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OPI Funny Bunny

December 10, 2012
Jelly, Nailpolish, Obsessed, OPI, Shimmer Polish
6 Comments

Following yesterday’s post of my Monet-inspired OPI Funny Bunny and Shimmer Polish jelly sandwich, I thought it only appropriate to dedicate a quick post to the canvas of one of my favourite manicures…

 

Shimmer_Linna_jelly_OPI_FunnyBunnyIGInstagram feed

 

This delicate jelly sandwich (detailed here) was built upon my newest favourite white jelly polish, OPI’s Funny Bunny. Funny Bunny was released in 2007’s Garden Party collection for spring. I know, it does seem like a really old polish now that I type that out! However, it is perfection bottled. A perfect soft white, Funny Bunny is a clean white jelly leaning slightly warm rather than blue-based. It’s not warm enough to be yellow which I love! It’s like a crisp white linen shirt…

Unlike last year’s NY Ballet Collection, a collection of very sheer jellies which I wanted to love but didn’t due to the 3 – 4 coats needed to achieve any hint of colour or coverage, Funny Bunny only needs two nice coats for beautiful and even coverage. A white that self-levels? Sign me up!

Here it is, with only two coats and base/top coat:

OPI_FunnyBunny

I am in love.

How do you like Funny Bunny?

~xo

Shimmer Jelly Sandwich

December 9, 2012
Jelly, Nailpolish, Obsessed, OPI, Shimmer Polish
18 Comments

Today I have for you possibly my favourite jelly sandwich ever… resembling a Monet painting, a watercolour-like abstract on each nail.

Monet Le PrintempsMonet’s Le Printemps (Source)

 

While stocking up on some OPI polishes recently, I came across OPI’s Funny Bunny, an incredible soft-white jelly, a polish that I am perplexed about having missed all this time. If you are obsessed with white polishes like me, you know how hard they can be to apply. Funny Bunny is not like that – it is a dream! By the second coat, it is even, provides perfect coverage in that sheer, jelly way, and shines like crazy.

I knew I wanted to make a jelly sandwich when I applied Funny Bunny. For whatever reason, I chose a new Shimmer Polish I wanted to try, Linna, a gorgeous, turquoise-green glitter beauty. If you read any of my other Shimmer Polish reviews, you’ll know how amazing and glitter-packed Shimmers are. They are sparkly, provide coverage, and are sometimes made up of a dozen colours in one bottle! Linna is a pretty turquoise, leaning more green, but also contains red, blue and gold glitter.

After the 2 coats of Funny Bunny, I added two very thin coats of Shimmer Linna, then topped that off with a generous coat of Funny Bunny.

And the beautiful result (if I say so myself):

Shimmer_Linna_jelly_OPI_FunnyBunny

My version of a delicate Monet painting….

Shimmer_Linna_jelly_OPI_FunnyBunny2

Shimmer_Linna_jelly_OPI_FunnyBunny3

And a macro to show you the beautiful depth and squishyness of this mani:

Shimmer_Linna_jelly_OPI_FunnyBunnyMacro

I should also mention that with this mani I finally attempted the glue peel-off-basecoat method, applying a coat of Elmer’s glue before the manicure as my base. After 24 hours, I had a big chip on my index finger, which immediately prompted me to start picking at the polish…

24 hours = not long enough for me.

Following Wacky Laki’s tutorial, I tried to “peel off” the polish using a cuticle stick, but unfortunately not all the polish was easy to peel off. On some fingernails, I was digging and pushing, trying to make an edge to peel off the polish.

Final verdict: was not worth the trouble for me… I think I’ll stick with 10 min of foil removal over 10 min of picking at my nails.

 

Shimmer Polish is available on Cindy’s Etsy shop. Don’t forget to follow her blog and her Facebook page as she holds lots of giveaways and shares news about the brand!

OPI polishes are available at Professional Salons and spas. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

 

What do you think of this combination?

Do you love jelly sandwiches as much as me?

 

~xo

 

 

(Some product provided for consideration and review. All opinions are my own.)

