NOTD: Nubar Prize

The whole Prisms Collection is basically a huge win.  I've loved every color that I've worn =)  Here's a look a Nubar Prize, it's very similar to Ulta Bombshell but Bombshell is kind of a more intense red - I want to call Prize light red although it is definitely not pink & it has more holo to it than Bombshell:

 

 

Here it is in motion:

 

 

Still playing catchup, no good excuse this time why I'm so far behind LOL.  Thanks for reading.

 

~Colette

NOTD: OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous

I am behind again (big surprise).  This was my mani last Friday & over the weekend, from the Swiss collection OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous:

 

 

Trying to get caught up blog reading also, although I haven't been able to comment much.  Thanks for reading =)

 

~Colette

Guest NOTD: Zoya Adina

So, first time in a while that Mom wore something I hadn't just worn myself.  She had a wedding to go to & I suggested Zoya Adina:

She's as much a sucker for duo-chromes as I am =)  Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: Zoya Brizia + M54

Maybe, one day, I will master the art of subtle color-on-color stamping without it just looking almost invisible LOL.  For my base I used 2 coats of Zoya Brizia, then I stamped with Konad image plate m54 & China Glaze Admire ... I really wish I'd chosen something else:

 

I was also going to try out making a mirror image with my 2nd stamper, but the chrome polish was drying too fast.  I think for my first time doing it I could use something a little more forgiving =)

 

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Updated Polish OCD Spreadsheet

Really, sometimes I think my spreadsheet is overly ambitious.  When I set it up I tried to think of everything I might possibly ever want to track ... and as a result there are a lot of things that never get updated.  I am happy if I can keep up with adding new hauls on when I buy polish - I almost never go back & update stuff like the column that tracks whether there are pics on the blog ... or how much I love the color or other notes.  I do try to keep the "opacity" column updated - if there is a "K" marked that means that the polish works for Konad stamping.

 

So, I hadn't updated the version shared on GoogleDocs for like, months.  I don't know what made me tackle it today, but I did.  I realized that I hadn't added my state fair purchases or even my bundle monster stuff to the image plates tab, so I put them on there quickly ... I thought at one point I'd find & embed some actual pics of each plate on that tab but I couldn't get it to work properly the first time I tried it & I never went back to try again... maybe eventually ... big maybe LOL.

 

Anyway, if you'd like to check it out, you can view my updated stash list HERE.

 

Thanks for reading.

Sexy Boots

I almost didn't get these because I just don't get this dressed up very often anymore (a previous job I probably wore a skirt to work 3 out of 5 days a week).  But they were on clearance & they were (relatively) comfortable & when I do get dressed up I am not happy with my current tall black boots.  Tell me you could resist these babies:

 

 

DSW has a TON of clearance right now - the lady at checkout said they're just getting so much in on the trucks, if they have something with only a few sizes left it ends up in clearance instead of the regular-priced area.  So if you want some shoes head to your local store for lots of deals =)  I even got double member points, which I'm assuming probably goes through this weekend although I'm not positive.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

~Colette

NOTD: Nubar Reclaim

I was going to post this last night but I started getting sick yesterday & I was too sleepy.  I ended up wearing it longer than I intended because of this cold also, but I didn't really mind =)  Nubar Reclaim is close to being a perfect polish, and I don't say that lightly.  There was nothing to complain of.  Great formula, almost could have gotten away with one coat.  Good wear - taking it off today after 3 days of wear it had no chips & minimal tip wear.  And, well, green and holo - what's not to love:

 

 

Here's a look in motion:

 

 

Thanks for reading.

 

~Colette

Gift & a Small Haul

This is the first polish I got since I made that huge Nubar haul =)  So it made me very happy.  First, my friend Sam at work gave me a gift of 4 Sephora polishes:

 

 

Weird thing is, they all have 2 names - but both appear to be in English!?  Left to right:  Argent/Double Platinum, Fushia/Pink Flamingo, Pure Prune/Pure Plum, and ... wait for it ... Brownie/Brownie.  WTH?  If one of you knows what the deal is, please - drop the knowledge on me!  =D  Also the bottles - is this just the new bottle?  Or is this what Sephora polish looks like when it's not by OPI?  I never go there so I'm clueless LOL.

 

I hadn't intended to stop at Ulta, even though I had 2 coupons (& a gift card I forgot to use AGAIN), but there was one like, mere steps away from the Kohls that I was at.  So I wandered in, and:

 

 

OPI Go Goth set left to right:  Unripened, Nevermore, Sanguine, Obscurity (& a dumb little lace cuff LOL).  & the Maybelline was from a display that I think had something to do with Fashion Week, it is called Gray-T-Glamour.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

~Colette

Nail Maintenance

Another that's pretty much just what the title says LOL.  This is my between-mani routine:

As I said in the vid, Nubar Reclaim is awesome, & I will have a boatload of pics & a vid of it up next.  Hopefully later tonight but maybe tomorrow =)  Thanks for reading.

