Nail Polish Archives - Page 2 of 31

Estée Lauder Vivid Shine Pure Color Nail Lacquer in So Vain ~ Photos, Swatches, and Review

April 10, 2013 By Christa 2 Comments

So Vain is a lovely cafe cream neutral shade with very, very subtle shimmer. The shimmer is pretty much indiscernible to the naked eye on the nail but it gives the polish a little extra glow and dimension. It has a sheer formula that applies beautifully and evenly. I didn’t find any need for more than two coats (shown) but if you detest any hint of visible nail line than you may prefer three. I found Estée Lauder So Vain ($25 CAD) to be a really lovely neutral. It has a subtle warmth but didn’t look out of place against my cool toned skin. It is dark enough to avoid a mannequin hands look although this will of course vary with skintone. It dried quickly and has a nice gloss even without top coat.

Product provided for my consideration. All reviews are always my own honest and unbiased opinions.

Filed Under: Estee Lauder, Nail Polish

OPI Bond Girls Liquid Sand Collection ~ Photos, Swatches, and Review

April 9, 2013 By Christa 5 Comments

I can’t wait to share my latest love/obsession with you.

OPI announces the launch of Bond Girls, a collection of six new Liquid Sand™ nail lacquers featuring a textured, matte finish infused with reflective sparkle fitting the allure surrounding the Bond Girls. In hues of white, pink, blue, purple, gold and coral, Bond Girls offers a range of shimmering shades with the distinctive Liquid Sand finish.

“OPI is extremely excited to partner again with EON Productions,” says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI co-founder & Artistic Director. “Following the success of the holiday promotion with the latest James Bond film, Skyfall, it’s been a thrill to create colors for the women who’ve captured Bond’s attention over the last five decades.

Solitaire This diamond-sparkling white is totally engaging.
Tiffany Case A classic light blue worth investigating.
Honey Ryder Take a ryde on the wild side in this shimmery gold.
Jinx This mesmerizing matte coral has lucky sparkle.
Pussy Galore This light feminine pink has the purrrfect amount of shimmer.
Vesper A mysterious and intriguing deep purple.

Normally I would give you my thoughts on each individual shade’s application and formula. Well, I don’t need to do that because this entire OPI Bond Girls Liquid Sand collection is AMAZING. Every single one applied flawlessly. All swatches above are two coats. I honestly didn’t think I was a fan of the whole liquid sand thing when if first came out but I am head over heels for every one of these polishes. The best part is that these polishes are two in one. If you aren’t that happy with the whole matte, textured effect, or you just feel like switching things up, then all you need to do is apply a glossy top coat and they are transformed into a more traditional looking polish. Some of the shades including Solitaire and Tiffany Case contain flecks of highly reflective glitter that really flash in the sun. I still find it a little difficult getting used to the textured feeling on my nails but I should be leaving my darn nails alone anyhow. I need to stop playing with them and I am not as apt to rub, play, and chew when they have such a funky feeling to them. Maybe if I keep wearing these babies for a while I can actually get them to grow!

Another bonus is that these are totally easy to remove. It really shocked me considering the amount of glitter and other “stuff” these polishes contain.

I highly recommend you check this collection out. They are so much more magical on the nails than the appearance in the bottle can ever demonstrate. Bond Girls by OPI nail lacquers feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application. These six new shades will be available beginning May 2013 at Professional Salons and Spas for $10.95 CAN suggested retail for each nail lacquer.

Products provided for my consideration. All review are always my own honest and unbiased opinions.

Filed Under: Nail Polish, OPI

Light Up The Night with the essie 2013 Neon Collection ~ Photos, Swatches, and Review

April 5, 2013 By Christa Leave a Comment

The new essie 2013 Neon Collection brings us 6 shades perfect for spring and summer.

bouncer, it’s me! — vivid blue velvet
bottle service — scorching neon fuchsia
DJ play that song — jam-iest neon plum
shake your $$ maker — ambitious electric green
saturday disco fever — superhot fire coral
boom boom room — ultra-bright party pink

I have all but Bouncer, It’s Me to share my thoughts on with you today. essie recommends wearing these neon shades over a coat of white polish such as Blanc. I happen to have essie Blanc so I have swatched all shades over bare nails on my ring and index fingers and over a coat of Blanc on my middle and pinky fingers. All pictures show 2 coats with the exception of Shake Your $$ Maker which is 3 coats. No base coat applied. Applying a base coat will take these from a satin finish to full gloss.

DJ Play That Song is a really fun neon purple. The coat of Blanc underneath didn’t make much of a difference. While it still had the same thin, sheer texture the application was very even.
Bottle Service has a nice thin texture that gave even coverage in two coats. It gave a noticeable difference in intensity of the neon over Blanc. This is the only shade that I experienced a bit of staining with.
Boom Boom Room had a completely different formula than the other shades in the collection I swatched. It is more of a traditional cream finish and is a bit thick. There was only a small amount of uneveness showing through after 2 coats. Over a coat of Blanc it was perfect. Colour was a touch more bright and even over Blanc. Very pretty pale pink with a bit more intensity than most.
Shake Your $$ Maker gave me the most trouble of the bunch. It is the only one I swatched with three coats and I still couldn’t get an even finish. The coat of Blanc underneath did make a nice difference in amping up the neon.
Saturday Disco Fever had one of the most neon effect of the shades. It has a thin texture and a somewhat sheer effect. The difference over an application of Blanc was most noticeable with this shade giving the neon effect a little extra oomph.

Products provided for my consideration. All reviews are always my own honest and unbiased opinions.

Filed Under: Essie, Nail Polish