DIY

Makeup & Beauty

An Argument In Favor Of Press-On Nails (Really)

The dream

I've had dalliances with fake nails in the past. I know acrylics aren't great for your nails - and I extra-know this because one of these dalliances ended with water seeping into the space between the acrylic and my real nails, unbeknownst to me, and turning my nails a glorious and semi-permanent chocolate brown (oh yes, that happened) - but they're just so tempting. 

As a person who is genetically incapable of growing her nails beyond the ends of her fingertips without them essentially dissolving, there are few things that make me feel more elegant and feminine than perfectly shaped, perfectly polished long nails. And in pursuit of that goal I've basically tried it all: gel polish, strengthening polish, letting my nails breathe to see if they'll reward me by growing, and - yes - acrylics.

Makeup & Beauty

Just A Few On-Set Discoveries

mwah

Little entertainment industry Insider Info for you: There are few places on this planet more fun to hang out in than a makeup and hair room when everyone's all jacked up on caffeine (a.k.a. all the time). Because the day may start with chit chat about, say, politics, but the conversation always boils down to two things:

1) Men (see also: men, terrible)

Crafts for the Uncrafty

Super Easy “Bread Slime” Tutorial (If You Have Kids, You Know This Is A Thing)

Our friend Piper is a legit Slime-Making Expert, having been making her own for years. (Presumably not that many, because she is 11 years old.) And last weekend she went to the Las Vegas Slime Convention, Slime Vegas (#yes), and returned home with even more superior knowledge than before. For example, she informed me that the stuff you make on your own is an entirely different beast than the stuff that comes in kits; so if you, too, have failed to make Unicorn Slime From A Box, do not despair. Just buy some Borax! (For reals.)

Decor

Couch Problems, Take 4,253 (And A Solution)

Couch | Pillows | Top Rug (machine-washable) | Bottom Rug

Alright, so fiiiiiiine, the white family-room couch wasn't my smartest-ever purchase. I rationalized it because a) it's Ikea, and that's where my budget tapped out, b) there was only one Ikea style that I really liked, and c) that one style only came in dark grey (too dark), pink (too pink), turquoise (just no) and - yes - white.

But I figured we'd be able to collectively hold it together for at least the minimum of two years that I feel like you should be able to get out of an Ikea sofa. ...Right?

DIY Projects

What To Do: Hideous ’70s Linoleum Floor

Oh heyyyyyy

I spent yesterday in Malibu, doing a little renovation consult for a friend who recently purchased a trailer home right on the ocean (more on the trailer home thing in a bit; it's a super cool story). It's an interesting undertaking, because the house is going to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up in a couple of years, so the renovation is more about making the house pretty and livable for the short term, without spending tons of money on things that'll ultimately end up getting tossed.

So. My advice was to figure out what amount of money per month was a comfortable amount to spend on general Life Happiness (meaning an amount that creates no financial stress whatsoever, but that feels "worth it" for the lifestyle improvements it'll confer), and multiply that by 24 to arrive at a budget for the mini-reno that'll take him through the next two years. Certain things are OK to spend a little more on, IMO - appliances that'll make the jump to the new place, and so forth. But when it comes to structural features, things are a little trickier.


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