This photo is pre-cleanup, so forgive me, but I was a little disappointed at how out of practice I am with Konad anymore so I was not very driven to make it perfect. I like the idea and the colors together, but it was just sloppy. I thought I'd post it anyway for you guys who are looking for ideas of color combos and stuff for your konadicures. I used China Glaze Agent Lavender (I friggin love this polish) for the base, then China Glaze Grape Pop for the stamp and China Glaze Four Leaf Clover for the dots. Don't forget that you can get 30% off your konad supply order from wowsocool.com (excluding the Build Your Own Kit) with the code BEAUTOPIA!

If you're in the same part of the country as me, you probably don't have time to browse Sephora because you're too busy digging yourself out from under two feet of snow. Or perhaps you're enjoying mild weather elsewhere, you jerk ;p Either way, there's nothing better than a little internet window-shopping. Here are a few deals and fun products that Beautopia is drooling at this week.

LORAC has a new lipgloss, and while I'm just not prepared to break my lipstuff no-buy since I have enough to gloss up everyone on the east coast. However, perhaps one of you lovely ladies will let me know what you think if you try any of these. Cliche and Vivid look amazing. Just sayin.

Bobbi Brown Calypso Coral Pot Rouge is back, baby!

If you've got green eyes like me, you'll want to take a look at MAC's new Crush Metal Pigment: Stacked 1! (the exclamation is theirs) it's got amazing purples and lilacs that will make your eyes pop and they're all detachable from the stack. Very cool.

I'm a sucker for lipstains and when faced with one that is all natural and great for my lips, I'm sort of cooked. Tarte's brand new stain that claims to up moisture in your lips by 6000%. Yes, six thousand. Anyway, I want it.

Transdesign.com has the new Color Club Rebel Debutante Collection, and I've got four to show you this week. These are worth checking out at just $2.50 a pop. The colors are great and they apply and wear really well.

I'm already working on my boyfriend for my birthday present, which I hope will be the Clarisonic Mia in Pink! I sort of want the regular Clarisonic, because I can take it into the shower, but I love the pink!

wowsocool.com has the newest Konad image plates! Whoo! Plus you can get 30% off with the code: BEAUTOPIA! The code is good on everything except the Build-Your-Own-Kit! They have an insanely low shipping rate of $2, or FREE for orders over $20!

Find out if you're a Sephora MVP or Rookie by taking their 11-question Facebook quiz!

Sephora Daily Hand Moisturizer $9 at sephora.com

As a hand cream junkie, i've tried dozens and dozens of creams and lotions made specifically for hand skin, and this is a fairly nice choice. One thing to really consider about this hand product is that it's really more of a lotion. Sephora by OPI does carry a heavier, more moisturizing choice filled with great oils and shea butter, though amazingly I have not tried it yet. This hand moisturizer is a great choice to keep in your bag, especially after the frequent handwashings of flu season. I sometimes feel a little silly using a heavy cream when I know I'll be washing my hands again in under an hour. The texture is all lotion, though a rich lotion at that. There really is no greasy feeling left behind but my hands always feel well-moisturized after using it. The scent is amazing, and this is coming from someone who dislikes floral scents, because it smells completely accurate and authentic. I can almost feel the silky touch of a flower on my nose when I sniff this. At a price point of just $9 for 4oz, I feel like it's a steal. Overall, I really love the light but effective moisturization, and even though the packaging might seem a bit cumbersome in it's length, I do like that it's easy to find in my bag.

The first Konad-icure I've done in months, this manicure didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to. I think I need some striping tape to separate these two designs. Perhaps I'll try it in the future and show you guys a pic. Anyhoo, this is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear polish for the base, don't recall the name but it's the creme black, then I used China Glaze Passion for the cheetah and China Glaze Millenium for the zebra. Need some Konad gear? Get it for 30% off at wowsocool.com (excluding the Build Your Own Kit) with the code BEAUTOPIA!

