Wednesday will be Earth Day, and Zoya is starting early with their annual 2015 Earth Day Exchange today!
(Great news – this time, it’s open to Americans, but also Canadians. This is the first time that Canadians can have fun with a Zoya Earth Day deal!)
Keep reading this post to see the official Zoya Earth Day Nail Polish Exchange 2015 press release sent to me by Zoya, and to find out how to participate!
Got some nail news in my inbox yesterday regarding the OPI SoftShades Collection 2015!
As you know, OPI puts out a SoftShades Collection every year, and it usually features demure colours.
Definitely the OPI Color Paints, which I showed you swatches and bottle shots of yesterday are more my speed. (Bold, high-contrast hues make this nailphile’s heart race faster than Usain Bolt.)
That being said, it doesn’t mean that I turn a blind eye to sophisticated and more muted colours. There’s a time and a place for these.
If you look at the collection’s display, check out the model’s nails. She added a twist. I like it, and I may take a cue from that nail look. Using a soft shade as a base, you can easily jazz up a manicure with bolder shades for a funkier design.
Check out the official press release in this post, and see the promotional images of each colour.
Two of them stand out. I like how they have included Petal Soft, a glitter nail polish with daisy decals. That sounds like a lot of fun. Also, Make Light of the Situation sounds like it could take any of the softer shades to the next level with its iridescent goodness!
Launching in May are nine colours in the OPI Color Paints Blendable Nail Lacquer collection. They’re semi-translucent, buildable polishes that can be layered and blended to create unique nail art effects!
You can create your own shades with them or use them as is, which lends itself to a world of creative possibilities.
OPI has also included a silver, which is intended to be used as a base colour to enhance the pops of colour of what you put on top.
I think that there’s so much you can do with this nail concept, so I’m excited to try them out and to see what others come up with!
P.S. Did you see the second blog post that I sneaked in yesterday evening? It tells you all about OPI’s latest initiative of how you can “speak in colour”! (Plus I also tell you why I wanted to become an international spy when I was a child.)
Edit: Click here to see my new post with OPI Color Paints swatches, bottle shots, and an OPI Sheer Tints comparison!
Here’s a second post for Monday. 🙂
It introduces how you can Speak in Colour with OPI’s New Universal Language!
For each letter, A through Z, OPI has designated a pool of nail polish. This allows you to create fun and colourful messages that not only look artistic, but they can be deciphered easily.
Since we’re on the topic of ‘codes’, I want to share a little bit about myself that ties in and explains why this OPI campaign made me feel nostalgic! 🙂
When I was in elementary school, teachers would ask students what we wanted to be when we grew up.
My classmates threw around a wide variety of professions such as firefighter, doctor, and even princess!
After sitting patiently and listening to others share their dreams, it finally was my turn to speak up.
What did Little Mary want to be when she grew up?
The first dream job I ever wanted to pursue (since perhaps the age of 5 or 6) was an international spy. Everyone, even the teacher looked at me funny.
I definitely wasn’t a tomboy because I loved ‘playing house’, dressing up in pink dresses, and playing with dolls. However, what gave me the biggest thrill were stories where a person went on an adventure. There had to be an element of danger, and the only way to escape would be to think fast on your feet and outsmart the opponent.
When I was a kid, I read Choose Your Own Adventure books, and I had a crush on mullet-loving MacGyver (even though he was so much older). I also fantasized about being one of The Goonies. I wished that I had the special computerized ‘book’ from Inspector Gadget (the original cartoon). And I can’t forget watching the Indiana Jones movies for the first time. (I don’t believe in true perfection, but gosh, Indiana Jones comes pretty darn close!) *My eyes become hearts now*
At recess, the times when I didn’t feel like playing with my female friends and pretending that we were princesses, I used to run off with the guys in the grade above me. Our favourite game was to imagine that we were hunting down criminals and demonic spirits to uncover the twisted truth behind a well-kept mystery! As ‘spies’, we documented our observations in crumpled-up notebooks, collected ‘evidence’, and pieced together the puzzle in order to solve a case. (Oftentimes, our imagination was so wild, we ended up scaring ourselves and were glad when the bell rang and it was time to go back to class!) 😉
I wanted to read everything about spies, codes, and deciphering them. It got to the point where I was creating coding devices and teaching my friends how to use them, so we could pass notes in class with secret messages. And I also owned a spy book that had a strategically placed hole through all the pages, so you could ‘pretend’ to be reading when really you were spying on someone! (I still have it on my bookshelf!)
For years I was convinced that I wanted to be an international spy who traveled the world and called any new place home. (My parents would always laugh when I told them and wondered what ever put such an idea into my head.)
So, although this introduction was windy, I do have a point. 🙂 It’s a sharp one, so please don’t sit on it!
