Posts Tagged OPI
Lightning-Fast: OPI’s Pompeii Purple
Posted by Latoya in Nail Polish, OPI on October 19, 2011
I’m starting to accumulate a backlog of nail swatches that I haven’t yet featured on the blog; not that its a bad thing, because it’s handy when you’re pressed for time but want to leave a lil sumthin’ sumthin’ for your readers – kinda like right now! This week is the Halifax Pop Explosion, and being one half of a majorly music-loving duo, we’re hitting up as many shows as we can! Which means…even less time in my already hectic life, and therefore less time to blog. On that note, check out this random polish I bought like, two Spring’s ago that I only picked up because I got a pedicure with it before I went down South, and then never wore again. SO not my kinda shade, but I can see it totally being someone else’s! So, here it is:
A cool-toned pink with blue shimmer. Sounds cool, but totally bores me ~snooze~
Easy enough to apply, but dislike that you can see visible nail lines. Probably could have avoided that with another (third) coat, but not diggin’ it. This polish has been up for swap for ages and no one else seems to want it either. I don’t blame them lol.
That’s all for now! Gotta run to the next show!
Have a great night everyone 
OPI’s I Brake for Manicures
Posted by Latoya in Nail Polish, OPI, Purple on October 1, 2011
Yet another shade picked up in my polishpalooza last month…good God I can’t wait to have these all worn/swatched already!! There are some shades from last year I’m actually dying to wear again, and I’m starting to get oversaturated with all these new shades 
Even though I change my polish every few days, I can’t seem to get through them all! Sheesh. I think I’ve got four more to go – I caved and picked up Essie’s ‘Power Clutch’ this week because I didn’t want to miss out on it, and suspected they’d be gone before I knew it – and I’m starting to see all the Holiday collections soon to be released, and I simply CANNOT justify buying anything else until these are all done. So let’s plow forward, shall we?
I Brake for Manicures (cute name) is a nice, glossy, vampy yet dusty eggplant creme. It’s a pretty shade, but somewhat boring. A great standby though that goes with pretty much everything. In some lights it gets pretty close to black, but because it’s got that dusty quality, it manages to duck out from under that category. Check it out:
In other lighting, the plumminess is more prominent, as seen in the shots below:
I used butter London’s Foundation base coat, and Sally Hansen’s Insta-Dri top coat. Strangely, I had to use three coats of polish because I could see some patchiness – but I think that may have been due to doing my nails in a darkened room and having a tricky time properly seeing what I was doing LOL. But, the formulation is on the slightly sheer side. I advise waiting a bit longer than normal between coats, as it seemed to dry a bit slower.
Overall, I like this shade but am not wowed by it. I feel like that’s my mantra lately, nothing seems to do it for me anymore. Again with the oversaturation. Although I was (am) pretty enamoured with Peridot and Poco a Poco, of the recent shades I’ve picked up. So I guess I’m just a more discerning consumer now!
The OPI ‘Touring’ collection can be found at Chatters salons across Canada, each polish retailing for $9.95.
I noticed a lot of people searching for swatches of this shade online – what about it makes it stand out to you? Do you feel its more original due to the smoky quality of it? Are vampy shades your go-to in the cooler months?
Throwback from Fall 2010: OPI Diva of Geneva
Posted by Latoya in Nail Polish, OPI on September 19, 2011
Good morning and Happy Monday!
While we’re being inundated with all the gorgeous nail polish 2011 has to offer, I thought I’d showcase a beautiful polish from last Fall: OPI’s Diva of Geneva from the Swiss collection. I actually only picked this up a couple months ago – after hearing about it multiple times, I decided to check it out for myself. Normally these kinds of colors don’t do it for me at all – I’m not a fan of berry shades, and as I’ve mentioned before, I have a dislike for middle of the road shades as they tend to look bland on my skin tone. Its teal counterpart in the Swiss collection, Yodel Me on My Cell, is beautiful in the bottle but the magic just doesn’t translate to my fingers.
