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The search for the perfect light pink nail polish began many moons ago after watching Giada De Laurentiis elegantly slice fresh vegetables for some delectable dish on Food Network's Everyday Italian. Her nails looked so beautiful with that clean light pink polish. It took me a while to stumble upon the eventual winner in my personal search: Essie's Ballet Slippers. But alas, finding the perfect polish is only as perfect as the base and top coat to complement it.

Enter: the Orly Bonder Rubberized Basecoat. When I was in-between base coat purchases, I tried using my top coat backup as a base. Half the polish on one of my nails chipped off that same day. Oops. Orly redeemed my wrongdoing. This base coat gives a great, tacky surface for your nail color polish.

The perfect pink: Essie Ballet Slippers. I typically do 3 thin coats, letting the polish dry between each coat.

And finally, Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. This little bottle of magic is a widely-held favorite. It popped up in every "favorite top coats" article I read during my search. This top coat outshines the competition (get it?) in the glossy finish department. Sally Beauty Supply sometimes offers this on sale for $6.99.

This trio is a winner. I'm currently on day 4 with minimal chipping. If I hold both hands up, I can't immediately spot any imperfections. I'd say that's a big improvement on only 2 days of near-perfect wear I had using my former routine!

The trio: ORLY Bonder Rubberized Basecoat, Essie Ballet Slippers and Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

Do you have any favorite long-lasting nail products I should try? Let me know in the comments.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you decide to purchase one of the items linked in this post. As always, I genuinely like these products and hope you found this review helpful!

The summer of my college internship, I discovered a restaurant that would hold a sweet sentimental spot in my life. Enter: Masa. Let's just say I went there enough that they greeted me by name when I walked in. And so began my discovery of Chicken Pad Thai - my favorite dish on the planet, aside from a hot pizza. My second date with my husband was at Masa. I even had my bachelorette dinner there! It's a winner.

In the past, I never really thought to try making Chicken Pad Thai. Somehow, I assumed something that good would be too much hassle to make at home. But I recently saw a snapchat by another blogger quickly showing some Pad Thai supplies in her kitchen. After squinting to see a few of the ingredients, I set out to make some at home! It was a hit. I don't know why I've denied myself this joy for so long. This recipe blends just the right amount both ready-made and fresh ingredients. Derrik has proclaimed it better than the Masa version. I'm really into it.

What you'll need for 4 servings:

1 pound chicken, cut in thin slices (shrimp is a great alternative)
8 oz Thai Kitchen Pad Thai noodles (rice noodles)
3/4 cup Thai Kitchen Pad Thai sauce (like this, but I also found a Kroger brand available - both are tasty!)
1 egg
2 oz chopped peanuts
1/2 cup chopped green onion
3 cloves diced fresh garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup shaved white onion pieces
3/4 cup canned bean sprouts
1/4 cup brown sugar

Cooking steps:

Saute onion and garlic until it starts to soften
Cook chicken with onion and garlic
Scramble egg in skillet with chicken
Place noodles in warm water for 10 minutes
Drain noodles and add to skillet
Add sauce, bean sprouts, green onion, 3/4 of cilantro and brown sugar - stir to combine
Top with chopped peanuts and remaining cilantro to serve