Beach Beauty: Calico Toes

Painted myself some über cute toes yesterday. Calico to be exact. Love ‘em.

I found this tutorial for your fingers, but thought it would last longer, be easier to do, and be pretty dang cute on those l’il piggies.

DIY Calico Toes:

1. Paint toes light blue

2. On a piece of plastic or cardboard, put a small blob of light pink and bright pint polish next to each other so they touch.

3. Dip a homemade dotting tool in the middle of the 2 light polishes (this creates the 2 toned flower effect) and make flowers by clumping 3-5 dots together.

4. Using a tooth pick or nail art brush, paint some thin green lines for leaves.

5. Done. Perfectly pretty springtime toes that will cause you to not wear a closed toed shoe for at least 2 weeks.

Polish Used: China Glaze Hop Top Blue, 4Free by Mary Jo Matsumoto Floating Lotus, Essie Fiji and Sally Hansen Lickety Lime split.


DIY Wish Anklet

Gotta love the simple wish bracelets and necklaces out there. They break off and you get the wish you wished for when you put it on…except for mine have never broken off, and by the time I have to take it off, I forget what the wish was. 

So who knows if they work. But they look cute.

Anyways, it’s time to give your ankles some wish granting capabilities, and subtle adornment. Even better, it’s super easy, and virtually free to make.

1: Grab a few long strands of sturdy thread that are long enough to loosely wrap and tie around your ankle.

2: Find a shell with a hole in it so you can string it. (Don’t have a shell, grab and old bead or charm. Something you don’t mind losing when the anklet breaks.)

3: String your shell so it sits in the middle of the thread.

4: Tie the ends together so they form a knot, securing the shell in place. (pictured above)

5: Tie on your ankle & make a wish..preferably for a new bikini, tropical getaway, or for an ice cold Caipirinha to magically appear in your hand.

DIY Distressed fun pocket Cutoffs

I never thought a $5 pair of Lee mid-rise jeans from Goodwill, some bleach, sandpaper and Fabric scraps could be the secret to some seriously sweet and easy cutoffs. Oh surprises, they are the spice of life.

So, if you’ve got some time to kill, and money to save. Grab some old jeans, and try out this easy DIY.

DIY Peek a Boo Distressed Cutoffs.

Tools: Old Jeans, Bleach, Old toothbrush, Sandpaper, Fabric scraps, Needle and Thread.

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Another way to tie a top

After the last bikini facelift post, I received a bunch of emails asking how I tied the top. I was going to put in the post and for some reason left it out. Yeah. I don’t know why I did that. Oops.

So here you go… It’s an alternative to tying the straps around your neck for a more square/wider set strap look.

*I recommend doing this with the top on backwards. Then flipping it around and putting it on after it’s tied. Yeah. No pics for that step.

1: Take each string that you normally would tie in a bow around your neck, and loop each one around the string that goes across your back one time.

2. Tie the loose ends together of the strings that have been looped - in a double knot or bow - depending on how much string you have to work with.

3. Voila. There’s always more ways to tie a top. Hope this helps.

Neon Ombre Nails

DIY Neon Ombre nails.

Step 1: Go to a Sephora Store.

Step 2: Try out each neon nail color to make sure it is in fact neon. For the ombre effect, try neon pink, neon coral, neon orange, neon peach, and neon yellow in that order.

Step 3: End up giving your nails a rather stellar manicure in the process…for free :)

Beach Hair 101: Bikini Hair Ties

If you 1: can’t leave the house without some sort of hair tie on your wrist (that’s me) and 2: Have an old, worn out bikini laying around (yup, me too) well you are in luck. Don’t you dare throw away that old bikini, repurpose it and make some fun l’il hair ties.

DIY Bikini Hair Ties:

1: Pull the string out of your bikini top (if using a top)

2: Cut a 1” thick strip of fabric to a length of about 7” long. (Use measuring tape if unsure)

3: Tie the ends in a knot to make a loop.

4: Repeat as much as you can. I got about four 7” strips from a bikini top. You can get a bunch more from a bottom

5: Stack ‘em on your wrist. Tie your hair up, and heck, give one to a friend.

Beach Hair 101: DIY Non-Permanent Ombre color

There are 2 easy & safe (aka bleach is a non-factor) ways to get the sweet ombre look that screams I love wavy, salty, messy, carefree beach hair.

