My Top Five Favorite Bloggers

Thanks to Trop50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 Fabulous Wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous!

After blogging for almost a year, I've been given the opportunity to write about my favorite blogs: the ones that inspire me, the ones that make me laugh. They aren't all beauty/nail blogs because I've got a wide range of interests! These are the bloggers that excite me, that make me want to read. These are the bloggers I want to grow up to be like!

To start with, I had to include Melissa at The Daily Nail. Don't get me wrong, I could have filled out my top 20 favorite nail blogs and still have plenty left to write about. But The Daily Nail stands out for several reasons. First, she does absolutely incredible nail art that never fails to blow my mind. She also manages to photograph her nail art to make it look absolutely gorgeous. Trust me, I never realized how hard it can be to get great pictures of your nails!

She's got more than just pretty photos, though. The Daily Nail is filled with wonderful creativity and writing that moves me in many ways. I've laughed, I've wept. Melissa is a sweet, charming lady and this shines through in her writing. She definitely deserves to be listed in this top five!

Next comes Dooce, a snarky chick from Utah who has been blogging about her life for ten years. In fact, she was one of the first people to demonstrate how dangerous blogging can be to your professional life: in 2002 she was fired from her job because of things she'd written on her blog! It's ok, though... she's lived through that to find a soul mate, two children, and two of the cutest dogs I've ever seen!

What does she write about, you ask? To be honest, she writes about just about everything, from her post-partum depression to dog farts, her obsession with chickens and all the joys of being a mom. The best part is that she does it with style and panache, and she manages to be real enough that I feel like if I were to meet her, I'd feel as if I already knew her. She's genuine, and I like that. She's also a total smartass, and I really like that!

Then there's Allie, who writes Hyperbole and a Half. I'm not quite sure how to explain this blog. Allie writes about the things in her life that affect her somehow, either frightening her, making her laugh, making her angry, or simply making her look foolish. She also illustrates her posts with a style that is truly her own. At first glance it seems child-like and simple, but once you watch her blog for a while you begin to see there's more to it than random scribbling.

The main thing I would say about Hyperbole and a Half is do not read it while you're eating or drinking anything. If you do, you will wind out with whatever is in your mouth coming out your nose while you laugh hysterically. I've laughed until I cried reading her blog, and I've actually laughed until I passed out. Coming from me, that's the highest praise! Also, it's not terribly safe for work, because she does sometimes use words that aren't appropriate for kids or office mates. However, if you are in a place you can read words like that, then I highly recommend you read these entries as a way of getting to know Allie's blog:

• The Alot is Better Than You at Everything: Grammar nerds, unite! This one is so much fun!
• The Party: My husband and I still make references to "rounning around the parp."
• And finally, This is Why I'll Never be an Adult. Sadly, this is so me.

Speaking of words you wouldn't want your children or your boss to find you reading, Jenny The Bloggess is another absolutely hysterical blogger that I absolutely adore. I'm not quite sure how to describe her either, really. She's saucy, sarcastic, and has a strange side that is... well... really interesting! For example, her site has an unofficial mascot named James Garfield.  She had this to say when trying to describe it on a post around Christmas last year:

Quick note for anyone who hasn’t been here forever. James Garfield is what I named the giant, tattered, taxidermied head of a wild boar that I made my husband buy at an estate sale last year because James Garfield looked SO D@#N HAPPY. Then every time Victor would walk in my office he’d huff that he couldn’t believe I’d spent $90 on James Garfield so I decided to make back the money to get Victor to shut up so I offered on my blog to make homemade Christmas Cards with James Garfield’s face on them saying things like “OH IT JUST GOT ALL KINDS OF MOTHER*#@%$N’ FESTIVE IN HERE, Y’ALL” for $10 each. I made back the $90 and made so much extra that I got carpal tunnel and was able to donate a few hundred dollars to a fellow blogger recovering from a stroke. She wasn’t doing well at the time but now she’s kicking as much ass as you can from a wheelchair (which is a s#*tload, apparently). Probably due to the James Garfield cards if I had to give my professional medical opinion.

Not only is she crazy, but she's also got a warm heart (although she'll never admit it!). Over Christmas of last year, she managed to raise over $42,000 in toys, food, car seats, gift cards, and more. The best part? It was almost accidental, starting with her own wish to simply give back with the bit of cash she could spare and snowballing into more and more people joining in the spirit of Christmas to help others put a bit of magic into their kids hearts.

So you've got holiday miracles, hysterical laughter, and a style of writing that just draws you in? Come on, what more could you ask for?! I love reading her blog and seeing how she writes about her world and experiences. You might love her too!


You may have noticed that I read a variety of bloggers with a variety of styles. I also love Neil Gaiman's blog. I started out by reading his novels- he's an amazing writer of fantasy and... well, weird stuff. (If you get the chance be sure and read American Gods, as well as Good Omens, which he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett. Great stuff, those!) I love his voice, and his novels draw me into another world, one filled with mystery and drama... worlds I can't wait to explore, and often don't want to leave.

