Nail Art

OPI New Color Paints Blendable Nail Lacquer

April 8, 2015

Nail Art, Nailpolish, Obsessed, OPI, Press release

NAIL COLOR INNOVATION

MAKE A PLAYDATE WITH COLOR WITH

NEW COLOR PAINTS BLENDABLE NAIL LACQUER BY OPI

IDEA: Translucent colors to layer and blend for endless nail art looks

WHAT THEY ARE: A new line of blendable nail lacquers that let you create your own color masterpieces. This spring, the leading color experts at OPI have created a new way to get creative with nail art. The world’s number one salon brand introduces Color Paints Blendable Nail Lacquer, a line of ultra-luminous nail lacquers that let you layer and mix colors to create one-of-a-kind looks. Featuring semi-translucent, buildable lacquers, the collection invites you to let your imagination run wild. The unique silver base illuminates each subsequent layer with striking vivid color. Stripe, swoosh, or swirl on layers of eye-catching color to create your own signature style. With nine new shades, OPI Color Paints Blendable Nail Lacquer makes each nail a paintable mini canvas of creativity.

Color Paints Blendable Nail Lacquer offers nine new shades, including:

Silver Canvas
A clean-slate silver to illuminate your masterpiece.

Primarily Yellow
Paint some sunshine with this glowing yellow.

Chromatic Orange
This freshly squeezed orange is awash with color.

Pen & Pink
I’m irresistibly drawn to this rosy pink.

Magenta Muse
This sultry red-violet is truly inspiring.

Purple Perspective
The depth of this purple is mesmerizing.

Indigo Motif
I have designs on this deep, midnight blue.

Turquoise Aesthetic
Beauty is in the eye of this deep aqua.

Landscape Artist
The lush, verdant green of wide-open vistas.

WHAT THEY COST: $4.75 salon, $9.50 retail ($5.95 CAN salon, $11.50 CAN retail)

WHERE TO FIND THEM: Explore these shades from May 2015 at ULTA, ULTA.com, and select professional salons.

To learn more about OPI visit www.OPI.com.

Nicole by OPI Neon Gradient Tutorial!

August 7, 2014

Nail Art, Nailpolish, Neon, Nicole by OPI, Nude shades, Obsessed, Pastels

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When I recently posted my Nicole by OPI Neon Gradient on Instagram (see it here in my recent post!), the amazing folks over at Nicole by OPI took notice… and asked for a tutorial!

Now you can replicate my go-to nail art seen here by heading over to Nicole by OPI’s Life in Lacquer blog now!

Don’t forget to share your photos of this look on my Facebook page or on Instagram, and let me know how you liked it!

~xo

OPI’s Ford Mustang Collection!

August 5, 2014

Nail Art, Nailpolish, Neon, Obsessed, OPI

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Launched a few weeks ago in July, OPI’s partnership with Ford saw the introduction of six new limited edition nail lacquers to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang!

Including both creme and shimmery hues, the collection has aptly-named shades from Race Red to Angel with a Leadfoot, all with gorgeous, high shine finishes. Believe me when I say that you might need a few (or all) of these!

Race Red, the focal point of the collection, is described as a “hot pepper red,” though I find it to be more of an orange-leaning red and less of a true red. No matter, as I love red polish and found Race Red’s orange base helped it stand out. Here, 2 easy, jelly-like coats, no top coat. Love this shine!

Girls Love Ponies is described as a grown-up hot pink, and I absolutely love it! Incredible coverage even on the first coat, this gorgeous pink leans slightly fuchsia. Inspired by Chanel’s reverse French manicure and a post by the lovely Eugenia on her Instagram recently, I decided to layer Girls Love Ponies over Angel with a Leadfoot for a gorgeous (at least I think so) combination:

Note that this is also called a Ruffian Mani. : )

Where do I stop with the favourites? If you know me, you know I absolutely adore white polishes (and vamps, but more on that later)… and Angel with a Leadfoot is, well, angelic! A soft white with great coverage, this one applied really well, for a white. If you wear whites, you know they can be streaky, but by the second coat, Angel had applied evenly and was drying to a gorgeous shine. A tip is to apply a little more generously than you would another shade, especially on the second coat. Alternatively, apply three very thin coats. Two coats, no top coat:

