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2013 Favourites! Part 1

December 31, 2013
Colors by Llarowe, Dior Vernis, Essie, Glitter, Jelly, Matte, Nail Art, Nailpolish, Neon, Nicole by OPI, nubar, Obsessed, OPI, Ozotic, piCture pOlish, Shimmer Polish, Zoya
7 Comments

Hello all and Happy New Year to those of you that have already welcomed 2014!! For the rest of us, I can’t believe another year has come to an end, bringing me to almost two full years of blogging and obsessing over nail polish, makeup, and other beauty products. (That is a lot of obsession!) It was also a year that brought me my own polish shade – more on that below.

To wrap up the year, I thought I would bring you some of my favourites from 2013. (Polishes in part 1, some of the other favourites will be in part 2 as this will be a picture-heavy post.)

How can I have a “favourites” list and not include my go-to nude/white alternative, OPI’s My Vampire is Buff? MVIB has quickly become a cult favourite, at least in the nail polish community, as many of us not only wear this beautiful bisque shade alone, but love to use it for nail art.

OPI_Euro_MyVampireIsBuffbse

And speaking of nail art, this was the year I ventured into the somewhat terrifying “nail art” territory, and found that I can actually nail (sorry, couldn’t resist) some cute looks!  Though hard to narrow down, my Top Ten Faves include MVIB and Essie The Girls are Out…

Essie_TheGirlsGradient3

MVIB with Zoya’s Josie….

Zoya_Josie-gradient

…can’t leave out the Euro Centrale dotticure I tried (I love the entire Euro Centrale collection!)…

OPI_EuroCen_dott4Matte

…a cute jelly sandwich using Nicole by OPI and OPI’s Funny Bunny that even Nicole by OPI loved!  (you must know I simply adore jelly sandwiches!)…

NOPI_ConfettiFun_OPI_FunnyBunny

…another NOPI, two actually, together for an alternative French mani (also seen here on this Must Follow Canadian Nail Bloggers article!)…

Nicole_by_OPI_Totally_Stillcombo

…some snow nail art with Zoya’s PixieDust Sunshine…

NPC_Snow_NailArt2

…a glitter gradient (my easy go-to nail art) using piCture pOlish’s Blogger over OPI’s Eurso Euro…

picturepolish_Blogger1

…my first foray into leopard spots using the stunning Zoya Cashmeres & Satins collections…

Zoya_Cashmeres_Satins_Leopard

…my entry into the NOPI and Prom Canada Prom Nail Art challenge…

NicolebyOPI_Prom_art1

…and last but not least, my spring gradient using Dior’s brand new Dior Vernis Bouquet!

Dior_Vernis S14 BouquetGradient2

This was really hard to narrow down, as I have really LOVED many polish shades this year, but here are nine more of my favourite shades this year, including the amazing Selena from Nicole by OPI…

NOPI_Selena

…these looks are actually two polishes: Ozotic Beam 907 over Nubar’s Jaded, both spectacular alone and even more together…

Ozotic_Beam907b

…the gorgeous Rare Bear from Colors by Llarowe, a brand launched only this year but hugely successful…

Colors_RareBearShd

…as well as Smooth Criminal from CbL...

…OPI’s Neon mini-set was spectacular, especially Pink Outside the Box!! (still hoping for a full-size, OPI) 😉 ….

OPI_Neon_PinkOutsidetheBox

…a bright but wearable, gorgeous orange from Zoya, Thandie…

Zoya_Stunning_Thandie1

…the incredible Pink of Hearts duo from OPI (for an amazing cause – Breast Cancer Awareness!)…

OPI_PoHrts_MorethanaGlimmer2

…Dior’s entry into magnetic polishes, Dior Vernis Mystic Magnetics was a glamorous take on magnetics (see some of my other Dior Vernis favourites here and here)….

