Take Me Out To The Ballgame! OPI's "The Thrill of Brazil"

Today is a day that just about every single St. Louisan has been looking forward to for months - St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day!!!!!!!! It's a day that I look forward to more than my own birthday. A day that we, here in St. Louis, would like to see be made a national holiday. I mean, MOST of use have taken a vacation day to be off and either go downtown and watch the game live or at a local sports bar, or will be watching at home, sipping on a St. Louis favorite, ice cold Budweiser! 

The company I work for has the best private suite in Busch Stadium. In fact, when this new stadium was being built, the family who owns the company got first pick of where their box would be. Because they're such huge Cardinal fans, they're letting us close our Corporate Office (of close to 450 people) early, so we can watch the game at home! Or, if we prefer to watch it on the big screen, they're showing it in one of our conference rooms at the office. Doesn't get much better than that, right?! 

In St. Louis, we take our Cardinals baseball very, very seriously, in case you couldn't tell. We're proud to be called a "baseball town".

Go Cards!!!!

Ok, you're reading this post because you were probably hoping it had something to do with nail polish, right? Well, to add to my Cardinal attire for work today, I decided to paint my nails the prettiest red I own - OPI's "The Thrill of Brazil". To my surprise, I only own about 5 red polishes, but this just seemed to be the perfect red for the occasion. It's a good "Cardinal Red".

This is the first time wearing this color (and the first time wearing red on my nails!). I think I bought it last year at Ulta on clearance in a gift set from OPI, and didn't think I'd wear it much. Boy, was I wrong! I see myself sporting this pretty little number (number NL A16, in case you were wondering) to any Cardinal game I attend this year!

"The Thrill of Brazil" applied pretty easily. My only gripe with it, is that even after 3 coats, I could still see VNL. But, I don't think it's super noticeable, so I shouldn't complain. I loved how shiny it was though. I only applied a top coat because I want the mani to last a while. However, I didn't need it for the shine.

Application:

OPI Chip Skip

1 coat OPI Nail Envy, Original Formula

3 coats of OPI's "The Thrill of Brazil"

1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

2 rounds of OPI RapiDry spray (I was in a hurry, and wanted to make sure it was completely dry!)

For some reason, Blogger won't let me rotate these pictures. What's even crazier, is that they're not saved this way. Sorry!

Two of my favorite things - Cardinals baseball and OPI!

Check out the cute bracelet I bought for $5 at a gas station last year (after the season was already over). Now I get to finally wear it to work today!

My beautiful Gracie loves being around me when I'm painting my nails and taking pictures. So, I thought I'd include her in today's post! Isn't she beautiful! I rescued her off the streets a year and a half ago and she looked much different then (poor thing was skinny and "scruffy"). She's such a sweetheart, and I love having her in my life!

So what's your favorite baseball team? Do you have a nail polish color that you wear to show your support for that team? Do you take it a step further and create nail art with a baseball theme? I'd LOVE to see pictures, if you do!

Milani One Coat Glitter - "Silver Dazzle"

You know, it's reviews like the one I'm about to write that make blogging so much fun! Tonight I'm going to share with you my review of one of Milani's new One Coat Glitter polishes called "Silver Dazzle". This polish was sent to me for a review recently along with a few other Milani polishes. "Silver Dazzle" was the one that stood out the most to me, mainly because I love, LOVE, silver/charcoal/gray/polishes (especially if they're glitters!). 


I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to "One Coat Polishes" or "Quick Dry Top Coats". But, this little puppy did NOT disappoint! This polish is amazing! It looked amazing with just one coat, and dried almost immediately! This really would be the perfect polish if you were looking for something quick and easy and had little time to devote to paint your nails. What I also liked about this polish was that it didn't give that typical glitter polish grittiness/roughness that I'm used to. The polish wasn't completely smooth, but it wasn't bumpy or chunky, either. It dried incredibly smooth and soft!


As you can see below in the first picture, you CAN get away with one coat of this polish! 

Just for fun, I wanted to see what it looked like with 2 coats:

Doesn't this almost resemble a Suede polish?!