~Colette

PS - anyone else like the show Castle?  I am so enjoying the premier I almost forgot to hit "Publish" LOL =)

Polish Removal

Kind of self-explanatory ... this is how I take off my polish:

I'm trying to build up my Tips & Tricks playlist a little, I also did one on nail maintenance, but I haven't edited it yet =)  Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: Nubar Jewel

Another fabulous color from the Prisms Collection, this is more of a sparse or scattered holo, but that doesn't take anything away from it's beauty. Base color is a rich, coppery bronze that I found very flattering & a good color to help start easing into fall.  Not that I'm admitting it's fall & I don't care if it's been over week since we've seen 70 degrees, and a couple days since we've even managed 60 - I am holding on to hope that we'll get a few more warm days!  This is Nubar Jewel:

 

 

Here's a look in motion:

 

 

Thanks for reading =)

 

~Colette

2010 Books 39 - 48

More book catch up!

#39

Demon Moon

Meljean Brook

Guardians Book 4

Paranormal Romance

Because I read a novella from later in the timeline before I read this book, I kind of knew how it was going to turn out, but for most of the book I swear I didn't see how they were going to manage it.

#40

Angel's Blood

Nalini Singh

Guild Hunter Book 1

Paranormal Romance

So ... I like this series a lot, buy there were couple of plot twists that I hadn't run into before & that took me a while to wrap my head around:  vampires are ... made my angels.  & archangels ... rule the world.  Basically.  If that's a little too weird for you - or blasphemous - I would not recommend this book.  If you think that's cool, get to the library =)

#41

Magic Bleeds

Ilona Andrews

Kate Daniels Book 4

Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

Kate's relationship with Curran, and her relationship with the Order, have both been seriously rocky over the course of the first 3 books - and both come to a head in this book.  I found both outcomes pretty satisfying - for completely different reasons - and I'm looking forward to book #5.  Nixxy if you're reading I have to thank you because I remember I picked up the first book on your recommendation =)

#42

Demon Night

Meljean Brook

Guardians Book 5

Paranormal Romance

Some people might classify these as rather formula, because the love stories from each book are all kind of similar in that there's so much miscommunication & missed chances & uncertainty - but the reason I like the series is that the relationships & sexy bits actually take a backseat to the storyline & the overall mytharc.  Different main characters every time, but those from previous books don't just like ride off into the sunset or conveniently disappear, they're still major players in the story, just not the particular book if that makes sense.

#43

Archangel's Kiss

Nalini Singh

Guild Hunter Book 2

Paranormal Romance

After her transformation, Elena must master her new skills - but with an invitation from the oldest archangel that can't be denied, she doesn't have much time to learn.  This was easier for me to get into than the first one, since I knew what I was getting into, but I was hoping they'd get back to New York & it looks like I'll have to wait for the 3rd book for that - which isn't out until January 2011.

#44

Kitty Goes to War

Carrie Vaughn

Kitty Norville Book 8

Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

Anyone who reads this series knows that Cormac got out of prison at the end of the last book - but he's not the same as when he went in.  For one thing, being on parole he can no longer tote around large amounts of firearms =(  But it seems he's come out with a few even more useful skills .... hmmm, don't want to give any spoilers!  But I can't wait for the next book.  You probably get sick of me saying that LOL, but I really love a good long-running series.  I get really attached to the characters & I really enjoy a multi-book mytharc, with some questions being answered while others are being raised across the entire series.

#45

Demon Bound

Meljean Brook

Guardians Book 7

Paranormal Romance

I know it looks like I skipped book 6 - but #6 was only a novella, included in the anthology First Blood which will show up a little later in my list because I read the short for this series & then I'm being super slow finishing the rest of the book LOL.  Things are labelled differently depending on where you look, but I usually go by what they have on Fantastic Fiction because that's my go-to book site to see what's coming up next or what I need to go back & read =)

#46

Demon Forged

Meljean Brook

Guardians Book 9

Paranormal Romance

Another gap due to a novella - book 8 was included in the anthology Must Love Hellhounds, which I think I read earlier this year although it may have been late last year.  The main character from this book, Irena, has I think the most kick-ass Guardian power so far of all the books - she can manipulate metal.  And I don't just mean that she make weapons - although she does - but she can temporarily replace her own limbs if one happens to be hacked off in battle.

#47

Demon Blood

Meljean Brook

Guardians Book 10

Paranormal Romance

This is one of the few covers that actually shows a Guardian with their wings - I should mention that (unlike the Guild Hunter series) they're not actually angels.  They're humans who die while saving the life and/or soul of someone else from a demon & are given the opportunity to continue fighting ... well, cheesy as it sounds basically to continue fighting the forces of evil =)

#48

Burning Up

Anthology

Paranormal Romance

This anthology featured novellas by Angela Knight, Nalini Sign, Virginia Kantra & Meljean Brook.

All authors that I love - and with one exception, none of the stories were set in the worlds that I anticipated.  Which was OK I suppose, but I was hoping for another Guardians story from Meljean, and another Guild Hunter story for Nalini & instead I got an introduction to Meljean's new steampunk series, and a visits to Nalini's other established series which I haven't read yet - it was on my list, & after reading this novella it's actually moved up on my list =)  So sometimes it's perfectly fine to get something other than the expected.

All caught up for now - but quite a stack out from the library.  Thanks for reading.

~Colette