Tuxedo Nails!

 

Tomorrow is a big day...my friend Nicole is marrying her fiance Greg! Nicole and I have known each other since we were in middle school. We spent many, many Friday nights together throughout junior high and high school, hanging out at the mall and movie theater, waiting for our parents to come pick us up! Many Friday nights at high school football games and TGI Friday's afterwards, and once I even lied to administrators at my high school, saying Nicole was my cousin, just so she could go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation Dance Fundraiser with me! (We did get kicked out which was complete bull$hit, especially since I raised the most money that year. I ended up winning free prom tickets!)

I'm not in Nicole's wedding, but that doesn't mean I can't get all dressed up and go all out. And by all dressed up I mean my nails. There are three things I think a lady must always check off before she leaves the house. 1) wear decent undies. You never know when you'll be in a car accident and have to have your pants cut off in the emergency room. Seriously. I worry about this happening. 2) always have clean hair. Along with no holes in your underwear, who knows when you'll be able to shower again. Dry shampoo will only take you so far. And 3) do your best to have nice nails. I don't care if they're acrylic, gel or natural, just keep them from looking like talons and slap a coat of neutral paint on them so you look like a woman. 

I knew right away back January how I would be wearing my nails to at least one of the four (4!!) weddings I will be attending this year. Zoey Deschanel wore tuxedo nails on the red carpet for the Golden Globe awards. They were fabulous! You can see what inspired my look here. Love them!

This mani was fairly simple to create. I don't have any black nail polish and the dress I'm wearing is blue so I decided a dark midnight blue would work perfectly. (BTW- the dress looks purple online and is even called Purple Royale...but it is seriously the same color as my old Civic SI- if I put the dress on top of the hood you wouldn't be able to see where they aren't the same. Exact dupe) For this mani you will need: nail polish remover, cotton balls, q-tips, toothpicks and at least two colors of polish. I used Sally Hansen's White Tip for the white, China Glaze's Up All Night, and OPI's Last Friday Night from their Katy Perry Collection.

I painted both of my ring fingers with two coats of White Tip and let it dry. 

 

Then I painted the bottom of my nail with Up All Night. I just went slow and started with a thin line and made it thicker as I went. 

Then I placed one dot directly above the line in the middle of my nail, and surrounded it with two dots on each side. From there it was a simple task of connecting the dots to create the bow. Finally, I added three dots down from the bow to the line looking like buttons. 

I painted the rest of my nails with two coats of Up All Night and let them dry. I finally went back over the tuxedo with Last Friday Night. It's a blue glitter and it really made them pop! I topped everything off with one coat of Essie's Polish Refresher. 

 

When I think of tuxedos, this comes to mind!! I absolutely love this part of the movie and it's so true. Tuxedos are formal but tuxedo nails are fun! So what do you think? Are tuxedo nails something you see yourself wearing to an event? I think these nails are awesome and will be great for tomorrow's wedding! Congrats to Nicole and Greg!

 

Health, the greatest of all we count as blessings. - Ariphron

March 2012

Maintenance 

This is me today (well, I look the same today, this was a month ago). My weight has fluctuated between 124-128 for the past two months. I am eating around 2000-2200 calories a day. I cook every day for dinner and I normally will have a protein shake for breakfast and a turkey sandwich for lunch. I am happy maintaining this weight. I also exercise for a half hour daily. I have ordered my maid of honor dress for my best friend’s wedding in October. It is a size 4 and will need to be altered. I also recently bought a pair of J. Crew toothpick skinnies in a size 27 (3-4).

Someone I went to college with has asked me to join her weight loss team with her. It is a 12 week challenge. I ordered Turbo Jam and have done the 20 minute session a few times. Ultimately, I would like to weigh between 110-115. I know that before Ryan and I decide to try to have a baby, I definitely will weigh this. Then I can gain a healthy 25-30 pounds without stressing. That is in the future but I see nothing wrong with being prepared. I would want to maintain that weight as well for at least six months before getting pregnant.

You may be wondering about all those old jeans, especially my favorite ones. Well, they're definitely no longer my favorite. In fact, I gave them away! I gave away everything (and I mean everything) that was too big for me. I shop a lot at Anthropologie for shirts, so imagine giving away really nice clothing in really great shape. Luckily for me, I have some wonderful friends who are totally supportive of my lifestyle and who were thrilled to inherit my old clothes without being offended. Besides, they just received really great wardrobe updates! The only thing I have kept that no longer fits me are: a pair of size 14 American Eagle jeans. I bought them when I couldn't get those MEK jeans buttoned. They are a reminder of how far I've come, and if I feel like I'm getting off track, I like to try them on.

I don't think I ever had a breakthrough moment. It never really hit me "Oh my gosh, I've lost this weight." I am still me regardless of what I weigh. I still enjoy food and baking and cooking. I just now enjoy foods that I wasn't eating because I realize I feel better eating them. I enjoy working out (although I still hate sweating). I'm still funny, and loud and outspoken. I still believe in eating what you want, just now in moderation. I still have an amazing sense of humor. I think you definitely need a sense of humor more than anything while trying to lose weight.

The only time I ever broke down and cried on this journey was when I was cleaning out my closet and came across my wedding dress. It was a size 14 and I loved, loved, loved it. I still do. But when I tried it on, it was a different dress than the one I got married in. The beading on the bust now fell across my waist as well, and it was more mermaid than a-line because it wasn't bunched up as much. Ryan came in our bedroom and asked why I was so upset. And I told him it was because I would've picked a different dress for our wedding if I was thinner. He reminded me that I still could've picked that exact dress, just ordered it in a smaller size. It helped me realize I am the exact same person, just a smaller version of myself.

Right now today I weigh 127.4. I am setting a goal of weighing 115 by July 7. That is our annual 4th of July party. I hope to achieve this by cycling calories, beginning Turbo Jam, and continuing my half hour daily treadmill jog.

April 20, 2012 

And that’s how I came up with the name of my blog. Eat Cake for Breakfast (then Work it Out). You can have your cake and eat it too. Just make sure everything is in moderation. Don’t eat the whole cake (at least not in one day). My late maternal grandmother always said, “Life’s short, eat dessert first”. She was so right. Tomorrow I may not be here, so while I am I will have a slice of whatever the hell I want!

If you’ve read all of these posts, thank you. I have changed my own life for the better and I can’t ever,ever, imagine going back to where I was. Having lost over 50 pounds I feel like a different person. My blood pressure has also dropped from an all-time high of 150/101 to 112/70. My energy is through the roof and my confidence is higher than it has ever been.

I also want to mention that I am not pushing a lifestyle change on anyone. Just because I try to make healthy decisions does not mean I’m perfect. At all. Last week I made a batch of my mom’s homemade hot fudge and ate a spoonful daily of it just because I wanted to. I have a major sweet tooth still but I have learned how to curb it. Most of all I realize that each day is a new day. If I screw up today then I have tomorrow. (Although eventually you have to take some responsibility).

Lastly, I do not endorse Turbo Jam or Slim in Six. They are Beachbody products but I bought them off of Amazon just because they looked fun to me. Slim in Six did help me lose weight and I give it credit for starting me out, so I am hoping if I dedicate to TJ I can also lose these last fifteen pounds.

Check back later for a new post. I’m going to start baking some Cinnamon Cookies once my butter has softened!