OPI Miss Universe Collection

As you know Courtney and I are giving away one entire set of OPI's Miss Universe Collection Nail Polishes to one lucky winner.  If you haven't already you can go here to enter (you must be a public follower through Google Friend Connect).  Now that I've had time to sit down and swatch my set of the polishes, I'm happy to report that these four beauties are a MUST get.  I'm absolutely smitten with them and so happy we are giving a brand new set away.  OPI created these polishes in conjunction with the Miss Universe Organization to celebrate the 2011 pageant, held September 12, 2011 in Brazil.  These four shades are limited edition and aren't schedule for official release until August and feature super cute pageant themed names:

• Swimsuit...Nailed It! An itsy bitsy teenie weenie vibrant shiny-blue bikini.
• It's MY Year It’s about time for this champagne-rose to shine!
• Crown Me Already! A sassy silver sparkle that knows what it’s worth.
• Congeniality is My Middle Name And berry-wine shimmer is what I do best!

Swimsuit...Nailed It!,  It's MY Year, Crown Me Already!, and Congeniality is My Middle Name

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First up is Swimsuit...Nailed It!, which is a GORGEOUS bright blue foil.  My face immediately lit up when I put the first swipe across my nail.  Since I was swatching I couldn't leave it on, but I did decide to do a pedicure with it immediately (click here to see my pedi of this in the sunshine!).  This may easily be my favorite blue nail polish ever released by OPI.  The color dries pretty true to the bottle color, but the bottle doesn't really show you the finish on this that just makes the blue jump to life.  This is a MUST for any blue lover.  I used 2 coats here, but if you were carefully you could easily get away with one.  The first two colors show the  blue a bit more true, but the lighting of my skin is off, so I included the third to show you how it looks against my true skin tone.

Swimsuit...Nailed It!
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Swimsuit...Nailed It!
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Swimsuit...Nailed It!
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Next up is It's My Year, which surprisingly is my favorite of the collection.  I think it's because I have nothing like it.  I've heard a few people call this the purple version of OPI Rally Pretty Pink or Zoya Faye, but I don't have either.  I actually expected not to like this.  The purple color in this is really beautiful, soft and feminine.  Then OPI packed it full of gold micro-glitter, that just really takes this polish to another level.  I'm not a gold person at all, and I usually think it look pretty horrible against my skin, but this polish was just perfect.  I've got my standard swatch shots for you, and then a few outside in the sunshine/indirect sunlight as I am wearing this now as a full mani.  The gold is a bit more prominent on the nail than my swatch pictures depict.  I used 3 thin coats for the perfect finish.  The texture of this polish reminds me of OPI's Wing It, so I'm kind of expecting it to wear like iron.  I'll report back and let you know how it held up!

OPI It's MY Year
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OPI It's MY Year
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OPI It's MY Year in indirect sunlight
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OPI It's MY Year in direct sunlight
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Now it's time for Crown Me Already!, which is a silver glitter bomb.  Last time Courtney and I got together for a nail polish day, she was wearing OPI's Spark De Triomphe and I think Crown Me Already! is pretty much the silver version of this polish.  It's a clear base packed with small round silver glitter and large hexagon silver glitter.  It took me three coats to reach opacity and it was dying for a coating of Seche Vite to smooth out the bumps.  By the end of it my nails were THICK, so next time I wear this beauty I'll do it over a silver foil with 1 coat of Crown Me Already!  Out of the 4, this is probably the one I could bear to part with, but since I love the rest of the collection I'm going to hold onto it anyway.  I'm thinking about doing a comparison of this with Deborah Lippmann's Today Was A Fairytale.  Let me know in the comments if you would like to see that.

Crown Me Already!
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Crown Me Already!
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Last but certainly not least is Congeniality is My Middle Name, a beautiful berry polish that has an almost jelly like texture full of pink micro-glitter.  The first coat was a little sheer, but I reached full opacity with two coats.    This bottle definitely fooled me.  It doesn't look like anything special in the bottle, but on the nails its really beautiful.  I think it dries lighter and more vibrant that the bottle shows, so don't be fulled.  It also dried SUPER shiny.

