OPI Nordic Collection - Fall 2014

Hi there, gentle readers! Thank you so much for all the kind words. <3 We've been doing all right. We're slowly replacing all the essentials we lost, though that's been a bit slow because last month has been insanely busy. I've bought another camera, and I'm borrowing a laptop, so I'm able to finally make progress again with blogging. :) It's really wonderful to be back. I've missed you guys.

Today, I've got the 12-piece OPI Nordic Collection for Fall 2014 to share with you. I was pretty excited when I heard of this collection. I love the idea of all things Nordic, and my one visit to a Nordic location (Stockholm a few years ago) was filled with incredible memories. Also, this is the first year in a long while that I've been this eager for fall and everything that it brings. Just thinking about the cold nights and snuggling in warm sweaters fill me with joy. Ok, onto the collection...

An update...

Our house got broken into over the weekend. We're ok and so is our furbaby, but they pretty much took everything that's valuable. It includes the camera and laptop I use for blogging. So I probably won't have a new post for a little while as we sort through everything and order new laptops and camera. I'll keep you guys updated, but hopefully I'll be back to blogging soon.

Salon Perfect Neon POP Skittles Mani

Hi, you guys! :)

One of the quandaries I have with neon colors is deciding which color to wear when I love them all so much. If only I had more hands... But since I don't, and I want my cake and eat it too, wearing them in a skittles mani is the perfect fun solution. The Salon Perfect Neon POP Collection contains 12 bold shades, and I combined four of my favorites for the mani below.

Left to right: Tickled Pink, Loopy Lime, Traffic Cone, Fired Up Fuchsia

Tickled Pink (index finger) is a neon barbie pink with a creme finish. The formula is a little on the runny side, though nothing too bad. It's also a little streaky, but is mostly even by three coats.

Loopy Lime (middle finger) is a neon lime green with shimmers. This color is stunning, so bold and vibrant on the nails. It's easy to apply, and isn't too streaky by neon polish standard. It's opaque at two coats though I did three for the swatches.

Traffic Cone (ring finger) is an aptly named neon show-stopping orange with a creme finish. This is the brightest orange I've ever put on my nails, and I love it! I used three coats for the swatches.

Fired Up Fuchsia (pinky) is a bright magenta pink with fine shimmers. It's another really stunning color from the collection. The formula's pretty good and easy to apply. I used three coats for the swatches.

I tried a few of the other colors from this collection too, and all of them are super bright. Though there is a white base that you can use with the colors, the intensity and brightness of the shades shines through even without it, so it's not really necessary. The formulas can be a little streaky, pretty on par with neons. In general, the cremes are more uneven, while the shimmers apply more evenly and easily across the nails.

What do you think of this collection and of neons in general? Will you be picking any up to add to your collection? And do you wear neons only in the summer or all year-round?

You can find the Neon POP shades exclusively at Walmart stores for a retail price of $3.98 for each 0.5 fl oz bottle.

** This post contains product(s) provided for honest consideration.

FingerPaints Enchanted Mermaid Collection

Hi, you guys! I'm writing this as I'm watching The Strain (on FX) with my husband. It's a gory vampire tv show, and I'm totally chicken when it comes to anything scary, so I'm half hiding behind my laptop as it's on lol.

Today, I've got a collection with an interesting concept to show you. The FingerPaints Enchanted Mermaid Collection is made up of four shimmery shades with fish scale textures. When I first heard of this, I was so excited. The idea sounded amazing and I'm always up for trying a new texture, especially one with a novel concept. But it didn't quite turn out the way I had thought. You can see for yourself...

Zoya Lola

Hi, you guys! Hope your week is going well. Mine could be better, but at least the merciful weekend is almost here. :)

Today, I've got one of my favorite polishes—like ever(!)—to show you. Zoya Lola is a bright hot fuchsia pink with strong blue shimmers that dries to a slightly matte finish due to its neon pigments.

The formula on this is amazing, spreading out smoothly across the nails, almost like it were applying itself. Taking into consideration the fact that this is a neon (which are notoriously tricky to apply), and you'll understand my never-ending amazement at this great formula. I always wear this at two coats, which is what I have in the swatches, but you'll still see some visible nail lines at that. I like that soft, slightly squishy look, but you can add one more coat for total coverage if you prefer.