I’ve done/use them both. 

Option 1: Take your patient pills

Don’t highlight your hair regularly. Go about every 6 months at least, you’ll have natural, sweet, dark roots, and save money. When you do highlight your hair, use the balayage technique so the color doesn’t grow out in an even line.

Option 2: Instant gratification.

(hairstylists, please don’t hate me, I get bored and it’s an easy, affordable fix)

1. Grab a box of non-permanent hair color (the kind that washes out in 28 shampoos) that’s 1 or 2 shades darker than your current color. Natural Instincts dark blonde is my go-to.

2. Brush your hair out so it’s tangle free, and then using a wide toothed comb, lightly comb in the color from your scalp down as low as you want it to go, concentrating on getting most of the color at your roots, then fading it out.

3. Make sure to not get color on the ends, and leave a few sections right around your face dry for a sun pecked look.

*Mine looks rather sweet right now, I’m trying to not wash it so the color will last. Thank goodness for dry shampoo.

Photo via my Pal Kir’s pinterest.

DIY Crochet Cutoffs

My mom gave my my first pair of super nice jeans (Paper Denim and Cloth) about 10 years ago. They have been torn and worn almost to death, and I just can’t bring myself to ever throw them out. I transformed them into cutoffs, and then wore them even more. It was either toss them or give them a new breath of life. So with the help of a crochet doily, I was able to salvage my beloved cutoffs and give them a new, somewhat bohemian look.

DIY Crochet Cutoffs:

Feel free to do this with any pair of cutoffs, not just ones that are 10 years old.

You’ll need: Cutoffs, needle & thread, scissors, and Crochet doily (I got a vintage one on ebay for $3, with free shipping to Hawaii - thanks juke-joint-judy)

1. Cut doily in half.

2. Flip shorts inside out and pin the flat/cut edge of the doily to the jeans, so the curved part lines up with the edge of your cutoffs.

3. Turn shorts so they are not inside out. Without cutting the doily, cut an inverted v in the jeans from the bottom of the cutoffs to the seam on the side (cutting at about a 45 degree angle). The doily should be peeking out but the edges are still under the denim.

4. Flip shorts inside out again and sew doily in place.

5. Turn shorts so they are not inside out. Voila!

6. Put on a bikini, your new favorite cutoffs, and head to the beach.

Ruched bikini top by Letarte

© Goldfish Kiss

Beach Beauty: DIY Facial

There is an unexpected perk to 1: having problematic skin and 2: being a self employed penny pincher. I’ve learned to take care of my skin without spending a lot of money.

One of the easiest ways to have soft, glowing skin is to get a facial, yet unfortunately it’s also one of the more expensive things out there to do. Never fear, with some household items, products under $10, and about 30 minutes to kill, you can get the dewy skin and save your money for bikinis.

Alas, I present to you, the DIY at home facial I’ve perfected over the years.

*This is geared towards combination skin that’s out in the sun.

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DIY No Slip Woven Workout Headband

Guest blog post for Foam

I have one dilemma when working out: no headbands stay put on my head…ever. Blame it on fine hair and an oddly shaped head, then add bangs at an awkward length and yeah, nothing works. No, tying a bandana around my head like Rambo just won’t cut it.

There’s a little trick to make one stick: shelf liners. Yup, those $2 rolls of woven grip liners that keep kitchen goods in place is also the secret ingredient for a fidget-free yoga class, the cutest messy top knot ever, or a run on the beach minus sweaty strands.

A DIY for a No Slip Workout Woven Headband

Tools: Old shirt you can cut, Grip Shelf Liner, Scissors, Needle, Sturdy Thread ( I use dental floss, it’s super strong and have it around the house)  and a Safety pin.

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Beach Hair 101: Tips for Big Wavy Hair.

Big messy wavy hair. I love it and anyone out there who has it naturally, please don’t straighten it for a while, just for me. I think whenever I have an occasion where I need to look good, feel like I have Gisele-esque beachy bed head locks, or want to make my husband’s heart rate go up, I go with the big messy wavy hair. It never get’s old. I don’t like to boast, but I think I’ve mastered it, so I thought I’d share my tips.

Wavy Hair 101:

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