Essie Yogaga Collection Review

Last month, I received a press release from Essie's PR collection regarding one of their new fall collections, Yogaga, which was a collection of 6 "neutral" cremes with fitness-themed names.  I thought it was such an intriguing collection for fall, and I'm so happy to show it to you today.  

Before I show you swatches, there is one color in the collection, Yogaga, that I did not receive for review, but it is looks like a soft, sandy beige.  You can see the color on Essie's website.  Here are the colors I did receive...

Boxer Shorts - light periwinkle blue.  Boxer Shorts is the reason that I put the word neutral in quotations above, because while it is a calm, serene blue, it's not what I would exactly call neutral.  It is, however, a gorgeous color and it's my favorite of the collection.  This one is definitely on the blue side of periwinkle, but there is a enough purple in the base to make this one a periwinkle rather than a cornflower blue.   Also, of the 5 I swatched, Boxer Shorts had the best formula.  It did take 3 coats to reach opacity, but the coats were thin enough that there was no issue with evenness or leveling.  

Gym Dandy - medium-toned, brown taupe.  Essie calls this one a "greige" and while I definitely see brown and mushroom and taupe, I don't see much grey.  It's certainly in the same vein, but it's more brown than what comes to mind when I see the word greige.  This one is one of the more fall-ish colors in the collection.  I did have a bit of issue with the formula, as it was a tad thick, but going slow and trying to keep a thin amount on the brush helped.  3 coats.

Marathin - slightly spicy, tea rose pink.  Marathin is the one that I have shown you before, and it's a very pretty pink for cooler months.  The more I wore it, I did think it age my hands a bit, but in all honesty, that also could have been from the Julep remover which dried out my hands while I was swatching.  This one is a great pink for those of you that just like to wear neutral colors.  For example, my mom and aunt would LOVE this one.  I did have the same formula issues that I had with Gym Dandy, but they were nothing that couldn't be handled.  2 coats.

Pilates Hottie - light grey-lavender.  Now this is one that I would call a "greige", albeit a very pale one.  It's a really pretty grey/lavender hybrid, but unfortunately, it didn't look all that great on my nails.  Though, I think it would look much better on a darker skintone.  These pale greys and lavenders always have a tendency to give me a case of "dead hands".  Like the other 2 light colors I swatched, this one also had a thicker, slightly temperamental formula.  3 coats.    

Spinning Again - brick red.  In the bottle, I thought this one was going to be more brown, but on the nail, it's a fantastic brick red that just screams "FALL!".   It's also very flattering on my pale skintone. It had one of the better formulas in the collection and is my second favorite behind Boxer Shorts.

I think this is a very wearable fall collection from Essie.  It's funny because while it is a collection of neutrals, my favorites were the least neutral of the bunch.  What does that say about me?  LOL.  

The collection, including Yogaga, is currently available from Essie.com, as well as other outlets (I think I actually saw it at Target last week), and retail for $8 a bottle.

This collection was sent to me for review.  

Deborah Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening over Essie Marathin

Over the next few days, I plan to swatch Essie's Yogaga collection, but in the meantime, today, I have for you one of the polishes from that collection, Marathin.  I loved it on it's own, but me being me, I had to add glitter to it...

I used 2 coats of Marathin, a medium-toned, tea rose creme, and topped that with a gradient of Some Enchanted Evening.  

The formula on Marathin was perfect.  I was able to reach opacity in 2 coats over a coat of CND Stickey (I'm trying hard to get back in the habit of using base coats).  

Essie Marathin is available at essie.com and Deborah Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening can be purchased at deborahlippmann.com.  

Marathin was sent to me for review.  Some Enchanted Evening was purchased by me.  Links within this post link to sites to purchase polishes shown and are not affiliate links. 

Julep Maven - Box 1

So last week, right after I showed you my review for Julep polishes, I caved and joined the Julep Maven program.  I thought it was a great deal at $19.99, and also, as nail mail is one of my guilty pleasures, I figured it was a good way to get a box of nail goodies every month.

I received my first box today, and I am very happy with it.  Here's what I found when I opened the box (it was all in a gift bag, btw)...

And here are the 2 colors I received...

Samantha - bright pink.  This one is amazing.  It has a jelly-ish finish, but it was opaque in 2 coats.  

