Hiya / OPI DS Glamour

Hi!

Long time no see! I'm excited to make this post, it's been a while. I finally graduated and got my bachelor of Communication & Multimedia Design, so I can finally spend a little bit of my time on the more trivial things in life, like blogging about nail polish ;-).

I'd also like to thank everyone who has been so supportive, even during my break! Thanks so much for all the e-mails, comments and visits to this blog.

Unfortunately I haven't been swatching like I used to, so for today you'll have to put up with some old material. These pictures were taken during my vacation last year, which I actually spent with two nail polish bloggers. Great fun.

OPI DS Glamour

This is probably the last post on OPI products ever, since they're now owned by Coty, but I needed to share this particular polish. OPI DS Glamour is old, hard to find and probably way too expensive on Ebay nowadays. But hey, it's pretty. It's a blue holographic, not as holographic as some other OPI holo's from the same line, like DS Signature or DS Original, but still damn pretty.

As summer just kicked in, I thought it was fitting to start off with something holo. What I like about these holo's are their application, it's super easy, and they hardly chip on me. Even without a top coat, which they don't even need because they're super shiny worn alone. Two coats and you're done. Too bad I can't buy new OPI anymore, right?

Zoya Flame Collection - Crystal - swatches & comparison

Zoya Flame Collection

Zoya's latest collection brings us six new metallic colors. You might have heard of the Zoya Fire & Ice collection, well, this is the same thing! They changed it into the Flame collection, rumor has it that it's because of Revlon, who trademarked the Fire & Ice phrase ages ago. Anyway, today I'll be showing you one of the prettiest polishes in this collection: Crystal, a frosty blue sparkling metallic.

Crystal

I'm not sure what to think of polishes who get named after women's names. I think it's lacking originality and it's a bit too easy as well. Thankfully, it's just a name. Crystal is a gorgeous cold, medium blue frosty polish with a bunch of golden flecks to spice it up.

As you can see the golden sparks in Crystal really compliment the icy, snowy blue color. For me this is the ultimate winter color. This may sound ridiculous to you, but this polish reminds me of winter fairies with golden locks. I know, right?

Application

Most Zoya polishes don't dry that well one me. Crystal does dry rather quickly, so yay for that. The formula was spot on, not too thick or thin, and completely opaque in three coats. Two coats would be quite okay already though.

Crystal versus Reflecting Pool

From the moment the first promoshots rolled in, I knew it had to be similar to OPI's Reflecting Pool. Reflecting Pool is quite hard to get since it was exclusively sold in certain European countries. Nowadays you'll usually find it on eBay for ridiculous prices.

Well, I did suspect both colors would be similar, but I was surprised to see they're dead on dupes! The formulas are very alike as well, so if you couldn't get your hands on Reflecting Pool, this is your chance!

Where to buy

You can get Zoya nail lacquers from their website: www.zoya.com and eBay. Zoya Crystal costs $7 for 15ml.

NOTD - OPI - Fiercely Fiona

From the Vault

Hi everyone! Just a quick update from me, I've kinda started working fulltime so I hardly have time to blog, I'm typing this during my lunch break! For today I have one of the Shrek Forever After colors by OPI: Fiercely Fiona. While I'm not a big fan of Shrek and this collection has been out for ages, I still think the colors are pretty cool. Fiercely Fiona is one of my favorites from Shrek Forever After. It's an odd color and that's why I like it so much. By now I have so many polishes and only a few are really something else. It's a green yellow, or a yellow green, you pick! It tends to look different on different skin tones, but on me I definitely see the green! I don't think I've seen anything like it so far!

Application

Unfortunately, this odd color doesn't apply very well. Fiercely Fiona is way too streaky: it's pretty much opaque in two coats, but you'll need three to even it out. Bummer. Other than that, if you're looking for a funky color, definitely check it out.

What do you think of weird colors?

Where to buy?

You can get OPI products at authorized OPI sellers, eBay, TD or other etailers.

Dare to Discuss: OPI Up For Sale?

I was going through my blogroll today and stumbled upon this post over at Body & Soul Beauty. Mary shows us an inside article written by Bloomberg about OPI being for sale. You can read the entire, original, article here.

I have to admit, I was a bit shocked. Bloomberg is telling us OPI is for sale and currently is considering major companies Coty and L'Oreal. I'm not sure to what degree this actually holds true, but I do know what this would mean for me. I've asked for confirmation by OPI, but I didn't get a reply - which I can understand.

