Girly Bits - Shift Happens

Happy Sunday, everyone!


Hope you all have had a nice weekend! It's been fun seeing the different St. Patrick's Day mani's that you all came up with! Because of some of you, I now have a few green polishes I need to add to my wish list!


Today, I wanted to show you one of my newest, most favorite polish in my collection - Shift Happens by Girly Bits.


Pam, the owner and creator of Girly Bits polishes, was kind enough to send this polish to me recently for my review. I have no idea how or why I waited so long to try it! I'm so excited about this polish and all of the different layering possibilities, that I already have a few base polishes picked out to use with Shift Happens (I'm thinking a couple jellies, dark green, purple, fuchsia........  *smile*!!!!!)


I decided to layer Shift Happens over Cult Nails Time Traveler - 2 Indie brands in one mani!!!! I apologize in advance for the blue staining in my pictures below. Time Traveler (a true dark blue creme) wasn't the easiest to clean up (even with pure acetone), but the color was so incredible, I think it was worth the hassle/trouble! I wish I had taken pictures of Time Traveler by itself. But I'm sure I'll be wearing it again very soon, so I'll be sure to snap some pics when I do.


I wanted to include a variety of pictures in this review because there are so many amazing colors that come out in Shift Happens. It's THE BEST duochrome I've ever seen! No joke. 


One of the many great things about this polish is it's meant to be a polish-topper. So, you're really only using one coat for a manicure, which means one bottle will last you a long, long time! You're definitely getting your money's worth with this beauty!


All of the pictures below were taken indoors either under artificial lighting or with a flash:

These last few pictures were taken by my back door at home and outside this morning. So, kind of outdoors, with no sun:

Pam sells her Girly Bits polishes on her website. However, her shop is currently closed at the moment. Leah Ann of Llarowe has started selling Girly Bits polishes now, too. Unfortunately for polish lovers, Shift Happens is sold out on the Llarowe website. My best advice is to keep checking both websites and ordering Shift Happens as soon as you see it available! Also, check out both Pam's Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/GirlyBits) and Llarowe's Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Llarowe/126027514153022). By "liking" both of these pages, you're sure to be notified when Shift Happens is available again!


Mini bottles (5 ml) of Shift Happens retail for $7 on Pam's website and Full-size bottles (15 ml) retail for $11.50. For those wondering, Salon-sold Essies, Deborah Lippmann, OPI, Zoya and Cult Nails are all 15 ml in size.


I hope all of you are enjoying your Sunday! Thanks for stopping by! 


-Katie

OPI "Chatters Me Up" vs. Orly "Rococo A-Go-Go" - - - PICTURE HEAVY!

Happy Friday, everyone! I LOVE these 4-day work weeks!  :-)


I hope all of my US friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! My day was pretty low-key, but quite long. I volunteered to be a balloon handler in the annual St. Louis Thanksgiving Day parade downtown. I even made it on TV (there was just a close-up shot of me walking, no interview!)! It's a lot of fun to be a part of, but it's very early in the morning, and it was reeeeeeally, reeeeeally cold yesterday morning. After that, my mom and I went and had Thanksgiving dinner at a nearby restaurant. After that, we went and saw The Muppets movie! It was so cute! I wish I had painted my nails in one of my Muppets polishes!


When I got home from work tonight, I had a lovely package from Canada from my friend Linda! She was kind enough to purchase a bottle of the Chatters exclusive OPI polish, "Chatters Me Up". I don't even know what a Chatters is (I'm thinking it's similar to a Trade Secret or Beauty Brands?), but I know that this polish was only being sold at the Chatters salons, so my only way of getting a bottle was if I knew someone in Canada - and lucky for me, I do!


Before my package arrived, I had heard that "Chatters Me Up" was a dupe (or very close dupe) of the new Orly "Rococo A-Go-Go", which I already had, but never tried. So, as soon as I opened my package, I knew I wanted to see for myself how close the two are.


Sure enough, they are almost exact dupes...

L to R on all hand pictures: Orly, OPI, Orly, OPI
(no base coat or top coat used)

What do you think? In the bottle, they don't look like dupes. But on the hands, it's my opinion that they do.


My reason for posting so many pictures is because there aren't a lot of pictures of "Chatters Me Up" online. Before I decided to purchase this, I wanted to check out swatch pictures, first. If I remember correctly, there was only one blog post which showed pictures of CMU. And at the time, there were no swatch comparisons of it with the Orly polish. 


Because I'm such an OPI hoarder/collector (just all-around FAN of OPI!), I'm not regretting buying CMU (even though it was the most expensive OPI I've ever bought!). I love it, and am anxious to wear it soon. That said, the Orly version *might* just have to go in the swap pile, since there's no need for me to own both.


Have a fantastic weekend, and thanks for stopping by to check out this post!


Love,
K

Zoya - "Ki"

What a beautiful Sunday we're having! It's about 83* outside right now, without a cloud in sight!


Because of the great weather we have today, I chose a polish that I could get good outside pictures with (and since I'm not a big fan of holos, my next option was duochromes!).


