NOTD: Very Neon Zebra

This is really bright (my nails look like a green highlighter as you'll see below). And while I liked it when I first did it, wearing it all day it's growing on me even more. I was going to take it off because of the seams, but I've decided to wear it another day. I'm kind of finally getting it through my head that I'm the only one that notices them, because I know where they are & I'm also looking way closer than most people would, zooming in so close with the pictures - if I hold my arm out straight & just look from a normal distance, even I am hard put to see the seams.

I almost didn't get the sun shots today, it was gloomy-gray cloudy & crap when I got home from work & really didn't look like it would clear up for the rest of the evening, but by the time I'd finished my yoga it had blown clear & I took advantage. Take a look at Color Club What a Shock Konied with China Glaze DV8 & plate m57:

So, do you spot the seams at first glance? =) If you can't see them, click to enlarge - I'm impressed as I was before when I used this plate how well it's designed to match if you can just make it all line up on the nail. Even my ring finger, where I was off a "row" of stripes, isn't too bad.

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: Butterfly Kisses

Kind of a sappy post title, I know, but that's what comes to mind when I look at my mani & you guys know I bring myself to you unfiltered whenever possible =) You'll see in the pics that I broke off a corner on my index finger ... but I'm reluctant to file it down to where it would be even because I don't want to lose the dexterity I've gained with long nails. On the other hand, it kind of bugs me ... I guess we'll see. If you tune in one day & I'm down to nubbins, that's why.

On to the actual mani; if you don't have this polish, I promise that you need to go out & buy it. In my world, this polish could just simply be called BLUE ... in the real world, this China Glaze polish goes by the name of Frostbite. Konad done with China Glaze OMG & plate m36. In the shade pic, you'll see that my nails look like my tube of Nivea lip balm =):

I am trying to do my nails more often in an effort to work through my unworn polish pile ... I'm sure soon I'll be to the point of doing them on a daily basis. Yet, regardless of the size of my stash, I find myself planning another online haul. Hmmm, this is probably one of those eternal cycles, I will always have more unworn polish than a "normal" person has in their entire collection. Hehehe ... oh well =)

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Tips, Toes & Haul

Today I've got Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Deep Purple as the base, nail art flower done with Hot Topic Pink, with a rhinestone on top:

Toes are China Glaze Unplugged, which the pics do not do justice to the golden shimmer that this has:

For the haul I went to Sallys, to use my monthly 15% off coupon:

Top left to right: China Glaze Tree Hugger, Frostbite, & Lubu Heels. Bottom: Savvy Deja Blue & Electric Blue.

That's all for tonight. Not exactly an exciting weekend but I got a lot done, and I have a few more things to take care of before bed. Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Books 39-44

#39
The Enchantment Emporium
Tanya Huff

Tanya Huff is one of my favorite authors (yes, I'm aware how often I say that LOL) & while she has a couple other series that I would have loved to see another book for, after reading this one now I'd like it to have a sequel =) At least in part because there are so many unanswered questions, or questions just partially answered.

#40
Undead And Unwelcome
Queen Betsy Book 8
MaryJanice Davidson

Betsy is, in answer to a long-spoken prophecy, Queen of the Vampires. Which is nowhere nearly as dramatic as it sounds, if I had to give this series a genre I think it would be something like comedic romance, because MaryJanice Davidson is an author who can literally make me laugh out loud ... which can draw some strange looks from non-readers I'll admit.

#41
8th Confession
Women's Murder Club Book 8
James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

I like being able to discuss these books with my friend, but she likes them quite a bit more than I do. Sometimes they're hard to fit in when I have other books that I really would prefer to be reading. I did squeeze this one in but I'll admit I'm kind of glad that there's not a release date for a 9th book LOL.

#42
Raven's Shadow
Patricia Briggs

I've been reading so much urban fantasy lately I thought I might have trouble getting into something like this that is more high fantasy, set in a created world rather than kind of just an altered version of our own reality, but Patricia Briggs sucked me right in within the first couple of pages.

