More Great Nail Polish for a Buck! Road Tested, Driver Approved!

Today I painted my nails the color of the first new car I ever bought - a 1989 Ford Escort.

I'm not sure of the official name of this factory color, a sort of dark gunmetal, but I definitely did give it the once over in the showroom, and I remember admiring the "somewhere between silver and black" with a metallic sheen paint job. . . the same way I admired LA Colors, Color Craze "Tropical Storm" nail polish at my local Dollar Tree.

I drove my Ford Escort for about six years before trading it in for a Black Dodge Ram Truck. In fact every car I have ever owned has been silver, black, silver and black, or "Tropical Storm" -- Go RAIDERS!!!

This nail polish is pretty good -- dries fast, covers well, and the assortment of colors is amazing. On my next trip I will pick up some silver, and some black, and maybe some baby blue in honor of my dad's 1969 Ford Pick Up that I learned to drive in.

A Patriotic Paint Job

Since today is the 4th of July, and I have quite a collection of nail polish from the Dollar Store, I decided to paint them red, white and blue with some sparkles.

The Mainstream Media Shows Their Claws & Paints Their Nails

Yesterday the New York Times asked "When Did Wild Nail Polish Go Mainstream?"

My answer is when Reba McEntire wore black nail polish to host the Academy of Country Music awards. As someone who went through her "Goth" phase well over 20 years ago, I just laughed.

The ACMs were around the time I went to a job interview at a law firm, and the attorney I interviewed with was wearing a deep sapphire shade.

The point was well taken -- what does a gal have to do these days to set herself apart from the dreaded MAINSTREAM???!!!

Coincidently, yesterday I picked up a Quick Dry Nail Pen from Sally Hansen at the 99 Cent Only Store. I chose "Turquoise Chrome" as my non traditional color choice -- to be honest, there wasn't much to chose from, and this seemed the pick of the picked over litter.

Of course weird nail polish is nothing new. . . one of the few things I ever shoplifted, (or attempted to) was baby blue nail polish from the TG&Y store when I was in Junior High. My dad had a Ford Pick-Up Truck the same color. It was ages ago, literally decades . . . umm, let's just say "midis" where in style, there were crazy, long lines to buy gas, "American Pie" was on the radio, and Richard Nixon was in office.

Through these many years, the cosmetic companies have enjoyed ridiculous profits from the cheap thrill crazy lacquers give the young (or those longing for their younger days), and brash. Of course, being the cheap ass and do it yourselfer that I am, I've always opted for the Dollar or Dime Store version of these frosts, metallics, glitter, and creme hues, or better yet (honestly, it was only once!) -- the five finger discount.

While I'm confessing, I might as well come clean . . . I have never once had a professional mani or pedi. The thing is, I work with my hands a lot -- back in the day, I used to play guitar, and my nails were basically nonexistant (I don't know how Dolly Parton does it!). Add caring for farm animals, leatherwork, working in a Sign Shop, and well . . . I just never saw the point in wasting money on something that wouldn't last, or would actually prohibit my productivity.

But, I digress . . . I couldn't resist the Sally Hansen Quick Dry Nail Pen for a buck, and it is indeed very easy, and VERY fast drying. . . like INSTANT! Today, I added a second coat (though I didn't really need it), and it went on fairly well, not as smooth as coat one, but not bad. A turquoise ring or two, and I was stylish and good to go.

In fact, I felt a little like Liza Minnelli in "Cabaret" who shows off her "Divine Decadence" shade of frosted forest green.

It made me feel (pick one) 10, 20, 30, even 40 years younger . . . and (maybe not) just another hand in the crowd.

Happy Birthday Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe was born June 1, 1926 and would have been 85 years old today. It is interesting but difficult to imagine what she would do with her life if she had more of it to live.

A Corsage for Mother's Day

My pal Charles Phoenix mused on his facebook page today if corsages were still a tradition for Mother's Day.

As my Derby Fascinator sort of veered into that territory with wearable flowers, I decided to whip one together with some silk orchids from the Dollar Tree. I wouldn't dream of giving my mom a silk corsage, she's not the corsage type anyways, but I would love to festoon myself with blooms.

A Mother's Style, and a Grandmother's Gift

The NYTimes ran an article today for Mother's Day entitled For These Designers, Mom Knew Best , which includes interviews with fashion designers about the legacy of style and design, that they inherited from their mothers.

It got me thinking about my Mom, and my Grandmothers especially, who influenced my taste and creativity. You may have noticed that I am rather fond of butterflies. I don't buy all butterflies that I see, but when I see a good one, I just have to have it. I try not to repeat myself too much, but one butterfly in particular does crop up in my photos more than once. It may be the single most favorite thing I've ever bought in a Dollar Store, and it is the big pink sparkly one in the lower right hand side of this photo.

It adorned my Tribute to Patsy Cline, and my Easter Bonnet, and it took the utmost restraint not to add it to my Derby Fascinator.

The reason I love it so much, is that it goes so well with my most cherished inheritance from my Grandmother, Idris Holcomb - the pink, blue, and clear rhinestone butterfly pin in the upper right corner.

She was a wonderful person, who encouraged all her grandchildren to follow their hopes and dreams.  My older sister and cousin benefitted from educations from prestigious law schools. Another cousin inherited the beach house. There where other things like stocks that got divvied up when she passed, but of all the momentos and things of monetary value, I think I may have made out the best.

Certainly, more than once my hopes and dreams have been dashed, but I still hang tight to her acknowledgment of my little whims and flights of fancy . . . and that rhinestone butterfly pin.

Giant Happy Mother's Day Card from the Dollar Store

Why wish Mom a Happy Mother's Day when you can wish her A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! This card from the 99 Cent Only Store is REALLY Big. Off to the side is a gift bag, about the size of huge greeting card. The Giant card is completely blank on the inside, perfect for all sorts of heartfelt sentiments, inscriptions, signatures - heck, why not turn it into a scrapbook, or a crafts project. Or if your Mom has a really good sense of humor, write Love, and your name really, really small inside.

Whatever you do, it is sure to make an impact, at at just a buck, you can't go wrong.