Aphrodite Lacquers Spam Part 2

November 20, 2012
Aphrodite Lacquers, Jelly, Nailpolish, Obsessed
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Continuing on from my Aphrodite Lacquers Spam post yesterday, here are the rest of the Printemps a Paris beauties!

Yesterday I showed you how stunning and pretty Fluerir, La Pluie, Nuages and Terre are… Let’s start today’s post with what I consider to be the centrepiece of the Printemps a Paris collection: Fete Champetre. Referring to Garden Party, Fete Champetre is truly a party in a bottle. A whitish lavender base with pinkish purple hidden shimmer, it is filled with multi-colour glitter used in the rest of this collection. Look at this fun and gorgeous bottle macro:

Here it is swatched:

That’s two coats on the index and middle fingers, and 3 coats on the other two. I previously reblogged Crystal’s Crazy Combos’ blog of this here – she won this stunning polish in my last giveaway! 🙂

Next up, beautiful Soleil, a milky white-pinkish base with the signature pink hidden shimmer of this collection, and dark pink, fuchsia, and red glitters. Below you see its shine and shimmer, even in the shade!

I have on two coats on the index and middle fingers again, with 3 coats on the ring and pinky.

Here is Soleil or Sun in beautiful sunlight:


It is such a girly and pretty polish!

Last but not least, Papillon, or Butterfly, a milky pale lavender base in a more purple hidden shimmer, with lavender and purple glitters.

I layered 3 coats on my pinky and ring fingers, while using 2 coats on the rest to show you how buildable these polishes are. Papillon looks a little whiter in the sunlight picture than in real life… it is a stunning, delicate beauty.

Overall, I adored this collection. As with all of Rebecca’s other amazing creations, this collection was cohesive, sharing a similarity across all seven polishes, yet allowing each colour to be a one-of-a-kind polish. And the best part? This was a fall collection released at the beginning of October! How different and fun to release such a pretty and pastel collection at a time when dark and moody polishes rule. Love!

This collection, along with the rest of the Printemps a Paris collection, is still available on Aphrodite’s Etsy shop! And don’t forget to follow on Facebook and Twitter for the latest Aphrodite news!

Which of the seven polishes did you like the best?

~xo

Nubar – Simplicity!

October 19, 2012
Jelly, Nailpolish, nubar, Obsessed, Shimmer Polish
13 Comments

Today I have for you a few beauties from nubar’s latest collection, Simplicity Meets Elegance. This is a fall collection that is a gorgeous mix of brights and muted colours, a little unusual for fall, in an amazing way.

Nubar’s description of this collection: This season nubar brings you eight new, high-fashion colors with the “Simplicity meets Elegance” Collection. Classic shades of Royal Blue, Terra-Cotta, Espresso, and Velvet Silver add a simple, sophisticated flare to any wardrobe basics. Luxurious colors like Romance, Rouge, Mystique, and Chartreuse add an elegant touch. And elegant and classic they are.

This was my first nubar experience, and I was impressed. All three of the colours I tried had an almost jelly-like quality, leaning a little sheer but building to perfect coverage on 2 or 3 coats (depending on how thick or thin your coats are). The best part? Shine, shine, shine!!!!

The first of the three colours I have is Espresso, a very dark, muted, almost greyish brown. Perfection for fall, it almost is the exact same colour as espresso. It was hard to see this colour in the bottle shots, but in person, and on the nail, it is incredible and rich.

I used 2 generous coats of polish over a base coat, with no top coat so you could see the incredible shine. On its first coat, this polish was extremely sheer, almost jelly-like. However, it dried very quickly, and I topped that off with a generous second coat, which provided full coverage. One nice thing about all three of these nubar polishes was how they self-leveled on the second coat.

Isn’t it gorgeous?

In the shade photo below, you can really see its jelly quality:

Up next, the other colour I had been eyeing, a beautiful medium-toned grey, Velvet Silver. This was more of a creme than Espresso, but still very sheer on its first coat. I could have gone for a third coat, but with my two generous coats, it provided beautiful and full coverage. Isn’t it a stunning grey, perfect for fall and winter?

