Birchbox -

This week’s guest blogger, Vida Lee, hits close to home for us—literally! She’s a beauty guru based in our hometown: New York City. Aside from being a product addict, she’s also a medical school student (whoa!) who makes time on the side for her pretty blog, P.S. It’s Vida. Over the next few days, the smarty savant will be sharing her greatest tips and tricks for staying prepped and primed for summer.

I hate that feeling when you look down at your feet and realize your pedicure color doesn’t go all that well with the sandals you have on. Since I like combos that coordinate, here are a few suggestions:

What Do Girl Scouts and Hipsters Have In Common?

Photo: Yahoo & WWD

As a Brooklynite, I’ve seen many a hipster girl wearing an ironic Girl Scout vest. Call me crazy, but I’ve always seen parallels between the two groups: the same love of camping, hawking baked goods, and donning outlandish costumes when it’s not Halloween. Now the thrift store crew and our favorite door-to-door cookie sellers have even more in common: what they’re wearing on their lips.

Guest Blogger: Runway Hippie’s Blue Polish Fetish

Certainly not all style blogs are worth reading, but we’re absolutely smitten with Sonia Evers’ Runway Hippie and we think it should be on your radar. Aside from her daily dose of inspiration, great finds, or personal pics, Evers also finds time to contribute to Refinery29.com, Modelina.com, and Glamour.com. Check back here all week as she muses on all things summer fun, from self-tanner to beachy waves.

Clockwise from left: American Apparel Nail Lacquer in Office, $6, americanapparel.com; Essie in Turquoise & Caicos, $4, amazon.com; DESTINED Nail Color in Sky Blue, $3, tillys.com; Butter London in Artful Dodger, $14, amazon.com; Love & Beauty in Clear Skies, $3, forever21.com; YSL in Summer Color, $20, nordstrom.com; Deborah Lippmann in I Know What Boys Like, $16, barneys.com; OPI in Yoga-ta Get This Blue, $6, amazon.com

I used to be the type of girl who liked to keep her nails clean and simple, sticking to basic reds and pinks when getting a mani or pedi. That all changed a few years ago when Chanel introduced its infamous Jade green nail polish; I suddenly found myself wanting candy-colored fingers day in and day out. Adios ballerina pink and hello canary yellow!

Last summer I was all about the neons: neon pink, green, orange, yellow — you name it and it was probably on my fingers and toes at some point. This summer, however, I can’t get enough of tropical blues that remind me of placid turquoise Caribbean waters and white sandy beaches. From electric blues to sea foam green hues, I plan on keeping my fingers looking like they’ve been painted by the ocean all summer long.

Since I can never seem to bring myself to pick just one color, I’ve narrowed down my eight favorite shades (see above), all by different brands, in the hopes of making your lives a bit easier.

For more great nail colors, check out our Birchbox Shop.