birdfriend

Lilac & Tribal Nails

A few weeks ago, I used some of those nail polish stickers for the very first time. It was Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Tri-bal it On, and though it took me longer than expected to put on, it ended up looking great! It didn't chip at all and lasted way longer than regular nail polish.

After two weeks I decided I was ready for a change. The stripes still looked perfect but as my nails grew had inched away from my cuticles. But when I tried to take the polish/sticker off, I discovered it was really difficult to remove. It took me around 5 minutes to clean off one nail! So I decided to keep the pattern a little longer but add my own idea on top.

First off, I used some stick-on French tip guides around halfway up my nails.

Next I painted everything below the sticker my new favorite color, lilac! This is after the first coat, so you can still kind of see the sticker underneath. 

Make sure you do multiple coats!! And when it's all dry, paint some clear nail polish on to seal it all in.

Voila! Super simple and it looks like I went to a fancy nail art salon!!

Street Style: Nuremberg

When I was in Germany, I couldn't help but notice all the cute outfits everywhere! Here are my favorites from Nuremberg....

love the ruffly top!! also, the mint flats.

a long sheer skirt with a short slip... so romantic!

nautical star scarf and cuffed boyfriend jeans.

denim maxi dress with lace trim!

gorgeous black lace yoke on that top!

love the floral shirt. and the tights + shorts combo, perfect for fall!

THIS KID. IS SO COOL. with the sailor t-shirt.

flowy floral tiered tanktop.

colored shorts are my favorite!! and this combo with boat shoes and striped top is adorable.

I SO WANT this camera t-shirt!! especially with purple skinnies!

even our waitress looked cute in her traditional dirndl with a hello kitty belt buckle!

Kohl's 10% off Discount Code!

As a special gift from me and Kohl's, here is a discount code for 10% off any purchase at kohls.com! This can be combined with other discount codes and is good until August 23, so act fast!!

 

One Hot Summer Day

I'm leaving for a long vacation in Germany tomorrow... so I thought I would post some quick outfit pictures before I go!

top: Marshall's
shorts: H&M
necklace: American Eagle
shoes: vintage
purse: H&M

top: Urban Outfitters
shorts: Target
belt: Forever 21
purse: American Eagle
jewelry: Forever 21 & J. Crew
shoes: Kohl's 

That's all for now... If I'm lucky I'll get to share some photos of my trip in the upcoming weeks!

EDIT 

As a special gift from me and Kohl's, here is a discount code for 10% off any purchase at kohls.com! This can be combined with other discount codes and is good until August 23, so act fast!!

BLOGIT10

Three Ways to Wear Jungle Cats

(This is a guest post by the delightful Valerie Detwiler, a fashion design student and intern at one of my favorite blogs, What I Wore. I've featured her awesome sense of style before at HerCampus!)

Hello, Birdfriends! About a month ago I went up to Indy for some pre-summer shopping. It was a pretty successful trip- especially at H&M (WHY on earth doesn’t Bloomington have one!?), which is where I found this adorable jungle cat dress. I adore anything quirky and fun so this print caught my eye. The basic cut and style of the dress makes it easy to wear and the cut out keeps it fresh. Rainbow colored jungle cats may not seem like the easiest pattern to pull off, but paired with a few key accessories it can be worn a lot of different ways. My three favorites are beach, casual, and night. 

When I go to the beach (or pool, etc) I like a low key and comfortable yet cute outfit. The cotton keeps me cool and the print doesn’t require much accessorizing. I paired it with a vintage inspired sun hat, sandals, and a second hand beach bag. All the pieces serve a purpose so you look good without appearing too over the top.

Hat- H&M
Sandals- Target
Bag- Ebay
Sunglasses- Forever 21

I am on a huge grunge kick right now, which is pretty hard considering the key is layering and it’s currently over 100 degrees outside. Fashion will be the death of me. Moving on, this denim vest gives the outfit some edge and when paired with classic Dr. Martens completes the 90’s look. I would wear this outfit during the day, to work, running errands, or hanging out with friends.

Shoes- Dr. Martens
Vest- Forever 21
Bracelets- Forever 21

Believe it or not, this dress can be made to look chic. Covering up with a blazer minimizes the print so there’s less going on, and the cut of the blazer pulls in the waist and creates an hourglass shape. Also, pairing the dress with neutrals silences the loud colors and lends some sophistication to the outfit. I wouldn’t wear this to anything TOO fancy (French restaurants, weddings, etc) but could definitely go on a date or to Sunday morning church.

Shoes- Target
Sunglasses- H&M
Bag- Plato’s Closet
Blazer- Plato’s Closet

Needless to say, I love this dress! It’s definitely a conversation piece but with a lot of outfit possibilities. Thanks to Mackenzie for letting me do a post, I had so much fun coming up with the outfits!

