Orly Emberstone

In my effort to get back to regular posting, I am trying to create posts for individual polishes.  I do have a couple more full collections waiting in my "to swatch" box, which I will try to swatch all together, but for the most part, it's singles so hopefully, I will be able to do one-per-day and not feel completely overwhelmed and also feel like I'm accomplishing something.  

Today, I have for you Orly Emberstone...

Emberstone is an amazing orange-based red shimmer, that reminds me a lot of China Glaze Cherry Pie from 2009's Summer Days collection, but rather than having tonal glass-fleck, Emberstone has gorgeous orange and purple (!) shimmer particles.  I absolutely love the contrast of the shimmer in this polish, and while the purple is unexpected, it really works with the red base.  What's funny is that I had seen swatches of this and I saw the purple shimmer, and yet in the bottle, the shimmer gets hidden.  But once I had it on my nails, the shimmer comes out to play.  This is one of those rare polishes that actually looks better on the nail than it does in the bottle.  

Emberstone is from last fall's Mineral FX collection and it's still easy to find, especially online.  I purchased mine through eBay and I paid about $7 for it.  Though, a simple Google search should show you where it's available.  Retail is $8.50 a bottle.

Emberstone was purchased by me.  

Rescue Beauty Lounge Look Rich, Be Cheap

Due to some recent nail growth, I am trying to keep my nails polished, which means that I am polishing my nails everyday (I have the attention span of a gnat).  I've been mainly sticking to new releases, as that's what I've had on my desk, but tonight, I brought this one out of the depths of my storage container, and oh how happy it's made me.

RBL's Look Rich, Be Cheap was from the 2009 Spring glitter bomb collection, which in my mind was the catalyst for all the full-coverage glitters we've seen over the past 2 years.  I remember when I first saw swatches of this glitter and her sisters, Locavore and Frugalista.  I fell instantly in love, but still being a newb and balking at an $18 polish, I resisted until the half off sale in the fall of 2009, where I picked them up.  And my love for them has not waned, considering that the glitters and a couple of other colors were the only things I kept when I decided to part ways with my RBL collection (the formula just doesn't play nice with me).   Unfortunately, I just haven't worn them as much as I should have.  Well, lemme tell ya... that's gotta stop.  :P

This one is absolutely amazing.  It's varying shades of gold glitter with pops of bright, purple glitter, and as yellow and purple are opposites on the color wheel, the color combo is gorgeous.  The base is clear, and though it looks like there are bald/thin spots in my swatch, the coverage on the nail is actually quite good.  Any thin spots that are on there, don't show up to the naked eye.

This is 3 coats of Look Rich Be Cheap over a coat of CND Stickey.  I also had to apply 3 (!) coats of TC as it still seemed really textured at just 1, or even 2, coats.  Honestly, even with the 3 coats of TC, it's still not smooth, but that's pretty much par for the course with a dense glitter.

Also, I realize I have reviewed Look Rich, Be Cheap already in the past, but as that way back when my nails were recovering nubs and my camera was crap (and perhaps a lot of user error), I figured I'd give this one another showing. 

Look Rich, Be Cheap is the only glitter bomb still remaining in stock on RBL's website (though I think Locavore is coming back).  Price is $18.

this was purchased by me during RBL's half-off sale

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

Nicole By OPI Something About Color Target Exclusive collection Review (Fall Colors)

Back in March, I showed you the Nicole by OPI Spring Target exclusives.  Well, they have come out with 4 additions to this collection for Fall 2011. 

FYI, I got a new camera, a Canon SD1400IS, and I am still trying to work out some growing pains, so I'm sorry if these pictures are sub-par.

Cherry Much In Love - bright cherry red, glass flecked shimmer.  This one is beautiful.  The base was a little jelly-ish, so the glass flecks kind of suspended in the base.  I had no issues with application and the formula, was great, though a little thin.  Three coats

Green Up Your Act - dusty, greyed olive creme.  I struggled with this one.  I swear, I swatched it twice and took a gazillion pictures and I still wasn't satisfied.  The color is definitely unique.  It's not a traditional camo green, or an olive green for that matter, it seemed to have a lot of blue/grey in the base.  It also had a dustiness to it.  I struggled with the formula, as it seemed a bit goopy to me.  Picture is 3 coats, and I had an issue with drag, so it looks lumpy in places.

