Ready for the New Year?!

So, it's been almost a year since I have posted anything and I truly regret not keeping up with this blog. We all know that New Years come with resolutions and this year, one of mine will be to continue posting on this blog! I am going to try taking pictures of outfits I wear every time I go out, even if just to school, in order to start up that habit again. My computer's hard drive crashed about two months ago, and unfortunately I had not yet backed up the pictures that I had taken so I do not have many of them anymore. However, I will be trying to regain my old habit of taking pictures and posting.

Right now I don't have many interesting things to post, but I do have a few pictures of some old nail designs that I did. Thanks to my friend for loaning me his MicroSD card reader so I could finally get my pictures off of my phone! (My doggy chewed up my converter.)

I hope you enjoy these pictures and thank you for checking out my blog once again.

Cute little coffee cups and and beans.

Little aliens and a spaceship on my index.

Some bright colors marbled.

Simple ladybug design.

A really simple swirling design. Obviously before clean-up. Sorry!

Another swirling pattern. I tend to do this when I am feeling lazy with my nails or am in a rush.

I believe this is two years ago from St. Patrick's day. Ignore the little marks from my pillowcase. :)

My St. Patrick's day art with a leprechaun on the thumb.

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Just another shot showing the rainbow and pot of gold effect.

Some bright owls.

Keep checking back for new postings in the new year and Happy New Year to everyone!

Outfit of the Day -- School




Outfit I wore to school today.

  I have another outfit for you today. The necklace pendant is a little bunch of grapes with pearl grapes. When I put on this dress today, I felt that the large expanse of the same floral print from the top of the dress down to where the tiers start was too large. I decided to add the necklace to break up the continuity of the floral print. I would have used a larger pendant or longer chain but I just got this pendant and was eager to wear it.

The green cardigan is a warm knit and actually keeps out the cold winter wind. I got it from my mom a little while back and it has become one of my go-to pieces for everyday. The floral pattern of the dress has dark green leaves, which matched the cardigan pretty well.

Since I already had three main colors in my outfit (blue and purple of dress and green of cardigan), I decided to wear simple black tights and my plain black ankle boots.

Short post today so I can spend extra time studying for semester finals...
April Lily

The 'It' Color of Spring/Summer 2011: Honeysuckle

 Honeysuckle by AprilLily featuring silk tops

This bright cheery pink is predicted to be the most poular color of the year. Not quite as bright as typical hot pink, honeysuckle is slightly more muted, but is still bright enough to use as a pop of color in an otherwise dull outfit. Variations range from the paler Valentino ruffle gown to the more intense hue of the Nina Ricci cocktail dress shown above.

If you're not ready to wear head-to-toe honeysuckle, try a single piece with a shirt or cardigan, like the pretty bow cardigan above.

Another option would be a honeysuckle skirt. The one shown here features another bow and gold button detailing, giving it a nautical feel. Because it is such a standout piece, it should be worn with relatively basic pieces of neutral colors, such as black or grey. If you do choose to add a patterned top, make sure it is delicate and minimal. Thin stripes of neutral colors would go well with the nautical theme without overwhelming the outfit. Another idea would be to wear a small floral print with some matching pink in the pattern. The shoes and jacket should be toned down with black, grey, or nude so the skirt would be the focal point of the outfit.

Lastly, bold honeysuckle accessories can be great finishing touches on any outfit. The chunky textured, chain bracelet and watch here are some examples.

Hair accessories are another way to incorporate this color into your outfit. Feminine headbands, bows, and hairclips would look great in most hair colors, but would probably be too closely colored to red hair to stand out.

As you can see from the pictures above, most designers have chosen to fully play off the girliness of this year's 'it' color by adding ruffles and bows and using feminine fabrics such as silk, satin, and chiffon. To contrast with this effeminate color, try adding tougher pieces like leather, lace up boots, ripped jeans, and meanswear inspired blazers.

Enjoy this lively color as it brightens up your day (and your wardrobe) through winter and into summer!

April Lily

Cherry Blossom Nail Art

You get another nail art design today because I went uber slobby today. I volunteer at a ferret rescue shelter and had to go in this morning, which means I wasn't wearing the most postable outfit.



This lighting made for the most accurate representation of the colors.

 This nail design is from back in September, but I have a bunch of old designs, which I can add to fill up days when I don't have an interesting outfit or other topic to share. Up til now my nail pictures have been taken with my phone, explaining the strange lighting and blurriness. This design was some simple cherry blossoms made with white and brown acrylic paints. The base color and details in the center of the flowers are Bikini Babe by Icing. The whole thing was done with a child's paint brush I found laying around the house. It wasn't quite as precise as I wanted and the bristles fanned out too much so I cut off around 2/3 of them off.

My outfit posts will primarily be during the week after I come home from school. Weekends may be random fashion advice or nail art. I usually paint my nails on Sunday nights before I sleep, so I will probably post those photos on Mondays.

More interesting posts will come with my posting experience!
April Lily

Drapes of Wrath?

Coming home from school today, I decided on an impromptu photo shoot to snap some quick pics of my relatively simple outfit. I got this pretty purple tank top at Gap the day after Christmas. It was on sale for about $8 with an extra 40% off. It's actually meant to be worn as a shirt, but I purchased it in XL to wear as a tunic. I layered it over a plain, black sheath dress and under a faux leather motorcycle jacket.

Although I'm quite aware of the generally unflattering box shape of motorcycle jackets, I'm alright with it. 

This simplicity doesn't require much explanation, but I'll share my thoughts anyway. I've been loving romantic, flowy, and overly-girly pieces, but feel that the sweetness can be overwhelming if not balanced out. This is especially true in winter months as clothing should feel more solid and substantial. Outfits can be made to look feminine in many ways such as lace, pastel colors, draping, or sheer, flowy fabrics. Here I chose to pair my chiffon draped top with my motorcycle jacket. This outfit also felt winter-appropriate because of the dark, saturated colors. My camera may not accurately show the bold jewel tone of the tunic, which I chose to offset with an otherwise monochromatically black ensemble.

Also, I apologize for the shoeless-ness. After coming home, I threw them off as quickly as possible so I could throw myself on the couch. Once I am used to posting and can figure out a more effective way of taking my pictures, I will be sure to improve my postings and hopefully my outfits as well.

Thanks for reading and be sure to return to see what's to come,
April Lily

And on a side note, thank you so much Herman for becoming my first follower and for all the support!

Welcome to Lily in Lace First Post + Some Acrylic Nail Art

First off, I'd like to say thank you for stopping by my blog. My first few posts may be slightly ramble-y and unorganized as I get used to how I want to set up this site.

Not wanting to have a boring first post with silly introductions and cliche stories about discovering myself through fashion and whatnot, I thought I should actually show my first picture.

Wing it Wine -- NYC for base

Although this will be a fashion blog once it is up and running smoothly, I will be throwing in some of my nail art as well. This first picture is of my most recent nail art and my first try at using acrylic for design. After experimenting for a bit, I managed to sculpt out some bows and a little white rose. My nails are a bit short at the moment as I was playing guitar over winter break, but I will be growing them out more. Hopefully this will allow for better nail art with more canvas space.

Multitudes of followers may seem far out of reach for me right now, but even if I don't burst into virtual stardom anytime soon, I will enjoy the experience of posting and keeping records of my evolving fashion taste and adventures.

That's all for now,

April Lily