OPI's "Stranger Tides"

Hello, everyone!


How was your Memorial Day weekend? Hopefully you were able to get out and enjoy some nice weather! It got up to about 90* here on Sunday and Monday. Yesterday, I laid out by the pool and got TOASTED! I only used SPF 6 and was in direct sunlight for 2 hours. Man, am I feelin' it today! Owie!


I've been such a bad blogger... I'm so sorry for my lack of posts lately. I used to be so good at getting at least 1 or 2 in each week. I've definitely been slacking! My goal for the month of June is to blog 3x/week. Wish me luck!


I did this mani about 3 weeks ago - took pictures and everything! I just never got around to writing about it. I'm finally getting around to it!


Tonight's post will be for OPI's "Stranger Tides" from the Pirates of the Caribbean Collection. From that collection, I purchased "Stranger Tides", "Steady As She Rose", "Mermaids Tears" and "Skull & Glossbones". Hmmmm, thinking my next mani will be with "MT". Such a gorgeous pale green!


I absolutely loved "ST". The application was great. If I remember correctly, I used 3 coats for this mani. 


Normally, I always include the application process. Unfortunately, since it's been so long, I can't remember what top coat I used (I switch between SV and CG Fast Forward Top Coat). 


Anyways, here's pics!

OPI's "Spark De Triomphe" and "Black Shatter"

Hi, everyone!


Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! And to all you mother's out there, I hope you enjoyed YOUR day! :-)


On my way home from our kickball games tonight, I got pulled over for speeding (apparently, I was doing 82 in a 60...oops!). Looks like that's $208 down the drain. And if I don't want points on my license, I have to take some driver safety class. Urgh!!!! So, needless to say, I was totally bummed and bawling my eyes out. I decided to get off on the exit that goes towards Ulta. Nothing like a little retail therapy, right?!


I ended up purchasing a few polishes from OPI's new "Pirates of the Caribbean Collection" ("Skull & Glossbones", "Mermaid's Tears" and "Steady as She Rose"). I also was fortunate enough to get one of the Serena Williams duo packs with "Spark De Triomphe" and "White Shatter". I'm not big on the white shatter polish, so that's going to be included in my upcoming GIVEAWAY (when I hit 100 followers! Details coming soon!).


Here's a picture of my haul!

So tonight, I decided to do a mani with "Spark De Triomphe" and "Black Shatter". I love the silver/black combo!


I found "Spark De Triomphe" to be extremely easy to work with. It wasn't quite jelly-like as we saw with "Teenage Dream" and "Last Friday Night". 


Application:
1 coat OPI Nail Envy, Maintenance Formula
2 coats OPI "Spark De Triomphe"
1 coat OPI "Black Shatter"
1 coat China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat


Before "Black Shatter" (2 coats "Spark De Triomphe"):

No, there are not black specks/glitter in this polish. That just shows up in the pictures. But I WISH there was a little black glitter in the polish! 

With "Black Shatter":

OPI's "Black Satin"

Happy Friday, everyone!

What a beautiful day today! We've had so much rain and dreary weather, that any remote sign of sunlight makes me happy! In fact, it was so pretty today, I decided to get out of the office for lunch. Guess where I headed? Not Taco Bell. Not McDonald's. Not Burger King.....Ulta! Yay! :-)

When I got there, I made a bee-line straight towards the polishes. On the display case where I usually find the new OPI collections I saw this:

(This picture was taken after I purchased my first 2 polishes, before I purchased my next 3!!!)

Now, I know I only started "obsessing" over nail polish (specifically OPI) less than a year ago, but I think I have a pretty good knowledge of current colors, new collections, retired shades, upcoming collections, etc. This color, however, was completely new to me (hence the reason why I immediately got out my iPhone and took a picture!). I decided to get 2 "Black Satin's", along with a "Gargantuan Green Grape" (gotta love the Buy 2, Get 1 Free sale!). 

When I got in my car after leaving the store, I thought to myself, "This could be completely gone if I needed to come back and get more (to swap, sell, gift, etc.), I should go back in and get three more!" So, that's exactly what I did (this time, however, I remembered to use my $3.50 off coupon!). I believe these displays only hold 8 bottles. I purchased 5. You do the math.

From the little research I've done on this polish, it looks like it was originally released (maybe a limited release?) back in 2004 (I think I read that somewhere...). Anyways, the one picture I found of the bottom of the bottle has black lettering, which means it's probably an original bottle. As you can see from my pictures below, this is a new bottle, and includes a serial number on the label as well as an engraved serial number on the bottle (again, meaning it's not an old bottle. OPI brought this color back!).

I loved the color in the bottle, and loved it even more on my nails! It reminds me of the review I did with "Suzi Ski's in the Pyrenee's - Suede" with a top coat. Remember that one? If not, you can see it here.

Application:

OPI Chip Skip

1 coat OPI Nail Envy, Soft & Thin Formula

2 coats of OPI's "Black Satin"

1 coat of China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat

OPI Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops

All of these (minus the last one) are with flash:

No Flash:

Regardless of what the weather's like where you're at, ENJOY your weekend. And, 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY (a couple days early) to all you amazing moms out there! :-)

My mom's in France even as I type this post, so I won't have her here to celebrate. And on top of that, her birthday is May 9th (the day after Mother's Day), so she'll miss BOTH holidays! Guess we'll just have to celebrate when she returns next week! If/When you ever read this, I LOVE YOU, MOM!

CND - Jason Wu Collection - "Sophia"

Hey, ladies (and maybe gents, too!)! Sorry I've been a little M.I.A for the last few days. I've been meaning to give myself a mani (I've been going 3 days without polish on my nails! Such a sin!), but haven't had the time. Finally, I got around to painting my nails tonight! Every time I paint my nails, I'm reminded how much fun it is, and how much the finished product brings me joy!