Zoe - bright copper.  Seriously.  This is like the color of new pennies.  This is one of their not-yet-released fall colors.  3 coats.  

This is the "Bombshell" box.  Honestly, I had to do a little manipulation to get this box.  I took the "style quiz" at least twice, and it each time it came back as "All American Beauty".  Well, while that may fit my fashion sense, it's not exactly what I prefer on my nails.  So, I chose the strappy shoes instead of the platforms, Chanel as my designer, rather than J.Crew, and picked Colin Farrell over George Clooney (what?) and voila... I'm a Bombshell.

Also, keep in mind that Julep has a few coupon codes for the Maven program floating around.  I think there is one on Facebook, and also, when I took the quiz, I got a code in my email box to for 1/2 off my first month.  Unfortunately, I had already joined by that point, and I'm still trying to see if I can get that retroactively applied.  So be sure to check for those codes before joining.  

Even with paying full price, I still think this is a great deal.  I know Julep polishes get a bit of a bad rap for being such a small amount (.27 oz, compared to .5 for OPI), but as I have NEVER used a full bottle of polish, I think I'm good.  LOL.  Plus, there are other goodies, and 20% off all other items that you order (I am eyeing Stella) and free shipping (which when I get free shipping, I feel like I've won the lottery, so that's awesome!).

And, if you refer your friends to Julep, you will get $15 when they become a Maven as well.  You can join the Julep Maven program on their website, or by clicking here.

I paid for my own membership to the Maven program.  However, the links within this post are affiliate links.  I will receive $15 when you join by using my link.  When you join, you will get your own link.

Julep Polishes

You wouldn't think so, as I am someone that has an undisclosed amount of polishes (read TONS), but more times that not, I have a tendency to get in a rut and find myself only using certain brands.  As such, I absolutely love when I discover a new-to-me brand.  One of these brands, Julep, I recently had the opportunity to try.

UPDATE... Here's a better picture of Charlotte:

Charlotte - Dusty, plummy purple creme.  This color is absolutely beautiful.  It's a dusty purple creme, with enough red in the base, to not be a dead-on dupe for RBL Purple Haze.  That said, as RBL Purple Haze is currently discontinued (though I think it is coming back for a limited edition redux), Charlotte may just fufill and "dusty, mid-tone purple" lemmings you may have.  And since I know you are asking, here's a comparison...

Charlotte is on middle and pinky, Purple Haze is on ring finger.

As much as I love Purple Haze, and I do love it as it's one of the few RBLs I've actually kept, I think I may love Charlotte more.  First off, the formula on Charlotte was EXCEPTIONAL.  Both swatches of Charlotte above are one coat.  ONE.  That's it.  Y'all know how I love my one-coaters.  :P  Purple Haze is a 2-coater for me.  Also, the color just seemed to work so much better on my skin-tone.  If you have super pale pink hands like me, then you may find that mid-toned purples have a tendency to give you dead-hands.  Because of the plummy/red base in this, I didn't get that with Charlotte.

Emmanuelle - Pale, soft baby pink creme.  While I call this one a creme in my descriptor, it actually seemed more like a jelly to me, or at least jelly-esque.  It really reminded me of the soft shades from OPI Femme de Cirque.  However, this formula, again, was so much easier to work with.  I had zero drag with Emmanuelle, and I didn't even have to wait between coats (something I normally have to do with paler shades).  It's a super pale pink, so of course, it's a little on the sheerer side, but it is buildable.  The above picture is 3 coats, and I was able to reach opacity.  However, I bet if you used a sticky base coat, you may actually be able to reach opacity with 2 coats.

Natasha - Bright red-orange creme.  Ahhhh.  Natasha.  I swear, I have been craving this exact shade of red/orange, so when I opened my box from Julep and saw this little beauty in there... I admit it... I squealed.  This one, like Emmanuelle, did have a bit of a jelly quality to the finish.  It almost looks like hard candies.  I was able to reach opacity in 2 coats, however, so it's not a true jelly.  And, I know I sound like broken record, but again, the formula on this one was great. 

