OPI Magnifico Mexico

EEEK!!! Sorry for the lack of posts, guys. Things have been crazy busy around here. That and I am (still) in the middle of moving and literally living out of boxes right now. I only get to change my nail polish every 3-4 days, instead of every other day like I used to do :-( And 2/3 of my polish is packed up right now, so I don't have a lot of choose from when doing my nails :-( But, hopefully all of this will pass soon and I will be fully moved and unpacked. In the meantime, does anyone want to buy a nice 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condo from me? :-D

OPI Magnifico Mexico




I'm not really an "orange" person. It's actually one of my least favorite colors! But, since it's summer and it's been scorchingly hot around here, I figure this would be the perfect summer color. This is more of an orange/red than a true orange. It looks a lot more orange in the bottle than it does on the nail. The hint of slight shimmer is also great for summer as well. Application was good and took three coats to be fully opaque.

I will try to be a bit better about updating... I have a huge backlog of pics... just have to get up off my lazy bum and actually post them! xoxo

Sephora by OPI Mermaid to Order

This is one of those posts where I wish I knew how to work my camera better, so that I could get more accurate pics!!

Sephora by OPI Mermaid to Order




This polish really does remind me of a mermaid -- the polish has a slightly frosty finish, and it flashes from teal blue to teal green -- it's absolutely gorgeous! Unfortunately, it only looks one color in my pictures, so you'll have to take my word for it :-) The formula was also really good - only took two coats, and the dry time and wear were both phenomenal. I do love $OPI polishes a lot - I just wish they were cheaper! At $9 a pop, buying a lot of them starts to add up!

OPI Crepes Suzi-ette

Happy Friday!!! I hope everyone has a great weekend! :-) There's another heat wave expected here in the Northeast, so it's gonna be a HOT one out there!

OPI Crepes Suzi-ette




(outdoors, direct sunlight)




I don't know what took me so long to try this polish -- I've loved the majority of OPI's France Collection, and this one is no exception. The formula was excellent on this polish -- I am wearing three coats here, but the third was mainly just to even out the color. This polish makes me think "burnt sienna" when I look at it -- it is the perfect mix of orange and brown. I love it! I think this polish would be perfect for fall -- it reminds me a lot of the foliage here in New England :-)

OPI Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ

I've been lusting after this polish for a while, so I'm glad I was able finally to wear it!

OPI Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ




(outdoors, direct sunlight)




I apologize for the poor condition of my cuticles. For some reason, my index and middle fingers are ALWAYS ragged, no matter how much conditioning or treatments I do. It's the darnedest thing....

I really like this polish, though it doesn't quite remind me of BBQ. It is a deep dark red/purple/brown creme. The formula was great... only required 2-3 coats for opacity. As you can see, this looks much darker indoors than it does outdoors. I'm a little out of season here, because this is definitely a much better option for fall and winter than it is for summer. But, that just means I have another excuse to break it out again in a few months!

OPI Bling Dynasty

My first polish from OPI's Hong Kong Collection! Ooh, how exciting! :-)

OPI Bling Dynasty




I really liked this one! The formula was great, and the color is just outstanding. It's gold, but not a bling-y (despite its name), bright, annoying gold. It reminds me more of a mustard color, but with a kick of tiny multi-colored shimmer to it. It's gorgeous! My application wasn't wonderful, so please ignore the bald spot on my index finger. I was in a rush and really should have slapped another coat on that finger before I took the pics, but I ended up doing it AFTER I took the pics (of course, right??).

OPI What's With the Cattitude + Bundle Monster BM20

Sooo... I couldn't wear yesterday's mani by itself because there was too much balding on my nails for my own liking, and I thought the blue stood out a little too much all by itself. So, I decided to break out one of my new Bundle Monster plates that I got in the mail! I used China Glaze's Joy as the stamping polish and the vine-looking pattern from plate BM20

OPI What's With the Cattitude + Bundle Monster BM20 using China Glaze Joy




I also have a special guest appearance by my left hand, since the pattern looked better on my left than right hand :-) While I'm not crazy about ALL of the Bundle Monster plates (I think there were 21 in total), I do like the allover nail patterns that they had. I did notice that the patterns on these plates were more narrow and shorter than those on Konad plates, so I specifically used them while my nails were on the shorter side. I'm sure I will probably still be able to use them when my nails are longer, but if your nails are REALLY long, you may not like them because you'll have to stamp multiple times to get the pattern to cover your entire nail surface.

I like using polishes form China Glaze's Romantique collection for nail stamping. They're all pretty thick one-coater polishes with just a hint of metallic frost, so they're perfect for stamping! I really think my mani looks much better now :-)

OPI What's With the Cattitude?

This is the first polish I'm trying out from OPI's recently-released Shrek Collection. Now, I must say that the Shrek franchise is one of all-time favorite movies. I love anything animated, and Shrek just takes the cake. I love it!!

OPI What's With the Cattitude?




I assume this polish is named after Puss in Boots. It is a very pretty light blue (kind of reminds me of a Tiffany box). The formula was incredibly thick and streaky on application. You would think that thick polish would mean opacity, but it doesn't. I'm wearing two coats here, and you can see that I have some balding on a few of my fingers. A coat of Seche Vite helped smooth out the streakiness a little, but it didn't make a huge improvement. I think this polish would be great for layering or Konading (which is what I eventually did with it), but by itself, I'm not all too thrilled. I'm hoping the rest of the collection is better, but from what I've read, it sounds like the formula is thick for this entire collection. Oh, boo :-(

OPI Russian Navy Suede

I was going through my stash of untried polishes, and noticed an OPI Suede in there! I was surprised because I could have sworn that I've swatched them all, but apparently I was wrong! So, here is the one that I found lingering in my stash...

OPI Russian Navy Suede




(direct sunlight)




I'll keep this short and sweet, since I've already tried the other five OPI Suedes already. This one honestly is not different at all in terms of application or formula. OPI is generally pretty consistent. The color is OK, but it doesn't quite "pop" enough for me. It is kinda plain-jane navy for me. I'm not a navy girl (I like blue though, which is strange), so I think I only wore this for a few hours before I decided I had enough and was done with it.

Speaking of suedes, I do have more coming up. After OPI released their original six suedes, I've noticed other companies and brands doing the same thing. OPI themselves released a new suede -- Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow Suede, which I have and will be trying out soon. Also, I picked up a mini-pack of four suedes from Ulta that I randomly fond hanging out on a shelf. The colors look great, so I'm actually pretty excited to be trying them out :-)

OPI Designer Series Royal

I am closing out my Designer Series posts with a real BANG!

OPI Designer Series Royal




Is this one a beauty or what?? The polish was quite sheer and I am wearing four coats here, plus a top coat, but trust me, it was all worth it. This is an absolutely amazing and gorgeous color! It is a bright purple with a blue and pink holo effect. It's simply stunning! I absolutely LOVE this color! If you can find it anywhere, you need to snatch it up ASAP!

I will resume my non-DS posts tomorrow :-) I've been trying to perfect my Konad skills, so I've got a few of those coming up, as well as some other spring and summer-appropriate shades. Oh, and of course, my giveaway details! I got a Bare Escentuals eye kit yesterday that will be part of the giveaway :-D Deets coming up soon! xoxo

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

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!

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 :-)

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 $$$!

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

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 :-)

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!

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...) :-(

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!!!!!