Here's 2 coats, plus a top coat (Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat):

If you don't see a new post on "Paws to Polish" for a few days, it's because I haven't taken this beauty off my nails! This, friends, will now join the other 9 polishes on my list of Top 10 favorite polishes!!!! (Can you tell I'm a little excited about tonight's mani?)

I was also sent a blue version of this polish called "Blue Flash" that I'm really looking forward to trying. Since I was so impressed with this polish, I also checked out the Milani website and saw that they make purple, red and gold One Coat Glitter polishes, too! And because they're so reasonably priced (around $4 at Walgreens), I might have to pick them all up the next time I'm out!

For more information on Milani cosmetics, visit the Milani website, www.milanicosmetics.com

*The product in this post was sent to me by the company or their PR firm for my unbiased review. 

Zoya's "Mira"

Recently, Zoya had a Buy One, Get One Free promotion for anyone who had a Zoya account online. Since I qualified, I decided to take advantage of the great deal! I ended up purchasing "Mira" and "Faye", both from their Summer 2011 collections. I ended up getting both for a total of $10 (shipping included!).


Tonight I'd like to share with you my pictures of "Mira". Even though this color is very, very similar to OPI's "Funky Dunkey" (I really need to do a swatch comparison of these), I'm still glad I purchased it. As always, Zoya didn't disappoint. The application was perfect! And the color -it's just a fun, vibrant purple cream which will be perfect for Spring and Summer!


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
1 coat of OPI Nail Envy, Original Formula
2 coats of Zoya's "Mira"
1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
1 spritz of OPI RapiDry Spray

Borghese "Siena"

Today's review is for another one of my favorite brands of polish, Borghese. 

I was recently sent some polishes from the Borghese Rapido Fast Dry Lacquer Collection for review. My first pick is the color "Siena". I'd describe this color as a copper-gold-bronze. 

I love Borghese nail polish for many reasons. The first is their "Duale Curve Tip Brush" which is described as being "custom designed to hug the shape of your nail for smooth, flawless application". The handle is easy to hold and the brush bristles are just small enough so that I feel like I have more control of the polish. The second reason I love Borghese so much is their color selection. I fell in love with "Stellare Notte" (See my review here) and loved "Siena", too! I'm also a huge fan of Borghese nail polish because I don't get the annoying bubbling if I use thicker-than-normal coats. Borghese nail polish is excellent for people like me who are far from professionals, but want perform self-mani's to look like they are! Oh, and did I mention that they retail for only $8? Quality and affordability - win, win for me! If you're looking for a large selection of Borghese nail products (including this new Rapido Fast Dry Collection), I'd suggest trying ULTA or going on their website, www.ulta.com. 


When applying "Siena", I noticed that the first coat went on very thin, and almost watery. However, it built up quite nicely and after three coats, I was happy with the final outcome. 


To be honest, I don't know if this polish, from their Rapido Fast Dry Lacquer Collection, dries any quicker than other polishes. I say this because I use Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat which dries super-duper quick, and I also follow the manicure up with a spritz or two of OPI's RapiDry Spray. 


Here are pics of the lovely "Siena":


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
2 coats of OPI Nail Envy, Original Formula
3 coats of Borghese Rapido Fast Dry Lacquer "Siena"
1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
1 spritz OPI RapiDry Spray

*The product in this post was sent to me by the company or their PR firm for my unbiased review. 

Dr.'s REMEDY - "Healing Heather Grey"

Tonight's post will be my first (but definitely not my last!) review for a Dr.'s REMEDY polish.


I received a few packages today in the mail containing polish from various companies for my review. I have to be completely honest, I was the most excited about this bottle of polish out of all of them! My first thought was "THE Perfect Gray". I've been looking for the longest time for a color like this, and now it's here! And as a bonus, I believe this color would look amazing any time of the year. They're calling it one of their Winter shades, but it'll be great for Spring, too! 


