OPI Cuckoo For This Color

This is one of the newest offerings from OPI, part of the Fall 2010 Swiss collection. I think it's gorgeous! It's a vampy green with definite teal undertones and packed full of blue-based teal shimmer.

This polish, despite a little tipwear, is really wearing great. No chips and I'm on the..third day already? Yes, I think that's right. I know a lot of people are saying this polish is pretty dupeable, but I know I don't have anything like it in my stash. Well, okay, that's not entirely true. I do have Zoya Suvi. HOWEVER. Suvi is much, much more green. If they were trees, Cuckoo For This Color would be a blue fir and Suvi would be an evergreen. Same family, but noticeably different.

In other news, my nails are growing quite well! I've been keeping them polished, and trying to take really good care of them. However, I think I need to find a new base coat. I just don't think my Zoya Anchor is doing much for me anymore. I know I've heard a lot of talk about Gelous lately, but I'm kind of confused about what it is, exactly. I know it's a base coat, but does it make your nails really thick, like you have gels on? If it does, I definitely do not want that. Do any of you have suggestions for a good (easily accessible) base coat?

Nail Polish Stash: Part Seven

Click here for the rest of the series.

Taken from Part One: I recently decided to reorganize my polish, since I no longer know how many I own, what colors I own, etc. So, in a way, this series of posts is to help keep me organized. But it's also for you all! If you see anything in these posts that you want to see more of, let me know, and I'll swatch it for you. :] (EDIT: Some photos are clickable, some aren't. I'm not really sure why this is happening, and I've tried to fix it, but nothing seems to work. Sorry!)

Dark Blue

Note: This picture is horrible. I really, sincerely apologize. I did my best to color-correct it, though, so the polishes should be accurate, for the most part.

Essie Aruba Blue, Sonia Kashuk Space Cadet, Nina Ultra Pro Sailor, Sephora Brand Blue Sapphire, MAC Blue India, Finger Paints Cobalt Cardigan, Zoya Kotori, Revlon Midnight Affair, Covergirl Midnight Magic

Medium Blue

Color Club Pure Energy, OPI Sea, I Told You!, NYC East Village, China Glaze Frostbite, OPI Absolutely Alice

Light Blue

OPI Give Me the Moon!, Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau, No Miss Boynton Beach Blue, China Glaze For Audrey, Zoya Yummy, China Glaze Rainstorm

The Ones I Accidentally Forgot

Oops! I left these out when I was taking pictures, and I really, reeeeally didn't want to go back and retake pictures, ha. So they get a separate picture!

Charlotte Russe unnamed magenta, Milani Garnet Gems, Orly Tiara

And that's everything! So, what's my grand total, you ask? 215 polishes! Whoa. That's quite a bit, eh? I honestly thought it'd be much more than that, though, but I guess I forgot to take into consideration the fact that I recently gave away/got rid of at least 20 polishes.

Anyway! Again, if you saw something you liked and want to see a better image of it, just let me know and I'll swatch it for you.

Nail Polish Stash: Part Six

Click here for the rest of the series.

Taken from Part One: I recently decided to reorganize my polish, since I no longer know how many I own, what colors I own, etc. So, in a way, this series of posts is to help keep me organized. But it's also for you all! If you see anything in these posts that you want to see more of, let me know, and I'll swatch it for you. :] (EDIT: Some photos are clickable, some aren't. I'm not really sure why this is happening, and I've tried to fix it, but nothing seems to work. Sorry!)

