#Jamberry Nail Wraps Review + Giveaway

Jun 26, 2014
I have got a special treat for the ladies today! Have you all heard of Jamberry Nail Wraps? If you have, then you know how glorious these are and you can just skip to the end where I have a little somethin'-somethin' for THREE lucky readers.  If you haven't heard of Jamberry Nail Wraps, then you need to read on!


Who has time to go to the salon every two weeks to get a manicure filled?  (No, really, if you do, can you come watch my kid so I can go?) Let's face it, there just isn't enough hours in the day to do all the things we need to do and still take care of ourselves.  There just isn't.  So, what do we do?  We let things go.  

Jamberry Nail Wraps are the answer to your no-time-for-a-manicure nightmares.  Jamberry Nail Wraps are a solid film covering that applies directly to your nail using a heat source (i.e hair dryer) and stays on your nail for up to two weeks! I gave L a bath with these things on, did laundry, dug in the dirt, carried boxes, scraped my nails across things, did dishes by hand in hot, soapy water...they never came off!  After the two weeks was up, I simply removed them how I had been shown and voila!  No damage to my nail!  At all!

icy pink polka || leopard
lace noir || tropical mirage 


Here is a great video that shows how to apply them and how to take them off:




And here is the manicure I did with my free sample!
Black & White Chevron Nail Wrap
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Twisted Pink




The nail wraps also come in sizes for your toes and if you have a little girl-they make them in her size, too!

So, now that I have raved about them a bit, let me tell you why!  Not only do I love them, but I'm currently having an on-line Jamberry party with the coolest consultant, Mandy.  If you would like to come hang out with us, just follow the link here and click "Join" to join the party!  (If you have any issues, shoot me an email.) Mandy has all kinds of information to share with us and even a chance or two to win something!  Oh, and, did I mention you can shop online in your PJs!?  #winning

Lastly, remember when I said I had a little somethin'-somethin' for three lucky readers?  Well--I'm giving you all a chance to enter to win a 7-Day Trial Nail Wrap!  All you have to do is enter an email address that I can contact you at in the Rafflecopter below and I will randomly choose three winners to receive their own 7-Day Trail Nail Wrap! Sounds great, huh? The giveaway only runs for a very short time (4 DAYS!), so be sure to get your entry in NOW!

I hope you ladies take advantage of the party and go ahead and enter for your chance to win right here!


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#SummerBookSwap

Jun 25, 2014
I participated in my first summer book swap last week and I enjoyed it so much, I will probably do it again! I got paired up with Megan from Semi-Charmed Kind of Life and it was pretty much a match made in book-lover heaven.  We both love Jodi Picoult and we love to get lost in the books we read. Unbeknownst to me, I sent her a book that had been on her "to read" list for a while.  When I read the description of the book I sent her, I thought to myself, "This is it."  (To see what I got Megan, you can go here.)

As for what Megan got me.......


I am one happy camper right now!  I am almost finished with a little book series I started and then I get to start on this baby! I'm stoked!  Thank you so much, Megan!  It was the perfect choice as I had been wanting to read this one for a long time now.

Not only is this a book swap, but it's also a link up!  Click on the badge below to check out other blogger book swap stories like Megan's and mine! 

Summer Blog Swap

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Weekend Getaway + Social Media Break

Jun 23, 2014
We took L camping for the first time this weekend with my in-laws and had a pretty good time.  It was really nice to get out into the middle of nowhere and just be.  We stayed at a family-friendly camping resort that had several things to keep little ones like L entertained.  She got to ride her first horse and swim in a lake, when we discovered that she hated sand.  However, that didn't stop her from being excited to be at a "beach" and hunting for "seashells." We got rained on Saturday night, but we had already had all of our fun for the day, so it wasn't really a big downer. It was so nice to snuggle into bed and read a book as it rained.  I can't remember the last time I did that. 

Here are some pictures from our weekend:
When I found out we were going camping, I thought it would also be a good time to do a social media break.  I wasn't sure if I could do it, honestly.  However, the campground had really sketchy Wi-Fi, so fate must have been telling me to take a break.  I couldn't even access the stuff if I wanted to!  I didn't really miss it, which surprised me.  When we got back on Sunday, I got caught up and realized I didn't miss much.  I will probably do this again in a few months when I am here at home with accessible Wi-Fi.  We'll see how it goes then. 

I have three or four posts planned for this week and I am also getting ready for L's birthday party on Sunday.  I've posted a few pictures of things on Instagram, but expect to see more because I am tackling a DIY project for it this week that I am pretty excited about.

How was everyone else's weekend?
Have you ever taken a social media break before?  How did it go? 
  
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Emptying My Head

Jun 19, 2014
Oh, lookie here, I'm writing a blog post! I should have taken off the month of June in regards to blogging.  I just haven't had the brain capacity to write anything that I had planned.  I'm taking some time today to sit down and just write all this out so I can stop thinking about doing it--hence the title of the post. 

This month has been full of planning L's 3rd birthday party, Father's Day, a weekend getaway (which is happening this weekend), and all the other daily things that come up.  I had tons of blog posts planned for this month and I think I managed to write five posts I really wanted to get out in the world.  I apologize guys!  However, I think you all enjoyed what I did put out this month, so that's a plus.

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Earlier in the year, I had talked about how I had a few projects up my sleeve for 2014 and I think one of those needs to be started ASAP.  I am looking at taking down the Facebook page (don't freak out on me!) and producing a newsletter that would come straight to your inbox once a week from Life & Leopard.  Facebook has completely screwed with their algorithms and has made it almost impossible for bloggers to get our content seen from our pages.  Only ten of you see my posts via Facebook on a daily basis.  There are 92 fans on my page.  That's insane and I feel like I am putting too much time into something that isn't helping me.

