Monday, October 31, 2011

Essie Luxeffects Preview

Happy Halloween, everyone! My professor for night class is holding us the whole time tonight until 9:00 and he made sure we have an assignment due so everyone shows up. I'm all for being a good student, but I think that's pretty lame on his part haha. Oh well, let's look ahead to December, shall we? :)


So as you may have heard, Essie is finally doing glitter! Their new Luxeffects polishes, meant to be worn as topcoats, will be hitting the shelves in December and I am SO excited! I cannot wait to see these for myself! If they look as good as these preview shots, then consider me sold.

(L to R: As Gold As It Gets, Shine of the Times, A Cut Above, Set In Stone, Pure Pearlfection)

 
I think I am most excited for Shine of the Times (It's a flakie, you guys!!!) and As Gold As It Gets but I'll be extremely curious to see all of these pretties! I've read these may become a part of Essie's core line after this collection launches and while I have no idea if it's true, wouldn't that be something? Which ones are YOU most looking forward to getting your hands on? Are you excited Essie is finally doing some glitters?

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Sephora by OPI Rumba Romance

Hi everyone! How is your pre-Halloween weekend going? I hope you all have had fun so far because I know I have! Also, today is your last day to vote in my poll, so get those votes in if you haven't already! :)

I've got a first for you today: a Sephora by OPI polish. I don't own any myself, as I think they're kind of overpriced, so this one was on loan to me from my friend Kaley's stash. Rumba Romance is a warm-toned bronze shade. I'd say color-wise it falls on the spectrum between OPI Take The Stage and OPI Rising Star, both from last year's Burlesque collection. Excuse the yellow-y apartment lighting; Rumba Romance leans a bit more orange in real life but otherwise I think these pics are pretty close to how it appears in real life.



The formula on this was quite nice. I had a little bit of trouble with some bald spots but three coats seemed to be enough to cover everything up. I'm holding my Seche bottle since the polish bottle was already back at my friend's place when I took these pics. Overall my first experience with a Sephora by OPI polish was a good one, but I still think these polishes are overpriced; they're abbreviated as $OPI in the blogosphere for a reason. (If you're not familiar with $OPI polishes, they cost more than actual OPI does.) My friend got hers on clearance for five bucks and I think that'd be a more reasonable price for these.

What are you planning on wearing on your nails for Halloween? I'm thinking about doing candy corn nails but I am so painfully awful at nail art, you guys-even simple stuff! I just don't have the art gene I guess. If all else fails I will probably wear Sally Hansen Pumpkin Spice, which I've been meaning to try.

Now I'll leave you with a bonus kitty pic! My friends and I saw these little kitties at the orchard we went to the other day. Aren't they adorable?! They were free to a good home and I totally wanted one, but I don't think my two corgis would have appreciated that. :) My friend Kaley (the same one who lent me Rumba Romance) is holding the kitten here. She has an Ulta polish on her nails in this picture but I can't remember the name of it. Gah! (EDIT: Kaley says it's called Mint Condition!)

Saturday, October 29, 2011

OPI Excuse Moi!

This is one of my last two Muppets polishes to show you! I've just got Gone Gonzo! (Enough with the exclamation points please, OPI.) left to show you after this one. I've really enjoyed this collection so far. I didn't pick up any of the red shades so I can't comment on those, but I got both foils and several of the glitters and I haven't disliked one yet!

Excuse Moi! wound up being a surprise favorite for me. I wasn't even planning on getting this one until I saw some swatches of it and how pretty it looked. It's quite different from the other glitters in this collection, which all of have clear bases with colored round glitter and silver hexagon glitter. Excuse Moi! has a a pink base with silver microglitter in it and then larger round rainbow glitter mixed in. It's very colorful yet somehow delicate and feminine at the same time. I love how girly this!




