FYI You Don't Want to Miss This

China Glaze FYI, 3 coats.  FYI is light beige with a strong linear holographic finish.  I don't think this one gets enough love from the OMG collection.  It's really lovely and is a good neutral look for me.  Best for those days when you want to your nails to stand out without being too loud.

What do you think?  Do you think this could be a work appropriate color?  Or is the holo too much?  Let me know in the comments!


Liz

Fast Track to Jewels

Fast Track, 2 coats.  Fast Track is a greyed out beige with gold flecks of shimmer.  It's cool-toned and a bit darker than I expected.  I wish it was lighter and warmer!  It's still a nice neutral, and I love the shimmer in it, but it's not the most flattering shade for my warm skin tone.  So I decided to spice it up with some warm colored jewels to counter the coolness.  Overall, it kind of reminds me of jewels embedded in sand.  In fact, Fast Track looks oddly like wet sand, especially because of the gold flecks. 

Do you own Fast Track?  What are your thoughts on it?  Let me know in the comments! :)


Liz

China Glaze Atlantis

I present you, Atlantis, one of my lemmings.  This one's discontinued, but is still easily found for retail price.  Atlantis is a blue-green jelly jam packed with small holographic glitter.  I want to say this is 3 coats, but it may be 2.  Atlantis is a lot more sparklier and opaque in real life.  The glitter is so dense, that it actually almost has a chunky holographic finish. 

A blurry shot to show off the holo goodness.

What do you think?  I can see myself wearing Atlantis a lot this summer.  It's so much fun to wear! :)


Liz

Save 50% from Dr.'s REMEDY Enriched Nail Pollish and Treatments

Enriched Instant Cover available in Light, Medium and Deep. Log on and order today www.remedynails.com                         AdWill Labs, Inc 369 93rd Street Brooklyn, New York 11209

Don't miss this chance to SAVE 50% while supplies last.  (Use promo code: ICSpring2012) Offer Expires: May 15th, 2012

Love & Beauty Olive Gold...and a flakie?!

2-3 coats, Olive Gold.  Gah, I cannot get over these boring names Forever21 comes up with for their nail polish.  Sometimes they're even incorrect!  Not this time, thankfully.  Olive gold describes the polish pretty well.  It has a gorgeous dark olive base with orange-gold shimmer.  It looks gold from a distance, but if you look closely, you can see some of the orange.  I believe this was either 2 or 3 coats.  Overall, it's a super gorgeous polish!  I love wearing this one.  I bought mine from forever21.com, but it isn't there anymore. :(

What do you think?  I've yet to be disappointed by Love & Beauty.  They actually put out nice polishes, and the $2.80 price is not bad either.  I was just browsing through their latest selection of nail polishes online, and I came across this beauty!

 image from Forever21.com

Yes!  A flakie-glitter!  I would get it, but I don't have anything to buy from Forever21 right now.  Boo~  But if you're planning on shopping online, you might want to check this baby out. :)  Click on the picture to go the product page.  Hehe, you're welcome! ^^


Liz

Comparison: OPI I'm All Ears vs. China Glaze 108 Degrees

OPI I'm All Ears (IAE) reminded me of China Glaze 108 Degrees (108), so I decided to compare them side-by-side.  Here are 3 coats of each.  As you can see, they are similar...but not dupes.  I think the base color is identical.  What separates them is the shimmer.  IAE has sparser, larger blue/purple shimmer flecks, which allows the base to come through more.  As a result, it looks a bit more red than 108.  108 has fine blue/purple shimmer.  It's much more dense, so it gives the whole polish a cooler feel, making it pinker.  In the end, they are similar enough that you don't really need both.  If you want more of the bright pink color, go with IAE.  If you prefer more sparkle and shimmer, I would recommend 108. 

Here are a few more comparison pics!

IAE, 108, IAE, 108

IAE, 108, IAE, 108

 Is there one you prefer more?  Or do you need both?  Let me know! :)


Liz

OPI Vintage Minnie Mouse Collection

Today I have for you my picks from the OPI Vintage Minnie Mouse Collection!  Let's take a look at the swatches, shall we?

OPI Spiderman Collection - My Picks

Hey all!  Today I have two of the colors from the OPI Spiderman collection.  These were the two that interested me the most.  Check out the swatches! :)

Lazy Saturday

Hey all!

I was planning on swatching the OPI Spiderman and Minnie Mouse polishes I got in the mail yesterday today, but no such luck.  The weather outside had different plans, and it was relatively rainy and cloudy all day.  Such a lazy Saturday...  I did get to edit a few pictures.  Here's one I took of my toes last week.  I'm wearing OPI Excuse Moi! :)

How did you spend your Saturday?


Liz

Sally Hansen Pacific Blue + Julep Jessica

3 coats Julep Jessica + 2 coats Sally Hansen Pacific Blue

I love how well these two colors complement each other!  They both had a great formula and went on flawlessly.  Look how shiny they are!  To spice it up a little, I added a simple design to my ring finger with some black rhinestones, silver microbeads, and a red pearly heart.  Overall, I love how this looks, and I'll definitely be pairing these two polishes again. 

It's a shame the pictures didn't come out that well; it's the reason why I did a collage.  I tried to seal the rhinestones and beads in with a coat of Seche Vite.  Unfortunately my Seche Vite was thick, so it kind of made a mess.  Are you even supposed to put top coat over the rhinestones?  Sometimes the color rubs off the pearls so I'm thinking of skipping top coat when it comes to the bigger jewels.  Plus these rhinestones stay on so well that the staying power is actually bothersome for a frequent polish changer like me.