I know some people are a little weary of wearing neons, but this one actually isn't too loud. It's bright enough to be noticed, but not so loud as to be obnoxious. I always get tons of compliments when wearing it.

I don't think I will ever tire of looking at this beauty. It's a fantastic color—intense, vivid, and happy. It's my pedicure color of choice for the summer; I think I've been wearing it more than half of the time so far. If Zoya ever discontinues this shade, I'd be sad panda, which reminds me that I must get a few backup bottles, just in case. :)

Priti NYC Australia Summer 2014 Collection

Ah ha, so I haven't been imagining it! This summer has indeed been hotter than usual. On average, we've been running about five degrees warmer every day for the month of July. Yikes! And the trend's continuing so far for August. You can be sure I am counting down the days to fall. :P

In the meantime, I'm taking full advantage by wearing tons of brights and neons, which is one of my favorite nail polish trends. And today, I've got one such collection I've really been enjoying to show you. Priti NYC's Australia Summer Collection is comprised of four intense, bright colors, perfect for this sweltering weather. :)

OPI Ford Mustang Collection

When I was in high school, I loved reading Nancy Drew mysteries. Here was this super cool girl who solves crimes and helps people, all the while remaining witty, unflappable, and likable. And Nancy drives a Ford Mustang! As an impressionable youth, that fact seared itself into my mind and throughout the entirety of my teen years, the Mustang remained my dream car.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited when I saw the collaboration between OPI and Ford to celebrate the Mustang's 50th anniversary, and I've now got the six-piece collection in my paws to show you. :)

China Glaze Too Yacht To Handle

Hi hi, happy weekend! :)

Sometimes I'll put a color on my nails and just go like "why did I not get this sooner?!" and China Glaze's Too Yacht To Handle definitely falls into this category. It's a bright, stunning medium turquoise with a creme finish. 

The formula is fluid and easy to control, making application easy. It builds up coverage nicely, and I used three coats for opacity. It has some neon pigment so it dries semi-matte; you can add a top coat if you want a glossy shine. It's always a little hard to get green/blue colors exactly correctly. I think in person, this is a shade or two more green, especially under artificial light.

Ah... there's a wonderful satisfaction to finally picking up a lemming and having it turn out just as beautiful as you imagined. This color has been on my wishlist since it was released last summer and I saw all the stunning pictures popping up. But I must have gotten distracted (easy thing to happen), because I didn't get around to procuring it until last month. Thankfully, Amazon is nicely stocked with non-current polish collections so I did not permanently miss out on this beauty. :)

Butter London Brick Lane Collection

Hi, you guys! Hope you're having a great week! The weather here has been mercifully cool for the last few days. After the heatwaves we had, it's wonderful to have this refreshing change, even if it's just for a few days. It's so cool that I even got to wear pants! :D

Today, I've got the new six-piece Butter London Brick Lane Collection to share with you. This collection is an interesting mix of colors, finishes, and textures, so it feels like there's something for everyone. They come in a set with all six colors in 0.2 fl oz fashion sizes (which is what I am showing you), of which two are exclusive to this set.

Zoya Magical Pixie - PixieDust for Summer 2014

Hi, you guys! We're on like day 11 of a heat wave and the house has been so hot for so long that it's hard to get it cooled down. But relief is finally coming this weekend and I can't wait! I keep catching myself daydreaming about cool breezes on my face and sleeping beneath cool sheets. :)

Today, I've got Zoya's PixieDust offering for Summer 2014 to show you. This Magical Pixie trio, Zoya's second Magical Pixie set, offers the matte texture that we've come to expect in PixieDusts plus the amazingly sparkly holographic glitters we saw in the first Magical Pixie set.

Nails Inc Royal Botanical Gardens

Hi, you guys! Happy Sunday! :) It's been really hot here for the last week and I hope the heat wave breaks soon. It's been making me so lethargic and grumpy lol.

Today, I've got a shade I picked up a while back on sale from Sephora to show you. Nails Inc Royal Botanical Gardens is a fresh, blue-leaning turquoise with a creme finish.

The formula's great for the most part: smooth and self-leveling. It's a tad runny, so be sure to keep a little distance away from the cuticles during application so they don't flood. Each coat builds up coverage and it achieves opacity in two quick coats. With blue/green colors, it's always hard to capture exactly where they fall in the color spectrum. In person, I think this color is a little more green than it's showing in my pictures.