When I first heard about the OPI ColorChat App and how it allowed you to create messages in, essentially, nail-polish ‘code’, it brought back some of my childhood memories of always wanting to write and crack coded messages. So, even though I’m in my 30s, it looks like Little Mary still lives on inside me. 😉
Check out the rest of this post to see more photos of the new OPI initiative, the OPI ColorChat App, and how it can be used to create personal products that allow you to express yourself in colour and in ‘code’.
Today’s post features a closer look at the Essie Bridal 2015 Collection with swatches, bottle shots, and the official press release!
I’ll also include some photos that I snapped from the pretty booklet that PR sent me along with the nail polishes.
There are six colours in the Essie Bridal 2015 Collection, most of which are soft shades.
The bold pops of colour come from the red and pink. (It reminds me of my sister-in-law. On her wedding day, she had pink nails with subtle nail art.)
While the rich shades are more my speed, I’m going to give the softer ones a go. (If you have a shade in particular that you’d like me to review first, let me know, and I’ll try to get around to it before the others. So far, I haven’t worn any yet!)
After I met Rita Remark (Essie’s Lead Nail Artist) on Friday night at World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto, I’m curious to try more nude polishes. I asked her how to choose a flattering nude, and she suggested looking for one that has a bit of pink and that’s two shades lighter than your skin tone. If you go darker, it could look muddy, and if you match your skin tone, it can look like a Band-Aid.
(See my Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ accounts for a few photos that I posted during Fashion Week. I may blog about it later, too, because I have plenty more photos and even some video clips.)
Here’s my second blog post for today – a fun recap! 🙂
Yesterday at David Pecaut Square in Toronto, fierce models were strutting their stuff in the upcoming Mikhael Kale Fall/Winter 2015 fashion featuring dresses with intricate beading, retro-circle mod themes, and lots of textures for Day 1 of World MasterCard Fashion Week!
In this show, he sought inspiration from eras with memorable looks: the 50s, 60s, and 70s.
Mikhael Kale started his own label in 2007 and has been featured in numerous prestigious publications including The New York Times Style Magazine, Nylon, and Wallpaper. He has also dressed A-list celebrities such as Beyonce and JLo!
The creative philosophy behind Mikhael Kale fashion is that garments move and breathe, acting like an extension of the person who wears the clothes. They flatter the body’s silhouette and express its strength and delicate nature.
Grace Lee is Maybelline’s Lead Makeup Artist, and she whipped up a fun look that incorporated a fun and unexpected bright pop of colour.
She gave the inner corner of the eye that “Wow Factor” by using an everyday product in a novel way. Grace Lee used a lipstick to create that brilliant orange that graced each model that walked the runway.
First, she started with a smoky eye using Eye Studio Color Molten Eyeshadow Duo in Midnight Morph and Eye Studio 24hr Color Tattoo in Barely Branded for a neutral tone.
Lashes were coated with Lash Sensational Mascara for a dramatic effect, and brows were shaped using Eye Studio Brow Drama (the clear version).
To add that punch of colour to the inner corner of the eyes, Grace Lee used Color Sensational Vivids Lip Color in Electric Orange. This created an unforgettable, head-turning look!
Since the orange accent was the focal point, she kept the lips simple and fresh with Color Sensational The Buffs Lip Color in Nude Lust.
On the face, she used Face Studio Master Prime to create a wonderful glow, followed by the Fit Me! Foundation Stick and Fit Me! Powder. Then, she highlighted skin with Baby Lips in Quenched and Eye Studio 24hr Color Tattoo in Barely Branded.
On nails, Rita Remark, Essie Canada’s Lead Nail Artist used Sand Tropez and Blanc.
Rita Remark said, “I sought to redefine the typical ‘nude’, utilizing neutral polish colours to make a statement nail look. The result is versatile, yet strikingly unique at the same time.”
Check out the rest of this post for tons of photos of the Mikhael Kale fashion, as well as the makeup and nail looks!
Happy Friday!
As Easter draws closer, I have no doubt that some nailphiles will be decking their nails out with cute pastel polishes and doing all sorts of fun nail art. 🙂
So it was great timing that Zoya sent me information about the new Zoya Delight Minis in limited-edition boxes!
Official press release:
You’re never too old for an Easter Basket and Zoya Delight Minis are the perfect way to add a little something sweet to it without the calories! For a limited time, you can get the Zoya Nail Polish* Delight shades in special Limited Edition boxes!
These color cuties are available for Pre-Order NOW and will be shipping on 3/23/15!
SPECIAL
Get any 5 color cuties for $20 PLUS Free Shipping!
Use Code: MINI5
Head to www.zoya.com to pre-order these adorable minis now!
PS – they make the PERFECT gift!
*BIG5FREE: Zoya Nail Polish Formula contains no formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate, toluene or camphor.
If you’re interested, I have quick swatches of the entire Zoya Delight Collection. (That post also has a link to the official press release, if you’d like further information.)