Cruelty free

I usually don't make room for L'Oreal and Coty on this blog. Not that I hate their colors, but they still feel it's necessary to test on animals. Brands like Maybelline, L'Oreal, Miss Sporty and Sally Hansen never really did it for me. Especially when I found out about their views on animal testing.

OPI, on the other hand, has always been one of my favorite cruelty free nail polish brands. I like their colors, their formula, their brush, you name it. From the moment I said goodbye to nail biting, I occasionally spoiled myself with a new bottle of OPI polish.

What if..

So, could all of this be true? The brand that always watched her exclusivity like a hawk, soon to be part of one of the giants? I don't want to be timely, but if this bad dream would turn into reality, I don't feel like writing about OPI anymore.
I understand this could eventually lead to less readers of my blog etc, morals always get in the way, right?! ;-) OPI may be and remain cruelty free, but I don't feel like filling up L'Oreal or Coty's wallet. I do hope you can understand and respect that, even if you think it's the biggest bullcrap out there. Let's just hope none of this is true! How would you feel about OPI being sold to either Coty or L'Oreal?

What if OPI becomes part of L'Oreal or Coty?

Honestly? Who cares. I'll keep buying it I'll have to think about it I'll stop buying it

OPI is on a roll! OPI Spring 2011: Texas Collection

Are you ready for spring?

OPI's hatching collections like it's nothing! Today I stumbled upon some hot news on the Grazia Daily website. Care to see what OPI has been cooking up for spring? For spring OPI is going to release a 12 piece collection inspired by a state, no other than Texas. There also will be a cute mini set called Lil Shooters, as you can see pictured on the left.

More green!

Im seeing some interesting shades, like a green and a blue. I really like how OPI is doing more greens lately. I also see some berry/pinkish shades, I'm not too fond about those since I have plenty, but we'll see.

Shades!

The shades are called the following:

• Do You Think I'm Tex-y?
• Big Hair Big Nails
• Too Pink to Hold 'Em
• I Vant To Be A-Lone Star
• Guy meets Gal-veston
• Don't Mess with OPI
• Austin-tatious Turquoise
• San Tan-Tonio
• Y’all Come Back Ya Hear?
• It's Totally Fort Worth It
• Suzi loves Cowboys
• Houston We Have a Purple

Release date

At this point I know practically nothing but the collection will be released somewhere around February! Of course I'll edit this post as new information comes along. Edit: For more information and awesome photos take a look at this great post by Helen from Just Nice Things

Source: Grazia Daily & Eva Chen Bannister

OPI Texas Collection Spring 2011

Updated: OPI - Glam Slam Collection by Serena Williams

OPI News

The other day I was watching my timeline on Twitter and I noticed a tweet by OPI mentioning something quite interesting! Tennis superstar Serena Williams announced on The Oprah Winfrey Show that she will be working with OPI to release an entire nail polish collection.
The collection will be named the Glam Slam Collection and Serena mentioned on the show that the colors in this collection will represent tennis tournaments, like the U.S Open, French Open, Australian open and Wimbledon.

Serena Williams is actually training to be certified Nail Tech and she definitely shares the nail passion: "No one likes getting their nails done more than I do. As a matter of fact I go every 4 days to get a manicure and every 7 days for a pedicure.". I can't wait to see what Serena and OPI will come up with! Are you looking forward to this collection?

I've checked with OPI to see if there was more information available at this time but they replied to me saying not all materials are finalized at the moment, but once those are, they will get the info out stat!

EDIT: The release of this collection will start in january with 2 polishes, 2 in May, 2 in June and 2 in August. These releases are timed to her tournaments. There is a teeny tiny bit of information available: one of the first shades will be called: Simply Smashing, a bright green!

EDIT 2: Added some pictures of the first set that will be released. Simply Smashing and Black Shatter - a black crackling top coat!

Additional info source: Eva Chen Bannister - Beauty Director for Teen Vogue

Opposites attract! Guest blog on Grazia Daily

Guestblog over at Grazia Daily!

