NOTD: China Glaze Flirty Tankini

China Glaze Flirty Tankini

I went through my China Glaze drawer last week and pulled out all my untrieds and also updated my polish spreadsheet. Somehow Flirty Tankini was in my untrieds! I guess I was so over-the-moon about Surfin' For Boys that I just flat forgot to wear this one.

But I am so glad I found it and tried it- it's at the top of my love list along with the other Summer Neons I have- Pink Plumeria and Surfin' For Boys. These make such great pedi colors as well. I know Flip Flop Fantasy is a favorite, but it is so hard to get nice even coverage with it, even using 3 coats. These Summer Neons give great coverage at  2 coats so they win the contest as far as I am concerned.

Details

Brand/Name: China Glaze Flirty Tankini

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats color topped with 1 of NYC Grand Central Station

Price: I purchased this for roughly $3 from www.transdesign.com

Collection: Flirty Tankini is part of China Glaze's Summer Neons collection from Summer 2012. The shades included in the collection are:

• Pink Plumeria
• Love's A Beach
• Surfin' For Boys
• Orange You Hot?
• Sun-Kissed
• I'm With The Lifeguard
• Splish Splash
• Beach Cruise-R

OPI: The Americana set including exclusive shade Hussy

 

This Labor Day, the federal holiday that pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers, why not celebrate American beauties…. OPI's Americana set is proudly made in America – and is red, white and blue!

OPI for Merle Norman - Custom-formulated by OPI to help celebrate Merle Norman’s all-American heritage. It features red, white and blue mini OPI Nail Lacquers. The main star is the exclusive Merle Norman OPI Nail Lacquer shade, Hussy — a ravishing red inspired by the world-renowned classic car. The set also includes OPI Nail Lacquer in Alpine Snow and Yoga-ta Get this Blue! as well as RapiDry Top Coat. Patriotism has never been more fun. Available exclusively at Merle Norman Studios.  SRP:$12.50 to find a Merle Norman Studio near you, visit merlenorman.com

The first two shades, Alpine Snow and Yoga-ta Get This Blue! are current OPI shades, but are shades that were new to my collection.

 OPI Alpine Snow

3 coats

OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue!

2 coats

Hussy, however, was new to me since it's an exclusive Merle Norman product. I LOVE THIS COLOR SO MUCH! It's glowy, deep, and could definitely be a one-coater. I went ahead and did two to make sure I had perfect coverage for this shot.

 OPI Hussy

2 coats

I'm a Fiat and VW fan (I had both a 76 VW Beetle and an 85 Pininfarina Fiat Spider in high school) but wasn't familiar with the classic car referred to in the press release, so I did a little research and found this info in another press release about Merle Norman's Hussy collection.

The history of Hussy Collection goes way back the days when Merle Norman’s nephew, J.B. Nethercutt, desperately wanted to purchase a 1934 Packard, of which there were only five in the world, but the owner, John Hussey, refused to sell it to him for any price. J.B. was determined to get it and, as luck would have it, he found one in an abandoned field and bought it.  

Jack Nethercutt, J.B.’s son and the Chairman of Board and President of Merle Norman, restored it to its original condition in 2008, painted it a beautiful red color and named it in honor of the man who owned the car his father wanted. When the name wouldn't fit on the license plate, he shortened it to "Hussy."  

Hussy has been a part of The Nethercutt Collection since 1966 and has won numerous awards at car shows. Jack and wife Helen received numerous requests from women for a lipstick that matched the car's beautiful color. In celebration of Merle Norman’s 80th anniversary, they decided to introduce a line of Hussy-inspired lip colors and an exclusive OPI Nail Lacquer in the same color.

How cool is that story? Love a nail polish named after a car!

Disclosure: This set was provided to me for review purposes.

NOTD: China Glaze Endurance

China Glaze Endurance

Ohhh...... I am usually not a pink lover, but China Glaze does glass fleck shades like these so well that I'm a convert. Endurance is a deep magenta glass fleck shimmer.

Details

Brand/Name: China Glaze Endurance

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 4 (!!) coats color topped with 1 of NYC Grand Central Station

Price: I purchased this for roughly $3 from www.transdesign.com

Collection: Endurance was part of China Glaze's Fight Like a Woman collection for Breast Cancer Awareness in Fall of 2010. Other shades included were Empowerment, a soft baby pink creme, and Encouragement, a soft super-light pink with silvery-white flakes.