Yellow-based Orange Creme

China Glaze Sun Worshipper, Finger Paints Orange Kick, Sally Hansen Sun Kissed, Color Club Oh Naturale (this is actually a peach, but I guess, technically, that's an orange color? Haha)

Red-based Orange Creme

China Glaze Thataway, China Glaze Japanese Koi, Revlon Mad About Mango, Sephora by OPI Brainiac, Milani Juicy Glo, OPI A Good Mandarin is Hard to Find, Essie Tart Deco

Orange Shimmer/Glitter

China Glaze Dreamsicle, NYC Sun Goddess, Revlon Amber Ablaze, Zoya Kaufda, Color Club Tangerine Scream (neon, so much brighter in real life), Color Club Turn the Other Chic, Zoya Gwin

Coral

OPI Bright Lights-Big Color, Orly OMG, Essie California Coral, China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy, Rimmel Sunny Side, Color Club Hot Couture (which is actually more of a pink glitter than a coral)

Yellow

(Sidenote: How do I only have 3 yellows? Crazy!)

OPI Banana Bandanna, Diamond Cosmetics Lemon Yellow Zest, Color Club Volt of Light

Nail Polish Stash: Part Five

Click here for the rest of the series.

Taken from Part One: I recently decided to reorganize my polish, since I no longer know how many I own, what colors I own, etc. So, in a way, this series of posts is to help keep me organized. But it's also for you all! If you see anything in these posts that you want to see more of, let me know, and I'll swatch it for you. :] (EDIT: Some photos are clickable, some aren't. I'm not really sure why this is happening, and I've tried to fix it, but nothing seems to work. Sorry!)

Dark Green

OPI Jade Is the New Black, Sally Hansen Jumpin' Jade, Orly Enchanted Forest, Zoya Suvi, Zoya Envy, Sephora by OPI Dark Room, China Glaze Wagon Trail (which is not really black, I swear)

Medium Green

Nfu-Oh #56, Finger Paints Sketch N Etch, Rimmel Camouflage, Zoya Irene, Milani Key Lime Shine (which is too light to be in this lineup, but whatever)

Bright Green

Sinful Colors Irish Green, Color Club What A Shock!, Sinful Colors Green Ocean, Zoya Midori, China Glaze Entourage, Sally Hansen Grass Slipper, Milani Totally 80's, Milani Hi-Tech

Mint Green

Sinful Colors Mint Apple, Sally Hansen Lime Lights, Essie Mint Candy Apple, OPI Damone Roberts 1968, Revlon Minted, L.A. Colors Green Satin

Teal

China Glaze Watermelon Rind, Nina Ultra Pro Velvet Seas, China Glaze Atlantis, Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away, Icing Marine Blue, Zoya Akyra

I've noticed that I have a serious lack of olive greens. As in: I have none. I really should try to remedy this, haha.

Nail Polish Stash: Part Four

Click here for the rest of the series.

Taken from Part One: I recently decided to reorganize my polish, since I no longer know how many I own, what colors I own, etc. So, in a way, this series of posts is to help keep me organized. But it's also for you all! If you see anything in these posts that you want to see more of, let me know, and I'll swatch it for you. :] (EDIT: Some photos are clickable, some aren't. I'm not really sure why this is happening, and I've tried to fix it, but nothing seems to work. Sorry!)

Dark Purple

Zoya Savita, Zoya Yasmeen, OPI Ink, OPI Meet Me On the Star Ferry (which is much darker and more, you know, purple in real life), Rimmel Deliciously Dark, Zoya Mimi, Sinful Colors Daddy's Girl, OPI Merry Midnight, NARS Tokaido Express

Medium Purple

Diamond Cosmetics Amethyst and Diamonds, Rimmel Climax, China Glaze Grape Pop, Nina Ultra Pro Purple X-ing, OPI Pamplona Purple, CQ 151, China Glaze Flying Dragon

Light Purple

OPI You're A Doll! (which is actually sort of pinky-purple), Icing Lilly, Essie Lilacism, Revlon Gum Drop, Zoya Zara, Covergirl Luxe Lilac, Orly Cashmere Cardigan (more of a periwinkle), Revlon Not So Blue-berry (also more of a periwinkle)

Purple with Blue Flash

Sally Hansen Grape Going!, China Glaze Reggae to Riches, Milani Purple Passion, Rimmel Violet Metal, Color Club Ultraviolet

Duochrome/Crazy Purple

Milani Dot Com, Rimmel Zeitgeist, OPI Mad As A Hatter, MAC Toast Of the Town, Zoya Adina

I think I have a purple problem, ha.

