Random & Weird Experiments

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.

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

The Christmas House

Give me all the Christmas things

I have never been a big Christmas decorator. But that’s not because I don’t want to be - oh my gosh, I would very seriously like to have my house look like a Christmas explosion, please - it’s because I never really had the space or the materials. When you grow up in a two-bedroom apartment in New York City, there’s not a ton of square footage to allow for high-volume decorating, and if you want to get all festive on the exterior of your place, what that means is stringing some lights from your fire escape.

Which is cool! But…you know. Definitely not the same as being a member of the McCallister family.

DIY

I Designed My Own Engagement Ring (Using Jewelry I Already Had)

My beloved circa 2006 Las Vegas pawn shop ring

I love my engagement ring. It's one of my the very few things, including children and dogs (and, okay, Kendrick, but only on a good day) I would save from a house fire. (Sidenote: A few weeks ago, it seemingly vanished into the ether. I'm stopping myself from panicking with the assumption that it was taken off of my nightstand by one of my kids, and will turn up eventually in some completely unexpected and bizarre location, like what happened this other time I lost some very special jewelry.)

Anyway. I love it. But I also...kind of always wanted a ring-ring. Is that obnoxious?? Not a solitaire, and not anything wildly expensive - just something that was exactly the style and color and design I envisioned. I also had this vague idea that I wanted to design something myself, but that seemed like an insanely pricey proposition, between buying the stones and working with a jeweler to create a custom piece. I mean, who does that?!


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