 
The formula was excellent and I used two coats here. Drying time was very fast, even before I put Seche on top. Some of the round glitter wanted to migrate up towards my tips but it didn't give me too much trouble overall. I just used a quick swipe of my nail file to trim down any little glitter pieces that hung over the edge of my tips.

All the glitter in this reminds me of little cupcake sprinkles on pink frosting. :) I really love this and I'm thinking about getting a back-up. It's not often that I fall in love with a pink polish but I'm crazy about glitter so this really fit the bill for me. There's nothing else like it in the Muppets set. I know some people weren't feeling the regular glitters from this collection and if that's the case for you, I'd definitely give Excuse Moi! a look.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Butter London Holiday 2011 Preview

Just a quick post today because it's going to be a busy day for me, but at least there's some good news: there are new limited edition Butter polishes for the holidays! I absolutely adore Butter and it's one of the only higher-end brands I'm consistently willing to splurge on. Beware, these babies are addicting!



I think The Black Knight is going to be making its way home with me! I have no idea if these will be available at Ulta or any of the other stores that carry Butter (I would assume so though), but you can currently buy these on Butter's official website.

I've got eight Butter polishes in my stash and so far I've swatched three so far. I got most of mine in the BOGO sale Ulta had a few weeks ago.  I'll try to show you more of them in the next few days, but in the meantime you can check out the ones I've already shown you HERE if you are so inclined. I'll have some fresh swatches for you tomorrow. (Hint: It's more OPI Muppets! It's one of my favorites from the collection too!)

What are some of your favorite Butter London polishes? See any from the holiday collection you'd like to add to your stash?

Wet N Wild Holiday 2011 Preview

Next up on the holiday preview bandwagon is drugstore favorite Wet N Wild, who will have two collections for us this year: What Happened Last Night? and the Walgreens-exclusive, all-holographic Ice Ice Baby. The What Happened Last Night? polishes will retail for 99 cents and the Ice Ice Baby holos will retail for $2.99. I still haven't managed to track down ANY of the On The Prowl polishes yet, but here's hoping these are easier to find. Let's take a look!




Anything you'll be staking out your local Walgreens for? I'll probably pass on What Happened Last Night? but the holos have me intrigued!

Chanel Peridot

Way back when this blog first started, one of the earliest polishes I showed you was a very special one: my only Chanel, Peridot. Peridot mimics the look of a beetle's wing and the duochrome effect is very strong on this one; the dominant color here is gold, but in other lights it's teal or green or something in between, either way it's always stunning. Definitely click to enlarge so you can see the complexity of this shade. I felt like wearing this again today so I figured it wouldn't hurt to show you guys some more pictures of this absolutely gorgeous polish. After all, a girl can never have enough Chanel in her life, right? :)











As you can see, I took many, many pictures of her because she is a special lady. But pictures don't really do her justice. This is two effortless, gorgeous coats. I know some people have problems with the wear on Chanel polishes but I took these shots after almost three days of wear and I had nary a chip or sign of tipwear. I'm still wearing this mani now because I kind of don't want to take it off. :)

She ain't cheap, but she's worth it, ladies! I would own a bazillion back-ups of this if it weren't so expensive, but as it stands I just have to savor the one bottle I have. I used my employee discount from the department store to pick her up, which softened the blow a little bit, but it's still an investment. Normally Chanel polishes cost around $25. But if you have just one in your collection, in my opinion, it ought to be this one.

This is one of my top three polishes in my collection, hands down. Maybe my absolute favorite -it's too hard to choose though! The formula is marvelous, the color is unique, the wear is good and I mean, just look at her, you guys. Don't you just hear well-manicured angels singing when you see her?

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

OPI Holland Collection Preview

Super exciting news from OPI! On the heels of their Nicki Minaj Collection for winter (Check it out HERE if you haven't seen it yet! Sooo cool!), OPI also announced their Holland Collection for Spring 2012! While these official bottle pics are notoriously inaccurate, I think these look like some great colors! However, the name Wooden Shoes Like To Know It makes me want to vomit.