Dior_VernisMagnetic2

…and OPI’s Ski Slope Sweetie, a huge LOVE for me…

OPI_MC_SkiSlopeSweetie

…and my favourite polish, as well as a huge accomplishment for me as a blogger, my very own piCture pOlish collaboration shade, Bewitch!! (Thanks to the amazing girls at piCture pOlish!)

picturepolish_bewitch_collage

Thanks for reading my second Favourites list! Hope you enjoyed this, and look for part 2, which will include some non-polish favourites!

Happy New Year!!!

happy new year 2014source

picture polish Collab Fest 2013

December 16, 2013
Nail Art, Nailpolish, Obsessed, piCture pOlish, Textured, Zoya
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Happy Monday!

Today I have a fun post for you featuring my piCture pOlish Collaboration shade Bewitch! Over the past year, piCture pOlish has released a ton of Collaboration shades with bloggers, and today we are celebrating our collaborations with Collab Fest posts. You will see a lot of Collab Fest 2013 posts today, and I hope you can read them all!

picturepolish_bewitch_btl

I wanted to do some nail art with Bewitch, because I am truly so smitten with my shade… I know every blogger probably feels this way about their baby. 🙂 I finally settled on trying my hand at stamping, though I have to provide full disclosure here: I have never stamped before, and cannot believe I am sharing my first stamping attempt here…. so please go easy on me.

The plate I used is Konad’s M93, with Bewitch and Zoya Pixie Dust in Tomoko, a gorgeous champagne-coloured, glittery matte textured polish from their Fall 2013 collection.  I stamped the ‘cube’ design with Tomoko over Bewitch, except on my ringer finger where I reversed the colours. Tomoko and Bewitch look incredible together – the pale gold in Tomoko brings out the gold in Bewitch. I will have to do more nail art with these two colours, but not sure if this stamping attempt is my best work lol.

pp_Bewitch collab fest 2013As you can see, the pattern didn’t quite develop strong enough, probably because Tomoko wasn’t a thick enough polish. I still love how these two colours looked together!

One more pic:

pp_Bewitch collab fest 2013-2

and finally, a macro:

pp_Bewitch collab fest 2013-macro

Check out my original Bewitch post here, and get your very own Bewitch directly from piCture pOlish (they ship internationally!), or from their Network. You can order the Konad plate and both Zoya and piCture pOlish from Nail Polish Canada. (If you’re in the US, you can order Zoya directly from Zoya as well.) And don’t forget to follow piCture pOlish on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, and check out their YouTube channel!

~xo

Picture Polish Bewitch & Demeter Comparison

December 2, 2013
Holos, Nailpolish, Obsessed, piCture pOlish
2 Comments

Happy Monday!

Today I wanted to bring you a quick post featuring a comparison of my recent picture polish collaboration shade, Bewitch, to another collaboration shade, Demeter, created by the amazing Katie from Harlow & Co!

When Bewitch launched, I read a few comments and questions around it being brown, so what better way to showcase the difference than to compare it to a beautiful brown shade! Bewitch can sometimes lean really warm due to its intense gold shimmer, but in reality it possesses a cool purple base – a really dark, vampy purple. 🙂 Demeter, on the other hand, is an earthy, mid-toned brown holographic polish; very warm.

picturepolish_bewitch_DemeterCompIndex and middle finger: Bewitch
Ring and pinky: Demeter (click to enlarge image)

I wanted a sun shot to better show the beautiful holographic property of both polishes, but unfortunately, the sun has been hiding the last few days… As you can see, the colours are very  different, and both are among my very favourites for good reason. I think I know which two shades I will wear next!

Get both directly from piCture pOlish (they ship internationally!), or from their Network, including Harlow & Co and Llarowe! Don’t forget to follow piCture pOlish on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram!

See more of my comparison photos on The Obsessed’s Instagram feed!

~xo

 

piCture pOlish bewitch!!

November 24, 2013
Nailpolish, piCture pOlish
24 Comments

Happy Sunday!

Today’s post… will cast a spell on you!

Well, I have been waiting over a YEAR to share this news with you… and the big day is finally here! Today I bring you… Bewitch, my collaboration shade with piCture pOlish!