"Healing Heather Grey" was a dream to work with. Here's why: It was super, super easy to apply; I loved its consistency! I love a polish/formula that isn't streaky, and this one wasn't streaky at all! I probably could've gotten away with one coat (no VNL even after 1 coat!!!), if I was in a hurry and didn't have time for a 2nd. It's just an awesome gray - not too dark, not too light. I also could've gotten away without a top coat, but I'm just in the habit of always using a top coat, so why not! Oh, and the cap/ brush handle - it's gripper-y (is that even a word?!) so you don't have to worry about getting out the kitchen jar opener to get it open! What a great idea!


I have nothing negative to say about this polish. It's really a great polish, and I'm looking forward to trying the other two ("Revive Ruby Red" and "Desire Dark Brown") that I received and swatching and reviewing them soon. The "Revive Ruby Red" looks hot! And the "Desire Dark Brown" looks like a delicious deep, dark chocolate. Even though these two are more winter-y colors, I'm a firm believer that you should wear what you want to wear, when you want to wear it! So if I want to wear fall/winter colors in March or April, I'm going to!
 :-)


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
2 coats of OPI Nail Envy, Original Formula
2 coats of Dr.'s REMEDY "Healing Heather Grey"

Look at that shine! Yes, this is WITHOUT a top coat!

Here, I've added 1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat:

For more information on other Dr.'s REMEDY products or to order online, visit www.remedynails.com or call 1-877-323-NAIL. 

*The product in this post was sent to me by the company or their PR firm for my unbiased review. 

Please vote for "Tuxedo" !!!!

So, there's this really awesome brand of nail polishes called "Lex Cosmetics". If you've never heard of them, check them out at www.lexcosmetics.com.

I recently submitted a photo of my cat, Cleo, in their nail polish contest. The winner of this contest will have a nail polish color created and named after them! Since my cat, Cleo, is a tuxedo cat, I thought that would be a cool name for a nail polish color!

So, this is where I need your help!

Go to: www.lexcosmetics.com. On the top of the page, there is a link for "Vote". After you click that, scroll down to the 5th picture (2nd row, 2nd picture) and check out "Tuxedo". On the right hand side of the page, you can vote for "Tuxedo"!

Please vote for "Tuxedo"!

Tuxedo

Katie told us "I'm a huge fan of dark, "vampy" nail polish colors. I'm also a huge fan of my adorable cat, Cleo. For my whole life, I was always a "dog person", but an all-around animal lover. Cleo came into my life (by mistake!) about 3 years ago, and I've loved every minute she's been here! We're definitely "buds"! If I were to create a nail polish color, it would be a black-ish gun metal gray-ish color with a hint of silver sparkle/shimmer"

Thank you, in advance, for your help and support! I'll let you all know who ends up winning the contest!

My St. Patrick's Day Mani - Zoya's "Suvi"

For the past few days, I've been thinking about which green polish I am going to wear for St. Patrick's Day. When I choose the color I'm going to paint my nails, I always take into consideration the colors I've never used. I mean, I'm new to blogging, and am working feverishly to get as many of my polishes swatched and reviewed. So, since I had already worn Zoya's, "Shawn", OPI's "Here Today...Aragon Tomorrow - Suede", OPI's "Don't Mess With OPI" and OPI's "Jade is the New Black", I chose to wear one of my newest polishes from Zoya, "Suvi". This was one of the three polishes I received in their recent "Get Your Green On" trio. As you know, I've already worn Shawn, so it was between "Suvi" and "Ivanka". As pretty as "Ivanka" is, it's pretty "flashy", and I'm not sure if it's work-appropriate (I'm sure it is, I'm just trying to find excuses to avoid wearing it, I think). I am, however, excited to show off my Suvi-nails tomorrow at work! I have a feeling they will become a distraction while I'm typing all day!


Suvi is one of the prettiest emerald greens I've ever seen. I mean seriously, it reminds me of an emerald stone. In my opinion, the color in the bottle isn't the same color that it appears on your nails. I was pleasantly surprised by the final outcome!