Diva of Geneva is an exception to all these rules.
The shimmering tones in this polish are apparent with or without light to display it’s stunning depths. In some lights it appears more purple, in others, more reddish. The richness in tone elevates this polish from just a plain old berry shade to something so much more. See for yourself:
This is three thin coats, with no top coat – see how shiny it is on it’s own?? The formulation is very good, a bit thin which is why I did three coats, though if you’re less fussy than I you could definitely get away with two. I’ve worn this on my toes and it made a terrific end-of-Summer/start-of-Fall pedicure, not flat or boring at all. On fingers it looks equally as lovely, which as some of you know, isn’t always the case (sometimes a polish looks great on hands only to look less than stellar on toes, or vice versa). I’m glad I picked up this polish before it was long gone – it’s a great addition to my collection!
Do you say yay or nay to berry shades? Which colors do you gravitate the most toward? The least?
Fall Polish Haul Preview
Posted by Latoya in Chanel, China Glaze, Nail Polish, OPI, Rescue Beauty Lounge, Zoya on September 3, 2011
I’m headed away today with my mother for a five-day surprise getaway (surprise as in, I have no idea where we’re going – she won’t tell me!), and it’s unlikely I’ll be posting again till Wednesday, so I’m leaving you with a little teaser of swatches of all the Fall polish shades I’ve picked up (but have yet to wear!). The last of my haul, four shades from Zoya and two from RBL, came in on Thursday, so I’m super-stoked. BTW: I made my Nail Polish Canada order on Friday, August 26th, they were mailed the same day, and I received them 4 business days later. Color me impressed!!
I’ve made a few quick comparisons for those shades that are similar to colors I already own and for the most part have swatched on the blog, for your reference. I hope you enjoy!!
My new Fall polishes in all their glory
Poco a Poco – A bit darker than Essie Muchi Muchi, with orangey-pink micro-shimmer. Three coats.
Piu Mosso – Dupe of Joe Fresh Navy Marine but with firey-orange micro-shimmer. Two coats.
Cynthia – Nothing like it! Deep dark indigo creme. Leans teal. Three coats but probably could have two (I wasn’t waiting much for them to dry before painting on the next coat).
Neeka – Same base shade as Chanel Paradoxal. Has gold and green shimmer. Two coats.
Anja – Nothing like it in my stash. Deep wine creme. Two coats.
Yara – Same base shade as OPI’s Uh Oh but slightly darker. Has gold and green shimmer. Two coats.
Uh Oh Roll Down the Window – Nothing like it in my stash. Muted army green. Three coats (again, swatching too quickly before they dried).
I Brake for Manicures – Nothing like it in my stash. Dark and dusty eggplant. Two coats.
Graphite – Nothing like it. Pewter foil with silver and gold shimmer-glitter. Two coats (but I might like three).
Peridot – Somewhat similar to CG’s Peace on Earth, but lighter and duochrome. Green-tinged gold with blue duochrome. Two coats.
Trendsetter – Nothing like it. Green-leaning mustard yellow with gold, green and pink microshimmer. Two coats.
Midtown Magic – NOTHING LIKE IT!!! Deep purple-brown base with gold, bronze and green shimmer. SUPER lit-from-within glow. Two coats.
Pictures did not do any of these polishes justice, so just trust me when I say you need to OWN THEM ALL. Seriously. They are all more than lemming worthy. The only shades I’m not totally sold on are Poco a Poco and Trendsetter, and I’m hoping to chalk that up to being too tanned right now – I’m sure when I’m all washed out again later in the season, I’ll be rocking them out (if not, up for swap they go! Keep your eyes peeled ).
Did I just hear everyone’s wallets explode?? 
Have a fantastic long weekend!!!!!