I love this color because there's a crispness to it that's refreshing. It's not muted and there's no gray in here, unlike a lot of similar shades. I had been eyeing this shade for a while, and I'm glad I snatched it up. I can never resist a turquoise (it's one of my weaknesses), and this one's just stunning! :)

Let me know what you think of this color in the comments below. And is there a color that you can never resist picking up more of?

OPI Neons Collection - Summer 2014

Hi, you guys! Hope you're in the midst of a great week! :) I had a long holiday weekend, which went by way too fast as usual, and I made the mistake of doing too much. So I came out of it really exhausted and just spent yesterday in a daze trying to recover and mentally get back to work. :P

Today, I've got the new Neons by OPI Collection to share with you. This set of six bright shades are the first full-size neons that OPI is adding to its permanent collection. (About time, yep!) If you guys know me, you know I love neons, so you can imagine my sheer excitement here. Just a quick note: a white base was released with this collection, but all the swatches below are without it (more on that below). But enough jibber jabber... here are the colors! :D

NARS Anarchy - 3.1 Phillip Lim Collection

Hi, you guys! We're in the middle of a mini heat wave, and it's times like this that remind me I don't actually like summer weather. I'm much more suited to the milder climates of spring and fall. :) Hope you are keeping cool wherever you are. :)

Speaking of fall, we're already starting to get a taste of what this upcoming season will hold for nail polish. For fall 2014, NARS and fashion designer Phillip Lim have come together for the 3.1 Phillip Lim for NARS Nail Collection, which features 9 limited edition shades inspired by "colors that exist in the shadows". I'm excited to have one of the colors to show you.

Anarchy is a light vanilla beige with warm undertones in a creme finish. It has a good formula, though a little streaky, which is on par with other light nude cremes. It's easy to apply, self-leveling, and nicely builds up coverage with each coat. It's opaque at two coats, but I added a third coat for the swatches to even everything out. I have to say that it's a surprisingly flattering shade for a neutral: fresh, sophisticated, and chic. And it looks fantastic against the summer tan I've acquired on my hands. :)

You can find Anarchy at NARS boutiques and narscosmetics.com starting July 15th and at Sephora and department stores starting August 1st for $20 for 0.5 fl oz bottle.

** This post contains product(s) provided for honest consideration.

FingerPaints Poolside Paradise Collection

Happy Saturday, you guys! This week has been super busy, and I'm glad it's finally the weekend. I look forward to much relaxation and the time to read J. K. Rowling's new mystery The Silkworm. I loved the first book in her mystery series and have been eagerly awaiting this second one. Nothing makes me happier than curling up with a great book. :)

Today, I've got a fantastic collection to show you. FingerPaints' Poolside Paradise Collection is comprised of six bright shades in shimmery, glass fleck finishes. (Glass fleck, I say!) As soon as I saw this collection, I knew it was made for me, and it does not disappoint!

Zoya Carmen

Hi, you guys! Happy Thursday (the day before TGIF... hope I make it)! :D

Today, I've got the color that started it all for Zoya to show you. Carmen is Zoya's first color, with the auspicious number code "ZP001". It's the quintessential classic red, slightly cool-toned with a cream finish.

Unlike traditional cremes, Carmen has a slightly squishy, jelly-like consistency. I love finishes like this because application is so easy, with each coat just gliding onto the nails. It's richly pigmented so that you can almost get to opaque coverage in just one coat, though it will look a little bit pinker at that. To assure the richer red that you see from the bottle, I stuck with two coats for the swatches. It dries quickly and to a glossy shine.

Reds can look a little different on each person, and I feel this is one of those colors. This isn't my favorite red on me because my skintone makes it look a little harsh, but I have a friend who makes this color look absolutely stunning. Carmen is her favorite red polish, so I'll probably end up giving my bottle to her haha.

What do you think of Carmen? Do you have a favorite red polish? Let me know in the comments below. :)

OPI Coca-Cola Collection

Hi, you guys! Happy Sunday! Do you have any plans for Father's Day? We have a fur baby (Dan the chinchilla), so we'll be celebrating Chin Father's Day haha. I have a small surprise for the hubby, but I can't say what because he's proof-reading this post for me. :)

OPI collaborated with Coca-Cola to come up with polishes inspired by their beverages, and I have the resulting nine-piece Coca-Cola by OPI Collection to share with you today.

