Category Archives: Product Reviews

OPI DS Extravagance Swatches & Review (Revisited)

OPI DS Extravagance Swatches & ReviewIn May, I wore a polish that I’ve loved for a long time: OPI DS Extravagance!

It’s one of those shades that, each time I wear it, I’m always in awe of its beauty and exceptionally smooth formula.

I have a lot of OPI DS (Designer Series) nail polishes in my collection from the original line when OPI first came out with it and they claimed to have ‘diamond dust’.

Just the other month, I was thinking about how much I love a bunch of them. I’ll need to share them on here sometime because I feel like they’re a part of nail history, and, in particular, my nail history. The OPI Designer Series nail polishes were the first pricer lacquers I ever splurged on.

I have many rare and discontinued OP DS Series nail polishes that I want to share with you.

(Sometimes bloggers feel uncomfortable showing old and hard-to-find lacquers because readers may be disappointed when they can’t track down the same colour to enjoy. However, my mindset is different. I’m not focused on showing you only things that you can buy. That’s not why I started blogging. I blog because I love to participate in the beauty community and to share opinions. Plus I enjoy seeing other bloggers share their rare polishes because it gives me a glimpse at something special and different than the current new collection that’s available. I enjoy seeing how polishes have evolved, and that involves going back to their roots. Keep your eyes peeled like a banana for upcoming posts on rare polishes!)

While many of the OPI DS polishes have been discontinued, OPI DS Extravagance is one that has stuck around over the years and is still readily available.

Since the first time I wore OPI DS Extravagance, I fell in love, and I reviewed it in 2010 when I first started blogging. (Speaking about evolution, check out that old post and compare it to today’s. You can see my roots, and I’m not embarrassed to expose my journey with you.)

However, I felt that it was time to revisit the nail polish, rekindle my flame for it, and to see how the formula has held up after all these years.

I’ve worn this polish several times since purchasing it back in the day, and I’ve even bought a new back-up of it. But instead of cracking open the new bottle, I decided to dip into my old, original bottle because that’s the ultimate test. (A brand new bottle should, technically, perform well, but sometimes an older bottle that’s been opened and used many times can dry out.)

How did it fare? There’s only one way to find out!

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Color Club Gift of Sparkle Swatches & Review

Color Club Gift of Sparkle Swatches & ReviewAn oldie-but-goodie is Color Club Gift of Sparkle, which is originally from the Winter Affair Collection in 2012, but I only purchased it about a year or so ago.

If you’re into rich purples and like some holo rather than a full-on holo, this one will surely make your nails sing!

It’s like an eggplant that boarded a rocket with a one-way ticket to Jupiter.

With just enough twinkle and a rich base colour to make the glitter stand out even more, Color Club Gift of Sparkle is one of those polishes that will having you staring at your nails like a vain polish peacock.

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Elizabeth Arden Always Red Perfume Review & Pictures

Elizabeth Arden Always Red Perfume ReviewPerfume never fails to make me as curious as Alice catching sight of the White Rabbit gawking at the time.

I tend to stick to my favourites on a daily basis, which are always in the gourmand and make-me-smell-like-dessert category.

So when I recently attended an Elizabeth Arden preview event last week at the Trump Hotel in Toronto, I was surprised that, upon first whiff, I gravitated toward Elizabeth Arden Always Red!

This fragrance launches in mid-July, so it should be out pretty soon when you read this.

It’s more mature than the scents that are normally in my comfort zone, yet this one appealed to me because it’s womanly without coming across as stuffy or old-fashioned.

I’ve been wearing Elizabeth Arden Always Red several times since being introduced to it, and I now have a good idea of its lasting power and strength, as well as how it mixes with my body chemistry.

(As you know, the same perfume can smell different or transform throughout the day on different people. It’s very personal, which is why fragrance intrigues me so much. The right scent can make your day, and the wrong one can give you a headache.)

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Nail Art: Neon Ladybug Nails

Ladybug Nail Art NeonOn Monday night, I painted these Neon Ladybug Nails, and I only took them off on Friday night because the design on my index finger chipped.

It was funny how it chipped. The ‘body’ part fell off in one sheet, but the black tips with the eyes remained. (That finger ended up looking like a robber!)

Ladybug nails are nothing new. In fact, I did a traditional black-and-red variety in 2011, which you can see in the Ladybug Nail Art Tutorial I posted back then.

This time, I wanted a summery twist because I was craving neons, and in particular, I wanted some old neons that I remember loving and reviewing on here from 2010 to 2012.

I used all China Glaze nail polishes in the following colours: Pool Party (reddish pink), Flip Flop Fantasy (coral – the original version), Sun Worshiper (orange), and Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (yellow).

I also used OPI nail polishes: Who Are You Calling Bossy?!? (black) and Angel with a Leadfoot (white).

This is the manicure I wore to the Elizabeth Arden Fall Preview event that I went to on Tuesday. It was held in Toronto’s Financial District on the 31st floor of the Trump Hotel. (The Trump Hotel was rated as the #1 luxury hotel in Canada!)

(I shared some photos on my Instagram. Click the link to see them. You don’t need the Instagram app to view the images. Only if you want to “Like” or comment on a photo do you need to install it on your phone.)

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OPI Can’t Hear Myself Pink! Swatches & Review

OPI Can't Hear Myself Pink Swatches & ReviewOPI Can’t Hear Myself Pink! is from the Brights 2015 Collection, and it’s shimmery with a metallic quality.

This is exactly the type of ‘princess shade’ that would make my eyes light up when I was a little girl.

Pfft – forget “On Wednesdays, we wear pink!” 😉 In grade school, I wore pink on a daily basis!

Then, as a teenager, I grew to love purple.

Hehe, now that I’m a sweet raisin, you know that green is what puts hearts in my pupils.

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Zoya Cecilia Swatches & Review

Zoya Cecilia Swatches & ReviewSomebody pinch me because the formula of Zoya Cecilia from the Island Fun Collection is so dreamy, it manages to steal my attention away from the smouldering Giorgio Armani models for those men’s fragrance ads! 😉

If you’re looking for a teal that leans more on the green side, Zoya Cecilia will have your pulse racing like your nails are on the track and caught sight of the checkered flag waving.

Once again, Zoya has nailed the creme formula, and it performs like a luxury polish without the high price tag. Total winner through and through!

P.S. In case you missed yesterday’s post, I shared my Shark Nail Art Tutorial to kick off Shark Week!

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Nail Art Tutorial: Shark Nails

Shark NailsToday is officially the start of Shark Week!

Do you usually catch the series on the Discovery Channel? Will you be sporting shark nails?

Since I had wanted to do some nail art, Shark Nail Art seemed appropriate now.

It’s a super easy design that doesn’t require a lot of tools or colours. (You probably already have all the colours to create these shark nails because they’re staples.)

You can just do one shark on an accent nail, however, whenever I do freehand nail art, I enjoy painting all my nails because it gives me more practice, and I love seeing the variations from nail to nail – the human touch.

I was inspired by the shark nails by Bethany from Beauty Junkie. (Go check out her cute shark nails!)

In this post, I share with you swatches of this look, and then further down, I show you step-by-step with photos and written instructions how you can easily recreate it with my Shark Nail Art Tutorial.

Hope you enjoy this freehand nail tutorial!

Hehe, look at the baby shark on my pinkie finger. He’s a bit of a messy eater! 😉 Makes me laugh!

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