Summer Polish Combo: Ocean Hues
Posted by Latoya in MAC, Nail Polish, OPI, Summer Polish Combos on August 3, 2011
Yesterday I pulled from my stash all of the polishes I own that I consider ‘Summer’ shades, as well as all the shades that I have yet to swatch. I try very hard to at least show one new shade each time I do a polish combination so that I’m keeping you guys interested – I don’t want to bore you with the same old. However, I am getting down to the wire when it comes to untried colors that are also Summer-appropriate. I know that the way nail polish is viewed now, all shades are considered seasonless, and I agree with that to a point – but I still love pastels in Spring, brights and aqua blues in the Summer, and deeper, more moody hues in the Fall and Winter. I just do! I find for myself, it’s less about ‘following trends’ and more about getting bored with what I have and having my interest captured by the new shades of the coming season. Call me fickle. I know it’s true 
After staring at my polishes for about half an hour yesterday, trying to make a pairing I was satisfied with, I came up with a combo that says Summer, while still managing to show a shade I haven’t before. Its a bit deeper than I’d like for the season, but I think it still works. 
OPI’s ‘Yodel Me on My Cell’ (on my fingers) was the only polish I picked up from the Swiss Collection this past Winter. I tend to only choose a shade or two from each collection rather than the whole thing, because I still have an issue with amassing too many ‘dupes’ (or ‘near dupes’) in my collection – I haven’t yet gotten to the point where a shade that’s a hair different than another is considered totally different and therefore I must buy. I am forever waging the war against my intensely consumerist nature, and my aversion to having too much choice – it stresses me out!
Anyway, I found the other shades in this collection were either too close to what I already owned, or just not flattering for my skin tone. And I’m also not huge into reds, of which there were 4 or 5 in this collection as I recall. I somewhat regret not picking up ‘Diva of Geneva’ because I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about it, but oh well (*Edit: Picked it up today when I happened to find it at a local salon Swatches to come).
YMOMC seemed like an amazing shade when I bought it. The depth of color in this shimmering aquamarine shade is phenomenal. Actually, I think DoG is probably the berry pink counterpart to YMOMC – glorious. That ‘lit from within’ glow that seems to be the catchphrase for these types of polishes. However, after wearing it a few times this Winter, somewhere along the line my love affair abruptly ended. For whatever reason, it just wasn’t doing it for me anymore. It seemed boring, and darker than I liked. So I put it aside, and even put it up on Makeupalley for swap.
I hoped this time around maybe my feelings had changed. I wanted to give it another chance to ‘wow’ me. Unfortunately, I’m still left unimpressed – something about this color on me seems sooo boring! I think I dislike middle of the road shades – either be super bright, or very deep, or shimmery, or holo, or…something. It looks nice enough but I feel like changing it the instant I put it on, it just doesn’t do it for me.
The shade on my toes requires less lead-in than YMOMC, as you’ve seen it before – MAC’s Mischevious Mint from Spring’s ‘Quite Cute’ collection. Still with the same application issues – a bit thick and draggy – but in the end applies fine and I’m still a fan of the color. Looks great against tanned skin, I think! And quite complimentary to the aqua hues of my mani, though being ‘Mint’ I guess it’s actually considered a green. Regardless, I like the pairing.
Details: Manicure – One coat of butter London’s Nail Foundation, three coats of YMOMC, one coat of Seche Vite. Pedicure – One coat of Sally Hansen Age Correct No Chip Base/Top Coat, two coats of Mischevious Mint, one coat Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Top Coat.
Size & Price: OPI nail lacquers are 0.5 oz and typically retail for around $9.95CDN. MAC nail polish are 0.34 oz and retail for $15.00CDN.
Where to Buy: YMOMC is Limited Edition, but I’ve still seen it being sold online and at some salons around Canada/US (Chatters Salon has one of the larger collections of OPI I’ve seen). MAC nail polish can be purchased at MAC stores across Canada (here in Halifax, that’s either at The Bay Dartmouth, or Halifax Shopping Centre), or online at Maccosmetics.com. This particular shade is also Limited Edition.