NARS Orgasm

Hi, you guys! Happy hump day, as the camels would say. Half of the week is still left, but I'm already counting down the days till the weekend. :)

Today, I've got a color that is well-known in the nail polish world to show you. NARS Orgasm is a cult favorite, with an eyebrow-raising name and a high price-tag. It has been on my wishlist for quite some time, so I was thrilled when I finally got my paws on it.

It's a soft, blush peach with tons of strong golden shimmers. The formula is on the sheer side, which is evident after the first coat, though the coverage does build up. What you see in the swatches is three coats, and it still has some visible nail lines at that, but the slight bit of sheerness doesn't bother me and I would wear it like that.

I love how strong the golden shimmers are, but they do contribute to making the whole polish look orange, which is a bit disappointing. I had hoped it would retain more of its signature soft blush color once on the nails, but with each coat, it gets more orange, which is another reason I wouldn't go past three coats.

Overall, I'm torn on this polish. On the one hand, I love the idea of it and it looks stunning in the bottle. But once on my nails, combined with my skintone, it loses some of its charm and takes on a more prosaic orange hue, though it's still lovely. To be honest, I'm not sure it's worth the full retail price of $19. Thankfully, my bottle was pre-owned and I got it for a really good price, so I don't regret buying it and am super happy to fulfill a long-time lemming. :)

What do you guys think? If you have this, do you love it? Has there been a polish that's a huge lemming of yours, and did it live up to your expectations?

Zoya Tickled Collection - Summer 2014

Hi, you guys! Happy weekend! This week has been really busy, so I'm glad to finally have some time for relaxation. There's this new Chinese restaurant that opened near us last week, and it's so good! The hubby and I have been there five times already haha. More and more, I've realized that the quality of my life correlates directly to my access to yummy food. Food is definitely most important in my life lol. :D

Today, I've got Zoya's summer creme collection to share with you. The Zoya Tickled Collection features six new cremes in a variety of colorful, exuberant summer hues.

Zoya Bubbly Collection - Summer 2014

Hi, you guys! Hope your weekend's fantastic and full of sunshine! :)

Zoya has some of my favorite summer-time collections with their bright shades and interesting finishes, so I was really looking forward to what they have up their sleeves this year, and they did not disappoint. This year's Bubbly Collection features six dazzling shades with tons of shimmers and holographic glitter particles in squishy, jelly-like, glass fleck finishes.

China Glaze Pink Voltage

Hi, you guys! Hope it's a pleasant week for you! :)

Now that summer's here, it's time to break out my favorite neons and brights from storage and add them to the rotation. (Although if I were honest, I would admit that I don't have to break out anything because I wear neons all-year round. :P) A favorite of mine year after year is China Glaze Pink Voltage.

It's hard to believe, but it really is as bright and intense of a pink as it shows in the pictures! Sometimes I have trouble capturing shades this bright, but I managed to do all right this time. This color is gorgeous, both in pictures and in person. It's just the perfect shade of pink, not too cool or warm to my eyes, with a hint of shimmer that adds an interesting pearly glow to its neon satin finish.

I don't have too much trouble with application. It goes on pigmented, and dries faster than usual (something I've seen in quite a few neons), so you can't go over the same area too many times or it will get streaky. I did two coats for the swatches, which is good enough for me, but there are still one or two uneven spots if you look really closely, so a third coat wouldn't hurt.

Though this is one of my favorite colors, I do wish it lasted a little longer on the nails. Because of its neon formula, it starts chipping quite soon. If I wear this without top coat, chips usually start appearing after a day. With top coat, it will last an extra day before the chips start to set in. But even with its short nail-duration, I still love this color. No one does neons like China Glaze, and one of my favorite things about this is that you don't have to do a white base coat first. I can never get the edges of a coat of neon color on top of a white base coat to line up, so I'm really thankful that there are neon polishes out there that "pop" even without that requirement. :)

Do you wear neons in the summer time? Is there a particular shade that's your favorite? I'd love to know. :)

Butter London Ladybird & Lolly - Lolly Brights Collection for Summer 2014

Hi, you guys! How's it going hmmm? :) As I'm writing this, I'm watching reruns of Boy Meets World on tv. Do you guys remember this show? I loved it back in the day and heard that they're making a Girl Meets World series that show the main character all grown up, married with his own kid. Haha... I can't wait to see it. :D

Every year, I look forward to summer for its wonderful array of nail polishes in brilliantly intense shades that encompass all the colors of the rainbow. And so today I'm totally thrilled to be kicking off the first colors of the summer. I've got two of the gorgeous bright shades from the new six-polish Butter London Lolly Brights Collection for Summer 2014 to share with you.