(L to R: Gouda Gouda Two Shoes, Wooden Shoes Like to Know It, I Don't Give a Rotterdam, A Roll in the Hague, Petal Faster Suzi, Dutch Ya Just Love OPI, Thanks a WindMillion, Red Lights Ahead...Where?, Kiss Me On My Tulips, Vampsterdam, I Have a Herring Problem, Did You Hear About Van Gogh?)


These look perfect for Spring-and like a big improvement over the Touring America Collection! These are going to be out in February 2012. I'm excited already! Which ones have you got YOUR eye on?


Sally Hansen Grape Going!

Hello everyone! I picked up this polish a while back because it reminds me of the much sought after Rescue Beauty Lounge Scrangie. (Speaking of which, Rescue Beauty Lounge is re-releasing Scrangie, along with many other discontinued polishes I've been lusting after! MUST. HAVE.) Scrangie has a much lighter base, but Grape Going! is based on a similar idea: metallic purple with blue duochrome shimmer. Also, is anyone else tired of the unnecessary exclamation marks in polish names? But I digress...

Warning: My cuticles look grotesquely dry here and I apologize. These were taken the same day as my Wet N Wild Creepy Pumpkin swatches (HERE) and apparently my hands went through a sander or something that day. Yuck. Just focus on the pretty colors. :)

 (Sally Hansen Grape Going!, three coats plus one topcoat)


It's very unusual for me to encounter a Sally Hansen polish with a bad formula but the formula on this was very runny. I had a lot of trouble with it at first but so long as I made sure to wipe the brush every time I dipped back into the bottle, I eventually got the hang of it. I can't tell if some of the problems I had also stemmed from the Insta Dri brush, which I personally do not like. Grape Going! also took longer to dry than the other Insta Dri polishes I have, which, true to their name, dry almost right away. I would say Grape Going!'s dry time was similar to that of a regular polish though, so nothing unreasonable.

Despite the troublesome formula, I love this and I'm willing to go through a little extra effort to get this baby on my nails. She's so pretty! I'm just a sucker for duochrome. While I'm looking forward to hopefully owning the real Scrangie very soon, this is a nice, cheaper alternative and a beautiful polish in its own right.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

OPI Designer...De Better!

Happy Tuesday! Did anyone else watch "Hoarders" last night? I know it's gross, but I have kind of a sick obsession with that show. I think my nail polish collection could constitute a small horde-and here's one of its newest members!

OPI Designer...De Better! is one of the two foil polishes from the new Muppets Collection. (You can see swatches of the other foil, Warm and Fozzie, HERE.) Designer...De Better! is a very unique polish; I don't have anything like it. It's a silver foil, but it has flecks of rose gold in it as well, creating an effect that makes this polish look like a cool-toned champagne shade in most lights. Take a look!


 (OPI Designer...De Better!, two coats plus one topcoat)




I like the idea of a silver foil with a twist! The rose gold glitter almost look like little freckles when you see it up close. The application on this was a breeze. I used two coats here but I maybe should have used three, because you can still see my nail line from certain angles. I'm not sure if I like this or Warm and Fozzie more, since they are both quite different and tough to compare. So I'm just glad I have both! If you're not into glitter, I think either of the foils from this collection would be a fun way to get some shine on your nails. Both are equally pretty with great formulas!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Nicole by OPI Holiday Glitters Preview

I realized I never posted this even though I've had it queued up forever, so I guess it's better late than never. Looks like Nicole by OPI is going to have some new glitters for us this holiday season! I'm nuts about glitter so I'll be looking forward to seeing these in-person! The swatches I've seen look really gorgeous and these previews just don't do them justice. Get out your holiday wishlists, ladies and check out the press release shots below!