Hi guys! A while ago I was asked to write a little post for Grazia Daily. Lauren posts a lot of cool nail news this section called Grazia Daily Nail, including her own manicures. I'm extremely honored they have asked me! I made two manicures for them, which you can see in this post. If you want to know more about these please check out the blogpost over at Grazia Daily

OPI - Russian Navy Suede

R.I.P. dear camera

Hi guys! It has been a while! This week was filled with all kinds of stuff, leaving no room for the blog, yikes. On top of that my camera died, so I couldn't swatch either.. I still had these pics, thankfully! My new camera should be arriving tomorrow, *fingers crossed*!

OPI Russian Navy

The OPI suedes are nothing new, but they still hold that special place in my heart. These suedes are really my go-to polishes when I don't have much time to do my nails. And Russian Navy is my favorite of the bunch.

Application

This pretty blue shimmery matte polish is practically a one coater, if you apply it carefully. The original version of Russian Navy has a bit of red shimmer as well, too bad the suede hasn't, I would have loved that.
It dries incredibly fast, but not too fast, Russian Navy doesn't get streaky or lumpy.

The wear of these suedes isn't that awesome though. OPI put "don't wear a base coat" on the label but I'd like to advice against that. If you choose the right base coat (like the Nfu Oh Aqua Base of Gosh Fix Base Coat and who knows what other base coats have similar qualities) you definitely can get some extra days of wear out of it, definitely something worth trying!

Glossy Tips

At days with a little bit more time I like to add some glossy elements to make it more interesting. For this manicure I used my current top coat Nubar Diamont.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
- Michèle

OPI DS Signature

Hi everyone! Is everyone enjoying the summer and celebrating the sunny weather with a fair share of holographics? I know I am! OPI Signature from the Designer Series is actually a polish I used up, yes, to the last drop! I got it back in 2008, paid full retail price of 20 euros and didn't even regret it. So I was pretty bummed when I used it up. I usually wore this on my toes, it's so much fun in summer! And yes I've posted about it before, but I figured it deserved somewhat better swatches.

Reunited again

Michelle from TheLacquerFiles was incredibly sweet to fill that OPI DS Signature void in my heart and gave me hers, since it wasn't her color. And guess what...

...I still love it! The formula of this polish is perfect, it glides on smoothly without being runny. It does need 3 coats, but they dry fast and you can easily apply thin ones. I didn't even use a top coat, see how shiny it is on its own. The mauve/pinkish color is a bit conservative maybe, but the holo effect gives a nice twist to a decent color.

This holo is more of the scattered type, and in the shade it looks like in the picture below. The holographic effect is definitely toned down but it left a pretty depth anyway.

Well dear readers, this was it for today! Thanks for stopping by and have the best weekend!
- Michèle

Polish for Paws

Pawlish by OPI

I'm not even sure how I navigated myself to this obscure dark corner of the internet, but I found something that really took me by surprise. Nail polish for cats and dogs. Wow. Now, I knew there were protective caps in all kinds of funky colors, but nail polish for paws? Never seen that before. And maybe I'm one of the last to know, as OPI released a line called Pawlish by OPI back in 2007! Pawlish by OPI, "Colors for nails...for those with tails!" This collection consisted out of six colors with names like: Yuppy Puppy, Poodle Pink and Bow Wow Green.

That line is long gone and discontinued but some etailers still sell it. There are other brands out there that market especially for pets, such as Color Paw and Pawz.

The Ingredients

My main concern would be the ingredients. Is it harmful? Well, trust me when I say it's almost impossible to find the ingredients of these polishes, but all brands claim to be formaldehyde free. One brand claimed the following:

The nail polish is made from natural plant products and includes ingredients such as aloe, seaweed, and green tea extracts combined with vitamin E. After some intensive Googling I found this: Ingredients of the Color Paw Glitter Top Coat(...): Butyl Acetate, Ethyl Acetate, Nitrocellulose, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Isobutyl Acetate, Isopropyl Alcohol, Polyester Resin So much for seaweed. These polishes promise to be really opaque so only 1 coat is needed. And why would that be? Probably because cats and dogs aren't the types that appreciate getting full blown manicures. Wait! There's more And it doesn't stop at just nail polish, nail art hit the scene as well. They have stickers and decals, and special glitter polishes. There's also a wide range of nail polish remover products. I'm not sure what to think of this. Honestly? It baffles me that this is even a successful niche. I don't think my pets would appreciate the look and feel of blingtastic nails, and of course I don't want them going around stealing my thunder, so I'll leave their nails alone. How do you feel about nail polish for pets? I'd never do this to my pet, it might cause discomfort or health problems I don't really care, as long as they don't shxt on the carpet I can't wait to try this out, it would compliment Pepe's outfit so well!    pollcode.com free polls

pug image credits go to ~gabbybear

Eyeko - Posh Polish & a taupe comparison

Taupe

Lately I've been on a taupe kick. I'm not sure why because usually I like to wear bright, bold colors that stand out. But somehow I'm really digging taupe, I think it's a very classy color that's easily matched with a lot of outfits. It's a neutral, but definitely not boring in my book.