I should also mention - my experience with "Suvi" was much better than it was with "Kelly". The application was incredible, and I noticed very little bubbling. I actually completely paint my nails the first time, but smudged quite a few nails when I was cleaning up my cuticles, so I started all over again. The first round, I had zero bubbling. The second (and final) time around, I noticed a teeny bit of bubbling, but it was because I was in a hurry and made my coats thicker than they should've been. 


So, here she is, Ms. Suvi herself!


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
2 coats of OPI Nail Envy, Original Formula
2 coats of Zoya's "Suvi"
1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

OPI's "Merry Midnight"

Today's post is going to be about one of my all-time favorite polishes, OPI's "Merry Midnight". It seems like most of my polish buys have some interesting story to them, and this one is no exception. I purchased "Merry Midnight" in a duo set along with "Sapphire in the Snow" last year when I had first starting collecting OPI polish (and really knew nothing about the different polishes or collections). I purchased them from one of my smaller, local beauty supply stores here in St. Louis. The set was on a bottom shelf, near the back, collecting dust. I mean, there was a nice layer of dust on these guys! I'm guessing this just got placed there a while back and no one ever knew or cared that they were there. To be honest, when I picked up the pack (which was a gift pack that included a cute silver cuff bracelet!), I originally was only interested in "Sapphire in the Snow", but the salesperson told me she had to sell it as a set (for $14.50). To me, "Sapphire in the Snow" was worth $14.50 alone, so I got them both. And I'm so happy I did! I actually wear "Merry Midnight" more than "Sapphire in the Snow"!


I'd describe this color as a plum jelly with and abundance of gold flakies and blue and red micro glitter. I haven't worked with other flakies, but this polish seems to be packed with 'em! I've seen other flakies swatched (other brands), and they seem to lack the amount of flakies compared to this one. It's simply unique and absolutely stunning.


The application was pretty easy. You can actually control the amount of glitter and flakies you see on your nails by the amount of polish you use and the pressure you use when applying. Maybe it's just me, but this polish seemed to dry quicker than most other polishes I've used. Has anyone else noticed this?


Ok, enough babbling, here are some pictures of "Merry Midnight":

Look at those gorgeous flakies!!!

Application:

OPI Chip Skip

2 coats of OPI Nail Envy, Original Formula

2 coats of OPI's "Merry Midnight"

1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

And since I saw a little streaking (my own fault when applying), I decided to add one more coat of both "Merry Midnight" and Seche Vite (for a total of 7 layers of polish on my nails!):

Borghese "Stellare Notte"

Ok, let me just start off by saying that you're just going to have to trust me when I describe Borghese's "Stellare Notte". I tried numerous times to capture it's incredibe duochrome in photographs, but I had no luck. Maybe if the weather was nicer (we got SNOW today!!!), I might've been able to get some pictures in direct sunlight. But I couldn't, so I guess you're just going to have to go buy this polish yourself and fall in love with it like I did! :-)


So, I purchased "Stellare Notte" about a month ago at Walgreens. It was on clearance for $1.99, so I knew I couldn't pass it up. And I'm so glad I didn't - this is without a doubt one of my top 10 favorite nail polishes, all around. And it's not a favorite just because of it's fabulous color; it also has a great small, easy-to-use brush, the consistency is perfect, it doesn't get streaky, and the dry time is actually pretty quick! Plus, no air bubbles! Score!


This is my first Borghese nail polish, but definitely not my last. I have to admit, a big reason I purchased it was because of the price. But actually, I've seen this brand at Ulta before, and their original cost is about the same as my OPI's and Essie's (so they're in my price range).


Like I said, the color is fabulous. In the bottle, depending on the light, it looks navy/black/green/teal/purple/gray. And fortunately, those same colors appear when it's on the nail. I can't stop moving my hands around, just happy to see all of the different color pigments this polish brings out depending on the lighting! Not only is this a fun color, but it's sophisticated, too. 


Bottom line: I LOVE this polish. Maybe I'm just a little excited right now because I've found a color and product that I'm 100% happy with, but I might even go so far as to saying this polish is...perfect. So perfect, I might need a back-up bottle!


