I didn’t intend to buy any Holo Taco when I walked into ULTA last weekend. I just wanted to “window shop “ our new store in town, pick up a mascara, and see what HT that I might want during any future HT sale.

Insert extreme disappointment in walking the entire store without locating the display, then asking the one employee I could find only to find our store doesn’t carry HT. (🤬)

Found a mascara, picked up an Essie I’d been wanting after seeing them on sale, and went home.

Got home, realized said sale sticker seemed to imply all nail polish. Promptly got on ULTA and website to confirm that said sale would not apply to a brand like HT.

I was wrong. Two hours and lots of “add to cart”/“delete from cart,” and yawning later I checked out with these pretties just before midnight and they already came home today!!! (Thanks ULTA, UPS, and USPS for the awesome service speed!)

Do they have boxes included like the two HT orders I’ve made to buy the only other HT polish I have? No. But these came in at a steal with the free shipping I reached with the lot of them!!!

Now my only problem is what to start with?🤔

Thanks for looking and listening! I knew this group would “get”’ it!”

Just curious. I’ve got one in my cart (the Baroness but I’m eyeing up the Beau Reves too… plus if I were to get one I’d maybe pickup a KBS base coat.

I love to window shop this every month! I’ve only ordered once though. Saw YouTube swatches of that Baroness yesterday though that had it in my dreams last night… 😂

Nails were Born Pretty Sunset Glow (dang I wish that looked like it does in that photo more than just outdoors when the cloud cover was just right), then Morgan Taylor Dew Me a Favor with stamping.

Happy October NBers!!!! I hope yours is going awesome!

Blessings,
C

I found myself suddenly in the mood for a copper-y orangey coral, and thought right away of this! I’m still beyond blown away and grateful for the kind soul that sent me this as a surprise! 🙏🙏🙏🙏💖💝 She is an angel!

The name itself makes it a winner in my book, but would you look at that glow??! I can’t get over it! This is two coats plus top coat.

Perfect timing to wear her, too, as my boy had a routine vet visit today and allowed me to enjoy the beautiful day outside and these nails!

Happy new week, all!!!! I hope yours has started out awesome!!!

The past couple of days I’ve worn Color Club’s We’ll Never Be Royals, and I’m now reminded of how much I adore a good multichrome and how I really could use one or two more. But with prices of everything so darn high these days, a girl has to be mindful of her expenses and careful with her choices.

So- NBers, tell me your recommendations for more affordably-priced multi chromes out there that actually transition between colors enough to be not only noticeable, but unquestionable (and share swatches if you have them!!!!)!

I prefer something that’s opaque in 2 or less quotes, and does not require an undie.

Thanks in advance!

(Google search result picture for attention only)

A rundown of what I've worn in the last month - sorry for the spam!

I'm loving painting my nails again and I pray it can continue!

1. OPI Mexico City Move-Mint - a lemming I've had for at least a year and a couple months back nabbed a brand new bottle in the clearance at TJ Maxx! Yay!
2. Modelones Nail Polish (Amazon) Luna Rose - to be honest I shouldn't have put this on in the first place. I wasn't feeling it but wanted to see if it would "work" in the moment since I hadn't worn it in a long time. Doesn't help to try to scratch an itch for color with a subtle shimmer. Honestly I love this polish, I just wasn't feeling it that day so promptly replaced it with...
3. Morgan Taylor Animaz-Ing Color! - The name fits!!! And was a perfect, bright pop to look forward to attending our State Fair with my dad the next week. Unfortunately it chipped pretty quick (I'm not wearing top coat right now in an effort to minimize layers and making removal as non-invasive as possible), but that was alright because while I loved it the first few days, I was over it by the time it chipped. 😆
4. ELF Cosmetics Yellow - this is a way-old mini that came in a set of I think 3 what seems like many moons ago (all equally as vibrant) and was PERFECT for the butter-yellow-but-brighter look I wanted in the moment AND wore this to the fair with my dad. For some extra spice, I added a coat of Holo Taco Everything Taco over top (a freebie chosen in one of the 2 orders I've gotten from them, both containing at least one free NP with purchase). Again, it chipped - but I was over it. It chipped AT the fair, mind you... hundreds of miles away from my NP remover! haha
5. Sally Hansen The Queens Velvet - I was inspired by colors posters were sharing on another Reddit NP sub (in response to "Last mani of August/First mani of September") and was excited to finally wear this. I got it a couple of years ago at CVS (pretty sure with a coupon since that's how I roll) when I was totally wanting it on my nails but wasn't able to change my mani in time while that feeling lasted. It hit the spot PERECTLY this time, and true to it's name, it dries a lovely velvet (without top coat). I adored it and wore it about a day or so over Labor Day weekend like this until I...
   • Added a coat of PopArazzi Born a Unicorn (a CVS birthday freebie) over top - fist-bump that I KILLED the craving I had for a PPU order this month (I haven't done one in... a year or more I think? Probably since Feb 2025) for a mysterious mauve/purple polish. Sure, it's not see-through like the ones I saw were but it's good enough for me and FREE to boot since I used polish already in my collection.
   • Today, I added stamping with Uber Chic Woodland Chic 02 - not that I love the stamping but I've been itching to stamp again BAD so grabbed one of the first plates that I opened my zippered binder to and went to down as I needed to get going for work. Plus, I was starting to see tipwear with the dark base color so I needed something to make 'er last until my next "eureka! I want THAT color!" on my nails thought appears... and time to do a mani with it!

Thanks so much for looking! I hope ya'll are having a great week!