All in all, I really like all 3 Julep polishes that I had the opportunity to try.  As it was a brand I was unfamiliar with, during my review, I happened to check out their website, and I was happy to see they had around 70 colors (I'm currently eyeing Stella).  They also have something called "Julep Maven" which is a monthly shipment program.  For $19.99, each month, you get $40 worth of nail polish and treatments (and extra goodies like free shipping).  I haven't joined it yet, but I must say... I am EXTREMELY tempted.  Also, $1 of each bottle purchased goes to Julep's "Powered by Girlfriends" program.  Plus, and this is a HUGE plus, the formula on all of these was fantastic.  It makes me tempted to try more.  :)

Julep polishes are available for sale on their website (and if you are in the Seattle, WA area, I'm guessing they are for sale in-store).  Price is $14/ bottle.

these were sent to me for review

SpaRitual Review

I recently had the chance to review a few SpaRituals.  These polishes were from the Imagine and Kaleidoscope collections.  The colors are pretty straight-forward, and  I'm not feeling very wordy this morning, so I'm just going to do color descriptions on these.

Dreams Becoming Reality - Dusty teal creme.  2 coats.  Imagine collection.

Flashback - Bright red-orange neon jelly.  As it's a neon, this one dries slightly matte (which takes away from the jelly-nes.  To get it back, just apply TC).  2 coats.  Kaleidoscope collection.

Golden Gleam - Old gold metallic.  Leans slightly mustard.  2 coats.  Kaleidoscope collection.

Living in the Moment - Greige creme.  In real life, there was a slight lavender tone to this one that didn't translate in my pictures.  2 coats.  Imagine collection.

Unconditional Love - Soft rose gold metallic.  2 coats.  Imagine collection.

I found the formula on all these to be a tad on the watery side.  It wasn't hard to control, you just had to make sure you didn't have too much on your brush.  Also, I'm not a huge fan of the brush, as it seemed a little wimpy, but maybe that's me just being in a bitchy state of sleep deprivation.  :P

SpaRitual is made by the same company as Orly, though SpaRitual is their higher-priced, "boutique" line.  They have a very "body, mind, spirit" philosophy that I get, but I also think is a little hokey.  I know in some cases, SpaRitual polishes are rumored to be re-labeled Orlys (I say rumored, because I don't think there's any concrete proof on this), but in the case of the 5 I reviewed today, I think they are all unique, or at least, I don't have any Orly dupes in my collection.  

SpaRituals are available at online etailers like Apothica.com.  They are usually priced around $10.

EDITED as SpaRituals are not available for purchase on their website.

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.

Orly Red Sea Pearl

This has been a long time lemming of mine.  Over the past 10 years or so, I probably had 4-5 bottles of this polish only to throw it away when it became glumpy, or whenever I stopped polishing my nails (which was a pretty often thing w/ me.  I'd buy a bunch of polish and then give up on my nails within 6 mos).  It always was one of my favorite colors, but was sadly d/c'd before I was able to pick it up (again). 

Unlike most d/c'd OPIs, d/c'd Orlys are almost impossible to pick up on eBay and it was sold out at all the regular e-tailers.  I'd pretty much given up on finding it until the other night I happened to do a google search on it and found the name in the text of an eBay listing.  I emailed the seller and they still had them in stock, so I bought it and waited.  It came yesterday.

*aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh* Angels singing.  This is truly one of my favorite polishes of all time.  It's a bright fuschia shimmer with a pronounced blue flash.  I know that's a popular type of polish, but this one is unique in that the base color is a darker pink, rather than a hot pink.  This was 3 coats, as I still had VNLs after 2 coats.  This is old-formula Orly, so it stunk to high, chemically heaven, but there were no issues with application.

I almost didn't want to post this one, as it's very hard to find (but not super spendy like an OPI HTF is, eBay scalpers tend not to hoard Orly polishes), and I didn't want to create any lemmings, but I just had to show it off.  If you like the color, you may want to try OPI Pompeii Purple, which it my knowledge is still available, and unlike the name suggests, is a hot pink shimmer with a blue flash.  It's very similar, though a bit pinker and brighter.  I tried to do a comp post, but I couldn't get my camera to pick up the differences.  Maybe I'll try one in the sun a little later in the week.

I wish I could convince Orly to bring this one back and name it "Megan's Favorite".  LOL.  I love it that much.  :)

Color Club Pardon My French Collection Part 2

Yesterday, I posted part 1 of this collection (the cremes), so for today, here are the glitters.  As these are all very similar in formula and application, so rather than doing a full review of each color under the picture, I'm going to post individual pics and review them altogether.

