Holo Giveaway - Tuesday Pick Me Up

Ugh, is it seriously only Tuesday....what a long week this is already!!

Here is a FABULOUS holo giveaway to cheer you up!!

http://vettelicious.com/?p=235

Mani / Pedi of the Week

Hey Girlies!

Just a couple quick pics for you today (before I let the week get behind me again) to show you my mani / pedi of the week.  I was trying to think of something fitting for the A Perfect Circle concert on Wednesday, but I got really busy on Sunday and then had a headache so I just picked something sort of randomly.  I don't know how appropriate it is for the concert, but it is super pretty!

For the mani I used 1 coat of Seche Base followed by 3 coats of Orly Bubbly Bombshell followed by 1 coat of Seche Vite.

Gorgeous!  Super sparkly!  However, I have already had to touch up my tips only a little over a day later.  Bubbly Bombshell has amazing glitter but can be a little finicky when trying to build up....especially on the edges.  But, the end result sure is pretty.

For the pedi I used 1 coat of Seche Base followed by 2 coats of Rimmel Pulsating followed by 1 coat of Seche Vite

Pulsating is one of my favorite pedi colors!  It is by far my favorite of the Rimmel polishes I have.  Gorgeous bluey tinged electric pink....it does almost seem to pulsate it is so vibrant!  So eye-catching and it isn't even a glitter or holo!

Brand Spotlight: Bonne Bell

Happy Friday Girlies!!  What an excrutiatingly long day today is so far!  I'm sure it doesn't help that I am sitting at work while the sun is shining (kinda...it is a little cloudy) and my husband and kids are off on an adventure buying fireworks.  

Anywho, I'm back with another brand spotlight....Bonne Bell.  For some reason, going through brands alphabetically has me starting with some of my oldest polishes....it's been quite the blast to the past.  

I only have 2 Bonne Bell polishes.  They are both from the Nail Gear line.  

Bonne Bell Nail Gear in Alien and Tomboy

Close up of Alien & Tomboy....both 2 coats no topcoat

Alien is a pretty light shimmery green with a golden glow.  Tomboy is sort of a golden olive drab.  

Question for you girlies!!:  I usually do my mani/pedi for the week on Sunday.  This week's mani/pedi will be what I end up wearing for the A Perfect Circle concert on Wednesday....any ideas????  It will be my first time seeing Maynard in concert...I am SOOOO excited!!  I really hope they play The Nurse Who Loved Me, but that might be too much to hope for!

Honeymoon / Disneyland Swag

Hey Girlies!!  I was going through pictures and came across some pictures I had taken of some of the goodies/souvenirs my sweetie and I brought back from our 11-year-Better-Late-than-Never-Disneyland-Honeymoon trip.  

Newish to Disneyland is a program called Art on Demand.  When you enter the park, there is a store on the right-hand side of Main Street plaza where you can view all sorts of Disney art on a kiosk computer and then order the art you want in the dimensions you want on either paper or canvas.  You can order it with or without a frame.  

There was a subsection with original Disney storybook illustrations.  This was my favorite subsection!!!  It was really hard to pick just one, but I picked out the scene depicting Alice's entry to the Mad Tea Party.

The finished picture arrived at my house a couple short weeks later.

And I got the perfect frame on sale at Sears!!  I am definitely getting more of these any time I go back to Disneyland!!  (I already know the one I want!!  It is from the 1965 Fantasyland book which contains many Disney stories.  My Grandmother and my mother had this book and the illustrations are part of very dear memories of mine...I can't find the specific picture that is in my head, but below is another example from the same story to show you the style of artwork.)

I <3 art!!  

I also love stuffed animals!  

Here are my Mama & Baby Yetis (from the Matterhorn).  They are unbelievably soft!!  I love that the Mama looks like a giant snowball with hands and feet!  These were actually ordered from the Disney Parks section of the Disney store website.  They used to carry them at the park, but don't anymore.

Sully and Bolt.  I love that Sully is round like my Mama Yeti!

Not completely round, though...he does have a tail.

Another store in Main Street Plaza has INCREDIBLE hand carved light up boxes depicting scenes from Disney films.  I really really wanted the one with Prince Philip leaning over to wake Sleeping Beauty, but they were out of those.  I got the 2nd best one....Alice at the Mad Tea Party!

This is the box unlit....the button to turn on the light is actually one of the leaves on the scrolling....pretty cool!