When piCture pOlish first contacted me after Blog Fest 2012 to ask if I would be interested in participating, I must admit, I was shocked. My blog was still relatively new at the time, and there were far more established bloggers than me they could have selected. This was a huge honour, but even more so for a newish blogger!

When I finally collected myself after the shock wore off, I knew what I wanted. Loving dark, moody colours, my shade would have to be vampy… maybe holographic. I was inspired by one of my favourite piCture pOlish shades, Monroe, a jelly base with holo pigments, and asked for an aubergine shade with perhaps a sprinkling of golden fairy dust. And as we approached the final round of collaboration shades being released today, BEWITCH was born!

picturepolish_bewitch_btl

Bewitch is a complex aubergine shade that starts out as a purple jelly base with holographic particles, filled with golden shimmer. It is a moody shade that, though starting out with a cool purple base, looks warmer once applied, and slightly shade-shifts in different light. And it is shiny and sparkly, and truly: gorgeous!!!! I am so proud of this collaboration shade!

Have a look:

picturepolish_bewitch_shade_200wmIn daylight

picturepolish_bewitch_sun_200wmIn direct sun

And of course, a macro to show you the complexity of Bewitch:

picturepolish_bewitch_macro_wm

You can see some of the purple jelly base on the perimeter of the polish in the macro. I just love the juxtaposition of cool and warm tones in Bewitch! And that gold and holographic shimmer…!

picturepolish_bewitch_collage

A huge THANK YOU to the girls at piCture pOlish for allowing me the opportunity to create my very own polish shade! The collaboration shades are a phenomenal idea, and I personally own many bloggers’ creations.Thank you for being so supportive of us bloggers!

You must see this shade for yourself to be “bewitched…” and I hope you love it as much as I do!

I would love to know what you think, so please feel free to comment!

Get your very own Bewitch directly from piCture pOlish (they ship internationally!), or from their Network. Don’t forget to follow piCture pOlish on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, and check out their YouTube channel!

~xo

piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2013

July 29, 2013
Blogging, Nail Art, Nailpolish, Obsessed, piCture pOlish
16 Comments

Celebrating the Year of the Blogger!

ppblogfest

Today is piCture pOlish Blog Fest 2013, and I am so happy to announce that I was once again able to participate in this world-wide blogger event!

This year was a little bit different than last year’s Blog Fest, with it celebrating bloggers and all we do. (Thank you, piCture pOlish!) And with that, this year’s challenge was to create the most ‘amazing nail art manicure ever’ using three piCture pOlish shades. My three shades are:

  • O’Hara, a gorgeous bright red crelly (cream/jelly) scattered holographic,
  • Electric Blue, a vampy midnight blue cream with a gorgeous blue shimmer ribbon through it,
  • and Ruby Blou, a red, white and blue glitter in a clear base.

All Blog Fest 2013 participants will be entered into the Blog Fest Awards to be eligible to win the incredible prize of creating a collaboration shade with piCture pOlish in 2014!!! There will be three winners, voted on by going to the special Pinterest Blog Fest 2013 board, with one voted on by piCture pOlish friends and fans, another voted on by all Blog Fest 2013 participants (bloggers), and a final award as selected by Jules and Megs, the creators of piCture pOlish! How incredible is that!

Without further ado, here is my creation using O’Hara, Electric Blue and Ruby Blou:

pp_blogfest_1

pp_blogfest_macro

Having recently discovered a knack for (and love of) gradients, I took the risk of using the two bright and contrasting shades of Electric Blue and O’Hara in a sponged-on gradient, with a sparkly finish.

Now let’s look at how I created my piCture pOlish Blog Fest nail art!

