OPI nail polish 20 Candles on My Cake swatch
Alright – since I’ve got a lot of content and I’m having a hard time finding time to get some of this online I’ve decided I’m going to start with something simple and start posting “swatch sundays” posts.
I have a LOT of old OPI nail polished swatched and prepped …

…so I’m going to start off with those and hopefully get some other things into the mix as well. They’ll likely be fairly simple posts primarily made of photos.
Zoya is again running their “3 Free” promo, this time with a twist, they will have an additional personalized promo code for …. something… that they’ll send out on the 15th if you use the three free promo code. Details on the extra something: http://zoyanailpolish.blogspot.com/2014/01/color-your-world-bonus.html
I’m a sucker for this deal and have taken advantage of it before in 2011, and 2013 so this time I ordered Coco, Brigitte and Normani.
I’m in the mood for some good neutral shades. Since Brigitte and Normani are part of their “Zoya Naturel Collection” it might take a little extra time for me to get my order (as these gave me warnings in the shopping cart about being backordered.)
If anyone is curious which Zoya Nail Polishes I already own (Loredana and Poppy are missing from this list because they no longer sell these shades):
http://www.artofbeauty.com/content/MyList/Zoya_Qtica/4rxWbGXLWE0SgSBhNvUxT03gWKyQch0dggUnNL/?o=WishList&Referral=C043582
Or if you are curious which shades are still on my wishlist:
http://www.artofbeauty.com/content/MyList/Zoya_Qtica/fCJfDLrTQdqCVybsxehCQ8DhnFhppjkUT148l5/?o=WishList&Referral=C043582
Or you’re thinking “Just take me straight to the 3 free code, dates details etc already!”: http://www.zoya.com/content/category/something_big_is_coming.html


if you’re on mobile or an RSS reader, click through for the Rafflecopter giveaway form
Remember how I mentioned that I give away the items that I get that I know I can’t use? There are things I’m allergic or react to so I can’t try them even so I simply leave them sealed and give them away. I’ve filled another Birchbox box full of goodies so it’s that time again. Since a lot of the items had to do with winter skin care or a healthy glow, I decided to call this one winter warrior.
In this giveaway:
Using the form above you can enter two ways:
One person will be randomly drawn on January 5th 2014!

Pantone, the leading authority on color trends for both print and style, has revealed the color of the year for 2014. Radiant Orchid is “a captivating harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones.” I’ve collaged some images above from pinterest in this sort of shade range.
Pantone Color of the year 2014 – radiant orchid (link also includes past colors of the year): http://www.pantone.com/pages/index.aspx?pg=21129
For more Radiant Orchid inspiration:
http://www.pinterest.com/pantonecolor/pantone-color-of-the-year-2014/
The Full Fashion report for Spring 2014:
http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr/Default.aspx?season=spring&year=2014&pid=3
Outfit of the day – turquoise, leopard and corduroy. Actually the more I think about it the color sweater color is dead on cyan instead of turquoise. Ok so most of this outfit came from Kohl’s. I’m finding Kohl’s to be a good source of decent quality basics at a good price. I gave a sneak peak of some of these items in this post but that didn’t include the sweater. That $10 Kohl’s cash coupon I got from my online order I used to go back and buy this sweater. Actually I ended up with two of these cable knit sweaters because I liked them so much; the “bold blue” and the “brown heather”.
Sweater: Sonoma Life + Style Cable-Knit sweater in “Bold Blue” | Pants: Sonoma Life + Style Modern Fit Straight Leg Corduroy pants in camel | Scarf: Apt. 9 Leopard Scarf | Hat: Crushable straw fedora bought early last summer at Kohl’s | Earrings: bought last year at JC Penny | Shoes: Ugg Antora in black patent (similar Ugg Antora II in black patent)
Ok one quick note on the Uggs Antora ballet flats: I LOVE these but I have last year’s Antora not the Antora II and there is a difference. What I liked about last year’s style is that they are lined with shearling which helps keep my feet warm in winter. Not as warm as boots but better than most ballet flats. There’s no shearling on the footbed but there is shearling along the sides. If you see patent leather on the outside, there’s shearling under that. This year’s Antora II shoe however appears to only have a little tuft of shearling in the heel and that’s it.
The Payless Claire Scrunch Flat dexflex flat is my go-to black ballet in the fall and this Ugg Antora is my go-to black ballet flat in the winter because of that added warmth. I really hate wearing socks but my feet get cold easily. I actually own three pairs of Uggs and they are what go into heavy rotation in the winter and I should probably do a separate post about those. (Don’t worry, none of them are the typical suede Uggs that everyone knows and loves to hate!)