Category Archives: Product Reviews

OPI My Pal Joey Swatches & Review

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OPI My Pal Joey Swatches Review

Akin to a statement lipstick that announces your arrival with a flourish of trumpets, OPI My Pal Joey from the Hello Kitty Collection adds a splash of colour – a boisterous blue! 

If ever your nails feel sleepy from soft shades, slap this sucker on, and wake them up. Wearing OPI My Pal Joey is so satisfying like hitting a gong, and it’s ideal for adding a pop of colour to any neutral outfit.

With today’s post, I’m pleased to tell you I’ve finished publishing separate reviews on all 12 colours in the OPI Hello Kitty Collection!

If you’d like to see all the swatches and individual reviews on hues from the collection, you can find links to them in the ‘Key Notes’ section on each shade’s page, as well as on the collection post (linked above)!

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China Glaze Moonlight the Night Swatches & Review (Layered Over OPI Infinite Shine To Be Continued…)

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China Glaze Moonlight the Night Swatches Review

China Glaze Moonlight the Night from the House of Colour Collection reminds me a little of stained glass windows when the sunshine peeks through and makes certain sections light up. This is the fairy version!

Although fiery in personality, I decided to layer China Glaze Moonlight the Night over a serene cornflower blue, OPI Infinite Shine To Be Continued…, which is very similar to Essie Bikini So Teeny (reviewed yesterday).

This lively combination is like bringing the festival of lights with you wherever you go! The dazzling glitter breathes life into the calm base and complements it, rather than compete for the spotlight.

Also, later on, I mattified this manicure for a cool sea-glass effect. I’ve included two swatches of that further in this post. (To mattify it, I used one coat of Pretty Serious Matte All the Things Top Coat.)

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Essie Bikini So Teeny Swatches & Review

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Essie Bikini So Teeny Swatches Review

Rummage through the collection of most nail-polish enthusiasts, and you’ll probably find Essie Bikini So Teeny, which originally launched back in the Summer 2012 Collection.

It’s an oldie, but a goodie with its popularity never fading over the years. (You can still easily find it in stores and online.)

With Pantone announcing Serenity as one of the Colours of the Year, Essie Bikini So Teeny not only remains a classic nail polish, but in 2016, it’s now the ‘it’ shade.

This is proof of the cyclical nature of trends. Everything comes back in fashion, if you only give it some time.

But you don’t have to follow the trends. You can start your own. I encourage it, and if you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I believe in the power of colour and self-expression. If that means wearing black polish in the summer and neons in the winter, then so be it. Make your own mark, and enjoy exploring colour on your own terms!

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OPI New Orleans Collection Swatches

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OPI New Orleans Collection Swatches

During the past couple of days here, there has been a cold-weather warning in effect, but at least my nails got an early taste of spring and summer with the OPI New Orleans Collection! (To see the OPI New Orleans Collection press release that I posted earlier, which contains the official colour story, click on the above link.)

Feast your eyes on a rainbow buffet composed of hues in a wide range from a posh periwinkle and  vibrant violet to a captivating coral and beautiful blue.

My initial impression is that, for the most part, the formula on these is good and needed 2-3 coats to achieve full opacity.

The ones that took my breath away with the finished result were Got Myself into a Jam-balaya, I’m Sooo Swamped!, She’s a Bad Muffuletta!, Show Us Your Tips!, and Rich Girls & Po-Boys.

In this post, you can see bottle shots, which are really fun to look at. I love seeing them side-by-side, and I hope you do, too!

Also included are larger images of each swatch for a quick overview of the collection. However, to get an in-depth look at them, stay tuned for my detailed one-colour-per-post reviews that showcase several swatch photos in different lighting conditions and my thoughts on the formula. (I won’t be reviewing all of the colours in-depth, but I’ll do a few for the ones I wear as full manicures.)

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Valentine’s Day Collaboration

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Valentine's Day 2016 Collaboration

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! 🙂

Valentine’s Day is one of the many reminders to appreciate the people we love while they’re still around. Life is so short, so don’t wait to show your gratitude to those who bring you happiness and humour.

To be festive, the lovely and talented Jessica (aka @JustBlendItOut on Instagram) and I thought that it’d be fun to team up for a Valentine’s Day Collaboration!

Jessica does a lot of beautiful eye-makeup looks that never cease to inspire and amaze me. To learn more details about the look she created, check out Jessica’s Instagram and her blog. Head over, and show her some love! (I particularly enjoy the glitter placement and how her eye look is glamorous and sultry!)

For my Valentine’s Day nail art, I did something fast and very simple. (It was my first time using tiny faux-pearl beads and striping tape.)

I started by painting the base of my nails with two OPI Hello Kitty Collection shades: My Pal Joey (blue) and Starry-Eyed for Dear Daniel (glittery pink). Then, I used the same blue to paint a heart onto the pink nail and placed faux-pearl beads by KISS around the perimeter.

Finally, I added diagonal, parallel lines on the remaining nails using a striping tape by a brand called It’s So Easy.

The rest of this post includes more photos of my manicure, so you can see the details close-up.

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a-england Sparks Divine Swatches & Review

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a-england Sparks Divine Swatches & Review

Experimenting with different colours and finishes is half the fun of being a nail blogger. If you never try, then you won’t know what flatters or doesn’t work for you!

Today, I’m reviewing a-england Sparks Divine, a golden nail polish. But before I begin, I need to point out something very important.

There are two versions of a-england Sparks Divine:

  • First version: No holo
  • Second version: With holo

The one I’m reviewing is the second version that will replace the first.

If you view this polish in direct sunlight, you’ll see the holographic nature better. However, when I wore this and photographed it, Mr. Sun wasn’t cooperating. Still, you can see how it looks in bright artificial light and in natural daylight.

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OPI Never Have Too Mani Friends Swatches & Review

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OPI Never Have Too Mani Friends Swatches Review

After so many spring and cutesy polishes, it’s time for something to take you to the dark side! (Hey, maybe you’re going to sport some anti-Valentine’s-Day nails, right?)

OPI Never Have Too Mani Friends from the Hello Kitty Collection takes a manicure into the Witching Hour with a glossy jet black that practically cackles with delight!

At first glance, OPI Never Have Too Mani Friends may seem like the black sheep (hehe or black cat, in this case), but it certainly belongs in the Hello Kitty Collection.

If you’re creating Hello Kitty nail art, the black will come in handy for outlining and adding details. Black nail polish is a staple for any nail art.

Instead of nudes and soft shades, sometimes, I like to use black nail polish as a palate cleanser. And it doesn’t have to be during Hallowe’en or the colder months. (I’ve been known to sport black even in the dead of summer because a great dark manicure excites me as much as a bright one.)

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