NOTD: OPI Alcatraz ... Rocks

I really wasn't sure about the Liquid Sand polishes at first, but I've grown to like them - both on their own & glossy with a top coat.  This Liquid Sand color is from OPIs's San Francisco Collection, Alcatraz ... Rocks:

Here it is with top coat:

Which version is your favorite?  For me, glossy wins.

Thanks for reading =)

~Colette

NOTD: OPI Gargantuan Green Grape Matte + m64

I started out with a base color of OPI Gargantuan Green Grape Matte:

Then I did some stamping with Color Club Wild at Heart & Konad image plate m64.  I remember when I had this on being disapointed disappointed that the purple didn't actually look more purple - in a lot of lights it just turned out brown =(  & I had tested beforehand & it looked like it would be OK, I don't know if the top coat is to blame for it blending to mud or what ... 

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

NOTD: The Evolution of Zoya Phoebe

You'd think, after all this time, that I'd have a better idea what I was doing, right?  Well, the evolution of this mani proves that in fact I do not LOL.

 

Zoya Phoebe is from their summer Mod Mattes collection - and is very pretty matte, although as you know that's not my favorite finish:

 

 

I had this thought that it would look good with OPI Silver Shatter (from my Ulta haul that I'll be posting tomorrow) on top, so I used some of that, with sort of a French tip kind of thing going on as accent nails on the ring & thumb fingers:

And I’m not sure why, but I kind of hated it. So I took off the shatter – there was a layer of topcoat between, because shatter didn't seem to work as well on the matte finish – and then another layer of Phoebe to even everything out, and then another layer of topcoat. And I felt better:

I wore it that way for a day, then I stamped it with one of my new Bundle Monster plates, bm215 & China Glaze LOL:

It didn't on the plate, but on the nail it reminds me of a giraffe pattern.  I also got turtle shell - might be fun to try in shades of green =)

Anyway, that's the completed life cycle =)  I suppose I could matte-ify it again for the weekend, but I probably won't.  Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: OPI La Paz-Itively Hot Matte (& w/ Dots & Top Coat)

Started out just wanting something less ... pastel than my Easter mani LOL.  So I picked out one of my recent purchases, OPI La Paz-Itively Hot Matte.  This is 3 coats & honestly I would have gone for 4 if wearing it alone because there was surprisingly a little bit of VNL:

 

 

It was ... not boring, but plain.  So I decided to add a little something.  Sometimes that turns out good - sometimes that turns out bad - and I'm still not sure which this ended up to be LOL.  I did some little dots at an angle in white & then some more in black, then top coat,  but it just didn't end up the way I imagined it.  Even when I took it off, I wasn't sure I actually disliked it ... and I actually got a ton of compliments ... but I did decide it looked a little better from a distance:

 

Thanks for reading =)

 

~Colette

NOTD: Bloody Ruffian + Tutorial

I saw a ruffian like this a few months ago, I think maybe over at Scrangie?  & thought it would be a good look for Halloween.  For my base color, I use OPI Sanguine, and then went over the top with Orly Iron Butterfly.  I wore it glossy, & didn't take any pics of the look matte, but you can see the matte version in the video - here's my Bloody Ruffian:

Here's the tutorial:

I am going to do my last Halloween tut now =)  Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: Zoya Dovima + m63

So, I've been trying really hard lately not to fall behind with posting.  Which occasionally results in pictures being slapped up without much else ... such is today's post.  Hope you guys don't miss my rambling too much LOL.

I started off with 2 coats of Zoya Dovima - these pics are pre-cleanup:

Then I stamped with Color Club Wild at Heart & Konad plate m63 & topped with Seche.  I continue to experiment with which side I match up for double-stamping with this image, and just rotating sides, or stamping one "backwards" as opposed to both the same direction creates a different look than previous times I've used it.  I really like this way, even though they're matched in different places, the seam is invisible on almost every nail:

I matte-ified (re-matte-ified?) it for my 2nd day which made it really subtle:

Thanks for reading!

~Colette