Quick Questionnaire

Caitlin over at The Perfectly Polish Life, nominated me for another Leibster.  I'm always flatter to receive any kind of recognition.  Since this is my fifth one, I'm just going to keep it simple and answer her questions.

1. Favorite nail polish?

Oh this is a hard question…. Revlon Royal #730 from their top speed line, or Orly’s green with envy.  I included photos at the end.  My Revlon Royal photo has been pinned some 48 times!

2. Favorite current fashion trend?

I like bib necklaces. I wish I could wear them more often. I work in a hospital and getting dressed up too much is really frowned upon.

3. Beauty product you can't live without?

I have to say a couple of things, moisturizer and SPF of some kind. I've always slathered on the sunscreen. I have some age spots, but I think I would have a lot more if I did not cover up. The second thing is hair dye. I’m graying and it’s not pretty. I went two months without dying my hair a few weeks ago, and my husband says that whenever I dye my hair it’s like someone removed all the dust off of me.

4. A destination you hope to travel to?

Right now, I am looking to retire in France. I don’t know if I can make this possible, but that’s my mind set right now. Better food, cheaper, better quality health care than here in the U.S. I want to retire by age 55, which is considered early, and a lofty goal at that. If not hopefully, by age 63, but if social security keeps moving the retirement age up…which is very likely…… I don’t know if I can wait that long. Healthcare is changing; we are undergoing major transformations right now. So who knows where we will be in 20 years.

5. Favorite store?

Right now it is amazon.com I haven’t had much time to shop in stores, or look at anything leisurely lately so amazon is great because it has almost everything! Plus the one-click buy is way too convenient.

6. Which color of nail polish do you have the most of?

Blues and teals.

7. Favorite nail polish brand?
China Glaze

8. Favorite quote?

“Small minds talk about people, mediocre minds talk about events, and great minds talk about ideas”. I don’t know who said that.

9. Favorite food?

I guess, overall, it is Italian food. Really easy to make and satisfying. I love caprese salad with a simple garlicky bread or pasta.

10. Favorite type of nail art?

Easy, free handed ones.

11. Most hated nail art trend?

Hate is a strong word, but I still cannot convince myself to buy any of those sand, textured polishes….

Want to read more?  Just click the tag questionnaire under labels.

Don't forget to stop by and check out Caitlin's blog!

Leibster questionaire

I am honored to be nominated for a Liester award by Becacine from http://becacine.blogspot.com/  Becacine started blogging last year and we welcome her!  This is my third nomination and I was going to do something special but don't see my schedule easing up until fall, so this will be quick and simple.

11 Random facts about me:

1. Right now, I'm 37.
2. I have brown eyes and brown hair.
3. I have a younger brother.
4. I'm right handed.
5. I am very near sighted. I wear contacts during the day and glasses at night.
6. I watch TV via the internet on my laptop.  I do not have a physical/actual TV in my house.
7. Most numerous possession in my house aside from nail polish, my husband and I have about 80 pairs of shoes and maybe 200 books.
8. English is the only language I speak fluently and I think that is sad.
9. One of my greatest fears is becoming a single mother.
10. My highest hope is to retire early with no debt.
11. I feel one the most challenging parts of life is "finding happiness" that... and growing old.  There's a saying that growing old is not for the weak or weary?  I think this is true.

Q&A, asked by becacine:

1. What is your favorite brand of nail polish?

China Glaze

2. What is the best nail related on line tutorial you have ever seen?

How to paint nails, by Michele at Laquerized.com  After I started painting my nails like this, my cuticle clean up sessions are very short.  Here's the link.
http://www.lacquerized.com/2010/05/how-to-how-i-paint-my-nails.html

3. Do you like warm weather or cold?

I prefer warm weather over cold.  I don't like hot weather. I especially hate hot and humid climates and I live in one (Mid-Atlantic, US). I do have to say I love fall and winter clothing. I get excited over new fall clothing collections. I own several winter coats and jackets (like 15, I need to clean out my closet!). I love spring trench coats and I own five of them. I don't spend much money on summer clothing. I tend to slob out in the summers like the rest of America i.e. flip flops and t shirts...