Congeniality is My Middle Name
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Congeniality is My Middle Name
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So if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a huge fan of this collection and if you are even considering it at this point, take the plunge and get at least your favorite one.  These OPI polishes retail for around $8.50 a piece and are typically available at Ulta, beauty salons, and beauty supply stores.  I picked mine up early from Nailsupplies.us.  You should see them officially in store in August, but if you can't wait snag them online now while you still can.

Also, while I don't have many polishes that are similar to these puppies, between my collection and Courtney's we should be able to provide you comparison swatches.  Let me know what you'd like to see in the comments below!

Zoya Dove (and China Glaze White Cap)

After a flashy 4th of July manicure,  I was in desperate need for a palette cleanser!  Something simple, easy, and elegant.  :-)  You've seen Zoya Dove before when I used it for my tips on my "French Twist", but I wanted to do a full manicure with this one.  It was just what I needed!

Dove is (surprise!) a dove grey creme.  It falls on the lighter side of grey, and it's pretty neutral in color.  If anything, I'd say it might be a bit cool-toned, but I think it's a grey that can work with most skin tones. It's well-pigmented, and only needs two coats for opacity.  No complaints on application (I rarely have complaints on Zoya's formulas anyway.)!

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Nothing fancy here.  Dove isn't going to blow you away, especially if you own a plethora of grey cremes (I plead the Fifth!), but it's just nice.  It's kind of like the polish equivalent of comfort food.  It's warm and cozy and elegant in its own simplistic way.  Do you need it?  No, probably not.  But if you don't have a good grey in your collection, Dove is a great place to start!

You've also seen this comparison before, but I thought it fit nicely here again.  This is Dove (right) compared to OPI Skull and Glossbones (left).  You can see how cool-toned Dove looks here.  I don't own it to compare, but I'm thinking Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Wet Cement is probably a closer match for Dove.

(L) OPI Skull and Glossbones, (R) Zoya Dove

A few days later, palette cleansed, you know I couldn't resist putting my favorite effect polish on top for a mid week pick-me-up!  I can't help it - I'm addicted!  Here's one coat of China Glaze White Cap over Dove:

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Sparklyyyyyy....

Even hubby loved this combo!  I can't argue with him - these two work really well together!  I really wish China Glaze would make this one permanent.  But I'm not holding my breath.  :-(  You may still be able to find this one (and maybe even on clearance!) at your local Ulta, or otherwise it's definitely still in stock at www.nailsupplies.us.  You need White Cap!  *enables all the readers*...*evil snicker*

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Want a teaser for my next post???

Oh yeah, baby!!  :-D

Rescue Beauty Lounge Under the Stars

Sorry for my lack of posts this week folks.  Between the holiday weekend and some other stuff going on, my nail polish time has dwindled.  Over the next few weeks I will likely only post once or twice a week because I'm moving! So between packing and boxes and cleaning, my nails are going to really take a beating.  Hence they have already been filed down.  I'm thinking about using this time to do a Shellac review, as I just picked up a Living Social coupon for one.  For now I bring you my belated (and kind of sad) 4th of July mani.

First off, let me say that this mani got completely ruined by the fact that my Rescue Beauty Lounge (RBL) topcoat gave me bubbles!!!!  Ughh I'm so mad.  This is the first time I have ever had an issue with RBL products.  But I had SO much time to do this weekend I didn't have time to fix it.  I guess it's too thick, so hopefully that'll stop after I thin it out.  So you can see a ton of bubbles in these pictures, so please ignore.  My pinky and ring fingers looks the best.  My experience with RBL polishes and the treatment system is that they are all fantastic.  Great formulas, pigmented colors, great brush. I usually never have to do clean-up with my RBL mani's because the polish practically flows correctly on it's own.