It's Not Me, It's Blue - Grey/blue metallic shimmer base with purple microshimmer.  This one is amazing.  I saw it at my local Target, and I immediately fell in love.  I promply came home and put it on my nails.  It's very similar to Sounds Grape to Me, it terms of formula and finish, and it feels almost like a foil.  It also has a beautiful purple shimmer that will pop when you turn your hand (there is also some golden shimmer, as well).  The formula was thin, so I did have to use 3 coats, but they dried quickly, so no issues.  Also, this picture was taken with my old camera, so that's why it seems a bit different.

Sounds Grape to Me - Deep purple/burgundy shimmer base with golden shimmer particles.  This one was very reminiscent of OPI Tease-y Does It or Zoya Valerie, but unlike Tease-y Does It, this one didn't seem muddy.  I think this one is my favorite of the 4.  The color is practically mesmerizing.  Formula was good and it reached opacity at 2 coats.

All in all, I like this little addition to Nicole by OPI's Target collection.  Green Up Your Act does seem to be the odd duck, but those of you that like dusty, ugly-pretty colors, will love it.  Also, and this may just be because my were press samples, but only Green Up Your Act had Nicole's new brush, and that's perfectly fine with me.  However, if you are a fan of their new brush, be sure to check your bottles at Target to see if they have them.

These are at Target now and retail for around $7 each.

these were sent to me for review

Sally Hansen Nail Prisms Purple Diamond

Like the Maybellines of last year, large amounts of Sally Hansen Nail Prisms have been showing up at Dollar Trees.  Unfortunately, the DT near me always has goose-egg in terms of nail products, and while you can find nail stuff at the next closest DT, it's always hit-or-miss.  So, a few weeks ago, when I happened to find a duo-pack of SH Nail Prisms White Diamond and Purple Diamond, I considered myself lucky.  No, they weren't the Nail Prisms that I would have chosen, given a choice, but I figured for a buck... why not.  However, the tops felt like they'd been welded shut, so, yesterday, I finally got them open and got around to trying one.

This is Purple Diamond, a soft purple holo.  Honestly, it's just okay, and if I had to get it again, I probably wouldn't.  It's not a bad polish, per se, just kinda dupey.  Application was fine, but stank to high-heaven (gotta love pre-B3F polishes).  It chipped within a couple of hours, but due to a crazy day today, I was unable to remove and apply something else, and it's been super chippy the rest of the day, but I'm sure a basecoat would have helped with that.  Pic is 3 coats.

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.

OPI Shrek Forever After Collection

I just received this one a few hours ago, and even though I was in the process of swatching the new Nina Ultra Pro collection, I stopped what I was doing and started swatching these. I have to say, it was totally worth it.

Before I start the review, let me just say that the entire time I was swatching the collection, I kept singing the Fairy Godmother’s rendition of “Holding Out for a Hero” from Shrek 2.  Love that song.  :)

On to the swatches...

Funky Donkey is a straight-up bright, medium purple crème and probably, aside from Rumple’s Wiggin, the most mainstream of the colors. It’s very reminiscent of last year’s RBL Mismas, or ChG Grape Pop from this year’s Up and Away Collection. I don’t own Mismas, but I will be sure to compare it to Grape Pop when I do my comp post later in the week. I know the nail polish world went from zero colors of this kind to three within 9-10 months, and if you ask me… that’s just fine. LOL. This one applied perfectly and was opaque in 2 coats.