Turn the Other Chic- pale orange glitter

Si Vous Please! - icy white/pale blue glitter

Hot Couture - pale pink glitter

All three of these are 2 coats and there were no application issues.  These were very much like CC's Japanese glitters, and aside from Turn the Other Chic (ew), I liked them.  Like the Japanese glitters, these have holo glitters.  TtOC made my nails look stained.  It it was more of a sherbet orange than an yellow/apricot orange, I think it would have been a beautiful polish.  The other 2 are very pretty and I think would look amazing over a French manicure, something I plan to do in the near future.

Again, like I mentioned yesterday, I hope this helps some of you.  I'd seen this collection for sale at various etailer sites, but I knew nothing about it.  Unlike Rebel Debutante, which was released around the same time, this one got very little press and blogger reviews.  I know Siobhan at the Nailphile did a review of these, but that's the only one I remember seeing.  Though, there may be a few more since I last googled this collection.

If you happen to find this collection at Ross, like I did, I think it may be worthwhile picking up.  Sure, it's not a spectacular collection, but I feel Meet Me at Your Chateau alone is worth the price of admission, and the pink cremes and the two, non orange glitters are pretty and are okay addittions to my collections.  However, the two oranges are just a waste, IMO.  I realize that CC tends to do 6-7 polish collections, but I really don't see how those 2 polishes would work for the vast majority of people.  Perhaps, 2 purples (and creme and a glitter) would have been a better addition to the collection.

Color Club Pardon My French Collection Part 1

I picked up this collection at Ross about 6 weeks ago.  I had the text of a post all typed out and then I went back to review my pictures and they were all so bad, I couldn't post them.  I figured if I wanted to do this collection any sort of justice, I'll have to wait until my nubbins grew out a little more and until I had a bit more time in which to swatch, take pics, review, and post.

This is a confusing collection, in that the name is misleading.  Given the name "Pardon my French", you may assume it was a collection of polishes to be used for French manicures.  Um... not so much.  LOL.  It's a collection of 2 opaques (well one opaque and one almost-opaque, 2 semi-sheers, and 3 glitters).  Truth be told, I didn't really like the look of this collection when I got, but 1. I wanted Take Me to Your Chateau, so I figured for a few bucks more, I could review the entire collection and 2. I think part of me just bought it because I actually found a CC collection at Ross... something that'd been eluding me for months.  Unfortunately, my opinion hasn't changed all that much, save for 2-3 polishes.  I haven't seen much press on this collection, aside from a couple blog reviews, so I hope this will help someone that sees it on an etailer's website and wonders what it's all about (just like I did). 

Today, I'm going to show you the cremes and tomorrow will be the glitters.  I suppose this collection was meant for layering, but I don't really like layering with CC's holo glitters (for some odd reason), so unless someone posts a request for me to layer 2 particular polishes, I'm going to not layer these.

Okay... without much further adieu (ha.French.ha), here are the cremes....

Oh Naturale. Let me go on and start with my least favorite first.  Oh Naturale is a pale, sheer, orange-y peach.  It almost looks like a dreamsicle orange, but there is a bit too much yellow in it to be that shade.  It almost reminds me of the color of apricots.  I really don't like this color.  I think on my skintone, it's extremely unflattering.  Perhaps if you have a tan or a darker, less pink, skintone, you may be able to make it work.  However, it's very streaky.  This is 2 coats and you can still see big streaks.  Hovever, I wanted to try and do this color some justice and see if additional coats would help.  Below is 5 COATS and it's still not fully opaque and even in application. 

Sorry girls, I think this one is a pass.

Pardon My French.  This one is a pale milky pink and is pretty in theory. I have no problem with sheers, but it was way streaky, just like Oh Naturale.  I was able to combat the streaky-ness some what by using thin coats, but they were still there.  However, I do like the color, so if you use a base coat and are careful to let coats dry in-between, you may be able to get this one to work for you in 2-3 coats.  Pic is 2 thin coats.

I Believe in Amour.  This one is a pale, dusty rose, with a milky quality, like Pardon My French.  It's a beautiful color, but it was still streaky and not opaque at 2 coats.  Although, I love this one so much, I tried it with a base coat and gave it 3 coats and a bit more time and I think it's very doable (pic below).  I plan on using this one as a full mani in the future.

