Ever wonder how I spend my days?  Get ready for a "random Jessi moment."  Today, I was enjoying my day off from work while watching one of my favorite movies, Leap Year.  I had a craving for toasted marshmallows.  However, with the Georgia weather (which has been crazy lately - seems like it can't decide if it's winter or summer!), it was too hot out for a fire today.  My solution?  I tried toasting marshmallows over a tealight candle... and it worked!  What was even more delicious was that they're caramel-flavored marshmallows.  So in the end, I was a happy Jessi. 

Has anyone else tried toasting marshmallows over candles, or cooking food in unconventional ways?  I'd love to hear about it!

  Jessi

Nowadays, there are a lot of products out there marketed as faster, easier, and longer-lasting alternatives to nail polish.  Three that I see advertised often are by Kiss, Sally Hansen, and imPRESS.  I don't know about the rest of you, Lovelies, but it's a lengthy process for me when it comes to painting my nails.  I wondered if these products were too good to be true, and if maybe there was a "miracle" product out there to save time... These ponderings led me to decide to buy one of each advertised products, try them out, and review them to weed out the good and the bad so my readers wouldn't have to.  Read on to see my experience with nail polish strips and press-on nails.

Kiss Nail Dress Strips in "Princess"

Bought at Wal-Mart for $5.97.  Seems like the strips don't want to stay air-tight on longer nails, so I suggest trimming your nails short before applying.  Other than that, the application was easy.  Took awhile, but not as long as it does to apply a base coat, color, and a top coat of actual polish, with drying time.  The package boasts 10-day wear, with easy application and removal.

My nails did start to chip after the first couple days, but it wasn't very noticeable.  It was easily remedied by trimming down my nails to a point where they weren't chipped anymore.  After a week's wear (4 days at work) the nails had finally chipped off enough that I had to remove the strips.  It was a bit of a painful process, and there was glue residue left on my nails as well as I pulled layers of my nails off, leaving them rough.  I got a week's wear out of them, but there was a lot of chipping.  You can, counter-act the chipping by trimming down your nails some, and applying a clear top coat on top.  On day 4, I did have one strip pop off, but since the set has a lot of extras, it was easy to replace.  Maybe they would hold up better for someone who doesn't do so much hands-on work.  In the end, I would recommend these nail strips, though because for the most part they did hold up, and I got too many compliments to count on the leopard design.  It's been almost 2 weeks and my toes still look perfect.

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips in "Fly With Me"

Bought at Walmart for $8.50 ... Cute butterfly design.  Boasts 10 day wear.

It was very frustrating applying the strips.  You can't use the end of the strip that you peel off because it rips or bends, and it was hard to line them up because the strips are flimsy.  Since they are made out of real nail polish, they have an unpleasant chemical scent.  So far, not liking this product.

After one day at work, 9 ot of 10 nails had huge chips.  They looked so bad I had to take them off.  Removal was pretty easy.  Even though I did get some compliments on the butterflies, I wouldn't recommend this product to anyone.  My friend, Ashley, backed me up and said she had the same experience with the zebra-print ones.

imPRESS Press-On Manicure in "Shout"

Bought at Wal-Mart for $6.97.  The advertised wear-time is a week.  Took awhile to apply - it was very hard to find the right sizes.  I had to trim down all my nails to practically nothing to get the strips to fit.  I'm not used to fake nails, so they felt weird on my fingers.  And they're square-cut instead of rounded, like I prefer.  So far, I'm thinking the Kiss Nail Dress strips are my favorite out of all 3.

After one day at work... Nix that, after just one hour at work 5 out of 10 nails popped off.  One came off before I even got to work.  Apparently washing my hands and brushing my teeth was just too much for it.  As I told my coworker friend, Patty, "Obviously these weren't made for people who actually have to work."  The removal for the rest of the nails took longer than the package says.  They suggest soaking each nail in polish remover for a minute, but I had to soak each nail for 3 minutes, and the removal was still painful.  Needless to say, I will never buy these again.  If you're someone who uses fake nails regularly, then I advise sticking to the regular glue-on nails.  Don't waste your time with these failures.

*     *     *

The obvious winner of all 3 products was the Kiss Nail Dress strips.

Even though removal is a little rough on your nails, I fixed the rough patches by buffing my nails.  The wear-time and cute designs definitely out-weigh the cons.  Also surprising is that the Kiss strips were the cheapest of all tested products!  I recently bought another pack, and I'm trying out the "Bustier" design next.