Nail Polish Stash: Part Three

Click here for the rest of the series.

Taken from Part One: I recently decided to reorganize my polish, since I no longer know how many I own, what colors I own, etc. So, in a way, this series of posts is to help keep me organized. But it's also for you all! If you see anything in these posts that you want to see more of, let me know, and I'll swatch it for you. :] (EDIT: Some photos are clickable, some aren't. I'm not really sure why this is happening, and I've tried to fix it, but nothing seems to work. Sorry!)

Berry

Milani Blackberry Baby, Essie Soiree Mauve, OPI Manicurist of Seville, Zoya Roxy, Sally Hansen Enduring Plum, Nina Ultra Pro Pomegranate, Rimmel Hypnotise, Sally Hansen Berry Swift, Essie Very Cranberry, Zoya Harlow

Dark Pink Creme

Rimmel Pink Punk, China Glaze Rich & Famous, Milani Parfait, Sula Paint & Peel Watermelon, Avon Viva Pink, Nicole by OPI Something About Spring, Milani Pink Pop (neon, so of course it didn't photograph anywhere near its real color)

Dark Pink Shimmer

Milani #1 Hottest Pink, China Glaze Strawberry Fields, Color Club Electro Candy (much darker, but, again, neons never photograph correctly), Zoya Kiki, OPI La Paz-itively Hot

Medium Pink

Sally Hansen VIP Pink, L'Oreal Trust Fund Baby, China Glaze Rio, Milani Sugar (which is actually more of a candy pink), Revlon Sublime Strawberry

Light Pink

China Glaze Something Sweet, Color Club I Believe in Amour, Jessica Pink Lemonade, Revlon Cotton Candy, Color Club Pardon My French, Orly Polo Princess, Essie Pop Art Pink, Unnamed and really old (like, from when I was in elementary school) Bon Bons polish

Pink Glitter/Foil

Hello Kitty multicolored glitter in pink base from Target, Avon Rave, Milani Disco Lights

Nude

Chanel Jade Rose (which, I know, is technically a pink. But it gives me mannequin hands, so I consider it to be a nude.), Sally Hansen Champagne Diamond, Sally Hansen Sheerleader

Nail Polish Stash: Part Two

Click here for the rest of the series.

Taken from Part One: I recently decided to reorganize my polish, since I no longer know how many I own, what colors I own, etc. So, in a way, this series of posts is to help keep me organized. But it's also for you all! If you see anything in these posts that you want to see more of, let me know, and I'll swatch it for you. :] (EDIT: Some photos are clickable, some aren't. I'm not really sure why this is happening, and I've tried to fix it, but nothing seems to work. Sorry!)

Dark Red Creme

Revlon Vixen, Rimmel Celebrity Bash, L'Oreal Stroke of Midnight, Milani Bella Berry, Clinique Black Honey Velvet, OPI All A-bordeaux the Sled!

Dark Red Shimmer/Glitter

Zoya Blair (much more red than this), Sally Hansen Glossy, Revlon Autumn Berry, Sally Hansen Flirt (which is actually more purple than red, but whatever)

Medium/Bright Red Creme

China Glaze Sacred Heart, L'Oreal Lady Luck, Revlon Mon Cherry, Sephora by OPI High Maintenance, Covergirl Candy Apple, China Glaze Hawaiian Punch (Which, erm, shouldn't be in this lineup. It has a barely-there shimmer. Oops!), Rimmel Passion, OPI Comet Loves Cupid, Essie Red Nouveau

Medium/Bright Red Shimmer/Glitter

Zoya Posh, China Glaze Ruby Pumps, Orly Star Spangled, BB Couture Fairy Blood, OPI Dear Santa, Revlon Frankly Scarlet, Rimmel Big Night Out, Hard Candy Lava

Finger Paints Sketch N Etch.