All lit up on my makeup table

Close up to see the incredible detail....hand carved!!!

One of the first things I started collecting in my life was keychains....I try to get keychains from places and fun things that I get to do.

Laser cut Tink, Rainbow Prism Mickey Heads, Laser cut Sleeping Beauty Castle

Universal Studios globe, Simpsons Ride, and Hello Kitty.

Super cute shirt from the Art of the Disney Princess (incredible book!...I will definitely have to do a post about this book)

Hurray!!  Tokidoki shirt from the new Marvel line!!  Beaverton Things From Another World never has them in girl styles or sizes (although James tells me they will custom order for you) so I picked one up from a comic shop in LA.

My crystal Jiminy Cricket....at home on my makeup tray

This last one we bought to bring back to my mom-in-law...she LOVES Beauty and the Beast.

This rose will never wilt!  

Brand Spotlight: Avon

Hi girlies!!  I'm back today with another brand spotlight....this time on Avon.

The first group of colors I have for you is from Avon's Mirror Shine collection.  These were right up there among the first chrome polishes in my collection.  Super metallic - super duper shiny.

Avon Mirror Shine in Glisten, Luster, and Blast (left-right)

Close Up:  Blast, Glisten, and Luster - 2 coats each no topcoat

The second group of colors is from the Avon Nail Metallics collection.  These were purchased about the same time as the Mirror Shine....probably around 9 years ago.  The Mirror Shine polishes come with a special base coat.  I honestly don't know if there is anything really different about the base coat other than the fact that it dries kind of milky white on your nail.  

Avon Nail Metallics in Red Fire (w/ base coat) and Pink Chrome (w/ base coat)

Close up of Pink Chrome and Red Fire

After a bit of googling it appears that Avon still carries the Mirror Shine line (with updated bottle design); however, it appears that the Nail Metallics line is only available on auction sites, etc. 

Brand Spotlight: Afterthoughts

Hey Girlies!!  

I'm back with another brand spotlight!  This time the spotlight is on Afterthoughts, a store brand polish.  

Another trip down memory lane for this one.  This is also one of the oldest polishes that I own.  I bought this polish from Afterthoughts when I worked there at age 17.  Honestly, I don't think Afterthoughts is around anymore.  I didn't follow the evolution that closely, but I think Afterthoughts was what Icing is today.  Kinda like Claire's older sister :)

This polish is called Waay Kool.  On the swatch below I used 2 coats.  It is a shimmery cloudy steel color.  

Comparison shot:  Top left Afterthoughts Waay Kool

Top right Wet n Wild Rock Solid in Sterling Silver

Bottom Center OPI Brand New Skates

Waay Kool is closest to WNW Sterling Silver, with Sterling Silver showing a bit of brassiness in the steel.  Brand New Skates is a bit lighter with subtle prismatic shimmer.

Disney Flair

Hey Girlies!

As you may or may not know, last month, my sweet husband and I finally went on our honeymoon (only 11 years late) to Disneyland!

Before we left, I spent a lot of time talking with my friend Victoria, who is a seasoned Disneyland veteran to get tips and advice.  One of the things she told me about was the pin trading program.  The way it works is that you get a lanyard and pins that you wear (it is recommended to get at least some that are on sale or that you don't mind parting with); when you see Disney cast member with pins ask to see them....if they have a pin you like, ask to trade....a Disney cast member MUST trade with you!!  It is awesome!  So much fun to keep pins on your radar and see all the really cool ones people have collected.  My lanyard was often a topic of conversation in line!  Even my husband got in on the fun!

First are close ups or my sweetie's pins:

Baby Aladdin (trade), Fire Dragon Mickey, Haunted Mansion Mickey, Peace Mickey

Star Wars Rebel Mickey, Star Wars Imperial Mickey, Donut Mickey, & Concrete Mickey (?-trade)

Watermelon Mickey (trade), Wall-E, and Earth Day Kermie!

Now for the close ups of mine:

Wedding Mickey & Minnie to commemorate our honeymoon trip

I love this limited edition one!  I love Sleeping Beauty and feel a stronger connection to it since Sam and I saw the Sleeping Beauty Ballet last year.  

This beauty commemorates the World of Color show (trade!)

“Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis. Is this haunted room actually stretching? Or is it your imagination, hmm…?”

Squee!!  My favorite picture from the Haunted Mansion!  This version is starring Minnie!  