RBL's Under the Stars is a blackened blue base with beautiful bright blue glitter in it.  The glitter is sparse and small, but given other people's swatches, I may have not rolled the bottle enough before application (a la Courtney's Royal Navy technique), so I think my swatches may not be true to the amount of glitter.  I think they are pretty true to color though.  The lighter blue tones you see are what's reflect in direct sunlight, with the darker tones being what you see in all other lighting.  It definitely doesn't look black in real life, but it's DARK.  I love this polish in the bottle more than on the nail, but I'm not ready to part with it.  So look for (better) more swatch of this puppy down the road!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Under the Stars
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Rescue Beauty Lounge Under the Stars
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Under the Stars is still available on Rescue Beauty's website, which is the only place you can buy it at $18 a pop.  The formula is totally worth the cost (I know, I know the bubbles! but that's NOT the norm I swear).  Under the Stars is technically Limited Edition, so snatch it up before it's out of stock forever.

My 4th of July Manicure: Orly Royal Navy and a Patchwork Accent

Happy Independence Day to all the American readers out there!  And a belated Happy Canada Day to the Canadian ladies!  ;-)  I wanted to do something festive to celebrate, so here's what I came up with!  

I started with Orly Royal Navy - a royal blue jelly with aqua blue shimmer.  It's a smidge deeper in color than my photos show, but every bit as vibrant.  It just screams summer!  The formula is amazing, and I used two coats.  It's a jelly, so there's a little VNL (visible nail line), but I promise it's not nearly as noticeable in real life as it is in these photos. The only weird thing about this one is that the shimmer settles to the bottom of the bottle, and it's really hard to shake it back to life.  I usually shake the heck out of it, and then let it sit upside down in a cup while I'm filing, pushing back cuticles, etc.  Then by the time I'm ready for color, it just needs one more shake, and it's good to go!  :-)

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I really love Royal Navy, and I think it's a great jelly for anyone who's new to jellies and looking to get their feet wet.  Makes a great pedi, too!  You can pick it up for about $7 at Sally's or Ulta.

I was going to just leave my mani at Royal Navy, but I just had an itch to kick it up a bit for the holiday. My original idea was to do red and white dots across the tips of my ring fingers.  I don't have a dotting tool, so I tried using a toothpick.  NEGATIVE.  Bad idea.  I ended up getting polish everywhere and having to redo both ring fingers.  Argh!!

Next idea - a patchwork manicure!  You can find a way better tutorial on patchwork manicures than I could ever show you here from Erika at Chloe's Nails.  She pretty much pioneered the patchwork manicure, and her work is incredible!  The basic idea is to use Scotch tape to block off areas of your nail, then add other colors on top.  I think there's a bit of a learning curve when using tape for your manicures, but overall, it's a pretty simple process.  I used Milani White and China Glaze Ruby Pumps over my original Royal Navy manicure, and I'm pretty happy with the result!

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WOO-HOO!  I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Fourth of July!  May the fireworks be abundant and beautiful!!  :-D

OPI Miss Universe Collection Giveaway!!!!!!

Courtney and I are SOOOOOO excited to bring you our first giveaway!  The Miss Universe Collection by OPI is the first full collection I've wanted (which is a bit of a cop-out for me, cause it's only 4 polishes), but we figured this was the perfect opportunity to give away something to our amazing followers.  We are a small blog but we so appreciate the love you give us - here is our way of saying THANKS!

OPI's Miss Universe Collection includes 4 polishes. In this giveaway, one lucky winner will have all of these babies delivered to your door!

• Swimsuit...Nailed It! An itsy bitsy teenie weenie vibrant shiny-blue bikini.
• It's My Year It’s about time for this champagne-rose to shine!
• Crown Me Already! A sassy silver sparkle that knows what it’s worth.
• Congeniality is My Middle Name And berry-wine shimmer is what I do best!

Swimsuit...Nailed It!,  It's MY Year, Crown Me Already!, and Congeniality is My Middle Name

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EDIT:  I've now got swatches up of the full line.  Go here to see them.

