OPI Yoga-Ta Get This Blue with Turquoise Shatter

Hello y'all. It's a rainy rainy day, and after a great morning rehearsal I was looking forward to some frito pie, Psych, and a new manicure. With all the gloomy weather today, something blue seemed appropriate, so I chose OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue and OPI Turquoise Shatter.

Yoga-ta Get This Blue is a velvety navy with a turquoise shimmer. It's one of my favorite blues and I just have to show you.

OPI Yoga-Ta Get This Blue, two coats

For extra depth, I layered OPI Turquoise Shatter on top.

OPI Turquoise Shatter over OPI Yoga-Ta Get This Blue, with top coat

OoOoOoOoh! The turquoise shatter looks iridescent and having the navy underneath ads extra drama. The shatter had a cool chrome effect before top coat too, so I could see wearing it both ways. 

What do you think? What colors would you like to see under Turquoise shatter?

Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream Swatches

That's it friends, I don't think I need to buy another nail polish, ever. I hope you are ready for these pictures I'm going to share with you. Ms. Lippmann has outdone herself again and created a nail polish nothing short of spectacular. Here it is, Mermaid's Dream, a new release for Spring 2012.

Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream, two coats indirect sunlight

Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream, two coats, indirect sunlight

Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream, two coats, indirect sunlight

Deborah Lippmann Mermaid's Dream, bottle macro shot

Mermaid's Dream is a teal glitter with sapphire glitter gems and subtle gold sparks. It's amazing because it creates the illusion that your nails are jewel-encrusted. Because of this, it's better actually without top coat. (The first manicure I did, I applied top coat but it had this unattractive gritty effect.) On it's own, this polish has a finish that reminds me of antique gowns, something a mermaid probably would dream of wearing if she had legs.

Maria Menoudos' jewel encrusted gown

Application is beautiful just like all Lippmann polishes. I particularly love the brush, which picks up a good amount of polish and evenly fans it out while you polish. Dry time is practically non-existant, I think owing to the fact that this polish is predominantly glitter. I had good coverage with two coats.

Thank you, Ms. Lippmann, for such a beautiful polish to see us through seaside summer days, and beyond. And a special shout out to Neiman Marcus for such excellent (and fast!) service.

OPI Fly + Save Me

Howdy friends. Fly is another polish I picked up from the new OPI Nicki Minaj collection. At first I expected it to be just like Suzi Says Feng Shui, only more teal. But in actuality, Fly is not a creme but a really opaque sorbet. Three coats provides full coverage, and because it's a sorbet, the effect is like looking into water that's so deep you can't see where it ends. I like that about this polish, it has more depth than a regular creme (no pun intended.)

OPI Fly, three coats in direct sunlight 

Here's what it looks like with two coats of Save Me.

OPI Save Me, two coats over OPI Fly in direct sunlight

I like that the colors in this collection seem like they were inspired by the holographic spectrum found in the bar glitter. I also like how the silver glitter in Save Me creates such a flashy sheen. Overall, I think Fly is a unique polish because of the sorbet effect, and I like how it coordinates with Save Me.

Bahama Breeze Nail Art with Lippmann and OPI

Howdy Friends.  Showing you guys the OPI shatter polishes rekindled my adoration of them.  That being said, while browsing through Pinterest, I was inspired by this picture to create a multi-color shatter manicure.  I used one coat of Deborah Lippmann It's Delovely, one coat of OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui on the bottom half of my nail, and then one coat of OPI Black Shatter over the whole thing.  Finally I sealed it with one coat of OPI Top Coat to give it some shine.  I will tell you, this is the first time I've used OPI's top coat and I'm very impressed by it.

my Bahama Breeze manicure

"I'll have another, please."

When I first applied SSFS, it looked really bumpy over the tip of my nail.  But as the polish dried, it evened out over It's Delovely and created this slight purple fade in between the two polishes.  My colleague at work asked what I call this manicure.  My first response was a hodge-podge of the impression it gives me: "Bahama Breeze on the Beach at Sunset."  Realizing this is too long for a catchy name, I've since trimmed it down to simply "Bahama Breeze." 

This picture is exactly the impression I get from this manicure

What color combination would you like to see under Black Shatter?

L'OREAL Waters Edge

Howdy.  Here is a lovely polish for you,  L'OREAL Waters Edge.  It's from the 2010 Passport to Paradise Summer collection and is a gorgeous aqua creme.  You'll notice my nails are suddenly longer.  No, I did not get tips, these are just older pictures.  Peridot is so beautiful I couldn't bear to take it off!

L'OREAL Waters Edge, two coats, direct sunlight

I love how satiny smooth the finish is.  And the shade is just so creamy and vibrant!

L'OREAL Waters Edge, two coats, shade

The orchid was at a friend's house.  I think it's gorgeous, especially the fucsia against the teal.  Makes a very nice backdrop too.

Stats:

• Color: Beautiful, moderately unique
• Finish: Perfect Creme
• Price: Reasonable, $4
• Application: Tricky.  Polish gets thick and sticky.
• Dry Time: Very long.
• Impressions: Summer, beachy, cool, modern

Overall: Beautiful color, finish, and low cost is enough to make up for difficulty in application.  Just use a nice quick dry top coat.