I know there are tons of pictures of Zoya's "Ki" on the internet, but I don't care - I wanted to show you my own pictures! The pictures I took were the best I could get inside and outside. It was very difficult to capture the amazing duochrome finish with my camera. If you're thinking about purchasing this color, I suggest searching for more images on the internet.


Ki is one of the best duochromes I've ever seen. Depending on the light, sometimes it looks like a dusty purple, other times it looks sort of olive green. I'm a big fan of duochrome polishes, and this might be my new favorite! In my opinion, it should be a staple color for any polish collector/hoarder/lover!


I purchased Ki during Zoya's recent promo where you got 2 free polishes with any order. I chose this and Edyta as my free colors. I'm looking forward to trying that, too! I can't say that Zoya is my favorite brand, because I always seem to have issues with either bubbling or smudging (due to the polish not being completely dry). However, as a company, Zoya is my favorite. They are so generous with their promos, that they make it affordable and accessible to just about everyone (with free polish, BOGO, or free shipping). And, I'm noticing more Zoya colors popping up at the Ulta's near me, so that's perfect, too! Now, I can try (or at least see!) before I buy!


Application
OPI Nail Envy, Sensitive and Peeling Formula
2 coats of Zoya's "Ki"
2 spritz's of CND Solar Speed Spray

Outside, under direct sunlight:

Inside, with flash:

Inside, under artificial light:

 Do you have a favorite Zoya color? What do you think about Zoya polish all-around? Have you taken part in any amazing Zoya promos?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Thanks for stopping by!


<3,
Katie

Nubar "Stardust"

Happy Sunday, everyone!


We're supposed to have a high of 83* today! Relief! For the past month or so, we've had temps in the high 90's, even in the 100's! I'm opening the windows and screen doors today and am going to enjoy this to the fullest!


And later this afternoon, my mom and I have a date to go see "The Help". I've never read the book, but I've heard rave reviews about it and the movie. 


Today I wanted to show you all a recent purchase of mine from a blog sale. I bought 5 polishes all together: 2 Nubars ("Stardust" and "Iced Licorice"), 2 Nfu-Oh's (50 and 51) and 1 black label OPI ("It's Now or Never"). It's always fun to get polishes that are HTF or hard to get locally. Plus, who doesn't love some good 'ole NAIL MAIL?!


The first polish I decided to try was Nubar's "Stardust". In the bottle it almost looks coppery-orangey-taupey. Click here to see a picture of the polish on the Nubar store website. But on the nail, it's almost pinkish-coral. It's a pretty color, but I doubt I'll be wearing it again. Instead, I think it will end up going in the swap/blog sale pile.


Other than the color not being quite to my liking, the application was great! I liked the brush handle and shape; it was really easy to work with. And the brush it self was perfect and made application a breeze. Although I didn't care for the color, that won't keep me from purchasing other Nubar's in the future.


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
2 coats OPI Nail Envy, Soft & Thin Formula
2 coats of Nubar "Stardust"
1 coat of China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat




The first and last pictures below were taken indoors, under artificial light. The middle two pictures were taken outside, in direct sunlight.

What are your thoughts on Nubar polish? If you own Nubar polish, what is your favorite shade? 


Enjoy the rest of your weekend!


Katie

OPI "Have You Seen My Limo?"

Hey, kids! Happy Saturday! Gosh, it's such a beautiful day! I've already been garage sale-ing and have gotten all my errands over with for the morning. Now, time to enjoy this day off!


I'm sorry I've been kind of MIA for the past couple (maybe few?) weeks. I had an issue with one of my nails, and ended up cutting all of them down to a much shorter length. I didn't think they were pretty enough for pictures, so I've been waiting for them to get back to normal before blogging again.


Earlier this week, I purchased my first bottle of nail polish from eBay. I've been lemming OPI's "Have You Seen My Limo?" for quite a while, and I found it for a pretty good price on eBay, so I decided to just buy it so I could check that lemming off my list. Well, it arrived yesterday, and I immediately had to try it out. It was everything I had hoped it would be - a dark vampy duochrome polish that didn't look too black, but didn't look too purple. 


I'm a little bummed about this eBay purchase for one reason: the bottle of OPI I received had it's serial number etched off, and is missing the bar code sticker on the bottom (the 2nd sticker with the color name on it is still attached). I don't doubt that this bottle is authentic, it just makes me mad that the seller advertised it as new and undamaged, when it is, in fact, damaged (in my opinion). I've learned from this experience that I should always ask questions before I buy/bid on eBay.


Although I'm not happy with the actual bottle, I am thrilled with the color inside! This might be one of my new favorite colors (it hasn't made my Top 10 list, but it's close!).


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
Seche Clear Base Coat
2 coats of OPI's "Have You Seen My Limo?"
1 coat of China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat
OPI Drip Dry Drops

Have you ever purchased polish from an eBay seller? If so, how was your experience? Do you have a favorite seller you like to buy from on eBay?

