[Nail Art] DRK Nails Designer 2 Stamping Plate

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Hey guys! I have two different nail art designs for you today. For both looks, I used the Designer 2 plate from DRK Nails. I first saw this plate on Lacquer Lockdown, where Tamira did this gorgeous look with it. I was going to buy Designer 1 too, but ended up only getting D2. So far I love it! 

My first attempt at advanced stamping. ^^ I accidentally smooshed my pinky at the last minute while transferring it to my nail. T__T One day I will master this!

What I Used

Nicole by OPI Sweet Surrender (base)

Zoya Marney (deep plum; superb for stamping)

Zoya Chanelle (warm brown, colored portion)

Pretty Jelly Shy Girl (pink holo, colored circle)

silver holo pigment

DRK Nails Designer 2 plate

 

Using a different image from the same stamping plate, I created this second look. The stamping's more subtle since the pink is so bright. This is the same pink I used in my Refreshing Cherry Mani. I've been wearing it a lot this summer.

What I Used

Milani Hot Pink Rage

Milani 3D (gold holo base)

Color Club Cherubic (stamping)

BPS BOP 100-103 Water Decals*
DRK Nails Designer 2 plate

I haven't tried all the images from this plate yet, but the etchings are deep and stamp well - even for a noob like me. I had no problems with the plate, and it arrived very quickly. I got it 4 days after I placed my order. The price is not too bad either. $6.50 for the plate and $2.53 for shipping. If you're interested, I would definitely recommend this plate. :)

♥ Liz

[Nail Art] Refreshing Cherry Mani with BPS Bow Charm

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Hi everyone! I'm back again with a sweet and simple mani today. I was in the mood for some cute nail art, but didn't want to spend too much time on it. This one's great for beginners, because it doesn't use many tools either.

[OOTD & NOTD] Something Blue ♥

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I've always wanted to do a 'How I Wore It' type of post with my nails, so here's my first go at it. It's a little different, but I hope you like it. :)

First, the nails! I wanted something light like white without the starkness, so I ended up using an off white. This is 3 coats of Nicole by OPI Sweet Surrender*, which is a pretty blush-toned cream. It's almost white but with a hint of pink, which makes it a more flattering alternative on me.

[NOTD] Pretty In Pink with BPS Pearls

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Hi guys! I've itching to do nail art, but haven't had much time to sit down and do it. So I settled on a easy mani using pearls, rhinestones, and glitter. It's understated, but doesn't leave my nails feeling too plain. :)

For this look, I started out with 4 coats of Nicole by OPI I'll Have The Salmon. It's a pretty peachy-pink with fine silver shimmer. It's sheer, and applies a little unevenly. However, it does dry quickly so 4 coats didn't take too long. It does look okay at 3 coats, but I prefer it at 4.

The glitter topper is Milani Sugar Burst, which I love! It's filled with multi-shaped matte pink glitter and small holo glitters. I didn't want too much on my nail, so I used about half a coat to a nail.

For my accent nail, I used a silver rhinestone from a wheel I bought on Ebay. The tiny, 1.5mm pearls are from Born Pretty Store. Aren't they cute? The quality is very nice, as is the finish. I have other half pearls (also from Ebay), but they look much more fake. The BPS ones have a subtle satin sheen to them that makes them look a million times nicer. You can find them here for $2.99 a wheel. If you buy these, don't forget to use my code F10X31 to receive 10% off your entire order. :)

That's it for today! I'll be back with more nail art soon. ^^

♥ Liz

[Review+Swatch] Nicole by OPI Roughles Collection

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Hi everyone! Today's collection is the new matte textures from Nicole by OPI - Roughles ("ruffles"). These textures are a bit different from the ones I've previously tried, because they contain what looks like colored sand. This gives them a finely speckled look that's playful, but not overwhelming.

[Review+Swatch] Nicole by OPI Carrie Underwood Collection

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Hi guys! Today I'm showing you the entire Carrie Underwood collection from Nicole by OPI!

[Nail-Art-A-Go-Go] Day 2: Jewel Tones

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Hi everyone! Today's theme for the Nail-Art-A-Go-Go challenge is jewel tones, so this is what I came up with. I've been looking for an excuse to draw diamonds on my nails, so I thought I'd draw a bunch of gems over jewel tones. I'm so happy with how this came out! :)

Polishes Used

Nicole by OPI Basking In Gloria

Zoya Mason

Zoya Neve

Milani White On The Spot

I free handed all the designs using the red and light blue brush from this BPS drawing set*. I know I already raved about it, but I really like this set. When it comes to free hand nail art, I think the right tools can make a world of difference. These brushes offer so much control - it's almost as if I'm drawing with a pen. I'm so glad BPS sent me these to try. I honestly don't know what I'd do without them.

