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DIY Gel Nails

You have heard me talk of my love/hate relationship for gel nails before HERE. Well, miss mini-me who is into beauty not long ago purchased this little system by Sally Hansen at the drugstore…

and she had a revelation that it can be used on regular nail polish. So I thought lemme give it a try!

Here’s what I used from the kit and NOT from the kit… The Sally Hansen light, the Sally Hansen top coat. The base coat and the nail polish were just regular nail items. Nothing fancy about them.

I painted my nails first with base coat, then 2 coats of polish, and then topped it with this from the kit.

That was the TOP coat. Once I did, I placed each finger under the light and turned it on, and went through doing that for each finger.

… didn’t that pic turn out funny??!! That purple glow is from the light! HA!

Finally, wipe each nail with a cotton ball or a wipe with alcohol on it.

And the final look….

Looks professional to me! I’ll keep you updated on how long they last. But for now, knowing how easy this was, how great they look, I’d say it’s a repeat!

May 16, 2013 in OP Beauty

Having long hair, I’m always messing with it when it gets on my nerves, especially when I have 2nd day hair. I think most busy women that I know won’t wash it every single day (unless.I have sweat profusely which doesn’t happen or go somewhere that makes it wreak awful like the fair, which that doesn’t happen often either).

So lately, I’ve been wearing my hair like this, although the whole bang thing is a bugger… and being that I have these Greek bushy eyebrows that must be maintained on a very strict basis by the wonderful Linda, the bangs mess with the brows. Not a pretty sight to see the brows all ruffled by the bangs…. whew! That was a tongue twister!… So I tend to pin mine back…

(that’s a crop of my head of a pic you’ll see in an upcoming fashion post. And ponytail shots are rarely great head on!)

Here are some other’s I spotted that looked pretty great I thought you’d like too.

via

Two of our lovely Jennifer Aniston.

via

Another thing I will say I love about this look is that it can be casual, perfect for a windy day out at a soccer game (which has been my story lately) or running around, OR great dressed up to show some fabby earrings.

And really, especially with summer around the corner, putting my hair back feels SO refreshing!

May 8, 2013 in OP Beauty

Real Beauty

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Seriously, if you have just a few minutes, you really ought to take a look at this. Get ready to be moved.

See, here’s the deal. I’ve ALWAYS had issues like these. I can’t say I don’t still. I think that’s why it has taken me so long to begin doing fashion posts (of myself), and I still am quite uncomfortable doing them because of my fear of how I think I look for the most part. But I’m slowly getting over it. I know external beauty isn’t what matters, but when we FEEL beautiful on the outside, it makes a world of a difference on everything we do. So the key is to embrace our own unique qualities and realize our own beauty.

How do you see yourself?

April 22, 2013 in OP Beauty, OP Life

Five Fine things on Friday

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1. A WINNER! A WINNER!!

The lucky winner from the wonderful giveaway sponsored by Eleni from Fall Into London is entry #3, Meaghan

via Random.org. Send me a message over HERE and I will connect you with Eleni! Thank you to ALL who participated in this fun giveaway. And a HUGE thank you Eleni for sponsoring this great giveaway!! You are one SUPER talented gal!!

2. Remember my dilemma of the Gel or Shellac nails HERE? Well, I kept them on for 3 weeks, and the back ends were screaming PICK ME OFF! So I did… and BOY do I regret it… LOOK….

Literally, the top of my nail feels SCRATCHY. It’s as if I’m dealing with the feeling of fingernails on a chalkboard, but on my OWN fingertips! URGH… waiting for the morning to come to go to the salon to take the rest off to NOT do this again apparently. #lessonlearned I don’t think this is for me! {{VERY sad face!}}

3. My fix for junk food in the way of frozen pizza…

(notice the thumb…. that was EARLIER the same day as the photo above where I tore the sucker off like a savage beast!)

4. Great things …..

come in GREAT packages.

…. Thank you Ally for this inspiring purchase!! {wink}

5. It’s always wonderful to come home to some fluffy love just anxiously waiting for me in the window!

Happy weekend lovers!!! Sending lots and lots of smooches your way!

April 12, 2013 in OP Beauty, OP Fashion, OP Life

Necessary Objects

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Some staples every girl MUST have that she can wear with anything and can’t go wrong with….

1. A great pair of shades.

2. A great bag that pops with color.

3. A classic watch.

4. A classic fragrance that she wears well.

5. A stylish pair of earrings that can go with everything

6. An attitude that says THERE IS NOTHING I CAN’T DO!

…. and of course… one of these pretty’s to look at every day to inspire us to be fabulous…

…. and she comes as part of my giveaway HERE from darling Eleni. You DO wanna check it out and enter before Friday.

