Nicole by OPI Holiday Magic

Hi all, I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving (in the US) and a safe and happy Thursday (everywhere else).  :)

Today, I have for you the new Nicole by OPI Holiday collection, Holiday Magic, Like big sister, OPI, this holiday collection is half glitters.  No, they aren't the full on glitter-bombs (well one kinda is) of Burlesque, but I still approve.  :)  There are also 2 shimmers which are perfect for the holiday season.

Bring on the Tinsel - Blue, red, green, and silver glitter in a clear base.  Of the 2 glitters in this collection, Bring on the Tinsel, is the most Burlesque-glitter-bomb-y.  However, the glitter in this one seems much finer than the glitter used in the Burlesque glitters.  I love this one.  The colors are beautiful and they play so well together.  Plus, I was able to reach full coverage in 3 coats.  

Kiss Me at Midnight - Deep chocolate-cherry shimmer.  No, this one is not terribly unique.  In fact, there've been several similar colors released this year.  However, what sets this one apart, IMO, is the fact that this one looks blackened around the edges, very similar to Zoya Isla or ChG Thunderbird (though of course, those are much lighter reds).  The shine on this one is beautiful, and there is almost a velvety finish to it.  Formula was flawless.  Pic is 2 coats. 

Spark My Mistletoe - Small red and holo glitter and large hexagonal glitter in a clear base.  Unfortunately, the glitter in this one seems so fine that I don't think you could ever reach full opacity (like with Bring on the Tinsel).  Pic is 4 coats, and I think I could have done 4 more and it would never completely covered my nail.  However, As soon as I pulled this one out of the box, I knew it would make an amazing layering polish.  And I was right! It looks especially fantastic over OPI Ali's Big Break.  

Stuck in the Chimney - Faded, purple-based,  dusty red with golden shimmer.  In the bottle, the purple in this one is much more evident than on the nail (though it is still there).  Without doing a direct comparison, this one looked very similar to OPI Diva of Geneva, but in studying swatches, they are nowhere near dupes.  Diva of Geneva is lighter, more purple, and has more golden shimmer.  Also this one had the same blackened-around-the-edges affect, like Kiss Me at Midnight, that truly sets it a part.  This one had a perfect formula, though it was prone to faint brushstrokes.  Pic is 2 coats.

All in all, I think this is a great collection.  All 4 colors, even the shimmers, have something about them that makes them totally unique.  Nicole by OPI is available at big box and drugstores nationwide.

These were sent to me for review

OPI Burlesque Shimmers

Better late than never... here are the shimmers from OPI's Holiday 2010 collection, inspired by the movie Burlesque.

Ali's Big Break - bright pinkish-red jelly with golden and red shimmer.  This is one almost exactly the color of candy apples, though it seems a tad pinker.  The irregular shimmer is large and, due to the jelly base, it doesn't get lost.  I found myself moving my fingers all around and staring at my nails.  3 coats.

Let Me Entertain You - Bright fuchsia with golden and pink shimmer.  Like Ali's Big Break, this one has the same golden shimmer.  However, in Let Me Entertain You, because it's not a jelly, it gives the polish more of a metallic finish.  3 coats.

Rising Star - Coppery-gold metallic.  One of the more metallic colors in the collection.  At first, I thought it might be dupey to OPI Bling Dynasty, but I was wrong.  Rising Star is definitely more of a copper-gold, and doesn't have the pink and green shimmer of Bling Dynasty.  Like all golds, I loved this one in the bottle, loved the color as I was applying it, but didn't really like it with my pink skin.  2 coats.

Take the Stage - Rusty copper metallic.  Like Rising Star, this one is of the more metallic colors.  This one also has a fair amount of pink it it, as it looks like a happy marriage between a rose-gold and a reddish-copper.  3 coats.

Tease-y Does It - Smoky plummy-brown shimmer with dark pink and golden shimmer particles.  Unlike Let Me Entertain You, the shimmer in this one is very fine.  I also find that it as a tendency to get lost in the base, unless you are in direct light.  In the bottle, this one looks like it would a duochrome, but sadly, that doesn't translate to the nail.  I know this is a favorite of many nail bloggers and MUA members, and I really tried to like it, but there is something about it that makes me not love it.  3 coats.

The Show Must Go On - Deep orange-pink/golden-slightly-coppery duochrome metallic.  This one is most like Rising Star and Take the Stage in finish, with the only difference being the duochrome.  Supposedly, it's similar to MAC Bad Fairy, but evidentially they aren't dupes.  I wasn't able to snag Bad Fairy, as I was on vacation, but after seeing swatches, I think I prefer The Show Must Go On.  I wore it as a full mani and couldn't stop staring at my hands.  It's probably my favorite of this part of the collection.  3 coats.  

I know much of the buzz surrounding this collection was focused on the glitters, and yes, they are beautiful, but this part of the collection is no less awesome.  For me, The Show Must Go On, Ali's Big Break, and Let Me Entertain You were real stand-outs, though I fully admit I'm probably broken for not liking Tease-y Does It.  As for the formula, you'll notice that most of these were 3 coats.  As someone that loves 2-coaters, polishes that require 3 coats to reach opacity make me a little nervous.  That said, the formula on these was as such that 3 coats was not a problem, and you will probably want to do 3 coats in order to reach full depth of color and shimmer.  

This collection is now available at salons, brick and mortar beauty supply shops, and online e-tailers.  OPI retails for $8.50.  

Hopefully, I will have the glitter part of the collection up for you within the next few days.  

These were sent to me for review.

NOTD: Misa Serene Rosewood

I've slowly been trying to work my way through my Misa collection.  I figured I should start with one brand and then move to another knock out a bunch of untrieds.  Ha.  Who am I kidding?  My untrieds will always outnumber my trieds.  It's just the way it works. 

But back to the matter at hand, I figured tonight, I'd try Misa Serene Rosewood.  This is a polish I picked up during a TD haul.  I have a bad habit of picking polishes I can't find on boards or nailgal just so I can try them out.  I have no clue what collection it's from, as it's been d/c'd. 

I'm having a hard time describing this color.  It's definitely a brown, but if I had to give an exact color, I would say a brown that leans pink, not red.  Pink.  Rosewood is the perfect way to describe it.  Also, I'm pretty sure it would be classified as a frost, but when I think of frost, I think of super frosty peach or pink, and it's not along those lines of frost.  I guess you could say it has a frosty sheen.  Dang.  I suck at describing.  Why do I even have a blog?  LOL.

As for application, there were no issues.  I've recently started using Amour Sticky Base Coat (available at TD and SUPER cheap) and I really like it, though I'm thinking it doesn't play all that nicely with Misa polishes.  I seem to be getting some bumping and bubbling with the Armour base coat/Misa polish/Out the Door combo.  I think the next time I use a Misa, I'll mix it up a bit.  BTW, this was 2 coats.

Hope you guys like this one and I'll (hopefully) see you tomorrow.  :)