This is THE NEW BLACK

Every year in the fashion world, some designer or other tries to replace black. We've all heard the "brown is the new black" and "white is the new black" statements from top brand names. Some of us have even heard Galinda from Wicked proclaim that "black is the new pink"!
This year, THE NEW BLACK has a new meaning--nail polish! THE NEW BLACK is a nail polish brand stocked in places like Nordstrom and other make-up/polish-selling stores. This brand is revitalizing plain, simple color on nails by marketing packs of five mini polishes of similar colors. The set that I am wearing right now, for example (shown in this post), is a collection of purples, ranging from a deep, slightly sparkly dark hue to a mauve shade to a gentle, lilac-tinted pale color.
These five colors ensure that you'll never have to repeat the same shade on one hand.
This company's marketing strategy is clear: give people a fun, easy-to-apply color combination that is original and sophisticated... and they will buy it. Let me give you a hint: they totally hit the mark!
While you can opt for my approach and paint your nails in a dark-to-light transition of the five polishes, you can also mix up the patterns or choose just one or a few of the polishes to make your own unique look.
In the nail polish world, THE NEW BLACK literally has great potential for becoming the new "black"--the new standard, always hot, always classy look--because the nature of these collections make them as versatile as anyone's little black dress. And, just to reinforce the adorable quality of the size of these polishes, THE NEW BLACK is fun sized (fun sized as in tiny and small enough to take an entire set on board an airplane).
Be sure to try out this new nail trend of different colored nails using THE NEW BLACK's product or even a mix of your own favorites--just make sure to have either complimentary or similar colors or different shades of the same color for each nail.
Happy painting!

Late Fall/ Early Winter Fruits and Veggies

Don't panic that summer is officially 100% gone. Fruits and vegetables are STILL in season, if you can believe it. Here's a list of some produce to help get you through the transition!

Fruits:
apples

Don't fret! They exist!

clementines
cranberries
grapefruit
mandarin oranges
oranges
pears!

Vegetables:
arugula
Belgian endive (similar to rocket/arugula--basically a green similar to lettuce but spicier)
beets
carrots
bok choy
broccoli!
brussels sprouts!
cabbage
cauliflower
celerac and celery
fennel
sweet potatoes
artichokes

A Seasonal Treat

Want one?

Then King Soopers has become your new best friend.

Beginning recently, King Soopers now has a caramel apple-making station in the store! You can choose whichever toppings you would like, and someone will dip your apple for you and you will have a wonderful, delicious treat to bring home. (Plus, you get to skip out on the mess involved when you actually make and decorate these yourself!). 

And for the record, our such apple is delicious. I do warn you, however, that these apples will take at least two days to eat--they're that delicious. 

Enjoy :)

Girl Power: Closet Take-Over

Some things are commonly only worn by men--like sweater vests, men's dress shoes, and athletic shorts when not actually playing athletics. Likewise, many things are usually only worn by women--like dresses, heels, and lipstick. A huge trend, however, has been changing many of the typicalities of men's and women's fashion. Several things, in fact, have made the switch from men's to women's. YSL started off this trend decades ago with women's pants, the women's pantsuit, and even the women's tuxedo. The next generation of cross-sex style is in full flair right now. This wave of new clothing and style ideas has come marching in over the past few years in the form of such things as boyfriend jeans, lip balm brands, and dress shirts for women.

Boyfriend jeans
I won't bore you with the details that you've probably read upward of 20 times over the years, but the general idea is that you don't have to wear skin-tight, fitted jeans to look feminine and put together.

Men's dress shirts--for women, not men

One of my favorite trends, beginning last year in the fall, is the trend for women to wear men's long-sleeved collared work shirts. This look is adorable when paired with the right accessories. For example, choose a blue-and-white-striped shirt from your boyfriend/husband/male friend/ favorite store and pair it with black leggings, a thick belt, boots, and a ponytail. This comfy style is flattering, cozy, and a fun way to mix up your typical fall/winter look. For more variation, play with the buttons; leave a few more open to show off a necklace, or leave them done up and toss on a scarf as well. Plus, you might even inspire your guy friends to actually match their clothes--if you can do it, why can't they, right?! Also, please note that the easy way to try this look is to opt for a plaid top. In my opinion, however, stripes are more unique and flattering.


