NOTD: Formula X for Sephora Love Chemistry

Last week was a bit hectic, with the holiday & then a condensed work week, but while I took a few days off I'm not disappearing again!

This is another from my Formula X for Sephora train case that they sent me, and I think it is one of the shiniest things I have ever had on my nails!  The coppery pink & gold combination is one that I wasn't sure about until I had it on my nails, then I was in love:

And if Formula X is a little bit out of your price range, worry not - Maybelline Color Show has a really good dupe called Gilded Rose =)  I just gave that to a friend as a birthday gift, because it's such a great color regardless of which brand you go with.

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: Christmas Reverse Waterfall + Tutorial

Busy holidays, and then busy with snow & cold, but things are getting back to normal & I'm only a few posts behind.  This was my Christmas manicure - I'd been wanting to try striping from the tip rather than the cuticle ever since I did my Harvest Waterfall Mani.  Base color for this attenpt is China Glaze White On White, then the waterfall is done with China Glaze  Red-Y and Willing, Goldie but Goodie, Tongue & Chic, & Gossip Over Gimlets - all from the Autumn Nights Collection:

Here's the tutorial:

I have 3 more posts to catch up with - my Super Blingy Ombre Glitter Mosaic, which was the last mani on my long nails, and then 2 "plain" manicures on my new short nubbins.  Then there'll be a nubbins tutorial up this weekend!

Thanks for reading =)

~Colette

NOTD: Ornate Holiday Teal & Gold Water Marble + Tutorrial

For my third and final look for Formula X for Sephora I decided to go with a water marble.  I used Enigma for my base color, then marbled with Enigma, Orbit and Iconic:

I really loved the variety that I got - all the nails similar, but of course none the same; the fact that the index and ring fingers ended up more light and the pinkie and middle more dark on both hands was a happy accident:

You can check out the tutorial here:

These Formula X colors have been very versatile to work with - not all of the colors work for marbling of course, but it didn't take too many tries to find this combination & they performed together well.

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

 (These were sent to me for review) 

NOTD: Harvest Waterfall + Tutorial

This was my Thanksgiving design for this year - Thanksgiving is always a bit of a challenge for me ... it's not really a holiday that has a wide range of themes LOL, so since I didn't want to do a turkey again I just went with traditional colors.  This look was inspired by a couple of designs by the Nailasaurus: that are on my Pinterest inspiration board HERE and HERE

I started of with a plain black base of OPI Black Onyx, then did the waterfall with 4 OPI Liquid Sand colors: What Wizardry is This?, Jinx, Honey Ryder, and Magazine Cover Mouse:

Here's the tutorial:

While I did like the textural contrast, after a few days I did add topcoat so that the entire mani was glossy:

Have you tried a waterfall manicure?  Which version of this one was your favorite?

Thanks for reading =)

~Colette

Introducing Formula X for Sephora + Teardrop Nail Art Tutorial

I'm always flattered when I'm contacted by a company to do a review.  This was even more than that, an introduction for a completely new nail polish line.  Formula X for Sephora is the next in nail, a 3-free polish that has a wide range of colors, finishes, and products extending to nail appliques & nail care treatments.  Sephora sent me a selection of colors from both the New Classics, and the Celestials.  You can see my thoughts on the collection as a whole, a close up look at the polishes, as well as a tutorial for my teardrop design in this vid:

One thing I forgot to mention in the vid is that the caps are not really square - that's just for looks & can be removed to reveal a normal cap, which makes application much easier.

Here's a closer look at the manicure - I used Pyrotechnic for the base color & Sparklebomb for the teardrops:

So what do you all think?  Have you been in store to see the awesome display of the full collection?  Let me know in the comments!

If you don't live near a store you can always order online from Sephora's website:
http://www.sephora.com/formula-x-for-sephora

Or, if you're just looking for some inspiration, check out the Formla X site:
http://www.formulax.com/

Thanks for reading =)

~Colette
(These were sent to me for review)

Guest NOTD: Gold, Green & Black Water Marble + Tutorial

When I do water marbles for mom, she picks the colors, and then I find the polishes in close colors & give her a few sample designs to choose from.  This particular color combination was inspired by a wall hanging that you can see in a one of the pictures below.  Base color is Sally Hansen Salon Tassel, marbling done with Tassel, China Glaze Peace on Earth & Orly Liquid Vinyl:

Here are a few of my favorite nails - even short nails can fit plenty of marble-y goodness:

And I found a couple of these shots while editing pics, really shows the difference between me & Mom LOL!  She could maybe barely fit one of the four leaf clovers on her thumb:

And of course here's the tutorial:



Thanks for reading =)

~Colette