However, there is a way that you can all follow me on my personal profile and you can get my blog updates that way.  I'm still working out the details on that portion, but I think a newsletter and having readers follow my personal profile on Facebook would really help out in the long run. 

I've also been thinking a lot about my personal writing lately.  I love writing beauty and style posts.  Surprisingly, I do well with them, but they aren't satisfying my creative writing side.  This tells me that I need to start making time to write creatively and really work on getting those things out into the world.  That is where my heart is at and it's why I started blogging in the first place.  

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I love Life & Leopard.  This blog has helped me in my journey back to myself after L was born.  I went from not caring about anything "me" wise to being able to balance it all pretty well.  There are still some things I'm working on, but I'm much further than I was a year ago.  I have all of you to thank for that.  I really do. If it wouldn't have been for all of you coming here to read what I have to say in regards to beauty and style, I would have quit.  

So, that's what has been on my mind lately.  We are going away for the weekend and I am checking out of the social media world to give my brain a break.  I am going to take some books, a pen, and a journal and remember what it was like to entertain myself with those things.  Have a great weekend everyone!  I'll be back next week! 

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Literary Junkies: June Edition

Jun 17, 2014
It's time for me to talk about books again which is a Godsend for me (and all of you) because I just can't produce anything good here lately.  I get on a roll with writing and then life happens and I have to pay attention to that for awhile.  By the time I come back to the writing, I've lost the momentum I had.  We are going out of town this weekend, so I am hoping to take the chance to really unplug and clear my head.

So, anyway, BOOKS!

Pink Heels Pink Truck


1.  What are you reading?  Tell us about it!

I am actually reading a book this time!  I am currently reading The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh and it has been pretty good so far.  I am on page 91 of  352 and have just hit the second part of the book.  I am loving it so far and can't wait to do a review on it!  (Ooo, which reminds me...I need to review The Storyteller...)

Here's the Goodreads synopsis:
The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

2.  Library or bookstore?

I'm going to have to go with a bookstore on this one.  I, personally, like roaming the shelves and seeing what gems they have.  When I go to a bookstore, I usually have a title in mind to purchase, but I always have to grab two or three more.  I'm a book hoarder and I'm proud of it.


3.  What book(s) have you read and re-read several times?   

I am not thinking of any right now.  I don't know if that is because there really hasn't been, or because I can't remember.

4.  What is the first book that made you fall in love with reading?

Oh man....I don't know how to answer this because I feel like I have always been reading.  I guess I probably really started reading in the 4th grade.  That's when I started reading stuff like The Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley High.  Eventually I read some of the Nancy Drew series and all of the The Little House on the Prairie series.  By the time I was in middle school, I was reading the Fear Street series.  I discovered I loved to write at thirteen and that just fueled my love for reading even more.

5.  Who's your favorite author?  Tell us so we can binge-read!

Edgar Allan Poe, Joyce Carol Oates, Jodi Picoult, Stephen King, Janet Fitch, and Marian Keyes.  Take your pick!  Disclaimer:  Don't read Poe when you are happy or sad.  If you're happy, you won't get it.  If you're sad, he will make you want to be a recluse.  Read him in the "in-between."
That's it for today!  If you love books and want to participate, link up with us!




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Wardrobe Staples: Completer Pieces

Jun 10, 2014
This is the second to last post in the wardrobe staples series.  I have had a lot of fun researching and writing this series.  I have actually learned quite a bit along the way, including what completer pieces are.  

I wasn't aware that blazers, cardigans, cropped jackets, and denim jackets were considered completer pieces.  I mean, I knew they existed, but I never knew what they were categorized as, ya know?  When I found out exactly what was considered a completer piece, I felt like I had hit the jackpot in my wardrobe.

I adore cardigans.  Before my closet purge, I had a crap ton of cardigans.  I went through all of them and got rid of the ones that had holes, stretched out, too small, too big, etc. Now I have fair amount of cardigans in various colors, but I am still missing the coveted pink, purple, and leopard print cardigans.  I scored a green one and a navy blue one this past weekend at a yard sale (I paid $3 for two cardigans, ya'll....and one is from The Loft!) 

Okay, anyway, enough about my cardigan obsession, let's move on to what we need in our closets as far as completer pieces.



Completer Pieces

  • 2 neutral colored completer pieces
  • 2 secondary color completer pieces
  • Denim jacket 

2 Neutral Colored Completer Pieces

By now everyone should be aware of what I mean when I say "neutral colored."  So, make sure you have two completer pieces in a neutral color.  I have a black cardigan, a grey cardigan, and a white cardigan.  I need to expand myself a little bit and get a blazer or heck, I would rock a cropped jacket, too. 
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2 Secondary Color Completer Pieces

This is where you can have a little fun with some color if you chose to.  I love pink blazers.  I love red cropped jackets. Do you see where I am going with this? It's good to have some "businessy-y" pieces, but we need to express ourselves a bit within our wardrobe.  We usually do that by flocking to our favorite color(s) and buying pieces in that hue.  (This is why, at one time, I had 15 purple shirts.  This is also a warning that you can be too excessive with your favorite color.) 

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Denim Jacket

This is pretty self-explanatory, amIright? I have a denim jacket and I love it.  It goes great with my maxi skirts that I wear constantly.  Ha! If you didn't get a denim jacket after my spring wardrobe staples post, then you need to do so, NOW.  

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That wraps it up for this week!  Next week, we will talk about shoes and accessories, so expect a longer post, but there will be more things to drool over, so that could be fun!  
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