NOTD: China Glaze Riveting

China Glaze Riveting

Also know as the post where I lament the fact that I have waited so long to wear this! I am absolutely in love with this color- it's just gorgeous. I hadn't read the books yet when this collection came out, but once I read them and became obsessed with them I knew I needed at least one shade from this collection. I heard rave reviews of Riveting, and I totally agree.

Details

Brand/Name:  China Glaze Riveting

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats color topped with 1 of NYC Grand Central Station

Purchased from:  www.transdesign.com for $2.99

Collection: Riveting is part of the Hunger Games collection from 2012, and represented District 3 - Technology. The complete list of shades in this collection are:

• Agro (District 11 - Agriculture)
• Dress Me Up (District 8 - Textiles)
• Electrify (District 5 - Power)
• Fast Track (District 6 - Transportation)
• Foie Gras (District 10 - Livestock)
• Harvest Moon (District 9 - Grain)
• Hook and Line (District 4 - Fishing)
• Luxe & Lush (District 1 - Luxury)
• Mahogany Magic (District 7 - Lumber)
• Riveting (District 3 - Technology)
• Stone Cold (District 2 - Masonry)
• Smoke & Ashes (District 12 - Mining)

Glitter Removal Tips

Are you someone who doesn't wear glitter polish because it's hard to remove?

Maybe you already use the "foil method" of removal. Us hard-core nailies have been soaking cotton balls in acetone and placing them over our nails, covering them with strips of foil to hold them in place and allow them to do their work. We love that after 10 minutes or so, all we have to do is swipe the cotton ball over our nail to easily remove the most glittery polish.

But..... here's something better- the "Reesa Method"!. Lovely ReesaRN23 from a nail polish community I frequent came up with this and has been sharing her tips with everyone. Her method is much less messy and I'm loving it!

Here's what you'll need:

1. Silicone Finger Tips (purchased at Walmart in the office supply section for $3.88- closer pic below)
2. Cotton rounds, cut into fourths
3. Pure acetone

Simply generously soak your cotton ball round section with acetone, put it over your nail, and cover with a silicone finger tip. Let that sit for about 10 minutes and your glitter polish will slide right off.

Thanks Reesa for sharing such a great method with the nail polish community!

NOTD: OPI Pink of Hearts 2012

Recently I was placing an online polish order and noticed that OPI had a 2012 release for their Pink of Hearts line so I of course had to get it! And this time there were two shades packaged together- a light pink called I Think in Pink and a glitter called You Glitter Be Good to Me.

I was super excited about this set because I suspected that You Glitter Be Good to Me was the pink version of Pirouette My Whistle from the Ballet collection... and I was not disappointed!

I Think In Pink

topped with

You Glitter Be Good to Me

It's so pretty and delicate and I am loving this combo. Sadly there is no sun today, but I still love it! The glitter was super easy to apply.

The sun did come out on Saturday just long enough for me to snap this pic above. Love it!

Details

Brand/Name: OPI Pink of Hearts 2012- I Think In Pink together with You Glitter Be Good to Me

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats pink topped with 1 coat of glitter. 2 coats of Gelous followed by 1 coat of NYC Grand Central Station

NOTD: Cirque Never Nude

Cirque Never Nude

So so so pretty. Holo goodness. And I am in love with the name and hoping it's an Arrested Development reference... it has to be right? What else could it be?

Details

Brand/Name: Cirque Never Nude

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats color topped with 1 of NYC Grand Central Station

Price: $16

Purchased from: http://www.cirquecolors.com

Collection: Never Nude is part of the Dark Horse collection. Most shades retail for $12, but the two holographic shades are $16.

NOTD: Cirque Fascination Street

Cirque Fascination Street

 

A few weeks ago I saw some gorgeous swatches of some polish from a new-to-me brand called Cirque. Although I have mostly stayed away from smaller, "indie" brands, these were pretty enough that I had to have them. I placed an order for two shades, Fascination Street and Never Nude (is this an Arrested Development reference?) and anxiously awaited my package.