Contest rules and information:

1. You must be a public follower using Google Friend Connect (GFC).  New followers are welcome.
2. To be a contestant of this giveaway you must fill out the form below.  One form per person. Required information is your GFC name and email address (for contact purposes only).
3. One entry is automatic for all contestants.  A second entry can be earned by linking to this contest. 
4. The giveaway will close on Sunday 7/15/11 at 10:00PM E.S.T.
5. The winner will be selected using random.org.
6. The winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond.  If the winner does not respond a new winner will be selected.
7. The contest is open internationally.

Good luck everyone!!!

THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED! WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!!!!

The Foil Method

"The thing about glitter is, if you get it on you, be prepared to have it on you forever, 'cause glitter is the herpes of craft supplies." - Demetri Martin 

So true, Demetri.  So true.  Ever tried removing a glitter manicure?  It takes forever, your cotton pad/ball/felt gets destroyed, and glitter gets everywhere.  EVERYWHERE.  In summary, it's nothing short of a complete pain in the ass.  Some folks even shy away from wearing glitters, out of fear of the imminent torture that is removal.  Never fear!  The amazing (AMAZING!) girls over at MUA have a fool proof method for getting that stuff off without all the work.  This isn't my method, but I've used it countless times, and I'm happy to share it with you!  I present....The Foil Method!

First up:  the cast of characters.  You'll need pure acetone (You can use acetone polish remover, but it may not be as effective.), small felt squares/cotton pads/cotton balls, and cut up pieces of aluminum foil.

Soak your cotton pad with acetone, and press directly onto the nail.  Cover as much of the nail with the cotton pad as possible.  (A sincere thank you to my wonderful hubby for taking all of the rest of these photos for me, since I don't have three hands.)

Cover the cotton pad and your finger tightly with a piece of aluminum foil.  

Do the same to all your fingers on one hand.  (I highly recommend doing one hand at a time.  That way you'll have one free hand to work with.)  ROBOT HAND!!!  LOL  Leave the cotton pad and foil on for 10-15 minutes.  

*NOTE:  Everyone else in the world says this should only take 5 minutes.  I have NEVER had success leaving it on for only 5 minutes.  I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but I usually do 15 minutes and it works great every time. 

After letting it soak, peel back off the aluminum foil, but leave the cotton pad on your nail.

Push down on the cotton pad and slide off the nail.  

VOILA!  The glitter slides right off the nail and onto the cotton pad.  Repeat all these steps on your other hand, and you're done!  Pain-free glitter removal!  (Ignore the fact that my nail is horribly stained.)

And that's it!  I hope you guys give this a try, if you haven't already!  It's super easy and keeps messes to a minimum.  Those MUA ladies sure are geniuses!

Time to bust out your favorite glitter!  :-D

Rescue Beauty Lounge Insouciant

I know, I know, I'm a nail polish snob.  I can't help it.  Honestly, once you have had a good formula (even at $18) you'll know why.  And don't get me wrong, while I love me some Rescue Beauty Lounge (RBL) polishes, I also have a very deep serious love for Deborah Lippmann polishes.  I haven't tried any other high end brands, but if they are anything like these ladies' polishes, sign me up!

So how does one afford to buy $18 polishes on a budget?  You save your purchases for really special polishes that you can't get elsewhere, that will really complete your collection and will be ones you will wear! Well at least that's how I do it, and eat lots of ramen :).  Just kidding!

So what makes Insouciant so special.  First the formula, its goes on amazingly smooth and pigmented.  I barely had to do cleanup with this one, the polish just flows on itself.  What you end up with is a beautiful dusty lavender full of secret blue shimmer.  It's pretty obvious on the bottle, but not the nail.  You can see it, you just have to look hard for it. :)  The shimmer just gives the polish a wonderful sophistication.  Take a look!

Rescue Beauty Lounge Insouciant
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Rescue Beauty Lounge Insouciant
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Bad news guys, Insouciant is sold out and it was limited edition so it's not coming back (at least not yet!).  But you can still find it on Ebay sometimes.  Or if you have to have this polish, you can try swapping for it on MakeupAlley.com! :)  Happy hunting, it'll be worth it.