Metallic Half Moons

Here's a really fun and easy nail look using two metallic polishes & some office supplies!  

What you need:

Funky Fingers Down To Earth w Funky Fingers Snakeskin w Sally Hansen Insta Dri w Reinforcement Labels 

Start with 1-2 coats of Funky Fingers Down To Earth & let it dry completely.

Place the reinforcement labels at the base of your nail & smooth down. 

(TIP: to avoid a sticky residue when removing, tap the sticky service of the label with your finger first before you place them down)

Next paint a coat Funky Fingers Snakeskin starting at the edge of the label and working up to the tip of your nail. (It's ok to get a little bit of paint of the reinforcer, but don't soak it as it will make a bit more difficult to remove.)

Remove reinforcers as soon as your finished! Just peel them off from from side to side. Let the nails dry & add your favorite quick dry top coat. 

These two colors are a great pair because they both share a crushed up gold metallic so when they catch the light they really sparkle and shine! 

On Pinterest? Repin Here!

Charmed Chopsticks

Got a hot sushi date, but your chopstick challenged? Don't worry you're not alone. 

I have never been one to master the fine art of using chopsticks. Perhaps its because I spent more time focusing on how to paint my nails, or using a hot glue gun to bedazzle everything (& anything) that I never developed the hand muscles to gracefully eat a meal with two overgrown toothpicks; either way I prefer a fork & knife any day. 

However, there does come a time when I too like to fit in with my sushi fabulous friends. Because lets face it, no one wants to be the neanderthal of the table eating your shrimp tempura roll with your fingers.....totally hypothetical scenario.   

Then one day while dining out at my favorite Chinese food restaurant, I was goofing off trying to eat some rice using the chopsticks when one of the waiters saw me failing miserably & showed me a trick that I have never forgotten. So I guess its time for me to pay it forward to all you chopstick impaired friends. 

What you need:

Chopsticks w Chopsticks Wrapper w Hair tie/Rubber band

Remove the chopsticks from their wrapper & flatten it out. Rub your chop sticks together to remove any flakes of wood that may be left on them. 

Take your wrapper & fold it in half. Then fold it in half again.

repeat this process about 4-5 times

When you've folded your wrapper up till you can't fold any more take it & place it towards the end of the chopsticks.

Pinch together the ends of the chopsticks creating a 45° degree angle & making the folded wrapper become a wedge. 

Take your hair tie/rubber band and wrap the ends of the chopsticks together, be sure to wrap once at the open end of the wedge to make sure your wrapper stays secure.

You want majority of the hair tie to be at the end of your chopsticks so the lever can open easily.

Test out your chopsticks, they should spring open after you press them together.

Then give them a try! I promise you wont be disappointed! 

Now there are more permanent alternatives out there that come pre-fashioned & have a cute little designs on the ends, but this is much more affordable & you don't have to cart your chopsticks around with you.

I pulled this fortune out of the cookie & found it to be very fitting. :)

On Pinterest? Repin here!

Mermaid Nails

Oh yes klava superfans, the day has come that I get to show you (& the rest of the blogosphere) how to get my version of Mermaid Nails inspired by cupcakes and cashmere.

  Now because I don't own Martha Stewart's loose glitter set (shocker I know, but it's way over priced) I decided to improvise & use a glitter polish. (much more affordable) I also decided to amp it up a bit & make every nail sparkly & fabulous. 

What you need:

 Funky Fingers Flashing Lights w Essie turquoise & caicos w Sally Hansen Insta-Dri w small detailing paint brush

Start with two coats of Essie's turquoise & caicos

next paint a line of Funky Fingers Flashing Lights across the edge of your nail, just like you would a french. Don't stress about the line being super perfect, it will blur in the next steps.

Apply a small amount of polish to your paint brush. (Remember not to dip the paint brush in polish bottle, just dab on a little bit using the polish brush.) 'Less is more.'

Using the paint brush in a rocking motion back & forth; gently graze the brush from the tip of your nail & rock back once you get about 3/4  to 1/2 of the way down. You may have to reload your paint brush with polish per nail. 