What are some of your necessary objects? (I have many more, but keeping mine to the basics {{wink!!}})

April 10, 2013 in OP Beauty, OP Fashion

Five things…

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I got so much wonderful feedback on my mud room reveal this week, that I’d theme today in the color of pink. It seemed to put a smile on so many faces, and the sun finally DID come out! So let’s end the week on a happy pink note…

1. Loving this pink room

mixing traditional with some newer patterns and elements. (Notice pink AND gold… makes me MORE happy!)

2. My boyfriend Marc…. pailette embellished stam

(see the gold in there, too???… extra smiles!!)

3. I LOVE when I have a cluster of the same type of flower… loving these beautiful roses….

they put a smile on my face for sure!

4. Take me back…

Who remembers these? {{{warm fuzzy feelings inside!}}}

Finally…..

(all images today from my beloved Pinterest… feel free to follow my musings).

So true! Tell everyone you love HOW MUCH you love them. Don’t take any of your relationships for granted…. one minute we have our loved ones here, the next, they’re gone. … all of the “STUFF” I share here really truly is meaningless if we don’t have our health and our loved ones. Sure they’re fun and pretty and make life a bit sweeter, but that’s not what really matters in life… I know of too many losses lately, some so sudden and so young, that we forget how precious all of our relationships and moments are with our loved ones. Think of pink this weekend, let it put a smile on your face, and love love love on those important to you!

and of course, loves to all of you….

muuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaah!

1. Don’t take our moments with our loved ones for granted. Once again, I’ve been reminded by my Creator who is in charge. And how in the blink of an eye, life changes. One minute they’re here, the next they’re gone. Really, truly, THIS is the number one thing on my list today. Don’t roll your eyes at your mom. Take the call from your friend. Something that might annoy you or bug you, what if it wasn’t there tomorrow. Just something to ponder. … A little deep, but meaningful. Wanted to leave you with a Friday ON PURPOSE.

April 5, 2013 in OP Beauty, OP Fashion, OP Home

Natural Nail Dilemma

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One thing I’ve been blessed with most of my life is healthy strong nails. Never had I had to wear artificial nails, wraps, tips, or anything like that of the sort… well, with the exception of the time that forced me to use press on. Yes. I did say PRESS ON. Which brings me to my dilemma and I want feedback from my readers and all you nail girls out there, k?

So, rewind a few years ago to the coming out of Shellac and Gelish nails. Remember that? A girl’s DREAM come TRUE! To get your nails done and they dry INSTANTLY? Not chip? The color last for weeks? What could be better than that? Right?

Take a look at this RAINBOW of colors from Gelish…

I mean, who wouldn’t want to have perfect nails with no chips that last for weeks at a time, especially with colors like that? I circled some of my faves. See a pattern of colors I like??? {{smiles}} I never had much of a love of red on my hands personally, just because I don’t like it with my skin tone.

So here is my problem. And here is where I am asking my readers to chime in to give ME advice. Several years ago, I began getting my nails done in this way. Why not, right? Well slowly, after several months passed, my nails began to bend flat. Like I could bend them DOWN. I could never do that before because they were ULTRA strong. So what happened after they began to bend? They tore. And tore. And tore down to the quick. and became paper thin and brittle. My finger tips were so dry and peely along with my nails. So of course, I had to put a stop to the great new nail process that everyone else was loving.

And getting my nails to grow was almost next to impossible because no matter what I would apply to strengthen them to help them grow, my crazy sensory issues I have made me rewind the clock to childhood days of the feel good of biting my nails…. but not really biting them, more or less that feeling of having them ultra short. It felt good. Weird, I know. And what also came with that was not smooth fingertips… meaning SNAGGING on stuff. Urgh, it was a HORRIBLE period with my hands. My saving grace was these….

No kidding!! These are literally PRESS ON, no glue, nothing extra. AMAZING. Kristen, if you’re reading, remember when I turned you on to these when I was going through this? … I remember when LEE PRESS ON NAILS first came out when I was a little girl. (Does that date me???) They were SO cheesy!

But they saved me because they let my nail grow beneath it AND prevented me from picking at my fingers (those of you who have known me since a little girl know I do crazy things with my fingers, right? Yes, just send me to the state fair!!).

So the dilemma? Well, first, with colors like those, it’s like being a kid in the candy store. But that’s not the appeal. It’s the lack of chipping, long lasting wearability. So I recently had them done, a week ago to be exact, and I’m loving them. Just my first round. Here they are a week later….

Now. Here is where YOU GUYS come in. Advise. Has my experience happened to you before? Has anyone found a way to prevent it from ruining my nails? I never peeled them at all… I believe it was the acetone used to remove it that ruined my natual nails.

Thoughts? Advice? Anyone? Help. I want pretty nails, but without having to do them ALL the time. Shellac/Gelish nails or not?

