Tumblr Tuesday! 365daysofHalloween

It's Tumblr Tuesday! In honor of yesterday being Halloween, today's feature is 365 Days of Halloween.

Did you dress up this year?  What was the most creative costume you saw yesterday or over the weekend? Do you have a Tumblr or have a favorite Tumblr account you want featured? Comment below or email me shapedbymylife@gmail.com

The Muppets: No Longer Only Puppets

http://jezebel.com/muppets/

The Muppets nail polish line is coming to O.P.I.!!

I don't really care why, but I love nail polish!  It's one of those simple pleasures I enjoy.  In an earlier blog Sugar Daddy to Bachelorette Bash, I wrote about two great Essie nail polish colors that continue to grace my fingertips.  But for as much as I love nail polish, I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I've gone out to get my nails done at a salon for several reasons.

Top 5 Reasons To Paint My Own Nails

1. I always found it extremely awkward and uncomfortable to have some stranger do something for me I can do myself. The person always comments on my cuticle care and I get annoyed within the first few minutes then have to sit there while they touch me.

2. If I want my nails that color I want to own the color! Especially because it chips within a few days.

3. Multitasking! I love the meditative quality of cleaning my nails, filing them, and then picking a color, usually while watching a movie.  Plus I can do it in the comfort of my own home.

4. The person never does as good of a job as I can do and I get annoyed that I feel obligated to tip.

5. It costs more to get my nails done one time out at a salon then it does to buy and own the color myself, which gives me the luxury and option to paint my nails that color as many times as I like & to fix the chips that inevitably occur.

Plus, with a reference to a childhood favorite, it makes it that much more enjoyable.  Something about the clever names of nail polish, like Fresh Frog of Bel Air or Gone Gonzo, that can bring a smile to my face.  It's also a great way to add some color into my life when getting dressed feels more like a chore and I'm drawn to a simple white or black t-shirt and jeans.

http://www.styleite.com/beauty/the-muppets-opi/

Do you paint your nails or go out to get them done?  What color are your nails right now?  Don't paint your nails?  What's your favorite Muppet and why?  Comment below or email me shapedbymylife@gmail.com

Sugar Daddy to Bachelorette Bash

Relax.  These are nail polish names that have graced my fingertips the last two weeks. I like both of the colors, and also, with my financial situation becoming more and more stressful by the day--economic insecurity at it's height right now--it couldn't hurt to have a trust fund, or a sugar daddy, or at least something with the name to give hints to the universe; it works like that, right?

This week has been a serious struggle.  The unemployment benefits card still has not come in the mail and every time I have clicked the button to claim for the week I wonder if this is working, how long the wait will be, and who I should even call to confirm there is in fact, a card coming.  I also had my first experience in DSS this week; the ten minutes I stood in line to drop off paperwork I had serious anxiety.  My internal dialogue questioning myself, my life, my worth, and it's only the very beginning of the process. Now, intellectually, I'm aware that the system exists in order to help people in situations such as myself; however, waiting for grad school's to send me either rejection or acceptance letters while at the same time trying to get an appointment with someone at DSS to see if I can get assistance to pay my rent and food stamps is a very strange place to be in and one I have definitely never experienced before. 

So I paint my nails. At night, when I am home in my rented room, and my monkey mind spins it's web of negativity based on all sorts of forms of fear that I'm not quite ready to disclose in any extreme detail, I clean off the prior color; take my time to meticulously clear cuticles and file down jagged edges or chipped tips. It's actually a great meditative task that needs my time and attention. I've had many restless nights recently, including last night. So since the universe hasn't sent me a sugar daddy yet and I also needed to calm myself down and just wanted a fun new color, I painted my nails Bachelorette Bash by Essie.  

They have some of the best nail polish and it's worth the cost.  Instead of spending more than what it costs to buy an entire bottle of nail polish out getting a manicure done by someone else, which I've always found extremely uncomfortable, I can take the time to quiet myself down and paint my own nails in the comfort of my own room and change nail color as frequently as I want.  Instant gratification for something small like that is a girly and simple pleasure I will continue to enjoy.