And finally, a huge surprise for a fall collection, Rouge, a gorgeous, hot pink creme. Out of the three colours, this was the least sheer, and applied quite nicely on its first coat. I LOVE that nubar threw in a bright pink for fall – how unconventional and exciting! And for those of us who love our greys and browns and blacks in our fall wardrobe (I’m looking in the mirror here!), what a nice pop of colour!

I was so lucky to have such a beautiful and sunny day today to capture the essence of these colours…

And I love them. I was so happy with the quality of these polishes, and their amazing high-shine finish, without a top coat! I wore Espresso for nearly a week with nary a chip. I am definitely going to be looking out for nubar’s next collection!

Oh and because I was so obsessed with Velvet Silver, I had to play with it. Look how perfectly it dresses up:

That is a subtle gradient of Shimmer Polish Jennifer, previously reviewed here. Isn’t it dreamy??

nubar products contain no toluene, DBP or added formaldehyde.

About Nubar: Since year 2000 Nubar has pioneered safer nail polish, free of formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP (phthalate). They have gone further than other brands to also make their polish vegan and cruelty free. Nubar has accomplished this while still refusing to sacrifice quality or style.
Get your very own nubar Simplicity Meets Elegance colours from Nail Polish Canada, and anywhere else nubar is sold. Hurry though… I’m not sure how long these gorgeous beauties will be available!

 

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

Go Pink Wednesday, Week 3

October 16, 2012
Beauty, Essie, Jelly, Nailpolish, Obsessed, Zoya
4 Comments

In honour of our Go Pink Wednesday effort, I am thrilled to share a guest post by my good friend / sometime-guest-blogger Mai! ❤

It’s Week 3 (already!) of the Go Pink Breast Cancer awareness month, in support of breast cancer awareness which is a cause near and dear to my heart.

This week’s pink is Zoya Maya, which I initially picked up as it’s the closest Zoya to my name, Mai.  I was super thrilled when Maya arrived, the pinky colour was unlike anything in my collection, and it’s even better on the nail.

Maya is a beautiful soft watermelon pink that is just a treat on my nails.  While not a true jelly, this polish really has a great squishiness that makes me think this is some sort of a cream-jelly hybrid, a crelly I think they’re called?  This pink is perfect for those hot summer days with the sun on your shoulders, or as I’ve found, a perfect compliment to the gorgeous fuzzy-grey-sweater cooler fall weather we’ve been having.  I’m really impressed with Zoya’s formula as it was a breeze to apply, and is shown with just two coats and Essie Good to Go as the incredible shiny topcoat.  There is something I really like about Zoya’s brushes, too, they seem easier for my style of application.  I have to say, I also really like the shape of the Zoya bottles.  Simple, elegant, and unique.  The above photo was taken on a bright cloudy day and I found it best captured the actual polish colour on my nails.

This is a post that makes me think about my loved ones, here and gone.  Both the Canadian Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society have a wealth of information that can help save lives. Please visit their great websites.

Breast cancer is a horrible, horrible disease that is best treated with early detection.  Know yourself, know your body, and give your mom, aunt, sister, and girlfriends an extra tight hug the next time you see them.

xo~Mai


Deep Blue

September 23, 2012
Aphrodite Lacquers, Beauty, Jelly, Nailpolish, Obsessed, Revlon
4 Comments

I have a slight problem with distraction. Sometimes I plan things out a certain way, e.g. the way I had planned to swatch then write a few reviews, but then somewhere along the line this amazing polish combination completely distracted me!!

First off, I have to thank the amazing Thea from Munchy’s Nails for introducing me to this stunning polish. She did a review not too long ago using Revlon Royal as undies (read it here), and I was blown away!! A gorgeous, deep, royal blue? (My favourite colour!) But one that is also a JELLY?? Get me to the drugstore!

To be honest, I might be called a bit of a drugstore snob… I haven’t owned a Revlon polish in longer than I’d like to admit. There is so much selection within the “pro” lines and indies of the world that I generally don’t get to shop for polish at a drugstore. But let me tell you, I was at the drugstore during my next lunch hour for Revlon Royal!

Have a look:

And that is just ONE coat since I was using it as a base. Is this not amazing???

