Thursday, April 29, 2010

OPI Designer Series Sensation

Okay, I am almost done with my Designer Series polishes -- I have only a few more to show! Actually, that's not quite the truth. I have more than just a few, but I don't really feel like swatching the remaining 4 or 5 that I have, so those will be mixed in with regular posts in the future :-)

OPI Designer Series Sensation




(outside, direct sun)






I was pleasantly surprised with this polish. In the bottle, it looks like a bright pink with blue/purple holo, and that's exactly what it looked like on the nail. It reminds me a lot of DS Dazzle, but with a blurple instead of silver effect. The application was pretty good - the polish was sheer and jelly-like, but built up well and was even and opaque in three coats. I went outside in the sunlight to try and get some better pics of the holo effect.

I promise that I *do* have contest details coming up soon. I bought some goodies as part of the contest today and I have a few more things to pick up before I start giving out details and accepting entries. Stay tuned!! <3

Friday, April 23, 2010

YAY!!! Mission Accomplished!

I am at 100 followers!! Thanks y'all :-) So, as promised, I will be having my first giveaway. I have a busy weekend ahead of me, so I will not get around to posting info/prizes/deets until early next week.

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend, and I will be posting giveaway details shortly. In the meantime, feel free to still follow me, because only followers will be eligible to win the giveaway :-) THANKS AGAIN!! xoxo

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Happy Earth Day! Zoya Nail Polish Exchange 2010!

In honor of Earth Day, Zoya is kicking off their Nail Polish Exchange program again! Essentially, you can turn in your old, unwanted, non-Zoya polishes and "exchange" them for new Zoya polishes. Each polish will cost you just $3.50, which includes shipping and is half-off their normal MSRP of $7/each. I just picked my colors and I ended up getting 15. Oopsie! However, I don't think I'll have a problem finding 15 polishes in my stash to exchange for them :-) Happy Shopping!!

For more info, click on the image below to be taken to Zoya's page!


OPI Designer Series Treasure

Two more followers!! C'mon guys -- I'm at 98! I need *TWO* more to reach 100 :-D Please help me out. Thank you!!

OPI Designer Series Treasure




(outdoors, sunlight)




As I start to wind down the Designer Series posts, you'll start to see the ones I saved for last -- and it's not because I like them best... haha. It's most likely because I didn't think I would like them, so I avoiding using them. And, that's the case with this polish :-(

When I first got it, I thought I would like it, since orange is a cute color sometimes, but when I opened the bottle to check it out, I noticed the watery, sheer consistency and it turned me off immediately. So, of course I procrastinated when it came to putting it on. I finally got around to it last weekend and as expected, I was disappointed. First of all, I am wearing FIVE coats, and it is still not as opaque as I would like (as you can see in the outdoor pics), and it is also not really a holographic polish, so I have no clue why it is in the DS line. The color is a nice, bright, pumpkin orange, and I like the shiny wet look, but it was such a pain to apply and it took forever to dry (no doubt due to the massive number of coats). I don't think I'll be wearing this one again. Definitely not a fan!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

OPI Designer Series Original

WOO HOO! Almost to 100 followers!! You guys are awesome! I smell an awesome giveaway coming up shortly! Only a few more followers to go! I am getting everything together right now and will have giveaway details posted shortly :-) In celebration of almost hitting 100, here's a gorgeous polish for y'all:

OPI Designer Series Original




This polish was perfect in just about every aspect -- the formula was thick but easy to apply. It only took two coats to be fully opaque. The color is just GORGEOUS. It's a shimmery plum color with a pink/blue holo effect. I kept on holding my hands up in the sunlight and moving it around so that I could admire the effect. It's just plain WOW. I love this polish! If you don't already have it, you must get it! :-)

I am down to my last few Designer Series polishes. I think I have about 7 or 8 left to post. I have to admit that I am finally starting to suffer from DS overload, so you may see me throw in a non-DS post here and there :-)

Monday, April 19, 2010

OPI Here Today Aragon Tomorrow + Konad m36

Almost there!!! I'm at 90 followers -- only 10 more before my first giveaway! Woo hoo!!