April 1, 2013 in OP Beauty

Fabulousness on Friday, Five of them

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My life’s experiences this week have been nothing but priceless. And keeping it to 5 is going to be hard, so bear with me if some of the 5 have more than one thing, for those of you who compartmentalize it all in the brain.

1. I learned what vodka penne pasta pizza was….

and it haunted me thoughout the night with nausea beyond. Was it worth it? Maybe! {{wink!!}} ….and I got to eat some of the most AMAZING cake batter EVER (because I asked the master baker to please SAVE SOME for me because that is one of my BIGGEST weaknesses)!

(and you can only get this sweetness at the SweetSpot in Cresskill, New Jersey).

2. I learned what this VERY cool and unique way of meditating, growing, coaching, overcoming obstacles…actually referring to EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE are done with a method called TAPPING. I met a magnificent lady on the plane who taught us this and it was quite interesting… do check it out. I might need to expand on this some in the future! Shout out to you, sweet Margie !

3. I truly am fascinated by sparkly shiny things… much in the likes of this….

and this

I swear I was like a Japanese tourist snapping my camera like I’ve never seen a big city in my life. #dork.

4. I learned that there is nothing better than meeting people who love to help others grow. It’s even better when we can call those people FAMILY.

and meeting people who just wanna make a difference… like the fantastic photographer Shawn Michael Lowe from DuJour magazine who we met and took all these wonderful shots of us and this fabulous party…

and great mentors like Lois and new retailers who believe in a dream and wonderful customers….

(yes, that is Kim D from Real Housewives of New Jersey, who was showcasing her awesome Cuff line).

5. If you would have told me 6 months ago I would be doing what I’m doing now, I wouldn’t have believed you.

And now I’m pinching myself. I can’t believe that I’m working with my child, and as I see other babies being born around me (Christine, this means you, and Lynette, this means you! and BOY does it make me want another!!!), I’m in awe of life and all it has for us to grab a hold of and run with it. My wheels are spinning now yet AGAIN … as they always do. Not for a business for her or even a business per se to start or do. But when you know that you are going down the road that leads you to the journey you’re supposed to be taking, you know you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing. And the joy inside is beyond my wildest dreams. Ok…. {{{sniff… STOP it Irene!!!}}} Yes, she’s doing lots of work. And as her business manager, and the “sales and marketing gal”, so am I to help make all of this become a reality . But it’s more than that. Deep thoughts…. great thoughts. Nothing to do with getting big, or making money at all. But about dreams and what your passions are and pursuing them. Maybe that is why I began this blog? Maybe this is why it’s called THE OP LIFE? the ON PURPOSE life? Soapbox? Hormones? Maybe a bit of both! HA!

I just say CHEERS to Friday! Blessed to have had a week I’ll NEVER forget!

March 29, 2013 in OP Beauty, OP Fashion, OP Life

Friday’s Five

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Hello Lovelies! It’s FRIDAY…. WHEW! Are you exhausted too? Well, let’s get down to some serious business, shall we?

1. First things first…. WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!

Who is the lucky one who gets the sweetest treats for their lips?

Comment #14, from random.org. Abby W! Reach out to me so we can get you this wonderful product… like NOW!!!

Thank you all for chiming in on this one! Truly sending you cyber-smooches all over the globe, with my oh so soft lips! {{{tee-hee-hee}}} Please keep following Miss Margo on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. She is learning as she’s going, along with my guidance, and is intrigued with the numbers and new followers, and if she doesn’t know them she thinks that’s the coolest! So, a huge thanks for the support!

2. Stumbled upon THIS bit of cuteness I had to share…

You’ve already met mini-me, Miss Margo, but the little piece of cuteness she’s holding is to die for PRE-CIOUS! Meet Ari.

You can meet Ari too if you pop on in to see mother daughter Mary and Kat over at LuxeObjects. Seriously, as DARLING as that pup is, and as beautiful as those rugs and furnishings you barely get a glimpse of, you KNOW these women have an eye when it comes to things of beauty. You can pop in, tell them I sent you to see Ari, and my guess is you’ll love a few extra things along the way! {{{wink}}}

3. You know how I love natural stones of this sort….

well, this designer knew it and knew that you, lovies, would love some too. So, IF you come back and pay me a visit next week, there might be a piece of this sorta goodness, kinda like something like this perhaps show its face here as a GIVEAWAY for YOU! OH my……..

4. I’m officially a year older this week. Special gifts from special friends…. peeps who know me well….

#bestie #koumbaroula #youknowmetoowell

#meandmygirls Priceless.Gift.Right.Here. worth more than any gift!

5. I. AM. SO. READY. FOR. THE. WEEKEND.

Loooooooooooooove you guys!!

March 8, 2013 in OP Beauty, OP Fashion, OP Life

Launching Honestly Margo

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Today is a special day. I’m officially coming out with it. And I’m SO proud and excited….