What’s With the Cattitude? Is a pale blue crème, but beyond that, I was finding some difficulty describing it. Unlike the picture, it does not lean aqua.  Bottle color is the most true-to-life.  It’s not a baby blue. It’s not a robin’s egg blue, and it’s not a watery blue (though the formula is watery, but more on that in a bit). There’s a dustiness to it that I was having a hard time putting into words, other than to say it’s a dusty pale blue. Then I happened to find this on Crayola’s website, and when I put my nail up to my computer screen, What’s With the Cattitude? was the same shade as Crayola Blue Bell. I love this color. I can’t wait to use it as a full mani. As for the formula, well it was typical for being a pastel OPI. It was a little watery and as my nails are short, I had to use thin coats, as I had nowhere for excess polish to go. It was opaque in 3 coats, however, you may want to let these dry a little more than usual in-between coats as I did have a bit of drag. That said, while it’s more difficult to work with than the darker shades in this collection, it is a must for any blue lover. Plus, Puss in Boots is probably my favorite character from the Shrek series, so I love it even more for the name.

Rumple’s Wiggin is a pale purple crème and unlike the other big pale purple from this year, ChG Light as Air, this one does not lean pink. It reminds me of this color of lilacs. Finding the perfect pale purple has always been a quest for me, and I think Rumple’s Wiggin finally ends my quest. If you read my review of ChG’s Up and Away collection, you may recall that I mentioned Light as Air may be my Holy Grail pale purple. I still like Light as Air, but I think this color has taken its throne. As for formula and application, it was a little easier to apply than What’s With the Cattitude? but it was still rather thin. It took 3 coats to reach opacity, but it didn’t require babying like What’s With the Cattitude?















Fiercely Fiona is a pale yellow crème, but it’s not a pale lemon or a banana pudding yellow, like the other 2 pale yellows, ChG Lemon Fizz and Orly Lemonade, I reviewed this year. This one is a true yellow-green. Even with Who the Shrek are You? Being a bright, swampy green, I think this one is the most unusual of the collection. If I was asked to use one word to describe this color, I would say “tart”. I was all set to say this one applied the easiest of the 3 light shades in this collection and then it took 4 coats to reach complete opacity. The formula was good, though. It wasn’t at all watery, like What’s With the Cattitude?. Also, I thought this one would make my hands look dirty, but it didn’t. Bonus!

Ogre-the-Top Blue is a bright royal blue crème. In my pics, it leans a bit aqua, but it is a true-blue, IRL. It reminds me of ChG Sky-High Top from the Custom Kicks collection from summer 2009, though they aren’t dupes. Ogre-the-Top Blue is a bit lighter and brighter than Sky-High Top. Also, Sky-High Top has subtle shimmer, whereas Ogre-the-Top Blue is a true crème. If you compare it within the collection, you could say it’s the blue version of Funky Donkey… highly pigmented and very shiny. I love this color, and though it’s a hard call, I have to say this one is my favorite. Application was practically effortless. It was opaque in 2 coats.

Who the Shrek are You? is a bright lime green crème, and there is really no way to accurately describe this other than calling it a Shrek-green. It is truly the color of Shrek in nail polish form. It’s super shiny as well, like the other brights in this collection. Unlike the other brights, however, this one was a little more challenging to apply. It took 3 thin coats to reach opacity and was a tad streaky until the third coat. Also, I thought this one, like Fiercely Fiona would make my hands look dirty and red, but surprisingly, it did not.

The one thing I will say, is while I love OPI’s names, some of these were not meant to be taken literally. Just reading the names and knowing the characters on which they are based, you would expect What’s With the Cattitude? to be an bright yellow orange and Funky Donkey to be a medium grey.

OPI Shrek Forever After is OPI’s bright contribution for summer 2010. Compared to some movie/tv show tie-in collection in the past, this one is the best yet, though I do have undying love for the glitters in the Alice in Wonderland collection. There are 4 in this collection that I see myself wearing on a regular basis (both blues and purples), one that I would only wear if I were going to see Shrek Forever (Who the Shrek are You?), and one I couldn’t see myself wearing at all, but I can appreciate it for what it is (Fiercely Fiona). On the whole, the formula was a bit hit-or-miss. Both Funky Donkey and Ogre-the-Top Blue had effortless application and a perfect formula. The other 4 were a little harder to handle, with What’s With the Cattitude? being the most difficult. However, there’s not a single one that I would say to shy away from based on formula. Like I mentioned Fiercely Fiona and Who the Shrek are You? aren’t my style, but they are beautiful colors and, as far as I know, dupeless. All-in-all, I love this collection. I think OPI hit it out of the park with this one. It’s fun, bright, and perfect for summer. OPI Shrek Forever After is supposed to launch in May 2010, but I’ve read of a few people already finding it online and at beauty suppliers.

