Color Street Application Tips You Need To Know

Need some tips for Color Street application?

Have you ever ruined a manicure on your way out of a nail salon? (my “record” was destroying a fresh manicure in the parking lot of the salon, while turning the key in my ignition!) Have you ever felt like your at-home manicure was just not living up to your expectations? Maybe you have heard of Color Street, but you are not sure about the application process? When applied correctly, Color Street can stand up to cooking, camping, baking, gardening, 12 loads of laundry, and a sinkful of dishes – nightly.

If you, like so many others, have switched to a DIY manicure at home, then you probably have found Color Street. If you haven’t tried Color Street yet, it’s time. Real nail polish in easy-to-use strips. Great designs. Lasts 10-14 days. Comes off with regular nail polish remover.

A mani in the car? Sure – as long as you’re not driving. Just keep these Color Street application tips in mind and you can do a manicure almost anywhere. There is no liquid polish to spill, no strong smells to overwhelm those near you, and when used correctly, Color Street can actually be quite forgiving in case there is a little bump in the road.

Here are some Color Street application hacks you need need to know:

Storage:

Color Street application actually begins with a well-stored set. It’s important to store Color Street at moderate room temperature, away from direct heat or sunlight. Stored correctly, Color Street nail strips will last a full year (and often longer!). If you live in a cold climate, or your home is well-air-conditioned, it can help to warm the package of strips gently before your next Color Street application.

You can remove the plastic sleeve from the packaging and place it under (or even between!) your thighs while you prep your nails to bring them back to moderate room temperature. For Color Street application in the heat of summer, you may need to place the entire package in the refrigerator or freezer for 1-3 minutes, again, to bring them to moderate room temperature. For Color Street application to go smoothly, your strips should be flexible but not sticky.

Durability:

For your Color Street application to last the longest, choose a glitter shade. The Color Street glitter options are beautiful, sparkly and also tend to last the longest. Color Street typically lasts 10-14 days; you may find that solids are showing wear on the shorter end of that range.

Another way to extend the wear on your strips is to double up your strips, by applying one layer over the other. If your nails are on the shorter side, you can use one strip to create two layers. After applying one layer, simply turn the strip around and apply the other end of the strip as a second layer. The other option is to use Clear as Day as a top coat. Bonus: Clear as Day comes 32 strips per pack instead of 16!

Chipping/Slipping:

Chipping can sometimes occur if your nails were not completely clean before Color Street application. Before you start, you should always wash your hands, give your nails a gentle scrub, and dry completely. If you find that the nail polish strips seem to slip or slide around on your nails, you may have oily nail beds.

If you do, there is an easy fix: when you wash your hands, use a drop of (grease-fighting!) dish soap, rather than hand soap, then dry thoroughly. Be sure to use the provided prep pad (or a swipe of your own rubbing alcohol). Lastly, allow your nails a good 30 minutes or so to completely cure, after your Color Street application. I recommend doing them right before bed so they cure fully overnight!

“Chunky” Glitters:

The strips that have large glitter chunks can sometimes leave a piece of glitter hanging off the end of the nail. The best way to deal with this is to use a nail clipper to clip the extra glitter.

There you have it- all my best Color Street application tips and tricks. And when you are ready to remove them and put on a new set, then check out my tips for removing Color Street here.

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Hawaiian Sweet Rolls: Delicious, Low-Dairy Recipe

Do you need Hawaiian sweet rolls? Don’t we all?

In Hawaii, sweet bread is ubiquitous. It is formed into rolls and loaves, flavored (and colored) with bright pink guava and purple taro. It is sliced for sandwiches and sizzled into French toast, enjoyed for breakfast, or as a side with kalua pork. It is also something that we have try (mightily) to hide from Mr. Diggy.

Hawaiian sweet rolls are part of the Portuguese history of the islands. The most widely-known brand of Hawaiian sweet bread is King’s Hawaiian, which, somewhat controversially, is no longer produced in Hawaii. On island, our preference is typically for Punalu’u Bakeshop – the southernmost bakery in the United States. Their products are widely available on the islands, and may be shipped nationwide as well. Another island small business is Ani’s – this family-run bakery makes large round loaves in a variety of flavors.

The vast majority of recipes for Hawaiian sweet rolls contain a lot of dairy – it is, after all, an enriched dough, typically made with both butter and milk. Some at-home recipes often go a step further, swapping the milk for even more lactose-laden powdered dry milk. For sweetness, some recipes call for pineapple juice, one of the few non-lactose allergies Mr. Diggy suffers. So when my dear friend Lisa, whose husband grew up in Hilo, told me she had perfected her recipe for Hawaiian sweet roll – without either powdered milk or pineapple – I knew I had to try it.