Glitter In My Stocking
My Sleigh's In The Shop

Orna-ment For Each Other

Snow-man Of My Dreams

Wet N Wild Fantasy Makers Creepy Pumpkin

Hey all! Just a few more days left to vote in the poll over to the right side of your screen. Right now it's super close between all the brands, so if you haven't voted already, I'd love to hear your thoughts. And of course, if there is a brand not in the poll that you want to see more of-or a particular polish you want to see-drop me a line in the comments and I'll do my best. :)

So today I've got another Halloween-themed polish for you: Creepy Pumpkin from Wet N Wild Fantasy Makers. Creepy Pumpkin is an orange jelly with gold microglitter. I got this for two bucks in the Halloween section at Meijer. Like the glow in the dark shade Night Glow (swatches HERE), Creepy Pumpkin has an adorable tombstone-shaped bottle! Focus on that instead of how dry my hands look here haha.

 (Wet N Wild Fantasy Makers Creepy Pumpkin, three coats plus one topcoat)


The formula on this was kind of a pain in the ass. It was on the thick side and had a lot of drag and felt sticky, almost like trying to spread glue across my nails. It's not the worst formula I've ever used, but Creepy Pumpkin was not fun to apply. I haven't read any other complaints about the formula on this one, so maybe I just got a dud bottle?


Since this is a jelly polish, you can still see my nail line even after three coats. Creepy Pumpkin is quite sheer so I think when I wear it next time I'll layer it over an orange creme (and use polish thinner!). I just hate having VNL (visible nail line).


I really can't decide if I like this or not on me. I think it's just okay. It's cheap, so I don't have buyer's remorse but I can't see myself reaching for this one a whole lot in the future. What do you think of Creepy Pumpkin? Do you have a Halloween mani in mind yet?

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Essie Power Clutch

I didn't think this day would come. I am in love with an Essie polish...and her name is Power Clutch. If you follow Nailed on a semi-regular basis, you may know I'm not always wild about Essie but I just adore this polish! Power Clutch is part of Essie's Brand New Bag Collection for fall-and it's the only one I picked up from that particular set. The other colors just didn't grab me but I have a weakness for grey polishes, so naturally this one came home with me. Power Clutch is a green-based dark grey and she is a beauty!


(Essie Power Clutch, three coats plus one topcoat)



The Essie brush is starting to grow on me. It's smaller than the Pro-Wide style brushes, but once I got used to it I really like how precise the application is with it. The formula on Power Clutch truly was perfection: silky smooth, great dry time and a surprising amount of shine even without a topcoat, although I threw one on out of habit. The color most definitely reads as dark grey; no near-black here. The subtle dark green undertones are only really visible in low indoor light.


I feel super chic wearing this! I rocked this for almost three days, hence some of the tipwear you see in my pics. Power Clutch has totally made it into my top five greys. I am quite impressed by this polish and I'm glad Essie is starting to step outside the box more often with their color selection. Although I passed on the rest of the Brand New Bag Collection, I was still glad to see it wasn't the usual French manicure shades that make up a lot of Essie's core line.


Is Power Clutch the most unique color ever? No, but it's still a damn good grey so I really love it. Essie die-hards, what colors do I need to try next?

OPI Nicki Minaj Preview

How about some brand spanking new nail polish news to start your Sunday? Although OPI's winter Muppets Collection are just starting to hit stores (check out swatches HEREHERE and HERE-with more to come), OPI  has announced its newest upcoming collection: a collaboration with rapper Nicki Minaj! Check out bottle shots straight from the source and be sure to click to enlarge so you can see them up close!


(L to R: Super Bass, Metallic 4 Life, Save Me, Fly, Did It On 'Em, Pink Friday)



Photo Credit for both pics: OPI's Facebook

WANT. This collection looks very, very cool! I'm kind of all shattered out, so Super Bass doesn't really intrigue me but the rest look very promising. Fly looks like it could be a brighter, more vibrant version of Suzi Says Feng Shui from the Hong Kong Collection and Did It It On 'Em reminds me of Who The Shrek Are You? from the Shrek Collection. I love that these are some pretty adventurous colors-and of course there are some great-looking glitters in there too! I was unimpressed by the majority of the Touring America Collection, but this and the Muppets has me loving on OPI, as usual.

