Archive for category OPI
YOU GUYS I FOUND A GOLD NAIL POLISH I LIKE IT IS A HAPPY HAPPY DAY
Posted by Latoya in Gold, Metallic, Nail Polish, OPI on February 27, 2013
My apologies for my apparent screaming at you, no one likes all caps coming at them, but YOU GUYS. Do you even have any idea how long I’ve been looking for MY gold nail polish? Not just one that I like, because there are a handful of gorgeous gold polishes out there, but one that looks DAMN GOOD on my skintone. Do you remember this? Blah. And this? Aggressive! And how about my Chanel debacle (who would have ever though a Chanel polish would let me down)?
Well, NO MORE. YES, I am making a grand sweeping statement and STILL USING CAPS to exclaim that I have found it. The One. MY PRECIOUS.
OPI’s Dazzled by Gold. There are no words (or there are lots, but I am going to stop yelling now).
And let me just say – I totally knew that if I ever got my hands on this (it was an Ulta exclusive from Holiday 2009), it would end my search for the ultimate gold polish (see, no yelling 
I could just *tell* that this glorious glittering shade would just right. It doesn’t lean too warm (for a gold) nor too cool; it’s not bronze rather than gold; it’s not too yellow, too pale, too dark, too orange….it is PERFECT (sorry…but it is!).
You want to see some swatches now, right? Or…maybe you don’t, since it’s not available anymore, and it’s pretty hard to come by. I stalked it on Makeup Alley for months, possibly years, and there were only about three people offering it up – and they were not letting it go easy. Then, of course, as things go – once I stopped looking, there it was.
I had messaged a gal on the site to ask for her Ambering Rose blush by MAC (I’m on a big MAC kick as well as a swap kick, but more on that another time *soon*). She was interested in my NARS Habanera Duo (which I’ve been struggling with to make work for years), which was great except it was a bit uneven. When I browsed through the rest of her list, BAM!! Dazzled by Gold. Really!?!? I couldn’t believe my luck.
The deal was made, and earlier this week my package came. I eagerly ripped off the bubble wrap and immediately tried it on. And well – you’re seeing the results! Is it not absolutely amazing!?!?!?!?!?!?!
The polish, as you can see, has little flecks of silver in there too, which is probably why it looks flattering on me – I wear silver jewelry much better than gold. It reminds me a bit of Warm & Fozzie from OPI’s Muppets collection, but again – that one was too bronze and not what I was looking for. The formula of Dazzled by Gold is a bit thin, so this is four coats – but who the heck cares with this fabulosity!?! And this is without top coat, so it’s really that shiny all on it’s own. Dazzled, indeed.
I’m sorry to post about an LE item, but I just had to share this with you guys!! And I’m willing to bet you’ve all found ‘your’ gold shade anyway, no one else seems to have trouble with gold polish like I do. So now I can join you and be happy 
If you DO love it, well – I highly recommend trying to find it, if you can – keep your eyes open! You just never know when it may fall into your lap
Anyone else have any beauty success stories like this one to share?? Do tell! And – what’s your favorite gold polish?
Royal Rajah Ruby, Take Two (I Take It All Back)
Posted by Latoya in Chanel, OPI, Summer Polish Combos on September 24, 2012
Remember when I swatched OPI’s Royal Rajah Ruby and expressed that while it technically worked well with my skintone, I just couldn’t get into the shade? Well, color me mistaken. Check it out as a pedi shade!!!!
Worn with Chanel’s Peridot on hands
Look how it glows!
I had another shade that I felt similarly about, Deborah Lippmann’s Nefertiti - a gold flecked with bits of pewter – and the lovely Eugenia of Ommorphia Beauty Bar had a suggestion to try it out as a pedicure shade before dismissing it altogether. Though it didn’t work either way (and just last week I unloaded it, along with about 20 other polishes, on the perfectly polished Sparkled Beauty), ever since I’ve been giving any polish shades that just don’t float my boat a second chance on my tootsies. Royal Rajah Ruby was a resounding success!!! I absolutely adore this on my toes and I literally had to be careful not to walk into walls while wearing it, because I kept admiring my feet
Especially with these sandals, I just love love loved it! So, moral of the story – play around a bit before you completely give up on an item. I’m so thankful I did, as I’ve just found my fall pedi shade!