Lip Balm

It's all about Jack Black. No, not the actor--the lip balm company! Jack Black was created for men. But the secret got out, and it's one of the best lip balms in the world. I promise. This clear, squeeze-the-tube sort of lip balm is minty, refreshing, fresh-smelling, and has varying SPF's of 15-25. Also, it's mini size makes it idea for storing in a purse, pack, suitcase, or even coat pocket. Plus, even though it was intended for men, anyone can use Jack Black--man, woman, or child. There's no color and it simply feels good!

Halloween Decorating

In honor of the quickly approaching holiday of Halloween, here are some fun decorating ideas to spice--or spook--up your house for the last of October. While traditional Halloween decorating revolves around witches, ghosts, and gore, there are plenty of ways to play up the lighthearted and festive side of Halloween and the fall season.

The first way to do this is, of course, through pumpkins! The basic rule is this: the more pumpkins, the better.  You can have orange, yellow, or white pumpkins, or anything in between. For a cute, unique approach to pumpkin distribution, we used mini white pumpkins to decorate our living area. Between the various large orange pumpkins grown from our garden and the adorable little white pumpkins, the festive holiday vibe is literally hidden somewhere on every surface in our family room. 
Another adorable tip is the use of candy. Of course, candy is always a major part of an American Halloween experience; after all, the majority of us have grown up believing the the "treat" part of "trick or treat" has, does, and will only ever mean "candy". For a more mature and longer-lived approach to using edible decorations to liven up your home, check out Godiva's pumpkin patch truffles to brighten up your kitchen or display tables. These adorable chocolates are wrapped in pumpkin-colored foils, complete with a bit of vine and a leaf attached to the top! In all honesty, I have never tasted these baby pumpkins because we continue to bring them out for fall and Halloween every year! Since they look decidedly less animated and decidedly more fall (not Halloween), these cuties can hang around until after Thanksgiving.
Finally, I must recommend the use of candles when decorating for late fall and Halloween. While you can always opt for pumpkin or ghost-shaped candles, IKEA has recently offered a lovely set of roughly 1.5-inch-tall candles that come in orange, red, and maroon. These are perfect for fall and Thanksgiving. Furthermore, these cube-like candles can make endless arrangements and combinations within their color and season set.

Adorable square candles!

These are just a few ideas to get you started on your decorating. For more inspiration, check out Martha Stewart or a home design company's website for Halloween-y decorating perks.

It's a Holiday on Thursday!

As I'm sure you know, there is at least one holiday on every day of the year. For example, although today is Columbus Day, it is also Children's Day (a day to love your children and pamper them with extra love and TLC). This post is just a little update on a very special holiday coming up on Thursday: Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day!

So don't forget to take your teddy out for some office action on Thursday! We know you have one :)

The Secret to Weight-Sustainable Cookies

Do you ever wish that the cookies you bake wouldn't make you gain any weight? While I'm sure that we all whip up some completely non-fat, sugarless, 0-calorie cookies every now and then (because we all know that homemade chocolate chip cookies are pure health food!), I promise that this trick for making weight-sustainable cookies will rock your snacking world forever.

So, what is this trick, you ask? It's a little something I just discovered, called the Kitchen Cookie Workout.

For every batch of ~36 chocolate chip cookies that you make, be sure to complete this series of exercises to ensure that your cookies are 100% weight-sustainable:

3 squats holding the electric mixer (2 reps)
One set of opening and closing a heavy oven (3 reps)
2 side-body/oblique stretches achieved by reaching for vanilla extract on a high shelf (2 reps)
Strength-building for each upper arm by reaching for heavy plates on a high shelf (3 reps)
Bicep-intense dough-scooping to create cookies (~36 reps)
2 lunges from the timer to the oven (hopefully only 3 reps as a maximum)

Also, be sure to keep your abs engaged for the entire baking session.