If you're interested in buying these brushes, remember to use my code F10X31 to get 10% off your entire order!

I also got to snap a few sunlight pics, which you can see below. They show off the colors better, but the shine gets in the way of the design. Aren't the colors lovely?

Be sure to check out all the other nail art submissions for today! And if you're interested in joining the challenge, you can find all the deets here.

[Review+Swatch] Nicole by OPI Better After Dark & Promises In The Dark

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Happy Saturday! Hope everyone's weekend is going well! Today I'm showing you two chocolate-y shades inspired by Dove Chocolate. Nicole by OPI is currently doing a promotion with Dove to celebrate the launch of a new year and their new line of dark chocolates. You can enter their sweepstakes for a chance to win a bar of Dove chocolate and the lacquers shown above. They're giving away 25,000 of these kits, and you have till Feb 5 to enter. :D

I actually got a sample of Dove's regular dark chocolate, as well their new salted caramel version. Oh my gosh, you guys. These are so good. I was already a fan of Dove chocolate, but I think the salted caramel is my new favorite.♥

But enough about the chocolate, let's talk about the nail polish!

[Nail Art] Foxy Valentine

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Hi guys! I can't believe Valentine's day merchandise was already up in stores this year as soon as Christmas ended! Now that it's actually getting closer, I decided to partake in some cutesy nail art. Nothing too pink or red (yet), just some super amazingly adorable fox nail art. ;)

Polishes Used

Pointer | Nicole by OPI Half-Charming Half-Alarming

Fox | Milani Colorful Coral (new 2014)

White details | Milani White (new 2014)

Black details | Milani Black Swift

Ring | OPI Don't Touch My Tutu

Middle + Pinky | China Glaze Kinetic Candy

As expected, the Milani cremes were excellent for nail art due to their high opacity and easy-to-work-with formula. Isn't the coral color just perfect for the fox? Oh, and if you're wondering what "Chu♥" means, it denotes a kissing sound in Korean. Like "mwah" in English. I think it was made popular by Kpop group f(x).

If you're wondering what I used for all the drawings, it's this BPS brush set*! I can't recommend this set enough. It's my favorite from BPS so far, because the brushes give you so much control. I had no problem getting every detail exactly where I wanted. The tips are small and pointed, so you can get some pretty precise lines.

As always, you can use my code F10X31 to get 10% off your order. :)

What do you think? Are you a fan of Vday nail art? :)

♡ Liz

Nicole by OPI Modern Family Holiday 2013

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Wow, it's been too long!  I swear I was going to post more frequently this month.  I think I'll start posting notds on my Instagram account, so that I can share more frequently without worrying about all the editing and writing.  So if you're not following me there, please do! :)

I'm also planning a holiday giveaway for you guys, so keep you're eyes peeled for that!  Speaking of holidays, let's talk about this new Modern Family collection. ^^

Nicole by OPI Tink Collection Review

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Hi everyone! Today I have four of the six new colors from Nicole by OPI's Tink collection - inspired by none other than Disney's Tinkerbell.  These bright colors are perfect for summer!  Check them out below. :)

Sweet on Pete, 3 coats: chartreuse creme.  I'm usually not a fan of these types of greens, but I actually really liked this one.  It works really well with my skin tone and the formula was superb.  It applies flawlessly and can be opaque in 2 coats.

Fairy Fairy Quite Contrary, 3 coats: tangerine orange creme.  This one has the same great formula - very easy to apply and smooth.

Tink's In The Pink, 2 coats: medium pink creme.  Usually my pictures are fairly color accurate, but this one's tragically off.  It's not a neon pink, nor a particularly bright blue toned pink either.  It's really a medium pink - not too blue or yellow, not too bright or dark.  A perfect medium pink.  Formula-wise it was excellent, just like the others.

Half Charming / Half Alarming, 3 coats: bright red creme-jelly with orange undertones.  I think this is what we call "neon" red.  It's not really neon, but bright enough to come close.  This one's also a jelly, but dries to a squishy creme-like finish. 