It’s just a quickie post today – I have two products that I’m insanely delinquent in showing you, but honestly – I’m just not sure I love them all that much! I’ve worn them both only once and have had them for over a month…I just don’t know how I feel about them, and without actually giving them a real chance, I can’t feel good about discussing them. But I plan to wear them again this week and I will finally make a decision. Could be that they’re just like the polish – I just haven’t found THE way to wear ‘em yet!
What do you do with products you’re unsure of? Do you play around with them and figure out ways to wear them, or do you just decide they’re not for you and return them (or give them away!)? And also – do you wear polish on your toes during the cooler months??
Fall’s Sexiest Nail Polish Shade – OPI’s Every Month is Oktoberfest
Posted by Latoya in Fall 2012, Nail Polish, OPI, Purple on September 17, 2012
I’m sure you’ve all seen this shade over and over again, but OPI’s ‘Every Month is Oktoberfest’ from their Germany 2012 collection is so fabulous it really deserves yet another mention. I know I’ve said this before, but I really mean it this time – I’m gonna keep the words to a minimum and let the pictures do the talking.
Bottle shot
And lest you think I’m only showing you the best side of the polish with all the sunshine shots, here are a few pictures taken indoors – the glowy awesomeness is more subtle, but still visible!
What else needs to be said, right? SO. GORGEOUS. Two coats of easy flowing perfection. The sunlight shots are without top coat; pics in artificial light with. I want to wear this every day for the rest of my life. Or at least all fall/winter long. It’s just such a pretty yet vampy shade, ahhh!!! It’s 100% absolute LOVE.
Continuing with the minimal verbage – thoughts?
Mani-Pedi Combo with SpaRitual’s Aurum
Posted by Latoya in Gold, Metallic, Nail Polish, OPI, Orange, Sparitual, Summer Polish Combos on July 17, 2012
I’ve sort of fell off the wagon with the Summer combo’s – I’d hoped to do one every week this season but although I’ve picked up a few new shades, I don’t have as many that you haven’t seen as I did last year!
One half of the duo I’m going to show you today IS new however, so I figured I ‘d have to take what I can get. I picked up SpaRitual’s Aurum back in May – it’s a glowing strong yellow-gold tone that has some major sparkle capacity. After the disappointment I had with Chanel’s Delight, which I though for SURE was going to be my go-to golden polish, I got it in my head that I had to find *something* to fill the gap. I only have one other gold – Deb Lippmann’s Nefertiti, which just doesn’t satisfy my needs. Aurum is much, much warmer and more of a true gold, and I hoped it would fit the bill.
Above: Two coats, indoor lighting
Below: Three coats, sunlight
Aurum is fairly sheer – notice the difference between two and three coats (the latter which I prefer to intensify the density). However, the sheerness isn’t the only issue – I find Aurum on my skintone almost garish; it’s SUPER-blingy, and really would only be something I’d wear for a special occasion or the holidays. I’m going to try it as a pedi soon to see how it fares, but overall its yet another gold polish that has let me down. However, if you like this type of shade, the formula was pretty good – applied very easily with a thinner consistency, and had no application issues at all. And in the bottle – woo! It’s one stunner of a shade.
The pedi shade I picked to go with Aurum was OPI’s A Roll in the Hague, a bright reddish orange. I liked them together OK, but I think when I wear Aurum as a pedi I’m going to match it with a more vampy shade – I’m thinking Zoya’s Anja, a deep dark plummy red. I’ll be sure to post photos!
What do you think of Aurum? I’m wide open for suggestions on a great gold polish, so please feel free to share (taking my skintone into consideration)!
