OPI NYC Ballet Soft Shades 2012 Collection Swatches

Hello ladies!  Hope your weeks are turning out fine. :)  Today I have for you the entire OPI NYC Ballet collection for you.  The collection as a whole features sheer creme-jellies that offer squishy, milky finishes and a soft glitter top coat to pair.

I had so many pretty pictures of these shades, that I actually found it a bit overwhelming to edit all the pictures.  I even considered dedicating a post to each shade, but in the end I want to review it as a collection.  I think the general consensus was that most of the shades look pretty similar to each other, so I wanted them all in one place for you to compare.  Below, you can see my swatches of each shade in direct sunlight, shade, and with Pirouette My Whistle.

Preview: "Rock of Ages" Inspired Sally Hansen Salon Effects

 GET ROCKER CHIC NAILS

WITH “ROCK OF AGES”-INSPIRED SALON EFFECTS

REAL NAIL POLISH STRIPS

FROM SALLY HANSEN

THINK: Amp up your nail design with some serious rock star treatment.

WHAT THEY ARE: Edgy prints and patterns inspired by the head-banging film adaptation of the Broadway hit from New Line Cinema, “Rock of Ages,” distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and in theaters nationwide on June 15, 2012.  Get ready to rock with the Rock of Ages Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips collection from Sally Hansen. The manicure breakthrough from nail color authority Sally Hansen takes you back in time to the 1980’s, the decade of big hair and big dreams.

The revolutionary peel-and-apply nail polish strips are available in eight limited edition patterns inspired by “Rock of Ages,” a rock ‘n’ roll romance story told through the heart-pounding hits of the 80’s most legendary bands. From rock star fashion to the decade’s hottest runway trends, like lace and neon hues, these designs are bold, colorful and guaranteed to leave you ready to rock. Just peel, apply, file and go, for a flawless, rock-star approved, real-polish manicure without the fuss.

The ultimate fashion accessory, Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips 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. 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.

AVAILABLE PRINTS: 

Red-y to Rock

Rock N’ Roar

Zip It!

Star Quality

Amp it Up

Good Gene’s

Fingerlace Gloves

 
Sticks and Stones

WHAT IT COSTS: $9.99

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

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

Today I have for you nail polish strips from Sally Hansen.  These have been out in the market for a bit now.  Basically they are strips of real nail polish that are shaped to fit your nails.  The design I chose to review is from the new limited edition collection by Avril Lavigne.  When you open the box, this is what you'll find inside.

Sally Hansen Gem Crush

Today I have three shades from Sally Hansen's Gem Crush collection: Lady Luck, Be-Jeweled, and Glitz Gal.  These are full coverage glitters and were all opaque at 3 coats.  All pictures were taken in direct sunlight, unless stated otherwise.  I also wore these with two coats of Seche Vite, which made them relatively smooth for a glitter.

Pure Ice Vinyl Remix Collection Swatches

Hey all!  Today I have for you the Pure Ice Vinyl Remix collection.  These are new crackle duos that apply color to your base as they crackle.  Each duo comes with a colored crackle and a white base.

Sally Hansen Loves Me Not

Today I have for you a polish from Prabal Gurung's Spring 2012 line for Sally Hansen.  Here's some background information on this line:

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.

2 coats, Loves Me Not.  First of all, OMG is this not absolutely gorgeous?  Loves Me Not is a black base packed with duochrome flecks that shift from blue-purple to pink-purple.  The flecks are so dense that the polish looks more purple than black.  I would actually classify this as a purple polish despite the black base.  When applying the polish, the polish actually looks gritty.  However, I didn't find it gritty once it dried.  With top coat, everything was smooth and removal was painless.

Overall, I love this polish!  I'm so pleased that...
a) the shimmer is strong
b) and clearly duochrome (no squinting required!)

I literally stood in my driveway and twirled.  I probably looked crazy, but you can see clear changes in the shimmer depending on how the sun hits it.  It's fun, I tell you.  Believe me, you need this. x)

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.

Will you be getting this?  Or if you already own it, what are your thoughts on it?  Let me know in the comments! :)


Liz

*The polishes reviewed in this post were sent to me for my honest review.
Please view my Disclosure Policy for more info.

Preview: OPI New Pure Lacquer Nail Apps

Precut Designs Offer Easy, Instant Nail Art

OPI Announces NEW! Pure Lacquer Nail Apps

              OPI launches Pure Lacquer Nail Apps for instantaneous manicures and pedicures created using precut nail strips made of 100% real nail lacquer – providing a high-gloss finish, long-lasting wear and zero dry time. Offered in both cream and shimmer finishes, Nail Apps are available in 14 different styles – ranging in design from edgy snake print and fishnet to feminine gold lace and floral.