You don't want the lines to be perfectly even, try to vary their lengths & go for an uneven/asymmetrical feel. You can later go in a dot in some smaller pieces of glitter using a semi dry brush (Just wipe of the excess polish and blow on it for a second).

When your satisfied with your nails apply 2 coats of top coat to seal the deal. 

& voilà, mermaid nails that even Ariel herself wouldn't mind rocking.  ;)

On Pinterest? Repin Here!

Fat Tuesday. No Bake Ice Cream Cake

Mmm Fat Tuesday, a day for forgetting about that new years resolution and cutting loose on that diet. In undergrad 'Fat Tuesday' was celebrated every Tuesday by eating 'real people food' ('real people food' mostly provided via casserole from my mom-thanks ma!) with my roommates then followed by dollar drafts at our local watering hole. 

So to celebrate I'm going to show you how to make an easy treat. We will be making a cake (not a 'king cake', maybe next year) but if baking is not your thing, not to worry, this is a quick and easy way to make a tasty treat with avoiding the oven entirely! 

What you need:

2 boxes of small ice cream sandwiches,  1 Jar of Hot Fudge Topping, 1 Jar of Carmel Pecan Topping, 1/2 pint of heavy cream, 3-5 table spoons of confectionery sugar, (Vanilla extract- optional) 5-6 cookies, electric hand mixer, 2 cookie sheets lined with wax paper, metal or glass mixing bowl, large dish for serving, spatula

• Start by clearing out some room in your freezer, you going to want to be able to fit two cookie sheets in it at the same time. Place your mixing bowl with electric mixer beaters in the freezer as well.

• When your ready begin start unwrapping the ice cream sandwiches from their paper wrappings. (Hint: Use scissors to speed up the process you don't want the ice cream to have enough time to melt) Place Ice cream sandwiches onto the cookie sheet and put them back into the freezer immediately. 

•  Warm up your Fudge & Carmel Toppings in the microwave (follow instructions on label) & with a spoon drizzle on top of ice cream, & return ice cream to freezer. 

• Pull out your mixing bowl & beaters from the freezer, they should be nice and cold. This will help keep your heavy cream at the right temperature & consistency for whipping. 

• Pour your container of heavy cream into the bowl & begin whipping at medium/high speed.
• Spoon in your desired amount of confectionery sugar. Taste in between spoonfuls until you've reached desired sweetness. 

• Add in small dash of vanilla extract for flavor. and continue whipping. you will begin to see some lines beginning to form, but keep whipping. 

• When your cream begins to look like thick fluffy clouds you are ready to stop. It should be thick enough to hold onto the beaters when you take it out.  Place in the refrigerator. 

• Using a food processor blend up some cookie crumbs( I used an oreo cookie but removed the cream filling)
• You can also use a large sandwich bag and a rolling pin to get the same results.

•  Pull one set of ice cream sandwiches from the freezer, & with your spatula line the bottom of your serving dish. (Hint: If your sandwiches are good and stuck, run the spatula under some hot water & quickly dry. This will help remove the sticky topping from the wax paper)

• With half of your whipped cream spread a layer on top of you sandwiches. 

• Sprinkle a layer of cookie crumbs on top of your whipped cream.

•  Add the next layer of ice cream sandwiches & repeat the last two steps. 

• Then you're done! Place into freezer until you're ready to serve! Happy Fat Tuesday!

Not celebrating with a large party? You can still make this desert for 1-2 people just use 4 ice cream sandwiches, replace that whipped cream for a tub of cool whip, & repeat the steps on a smaller plate! 

Have a sweet tooth but want to cut calories? Try these easy steps to have your cake and eat it too. 

replace your regular ice cream sandwiches with  Skinny Cow Ice cream sandwiches 

Instead of whipped cream go for Cool Whip Light or Sugar Free. 

Look for a sugar free fudge or cookie. 

You can even make your own mock ice cream sandwiches using Honey Maid Low Fat  Chocolate graham crackers, & Cool Whip Light.

On Pinterest? Repin here!