This is one of Finger Paints' latest releases, and I believe it's a new addition to their core line. This is great news, because it means that most of you will be able to get a bottle! And, really, you should get a bottle. It has swiftly become one of my favorite greens.

It's a gorgeous, lit-from-within emerald green shimmer. The second picture is a more accurate depiction of the lit-from-within-ness. Application was awesome. It was smooth, and I only had to use two coats to get a decent amount of opaqueness. I suppose I could have used one more coat, though, to really ensure that I wasn't going to have any VNL. Wear was decent, and, honestly, the only reason it chipped so quickly (on the second or third day of wear) was because I was house-sitting and I had to do a ton of cleaning. Also, my nails have been peeling pretty badly lately.

Speaking of which, does anyone have any suggestions on how to combat this? My nails are usually pretty strong, but lately I've been having serious problems with peeling/breakage. I've heard Nail Tek suggested before. Is this a good option? What do you suggest?

Rimmel Violet Metal.

Ha, whenever I go to write about this polish, I accidentally type Violent Metal. I guess that's an accurate description of how I felt when I wore this polish, though: violent. Because, even though the color is beautiful and the application was pretty decent, the wear was HORRIBLE. 10 days my foot! It barely lasted a day before it was chipping off in huge chunks! I was so, so mad. I normally don't have issues with Rimmel polishes! But this one was seriously a disaster.

OPI Meet Me On the Star Ferry.

This polish is so, so beautiful. It's a wonderful plummy purple with slightly holographic (!!) shimmer. This is from OPI's spring 2010 Hong Kong collection. Honestly, when I first saw this one, I wasn't all that interested. But then I started seeing it more and more, and I fell in love! I'm so happy I was able to win this one from PolishSWATCHES.

So, so pretty. I realize that in these two pictures, the polish looks to be a different color. But that's the thing about MMOTSF! It shifted in different lighting! Goodness, I love this polish. Application was a dream, and wear was pretty good, too.

Review: Sinful Colors Mint Apple.

I'm just going to say it right now: I love this polish. I absolutely love it! It's a gorgeous minty blue with subtle silver shimmer. Application was a dream. I want to say this was three coats, though I probably could have gotten away with two. I originally was not going to wear this last week, but ended up putting it on after my Rimmel Violet Metal started chipping like crazy on the second day wearing it. I was not happy about that. Wear with Mint Apple was pretty decent. I think I got about four days out of it, but at that point there was only a little tipwear. Honestly, I was just ready for a change, haha.

Oy. Excuse the lobster hands. It's the lighting, I swear!

Everyone is always comparing this polish to Essie's Mint Candy Apple, obviously because the names are so similar. Honestly? I prefer this one. I know they're two completely different colors, but this one just draws me in more. It's just more interesting, to me at least. And it's definitely cheaper, ha. And I also believe that this is part of Sinful's main line now, so it's also much more easily accessible. Don't get me wrong! Essie's Mint Candy Apple is super pretty. And it's a great winter color. I just didn't dig the formula. With Sinful's Mint Apple, the application was amazing.

So, what do you think? Have you had a chance to try this polish out yet? Are you even down with the whole mint trend that's been going on for the past few months?

Review: OPI La Paz-itively Hot and Diamond Cosmetics mini-haul.

I put this on on Thursday night. I wasn't really feeling this color when I first put it on. I even thought about taking it off and replacing it with something darker. It was about one in the morning, though, so I decided I'd just leave it. I'm happy I did. I actually really, really like it. At first, I wasn't sure if it worked with my skintone. I think it does, though.

