All I Want for Christmas is Thos Colour To Photograph Correctly!

Do you ever just realize you have the most amazing friends ever? I had a Christmas party on Friday and literally got the best gifts ever. Hailey, Emily, Andrew, Kamal, Victoria and Melissa, I do not deserve you. Thank you so much!
Anyways, I wore this lovely mani of turned up turquoise by China Glaze and Ulta3 Luck of The Irish. Yup, I wear St Patricks nail polish for Christmas, gotta problem?
Anyways, I can NEVER get TUT to photograph correctly to colour, and if I tried to correct it, it just ended up messing up LotI. Soooo.... Anyways, TUT is much more green in real life, but still distinctively turquoise. LotI is a gorgeous bright pure green. No anything, just green. This is 3 coats of the China Glaze, 2 coats of the Ulta3. Artificial lighting.

Cinnamon From Santa

it's a major pet peeve of mine when Christmas stuff starts crazy early. It's like, can we please get through November first? At least wait until the kiddos get the candy and the pumpkins come down.
But I will wear seasonal nail colours all year round, with some exceptions, of course :)
This is Santas Cinnamon, a red glitter suspended in a red jelly base. 3 thin coats, though two thick would work (though that tends to deposit less glitter). The ending result for these types of glitter is to some extent, exactly the same, so you could easily use the NYC polish since this is long gone, but this has a great formula, and best of all, smells like cinnamon, which makes it unique to all the other clones.
If you can get it, do it now. This collection was like my favorite, and I am still going crazy for the two I still need.
However, don't sweat to much if you syl really want it, as there are a million other lookalikes out there :)

Mish or Mash?

Ohmyflerbinggerrdddd!!! It's November! Did I really just miss a whole month of posting?
...
Oops.


Anyway....
I'll make it up with a tots cray cray polish. Here we have Ozotic 503, part of their Mish Mash collection, because it's a Mish mash of different finishes. I'm kinda guessing though, that word is NOT Canadian. Just get me some poutine and a double double, mkay?
Anyways, this is a duochrome, linear holo. Nom nom nom. Okay, so I'm aware these aren't as super crazy precious as they were, because of all the indies out now. But as someone who doesn't shop online (I know, I'm afreak of nature...), it's a real score.
503 has a great formula too. Smooth and flowy and not brushstrokey and it drys quickly. The colour shift is gorgeous, it's ever shifting, and hopefully my pictures are okay, though it's like a million times better in real life. It's shifts from blue, to purple to red to, just barely, yellow.
And while you don't often get crazy bam holo, AND crazy bam multichrome at the same time, multichrome works best in shade, and holos best in sun, so your nails are always look fantabulous.
2 coats (I believe? 99% sure), over black. Artificial lighting.

Irrational Fears

Hey everyone!
I just did something totally awesome, but you'll have to wait to see!
Anyways, today I have to thank the lovely Lamisha for being my awesome photographer. All these hand shots are compliments of her!
I did a totally awesome gradient manicure using two of OPI's Liquid Sands, Honey Ryder and What Wizardry is This? I wanted to figure out a fun way to use What Wizardry, I got it from OPI as a replacement for my hot mess bottle of When Monkeys Fly!, which I wanted to love soo much, but the curling was horrid.
Anyways, I am a total chicken when it comes to the colour brown. I do not like it. I got this and was all like, Imma wear this! It's not even brown brown... It's like green-y bronze.
But then it sits in my drawer, sad and slowly getting dusty...
So I figured out a way to incorporate it into a manicure and I loved it! It reminds me of lions. And I got soo many compliments, I'm definitely going to have to wear What Wizardry again... Maybe on its own?
Two coats of Honey Ryder followed by a sponged layer of both. Lighting is study hall lol.
Thanks again to Lamisha!

LOL, Isn't OMG A UFO a GR8 name?