#43
A Bone To Pick
Aurora Teagarden Book 2
Charlaine Harris

I kind of hate to say it, because I really like Charlaine Harris, but this book kind of bored me. Not that it wasn't a good book, as a mystery it was really good, but it was just so ... normal. No supernatural happenings at all, and for me to tolerate that, I guess I need more than a whodunit murder mystery.

#44
Kushiel's Dart
Kushiel's Legacy Book 1
Jacqueline Carey

I recommended this book to my friend, and when I picked it up for her & took a look "just to refresh my memory" I was 84 pages in before she even came to get it & had to go get another copy for myself & re-read this along with her. I think I originally read this 2 or maybe 3 years ago, and I wanted to re-read it eventually, but she gave me a good excuse. I was really nervous about her liking it, because it's beyond totally opposite of what she normally reads, but she got sucked right in & at this point has finished this first book & started the 2nd =) And at 700+ pages in the hardcover, this is a doorstopper of a novel, and it's not because the author can't shut up, it's because there really is that much story to tell.

And I'm still not caught up ... but I think this post is long enough for now LOL. Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Don't Be Afraid...

... to try new things. Turns out pretty well sometimes. I wish I could remember where I read how to do this, but I don't ... it didn't turn out quite as marbley as I've seen, kind of more swirly, but I like it. Misa Dirty, Sexy, Money as the base, Misa Toxic Seduction for the embellishment. This was so easy I even did a good job & you get to see my right hand:

To achieve this look, do a couple coats of a base color, then a thick layer of regular (not fast drying) top coat, paint lines of color through that, then drag through the design with a toothpick or something else small - I used the end of my dotting tool because it was right on hand, but I did kind of wish I'd used something a little sharper.

I've got to apologize for being like a week behind on comments, but I hope to have time to answer everything this weekend. I'm also woefully behind posting my books. Not to mention I wanted to show pics of my Helmer with actual polish in the drawers LOL. I promise I'll get to all these things - although I won't promise exactly when =) Thanks for reading.

~Colette

For Better Or For Worse

Hmmm, comparing blogging to marriage LOL ...

This is one of my favorite Konad design - on other people. I can't seem to do very good application with it on myself. But even though I think this one will go in the "worse" column, I'll still show you guys ... just, for once, I maybe would not urge clicking to enlarge LOL. This particular mani looks better from a distance where you can't see the flaws. The base color is Sally Hansen Honeydew, from the Tracy Reese Spring 2009 Collection, Konad is done with China Glaze Devotion & plate m63:

Bedtime for me now ... thanks for reading =)

~Colette

NOTD: DS Desire

This is my first OPI Designer Series polish, and I have to say I'm quite impressed & happy. I have one other in my pile of unworn, but I think I'll have to get some more. Some of these pics are kind of weird because somehow my fingers are in focus but my nails are not ... but it's a kind of cool effect. This is Desire:

That's all for now, I'm beat after a long day at work - always lots to catch up on after being off even only a couple of days. Thanks for reading.

~Colette

The Return of Konad

I think it's been like 3 weeks since I used Konad, and once I realized it had been so long I had to remedy the situation. I wasn't sure what I was doing right up to the point where I started my mani ... which ended up being after I had finished off most of a bottle of Jeremiah's Weed with my friend - for those of you that don't know, it's sweet tea flavored vodka that goes nicely with lemonade. Both of our manis turned out pretty good considering our lack of sobriety.

The sticker is AWOL for this bottle of Nina Ultra Pro, but I think the name is Caribbean Blue or something like that, Konied with Black Special Polish & plate s6, and Maybelline Onyx Rush for the tips:

I did file my nails a little, after a couple of close calls, so if you're thinking that they look shorter, it's not just an optical illusion from the french tips.

On T, we used Misa Right Here Now, No More Later, Konied with White Special Polish & plate m69:

And I did my toes also, with China Glaze Coconut Kiss:

Thanks for reading =)

~Colette