Swatch Spam - OPI DS Polishes: Part 2

Hey!

I think you should all be super proud of me today! As you all know, I have been checking my beauty supply store for the OPI Nice Stems Collection for a couple of weeks now and they still don't have it in. Well, I got news last night night that one of the salons in my area has both the Nice Stems Collection AND the Miss Universe Collection, which I wasn't expecting to even start looking for for another couple of weeks.

The dilemma for me was that I get professional pricing at the supply store that doesn't have these collections, but not at the salon which has both collections. So, I had to decide which was going to win - my wallet or my impatience? I finally decided that it would be better if I just waited for the professional store to get the collections in and save myself some money. Yay for willpower!

Anyways, that's not the point of this post at all, I promise.
Today I'm going to be showing you the rest of my OPI DS polishes that weren't included in this post a couple of days ago.
These last 4 shades includes my favourites out of all the ones I own, so enjoy!



Keep reading for the swatches!



OPI Designer Series: Original, Desire, Extravagance, Passion


OPI DS Original (medium lavender scattered and linear holo)
This is currently my all-time favourite polish in my entire collection and it's also the most expensive polish in my collection. I did a full review of this when I first got it so I won't go into too much detail here and you can just check out that post.


OPI DS Desire (rich, deep gold linear holo)
This is another of my favourites that has somehow managed to go overlooked in my stash. The holo is really strong and although this looks good on my skin tone, I bet this will look spectacular on darker skin tones.


OPI DS Extravagance (rich raspberry-purple scattered holo)
This shade is SO luxurious looking I can't get over it. The scattered holo is one of the strongest I've ever seen - the particles just light up within the deep base.


OPI DS Passion (medium rosy pink linear holo)
This one is similar to DS Chiffon from my first post but has a more mauve base and a slightly stronger holo effect. I like both of them a lot but I prefer Passion just little bit more because of the little teeny bit of purple in the base.


Original, Desire, Extravagance, Passion


Original, Desire


Extravagance, Passion


Passion, Extravagance, Desire, Original


Passion, Extravagance


Desire, Original

Which of all 9 shades is your favourite?
Oh and by the way, I haven't forgotten about my part 2 Deborah Lippmann swatch spam post - it's coming soon.

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Swatch Spam - OPI DS Polishes: Part 2

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Swatch Spam - OPI DS Polishes: Part 1

Hey!

After looking through my untried stash that I posted for you yesterday, I noticed that I've already swatched most of them for you guys and the majority of them are just waiting to be swatched on my own wheels. So, I've made it a mission to finish swatching all of my untrieds for you and then I can move onto swatching them on my wheels.

There were 2 OPI Designer Series polishes in my untrieds that I haven't swatched for you or on my wheels so I decided that I'll do those first, along with the rest of my DS polishes. I own 9 altogether so I'm breaking this post up into 2 separate posts and today I'll be showing you 5 of my 9 OPI DS polishes.



Keep reading for the swatches!



OPI Designer Series: Reflection, Coronation, Classic, Mystery, Chiffon


OPI DS Reflection (bright coral-pink scattered holo)
This is a gorgeous, eye-catching shade of coral-pink and even if it didn't have the added bonus of scattered holo, I'd still love it. It's also a one-coater which adds to it's awesomeness.


OPI DS Coronation (bright silver scattered holo)
I always love silver holos - whether scattered or linear because I think they show the rainbow effect of holographic particles the best and this one is no exception, as you'll see in my swatches below.


OPI DS Classic (light nude scattered holo)
This was my first time swatching this one and I really like it. It can be used as an office environment appropriate shade while still being trendy.


OPI DS Mystery (deep inky purple jelly with small gold flakies)
I think this is a DS shade that is definitely under appreciated, but I like it a lot. It's got flakies - which polish addicts usually go crazy over - but I think they can tend to get lost in the deep base, which might be why it's often overlooked. However, when the light hits this and the flakies are made visible, it's stunning.


OPI DS Chiffon (delicate pink linear holo)
Here's another work appropriate yet trendy shade. The linear holographic effect is not totally BAM IN YOUR FACE HOLO but it's definitely there and it's really pretty.


Reflection, Coronation, Classic, Mystery, Chiffon


Reflection, Coronation, Classic


Classic, Mystery, Chiffon


Chiffon, Mystery, Classic, Coronation, Reflection


Chiffon, Mystery, Classic


Classic, Coronation, Reflection


Which of these shades is your favourite?
And stay tuned for part 2 of the OPI DS swatch spam!

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Swatch Spam - OPI DS Polishes: Part 1

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My Current Project - "Untrieds" Drawer

Hey!

I thought that tonight I would show you guys my current project as well as give you a sneak peak into my nail polish collection (and I promise you there is a full collection post coming asap).