Hey!
How's everything going? School and dance has started up, and I am sore. I have at least an hour and fifteen minutes everyday, and then two other classes, jazz and ballet for an extra hour every night. The develops and splits (3 minutes each y'all!) are killing me.
Anyways, today we have a nice old nail post, it's my OMG A UFO NOTD (sorry I had too...).
OMG A UFO is from the not-so-recent China Glaze Hologlam collection, the newest of China Glaze's four holographic collection. This collection was a.... Let down. There's not much of a better explanation. It was leaked/released a crazy amount of time in advanced, and was touted as a more affordable, more easily accessible holographic collection. And it used the same pigments as the mythical
OMG collection.
Sadly, China Glaze has lost its holo magic. It might have been a great pigment, but there wasn't enough of it to actually show up. I actually prefer the Tronica collection to this one. While it wasn't quite as holo, it had that really pretty kinda grainy look when it wasn't sunny, while Hologlam looks bland.
Anyways, for the crazy $10+ each, there was no way that I was getting any, however they went on sale at Sally's so I got three for around $1.75 each. I figured I tried this one first, as it's a cool golden-y green colour.
This was two or three coats (sorry! I forgot to write it down, or just remember...) It's really pretty when you occasionally get that holo, and it seems to love my bathroom lighting lol.
Anyways, it's a lovely polish and I like it, just for $2, not for $12.

Velvet and Suede

Happy Friday the 13th y'all!!!
First off, I'm glad that you seemed to enjoy my little DIY post, I will definitely do some more of those if its something you enjoy :)
Today we have Julep Minka, what they describe as an oxblood suede. I see it more as a rusty colour, but julep did not have the best luck with describing the colours in this collection. Ah well. This lasted a decent amount of time. Suedes dry crazy fast, but that also means they are more prone to chipping, unfortunately. It lasted 2 days chip free, but got some wear by the 3rd, when I took it off.
I adore the suede look still, and I think it's perfect for fall. Not to mention how great a nice 2 coater that dries before your done both hands. Totally great when your in a rush.
Plus, it totally went with the cupcakes we got. Mmm, I love me some red velvet cupcakes. Thanks mom!!!
Artificial and natural non direct lighting.

Lemme Fix That For You

Recently I came in possession of a beat up Apple charger. I almost threw it out, but figured if check to see if it worked, as I need (okay, want) one for my car, since I am a heavy phone user and full batteries are never a bad thing :) Why not take advantage of my Civic's USB port?
And guess what? It worked! Hurrah! I wasn't expecting that though, so the next problem arose. It was pretty beat up. There are scuffs and cuts and, as you can see, it has torn on the end and in the middle. I thought about different methods of fixing it and ended up using a wee bit of white electrical tape to fix the rips. But there was still the whole general ugliness of the thing. I figured I'd just have to deal with it, but had the wonderful epiphany of using a bit of washi tape. I recently got a set of 4 in various simple, clean designs and bright colours. They were only $1- for all four! And washi tape seemed like the perfect thing to use. Cheap, easy to use, easy to remove it need be and most importantly; pretty! Lol. It was super easy and I covered the whole cord without much effort or tape. This is perfect for broken cords, and I've also added a bit on the ends of my other ones to prevent them breaking. I recommend 100%!
Simple, cute and affordable. Just simply rip off a piece of tape in desired length and wrap lengthwise (I've added quick pictures to help better explain).

**Just as a disclaimer, tampering with anything electrical has its potential risks and dangers, and caution should always be used during and after changing the piece. However, with that said, I have been using this for a couple weeks now and no negative issues or problems have arisen thus far. Just use common sense and caution.

Stephanie Randomly Chatting, Probably To No One...

A long chain of events and just general business has taken me away from blogging. We've had a ton o' fun with day trips and small vacations (nothing major this year though, hopefully next summer), and doing LOTS of home reno and DIY. Cuz this gal Does It Herself! Lol, I'm sorry for that outburst... But there had been lots of buying and selling on kijiji (luuuvvvv that site), painting, rearranging and creating. I have to show you guys the makeup section of my bathroom now that it's painted.
I've also been volunteering lots at my lovely cat rescue, singing dancing and acting with my theatre troupe, who I have done Monty Python, Hairspray and West Side Story with. Also, dealing with my defective knees, who had been a major pain.
Anyways, I've also found my self a new passion, because one or two money sucking, time wasting hobbies are clearly not enough. But fish are small and pretty and colorful and they move and they are shiny and I like them. And they don't eat your mangoes off the table when you aren't looking (cough cough, Blue), and they don't scream at you for food (guinea pigs...) and they don't knock everything over with their cone collar after their neutered (...Lily).
I've had some trials and tribulations, but I am really enjoying it. The tank is really stunning.
Plus, I think the tank accents my nails quite nicely.
Now for a random assortment of photos I've amassed on my iPhone.

