Well, hello my lovelies!! I’ve missed you all terribly – I feel like I’ve been away for ages! It’s been quite busy lately, and not necessarily in a fun, social way 
We’re way busy at my office as we’re just wrapping up our fiscal year-end, and while it’s manageable, staring hard at a computer screen all day does not entice one to come home and do it all night as well. That, combined with my skincare woes and cosmetic funk (which I think I’m coming out of!), did not make for an inspiring nor productive blogging week last week at all. I’m sorry I’ve been sort of absent around these here parts! 
There have been some highlights the past few days however – on Friday night we went to see Rob Schneider at the casino for a stand-up show (part of my birthday gift to my bf), which was pretty good. After shopping all day Saturday in preparation for Jamaica (we leave this Saturday!), I went to a Murder Mystery party for a friends birthday. It was quite fun, and a great change of pace from the regular get-together’s we usually have. It was an excellent way to get people talking – I spent most of the night talking to complete strangers, and I loved that it got me out of my comfort zone.
At the party, everyone played a particular character assigned by the host. My character was a jewelry designer, and in honor of all things sparkly, I wore OPI’s DS Temptation polish – a stunning jewel-toned purple glitter with a touch of blue. 
I have been meaning to show you this polish since last October, when I bought it, but the first time I wore it I forgot to take pictures, and then it started to chip and was too late. I love the way glitters look, but like everyone else, I abhor having to take them off, so I haven’t worn it since. It’s pretty blingy (do people still even say that anymore?) so it really needs an event to wear it to, and my chance finally came with the past weekend’s party!
The base shade of the polish sheer purple, and glitter an electric violet, but throughout is also vibrant blue glitter that gives it some depth and extra interest. In some light I can even see a hint of pink as well. Two coats give you almost total opacity, but I actually applied a base shade of Illamasqua’s Baptiste first in an effort to fully fill any gaps and also in the hope that the glitter would last longer (I find they chip so easily!). Though the bottle is almost full, its already gotten a bit thicker (like I find most glitters do) and care is needed when applying. 
I happened to be in Best Buy on the weekend when I had this on, and I went to test out some cameras (I think I found the winner! Can’t WAIT to get it – the pictures on the blog should improve exponentially). I explained to the sales associate what I wanted to use the camera for and we snapped a few shots of my polish. Even with the excellency of the camera (and her knowledge of how to use it), every single shot ended up coming out far too blue. The moral of this story – it’s not my fault that I couldn’t capture this polish as it is in real life!!! It’s a chameleon and I think because of the blue particles the camera just picks up on that and alters the shade a bit in photos. I can tell you that it’s much more sparkly and a bit warmer than it shows in these shots.
Above photos with flash
As is typical with glitters, the finished product is fairly rough, so I applied one coat of OPI’s Top Coat and then one coat of Revlon’s Quick Dry Top Coat on top of the lacquer for a relatively smooth finish. While the polish still started to chip by day three, it held up mostly well, and was the requisite P.I.T.A. to remove ~sigh~ But, for a once in a while situation, I’ll definitely return back to this polish, as it is one of the most striking shades I own.
OPI’s DS Series polishes retail for about $14.95CAD. I haven’t seen this shade kickin’ around my usual haunts, but you might be able to still get it online. It also looks similar to Nails Inc. Bloomsbury Square, though that has red glitter accents rather than blue.
How was everyone’s weekend?? Have you ever been to a Murder Mystery party? And, what are your thoughts on DS Temptation – worth the hassle?
#1 by Eugenia on April 2, 2012 - 6:46 pm
I’ve always wanted to go to a Murder Mystery Party (I play so much Clue when I was younger, that my board game split in half, lol!)…sounds like you had fun! And you’re leaving on Saturday!!! How exciting – I love travelling, and even when it’s not me doing the travelling, I’m always happy to hear of other people’s adventures! Now, this shade looks great on you and even though it’s “blingy” (yes, pretty sure people still use this term!), it also has a modern sophistication to it.
As to the camera issue, I hate sounding like a know it all, but your Best Buy camera person can’t be that knowledgeable and I’ll tell you why; if you actually took photos in store to test the models out and the shots still came out too blue, the SA should have advised you on how you can adjust the colours using your camera. My advice to you, Toya, is to go online and do your research on the models you’ve narrowed it down to – barring that, ask the return policy before you buy, in case the camera really doesn’t do it for you!
#2 by Latoya on April 6, 2012 - 8:59 pm
I played Clue a ton when I was younger too Eugenia – so good! It was super-fun to play a real-life version!
I think you’re right, this shade of nail polish is blingy but still classy – perhaps because it’s purple, which is inherently luxurious?
As for the camera, actually the Best Buy gal showed me the various color adjustments, which is why I was so amazed that we still couldn’t get the color to come out accurately. Other than this particular nail polish though, we were able to take amazing shots of other things with clarity and accuracy, so after doing some more research, I’m pretty sure I’ve found my new camera!! But thank you for the advice nonetheless my dear!
#3 by kat on April 2, 2012 - 8:05 pm
GASP! You went to a murder mystery party?! I’ve always wanted to do one of those! It’s like being in Clue! Did you solve the murder?
#4 by Latoya on April 6, 2012 - 9:03 pm
No one did, it was tricky!! But it was totally fun Kat, you should do one yourself – it was such a great idea!!
#5 by Emi (@projectswatch1) on April 2, 2012 - 10:21 pm
Ooh, that’s such a gorgeous polish!
Re: cameras – I agree with the comment above to research it a bit – Best Buy is known for terrible customer service (I have my own story . . . they’re really pretty terrible). Maybe you lucked out with someone who was actually knowledgeable, maybe not! If you’re looking for a point and shoot, I love my camera (Canon PowerShot SX230 HS) – if you’re looking for a DSLR or in a different price range, I’m no help at all
#6 by Latoya on April 6, 2012 - 9:05 pm
I can’t really afford a DSLR, so thanks for the suggestion Emi! I’ll check the Canon out for sure. I actually think I did luck out with my sales associate, she really was terrific and so helpful and knowledgeable. I plan to do my own research too, but she gave me a great starting point. I’m sorry to hear that others have had such bad luck!
And yes, DS Temptation is fabulous!!
#7 by nailsNAILED on April 3, 2012 - 6:02 am
WOW! That polish is absoutely gorgeous!! I love the DS collection, they’re all so stunning.
#8 by Latoya on April 6, 2012 - 9:08 pm
It’s true, I’ve yet to see a shade I didn’t love! This one is different than the standard ‘holo’ ones they’ve put out before, but equally as beautiful
#9 by Amy on April 3, 2012 - 3:13 pm
Pretty polish! I love glitters, even though they’re so annoying to remove. And that party sounds awesome
#10 by Latoya on April 6, 2012 - 9:09 pm
It was Amy!! So much fun
And this polish is pretty great, even though yea – it’s a bitch to get off LOL!
#11 by Saji Connor on April 4, 2012 - 8:28 am
Gorgeous polish! Love it! Like your blog so much!!!
#12 by Latoya on April 6, 2012 - 9:12 pm
Oh gosh, thank you so much Saji!! I’m so pleased that you enjoy the blog, welcome!!
And this polish really is beautiful, even more so in person!