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
2 coats of OPI Nail Envy, Dry & Brittle Formula
2 coats of Borghese "Stellare Notte"
1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
1 spritz OPI RapiDry Spray


(Again, I realize that in these pictures the polish just looks kind of smokey and dull. It's NOT, I promise! When the sun comes out, I'll try to get a picture of the polish in direct sunlight). For now, here's what I've got:

Zoya's "Kelly"

I've been anxious to try Zoya's "Kelly" ever since I got it in the mail last week. Zoya describes this color as a, "rich gray shade with soft purple and blue undertones. An easy to wear alternative to black and a perfect NEW neutral."


I've been searching for the perfect gray for quite a while. The problem I've been having is that most of the grays out there are just too light or too silvery for me. When I saw this on Zoya's website, it seemed like exactly what I was looking for - and it is! I've finally found my go-to gray! 


I found this polish to be extremely easy to apply. Just like "Shawn", I probably could've gotten away with just one coat, but I prefer to always use at least two. My only "problem" with this application was that I noticed bubbles after both coats of polish I used (as you can see in the photos below). Now, this could've been operator error on my part. But I did kind of notice it with "Shawn", too. The next time I use a Zoya polish, I will be sure to keep my coats as thin as possible.


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
2 coats of OPI Nail Envy, Maintenance Formula
2 coats of Zoya's "Kelly"
2 coats of OPI's RapiDry Top Coat
1 spritz OPI RapiDry spray

OPI's "Black Shatter" over Essie's "Platinum Perfect"

A few days ago, while I was shopping at TJ Maxx, I found a really cool bottle of Essie nail polish called "Platinum Perfect". I'm fairly new to collecting Essie's, but  I couldn't remember ever seeing this polish before. It's very similar to OPI's "Birthday Babe". It's a gorgeous silver metallic shade. For $3.99, I definitely had to have it!


Once I got home, I tried to do a Google search for the color, to see when it was released, and if it was still part of their collection. I have yet to find out anything about this polish, so if you've heard of it, or if you own it, please let me know!


Here's "Platinum Perfect" (3 coats):

I haven't used OPI's "Black Shatter" much, so I thought "PP" would be a great color to use under it. Here's 1 coat of "Black Shatter" on top of "Platinum Perfect". I also added a coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat:

OPI's "Unripened"

Last Halloween, OPI released a collection of mini's called the "Go Goth" collection. This collection included the colors "Obscurity" (a black matte), "Sanguine" (a deep, dark blood red-maroon), "Nevermore" (a blackened purple) and "Unripened" (a dark glittering green). I was fortunate to snatch this set up for 1/2 price the day after Halloween at Beauty First!

It's pretty obvious when looking at "Nevermore" that it's a dupe of "OPI Ink". I mean, if you put the two next to each other, it's almost impossible to tell the difference between the two. The same goes for "Sanguine"; it's almost an exact dupe of "Royal Rajah Ruby" and "Midnight in Moscow". I'm happy about this, because I like the colors, and I have the full-size bottles of their dupes. So when the mini's run out, I'm still good. I don't recall OPI ever making a black matte, so it's nice to have "Obscurity" when I'm wanting a true black matte. 

My absolute favorite from this collection is "Unripened". It was the first color I tried on when I bought the set, and the one I used the most out of all 4 colors. Apparently, OPI made a limited number of full-size bottles of "Unripened" for some distributors, as a promotional item. Although, I read on OPI's Facebook fan page that some people were able to buy them (somehow) from stores that had them. 

I'd describe "Unripened" as having a black base, with teal shimmer. Unfortunately, you can't really see the purple/blue/pink duochrome that shows up in the bottle. When I wear it, it just looks like a black with teal shimmer. Regardless, it's amazing. 

A very dear from of mine (whom I met on the OPI FB fan page), Cathy P-R, is a licensed Hairdresser, Aesthetician and salon owner (check out her FB page called "Ask Cathy!"). She was able to get her hands on a few full-size bottles of "Unripened" and was generous enough to trade them with me for a couple of polishes she was interested in. Score! Not only am I fortunate to own ONE full-size bottle, but I've got a back-up bottle, too!