Since I’m struggling a bit with coming up with shade combinations, I’d love to hear your ideas for my next combo!!! If there’s anything you’d like to see, or a particular combination you know looks great, be sure to give your suggestions in the comments – I’d love to hear ‘em!
What are your thoughts on YMOMC? Do you agree that it’s somewhat lackluster? Or are these kinds of shades just your cup of tea?
Ciao for now, everyone!
Summer Polish Combo (They Just Keep Comin’!): Neon & Nude
Posted by Latoya in American Apparel, Creative Nail Design, Nail Polish, OPI, Summer Polish Combos on July 30, 2011
This’ll be a quickie post as I should head to bed soon – I have another wedding tomorrow in the Valley I have to head to early in the AM. This will be the 5th wedding I’ve done the makeup for, 4th one I’ve attended since the end of June…phew! They’ve all been SO much fun, but I’m glad to have them almost all behind me. It’s been a really, really busy Summer so far.
Again, this combo was done in preparation for my wedding attire tomorrow – a navy blue one-shoulder body skimming dress I got on sale at Jacob at Christmastime but have not yet worn. I didn’t want to go too ‘standard’ since the dress isn’t too crazy, but I wanted to still look classy – just with an edge. I wandered into American Apparel today and picked up one of their neon polishes, a pretty magenta shade called ‘Neon Violet.’ I used to have an almost identical shade from Zoya back in the day called ‘Charisma,’ which was a matte and it chipped within hours. Drove me nuts – I swapped it away last year. This actually has a satin finish rather than glossy, so it looks similar in that way too.
Anyway, enough chat Here’s ‘Neon Violet’ paired with OPI’s ‘San Tan-tonio’ from their Texas Collection:
The second shot is more accurate, with the neon being slightly more pink in person.
Here’s a few pics of the polishes on their own:
If you notice a lil twist to San Tan., you win a prize! (No, not really. But good eye! ) I added a coat of CND’s ‘Copper Shimmer’ on top to give it a bit of a kick. I have not NOT used this top coat nearly enough (or…at all. This might be the first time) and it’s really beautiful. As I’ve mentioned before though, typically I’m more into cremes so that’s a contributing factor.
Details: One coat of butter London Nail Foundation and two coats of polish for both mani & pedi. Additional one coat of Copper Shimmer over mani, and one coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat over both mani & pedi.
Size & Price: American Apparel polishes are 0.5 oz and retail for $7.50 CDN a bottle (3 for $18). OPI polish are also 0.5 oz and ranges from $9-14 CDN. CND polish (Effects line) is 0.33 oz and are about $14 CDN.
Where to Buy: A. Apparel polishes can be found at – surprise! – A. Apparel stores worldwide. OPI polish is EVERYWHERE…lol in Halifax at least you can find the best selection at Chatters Salons. CND polishes can be a be tricky to find – your best bet in Halifax is to order them from spaboutique.ca.
I’m enjoying this pairing a lot (though I just put it on about 30 minutes ago!). I really like ‘Neon Violet’ and I think it’s a good transitional shade from season to season – not so neon that it’s restricted to just Summer. Application for N.Violet was pretty great – two coats easily applied, though you could almost get away with one, which is typical for A.Apparel polishes. I’ve previously discussed my feelings on San Tan here. ‘Copper Shimmer’ is my only CND polish, but if it’s any indication, they have an absolutely fabulous formula – perfect thickness and a dream to apply.
How do you feel about top coats that change the look of your polish? And neon polish – awesome or too much of an 80′s throwback?
I have to get up in 6 hours and I need my beauty rest, so that’s it for now. I hope all is well for everyone, have a great weekend!!!
Summer Polish Combo: Coral and Holographic!
