OPI Pink Friday with Super Bass

Happy Monday, ladies!  As you may have noticed, I failed my "review week" challenge I set for myself.  However, I have caught up with most of the "big" posts I needed to get up!  I'll sprinkle the rest in here and there.  Truth is, I got distracted.  I started eating healthy and working out again, and I've let it take over.  Which is good!  If I don't, chances are I would eat entire pies in one sitting.  I've never done that before, but you all know how cravings are!  So far, I'm not sure if it's water weight or what (which it probably is), I've lost four pounds!  I've also found work outs that make me FEEL like I've worked out.  I hurt!  lol  So, I may post updates here and there.  If you are interested, let me know.  I may start up my other blog about it again!  

On to the polish.  When OPI released the Nikki Minaj collection, I was really excited!  Then I saw them in person.  I wasn't so excited anymore.  That green is hideous, the blue has soooo been done, and the pink looks like a million others.  The only one I was interested in was Super Bass!  

Well, I was looking at clearance items at Regis, and I had gotten an extra paycheck so I actually bought the (mini) collection.  First thing I did when I got home was put on Pink Friday with Super Bass!  I HAD to try those out, since those were the only two I would have bought on their own.  

We'll start with Pink Friday.  Now, I don't know if it was my bottle, or if it was because it's a mini (which is still a bad reason), but the formula was HORRID!  It is thick, streaky, needs three coats (at least.  I only put two on since I was adding shatter) and is just an overall mess.  Turned me WAY off and I am so glad I just bought the minis!  

Super Bass, on the other hand, was amazing.  I didn't have any problems with application, none with the shatter effect, none with the formula.  It is a gorgeous dark magenta type purple with shimmer in it.  I love how it looks!  

What do you guys think?  Is it just my bottle?  Ugh.  I hope you all had better luck!  Thanks for reading! :) 

Another Pink Wednesday!

Hi everyone!  How goes it this Wednesday?  It's cold here!  I hate it.  BUT I've been in the mood for bright polish, so that's a plus!  

I've been wanting to wear pink a lot lately, so having manis ready for today wasn't hard.  I had plenty to choose from!  Sorry about that, the color will be seen a lot in the follow weeks.  I can't help it!  It's so bright, and makes me feel tons better!  Helps my mood, helps me not feel sick, and tricks me into thinking it's warm! lol 

So today I have a sort of Valentine's skittles mani.  Not necessarily a whole mani, rather ideas of pairings or whatnot.  I actually really like the look of it all together though, and I'm thinking of putting it back on!  

What I used:

Thumb: White with Zoya Izzy, Sally Hansen Fuchsia Flare, OPI Too Hot Pink to Hold Em

Index: Zoya Izzy, OPI I Lily Love You, (heart) Sally Hansen Fuchsia Flare

Middle: Zoya Izzy, OPI Spark De Triomphe, OPI I Lily Love You

Ring: White, Kleancolor Twinkly Love (hearts), OPI Too Hot Pink to Hold Em

Pinkie: Zoya Izzy, OPI Red Shatter

What do you think?  Tell me what your favorite nail is!  I need help deciding what to recreate :)  Thanks for looking! 

OPI Warm and Fozzie on Crack

Hi everyone!  Short post coming up!  I'm writing this after a marathon swatching session, so my head is starting to hurt pretty bad.  That means this will be a short post, but I have some reviews coming up!  I will (FINALLY) finish all my Cherimoya reviews, and I have Bootie Babe, the China Glaze Let It Snow glitters, and three of the Wet n Wild Color Icon glitters to show you!  So, look for that!  Until then, lots of pictures of OPI Warm and Fozzie, and towards the end, a topping of China Glaze Haute Metal.  I love how it turned out! Enjoy! 

Tons of pictures later... Thanks for looking everyone! Have an awesome day! :) 

NOTD: Broken Hearted in the City

Hi everyone!  Is your weekend great so far?  I have to clean my room.  I've lost tons of things that should never be lost.  So, I'm showing you this mani before it gets destroyed.  Hopefully my nails can handle the cleaning!  ARGH! 

When I was going through my nail stuff trying to decide on a mani, I actually wanted to do gray.  Seriously.  It was really strange, but I have some great grays that are getting me to change my mind.  I ALSO wanted to use a color I haven't used before, I am starting to collect untrieds.  Yikes.  So, I finally fished out China Glaze Traffic Jam from the Metro collection, and decided I'd play with Cracked Concrete too.  

After I got TJ on, I didn't want to cover it fully with crack.  It's a great shade!  I just decided to play around and do partials.  On my pinky, index and middle fingers I have a "funky french" sort of thing, and hearts (or what should be hearts) on my ring finger and thumb:

So, these colors (be aware that TJ photographs lighter and pinker than it is) look great together.  I like the combo, I like the mani.  I love China Glaze :)  

I will be back tomorrow, hopefully with a haul post (or something).  So, have a great weekend! Thanks for looking! 