4. What is your favorite perfume or scent?

I don't have a favorite... but add sandalwood to a floral, and I tend to like it.  I do like herbal-scents like clary sage and lavender around the house.  I do like to clean dishes and the kitchen area with citrus scents, they smell "clean" to me.  However, I don't like to wear perfume, though.  I prefer unscented lotions to scented ones.

5. What would you do with $100 if you could spend it freely?

Go to Ulta and buy nail polish!

6. What is your favorite face cream?

Good question. I don't have a favorite and have been hopping from face cream to face cream for years. I need a recommendation! Right now I'm using "Simple" for sensitive skin, face cream.  Green and white jar from Walgreens, cheap, about $10.... So far it's okay, I like that it is unscented and not greasy.

I will say this.  I do have a favorite face cleanser and it is Cetaphil for normal skin.  I've been using this for more than 15 years. I've strayed a few times by using other cleansers, but I always come back to this one. My husband uses Cetaphil too.

7. Do you have any pets?

Yes I have a dog, and 2 cats.  One of the cats is mine, and the other is my brother's, which I am taking care of while he is away travelling. We refer to them as the gang of toddlers. They are needy. They play together. They fight among each other. They make messes and have accidents. They are helpless and depend on us for food. Their defiant...yep, just like toddlers, except they can be left home alone for a few hours.

8. What are your top three favorite movies?

Lincoln, (Steven Spielberg) the whole thing.
Joe vs the Volcano, my favorite parts are his shopping spree, scenes with Angelica and Mr. Whaooo Watori.
Marie Antionette (Sophia Coppola) the whole tragic thing!

This list will change, but I do want to mention I have really been enjoying Judd Apatow movies lately! See below.



9. What is your favorite magazine?

Just one???  Time magazine for events.Vogue for fashion. House Beautiful for home.

10. What is your go-to base coat?

Right now it is Gelous, from American Classics.  I don't think there's anything special about it except you can actually wear it alone as a clear coat and it is fast drying.

11. Coffee or tea?

Both. I start every morning with a cup of coffee. Then move through the rest of the day with tea, any kind. My favorite is just plain black tea. I drink green tea sometimes. I love a good cup of coffee as an after dinner dessert. Oh wait, I love Earl Grey as ice tea, too.

So that is it!  Feel free to share your answer to any of the questions above in the comments section. I'd love to hear from you!

Two Leibsters!

Another Leibster! Two Leibsters!

Sohni at The Manicurette, http://www.themanicurette.com/ and Jennifer from http://littlejsnailcorner.blogspot.com/ both nominated me for another Leibster award. I was nominated last month, but hey, it’s an honor to be recognized! Littlejsnailcorner is a brand new blog with lots of beautiful swatches of indie polishes. I don’t know how Jennifer gets her hands on all of these polishes, but she does. Indie polishes are super hot right now, so if you want to get your finger on the pulse, check out Jennifer’s blog!

The Manicurette is also brand new and has really cool swatches of various brands but it look like she has lots of A-Englands, another indie brand. Please drop by and check out these two highly skilled ladies!

I would prefer it if you just went to littlejsnailcorner or the Manicurette and not read the rest of this post! I bore myself. Really!

11 Random facts about me

OMG! {deep breath}, here we go.

I have one cat and one dog.
I’m married.
I’m a Dragon and an Aries.
I dream of raising backyard chickens.
I was born in Chicago; I grew up in the ‘burbs of Washington, DC.
I hope to have a somewhat different life by age 40.
My house is a money pit, and the next one will probably be too.
I spent the first 30-35 years of my life trying to please my parents.
I’m concerned about environmental decline and scarce resources.
I significantly decreased my consumption of red meat and fried foods this year.
I don’t want to end up in a nursing home, or worst yet, dying in a hospital. I want to die in my sleep with dignity, in my own home.

Questions

Some of the questions were repeats so there are less than 22, but more than 11.
1. When did you start blogging?

November 2011

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

This list is pretty long…..but I’ll keep it really short.