Blue & Gray Rattlesnake / Peacock / Fishnet / Parisian / Reptile / Floral / Pink and Black Lace

Metallic Waves / Sequins / Zig Zag Sparkle / Geometric Sparkle / Gold Lace / Pink and Silver Lace / Girly Glam

“Nail art has become increasingly popular, with both consumers and trained professionals,” says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “Pure Lacquer Nail Apps provide the perfect way to get a one-of-a-kind look that simply cannot be replicated by hand. Each nail strip is made of 100% real nail lacquer for a flawless final look with easy application.”

Combining base and color in one convenient product, Nail Apps adhere to nails in seconds and can be stretched for a perfect fit. Each pack contains 16 strips to ensure perfect sizing for all finger and toe nails. For best results, this product should not be finished with top coat. Simply remove with an acetone polish remover like OPI Expert Touch Lacquer Remover before trying a new design. 

“To make Nail Apps last even longer, upgrade your service by having your manicurist cure the nail strips with a GelColor Top Coat. With this addition, Nail Apps will last up to two weeks,” explains Weiss-Fischmann. “If you chose at-home application, place each Nail App carefully, trimming where necessary. Top coat is not recommended. Within minutes, your nails will be uniquely designed like never before!”

Pure Lacquer Nail Apps are available at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for the suggested retail price of $11.95.

    For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

ABOUT OPI
As the world leader in the professional nail care industry, OPI is committed to providing high-quality products and services to both salons and their customers, along with a focus on industry safety and innovation. Known for its exceptional formula, fashionable colors and iconic names, OPI’s heavily-pigmented lacquers are super rich, long-lasting and chip-resistant – offering an affordable luxury to consumers. OPI nail lacquer is available in over 200 shades and contains no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Each lacquer features OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Currently, OPI is available in over 100 countries and retails a full line of professional items, including nail treatments, finishing products, lotions, manicure/pedicure products, files, tools, gels and acrylics.

Preview: Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolor Mini Lacquer Sets

Big Color, Small Bottle!

Nicole by OPI Introduces NEW Kardashian Kolor Pretty Petites Mini Nail Lacquers

Nicole by OPI announces the launch of Kardashian Kolor Pretty Petites, two mini packs each offering four bestselling Kardashian Kolor nail lacquers. The first set Celeb-bities features shiny, sparkly shades in feminine pink and red hues. The second set Sophisti-cuties provides an earth-toned palette of green, brown and gray glitters and crèmes.

“Pretty Petites offer the best of the Kardashian Kolor lacquers in a mini size that’s perfect for gifting or using on-the-go,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “Whether you like to change your nail lacquer often or want to experiment with an ombré look, these two mini packs offer variety of color at a great price.”

 The Celeb-bities mini pack includes:

Kim-pletely in Love

Finally! The pink of her dreams has arrived.

All Kendall-ed Up

Powder your nose and get some pink on those toes!

Wear Something Spar-Kylie

Glitter-ly the prettiest pink ever!

Sealed with a Kris

Handle with care: This klassy red is top-of-the-line!

The Sophisti-cuties mini pack includes:

My Empire...My Rules

This take-charge taupe is always on-trend.

Follow Me on Glitter

A glittery deep gray that always has something to say!

Khloé Had a Little Lam-Lam

A deep dark emerald worth falling for.

Hard-Kourt Fashionista

This delicious deep brown is the chicest hue in town!

“The four shades in the Celeb-bities pack lend bright pops of color and glitter to any look,” adds Weiss-Fischmann. “Meanwhile, the four Sophisti-cuties lacquers give nails a classic but edgy feel, thanks to hot neutral hues like taupe, gray and chocolate brown.”

Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquers and Nail Treatments contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality. Pretty Petites will be available July 2012 for $10 each at Duane Reade, H-E-Butt, Fred Meyer, Meijer, Rite Aid, Sears and ULTA. In Canada, each set will be available for $15 at Katz Group, Loblaw, Shoppers Drug Mart, select Sears locations, and Walmart Canada.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan! 

About Nicole by OPI:
Nicole by OPI offers a salon-quality range of bold, fashion-forward nail lacquers. The brand’s heritage is based in OPI’s well-established foundation of excellence in both color and technology, providing premium products to a broad range of consumers looking for trendsetting nail lacquers.