"Unripened" is just one of those colors, for me, that I will never get tired of. I think it's safe to say that it's in my top 5 favorite polishes, and I don't see it ever leaving that spot. 

Here are some pictures I took of it outside yesterday when the sun was shining (we haven't had a lot of that lately here in St. Louis, so I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity!). After reviewing my photos, I realized at how awful a paint job I did on my nails. Oh well, my main purpose was to capture "Unripened" awesomeness, and I think I did an okay job doing that!


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
2 coats of OPI Nail Envy, Original Formula
2 coats of OPI "Unripened"
1 coat of Seche Vite 

Look at that BEAUTIFUL duochrome!!!!

I've seen some "Go Goth" sets at Trade Secret here in St. Louis. They're also being sold on eBay for pretty reasonable prices. You can also purchase full size bottles of "Unripened" on eBay. I've seen them being sold anywhere from $14 to $25.

Zoya's "Shawn"

While browsing other blogs last week, I noticed an advertisement for Zoya polishes - a "Get Your Green On Trio" for $5 which included 3 of their green polishes ("Shawn", "Suvi" and "Ivanka"). I had never tried Zoya before, so I thought for $5, this was a good time to test 'em out. So, I purchased this trio, along with 2 other full-priced ($8 each) polishes, "Caitlin" and "Kelly". Apparently, this deal was such a hit, it sold out within hours of it's announcement! I'm so glad I decided to make my purchase when I did!

Well, my polishes arrived today! 

The first color I decided to try was "Shawn". Zoya describes this color as, "Warm, mossy yellow-toned medium green cream with olive undertones. A chic yet edgy way to wear the green polish trend." Since I'm not the best at describing colors, my first impression of the color was that it looked sort of "army green-ish". Of the three colors in this special promotion, "Shawn" was the only cream color, the other two were shimmers and glitters. I haven't tried the other two out, but just based on the color of the bottle, this one's my favorite, and probably the one I'll be sporting on St. Patty's Day! Although, it sounds like "Ivanka" (the 2nd bottle from the left in the picture above) is one of their best-selling greens, so maybe I'll fall in love with it, too!

Application:

OPI Chip Skip

2 coats of OPI Nail Envy, Dry & Brittle Formula

2 coats of Zoya's "Shawn"

1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

From what I've read on other blogs and on the Zoya Facebook fan page, Zoya is big on promotions and specials, so I have a feeling these 5 polishes will be the first of many in my collection! 

I was very pleased with the formula of "Shawn". I probably could've gotten away with 1 coat, but I prefer to always use at least 2.

OPI's "Done Out In Deco"

It seems like I've been wearing a lot of dark, "gothy" (as my mom would say!) colors on my nails lately. Maybe it's because of the cold, dreary weather we've been having here in St. Louis. Or, maybe it's just because I really, really love dark polishes! Regardless of the reason, I decided tonight to go with something a little more "fresh" and Spring-y. Believe it or not, I actually do own quite a few bright polishes, I just have never worn them! 

Tonight I chose "Done Out In Deco" by OPI. I heard about this color on OPI's Facebook fan page many months ago. A woman uploaded pictures of her manicure done with this color, and mentioned that it was a discontinued color and was becoming hard to find. Well, anytime I hear of a HTF polish I like, I make it a mission to find it! Sure enough, a couple of weeks later, I found it in the clearance bin at Regis for 30% off! It was meant to be!

Maybe it was just this particular bottle or batch, or maybe it was just me, but I thought this was one of the easiest polishes to apply. The formula was perfect and didn't require a lot of clean-up. The end result also seemed very true to the bottle, which I appreciate; no surprises!

Application:

OPI Chip Skip

2 coats of OPI Nail Envy, Original Formula

2 coats of OPI "Done Out In Deco"

1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

1 spritz OPI RapiDry Spray