I saved the best creme, and in IMO, the best in the collection, for last...

Take Me to Your Chateau.  This is an amazing pale blue.  It's opaque in 2 coats and very pigmented for a pastel.  In the pic, it looks like it may lean a bit turquoise, or green, but that's not the case.  It's a straight-up pale blue  This was 2 coats, though it was almost opaque in one.  If you been looking for a perfect pale blue, definitely pick this one up.  I plan on having a pale blue comp post w/in the next few days. 

All in all, I found myself torn on these polishes.  I love, love, love Take Me to Your Chateau.  I also like the colors of I Believe in Amour and Pardon My French, but the formula requires patience and time and it's not effortless like TMtYC.  As for Oh Naturale... for me, it's a pass.  I really don't see how it could work for anyone given the streaky-ness, but if you love the color, you may be able to make it work with a good sticky base coat and time between (thin) coats.  Also, aside from TMtYC, these required thin coats.  If I put too much on my brush, it was very globby and hard to keep it from pooling on the nail.

Tomorrow, I will post the glitters in this collection, so stay tuned.  :)

Glitter French

On the whole, I dislike the look of traditional French manicures.  However, when you take a traditional French and add in a konad design or some glitter along the white line, then I love them.  There's something about taking the boring and adding a small detail to make it un-boring that makes me love it. 

I've recently become a wee bit obsessed with Frenches.  In fact, when I recently ordered basecoats from TD, I made sure to add in several French Manicue polishes from Orly's French line, as I didn't have any clear tinted polishes, or even a good tip white, for that matter.

Unfortunately, Frenches are a little time consuming and time is something I am sorely lacking, so I am not able to do them very often.  In fact, I rushed this one and thus, it didn't look the best, so I took pictures and then promptly took it off (there was a lot of bubbling on my thumb).  Next time I try, I'm going to do so when the twins are asleep and when I have more than 20 minutes to devote to my nails.

Anyway, I started with Orly's French manicure guides.  Sure, you can free hand it, and I often do, but it's much easier to use the guides.  You simply put them a little below the white part on you names.  One trick is to take them off quickly, like a Band-aid, especially if they aren't fully dry when you remove the guides. 

Next, I applied 2 coats of Orly Pointe Blanche, a heavily pigmented, thick (yet not chalky) white to the area on my nail, above the guide. 

Then I applied 2 coats of Orly Beverly Hills Manicure in Beverly Hills Plum.  BH Plum, is actually a sheer rose, but it has a bit more pigment in it than Orly French Manicure Bare Rose.

 

Lastly is one coat of quick dry TC and then a bit of silver glitter along the white like with Art Deco striper in Silver Glitter. 

I had plans of applying a silver konadded butterfly in the "natural" portion of my nails.  Unfortunately, that didn't come to fruition.  I just couldn't stand the bubbles on my thumb and I didn't have lots more time to wait for it to set.  Plus, I'd only done one hand.  LOL. 

I know it's really conventional, and perhaps doesn't appeal to the vast majority of nail blog readers, but I really love this look.  I plan on doing them more in the future, but adding glitter and/or konadding over top.  Now, I need to go apply a bright green, to get over my "normal" problem.  :P

Orly Sweet Collection (well 2/3rds)

I posted the press release for this collection back in December.  Many bloggers received samples of this shortly thereafter, so I figured I was out of luck, until Orly's PR firm asked me a few weeks ago if I'd be interested in trying some from the collection.  As luck would have it, I'd already picked up Gumdrop and Snowcone, and I even posted about Snowcone last month. 

Orly sent me another Snowcone as well as Lemonade and Cotton Candy.  As I already had Gumdrop, I figured I'd include it as well.  As I do not have the other 2, Lollipop and Pixie Stick, so this is 2/3rds of the Sweet Collection.  :P

Here are the pics...

Lemonade - pale yellow.  This is pretty close to ChG's new pale yellow, Lemon Fizz.  the formulas are very similar as well.  I compared both of them for an upcoming comp post and they were both streaky until 3 coats.  It was also a little hard to control, but as was the ChG.  If you want a pale lemon yellow, this one (or Lemon Fizz) would fit the bill.

