The Beauty Department posted a super cute plaid nail art tutorial that we can’t wait to try.

Also from The Beauty Department, this subtle glitter eye makeup look would be so fun for a night out.

We’re beyond obsessed with Honestly, WTF’s incredible DIY studded sneakers – so edgy-cool, yet surprisingly simple to make.

As a ’90s kid, this was the best thing I read all week: Way More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About The Animaniacs, from Mental Floss. (Sidenote: The Nations of the World song has been in my head ever since!)

Okay, this is a close second for the best thing I saw online this week: Skrillex, Reviewed by Cute Kids. LOVE. “I think he should be more like Elton John!”

Aww, this is great: Modern Kindness – 9 Day-Brightening Stories of Generosity, from – who else? – Oprah.

Holy crap, this is frightening: Could your hairstyle be affecting your eyesight?

If you live in a small apartment with an even smaller kitchen (and have a talent for DIY or a friend who does), you need to check out Classy Clutter’s DIY canned food organizer – it’s genius and will probably double your storage space.

Got friends graduating this year? FabSugar has a list of fun graduation gift ideas.

Also from FabSugar, a feature on the hot pink trend for Summer 2012.

The NY Times did a piece on the pinup fashion trend today – see if you can spot the CF shoutout! :)

Even though summer break has just started, it’s still fun to start thinking about fall fashion. Madewell’s Fall Lookbook and Club Monaco’s Fall 2012 Collection are ALMOST enough to make us want to fast-forward to September. Almost.

Fashionista lists their Top 10 Favorite YouTube Hair Tutorials Of All Time. Worth bookmarking!

Surveying the Fashion from The Avengers, via Blackbook Mag – as usual, Gwyneth wins on the fashion front.

Hahaha: What to Do When You Suck at DIY, from HelloGiggles. Project 2 is the best.

Math class may be out for summer, but R29′s post on fashion math will have you adding up perfect summer outfits.

Haha, the Gloss explains How People Really Dressed in the ’80s.

Also from The Gloss, Thin Models Actually Don’t Make Most Women Buy Clothes. Now here’s hoping the industry takes note soon – it’s incredible that this fact has been overlooked for so long.

If you’re living in NYC this summer, you need to bookmark EcoSalon’s list of 7 Awesome Thrift Stores in New York City. (I’ve only been to one of these, WCAGA – it is a MUST visit!)

The Last Ice Coffee Recipe You’ll Ever Need. This looks beyond amazing.

Already Pretty shows you how to curb impulse buys – so important for your wardrobe and wallet!

File this under “yes, people actually do this as a job”: The Worst Thing About Being a Doll Hairstylist? The Grandmas, from BuzzFeed.

Lauren Conrad explains her new year’s fashion resolution, to organize her closet once a month.

Our friend Geneva from A Pair + A Spare never ceases to amaze us. Case in point: Her latest DIY project, a chic clutch made from – get this – a paper bag. Why didn’t we think of this?

From Stylelist, one girl tries her grandma’s beauty routine for a week, sleeping with Noxzema cream on every night.

Okay, fair warning: I don’t recommend reading this late at night like I stupidly did – it might, ahem, give you nightmares about 9-year-old serial killers. That said, it’s also fascinating, especially if you watch lots of crime shows. Can You Call a 9-Year-Old a Psychopath?, from the New York Times.

The Hairpin shows you how to do finger-waves, in case you have any ’20s-themed soirees coming up!

Oh god, I don’t know what to think about this: “Camelflage” panties are exactly what they sound like… underwear designed to protect against a specific type of female wardrobe malfunction.

Refinery 29 posted a really cool nail art tutorial requiring just one special tool… saran wrap.

For most of us college gals, summer has officially begun, and that means no more papers to write, plenty of fun in the sun, trips to the beach … and probably a summer job. But that’s all the more reason to rock some happiness-inducing nail art (if your dress code permits) – to remind yourself of all the fun you’re going to have this weekend while you’re stuck in the office.

For this tutorial, I decided to use a quintessential summer item as inspiration: colorful, cheery inflatable beach balls. Let’s get started!

 Have a Ball!

