Polished by KPT Paris & Me Collection Swatches and Review

Happy Friday Lovelies! I am super excited today to share with you my review of the new Polished by KPT Fall collection named Paris & Me. The collection which features nine gorgeous lacquers will be released next week. It is definitely one you shouldn't miss. There is something for everyone here from thermal to holographic to glitter. I am incapable of picking favorites here so please pardon me while I gush...

Nicole by OPI Carrie Underwood Collection Swatches and Review!

Hi Everyone! Today I'm excited to show you swatches of the complete Nicole by OPI Carrie Underwood collection. Usually I split collections up for the ease of shorter posts, but I thought I'd try keeping it all together for once. Please be aware this is a much longer than usual post and very photo heavy...

I confess that I love country music, so I was so excited for this Carrie Underwood collection. I enjoyed listening to her songs while swatching and playing with these beauties!

OPI Miss Universe 2013 Lacquers Swatches and Review

Today I would like to show you the new OPI Miss Universe 2013 nail lacquers. These beautiful shades are inspired by the women in the Miss Universe competition which will be held in early November and aim to give us a bit of that glamour...

Barielle Sophisticated Lady Collection Swatches and Review

Today I would like to show you swatches of the Barielle Sophisticated Lady collection. This is the second of the Fall collections by Barielle. Although both of the collections contain the creamy brown named In Good Taste, that is where the similarities end. The first collection, Nude&Naughty, contains soft neutral shades while this one is darker and moodier....

Nicole by OPI Selena Gomez Collection - Part 1

Today I would like to show you one half of the Nicole by OPI Selena Gomez Collection. This is a new collaboration for 2013 which features 14 fun shades. The seven shades, which I'm showing you today, include bright creams and shimmers. The rest of the collection is made up of beautiful glitter mixes which are perfect for layering. I will have those swatches up tomorrow, but for now take a look at these lovelies...

The Bonded Look!

Have you seen the new James Bond movie yet? If you have, you might have noticed the double sided stiletto manicure worn by actress Bérénice Marlohe which features two OPI shades from the Skyfall collection released in honor of the film. OPI is calling the manicure "The Bonded Look". I have yet to see the movie, so please don't spoil it for me, but I really couldn't wait to try the manicure...

Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolor Holiday Collection

Today I have for you swatches of the limited edition Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolor Holiday lacquers. Regardless of how you might feel about the Kardashians themselves, I think it is safe to say we can all appreciate gorgeous polishes when we see them and Nicole by OPI has released some beauties. The collection contains six lacquers and includes both glitter and shimmers...

Nail-aween Challenge Day 9: Pumpkins

It is hard to believe that the Nail-aween challenge is almost over, leaving just one more manicure to complete in time for Halloween. The theme for today's challenge is none other than pumpkins. Since I already did a stamped Jack-o-Lantern manicure, I wanted to try something with freehand art. I'm really excited about how it turned out and I hope you like it too...

Barielle Soho at Night vs Zoya Monica

I mentioned yesterday that Barielle Soho at Night reminded me of Zoya Monica. The two are very similar dusty plum creams from this year's Fall collections. It is pretty clear from the bottle shots that they are not dupes, but just how different are they on the nail?...

OPI Germany Collection for Fall 2012: Part 1

Although I not excited for actual fall to come, I am always excited for fall colors. When it comes to nail polish, I will take a dark, vampy fall color over a bright neon one any day. Today I have fore you the first half of a beautiful fall OPI Germany Collection. Hopefully you are as excited about these as I am...

Sunday Stamping: Precious Gemstones

I was really stumped this week by the Sunday Stamping challenge in the group Adventures in Stamping. The theme seemed simple enough, to create a manicure using precious gemstone colors. I have been agonizing over it all week trying to decide on the color/stone. I really wanted to stay away from the "typical" colors such as emerald (been there, done that). My first attempt was opal, but even though I loved the manicure (will show you soon), it didn't really look like opal, so back to square one...

Finally it dawned on me that today is my grandmother's 95th birthday and I wanted something inspired by her when I visit later today. She loves garnet and amber and since amber is not really a stone, the choice was clear. I guess sometimes all it takes is a personal connection to what you are doing to get inspired...

OPI - Holland - Part 2

Today I have the second half of the Holland collection from OPI to share with you. You can find the first half here, if you missed it. These should be available for purchase on the 8th of this month. Since there is lots to show, I'll get to it... :)

Kiss Me On My Tulips
A pretty pink cream that I would best describe as Barbie pink. I used three coats plus a top coat in these swatches. Application was very good as usual. I was fascinated (and this is probably just me) that the first coat dried darker and with a frosty finish, but the following coats were lighter and shiny. Anyone else pay attention to useless stuff like that? :)

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Holland, Spring 2012 Color Name/Number: Kiss Me On My Tulips, NL H59 Number of coats: 3 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Pedal Faster Suzi!
A pretty lavender pink with a silver and pink shimmer. The shimmer in this one is larger and almost resembles tiny flakes. It starts out very sheer, but does build up nicely. I used three coats and could only slightly see the nail line. These swatches are with a top coat...