What do you think?  Do you own either of these polishes?  I would say Pacific Blue is a must for all blue lovers.  It's bright, shiny, and opaque in two coats.  Absolutely love that one! :)

Liz

Sally Hansen Limited Edition Spring 2012 Designer Nail Color Collections Preview

INTRODUCING

COMPLETE SALON MANICURE

LIMITED EDITION SPRING 2012 DESIGNER NAIL COLOR COLLECTIONS

FROM SALLY HANSEN

THINK: Trend-setting spring polishes, hot off the runway.

WHAT THEY ARE: A designer spring wardrobe for your nails. Nail leader Sally Hansen took New York Fashion Week by storm, joining forces with Tracy Reese, Prabal Gurung, and Alexander Wang to create exclusive nail colors to complement each of their runway collections. Sally Hansen’s limited edition fall collections put exclusive runway nail looks at your fingertips.

The designers looked to Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure to create their custom colors. Complete Salon Manicure is an all-in-one formula that combines the components of a professional salon manicure—base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, rich color and top coat in a single multi-tasking polish. Backstage Beauty fixture and nail expert, Jin Soon Choi, created the manicures at each of the three shows.

Tracy Reese joined forces with Sally Hansen for the twelfth consecutive season to create seven bold shades that mirror the designer’s relaxed, romantic spring aesthetic. On the runway, models wore Complete Salon Manicure in Temptation.

Prabal Gurung’s three-color Complete Salon Manicure collection features eye-catching brights and creamy pale hues with an edge that reflects the designer’s spring collection inspired by Nobuyashi Araki’s photographic series, “Sensual Flower.”On Prabal Gurung’s fall runway, models sported Loves-Me-Not, a deep plum.

Alexander Wang enlisted Sally Hansen for a first-time collaboration to create a clean, natural-looking runway nail to offset his spring collection which channels a tropical speed racer using perforation and lasering. Models wore Parchment, a sheer nude Complete Salon Manicure shade on the runway—the perfect accent to Wang’s downtown cool looks.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure for Tracy Reese 

L to R: Olive Branch, Parrot, Fired Up, Buttercup, Honey Whip, The Sky's the Limit, Temptation

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure for Prabal Gurung

 L to R: Purple Posy, Barely Bluebell, Loves-Me-Not

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure with Alexander Wang

 L to R: Oxblood, Petrol, Parchment

WHAT THEY COST: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, $7.99 each.

WHERE TO FIND THEM: Sally Hansen products are available at chain drug stores, food stores and mass merchandisers nationally.

Sally Hansen Avril Lavigne Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips Preview

GET STAR POWER NAILS
WITH AVRIL LAVIGNE SALON EFFECTS REAL NAIL POLISH STRIPS

FROM SALLY HANSEN

THINK: Pop-punk princess nails.

WHAT THEY ARE: Limited-edition, edgy designs of Sally Hansen’s hit, Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips, created in collaboration with pop star Avril Lavigne. Sally Hansen, the nail color authority, is partnering with award winning singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne to launch a collection of highly-anticipated prints that will leave you ready to rock. The revolutionary peel-and-apply strips are now available in 12 limited edition patterns guaranteed to captivate pop-punk princesses everywhere as much as Avril’s high-spirited melodies and powerhouse voice do.

The collection is inspired by the multi-talented pop star’s signature energetic, no-frills attitude and straight-talking lyrics.  The Avril Lavigne Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips collection make manicures mess-free – just peel, apply, file and go, for a flawless real-polish manicure without the fuss. Available in a wide range of designs, from skull-and-bones to funky leopard print, these nail polish strips are the ultimate fashion accessory to flash at your favorite concert. From the opening act all the way through to the encore, you’re good to go with Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips, which are developed with an innovative DBP, Toluene and Formaldehyde-free formula that offers trendsetting, no dry-time nail looks which last up to ten days.

“I was so excited to collaborate with Sally Hansen on Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips,” says Avril. “I always say that you need to be able to express yourself and these nail polish strips deliver the ultimate form of self-expression. Their unique, bold designs offer long lasting results and are unlike anything else on the market. They totally rock!”

Each Salon Effect Real Nail Polish Strips kit includes 16 nail polish strips, a cuticle stick, mini file/ buffer and instructions for easy at-home application. When you’re ready to change your nail strips, simply swipe nails with your favorite Sally Hansen polish remover for an instantly clean slate.

WHAT THEY COST: $9.99

WHERE TO FIND THEM: Beginning April 2012, Sally Hansen products are available at chain drug stores, food stores and mass merchandisers nationally.

The ♥ List

Jens Pirate Booty sheer dress, $99 / Current/Elliott short shorts, $227 / Betsey Johnson pink cocktail dress, $138
  Pins and Needles lace cocktail dress, $69 / Forever 21 pointed toe flat, $20 / Stone jewelry, $72
OPI NYC Ballet Collection, $8.50

A few trends and pieces I'm really loving this spring.  Kind of a wish list if you will.  I can't imagine spending $227 on a pair of shorts though, but I like how those look.  I did see a similar pair in brown at Forever 21 that would make a much cheaper alternative.  I don't own the OPI NYC collection yet, but I'm thinking of picking up a few.  They all look pretty similar, so I might just pick up the white (Essie Marshmallow dupe?), grey, and beige.  Oh, and the glitter.  The glitter's a given. :P

Have you picked up any polishes from the OPI NYC Ballet collection?  And what are your favorite spring trends?  I'd love to hear your thoughts! ^__^

Liz