Because the amount of butter in the recipe is small, and butter is low in lactose, I didn’t touch that, but I did swap the dairy milk for oat milk, settled on honey as a sweetener (Hawaiian, if you can find it), and chose pink Hawaiian salt for the top. The result? A perfectly pillowy, low-lactose Hawaiian style roll. While it’s easy to inhale the entire pan immediately after they come out of the oven, you can also slice the rolls horizontally and pile them with kalua pork, shredded huli huli (Hawaiian barbecue) chicken, or burgers. Next time, I’ll try the recipe in a loaf pan, to see how it will work for French toast.

Hawaiian Sweet Bread Rolls – Low Dairy Version

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 18 mins

Cook Time 22 mins

Rising Time 2 hrs

Total Time 2 hrs 40 mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Ingredients

½ cup oat milk or other milk
1 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
1 egg room temperature
2 T butter warmed, but not melted
1 T honey Hawaiian if you can find it, or sugar
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp salt

Topping

1 T butter
½ T honey
½ tsp salt Hawaiian if you can find it, or flaky sea salt

Instructions

Gently warm the milk – do not boil or simmer and pour into the bowl of your stand mixer (or other bowl). Add the yeast. The heat should activate the yeast, not kill it, so it should foam within a few minutes.
Add the egg, butter and honey (or sugar) and mix to combine. Add flour and salt and mix 8-10 minutes with the mixer (or by hand).
Rest 1 hour, covered. Lightly grease a pie pan or round cake pan. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces and form into balls. Place into pan, and rest 1 more hour, covered.
Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes. Remove from the oven, then melt butter and honey together and brush over warm rolls. Top each with a pinch of salt.

Notes

Enjoy a taste of Hawaii in your kitchen.

Keyword bread

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Educator Wellness: 6 Protective Factors

What about educator wellness?

As thousands of schools begin to physically reopen, much has been said about the hoped-for positive effects on the mental health and well-being of our youth. But what about the educators who are preparing to close the school year in a different, but still chaotic, environment from the one in 2020?

You may be familiar with the ACES study- which resulted in a tool to assess Adverse Childhood Experiences in our schools and community. Two books on the subject, The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke Harris (affiliate link) and The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, both address the science behind the ACES, as well as some ideas to move forward.

Here are ways to consider implementing these protective measures for educator wellness in both your personal and professional life:

1: Sleep

A common theme is that no one seems to get enough of it – adults or teens. And sleep is foundational to educator wellness. If you are having trouble falling asleep, create habits that support winding down for 30-45 minutes before you are trying to actually fall asleep. If you are feeling you don’t have enough hours in the day, try writing down what you are doing for a full day and see if you can “find” some time.

Are you doing things a family member could do instead? Are you scrolling social media to avoid grading? Are you spending a lot of time on something that has little positive impact? Also be sure to discuss options with your doctor, like melatonin (which, as a bonus, helps decrease the severity of COVID symptoms, per my physician).

2: Nutrition

For a month this semester, I taught 7 periods straight on Monday and Tuesdays. It greatly increased my empathy for my full-time teacher colleagues, and it has taught me to be thoughtful about what I choose to eat at 10:02 and 11:37. Think about high-protein, lower carb foods that won’t leave your hands sticky as you answer emails in between bites. Spiced nuts and trail mixes are a solid choice, or air-popped popcorn with olive oil and some flavored salt. Try a thermal mug to keep your tea or coffee warm for longer.

3: Exercise

After an early quarantine period of sluggishness, I have committed to an early morning workout most days of the week. If the weather permits, I walk. Otherwise I do some sort of YouTube or other online fitness class. But if you are not a morning person, then workout at night. Or on your prep period. Choose something you enjoy – or at least see the benefits from – walking, running, hiking, cycling, swimming, weight-lifting, yoga, dance. And start small. Commit to 30 minutes 3 times a week and build from there.

4: Healthy Relationships

Depending on your quarantine living environment, you may be choosing to work in your empty classroom or office to preserve your sanity. Or maybe you live alone and use your walk around the neighborhood to stay connected with others nearby. Consider a phone call – not a Zoom – to catch up with friends to fill your heart, and give your eyes a break. After a year of remote relationships, think critically about how your email, text, and chat messages reflect on you and aim for clear, concise communication on all platforms to avoid unwanted miscommunications and crossed wires. Maintaining positive, healthy relationships can go a long way toward supporting educator wellness.

5: Mental Health

If you already live with a mental health diagnosis, then you are hopefully finding tools to support your coping skills. Telehealth works well for some, and not for others. If you don’t live with a diagnosis, but are instead struggling with pandemic-induced anxiety or quarantine-fueled depression, you also need coping skills. And not all coping skills come in prescription bottles. In fact, all of the four items above can help you manage your mental health during this year-long marathon of stressors.

