Showing posts with label OPI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OPI. Show all posts

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Dear Reader!

My last holiday manicure of 2010 is a little cartoony, but I think it's fun.  I used OPI Ali's Big Break, which is a great sparkly red, then stamped some of the Christmas patterns from Konad plate m12 (the Christmas one) using Konad White Pearl Special Polish.  Since I already showed you both of those, I thought I'd have a little more fun than usual with the picture.  This is what it looks like right before I throw a snowball.

Merry Christmas Manicure
Merry Christmas!
Have a great holiday, and until next time, love and nail polish to you! 


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December Contest Winners of the OPI Alice in Wonderland Collection

Using random.org, I have chosen the winners of the OPI Alice in Wonderland collection! We have an International winner and a U.S. winner, Ana Rita and Lisa V. I don't believe Lisa has a blog I can link you to, but Ana Rita is the author of Let's Talk About Beauty. This contest had more entries than any other monthly contest I've held, so that tells me that everyone is excited about either Alice in Wonderland, OPI, or free polish! Thanks for all of the entries and congratulations to the winners. Yen from Victoria Nail Supply told me this morning that they are expecting this collection in the next couple of weeks, so as soon as she receives them, they'll get them off to the winners.
Note: Photo above shows the mini's, because that is the only photo I was furnished and didn't want to copy one from someone else's site, understandably. However, the winners will each receive a full-sized set of all 4 polishes.


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Body & Soul December Contest

Two winners will each receive 1 set (4 full-sized bottles) of the upcoming OPI Alice in Wonderland Collection. These will be sent to you from Victoria Nail Supply, and they are anticipating a late December arrival. Note the photo above shows the mini-set, but that's the only photo I personally had and didn't want to take one from someone else's site! The prize bottles will be full-sized. Send me an eMail with "December Contest" as the header and be sure to include your eMail address. Entries must be received by midnight, December 20. Followers only, please.

I apologize for my lack of swatching and polish pictures, and hope to get some done this weekend. I've been extremely busy with upcoming holiday planning...I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas...love the meaning behind it, the decorating, food, gift giving, music...hate the stress and the commercialism! There's something else I'm very excited about, which has nothing to do with nail polish or makeup, but it's been taking up a lot of my time as well. It's not quite a done deal yet, but if all goes according to plan, it should be by Monday, and I'll be sure to post pictures! I have BB Couture's newest "man" polishes, and I still haven't swatched their first "man" set I received a couple of months ago, so I think I'll be starting with those. Lastly, I changed one of the navigation buttons above to read "New Polish Releases". That link contains some of the upcoming collections, photos and information, and links to posts I have done showing swatches of the polishes I have. I'll update the page whenever I receive new information.


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From My Untried's: OPI Blushingham Palace & Chile o Caliente?

Above & Below: Blushingham Palace photographed outside under cloudy skies, no flash.



Above & Below: Chile o Caliente? shown outdoors under cloudy skies, no flash.
Below: Indoors, with a flash.
I'm working feverishly trying to make a dent in my "untried's shelf", and I am making some progress! With so few new collections coming out right now, I figured this would be the perfect time to make some space for The Wizard of Ooh Ahz and OPI's Alice in Wonderland, due out in November and December, respectively. I picked both of these OPI's up locally, earlier this year at the clearance table in the back corner of Regis Hair Salon for 80% off. Blushingham Palace is from OPI's British Collection, and is a dusty rose or pinkish-mauve toned shimmer. The shimmer is very fine and looks to be a trio of silver, gold and pink (similar to the base shade) in color. Drying time after 2 coats was quick, and the finish is a high gloss one that has the slightest hint of a duo chrome, showing both pink and gold. This is not a duo chrome, so don't expect that, but the shimmer does cause a bit of color shifting, especially outside. BP has the Pro-Wide brush and was released in the Fall/Winter 2003. Chile o Caliente? is from OPI's South American Collection, and is a coral red shimmer with underlying orange tones. This collection is from the Summer of 2002 and does not have the Pro-Wide brush. You know I was excited to find a black label OPI for 80% off! It applied very well in 2 coats and has such a high shine, that I had trouble photographing it without a reflection of my surroundings on my nails. This one also is filled with very fine shimmer, appearing to be pink, gold and silver, depending on the lighting and angle.


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OPI Holiday Wishes: Holiday Glow & All A-Bordeaux the Sled!