Described as a golden pearl, 50 Years of Style is a soft gold that totally reminded me of the gold stripes on the classic Ford Mustangs. It applied really well, though being metallic, it can show application lines so apply quickly and with straight lines. 🙂 Two easy, quick-drying coats below:

Going for another Ruffian/reverse French manicure, I added the vampy Queen of the Road to 50 Years of Style. This is a very subtle Ruffian, barely visible in the sunlit photo. Queen of the Road is one of those must-have polishes: vampy and gunmetal gray in shade, but full of a fiery sparkle in the sun. Application was a breeze and best of all, no staining! As with 50 Years of Style, Queen can show application lines, but these are only visible in direct light. Two coats over 50 Years:

Last but not least, the very difficult-to-photograph The Sky’s My Limit, a shimmering blue hue with tiny blue, green and gold flecks that looked gold or silver in different light. This chameleon of a polish veered between green, turquoise and blue depending on the light. I found my photos looked more blue in sunlight, until I finally captured this photo which I think is a perfect representation of the polish: (two coats)

From OPI’s Chief Nail Polish Queen, “In creating these six colors, I was inspired by Mustang’s rich heritage. Race Red – the hero shade of the collection – pays tribute to one of Mustang’s signature colors, while 50 Years of Style celebrates Mustang’s golden milestone,” says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann. “Queen of the Road was inspired by Mustang’s sophisticated and dramatic black interior. The Sky’s My Limit brings to mind the open road and the adventurous feeling of rushing to meet the horizon,” continues Weiss-Fischmann. “Girls Love Ponies is a classic, feminine pink representing today’s multifaceted consumer; who says a ‘girlie-girl’ can’t love cars?” Finally, Angel with a Leadfoot represents the power a woman feels when behind the wheel of a Mustang. This clean, pure hue is an essential statement-making shade.”

Ford Mustang is now available in limited quantities wherever OPI is sold. For more information, visit www.opi.com, follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

Have you tried any of these yet? Which one is your favourite?

~xo

If you liked this post, please take a moment to ‘like’ this post and/or comment! I love to read what you think.

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Nicole by OPI Neon Gradient

August 4, 2014

Nail Art, Nailpolish, Neon, Nicole by OPI, Nude shades, Obsessed, Pastels

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For this summer, Nicole by OPI launched a mini-collection of four new nail lacquers called Seize the Summer. Including bright, beach-ready shades of coral, citrus green, hot pink and metallic confetti glitter, these tropical shades are beautiful and will have you dreaming of the islands!

One of the first shades I wore from this collection, against my usual preference of pinks and corals, was Lay it on the Lime, the bright lime green shade.

Having seen just how bright this gorgeous neon can be, I wanted to experiment with a fun way to soften it. If you follow my blog, you have surely noticed my love of gradients, and why not gradient over Lay it on the Lime!

To make this beautiful neon softer and more wearable for those that are neon-shy, I thought a nude, taupe-y shade would do the trick. Enter That’s Putting it Mild, a creamy nude shade!

The look I wanted was similar to a soft, unstructured French manicure, with neon tips. What do you think of the end result?

I also experimented with this gradient using OPI’s amazing nude Don’t Bossa Nova Me Around… another gorgeous combo you may have seen on my Instagram.

For more information, visit Nicole by OPI on the web, on Facebook, on Instagram and on Twitter!

Would you like to see a tutorial for this look?

~xo

Dior Manucure Transat

June 3, 2014

Beauty, Dior, Dior Vernis, Nail Art, Nailpolish, Nude shades

6 Comments

On the bridge of an ocean liner blows the wind of liberty. Cruise elegance reigns. Dior renews ties with the world of the great transatlantic crossings, inspired by the travel spirits of its first Resort and Spring line in 1948. Created by Tyen, the 2014 Summer Look unveils a cruise make-up collection: a palette of navy blue, primary red and sandy beige. The skin wears the radiance of the sun and an outdoors glow. Eyes take to the seas in ultramarine blue, while lips light up in red, and nails wear the sailor’s strips.

This season, chic is taking a breath of maritime air.

