Get Silky Legs and Three Ways to Get Summer Party Ready + Link-Up!

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It’s no secret around here that this girl loves a good get together. Backyard barbecues, girl’s nights, birthday parties… any excuse to get my friends and family together – I am in.

However, depending upon what KIND of get together I’m headed to (or hosting), I need to make sure I’m party-ready.

There are a few “housekeeping” type things that I do to make sure I’ve got smooth legs and I’m summer party ready and one fun thing I will often do to give myself a little extra oomph. Or something.

Target, aka: my happy place, is pretty much the go-to destination for getting all the accoutrements for being summer party ready. Cute clothes? Check. Party food? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Shave gel and razors? Check. Nail polish and beauty products? Check and check. So, per usual, I hit up the Target end cap for the things I needed for a very special summer party we were headed to this weekend.

My sweet friend Dani (I’ve talked about her a ton) was hosting her daughter’s FIRST birthday party! Yes, Elle (Lilly’s BFF) turned ONE this weekend. Which makes me uber nostalgic because that means Lilly turns one in like 10 weeks. I’m not okay with this.

Anyway, moving on. The party was in their backyard and I knew that there were a couple things that I was going to need to make sure were taken care of if I was going to be able to properly enjoy myself at the baby shindig. 

1. Sunscreen. I am pale. If you read this blog, you are aware of that. I am a pale girl. I don’t tan, I burn. And after almost 29 years on this planet, I’ve come to accept this fact. So, I need good sun protection. If I’m going to a backyard summer party and I know I’m going to be outside, I KNOW that I need good sunscreen, otherwise I will be in serious pain for days to come.

I’ve always struggled to find a good face sunscreen because I feel like every face sunscreen I’ve ever tried is really oily and gross and clogs my pores and smells like a nursing home. I tried out the Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Face Sunscreen and I have to say I was REALLY impressed! I’ve used regular Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen for years and always liked it, but this new face specific sunscreen was the jam. It’s lightweight, I didn’t get burned, AND it smells so good!!

And then, regular sunscreen. Let’s be honest, I need SPF 50. I burn so easily that I have to protect myself big time. So, I snagged the Banana Boat Sport Performance CoolZone spray sunscreen and I’ve actually used this before and always liked it. It goes on evenly. It’s easy to apply. And it’s got a sweet cooling sensation which is perfect when it’s hot out.

Also, there’s no classy way to apply sunscreen. Am I right?

I even got Lilly all sunscreened up… don’t worry, I used baby-safe sunscreen on her!

Fun times in the pool and at the water table! Love this munchkin.

2. Silky legs. Why does it feel awkward to talk about this? It does. So I’m going to get that off of my chest to begin with… I feel awkward talking about this… but all ladies do it. We shave our legs! There. I said it. If you’re headed to a summer party (or, really anywhere in the warmer months for that matter), and you’re wearing shorts or a sundress… you need to MAKE SURE that those legs aren’t looking like Chewbacca.

If you’re going to show off those stems, you gotta make sure they’re smooth! Because ain’t nobody got time for hairy legs.

And no, I did not take a picture of myself shaving my legs… that’d be awkward. But, in case you’re curious, I have used the Skintimate Skin Therapy Sensitive Skin Shave Gel for years and love it! I always get a smooth, close shave with it. Plus, it smells so good!

3. Poppin’ Nails! I will admit, I broke my own rule this weekend. I did not have poppin’ nails for Elle’s party. I had #1 and #2 covered, but my nails were boring and I immediately regretted it. I’ve mentioned time and time again how much I love and enjoy painting my own nails. I also have mentioned how much I love Sally Hansen products. I’ve used Sally Hansen for YEARS and got the chance to try out some other items from Sally Hansen to put together a fun, party ready nail look.

As I admitted, I did not have my nails party ready for the birthday party, but I remedied that when I got home… and now I feel ready for another party. Which, well, I’m going to a wedding this weekend, so you know I’ll have them done for that! 🙂

Here are some of the Sally Hansen products I tried:

ONE: Sally Hansen Vitamin E Nail & Cuticle Oil – I’ve actually used this stuff for YEARS and had just ran out of my last bottle. My nails and hands get so dry all the time, doesn’t matter what time of year, and so my nails chip and break and my cuticles get all jacked up. This stuff is AWESOME when I remember to use it. It really nourishes my nails and I always feel better when I use it.

TWO: Sally Hansen Color Foil in Liquid Gold – This is a GORGEOUS gold, metallic color and I am pretty much obsessed with it. I hadn’t tried the Color Foil line until now and I don’t know where I’ve been all this time… I LOVE IT.

THREE: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Color in Snappy Sorbet – This is such a gorgeous peachy-orange color. I love the Insta-dri colors because they go on really smoothly, you only need one or two coats, and they dry SO FAST.

FOUR: Sally Hansen Color Foil in Titanium Flush – This color may now be in my top five favorite colors of all time. It’s a GORGEOUS metallic pink. And the best part is you really only need one, MAYBE two coats! And it dries so fast.

FIVE: Sally Hansen I <3 Nail Art Stylo in Blanc – This is the perfect nail art pen for doing any very precise drawings / nail art on your nails!

SIX: Sally Hansen I <3 Nail Art Striper in Black – The perfect nail art tool for adding stripes or other designs to your nails!

SEVEN: Sally Hansen Big Shiny Top Coat – I wasn’t sure that I’d ever find another top coat I loved more than my other Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat, but boy oh boy I LOVE this top coat! It goes on so evenly and smoothly (almost like water or something) and it dried really well!

EIGHT: Sally Hansen Nail File – Because, well… you always need a nail file!

Anyway, after swatching ALL OF THE NAIL STUFFS, I ended up opting to doing a fun nail art combo with the Titanium Flush color foil color with some black stripes and alternating white polka dots! I am kinda geeking out over how cute it turned out… I love that it’s not totally perfect (I’m no professional nail arteest), but it’s just so fun and GREAT for summer parties! Or really ANY time… let’s be real, here.

Now, are you ready to get SUMMER PARTY READY? Well, to make things even awesomer and sweeter, there is an Instagram contest happening June 11th-25th that is giving away $2,250(!!!!) in Target gift cards to help you get your summer ready look! Just look for the #MySummerLook hashtag and follow the conversation!

How do you enter?! Well, entries are open June 26th and close on July 10th and you just have to do the following:

• SNAP – take a picture of you getting summer ready
• TAG – use #MySummerLook (and on Twitter @SummerReadyLook)
• POST – post to Instagram or Twitter

That’s it! And you could win some SAWEEEEEET Target gift cards!

What about you? How do you get “Summer Party Ready”? Do you have any tips and tricks? Are you a pale-one like me and need ALL THE SUNSCREEN? What about your nails? Are you a fan of nail art? Any colors you’re loving? Sound off in the comments!!

Hosts: Carly + Molly  Cohost: Kristen   
Welcome to Funday Monday! We love reading new blogs (that’s why we’re all here, right?)….and are excited to introduce this week’s cohost Kristen!

“Hi, Im Kristen! A Beauty Blogger from the Big Apple sharing my latest obsessions, blunders and everyday staples. I wouldn’t trade the bright lights and hustle & bustle of NYC for anything in the world. Only problem with the city is there is a TON of shopping! It’s no wonder I started my blog as an outlet for my love of all things beauty related.”

Here are a few of our favorites posts from last week’s link-up:

 / Maxed Out / Pardon My French / Less is More / Best Day Ever /

Interested in cohosting Funday Monday? Contact us for more info!