Zoya Awaken Collection & Monet - Spring 2014

Hi, you guys! Hope your week is going well. :) Is it me or is this month just flying by so fast? I love this time of the year, with all the flowers and trees blooming, and the extended amount of day light every day. I think my hubby, who does all the mowing, disagrees with my love of spring. We get just the perfect mixture of rain and sun so that the grass is growing like crazy weeds this time of the year lol.

Today, I've got Zoya's Spring 2014 offerings—the Awaken Collection and Monet special effects topper—to share with you. I always look forward to Zoya's spring collections with their fresh, understated colors and soft finishes, so I was super excited for this.

KBShimmer Spring 2014 Collection - My Picks!

Hi, you guys! Hope your week is going well! :) It's finally starting to feel like spring over here. It was actually sunny yesterday, with blue skies! Of course I was stuck inside at work because it was a weekday, but beggars can't be choosers. I'm just getting over a pretty miserable cold. It had me good for two weeks and I'm still coughing a little, but I'm thankful to be back to feeling mostly normal and sleeping through the night again. :)

Today, I've got my picks from the new KBShimmer Spring 2014 Collection. It's a large collection of 16 polishes consisting of a variety of finishes—glitters, holos, and cremes. It's a fun set of colors and finishes, sure to have something to satisfy whatever you love. For me, four totally stood out and made my heart sing, so I wanted to share those with you.

Nicole by OPI Roughles Collection

Hi, you guys! Hope your week is going well. We had a few days of sunshine, so I totally soaked up the vitamin D. But now it's back to rain and clouds... gotta love the Pacific Northwest. :P

Today, I have the Nicole by OPI Roughles (pronounced "ruffles") Collection to show you. These speckled pastels caught my attention from the moment I first saw the promo pictures. They look so fun and unique, I was just chomping at the bit to try them out. Without any further delay, here they are. :)

NOTD: Zoya Holly & Zoya Opal

Hi, you guys! How was your weekend? Mine was pretty uneventful. It was raining and gray the whole weekend, so I mostly holed up inside and caught up on tv shows and movies, emerging outside only in search of food. :)

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd show you a recent gorgeous green mani of mine:

This is one coat of Zoya Opal over two coats of Zoya Holly. Holly by itself is already one of my favorite green looks, but adding Opal on top made it catch the light from every angle and just glow from within. Up close, you can see the individual flakes in the green, but from an arm's length, it gives the impression of dancing green fire on the nails... totally amazing! :D

Do you guys like flakies as much as I do? If so, what's your favorite combination? :)

** Zoya Opal is a press sample.

NOTD: Zoya Lux & Zoya Emme

Hi, you guys! Hope your week is going well! :D

I've been loving the Zoya Magical Pixies lately, and wanted to show you one of my favorite looks with Lux. I had heard that some of the pixiedusts are great for layering, so I wondered how Lux would look over a different shade. Here's the result:

I have one coat of Zoya Lux over two coats of Zoya Emme, and I just love it! :) Emme's baby pink color is the perfect girly shade to put under Lux. And having just one coat of Lux instead of the usual two (when wearing by itself) makes the texture more subtle, while still retaining all of its sparkle.

Have you guys tried layering the pixiedusts? Let me know what combinations you've tried or want to try! :)

** Zoya Lux is a press sample. Full swatches HERE.

Zoya Magical Pixie - PixieDust for Spring 2014

Hi, you guys! Is it spring yet? I can't wait for sunshine and warmer temperatures. I'm pretty much over all the rain and the cold lol. Thankfully in the polish world, spring has arrived!

When I first heard about the new spring Zoya Magical Pixie Collection—a trio of polishes promising to have the pixiedust's traditional gritty texture plus plenty of bigger sparkly glitters—I admit I was totally intrigued. And Zoya really kept us in suspense this time, with the weather unavoidably delaying the shipment of these polishes for a few extra weeks. But the wait is over. I've finally got my paws on these and I'm so excited to show them to you. :)