The Transat collection takes its cruise style codes right to the fingertips: painted vibrant red, sailor blue or rope beige, nails parade in maritime stripes with a transparent sticker kit featuring the CD logo. Also included in the kit is a mini nail file and instruction card.

Incredibly easy to apply for a chic and playful manicure.

Dior_Transat_Sailor_pk

Available in three limited edition shades, Vernis Transat Manicure will impress even the harshest beauty critics.

Let’s start with Sailor (700)! Blue is my absolute favourite colour, and Sailor was immediately a stand-out. As I’ve said before, I don’t always wear blue nail polish (as much as I adore the colour), simply because I feel that some shades can look… well, immature. No such worries here! Sailor is a beautiful royal blue, just deep enough to be sexy and classic, and just bright enough to draw compliments from strangers. Seriously, I received more compliments about my manicure than I can remember while shopping and lunching one day, with Sailor on!

Sailor is a crelly (cream-jelly) formula that leans slightly more jelly. Possessing the tiniest hint of silver shimmer (like the other two shades), Sailor dries quickly to a mirror-like shine, making top coat virtually unnecessary. Its jelly formula can dry with a hint of shrinkage, so I do recommend wrapping the tips of your nails as you paint to ensure coverage dries right to the tips. And there was absolutely no staining upon removal. Below, two coats of Sailor over Dior Base Coat Abricot:

You can see the gorgeous delicate silver shimmer in the sun, below (click pic for full size):

A beautiful bright red, Captain (750) leans slightly warm without being overtly orange. It is truly a vivid, spectacular red possessing the same hidden silver shimmer as Sailor. Also a crelly formula, it applies flawlessly and covers perfectly even on its first coat. Drying to a stunning high shine like Sailor, it too, can skip top coat. Here are two coats over Dior’s Base Coat:

Rounding out a trio of sublime polishes, the neutral in this collection is the sandy greige Yacht (210). A very neutral beige, I wish I had at least two backups of this beauty, because it is that deserving. I have worn this polish multiple times already and am starting to worry about the wear in my bottle! Another Dior Vernis, another spectacular formula, this time in a gorgeous creme. Yacht has the same hidden silver shimmer as Captain and Sailor, though it is almost invisible in this nude. Below, two coats over Dior’s Base Coat:

Dior Vernis Transat Manicure sets in Yacht, Sailor and Captain ($31 Cdn each) are available now in limited release (since May 1, 2014) at Dior counters everywhere. I heard that Sailor quantities were running low at some Dior counters, so call ahead!

For more information (no shipping available to Canada), head to Dior.com and you can shop online at thebay.com!

What is your favourite of the three shades (if you can pick one)?

~xo

If you liked this post, please take a moment to ‘like’ this post and/or comment! I love to read what you think.

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Morgan Taylor & an Easter Mani

April 20, 2014

Morgan Taylor, Nail Art, OPI, Pastels, Zoya

4 Comments

Happy weekend and Happy Easter to those of you celebrating!

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Today I have a quick pastel mani that is perfect for Easter… or just spring. I love pastels and my quest for the perfect yellow once led me to franken my very own pastel yellow that, if I say so myself, actually turned out quite pretty. And similar to today’s gem from Morgan Taylor: Ahead of the Game. A gorgeous pastel yellow with the subtlest hint of shimmer, Ahead of the Game caught my eye a few times and I somehow managed to walk away… not yesterday! It does apply a little sheer on the first coat, but with a generous second coat, leaves behind a perfect, streak-free finish:

Ahead of the Game looked to be the perfect blank canvas, so I decided to make it into an Easter mani by adding some angled French tips with OPI’s Alpine Snow, and an accent of Zoya’s Cole from their Spring Awaken Collection, a beautiful pastel peach-orange cream:

Simple, yet elegant, and easy to do with some striping tape or simple tape cut out into lengths or little triangles.

If you are celebrating today, Happy Easter and hope everyone enjoys this beautiful Sunday with their loved ones, furry and human!

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What do you think of my pastel mani?

~xo

If you liked this post, please take a moment to ‘like’ this post and/or comment! I love to read what you think.