These were sent to me for review.

KOTD: Random Ribbons Funky French

Lately, I've been finding myself trying to push myself to be more and more creative with nail art.  More times than not, it's just me thinking about designs before falling asleep, but sometimes it actually comes to fruition.  This was one of those ideas that actually made it to my nails.

I started by using a base coat of Orly Love Each Other, a purple shimmer top coat, so the color of my natural nails could show through.  I want to experiment more and more with konadding on bare (basecoated) nails.  I then applied a konad design using plate m63.  I used the ribbon stamp and three different colors, ChG Grape Pop (bright purple creme), ChG Light as Air (lavender creme), and ChG Devotion (a purple/silver metallic).  I made sure the pattern was completely random by only using a part of it, or turning it in a different direction before stamping.  I then topped with a coat of Out the Door.

I waited about 2 hours for my konad design and base coat to be completely set before I applied a funky french to my tips using one coat of ChG Grape Pop (I had to go back and touch up a few patchy spots, but the majority is one coat) .  To get clean lines, I used Orly French Manicure Guides and waited 20 minutes or so until they were fully dry. Lastly, as I felt it needed a final element to look cohesive, I added a glitter line using Art Deco Striper in Silver Glitter under the French line.  I then topped the entire nail with another coat of Out the Door to set it.

Okay, I realize it looks like I just threw everything but the kitchen sink on my nails, but I really love this.  I love my natural nail color peeking though the konad.  I love the subtle sparkle of the base coat, and I especially love my bright purple tips.  There's something so unexpected about it that I absolutely adore and I can't wait to try this same "formula" using other colors and konad designs.

Also, I'm not going to lie to you all and tell you that it wasn't completely time-consuming.  All-in-all, it took about an hour of stamping and painting to achieve this look, so it's not something that you'd want to do before you were rushing out the door, but I knew I'd have a bit of time while I was watching LOST and V to have my design set, and a little more time to complete the funky french before I went to sleep.  Which is where I'm heading now. LOL.

Hope you all like this one and I'll see you in the morning.  :)

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Grape Going!

On Sunday, after a night of swatching, writing, and scheduling posts (which is my new way to not be a slack-ass blogger), I decided I'd pick my color for the next day or 2, do a mani, take a pic, and be on my way.  Unfortunately, I picked a big fat disappointment.

Probably like the majority of people that picked up this polish, I did so because it was supposedly dupish to RBL Scrangie.  Truth be told, Scrangie (the polish) had never really grabbed me.  It looked pretty enough, but perhaps I'm broken, because swatches of it never gave me a polish-gasm, unlike most normal polish junkies (ha... normal polish junkies, that's an oxymoron).  However, I did almost pick it up during RBL's fall sale just because it was LE and Scrangie (the blogger) is one of my favorites.  I decided not to, though, because I thought it would be best if I let someone that really wanted it get it, as I had a feeling it would sell out.  Then, I read that SH I-D Grape Going, was a close fascimile to RBL Scrangie, so I decided to pick it up.  It's pretty enough in the bottle... a shimmery blue-purple, but it didn't have the green flash of Scrangie, but I fgured for $5, that was okay.  Afterall, the RBL was 18 bucks. 

I picked this up several months ago, when the new Insta-Dris came out, but I just now got around to trying it.  OMG.  I couldn't get it off my nails fast enough.  Before I go too far, here's a pic:

All I can say is "ew".  Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think RBL Scrangie is in anyway "ew"-worthy.  Granted, I don't own it, but in pics, it looks pretty, it just didn't make me want to pay $18 for it (if that makes sense).  However, the flash in this from blue to purple was minimal, and it has a frosty sheen that just made my hands look gross.

