Happy Halloween with Camo Nails

Hi everyone! Happy Halloween. It's been an interesting few days here in Connecticut due to Hurricane Sandy but my area was not hit too hard and everyone is okay! I can't say the same for friends in New Jersey and New York but at least they are all ok, even if their homes are damaged and they are without power. We got lucky, we only lost power for 2-3 hours on Monday night and nothing was damaged.  Please know all of you who were in the way of Sandy are in my thoughts as you rebuild and recover. 

Happy Halloween nonetheless. Steve and I went to a Halloween party on Saturday night and I was an army chick (lame, I know) so I did some camouflage nail art to match my costume.  I can't take credit for the color ideas, I used the colors DandyNails used in this Youtube Tutorial. Thanks Dandynails! It was super simple.

Here's a list of colors: 

1. Base: OPI Uh-Oh Roll Down the Window

2. Sephora by OPI: Caught with my Khakis Down

3. OPI: Get in The Espresso Lane

4. Rimmel 10 + Minerals:  Black Satin

5. China Glaze: Matte Magic

All I did was paint all nails with OPI's Uh Oh Roll Down the Window then, using a dotting tool I drew in the lines all over with the different colored polishes until I got my desired look. Then I topped it all with China Glaze's Matte Magic because I feel like matte just made way more sense than shiny would. Couldn't be simpler. 

So what do you think of my Halloween costume inspired manicure? I am not good at nail art so this is about as creative as I get. I am trying to get better to keep the blog interesting but I am just not an artist. ;-)

On a semi-related note: I cannot stand how matte nails feel! I don't know what it is but they freak me out! I am such a weirdo!

What are your plans for Halloween? I want to know your Halloween traditions! Halloween in New England is usually amazing but these last two years have been a huge bummer due to weather. I know lots of areas around me have cancelled Halloween for safety reasons in light of Hurricane Sandy. I feel so bad! It's the second year around me that Trick-or-Treating has been cancelled. Last year we had a huge snowstorm  These kids can't catch a break!!!   Whatever you all decide to do have fun and be safe! 

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OPI: Metallic 4 Life

Hi everyone. This polish came out earlier this year with the Nicki Minaj Collection but I never got around to wearing it so never reviewed it here. So why not now!?

This is Metallic 4 Life and it's a high shine black with tons of silver hex and regular glitter. I love this one. I think it's a really nice option for this time of year even though it came out in the spring.  The black is super deep and shiny.

I used two coats for opacity and had no issues with application  I found the glitter to disburse evenly and as long as you were carefully when capping the tips it was pretty low maintenance. The glitter is prominent and doesn't sink into the color at all. 

Did you pick this one up back when it was released? What do you think of it? Hit or miss?

Disclosure: This product was provided by PR for review purposes. All reviews are 100% honest and done at my discretion. For more information please see my Disclosure Policy. 

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OPI Moonraker (Skyfall Collection)

I am going to get this out there right away, this nail polish is an EPIC FAIL for me. I haven't come across a polish which such a horrendous formula in quite a while. I love OPI, I really do, but this is just atrocious quality, I can't say anything else about it.

This is Moodraker by OPI which is part of the Skyfall Collection. Moonraker is a blue-toned metallic silver frost.  I am not a fan of frosts in general but if the formula is done right they can be quite pretty. This is not done right, it's awful. Just keeping it real.

The formula on this is just terrible. The first two coats go on unevenly and leaves huge bald spots. Unless you can apply this perfectly with just three strokes, middle, right, left, not touching the polish already on the nail, you're going to have trouble with this. It's as if the polish removed the polish that was already on the nail. It was just a lumpy mess. I am so in this polish. OPI has not disappointed me in a very long time so I'll let this one slide, but how it made it out of the lab is beyond me. Fail. 

I used three coats to achieve the look below, which is acceptable but not good. I am not into brush strokes. Let me tell you, if I didn't do the third coat this would have been simply unacceptable. 

During application I didn't have my camera ready to go but I did snap two, horrible quality, photos with my iPhone because I was simply shocked with how horrible it was applying. If you look closely you can see the balding that occurred.