I really wish I could afford to live in France a part of every year.

3. If you were stuck on an island what are the top five things you need?

Toothbrush
Clean water
Food
Proper sewage
Shelter
I’m adding 6. My eyeglasses, I’m blind, I really need them.
I’m pragmatic, most of the time. Can you tell?

4. What's your favorite nail polish color?

When I’m in a store and there is an array of nail polish in front of me, my arm just automatically reaches for the blue bottles. I can’t help it and I don’t know why my arm just goes there. However, I do have to add, I get the most compliments when I’m wearing any shade of red.

5. How many bottles of polish do you own?

It has to be somewhere between 250-275 bottles. This will change tomorrow.

6. What color do you have the most of in your collection?

Blue. I think I have about 30 bottles, but I have way more glitter than anything else, about 50 of those.

7. What is your first memory of nail polish?

I stole a bottle of Avon polish from my mom when I was 9, it was a dark pink.

8. What do your friends/family think of your hobby?

Some of my friends are amazed and impressed. Many of them don’t care. My husband likes it; I think my nail polish obsession keeps me out of his hair. My parents don’t know about it. My dad wouldn’t care. My mom would totally freak out and start lecturing me about being frugal or some crap like that. Yes, my mom will still lecture me even though I am damn near 40 years old! What’s strange though is when she does visit she insists, INSISTS on cooking meals for me and doing my laundry! She would not do this for me when I was a teenager, when I desperately needed her services!

9. What would be your dream polish?

I don’t know, but it has to be a jelly with glitter in it.

10. What trends do you love?

The organic, locally grown, food movement.

11. What's your favorite make up brand?

Laura Mercier. I say that as a default. It was my wedding makeup. I sat through a long make up educational session so I know the most about that brand. For the longest time I wore her foundation primer as a moisturizer, without foundation. I know, super silly, but I really liked the scent, its lightweight and I found it refreshing. I stopped because I needed more moisture in the winters. Now I use Lumene’s Artic Aqua as a super lightweight summer moisturizer. I rarely wear makeup, btw. I can’t stand it on my face for more than four hours. I tend to want to just rub it all off after a while.

12. Who do you look up to and why?

I guess right now, it has to be Barack Obama. The American health care system is headed toward failure and he had the courage to draft unpopular legislation in attempt to address fraud and unfair practices at the expense of patients. I am so relieved that the Supreme Court has deemed the new health care act as constitutional and we can go forward with meeting new regulations and guidelines. I also look up to Obama because even though he is heavily criticized, he handles it very well. He has the great ability to drown out noise, keep working, and make sound decisions by sticking to his core values.

This is a little off topic but there is a really good documentary on hulu.com call “Do No Harm” it just scratches the surface on corruption in American health care and presents a strong argument for why everyone should have health insurance. A real eye opener and it is sad that there is no protection for whistle blowers. I highly recommend this documentary.

13. What are your hobbies other than blogging?

Shopping and photography. I used to cook, now that I do my nails, I don’t cook as much.

14. What is something you love, but everyone else hates?

Big frilly lace collars, turtlenecks, Victorian boots and puritan shoes. Puritan shoes are squared off toes with a square buckle on the vamp. I’m a closet steampunker. If I dressed all out steampunk style people would think I came from an insane asylum. There are only small hints of this in my wardrobe, fortunately or unfortunately? I like to buy stuff like this but then it sits in my closet unworn.

15. What trends do you hate?

Skinny jeans and crocs. I’ve tried to like skinny jeans, but I just can’t kid myself. Oh, celebrity brands! Why won’t Jessica Simpson and Kim Kardashian just go away!

16. If you won a million dollars what would you do with it?

Pay off my house and keep working. A million dollars just doesn’t go very far these days. Now don’t get me wrong, I would be ecstatic to have a million dollars handed to me. Would a million dollars improve my life? Absolutely! Could I pay everything off and stop working for the rest of my life? Unfortunately, no….

17. What are your pet peeves?

I hate to see people in public with their PJ’s on. Please, we live in a civilized society, right? Put some clothes on!

