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Tag Archives: Summer 2013

Nicole by OPI Gumdrops

September 1, 2013
Nailpolish, Neon, Nicole by OPI, Textured
2 Comments

Happy Labour Day Weekend!

Today I have two of the limited edition Gumdrops from Nicole by OPI that were exclusive to Shoppers Drug Mart (in Canada)! Launched this summer, Gumdrops feature a sugar-like finish that dry matte but shimmer with tiny glitter particles. Add candy colours and Gumdrops are like little sugar candies on your nails.

First up, Lemon Lolly, a bright, lemon-hued Gumdrop with a jelly texture and gold shimmer that dries a little sheer, but is absolutely bright, gorgeous and summery! I personally loved Lemon Lolly, but I know yellow is not for everyone. Lemon Lolly would still be a gorgeous accent or nail art polish. I used two coats for the photo below:

NicolebyOPI_LemonLolly1
Check out this gorgeous macro shot (click for larger photo):

NicolebyOPI_LemonLollymacro

And Lemon Lolly, shiny with top coat:

NicolebyOPI_LemonLolly2

The second Shoppers Drug Mart exclusive polish is That’s What I Mint, an oddly-named shade as it’s not mint at all, but a blue-teal base with blue and gold glitter. This dried to an amazing, sparkly finish, but comes off looking slightly shiny in my photo. I used two coats for the swatches:

NicolebyOPI_ThatswhatIMint1I love the gold shimmering in the macro shot:

NicolebyOPI_ThatswhatIMintMacro

And finally, shiny:

NicolebyOPI_ThatswhatIMint2

Nicole by OPI Gumdrops should always be worn without top coat to achieve the textured finish, but it’s always nice to see the sparkle come alive in a different way with top coat!

Nicole by OPI Nail Lacquers and Nail Treatments contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality. In Canada, these shades are available for $10.99 each at Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart Canada, Jean Coutu, Loblaw, and London Drug.

Have you snagged either of these exclusives yet? Have you spotted them in the US?

~xo

 

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

 

China Glaze Sunsational – Part 2

August 11, 2013
China Glaze, Nailpolish, Neon
8 Comments

Launched for Summer 2013, the China Glaze Sunsational collection is made up of six jellies and six cremes, all brights leaning toward the neon spectrum.

Yesterday I showed you three of the jellies of this collection, and today I will show you some cremes. Similar to the jellies, these shades are sunglasses-required-bright; stare at your own risk!

The first shade I have for you is one that I wanted the moment this collection was announced: Sun of a Peach, described as a “popping peachy creme” that I see as a blinding cantaloupe shade. It is absolutely gorgeous!! Sun of a Peach is one of those shades that makes your skin glow, deepening any tan, and I think, probably my next pedicure shade. The formula was a little streaky – I found the best way to work with it was to be a little more generous with each coat to avoid the streakiness. I used only two coats for the photos below with base and top coat.

In the sun:

CG_Sun_SunofaPeach2In artificial light:

CG_Sun_SunofaPeach

Next up, a very difficult-to-capture violet called That’s Shore Bright. While very bright, it’s not quite a neon, and has very blue undertones that kept popping up in artificial light–almost like a halo around each nail. The formula was not bad, and it dried to a satin finish. I used two coats over base coat, with top coat. The colour is absolutely beautiful!

In the sun:

CG_Sun_ThatsShoreBright1And in the shade:

CG_Sun_ThatsShoreBright2

And last but not least, the final creme I have for you is Highlight of my Summer, a mint green creme that almost looks like yesterday’s Keepin’ It Teal over white base. Like Keepin’ It Teal, it’s very minty, a pale green. The formula was not great – it was like working with an opaque white, needing some care to avoid blotchiness and streaks. Here are two coats with base and top coat.

In the sun:

CG_Sun_Highlight1In the shade:

CG_Sun_Highlight2

Which of the Sunsational Neons are your favourites?

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit http://www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

~xo

 

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

China Glaze Sunsational – Part 1

August 10, 2013
China Glaze, Jelly, Nailpolish, Obsessed
19 Comments

Launched for Summer 2013, the China Glaze Sunsational collection is made up of six jellies and six cremes, all brights leaning toward the neon spectrum.

And today I bring you three of the jellies of this collection! If you follow my blog, you know that I simply love jelly polishes. I love jelly sandwiches, I love jellies on their own… there is something about them that I can’t get enough of. They are like the lipgloss of polish, providing a wash of colour that you can intensify… or not.

The first polish is You Drive Me Coconuts, a hot pink/fuchsia, almost violet jelly with an amazing formula that veered just left of full coverage. It was almost more of a crelly, a cream-jelly. I used only two generous coats for the photos, with base and top coat. The finish was not as shiny as I like, it dried a little satin, hence the top coat, but the colour was bright and gorgeous!

In the sun:

CG_Sun_YouDriveMeCoconutssn

In artificial light:

CG_Sun_YouDriveMeCoconuts2

The next shade, another pink, is Heat Index, a more salmon-coral hot pink. Heat Index was extremely sheer – you could almost use it over a French manicure for a wash of colour at one coat. I didn’t want to keep layering, so here are three coats, with base and top coat, and you can still see a lot of VNL (visible nail line). I actually liked this look as I find the sheerness makes neons like this more wearable and softer, and I LOVE this shade!

In the sun:

CG_Sun_HeatIndex

Indoors/shade:

CG_Sun_HeatIndex2

The final jelly shade I have is Keepin’ It Teal, a light turquoise that actually applies more green. This one was very sheer, so I thought I would layer it over a base coat of white to see how it would fare. It looks like a pale mint on the two left nails, over white, and still quite sheer on the ring and pinky nails. I think this was my least favourite of the three – I had hoped for more turquoise – however, this will make an amazing jelly sandwich polish! Below are two coats with base and top coat.