La Paz-itively Hot is bright fuchsia with a subtle blue-violet flash. Really ostentatious and pretty. Application was so-so. Fairly streaky, but I managed to even it out. I did two coats, because I knew I wouldn't be going in public this weekend, so I wasn't really concerned about VNL, of which there is quite a bit. Three coats probably would have fixed this, but whatever. As pretty as this is, I still want to try the matte version. It looks awesome.

Oh, and I apologize for the horrible cleanup job. Like I said, I wasn't going out in public this weekend, so I didn't really take the time to make this look amazing, haha.

All pictures taken with flash, indoors. I apologize for the huge chip in my index finger in the last picture and the chip on my thumb, but I had to take the picture. This polish perfectly matches my Cheshire Cat pillowcase! I love it.

On another note, my Diamond Cosmetics order came today! I was shocked to find it in my mailbox, because according to FedEx, it wasn't going to be here until Tuesday. Actually, FedEx has been weird throughout this whole shipping process. For some reason, my package shipped from its origin point in south Florida, to Orlando, Florida, to Atlanta, then to here. I live in Florida. I don't see why it had to bypass me by hundreds of miles, only to come right back this way. Oh, well. It's here now! These colors are so, so pretty. I want to wear them all right now, but I'm not going to, because I already decided on wearing SOPI Brainiac for next week, and I don't want to have one of these beauties on for only one day.

Review: OPI Sea? I Told You!

Last night I went to see Avatar in 3-D. It was absolutely amazing. Sure, the story's been told before: Man from outside world becomes one of the natives, falls in love with the chief's daughter, chaos ensues, and they must save the people. However, it was done in a way that was new and fresh, and, really, it was beautiful. Everything about the movie was beautiful. I really don't see how you would even be watching the same movie if you didn't see it in 3-D, though. The 3-D is integrated so well that it becomes essential in order to have a complete movie-watching experience.

This isn't a movie-review blog, so moving right along! I wanted to paint my nails blue, to match the Na'vi. I honestly don't have many blues in my collection, but I remembered I had OPI Sea? I Told You! in my untried pile, so I reached in there and grabbed it. I'm so happy I did. This color is absolutely gorgeous. It's a beautiful aquamarine with blue-green microshimmer (Not glitter. This is most definitely shimmer. EDIT: Okay, this was actually micro-microglitter. When I went to remove it, it got really rough, and was a bit difficult to remove. Not as hard as with regular glitter, but more difficult than with a standard shimmer polish.), and it actually has a bit of a foil finish. Application was amazing, though the formula was a little thin. I think I did three coats to get perfect coverage. And then, of course, one coat of Poshe to really bring out the shimmer.

This polish is from the Sunbelievable Collection, I believe. I also have Banana Bandanna from this collection, which I'll try eventually.

This polish is so difficult to photograph, though. It was practically impossible to capture just how pretty this polish is. Most of the pictures really showed the foil effect, but none would show the shimmer! These two pictures are the closest to actual polish color. (Both taken indoors, with flash.)

Review: Essie Very Cranberry

So I actually did this manicure before the Milani Key Lime Shine. I just wanted to post Key Lime Shine on my birthday, since I wore it for my birthday and all. Anyway, this is Essie Very Cranberry. It's a reddish pink..shimmer? Creme? I couldn't decide with this one. It's got this insanely subtle pink/fuchsia shimmer to it that only shows up in certain lights, and then just barely. But it's there. It applied like all other Essies I've tried (excluding Mint Candy Apple). It's a bit thin, but it goes on pretty easily, and it dries in an okay amount of time. I can't remember exactly how many coats this was. I'm going to assume three coats polish, one coat Poshe, since that's how many I normally do. This color truly was lovely. I wore it for my first "week" of the new semester, and it was perfect. Pretty and a little bright, but still subtle enough to not cause people to stare at my nails and not at me, haha.

Both pictures are with flash, indoors. This polish was so hard to capture. All the pictures made it look way more pink than it actually was. I mean, sure, it was a little pink. But most of the pictures I took made it look hot pink. These two were the closest two that came to being practically spot-on.

