NOTD: Finger Paints Decked With Dazzle

Finger Paints Decked With Dazzle

Finally some sun! This is an outside shot and really represents the true color. It's very pretty. And at two coats, I'm very happy!

I ran across some of the Revlon ColorStay topcoat at Big Lots, and I know a lot of people use this under their Seche Vite, so I gave that a try. I must say, I see no shrinkage and no tip wear on day 3, so I'm pretty impressed. The picture above was taken on day 2.

NOTD: Sephora by OPI Iris I Was Thinner

Sephora by OPI Iris I Was Thinner

(and yes, I wish I was)

A three coater, outside, but no sun. This pic is pretty close to the actual color.

I love it! So springy, and I even got a "Love your nail polish" comment at bible study last night. Typically I shun three coaters, but I didn't mind so much. One coat of Seche Vite and it dried quickly, just as a two coater would.

Week 11 CotW: Zoya Midori

Here's the third of my green CotW posts
for March in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

Week 10: Mar. 14-Mar. 20

Zoya's Midori

Midori is from the Zoya Ooh La La Summer 09 collection.
I thought L8R G8R was an Exorcist pea soup polish, but
this one takes that title ten times over-and then some.

Outdoors overcast sky
(sorry, it's been raining here for 4 days-it's the best I could do)

What you see above is 2 coats with a top coat.

On the Zoya website, Midori shows as having sparkles in it. I sure don't see them if they're there. I have a creamy frosty pea-green soup color on my nails right now. If I liked pea soup, I'd probably be hungry every time I look down. Since I don't, I'm not. That's probably a good thing since I'm trying to lose weight. ;P

Don't forget to head over to the giveaway post
and enter to win 2 OPI polishes!

Y'all have a great week!

Walkin' on the wild side ...

... well, just a little bit! I have started liking zebra print, but only in small doses. I thought I'd be brave and try out these fun tips. I am actually lovin' them ... I had dark pink acrylic put on as the back fill and clear acrylic put over the tips so they would stand out better (the dark pink would have added a sheer pink to the design).

Lacquer Link Love 3-12-10

Brooke took a tour of Hong Kong and has the polish swatches to prove it! Check out all the colors from OPI's newest collection and see which ones she loves the most at Babbling Brooke.

Tuli opened up a virtual polish market to facilitate polish swaps at Tuli's Nails! Check it out and sign up - someone may just be trading that polish you've been looking everywhere for.

Landa went totally holographic at Bright Lights, Big Color - and it only cost her $2!

Rija of Polishing the Nails has some Pistachio ice cream nails. Who would have thought a Laguna Lagoon would be so beautifully minty?

Check out how OPI's hottest new shade, Jade is the New Black, stacks up against a few other greens at Prim and Polished!

The Dutch Nail Blog swatched some scandalous polishes from Cheeky Monkey Cosmetics. Check out her great Konad and see just why these polishes are called 'Cheeky'!

Purple looks great with purple, especially on GildedAngel's nails! Pop over to Naive Nails to see her lovely Konad.

A taupe is a taupe is a taupe, right? Not so fast! Look at how a variety of taupes stack up against each other at The Swatchaholic. Which one is your favorite?

Are you loving Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland? Check out Therese's great Alice in Wonderland mani at Nail Design, and learn how to do it yourself with her tutorial!

Nail'd and Polish'd has some gorgeous pops of spring color from Ulta's polish collection. What's your favorite shade?

Get a taste of OPI's delicious Hong Kong collection at Manicure Mommas, and check out how gorgeous they look matte!

Take a walk down glittery Canal Street with Helen at Just Nice Things.

Did you love the Oscars? Relive the glamour and excitement with Niki's awesome manicure, representing each movie on one nail. Wow!

How does Nars Purple Rain stack up against China Glaze Let's Groove? Check out My Guilty Pleasure's comparison, and decide if the $21 price tag is worth it for the Nars!

And now.....Giveaways!!!

