NOTD: Winter Tree Branches + Tutorial

My second Sephora-sponsored video, this is a little more difficult than the first design which I considered to be a simpler design.  With Formula X for Sephora White Matter as a base, I sponged with White Matter & Gray Matter, then with Dark Matter and a striping brush I added the branches:

Here's the tutorial:

I hope you guys enjoyed =)  Thanks for reading.

~Colette
 (These were sent to me for review) 

NOTD: Capitol Couture Water Marble + Tutorial

Another Hunger Games inspired manicure, this one using polish from China Glaze's Capitol Colors collection.  The base color is Fast Track, then marbling is done with Fast Track, Hook and Line, & Smoke and Ashes:

I got really well positioned dips with this marble & had a ton of favorite nails:

And of course here is the tutorial:



Thanks for reading =)

~Colette

Guest NOTD: Ulta Smoke Screen

Not only behind with my own NOTDs, but also Mom's.  This is perhaps the most demure of her NOTDs lately that I have pics of - Ulta Smoke Screen:

Thanks for reading =)

~Colette

Guest NOTD: China Glaze Some Like it Haute

Mom was pretty blinged up!  She knew I had several similar colors to this, and after comparing them she picked China Glaze Some Like it Haute:

 

I may turn her into a glitter addict yet =)  Thanks for reading.

 

~Colette

Guest NOTD: Icing Thunderstorm

Mom's a big grey fan, so I wasn't surprised she liked this - it's also very similar to Barielle Out-grey-gous, which is one of her favorites (you can see a few pics HERE).  I wouldn't say Icing Thunderstorm is an exact dupe, but they're close cousins for sure:

 

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: Anise Pearls for the Devil

This almost got one of my "evolution" titles, but I think that requires at least 3 versions of the mani, and this was only 2.  I'm impressed so far with this Anise brand, which as I mentioned I picked up at DSW - & if you're wondering if I went to DSW & left with no shoes, I did buy some but my shoe hauls lately have all been incorporated into my vlogs on my other blog, if your interested =)

Anise Pearls for the Devil is very dark & does come off as almost black in many lights, but a closer look shows purple & turquoise layered over the dark grey base.  I love vampy colors so no surprise I guess that I liked it on its own:

After a day or two I decided to stamp it up - I used China Glaze IDK & Bundle Monster image plate bm224.  This is an interesting, kind of snake-skin pattern, and I switched it up a bit between my two hands.  left hand the end with the smaller scales is matched to itself, right hand the end with the larger scales is matched to itself - and on my thumbs the design is stamped sideways, again opposite sides on the different hands.  Hope all that makes sense LOL but you can see the different look that it makes depending on how you double-stamp.  My favorite placement is my thumbs:

Didn't get as much catching up done as I wanted this weekend, but that's pretty par for the course I think LOL.  I'm going to try & post a few more things today & get closer to current =)  Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: Nails Inc Trafalgar Square - Glossy & Matte

I had this polish on for a full week, Sunday-Sunday, with no chips.  I picked it because I knew at the time I wasn't going to be on my normal schedule of every few days & I'm happy to say it lived up to my expectations, and I wasn't bored with it even when I finally did take it off. 

 

Another of their Magnetic Effect Polishes, this is Nails Inc Trafalgar Square - I got this design by holding the magnet sideways, which is a bit tricky since you can't use the guide but still pretty simple as you only have to hold it in place for a moment for the magnet to do its job:

 

Just so you can gauge the wear, I believe I added Matte Magic to it Thursday or maybe Friday morning:

 

Here's a look in motion - so deep & 3D, I'm heavily leaning towards more magnetic polish for Christmas:

 

 

Almost caught up =)  Just Monday's & my current manicure & I'll be current.  Thanks for reading.

 

~Colette

Nails Inc Magnetic Polish Swatches

I wanted to get a full post with pictures done today for Nails Inc Houses of Parliament, which is on my nails, but the sun had the nerve to go away mid-afternoon so I'm going to do that tomorrow.  This polish definitely deserves to be seen in the sun & the 3D effect deserves to be seen in motion =)

 

But until then, you can have a quick look at these swatches & check out the magnetic pattern in motion since I used the magnet from the back of the nail wheel - which, as a side note, I don't think gives as nice of a final effect as using the magnet over the top, but it's cool to be able to actually see the polish move around:

 

 

Have you indulged?  Or plan to?  I thought at first I could pass on the gold but with it on my nails I not only want the gold, as I mention in the vid I want backup bottles of the purple & silver.

 

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: Ulta Little Black Dress

This color disappointed me ... in the bottle Ulta's Little Black Dress is shimmery & you can see tiny sparkles of teal & purple & silver.  On the nail ... well, let's just say not so much.  & it chipped on the 2nd day of wear!  I was offended.  And a little sad - hard enough dealing with these nubbins ;) without having to deal with lame polish.  Not that I actually dislike the color - but it's not what's advertised, so to speak, in the bottle.  If it had looked like an extremely dark & minimally shimmery grey in the bottle, then I would probably have been very happy with this:

 

Thanks for reading =)

 

~Colette

NOTD: Zoya Loredana + bm212

I took a couple shots of Zoya Loredana matte, although (of course LOL) I didn't actually wear it that way:

 

 

I added stamping with China Glaze Devotion & Bundle Monster plate bm212 - not my best effort & my right hand actually came out better I think than my left.  I thought it would be a little more contrast, but I still liked this version:

 

Trying hard to at least not fall any further behind posting ... been too busy to marble lately but I do have one planned - was going to do it tonight but forgot that SYTYCD would be on until 9.  Tomorrow I have an appointment so it depends on when I get back from that if I'll have time.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

~Colette