1. Start by selecting your polishes for your gradient mani:

pp_blogfest2013_1polishes

2. Then gather all necessary tools. In my case, I laid out some foil over my work surface, a sponge (or two), a brush for clean-up, and an orangewood stick, if you require:

pp_blogfest2013_2prep

3. Apply base coat and paint your nails a base colour. I chose white as my clean, bare canvas:

pp_blogfest2013_3white

4. Once your white coat is dry, you can begin sponging! Using your foil work surface, drop your two polish shades (in my case, O’Hara and Electric Blue) side by side, almost touching. To better allow my contrasting colours to fade into each other, I added a drop of white between the two polishes to soften the edges. See photo.
You can blend the polish drops into each other slightly by using a toothpick, if you wish.
Now gently touch your sponge to the polish, and sponge onto your first nail. You may need to repeat multiple times on one nail in order to fully cover it.

pp_blogfest2013_4prepspng

5. Repeat sponging each nail until your nails are fully covered with the gradient, and you should have something like this when you’re finished:

pp_blogfest2013_5afspg

6. Now the clean-up: dip your brush (I like to use a short, firm brush) into nail polish remover, dab on a paper towel to remove excess, and start wiping the edges of your nails and fingers to remove the polish. This is the most time-consuming part of a gradient mani, so be patient. Wipe your brush on your paper towel every few wipes to remove any colour, then dip and wipe again.

7. Add a coat of top coat to bring back the shine to your polish. (You can skip this step if adding a clear-base glitter, like I did.)

8. Add your chosen glitter polish, in my case, the spectacular, sparkly Ruby Blou.

9. Add a coat of quick-drying top coat…

…and voila!

pp_blogfest_macro

As a final touch, taking a cue from Adele’s Louboutin-inspired tips, I decided to paint the underside of my nails in O’Hara:

pp_blogfest_Louboutin_insp

What do you think of my nail art?

Don’t forget to follow piCture pOlish on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram, and check out their new YouTube channel! To get any of the shades used here (or other piCture pOlish and Ozotic polishes) check out the piCture pOlish Network page. You can also buy direct from them! Check out their Shipping page for more info. And make sure to check out their Everyday Deals page to find daily deals!

(disclaimer from piCture pOlish re Blog Fest Awards: bloggers that have already produced a collaboration shade are exempt from winning a prize this year, to make it fair to all participants and provide a chance for other bloggers.)

~xo

 

Feel free to add your Blog Fest 2013 mani to the list and grab the code to add it to your blog!

Ozotic Scatter Chrome 910

June 12, 2013
Nailpolish, Obsessed, Ozotic, piCture pOlish
2 Comments

It’s time for piCture pOlish, and my final piCture pOlish Thursday post is another stunning Ozotic! This time I bring you Ozotic Scatter Chrome 910, a beautiful duochrome polish with holographic shimmers. Described as “a golden scatter chrome holo without any glitter,” you can literally see this “shade change from chrome specks to multi coloured specks in bright sunlight.”  The holographic shimmer in 910 are just gorgeous, dancing in the slightest hint of light, reflecting like tiny little diamonds on your nails!

Ozotic 910 is opaque enough to wear on its own, reaching full opacity in two coats. Though it looks really shimmery and sparkly, it dries to a perfectly smooth finish. I applied two coats over base coat, and even in the shade, you can see the stunning shimmer:

Ozotic_910ScatterSh

Is that not a beautiful mossy, antique gold?

Application was flawless, with a polish that flows nicely, applies easily even with a chrome/metallic-type finish, and dries very quickly. Like all my other piCture pOlish and Ozotic products!

Look at the duochrome shift when in sunlight. And look at that scattered holo sparkle!!!

Ozotic_910ScatterSun

And to show you the beautiful and intense sparkle, a slightly blurry photo in the sun:

Ozotic_910ScatterB

Which of the Ozotics do you have (or do you have on your wishlist)?

To get your very own Ozotics, visit piCture pOlish on-line and or visit any piCture pOlish Network member, including Harlow & Co, Llarowe and Nail Polish Canada.

And don’t forget to follow piCture pOlish on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest news, giveaways, and more!!

~xo

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

Ozotic 752

June 5, 2013
A-England, Nailpolish, Ozotic, piCture pOlish
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Another week, another beauty from the house of piCture pOlish! Today I have for you Ozotic 752, one of the gorgeous metallic duochromes of the Ozotic 700 series.