A close up to see the shimmer...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Holland, Spring 2012 Color Name/Number: Pedal Faster Suzi!, NL H60 Number of coats: 3 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Red Light Ahead...Where?
This is a cross between a cream and a jelly. I don't see too much red in it, as the name would suggest. I would classify it as a coral orange. It is not nearly as neon as the last two photos would suggest, but it is a bright color. Great for spring. I used three coats plus a top coat for this one...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Holland, Spring 2012 Color Name/Number: Red Light Ahead...Where?, NL H61 Number of coats: 3 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Thanks a Windmillion
A sea foam green cream. Application was perfect, only two coats for full coverage. I have such a weakness for these colors...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Holland, Spring 2012 Color Name/Number: Thanks a Windmillion, NL H62 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Vampsterdam
A deep plum shimmer. The polish certainly lives up to it's vampy name. The formula was very thin and runny, not what I expected. I'm not sure if it is just my bottle like that. It took three coats to build up to full coverage  Swatches are with a top coat...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Holland, Spring 2012 Color Name/Number: Vampsterdam, NL H63 Number of coats: 3 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Wooden Shoe Like to Know?
A milk chocolate brown with a reddish copper shimmer. Application was great, two coats for full coverage. I have been leaning toward brown polishes lately so this was right on target. I wore it as a full mani to work and loved it!

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Holland, Spring 2012 Color Name/Number: Wooden Shoe Like to Know?, NL H64 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Will you be getting any of the colors from this collection?
I'd love to know what you think of them so don't be shy :)

For more information you can visit www.opi.com.
Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)


** These polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. For more information please see the disclosure policy **

OPI - Holland - Part 1

I'm so excited to show you the first half of the new OPI Holland collection which is set to release next week. The collection has such a great mix of colors and finishes that I am having a hard time picking favorites. I'll just get on with the swatches and let you decide for yourself, just make sure to let me know what you think! :)

A Roll in the Hague
This is a bright orange cream. It is bright, but not neon bright. Covered well in two coats and was shiny enough that I didn't use a top coat. Application was very good. During cleanup, the polish removed easily, but flooded my cuticles with yellow. You can see it on my ring and pinkie fingers in these photos. I've never had this happen before. I didn't seem to stain my nails though (any more than they already are :D), but just in case, I would suggest a good base coat with this.

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Holland, Spring 2012 Color Name/Number: A Roll in the Hague, NL H53 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh?
A pale taupe with a hint of gray. OPI describes it as bisque and I would have to agree. Application was great, two coats for full coverage. No top coat on this one, it was shiny enough on it's own. Love the look of this...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Holland, Spring 2012 Color Name/Number: Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh?, NL H54 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: No Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Dutch'ya Just Love OPI?
A plum purple with a coppery shimmer. The shimmer is best seen in the sun and is pretty subtle indoors, but definitely still there. Such a gorgeous shimmer. I used two coats for full coverage and added a top coat on this one...

A closer look at the shimmer...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Holland, Spring 2012 Color Name/Number: Dutch'ya Just Love OPI?, NL H55 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

Gouda Gouda Two Shoes
A dark salmon color with a copper shimmer. The shimmer in this one is very subtle, but does give it a nice touch. I used two coats for full coverage and application was great. These are with a top coat...

The shimmer...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Holland, Spring 2012 Color Name/Number: Gouda Gouda Two Shoes, NL H56 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

I Don't Give A Rotterdam!
A light periwinkle blue with a strong silver shimmer. The shimmer particles themselves are larger and almost look like tiny flakes up close. I applied two coats, but probably should have used three. When the light was directly behind, I could see through some spots. Nothing an extra coat couldn't fix. The color is just gorgeous....

I bit of close up to see the shimmer...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Holland, Spring 2012 Color Name/Number: I Don't Give A Rotterdam!, NL H57 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

I Have a Herring Problem
This is a darker, slightly more blue version of the above. It was also a bit thicker and covered well in two coats. The shimmer in this more of a champagne gold giving it a warmer feeling. Another gorgeous polish in this collection...

A close up...

Swatch Details
	Brand: OPI Collection: Holland, Spring 2012 Color Name/Number: I Have a Herring Problem, NL H58 Number of coats: 2 Top Coat: Yes Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP)

I Don't Give A Rotterdam! vs. I Have a Herring Problem
Just for fun, a comparison of the two blue shimmers side by side so you can see the difference. I Have a Herring Problem is on the index and ring fingers and I Don't Give A Rotterdam! is on the middle and pinkie fingers...

A closer look... I Don't Give A Rotterdam! on the left and I Have a Herring Problem on the right...

I'd love know what you think of these!

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2!

For more information you can visit www.opi.com.
Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

Thanks for looking!
Anutka :)


** These polishes were provided to me for review by the manufacturer or their PR. For more information please see the disclosure policy **