Well, Lovelies, I hope this review of the alternatives to actual nail polish helps you out when making future purchases.  If you've tried any of the products above, I'd love to hear about your experience.  Just leave a comment. 

In honor of The Vampire Diaries' return to TV tonight, I thought I would share some pictures of my favorite celebrity couple having fun and sharing some romantic moments at Coachella.  Ian Somerhalder & Nina Dobrev have been deemed the moniker "Nian" by their fans.  They're just so cute together! 

Also, if you live in Los Angeles, check out the Influence Affair event hosted by the Ian Somerhalder Foundation.  It's going on Saturday, as a clean-up effort for the L.A. county and it's beaches under ISF's Let's Get Dirty campaign.  I wish I lived in L.A., so I could help out!  I just love Ian's passion for bettering our world.  Watch Ian's interview on myFoxLA, here:

So Lovelies, if you live in L.A., are you going to be helping out ISF this weekend?  What do you think about Ian & Nina as a couple?  Are you excited about the return of The Vampire Diaries?  I sure know I am!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Easter!  I consumed plenty of chocolate.  My favorite Easter treat?  Cadbury caramel mini eggs!  They're a bite-sized taste of caramel heaven.  I bought both of my parents chocolate bunnies, like the one shown above.

I figured my Easter would be pretty dull and boring since I had to work; however, a few of my regular customers helped brighten up my day.  I like to joke that the Easter bunny visited me, because one of one gentleman's generosity.  As I was handing him his order and wishing him a great day, he told me to wait, and started searching through a bag in his truck.  He gave me the bag of malted milk eggs shown in the first picture, and wished me a Happy Easter, along with telling me not to work too hard.  That act of kindness helped make my day.  Another regular customer, an older lady approached me and started proclaiming, "Oh, what a beautiful day.  He is risen!"  It seemed a bit extreme to me, but being a Christian myself, sharing her love for Jesus is quite alright with me.  She is a sweet woman, and always has her two dogs with her, which reminds me that I wanted to share some pictures of my neighbor's puppies that I had the pleasure of dog-sitting recently.

Meet Bailey (above) & Cozy (below)!  Bailey is a Yorkshire terrier, and Cozy is a Yorkie/Shih Tzu mix.  Cozy is just so cuddly and adorable!

I would also like to share one of my favorite Easter greetings I've received.  This one is courtesy of my friend Terry.  This is what he texted me last year:

"It's the anniversary of the crucification of Christ.  I don't know where the eggs and bunnies come into play, but Happy Easter to all!"

I'd like to show you all one of my wishlist items for Spring ...  Louis Vuitton's Tuileres silk wedge sandals!  Truly a dream because I don't see myself being able to afford a $905 pair of shoes anytime soon, no matter how cute they are.

I've been re-reading the L.A. Candy book series, to freshen up before reading Lauren Conrad's newest novel, an L.A. Candy spin-off called The Fame Game.

How was your Easter, and what have you Lovelies been up to lately?

Sorry, I haven't blogged in awhile.  I just haven't been that inspired lately.  Today I'm just going to write a little blog about things on my mind.  Enjoy my ramblings, if you wish!

• I started reading The Hunger Games yesterday.  I like it so far.  Can't wait until the movie comes out in March.

• Eyeshadow really is my favorite cosmetic product.  It's just so versatile, and fun.  There are a million different looks you can create!  That being said, I think I'm going to make some more eyeshadow tutorials soon.

• I've been really into rock bands with female lead singers lately.  First, it was Automatic Loveletter.  Now, it's We Are The In Crowd and Tonight Alive.  I'm pretty much obsessed with the whole Truth or Dare album by Automatic Loveletter.

• Want to know what I find irritating?  That my favorite TV shows keep going on hiatus.  There was exactly one new episode of Bones after the "winter break," and now it's on hiatus until Spring.  Most CW shows came back for 2 episodes then went on hiatus again until February.  Revenge, 2 Broke Girls, Vampire Diaries, Secret Circle, and Supernatural are some of the shows I watch that come back in February.  Lord knows when Community is coming back.  NBC says it will return in the spring.

• I finally bought a Netflix subscription.  I've been re-watching The Hills for the millionth time.  Okay, that's an exaggeration, but it was my favorite reality show.  Lauren Conrad is still my favorite celeb-reality star and fashion designer.  Love her!  I'm currently close to finishing up the 4th season.  The only other thing I've watched on Netflix so far is the movie "Let Me In" starring Chloe Grace Moretz.