Above & Below: OPI's Holiday Glow is a shade that is called Charcoal by OPI, but it can take on brown and purple tones as well.
Below: All A-Bordeaux the Sled is a red/brown creme.

Below: The last 6 of this collection are pictured here. If you're interested in the first 6 I swatched, you'll find them a few posts down.
Here we have it, finally...the last two shades from this collection. I find it much easier to swatch an entire collection when they're smaller, say the size of Essie's Sweet Time of the Year! All in all, OPI's Holiday Wishes is a very nice collection because it has some unique colors and finishes, some more than others. I would have preferred to see a few less reds and a few more additional colors, perhaps a deep blue or emerald green with the flakies and glitters that are found in Merry Midnight, for example, but maybe next year.

Holiday Glow, described by OPI as "Charcoal grey glowing with a touch of silver", is an interesting shade, in that I do see charcoal when I look at it, but I also see purple or brown also, depending on the angle and the lighting. It's filled with very small silver glitter that seems to reflect in the light and turn from silver to red. This one is quite different in terms of color, so I'm happy to have it. All A-Bordeaux the Sled, classified as a "wine" shade by OPI, is a deep, rich shade of what I would term as raisin, or deep mahogany red. It's a little more brown-toned than what I consider Bordeaux to be. This one is a creme and I ended up going with 3 coats because I still had a few mild "bald" areas after 2 coats. A nice shade, but nothing really stands out to me about this one that makes it exceptional.


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OPI Holiday Wishes: Sapphire in the Snow & Merry Midnight

Above & Below: OPI's Sapphire in the Snow is a violet blue creme that looks more purple (above) in brighter lighting and more deep blue in less lighting.

Below: If you're going to get just one polish from this collection, my vote goes to Merry Midnight. So many character traits this one has!

Below: My skin isn't really this yellow! I held my hand under my desk light for this picture and as you can see, this polish has a lot going on...glitters, flakies, colors, shine, sparkle...all-around prettiness!



These two shades from OPI's Holiday Wishes Collection are both different and unique. It's nice to know I don't have any more reds to try out! Not that I don't like the reds, they just get a little redundant sometimes when 50% of the shades in this collection are reds. Sapphire in the Snow is "a deep, jewel-toned violet-blue", according to the official description. It applied oh so nicely in 2 coats, as have all of the cremes in this collection thus far. Depending on your lighting, the deep blue is sometimes more evident, and other times, it appears to be more of a purple shade. Whatever shade you want to call it, it's lovely.

Merry Midnight...what can I say about this stunner that hasn't already been mentioned by others? This one definitely lives up to the hype because not only is it a "Blue-violet with a starry, multi-hued shimmer", it also makes for a great layering polish. I tried it over several polishes, both dark and light, and it never disappointed me. I can only imagine what this would look like matted. It has an inky purple base that takes 3 coats to give you the full impact of it's beauty, but it's worth every one of them. It has tiny glitter, it has larger flakies, and it has a multi-faceted personality going on. The red flakies are the most evident to me, and the way the color shifts in the light against them, causes the polish to look both purple and red. I have 2 more colors to show you from this collection later today, but if this is one you've been considering buying, I'd highly recommend it.


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OPI Holiday Wishes: Dear Santa & Comet Loves Cupid

Above & Below: OPI's Comet Loves Cupid shown indoors with a flash. This was nearly opaque with one coat, but I went ahead and applied a second coat to it.

Above & Below: OPI's Dear Santa is shown indoors with a flash, 2 coats.
Two more from this collection, and they're both shades of red. I have 4 more to go, which I'll post tomorrow. I need to start doubling up on my posts because my untried rack of polishes is full...how does that happen? I have no idea...

Dear Santa is a true red base with red and gold twinkling glitter. The gold is not evident under normal observation, but the twinkling sparkle that this polish displays, is unmistakable. This shade is similar in finish to Smitten with Mittens and Crimson Carol, but in my opinion, it's the truest, clearest of the 3 red glitters in this collection. Crimson Carol has a slight pink tone in the red and Smitten with Mittens is a little darker shade of red than Dear Santa. Not a burgundy, but more of a slightly darker shade of cherry red. The application and coverage was excellent in 2 coats, with minimal drying time.

