Sally Hansen I Heart Nail Art Water Marble Tutorial + Giveaway!

I just finished recording and editing this, so I don't have my full range of pictures that I normally do and I may post those later, but I wanted to post right away so that you guys can enter the giveaway or contest if you want!

First, let me share the manicure with you guys, a water marble using Sally Hansen Color Foil Purple Alloy, and Sally Hansen Red Striper:

Here's the tutorial:

The June theme for Sally Hansen's I Heart Nail Art Contest is Liquid Mani, and you can enter their contest Here:  http://www.sallyhansen.com/i-heart-nail-art/contest

And as for my giveaway, the prize is a Nail Art Party in a Box like this one:

You can enter here, or on the Contest Page of my blog, or on my Facebook Fan Page!  Open through June 30th to residents of the United States over the age of 18.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to everyone  and of course thanks for reading =)

~Colette

*These products were sent to me for promotional purposes

NOTD: Anise Cosmic Kiss

After I chopped my nails I needed sparkles to make me feel better, so I wore a succession of really beautiful polishes, the first of which was Anise Cosmic Kiss - the Anise brand is available at DSW of all places:

The inner fire and subtle holo finish of this polish didn't show up like I wanted it to in pictures, so I did a Polish in Motion for it:

Sooo pretty!  I really enjoyed having this on my tiny nubbins.  They've since grown out of course, but I'm trying to keep them on the shorter side (for me) for a couple of reasons - one of which is in an effort to minimize breaks which is so far a fail; I think I could get a break at any length I am such a clutz LOL.

I've got such a backlog, both from earlier this year & from last year, I could probably do a post a day for the next year & not be caught up.  I don't know if I can actually follow through on that, but I plan to try!  Day two:  check!

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: Formula X for Sephora Atom + Eve

I was going to do something fancier for my company holiday party, but I ended up running a bit short on time & so I just went with a red glitter - because that's always a great Christmas choice =)  This is Formula X for Sephora Atom + Eve:

This was also I think the only time I can remember having a polish on at the same time as my mom - she chose it for her church choice holiday concert - looks a bit different on her short nails  but obviously still a gorgeous color:

Thanks for reading!

~Colette

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)

NOTD: Girl on Fire Water Marble + Tutorial

This was my favorite design from Water Marble March, and I did in fact have it on my nails when I went to see the movie =)  & if you somehow still have not heard about the Hunger Games ... well, what rock have you been under LOL?

I started this manicure with a base of Orly Crush on You with a coat of the glitter Icing Pumpkin on top.  Since the colors I marbled with were mostly jellies, the glitter sparkled through a little & really brought the fire to life.  Marbling is done with Crush on You as well as Orly Ma Cherie & Liquid Vinyl - somehow although I had this on for around a week it appears I didn't get any natural lamp pictures but I think the rest do it pretty good justice:

Favorite flame-like nails:

And of course here is the tutorial:



Did you see the movie & have you read the books?  I try not to think too much about the next movie because it's so far off, but really I can't wait!

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Update & Girl on Fire NOTD Preview

So, I went to the Hunger Games on Saturday, and most of the rest of the weekend was taken up with preparation & then actually starting my taxes.  I'm about 90% done but still have some business-related loose ends to tie up - a few more than I actually thought I had.  So that's why I wasn't so productive on the blog as last weekend.  BUT, once the taxes are out of the way, that means a lot of other things will be out of the way & off my to-do list, and I might actually get back in the habit of posting during the week.  That would be awesome LOL.

I've been very temped, a few times since I fell so far behind, to skip around & post things out of order, but my own stubbornness has prevented me.  But I will semi-break my own rule to give you guys a glimpse of what was on my nails for the movie premiere - more pics to come eventually of course when I get to a full blog post on these:

If you'd like to see the tutorial, you can follow the link to my YouTube channel in the sidebar.  Sometimes vids seem so much easier to edit than blog posts, they don't require as much sorting through pics so editing is easier/faster, and I've already said everything I wanted to (usually) in the vid, so I don't have to think of anything else to say/write.  I guess I should count myself lucky that I haven't fallen equally far behind on there LOL.

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

Guest NOTD: Sally Hansen 3K or More! + OPI Red Shatter

This almost looks like it's a crackle over a natural nail, but my mom used Sally Hansen 3K or More! as a base & then put OPI Red Shatter over top:

She doesn't wear red or very many bright colors so this was a nice change for her =)

Thanks for reading.

~Colette

NOTD: Butter London Knees Up

The name isn't actually as naughty as it sounds - I guess it's slang for having a good time, like a dance or party =)  Butter London Knees Up a gorgeous red:

I really could have left it alone but I tried to Konad it ... and I say tried because it wasn't one of my more successful designs, I used Sally Hanson Tassel & Bundle Monster image plate bm11:

They're supposed to be little hearts kind of strung across your nails ... but it came out so faint I really wasn't totally happy.  

Thanks for reading.

~Colette