Haul In Progress

Yeah, had to get busy spending some of that refund LOL, so I placed my Konad order today! Can't wait for fun new plates to stamp with. I'm also planning on some other online shopping, but I haven't given myself a spending limit, and that could be dangerous.

I feel kind of bad posting without some pics ... but I do have a funny link to share! With Easter right around the corner, what's unavoidable? Peeps of course!

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Looking For Recommendations

For cuticle oil. It's not something I've ever felt like I needed before, but maybe because I am doing my nails more often & so exposed to more polish remover, my cuticles & also my hyponychium (I had to look that word up actually ... it's the part where your nail bed ends & the free edge begins) are starting to get dry. To the point where even though I'm being fanatic about lotion & moisturizers, the tips of my fingers, under my nails, are still really dry.

Anyway, there are only about a bajillion different kinds of cuticle oil out there, so if you like yours, leave me a comment with what it is & why you like it. Thanks for reading.

~Colette

More Hot Misa On Misa Action (NOTD)

I had such good luck Konading with Misa my last couple of manis I decided to keep going with it. I know everyone is always looking for more polish that works well for stamping, and while Misa does seem to dry a bit on the quick side (stamp quick if you don't want stringy polish) I had 2 sets of 3 colors that really went well together that were in the running for this mani:

I was considering doing something really fancy, multi-colored stamping or more than one design or something fun like that, but I didn't have the energy. Final choice was The Grass Is Greener On My Side as the base, Konaded with Toxic Seduction & plate m62:

This color is brighter & a little greener in real life, even the pic in the sun doesn't capture the almost neon quality of this teal-green. Also, this particular french tip I find I have the hardest time getting it properly centered, but it is also very forgiving and still looks cool if it's a little "off". The Toxic Seduction didn't come out quite as dark as I expected, but I still like it. If you're keeping track, that's 3 for 3 positive results using Misa to Koni.

I also finally got around to doing my taxes ... yeah, I know it's getting to be on the late side but I had some stuff to get straightened out with my bank before I could file. It took a ridiculously long time, but persistence finally paid off, so soon I will have a nice refund to spend on new Konad plates & other polish-related stuff I've been denying myself. Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Maybelline TOTD

So, my improved application skills that I've recently developed for my mani are unfortunately not carrying over to the pedi. And I'm not feeling the greatest so I didn't bother with much cleanup. But I really like the color, so I wanted to share. Maybelline Express Finish Blue Riders:

This was a Dollar Tree find a while ago. Going to do my nails today too but not until later, because I still haven't quite decided what color they're going to be. Until then, thanks for reading.

~Colette

Need A Laugh? I Did

Another LONG & CRAPPY day & work. I needed to unwind, and I remembered that when I was looking on lolcats the other day (see the link? Over to the bottom right?) & I saw some My Little Ponies & I immediately remembered another really funny website & thought I should share. Well, it’s hilarious if you’re in a certain age range, otherwise you probably won’t get it. But if you are old enough to remember My Little Ponies & Transformers, and young enough to have actually played with them, I highly recommend checking out:


Although only if you’re in the mood to laugh. Which I am.

Sometimes there are guest appearances by other toys & action figures. While re-acquainting myself with the site, I ran across a couple with a FF (Final Fantasy ... it's a RPG video game if you're not into that kind of thing) twist. And since it's on YouTube also, I thought I might as well share one right here:



In addition to laughing, which is of course always great, I also learned how to do 2 new things with my blog (the link in a picutre & embedding the youtube) and that always puts me in a pretty good mood. Thanks for reading. And hopefully laughing =)

~Colette

Book 17, 18, 19

Being able to read this many books in a series in a row is a treat. Usually either I've already read the whole series & I'm waiting for the next to be published, or there are wait lists involved, or I get something else from the library at the same time that I need to return first.

#17
Dead Beat
Dresden Files Book 7
Jim Butcher

Harry walks a dark path to do the right thing. Every book he has to make a little bit more difficult decision. How far is he willing to go to protect those he cares for?

That all came off kind of dramatic, but really! This isn't one of those series where everything is just black & white & cut & dry. Harry often works in the gray areas.

#18
Proven Guilty
Dresden Files Book 8
Jim Butcher

I honestly LOVE it when I find a really good author with an established series that has a ton of books for me to read. I already read all but one of Jim Butcher's other series (The Codex Alera, which became one of my favorite series EVER, final book of which is due out at the end of 2009), and I am unfortunately nearing the end of the Dresden files. Well, of the available Dresden files. I have not heard or seen anywhere that there is a set number for this series. But, honestly: write faster Jim Butcher. He's one of those authors I'd read every day if I could.

#19
White Night
Dresden Files Book 9
Jim Butcher

It gets harder & harder to talk any word at all about the plot without giving too much away. And this particular book had even more twists than usual so I'm not going to even try. See, if I haven't explained, while this is urban fantasy, and there's plenty of magic being slung around, Harry is a private investigator, and there's always a little bit of the mystery element as you gather clues with him to solve the case. Even if the case involves creatures most regular PIs would never have to deal with. So I don't want to give away a clue & ruin this if any of you go out to read the series (which I certainly hope I can inspire a few people to do).