What You Need:

• Base coat and top coat
• Polish – I chose white, red, blue and yellow to represent the colors on a classic beach ball. I used Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in “White,” Sephora by OPI Nail Colour in “Fiercely Fabulous,” Milani Nail Art Lacquer in “Blue Print,” and OPI Nail Colour in “Banana Bandana.” That said, you can use whatever colors you want – just follow the pattern!
• Old eyeliner brush or something similar to draw outlines
• Small rhinestones

The Steps

1. Clip and file your nails if needed and put on a base coat.
2. Paint your entire nail white, the background color of every classic beach ball. But keep in mind that white can be a bit finicky – it may take multiple coats for it to be even and opaque. Let dry for a few minutes before moving on.
3. Take one of the three colors and make a dot in the middle of your nail. It doesn’t have to be absolutely dead center, but try to eyeball it the best you can so that the triangles end up more or less the same height. This dot can be your guide for starting each triangle, and you can extend the lines for the first triangle out from there.
4. Put some polish on the side of your eyeliner brush or drawing tool and gently drag it in a even stroke from the middle of your nail to the outside, to outline the first triangle. (You could also use scotch tape and a normal brush for really precise lines.) Once you have the outline, it will be easy to fill in with the regular polish brush. Repeat this with all three colors, leaving white triangles between each; think of making six even slices of pie, three white and three in color. This can also be a little tricky, so more on that later!
5. After making the last triangle, put a dab of polish in the center where the three triangles meet, and place a rhinestone there to mimic the circle that’s on the top and bottom of beach balls. For more detailed info on how to put rhinestones on your nails, see our post on rhinestone nail art.
6. Repeat on all of your nails, then apply a top coat to seal the rhinestones on and make the design last!

 Notes and Results

I often say during tutorials that you could use an eyeliner brush or something similar to make lines if you don’t have a polish made specially for nail art, but because I have several nail art polishes, this is the first time I’ve ever done it myself! Once I got the hang of it, I didn’t find it any more difficult to use than the professional tool, and it achieved the same effect.

But almost every time I do my nails, I run into some problem that I didn’t think of before I started. This time, it was with the triangles…so now for a bit of a nerdy rant about geometry! When I painted my first nail, I tried to do two right triangles that made a straight edge down the middle of the nail, and then I realized that that didn’t make sense; if I tried to do another triangle identical to the other two, the pattern wouldn’t work and the white spaces would be uneven.

So, as I said in the tutorial, when you’re making the triangles, think about how you would slice a pie into six pieces. There shouldn’t be any right angles, because if there are, the pieces won’t be the same size. So although that was a pain, once I figured it out, the look turned out fine, and the geometric polish felt fresh, fun, and perfect for summer.

What Do You Think?

Would you try this beach ball-inspired pattern out yourself? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below!

Photo by StearnsPhoto

One of the secrets of delicious home-cooked meals is having a well-stocked pantry of spices, oils, vinegars and sauces. But before heading off to replenish that bottle of salad dressing, have you given thought to try making it from scratch? We looked at a couple of popular pantry items that are easily (and healthily) replicated in the home kitchen.

Salad Dressing

The occasional salad of my childhood was always dressed in a creamy white dressing squirted out of a Heinz Thousand Island bottle. It wasn’t until much later in life that I discovered how easy and delicious it was to whip up my own dressing.

Danielle Tsi

Store-bought:
An eight-ounce bottle of vinaigrette at Trader Joe’s ranges from $1.99 (for a basic balsamic vinaigrette) to $3.99 or more for fancier combinations (raspberry, cranberry-gorgonzola, etc.), or a 16-ounce bottle of “365” brand organic salad dressing at Whole Foods.

Number of ingredients listed: Usually between 11 to 14, featuring ingredients like soybean oil, xanthan gum and corn syrup. There are exceptions: Whole Foods’ 365 brand of organic Caesar dressing has 19 ingredients, including “natural anchovy flavor” and “citric acid.”

Homemade:
Cost: negligible. All you really need for a basic salad dressing is olive oil, a vinegar or citrus juice, and salt and pepper. Whisk them together and you’re ready to go. To dress things up, add a spoonful of chopped fresh herbs, a dash of mustard or a handful of toasted nuts.

