Essie Stylenomics nail polish
After a tiresome week of sorority recruitment, planning outfits and swapping jewelry, the last thing I want to rave about is something feminine. Yet here I am writing about Essie Stylenomics nail polish.
Essie in general is a trustworthy brand of nail polish; it’s usually a little cheaper than OPI, it’s accessible at a grocery store or pharmacy and it glides easily onto your nails. This shade takes on a delightful deviance from the typical warm, rusty purples and reds of winter — it’s a cooler, dark green shade with a hint of turquoise in it. Instead of painting my nails blood red for Valentine’s Day, I will adorn them with this mysterious color.
Green may be enough to scare you off, but it is not a “wicked witch of the west” hue. It is more of a crisp, cooler-than-you, Emerald City-type green that can be worn in virtually all seasons, not just winter. As a girl who wears nothing but dark nail polish, I may turn over my go-to “Lincoln Park After Dark” by OPI for this gem, which retails for $8 at CVS.
Amy Poehler’s “Smart Girls at the Party”
Aside from “Saturday Night Live” and “Parks and Recreation,” Amy Poehler has created another outlet for her fans who can’t get enough of her.
Amy Poehler’s “Smart Girls at the Party” is a website full of short videos, blog posts and plenty of other silly things dedicated to “cultivating the authentic selves of young women and the young at heart.” Amy Poehler hosts some funny videos in which she interviews quirky individuals and asks them equally quirky questions. For instance, she brought a 7-year-old girl onto one of her “Smart Girl” episodes and asked her what feminism meant. Amidst a lot of squirming and giggling, the little girl gave her opinion: “If boys can do the monkey rails, so can girls.” It was in a book she “presentated” in kindergarten and it was absolutely heartwarming.
I like “Smart Girls at the Party” because it is different from the typical celebrity-comedian site that simply promotes its creators. Poehler tries to make other people feel empowered and good about themselves while being funny, and she does it very humbly. On the website, she hosts an “Ask Amy” video series where you can literally ask her anything, from more serious things such as overcoming jealousy to how to succeed in math. She responds via webcam from a dark little corner of her house or studio, but her charm overcomes the scenery. “Ask Amy,” like the rest of “Smart Girls,” is a straightforward, honest and empathetic approach to advice for girls young and old.