OPI Brazil Nudes

February 26, 2014

Nail Art, Nailpolish, Obsessed, OPI

10 Comments

I was so excited about OPI’s Brazil Collection that launched for Spring/Summer this year… those bright corals, pinks, red… but when I saw the nude selection of this collection… *thud*
If you are a neutral palette lover like me, you will literally want to stop reading, grab your wallet, and run to the nearest OPI salon. Seriously.

This collection immediately struck me as a home run, just like last year’s Euro Centrale collection. Ranging from brights to mocha to a deep green, there is something for every polish lover, and FIVE of the collection’s 12 shades are neutrals. That’s almost HALF the collection in neutral shades, with 3 of them being shades of nude. I am totally in love!

I decided to use the four creme earthy tones in an ombré manicure because they looked so beautiful together. All four of these cremes have a similar, warm-pink-toned base, making them not only gorgeous, but perfect complements to one another! And the formula? Perfection!!! No streaking, not even on the lightest shade Don’t Bossa Nova Me Around. Drytime was amazing too, even pre-topcoat.

My ombré manicure consisted of the lightest shade in this collection, and about to become another nude favourite OPI of mine (next to My Vampire is Buff), Don’t Bossa Nova Me Around; Taupe-less Beach, a gorgeous greyed taupe a few shades darker than the lightest; I São Paulo Over There, yet a few more shades darker than the previous colour and a mid-toned greyed mocha; and finally, OPI Scores a Goal, a rich chocolate creme (L to R in all pictures).

Above, in the shade

In full sun

Brazil by OPI is now available in both nail lacquer and GelColor formulas!

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

What do you think of my ombré mani?

If you liked this post, please take a moment to ‘like’ this post and/or comment! I love to read your comments.

~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Zoya Naturel Collection Review

February 19, 2014

Nail Art, Nailpolish, Obsessed, Zoya

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At the beginning of the year, Zoya launched a beautiful set of nudes, ranging in shade from ivory to a chocolate milk shade in their Naturel Collection. What’s there not to love! Six new full-coverage shades of complementary neutrals with a pink undertone so they can be worn alone or together for slight tonal accents.

The lightest shade in the collection is Chantal, described as a French Vanilla creme by Zoya. A perfect description! Often shades this light or white-based can be a bit streaky, but Chantal did not streak and needed only two coats for great coverage. You could add a third coat if you felt compelled, but I loved it at two. Below it is with only base coat and 2 coats of Chantal – no top coat, and look at that shine!

Chantal leaned a bit lighter than nude due to my olive complexion, but as you can see, still extremely flattering. It has a slight peach undertone and I feel that it would suit almost any complexion.

Seeing how well the shades coordinate, I tipped Chantal with the darkest shade for a gorgeous contrast – Chantal with a French tip of Normani:

A slight step up from Chantal is Taylor, described as a light toffee creme shade. I found Taylor to be more of a yellow-based nude. This one reminded me of a yummy café au lait… and again, I loved it on me. It may not be as versatile to pinkish skintones as Chantal though. Again, two coats were perfect but you could easily apply three thin coats. Below, 2 coats, no top coat:

One of the mid-tone shades is Rue, described as a Boudoir Blush Cream. Rue reminded me of a soft rose satin camisole… very romantic, very pretty, and a colour for almost any skintone. Application was a breeze with 2 coats and no top coat:

Just a touch darker is Brigitte, described as a Bombshell Mauve Cream (how sexy is that description!). Another beauty and a pink-y mauve. Two coats paired with a French tip of Chantal below (look at that shine):

I love these two together!

Odette jumps quite a few tones to a dusty purplish shade, described as a Sultry Maroon Cream. This formula was classic Zoya – thicker than the lighter shades of this collection, self-levelling, beautiful and drying to an incredible shine! Two coats below:

Odette strikes me as dustier version of OPI’s I’m Feeling Sashy, non?

And finally, we have Normani, a Sable Mauve Cream (I really love these Zoya descriptions!), a cool, dusty, greyed-mocha with a mauve undertone. I absolutely love Normani! Formula-wise it was exactly like Odette. Two coats below, no top coat, and look at that crazy shine:

I think it’s pretty clear how I feel about this collection… totally obsessed and loving every shade! Not only are these colours on-trend and gorgeous, but they are highly office-appropriate, even when paired in soft nail art like the French manicures I’ve shown. And Zoya’s formula is divine. I think these will be added to my go-to Zoya stash that includes Natty, Sailor, Rockie, Josie… the list goes on…

Find the Zoya Naturel Nail Polish Collection and over 300 stunning BIG5FREE* Zoya colors on www.zoya.com. Each and every color has a name as unique as the women who inspired it.

