NOTD OPI Pirates of the Caribbean Silver Shatter Nail Lacquer with NARS Poker Face

Above: OPI Silver Shatter with NARS Poker Face.

I picked this up in June and finally have a chance to play around with it. OPI Silver Shatter was released with the Pirates of the Caribbean collection. I like this shatter better than Black Shatter, as Silver Shatter is much easier to work with. The formula is thin but not runny and it is not chunky and thick like Black Shatter. Silver Shatter dries like the OPI Suede finishes: matte but with visible shimmer. A top coat is needed if you want a glossy finish. It also dries very fast. For this NOTD, I used Silver Shatter with NARS Poker Face.

Above: OPI Silver Shatter with NARS Poker Face.

NOTD A Minty Treasure: OPI Pirates of the Caribbean Collection Mermaids Tears Nail Lacquer Swatches, Pictures and Review

Above: OPI Mermaids Tears Nail Lacquer

A few months ago, OPI launched a limited edition nailpolish collection inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides movie. Mermaids Tears and Silver Shatter are the only polishes I picked up from the collection.

I definitely have a weakness for mint greens and Mermaids Tears is my favourite colour in the collection. At first glance Mermaids Tears reminds me of OPI Hey! Get in Lime!; however, Lime is more pastel and slightly more yellow and Mermaids is more muted with gray and blue tones. The texture of Mermaids Tears is smooth and thin but not watery. It is a cream finish and I get full opacity with two coats. When I get the chance to try Mermaids Tears again, I would like to try it with OPI Silver Shatter on top.

Fun Fact:  I love the name because it has the word mermaid in it. As a child, I love drawing mermaids with their seashell tops and long long hair. I guess that was pretty daring for a kid in grade three at the time, but I won the Bronze Award for the International Children’s Art Exhibition.

Above: OPI Mermaids Tears

Above: OPI Mermaids Tears Nail Lacquer

NOTD Rainbow Nails with OPI Black Shatter

Above: OPI Black Shatter

Hello everybody, I know it has been a long time since I have posted but I was uber busy finishing school and now I need to go on a serious job hunt. Hopefully,  I can to get back to a more regular blogging schedule. The one good thing about this long break is that I have a little extra time to observe some products. Lately, I have been playing around with the OPI Shatter and China Glaze Crackle polishes. First up is the OPI Black Shatter.

OPI Black Shatter nailpolish has been out of stock for a few weeks at salons and beauty supply stores; however, they finally have it in stock a few weeks ago. I mainly bought Black Shatter because of its novelty factor and because I never had a chance to try the original crackle polishes by Cover Girl.

I had a lot of fun playing around with OPI Black Shatter. It is fun experimenting with different colour combinations. My personal preference is to use a bright colour to create a high contrast against the black shatter. When I used MAC’s Blue Dynasty, the effect was too subtle and I didn’t like it as much. The texture Black Shatter creates is interesting but it is a hit and miss because the polish is difficult to control. The polish is thick and goopy making it difficult to create thin layers.

The thinner the layers the more shatter you will get and with thicker layers, you get less shatter. Black Shatter dries quickly and matte, so a top coat would be needed if you want a glossy finish. Although, Black Shatter is fun to play with and a nice method to change up your polish without removing and starting over, I wish the polish will create a finer crackle effect rather than the big chunky shattered pieces and the polish could be thinner too.

Above: Black Shatter with OPI La Paz-itively Hot, Fiercely Fiona and Blue Dynasty

Above: OPI Black Shatter with OPI La Paz-itively Hot, Sephora OPI I wish I was Thinner and You Don’t Know Jacques

 

Silver Bells NOTD Sephora OPI Nail Lacquer Queen of Everything

Above: Sephora OPI nail lacquer Queen of Everything

Twas the Night Before Christmas and I am feeling something sparkly. Actually, I wore Queen of Everything last week but didn’t have time to post until now. Good news, is that I know the wear and tear for this is 5 days without a major chip or scratch.

Queen of Everything is a colour I have always wanted to get but keep on putting off getting, so this year I finally scooped it up. This lovely colour is a silver metallic and is very pigmented and opaque. I only need two coats for a full coverage but in the photographs, I used three because I needed some touch ups. The application is smooth and buttery but being that it is a metallic, brush marks are inevitable.

Although, I waited in between coats and used slow controlled strokes there are still brush marks. Queen of Everything is a lovely colour: silver metallic with slight taupe and yellow tones. Despite the drawbacks of brush marks, I like this colour very much and I see myself wearing whenever I want some bling and not just Christmas and New Years. It looks like I dipped my nails in liquid silver!

Sephora VIB Sale Haul Goodies

Above: Ole Henriksen 3 Little Wonders; Sephora OPI Nail Lacquer Sephora 212; and Urban Decay Little Sins Eyeshadow Primer Potion Set.

These are my goodies from the Sephora VIB sale last weekend. I picked up the Sephora OPI in Sephora 212 nail lacquer; Urban Decay Little Sins Eyeshadow Primer Potion Set; and Ole Henriksen 3 Little Wonders Set. I have always liked the original UD primer potion and the little travel size lasts me about 6 months. I can’t wait to play around with Eden (matte), Sin (champagne shimmer) and Greed (gold shimmer). I have previously tried out the 3 Little Wonders in sample sizes by redeeming my Beauty Insider points, but found it too expensive for me to buy at regular price. Since there is a VIB sale, I decided to take advantage and try the skin care for a more long term basis. I am quite happy with my picks and I will be back shortly for the review and swatches. Stay tuned for them.