To try: Fava Bean Salad with Lemon Mustard Dressing;  Spring Salad with Chive Blossoms and Squash Seeds; Scallop and Potato Salad.

Granola

Granola is the perfect pre-yoga snack and the only topping I add to my morning bowl of yogurt. The problem is, grocery store granola is excessively sweet and somewhat lacking in personality. And if you eat it everyday, it starts to add up, too.

Danielle Tsi

Store-bought:
A 16-ounce box of granola at Trader Joe’s ranges in price from $2.99-$5.00. Granola from the bulk section at Whole Foods costs anywhere from $3.99/lb (non-organic) to $8.49/lb for local organic options.

Number of ingredients listed: Anywhere from 10 to 20, including items like “ascorbic acid”, “juice concentrate” and “natural flavor.”

Homemade:
It depends on what’s already in your pantry. The initial cost for your first batch of granola is likely to be high if you need to buy all the ingredients and is also influenced by whether you use organic or conventional olive oil or vegetable oil. I based my calculations on ingredients bought from the bulk section.

Number of ingredients: As little as eight, and as many as your imagination allows! Begin with the basics: oats, a sweetener of your choice, an oil, and a spice, before selecting your nuts and/or seeds and dried fruit. I like to add salt to my variations, too, and I also stir in dried cranberries. Inspired? Be sure to read these tips and tricks for perfect granola before diving in.

To try: Olive Oil and Maple Granola; Chocolate Crunch Granola.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread

Also known as Nutella (or everyone’s favorite all-day snack). If you’re looking for more ways to put your food processor to use, here’s a condiment that you’ll enjoy.

Danielle Tsi

Store-bought:
Nutella costs about $5 for a 16-ounce jar; other brands range in price from $5.99 for 10 ounces to $8.99 for eight ounces.

Number of ingredients listed: Across all brands, there were about eight to 10, all of them featuring soy lecithin.

Homemade:
Does a basic chocolate spread really need upwards of eight ingredients? Here’s a breakdown of the basic ingredients and their prices. Tip: to save on the price of hazelnuts, check out an ethnic grocery store.

To try: “Grown-up” Nutella with Espresso and Cocoa Nibs;  The Kitchn’s Homemade Nutella.

Pesto

Having a jar of pesto on hand makes for quick and delicious meals. Stir it into a bowl of quinoa. Slather it over a piece of white fish or chicken breast. Drizzle it over an egg: the possibilities are endless. And don’t limit yourself to just basil pesto — you can literally turn anything into a pesto with a few cloves of garlic, olive oil, some nuts, shredded cheese and a food processor.

Danielle Tsi

Store-bought:
A 6.7-ounce jar of basil pesto at Trader Joe’s retails for $2.49, while freshly made pesto at Whole Foods costs around $8.00 for an eight ounce pack.

Number of ingredients: Eight to 11, including potatoes and lactic acid (in Trader Joe’s product); spinach, miso and ascorbic acid (in the pestos at Whole Foods).

Homemade:
Pesto is one condiment where the store-bought version is undoubtedly more cost-effective, unless you have a herb garden that needs trimming.

To try: Broccoli pesto; Cilantro pesto; Ramp pesto.

The abundance of the grocery store aisle has lulled us into the notion that making food “from scratch” is time-consuming and expensive. Here’s the thing: there is a cost involved in each of our actions, financial or otherwise. The challenge is to find the sweet spot between our pocketbooks and our schedules where we can start building a pantry that enables us to eat a healthier diet and choose what we consume.

Have you every tried making pantry staples from scratch? Do you think it’s worth it?

More Food Posts

About the author: Danielle Tsi grew up in Singapore, a tiny, food-obsessed island on the tip of the Malaysian Peninsula, where every waking minute was spent thinking about what her next meal was going to be. Landing in the United States with her well-traveled Nikon, she turned her lifelong love affair with food into images and words on her blog, Beyond the Plate. When not behind the lens or at the stove, Danielle can be found on her yoga mat perfecting the headstand.