Tangerine Tango Nail Polish: Quickie Comparison Post
Posted by Latoya in Essie, Nail Polish, OPI, Orange on June 3, 2012
Good day to you all Residual birthday party-fun-time has left me with little time to dedicate to the blog (though, I have been taking photos galore, so I’m not at a loss for content!) – so please forgive me for being kind of a lamer lately! Today I have a quick comparison post of a few orange-red nail polishes I have that are quite similar; after Chanel’s Holiday came out, which I rebuffed because I felt I had shades that were very comparable, I started thinking about just how many polishes I had that ran along the same vein. Surprizingly, I have three – which makes me that much more thankful now that I saved the $27 on Holiday.
Essie Meet Me At Sunset, Essence Get the Fever, OPI A Roll in the Hague
The 3 shades in question are Essie’s Meet Me At Sunset, from last year’s Summer collection; OPI’s A Roll in the Hague from Spring’s Holland collection; and a random mini shade ($1.99 – you can’t beat that!) from Essence called Get the Fever, which I picked up last year when I decided I MUST HAVE an orange polish (at which point I found MMAS and was satiated).
Essie Meet Me At Sunset, Essence Get the Fever, OPI A Roll in the Hague
In some light, the three shades look very close in color – differences are minute and probably only noticeable if you’re aware they’re different. However, upon closer inspection, they are NOT dupes, each with their own distinguishing feature.
Essie Meet Me At Sunset, Essence Get the Fever, OPI A Roll in the Hague
Essie’s MMAS is clearly the most red-toned out of the 3, those this is more apparent in the bottle than on the nail. Get the Fever is more of a muted orange-red, versus the juicy vibrancy of A Roll in the Hague. It trumps ‘Fever’ as the more ~orange~ shade with it’s richly pigmented hue. ‘Hague’ is also insanely glossy, which also puts it above Essence’s shade – though if you missed ‘Hague,’ Get the Fever is still a great substitute.
Essie Meet Me At Sunset, Essence Get the Fever, OPI A Roll in the Hague
However, despite the closeness in shade between ‘Hague’ and ‘Fever’, I can also seem the resemblances between ‘Fever’ and MMAS – there’s a common red tone to these two that places Get the Fever squarely between MMAS and ‘Hague.’ For the cheapness in price, ‘Fever’ performs quite well and would be a great choice for anyone looking for an orange-red shade but hoping to save about $10 or so!
Since orange is in it’s glory right now, I hope showing these 3 shades helps you can an idea of what choices you have out there! It really can’t be beat for a Summer color – and these tones in particular work with both pre-tan and post-tan skin, so you can rock it pretty much any time!
What other orange polishes should I keep an eye out for (that have greater variances than the shades I’ve shown above)? Would you have bought Holiday, even if it had a close dupe in your stash?
Party Nails! OPI’s DS Temptation
Posted by Latoya in Glitter, Nail Polish, OPI, Purple on April 2, 2012
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?
Yay, Springtime Shades! OPI’s Parlez-Vous OPI?
Posted by Latoya in Nail Polish, OPI, Purple on March 7, 2012
As of March 1st, my nail polish roster switched up and became full of lighter, more feminine shades, as opposed to the dark, brooding shades of the Winter. Even though it’s still very much Winter here, I was DONE with the heavy colors – which I love so much at the beginning of the season, but which start to seem oppressive as the Winter drags on. I haven’t picked up many new Spring shades, interestingly – I find a lot of them aren’t what I consider traditional Spring colors and don’t really pique my interest right now. I’m finding that I’m actually delving into my old shades from past years to get the lighthearted gratification I need. Today’s color is from OPI’s France collection, Parlez-vous OPI? – a muted plum that somehow has a brightness to it. This is one of my favorite shades to wear – it looks great on my skintone, and I actually find it suits almost every season. In the last photo you can see that depending on the light it can take on a more murky tone.
