The OPI Infinite Shine Spring 2016 Collection officially launches in April, which is just a wink away, but today, I have some quick swatches to whet your appetite! (For the full colour story, check out the official press release I published earlier.)

Hey, is it just me, or is time zipping by? I can’t believe that it’s already going to be Easter tomorrow!

Will you be doing any fun and festive Easter nail art? I have some ideas, but I’m not sure if I’ll have enough time to sit down and execute any. We’ll see!

If I’m unable to blog on Sunday, I want to wish you all a Happy Easter now! Whether you celebrate the holiday for religious reasons or for the yummy chocolate bunnies and candies, I hope that you have a great time.

HEYYYYYY!

That’s Odin the Owl, and he’s flying off with my nail polishes!

Catch him – quick!

Thanks so much for convincing Odin the Owl to return them!

We sat down, and he apologized. Life for owls is rough these days. He said, “Nobody gives a hoot about us!” 😉

After I consoled him and told him that there are lots of people (myself included) who love owls, we ended up talking about nail polish. One thing led to another, and I ended up painting his talons with a few flattering shades. Odin’s now sporting a spiffy pedicure!

And now…onto the rest of the post where I share with you swatches of all eight colours and some bottle shots!

Stay tuned for a detailed review on at least one colour from this collection in a future post.

In general, these polishes applied easily and were smooth and shiny (even without a top coat). I used three coats for all these swatches, however, the darker shades (Olive for Green, Don’t Provoke the Plum!, and In Familiar Terra-tory only required two coats).

My favourites from the OPI Infinite Shine Spring 2016 Collection are Olive for Green (obviously!), Reach for the Sky, and In Familiar Terra-tory.

Which colours are you itching to try first? Or will you be skipping them completely?

Although OPI suggests that you use their special Infinite Shine Primer (base coat) and Infinite Shine Gloss (top coat) in conjunction with the Infinite Shine colours, I’ve found that I still get great wear when I use my usual base and top coats. So, don’t think that you have to commit to a whole new polishing system.

If you do decide to get the matching set, know also that you can use the Infinite Shine base and top coats with your other regular polishes. (I’ve tried it, and it works fine. Of course, manicure results vary based on your unique nail chemistry.)

Continue reading →

With Easter just a bunny hop, skip, and a jump away, it’s only fitting to share OPI SoftShades 2016 Collection swatches!

Start dreaming up fun spring manicures and pedicures because the OPI SoftShades 2016 Collection officially launches in April, according to the press release I posted earlier this month. (For the colour story, click that link to get all the juicy details.)

As the name would suggest, the colours are pastel, and I found that they were heavily white-based. However, they still had just enough saturation to keep them from looking washed out.

A lot of lighter shades like these tend to require three coats to reach full opacity, and these were no exception.

The formula on all of them were consistent in that they were smooth and easy to apply. The first coat was streaky, but the coverage builds up effortlessly with the second and third coat.

Based on my quick swatches, my favourites are the green (This Cost Me a Mint) and yellow (One Chic Chick). However, I’ll wait to reserve final judgement when I wear them as full manicures. (Later, I’ll do at least one in-depth review on here with multiple photos of a single shade, as per usual.)

A special mention needs to be given to It’s in the Clouds because I was expecting a stark white, but it’s a bit softer…hehe, like a cloud. 😉 Usually I’m not crazy about white nail polish, but I liked the way this one looked. I think it’s because it’s ever-so-slightly off-white, yet it still looks clean and fresh.

Overall, my first impression is that these colours are a nice change of pace from OPI’s SoftShades collections from previous years. Instead of sheers, we have cremes that can be built up for full coverage, which is what I prefer. Also, all the colours make me think of cute Easter eggs!

Edit (March 25, 2016): Scroll to the bottom of this post to see comparison swatches of OPI It’s a Boy! and OPI What’s with the Cattitude?. It was requested by Jessica, one of my awesome readers.

Continue reading →