OOTD: Home In The Country

I can't believe it was warm enough for bare legs today! Sunny & 72° after being in the 50's a few days ago.

Dress: Merona, Target 
Shirt: Arizona for JCP, thrifted 
Boots: Walmart 
Bag: wish.com
Necklace: On Trend Boutique 
Earrings: gift

NOTD: Holo Quatrefoil

This is Model City Berry Sweet over NYC Black Lace Creme. Stencils from Vinyl It Up. Gorgeous polish, but I wish my stenciled images had been more crisp. I need more practice, I think.

I won this fabulous polish and 4 others in an Instagram giveaway!

OOTD

Cardigan: J Crew, Thredup

Top: JCP

Pants: F21

Bag: Merona, thrifted

Flats: flea market

Belt: Walmart 

Necklace: On Trend Boutique 

Book Review: The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy

I received this book for free from Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest review.

Overall I really enjoyed The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy. The author masterfully told two stories set in two very different time periods, and I think those perspectives really made the storytelling superb and engaging.

The story alternates between two main characters: Civil War-era Sarah Brown and 21st Century Eden Anderson. Sarah Brown is the daughter of the infamous John Brown, a high-profile abolitionist who led — and was later hanged — for leading the slave uprising at Harper’s Ferry in the days leading up to the Civil War. In the 21st Century, Eden Anderson is a woman trying to reconcile her “personal failure” at her inability to conceive a child. She moves into a Civil War-era home and finds artifacts tied directly to the time period of Sarah Brown. While the two women appear to have nothing in common, they share the burden of their inability to conceive children and the heartache their infertilities cause.

Without giving too much more of the plot away, I will say that the characters are complex, with winning personalities, and McCoy paints such vivid world pictures that I would not hesitate to recommend that book to others. It's not the most favorite historical fiction I've ever read, but it is a fine piece of writing.

On a personal note, Sarah McCoy seems to be a lovely person who takes the time to engage with her fans. I posted a photo of myself reading The Mapmaker's Children and she later took the time to respond to it!

NOTD: Zoya Kimmy & Channing

First a pic of my nekkid nails. I've been oiling with Kuluku oil before manis, taking Biotin, and using a strengthening base coat. I haven't had a major break in over 2 months! Even my peelies are improving. This is probably the longest and strongest they've been. Sorry for the slightly different lengths; I know it peeves some people. I'm trying to grow them out as much as I can and then file them all to the same length. The index and middle nails grow so slowly. :/

On to the polish. 1 coat of Zoya Kimmy and Channing with SC Devil's Stare on middle and ring fingers. Great formulas; a little floody, but but very smooth. Kimmy is a beautiful bright shimmery red that looks great on it's own or over other reds. Channing is more orange than I thought it would be; online it looked more bronze/red, but it's still very pretty.

A Few Wax Reviews

CFTKR Stiletto Blonde:

Before reviewing this scent, I had to look up it's scent description on the Candles From The Keeping Room site. My initial impressions were that it was vaguely floral and oddly perfume-y. It was sent to me by a friend, so I thought maybe it was older and the scent had become "off," maybe by being stored with other scents and absorbing them. It turns out my scent note impressions were correct and this was actually what the tart was supposed to smell like.

"Stiletto Blonde-Sultry notes of white flowers, intermixed with notes of violets with a hint of muskiness." This sounds more like a perfume description than that of most tarts I melt. Perhaps it is a lovely fragrance of some; to me it did not sit well at all. The florals were cloying and intermixed with something that smelled to me like rotting fruit. I had to turn it off after an hour, which is pretty rare. It was fairly strong throw. Overall grade: C-. Not for me, would not purchase.

Knickknaxwax Karma: Having not sniffed the original Lush Karma scent, I cannot tell you if this is an accurate dupe. What I can say is that it is to me a creamy patchouli musk type scent. Smooth and inoffensive with fairly strong throw that lasted all day. A good quality tart; not my most preferred scent type, but fun every once in a while. Overall grade: A-. Performed well, might repurchase.

House of Usher Grinchpourri:

HoU has become very popular recently and a lovely friend sent me this scent. I like it. I find then notes complex, intriguing, and most importantly, pleasant. To me it smells like grape gummy candies and mulled red wine. Fruity and at times both sweet and spicy. It had strong throw that lasted 6-8 hours. I'd love to try more scents from this brand! Overall grade: A. Would purchase.

SGA Strawberry Bread Noel:

This one is super realistic and sooo yummy! It smells exactly like warm strawberry preserves ladled over freshly baked sweet bread with a dollop of vanilla bean curd on top. I literally want to eat whatever is producing this smell. Nothing artificial about it whatsoever. It has been filling my rooms with the perfect amount of delicious aroma for the past couple hours. Overall grade: A+. Would definitely purchase.

NOTD: Zoya Harlow With Glitter

Zoya Harlow, LA Colors Sparkling Diamond, Sally Hansen Big Matte Top Coat.