Normal vs Gel Manicures

I am completely guilty of going to the nail salon for a manicure instead of painting my nails myself. First and foremost, I am awful at painting my own nails. I am right-handed, so my right hand is practically covered in nail polish by the end of it because my left hand is so shaky. Also, the nail salon does such a great job of keeping your nails healthy and clean-cut, and once you go to the same salon as often as my sister and I do, the workers start to remember your name, family, and life story, and you do the same! But, I'm not writing this post to persuade you to go to the nail salon, I'm writing to give you guys my opinion on shellac/gel nail polish and regular nail polish.

I may ramble in this post, but bare with me. Nine out of the ten times my nails are painted, the color is gel. I am a "once you go shellac, you never go back" girl all the way because the color seems to stay on my nails for two weeks with no/minimal chipping. That is just unheard of with regular nail polish! The polish also has almost no drying time! I can leave the nail salon and go run errands, do chores, etc because my nails are dry immediately, but if I get a normal manicure, I feel like I can't do anything for the rest of the day because of the chance of ruining my freshly painted nails. So, I would definitely recommend a gel manicure next time you need one whether you go to the nail salon or use the gel polishes in stores like Sally Hansen and Essie which I also highly recommend. I've tried the Sally Hansen ones, and they seem to work very well!

Now if you decide to get a gel manicure in a nail salon, the different brands of polishes react differently on different nail beds, so it's best to figure out which polish works best for you. An example would be how Essie's gel polish stays on my nails for forever and is fabulous for me, but it does not stay on my sister's nails for long at all. Another example would be how CND's gel polish does not even dry when painted on my nails. No matter how long I put my hands under the dryer, the polish does not dry, but my sister swears by the polish! The workers at the nail salon said that it depends on the oil levels on your nail bed mixing with the polish. I don't know about all that, I just know what polish works with my nails and which don't. Don't get me wrong, I do use regular nail polish all the time (Essie is my fav!), but when in the nail salon, I prefer getting a gel manicure. I hope that this helped some of you guys!

Sweet Sixteen

My 16th birthday was on July 2nd, and may I say, it was one of the best birthdays ever! This was the first birthday that I got to spend with my nephew William, so of course, it was fantastic! I woke up and left to get Starbucks with my dad, and my sister and nephew met us at my house with Chick-fil-A! I, then, got manis and pedis with my sister, and for lunch, we went and ate at Qdoba. That night, I went out to dinner with my entire family, and after dinner, I left to go to my friend's camp with all of my friends for the Fourth of July weekend which was a blast! So needless to say, my birthday was very busy, but it was filled with fun!

For my birthday, I received two very pretty dri-fit golf shirts from my grandmother! I received a pair of chacos, an eno, golf tees, and a golf club cleaner from my parents! My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew gave me some Starbucks frappachino drinks, a super cute shirt from J.Crew, and the cutest Kate Spade clutch ever (y'all it has a toucan on it!! I'm obsessed!!) My middle sister gave me some Sucre macarons which are my absolute favorite and the cutest pink detailed clutch with a tassel! Last but not least, my sister's boyfriend gave me a beautiful bracelet from a local boutique. I am beyond blessed for everything that I received and for all of my friends and family. It's because of them that my birthday was so special! Also, be on the lookout for an Instagram post of my gifts (@styleonthegeaux)!

My Lake Essentials

I would first like to apologize for not staying on my blogging schedule. I have been having some internet issues, but I will start blogging on Tuesdays and/or Fridays again!

Wow, I can't believe that it's already July! June has just flown by, and although I am excited about my birthday tomorrow, I dread July because it means that I am just a month away from school. To celebrate the Fourth of July, I am going to my friend's camp at the lake for the weekend with a bunch of my friends! I am so excited about going even though we are leaving the night of birthday! I was not going to go at first because I wanted to have dinner with my family, but my amazing friend decided that we won't leave until tomorrow night, so I will still be able to eat dinner with my family! Yay for getting the best of both worlds! As I pack for the trip, I decided that it would be a good idea to blog what I pack for the lake and to essentially show my lake essentials. So, here we are!

1. This is a given, but you obviously need to bring a couple of swimsuits to the lake since you will swimming! I'll tag a couple of super cute swim suits here (1, 2, 3)

2. You will also, of course, need a towel to dry off or lay out on either on the dock or boat! Here are a couple of towels that are as functional as they are cute! (1, 2, 3)

3. Sunglasses are a must to protect your eyes from the sun, and I found a perfect pair from J.Crew Factory! I have been wearing them like crazy ever since I bought them! They are not only very inexpensive, but they are reflective! Croakies are also a great idea to keep your sunglasses on you and not lost at the bottom of the lake!

4. I love to bring my chacos with me everywhere especially to the creek, pool, beach, and lake because they are waterproof and still very comfortable when they get wet! I have worn mine every single day since I got them!

5. Last, but certainly not least, I like to bring my eno. Although I just got my eno and have not brought it with me yet, I have used my friends', and they are amazing to bring! You can set them up on your dock and chill over the lake! They are very relaxing, and I am so excited to use mine for the first time this weekend!

What are your plans for the Fourth of July weekend? I would love to know!

picture via