Listening to: Just to See You Smile - Tim McGraw
Everywhere, 1997

NOTD: OPI Zom-body to Love + China Glaze Fault Line

Hey everyone!  Quick post.  I have a review I am going to put up tomorrow (put it off two days. I'm horrible! HA!), because today I wanted to do another Halloween type post.  It really isn't anything special, just a glow in the dark polish, but it has a Halloween-y name so, I'm going to count it.  :)
I got this polish awhile back from Kristin, and I hadn't worn it yet.  It's the same gitd polish she made my jewelry with.  I really love it.

Overall, I think this mani is okay.  I really like it, but the crack didn't crack right, and the glow doesn't glow right.  I'm just hard to please I guess!  

I did wonder though: The glow doesn't seem to last as long on my nail as it does on the jewelry.  Does it have issues with top coats?  I guess I'll have to play around and see.  

So, my question today is, What is the next Halloween-y type post you'd like to see?  More comparisons?  Stamping? Individual color reviews?  Let me know!  Thanks for looking! 

Listening to: One Call Away - Chingy
Jackpot, 2004

China Glaze: Cracked Concrete Catwalk

Hello hello hello everyone!  Happy Saturday!  Today I am wearing China Glaze.  Topped with China Glaze.  I know.  I'm sooo partial to the brand.  They were my first "high end (hahahahaha!)" brand so I feel a little loyalty there.  Sorry!  lol  I read Hunger Games last night, yes the whole book, and I wasn't planning on doing a themed mani or anything but I found my color choices were kind of inspired.  Totally unintentionally, but they are the ones that spoke to me. First, I put on two coats of Concrete Catwalk from the Fall Metro collection:

There you have it.  A grey that I don't hate!  Actually, I think of it more as a slate which could play a little part in that.  I think it's gorgeous, and the only grey I have ever worn without wanting to take it off right away! If you've seen on other blogs that some of the Metro creams have perfect formulas, this is one of them.  The only thing that differs from the others in that category are that this one need two coats.  On me anyway.  If you are VERY careful you could probably get away with one, but when I tried I got bubbles.  I blame myself, the coat was way way way too thick!  If you get it to work, let me know :) 

The polish was very easy to work with and control.  What you see is zero cleanup.  None.  It's been forever since I've put on a polish that I haven't had to cleanup like crazy!  

One thing I need to tell you.  I've been told that the polish dries darker than it is in the bottle.  The same is supposed to be true for all of the creams in this collection.  I included bottle shots so you could decide for yourself.  I personally don't think they do.  If they do, it is a very very slight difference and it wouldn't stop me from buying it based on the bottle color.  That's up to you, though! 

Then, I added a coat of Haute Metal.  I couldn't leave the grey alone.  

This was the perfect combination!  I first wanted to do a very subtle grey crack over the top, but that wasn't flashy enough.  I think the pink really brings out the blue undertones.  Again, making it more slate than grey.  Love the combo! 

Finally, does anybody know why crackle does this on one of my nails?  The same one, every time I put crack on.  I don't get it!  I don't mind that it does that, but I think it's strange that it cracks at the end on that one nail and none of the others!  :)

Has anyone noticed that since I found and charged my camera my pictures have been crappy again?  I wonder if my settings were changed when the battery ran down... I'll be looking into it!  In the meantime, please excuse my sub-par photos.  :(

Anyway, that's all I've got.  Feel free to leave me questions/thoughts/stories about your Friday/etc.  I love having things to read on Sundays! LoL  Have a good weekend, Thanks for reading!


Listening to: Cheers (Drink to That) - Rhianna
Loud, 2010

OPI: Let's Shatter Breast Cancer!

New Press release!  Check out what OPI sent today:

Let’s Shatter Breast Cancer!

OPI Announces New Pink Shatter: Pink of Hearts Nail Lacquer to Support

Susan G. Komen for the Cure^®

            OPI launches the limited edition Pink Shatter: Pink of Hearts Nail Lacquer to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure^®in its promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever.  The 2011 Pink of Hearts edition will follow in the footsteps of its namesake 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 Nail Lacquers in raising awareness of breast cancer for the fifth year in a row, during the months of September and October (National Breast Cancer Awareness Month).  Unlike previous shade incarnations, this year’sPink of Hearts Nail Lacquer marks the debut of fan-favorite Shatter coat in OPI’s first pink shade. 

“We are continuing to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure in the hopes of increasing breast cancer awareness, while inspiring and empowering women.  The organization’s dedication to this cause is unwavering,” remarks Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “OPI is proud to join with Susan G. Komen for the fifth consecutive year to offer Pink Shatter: Pink of Hearts.  By launching our first-ever Pink Shatter coat, we hope this exciting new textured hue will generate lots of awareness for this cause.”