Posted by Latoya in Nail Polish, OPI, Summer Polish Combos on June 26, 2011
Some quick polish spam for you this fine Sunday evening! It was so beautiful here in Halifax today, one of the warmest days we’ve had so far this Summer (which is saying a lot – where’s the sun been hiding?!) It was the perfect day to break out a holo to admire in the sunshine:
I really enjoy both of these shades, together and on their own. The coral shade, which has a pretty touch of gold shimmer, is LA Colors Color Craze in Magnetic Force. It’s quite an electric shade actually, in person its soo vibrant. Absolutely perfect as a pedi color. It’s a bit of a thicker polish, but fairly easy to apply – you could almost get one coat out of this, but I used two because I prefer two coats in general. It dries to a satin finish, so here you see it with top coat. It’s funny, if you recall a while back I was never using top coat because I didn’t like the way it looked – but then Seche Vite came into my life and that all changed pretty quickly
The holo shade is OPI’s DS Series in Desire. I love this polish! I got it in a swap, and I just don’t wear it near enough. It’s so gorgeous in the right kind of lighting. It’s not exceptionally holo in plain old lighting, but it’s still pretty and subtle without being boring. But I generally only grab it if I know the weather is going to cooperate, because as you can see, in that light the holo is spectacular. Love! This is two coats, with top coat.
What are your thoughts on this combo? A little too standard, do you think? Or does it have enough pizazz with the brightness of the coral and the holographic nail? I could easily see myself wearing this over and over and over if I had to. It would go with almost anything!
I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! Back to the grind tomorrow
Summer Polish Combo: Orange & Purple
Posted by Latoya in Essie, Nail Polish, OPI on June 22, 2011
Sorry for the delay, this combo was several days in the making! I did my fingernails on Monday, and then my toenails over the span of a few days. It was a continuous work in progress…My vision was to wear Essie’s ‘Meet Me at Sunset’ as my mani, and then use OPI’s ‘Merry Midnight’ on my toes – but because it’s sheer, I wanted to layer it over a coat of MMAS so there would be an orange tint. I wasn’t loving the effect, so I used L’Oreal’s new orange sparkler ‘Coral Starfish’ as my base (which required two coats – three for sure if you were wearing it alone – not a fan) and then put three coats of ‘Merry Midnight’ over top. That sounds crazy because that’s FIVE coats of polish, but ‘Starfish’ was soo super sheer, and MM is pretty sheer too, and I wanted the depth. Sigh.
After all that, I still wasn’t entirely satisfied, so I used for the first time Sally Hansen’s ‘Hidden Treasure’ flakie polish, which I miraculously managed to grab in a swap ages ago (I just wanted it because it was HTF, but truth be told I’m not sold on it’s awesome-ness yet). One coat of this over all that other polish, and BAM! I got exactly what I wanted. The beautiful flakie colors of ‘Merry Midnight’, with extra depth because of ‘Starfish,’ plus some more flakies from SH – which also lightened the polish somewhat to make it more Summer-friendly. Wooo! It was quite the experiment, I tell you.
So…now for the unveiling (beware – mega pic-heavy!):
*Note that I used two coats of MMAS here, but you could get away with a third – I can see a slight smile line on the nail in person. All pictures were taken in natural lighting (yeah, its sunny in Halifax today!)
Overall, I’m really liking the combo, even with all the trials and tribulations. The darker shade isn’t normally what I’d go for in Summer, and using the bright shade on fingers rather than toes, in particular, is very unlike me. I wanted to break out of my normal routine. And get away from wearing blues! I love them dearly, but I was getting predictable!
What do you think of THIS combo? Something you would wear, or shy away from? What’s your own go-to combo??
New Post Series: Summer Polish Color Combos
Posted by Latoya in Nail Polish, OPI on June 13, 2011
I don’t know about you, but it takes me a LONG time to figure out what polish to wear these days. When I’m just applying it to my fingernails, it takes a little thought, but I can generally pick a shade with relative ease (using the weather/season/my mood/event as a guide). However, when the weather gets warmer and calls for bared toenails, attempting to pick a color combo that I’m pleased with is an entirely different challenge. This morning I spent the better part of an hour trying to decide. That is just not on. So, in case anyone else has been suffering the same problem, I would like to introduce a weekly series on color combinations I’ve come up with – hopefully I can help inspire some ideas, as well as get feedback on the choices I’ve made.
