55 Secret Street

55 Spring Favorites: OPI & Serena Williams's Shatter Nail Polishes

 
I have to say, I did not expect to have so much fun with OPI's Shatter Nail Polishes.  Frankly, I was thinking that it would be moreso for little girls or... people who are not me I guess.  For someone who grew out of nail decorations sometime around the time Living Single was still on the air, I just didn't think I would be interested. 

I was wrong!

I spent an entire weekend watching Eureka reruns on Netflix Instant and playing around with the colors - especially the Silver Shatter over shades from OPI's limited edition Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides collection.  Above, starting with my thumb, Stranger Tides (sage), Skull & Glossbones (a lovely light gray), Planks a Lot (purple), Sparrow Me the Drama (a deep pink shade that I later forked over to my friend Tayari in honor of her new novel, Silver Sparrow) and  Mermaid's Tears (a pistachio-like green). 

I also tried Serena Williams latest OPI collection Glam Slam! France which includes Red and White Shatters and Rally Pretty Pink (above) which still looks gold to me even though it is described as a "shimmering sunset pink."  My favorite is below: Spark de Triomphe, a fabulous glittering silver designed to be paired with the White Shatter - but I like it alone or with the Silver Shatter from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection.  

Serena's Glam Slam! collections are being introduced to coincide with each of the four major tournaments this year, starting with last January's Australian Open, the recently concluded French Open and Wimbledon and the US Open in July and August respectively.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

55 Spring Favorites

I'm back!  Phew!

I didn't expect to be away for so long, but I had some personal things to attend to.

So, if you'll forgive my tardiness, here are the rest of my 55 Spring Favorites.

Fashion

Colorblock Dresses by Bebe 55. Italian Linen Belted Color Block Dress 54. Double-Knit Contrast Trim Dress. 53.  Satin Color Block Shift Dress  52.  Stretch Linen Belted Color Block Dress.    

Sexy Print Blouses and Dresses  51. Milly Diamond Metallic Brocade Dress (opener) 50.  Milly Banded Tropical Print Silk Chiffon Dress   49.  Milly 'Hippie' Floral Print Ruffle Dress   48.  Pucci Piume Print Border Tank.  47.  Etro Quad Paisley Silk Cami.  46.  Missoni Anemone Three-Quarter Sleeve Dress.  45.  Missoni Rigolo Sleeveless Dress with Belt.

 

Statement Bangles 44. Jessica Kagan Cushman Wide Scrimshaw Phrase Bangles.   43. Janna Conner Decoupage Bangles.

Subtle Metallics 42. Stella McCartney Metallic Pewter Faux Leather Bag  41.  Giuseppe Zanotti Bronze Toe-Ring Thong Sandal. 40. Carmen Marc Valvo Metallic Baby Doll Dress. 39. Jimmy Choo Metallic Napa Sandal. 

 

Easy Pretty Tops  38.  Gap Long Sleeveless Tunic   37. Gap Solid Cap Sleeve Top.  36.   Banana Republic Silk Tie-Front Draped Top.  35.   Gap Twisted Scoop Neck T.

 

Extra Cute Handbags and Totes 34.  Rafe for Target Printed Straw Basket Bag.  33. Target Canvas Tote with Side Pocket in White/Gray.  32.  Kenneth Cole Eggshell Stitched Leather Rosette Handbag.  31.  Milly Exclusive Coral Reef Bag.
 

 

Colette Malouf Barrettes and Ponytail Holders 30.  Colette Malouf Amber Marble 'Stone' Ponytail Holder  29.  Gunmetal 'Rock' Ponytail Holder  28.  Green Kidskin 'Camelia' Barrette  27.  Black Glass Flower Ponytail Holder. 

55 Spring Favorites

   

Art, Culture & Books

26.  Mi Puerto Rico: Master Painters of the Island, 1780-1952 at the Newark Museum - The first major exhibition in the continental United States of Puerto Rico's three greatest masters is right down the street from my house! The exhibition features masterpieces from José Campeche, Francisco Oller and Miguel Pou along with other rarely seen paintings from private collections in Puerto Rico until April 15th.  The painting on the left is Los Coches de Ponce (Horse Drawn Carriages in Ponce), 1926, by Miguel Pou.

 25. Lorna Simpson at the Whitney Museum of American Art -  Lorna Simpson is an interesting artist who is known for juxtaposing words and images to illuminate various sides of race and gender that lie beneath the surface.  She is the subject of a 20-year retrospective at the Whitney Museum in Manhattan through May.   The opening work in this post is Simpson's Waterbearer from 1986 and she can be found several times in my Virtu section.