This is my "Untrieds" drawer where I hold all of my recent nail polish purchases until I swatch them for you and on my own nail wheels. Usually I swatch polishes for you within the first couple of days of getting them but for my own wheels, I typically have a swatching marathon once every couple of weeks, but this varies depending on how many I've acquired, really.
However, I've neglected my own wheels lately and it's left me with quite a large drawer of untrieds, or unswatched if you prefer.



Keep reading for more photos and a full list of the polishes you see above.




So what do you see here?

At the back of the drawer are my newly acquired Nfu-Oh Holographic polishes (I mentioned these in this haul post and #61 and #65 arrived today).

In front of those we have the Orly Happy Go Lucky Collection as well as 4 colours from last year's Orly Sweet Collection which Sally's recently started carrying as open stock.

Continuing down the left side we have a slew of OPI polishes including the Katy Perry Collection, the Texas Collection, the Blue-Hued Shatters, the OPI Serena Williams Glam Slam! England duos, OPI Red and White Shatter from the Glam Slam France duos, and a few OPI DS Series polishes including Original, Classic and Reflection.

Moving over the right side of the drawer, we have a number of China Glaze polishes in the front including the Crackle Metals Collection, the original Crackle Collection and 5 shades from the Tronica Collection (as mentioned in this haul post).

Behind the China Glaze polishes we have 2 Revlon colours - Royal and Perplex.

And last but not least, at the back of the drawer on the right hand side, we have a number of Essie polishes including the Resort 2011 Collection, the Braziliant Collection as well as a few open stock colours that I've accumulated.


So that's it for my untrieds drawer! I think a swatching marathon is way overdue.
Did you guys keep an "untrieds" drawer? Has it gotten as out of hand as mine has?

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My Current Project - "Untrieds" Drawer

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Review & Swatches - OPI Blue-Hued Shatters

Hey guys!

My continued stalking of local beauty supply store has paid off once again because I managed to find the last of each of the 3 bottles of the OPI Blue-Hued Shatters last week. They were put out on Wednesday evening and by the time I got to the store at 3pm on Thursday, they were just about all gone! I'm definitely glad that I decided to go when I did.

I'm going to have to check every day this week for the Nice Stems Collection and the China Glaze Crackle Metals.

I decided to do each of these shades over a plain white creme polish (OPI Alpine Snow), just so that it would show off the colours of the Shatter polishes the best. However, if you're interested in seeing any of these Shatters layered over a different colour, let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to satisfy your requests.



Keep reading for the review and swatches!



OPI Blue Hued Shatters: Blue Shatter, Navy Shatter, Turquoise Shatter


OPI Blue Shatter (bright medium blue with shimmer)


OPI Navy Shatter (navy blue jelly)


OPI Turquoise Shatter (very bright turquoise with shimmer)


(Without Top Coat) OPI Blue Shatter (over OPI Alpine Snow), OPI Navy Shatter (over OPI Alpine Snow), OPI Turquoise Shatter (over OPI Alpine Snow)


(Without Top Coat) OPI Turquoise Shatter (over OPI Alpine Snow), OPI Navy Shatter (over OPI Alpine Snow), OPI Blue Shatter (over OPI Alpine Snow)


(With Top Coat) OPI Blue Shatter (over OPI Alpine Snow), OPI Navy Shatter (over OPI Alpine Snow), OPI Turquoise Shatter


(With Top Coat) OPI Turquoise Shatter (over OPI Alpine Snow), OPI Navy Shatter (over OPI Alpine Snow), OPI Blue Shatter (over OPI Alpine Snow)

Overall, I think OPI hit the nail on the head with these Shatters. I like each of the colours very much and the formula was really nice for all of them. They all shattered really nicely and evenly and I haven't seen any other brand release shades quite like these, so I'm happy to see something new added to the crackle trend.

However, like many of us, I'm starting to get a little bored with the Shatter/Crackle trend. SO many brands now have their own version (OPI, China Glaze, Color Club, Sally Hansen, Nicole by OPI, KleanColor, just to name a few) and it's just gotten to the point of too much, at least for me. I don't mind seeing new and unique shades introduced (such as these Blue-Hued ones) but when different brands are just putting out the same colours over and over, it gets boring. I mean, how many different brands of black crackle polish does a girl need?

I think this trend should start to die down soon and I'm sure we'll see something new and equally exciting introduced in its place.

The OPI Blue-Hued Shatters are available now in professional salons. I got each shade for $6.75 but the pricing is really going to depend on where you live and where you manage to find your set. Generally though, the price will fall in the range of $6-10.

As I have in all of my reviews of Shatter/Crackle polishes, I've listed a number of tips for using these types of polishes. I know most of you have seen these tips a number of times now but I think it's best to keep things consistent, and there may be some of you that haven't seen these before.

