Miriam Bryant: Finders Keepers

It's all too easy to compare any up-and-coming female artist with a strong voice to Adele. And although she finds it flattering, comparing Swedish singer/songwriter Miriam Bryant would just be a cop out. Sure... she possesses a powerful voice but her single "Finders Keepers" has that "something." In fact, since our interview, she's been named an MTV "Artist of the Week," which is an enormous deal for any artist, but especially when you only have one single out. And what a single.

It starts with a soulful, gut wrenching melody and builds up to an intense ending with electrical overtones that hint at dubstep. The combo works in a powerful way. We think Miss Bryant is going to have to soon face her fear of flying because this chick is about to take off in a major way. Popcosmo rapped with Miriam recently to find out more about her singing/songwriting with her childhood friend Victor Rådström and what inspires her.

Age: 21

Always has: a lot of things going on

Proudest of: little brother

Is thankful for: life in general

Wants to: be cool and noisy

Is afraid of: planes

Believes everyone should: be cool and noisy

Is embarrassed by: nothing at all

My style is: my own

When did you first start singing and writing songs? Singing has always been a big part of my personality and it´s my way of expressing myself. I first started writing my own songs in November 2011. It´s something that´s still very new to me and it makes me happy and I love it.

How has your life affected your music? In every way possible.

Who inspires you musically? Nobody in particular, inspiration is so random. Friends, family, situations in life, everything around me inspires me... When I grew up I listened to The Backstreet boys and I pretended that they were all in love with me. I had posters of them all over my walls!

You've been compared vocally to Adele. Do comparisons bother you or do you take it as a compliment? Adele has a stunning voice and I take it as a compliment to be compared to someone so talented.

What's it like working with Victor? What sort of dynamic do you have? We always have a great time, we're close friends. He is extremely talented and we never set any rules at all. Usually I write all the lyrics, he writes all the music, and we do the melodies together, but as I said, we don't like to set any rules!

I read that you are fearful of flying. With your career taking off (no pun intended!) how do you plan to conquer your fear? I guess I'll just have to get over it. Life is short, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow, and I don't wanna have any regrets in life. Think I will be flying to Germany next month!

What is your favorite thing about performing? Everything about it is awesome... When you’re sort of in it and you forget where you are and you just mean every word.

Do you prefer the performing aspect or the creative process of writing music? Both, in different ways! Performing is giving and writing is taking. When I perform I give bits and pieces of myself to the audience, and when I write I take bits and pieces of myself and my surroundings and try and make a song/lyrics about what I feel, or see. Writing is therapy, and at the same time it's a puzzle.

What advice would you give young women today? Follow your impulses. Be your amazing self. Never let anyone tell you how you should live your life.

Although she might have appeared on the music radar of the world from Gothenburg Sweden after coming out-of-nowhere, we expect to see and hear a lot more from Miriam Bryant... hopefully very soon! Follow here to stay up to date: http://www.facebook.com/miriambryantmusic

Manicures 101: how to draw perfectly straight lines

Drawing straight lines in manicures is something that we can barely handle on a piece of paper, let alone on nails. Especially on our "wrong" hand... you know the one you have to paint with the one that can barely just do a solid color, let alone do a design. And you know we all love anything that helps us make manicures easy, like how to make a french manicure easy or getting the gradient look easily! So, we had to get to the bottom of drawing straight lines and stripes on our nails and tape just wasn't cutting it for more intricate designs. So, we found the manicurists secret: striping tape. We bought 20 tiny little rolls of striping tape for manicues for $3.50 (including shipping and tax). They arrive in a small envelope from China and each roll looks like it will last few puh-lenty of manicures! We won't be running out anytime soon and we WILL be bringing you tons of manicure ideas with striping tape.

To find and purchase it, look for nail tape or striping tape for manicures. We bought our tape here: ebay seller: wugaonian because of the positive ratings and we were definitely pleased with our service.

Step 1: paint a base coat and let dry completely. Ours is steel grey, although it looks black in the photo. Step 2: place the striping tape where you want the line to be Step 3: paint the 2nd color and let it dry. Do not worry if a little gets on the tape! The beauty of the tape is when you peel it off, the color that is on the tape also peels off. Step 4: we used the dark grey and silver to show the drama a simple straight line can give to a manicure, without having to get too fancy.

Another idea is to leave the tape on the nail and cut it at the edge. This looks especially crisp with silver or white! We were inspired by a Tiffany box and imagined a white bow wrapping up a nice piece of jewelry inside. :roll:

Other quick manicure ideas include placing tape down the middle of the nail (pinky), using it at the tip as in a straight line French manicure (ring), offsetting it towards the tip and using it to make stripes and then using a matte coat on top (pointer). There are zillions of ideas and we'll keep playing with our nail tape and bring you more fun manicure ideas! These are JUST THE BASICS to get you started :)

Some 2-color combos we think would look great: army green and grey, navy and dark coral, orange and grey... and the list goes on and on. Enjoy & we'll have more designs soon!

How to wear colored jeans

Colored jeans, like skinny red jeans, are one of the hottest trends of the season and are staying hot this fall. But a big dilemma is how to wear colored jeans with other pieces in your wardrobe, without looking too crazy. They are totally acceptable in just about any circumstance – it’s just about how to wear colored jeans without looking like a color-blocked lego building. We're showing you three different ways: In the Classroom, Girls Night Out and On the Job. They are just suggestions about how to take one key piece in your wardrobe and mix and match with items you already have to create completely new looks for different situations, so your fave item for the season doesn't get stuck in a rut.

Colored Jeans: Gap, 1969 Lightweight Always Skinny Skimmer Jeans in Coral Graphic Tee, Forever 21 Converse, DSW Backpack, Urban Outfitters Bracelets, My own.

Lace Top, Urban Outfitters Necklace, Forever 21 Purse, Forever 21 Wedges, Steve Madden (Wyliee in Cognac Leather)

Cream Blazer, H&M Polka Dot Blouse, H&M Wedges, Steve Madden Nail Polish, Essie in Tangerine Watch, Michael Kors

What's your go-to piece this season, besides a pair of jeans? Do you wear a uniform to school and want to know how to customize your kilt? Let us know!