American Idol has been one of the most popular shows on television for over ten years now. After several judging panel shake ups, a few rule changes, countless Grammy and Tony awards, and even an Oscar win, the show (and its contestants) are still going strong. This season, the show’s eleventh, is no exception: Lovable characters, awesome music, and stiff competition still drive every episode.

Last week, we covered a few popular contestants on this season’s American Idol, with style profiles of Elise Testone, Colton Dixon, Phillip Phillips, and Jessica Sanchez. The two finalists will be announced tonight, and to celebrate, we’re featuring the unique styles of a few more of our favorite contests!

Want to steal some star style for yourself? Read on for ensembles inspired by Joshua Ledet, Hollie Cavanagh, Heejun Han, and Skylar Laine.

Joshua Ledet

Photo Credits: 1, 2, and 3

Joshua Ledet was nicknamed “Mantasia,” after Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, due to his incredible powerhouse vocals. This Louisiana native has a soulful, Southern choir sound that has earned him countless standing ovations from the judges and the Twitter support of several Idol alumni. Josh sticks to soulful, throwback songs each week — think James Brown hits, and tunes by the Temptations.

Joshua Ledet’s retro flair doesn’t stop at his song choices. His style is reminiscent of a “doo-wop” singer of an earlier era, and Josh dresses to reflect that. Every week, he wears eccentric suits with classic loafers, and tops it off with a bright flower on his lapel. He has a thing for bright colors, and isn’t afraid to mix prints either.

To steal some of Josh’s style, pair a blazer with a bright blouse and classic pair of chinos. A bow tie ring and record necklace are nods to Josh’s fashion and music style. Finish with a flower brooch.

Blazer, Pants, Blouse, Shoes, Brooch, Necklace, Ring

Hollie Cavanagh

Photo Credits: 1, 2, and 3

Hollie Cavanagh was born in Liverpool and moved to McKinney, Texas in 2002. This petite blonde is known for her huge voice, and loves to showcase it in songs by Tina Turner, Leona Lewis, Christina Aguilera, and Adele. Her sweet demeanor and gorgeous voice kept her in the competition until last week, when she went home with the 4th place title.

Hollie belts out her power ballads wearing glitzy, glamorous dresses. Beaded bodices, chandelier earrings, and strappy stilettos comprise her signature look. Finish the ensemble with girly pink lipstick and sophisticated curls.

Dress, Shoes, Earrings, Lipstick

Heejun Han

Photo Credits: 1, 2, and 3

Heejun Han of New York might be the standout character of this season’s cast – his beautiful voice was often overshadowed by his comedic personality and hilarious quips during interviews, both on an off stage. His job in New York as a special needs teacher melted the hearts of audiences across America. Heejun was voted off in ninth place, but rumors have been swirling about a sitcom or stand up comedy career in his future. I have a feeling that Idol‘s finale next week won’t be the last time we see him!

Heejun, a self-proclaimed “nerd,” had a pretty straightforward style, but was almost never seen without his two signature accessories — a beanie and thick-framed glasses. To get his look, layer on a few androgynous pieces with these two accessories, and don’t forget his self-deprecating sense of humor!

Cardigan, Shirt, Jacket, Jeans, Glasses, Beanie

Skylar Laine

Photo Credits: 1, 2, and 3

Skylar Laine of Mississippi was season 11′s resident country cutie. Her spunky personality and songwriting skills took center stage when she sang tunes made popular by Kellie Pickler and Miranda Lambert. She even tackled the country version of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” Since she was voted off, the show has lacked her warm demeanor and sweet Southern accent.

On stage, Skyler accented her curves by wearing A-line dresses cinched at the waist with a cute belt almost every week. She added a touch of glam to every look with sparkly accessories like chunky bangles or eye-catching earrings. And no Skylar look would be complete without cowboy boots, her self-proclaimed “obsession!”

Dress, Jacket, Boots, Belt, Earrings

What Do You Think?

Are you watching American Idol this season? What do you think about this year’s contestants? Who is your favorite singer? Who has the best style, or best personality? Did we forget to cover anyone whose style you loved? Who do you think will win? What other reality shows do you love? Leave us a comment and let’s discuss this season!