NOTD: Color Club Magnetic Force

OK, so I'm not exactly forcing myself to blog, so much as I'm firmly encouraging myself to do a post before I go to bed.  & this will likely happen frequently, so I may not have much to say all the time - but then again, a truly lovely polish speaks for itself - like Color Club Magnetic Force does:

Chocolate brown magnetic, what's not  to love?  Aside from the really bad break I had in these pics that was much more glaringly obvious in some of the rejected pics LOL.

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: The Evolution of Ulta Chocolate Kiss

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 =)

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: Halloween Mummy Water Marble + Tutorial

I feel like Halloween is a holiday that I'm almost obligated to do extra-crazy nail art =)  & so what better excuse to bust out the googly-eyes?  My base for this marble was 2 coats of OPI Calling All Goddesses!, marbling done with CaG, OPI Ti-Tan Your Toga & China Glaze Ingrid:

 

The black I used for the "mask" section was just Wet 'n' Wild Black Creme.  I'm sure there are other places you can run across googly-eyes than where I got them too, you just have to keep an eye out =)  I did manage to smudge a few nails on my right hand but I corrected them as best I could.

 

Here's the tutorial:

 

 

Only about week until Halloween!  Except I don't know if that's enough time to fit in all my ideas ... probably not LOL, a few of the ones I've already done this year have been waiting since last year =)

 

Thanks for reading.

 

~Colette

TOTD: Nubar Cherry Cordial

The other TOTD I have to show you is what's still on my toes - Nubar Cherry Cordial:

 

 

It's actually got a few chips, so I'd like to change it - but sandal season is officially gone LOL, so I'm not in a huge hurry any more either, since I'm the only one who'll see them for the next 6-8 months.

 

Thanks for reading =)

~Colette

NOTD: Avon Mink Vision + bm202

I didn't get many pics of this because the day was rainy ... I'm not too mad because it was just kind of a filler between better manicures.  I didn't dislike it at all, I just also wasn't in love with it.  Perfect for fall though, the image can be taken as leaves if you have a little bit of imagination.  Base color is Avon Mink Vision, stamping done with China Glaze GR8 & Bundle Monster image plate bm202:

 

Thanks for reading =)

 

~Colette

NOTD: Nubar Chocolate Coffee Bean

HOW did this sit in my unworns for so long?  What?  Oh, I have a couple hundred unworns?  Well then, I guess it makes a bit more sense =P

 

Anyway, I love this a lot now that I finally wore it.  From the Chocolate Truffles collection, this is Nubar Chocolate Coffee Bean ... although that name doesn't explain the lovely flash of pink:

 

Thanks for reading =)

~Colette

NOTD: Zoya Cheryl + Hidden Treasure

I started off intending to wear Zoya Cheryl on it's own - it's a perfectly nice brown:

But the next morning when I woke up, it just wasn't doing it for me - so I added a quick layer of Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure & I was much happier:

Here's a look in motion:

Then I had it on long enough that I matte-ified it for a day with China Glaze Matte Magic - one of my favorite looks for a flaky, as amazing as they are glossy something about the matte just makes each it glow from within:

Thanks for reading =)

~Colette

NOTD: China Glaze Unplugged + m72

I'm not sure how I feel about this stamping ... I started with China Glaze Unplugged, which is just chocolate goodness with a golden shimmer, then I stamped the tips with Misa Ghetto Fabulous & Konad plate m72.  The tip pattern on this plate is one of my favorites, but it just turned out so subtle ... but on the other hand, I don't like any of my other options either LOL.  White would have shown more but been too harsh, and I don't think a chrome gold would have gone with the warm golden shimmer of Unplugged.  Oh well - it was only for a day:

 

I've got a gorgeous spring/Easter water marble to show you guys, again with the Tronica collection, so stay tuned for that tomorrow =)

 

Thanks for reading.

 

~Colette

Guest NOTD: Blue. Brown & White Water Marble + Tutorial

Didn't quite get this up last night, so I'm throwing it up quick this morning before I go to work!

 

So, I decided to give my mom a water marble again this year for her birthday.  Started out with a base of Sally Hansen White On, marbling done with White On, Nubar Swiss Chocolate & BB Couture Adios Mo Fo:

 

And since I get so many questions about whether you can marble on short nails, I did a tutorial for it also:

 

 

Thanks for reading =)

NOTD: Orange & Brown Thanksgiving Water Marble + Tutorial

This is what happens when I allow myself to lay down "just for a minute" at 9 in the evening ... I wake up in the middle of the night & have to actually put on PJs & etc, then I'm awake & can't go right back to sleep LOL.  So I decided to finish editing pics & get them up for you guys =)

 

This was my first marble using Zoya.  Base color is Sienna, marbling done with Sienna & Kalista.  & yes that's a snowflake falling right on my nail in the last shot - I started early & got home before the worst of the storm hit, but I'm sure the regular commute home was a nightmare for a lot of people today.  When I showed him, Mark at work said this looked like turkey feathers LOL, which wasn't my intention but I guess it kind of does:

 

Here is the tutorial - along with a few tips on picking colors to marble with & why this particular design ended up without the yellow that I was originally going to include:

 

 

I hope you all have a safe & happy Thanksgiving Day!  It is very cold here, but plans are on track to bring a card table & extra chairs to grandma's house to accommodate the 15 people that will be there for dinner =)  How many people will be at your table?

 

Thanks for reading.

 

~Colette

NOTD: Nubar Raspberry Truffle

So, you all know that I do my nails right before I go to bed 90% of the time - that means I need a reliably kick-ass topcoat to make sure I wake up with glossy nails & not sheet marks.  Nubar Diamont used to be, in my opinion, just as good as Seche - fast drying & super glossy.  I'd read on a few blogs that Nubar had changed the formula, but didn't think much of it.  Until I used one of my new bottles on this & it was dull, sticky, and for sure NOT drying fast enough for me to crawl into bed.  All I really have to say is:  WTF Nubar.  Or, to quote my mom when I told her "why would they make it less awesome?" I ended up adding Seche over top so that I could go to sleep.  Even if I'd been patient enough to wait for Diamont to dry completely, it was not giving me any shine.

This was my NOTD last Thursday.  That's pretty damn sad that I am over a week behind on NOTDs.  Here is Nubar Raspberry Truffle:

Really, pretty, a lot of depth, and I wish I'd had some sun when I took my outside shots.  I'm not sure, by the way, what in the world happened to my thumb in that last shot, although it was taken after work.  It's so crackled it looks like it was shut in a door or something which I can guarantee it was not =)

Thanks for reading.

~Colette