I can't tell you how pleased I was when it arrived! My polishes were packaged well and arrived in pretty little drawstring sacks. I had a little trouble deciding which to wear first, but the purple holo won out.

And I love love love it. I've seen other bloggers say they needed three coats, but I stopped at two because coverage was great for me. I'm definitely a new fan of Cirque and will be placing another order soon.

Details


Brand/Name: Cirque Fascination Street

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats color topped with 1 of NYC Grand Central Station

Price: $16

Purchased from: http://www.cirquecolors.com

Collection: Fascination Street is part of the Dark Horse collection. Most shades retail for $12, but the two holographic shades are $16.

NOTD: Sephora by OPI Teal We Meet Again topped with China Glaze Fairy Dust

 

Sephora by OPI Teal We Meet Again topped with China Glaze Fairy Dust

I really love holo top coats like Cover Girl City Lights, so I knew I needed to pick up China Glaze Fairy Dust the next time I was making an order from TransDesign. At just $2.99, it's a must have! I am so glad I got it.

And I've got to tell you... this manicure wore like iron. I polished first with the teal on Tuesday night, and then added the Fairy Dust and another coat of GSC on Thursday morning. When I took this off on Sunday afternoon, I did not have a single chip and barely any tip-wear... I was just tired of it and ready for a change.

Details

Brand/Name:  Sephora by OPI Teal We Meet Again topped with China Glaze Fairy Dust

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats of teal topped with 1 of NYC Grand Central Station, then 1 coat of China Glaze Fairy Dust topped with another coat of NYC Grand Central Station

Price: $2.99

Purchased from: www.transdesign.com

NOTD: Sephora by OPI Teal We Meet Again

Sephora by OPI Teal We Meet Again

macro shot

I am finally almost done swatching the Sephora by OPI Havana Nights collection (from 2010, of course!)!

My swatch above is 2 coats, and it really covered nicely. If you look closely at my ring finger, you'll see a spot without complete coverage, but I believe I just missed a spot on my second coat. All the other nails looks fabulous and don't need a third coat. This one is still available at www.sephora.com.

Details

Brand/Name:  Sephora by OPI Teal We Meet Again

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats color topped with 1 of NYC Grand Central Station

Price: currently $9.50, was $9 when released in 2010

Purchased from:  www.sephora.com

Collection: Teal We Meet Again is part of the Sephora by OPI Havana Nights Collection from 2010,  along with Read My Palm (still available), Havana Dreams (still available), Caribbean Cocktail (no longer available), Rumba Romance (no longer available), and Caliente Coral (no longer available). Midnight Mambo was not part of the original release but was later added to the collection and is no longer available.

NOTD: Nicole by OPI Just Busta Mauve

 Nicole by OPI Just Busta Mauve

This color totally freaked my camera out! I think my poor Canon just didn't know where to focus.

It's absolutely gorgeous, and the neatest color I've ever seen from Nicole. I knew when I saw Scrangie's swatches that I needed this one.

It's bronze-based and has blue and red shimmer. I have no idea why they put "Mauve" in the name..... mysterious!

macro shot

Details

Brand/Name:  Nicole by OPI Just Busta Mauve

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 3 coats color topped with 1 of NYC Grand Central Station

Price: approximately $8

Purchased from:  Target

Collection: Just Busta Mauve is part of the Nicole by OPI Target Exclusive Collection for Fall 2012, released in late Summer 2012, along with For Gold Times Sake, If the Blue Fits...., Iris My Case, and Mer-made for Each Other.

NOTD: nails inc. Special Effects Sprinkles Nail Polish in Topping Lane

NOTD: nails inc. Special Effects Sprinkles Nail Polish in Topping Lane

Topping Lane macro shot

pink with cerise, silver and purple sprinkles

I just want to eat my nails today! They remind me of those iced animal crackers and I absolutely love the color combo. This was super easy to apply- I just needed two coats and got great glitter coverage on each nail. 

Several people commented on Sephora that they experienced chipping, but I'm on day three and haven't gotten a chip yet. I imagine those commenters aren't hard-core nailies like us and didn't use a good base/top coat combo like we know to do! It was a bit bumpy so I added a coat of Gelous before I did my topcoat and it smoothed it out well.