Sally Hansen Oxblood

Today I have for you another polish from the Alexander Wang Spring 2012 line.  This one's a gorgeous vampy red creme.

Oxblood, 2 coats.  Is it red?  Or is it brown?  This is one of those deliciously dark, vampy reds that look brown in certain lightings.  Maybe it doesn't fit in a spring collection, but I like it anyway.  It's very glossy and kind of squishy looking.  My only gripe about this polish is the brush.  I think I got a bad brush. :(  It wasn't cut very evenly.  Combine that with a flat, large brush and it spelled disaster with such a dark, pigmented color like Oxblood.  I think I'm going to trim my brush a bit to even it out.  I'm pretty sure all the brushes aren't like this, since I've never had problems with my other Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure brushes.  If anything, you can always check the brush at the store before you buy it.

Currently, I'm still craving soft colors, but Oxblood is definitely a polish I'll revisit in the fall.


Liz

*The polishes reviewed in this post were sent to me for my honest review.
Please view my Disclosure Policy for more info.

Born Pretty 10% Off Coupon Code

Hey all!

I was recently contacted by Born Pretty to review products from their nail art supply site.  If you don't know about Born Pretty, it's like a huge web store filled with everything you could need or want for nail art.  They also sell a variety of nail polishes, including novelty ones like mood and magnetic polishes.  The prices are also low and with free shipping, there's really nothing to lose.  I've used the Hello Kitty stickers from them before, and they were of good quality.  You can see my review for those *here*.

While we're waiting for my items to arrive for review, Born Pretty sent me a coupon code you guys can use for your purchases.  Here it is below!

10% off! :D  You can also find this banner in my left sidebar under 'coupon codes'.  If you ever need it, just look for it there, so you don't have to come searching for this post.  If more than 10 people use this code, Born Pretty will also sponsor a giveaway or a contest on my blog!  Exciting!  Hopefully we'll be able to host that giveaway soon. :)

In the meantime, happy shopping! ^^


Liz

Sally Hansen Parchment

Hello all!  I have tons of polishes to review, so they will be going up about every 12 hours.  I got some of these right before finals, so they got pushed back until now.  I want to get them up asap, so I hope you don't find it all too overwhelming.  Here, I have the polish I wore to my graduation from the Alexander Wang Spring 2012 collection.

Here's a little background on the Alexander Wang collection:

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.

NOTD: Graduation Nails

Wow, I can't believe this day has actually come.   I finally finished my last final ever, and I'll be graduating from college this coming Saturday.  I decided to go with neutral nails for my graduation.  This is the mani I'm wearing right now, and I love it!

This is 4 coats of Sally Hansen Parchment from the new Alexander Wang Spring 2012 line.  I adore this color, and I'll do a full review of it in a few days.  After the third coat I used Essie As Gold As It Gets, then layered the fourth coat of Parchment over it.  The Essie adds a subtle glow to the color when the sun hits it.  (Honestly, you can't see it that well... lol.)  Even though I was going to keeps these nails low key, I still couldn't help but add some bling to it.  I used silver rhinestones and rose pink micro beads to match the blush colored dress I'll be wearing for graduation.

Overall, I think this is a very sweet and simple look.  What do you think?  Also, anyone else graduating this spring (high school or college)?  If you are, what color are you wearing on your nails for graduation?


Liz

*The polishes reviewed in this post were sent to me for my honest review.
Please view my Disclosure Policy for more info.

China Glaze Cha Cha Cha

Cha Cha Cha, 3 coats: a green apple shade with yellow-green shimmer.  I think it's gorgeous!  I love how brilliant the shimmer looks in sunlight.  It's definitely a nice summer shade!

Well, that's all folks! :)


Liz

New Limited Edition Sigma Paris Palette

Hey girls!  Not sure if you saw this yet, but Sigma just launched a new limited edition palette, and I think it's adorable.  Not to mention that it's made by some of my favorite Youtube beauty gurus!  I think the packaging is cute and the colors look great as well.  It also comes with two travel sized brushes (it seems).  I love their angled blush brush, so I wouldn't mind having one for travel.  If you're interested in this palette, you can click here to go to Sigma's page.  (This is a referral link.)  P.S. Don't forget to go to one of the beauty guru's web pages to get the $10 off code.  Might I suggest Frmheadtotoe? :)

The Paris Project is the perfect combination of talent, art and tradition. Seven renowned beauty experts (TiffanyD, Xteeener, DulceCandy87, Xsparkage, Frmheadtotoe, Petrilude and MacNC40) explored the City of Lights and developed an original makeup palette inspired by the alluring city of Paris. For the next 7 weeks we will be releasing a tutorial and vlog from each of the artists involved in the Paris Project.