Ahh, it brings me such happiness This is two coats, although it was *nearly* a one-coater. My bottle is slightly thick as I received this in a swap and so it’s been used a bit. Nonetheless, if you are patient you can get this to go on no problem. The color for me is totally worth the little bit of effort to apply. I have applied a top coat here so it’s not naturally this glossy – though close. Not much else to say about it – I lurrrve it!
On another (nail polish related) note, check out my new storage doohickey for my polish! Don’t laugh (I know some of you have oodles more bottles than I do and probably think this is oh-so-quaint lol) – I really wanted to have something that displayed some polishes too, and not just hide them all away. This seems perfect to me!
Notice I have all my pretty Spring shades in the top compartments?
I picked this up at Oddjects – a little kitschy store full of odds and ends in home decor. Unfortunately, smarty-pants here didn’t think to look if the bottom drawer would be high enough for my polish – only very short bottles (think Chanel or Essie) can fit upright; the rest are too tall I’m a bit concerned about having them laying down, but I made sure to screw all the caps on tight and I’ll check them periodically, just to be safe. In the meantime, doesn’t it look pretty? Small stash or no, I like that I can see my pretties sitting there for all to see!
What do you think of Parlez-vous? I read today that crazy shades of nail polish are on their way out – do you believe that statement? And in what way have you chosen to store your polish?
Busting Out the Spring Shades: OPI’s Dutch’Ya Love OPI? and A Roll in the Hague from the Holland Collection
Posted by Latoya in Nail Polish, OPI, Orange, Purple, Spring 2012 on February 13, 2012
And a fantastic Monday to you all! If you’re the type who hates Mondays (like my Mom), well…it’s almost over 
Last week while I was working The Bay’s GWP, on my break I happened into Chatters salon and discovered that they had the new OPI Holland collection on sale – the very day it was slated to arrive (unfortunately, in Halifax that’s not necessarily a given). I found this collection terribly hard to diagnose; the swatches online didn’t help me decide which shades I wanted to pick up, as they all appeared to me that they may be unflattering on my skintone. 
One shade I was fairly certain I wanted was A Roll in the Hague, a vibrant orange shade that I knew would look great on. I wasn’t wrong!
However, I didn’t realize just how lovely this polish would be! Sorry for all the shots, but I just couldn’t whittle them down! The glossiness is unreal – in the shots above, I’m not wearing any top coat, if you can believe it. I am honestly stunned by how shiny the finish is, it’s mesmerizing! The formula of this polish is not completely ideal; I found it a bit thick, though it was mostly self-leveling so it ended up not being a huge problem. Strangely, though it was thick, two coats didn’t leave it satisfactorily opaque enough for my liking – I could still see a touch of VNL so I did three coats to be sure. Note as well that without a base coat, this shade will stain the nails a bit. Regardless of these things though, I still really liked the polish and adored the shade. I can’t wait to wear this when the weather warms up!
The second polish I picked up was the shade that I didn’t intend to buy at all – a medium purple creme with golden shimmer: Dutch’Ya Love OPI? In swatches it looked too bright and garish for my tastes, particularly for my skintone, but when I took a closer look, it ended up being much prettier than I imagined. And like absolutely nothing I own in my stash!
The formula on this polish was very similar to ‘Hague’ but only required two coats rather than three. The shade, as you can see, is quite a chamelon – it changes depending on the lighting, which actually is a favorable trait as in dull light, the shade looks deeper and more suited for Winter. In sunlight, the radiance of the shade comes out in full force, and looks stunning and bright and perfect for warmer days. Another plus is that the shimmer is not a ‘secret shimmer’ as many brands love to use, and in most lighting you can see it peeking out at the right angle, giving the polish warmth and depth.
I always find it challenging getting in the mind set for makeup or nail polish shades for a season we’re not presently in – I just can’t get ‘into’ colors that don’t feel appropriate for the current weather conditions. It’s not about trends, its just that I like to match colors (including clothing) to the season – I guess it’s a way to make sure that all shades get their fair chance (with a little OCD thrown in for good measure ). The purchase of these two shades was a bit difficult leading up to, but now that it’s done, I’m feelin’ pretty good about it! And it’s getting me more in the mood to grab a few more Spring shades – maybe it’ll be like ‘The Secret’ and I’ll bring about the sun just by acting like it’s already here! Doesn’t hurt, right??