I am going to cheat on my Designer Series posts today to show you a recent Konadicure.

OPI Here Today Aragon Tomorrow




This polish is from OPI's recent Spain Collection. It is a dark green/almost black color. It was surprisingly sheer for a dark color. I am wearing three coats here, and my top coat caused a little bit of pulling on the tips unfortunately. I wasn't completely wowed by this color, so rather than remove it, I decided to jazz it up a bit by adding some Konad and voila!





I stamped with Konad plate m36 using China Glaze's Robotika (from the Khrome collection and already featured as a NOTD). I love how Robotika looks when used as a stamping polish. It's gorgeous! I have been getting into Konad more and more lately. My stamping SUCKED at first, but I've since gotten a lot better and have been experimenting with different plates and polish colors. I order all my Konad supplies from either eBay or OC Nail Art. Kathleen from OC Nail Art is wonderful! I love her! If you use the discount code "scrangie" you get 30% off your order of $20+. Also, she offers free shipping on those orders, so you really save $$$!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

OPI Designer Series Coronation

I like this one a lot better than both Diamond and Shimmer. I think I've found my go-to silver holo polish!

OPI Designer Series Coronation




I think I am wearing three coats here, so the polish is thin, but not as thin as Shimmer was. As you can see, I got great opacity in three coats, which is great for a light-colored polish. This one is very close to a pure silver color. I see a hint of light blue in there, but for the most part, it's a beautiful shimmery silver color. It reminds me of diamonds on my fingernails, and y'know what they say about diamonds being a girl's best friend :-D

Also, I'd like to give a big THANK YOU and WELCOME to all my new followers! I can't believe how the number exploded overnight!!! I am 75% of the way to my goal -- so if you haven't followed me yet, please do so! For my giveaway, I will have not one, but TWO winners! I'll have a whole stash of polishes that the winners can pick their favorites from (first place gets to pick first), and the first place winner will also get some other goodies such as nail stickers, a buffer, some *Lush Lemony Flutter* (I love this stuff), chocolate yummies, and anything else I can think of! Pics and instructions will be posted after I hit 100 :-D

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Help me hit 100 followers so that I can do my first giveaway!!

Yep, you read that right! I am almost halfway to 100 followers, and to help expedite the process just a little bit, I will be doing a contest/giveaway when I hit 100 (partly to celebrate 100 followers -- partly to get rid of some of the insane amount of polishes I have). I promise the giveaway will include lots of great polishes (and definitely several Designer Series goodies!!) and other goodies as well :-)

After I hit 100, I'll post giveaway details as well as what the winner(s) will receive!

So, get to it and follow me :-D

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

OPI Designer Series Exclusive

I've worn this once before, and I swear, every time I wear it, it just gets more and more gorgeous!

OPI Designer Series Exclusive




And here are some outdoor pics, since Spring is finally arriving here!




This polish is the perfect purple/pink holographic hybrid. It's just gorgeous! In the bottle, I thought it looked really purple. Then, as I wore it, I began to notice the pink a lot more. In the indoor pics, you can really see the sparkle in it. The application is one of the best I've seen for DS -- it was smooth and perfectly opaque in just two coats. Sooooo gorgeous!

I've really been into Konad lately. I recently picked up a bunch of new plates and went through my polish stash to find good Konad polish candidates. My last few manicures have been strictly Konadicures, and I've gotten so many compliments! Those pics will be coming up after all the DS polishes are done :-)

Friday, April 09, 2010

OPI Designer Series Dazzle

I was surprised that this one was included in the Designer Series line -- it's not a holographic at all!