OPI The Color To Watch

A few days ago I found out I get to go to a wedding this weekend.  I LOVE these events, so I gave great consideration to what would be on my nails.  (More consideration, in fact, than to what I'll actually be wearing.)  At first I thought I'd go with Chanel Morning Rose, but when it came time to paint my nails yesterday, I decided I was in the mood for something with a little more complexity.  Chanel Paradoxal and RBL Insouciant were considered, but I ended up deciding on OPI The Color To Watch from the Fall '10 Swiss collection.  I fell in love with this shade after choising it for an outsourced pedicure.  It looks fabulous on toes!  Not wanting to miss out on this shade, I caved and bought a bottle from ULTA.

The Color To Watch is a beautiful sophisticated lavender/blue shimmer.  It's not quite a duochrome, but both hues are definitely present.  It falls somewhere inbetween RBL Insouciant and Sally Hansen Virtual Violet.  Insouciant has a more strong lavender base and Virtual Violet has a stronger blue flash.  For this manicure I used three coats of The Color To Watch and one coat of CND Air Dry.  The top coat really helps give TCTW a glossy finish.  TCTW has a thin formula so I experienced minor cuticle drag.  Aside from that, application is pretty good.

OPI The Color To Watch, three coats, indirect sunlight

OPI The Color To Watch, three coats, direct sunlight

This polish is officially on my list of all-time favorites.  It is also my permanent go-to pedicure.  Happy Sunday, I will take lots of wedding pictures to share with you!

OPI Yoga-ta get this blue!

Good morning everyone.  Yesterday I was in the mood for a celebratory manicure, something fun yet sophisticated, so I went with OPI Yoga-ta get this blue! From the OPI India collection.  This is a fabulous navy blue with a teal shimmer that gives it a perfect lit-from-within sheen.  In the past I've had difficulty making it opaque but here it is with just two coats, perfectly even.  I think I've just gotten used to working with OPI polishes.  This one does tend to have a problem with bubbling though, so you are going to have to wait a while-5 minutes- between coats.  The wear is pretty good, I've had it on for 24 hours and there is only minimal tipwear on my right thumb.  

OPI Yoga-ta get this blue!  Two coats, natural light

It's so shiny and reflective, it literally looks like my nails have just been dipped in navy blue ink.  The teal shimmer gives it a fresh summery feeling.  Overall I'd agree with the name and say this is a must-have!

China Glaze 2NITE

I LOVE THIS POLISH!  Ok I apologize for the perhaps jarring enthusiasm, but seriously a periwinkle holograph is something to shout about.  (Especially when you bought it for $1!)  China Glaze 2NITE is from the OMG collection, a special collection inspired by the lingo and flashy fingers of texting.

2NITE has a great application, as long as you remember: Don't use a base coat.  Holographs apply much better without them.  You also don't need a top coat, it minimizes the holographic effect.  But it's ok, because holographs dry really fast, making this a perfect in-a-rush manicure.  Literally 5 minutes and you're done.  (Insert that's-what-she-said joke here.)

I took lots of pictures to show you the many facets of 2NITE.  Enjoy!

China Glaze 2NITE, two coats, direct sunlight 

China Glaze 2Nite, two coats, direct sunlight

 Heres what the color looks like with no holograph:

China Glaze 2NITE, two coats, shade

 And now back to the holograph because it's so pretty:

China Glaze 2NITE, two coats, flash

China Glaze 2Nite, two coats, direct sunlight

China Glaze 2NITE, two coats, direct sunlight

Isn't it amazing?  What I'm really pleased about is that the holographic effect is very pronounced.  Sometimes with polishes they leave me wanting more, like OPI DS Extravagance and China Glaze Sugar Plums.  My hand is always searching for the perfect lighting to show a huge holographic effect, but inevitably its always on the subtle side.  But not this polish!  I can't wait til summer to wear it...um...probably every day.

If anyone has any lemmings from this collection let me know!  I'll check the beauty store where I picked this one up and see if the rest are on clearance too.  Seriously, one dollar!

Suzi Says Feng Shui

Here's a color I love but haven't worn too much recently.  Suzi Says Feng Shui from the OPI Spring 2010 Hong Kong collection is a dusty blue creme.  The exact shade of blue is hard to describe.  It's bright but not in-your-face, it almost has a neutral quality to it.  Here are two photos, the first in shade, the second in sunlight.

OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui, two coats shade

Cremes don't get any higher shine than this!

OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui, two coats direct sunlight

While the color works for Winter the finish definitely says Summer.  With what little light there is available during these shorter days, I need at least some shimmer in my life.  I wonder how this would look under Party Hearty or Bring on the Bling...

Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe

So. Pretty.  A sheer navy base swimming with aqua sequins, green sequins and blue glitter, Across The Universe is truly one of the most fascinating polishes I've ever worn.  This was released by Deborah Lippmann along with Bad Romance for Fall 2010, and it's hard to say which I like better.  Across The Universe has more sparkle and much more glitter, but there's just something about the black/purple glitter combination that calls to me.  Anyway here are pictures of ATU so you can decide for yourself!  This is three coats with top coat.

Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe, three coats, sunlight

Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe, three coats sunlight

Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe, three coats shade

Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe, three coats direct sunlight

You can see it has a higher concentration of glitter than Bad Romance, and the sequins are two different colors instead of just one.  This is probably why I couldn't decide between the two polishes and had to get both!  Thank you Nordstroms San Antonio for encouraging my Lippmann Addiction.