According to Wikipedia there are many types of taupe:

dark taupe	med. taupe	pale taupe	mauve taupe	sandy taupe	grey taupe	rose taupe	purple taupe

Eyeko Posh Polish, for Ladylike nails

Recently I received Posh Polish by Eyeko, and I quite like it. This creme polish applies pretty smoothly, completely opaque in 2 coats and no other funny problems worth mentioning. I didn't use a top coat this time, and as you can see it's not incredibly glossy on it's own.
Like all Eyeko polishes this one came in such a cute packaging, it says: Posh Polish, for Ladylike nails. And even I do feel like a lady wearing this, haha.

Taupe Comparison

However, I own a lot of taupes, and this one isn't my favorite of the bunch, simply because I like my taupes a tad darker. To show you how it compares to some other taupes I have, I threw in this little comparison:

I do feel like I should have included OPI's You Don't Know Jacques, Over The Taupe and maybe even Chanel's Particuliere, but I couldn't justify buying more of this shade after already owning all of these haha. So please forgive me!

As you can see Eyeko's Posh Polish is quite on the lighter side. I think my favorites are the two Catrice polishes: From Dusk To Dawn and Lost in Mud!

What is your favorite taupe polish?

Eyeko polishes cost £3.50 (€4.- or $5.40) for 8.5ml. Eyeko products can be bought online at www.eyeko.com. Their shipping is extremely cheap: either free (if you're in the UK or Europe) or $5.40 for all international orders.

This polish was sent to me for review by Eyeko

How to: Unmask the OPI fakes!

A few weeks ago I was talking to Daphne from NailSwatches and she gave me a link to this wonderful eBay guide, that showed the differences between real and fake OPI bottles.
I know there's been a good deal of drama going on about how it's forbidden to sell OPI online. I'm feeling I'm pretty much alone in this, but I can understand why OPI would want some control over their distribution, there are a lot of fakes going around! Why would you care? If it's a fake, there is no guarantee over the quality and ingredients whatsoever, you might even end up with the wrong ugly color.

How can you tell? Well, I can't be sure about the really old bottles since I don't know enough about them, but if you're buying pretty new colors keep the following things in mind.

The following information is only valid for the NEWER OPI bottles

	The Front When you're looking at the front of your bottle, pay attention to the following things. Make sure the right font has been used and that it is aligned properly, without being skewed. A lot of times you can tell whether it's a fake or not, by looking at the bottom line. The letter L of mL is always uppercase and the letter 'F' in Fl. is always uppercase. Same goes for Oz, the 'O' is always uppercase.
	The Back There should be a couple of things on the back of the bottle: The address of the distribution centre in The Netherlands and the address of OPI in the US. Also, there should be four warning signs, always in the order you see in the picture. If this isn't the case, big chance it's a fake.
	The Label A genuine OPI bottle always has a label on the bottom of the bottle, the only bottles that don't have this are the mini's. There is in fact, always a double, second layer, if you peel the first one off, you should be able to see it. The first label contains information such as the product name, product code, bar code and the 'Peel Here' suggestion. On the back of this first label you'll be able to find the ingredients. The 2nd label has the product name and code aligned in the center, and no barcode.
	Serial Number Real OPI, again except mini's, bottles have a serial number engraved, on the side, towards the cap. You can't really see them that well, but they should be there. A lot of online sellers make sure you can't read the serial number anymore, by filing it down. But this doesn't mean they're fake. If the serial number is extremely noticable, good chance it's fake.
	OPI on the Brush Genuine OPI bottles will have the brand printed on one side of the brush. It isn't that noticable, but if you wipe the polish off, it should be there. Mini's don't have this though. If you find this logo, and it looks a bit weird, fake!
	The inside of the cap Now, this only applies to new OPI bottles, because it appears to be that old bottles are different when it comes to the cap. The inner edge of the cap should be gear shaped, and not smooth. It seems like older bottles do have smooth insides, so if you're not sure, look up the release date of your polish. Polishes from the Designer Series also have this smooth cap!
	Ballz Now, this is a hard one, because you can't always tell right away. OPI bottles always have two steel balls in the bottle! If there's more or less, it's most likely a fake. If you're doomed and your polish is quite thick, goopy or opaque (well, that a plus, I admit), it may be hard to spot this, but if you're 'lucky' enough to own a sheer, you immediately can see this by tilting the bottle to the side.
	The ProWide Brush seal. Some OPI bottles come with a plastic seal on the cap, that says "Exclusive ProWide Brush". Not all OPI bottles come with this seal, so if you spot an etailer or eBay seller only selling bottles with this seal, they're bound to be fake!
Please note: this information applies to the new OPI bottles, I can't be sure about the older ones.