Details

Brand/Name:  nails inc. Special Effects Sprinkles Nail Polish in Topping Lane

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats color topped with 1 coat of Gelous and 1 coat of NYC Grand Central Station

Price: $9.50

Purchased from:  www.sephora.com

Collection: Topping Lane is part of the Special Effects Sprinkles Nail Polish collection, released in Summer 2012, along with Sugar House Lane (pastel grey with monocrome sprinkles), Sweets Way (listed as Sweets "Away" on Sephora's site - white with pastel blue, pink, and silver sprinkles), and Puddling Lane (teal with navy and gold sprinkles)

USA! USA! Top Coat from Sephora by OPI

L'oreal Target Red (2 coats)

topped with USA! USA! Top Coat from Sephora by OPI

macro shot

I ordered the USA! USA! Top Coat and was so excited that it arrived in time for me to do an Olympics mani. I chose a red polish for my base shade, but if I was doing it over, I think I'd do a white base so the red glitter would be more visible.

I did have some application trouble with this glitter topper..... the other glitter toppers I've tried from Sephora by OPI were great and applied easily. USA! USA! was very thick and would not stay put as I did multiple strokes to cover my nails- each stroke would remove more glitter. I ended up dabbing it on but still had trouble getting it back by my cuticles.

Since it was so bumpy, I topped it with two coats of Gelous before I did my topcoat of NYC Grand Central Station, and surprisingly, that leveled it out well.

Details

Brand/Name: Sephora by OPI/ USA! USA! Top Coat

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats L'Oreal Target Red (PR sample)

                                                    1 coat Sephora by OPI USA! USA! Top Coat

                                                    2 coats of Gelous

                                                    topped with NYC Grand Central Station

Price: $9.50

Purchased from: www.sephora.com

Collection: The USA! USA! Top Coat was released in July 2012 to coincide with the 2012 Summer Olympics

NOTD: a england Lady of the Lake

 a england Lady of the Lake

 a england Lady of the Lake

macro shot

I have had a few of a england's holo polishes on my wishlist for quite some time, and I was so excited to see a sale in late July. I picked up 2 and rushed to wear Lady of the Lake for a full mani.

I was not disappointed! It covered beautifully in two coats and in sunlight this is mind-blowing gorgeous.

Details

Brand/Name: a england Lady of the Lake

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats topped with NYC Grand Central Station

Price: 9 British Pounds, approximately $14 USD

Purchased from: http://www.a-england.co.uk 

Collection: Lady of the Lake is part of the Mythicals collection, released in 2011, along with 14 other shades

NOTD: L'Oreal Notting Hill Blues

L'Oreal Notting Hill Blues

macro shot

Isn't this pretty? After the first coat I was worried that it wasn't going to cover very well, and we all know how I feel about 3-coaters.... but after I added a second coat it looked great so I stopped there.

Details

Brand/Name: L'Oreal Notting Hill Blues

Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats topped with NYC Grand Central Station

Price: approximately $5.99

Seen at: drugstores and mass market retailers such a Target and Walmart (I purchased at Walgreens)

Collection: Notting Hill Blues (115) is part of the L'Oreal Limited Edition "London Fall" collection, released in Summer 2012, along with Tea and Crumpets (111), The Perfect Trench (112), Hyde Park (113), Rainy Piccadilly (114), and Brit Invasion (116).

NOTD: L'Oreal Brit Invasion

L'Oreal Brit Invasion

macro shot

Last week I saw the new L'Oreal fall display at Walgreens and decided to pick up Brit Invasion because I am a sucker for gorgeous brown shades like this- especially with hidden shimmer. I also got Notting Hill Blue and will hopefully get a swatch for you soon- I certainly won't have a problem getting a sunny shot for you since our forecast shows over 100 every day this week!


Details
Brand/Name: L'Oreal Brit Invasion
Number of coats in pic/topcoat?: 2 coats topped with NYC Grand Central Station
Price: approximately $5.99
Seen at: drugstores and mass market retailers such a Target and Walmart
Collection: Brit Invasion (116) is part of the L'Oreal Limited Edition "London Fall" collection, released in Summer 2012, along with Tea and Crumpets (111), The Perfect Trench (112), Hyde Park (113), Rainy Piccadilly (114), and Notting Hill Blues (115).