If you follow my blog, you know that piCture pOlish has a special place in my heart (and polish stash!). They are such a fun indie company, interacting with their bloggers, fans, customers on a regular basis, and hosting tons of awesome giveaways. Ozotics are part of their portfolio, and the more I wear them, the more I love them! (My love affair started with the Ozotic Sugars – 901 to be exact.)

Back to Ozotic 752. It is described as containing “a special effect known as a ‘colour flop:’ Do you see purple or do you see green?”and piCture pOlish advises to layer over black or white base to create different looks. Though opaque enough to be worn on its own, I wanted to see the magical duochrome effect at its best, and I decided to layer this over my go-to black (it’s actually a deep, blood-red that is so dark it is almost black), A-England’s Lancelot. I used one coat Lancelot, 2 coats of Ozotic 752 between a base and top coat. Application was perfection, even in a polish that can sometimes lead to streakiness. The polish was very fluid, providing great coverage on the first coat, and like all the other Ozotics and piCture pOlishes I own, dried very quickly.

In the shade picture, you can see the lilac-to-green shift perfectly, with a hint of a muted grey in between.

Ozotic_752Shade

I love that the colour shift in 752 is very strong, as you can see above.

Now take a look at the metallic shimmer in sunlight, with a hint of a brighter purple than before amid an aura of green. I love the flashes of green where the light reflects!

Ozotic_752Sun2

A different angle provides a brighter purple yet:

Ozotic_752Sun1

I was blown away by this polish!! It probably has the most dramatic and obvious colour shift I have seen in any duochrome, with a highly-wearable muted base colour.

What do you think of 752?

To get your very own Ozotics, visit piCture pOlish on-line and or visit any piCture pOlish Network member, including Harlow & Co, Llarowe and Nail Polish Canada.

And don’t forget to follow the Girls on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest news, giveaways, and more!!

~xo

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

piCture pOlish Atomic

May 22, 2013
Holos, Nailpolish, Obsessed, piCture pOlish
1 Comment

It’s piCture pOlish Thursday again and today I bring you another sparkly gem that is part of the Limited Edition Collaboration shades! piCture pOlish is an amazing brand that created the Collaboration Shades, polishes that the piCture pOlish Girls created with bloggers or their Network members (online vendors). How cool is that?

piCture pOlish Atomic was created with blogger Sarah of Samarium’s Swatches, and launched in January of this year. Sarah was inspired by the element Samarium, her blog namesake, a silvery white metal. Samarium oxidizes in the air, forming a grayish-yellow powder, and that is why there is gold shimmer sparkle in her creation!

piCture pOlish describes Atomic as a silver/white metallic holo (scattered) that has NO glitter.  Atomic contains a holographic shimmer to create a magical shade, complex with a lot going on!

Atomic is a pale silver with a warm tint, making it suitable to, in my opinion, all skin tones. It is perfect for layering – it’s sheer enough to be a top coat-type polish in order to change the base colour, but today I wanted to capture its pure beauty. Below I used two generous coats of Atomic over base coat, and luckily it was a sunny day so that you can see the amazing holo sparkle!

picturepolish_atomic

I personally like VNL (visible nail lines), but if you wanted total opacity, you could add a third coat of Atomic or layer it. You know what else is amazing? Atomic dries super-quickly, so you don’t have to worry about layering or using three coats!

Here is a picture of Atomic slightly blurred to show off the amazing delicate holo for you:

picturepolish_atomic_blur

Do you think I should layer Atomic over a coloured base next time?

Get your very own bottle of Atomic by visiting piCture pOlish on-line and or any piCture pOlish Network member, including Harlow & Co, Llarowe and Nail Polish Canada. And don’t forget to follow the Girls on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest news, giveaways, and more!!

~xo

 

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

Ozotic 621

May 15, 2013
China Glaze, Holos, Obsessed, Ozotic, piCture pOlish
4 Comments

Happy piCture pOlish Thursday! It’s time for another Ozotic, an Aussie brand that piCture pOlish added to their portfolio (lucky for us!)! Today I have for you a brand-new polish for me: Ozotic 621, part of their 600 series which are all scattered holos.