About the labels, there is a wide variety of labels out there, so if your labels look different that doesn't necessarily mean they're fake. A lot of OPI's different lines, like the Designer Series or Suedes have different colored labels, as you can see in the next picture. There might be even more for all I know!

Edit: Ainnir found out that green labels doesn't necessarily mean the polish is b3f, read all about it here!

Different labels

I saved the best for last, let's have a look at some awesome older, maybe fake, bottles. These pictures also show that all the above mentioned rules don't necessarily apply to (really) old bottles. Even though I'm not sure about their fakeness have a look at these pictures, Natasja sent me!

OPI - H-andover the Amethyst

Some watchful readers commented saying older bottles do only have 2 or 3 warning signs on the back and that all bottles from the mid-90's-ish or before will have the Paris / Los Angeles / Roma on them! The OPI on the brush appears to be a fairly recent development as well. These two bottles still look suspicious though!

OPI - At Your Quebec&Call

Do you happen to have some fakes?

Link to the original eBay guide and special thanks to Natasja/MooiDonna for her amazing pictures!

Coral Comparison featuring OPI, Essence, P2 & Catrice

Hi guys! After swatching Catrice's I Scream Peach! the other day, I really felt like doing a comparison! I picked out four colors to compare: Essence - What do U think?, Catrice - I Scream Peach!, P2 - Flamboyant and OPI - Shootout at the O.K. Coral. As you can see, these are somewhat similar in the bottle.

On the nail, they are quite different, well two of them are. What do U think and I Scream Peach! are almost identical, I think the latter is a teeny tiny bit darker. Like I mentioned, these are really close dupes of Chanel's Orange Fizz!
The formula of these are really similar too, they're both cremes and they both need 3 coats. The one by Essence is more smooth when it comes to application.

P2 Flamboyant is darker and more vibrant, a bolder color. The finish of this one is kinda where a creme and a jelly meet. It took me 4 coats to get rid of the evil VNL, but other than that, application was perfectly fine.

OPI's Shootout at the O.K. is really different from the others, it is slightly duochrome, alternating between orange and pink. The formula of this one is really good, still needing 3 coats, but applies like a dream.

I think coral is a difficult color though, I love how summer-y it looks, but I do think colors like these tend to look better on someone with a tan, and obviously I don't have one haha. Will you be wearing coral this summer?

Thanks for reading and see you next time!
- Michèle

OPI - DS Original

Hello dear reader! How is everyone doing? I had the most awesome day yesterday, Daphne from Nailswatches, Michelle from TheLacquerFiles and myself went nail polish hunting. It was so much fun! We visited a wholesale with lots of ChinaGlaze, and within expectations we all kinda went crazy ha! Anyway, for today I have another purple holo to show you! This is Original from the Designer Series by OPI, I don't think the color is as jaw-droppingly gorgeous as Color Club's Wild At Heart, which I showed you last week, but it's still pretty steamy, and definitely more holographic as well. The holographic effect is a bit scattered, not as dense as the Nfu Oh holos for example, and that's just how I like it. Application was alright, nothing outstanding, 3 coats quickly dried to a perfectly smooth surface. What I like about these holos by OPI, it that they're quite shiny, so you can easily wear them without a top coat. Actually, they say these polishes from the Designer Series are infused with Diamond Dust. This is supposed to "reflect light in an explosion of brilliance", well I don't know if it's the diamond dust, but it's pretty sparkly. And diamonds are a girl's best friend, right? Thanks for stopping by!