In the sun:

CG_Sun_KeepinItTeal2And in the shade:

CG_Sun_KeepinItTeal1

Have you tried any Sunsational Neon jellies, and which is your favourite so far?

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, please visit http://www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

~xo

 

 

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

Essie Summer 2013 Part 2

July 9, 2013
Essie, Jelly, Nailpolish
8 Comments

Yesterday I showed you two gorgeous shades from Essie’s new Summer 2013 collection, and today I have two more for you!

ESSIE_Summer_Dossier_v2-15

First up, my other favourite from this collection, the impossibly beautiful Sunday Funday!  Sunday Funday is a delicious-looking salmon/coral shade filled with the glass flecks shared by most of this collection. An absolute dream to apply, Sunday Funday was similar to Naughty Nautical with excellent coverage and high shine. This is one of my most favourite summer shades, year after year, and I love how Essie bottled it with the added sparkle factor (via glass flecks)!

Here are two gorgeous, quickly drying coats with base coat, pre-top coat in the sun:

Essie_SundayFunday_s

And in the shade:

Essie_SundayFunday

 

Tell me that is not the most perfect summer hue!

Another soft shade, the next polish is Rock the Boat (this name always reminds me of Aaliyah’s song), a beautiful pale sky-blue shade. The glass flecks look really silvery in this bottle, lending a cool sheen to this polish.

Formula-wise, this was very similar to Full Steam Ahead, with Rock the Boat being a crelly (cream-jelly) formula, making application sometimes tricky. I find a quick application of  light-to-medium coverage on the first coat helps, then  let that dry for a moment before starting on your next coat, so as to prevent any dragging. Here are two coats of Rock the Boat in the sun:

Essie_RocktheBoat

 

 

And in the shade:

Essie_RocktheBoat_2

 

So do you have any favourites yet?

This collection is now available in beauty destinations worldwide! Go to Essie.ca for more or to find a salon near you, or follow them on Twitter and Facebook!

~xo

 

 

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

OPI Neon Revolution Preview

June 6, 2013
Nailpolish, OPI
2 Comments

Coming soon on the blog… swatches of the gorgeous (and unfortunately Limited Edition) Neon Revolution from OPI!

OPI_NeonMiniBx

To use, OPI advises applying color-intensifying white base, followed by two coats of neon lacquer. Finish with the included Top Coat for a high-gloss finish.

OPI_NeonMiniBtls

 

They are bright, fun and scream summer! I’ll have swatches for you soon!

 

Limited edition Neon Revolution mini sets will be available beginning July 2013 (I hear that they are already at some stores!) at professional salons and spas across Canada, for $24.95 CAN suggested retail for each mini pack (includes all six products).

For more information, visit www.opi.com, follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

KBShimmer Summer 2013!

June 4, 2013
KBShimmer Bath & Body, Nailpolish
8 Comments

Launched just a few days ago, the new KBShimmer Summer 2013 collection is comprised of 9 new colors added to their 3-Free glitter polish line.  “Our new line was created to play off the bolder palette of summer, some inspired by the 80’s and 90s, but also to celebrate the patriotic season. One of our polishes plays off the color of the year, Emerald Green, and will ease people into the summer while two others were inspired by the fall 2013 Pantone colors Koi and Vivacious. Both will make for an easy transition through the summer and into the fall.  We are also excited to unveil two scented cuticle oils in an easy-applicator pen.  We hope to inspire and motivate people to go out in the sun and show off their nails!” says owner and designer Christy Rose.

The summer lineup includes one glitter top coat, two glitter crellys in a white base and six bright, bold polishes, two in a matte finish. And today I have for you three of the fun, bright colours: The Dancing Green, Blinded by the Bright, and Pimp My Pride!

KBShimmer_Summer2013

First up, Pimp My Pride, a white-based, patriotic polish with metallic red and blue glitters. Though advised to be worn as 3 coats or 1-2 coats over white, it provided amazing coverage in two generous coats over a base coat.Unlike some white polishes that drag or are difficult to apply, Pimp My Pride was an easy application on both coats. And you know how much I adore white polishes!!

Here it is in the sun:

KBShimmer_PimpMyPridesun

and in the shade:

KBShimmer_PimpMyPride

The next polish, Blinded by the Bright, is a yellow neon with a scattering of hex glitters in the 6 primary and secondary colors. At first glance, this totally reminded me of Toucan Touch This from KBShimmer’s fall collection last year, a pedicure favourite of mine with its neon base.

Another easy polish to apply, I used two coats with base coat. It is blindingly, gorgeously bright!

Here is a sun shot:

KBShimmer_BlindedbytheBrightsun

And in the shade, just as bright:

KBShimmer_BlindedbytheBrightI love it!!!

Last but not least, the Pantone colour of the year, Emerald, is the base for The Dancing Green. An almost neon green with blue undertones, accented by fuchsia, sapphire, green and chartreuse glitters in different shapes and sizes. My camera did not want to take an accurate picture of this one… it kept photographing light green! In real life it is just as bright, though the base is a tad darker green than the picture below, in full sun:

KBShimmer_TheDancingGreenSun

The shade picture is a bit more colour-accurate:

KBShimmer_TheDancingGreen

The Dancing Green is really different and beautiful. I love the contrast of the fuchsia glitters in that jelly, near-neon base!

All three of these shades, along with the rest of KBShimmer’s Summer 2013 collection, is now available at Harlow & Co, KBShimmer’s exclusive international stockist!

Don’t forget to follow both KBShimmer and Harlow & Co on Facebook for the latest updates!

So which of these three is your favourite, and which have you picked up already?

~xo

 

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

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