Check out...

Rija is giving away 6 gorgeous glittery polishes in celebration of her birthday. Check it out before March 21!

Win two polishes from the OPI Hong Kong collection at Manicure Mommas! Enter before March 22!

European readers, enter to win some Konad and China Glaze to get you polishing this spring at The Dutch Nail Blog! Enter before March 21.

Enter to win a boatload of goodies, including OPI polishes from the Hong Kong collection at Bright Lights, Big Color! Enter before March 19!

Babbling Brooke has teamed up with Designer Blogs to give away a blog makeover. Enter to win before March 27!

OPI Hong Kong Collection Review 2 of 2

Welcome to part 2 of my review of
the new OPI Hong Kong Collection.
If you missed part 1, you may find it here.


I am posting the colors in order of their bottle numbers.
All swatches are 3 coats over a base coat with no top coat unless otherwise indicated.
Click on the photos to enlarge.


First up, A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find:

A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find is a "zesty red-orange".

Outdoors in the sun:

A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find Matte:

Depending on how my hand was held, there appears to be VNL and other times there isn't. Go figure. I think this would be a great summer color, and may look better on me with a bit of a tan. As pale as I am, not so much. My middle finger has a nick on it in the right hand shots. That happened less than 9 hours after application. I was not happy about that. I know OPI well though, so that could have been avoided with a top coat.


Second, Lucky Lucky Lavender:

Lucky Lucky Lavender is a "luscious light purple".

Outside overcast light:

Lucky Lucky Lavender Matte:

This was another polish that showed VNL depending on how my hand was held. As a general sight though, there wasn't one. Can you believe the shine on the nails though? That's with no top coat baby! The color is so pretty matted. It's like baby soft and just serene. *Sigh* Another favorite. :)


Third, Meet Me on the Star Ferry:

Meet Me on the Star Ferry is a "Kowloon-lit, moonlit violet".


Outdoors in the sun:

Meet Me on the Star Ferry Matte:

First of all, this was only 2 coats. Secondly, I
love this color so much I should marry it.

No, really.

If those crazy guys overseas can marry their game avatars
and pillows, I should be able to marry a nail polish-right?

Yeah, Mr. Frog might have something to say about that too.

Anyway there's so much going on that I like about this polish, I can't put it all into words. The sparkle, the shade, the coverage...LOVE IT!

It's even gorgeous matted.

You really should click on those pictures to see all the details yourself.


Fourth, Panda-monium Pink:

Panda-monium Pink is an "uproarious light pink".


Outside in the sun:

Panda-monium Pink Matte:

I was underwhelmed with this color. Maybe I've seen too many pinks that are similar, maybe I couldn't get over the question of whether or not pandas actually live in Hong Kong, or maybe it just looked too much like chalk when matted that it threw me off. Regardless, underwhelmed fits here. Would I wear it again? Sure, but only if I was looking for a safe color to wear during the week.


Fifth, Pearl of Wisdom:

Pearl of Wisdom is a "lustrous pearl color".


Outside in the sun:

Pearl of Wisdom Matte:

This one was so simple and pure. A pure white opalescent base with purple glitter/sparkle mixed in for good measure. Is there VNL? You betcha! Is it worth freaking out over? Not so much....

EXCEPT....

People, I'm about to show you something I haven't seen on any other nail blog that has swatched this color. I did see someone layer it over blue, but it wasn't as cool a result as what you're about to see here. Are you ready? Check it:

Pearl of Wisdom over black:

Okay maybe you're not as impressed with it as I was, but it totally changes the look of the polish now doesn't it?
There is so much more to see now! It's like a deeper purple shade of Meet Me on the Star Ferry.

Oh, FYI. I compared Pearl of Wisdom to Fireflies as I thought they may be similar. Fireflies has more green tendencies while Pearl of Wisdom leans purple. Over black, it's wicked noticeable.