My neighbors cannot go more than 5 minutes without electricity before they rev up their generators, which make so much noise, and burn lots of gasoline. Sometimes, I really hate the suburban mentality.

People who make no effort whatsoever to control their screaming and unruly children.

People whose conversation style is monologue and one-up-yas.

People who don’t wash their hands after using the restroom.

I could go on and on. Let’s not! I think that’s enough.

Okay, the last time I did this it took me FOREVER to find bloggers who have less than 200 followers without tagging back. So I am breaking the rules and just tagging some people who haven’t been recently tagged.

My 11 questions for you, the nominated.

Why do you think people follow your blog?
What are you looking forward to this week/month?
What have the last few years taught you?
What would I find in your refrigerator right now?
Who do you like best, you mom or dad?
How many close friends do you have?
If you won $20 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?
What was the last movie you went to see?
What is the last book you read?
Age and do you feel your age?
Is human population growth a good thing?

The nominated.

http://www.lovingsunshine.com/
http://glassflecked.blogspot.com/
http://mylucidbubble.blogspot.com/
http://thekarend.blogspot.com/
http://nailnarcotics.blogspot.com/
http://nailartistacky.blogspot.com/
http://tines-kosmetik.blogspot.com/
http://www.witoxicity.com/
http://sneakerette.blogspot.com/
http://nailderellanails.blogspot.com/
http://cuti-clue-les.blogspot.com/
http://criminalnails.blogspot.com/

I really love how NailNarcotics handled her Leibster, and I’m following her method. So the comments section is open for anyone leave a link to your blog and of course comment. There is no pressure to tag or answer all these questions if you don’t want to.

WOW - A Liebster

The Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The Meaning; Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was nominated for a Liebster Award from nevernakednails, recently. Nevernakednails blogs about nail polish, birchboxes, hair products and cosmetics. She’s quite sassy and has made me laugh out loud on many occasions. Sometimes her posts look like a dissertation but don’t let that intimidate you. There’s quite a lot of good information and entertaining banter buried in there. Her posts are easy to read and the prose flows like a pleasurable conversation. I love the fact that she uses the inside of her refrigerator as a backdrop for her nail photos!! She is truly a unique and lively blogger who is not afraid to say the unthinkable or what is on her mind. You must go for a visit.

Onward:

1. Each person must post 11 random facts about themselves.
2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. Remember, no tag backs.

11 questions asked by nevernakednails

1. What is your blog about, and why?

My blog is about nail polish and anything related to hand and nail care. I try as much as possible to only use cruelty free products. I originally decided to start my own blog as a personal journal, to keep me motivated to not gnaw my tips. Which I have been doing on and off since the second grade!

2. How old are you? This mostly applies to how old you feel.

I’m 36, and I feel 36. Tired but working, bored and distracted.

The effects of the rat race, daily grind, time and pressure, whatever you want to call it, starts to show at this age. “Do what you love, so you never have to work a day in your life.” Yeah, easier said than done.

There’s a flyer hanging at work that says:

At 3 years old we say, “Mom I love you.”
At 14 years old we say, “Mom, whatever.”
At 16 years old we say, “Mom is so annoying.”
At 18 years old we say, “I am leaving this house.”
At 21 years old we say, “Mom you were right.”
At 30 years old we say, “I want to go to mom’s house.”
At 50 years old we say, “I don’t want to lose my mom.”
At 70 years old we say, “I would give up everything to have my mom here.”

I fit right in.

3. Would you please tell me a short story of the last time you really, really had some absolute fun in your life?

This is a really, really hard question. Let’s define “fun”, first. From Wikidictionary: Fun is “enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure”.

I would have to say just the other day I went to DSW shoe warehouse with hubby and tried on about 50 pairs of shoes. He tried on maybe 15. I smiled. I laughed. I was amused. I bought some cheap shoes and nail polish, it was a light-hearted experience.