Gross right? That was TWO coats. See what I mean, you need the third coat. Even with the third though I cannot recommend this polish. I wouldn't purchase it and I wouldn't give it as a gift. Steer clear. OPI can do better, and they usually do. So this is an outlier but it's crap nonetheless. 

Have you tried this polish? Is it my bottle or did yours suck too? (LOL) 

Disclosure: This product was provided by PR for review purposes. All reviews are 100% honest and done at my discretion. For more information please see my Disclosure Policy. 

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Zoya: Ziv (Ornate Collection)

What's up people!? How was your weekend? Mine was relaxing, we didn't do much. Do any of you watch The Walking Dead? Hubby and I love that show! This week's episode was so good!! Let me know if you watch it but please, no spoilers for my readers who recorded it!

Today I have another polish from the Zoya's Ornate Collection. This is Ziv, which, to my eye, is a rich warm gold with tiny bronze particles in it. This is a unique gold in my collection because of the bronze particles, they are sort of like flake glitter but smaller.   The finish on this polish is similar to OPI's Warm and Fozzie and Designer... De Better! So it's not quite a glitter, not really a frost, not a true shimmer, not only metallic, just awesome! I think this color is perfect for fall and also the upcoming holiday season, it's so rich and festive.

I used two coats for the opacity shown which was adequate. I had no VNL, no streaking and no brush strokes. 

I've said it before and I will say it again, these names!!! Come on! No Gina but we have Ziv. Just sayin'.

  

What do you think of this baby? I love it. The whole Ornate Collection has really captured my heart. Stay tuned for more!

Disclosure: This product was provided by PR for review purposes. I also used a Zoya Share the Love Affiliate Link, which means I get points if you buy through the link. All reviews are 100% honest and done at my discretion. For more information please see my Disclosure Policy. 

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Zoya: Storm (Ornate Collection)

Hi everyone! Behold! The most gorgeous color of the season. This.Is.Epic. I got this in the mail today and had to immediately apply, photograph and blog.

This is Zoya's Storm and it's part of Zoya's Ornate Collection for Winter 2012-13. Zoya describes Storm as "a full coverage, holiday black with a high concentration of micro fine diamond holographic glitter. " I am a sucker for anything containing holo-glitter. This is absolutely gorgeous, blingy and shiny and I am in love. 

Sure, I have other blacks with holo-glitter in it but there is something about this one that makes me swoon! Holo-glitter is the master of all glitters. It's rainbow when the light hits it and makes any polish it touches absolutely amazing.

I used two coats for full opacity and this went on like buttah. It's just the perfect polish. I can't say enough.

The entire Ornate Collection is stunning. I am not sure I am going to be able to pick a favorite, I really don't know if I can do it!  Wait until you see the other polishes in this collection. You need them all!  

LOL can you tell this is an exciting release to me? 

What do you think of this one? Is it as amazing as I think it is or do you think I am insane? 

Disclosure: This product was provided by PR for review purposes. Share the Love link used. All reviews are 100% honest and done at my discretion. For more information please see my Disclosure Policy. 

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Kardashian Kolor Holiday Glitter and Shimmer Lacquers

Deck the Halls…Kardashian Style

Nicole by OPI Introduces Six NEW Kardashian Kolor Holiday Glitter and Shimmer Lacquers  

Nicole by OPI announces new, limited edition Kardashian Kolor Holiday lacquers for the holiday season! Featuring six shades infused with dazzling glitters and rich shimmer, these lacquers are the essential accessory for festive fingers and toes. From rich red, deep purple and brilliant teal to shimmery gold, sparkly sliver, and multi-toned blue glitter, these spectacular shades make the perfect gift or stocking stuffer. 

“Whether celebrating the holidays traditionally at home with the entire family or jet-setting the season away, the Kardashians spread cheer with glitz and glamour, starting with their nails!” declares Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “The six captivating Kardashian Kolor Holiday shades offer the perfect way to add lots of color to this joyous time of year. Wear vibrant red, purple and teal for a jewel-toned look, or glittery gold, silver, and blue glitter for a classic holiday sparkle – both important trends for the season.”

