Pink of Hearts

From: OPI's 2010 special edition

            My sorority just had our philanthropy this past week. Zeta Tau Alpha’s national philanthropy is Breast Cancer Education and Awareness. So we teamed up with Pink Zone to put on “Mr. Think Pink”. We had boys from all over campus including Tim Frazier, Shane McGregor, Tommy Schanitz (2012 Hoss THON overall) and many others who competed for the title. They were introduced, had a swimsuit round, a talent round, and a formal wear round. I was an escort for the night and I’m proud to say the contestant I escorted Steve Huber, President of Nittany Nation, won! Steve and the rest of the boys did a great job and it was a huge success. 

            For the occasion I though it was appropriate to wear OPI’s Pink of Hearts. OPI came out with this shade in 2010 and a part of the proceeds went to breast cancer research. It’s a perfect pink to show support for women and men all over the world who are fighting, have fought, and have sadly lost their battle with breast cancer.

            Breast cancer makes up for a little more than 10% of cancers diagnosed around the world. Women are a hundred times more likely to get it, while the survival rate does not differentiate based on sex. There are several stages of breast cancer; stage 0 has a 100% survival rate. This is why early detection is so vital and promoted in the media. At stage IV there is a 20% chance that they will live 5 years after the detection. Breast Cancer affects everyone and does not target a specific race or ethnicity. 

            After becoming a member of ZTA I tend to buy everything I see that has a pink ribbon on it. Sharpies, headbands, socks, shirts, you name it I have it. I rarely feel guilty because it is for such a great cause. So enjoy your bottle of nail polish and know in addition to a great manicure you are helping fight breast cancer. 

Bogota Blackberry

From: OPI’s Classics Collection

            I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m still on a high from THON. I was sad to see my diamond painted nails to but they were chipping like no other. So I took at the nail polish remover, which I must admit smells good to me now, and saw my nail beds for the first time in two weeks. Of course leaving my nails naked is as good as a sin in my books, so I whipped out a new OPI bottle I recently bought called Bogota Blackberry. It is a deep reddish purple mixture with a magenta glow to it. It definitely needs two coats, but it goes one smoothly and has a nice finish.

            The origin of the name for this shade isn’t a real mystery. It is taken from Bogota, Columbia. Bogota is the capital city of Columbia and the largest city of the country and through out much of Latin America. Columbia is known for its agricultural exports including blackberries.

            In the mid 90’s Bogota was considered on of the most violent cities in the world. Since that time the government has been trying to change that view. It is a great cultural hub. The city sits high on the mountains and has developed the nickname “the Athens of South America”.

            So if enjoy a new shade and maybe some blackberries from a city rich in culture and life. 

Alpine Snow

From the: OPI Soft Shades Collection

 http://www.body-soulbeauty.com/2010/03/some-older-opis-loyalty-islands-lilac.html

            Alright, I’m sure you’ve heard about this kind of awesome event that’s happening this weekend, called THON. Of course, I’m kidding about the kind of awesome, its fully awesome and then some. THON for those of you who don’t know is the Penn State IFC/PanHellenic Dance marathon. It is a yearlong fundraising effort, which culminates in a 46 hour, no sit, no sleep dance marathon. All the money goes to the four diamonds fund, which provides money and emotional support for pediatric cancer patients and their families. In 1973 there were 39 dancer couples who raised just a little over $2000, since then it has grown to more than 300 captains, 700 dancers, 3300 committee members, and 15,000 student volunteers who together raised $9,563,016.09.  Wow.

            Relating this back to my nails now, I decided to do THON themed nails for this week. Honestly, I love THON and looking at my nails gets me pumped for the best weekend of my freshman year. So to decorate my nails I wanted a nice, whiteboard, white to draw on. I chose OPI’s Alpine Snow from the Soft Shades Collection. It’s a great white color that needs two coats to cover your nail. It sets beautifully, and with two coats you cannot see the nail bed.

            I’ve had the privileged of seeing the Alps. I hiked them a few summers ago, in Birkenstocks none-the-less (talk about embracing the culture). It was a great hike, probably four to five hours round-trip. I hiked in Austria, but the Alps are part of many countries throughout Europe such as France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Germany, and Slovenia. They attract tourists all year long, providing great ski slopes December to April. The Alps usually make up part of the Tour de France course every year as well.

            So whether you are skiing on the slopes in Aspen or raising money for the fight against pediatric cancer in the BJC, you can rock OPI’s Alpine Snow for much more than 46 hours. 

Gouda Gouda Two Shoes

From the: OPI’s Spring/Summer 2012 Holland Collection

http://www.fashionpolish.com/

            OPI just released their latest collection for 2012’s spring and summer. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. OPI never fails to amaze me, every year, each collection has something new and different. This particular collection has 12 new shades and most of them have a very subtle glitter to them. It is by no mean obvious, but when the sun or light catches it you’re a nails sparkle, perfect for the spring and summer sun! I was looking through the colors and this particular one caught my eye. It’s a combination of nude and pink and is great for everyday. It is appropriate to wear anywhere, and the glitter does not inhibit that.

            I must admit I had ulterior motives for picking this shade, and it most certainly has to do with the name Gouda Gouda two shoes.  Besides being a bit of a goody two shoes myself, it instantly reminded me of the scene below from one of my favorite movies, She’s the Man.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJe1AgWJrzc

            I decided to look up the history of Gouda cheese, because I was curious as to why it was specific to Holland, and of course I promise you all a history lesson with each bottle. So enjoy your history lesson of cheese with your bottle (I hope someone appreciates the subtle wine and cheese reference.) It turns out the Gouda cheese is native to Holland. However, Gouda cheese is made all over the world today because the name is not protected. If you want to have authentic Gouda cheese from Gouda, Holland you will need to look for the name Holland Gouda. Or it you want the authentic name in Dutch it is Noord-Hollandse Gouda, both of these names are protected by the European Union. The process in making this cheese different from the others comes in towards the end, when water is added. The water washes away some of the lactic acid giving the cheese a sweeter flavor.

            So enjoy this subtle shade from the Holland Collection. Next time you are at the store pick up some authentic Gouda from Holland and enjoy it with a bottle of Pinot Grigio, a light white wine that goes with the cheese!