Poor Royal has been sitting, untried, for a while… but I knew it would be perfect for my review of the next Aphrodite Lacquers Friday Night Glitter Bomb. Today I have Doorman (lol at the name) from the FNGB collection, and it’s a gorgeous sheer blue base with “a colour changing shimmer (from blue to purple to pink), and multiple different blue, black and white glitters.” It is so beautiful, and wait until you see it combined with Revlon Royal. It’s like they were made for each other!

In natural/artificial light

I love the way the tiny shimmer in Doorman comes to life over Royal!!! It looks really sky blue/turquoise in the shot above, as do the blue glitter squares. Doorman just seems to float overtop of this base!

In shade

And finally, a beautiful macro:

I just want to make a note about the square glitter in Doorman: in many indies I own, some of the square glitter, especially with thinner foil glitter, often starts to curl. You can see some waving in some of the glitter in the above shots, but I want to clarify that this was not quite tacoing or curling. It almost gave the glitter a 3D effect, accentuating the jelly look, which I personally love. I used a coat of Gelous, then a coat of China Glaze Fast Forward top coat and the mani was perfectly smooth.

Revlon Royal so impressed me that even though I had removed this mani, I just had to wear it again. Immediately reapplying Royal, the blinding sparkle of yet another unworn Aphrodite FNGB called to me. Check out how incredible Aphrodite Lacquers’ Miniskirt looked over Royal:

Full sun

(Though I’m personally not a fan of accent nails on me, I couldn’t decide between Doorman and Miniskirt – hence the accent pinky! lol)

Shade

This was 2 thin coats of Royal, followed by a generous coat of Miniskirt (and a coat of Doorman on the pinky 🙂 ), followed by a coat of Fast Forward top coat.

Miniskirt is so very pretty and versatile. It is described by Rebecca from Aphrodite Lacquers as a “sheer polish base, with green microglitter, a color changing shimmer that goes from green to aqua, and color changing glitter that goes from yellow to green to aqua.” It was a dream to apply. It’s so dense with this microglitter that you could even wear it alone, or over any other colour. And it is pretty smooth to start with which is why I skipped the Gelous coat this time.  I cannot wait to pair it with another undie!!

Edit: I wanted to share with that Revlon Royal did NOT stain my nails at all! I am always nervous when wearing highly pigmented greens or blues but Royal not only is gorgeous, but non-staining!!

So what do you guys think? Do you like one combo better?

~xo

Kiss Your Elbow…

September 5, 2012
Beauty, Giveaway, Kiss Your Elbow, Nailpolish, OPI
2 Comments

Today I bring you Kiss Your Elbow Nail Polish part 3!

I recently introduced you to these beautiful glittery polishes (here and here) in a Zoya jelly sandwich. I decided to change things up a little (well, only a little) by layering it with another polish, an underrated summery beauty: OPI Big Hair, Big Nails from the Texas Collection. Yes, this is another jelly, albeit a super-bright, colour-dense jelly.

Here is Kiss Your Elbow Autumn Leaves, a clear-base polish with gold, cranberry and orange micro-glitter with larger pink and orange hexes. I love how fitting the name of this polish is – all I think when I see this polish is autumn!

And here it is over 2 coats of OPI Big Hair, Big Nails:

Full sun

I loved this combo!! I loved how bright the base was against the tiny glitter, and how there was just enough difference in colour to allow all the shades of glitter to dance against the backdrop.

But…because I have been on a jelly sandwich roll…

Well, you can guess what I did next:

I added a coat of Big Hair, Big Nails to my index and middle fingers to compare the previous mani to the jelly sandwich, and you know what? I LOVED this! The jelly was just sheer enough to allow complete visibility of the glitter below, yet added more brightness and depth. What a great way to take our summer brights into fall. 🙂

Here it again:

Shade

Kiss Your Elbow’s Autumn Leaves (along with five other glittery stunners) is available on her Etsy site!

So which look do you prefer? And what did you think of this combination?

 

And don’t forget, you can win TWO of your very own Kiss Your Elbow polishes right now on my Facebook page, so head on over to enter!!  Good luck!!

~xo

 

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

 

 

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