24.  Peanut Butter Bookplates by Pink Loves Brown - I've learned my lesson about "lending" out books, but if you are still brave enough to do it, these adorable bookplates should serve as a friendly reminder to return your book within oh, I don't know, this decade perhaps? 

23.   The Artist's Way Morning Pages Journal - This journal is the companion to Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, one of the most popular books for writers out there.  The idea of Cameron's morning pages is simple:  you are to write three pages of anything you want - longhand - every morning.  The pages are to be strictly off the top of your head - no straining for perfection.   So far, I've only used the first few pages of my Morning Pages Journal because I've been ignoring that rule - but I'm over it now.   Even if you are not a writer, I think that journal writing is a very valuable tool for anyone.

22.  The Proust Questionnaire -   I haven't gotten around to really answering any of the questions yet, but it's on my perpetual to-do list.  This is relatively inexpensive for a coffee table book (about $35) and it would make a great housewarming gift or conversation starter in your own home.

21.   Dogs-a-porter by Vicky Dawe - This is one trend that I have totally fallen for - the whole doggie-in-the-designer-purse thing.  I guess we all have our shallow moments!  This book is full of celebrities and socialites and their impossibly adorable Yorkies, Bichons and Chihuahuas perched in bags by Prada, Vuitton or Coach.  Honestly, the dogs are the real stars here - I didn't pay any attention to the people!

55 Spring Favorites

Food, Wine & Home

20.  Shinas Estate The Guilty and 19.  The Innocent - I love wines from Australia and whenever I go into a wine shop, I head straight for the Australia/New Zealand section.  A few weeks ago I found a great syrah (The Guilty) and a nice white wine (The Innocent) at Amanti Vino in Montclair, NJ.  They are from Shinas Estates and made by former judge who uses pictures of his daughters on the wine bottles.

18. MarieBelle Spring Showers Box (top) This is my obligatory MarieBelle mention.  If you've been reading 55 Secret Street for a while, then you know that I love the place.   This is a limited edition box of chocolates featuring "Umbrellas in the Spring," a print by Jacques Lieberman, an artist who happens to be married to the owner.  Every year, MarieBelle introduces a seasonal box to celebrate the arrival of Spring.  And I am celebrating yet another excuse to head down to Broome Street in SoHo to get some chocolate.   

17. Ito En Green Jasmine Teas' Tea - I keep this bottle on my desk sometimes to stave off some of my coffee cravings - not that it ever really works for me.  But the clean, delicious taste does work for me.  It's just right - not too sweet with the right amount of jasmine.

16.  Capucine Party Supplies Set by Isabelle Party (top)  Tar-jhay has enlisted the renowned Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave to bring her eye-catching collection of hand-painted paper party decor to people like you and me that may want to throw a fabulous impromptu party and skip washing the dishes!  There is no need to grab a bunch of dull white paper plates from the supermarket when you can get such beautiful things in the same price range - $2.99 for paper plates and napkins and $5.99 for centerpieces.

15.  Thermal Wide-Mouth Pastel Stainless Steel Bottles - I have been using some very environmentally unfriendly disposable cups to transport my morning coffee on the run but this is my new replacement.  It'll keep my coffee hot for up to three hours and it's leak proof, which means there is no chance that it will spill in my bag like some other portable bottles I've had in the past.

14. Anne Taintor magnets (top) I have one of these hilarious magnets on my refrigerator right now ("I live in fantasyland - and I have oceanfront property!") and I'm ready for more.  She also has some pretty funny notepads, luggage tags and cosmetic compacts.

13.  Mrs. Meyers All-Purpose Cleaner - A Domestic Goddess I am not, but even I get spring cleaning fever.   I haven't really jumped on the "green" wagon when it comes to cleaning products because I live in a large city apartment building and I feel that I need chemicals to make sure every germ is eliminated with ferocity.  However, I've been eyeing Mrs. Meyers for a while and I've finally decided to take the plunge.  So far, so good.

12.  Wine Cellar Sorbets (top) Wine flavored sorbet? They must have been dreaming about me when they made this.   I went to the website as soon as I spotted it in the April issue of Harper's Bazaar, but their online store isn't quite up yet.  The good news is that it is available in various stores like Whole Foods so, of course, I'll be there with bells on.   I'll bet this will be a summer favorite for me too.