Licorice-Dipped French Mani: My Half-Hearted Attempt at Halloween

Okay, I submit that Halloween is not my favorite holiday. Go ahead, all you die-hard Halloweenists. Throw candy corn at me if you like. I have no shame in admitting that I haven't purchased a Halloween costume in a little over a decade. Which is not to say I haven't been to costume parties or trick-or-treating in that time. I have. I always manage to pull something together at the last minute, "estilo casero". It's usually not very creative but it allows me to participate minimally in the festivities with my Halloweening friends and coworkers. This year, I threw on my official Ravenclaw scarf, armed myself with a Korean metal chopstick, and declared myself a Hogwarts student for Halloween. Not creative, and a lot of non-HP savvy people didn't "get it" or "see" that I was in fact in costume. No biggie. I take no offense. I'm not good at Halloweening and I accept this.

Long time no see, bare nails.... 

"Licorice"

What little festive fortitude I have for this holiday I invest in my favorite fall nail look: an edgy, nontraditional French manicure with black tips. To achieve this look, my long-time, nail stylist, Jenny, put down a neutral beige base all over the nail using OPI's "Glints of Glinda," from the OPI OZ collection (our favorite neutral for French manis with colored tips) and painted rounded tips in Essie's "Licorice," an extremely popular color, especially during this time of year. It's such a popular October choice, in fact, that there was only just enough paint left in Jenny's salon to do my toes and my tips. Admittedly, I'd never tried "Licorice" before this Halloween. I usually go for OPI's "Linkin Park After Dark," another classic with a cult following, however, by the time I got around to my appointment with Jenny the bottle was dry. "Licorice" is a much truer black that "Linkin Park After Dark," which looks black from afar but upon closer inspection is really somewhere between black and dark purple. Both are great color choices for the fall and I can't say which I like more. I do think that the subtle purple undertones in "Linkin Park After Dark" do make it more wearable than the dramatic "Licorice."

On the drive home. Of course, I've gotta represent! I love my pony! :)

Hope all you Halloween lovers had a fabulous time this year! And don't waste your candy corn on me... it's far too delicious. Enjoy! Xoxo

Daily Tidbits:

• I've never actually tried real licorice candy before! 
• Had a hair appointment yesterday and for the first time ever deflowered my virgin brown hair with highlights. I think I'll be going back for more in a week or two. I told my hairdresser to be conservative with the amount of highlights, as it was my first time and I wasn't sure if I'd like the outcome, but now I feel that I need more to really complete the brightening effect. For the first time ever I'm starting to think honey blonde suits me more than brown...
• While strolling through Epicure Market on the beach, to get my weekend fix, post-cheat meal fix of Nirvana Coconut Water, I came across the ultimate cat-lady candy ever... 

KATZENZUNGEN! 

(It just sounds like something that needs to be exclaimed and not said.)

I appreciate the whole "crazy cat lady" trend from afar (never been much of a cat lady myself), but I was sooo close to buying this. Even I, a non-cat lover, can admit that these kittens are cute. But just what are they looking at?! I can't figure out what that chocolate is in the shape of... or if it is chocolate at all! Any ideas? Lol.