What colors do you consider Spring shades? Do you wear polishes according to the season, or just whatever floats your boat?
Typical Gemini – I Can’t Even Focus on Holiday Beauty, I’m Already Distracted with Thoughts of Spring!
Posted by Latoya in Chanel, Launches, Laura Mercier, Lemmings, OPI, Urban Decay on December 24, 2011
The Holidays haven’t even passed, and Winter here in Halifax is just getting into full swing – and already I’m itching to get my hands on some of the new Spring offerings that are cropping up around the blogosphere and at your local beauty counters!! What can I say, I love me some beauty 
While I haven’t seen any of these products firsthand, here are some great posts that are sure to inspire lemmings in you the same way they did me:
Best Things in Beauty, Sabrina at The Beauty Look Book, and Makeup Magpie are all raving about the new Blush Horizon de Chanel, a gorgeous pink-based striped blush. I will not miss out on this!!!
Though I’ve been in a slight polish slump the past couple months, I think OPI’s Holland collection will help bring me back to the light – Fashion Polish has made sure of that!
I don’t own a lot of Laura Mercier makeup, but it might be time to change that – the upcoming Lingerie collection I saw on Temptalia is too pretty to resist!
I skipped out on the first Urban Decay Naked palette, and stand by my decision. Will I be able to retain my willpower against the Naked 2 palette? xSparkage aids in my decision with a great comparison post.
Though this product has apprently been available in Canada since October, I just saw an ad for it for the first time last week – the Olay Smooth Finish Facial Hair Removal Duo! Cinnamon Kitten has details on it’s effectiveness, and it sounds great!
Another product that’s not new to the beauty scene, but new on my radar – due to the initial reaction of Liz at Beauty Reductionista, I just might have to take a good long look at the Clarisonic Mia and determine whether or not I should add it to my beauty repetoire!
I hope everyone is having a great Holiday!! What kind of loot did Santa bring you??
(Because Apparently I’m Living In the Past) Another Throwback from Seasons Past: OPI Holiday Glow
Posted by Latoya in Brown, Nail Polish, OPI on November 28, 2011
By all accounts, this polish should be a stunner. Deep burgundy-brown base, with gold microglitter and a hint of red shimmer. Even when it’s first painted on the nail, the flashes of red sparkle give it depth and intrigue. However…OPI’s Holiday Glow, from the 2009 Holiday Wishes collection (the same one which produced the gorgeous deep purple flakie-packed Merry Midnight), it’s a little boring for me. Just because a polish has unexpected shimmer doesn’t automatically mean it’s going to be awesome (case in point: Zoya’s Neeka and Yara). Though, to be fair, I have been awfully hard on most shades coming across my fingertips lately. So I’ll let you decide for yourself:
I think part of the reason I’m not loving Holiday Glow is because it’s sorta brown, I’m sorta brown…there isn’t enough contrast to make it stand out as much as it should. Certainly if you’re a vampy polish lover, if you can find a bottle of this anywhere (I got mine through a swap last year), give it a look at least. It’s not a total fail, just not really a win – for me anyway, and I’ve got enough nail polish now that I feel justified in being hard on those shades that aren’t blowing my socks off. It just means that I can wear those awesome shades more often without reservation, so I’m cool with that
On a semi-related note, I’m thinking about trying to keep my polish stash under 100. I’m nearing the mark now, and I’ve been consistently putting up for swap shades that aren’t living up to other, more amazing polishes in my stash. I’m not sure how long I can do this for before all the shades I own are kickass, and I surpass the 100 mark, but I’m going to put in a valiant effort in any case. I like change and that often means I get bored of what I already own, so a polish that I loved in one season, I might be so over by the next. We’ll see how it goes, anyway!
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