I'm currently actually reading 2 books at once right now, which blows some people's minds if I say anything about it. But some books are so good that I really don't want to take them to work, where I get a 15-minute break or a 1/2 hour lunch & then I'm expected to put the book down right at the best part (it never fails. It's ALWAYS the very best part when I have to go back to my desk) and go back to work. So I'm savoring Book 10 of the Dresden files in the peace & quiet of my own home & have a new series to read while I'm at work.

Yeah. I'm a gigantic nerd. I've made peace with this fact =) Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Misa NOTD: Flipped

No, the polish is not called Flipped (although I think that sounds like something that could be a cool color - anyone know a polish actually with this name?), I have flipped the colors around from my last mani because I couldn't get the idea out of my head otherwise:

Misa Chocolate Icing Konaded with Misa Ghetto Fabulous & plate m62. Obviously Ghetto Fabulous looses a little bit of it's bling factor going over such a dark color, but I like it. This is one of my favorite Konad tips, it reminds me of fire.

I ran into what I at first thought was application problems using this color for Konad. It can leave kind of a glittery golden residue on the rubber stamper, even after cleaning, and some of my nails pre-top coat looked almost a little dusty, and the gold looked slightly dull. But, the good news, both these issues pretty much disappeared after a coat of Seche Vite. Excuse the little lumps, had some other application issues on my thumb but this was the only finger left when I decided I wanted a pic pre-Seche:



Overall, I think I like this version of this color combo a little better. Maybe it says something about my mood as of late that the other one was just a bit too bright and happy for me at the moment.

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Wagon? What Wagon?

Oh, that no-buy wagon? The one I just fell off of? That wagon? Hehehe ... well see what had happened was ... events conspired against me. Yeah, that's it.

Horrible day at work + wanting ice cream + Cold Stone Creamery right next door to Sallys + I heard the Summer Days Collection was in stores + 15% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket = my first haul in over a month. Which I don't think is too bad overall. I mean, it had to happen sooner or later. It could have been worse. And look what I have to show for it!

Left to right: Watermelon Rind, Raspberry Festival, Strawberry Fields, Grape Juice, & the lonely little Orly Prepster is Cashmere Cardigan because somehow with all my polish I don't have a nice lavender & it fit the bill. Add the liner brushes - since I was not satisfied with the one I got at Michaels - and I got myself another 15% off coupon for next month. Gotta love the Sally Card, if you don't have one please go get one, because they make ChG just over $3.00 which is obviously awesome.

Probably change my nails tonight but posting of pics depends on how late it is when I finish. I'm going to reverse my current mani & try Chocolate Icing with Ghetto Fabulous as the Konad. I don't usually have it planned out this far in advance, but the idea's been in my head since I finished with my current version.

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

The Kreativ Blogger Award

I just received this award from Body & Soul & I'd like to start out by saying thanks! For a long time I wanted to start a blog & kind of put it off because I didn't want to log on every day to "0 comments" & "0 followers" & feel like I might as well just keep a journal in a notebook. I really appreciate all of my readers & getting awards like this just totally make my day & I'm really flattered.

The guidelines for this award are to list 7 things that I love, and then to pass the award on to 7 bloggers that I love. Since I just tagged 10 lovely blogs a little bit ago, I'm going to spread the love around & pic 7 different blogs, leaving them a post to make sure they know I think they're great.

7 Things That I Love (in no real order):

1 - Nails, polish, Konad, etc (of course!)

2 - Reading - lotsa lotsa books - and writing

3 - Family (if this list were in order they'd have to be at the top)

4 - Pets - you've all met Frisky, one of these days I'll have to introduce our dog Dude

5 - Friends - because I don't have very many (more online than IRL sadly enough) but the ones I have are really good friends

6 - Music - just about anything honestly. I'm pretty sure my iPod has a little something from every genre, from rap to rock, country to classical.

7 - Summer - this is on my mind because we had a teaser on Saturday, I spent a long time sitting in the sun, but today it is chilly & raining

7 Blogs That I Love (in alpha order)(and more on the sidebar of course):

1 - Body & Soul

2 - Dr. Frankenpolish

3 - Fifty-Two Flavors

4 - Gettin' Nailed

5 - Never Too Much Glitter

6 - Polishaholic

7 - Trendy Nail

So, now off to notify my winners. But before I go, I know I haven't had a My Nails Looks Like for a while, and I happened to get lucky & stumble across today:

MNLL a manila envelope LMAO. The color isn't exactly as bright, but the tone is right on in most lights. Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Misa NOTD

So, after that freehand experiment I wanted some nice, reliable Konad. Of course, starting off thinking that I ended up having some application issues =( But I'm still pretty happy with how this turned out. Oddly enough I did the tips better on my right hand then my left, so you get to see that hand today also. Misa Ghetto Fabulous Konaded with Misa Chocolate Icing & plate m62:


Very bright after a could dark-colored manis in a row. Don't know how long I'll wear it since I'm not totally in love with it though. Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Guest NOTDs & My Amateur Freehand Art

So, it is the wonderful day I have been working towards for over 10 years - I have talked my mom into wearing silver polish - and she's loving it. She keeps wriggling her fingers at me & going "Oh, by the way, have you seen my manicure?" It's hilarious & great. Here is my mom's mani of China Glaze Devotion:

Then my friend T stopped by & I didn't get the name of her polish, but I did get a quick pic since I had the camera out. Her nails are so pretty & long right now since she's been taking care of them & keeping them polished. I think this gold sparkle may be a Sinful color but don't quote me:

Then I did some freehand experimentation ... and honestly, the desire to NOT post up these pics was pretty strong, but I promised, and I guess for a first attempt it's really not horrific, but I'm glad I didn't attempt this on a fresh mani:

I think I may need a slightly thinner liner brush, or just a lighter hand handling it. And (obviously) practice. But even though I'm not thrilled with the results, it was fun, I'll try it again, and eventually maybe I'll even wear it for real.

And, just as a bonus before I go - a pic of Frisky tripping out last night with her new sock-o-catnip:

If you have a cat, I'm sure you know how much more amusing this was in real life. Thanks for reading.

~Colette

An Aunt's Love

I go to see my grandparents every Friday. This week we celebrated my uncle's birthday. What's a birthday without some sweets?

Here we have a delicious piece of cake:

Mmmm, moist carrot cake, cream cheese frosting ... and pecans. Which I am allergic to. Which means I cannot eat the delicious cake. No one ever remembers that I'm allergic to tree nuts =(

Except! Behold:

My very own personal delicious carrot cupcake with cream cheese frosting & NO NUTS. Made specially for yours truly by my aunt. I am beloved. Or maybe a little spoiled, which I'm also OK with =)

That's all for now. Experimental freehand nail art tomorrow ... for better or worse LOL. Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD & About That No-Buy...

Emerald Sparkle wore like iron, but I decided to take it off even though it didn't have a single chip. It was really pretty much the perfect green for me, but I'd been wearing it since Sunday, which seems like a long time now LOL.

I didn't know what I was putting back on when I took it off, but then I remembered what my mom had just found & went with the unknown beautifully glittery MAC polish. Holy crap, I don't even know how to describe it - dark mauve with mauve glitter & holo sparkle? It turned out really dark on the nail, maybe would even qualify as a vampy color, and it's just GORGEOUS (yes, that means more pics than normal). Please click to enlarge & see the full beauty of this mystery polish:

Yay mom! This is obviously the best thrift store find to-date. Not that I'd be upset if she surpassed this for coolness. In fact, I'm looking forward to it. Still don't know what this polish is - not that I've looked all that hard - but if anyone has any ideas what it could be let me know.

Now ... about that no-buy...

I didn't exactly fall off the wagon ... I only promised I wouldn't buy any polish & I didn't ... but I got some stuff to try some freehand nail art, if I can get up the nerve to do so. Here's my mini-haul from Michaels:

After reading Asami's Cherry Blossom Tutorial, I feel halfway confident of making flowers ... with my right hand that is. I've gotten pretty good doing regular polish with my non-dominant hand, but I'm still a long way from being ambidextrous. Pretty flowers with the left hand? We'll have to see.

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Kitty Toes

So, if you're not an animal lover, this will have very little to zero interest for you. So you might want to skip it & come back when I'm talking about nails or books again LOL. People who expressed an interest - prepare to meet my kitty & her feet =)

Most cats have 18 toes (5 on each front paw & 4 in the back). Cats with extra toes are called polydactyl & the Guinness World Record is 27, although the website I looked at said there's some other cat with 28 that is trying to take the tile. My cat Frisky has 24. She sounds like a person when she comes down the stairs she makes so much noise with her big feet. And, since she has claws on all those toes & then some (there's kind of an extra claw in the front between the "fingers" & the "thumbs" that's not attached to a toe) I put my life in danger to bring you some of these pics =)

Front Feet:

Back Feet:

I couldn't get a pic of the underside of her back feet, and since none of these pics are the greatest, I found another pic online that give a really good shot of some polydactyl kitty toes. This little guy's name is Extra:

So after 17 years of her clomping down the stairs - the rest of the time she's quiet like a cat is supposed to be - it's pretty much normal, and when I see cats with regular toes it looks kind of weird.

We now resume our regularly scheduled blog =) Thanks for reading.

~Colette

St. Patty's NOTD

Yeah, I know it's not St. Patrick's Day yet, but I plan on wearing this until then. The Cherish was nice, but I wanted a really bling green for the actual day. So I ended up going with China Glaze Emerald Sparkle:

I think a lot of people are pretty familiar with this color already from back around Christmas, I think the collection was called Sleigh Ride? Anyway, I picked it up after the holidays & have been waiting for a good excuse to use it.

Thanks for reading.

~Colette