Ozotic 621 is described as “a deep red holo that has no glitter! 621 contains a scattered holo element that will bring rainbows to your fingertips! Your nails will take on a whole new dimension when in bright light or sunlight.” 621 is FILLED with a rainbow-hued holo, creating a three-dimensional, gorgeous effect on your nails, even outside of direct light… Though it’s described as a deep red, I saw a lot of orange in the base which makes it quite a warm red. When the light hits 621, it sparkles with a lot of gold reflection. Gorgeous!

I applied two beautiful, easy coats of 621 over basecoat, with a coat of China Glaze’s Fast Forward Top Coat. Ozotic 621 applied easily, self-levelling, and could even be a one-coater if you’re in a hurry. It’s the fluid, heavily pigmented consistency that made me fall in love with the entire piCture pOlish line – and the best part? It dries super-fast!

In artificial light:

Ozotic_6212

Look at that shine!!!! Don’t you love the depth that the holo creates?

Now look at it come alive in sunlight:

Ozotic_621

Earlier I fell in love with the Ozotic Sugars and Beam lines, and today, I am in love with Ozotic’s amazing scattered holo. If you have never tried the 600 series, you must.

To get your very own Ozotics, visit piCture pOlish on-line and or visit any piCture pOlish Network member, including Harlow & Co, Llarowe and Nail Polish Canada.

And don’t forget to follow the Girls on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest news, giveaways, and more!!

~xo

 

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

piCture pOlish Blogger!

May 8, 2013
Nailpolish, OPI, piCture pOlish
4 Comments

It’s piCture pOlish Thursday again, almost time for the weekend, and time for a party-ready glitter bomb: Blogger, the newest addition to the piCture pOlish lineup! I also have anothger review of Revolution, the new base coat made specifically for glitter polishes!

Blogger is described as “a colourful sparkly ode to you all! ‘indie-esque’ glitter creation!  Blogger is jam packed with multi-coloured glitters and has a very thick consistency.  Full coverage with one to two coats with no base colour.” And jam-packed with glitter it is. Blogger is a bottle full of various colours of glitter, and I literally placed an order the moment it launched! (Along with Hope, see it here.)

I decided to layer Blogger over a base coat of Revolution (get it, Blogger Revolution?), a base coat made specifically for glitters (My Hope post has the details around Revolution’s application.) After 2 coats of Revolution, I applied 2 coats of OPI… Eurso Euro, a gorgeous bright, deep indigo creme, followed by a gradient of Blogger. The result, in my opinion, was amazing:

picturepolish_Blogger1

Eurso Euro was a gorgeous contrast and played nicely off the bright glitters in Blogger!

Here are a couple of sun pictures:

OPI_Eurso_ppBloggerLook at that crazy sparkle!!! All natural, no photo tricks!

picturepolish_Blogger

Blogger was quite thick due to its glitter content. It has a clear base, and is probably thick enough to provide full coverage in just two coats. I wiped the brush in order to get the gradient effect you see above.

As for removal, I found Revolution to make removal a touch easier, but I still had to do some good scrubbing to get the thickest part of glitter off. I also think I rushed Revolution’s initial 2-coat application, and that led to it removing easier on some nails than others. Another thing to note is that Revolution balls or pills when removing polish, so I went over the nail one last time just to wipe those little pieces off. I’ll definitely use Revolution again when wearing Blogger – I think it will need all the help it can get for removal! 😉

Once again the amazing girls at piCture pOlish have recognized their fans and their bloggers, creating this ode to indie-like glitter polish for us to adore.

Get your very own bottle of Blogger and Revolution by visiting piCture pOlish on-line and or any piCture pOlish Network member, including Harlow & Co, Llarowe and Nail Polish Canada. They had both sold out last week, but more is on the way!

And don’t forget to follow the Girls on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest news, giveaways, and more!!

~xo

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