Blessings & virtual NP hugs,
C

Ya'll I've been struggling... you may remember that I've had a few bad nail breaks (this spring and last summer), and finally saw dermatology in June. Well, long story short, she doesn't know what it is, either, and wants to pass me on to yet another specialist. I'm waiting to hear back from specialist 1, after which I'll go to my primary and ask for his feedback. I'd rather not add specialist 4 to the calendar (nor my financial burdens) this year if I can help it, and I kind of think specialist 1's area is where the ticket is at. Anyway, I won't bore you with more details than I already have here (sorry - I just know ya'll know how much joy nails bring, and it's been a big SUCK not only not getting to enjoy painting mine, but being, well, ashamed of them).

1. First up, last week I celebrated the rule out of one thing by eagerly trying LA Colors Color Mania Fandom. I had picked this up right about the time I saw the derm, as a celebration of prayerfully discovering what these nail issues are all about and righting what wrongs there are to heal. So, to celebrate the first rule out achievement, I put this lovely lady on. I think this was just 2 coats? I used an Ella + Milla base coat and an Olive & June QDTC (both brands are free of multiple harsh ingredients, and I picked those up several months ago when that nail broke off again). I took the polish off Sunday. It's the pinky purple my heart has been craving every summer! It's got a very subtle shimmer that makes it pull off almost as a creme but with that extra special spark.
2. Bonus kitteh beans. (Isn't he just the precious little cupcake?!)
3. Last night, I put on LA Colors Color Mania Lyrical, which I picked up at WM last week for a boost (along with 2 others 🤫). I thought I had something similar in my collection, and I found on my swatch sticks I do... well, did. My ChG Turned Up Turquoise looks pretty close to this on the swatch stick, but sadly by bottle has turned a definite chlorine pool blue. Well, I guess at least it means I didn't waste the $2.24 on this! 😁 This is 3 coats, and she stuns.
4. In the outdoor lighting she just glows!
5. And LOOK - she's a match to our fencer. 😂

On the 2nd mani, I figured I'd throw caution to the wind and use my forever base/top coat duo: Sally Hansen Miracle Cure base and Seche Vite QDTC. We'll see what happens. Maybe that'll solve all these nail problems (please, Lord, please!!!)

If you made it through all of this, God bless you. And even if you didn't, God bless you anyway because you're a nail fanatic too and you are awesome. 🥰

Have a beautiful day, NBers!

Blessings,
C

I say recent because the last one you may have even seen before. Each of these I’ve worn about a week, including the current (LA Colors Super Bloom), hence the tip wear. Love this color!

Second was the Father’s Day mani of last week I’d hoped to stamp on but never got a chance to before seeing my dad.

Then OPI Hue is the Artist with maniology plate stamping.

Tonight the polish comes off (or in the morning) to prepare for the derm appointment next week.

Have a great weekend!

Not that hot IRL. Maybe if I had a top coat on but I skipped that to avoid ingredients. My lifted nail MIGHT be showing signs of life (maybe I’m imagining it- if I’m not, the growth would be extremely small but growth nonetheless).

I was getting sad looking at my ugly naked nails (I had Julep Take a Breather on all but the lifted one for 2 weeks… offered some protection and hopefully did them some good.

My primary thinks its nutritional related and doesn’t feel its fungal (yay!), but did say it wouldn’t hurt to see a derm when I asked so I’ll see if I can get into one when I’m already in that town for other appointments.

Have a great week, all!

Blessings,
C

Good morning, e-reader friends!

I purchased a Kindle Paperwhite 12th gen to my dilemma of my newer Kindle Fire keeping me awake at night when I was reading it despite maxing out all the low light settings. I love it. ADORE IT!

I've ordered a number of cases to try on it so far, and have narrowed it down to two presently with similar features: they both have the magnetic back and sleep/wake capabilities when the cover is opened and closed, the strap for holding it (extremely helpful for walking & reading like I often do), and they both have the stand (which I probably won't use). More or less, what I can't decide on is the material. They also both have the "insert" area for the Kindle inside the binding, pointing toward the crease, which I feel is more secure (I have been known to trip and nearly take diggers when walking and reading 😆), plus is way easier for me to get the Kindle in and out if I need to clean it or whatever. One just has a flap to hold it in, while the other has the flap that secures with velcro... more below.

1. Case 1 is a fun floral, and turns out is the exact same case my mom has for her Kindle she purchased 2-ish years ago. That wasn't intentional - it just had great reviews and was the cheapest color option in the lineup from that particular maker when I ordered it and I thought I could live with it. The covering seems fairly durable, and given I've seen mom's case after two years of use now and it appears to still look pretty good despite her lack of concern for caring for it and keeping it clean is worth keeping in mind for me... since no device lasts forever, I DO want the case I choose for it to last the lifespan of the device. This is the case with the added security of velcro on the strap that holds the Kindle in the device, which I think is a nice win.
2. Case 2 is a "pleather" Book-look style like the picture shown, and it is soooooooooooooo pretty. I love the idea of it looking like a real book, because it contains books inside, after all! But my concern is over the material and how long it will last and stay looking nice. Ladies, you probably get what I mean if you've ever purchased a faux leather handbag... use them long enough and despite truly careful care, most of them start to "flake" and reveal the materials beneath the surface of the overlay. It gets ugly. And it is no longer presentable nor does it make me happy at that point any longer. This is the one with just a "pleather" strap that folds over the Kindle where it inserts into the case, though in this case my device fits much more snugly than in the floral one, and to be honest it'll take a bit of effort to get it in and out, so maybe that's a mute point.

I paid the same price for each of them, so that's not a factor.

For those of you that have owned and used "pleather" e-reader cases/covers, please share your experiences with me!!!

Which one is going to last longest and be the best value and look the nicest still if/when it's time to lay this device to rest and get a new one sometime that I pray is a loonnnnggg time in the future?