Now, when you nosh on those delicious cookies that you've baked, you don't have to feel an ounce of guilt (or see an ounce of new body weight) because you have make 100% weight-sustainable cookies. Be sure to spread the word to any health nuts you know who's quality of life would be drastically improved by this new, scientifically proven method of weight maintenance.

Also, as proof, I have tried this strategy myself--beginning an hour and a half ago--and have, so far, gained no weight. I will write a follow-up post if I discover this technique to be obselete, but judging by the statistics, it is fail-proof and guilt free!

So enjoy those cookies!  :)

M&M's!

In the movie Mean Girls, Lindsay Lohan thinks to herself "I used to think there was just fat and skinny. But apparently there's a lot of things that can be wrong on your body." Despite the significant nature of this quote, Lindsay--or should I say Cady--hits on a topic that is also true for M&M's: variety.
Cady used to think that girls could just be fat or skinny--opposites of a spectrum. Most people view M&M's the same way; we think M&M's, or peanut M&M's. As Cady would say, however, there's a lot of different kinds of M&M's out there waiting to be discovered and/or enjoyed.

That's NUTS!

Peanut M&M's are a classic. For people with peanut allergies, there are fewer things more painful than watching a group of friends devour a mega-pack of peanut M&M's without being able to partake in their nutty pleasures. Alas, my fellow peanut-evaders, we are saved from this predicament! 
Almond M&M's have a similar, though distinctly almong-shaped (pardon my ingenious pun) form to peanut M&M's, but are allergy-friendly and most likely have better nutritional information than their classic counterparts. Speaking with complete honestly, I ate nearly a bag of these this weekend and barely felt guilty; almonds have protein and healthy fats, and chocolate is good for you, right? :)
Plus, these treats can qualify as being slightly better than your go-to sugary candy.





Come to the DARK side... we have...M&M's!

There is no special name for normal M&M's; they are simply M&M's. However, I would like to make the claim that the normal version of these delicious candies can best be described as being colorful milk chocolates. That being said, there are also dark chocolate M&M's for those of us looking for a more intense flavor (or just cool purple packaging). While I personally am not 100% blown away by this variation, this option is great if you're looking to feel a bit healthier while getting your chocolate fix for the day, or if you simply wish to mix the flavors up! 



Itsa dessert-and-snack-in-one. Say What?

First off, the packaging for Pretzel M&M's wins the prize for more adorable. In case you missed the commercials advertising these tasty bites when they debuted a few years ago, a large M&M goes to get an x-ray and discovers his insides to be a pretzel. Thus, the preztel M&M was born (and apparently had medical insurance). Pretzel M&M's are even easier to justify as snack food than almond M&M's; after all, their perfect combo of salty and sweet covers all the necessary bases of delicious, nosh-worthy treats. Plus, as you shall discover with their almond counterparts, there is something about eating a round M&M that is bizarrely more exciting than always having the flat ones. If this statement confuses you, just try me and try them!

One-of-a-kind. Like YOU!

In case you feel the desire to go out there into the big wide world and create your very own M&M's, click here to explore the 25 colors and awesome options you have when customizing these candies to be how you like them. You can personalize the normal chocolate candies to have whatever photograph, cartoon, phrase, or little doodle on them that you would like. There are few things more amusing than fiddling with the color combinations and sentiments on the M&M's to find the perfect set for your party or party favors! Helpful hint: from personal experience, my mother and I discovered that dark pink, dark green, and white make a fabulous combo! Also, if you are celebrating a holiday, rite-of-passage, wedding, birthday, anniversary, etc.... I recommend ordering the M&M's in two or three different styles: one with a date and one with "Congrats!", "Mazel Tov", etc.

It seems Cady was on to something after all. Since when are there only two types of M&M's? Or people, for that matter. So...

Happy M&M-ing! And remember, there's no shame in a little chocolate now and then. You know what they say! Chocolate is the food of the heart.  :)