Cotton Candy - pale peachy pink.  This is a beautiful color in the bottle, and it's one that doesn't have any dupes in the Up and Away collection.  Unfortunately, this didn't work with my skin.  Most pinks look good on me, but if they have too much peach/orange in them, all they do is make my hands look dirty.  This one was also problematic with formula and application.  It too 3 coats to reach opacity and it was streaky and hard to handle.

Gumdrop - dusty pale turquoise.  Another one with no dupes in U&A.  Though, in the bottle it is very similar to Misa DSM, and IMO, more appropriate for spring than DSM.  This one and Snowcone will have to duke it out for best of this collection.  It's a gorgeous pale green-blue turquoise.  It reminds me of seafoam green, but it's no where near mint green.  Unlike the previous 2, this one had awesome formula and application.  It was opaque in 2 coats and practically flowed on my nails.  Someome remind me to do a comp with this one and DSM.  I know many people are jonesing for DSM and this one may kill a lemming for some of you.

Snowcone - pale blue.  Almost like a pale cornflower blue.  This pic, like in my previous post is a little too vibrant to be true-to-life.  The color on my index and pinky are the most accurate.  Again, no dupes in U&A.  Like Gumdrop, the formula and application were perfect... 2 coats and no issues.

I'm torn on this collection, well the 4 that I reviewed.  Lemonade and Cotton Candy, while pretty, were frustrating.  However, Gumdrop and Snowcone are both beautiful and effortless.  If you like blues and greens, do not hesitate to pick up Gumdrop and Snowcone.  If you are pale and pink like me, Cotton Candy should be a pass, and if you are looking for a pale yellow, check out ChG Lemon Fizz before Lemonade, though if you would rather get Lemonade, keep in mind that it's a lovely pale yellow, just hard to control.

Snowcone, Cotton Candy, and Lemonade were sent to me for review

Orly Foil FX Collection Redux

Earlier this year, I posted about Orly's new Foil FX Collection.  Orly's PR firm had sent me Luxe to swatch and review.  I fell in love with the collection, and the look of Luxe, so I decided to pick up the 2 remaining colors, Rage and Shine as soon as they were available at e-tailers. 

Here are the swatches...

Rage - Rose Gold.  My favorite of the bunch.  I knew I would love this one as soon as I saw it on Vampy Varnish.  It works with my skin tone and is the least "blingy" of the 3 colors, though that's not to say it's not completely shiny.

Shine - Silver. My second favorite.  This is a gorgeous true silver. 

Luxe - Gold.  My least favorite.  I like it, but it just doesn't work with my skintone.  It's a very bright warm gold.

All 3 are 2 coats and I had no application issues with any of them.

Orly had stated in their press release that this collection was to mimic the look of Minx.  They are beautiful foils, but while they can pass for Minx in a pinch, they don't really capture the look of being coated in gold/silver foil of Minx. 

If you love foils, I would seriously consider picking these up.  They are ~$3 at e-tailers.  Sally's may have these, but I haven't been there in so long, I can't say for certain.

Luxe was sent to me for review

NOTD: OPI DS Opulence

About a year, or even less ago, if you'd asked me, I'd say I was a shimmer girl.  I pretty much exclusively wore shimmers or glitters.  I thought cremes were boring and I hated holos.  I don't know what happened, because I've since changed my tune.  There is nothing more amazing to me than an edgy creme or a pretty holo.  Oh, I still love my glitters, but I'm finding myself reaching for my shimmers less and less.  It's kinda sad because they are still beautiful and I have a crap ton of them, but I just find myself not wearing them, or quickly taking them off if I do wear them.  Hopefully this is a phase and I'll be reaching for my shimmers in the near future.

In the meantime, I've been hoarding holos and cremes like nobody's bidnez.  One of my recent acquisitions was this... OPI DS Opulence.  I'm pretty sure this one came out in 2008 along with some other new DSs, but for some reason, I'm thinking this one is d/c'd, but I could be wrong.  I got mine at VNS, but it's also available at TD.  Opulence is a soft, vintage pink holo.  Unlike a lot of newer DSs, it's definitely a holo, but in non-sun light, it's just as pretty.  This was 2 coats and I had no application problems.  I love this one.  I think I may konad over it tomorrow.

You'll notice I changed my nail shape.  I was having too may breaks and splits with the squoval, so I went full-on oval.  I prefer squoval, or square for that matter, but it doesn't work with me.  What do you guys think?  Look okay?