Revlon - "Perplex"

WARNING: PICTURE-HEAVY!!!!!!!!!


"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!"


Those were the exact words that came out of my mouth when I was in the cosmetics aisle at Big Lots today and saw a lonely bottle of Revlon's "Perplex" sitting by itself on the bottom shelf - with a $1 price tag on it!!!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted it! I immediately picked it up (for some reason, I was worried if I didn't snatch it up immediately, someone else might...?!? Weird.). Anyways, I ended up purchasing this, along with 2 other Revlons (again, for $1 each) and 3 older Sally Hansen's (for $1.50 each). I was all smiles when I left the store today. My thoughts were, "MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED"!


I should also mention that I found these goodies at a Big Lots 3 hours from my house. I was traveling for work today in Pekin, IL and on my way home, I was going to pick up a bite to eat before I hit the highway. In the same strip mall as the fast food restaurant was a Big Lots. I've always heard that each Big Lots has different inventory, so I figured I'd "bop on in" to check out what they had. Boy, what a great unintentional find!


Thennnnnnnn, when I got to Springfield, IL (1 hour away from my first stop in Pekin), I stopped at their Big Lots. And guess what?! They had a TON of Perplex's!!!! Again, I found myself grabbing everything I could find, without a basket! After much debate with myself, I ended up only buying 2 at that store (for a total of 3 in one day), along with a couple other Revlon's (the scented ones!) and a few other things. All in all, a GREAT day for me, indeed! :-)


"Perplex" can easily be a 1-coater, but I chose to use 2 coats. I haven't used a Revlon polish in years (probably 15+), so I was curious about the quality. Honestly, not bad at all! Easy to apply, no streaking, no bubbling, dried pretty quickly. Definitely not $1 quality with this beauty. I believe this polish originally retailed for $4.99, and to me, even that would be a killer price for this polish! I'd pay double that, without question!


I think it's safe to call this color a duochrome. In some lights, it looks taupe-y, in others it looks almost violet. Then in these pictures, it even looks gray. Love it!


Apparently, "Perplex" is a dupe of Chanel's "Paradoxal" (which I believe retail(ed) for around $23). From swatches I've seen online, it's a perfect dupe, too! I love deals, I really do! :-)


Enough babbling, right? You probably wanna see pictures of this beauty!


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
1 coat OPI Nail Envy, Soft and Thin Formula
2 coats of Revlon's "Perplex"
1 coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

In summary, if you're looking for "Perplex", try your local Big Lots soon! Before some crazy twenty-something comes in and takes all they've got left!

Orly - "Royal Velvet"

Happy Friday, everyone! I don't know about you, but this day couldn't come fast enough! I made a realization today while I was at work: This is the first complete week I've been in the office all 5 days since October of last year. I've been out of the office because of traveling for work, snow days, holidays, vacation days and my surgery in March. No wonder I'm so exhausted! :-) But I have to admit, I do like being in the office more. It's a lot easier to stay caught up when I'm not out traveling!


A few nights ago I wanted to try another Orly polish (I loved "Gilded Coral" so much!!!), so I wore a recent purchase, "Royal Velvet". I really, really love Orly. It's become a new favorite brand of mine. Their formula is great and very easy to work with (and very "forgiving"), I get very little bubbling (if any) and they dry pretty quickly. Plus, I love their gripper cap! Oh, and you get a whole ounce more in their bottles than most other polish brands give you! Bonus!


As much as I'm loving Orly, I didn't "love" this polish. I do enjoy duochromes, which was a big reason I purchased this (that, and it had purple hues in it!). But to be honest, it didn't look that great on my nails. When I wear this polish again, it will probably be on my toes, so that it doesn't look so "flashy". If you've read my other posts, you know that I do enjoy dark polishes, so that's not why I didn't care for it. Maybe it was just too bright blue for me in some lights. I did like the color changing effects depending on what light you had it in. For example, when I held my hand close to my lamp on my nightstand, the polish looked almost completely blue. But when I was driving around the other day and the sun was shining on my hands, the polish looked all-purple. Maybe it's the length/shape of my nails? I have very deep nail beds, as you can see, and that could've had something to do with it, too. Who knows?! 


"Royal Velvet" is part of the new Precious Collection from Orly which was released in March of this year. The other colors in this collection (including "Gilded Coral" which I reviewed earlier this week) are mostly "spring-y" colors. "Royal Velvet", to me, doesn't scream "SPRING!", but it's fun and cheery, so that counts for something! 


Final verdict: "Royal Velvet" isn't going to make it to any favorite polish list, but I'm sure I'll bring it back out when I'm looking for a fun polish when I get a pedicure.


So, here it is, "Royal Velvet":


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
2 coats of OPI Nail Envy, Original Formula
2 coats of Orly "Royal Velvet"
1 coat of China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat
1 spritz of OPI RapiDry Spray

I wonder why this keeps happening with Blogger??? This is not how the picture is saved, and there's no way for me to rotate it. Sorry!

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:

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.