Haul - Hunger Games, Color Club Magnetics & Layla

If it's not one thing it's another ... for those of you who don't follow the Fan Page, Frisky has been quite sick & so I've been spending some time with her.  She is curled comfortably, close on her blanket on the chair next to my computer right now.

Anyway, this haul post has been a ridiculously long time coming.  I originally shot the haul like a month ago, but I wanted to include the swatches with the blog post & didn't get around to editing those until a few days ago.  Here's the haul vid:

& for a closer look at the bottles - first China Glaze:

Top row are all from the Hunger Games collection - Harvest Moon, Fast Track, Hook and Line, Stone Cold, Smoke and Ashes & Luxe and Lush.  Bottom - First Mate & Long Kiss.

The Laylas, which at this point I have worn each of them & I am so in love:

Black Metal, Silver Galaxy & Metallic Sky.

The Color Club Magnetic Force colors - which, on a side note, are exactly the same down to the name as the Finger Paints magnetics.  FAIL Finger Paints, for shame:

Steel of the Night, Electro-Midnight, Hipnotic & Magnetic Force.

& the last of the magnetics (for this haul) from Claire's:

The Unnamed Silver & Unnamed Green.

My OPIs from the Holland collection:

Vampsterdam - which I recently used in a tutorial - Dutch 'Ya Love OPI?, Gouda Gouda Two Shoes & Wooden Shoe Like to Know?

My very first Illamasqua polishes, which I received for review:

Radium, Bacterium, and from the Theatre of the Namesless collection, Taint & Vice.

And lastly Milani (top) & Savvy & Finger Paints (bottom):

Hot Pink, Lavender, French Rose Opal Frost, Chrome & Comet's Collar.

Finally, here's the swatch vid!

I am not making anywhere near the progress I would like playing catch up.  But just know that I'm also nowhere near ever giving up blogging!  I will fit it in somehow, eventually.

Thanks for reading.  

~Colette

(These Illamasqua polishes were sent to me for review)

Guest NOTD: Mom's Gold & Black

I wasn't quite sure what to call this design - it's something like a Ruffian, but with the color extending up the sides.  I've seen a stripe down the middle called a Lubu (especially when the stripe is red) but there's usually more color on the sides.  At any rate, mom was inspired by an episode of the Project Runway All Stars - if you watch, the episode where they have to find their muse in the park?  Austin's muse had something similar to this on her nails.

The base black is Finger Paints Black Expressionism.  The gold is China Glaze - but I'm so sorry, I don't remember if it's Passion or 2030!  I usually think I'll just naturally remember the exact polish -  well apparently not after 2 months LOL:

She did this herself & was very very pleased with the final look =)  I was happy that she was happy & stepping a bit out of her plain-manicured box.

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: Friday I'm in Love Water Marble + Tutorial

This was a fun YouTube collab that I think I posted about at the time & encouraged bloggers to join in as well =)

I started out by prepping my nails with Orly Au Champagne which is a surprisingly opaque shimmery white.  Marbling is done with Zoya Ali & Wet n Wild Disturbia:

Here's a closer look at a few of my favorite nails - top row is from my left hand & bottom row from my right:

Here's the tutorial:

And if you'd like to see some more of the other entries, please check out my Friday I'm in Love Playlist HERE - there were a ton of really great contributions =)

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: Nails Inc Whitehall

So, tired as I am during the week, for some reason I don't go to bed early on Fridays ... I suppose I could, but somehow I always end up staying up later than I intend.  At least tonight I am being productive =)  I plan on posting a lot this weekend - starting now!

This is my last manicure from ... January.  I suck so bad LOL.  I can't even fool myself that I can conceivably get caught up in a single weekend at this point.  But if I can start doing several posts a day, maybe I can make a dent in this huge backlog - I really appreciate all of your patience =)

Nails Inc Whitehall is an awesome teal magnetic polish.  I am still madly in love with magnetics & I saw a promo pic somewhere a few days ago that China Glaze is coming out with a 2nd collection that I'm looking forward to. I started off with it glossy:

Then I had to do a couple days matte:

I think this may be the first blog post with my new matte topcoat?  Many of you may know that Matte Magic is HTF if not completely discontinued, so I picked up Warpaint Beauty Mattify because it was the cheapest one that I came across.  I still have a bit of MM left but I'm glad to know there is an easily available alternative - Warpaint Beauty is sold at Hot Topic (& elsewhere as well I'm sure but I don't know where).

Here's a look at both versions in motion - I love the depth of magnetic polishes, the seemingly peaks & valleys inside the polish:

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Macy's Spring 2012 Flower Show

I thought that since I'm going to the conservatory today, I'd start off with some pics from a bit over a week ago when we went to the Macy's Flower Show =)  Which is, I must add, back in the auditorium where it belongs.  The theme was Brasil Gardens of Paradise, and while it wasn't the most impressive show I've ever seen them put on, I enjoyed it a lot.  Here are some of my favorite pics:

The toucan was made completely out of flowers! 

Yes - it's an adorable tiny pineapple!

The kitty is mechanized so it moves a bit & looks like it's breathing or purring =)  We've seen him appear in several shows! 

So, as I said, off work today & off to the Como Park Conservatory to see their spring show.  I hope to have time to edit some nail pics & post more once I get home - and of course will have some more gorgeous flowers to share with you guys too =)

Thanks for reading.  (And for being so patient with my non-regularly posting self!)

~Colette