I still remember the panic sweat from planning my sister’s grad party two years ago. I had convinced myself I needed a full Pinterest-worthy balloon arch, a custom photo booth, and a catered taco bar. I spent $400 on decorations alone, and by hour two, the arch was sagging, and the tacos were cold. It…
I used to think fall nail designs meant one of two things: a basic burgundy you could find at any drugstore, or some elaborate leaf-art situation that took three hours and cost more than my electric bill. Then I started paying attention to what was actually happening in salons and on my own Pinterest feed,…
I still remember my cousin’s 18th like it was yesterday — not because it was fancy, but because her mom rented out a local pizza place, invited 15 people, and everyone just hung out for three hours. Total cost: maybe $300. It was perfect. Nobody needed a neon sign or a professional DJ. Here’s the…
I still remember the look on my cousin Priya’s face when she opened a “decorative” ceramic elephant from an aunt — she was a sophomore living in a 10×12 dorm room with zero surface space. She smiled, said thank you, and that elephant lived in a plastic bin under her bed for two years. Here’s…
I used to think winter nails meant one of two things: boring glitter French tips, or some Pinterest-perfect snowflake design that took my nail tech forty-five minutes and still chipped by Thursday. It wasn’t until my friend Diane showed up to our December coffee catch-up with this deep plum almost-black manicure with the tiniest hint…
I have a confession: I once spent $87 on pumpkins for a front porch that’s maybe six feet wide. That’s roughly $14.50 per square foot of gourd. My husband still brings it up every October, and honestly, he’s right. That was a lot of pumpkin for very little porch. Here’s the thing I’ve learned after…
I have a confession. My first fall in my 410-square-foot studio, I went to Target, spent $87 on tiny ceramic pumpkins and a “harvest” sign that just said “GATHER” in a font that looked like it gave up halfway through, and then spent the rest of October staring at my apartment thinking, this still feels…
I’ll be honest with you: I resisted the chrome nail thing for way too long. I blamed it on my job — I type all day, I cook most nights, I am not gentle on my hands — and I convinced myself that a mirror finish was something only people with nail tech money and…
I almost didn’t repaint my nails this January. I had a half-chipped gel manicure left over from New Year’s Eve — glitter tips, obviously — and I figured I’d just ride it out until February. Then my friend Rosa sent me a picture of her nails from a salon appointment she’d booked on a whim,…
I have a confession: I used to be a year-round red nail polish person. Same shade, same shape, every appointment. It took my nail tech gently suggesting — for the third time — that I try something different for me to finally cave. She handed me a swatch of deep olive green, and I sat…