Above:  Ole Henriksen 3 Little Wonders

Above: Urban Decay Little Sins Eyeshadow Primer Potion Set

Above: Sephora OPI Nail Lacquer in Sephora 212

Ode to the Honeydew NOTD OPI Nail Lacquer Hey Get in Lime!

Although I have many variations of light greens by now, I can’t help but pick up more. I spotted this colour at the salon when I went for pedicures with a dear friend a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, OPI Hey Get in Lime is now discontinued and I haven’t spotted this colour in a long time, so I swooped up this colour. Hey Get in Lime was released back in 2006 for the second generation of OPI Brights. Although this colour is unavailable and very rare in stores and salons now, I can’t help but share this colour.

I wouldn’t describe this colour as lime like the fruit, but perhaps OPI was thinking of key lime pie with artificial green colouring? In my opinion, this lovely green beauty reminds me of honeydews, a pale green but with a hint of gray and a bit of blue. Against my skin tone, it looks like it has a bit of yellow tones. The texture is a smooth cream that dries to a glossy finish. It has no nuances like glitter, shimmer or iridescence. The polish applies very thin and sheer. I needed at least four coats for a relatively opaque and full coverage, even then I still have some bald streaks and drag marks. I seem to have the same problems with many light greens I own. However, since I love this colour range, I don’t mind putting out the extra effort to wear these lovely light greens.

PS I went by the Chanel colour and the girls thought I was wearing Chanel Jade

Fiercely Sunny NOTD OPI Nail Lacquer Shrek Forever After Nail Lacquer in Fiercely Fiona

I have been slacking in postings, as I have been having too much fun in the sun. It has not rained here in over one month, now finally it rains and I cannot find my umbrella. Because of the rain, I am in the mood for something sunny and cheerful. I am a bit of a lagger in the OPI Shrek Forever After Collection, because initially none of the colours captured my heart. However, after seeing Fiercely Fiona, yesterday at the store, this lemony yellow “spoke” to me and it matched my tube top, so I fell into temptation and bought this. Fiercely Fiona is a pastel lemon yellow with green tones. In the bottle in looks a lot more green; however, on my nails and against my skin tone, it looks very yellow and I can barely detect any green tones in the polish. The polish dries to a creamy and glossy finish. Like many yellows, Fiercely Fiona applies a bit sheer, I needed three coats for a relatively opaque finish; however, I still have some streaky spots and drag marks. Although this yellow is a bit sheer it is not the sheerest I have encountered. Overall, I really like this colour because it is fun and funky. It just speaks summer to me.

Fun with Blues and Greens NOTD Sephora OPI in Read My Palm and MAC Plasma Blue Nail Lacquers

Happy Monday everybody, it is a long weekend here in Canada today. Hope everybody is enjoying their Monday. I have been having fun in the sun and busy with other commitments. It is just an easy lazy posting from me today. I haven’t worn MAC Plasma Blue nail lacquer in a long long time and I have been craving to wear Sephora OPI Read My Palm again for a while, so Voila ! MAC’s nail lacquer in Plasma Blue was released in 2008 for the Neo Sci-Fi collection, it is a bright turquoise perle finish. It goes on very smooth, but it is slightly sheer and streaky. I needed three coats for a semi-opaque finish, but even with three coats I can still see some streaks and the white of my nails; however, it is a gorgeous summer colour and I love it on my toes!

A Little Bit of Sunshine NOTD OPI Nail Lacquer in Need Sunglasses?

Above: OPI Nail Lacquer in Need Sunglasses?

OPI’s Nail Lacquer in Need Sunglasses? is a taxi cab yellow that is vividly bright and fun. I think it originally came out in the OPI Brights Collection in 2004. Although, I love yellows because they are fun and unique, I hate the application and finishes. Like many yellows, I have encountered, Need Sunglasses? applies sheer and streaky. I used three coats and it is still streaky with bald spots on my nails. As well, yellows dry to a satin finish instead of a high gloss. I suspect there may be some neon pigments in the polish because neons all dry semi-matt. A glossy top coat, such as OPI Top Coat is necessary for a glossy finish; however, I discovered that yellows loose shine faster then any other colour, even with a top coat. Need Sunglasses is a creme finish and it is a fun summer colour for the hot months; however, with the streakiness and the sheerness of the finish, instead of the smooth opaque finish of a yellow cab car varnish, it looks like I coated my nails in egg yolks instead. Despite, the egg yolks looking colour, I still like to whip out this colour every July and August for some sunshine for my nails.

NOTD Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquer in Hint of Mint NI 286

Above: Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquer in Hint of Mint NI 286

A few weeks ago, I dropped by Wal-Mart and discovered this minty beauty from the Nicole OPI collection. This is a very light pastel mint green. It has a hint of blue and gray giving the colour a slightly muted look. It is a frosty finish with a subtle silvery frost. Since the frost and shimmer is very subtle, brush marks are not an issue. I do find this colour extremely sheer. I needed a whopping four coats to get full even coverage, while some nails needed a fifth coat to touch up bald spots. I like the subtleness of  the colour in contrast to the brightly colour mints out in the market, it reminds me of cotton candy and marshmallows; however, I hate having to layer 4-5 coats of polish to get a full coverage. It just takes forever to dry.