Tonight's color choice is from the newest line from CND, the limited edition Jason Wu Collection.  The Jason Wu Collection became available on May 1st and includes four staple colors: "Miss Wu" (a limestone gray), "Brigitte" (a dirty rose), "Veronica" (a sexy, beet red), and my choice for tonight's mani color - "Sophia" (a dark mushroom). Also included in the set is a CND Effect top coat named "Anna", which contains silk fragments to provide depth and texture, much like a tweed material finish.

I recently read on "All Lacquered Up's" website, that Michelle (the author of the blog) feels that, "CND has one of the best formulas on the market. Their polishes are extremely pigmented and smooth. The lacquer glides on the nail with ease in three simple strokes, requires only two coats and dries to a perfect, even finish." Thank you, Michelle, for taking the words right out of my mouth! I couldn't agree more! CND has definitely become one of my favorite brands of polish because of it's high-quality formula, reasonable price, availability (at Beauty Brands!) and color selection. 


Ladies, I'd like to introduce you to my new friend, "Sophia":


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
1 coat of OPI Nail Envy, Original Formula
1 coat of Essie's "Fill The Gap" 
2 coats of CND's "Sophia"
2 coats of China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat
1 spritz CND Solar Speed Spray

The Jason Wu Collection is available for purchase in salons and via www.cnd.com. The suggested retail price for this set is $47. The collection will be sold globally while supplies last.

For more information about CND and the new Jason Wu Collection, please visit the CND website.

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

PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics - "Soulful"

Ok, here's a question for all of you reading this post: When you purchase a nail polish, what do you look for? Maybe it's brand loyalty, color, price, safeness (3 or 4-free, for example), popularity or availability. For me, it's definitely a combination of many things. And fortunately, since I first started blogging, I have branched out and tried new polishes - polishes that might not have been in my price range, colors that didn't grab my attention immediately, brands I had never tried (and maybe never wanted to try) before. That's probably one of my favorite parts about blogging - I get to step outside of my comfort zone and share my experience with all of you!


Tonight's post is a perfect example of this. I received a few polishes from a line called PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics to try and review. I had never heard of this line before, so I was very anxious to see what they were all about. Since this is a line that is mainly sold in specialty stores (Whole Foods, Sprouts and Wegmans, for example) and online, I might have never had the opportunity to try them had they not been sent to me!


To give you a little background about this company, PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics is the first make-up company to donate ALL of its profits (after taxes, debt repayment, financing costs and reasonable working capital reserves) to women's health and human rights advocacy issues. Donations have been made to the Battered Women's Resource Center, the National Association of Women Business Owners and The Rainforest Foundation, just to name a few. To learn more about the programs PeaceKeeper is funding, please visit their website.


Something that is also pretty neat about this line is that they have been rated as one of the safest paint-based nail lines by the Environmental Working Group. These Eco-Smooth Nail Paints are 3-Free (they do not contain Toulene, Formaldehyde or DBP) and are made with indigenous Argan Oil which is high in amino acids. Oh, and they are free from animal testing! Woo hoo!


Of the three polishes sent to me, I choose to use "Soulful" tonight. "Soulful" is a gorgeous dark navy blue polish that seems to be unlike any navy I currently own.  It's described as "a deep midnight vampy blue black" polish, which I can't argue with. 


The application with this polish was perfect. In fact, I looked at my nails after one coat and thought, "Man! This is good stuff!" Two coats were plenty here. The dry time was pretty average. I didn't experience any sort of bubbling, even though I used thicker-than-normal coats for this manicure. I will say that the consistency was a tad bit thicker than what I was used to, but that wasn't a problem for me. 


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
1 coat OPI Nail Envy, Original Formula
2 coats of PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics "Soulful"
1 coat of China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat
1 spritz of CND Solar Speed Spray

For more information about PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics, please visit www.iamapeacekeeper.com.

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

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!

CND - "Frosting Cream"

I lied... I AM going to post on Easter Sunday!!! Yay!!!


Tonight's post is for a line of polishes I had never tried before - Creative Nail Design (CND for short). I am very familiar with this company because I have purchased quite a few of their lotions (um, their Almond Hydrating lotion is YUUUUUUM!), scrubs (I love their Almond Moisture Scrub and their Sea Scrub), creams (I'm a huge fan of the Cucumber Heel Therapy and Almond Soothing Creme) and one of my favorite cuticle oils ever - Solar Oil (and their Solar Speed Spray rocks, too!). Note: That was probably THE longest sentence I've ever written. Ever. I wanted to make it known that I LOVE their products, but for some reason just never purchased their polishes.


I'm wearing "Frosting Cream" tonight. It's very soft and feminine, but classy and sophisticated at the same time. In the pictures below, I used 3 coats. Because it's so sheer, I doubt I could've gotten away with just 2. As with most sheer and semi-sheer polishes, you have to be careful of lines, VNL and streaky-ness (which is another reason I needed to use 3 coats). 


I LOVE the end result!


Application:
OPI Chip Skip
CND Stickey (This was my first time using it! Looking forward to writing a review on it soon!)
3 coats CND "Frosting Cream"
1 coat China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat
1 spritz CND Solar Speed Spray

 With Flash:

Both CND's Colour and Effect polishes are available at www.cnd.com. To find CND polishes at a retailer near you, click here.  The suggested retail prices are $9 USD (Colour) and $11 USD (Effect) and the polishes come in .33 fl. oz. bottles. 

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