The limited edition Paris Makeup Palette includes eight eye shadows that were influenced by landmark monuments and locations in Paris. It also includes two blush colors and one highlight shade, carefully developed by the beauty experts to compliment all skin tones. The Paris Makeup Palette is completed with two essential Sigma brushes, E55 – Eye Shading and F40 – Large Angled Contour, for flawless makeup application.

What: Paris Makeup Palette
Cost: $59 (visit the websites of the beauty experts involved for $10 off codes!)
Collection Status: Limited Edition
Available: May 7, while supply lasts


What do you think?  Are you planning on getting it?  I personally really want this... lol


Liz

Julep Penny Box!

If you're interested in getting personalized boxes of nail polish, you might want to check out Julep Maven.  If you sign up now, you can get your first intro box for a mere penny after using code SHAREONMAY.  Lately they've been putting out more unique polishes like glitters, a glow-in-the-dark, and a magnetic polish.  I think it's worth a try at a penny, and you can always skip months or cancel if it's not your cup of tea.  Oh, and don't forget to select free Maven shipping when you check out. ^^

To sign up, you can either click the picture above or click this link right here. :)
(This post contains referral links.)


Liz

China Glaze Papaya Punch

Papaya Punch, 2 coats.  Papaya Punch is a fun tangerine-yellow creme.  It's bright, but doesn't cross over into neon.  Not much else to say about this one.

Ah...another week done.  It's finals week for me now.  I'm already done with three classes, so I only have two more exams left.  Let's do this! :)


Liz

China Glaze Electric Pineapple

Electric Pineapple, 3 coats.  This is from China Glaze's 2011 summer collection.  To be honest, this was my least favorite from collection.  The formula requires a bit of work, and I personally don't care for these types of yellow-greens.  I would recommend using medium coats and a good top coat to smooth it out. 

I can see myself using this color for nail art, but not for a full mani.  Maybe it's worth another try?  Are you of fan of these yellow-greens?  Let me know in the comments! :)


Liz

NOTD: Blueberry Cheetah & Sparkles!

Hey there!  Here's what I'm currently wearing.  I've been wanting to do a cheetah mani for the past few days and finally got around to doing one.  They're so easy to do and look great! :) 

For this look I used:

Sinful Colors Cinderella (base)

Rescue Beauty Lounge Aqua Lily (spots)

Milani Black nail art polish (black outlines)

Julep Oscar (gold glitter accent)

I really love how the pink flecks in Cinderella sparkle from behind the spots.  There's pink shimmer in Aqua Lily, but it doesn't come through since it's not covering the whole nail.  I still haven't swatched Aqua Lily yet.  I really wanted to wear it, but I had a feeling I would be receiving polishes to review soon.  And I did!  I got two packages in fact.  One from Sally Hansen and one from Bari Cosmetics (Pure Ice).  Anyway, back to the mani!

I wasn't sure if the gold accent would tie in very well, but I really like it!  It's so sparkly, I love it!  I used 4 coats of Oscar to get it opaque, but I could've gotten away with 3.  If you use a base color, I'm sure 2 coats would be sufficient as well.  I love how I can get Oscar opaque.  Oscar has a clear base with fine gold shimmer, so I actually thought it wouldn't get opaque.  But it did!  I was definitely impressed. :)  I also think it's aptly named, because it reminds me of all the glamour of the Oscars.  The formula for Oscar was a bit gloopy, which is to be expected since it's a glitter polish.  The glitters lie close to the nail, and after two coats of Seche Vite, I found it nice and smooth.  The only downside is that this polish goes fast!  I only used it on two nails, and I saw a significant dip in the bottle.  Actually, this is true of pretty much all my Julep polishes.  The bottles are so narrow and tall. :(  Oh, and did you know you can find Julep polishes at Sephora now?  Personally, I'm going to stick with my Maven boxes since I feel Julep polishes are overpriced at $14 a piece. :/

Wow, I rambled a lot in this post. -.-  What do you think of this mani?  When I look at it, it reminds me of blue raspberry taffy and cotton candy.  :P

(P.S.) Sorry the pics are bit unfocused?  It was cloudy again.  :(  I really need a new camera!


Liz