Tuesday, September 25, 2012

now playing:tuesday - No Doubt

No Doubt - Push and Shove
Today i thought i would talk about the new No Doubt album, Push and Shove.
I have been a fan of No Doubt since their ska days....man i miss those dayz. 
Tragic Kingdom will always have that special place in my heart....i almost wore out my tape...yes tape!  I had Tragic Kingdom on cassette tape (sad my kids will never fully understand what that means).
from my instagram this morning (@ezzimcgee)
Moving on, Push and Shove, for lack of a better description, is POP.  No big surprise seeing as though the last few albums, including solo work, have been rather pop-y.  This album is the lady gaga, madonna, katy perry kinda pop.  *sigh. 
That being said, i still like the album.  Yes it's different, far from the ska style i long to hear from them again, but a fun album nonetheless.  If you are looking for a good album to bop along to while running/working out, driving, etc this is it.  It's very upbeat and has a constant tempo throughout the album (important if you run to it).  It definately makes you want to move your body....very dance-y.  I still love her voice and the band.  Everytime i hear they are coming out with something new i get my hopes up for a old skool ska roots type of album....and then get let down...pop.  I'll take it but i may not be happy about it.
If you aren't sure (no doubt my review put a seed of doubt in your head) give it a test-drive on iTunes.  The deluxe edition was around $14 with a extra mixes of "Settle Down" and acoustic versions.  Let me know what you think.

Monday, September 24, 2012

nail-ventures

its no secret that i love nail polish.  i have a small collection in comparison to a lot of nail bloggers i follow...my hubs would disagree.
i have recently discovered nail stamping....i know i know i guess I've been living under a rock.
what is nail stamping you ask?  well....
2011 Bundle Monster Plates - available here
Cheeky Nail Plate #C - available here
...these are "nail plates" (minus the blue protective film).  They are metal plates with etchings on them in various designs that you put a swipe of nail polish on and scrape the extra off...pushing paint into the image in the process...then pick up the image with a soft rubber stamp.  You then quickly line up the stamp with your fingernail and stamp.
used Sally Hansen Insta-Dry in Pronto Purple and Silver Sweep
isn't that fun?!! it takes some getting use to and practice but its worth it. 
its a super easy way to turning a regular manicure into awesome manicure....and you can tell people "ya i did it myself...how awesome am i?"
if you want to see this done in real time i highly recommend you check out "Plasmaspeedo" on YouTube.  She has many videos that explain how to do stamping and shows differences between the different brands and images they have to offer.
you can also just search "nail plates" in amazon and look at everything...so much fun.
i definitely will be posting more "Nail-ventures" posts here.