Organization at its finest
/What's a girl to do when she has nothing planned for a two week holiday? Still confined to the indoors thanks to my heavy dose of antibiotics, I turned into a cleaning and organizing machine. I was growing tired of fumbling through my cosmetic bag and lusting after something a bit more substantial. The Makeup Box Shop has a myriad of options, but I am not spending hundreds of dollars for plastic drawers! The company is Australia-based, so I am a bit confused as to why they sell them at such insane price points. Am I being unreasonable here? With the free time I had last week, I hunted around for a cheaper alternative. My makeup collection has grown exponentially since starting this blog and, well, my bag was not getting any bigger! During a quick pit stop at Lincraft, I found an assorted amount of plastic storage systems typically used for notions! Fate was knocking and the options were cheap!! I plunked down $15 and skipped on my merry way home. The goal here was to preserve my makeup by keeping it in a cool and dark place; I am all about longevity when it comes to my makeup as it has been a huge investment - I make no bones about it. I also didn't want my makeup to go rogue or smash into smithereens if it accidentally fell out of my bag.
My Vera Bradley cosmetic bag will still remain a staple, but it will only make an appearance whenever I travel. I can't part ways with my roots! I finally broke down and purchased this bag the night before I moved from the U.S. to Australia via Amsterdam and Singapore. I warned you there was more to my Vera story. From November 2008 to September 2010 I worked at Vera Bradley part-time - keep in mind this was a second job; I held down a full-time job working for a glass and glazing company just outside of Boston. I come from very humble pie beginnings; I practically killed myself by working through college and then I somehow always managed to hold down a second job as a means to support myself and to also pay off my education. College, by definition is a place where you get a piece of paper telling you you're "smaht" (had to throw the "Boston" accent in there), and then what? Bills pour in for the next 10 (if you're lucky) to 20 years, reminding you of the "best" years of your life. Truth be told, the best thing to come out of my four years at Suffolk is my bestie Diana; she reads this lil' blog and has been my cheerleader through thick and thin.
Forgive me for the nostalgia, but my only forms of communication with the lovely Miss D and MB for that matter have been via Facebook (damn you!), Twitter and e-mail. And I'd like to apologize for only being able to track down this photo; a lot of my possesions were given away, sold, thrown out, moved or stored in a box - which reminds me, I need to have that lone box shipped!
Wordly possesions can be compartmentalized, organized and stored to your liking, but I can never shake the bonds I've made, have and will make in the future. Until then, I will just admire my super cute (notions) makeup organizer.
What's in my bag
/Each week the girls over at Purseblog.com feature a different female designer's handbag and also ask them a series of questions. A woman's purse is very personal, because it carries their life and also represents a snippet of how one feels about fashion vs. function. I think most girls my age and older would agree that the show Sex and the City put fashion accessories on a different level; the education I've received is endless and has shaped my thought process and approach to what I purchase. Shoes, purses, tights and other miscellaneous accessories are my personal drugs of choice; I can be any size and the aforementioned will always fit.
I've lifted some of the questions asked by Purseblog and created some of my own…
Name: Nicole
Occupation: Estimating Coordinator - some day I hope to see something of mine in the skyline. How very Ted Mosby of me.
Your bag today is:Prada - my logo is on the side.
What made you choose this bag: I stumbled upon this purse during our first day in Milan; we were walking down Via Montenapoleone. I just had to check out their wares and well, it was love at first sight. The saleswoman, however, delivered some bad news when she returned from the stockroom; the bag I had chosen was the last one in the store and well that wasn't going to cut it. I was assured it hadn't been out on the floor for very long - a few days at most. If you're spending an insane amout of money on a bag, the floor model just won't do. Eventually a few more were tracked down - another mission was about to be accomplished.
What's in your bag:
Sunglasses by D&G (I love the floral pattern), glasses by Banana Republic, Prada wallet and business card holder, iPod, Vera Bradley Zip ID, assorted gel pens (I'm a pen snob), Chapstick, 2 MAC lipsticks in Hot Gossip and Positively Dashing, NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in New Lover, hand lotion by Provence Sante, a brush, Dove deodorant, lip salve (a gift from my Italian personal shopper), my work key card and random paper work.
Essie's Super Bossa Nova - weekly nail review
/Two weeks of vacation is too long, especially when I had to do my own nails last week due to French Pink closing shop between Christmas and New Year. I wanted something bright and lively to ensure I'd start my first week back at work and that's where Super Bossa Nova came in. Brazilian flair with a twist of Nicki Minaj - I don't follow her music, but I think she'd approve. After all, she collaborated with MAC in November 2010 for the limited release of her Pink Friday-inspired tube of lippie. Super Bossa Nova is one of six shades released by Essie for Summer 2011 and for those of us in Australia we're only just beginning to enjoy this lovely samba-inspired collection. The shade I chose falls somewhere between bright fuchsia and magenta pink and features microscopic bits of glitter. Wear time was optimal as I didn't see any chipping or peeling; had I not gotten my weekly manicure, I'm sure my nails would've lasted a few more days.
In other news, if you have a bit of time, be sure to check out Nihrida's site; she wrote an interesting entry about nail polish finishes. From time to time it's beneficial to get a thorough lesson about the lovely offerings within the nail polish world.