The Katy Perry Collection was a huge hit for OPI and I can see these becoming big sellers as well. These should be hitting the shelves around January 2012. I can see myself investing some Christmas money on these puppies for sure. What about you? See any you're already lusting after from this collection?

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Stila Nail Polish

I love Stila cosmetics so I was excited to hear they're putting out nail polish now too! They'll be selling mini 0.25 bottles in four-piece sets priced at $24. There are currently two collections: Delicate and Daring. Let's take a look!

 Delicate Collection
(L to R; Icicle, Stardust, Kitten, Chandelier)


Daring Collection
(L to R: Confetti, Firecracker, Disco Ball, City Lights)


They look really cute but I think $24 is still a little steep for me considering they're mini bottles. But I'll be looking forward to reading reviews of these! You can buy these now on Stila's website. Anyone planning on giving these a try?

Friday, October 21, 2011

Orly Holiday Soiree Preview

Today I've got some quick bottle shots of Orly's upcoming Holiday Soiree collection. These will be available both individually and in gift sets. Take a look!


(L to R: Androgynie, Ma Cherie, Oui, Au Champagne, La Chateaux, Ingenue)



Androgynie is the only one that really sparks my interest. It's a black jelly filled with multi-colored hexagon glitter. We've already seen many, many versions of Oui and Ingenue and the other three just don't seem special to me. After the awesomeness that is Mineral FX, this collection seems a little ho-hum to me. 

Thursday, October 20, 2011

OPI Fresh Frog of Bel Air

Thanks to everyone who's voted in the poll so far and keep the votes coming! I've got a pretty good collection of each of the brands I've listed (Except Zoya... I need more Zoya for sure), so I want to share with you the brands you are most interested in seeing!


Anyways, Today I've got one of the new OPI Muppets polishes for you: Fresh Frog of Bel Air! You can see my previous Muppets swatches, for Warm and Fozzie and Rainbow Connection, HERE and HERE. Fresh Frog of Bel Air consists of green round glitter and silver hexagon glitter in a clear base. I had to take these shots inside because of the stormy weather, so please excuse how yellow the lighting makes my hands look. The polish, however, is still color accurate. Check it out!

 (OPI Fresh Frog of Bel Air, three coats plus one topcoat)



I'd read some complaints from other nail bloggers that it's hard to build up opacity with the glitters from this collection, so that initially deterred me from buying them but I decided to give them a try and now I'm so glad I did! I honestly had no problems with the coverage on Fresh Frog of Bel Air-and I'm a stickler for opacity. I used three coats here and it was pretty effortless. The formula is excellent.

The look of this polish kind of reminds me of a meadow with little white flowers in it. I love green and I love glitter so obviously Fresh Frog of Bel Air is a win-win for me!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolors Preview

First off, if you haven't already, please consider taking two seconds to vote in my poll, over to the right of your screen. I love hearing from you guys and I'm curious what type of brands you'd like to see! :)

Now, I don't exactly understand the obsession with the Kardashians, but I DO understand the obsession with nail polish, so let's make a compromise here, shall we? Today I've got some press release bottle pics from the newest Nicole by OPI Collection, Kardashian Kolors. (Yes, really, with a K.) These are supposed to hit shelves on November 25th for $7.99 each. Buckle up, because there are a LOT of these babies to look at!


It's All About Glam
Kim-pletely in Love

All Kendall-ed Up

Wear Something Spark-Kylie

Sealed With A Kris

Rainbow in the S-Kylie
(Are we thinking this might be a re-package of OPI Rainbow Connection?)

Disco Dolls

Kendall on the Katwalk

Listen to Your Momager!

Follow Me on Glitter

My Empire...My Rules

Khloe Had a Little Lam-Lam

Hard Kourt Fashionista

Kourt is Red-y for a Pedi