• My hair is way too long.  I need to get a haircut.  As I've said before, I want it cut like this:

• Did anyone else see the Yahoo! News article about the liberal arts college in Ohio that's offering free tuition?  I have to wonder if it's too good to be true.  I have a strong desire to go back to school, but I can't afford a move to Ohio.  Besides, my dream school is in California anyway.

• I'm so addicted to Twitter.  It's so fun to connect with others that enjoy the same things I do.  My new "online best friend" lives in Scotland ( @MaritaLeane ).  I must mention that I think I found my style soul sister.  Everyone should go follow @AngelicaStylee!  She's awesome, and super lucky to be going to FIDM.  You go girl!

Finally wrapping things up, my Twitter handle is @JessiLynn0214.  Feel free to follow me on there, and send me messages.  I'm very friendly and love to chat.  I think that's all for now.  Have a great night everyone! 

Lisa D'Amato won America's Next Top Model|All Stars Edition, and America has erupted their disagreement with the choice.  Allison Harvard, the runner-up (and my personal favorite), was a Twitter trend for 2 hours.  Fans have been showing a multitude of support for Allison and disappointment over her loss.  I think it was a horrible injustice to Allison, because she is the best model and truly deserved to be named the All Star.  While Allison is considered awkward, as soon as she gets in front of the camera she turns it on the charm, becoming a graceful, beautiful modeling goddess.  I just don't understand why the judges didn't see it.  Who do you think should have won the title of America's Next Top Model | All Star?

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Meanwhile, this week's episode of Kourtney & Kim Take New York was chock-full of drama.  Kim made some angry statements to Khloe that left me thinking Kim has taken it too far this time, and maybe she's not the sweetheart that she's wanted everyone to believe she is.  Kim went crazy after Khloe woke her up an hour before her alarm was going off.  Here's what she said to Khloe (who happens to be my favorite Kardashian):

"How f***ing dare you.  You're such an evil bitch.  How spiteful and jealous of you.  How f***ing dare you, Khloe.  You crossed a major line with me.  That sh*t is not okay.  You dumb, evil, little f***ing troll.  You have no idea how much I hate you.  You're disgusting."

Whoa, sisters or not, I don't know if I could ever forgive her for that.  Also, E! Network's chair, Bonnie Hammer, has been quoted that there will be possibly be 4 more television shows based on the Kardashians, with one centered around budding models Kendall & Kylie Jenner.

On this week's Scouted, Kelsie and Valenteen were the potential models flown out to New York.  While Valenteen was hands-down the prettiest girl, her young age really showed in how she acted and her commitment level was not what the agency was looking for.  Both girls had lovely red hair to start with, but when it came time for make-overs, both were given a new espresso hair color.  I liked Kelsie's survivor story, and I know that her look is very desirable in Europe so it made sense that they chose to sign her over Valenteen.  Kelsie is currently preparing for Milan fashion week in February.

If you missed the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show the first time around, you can catch it on The CW when they air it Wednesday, December 14.  I love Miranda Kerr (she scored the $2.5million diamond bra!), and I thought it was super cute when Maroon 5's Adam Levine stole a kiss from his model sweetheart, Anne Vyalitsyna. 

~

Source:

Bonnie Hammer Reveals E! Rebranding Plans; Wants Up To Four New Kardashian Spin-Offs

*All image rights go to their respective owners.*

Did you know there are only 6 days left to VOTE for People's Choice?

Here's a run-down of who I've been voting for, and a cute video the Vampire Diaries stars filmed to encourage fans to vote for them:

Favorite Movie, Favorite Action Movie, Favorite Ensemble Movie Cast & Favorite Book Adaptation:  Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Favorite Movie Actor:  Johnny Depp

Favorite Movie Actress & Favorite Animated Movie Voice: Anne Hathaway

Favorite Action Movie Star:  Taylor Lautner

Favorite Comedy Movie:  Crazy, Stupid, Love

Favorite Comedic Movie Actor:  Ashton Kutcher

Favorite Comedic Movie Actress:  Emma Stone

Favorite Movie Star Under 25:  Emma Watson

Favorite Network TV Drama:  The Vampire Diaries

Favorite TV Drama Actor:  Ian Somerhalder

Favorite TV Drama Actress:  Nina Dobrev

Favorite Cable TV Drama:  True Blood

Joe Manganiello who plays werewolf Alcide on True Blood, has said that the new season will have more werewolf drama and new wolf charcters.  It has also been said that Christopher Meloni will be appearing on the new season as a vampire.

Favorite TV Comedy Actress:  Jane Lynch

Favorite Cable TV Comedy:  Hot In Cleveland

Remember, Hot In Cleveland's new season premiere is on tonight at 10 pm on TV Land!

