Brand Challenge: OPI

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I'm pulling out all of my untried or haven't worn in a while OPI's. Let's take a look at swatches.

Geometric Double Stamped Nail Art

Contains Press Sample Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I have another nail art look where I didn't quite know what I intended the end look to be as I was going. I think I ended up with a bit of a 80's geometric feel. Read on for all the details.

Vibrant Art Deco Stamped Nail Art Featuring Born Pretty Store's Double Ended Liner Nail Art Brush

Press Sample Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I have some detailed reverse stamped nail art I did using my new double ended liner brush from Born Pretty Store. I already had a nail art brush set that I bought off ebay years ago but found the really fine brushes were difficult to work with. Let's take a look at how my new brush worked out.

Snowy Winter Forest Nail Art

Purchased Myself Contains Press Sample

Hello readers,
Christmas is only a couple of days away and here in Southwestern Ontario it looks like it's going to be a white one. I'm not really one for the usual red and green holiday designs, but snow makes it feel like Christmas to me. For this year's holiday nail art I went for a peacefully snowy forest scene.

Fall Leaves Nail Art

Contains Press Sample Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
I've been slacking when it comes to nail art the last couple months, so I when Beautometry announced a 'Next Top Swatcher' nail art contest I used it as an opportunity to gain some nail art motivation. This week's theme was 'Leaves' so I took inspiration from the trees outside for this look.

OPI This Color's Making Waves Swatches & Review

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
I probably didn't need another metallic teal polish, but the bronzey flakes in this one called to me from the clearance bin at Sally's and somehow it ended up coming home with me.

OPI Starlight Collection (A Selection) Swatches & Review

Press Sample

Hello readers,
Today I have a selection of shades from the OPI Starlight collection to share with you.  This collection has a mix of shades and finishes.  I'm immediately drawn to the flecked shimmers and classic jewel tones.

OPI Starlight Floral Stamped Nail Art

Contains Press Sample Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I have some stamped nail art I did recently with two shades from the OPI Starlight collection.  I started out with a base of I'm In The Moon To Love and then stamped on a floral design using Press * For Silver and Moyou London Pro collection plate XL 06.  Despite having 'silver' in the name, Press * For Silver looks more like a rose gold.  Whatever you want to call it, it made a great stamping polish.  Finally, I sealed everything up with a coat of CND Super Shiney top coat.  Photos were taken in daylight spectrum lighting.

OPI ColorPaints Melted Stained Glass Nail Art

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I have a mani I did playing with some shades from the OPI ColorPaints collection.  I started out with a base of ILNP First Class, a flecked silver holo.  I then layered blocks of sheer colour using OPI Purple Perspective, Turquoise Aesthetic and Primarily Yellow.  I added all the sheer colours to each nail a once so that the boundaries were easier to blend together.  Finally I sealed everything up with a coat of CND Super Shiney top coat.  Here's the final look.  It reminds me of stained glass but without the defined colour boundaries.

Teal And Silver Peony Nail Stamping

Purchased Myself

Hello readers,
Today I have some nail art to show you that I wore to a wedding this past weekend.  I started out with two coats OPI Fly, a teal creme.  Then I stamped on a peony design from Moyou Pro Plate XL 06 using Color Club What A Drag and . Everything was sealed up with a coat of Seche Vite.

Products I Finished This Month - April 2015

Purchased Myself/Gift

Hello readers,
It's finally May (aka the first month without snow here in Southern Ontario) which means it's time to go through April's empties.

Bath & Body

My standouts this month (again) were my citrus bath salts and the I love... bubble bath.  As I've mentioned before, the Julep Pomegranate scrub isn't my favorite due to the sticky residue it leaves on my skin.  I think I have one more of these to go through and I won't be purchasing any more after that.  The Whish shave cream I got in January's Birchbox was mediocre.  It did an alright job of moisturizing but gummed up my razor really badly which was quite annoying.  I wouldn't buy it again.  Regular shaving gel does a much better job.

Face

My favorite item this month was the Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate moisturizer that I got in March's Birchbox.  A little bit of this stuff went a long way and it didn't cause me to break out.  I would consider buying this in full size if the prize was right.  I didn't like the Garnier Ultra-Lift Transformer.  It didn't blend well with my skin at all.  The Yves Rocher clay mask continues to be a staple in my assortment of masks and the Lemon Zest mask was very cooling and refreshing.

