My Cup of Te: Bright Summer Polish: Shrimply Divine

This summer I've been addicted to Sally Hansen's new line of Complete Salon Manicure.  It has a fantastic brush that makes application a breeze and has sent my OPI go-to straight to the sidelines.  Yes, folks, $1 cheaper was all that it took and for $7.99 you can have your pick of fabulous summer brights too!  My nails have been everything from blue, teal, and lavender, and now Shrimply Divine.  Pics of the former soon to come!

I just slathered caviar on my face...

As of late, sleep has escaped me, stress will not leave me, and if I'm being entirely too dramatic for my own good, I must declare that I'm suffering from adult acne.  Bobbi Brown concealer, which I swear could cover up a tat, seems entirely useless when compared to the more appealing option of a brown paper bag.  I stood, looking in the mirror last night, wondering what I needed to avoid said bag, and frantically searched my drawers for some kind of solution.

(You see, I haven't broken out in awhile and so was ill-prepared for the latest situation.)

I found the first Sephora sample I could get my hands on.  Hmm, Skin Caviar, sounds lush

I immediately busted it open and proceeded to generously slather the contents all over my face.

Luckily it instantly gave my skin a radiant, healthy glow versus a rash because only after did I decide it to be a good idea to look up this so-called Skin Caviar and why exactly I put it on my face without prior research.  Just as promised, "From the moment of application, your complexion will look radiantly alive..." 

Ahh-maze-ing.  A product that actually does what it says.  

Instantly I made up my mind that the little tub of miracle cream was going to be mine...until, I saw the jaw-dropping price tag...$390 for 50 ML and $710 for 100.  Really?  Can I live?!  Looks like I will be passing on the caviar and ordering Olay.  At least until my preciously preserved sample runs out.

Betty Badass

Tonight's activities consisted of catching up on one of my favorite series, Mad Men, followed by browsing a few of my daily Cup of Te reads. I stumbled across a "Mad Men Yourself" app here, and I couldn't resist Betty-fying myself especially since I always die over how fabulous the cast looks in their 1960's get-ups .  Although she's quite unpredictable and moody, I find Betty Draper to be particularly bad-ass in the scene when she nonchalantly busts out a shotgun, cigarette in mouth, and unloads on a couple of pesky birds all on her manicured front lawn, and of course looking smashing all the while.  Would you ever?! How's that for housewife?  Who would you be?  Sultry Joan?  Park Ave Princess Trudy?

So Necessary: Summer Skirts à la American Apparel

It doesn't get much better than American Apparel staples- the leggings, the tri-cotton blends, the hoodies, but have you seen their skirts?  Short, flirty, and perfect for the dog days of summer.  What are you wearing this weekend?  Happy Friday, loves! 

Food Adventures: Summer Eats (no, I'm not a hippie, I just want to rock my bikini)

ALOE VERA JUICE

2-4 oz. daily is said to aid in digestion, improve circulation, detoxify the body, and clean from the inside! You can find it at Trader's for $7.99/gallon, but beware- it's for your health, not for taste!!
{image via}

MANGO AND BANANA SUNRISE SMOOTHIE

Light, sweet, and a perfect way to start a summer day.  Aside from fruit, I add ice, organic soy milk, and flax seeds.  Looking for ways to to mix it up?  See here for unique smoothie adds like rosewater, avocado, and even grated ginger!
{via USAgoodfood}

TOMATO AND AVOCADO SALAD

I can't get enough of tomatoes in the summer time!  I've been throwing together a simple salad of chopped tomatoes and avocado slices and drizzling them with olive oil for quick, light meals.  While the two combined are delicious, I was even more delighted when I found out here that together, they're just as nutritious too! 
{via Adrienneats}

QUINOA

I've heard many good things about this little grain-like seed so I finally threw a box of it into my Trader Joe's bag.  Quinoa is a complete protein and a good source of the following: magnesium, fiber, manganese, and copper.  Hopefully it's tasty too!  See here for unique quinoa recipe ideas and see if you can guess the chosen recipe for my first quinoa dish!
{via 101cookbooks)

BANANA BITES

I attended my best friend's birthday get together last weekend, and although I was short on time, I decided to make the banana bites recently featured on Cup of Jo.  Dark chocolate and fruit is good for you , right?  They were snatched up in a flash and judging by the multiple recipe requests, not just because they were the only sweets on the table!  I used crushed peanuts and toasted coconut.  
{via Cup of Jo}

In the summertime, looking good in your bikini is essential, but starvation is not.  Do you have beach and pool friendly recipe suggestions?  Please share!  I need all the help I can get.

Fortune Cookie Fake Out

Cheap Chinese food- questionable meat and soggy vegetables drowning in a cocktail of msg, extra grease, and syrupy, calorie-laden sauces.  A bad idea on many fronts especially since all the above will make you feel bloated and fat while simultaneously providing the nutritional value of cardboard.  Needless to say, sometimes shit happens and one Beef and Broccoli and Lo Mein later, there I was feeling bad about myself and hoping (there I go again relying on inanimate objects) that the childish joy of cracking open my fortune cookie would silence the worries of combo #3 pitching a tent on my hips.

One minor problem- One fortune and no cookie!  WTF?  Does the lack of the cookie cancel out my fortune?  I realize I probably could have forgone the fat, but considering my major case of the twenty-somethings, the fortune I could really use!

What does it mean when you get a fortune without a cookie?! 

Fishtail vs French

Remember my latest summer hair solution?  The fresh fishtail?  It's just not gonna happen.  I need approx two more sets of hands or a personal hair stylist, neither of which are happening either.  Still set on boycotting the blow dryer during this sweltering summer heat wave, I settled on a classic with a twist- the French.

Side-part and swept up to keep the nape of the neck as cool as can be, I say French is just as fresh.  Looking for new ways to rock a braid? Click on Kate!

Happy Monday, loves!