So, I went to the Hunger Games on Saturday, and most of the rest of the weekend was taken up with preparation & then actually starting my taxes. I'm about 90% done but still have some business-related loose ends to tie up - a few more than I actually thought I had. So that's why I wasn't so productive on the blog as last weekend. BUT, once the taxes are out of the way, that means a lot of other things will be out of the way & off my to-do list, and I might actually get back in the habit of posting during the week. That would be awesome LOL.
I've been very temped, a few times since I fell so far behind, to skip around & post things out of order, but my own stubbornness has prevented me. But I will semi-break my own rule to give you guys a glimpse of what was on my nails for the movie premiere - more pics to come eventually of course when I get to a full blog post on these:
If you'd like to see the tutorial, you can follow the link to my YouTube channel in the sidebar. Sometimes vids seem so much easier to edit than blog posts, they don't require as much sorting through pics so editing is easier/faster, and I've already said everything I wanted to (usually) in the vid, so I don't have to think of anything else to say/write. I guess I should count myself lucky that I haven't fallen equally far behind on there LOL.
More book catchup (I bet you thought I forgot!). These have been almost a year ago, so although I remember they were good & the gist of them, some I don't have anything to say about. And a few I have things I'd LOVE to say, but it would be huge spoilers because they're part of a series, and so I'll refrain because I know I have a lot of followers who may be reading them & not as far in the series as I am. But here they are
I thought for sure this would be the third sister (the first 2 books had the first 2 sisters), so I was caught off guard when it wasn't. And now I'll probably waiting for that third sister to appear in the next book LOL. But it's a good thing really, I don't like a series to be too predictable.
Looking back, you can kind of see that things are going from bad to worse for Joanne just by looking at the coves LOL. Dark, dangerous, stormy seas - for most if not all of this book if I remember correctly
This anthology featured stories from: Lauren Dane, Megan Hart, Emma Holly & Bethany Kane.
Usually if I'm going to read romance, it's got to have a paranormal aspect, but this is one of the exceptions - I mainly picked up because I'm a fan of Emma Holly.
I didn't realize when I started reading this one that it was the last book in the series. Things did wrap up pretty well, but I still want to know what happens next.
There is another series (that I have at this point completed) set in the same world - Outcast Season, a 4-book series - but it's set in the same time frame & ends at the same point, so while you get to see what else was going on, you don't get to see what happens after it all goes down. But I hope the author will continue to write in the world because it's become one of my favorites.
There are a few aspects of this series that remind me a bit of the Fever series - not necessarily in the writing style, and certainly not in the characters, but more in the way that the magical world is coming out from under wraps - I think in a few more books, if that, there'll be no hiding from "normal" people & it will all be out in the open.
Set in the same world as the Weather Warden Series, the Outcast Season series follows the Djinn Cassiel as she is cast out by their leader & down into flesh as a human - something she is in no way happy about. But she was asked to do something she would not do, and I can't remember if you even learn what it is in the first book or the second book so I'm not going to spoil it by telling you what the request was
I know a series this long-running isn't to everyone's taste, but I love gigantic series. Even when a story is wrapped up in satisfactory manner, I almost always still want to know what happens next. And so series like this - that the author has flat out said she has no intention of ending anytime soon - are right up my alley.
Mercedes Lackey is one of the authors I've been reading the longest, and still one of my absolute favorites. She's also one of the most prolific writers, and has a lot of active series going on - while a lot of authors only do one or maybe two books a year if you're lucky, I'd say Mercedes usually has at least 3 or 4 & usually at least one anthology with other authors set in her world of Valdemar.
It seems like I waited a very long time for this 5th book to come out - & looking back at my book list, it looks like #4 was in 2009 so it wasn't just my imagination. But it was worth the wait, and almost understandable - although I always feel like writers need to hurry up & give me more good books, the key word is not hurry but good ... I'm not interested in reading some hastily-thrown together thing with plot holes the size of Texas. And since this series deals with a crap load of time-travel, it's even more open for mistakes that most, so I'm glad that she took to time to make everything match up & make sense.
One more installment should finish up last year - then I can move on to this year =) I've already read around a dozen books which isn't too shabby. I always feel like I'm not reading enough LOL, but I know I still read a lot more than most people.
This was a pretty awesome manicure in all 3 stages. I started off with OPI Ogre-The-Top Blue from the Shrek collection, which could certainly stand on its own if you're looking for a bright creme blue:
SO awesome & glittery I had to do a vid, so here's a look in motion:
Then on the last day I did some stamping with black polish & Konad image plate m57; usually I double-stamp this end-to-end, but this time I tried something a bit different on my thumb, placing the design the wide way & stamping side-to-side & it turned out pretty well too:
I'm finding a few things I'd completely forgotten that I even took pictures of LOL, and this is one of those. Mom saw Color Club Gossip Column somewhere, in an old post or something I think, and requested it, then added layer of Finger Paints Motley on top for some subtle shimmer:
I think this combination would have looked awesome matte too -just about anything with flakies does after all =)
We've been having ridiculously nice & unseasonably warm weather here - the high today was 79! In March - in Minnesota! Not normal but you won't see me complaining =) So that's just one of my excuses why I haven't gotten more done lately LOL.
Still catching up, still back in January's manicures. This one started out with Ulta Salon Formula Chocolate Kiss:
After a day I added Finger Paints Twisted - a multi-colored flakie:
But I wasn't satisfied with that, so I topped it with China Glaze Matte Magic:
Here's a look in motion:
I should be able to get a few more posts edited tonight ... I really should stop putting off my taxes, but if I can't make myself sit down & do them I'll be posting tomorrow too =)
This was really, for me, out of the box. But I had a lot of fun with it & got a ton of great compliments too. I was inspired by an Acid Leopard eye makeup tutorial I saw on YouTube, and so I translated it into a manicure. I created the rainbow by sponging with Icing Hot Date, Suntan Lotion & Blue Carribean - all 3 from the Cancun Spring Break collection. The leopard design I did with a Black Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen:
& I've now got a blacklight, just for some fun pics!
I think I had this on for a full week, and towards the end I added some China Glaze Matte Magic top coat:
Here's the tutorial:
And here's the eye makeup tutorial by Klaire de Lys that inspired me:
What do you guys think of this neon-bright nail art look? Sometimes it's good to step a bit outside of your comfort zone =)