*Formula is completely free of formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate, toluene and camphor.

ZOYA IS THE NATUREL COLOR OF FASHION!
$9.00 ea. (US)

Which one is your favourite shade?

If you liked this post, please take a moment to ‘like’ this post or comment! I love to read what you think. 🙂

~xo

(Products were provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Nicole Challenge Nail Art

February 18, 2014

Nail Art, Nail care, Nailpolish, Nicole by OPI, Obsessed

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Yesterday I announced that I was participating in a new Nicole by OPI challenge that runs until February 25th (please head to twitter to tweet or retweet to help me win!), and today I wanted to share some more details about the nail art. 🙂

The challenge was to come up with a manicure to complement any of Carrie Underwood’s amazing songs using only shades from her new Nicole by OPI collection.
I chose the song “Before he Cheats.” Colours used (all from the Carrie Underwood for Nicole by OPI collection): Love My Pups, Carnival Cotton Candy, Some Hearts and American as Apple Pie, as well as the new 3-in-1 as my base/top coat:

Here is the mani before I added the nail art, with the beautiful pale nude Love My Pups on my index and ring (2 coats), red beauty American as Apple Pie on my middle, and deep pink crelly Some Hearts on my pinky:

Aren’t the colours beautiful?

And the final look once I added striping tape and the topping colours (middle and pinky fingers done freehand, and index is a sponge gradient of American as Apple Pie and Carnival Cotton Candy):

Once again, if you happen to like my mani and are on twitter, would you vote for me by heading over to Twitter and tweeting or retweeting the following photo of my nail art, including my hashtag #Aire4Nicole?

Everyone can tweet once as well as retweet once per day (that’s two votes per person, per day)!

Thank you! ~xo

(If you liked this post, please take a moment to ‘like’ this post or comment.)

Please RT #NicoleChallenge!

February 17, 2014

Just for fun, Nail Art, Nailpolish, Nicole by OPI, Obsessed

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Happy Family Day everyone (that’s for some of us Canadians)!

Today is the start of a new Nicole by OPI Challenge for some of us Canadian bloggers where we need YOUR help to help us tweet and retweet! As you know, Nicole by OPI’s 2014 celebrity collaboration is inspired by award-winning superstar Carrie Underwood, and the objective was to come up with a manicure to complement any of Carrie’s amazing songs!
I chose the song “Before he Cheats.” As you may know, this song is about a cheating man and the revenge she gets on him… Here is the final look:

This manicure was created using an excess of pinks and reds but destroyed, in a sense, to represent her hurt broken heart. The heart in the middle is an abstract design of a broken/bleeding heart, and the lines on other nails represent her “carving her name” on the side of his truck and his leather seats.

I hope you like it! If you do, would you please help me win by heading over to Twitter and tweeting or retweeting this photo of my nail art, including my hashtag #Aire4Nicole.

Everyone can tweet once as well as retweet once per day (that’s two votes per person, per day)!

Thank you! ~xo

—The Obsessed

The Obsessions and musings of a product junkie…

Archive

Nail Art

OPI New Color Paints Blendable Nail Lacquer

NAIL COLOR INNOVATION

MAKE A PLAYDATE WITH COLOR WITH

NEW COLOR PAINTS BLENDABLE NAIL LACQUER BY OPI

Nicole by OPI Neon Gradient Tutorial!

OPI’s Ford Mustang Collection!

Nicole by OPI Neon Gradient

Dior Manucure Transat

Morgan Taylor & an Easter Mani

OPI Brazil Nudes

Zoya Naturel Collection Review

Nicole Challenge Nail Art

Please RT #NicoleChallenge!

NAIL COLOR INNOVATION

MAKE A PLAYDATE WITH COLOR WITH

NEW COLOR PAINTS BLENDABLE NAIL LACQUER BY OPI

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