Meet Margo! 12 year old dreamer, fun girl, driven, passionate, and entrepreneur. Margo is the creator and founder of Honestly Margo, a new beauty brand offering all natural lip balm.

(cute video you might like by the way!)

From a young girl, she has always been pursuing SOMETHING. What that SOMETHING was was yet to be discovered, at least until now. From trying to start an online art business at 8 years old to a pet couture line just a few years ago she concocted, something has been brewing in Miss Margo’s brain and soul. But knowing this young lady, you’d say this product she created, from scratch, with her own proprietary formula, fits her to a tee.

Created with essential oils along with wholesome ingredients like beeswax and coconut oil, I swear my lips have NEVER felt softer! And the proof is in the numbers. You see, after she started this as a hobby and it was a hit amongst her friends and teachers, she saw when they were coming back for more that here was something that COULD be something EVERYONE would love. And there, her business manager (i.e. MOM) encouraged her to dream BIG. Nothing BIG can happen if you don’t DREAM it. So, a few calls were made and the rest is history. A partnership was formed and a beauty brand was born.

In flavors like Pumpkin Cheesecake, Caramel Apple and Fruity Colada, there is NO need for dessert! You’ll just want more lip balm for your lips! Seriously, not only do these feel AMAZING, but they are SUPER darling to carry in your purse, in your car, in your backpack, at your desk drawer, in your office, on your kitchen counter (where I always have STUFF if you know what I mean), on your nightstand. EVERYWHERE. They are slim, sleek, cute, stylish, chic, AND they WORK. Test them for yourself and you’ll see. Just like her friends did! And yes, if you ask her, Shark Tank is one of her FAVORITE tv shows. (It’s actually a household favorite!)

I love how she’s named these after cute and unique names. Margo feels that these names represent young women of today… embracing and celebrating the beauty in uniqueness and following all of the dreams we have.

Now…. you’re thinkin WHERE oh WHERE do I get me some of that goodness for MY lips? Well for starters, Honestly Margo can be found in Cayman’s in Norman, OK, Plenty Mercantile in Oklahoma City, OK, soon in Luxe Objects in Oklahoma City, OK, and there are more to come that I must keep tight lipped about. Shopping website up soon, later this spring. But for now, to keep up with this young lady, you gotta be in the know…. How? For starters, HERE.

I hear another DRUMROLL…..

That means GIVEAWAY time! OH yeah! YOU my lovies, can have some super soft lips, and that means YOUR lovies will love YOU for it! HA! Ok… in all seriousness…. We want to help Miss Margo grow her brand, don’t we?

The lucky WINNER will get ONE of EACH flavor! HERE’S HOW TO WIN IT!

1. Comment below that you’d like to win the giveaway! Simple, right?

FOR ADDITIONAL ENTRIES (oh yeah!): …. (you need to leave an ADDITIONAL COMMENT ON THE BLOG BELOW FOR EACH OF THESE TO COUNT AS AN ADDITIONAL ENTRY)

2. SUBSCRIBE to The OP Life on the sidebar where it says SUBSCRIBE BY EMAIL and fill in your email. (and comment below that you did that!)

3. PIN IT TO WIN IT (any of those images, but the products are a good one to pin!) and include “#THEOPLIFE #GIVEAWAY @irenegianos @honestlymargo” in your PIN COMMENT (and comment below that you did that!)

4. SHARE the giveaway on your Facebook page with “Watch this video, http://bit.ly/12nuct0 @honestlymargo giveaway on www.theoplife.com” (and comment below that you did that!)

5. TWEET the giveaway with “@irenegianos @honestlymargo #giveaway, new beauty brand, enter to win,http://wp.me/p2nw10-ZJ ” (and comment below that you did that!)

6. SUBSCRIBE to Honestly Margo for updates. (and comment below that you did that!)

7. LIKE Honestly Margo on Facebook. (and comment below that you did that!)

8. FOLLOW Honestly Margo on Pinterest (and comment below that you did that!)

So EACH COMMENT BELOW gets you an entry, for a total of 8 entries possible! You don’t have to do them all, but EACH one you do get’s you an entry when you leave a SEPARATE COMMENT for each. Simple! Winners will be announced on Friday morning.

Not too hard, right? Who wants to help this young entrepreneur become successful? Very cool and VERY On Purpose if you’d ask me! And don’t forget to check back…winner announced Friday morning… a perfect way to start the weekend, right?

Happy Monday!

March 4, 2013 in OP Beauty, OP Health

Page 1 of 512 3 4 5 »

DIY Gel Nails

Low Pony

Real Beauty

Five Fine things on Friday

Necessary Objects

Five things…

Natural Nail Dilemma

Fabulousness on Friday, Five of them

Friday’s Five

Launching Honestly Margo

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