Bright Ideas

A few days ago as I was leaving work I stopped by Madewell and discovered that they were having a FANTASTIC sale. An extra 50% off everything on sale! I always like to look through Madewell because it's so inspirational, but I've never really thought I could afford it. But not today! Later my sister went back and also stopped in at the sales at J. Crew and also got some cute stuff. I was so excited so I decided to do a little photoshoot featuring our bright new purchases! Also featuring my new ukulele because I am in love with it :)

Lemony Sweet

Sweater: Madewell
Skirt: handmade
Belt: Target
Necklace: Urban Outfitters
Watch: JoAnne
Sandles: DSW 

 

Preppy Pink

Top: Madewell
Shorts: Target
Belt: Forever 21
Necklace: American Eagle
Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Chinese Laundry 

Cherry Wine

Shorts: Madewell
Tanktop: Target
Cardigan: Target
Necklace: J. Crew
Shoes: DSW
Bracelets (top down): Target, Madewell, Shop Tibet 

 

Strawberry Lemonade

Top: Madewell
Skirt: J. Crew
Shoes: Nine West
Necklace: Forever 21
Bracelets (left, top down): Target, handmade, J. Crew, Madewell
Bracelets (right, top down): Forever 21, Forever 21, J. Crew, Fossil 

And here are some bonus pictures of my photographer/sister Darby! She claims to be the queen of the hipsters, but I know she isn't because I AM.

Top: Eddie Bauer
Shorts: American Eagle
Tanktop: Old Navy
Belt: Pitaya
Shoes: Forever 21
Necklace: handmade
Bracelets (top down): Forever 21, American Eagle, Aeropostale, handmade, Target, vintage 

Days 16-20

Day 16: Green Jeans + Red Cardigan + Gray V-neck

Well, dead week has been hitting me pretty hard... Even though it's supposed to be the calm week before finals, it's definitely anything but dead! Because of that I've been dressing kind of crazy and sometimes wear sweats instead of real clothes. Sad bears. But I'm going to finish this challenge out, no matter how long it takes!

Day 17: Pink Patterned T + Red Cardigan + Jean Shorts

This day was so warm and sunny. My friends and I took a walk all over campus and went to the Rent-A-Puppy event by the Indiana Memorial Union, but the puppies were all taken. We watched them from afar!

Day 18: Floral Minidress + Khaki Blazer + Leggings

Got a little bit dressed up to go see Young Frankenstein: the Musical at the IU Auditorium!! It was a fantastic show but probably not as good as the movie. I love Gene Wilder SO MUCH!

Day 19: Leggings + Denim Jacket

Literally the easiest outfit I could possibly wear for my final. Notice that my hair and eyes are CRAZY... finals are getting me down!

Day 20: Sleeveless Blouse + White Tanktop + Leggings

Today was finally the day that I've been waiting for... BUNNY PARTY! We sat outside and ate cupcakes and blew bubbles and climbed trees. It was an awesome, awesome celebration of spring (AND BUNNIES)!!

Only ten days left... It may take a month but I'll finish strong!

Pattern Obsession: ASOS

Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with patterns. I discovered ASOS.com recently and I just love the patterns used in their own private brand!

So here I give to you.... floral patterns from ASOS.

Days 11-15

Day 11: Sleeveless Blouse + White Tanktop + Denim Shorts

It was a gorgeous, hot day to go to a cookout, and I felt so summery in this sleeveless top!

Day 12: Printed Sweatshirt + Taupe Blouse + Jeggings

And then suddenly it was freezing cold. I really hate spring in Indiana! But ever since I got this wide-necked sweatshirt, I've wanted to layer it over a blouse-- so wish granted! It wasn't a very warm combination though, unfortunately. 

Day 13: Floral Tank + Sheer Blouse + Leggings

Sort of a simple, ballerina-style outfit I threw on because I was running late. Not my best so far, but comfortable.

Day 14: Rabbit T + Pink Shorts

I have never been into the whole tights + shorts combo, but I realized this was my month of trying new things, so why not? I wore these sheer peach-toned tights with tiny bows on them, and I only got a few "are those scars on your legs???" comments. But overall I actually liked the style and it was very comfortable! 

Day 15: Long Sleeve T + Floral Tank + Denim Shorts

Forgive me for the bad cell phone picture! I cannot even handle how comfy this pink shirt is. And you can see my new mint-green wrap watch I got from Target, which I am obsessed with. Pastel colors are such a weakness....

I am starting to lose steam with this challenge.... I'm going to have to try to kick it up a notch this week!

Days 6-10

Day 6: Red Cardigan + White Tanktop + Pastel Skirt

This was my dress for Easter! Got all fancied up and went to church. I really, really love this skirt-- it's so flowy and comfy!

Day 7: Black Leggings + Long-sleeve T + Khaki Blazer

The weather started getting colder so I thought the blazer would be the perfect layer. But to make it more casual, I wore it with a t-shirt and leggings underneath! I love this necklace, I made it out of some strips of vintage fabric braided together.

 

Day 8: Denim Jacket + Floral Minidress + Jeggings

This dress is so short I've never felt comfortable wearing it without pants underneath... which makes it perfect for this chilly weather.

Day 9: Jeggings + Rabbit T + Denim Jacket

Honestly, a pretty boring outfit. I don't like to dress up too much for drawing class because I always get charcoal all over myself!

Day 10: Red Skirt + Textured T + Khaki Blazer

Finally beautiful weather again! Went to the IU opera to see Candide with my sister. And I love this skirt with the elastic waistband! Especially good for eating a big dinner of Tom Kha soup at Esan Thai.

What can I say? So far so good!