Saturated Halo

H&M top, Liv boutique dress, last seen here.

SKYPE FEST is HERE!!!!

SKYPE Fest is almost here! Can you feel it? Taste it? I"m SO EXCITED!! To add to the excitement I have added a countdown ticker. The fun begins at 11AM California time and goes until 3PM. I cannot wait to connect LIVE with my readers (YOU guys)!

MY Skype ID: cotedazur_femme

 Give me a ring! I'll be waiting! 

 

Sheer and Softer Than Roses

Testing my window and curtains for an up and coming Dressing With... post. Can you guess which artist and/or painting I'm going to feature?

And! The Amber's Mouthwash SKYPE Fest is almost upon us! Are you excited? I am! I cannot wait to meet you guys and video chat with you! April 28th!

Sally Hansen Nail Tutorial

 I was super excited about these Sally Hansen polish strips. I had tried some by other brands before, and was interested in seeing what these may be like.
And? A lot of work.
Part of the long prep was my fault: I can't remember the last time I gave my cuticles some much needed TLC, so that took some time. The cute little kit comes with everything that you will need (except one item - that in a minute): the nail file is genius because it is also a nail buffer on the reverse side. The super smooth side also aids in placing the strips on the nail.
Placing the nail strips can be tricky: sometimes the paper wouldn't peel off easily. When it came to filing off the strips, it got tricky.
The only thing lacking in the instructions, was to use a sticky base. My strips were not staying staying on the nail (and I swiped my nails down with toner twice), and found that a sticky nail base made all the difference.
Here are my tips for using the Sally Hansen nail polish strips:

• Start with clean nails and neat cuticles
• Be sure to wipe nails down with polish remover, so that the nail is clean
• While any base coat may work, I recommend using a sticky nail base
• If you can, work in front of a sunny window, or by the heater. Having the strips a little warm makes them more pliable.  
• After the strips are applied, trim excess off with a pair of nail scissors (trim as close as possible) - don't attempt to file down!
• After excess has been clipped, file down the rest
• Once the strip is on the nail and edges are flush, file down on top of the strip at the tips of nails to prevent the strip from lifting up. (Just be careful to not actually file down to the nail)

I wouldn't say that top coat is needed, however I'm not sure that these polish strips will last the whole projected 10 days if it's not used.
Overall, I find these to be very fun. A little time consuming, but the prints and the patterns make these unique.

How about you readers? Have you tried these? How did they work out for you? If not, are you excited to try these? Let me know!

PS have you heard about my Skype Fest? April 28th is going to be a great day to be here on the blog! I would love for all my readers to participate!

Field of Poppies

Wearing MAC Morange

Imagine my joy in discovering a field of poppies! Glorious days such as these require tumbling in such areas. Wouldn't you agree?

Wishing you a beautiful day!
PS. Join me for my SKYPE FEST! I would love to meet you!
PPS Come join my page on Facebook!

 

Amber's Mouthwash SKYPE FEST!

My lovely readers, I want to connect with you! Sure, we get to interact here on the blog, but wouldn't it be fun to meet? Say hi? Tell a joke or two? 

In honor of reaching 150 blog readers (YAY!!!) I would like to dedicate April 28th to Skyping with you! Beginning 11am (California time) and ending at 3pm, feel free to hit me up on Skype! Let's video chat, tell jokes, and send over lots of silly emoticons . =D

To contact me via Skype: cotedazur_femme.

Can't wait to chat with you!

Tulle and Trains

DIY tulle skirt, Liv top, Pierre Hardy for Gap wedges, ASOS clutch

Yes: yesterday the sky was really that blue and the water was really that green (no Photoshop here!). After these photos, I dipped my toes into the water, and I didn't want to leave! The Russian River in this area is absolutely incredible: lush green forests, close to the beach, and river pebbles perfect for skipping rocks.

I spent the afternoon wandering small northern California river towns, collecting tumbled glass and watching Spring finally settle down into Alexander and Sonoma Valley. Bliss is on it's way!

Sequins at Sunset

H&M top, Forever 21 wrap, gifted vintage sequin skirt (thanks Teresa!), Zara heels, Anthropologie bag, MAC Morange lipstick

Literally chasing light this evening. The sunset tonight was amazing - and the colors that it created against the sky (and my outfit) were beautiful. I bought this shirt in H&M about a month ago while wandering through the city. This is everything I have ever wanted in a shirt - slouchy, sheer and in the hard to describe, pink-y peach-y pale color. I may very well want an entire wardrobe made from this light as air fabric. I'm thinking a maxi dress.

I'm wearing my orange lipstick again! I really enjoy how unexpected it is. People are used to seeing bright red and pink, but orange really catches them off guard. It's fun. Oh and purple. Purple lipstick is a blast. :)

Have a beautiful weekend!

The Twitter Bubble [Resources]

If you are like me, you most likely have a Twitter account. The seemingly endless cat/mouse game of the whom is following whom (i.e me) can seem daunting. And, by daunting I mean walking in six inch heels on a slanted cobblestone street. 

I have had my Twitter account for a few years now. In fact, I started it before I graduated college. Back then, I didn't really care about how many followers I had. However that outlook has now changed with my blog: I am seeking to use it for networking purposes and keeping in touch with other bloggers and readers (such as you!). 

A few weeks ago, it all seemed so easy: like dangling a pair of JC shoes out a window with a sign that said "FREE". I gained 50 followers in a 24 hour period and that continued for 4 days. Not bad, right?

Then they all disappeared. Gone. I would tweet followers that I no longer had. Where did they go? Sure, I had no idea why a news anchor from Texas was following me, but I sure wasn't complaining. Except, said Texan was now no longer following.

When you gain a new follower, do you follow back? In some cases, I did. I felt it was polite, after all. In most cases what I would do was send an @ message to new followers saying thank you. Tweeters like to have their name re-tweeted. Free press!

What I have noticed (a trend?): a mass random following with the purpose of gaining new followers, and then dropping all those random people. A quick, sure fire way to up your numbers. This method begs the question: how true is your network? Chances are, not very. Sure, I would love to have thousands of followers, but I also would love to have a network of like minded people who share some common interests. Like cupcakes? GREAT! We've got a little something to chat about.

How does one network? I know that there are several different answers to this: I have been tweeted to "Wake up and tweet", to "tweet around noon", etc. For me the answer is to get outside. Reach out, make connections with local interests in your area. Talk about your Twitter, your facebook. Do you have business cards? Something with both your face and contact info? Awesome. Sure, it's going to feel awkward the first couple of times. But, it felt awkward when you took your first outfit photos outside too, didn't it?

With that all said, I want to give you some resources that I have provided helpful for me:

Quitter

 You're loosing followers. But who? This e-mail service will tell you who. Feeling sad about your loss? They even provide counseling.

Friend or Follow

You're trying to build your network: who are you following,  and who is not following you back? This site helps you keep track.

PingTwitter
Automatically sends a tweet of your new blog post. One less step!

I hope this info offered up some insight for you!

Happy Tweeting!
Oh, and PS follow me on twitter!