Hand & Nails

I love quick dry drops and was very happy with OPI's version.  They help speed up drying time without causing your polish to shrink like some quick dry top coats.  I also like the Bliss high intensity hand creme.  It smelled very nice and was quite moisturizing but I do find their products a bit overpriced.

Hair

Like the past few months, Herbal Essences Naked products got used up again.  I'm having trouble finding the hairspray again though which is disappointing.  Hopefully it hasn't been discontinued.  I also finished the No.4 shampoo I got in March's Birchbox.  It was nice but nothing special.  I wouldn't buy it considering it's $39 price tag.

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Summer Of Untrieds Day 1: OPI

Hello readers,
Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians! I've decided to join Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer's Summer Of Untrieds challenge.  Basically each day has a different theme and you have to use an untried polish that fits that theme.  Day 1 is OPI so I used OPI Alpine Snow and Excuse Moi! for my Canada Day mani.

I used three coats of OPI on all fingers.  Then I added one coat of Excuse Moi! on my ring finger and stamped over that with Alpine Snow using Bundle Monster plate BM04.  Finally I topped everything off with one coat of Glisten & Glow Hong Kong Girl.

Happy polishing,

Michelle

The Lacquer Legion May Challenge: Garden

Hello readers,
Another month has flown by which means it's time for another Lacquer Legion nail art challenge.  This month's theme was garden and I will admit I completely forgot about this whole thing until today a.k.a. the day to post this month's mani.  I whipped out some polishes from the stash, a nail art brush and a dotting tool to create this floral mani. I love it!!! Even my non dominant hand looks good!  Don't you love how unplanned manis can turn into your favorite ones?

Polishes used: China Glaze Sea Spray, China Glaze Refresh Mint, OPI Road House Blues, China Glaze First Mate, China Glaze Shower Together, OPI Fresh Frog Of Bel-Air, Nubar Meadow Sparkle and Julep Charlie.

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Moyou 10k Nail Art Challenge: Ice / Fire

Hello readers,
Today I have some stamped nail art which I am super proud of to show you.  This look was inspired by the Moyou 10k nail art challenge them of Ice / Fire.  I chose the ice aspect as one of the designs on the Moyou Pro XL 06 plate reminded me of the 'crackled' pattern of ice left on everything after an freezing rain storm we had last spring.  Here's a close up look at some spring leaf buds from my garden encased in that crackled ice.

I tried to translate that pattern into a cool icy mani.  I started with a base of Finger Lickin' Lacquer Moose.  Then I added a coat of Emerald & Ash Moonlit Snow.  I dabbed some OPI Lasy Friday Night on the tips and finally stamped the whole thing with Color Club What A Drag.

I love the final effect. In direct sunlight the holo from Moose and the flecks from Moonlit Snow shine through but in the shade the stamped patter really comes to life.  Photos show the mani described with one coat of CND Super Shiney top coat in natural lighting.

Happy polishing,

Michelle

Geomtric Accent Nails To Swith Things Up

A very short post today.  I had a super busy long weekend and wore the same polish for the whole thing.  I added some geometric accents to my OPI Solitaire mani using China Glaze Sea Spray and Pahlish Valley Of Ashes.  Sometimes a quick accent nail is all you need to switch things up.

100th Post! OPI Liquid Sands Solitaire Swatches & Review

I can't believe this is my 100th post!  It doesn't feel like I've written that many but the numbers don't lie.  Today I have one of OPI's liquid sand polishes from the Bond Girls collection, Solitaire.  Bond movies were a staple in my house when I was a kid so anything Bond themed automatically catches my attention.  Solitaire is a pearly white polish with a handful of small silver glitter.  It dries to a matte textured finish.

The directions said to use two coats but I ended up using three as it still seemed a tad sheer after two.  Application was easy.  The only thing I dislike about the liquid sands is that they seem to stick to my skin so much better than other polishes, so this makes clean up a bit more difficult. 

The above photos show three coats of Solitaire in natural sunlight.  The photos below show it in shade.

As I've said before, I think textured polishes need a bit of glitter to add to depth of the textured effect.  Solitaire adds to this theory because it has some glitter and it looks amazing.  It's definitely a great option if you want a white polish that stands out.  What do you think of textured polishes?  Is this trend still going strong or starting to fade?