Oh, and I apologize for that large streak of polish on my pinky. I have no idea how it got there, haha. I also apologize for the tipwear. I'd had this polish on for about three-or-so days.

EDIT: I thought I should let you all know, this is one red that does not stain. As you can see in the comments, I mentioned how I love reds, but they're so staining. Not this one! Perhaps that is because it has that pink undertone to it?

Merry Christmas (officially)!

Merry Christmas all! I know I'm really, really late in posting this, but I've been busy since I woke up this morning with family things and whatnot. I did manage to get a few shots of my manicure, though they're a bit blurry. Oh well! I used Zoya Posh for the thumb, middle, and pinky fingers and Zoya Suvi for the index and ring fingers. These are the first Zoyas I've ever used, and I must say, I liked them okay. Suvi does not play well with others, that's for sure. But once it dried, it was gorgeous. I think I did three coats of each polish. The wear on Posh was actually pretty good. I did use a base coat, though. I know you're not supposed to, but I just let it dry all the way before applying, and it was fine. Suvi has one coat of Seche Vite. I had originally planned to do a funky french with the base being Posh and the tips being Suvi, but I completely messed it up when I was taking off the sticker guide things. I still really liked this manicure, even though it was insanely simple. My main goal was to really showcase the contrast between the matte and the glossy, and I think this did it well.

Overall, I thought it turned out really well. Like I said in my other Christmas post, I got several compliments on it. I think next up I'm going to try Essie Mint Candy Apple. Maybe. I did get new polishes for Christmas, after all!

Actually, I got a lot of great stuff for Christmas:

- OPI You Don't Know Jacques!, which I've been wanting for quite some time. Another polish I got was Essie Very Cranberry, which is a gorgeous berry red. I think I'm going to wear it for when I start classes again, because it's cute and a little sexy, but it's not insanely crazy and out there. Very pretty color.

- Lip Service Lip Deluxe Sampler, which is absolutely amazing. I've been wanting this set for so, so long. I've only had a chance to try one of them so far, the Korres Guava Lipstick in Wine Red, and I absolutely adored it. I think I'm going to do the DuWop Private Red for New Years, because it seems like it'll be the perfect red for that.

- I've been needing good makeup brushes for a long, long time, and today I received the Sephora Brand Perfect Ten brush set. It's pink! And shiny! I love it so much. I used some of the brushes tonight, and they're soo soft.

- 1960s Vintage Inspired Gold Tone Pen Necklace from 1928 Jewelry. I've been dying to have a pen necklace for so long. They're so librarian chic. Love!

- Shoes, glorious shoes! I got a pair of Candie's black suede-like platforms that have silver pointy studs all over the heel and strap. They're so similar to the Christian Louboutin Mad Marys. I love them so, so much. I also got a pair of brown patent platform penny loafers by Apt. 9. When I first saw these shoes in the store, I kind of thought they were hideous and kind of old-looking. But then I tried them on, and got a total 70s vibe! They're amazing. Cute in, once again, that librarian chic sort of way. They'll look amazing with a pair of flared jeans, too, to give them that sort of vintage look.

- Season 2 of Flight of the Conchords and Season 2 of Supernatural. I've been wanting these for a while, but they're so expensive. So when I was in Target during Black Friday, I pointed them out to my mom, because they were only about 12 dollars because of the sale. I guess she must have picked them up then.

- The Village on DVD and a Bath and Body Works gift card. I got these from my parents' friends. I've been wanting this movie for such a long time. And I absolutely love Bath and Body Works!

- And here's the big one. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle EDT! I am ecstatic about this! I thought I would never own it, but I do! I do! It smells heavenly, just like every other time I've smelled it (Recently, anyway. I actually used to hate it. I guess my preferences are evolving.)!

I had a wonderful Christmas. I got to spend time with my family, and we all just relaxed and had an overall highly enjoyable day. I really hope your day was just as good as mine.

Jean