Each bottle of Pink Shatter: Pink of Hearts has a special pink-ribbon tag and pink cap wrap to call attention to breast cancer awareness.  OPI will also be making its annual donation of $25,000 to Komen for the Cure. Pink Shatter coat contains no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and it also features OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application.

The limited edition Pink Shatter: Pink of Hearts will be available throughout the months of September and October 2011 at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for $8.50 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer. 

            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 Susan G. Komen for the Cure®

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which is now the world’s largest breast cancer organization and the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer with more than $1.9 billion invested to date. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.orgor call 1-877 GO KOMEN.

_______________________________________________________________________

Who else is excited about this?  It looks so pretty!  I see some gold shimmer in there. *swoons*  I love supporting Susan G. Komen and the cause is very close to me.  I can't wait to pick this one up!  What do you guys think?

Thanks for looking! 

Grape...Set...Match...Crack

Hi everyone!  So, I am fully recovered from the road trip from hell!  I had a great day at work (because I'm a rockstar.. Duh!), and got some awesome nail mail today!  I'm going to have such a great haul this week! :) 

Today I'm showing you Grape...Set...Match from the OPI/Serena Williams French Open set... French Open or Wimbledon?  Wimbledon I think.  You would also think I could get up and check but... Nope!  I'll leave a comment later, but I'm pretty sure this is the England set because Your Royal Shineness is with it too....  Yes.  Wimbledon!  lol  Sorry.  I also layered Revlon Grape Fizz on top of it because it smells SO AMAZING, but it didn't change the look of the polish in the slightest so I didn't think it was necessary to do two posts, or to completely redo my nails.  I will if you want me to though :) Mainly because I LOVE this polish so much! 

Look at that duochrome. In. Cre. Di. Ble.  I love it.  I had to work really hard to get it to show up on camera which is why the pic is all blurry an gross.  I'm sorry.  It had to be done.  How amazing is this polish?  I'm not going to say much about the formula except that it was PERFECT!  Seriously.  It was a dream to apply.  Ugh.  Love it.  

The next day I finally got my metal crack and had to try it!  Gold and purple always looks good together so I used that one to test them out.  Anybody else a (tad) bit bummed by the way these crack?  I mean, they're okay.  I like how it turned out and everything... but I haven't been able to get a really fine crack out of them.  If you have tips, please let me know! 

That's enough rambling for today except... I haven't told my new followers thank you lately!  I really do appreciate every one of you!  So, vote in my poll to tell me what finish you want to see next month and I'll see you soon!  Thanks for looking! 

Happy Independence Day!

Hi everyone!  Here in the US it is Independence Day!  (NOT July 4th as most people say, we celebrate the event, not the day!)  I finally decided what I was going to do for my nails this year.  I actually went back and forth about my design for quite awhile.  I finally ended up doing classic camo and white with red/blue shatter on my accent finger and thumb.  I wanted to use the camo design that is currently in use, but I didn't have enough tan like colors.  

I don't have any plans for today, but I bet the rest of you in the US do, so I'll keep this short.  Here are pictures of both hands.  Enjoy!

Pinky, middle, pointer finger
Base: ChG FYI

Zoya Ivanka

ChG Unplugged

Art Deco nail art in black

Accent fingers

Base: Pure Ice Super Star

Opi Blue Shatter

Opi Red Shatter

I freehanded the camo design.  NBD! HA I like the camo on my left hand better, but the "flags" on my right hand.  What do you think?  Thanks for looking everyone! Have an amazing day! 

Listening to: Independence Day - Martina McBride
The Way That I Am, 1993
(Let the whole world know that today 
Is a day of a reckoning 
Let the weak be strong 
Let the right be wrong 
Roll the stone away 
Let the guilty pay 
It's Independence Day)

NOTD: Dr. Gray's Broken Disco Ball

Hey everyone!  Quick nail of the day post.  Guess what?  I remembered to clean up before I took pictures! lol  Sorry it took so long for that to happen :)  I used two coats of Seche Rebuild for my base, three coats of Gray's Anatomy, OPI Black Shatter and one coat of Covergirl City Lights.

This is the best picture.  You can see more than one color on there! 

I'm really sorry about these pictures.  I had one hell of a time getting a good one!  I was sick of seeing Gray's Anatomy under Black Shatter so I added City Lights.  I kind of like it.  What do you think?  Thanks for looking guys!  

PS:  I have been DYING to make an awesome franken... What do you suggest?  It's killing me! 

OH!  Has anyone ever "frankened" top coats?  I added the last little bit of my Fast Forward to the last little bit of my Sec'n'Dry (about 40/60%)... So far, it seems to be the best top coat I've ever had!  I'll use it on a regular basis for the next couple of weeks and let you know what happens!