Favorite TV Crime Drama:  Bones

Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show:  Supernatural

Remember Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning) from The Vampire Diaries?  Well, soon she's going to be guest starring on Supernatural as a love interest for Dean (Jensen Ackles).  Also, Castiel (Mischa Collins) will be appearing on Ringer when it returns from the mid-season break.

Favorite TV Guest Star ,Favorite Pop Artist & Favorite Music Video (Last Friday Night) :  Katy Perry

Favorite TV Celebreality Star:  Tia & Tamera Mowry

Favorite New TV Drama:  Revenge

Favorite New TV Comedy:  2 Broke Girls

Favorite Male Artist:  Blake Shelton

Favorite Female Artist & Favorite Song of the Year (Rolling in the Deep):  Adele

Favorite Album of the Year:  Lady Antebellum - Own The Night

Favorite Hip Hop Artist:  Nicki Minaj

Favorite R&B Artist:  Rihanna

Favorite Country Artist:  Keith Urban

Favorite Tour Headliner:  Taylor Swift

(Note:  I left out a few categories that I didn't vote on, because I hadn't seen the nominated movies or shows.)

Be sure to tune in to see who won on the People's Choice Awards show, January 11 at 9pm on CBS!

I know it's a little late to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, but I've been miserable with the worst cold ever!  If anyone has any tips for cold relief, please hit me up because I am all ears! 

My Thanksgiving was pretty low-key.  My family and I had a delicious turkey dinner together, and afterwards we watched the Ice Age Christmas Special.  For Black Friday, I braved the sale at Wal-Mart for some awesome DVD deals.  I came out with 10 DVDs, so I think I did pretty well!  This was the first Black Friday sale I went out for since an incident 2 years ago when a woman rammed into me with her shopping cart, pushing me into a DVD display because apparently I was in front of the movie she wanted.  Really?  I thought that was bad until I heard about the horrific stories from this year's Black Friday sales.  A woman pepper-sprayed a crowd (including children!) so that she would have a better advantage at getting an Xbox, and a worker in New York was crushed to death in a stampede of shoppers.  I hope the parties responsible enjoy their Christmas, because whatever they bought was really worth another human's life and harming young children.

How Celebs Celebrated Thanksgiving

While you were enjoying your Thanksgiving feasts and Black Friday shopping, did you wonder how celebs were celebrating their holiday?  Okay, you probably didn't, but in case you did here are what a few were up to.

Avril Lavigne rode a float in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and performed, "Wish You Were Here."

The Kardashian-Jenner family had a nice family dinner, and Kim was volunteered at the Los Angeles Mission the day before Thanksgiving.

Ian Somerhalder took to Twitter to speak out about his feelings of how commercialized the holidays are: 

"Happy Thanksgiving you amazing people.  I'm NOT grateful for the midnight Black Friday crap - thousands of families missing out on family time.  Stores should be ashamed.  Family is all we have, the foundation of our country and our world.  Just my 2 cents, may not matter but I said it.  Thanksgiving is truly a day for thankfulness and family, not what you are buying people for Christmas.  Right?  Be happy, be merry, be full.  I'm truly thankful for all of you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Meanwhile his girlfriend Nina Dobrev had her wisdom teeth taken out:

Since I mentioned Ian Somerhalder, I'd like to say that I feel like he's underestimated.  Bradley Cooper has been named People's Sexiest Man Alive of 2011.  There must be a mistake! 

(Seriously, who do you think looks better?)

I'm left wondering why it seems no one notices Ian Somerhalder.  Aside from his devilish good looks, he actually cares and is working to make this world a better place.  In my eyes, that makes Ian even sexier.  He founded the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, which bases its efforts on the environment and animal rights.  In case you're not already following this handsome man on Twitter check him out and also take a look around his foundation's official website.

Twilight:  Breaking Dawn

The night before Thanksgiving, I was at the theater seeing Twilight:  Breaking Dawn.  Breaking Dawn was a good movie, but I still think Eclipse is the best in the saga so far.  Bella's wedding dress was simply beautiful, and Kristen Stewart looked amazing at the red carpet premiere event.

This Week's TV Premieres

Sunday night was the premiere of the new season of Kourtney & Kim Take New York.  It opened with a montage of news stories about the divorce.  It was an interesting premiere.  Even though I don't particularly care for Kris Humphries, I thought that Kim was more at fault for the spats we saw in the episode.  If I were a guy, and came home to find a naked man doing yoga with my wife I'd be pretty upset, too!  I feel bad for Scott that things with Kourtney haven't been great, and I have to say "OMG!" to all the crazy holistic stuff Kourtney's into!  Wetpaint.com covered the most LOL-worthy quotes from the premiere here.