Citrus Mixer

Hey everybody!
See I told you :D here I am with another lovely nail post. And lo and behold, we have some nail art!
Keep in mind that my nail art is crazy simple. Half moons, gradients, ombrés, simple stuff like that. I don't think I'll ever be one to paint the Mona Lisa or Last Supper on my digits.
Anyways, this is a simple duo tone colour block mani using Essence Lime Up! and Walking On Sunshine. Lime Up! is now available in the new bottles, but my pretty shimmery sunshine yellow has been discontinued.
This was three coats of each, plus top coat. Super easy, and crazy long lasting. This picture was taken on the 4th day of wear.

Get On Your Tuxes!

Wow. It's been a while hasn't it? I just checked to see when the last time I posted was. 10 days ago. Whoa. So, here's another quickie notd post, in my sad attempt to catch up... I am working on some new content and just getting out of this rut though, so yay to that!
Behold- Black Tie Affair, Hard Candy's take on this whole black and white party. And while I think you'd get kicked out of an actual black tie event for wearing this, it's fun and cute and was super cheap. They're like $4 normally and I had a $1 off coupon. This was great, one thick coat on top of China Glaze Aquadelic, in my bathroom lighting.
It's funny, because I remember that huge big dramafest between Lyndrella and Cover Band when they copied her, and now every drugstore, salon and indie brand has there own version. I personally have no problem with dupes, with any kind of brand, as long as their not too blatant and preferably in a different price bracket. What do y'all think? Do you agree with me or take a different stance?

Dubai Royalty

Secret confession: I do nail art a lot. Like a lot. But I never post it on the blog. Like never. Why? I have no idea. Mysteries of life I guess. But I really want to post it more often, because that's what you viewers want. Here's something simple today, a nice glitter gradient using Ulta3 Pot Of Gold, and Bloom Dubai. Both of these are Aussie brands from the wonderful girls out there. Thank you! Dubai is soo glowy. I wish it would translate to camera. Sigh. Just imagine a rich purple crushed velvet in nail polish form. And combined with the gorgeous yellowy gold of Pot Of Gold, it looks so royal and extravagant. I love it. The way I did the gradient was by painting a coat on just the tip, then some a little bit higher, then another higher up to form a gradient. This was two coats of Dubai. It was too thick for the little mini bottles brush, but a little bit of thinner made it a dream. Artificial lighting.

May Be I'll Catch Up With My Haul Posts?

Hey Guys! Happy Canada Day and 4th of July!!! I had a pretty Canada mani, but I forgot to take a picture and when I came home they were beyond repair. We went to a local park for fireworks and saw Hedley and Anjulie and I was rough on my hands. Sorry! Hopefully you all a had fun, patriotic week!
Time for May's haul! And yes, I know it's July... sheesh at least it's not Aprils...
May was a pretty quiet month though, I only bought enough for one picture! So the Color Clubs were full price. Ouch, I know. The store was having a sale on everything... Except Color Club, and I only found out after I paid and checked out. But it was a cheaper store, so they were still only like $17 together, instead of $10-$15. And other holos are MUCH more. Justified! Everything else was cheap. The Claire's (full sized) were 10 for $10, and I got them to hit the limit, they stripers were $.97 and I want to get into nail art more, so I got them. I really need to start posting my attempts. I just never post them, and I don't take pictures half the time because when they are all zoomed up on a screen they look much worse than IRL. Then they Sally Girl was $1, but I got it to get a free bag, and then it was an extra like, 20% off too. And I've been wanting a clear glow top coat. The two Claire's minis were from a friend. She didn't like them and had gone all gloppy so I saved them from a garbage and thinned them and I really like them! So win!
That's it! See you later :D

Left to Right
Cherubic, Blue Heaven, Unnamed Magnetix, Unnamed Glow In The Dark, Unnamed Mini Neon Coral, Unnamed Mini Neon Green, LA Colors Art Deco Purple Glitter, LA Colors Art Deco Dark Blue, Sally Girl U Glow Girl!