4. Where are your favorite places to shop and what are your favorite brands of things to buy?

Favorite places to shop: Anywhere really, but lately, Marshalls, Williams and Sonoma, Anthropologie, Banana Republic, thrift stores, and garage sales. The messier the better, it is where you find some good deals. I like high end malls/boutiques too. High end boutiques have a purpose: to stay on top of what is new and find some possible game changers. When I’m shopping in a cheap place I tend to have more fun because it is lighthearted. Lower prices and non-commissioned sales people equals less pressure.

Favorite brands of things to buy:

If it’s not listed, I’m all over the place. But these are tried and true brands for me.

Shoes:                       Chie Mihara, Dansko, and Prada
Socks and Hoisery:   Hue and Wolford
Jeans:                        Seven for all Mankind
Work pants:              Banana Republic
Yoga pants:              Champion from Target
Underware:               Gap
Bras:                         Playtex
MakeUp:                  Laura Mercier, but I don’t wear make up very often.
Nail Polish:              China Glaze
Skin Care:                Bliss, Replenix, Cetaphil, Roc retinol.
Toothpaste:               Crest, stannous fluoride, people.
Toothbrush:              SoniCare
Knives:                     Wustof
China:                       Portmerion and Villeroy & Boch
Cookware:                LeCreuset and Cuisinart
Coffee maker:          Krups
Coffee:                     Douwe Egberts
Wine:                       French, cote du Rhone region
Cars:                        Volkswagen, or anything German.
Camera:                   Nikon, although I’m currently shooting with a Panasonic-Leica lens.

5. Do you have any crafty hobbies, or something you're just good at?

Crafty hobbies hmmmm…. I want to learn how to knit. I use to make jewelry, but sourcing for quality materials started to become really hard to find and expensive. I’ll tell the truth; I wasn’t very good at making jewelry. I’m pretty good at painting walls. Tip: Use Purdy brushes when cutting in.

6. What did you expect to be doing at this time, five years ago?

Five years ago, I was 31, and it was 2007. I had been married for one year. My state of mind was not future oriented. I was looking back at my twenties in regret. I thought about my failures, my shortcomings, and how I didn’t enjoy my twenties enough. I thought about trying to live day by day and enjoy the present. I hated my job but I always do my best and got a big promotion in August of 2007. I did not make plans, so I’m pretty much in the same place now as I was back then. Same job, same house, same car…. So far, my thirties have been about working towards retirement, personal growth, stability and coming to terms that my time and energy are limited.

7. If you use youtube, what types of videos do you watch the most?

Music videos, how to cosmetic and nail videos, raising backyard chicken videos, and sometimes funny cat videos.

8. What is the song(s) that you must play full blast, windows down, belting it out, don't nobody better get in your way, driving down the road?

Small things, by blink 182

9. Kids?

No, none and no thanks. Don’t try to convince me, I am 11 years past my reproductive prime. “Being lonely, no one to care for you when you are old, and no one to put flowers on your grave” is a poor and selfish reason to have children.

10. Best day ever?

Tomorrow, it holds so much potential.

11. Who taught you to do something you really like doing?

Michele from Lacquerized.com I’ve never met her and she doesn’t know me, but she’s a Dutch blogger who taught me how to paint my nails, and convinced me to go cruelty free. Monkey see, monkey do as nevernakednails would say. Michele has stopped posting and I really miss her and wonder where she is.

My 11 questions for you, the nominated.

What are you looking forward to this week/month?
What have the last few years taught you?
What would I find in your refrigerator right now?
Who do you like best, you mom or dad?
How many close friends do you have?
If you won $20 million in the lottery, what would you do with the money?
What was the last movie you went to see?
What is the last book you read?
Age and do you feel your age?
Children and or pets?
Why do you think people follow your blog?

Blogs with less than 200 followers and no tag backs! This was NOT easy.

http://hopelessshopaholic.blogspot.com/
http://romancedelalunatm.blogspot.com/
http://somethinsgottagive.blogspot.com/
http://topcoattales.blogspot.com/
http://m43photo.blogspot.com/
http://thepolishpaparazzi.blogspot.com/
http://divagirlstrikesagain.blogspot.com/
I could not come up with 11 bloggers without tagging back. So if you are reading this and want to join in please feel free! Post the questions you want to answer and provide a link in the comment section!