Seize the Sparkle

From all of us at Chez Sparkle... Peanut the Bunny Hope you and your family had a great Easter! Peanut's first one was definitely a success... even if she didn't like her bunny ears!!! There's always next year... <3

Artificial Light Artificial Light - Brightened for color accuracy Artificial Light - Brightened for accuracy Blurry in Artificial Light I picked up Impeccable Greys to satisfy my need for a dark grey polish. Grey shades tend to be on the lighter side, so I was drawn to this immediately when I saw it. It leans slightly purple, but I don't know that I would go as far as calling it a grurple, per se... It's a shade I think would look great on every skin tone. I love wearing dark polish, especially black. Impeccable Greys is a little softer than black, but still gives your look some edge. Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 3 Coats Maybelline Color Show Impeccable Greys 1 Coat OPI Top Coat 1 Coat Seche Vite I topped off Impeccable Greys with a coat of OPI Top Coat, but I don't think I really needed it. The finish was pretty shiny to begin with! This is the first time in a while that I've done this, but I used to do it all the tim

Take Your Kid to Work Day with Peanut... Trying on Mommy's headphones Following in Mommy's footsteps? Didn't you see the On Air sign?!? Hrmphh... My full-time day job is at a radio station. It's been a looooong time since I brought Peanut in to see everyone I work with. Bring Your Kid to Work Day isn't until April 25th this year, but we like to get the jump on things at Chez Sparkle! I regret waiting until after Peanut had her bottle to take pictures. She was super happy and smiley this morning, until someone mentioned we put her to work. She didn't like that idea at all and suddenly realized she needed a bottle. Likerightnow. After the bottle, she tried on Mommy's headphones for size, took a tour of the station, checked out the production room, and got acquainted with the Boom Mic. (Thank goodness she didn't try to eat it!!!) She captured everyone's hearts and I'm pretty sure they'll want to see her back again reall

Emerald green might be the Pantone color of the year, but for Spring 2013... Mint is insanely trendy. It's fresh, and part of the pastels that are oh-so-hip this time of year, and particularly this season. Spring always makes me think pastel colors and flowers blooming... so Keep Calm, Paint On by China Glaze was a welcome addition to my collection. China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On (Natural Light) Keep Calm, Paint On by China Glaze (Natural Light) (Natural Light) (Natural Light - most color accurate) Macro (Natural Light) In person, Keep Calm, Paint On from China Glaze is a beautiful shimmery sea-foam green that's just perfect for this time of year. Unfortunately, my camera captures it as more of a turquoise/blue. The 4th pic is the most color accurate of the bunch, and even that's a bit too blue. Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 3 Coats China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On 1 Coat Seche Vite Subtle shimmer is one of my favo

Potato Chips are one of my favorite snacks. By. Far! I've tried a whole lot in my time, some of which are brand staples, others that haven't lasted long at all. I frequently pick up limited-edition snacks just to try a new or unique flavor. You never know when you'll find a new favorite! A while back, Lay's had a promotion on Facebook called Do Us a Flavor. It was a contest to create a new flavor potato chip for Lays. I saw some entries for flavors that looked inspired and delicious, and others that were downright strange! Recently, Lay's announced the 3 semi-finalists in the contest, and they're leaving it up to Facebook users to pick a winner! Cheesy Garlic Bread, Chicken & Waffles, Sriracha Cheesy Garlic Bread My apologies, I don't have a picture for this one. I enjoy Sour Cream and Cheddar chips, so I thought I would really love these. I was a bit disappointed. The garlic taste was great, but the cheese flavor wasn't as prev

This is a fun trend going around the internet... I'm not sure where it started, but people are tagging each other on their blogs, on Instagram accounts... basically all of social media. Given the nature of this blog and my search for myself, 5 Things fits right in! Look for this to be a continuing series here at Seize the Sparkle. And yes... I actually baked the ones you see here! 1. I microwave my chocolate chip cookies so they taste like they've just come from the oven.  Just a couple of seconds in the microwave turns them into a deliciously warm treat. So much better than just eating them cold. When I make a batch, I always sample at least 3 at that perfect stage of gooey goodness. Chocolate chip cookies are my absolute favorite. Hands down. And I make delicious Chocolate chip cookies from scratch... :) 2. I have a slight obsession with buying pretty journals and blank books... and not using them. I always have a notebook on me, just in case I have an idea or ne

AKA My Perfect Nude Polish... Every girl needs one and this is mine. The perfect Nude polish to use in a french manicure or wear on its own for a subtle, classy look.  This is just one of those looks that will NEVER go out of style. :) Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 4 Coats Essie Vanity Fairest 1 Coat Seche Vite Vanity Fairest by Essie is a barely pink sheer polish with extra-fine shimmer. I absolutely adore this polish and could justify wearing it every single day. This is one of the few bottles of polish in my collection that has a noticeable amount missing. That's how much I wear this... :) Essie has one of the widest varieties of colors like this out of any polish brand I know. I truly believe they have a nude sheer to match every skin tone and personal preference. I could complain about the fact that this takes 4 coats to get to a non-streaky finish, but by building up sheer layers, the finished result is very soft and feminine. love

If you saw my post last night... You know that Monsieur Pierre finally made it to Chez Sparkle! I had a stuffed bunny for a lovey when I was little, so I wanted to pass along that tradition to my little Peanut. I was super excited to see how she liked him! So excited to meet his new friend! Hey fuzzball, this is my lamb chair! OUT! Peanut is an only child, and very likely to stay that way. We're trying really hard not to spoil her... but have you seen her? Almost 5 months old, and so hard to say no to those ah-dorable little eyes. She's declared the lamby chair to be hers and hers alone... (We're still working on that whole sharing thing!) Oh... Fuzzball is for me? ...to play with? Gee. Thanks... I think. Have to give her the benefit of the doubt... Measuring in at 18 inches tall, Pierre is only 6 inches shorter than Peanut. This is by far the biggest toy she's ever been given, so she wasn't quite sure what to make of him. His head

Here's the first of my new Hard Candy Polishes. From the Crushed Chrome Collection... Crush on Gold! Polishes Used: 1 Coat Beauty Secrets Ridge Filler 2 Coats Hard Candy Crush on Gold 1 Coat Seche Vite I satisfied a major lemming with this polish, and I'm so glad I bought it! I don't own it for comparison, but I'm pretty sure this is a dead-on dupe for OPI Designer De Better from the Muppets collection. It's a champagne silver shimmery metallic with gorgeous gold flecks. They came out a bit coppery in my photos, but it's more of a gold color in person. You can see the distinction between the two colors up close, but from far away, this looks like a light gold champagne metallic. This shade is gorgeous and neutral enough that you can wear it with just about anything. I can't wait to see how it looks on my toes! Hard Candy's formula is great. This is just two easy coats, and it was practically opaque with just one. Dry time wa