earth day

earth day outfit

I normally wouldn’t post on a Saturday, but Earth Day is tomorrow and I wanted to have something up on the blog to celebrate.

I realize that a far more productive way to celebrate would be to plant a tree or participate in a trash cleanup, but this Earth Day outfit will have to do.

I’m qualifying this outfit as Earth-friendly because the main pieces are recycled. Not in the sense that they were made from recycled materials or molded out of plastic bottles, but “recycled” in that I got them from eBay.

A big misconception about buying clothing from eBay is that it’s ripped, covered in pit stains and smells like a thrift store. Not the case at all. A large majority of the clothing on eBay is new (sometimes still with the tags), and being posted by boutiques and department stores because they can’t sell it in house. This could be for a variety of reasons: It has a small defect, it’s out of season, or it’s been returned (a shocking number of stores will THROW AWAY clothing that’s been returned, even though it’s in perfect condition!). By shopping on eBay you’re saving those duds from the landfill and helping out ol’ Mother Earth.

I know. I’m wearing Dolce & Gabbana and T-Bags and calling it an Earth Day outfit. I’m a douche. But the point of this is that giving discarded clothing (or anything else, for that matter) a second life benefits the environment, your wardrobe and your wallet. A win-win-win.

And before you get any perverted ideas, the underwear I’m wearing is NOT secondhand or purchased from eBay. That would just be weird. But, I did wear some hanky panky undies made from organic cotton. Boom. Saving the planet, one thong at a time.

{dress: T-Bags via ebay}
{shoes: Jessica Simpson via ebay}
{hat: LF}
{sunglasses: Dolce & Gabbana via ebay}
{nail polish: chinchilly by essie}
{snake ring: Aldo Accessories }

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diy tribal-print manicure

Three personal takeaways from this DIY:

I need a camera lens for close-ups
My hands are really, really awkward up close
Attempting this DIY manicure while halfway through your second coffee-and-Bailey’s drink on the morning of St. Patrick’s Day will result in less-than-ideal tribal-print nails.

Anyway, I gave myself this green tribal-print manicure for St. Patrick’s Day (as I mentioned), but am just getting around to post the tutorial now. A one-month turnaround time? You go, girl, you go! It is however a fitting time for all things “green” because Earth Day is on Sunday. I love it when procrastination works in my favor!

SUPPLIES

A light-colored polish (I used Revlon’s Jaded)
A dark-colored polish (I used Sally Hansen’s Emerald City)
Nail Art pens (I used black and white Sally Hansen ones)
Masking tape
Patience
Sobriety

INSTRUCTIONS

Paint your nails in the lighter shade, two coats. Let them completely dry. Do a better job than I did.
Cut masking tape in thin strips, triangles and whatever else your imagination dreams up. Stick it to your nails in varying patterns.
Paint your nails in the darker color, two coats. Before nail polish has completely dried, remove masking tape carefully. The lines won’t be perfect, but don’t stress, you’ll touch them up with the nail art pens.
Trace lines with nail art pens. Add decorative touches like dots, zigzags and whatever else works.
Coat nails with a clear polish. Let completely dry.

Take a shower. I find that showering after recently painted nails have dried is a great way to clean up nail polish spills onto cuticles. And if your left hand’s skill level is anything like my left hand’s skill level, there will be a LOT of skin spills. Hey, coloring inside the lines isn’t always that easy, ok?