The new Kardashian Kolor Holiday nail lacquers from Nicole by OPI include:

Kardashing Through the Snow

Jingle all the way in this multi-hued glitter.

Here We Kome A-Karoling

This deep, grape purple will make your heart sing.

All is Glam, All is Bright

This rosy silver sparkle goes with everything.

Keeping Up with Santa

Deep. Rich. Red. Must be Santa.

A Gold Winter’s Night

Baby, it’s warm inside….especially in this blue-flecked gold shimmer.

Deck the Dolls

Accessorize teal you drop!

Limited edition Kardashian Kolor Holiday shades will be available November 2012 for $7.99 each in the U.S. at select Target, KMart, ULTA, CVS, Meijer, Sears, Kroger, H-E-B, Duane Reade, Fred Meyer, Giant Eagle, Harmon, and Winn-Dixie locations.  In Canada, these lacquers will be retailed for $10.99 each in Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaw, and Jean Coutu.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter@NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

About Nicole by OPI:

Nicole by OPI offers a salon-quality range of bold, fashion-forward nail lacquers. The brand’s heritage is based in OPI’s well-established foundation of excellence in both color and technology, providing premium products to a broad range of consumers looking for trendsetting nail lacquers.

Info and photos provided by PR Collage made by me. 

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Butter London Scented Nail Polish Remover Set

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all have some fun plans for the weekend. I had to share this find with you, you may have already seen it, but it's too cool for me not to share. butter LONDON has come out with a seasonal trio of scented nail polish removers. How cool is that? Nail polish remover STINKS... how amazing would it be if it smelled like pumpkin pie, cranberry or peppermint? I think that is awesome!!!!   Check out the details below.

Details: Specially scented, a trio of charming, acetone-free removers will have you feeling more festive with each lacquer change!

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  Trio includes:

  - Branwen's Berries: cranberry scented.

  - Pumpkin Warrior: pumpkin pie scented.

  - Sergeant Peppermint: peppermint scented.

  
  

  butter LONDON products are formulated without formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, parabens, bismuth, sulphates or synthetic fragrances. 

These scents come in a trio for $19 and are available at nordstrom.com.  Will you be picking these up or does regular old nail polish remover do the trick for you? 

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OPI: DS Indulgence

Hi everyone! Today I have a gorgeous color from OPI's Designer Series to show you. Indulgence is a gorgeous deep berry toned red with tons of gold microshimmer.  The gold in this gives the berry a really nice orange hue so it's reminiscent of fall leaves! I love this color for fall and will work all the way into winter! So pretty! 

I used two coats for full opacity and this went on perfectly. I had no issues with streaking or balding.

The DS polishes by OPI are just beautiful. What do you think of this one?!

Disclosure: This product was provided by PR for review purposes. All reviews are 100% honest and done at my discretion. For more information please see my Disclosure Policy. 

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Color Club: By Design with OPI's Sparkle-icious

Hello beautiful readers! Happy Tuesday! I thought it was Monday because my office was closed for Columbus Day yesterday, I love long weekends!! Happy (belated) Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian readers.  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Tell me in the comments below what you're thankful for and also what you had for your Thanksgiving meal!

Today I have two polishes to share with you though one is older and likely featured on the blog before. The first color I have is a gorgeous vampy burgundy creme by Color Club called By Design. Color club calls it a plum color which I can see as being an accurate color description.  This is from  the "True Fashion" collection for Fall 2012. This screams fall to me. It's absolutely gorgeous and has that blackened thing going on. 

I love Color Club and the formula on this one is excellent. I only needed two coats for full opacity. This went on smoothly and dried evenly. 

I decided this manicure needed an accent nail (I know I am late to the party on the accent nail trend but whatever, I like it now) so I went with OPI's Sparkle-icious from the old "Burlesque" collection.  I think the colors in this fabulous glitter went perfectly with the plum hue of By Design. What do you think?

Sparkle-icious contains purple, teal and gold glitter. It's absolutely lovely!

What do you think of this manicure? 

Disclosure: This product was provided by PR for review purposes. All reviews are 100% honest and done at my discretion. For more information please see my Disclosure Policy. 

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