crash course in all of the above by Mrs. Winters just weeks before her admission to Miss Castwell’s Institute for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies. It is here that Cassandra must be on her guard - proving to her classmates that she is every bit as posh and well-trained as the rest; while at the very same time working to uncover how, exactly, an ordinary girl such as she became the host of such strong magic.

Le sigh...all of the rave reviews of Changeling have left me dumbfounded, because I felt the complete opposite. In fact, I contemplated returning it a few times, but elected not to as I paid only $0.99 for it on Kindle. This book was a chore to get through. For one, the Harry Potter comparisons have got to stop, because they are false. Two, the extremely poor editing needs to be corrected as it completely disrupts the flow of the story and stifles fluency. And three, the characters are positively boring. Though I had a slight soft spot for Cassandra's friends, Alicia McCray and Ivy Cowel; their presence wasn't enough to keep me engaged. While I applaud any author for being able to pen a novel; I can 100% guarantee that I will not be returning for the sequel, and will likely not try Molly Harper's work again.


Star Rating: **1/2


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NOTD: OPI Nail Lacquer Collection in Complimentary Wine

Two coats of OPI Nail Lacquer Collection in Complimentary Wine. Burgundy Creme.

Y'all I know that it's the time for spring and summer colors, but I was just feeling in the mood for a little vamp so I had to whip this beauty out.

Complimentary Wine is a bold burgundy creme that feels posh and sophisticated and I am l-o-v-i-n-g it. NGL, dark shades freak me out a little because once they hit your cuticles, you're done for; but this one applies perfectly, doesn't run, and dries fast. I was concerned that I would have staining, but 6 days later, no chips, no stains, and I am obsessed! Babes, I stan - and you will too!

What nail color are you rocking for #ManicureMonday?


xx