However, his blog is just as good! Instead of writing about the weird, his blog is simply writings about his life: his kids, his dogs, the bees he's been cultivating for the past few years. He writes about visiting the Dr. Who set and feeling like an excited kid because he got to be inside the Tardis! He's warm and inviting, and often very funny. He's the sort of guy I'd like to sit down and buy a beer so we could just talk about the world.


And finally, I know this is more than five, but I absolutely couldn't leave out my favorite kitty blog! I've followed Maru for ages now, and whenever I'm sad or anxious I click over to Maru's blog and find myself feeling better! Maru is a sweet Scottish Fold kitty who lives in Japan and his owner clearly dotes on him.

Maru is also famous! You may have seen him in videos of Maru sliding into boxes, Maru jumping in and out of boxes, and Maru wearing boxes or bags as fashion. He really loves boxes!

Whew! This was one heck of a blog! I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it, and I really hope you find a new blog to love because of it! Leave a comment below sharing some of your favorite blogs with me, I'd love to find more blogs to love!

Til next time!

Don't forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to celebrate a friend with a refreshing attitude about looking and feeling fabulous. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.

My Top Five Polishes of 2010

It's the end of the year- the time for introspection, for tying up loose ends, for making next year's plans and for remembering the best and the worst of the year that's ending. As part of this, AnnKiins'♥ has tagged me to write about my top five polishes of 2010. Her post about the same topic was fun to read, definitely stop by if you haven't read her blog. She's a total sweetheart!

However, her tag got me to thinking for a bit. What polishes would I pick as my top five? More importantly, why would they be my top five? I was surprised that I had absolutely no problem picking five polishes off the top of my head for very good reasons. "Oh yea," I thought to myself... "This is gonna be fun!"

5. Ruby by Heaven.

This is a drugstore brand that's made by Blue Cross Cosmetics, and the line consists of quite a few colors including neutrals, pinks & reds, glitters, neons, and deep/dark colors. Best of all, they only cost $2.49 at Albertsons! (Yes, that's a grocery store. I know, but they have a pretty awesome cosmetics department!)

Why do I place it at number 5? First of all, it's sentimental to me. My husband got me this polish for mother's day this year, and I think it's uber sweet. But I also love this polish because it is such an amazing red glitter. It's incredibly dense without being gloppy, and it dries almost perfectly smooth. A coat of Seche Vite turns it into the most amazing red glitter polish ever... and I adore it!

4. Lime Up! by Essence.

I've become extremely fond of lime green over the past year, and I've bought at least four polishes hoping to find that perfect lime green. Each one turned out to be so incredibly sheer that I may as well have painted my nails with clear polish. That made me very, very sad.

However, thanks to my Twitter friends that's no longer a problem! I was told about this polish's opaque green yumminess and was immediately off on a quest to claim it as my own. Sure enough, I found that it was the green I've been dreaming of. Considering it cost a grand total of 99 cents, that made it even better! Oh, Lime Up, I love you so!

3. Dazzling by Love My Nails.

If you've read this blog for very long, you probably knew this one would show up. I use this polish often, whether for frankening or layering or just adding highlights for a bit of nail art. It's one of my all-time favorites.

Dazzling is another 99 cent wonder, only this time it's because of the shimmer inside. It's a very sheer polish that wouldn't look like much on its own. But add it on top of something else and it really shines. I have my main bottle that I'm about halfway through, as well as two backup bottles. The scary thing? I'm still tempted to go buy more as backup, I love this polish that much!!

2. Valerie by Zoya.

This was an easy choice. When I got the Zoya Flame collection, I was immediately drawn to the three glass flecked polishes. I normally wear a polish for maybe 2 days before I change my nails, and once I've worn a polish it goes into the box so I can try more of my untrieds. I have quite the pile of unworn polishes, and I feel guilty wearing something more than once before I've worked my way through them.

But Valerie? Oh yea... Valerie was an exception to the rule. I wore this one for three manicures in a row. Plus, I wore those manicures for something like five to six days each! I simply couldn't get enough of this rich, glossy purple. I'd never been a purple girl, but I definitely am now...

And finally, my number one polish of 2010...

Gosh Holographic, the most beautiful rainbow polish ever!

1. Holographic by Gosh.

This is the polish that started it all. I hadn't worn nail polish in years because it never stayed on. It would peel off in a giant chunk no matter what I did, so I couldn't be bothered trying to paint my nails to make it stay on. But somehow I found the nail polish blogosphere...

A wonderful friend of mine was kind enough to send me a packet of Gosh nail polishes from the UK. When I opened it I was absolutely astounded by the incredible beauty of Holographic. It's absolutely stunning, and photographs just cannot capture the play of light over it. I put it on, and was in love.

That single bottle of polish started my collection, my interest in nail art, the blog... everything. I owe it all to my friend and her simple gift. There really aren't words enough to thank her, so I hope she ends up seeing this post. I love ya, Tal!! *hugs*

So there you have it, my top five polishes and why I love them. This turned out to be much bigger than I expected!! Instead of tagging everyone by name, I'm going to do something meaner: If you're reading this, tell me your top five favorite polishes! Blog it or leave it in the comments, but I want to hear what polishes you love! (Or hate, for that matter... no one said it has to be your top five favorite polishes!!)

Til next time...