12th Day of Christmas: China Glaze "Mrs. Claus"

Happy 12th Day of Christmas Manicure! We are officially halfway there! (technically .5 days to go, but that's not entirely relevant in these terms so I'm going to say we're halfway anyway). And for today's nail of the day, I have a single-polish manicure, China Glaze's "Mrs. Claus."

11th Day of Christmas: OPI "Warm and Fozzie" + OPI "The Living Daylights"

Christmas is only a few weeks away and today I have for you another nail combination that involves OPI "The Living Daylights" from the Skyfall collection. I layered it over OPI's "Warm and Fozzie" from last year's holiday collection and I really like the turnout.

10th Day of Christmas: China Glaze "Jolly Holly" + China Glaze "Party Hearty"

Get ready for another glittery notd featuring China Glaze's "Party Hearty." This time, I am layering it over a green polish, China Glaze's "Jolly Holly."

9th Day of Christmas: China Glaze "Phat Santa" + China Glaze "Ring in the Red"

I mentioned in my Holiday notd yesterday that I would would be doing a notd today for what I considered to be the classic holiday manicure. And what I have for you is a gorgeous glittery red manicure using China Glaze 's "Phat Santa" and "Ring in the Red." These two combine to make an eye-catching manicure that is relatively easy to wear, and is a must in the holiday season.

8th Day of Christmas: OPI "Just A Little At This" + OPI "The Living Daylights"

It's the 8th Day of Christmas Manicures, and I have for you a combination of a deep wine creme and a chunky glitter to put you in the holiday spirit.

Divergent: A Book Review

There will be NO SPOILERS in this review! Enjoy (:

Even though I said I probably wouldn't be posting book reviews for a few more weeks, I couldn't resist. I stumbled across Veronica Roth's Divergent about 1.5 years ago when I was looking for a book that would satisfy my Hunger Games pangs. In passing, I even mistook the flame on the cover for the mockingjay symbol, but I hesitated and put the book out of my mind- until recently. On a whim, and after reading some Defoe, Austen, Radcliffe, and Burney I was itching for something fun (not that society/manners/British culture aren't fun, but you know what I mean). And by now my Hunger Games pangs have dissipated so Divergent didn't have much space to fill. So, why not?

(photographed: Veronica Roth's Divergent)

And because I'm always wary about giving book descriptions (I often give too little, but fear giving too much) here's the description straight from Amazon:

"In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her."

7th Day of Christmas: Sephora by OPI "Self-Maid Millionaire" + China Glaze "Party Hearty"

Here's the 7th day of my 25 Days of Christmas Manicures. It's a combination of Sephora by OPI's "Self-Maid Millionaire" and China Glaze's "Party Hearty."