Finally, Chop-sticking to My Story:

Chop-sticking to My Story is a "warm caramel shade".


Outdoors in the sun:

Chop-sticking to My Story Matte:

This was the only other color that got away with only 2 coats of polish. Do you see that sparkle off my pinky? Nice! It totally looks caramel-like matted, but not so much to me regular. I liked the color, but I think I'd like it more in the fall than spring or summer.


Some general opinions of this OPI line:

• application was smooth and easy, the polish wasn't too thick or too thin
• all these polishes feature the OPI pro-wide brush for easy application
  
• all quotes describing the polish above are from the OPI website
• OPI polishes can be purchased from salons and e-tailers
  
• all OPI polishes are DBP, Toluene, and Formaldehyde free

Disclaimer: OPI's PR company provided these polishes to me
in exchange for a written review.
No monetary exchange was made between parties.
My opinions are solely mine and are honest and true.
This review is only for the aformentioned OPI nail polish line.
I have no experience with their other products.
Please see our disclaimer policy in
the right sidebar for more information.

OPI Hong Kong Collection Review 1 of 2

I'm sure by now you've all seen swatches for the current
Hong Kong Collection by OPI, so you'll just have to bear with me.

This is my first chance to officially review an OPI
polish collection in it's entirety and I'm so excited!

The Hong Kong Collection features 12 new shades that "capture the brilliant sharpness of the cityscape and are a modern mood of color and perspective for spring".

I was sent the entire collection to review, but rather than inundate you with all 12 in one post, I'll be sharing 6 colors
with you today and 6 tomorrow.
(You can go here to see the rest of the collection.)
I decided to post the colors in order of their bottle numbers.
All swatches are 3 coats over a base coat with no top coat unless otherwise indicated.
Click on the photos to enlarge.

First up, Bling Dynasty:Bling Dynasty is a "char-"ming" gold that shimmers and glitters".


Outside overcast light:

Bling Dynasty Matte:

Bling Dynasty was one of my favorites of the collection. I didn't think I'd like it. It almost looked too dark in the bottle, but it didn't transfer that way on the nail.


Second, Red My Fortune Cookie:

Red My Fortune Cookie is a "rich red".


Outside overcast light:

Red My Fortune Cookie Matte:

Y'all know I'm not a fan of reds, but this one wasn't too bad. I'm not too thrilled with the VNL after 3 coats, but the color is quite rich nonetheless.


Third, Hot & Spicy:

Hot & Spicy is a "sizzling coral that's a kung pao wow".


Outside overcast light:

Hot & Spicy Matte:

There's that icky VNL again. Ya know, I'd expect 3 coats to be more than enough to eliminate VNL with bright colors. I guess I'm wrong. Surprisingly, I did like this color matte. It wasn't horrible normal, but it didn't go well with my skin tone. Maybe if I weren't so pale....


Fourth, Dim Sum Plum:

Dim Sum Plum is a bright berry color.


Outside overcast light:

Dim Sum Plum Matte:

I liked this one! I liked it both matte and regular. No VNL, nice shine, smooth matte; what else can I say?



Fifth, Jade is the New Black:

Jade is the New Black is a vibrant green.


Outside in sunlight:

Jade is the New Black Matte:

Do you guys see how the sun is sparkling off my nails? Gorgeous!
Matted, it almost looks like an old school chalkboard. I can't say anything bad about this one!


Finally, Suzi Says Feng Shui:

Suzi Says Feng Shui is a "serene cobalt blue".


Outside semi-overcast light:

Suzi Says Feng Shui Matte:

I really liked this color too! I think this would be a good summer color.

I'll hold off on general opinions until tomorrow.


Disclaimer: OPI's PR company provided these polishes to me
in exchange for a written review.
No monetary exchange was made between parties.
My opinions are solely mine and are honest and true.
This review is only for the aformentioned OPI nail polish line.
I have no experience with their other products.
Please see our disclaimer policy in
the right sidebar for more information.