Scouted premiered Monday.  I was so excited when I first heard about this show.  Anyone that knows me knows that I love modeling.  So far from the first episode I'm a fan of Gillian's, and I was impressed when I learned Page Parkes was the one who discovered Alexis Bledel.

~

Well, I think that's all I've got for now.  Feel free to tell me about what you did for Thanksgiving, and let me know if there's anything you'd like me to write about.  :)

Is it just me, or does it seem that all you see on the media outlets and internet headlines are stories about the short-lived marriage of Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries?  While I know this post won't make the front-page due to Beca's announcement that Lovelyish has decided to go Kardashian-free until after Christmas, I have to say how I feel about this whole situation.

It seems everyone has something to say about the divorce.  A few celebrities have made statements, including Mariah Carey who bashed Kim and Olivia Wilde who stood up for her.  Outraged Americans are going as far as starting petitions to get the whole Kardashian clan off of television, and even boycotting everything Kardashian-related.  When will the backlash stop?

In my opinion, everyone needs to lay off Kim.  No one knows what really happened between them, it's just speculation.  Personally, I could tell from watching them on the series that Kim & Kris weren't suited for each other.  Kris didn't like Kim for who she really was, and he should have known what she was like (materialistic and a work-a-holic) and really thought about it before he married her.  He knew what he was getting into.  Although I felt that Kris came off as a jerk on TV, I will say that Kim was heartless by not telling Kris herself that she wanted a divorce.  It's pretty harsh to find out something like that from TMZ.

As a Kardashian fan, the news of the divorce doesn't really change my opinion of the Kardashians and I hope they keep creating entertaining television.  Sisters Khloe and Kourtney are actually my favorites because they seem more down-to-earth, and their younger step-sisters, Kendall & Kylie Jenner seem to have promising modeling careers ahead of them.

However... What I do have a problem with when it comes to Kim Kardashian is the fact that she wears real fur.  E! News had a segment last night called "Kim Vs. PETA."  PETA just recently put up a billboard featuring a couple of cute fox pups and Kim Kardashian sporting what appears to be a fox stole.

This is what Kim had to say in an interview from 2008, "After hearing what they [PETA] have to say, you definitely think about it.  I'm learning a lot and it's baby steps."  While that is an improvement from what she originally said in 2006, "I love fur.  I'm really into fur," in an interview where she was showing off all the fur coats in her closet.

Umm, excuse me?  What is there to learn or think about other than the fact that wearing fur is wrong?  Kim's stance on fur is surprising to me, because her sister Khloe has posed nude in an ad for PETA before.  (Another reason to love Khloe!  Yeah!  lol)

I'm an animal lover, and am very much for animal rights.  It hurts me to imagine the heartless ways people slaughter innocent animals for fashion's sake.  Honestly, in this industry with the way it is today you can't even trust some of what is labeled as faux fur,  because it's been discovered that sometimes rabbit fur is passed off as fake.  I could go on for practically forever about how I feel about animal rights, so I'll just wrap this up with saying that I did think it was a great breakthrough for West Hollywood to ban the sale of fur in its city limits.

What do you say, Lovelies?  How do you feel about the Kardashians?  What are your thoughts on fur in fashion?

This photo shows what Avril Lavigne's face looks like after being attacked early Sunday morning outside the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles.  Brody Jenner, Avril's boyfriend of 9 months, was also caught up in the scuffle.  Avril refused to fight back against the attackers, and when Brody stepped in they hit him in the head with a broken bottle.

Lavigne took to Twitter to comment about the incident,

"I don't fight.  I don't believe in it.  To clear things up I got attacked by 5 people last night out of nowhere.  Not cool.  My face is f***ed.  As in black eye, bloody nose, hair ripped out, scratches, bruises and cuts.  So not ok to be abusive to others.  Violence is NEVER the answer."

I find Avril's stance on fighting surprising, since in her music career she's portrayed the image of a tough rocker chick with lyrics saying that she has no qualms with beating people up.  I guess perhaps that image is just for show; after all her latest album "Goodbye Lullaby" was a lot softer.  Granted, I don't believe in fighting; however I do believe in defending yourself.  I hate that this happened to Avril, and wish her a quick recovery.

~

Sources:

Photo:  Yahoo News

Twitter:  Avril Lavigne