Wowsocool.com is where I've gotten all my stamping supplies since I started using Konad a couple years ago. My boyfriend actually now sometimes refers to things as being "wowsocool" because he's so amused by how excited I get over receiving my orders from them. If you already love or would like to try your hand at Konad, rejoice Beautopia readers because wowsocool.com is giving you 30% off with the code BEAUTOPIA! This offer is good on anything in their store except the Build-Your-Own-Kits which are already discounted. The newest plates will all be available by the end of the month, so definitely check those out. I'm very excited for them, myself! Don't forget that the shipping is only $2 and if you buy more than $20 your shipping is free!! Below I've included some recommendations for accessories, make sure to check out all the design galleries on wowsocool to help you make your plate choices! I like the scallop edged lighter pink scraper, but I like the long double-sided stamper better, so I recommend both of these though I don't really use the dark pink scraper. The holder comes in handy for my, it keeps the plates in place and makes for easier clean up, but you can obviously do Konad without it.

(Just want to add that, no, Beautopia isn't paid for your order, Beautopia and wowsocool just want you to Konad it up):

Click to see some of my Konad-icures, polish and plate breakdowns can be found on my Galleries page.  

This mani was a product of the mania that follows all polka-dot manicures; more polka-dot manicures, as well as both my daughter's and her dad's birthdays this week.  I used: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On for the base and the dots are China Glaze Heli-yum, Color Club Explosive, China Glaze Four Leaf Clover, Orly Calypso Breeze and China Glaze Grape Pop. I also used a dotting tool that I got from 8ty8beauty.com.

It's been forever since I've done a polka dot manicure, and after my daughter requested one as her manicure, I really was in the mood to do one. They're so cute, and simple, and the color combinations are endless. Here I've used Rescue Beauty Lounge Teal for the base shade and Illamasqua Muse for the dots. I also used a dotting tool that I ordered from www.8ty8beauty.com.

Click for more pics!

This is one of the more interesting top coats I've used, because like Out The Door holographic topcoat, all the glitter settles at the bottom and you shake it up to diffuse it throughout the polish. The cool part is that you can shake it a little for a little bit of shimmer, or shake it up till there's none left on the bottom and really shimmer it up. The base of this lacquer is very watery, it literally feels like water, and you must apply very thin coats as it will run towards the sides of your nails. There is barely any surface tension at all, but it does dry very quickly, so those many thin coats won't cause a huge problem. Here, I've shaken the living hell out of this bottle and applied it to my previous Chanel Black Satin manicure in two coats. You can see it's really subtle, but it's actually really visible in low light. Sunlight is where it's at it's most glorious, however my camera will not capture it. Of course. This is the third surprise Chanel delivery from that dear friend o' mine you've read about previously. I heart her, she's very thoughtful, and I don't think that this is one I would have ever known about if it hadn't been one of her personal favorites. This is a very cool polish to have, though you can find silver topcoats in any brand, I do think the delicate look of this one is really something special.

Check out the rest of my Chanel Le Vernis reviews and photos here.

Click for more pics!

So begins the first week of my new self-challenge, Project: Swatch. After the jump you'll find 25 polishes, both randomly chosen and requested, from my stash that I have yet to photograph. My hope is at the end of 6 weeks, all my yet-to-be photographed polishes will be snapped and entered into my new Flickr Photostream. Each week I'll also include the link to the updated list of remaining polishes and you can make requests from the list and leave them in a comment below. Let me know what you'd like to see. Here's the list!

Click the jump for the swatches! I highly recommend clicking to view the full-size photos!

Meteor Shower is part of the recent Specialty Collection and is available at transdesign.com and head2toebeauty.com as well as at select Sally Beauty Stores

One of only a couple of the China Glaze Specialty Collection that is in a dark base. Meteor Shower is a deep navy blue filled with tons of multi-colored opalescent glitter. I love this color in the bottle and on the nail, but the base shade is a little too opaque to be able to appreciate all the amazing glitter. Adding two coats of Orly Glosser and a coat of Seche Vite creates a glassy finish which enhances the final result a bit, but i might be adding just a teeny bit of clear nail polish to it to thin the base out a bit. I love these glitters as they're all amazing and wear like iron. I definitely recommend Meteor Shower.

Click to see more photos