6: Mindfulness

I saved the best for last. I know that there is a lot (did I say a LOT?) of skepticism around mindfulness. And while I do believe that meditation has a place in supporting well-being, I also recognize that it is not for everyone. So if you are one to accidentally snicker during a meditation – or you’ve been asked to leave a yoga class – then focus on the mindfulness, not the meditation.

Anything and everything you do in your life can be done mindfully. The mundane, like washing dishes, chopping onions, or mowing the lawn can often be done better if you simply focus on the task at hand. Or the near-constant pandemic activity of hand-washing: pay full attention to the temperature of the water, the scent of the soap, the texture of the towel. And if you practice this mindfulness in your daily life, you will be mindful of more special moments – like the peace you find at the top of a mountain, or the joy you find in hugging hello to good friends before celebrating a year’s worth of milestones with good food and drinks.

What methods are you using to support educator wellness? Tag me on Instagram with your ideas.

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Celebrate Small: Festive ideas for a new era

Celebrate Small: Festive recipes for a new era

Why Celebrate Small?

If 2020 was a year to celebrate small by force, consider making 2021 a year to celebrate small by choice. While large parties, packed stadiums, and concert throngs hold a certain appeal, you may find yourself a little spooked by the prospect of returning to such large events any time soon.

In 2020 we stumbled into the porch picnic, the driveway happy hour, the backyard brunch; now let’s embrace those. When you celebrate small, you can have real conversations with a few people. When you celebrate small, you are thoughtful about the mix of people you include – to ensure those conversations are lively. When you celebrate small, you can get creative with the food – and mix and match smaller quantities of recipes you might not normally try.

As we begin the “re-entry” from what we hope to be the worst of the pandemic, you may be asked what you have missed the most. For some, it’s concerts, the bustling crowds at a mall, or the crowds at a stadium. For me it’s hospitality. My kitchen is filled with platters and bowls, drink dispensers and table cloths. My heart is filled with the desire to welcome and sustain others. And my mind is filled with the understanding of just how long it will be before we can host another large Mardi Gras birthday party or a festive Galentine’s Day event.

Since hosting and hospitality changed entirely in 2020, it’s time to look ahead at ways to embrace and celebrate the small. (Bonus for our #AutismFamily: MUCH less risk of autism meltdowns in this world of small).

Celebrate Small: Celebration Ideas

Host small: instead of a huge cocktail party or barbecue, host smaller, intimate versions of these events
Host outdoors: when possible, continue to entertain in outdoor spaces – remember your guests may also be squeamish about enclosed spaces after a year of distance
Host on Zoom: while the novelty of a Zoom Happy Hour has worn thin, don’t discount the power of Zoom for connecting with far-flung family and friends. You can check out this Zoom scavenger hunt for a fun activity for groups of almost any size.
Host a food swap: cook or bake for others while keeping your distance. While I may have previously porch-dropped extra zucchini or other less-welcome gifts, I have enjoyed the quarantine culture of more pleasant porch drops – cakes, pies, cookies, tarts – all baked with love (and a healthy dose of quarantine stir-craziness!). We even did a distanced cookie exchange – which I hope we will repeat for years to come. Instead of leaving a typical in-person, cookie exchange laden with dozens of cookies, destined to go stale, we spread out our baking over several weeks. Each week meant a new treat to be enjoyed, without a sugar overload.

Celebrate Small: Food Ideas

Single-serve savory: Try serving stuffing or other side dishes in ramekins, and consider single-serve entrees, like fish or chicken cooked en papillote or in a pouch. Serve soups in mugs, and consider stand-up salads in wide-mouth mason jars
Small sips: No celebration is complete without a toast – mini champagne splits certainly fit the bill, as do the growing number of options of canned wines on the market. There are plenty of festive non-alcoholic options as well, including slender cans of Izze sparkling juice, and the refreshing slim bottles of mixers from Fever Tree.
Small-scale baking: While at the beginning of the pandemic I was making as much bread as my flour supplies allowed, I have scaled back. The Tartine recipe works beautifully cut in half, resulting in enough dough for a substantial loaf, or even for two pizza crusts and a slender loaf. Try these mini-pavlovas, or my new favorite: muffin-tin pies. After much experimentation, I have settled on a jumbo muffin tin as the ideal size for mini-pies and tarts, including this lilikoi tart recipe.

The Kona area of the Big Island of Hawaii is our home away from home. And while we haven’t been able to host as much as we typically do, sharing our home away from home is a way to maintain a sense of hospitality – from afar. With strict testing protocols in place, travel to Hawaii has been more possible than to many other places. But this tart allows you a taste of the islands to tide you over until you book your next trip.

Lilikoi Tarts (Passionfruit Tarts)

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American