December-lots of pics.

How's that for an exciting title?
I hope you all had a great Christmas. Mine was awesome, starting with a BBQ on the 22nd. Most of my favourite people were there-friends I have known for 15+yrs. The missing person was in Tasmania, for her family Christmas. It was an awesome night.
My Christmas nails were pretty boring. On Xmas Eve, I was all keyed up and restless, yet bored out of my mind. I had no patience to do anything too detailed. I went with candy canes.

Boring yes? Base of Revlon Coconut Crush, stripes are Revlon Mon Cherry and Sinful Colors San Francisco. Sidenote-Coconut Crush-that lovely, pearly WHITE polish, stained my nails a pale blue. I don't know how this happened.

My next mani was pastel. I wanted to try the matte top coat I bought in October. Colours are Sinful Colors Unicorn (yellow) and SC Cinderella.

So pretty! I really liked the matte look; it made the pink shimmer in Cinderella stand out a bit more.

I removed this yesterday, only to discover-Unicorn had stained my nails. It looked like I had painted them with nicotine. For crying out loud. I use base coat. Not so happy.

Today I decided to do my New Year mani. This despite the fact I am not going anywhere. I'm actually really looking forward to my evening. My plans involve reading (as usual), listening to MY music (currently completely obsessed with Muse/Silverchair/Biffy Clyro), and I will watch Toy Story 1 & 2. I am such a rager.
I thought I'd do fireworks. That's fairly straightforward, right?
I wanted a base colour that was dark, but sort of starry looking. I was leaning towards black, with SC Hottie on top. While I reached for those, I spotted an SC I have not tried-Secret Admirer. AWESOME. It's this almost black with a grey shimmer through it.

OOooOOOOOoo, aaAAAAaaaAAaa. Love LOVE LOVE it.

I picked my JulieG polishes to be the fireworks. They are a thick glitter that dries quickly, so you aren't waiting around before painting over it.

Fireworks are all JulieG-Sleigh Ride (blue), Silver Bells, and Gift Of Gold. On my thumb, I have LA Girls holographic pink and purple. They were a bit dark to work. I am not sure whether I actually like these. However, they will do for the next couple days.

In other news-I'm about ready to go on a homicidal spree due to the weather. I'm not someone that copes well with incessant rain. I need sun to function happily, and I have forgotten what it feels like.
In other other news-I'm not sure whether I have said anything previously about the Goodreads Reading Challenge. I set a goal in January to read 200 books this year. I am currently 2/3 through book 261. I've really loved tracking my reading, and pinpointing when it slowed down/sped up. I think this is the messiest year my house has had. Assuming I finish this book today/tomorrow, I'll finish the year with Stephen King. I love that guy.
In other, other, other news-2 female rats came into the Rescue on Christmas Eve-both possibly pregnant. At this point, it's looking like one is, the other-probably not. Yay, one litter is far more manageable...but still not ideal. There is no sure-fire way to tell if a rat is pregnant, it's mostly just a waiting game. And so I wait, and sneak into the room 4,000 times a day.

Have a fabulous NYE, and stay safe. See you next year!

JulieG Holiday 2013 Frosted Gum Drops Collection-post 2

I need to start this off with a warning. BASE COAT! Base coat the hell out of your nails before using Sleigh Ride. Look:

 Not hugely pleased about that, but shit happens, and I really like the polish.


Ok, today I have Silver Bells and Ho Ho Ho. I was talking about polish with one of the kids at work (I'm a nanny; currently have girls aged 8 and 3, and boy aged 5) about the blue, and asking what I should do next. 3yr old A suggested love hearts. Pink ones. So, I obliged.
First up-macro bottle shots.

Silver Bells-did you pick that?

Ho Ho Ho.

Ho Ho Ho is pinker than I had hoped. Yes, it looks pink in the bottle, and I know that comment sounds ridiculous.

And nail shots.

 Macro shot, in attempt to show texturey loveliness.

 I have a couple nubbins at the moment. I had a bad, bad nail day. I cannot face nubbin-ising them all, so they are uneven.
I did the hearts with doting tools. This polish dries fast-which is fantastic for following coats (all pics are 2 coats), but it means you need to work fast when dotting/drawing etc.
Again-no problems with formula or application, it's east to apply and the fast drying means you aren't waiting around to apply the second coat.

JulieG Holiday 2013 Frosted Gum Drops collection-post 1

Today I have a post about one of the polishes from JulieG Frosted Gum Drops 2013 Holiday Collection. It's gorgeous. I have the whole collection, but as I plan to wear them all over the next week, I figured I'd make them all separate post. Up today is Sleigh Ride.

Isn't it lovely?
And here is a macro bottle shot, just because.

It's a beautifully sparkly polish, and-as stated on the bottle-textured.

Application is easy, it's not too thick or thin, overall a great formula. I have used 2 coats in the following photos. I'd apologise for my clean-up, but I feel like I've said it all before.

I took a couple of macro shots, trying to capture the texture.

I added 2 coats of top coat to my ring finger, just to see. It doesn't feel much different at all, and there isn't a lot of visual difference either.

The top coat actually makes it harder to photograph.

So, that is Sleigh Ride. I have no idea, yet, which I'll use next.