Also the formula and application were shit.  Pardon my language, but there is no other way to describe it.  I've never tried an I-D (just the TC which isn't the same), and I'd heard the brush was troublesome, but I didn't know it was such a PITA.  It's like a big mop that slops polish all over your cuticles.  I can't imagine how girls with small nail beds deal with it.  Also, the formula is hard to deal with.  Given the name, Insta-Dri, it's only reasonable to assume that it would dry fast, but this was more irritating than a matte.  You have to work very fast, and if you need a second coat, you have to make sure that mop of a brush is fully saturated or you have pulling, and of course, that puts too much polish on your nail, so you are just chasing it around with that irksome brush.  Grrr.

All in all, IMO, avoid this polish at all costs.  If you wanted Scrangie, but didn't nab it before RBL sold out, fear not because Ji is bringing it back (along with No More War (yay!!!) and Opaque Nude).  I realize RBLs aren't in everyone's price range (and they aren't really in mine, if I'm being honest), but for such a specific color, I think it's worth it, especially if you've been lemming Scrangie.  And though it doesn't really wow me in pics, I think I'm going to pick it up myself\.  I kinda want to see what it's all about.  Certainly everyone that raves about it can't be wrong.

RBL Purple Haze Comps

As I mentioned in my NOTD post from yesterday, I was interested in comparing RBL Purple Haze to OPI Parlez-Vous OPI.  Here are the results.  I also threw in OPI Done out in Deco for good measure. 

Done out in Deco on index, RBL on middle and pinky, and Parlez-Vous OPI on ring.  BTW, I apologize for the skin around my index finger.  I can't keep my index fingers or my thumbs from peeling and it's driving me bonkers.

As you can tell, neither DoiD or PVO are dupes for PH.  Even though PH has a hazy-ness to it, PVO is just too smoky to be dupey for RBL.  It's also no where near the same color of purple.  PVO has more red in it.  As for DoiD, the colors aren't close, but they look like they could be related.  It looks like if you added a bunch of white to PH, you'd have DoiD.  It is dusty/hazy, but not to the same degree as PH.

All in all, I think if you are lemming Purple Haze, you aren't going to find a dupe in either of these.  I know Ji said it will be OOS soon, but I don't know it it will be d/c'd or just backordered for awhile. 

NOTD: RBL Purple Haze

I chose this one as my NOTD because I remembered a recent FB post in which Ji mentioned Purple Haze was on it's way to selling out.  I bought it back in the fall as part of my 50% off order, but I had yet to try it.  I was a little wary to try it, given my past issues with RBL's formula, but I used one coat of Amour Sticky Base Coat and one coat of SH Insta-Dri TC and it dried within 30 minutes w/ no issues.  This is 2 coats and there were no issues with application.  The formula was perfect.

As for the color, this one was a bit of a surprise.  I added this one on a whim to my order last fall.  I thought the color was going to be a softer version of vibrant purple creme, like RBL Mismas or ChG Grape Pop.  While it's true that it's a medium purple creme, there is also a smokyness to it that I didn't expect.  It really does have a hazy quality to it... hence the name.  LOL.  She's a clever one, that Ji Baek.  It reminds me of OPI Parlez-Vous OPI, though I think PH is a bit more vibrant.  I plan on doing a comp post with P-VO and PH in the near future.

If you are interested, Purple Haze is still available at rescuebeauty.com.  It's $18 and $7.50 which I know is nuts, but it's an amazing color with an amazing formula, but I'm going to hold off a "you have to get it" rec until I comp it w/ PVO.  BTW, Ji is now offering free shipping on $100 orders in the US and on $200 for international orders.

NOTD: OPI Siberian Nights

Siberian Nights is from OPI's F/W 2007 Russian Collection, which, IMO is the best OPI collection to date.  Believe it or not, this was an untried for me.  I'd pick it up and just be unimpressed and then put it down.  Well, lately, I've been gravitating more towards cremes, so I decided to give this was a chance.  It's a dark, vampy purple, which is darker IRL than in the pic.  Application was nice.  I had no problems using the polish or the older (wider) style ProWide Brush.  It was streaky at one coat, so a second coat was required to even it out.  Also, I know in the pic, it looks spotty and like it needs a third coat, but I don't really see that IRL.  I don't like applying third coats, as they never dry on me, but I think you would be fine with two, nonetheless.