Zoya Rica

Back on Valentine's Day, Zoya had a promo where you got both free shipping and a free red polish of your choice with your purchase so I scooped up Shawn and then chose Rica as my complimentary red! I'm not a huge red polish person but Rica isn't your ordinary red--or even really a true red, for that matter. It's a coral-y shade with crazy bright gold shimmer. Rica practically glows. I love it!

I can see myself reaching for Rica a lot during the summer. It's such a bright, fun, almost citrus-y base and then it's packed with gold shimmer that catches the light like crazy! It seriously is about as shiny as a foil polish. The formula is really good too--no complaints. I used two coats and had the tiniest hint of VNL (which I'm admittedly a stickler for), so maybe next time I'll go for three. If you don't like coral, Zoya Tanzy (from the Sunshine Collection, same as Rica) gives you a similar look, only more orange.



OPI Thanks A Windmillion!

Thanks A Windmillion! is a dirty pastel green from the Holland Collection. I love this color; it's like a dusty jade. This is one of my favorites so far from the collection!

Thanks A Windmillion! is darker and dustier than OPI Mermaid's Tears but it's a match for Zoya Bevin. The formula is great and I used two coats here. As you may know by now, I really, really love green polishes and this one is no exception. It's perfect for spring! I love the mix of a light base color with a little bit of dustiness to it. This color and Kiss Me On My Tulips (Yes, a pink polish that I actually have major love for!) are my two top picks so far from the Holland Collection.

OPI Vampsterdam

Ah, Vampsterdam. Great name. The polish itself is kind of the odd one out in the Holland Collection though. A raisin-colored frost is pretty unexpected, especially for an OPI spring collection. Vampsterdam isn't majorly frosty like some of the old school frosts from the 90s but it's still got a brushstroke-y, velvet-esque look to it. I'm not sure how I feel about this one...

I don't love it but I don't hate it either. I certainly don't have anything else like it in my collection already, so I suppose that's a plus. The formula is pretty good too. I used two coats but later I noticed a few patches after everything dried, so three would probably be the magic number here. Since this is a frost, I did have some issues with brushstrokes.


Vampsterdam doesn't have much in common with the other Holland colors, as I mentioned. It was fun for me to try something outside my wheelhouse but my overall reaction to Vampsterdam was kind of ho-hum. I'm a bit torn on this polish... What do you guys think? Did any of you pick up Vampsterdam?

Twinsie Tuesday: Why So Serious? Franken

Welcome to another Twinsie Tuesday! This week's theme is frankens! If you're not familiar with the term, a franken is a polish you make yourself from a mixture of other polishes in your collection. I must admit I am not a big frankener. I've only ever made two frankens, both of which were attempts to dupe Deborah Lippmann polishes. You may remember seeing them if you've been reading Nailed for a while. One is Barbie Puke and the other is the one I'm going to show you today for Twinsie Tuesday: Why So Serious? It's rainbow hex glitter in a black jelly base--essentially my version of Deborah Lippmann Forget You.

The recipe is insanely easy: Take a bottle of Milani Gems (or another of the 10,000 Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday dupes) that's about 3/4 of the way full then pour in the black creme of your choice (I just used a 99-cent Wet N Wild one) until the bottle is full. Remember to leave room for when you put the brush back in though! Then just seal the bottle, shake it up and you're done! Simple, right? Cheap too! The whole franken cost me about five bucks to make.


I may still be a franken newbie but there are some seriously talented frankeners amongst the other Twinsie Tuesday ladies so be sure to check out their creations today--and welcome to new additions Anna and ChiChi!

Amanda: http://amandalandish.blogspot.com/
Anna: http://goingtotheshowing.blogspot.com/
Anne: http://grapefizz.blogspot.com/
Ashley: http://artevolve.blogspot.com/
ChiChi: http://beautystarr1009.blogspot.com/
Jenn: http://allthatisgorgeous.blogspot.com/
Jenna: http://www.jennafroggy.com/
Katherine: http://hauloffame.blogspot.com/
Marisa: http://marijonails.blogspot.com/
Meredith: http://polishandcharms.blogspot.com/
Nory: http://fiercemakeupandnails.blogspot.com/
Rachel: http://topcoatit.wordpress.com/
Sarah: http://seesarahswatch.blogspot.com/

Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolors: Wel-Kim To My World Preview

OPI must really be making bank with the Kardashian Kolors because they will be releasing a third installment. (You may recall that in addition to the initial set, there were also some CVS-exclusive shades released this month.) This latest addition to the Kardashian Kolors, called Wel-Kim To My World since all the polishes are named for Kim, will feature six new polishes. I don't pay any attention to the Kardashians themselves but I actually really like the Kardashian Kolors I already have, so I'm excited to see more of them!

Here Kim's The Sun

Kim Konfidential

Up & Kim-ing Pink

Nothing Kim-pares To Blue

Lights, Kim-era, Action!

Others Pale By Kim-parison

Okay, so the names are majorly obnoxious but there appear to be some cute colors here. Here Kim's The Sun really caught my eye, although I think it may have some similarities to Butter London Tart With A Heart, which I already have. Lights, Kim-era, Action! also reminds me a bit of Illamasqua Hemlock. It's so hard to tell with these bottle shots though...

I wonder how many more Kardashian Kolors NOPI will release? I wouldn't mind seeing more so long as the colors continue putting out interesting shades. I like that the Kardashian Kolors aren't just a bunch of pinks and reds; there's something for pretty much everyone. The official release date for these is April. Unlike the original Kardashian Kolors, which initially launched only at Walmart, and the CVS exclusives, Wel-Kim To My World will be a wide/general release.

Are you ready for more Kardashian Kolors? Which ones made your wishlist from this round of Kolors? (Ugh, I will never stop hating that spelling!)

OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh?

I may not have liked the last polish I tried from OPI Holland, but I'm more keen on Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh?, a greige creme. I thought for sure I'd have a dupe of this one but it's warmer and leans more beige than polishes like OPI Skull and Glossbones or Deborah Lippmann Waking Up In Vegas. I'm not a big neutral polish gal but I really like greys and puttys.

I prefer Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh?'s cousin polish, Skull and Glossbones, a bit more but I like both shades overall. The formula is very nice and covered in two coats. This would make a great work polish or for when you need something understated but still chic. I like that putty polishes have a little more visual interest than a plain nude and that's what makes them my go-to neutral shade.

OPI Gouda Gouda Two Shoes

Hi everyone! Happy Friday! Sorry for the lack of post yesterday. But I'm back and I've got another Holland Collection polish to show you today! This one is Gouda Gouda Two Shoes, a rose shimmer. To be honest this is not a polish I would have picked up if I didn't snag a good online deal buying the entire collection as a lot. As predicted, I didn't care for this color at all.

The color just screams "grandma" to me and I don't think it flatters my skintone one bit. It leans a bit more brown on me in real life than it does in these photos; almost terracotta-esque. I'm sorry if you like these types of shades but they aren't my thing. I didn't even wear this as a full manicure--just a swatch and then off it came. The formula, however, is just fine. I used two coats here. The name is cute too, even if I'm not feeling the color itself.

I may pop this color onto my toes at some point to see if I like it that way since I tend to be way more conservative with my pedicure colors. Sometimes I am able to salvage colors I don't like on my nails but somehow look nice as a pedi--funny how that works. But if that doesn't do the trick then I'll likely put Gouda Gouda Two Shoes in the swap/gift category so I can find someone who'll give this polish a lot more love and attention.