Shatter Polish Tips:
- Make sure your polish is dry before applying it. If it's not dry, the OPI Shatters will not crackle as much and you'll be left with only a little of your base colour peeking through.
- Apply the OPI Shatters quickly with as few amount of brush strokes as possible. OPI Shatter polishes are very fast acting so you don't want to play around with them, just brush it on quickly and let it do it's thing.
- The shattered pieces may flake off so for a longer lasting mani, add a top coat. But, if you like the matte finish look, skip the top coat.
- A thin coat of the Shatter polish will shatter more and thus provide smaller shattered pieces on the nail.

Most people seem to be favouring Turquoise Shatter but my favourite is actually Navy Shatter. I like how it's a little bit transparent so that you can still see a bit of the base colour through the shatters (OPI Red Shatter was similar in this sense and I really liked that one as well) and I just think it will be more versatile than the others. However, like I said above, I really like all 3 of these Blue-Hued Shatters.

What do you guys think? Are you sick of the Shatter/Crackle trend? Which of these 3 Blue-Hued shades are your favourite? Any layering combinations you would like to see?

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Review & Swatches - OPI Blue-Hued Shatters

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Review & Swatches - OPI Serena Williams Glam Slam! England: Part 2

Hey guys!

Today I have the other Glam Slam! England duo from the OPI and Serena Williams collaboration. I reviewed the first duo which included Grape...Set...Match and Servin' Up Sparkle here so be sure to check that post out as well.



Keep reading for the swatches and review!



Your Royal Shine-ness (sparkly silver foil)
Of the reviews that I have read on this set, many have said that this is a standard silver foil and I would have to respectfully disagree with that statement. This shade is a bit different than your standard silver foil in that it's a bit darker and dirtier looking than your average silver foil. In these photos, without anything to compare it to, it probably does look like a standard silver foil. However, I did a comparison using 6 other silvers from my collection and this one is definitely a little different (you'll be seeing that comparison in an upcoming post).
The formula of this was really lovely and it was opaque in 2 coats.


Servin' Up Sparkle (clear base with different sized silver and holographic glitter throughout)
Because this glitter top coat is included in both of the Glam Slam! England sets, I'm basically going to repeat what I had to say about this shade from my review of the other Glam Slam! England duo.
The inclusion of this shade in both sets was a bit of a disappointment for me since I think it would have been smarter/better to have different shades in each set. I also found that the bottle looks a little deceiving because at first glance, it seems like the glitter is going to be much denser than it actually turned out to be.
However, this is rather pretty and adds a nice effect over both of the other shades included in the duos. It does give Your Royal Shine-ness a bumpy looking texture but this could easily be smoothed over with a layer of top coat. This is primarily meant to be used as a layering polish but I did swatch it alone (3 coats) in case someone wishes to wear it that way.
The formula was what you would expect from a clear based glitter - a little thick but not difficult to work with. However, if you're going to be doing 2 or more coats of this, I would recommend waiting in between coats so that you don't push all of the glitter pieces to the tip of the nail.


Your Royal Shine-ness (alone), Servin' Up Sparkle (alone), Servin' Up Sparkle (2 coats over Your Royal Shine-ness)


Servin' Up Sparkle (2 coats over Your Royal Shine-ness), Servin' Up Sparkle (alone), Your Royal Shine-ness (alone)


Servin' Up Sparkle (2 coats over Your Royal Shine-ness), Servin' Up Sparkle (alone), Your Royal Shine-ness (alone)

Overall, I do like this set, but it's not the most unique thing that I have seen from OPI. The colours are pretty and the formula is great, I just don't see this set as a must-have.

My main problem is that Servin' Up Sparkle is included in both of the Glam Slam! England sets. A lot of us polish freaks will want both of the different shades in the sets, but who wants 2 of the glitter top coat? I think OPI definitely could have come up with a different coloured glitter top coat to put in one of the sets. I obviously got them both regardless of the repeat of Servin' Up Sparkle, but I really only did that so that I could provide you guys with swatches of both sets.

The OPI Serena Williams Glam Slam! duos are available now in professional salons. I got the sets for $13.25 each but the pricing is really going to depend on where you live and where you manage to find your set. Generally though, the price will fall in range of $10-20.

What do you guys think about this Glam Slam! set? Which set do you prefer?

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Review & Swatches - OPI Serena Williams Glam Slam! England: Part 1

Hey guys!

I have been seriously stalking my local beauty supply store waiting for 3 new collections by OPI: the Blue-Hued Shatters, the Nice Stems Collection, and the 2 new Glam Slam! England sets. Finally they got these Glam Slam! England sets in yesterday but I'm still going to have to continue stalking them until I get my hands on the other new collections as well.

Besides that, I'm stalking a different supply store that carries China Glaze because I'm also on the hunt for the Crackle Metals. It's exhausting waiting for new collections to get here, haha!