Comet Loves Cupid is a red creme that covered remarkably well in one coat, but I added a second out of habit. The formula on this one was extraordinarily amazing. Upon inspection of this shade, I would call it almost a true red, but it seems to have a hint of coral or pink in it, depending on the lighting. This collection has an overabundance of reds, but this shade really won me over for some reason. I realize it's just a red creme, but the application was so nice and easy, that it deserves mentioning.


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VNS Updates: OPI and China Glaze Upcoming Collections

Above: OPI's upcoming Alice in Wonderland collection L-R: Mad as a Hatter, Absolutely Alice, Off With Her Red, ThanksSoMuchness.
Below: Another picture of China Glaze's upcoming The Wizard of Ooh Ahz Returns. You can see another picture and my original post with the shades here.
I have a few updates from Yen at Victoria Nail Supply for you today...above are bottle pictures from her of the Alice in Wonderland Collection from OPI, which hopefully should be available in December. It's a small collection with 2 unique colors and 2 reds. Obviously, 2 more OPI reds don't excite me as much as the other 2 shades do!

China Glaze has a new collection coming out in January called "Up & Away". There will be 12 colors - a mix of brights, pastels, and cremes. I don't know any more about it as yet, but that's something to look forward to. The "Black Magic" China Glaze for VNS Halloween glitter that I posted a picture of last week is now available on their website. I am however, unable to locate it on there, so I sent Yen an e-mail and just asked her to order it for me, as supplies are limited and I wanted to be sure to get this to add to my collection of Halloween polishes. She also sent along another picture of her Wizard of Ooh Ahz Returns polishes, this one being a bit more 'close up' than the one she sent last week so you can see some of the finish-type details.

My daughter has been home sick from school the last couple of days and seems to be feeling better today, so I should be back to regular posting tomorrow. I'd like to thank Yen for providing me with some content today, because I haven't had time to do my nails!


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OPI Holiday Wishes: Glove You So Much and Meet & Jingle

Above & Below: Glove You So Much is a rich burgundy shimmer.

Above & Below: Meet & Jingle, a true red shimmer.
Below: The 6 shades I've used so far from OPI's Holiday Wishes Collection.
This puts me halfway through the OPI Holiday Wishes Collection and today I have the 2 red toned shimmers for you. I wouldn't say that either one of these have any color or finish qualities that make them unique, but they are pretty shades nonetheless. They both applied nicely in 2 coats with minimal drying time. Glove You So Much is a burgundy shade and OPI describes it as "Glove You So Much! Almost as much as this rich burgundy!". It is a very deep, rich shade and both of these shades remind me of crushed velvet. The shimmer in them is so dense and fine that it tends to make the finish look plush and almost textured. Meet & Jingle, described "as rich crimson that loves to mingle", is a nice, true red shimmer. I've posted a photo of the 6 shades I've used so far for a comparison for you, and I'll be finishing up the other 6 later in the week.


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Updates from VNS (OPI Alice in Wonderland?!!) & QRS Fall Shades

Above: QRS Quirius polishes which I believe are their new Fall colors. L-R: Courtly Rose, Chapel of Love, Rose Breeze, Just Take My Heart, Sand Castle, J's Cappuccino.
Below: Yen from VNS sent this picture to be and it's a polish that China Glaze made exclusively for them for Halloween, I believe. It's called Black Magic and I don't see it on their web site yet, but I've e-mailed her with some questions about it and hope to have some answers soon.
I have a few updates I wanted to share with you today about some new collections, because I know we are all in dire need of more polish! Yen from Victoria Nail Supply sent me an e-mail and casually mentioned a new collection from OPI, Alice in Wonderland. It's scheduled for a December release, and that's all I know. I almost wish I didn't know this, because now I'm extremely curious about it. She tells me "The Mad Hatter is really pretty." I'm hoping to have some more information and possibly some pictures soon, but the waiting will be difficult. Has anyone heard about this yet? I'm imagining all kinds of names for the polishes, but I guess I will have to be patient. Some of you may have already heard that China Glaze has pushed up the release of the The Wizard of Ooh-Ahz Collection to mid-November, and I know we're all looking forward to that. Yen said they're still expecting some additional Color Club Glitters and that they now have the full-sized bottles of Under the Mistletoe (green glitter) and Yule Love It (red glitter), which were included in the Color Club Wonderland mini set.