Then we have the secret host of the Matterhorn, Yeti!

I <3 this pin!  So sparkly and the Yeti slides up the pin like he's climbing the mountain!

I got this pin because it was an Alice pin and had the most characters on it of all the Alice pins...it also commemorates meeting Alice & The Mad Hatter at the park!

This was my 2nd time at Disneyland and my 1st on It's a Small World...let me just say, LOVE IT!!   So bright and sparkly and beautiful and I LOVED the addition of the Disney characters!

This beauty is like a fake snowglobe with giant blue hex glitter in it.

One of my absolute favorites!!  My pink sparkly dangly Pirates of the Caribbean pin!

Tink & Baby Cinderella (both trades)

Baby Tink & Snowflake Fauna (both trades)

Boo & Jiminy Cricket

Eve & Cheshire Cat 

This super sparkly Mickey is in honor of the gorgeous earring and necklace set Sam got my as a gift for our anniversary last year (it was a teaser for our honeymoon trip)

Last but not least, a 2011 with Tink.

Have you been to Disneyland?  Have you ever participated in the pin trading?

ROTD! (I'm a nerd edition)

My first Ring of the Day!!

I love rings!!  I have quite a few and decided to share some of my favorites.

Today's ring is special.  In honor of the release of the Green Lantern I am wearing my Green Lantern ring.  My sweetie knows what a nerd I am and picked me up one from Floating World Comics in Portland last summer.  A few months later, I got the whole set of lantern rings from the Beaverton Things From Another World store.  (Thanks James!)

*I do have to note that the rings are HUGE!!  I wrapped masking tape around the the base of the ring until it fits comfortably.  The tape is only visible on the palm of my hand of the profile of my finger....no bigs deals.*

To coordinate with my Green Lantern ring, I am also wearing the green Mickey ring I ordered when we got back from our Disneyland honeymoon.  I bought a pink one at the park and loved it so much I had them send me the other 5 colors when I got home.

Hopefully, I will get a chance to see the Green Lantern this weekend with at least 2 of my boys (our youngest doesn't usually like to go to the theater, but will make exceptions for certain movies).

Random Recent Hauls

Hey Girlies!

I've gotten a little backlogged with successful polish hunts recently, so I've decided to purge several at once...here goes:

First a couple of dusties purchased from a salon in Cedar Hills Crossing:

China Glaze Pom Pom & China Glaze Cosmic

Both these shades are from China Glaze's Specialty Collection.....one of my favorite collections of all time!

The next 2 were purchased at Fred Meyer's.

LA Splash Baby Octopus

I love the pretty rainbows!!  Dancing prisms always remind me of Pollyanna!

My last Revlon scented polish!  Somehow I never got Pretty in Papaya, so I fixed that.  I have all the Revlon scented polishes so far with the exception of the beach and ocean scented ones....I love Strawberry Shortcake dolls and scented markers not the scented stickers of bizarre things!

From a different Fred Meyer's we have another LA Splash.

LA Splash Embellished

Absolutely breathtaking.  The swatch is droolworthy!

The next 2 are from Ulta:

Essence Irreplaceable & OPI DS Jewel

Both these polishes are incredibly hard to photograph.  Jewel is almost a wine color with an olive gold duochrome to it and Irreplaceable is a very light beige with subtle gold shimmer throughout.  

Another day at Ulta:

I picked up Essence Where Is The Party? 

a very pretty purple to teal to green multichrome

My first Glam Slam duo!  OPI Spark De Triomphe & OPI White Shatter

and Glam Slam duo #2 OPI Rally Pretty Pink and OPI Red Shatter

From Sally Beauty Supply:

Finger Paints Art You Wondering? & Finger Paints Purple Palette

From Target:

Sally Hansen In The Spotlight & Sally Hansen Snappy Sprinkles

From Fred Meyer's:

OPI Not Like the Movies & OPI Teenage Dream

OPI Last Friday Night & OPI The One That Got Away

Along with OPI black shatter, these colors make up the OPI Katy Perry collection

From Ulta:

OPI Skull and Glossbones & OPI Steady as She Roes

OPI Planks a Lot & OPI Sparrow Me the Drama

OPI Stranger Tides & OPI Mermaid's Tears

together with OPI Silver Shatter these colors make up the OPI Pirates of the Caribbean collection

Whew!!  That feel like a huge load off my mind!  More detailed reviews and swatches to come.