Today, I really wanted to wear Essie’s ‘Meet Me at Sunset’ which I picked up in PEI this weekend, but I also have been eager to feature some shades I have yet to show you on the blog, and all the pairings I made with MMAS were with shades you’ve already seen, so I’m putting that one off until the weekend. I managed to come up with two colors that I haven’t shown you, and that I think compliment each other relatively well.
One of these shades I know many of you are intimately familiar with – last year’s hit shade (which spawned countless dupes) ‘Catch Me in Your Net’ by OPI:
Above, natural light
Below, both in indoor lighting
I joined the bandwagon late on this shade, and only managed to pick up a mini-size by the time I came around. Again, it’s one of those shimmering shades with I’m just not really into right now, and even though I’m a sucker for blue shades, aqua on the other hand doesn’t always hook me – as I’ve said before, I’m not sure it’s flattering on my skin tone. However, one I put this shade on my toes, I was fairly pleased. It’s a fun color and the depth of the sparkle is alluring. I still prefer more feminine shades on my toes, like pinks/reds/purples, but this is OK. I’m not upset that I only managed to get a mini size, as I think it’ll just be enough for the amount of times I’ll wear this.
The second shade, my mani color, is a pale yellow from Revlon called ‘Sunshine Sparkle.’ Earlier in the season I was craving a pretty yellow shade to satisfy me enough to avoid picking up Chanel’s ‘Mimosa.’ In past years I was seriously adverse to yellow polish, as it made me think of jaundice, but after seeing Mimosa, my mind was changed. Since I had heard it had application issues (which has since been rebuked by Eugenia at ommorphia beauty bar), I felt it was a better idea anyway to grab a cheaper version. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of going with Revlon as the replacement brand – I have yet to have good luck with any of the polishes I’ve gotten from them and I swear after this to not return. This is not to say that the shade isn’t pretty:
Natural light
Indoor lighting
The second swatch is the most accurate – the color is indeed more lemony than the first picture shows, which makes it look very pale.
My issue with this shade is this: what you see here is three coats, and there is still slight VNL and patchiness. Yuk. Just overall I don’t like Revlon polishes so I could be biased, but I’m not too pleased. The color is nice, with a touch of shimmer to spice it up a bit, and neutral enough so it’s not too aggressive for the office, but it’s no Mimosa. Oh well!
So, how do the two look together you ask? Here are a few shots – tell me what you think!
Natural light
Indoor lighting
I don’t think it’s too shabby. I’m sure I can come up with something that has a little more pizzazz, but I feel they at least don’t clash! And it’s two shades off my list of must-swatch colors.
Opinions, please! And does anyone else have a dislike for Revlon polishes like I do, or am I being ridiculous?
Happy Monday, and thanks for reading!!
Giddy-Up: OPI San Tan-Tonio
Posted by Latoya in Nail Polish, OPI on May 24, 2011
Quick post before I head out for a day at the spa 
This is a serious mannequin-hands mani for those of us that are of the brown-skin persuasion! I can’t imagine finding a polish that matches my skin tone more. I don’t love the look – you all know I’m a fiend for color – but its subtle in an on-trend way, allows my jewelry to take centre stage for once, and more importantly – tomorrow I’m going to an exciting press event (which I’ll divulge fully afterward) and I want to look as put together as possible. Check it out:
Pretty darn close for a match, yep. Went on easily, although I felt for best coverage, I needed three coats – but I’m a tad anal and you could definitely get away with two. Base and top coat used.
What do you think? Boring or so neutral its edgy? LOL
Happy Tuesday everyone!
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