Our Winter Essentials

Guys, I'm cold.  Like, cold cold. My back hurts because my muscles are clenching my spine like a needy toddler to its mom. Some embrace the cold and take advantage of outdoor sports like skiing, snowboarding, fishing, yard work...whatever, but not I. I is an indoors-man. I is, like I said, cold, but I'm surviving just fine, and my personal bitching would be exponentially higher without a few cold weather essentials that have helped me out dramatically. Turns out my coworkers have a few tricks up their sleeves as well...

Halle said:

• Patagonia Down Coat with Waterproof Shell- The down coat is super warm and I can add the shell in bad weather for extra warmth and to stay dry.
• B.ella Legwarmers- These get me to and from yoga without freezing and they're perfect and cozy for wearing around the house on a lazy day.
• Smartwool Socks and Underwear- These are major winter essentials for me. Soooo comfy!

Stacey said:

• Blundstone Boots- I wear them everywhere, especially when walking my dogs...they are easy to clean the mud off of.
• Nanak's Lip Smoothees- It always keeps my lips moist and lasts for hours. My favorite!
• Heating Pad- I warm up my bed at night before going to sleep and I stay toasty warm.

 Amanda said:

• Columbia Omni-Heat Jacket and Outdoor Research Aria Storm Parka- Between the two, I'm crazy warm and dry.
• Down Comforter- I'm able to turn down the heater, yet stay super warm at night. I see my electricity bill dropping dramatically.
• Vodka- Because alcohol.

Cat said:

• 'Bern' by Bos. & Co. boot- They're waterproof, cute, and cozy! I can go anywhere and dress them up just a little if I need to.
• oneVessel Glass Tumbler- It's great for hot drinks, loose leaf tea, or lattes. It stays hot and doesn't burn my hands.
• Mox Botanicals Lip Butter in Pomegranate and Fig- It smells great and keeps my lips from chapping in the cold weather.

Jen said:

• Eddie Bauer Down Vest- Keeps my core warm  on chilly runs.
• B.ella Woolisimo Tights- They're like work appropriate footie pajama bottoms!
• Butter London Nail Polish in Blowing Raspberries- Winter needs some color.

What are some key items you can't live without during the wintertime?

Oh, and from Village Shoes to you, stay warm!


post by Amanda

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Nail Art!

I’ve been an on again, off again nail biter ever since I can remember. The only time I manage to not bite my nails is when I paint them. The problem is that I’m pretty lazy, so my nail panting sessions are few and far between, especially during the wintertime when I don’t feel pressured into painting my toes.

Recently I have noticed that some ladies are freakishly into nail art right now. Celebrities like Zooey Deschanel, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna all enjoy their nails decorated as fabulously as possible. Luckily these girls have heaps of money to pay for eccentric nail art once a week, however I’ve come across a lot of girls through Tumblr (a blogging platform) where they do their own nails and do a damn fine job at it too.

Here are some of my favorites:

They're pretty impressive, right? I haven't thought about painting my nails using different hues of the same color like the purple one above. That one is easily do-able. Embellishing your nails using little 'sticker dots' looks easy enough too. After browsing through tons of photos, I decided that using your nails as a canvas is a great way to express yourself creatively. Nail polish can be fairly inexpensive depending on what brand you buy, and you can easily trade colors with friends. Photographing your nails after they're completed is a great way to document what you've done, and will also serve as a reference if you want to recreate the look.

For painting my fingernails as infrequently as I do, I happen to have a HUGE nail polish collection. For some reason I'm unable to turn down a pretty color. My favorite brand of nail polish is Butter London. Their colors are fantastic, and they are also the first company to sell non-toxic polish in the US. Currently I'm wearing British Racing Green and Diamond Geezer on my ring finger only. That right there is my version of 'nail art'.

So, do any of our readers paint their nails? What's your favorite brand and color? Do you create any of your own nail art?

post by Amanda

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