Not Such A Secret Anymore

Hey everybody! Another little NOTD that I've been holding onto forever. This is a gorgeous little Essence gem. Seriously, I love the Colour And Go line so much I may just have to suck up my dislike of the new bottles. This is A Lovely Secret by Essence, a pretty little purple with the most gorgeous shimmer. But the weird thing about it is the shimmer isn't shimmery, per say. It's almost like one of those grey undershirts with the craft type pattern. The ones that are a million little flecks of different greys? Well I just lost all of you.
Anyways, this is a cute little purple with a gorgeous formula. Three coats and it was nice and smooth, and it lasted forever without chipping. And it's unique. Ahh, what a dream polish. So sad it's discontinued. If you get the chance, snatch this baby up. Now.
Three coats, natural lighting.

It's Never Too Late? Right?!?

Eek! DOn't you hate it when you realize you forgot to do soemthing that you really needed to do? I went through one of those when I come up in the middle of the night and realized that I never posted my April Haul! I haven't posted any in a while actually, so in the next short while there's going to be a couple! Yay- if you like them of course- if not, ou have my permission to not read them :) In total, I bought 18 polishes, though 5 of them were free. And knowing me, everything else was pretty cheap. With that said, lets take a look!

I went out to Square One for a free tube of Clinique mascara from the Sephora, and left with a couple of goodies. None of the Icing minis have names, but four out of the five have different kinds of heart glitter, so for $2 all together I couldn't say no. Right? I'm a sucker for cute shaped glitter, Or any glitter, in general... At Sephora I got a Hello Kitty nail polish in Blueberry (because I love blue and am a crazy cat lady), and a Sephora+Pantone in Rose Gold. They were both an additional 15% off, so they came out to just over $6 together. Woot!

I know how I've been having some issues with China Glaze's interactions with some bloggers, but yet I own two more. It' s become harder and harder to actually find companies that are cruelty free and have great track records all arund, so I think I'm just going to have to start picking my battles. I've heard about so many people having great PR interactions with China Glaze, so I think I'll stick with them, for now at least. Plus, Victoria is obsessed with Josh Ramsay, so since Sally's was having a B2G1 free, I gave her a Mosiac Madness that matched Josh's hair. They came out to $4.80 all together. The OPI suede was $4.99 at Winners and the three Oz shades I won from a raffle at a beauty supply store. From left to right, Mosiac Madness, Glitz N' Pieces, What Wizardy Is This?, Don't Burst My Bubble!, Lights of Emera City and Ink Suede.

Finally, here are the Mish Mash purchases of April. I grabbed them from here and there. The NOPI in Top Of My World was $5.99, Beyond was the same price as well. The two Juleps, Debra and Leila, were a gift and Essence Shopping @ Portobello Road was $1.99.

Thanks for tuning in! I'd love to get a comment about what you'vev gotten recently. Anything good?

Double The Fun

Hello!!!
Incase you didn't already figure out I was excited by the surplus of explanation marks (I was thinking 12, but went with a wee bit more subtle).
Anyways, something very exciting has happened here in the RQA household. Last Sunday, we were blessed enough to get a little kitten! Yes, I know! Blue has been home alone longer and longer, and we wanted to get her a little buddy to hang out with. So we drove a couple of hours away, and came home with a fluffy 8 week old bundle of fluff.
Meet Lily.
It's a little different having two cats now, but after a day of two of hiss and run, we now have hours of cuddle, run and wrestle. Lily has fit in perfectly, and she is a gorgeous Snowshoe. We originally wanted another Siamese, but we saw her picture and fell in love. And she still had the little jewel blue eyes.
And yes, she is adopted!!!! We found her on one of the internets best resources, PetFinder.com . She is a purebred, her mother and the other kittens were dumped, and they are all perfect snowshoes. Just goes to show you that shelter pets aren't old, unwanted, ugly things. There's an abundance of all animals, including pure breeds, babies and even both in one package! It's no secret that I have been volunteering with Toronto Cat Rescue for years now, and have over a hundred hours logged with them. Shelter pets are definitely the way to go. There's one for everybody and they are usually much cheaper. A pet quality snowshoe easily costs 3x as much as Lily normally, plus she has all her shots, has been microchipped, and will be spayed free of charge. It was all included in the adoption fee.
Anyways, I am giddy. And so is Blue, she loves having a friend. We all get cosy wt night, and they'll lie on me and groom each other. Insert awws here, I know.
Also, in case anyone noticed, yes, she does bear a striking resemblance to Tard, aka Grumpy Cat :P
Look at the pictures, and try not to scream 'IT'S SO FLUFFY!!!' with delight.