  

Verdict: Love!  My favorite is Half Charming/ Half Alarming, especially because I don't have a dupe for it in my stash.  Sweet on Pete is a close second.  While I own colors similar to the other three, I thought the colors in this collection had a better formula.  If you're interested in adding any of these colors to your collection, I would recommend these.

Availability: This limited edition collection is available exclusively at Walgreens starting July 1st (today)!

See any favorites?  Let me know in the comments! :)

Liz

Nicole by OPI Gumdrops Collection Review

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Hey guys!  Today I have another texture collection to share with you.  These were all taken in direct sunlight. :)

Candy Is Dandy, 3 coats: pinky jelly texture with fine silver glitter and various sized holo glitter.  I've actually worn this three times now - mainly because whenever I swatched it the sun would go away.  I'm usually not into these types of pinks, but I really liked this one.  It's super sparkly, especially because of all the holographic glitter.

Nicole by OPI Modern Family (Part 3)

Here are the last six shades of the collection!  If you missed my previous reviews, you can find them here: (Part 1) / (Part 2).

Nicole by OPI Modern Family (Part 2)

Today's post contains all the reds and pinks from Nicole by OPI's Modern Family collection!  If you missed Part 1, you can check it out (here).

Nicole by OPI Modern Family Collection (Part 1)

Candid Cameron, 2 coats: dark blue base with fine green gold shimmer.  The overall look is an aqua-green frost.  The brushstrokes look really visible in my picture, but I didn't find it to be on the nail.  The formula was nice as well.

What's The Mitch-Uation?, 4 coats: vibrant indigo frost.  If you're careful, you can get it opaque in 3.  I needed to do a fourth to cover my tips better.  This one looks like OPI Into The Night from the Spiderman collection, so I wouldn't be surprised if they're dupes.  In terms of the formula, it was about average because of the sheerness.

Back In My Gloria Days..., 3 coats: purple jelly with bright pink-purple and blue shimmer.  This one is absolutely gorgeous.  The brighter pink-purple shimmer really adds to it.  I wasn't expecting to love it so much, but I did.  It applied very nicely in two coats.  Couldn't ask for anything more. :)

Verdict: All three were nice in terms of color and formula, but Back In My Gloria Days was my favorite.  I would recommend any of these if you don't already own a similar color.  Definitely check out BIMGD in stores though! :)

Availability: Modern Family lacquers are now available for $7.99 each at retailers including select Walmart, Target, CVS, Rite Aid, Kmart, Kroger, ULTA, H-E-B, Meijer and Duane Reade locations. In Canada, this line will be available for $10.99 each at Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart Canada, Jean Coutu, Loblaw, and London Drug.


Have you picked up any of the Modern Family polishes?  Let me know in the comments! :)


Liz

Polishes in this post were provided to me for my honest opinion.

Please view my disclosure policy for more info.

Nicole by OPI Selena Gomez Collection (Part 2)

Today I have the second half of the new Selena Gomez collection!  You can find the first half here: Part 1.

Naturally, 3 coats: blue toned medium pink creme with subtle shimmer.  The shimmer is only barely visible in sunlight.  It's a nice color if you don't already own one.  Pinks like this tend to be unflattering on me, but this one was fine.  Formula-wise, it was about average.  It's best applied in thin coats.

Nicole by OPI Selena Gomez Collection (Part 1)

Selena, 3 coats: peach creme with hidden shimmer.  One of my favorites from this collection!  It applies well and looks great with my warm skin tone.  The shimmer is barely there, but in the sun you can see a little sparkle.

Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolor Holiday Glitters and Shimmers

Hi guys!  Hope you're all enjoying the weekend.  Today I have for you the new Kardashian Kolors Holiday 2012 collection!

All is Glam, All is Bright, 3coats: opaque glitter jam packed with fine silver, red, and pale blue glitter.  As expected, this color is super glittery.  It tends to look like a pale pink with red and blue sparkles at arms length.  It took me 3 coats to get it opaque and the formula was easy to work with.

Geometric Candy Swirls ♥

Polishes used:

Nicole by OPI Kim-pletely In Love

L.A. Colors Electric Charge

Pure Ice Platinum Magic Base Coat (white)

What do you think?  Doesn't this just remind you of cotton candy and striped candy?  I wish you could see the blue shimmer peeping out from Kim-pletely In Love.  It's the icing on the cake!

Let me know if you want a tutorial for this look! :)


Liz