Anyways, today I'll be showing you 1 of the 2 sets of the Glam Slam! England duos. Both of these sets include glittery/shimmery shades instead of the crackles which we have seen in the other 3 Glam Slam! sets so far.



Keep reading for the swatches and review!



Grape...Set...Match (deep red-based purple with purple and blue micro-glitter)
The shade immediately reminded me of a lighter version of OPI Ink, which is an absolutely gorgeous shade, but it can come off a little dark - especially in the warmer months, so I think Grape...Set...Match is the perfect substitute. (I'll try to get a comparison of the 2 shades up for your guys asap.)
The micro-glitter in this is really saturated throughout so it comes off as a duochrome finish that flashes both blue and purple. It's really stunning and when you add Servin' Up Sparkle, I think you get something really special. The formula was really good and it only required 2 coats for the opacity you'll see below.


Servin' Up Sparkle (clear base with different sized silver and holographic glitter throughout)
This glitter top coat is included in both of the Glam Slam! England sets which was a bit of a disappointment for me since I think it would have been smarter/better to have different shades in each set. I also found that the bottle looks a little deceiving because at first glance, it seems like the glitter is going to be much denser than it actually turned out to be.
However, this is rather pretty and adds a nice effect over the other shades, Grape...Set...Match in particular. This is primarily meant to be used as a layering polish but I did swatch it alone (3 coats) in case someone wishes to wear it that way. The formula was what you would expect from a clear based glitter - a little thick but not difficult to work with. However, if you're going to be doing 2 or more coats of this, I would recommend waiting in between coats so that you don't push all of the glitter pieces to the tip of the nail.


Grape...Set...Match (alone), Servin' Up Sparkle (alone), Servin' Up Sparkle (2 coats over Grape...Set...Match)


Servin' Up Sparkle (2 coats over Grape...Set...Match), Servin' Up Sparkle (alone), Grape...Set...Match (alone)

Overall, I like this set a lot. I think that Grape...Set...Match is the star here as it can be worn on its own or with Servin' Up Sparkle on top, and it looks great either way. In fact, I think a really pretty mani would be to paint Grape...Set...Match on all nails and add Servin' Up Sparkle to just the ring finger to have an accent nail of super glittery holo goodness. I wouldn't personally wear Servin' Up Sparkle on its own but I think it'll look great over just about any shade, so it's worth having.

My main problem is that Servin' Up Sparkle is included in both of the Glam Slam! England sets. A lot of us polish freaks will want both of the different shades in the sets, but who wants 2 of the glitter top coat? I think OPI definitely could have come up with a different coloured glitter top coat to put in one of the sets. I myself got them both regardless of the repeat of Servin' Up Sparkle, but I really only did that so that I could provide you guys with swatches of both sets.

The OPI Serena Williams Glam Slam! duos are available now in professional salons. I got the sets for $13.25 each but the pricing is really going to depend on where you live and where you manage to find your set. Generally though, the price will fall in range of $10-20.

What do you guys think about this Glam Slam! set?

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Upcoming Collections - Miss Universe by OPI Collection

Hey guys!

I know there has been a lot of talk going around about this upcoming collection by OPI and I received the official press release today so I thought everyone would like to see it.



Unleash Your Inner Beauty Queen!

OPI Launches Limited Edition Miss Universe Lacquers

Pageant-pretty nail lacquers in the new Miss Universe by OPI promotion give fingers and toes added glitz and glamour. Featuring four shades packed with shimmer and sparkle, these limited edition colors capture the energy of the 2011 MISS UNIVERSE® competition, to be held September 12, 2011, in São Paulo, Brazil.

“Miss Universe is the most popular and publicized beauty pageant in the world,” said Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “We are excited to partner with the Miss Universe Organization, whose contestants provided so much inspiration for rich, high-fashion color.”

With shades ranging from berry and golden pink to electric blue and glittery silver, Miss Universe by OPI provides high-shine lacquers, including:

Keep reading for photos and more information!



Congeniality is My Middle Name
And berry-wine shimmer is what I do best!


It’s MY Year
It’s about time for this champagne-rose to shine!


Swimsuit...Nailed It!
An itsy bitsy teenie weenie vibrant shiny-blue bikini.


Crown Me Already!
A sassy silver sparkle that knows what it’s worth.


The Miss Universe Organization named OPI its official nail care sponsor this June. Additionally, Weiss-Fischmann will be a judge for the 2011 Miss USA® pageant, a precursor to the Miss Universe competition.

Miss Universe by OPI Nail Lacquers contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and feature OPI’s exclusive ProWideTM Brush for the ultimate in application. This limited-edition promotion will be available beginning August 2011 at Professional Salons and Spas for $10.95 CAN suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

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Upcoming Collections - Miss Universe by OPI Collection

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