OPI Designer Series Dazzle




Okay, so I won't deny that it's pretty and sparkly, but where is the holo effect? I don't see it at all. This applied like, and looks like, a glass-fleck polish. Each coat was jelly-like and semi-sheer. I have three coats on here. By the third coat, opacity was decent. I love the "wet" look on my nails, and my fingers sparkled in the sunlight, but there is no holo at all. Sorry to disappoint y'all :-( But, I can definitely see myself wearing this color again in the summer -- this pink shade is perfect for summer days. It reminds me of strawberries and watermelons and... yum!

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

OPI Designer Series Desire

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for neutral and brown polishes. Add that to my love of Designer Series, and you get this perfect polish here!

OPI Designer Series Desire




Actually, I am calling this brown, but as you can see in the pics, it is an amalgamation of all different colors! I see mostly brown, but I also see some gold, maybe some peach, and a little bit of pink also. And of course, the holo on this is quite noticeable, so that just makes it all that much prettier! The application was great as well -- I got good coverage with just two coats, but I wanted it to be a tad darker, so I am wearing three coats in these pictures.

I have almost made it through all my Designer Series polishes. I honestly don't have that many left, which is great (it means I can go back to posting other brands and polishes), but it also makes me kind of sad (for obvious reasons...) :-(

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Urban Decay Friends & Family - 30% off!

I love Urban Decay -- they are one of my favorite makeup brands. They are my go-to brand for eye makeup, and their eyeshadow primer is a must-have for any gal. For the polish-holics out there, they have a new set of mini-polishes out right now! The sale starts TODAY and goes until April 19th! Order from their website at www.urbandecay.com and receive 30% off your order with the coupon code below. HAPPY SHOPPING!!!!

Monday, April 05, 2010

OPI Designer Series Limited

I sometimes think that OPI likes to mess with my head. What color is this? Orange? Peach? Pink? Brown? Who knows! But, whatever it is, I like it!

OPI Designer Series Limited




As I said in the opening paragraph, I have a hard time describing this color. When it was in the bottle, I thought it looked peach to me. But, then I put it on and noticed a little bit of brown or maybe pink in there. I honestly have no clue! But, it is a beautiful color and application was great as well. I'm wearing three coats here, but probably could have gotten away with only two.

I really hope OPI releases more Designer Series polishes soon. Honestly, I think I might go a little stir crazy after I've finished posting all the DSes I own. Whatever will I do without more DS polishes in my stash? Oh noes!!!!!

Saturday, April 03, 2010

OPI Designer Series Reflection

Woo hoo -- two of my favorite things in the world - red and a DS polish!

OPI Designer Series Reflection




This one was wonderfully opaque and although I had great coverage in just one coat, I slapped another one on there to smooth it out. I love the shade of red that it is -- a pure red, not one hint of pink or orange. Admittedly, the holo effect on this one isn't as great as others -- this looks more like a shimmer than a holo, but I don't care because it's so PRETTY! :-)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!! It's supposed to be summer weather here today and I cannot be more excited!! Time to take the pooch out to the dog park :-)

Thursday, April 01, 2010

OPI Designer Series Mystery

Mystery is a relatively new color -- it was released along with Glow (featured already in another post) a few months ago.

OPI Designer Series Mystery




I apologize in advance for the crappy pics. This one was IMPOSSIBLE to get good pictures of. The color is actually a VERY dark, almost-black purple with chunks of gold flakey glitter in there. I also did a horrible application job, which didn't help with the pics. I originally had one two coats, but noticed that it wasn't completely opaque on some nails. I was too lazy to slap on another coat, so I went two days with my mani like that. I hadn't taken pics yet, so prior to taking these pics, I slapped on a third coat, and that's why you see some tipwear with a coat of polish over it. Oopsie! But, the color really is super pretty. It definitely looks like a chunky black unless you are in sunlight, or look up close... then you can see the purple and gold flakes.

I've recently re-discovered Konad and am starting to get the hang of it. My application isn't perfect, but it's getting better. Hopefully after I've honed in on my Konad skills, I will post some Konadicures :-)