Yesterday I received an unexpected package from Quirius/QRS with 6 new shades that I believe are their Fall Collection shades. I don't see them on their web site as yet, but I have e-mailed Jamie for some clarification and will post swatches and hopefully more information soon. The collection includes a pink micro shimmer, a dusty mauve iridescent, a lavender iridescent, a bright pink iridescent, a taupe metallic, and a champagne metallic. These descriptions are based only on how they look in the bottle, but I'll update you more once I have a chance to use them. I apologize that I don't have all of the details about the polishes and collections mentioned, but I'll post any updates as soon as I have more information.


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OPI Holiday Wishes: Ginger Bells


Above: OPI Ginger Bells shown with 2 coats, indoors with a flash.
Below: I added a coat of OPI's Glitter Bit of Music to it, but I'm afraid nothing will help!

Here's another from the OPI Holiday Wishes Collection, but I'm kind of wishing this had not been included! Hmmm, what to say about this one...I'm sure had I not wanted to have the entire set, this is not a shade I would have purchased on it's own. The official description says "A yummy shade of gingerbread." If it were a cookie, I'd have to agree, and maybe it's just me, but I'm not loving this. Who am I kidding? I'm not even close to liking this one. On the plus side, it did cover very nicely in 2 coats. I added a coat of OPI's Glitter Bit of Music as a top coat, but I'm afraid nothing is going to make me like this one. I toyed with putting a matte top coat on it, but the descriptive words that came to mind for what that might have looked like, weren't very pleasant. Oh well, with 12 colors in this collection, there was bound to be at least one that disappointed me. What do you think? Any positive reactions to this shade?


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OPI Holiday Wishes: Smitten With Mittens


Above & Below: OPI's Smitten With Mittens is much darker that what's coming across in the photos. OPI describes it as a burgundy and I would agree that it is actually more burgundy than red. 2 coats, outdoors in the rain.
Below: With one coat of Essie's Matte About You.

Below: It's been windy and raining for a day now, so guess what I'm doing this weekend?
I can't recall ever being smitten with a pair of mittens, but I am smitten with this shade! It's a darker, deeper shade of ruby red than how it appears in pictures, and according to OPI's description, they are calling it a burgundy. The marketing tag reads "A burgundy glitter to warm your fingertips." The glitter in this is much like the shade I showed you yesterday, Crimson Carol. It too has gold and a matching deep ruby glitter, but the gold isn't as noticeable on the nail as it is on the bottle. The glitter is very sparkly though and perfect for the holidays. I used 2 coats and had very good coverage with quick drying time. I like this shade better than Crimson Carol because it's darker and is a true red, whereas Crimson Carol had some pink or fuchsia tones to it. This shade reminds me of China Glaze's Lubu Heels, only with a blood red base rather than a black base.

Adding a matte top coat (Essie's Matte About You) darkens the shade even more and gives it a foil-like finish. It also seems to show somewhat of a black base with a matte coat, although it's not as evident in the photos as it is in real life. I call this look Smitten With Mattens.


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OPI Holiday Wishes: Crimson Carol


Above & Below: OPI's Crimson Carol is a rosy-red shade with gold and red glass-flecked glitter. Unfortunately, the gold doesn't transfer to the nail as much as I'd hoped after seeing it in the bottle. However, the red glitter is very sparkly and evident.

This is the second shade I've tried from this collection and like the first one, I like it rather well! OPI describes it by saying "You'll want to sing about this rosy-red shimmer!", and I agree that it's a rosy-red, not quite red, but with some pink tones in it also. The shimmer part I'd have to argue a bit with because although the base is a shimmer, it's filled with red and gold glass-flecked type glitter, which certainly deserves mention. Those pieces are most appealing to me in this polish. I love this type of glitter and I'm seeing more and more of it in polishes. The Finger Paints collection that I showed you a picture of yesterday also has several shades in it with this type of glitter. Crimson Carol applied very nicely in just 2 coats and is a pretty shade for the holiday season. It's a red, obviously making it appropriate for the season, and it's very sparkly. The gold doesn't show up on the nail as well as it does in the bottle, but the red glitter, especially in darker lighting, shifts and twinkles with every move of your hand.

The winner of Essie's 3-piece collection, Sweet Time of the Year, is Selina. She is from New Zealand and has a wonderful blog showcasing nails, but she also manages to include fashion and accessories as well. Her blog, Pretty Clever, can be found here. So check it out and congratulate her. Thanks for all of your entries and I really enjoyed reading through your answers.


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