NOTD OPI Glitzerland

I know K2K already said it but...



(2 coats)

You know what rocks unexpectedly? This does. Seriously!

(Dazzled by Gold will be mine one day. grrrrrrr.)

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OPI Here Today...Aragon Tomorrow Suede and a Comparison

I love matte polishes and the OPI Suedes are no exception.  So when I found out that OPI was releasing a suede version of Here Today...Aragon Tomorrow, I knew I had to have it.

I went with two coats of it over a completely dry base coat for this swatch.

 And because I was curious, I topped it with a thick coat of Seche Vite for these two pictures.

With top coat, this one's super sparkly in the sun.

Since I love to do comparisons, I got out my bottle of Zoya Verushka.  From left to right, this is two coats of the OPI with top coat, two coats of Verushka with top coat, two coats of the OPI, and two coats of Verushka.  I took this picture in the shade.

I took this picture in the sun.

And I took this picture with the flash.

While matte, these polishes are really close.  Verushka is a little darker and bluer than the OPI.  The differences really come out with top coat.  With top coat, Verushka really outshines the OPI, in my opinion.  It's more sparkly and seems to have a depth to it whereas the OPI seems flat.  Don't get me wrong - I like both polishes, but I like the Zoya a whole lot more.

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Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, Fall 2010: Part I of II

This quarter is insanely busy with new experiments (and finishing up several old experiments). I feel so behind on swatching: I still need to do the rest of the Color Club Untamed Luxury, Barielle Style in Argyle... and there's, of course, all the piCture pOlish that I have left to swatch. Ahhh! So little time, so many pretties! My goal for the rest of this month: finish up the collection swatches that I have already started. I know it's really annoying to readers to have to wait so long between posts of whole collections so I'm trying my best to keep up... :)

But here are some more swatches from a collection I have not been able to finish swatching yet... a selection of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics new Fall 2010 colors, sent to me to review.

OCC Trick

This is one of my favorite pink cremes. But it's described as beige. Because it looks beige in the bottle and will probably look beige on beige-r people. Me, I'm not so beige. Tan and yellow, and this is what happens when I put on pink-leaning beiges. (If I put on a polish that looked this warm and pink in the bottle, I guarantee it will look bad on me. But put on a polish that looks more beige... and I get my perfect pink.) Also, this was an awesome polish: two coats and so smooth! This was taken on second or third day of wear.

OCC Souse

I admit, I did groan when I saw this polish. It looked like a boring purplish pink creme. But it has subtle warm golden shimmer that really adds something special. This was a wonderful surprise for me. Also, two coats.

OCC Rx

This polish was a nightmare. Thick, very sheer, impossible to build up effectively to get rid of VNL. One coat would drag the previous one off. I love this neon blue color but it was a HUGE pain to apply and then it bubbled like crazy because it was so thick and hard to apply neatly. (NOT at all helped by the messed up brush.) Three coats and it came off as soon as I took the pic. (It was originally supposed to be an NOTD but I could tell it would just never dry.)

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Zoya Tallulah

Sky blue shimmer, what is not to love?


Zoya Tallulah was one of my first Zoya polishes ever, and boy is she a winner. Sky blue with a light blue shimmer, this is a lovely cool polish that really pops in the sunlight. Check out the shimmer!


I know, I know, not the greatest photo ever, but I tried. The only issue I ever had with this polish was with the wear; until I discovered Zoya Armor, I struggled to get my Zoyas to last a day. Now that I am armed with armor (pun intended) I'm good to go!

Have any of you had good luck with the Zoya base and top coats?

Happy day, all!

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This Not-So-Green Girl Sees the Light: Essie Sew Psyched

So I'm not into green polishes. I know there is a sort of cult green following in nail-world, and I've always felt like an outcast because I don't wait with baited breath for companies to release a green in their new collections. I've never really understood the hype. In fact, when Essie Fall hit the stores, I didn't even give Sew Psyched a second glance. Meh.

Then, the leaves turned here and it started to feel like honest-to-goodness autumn. Like time for cinnamon spice candles and nubby sweaters and cozy cups of (soy) hot cocoa. It *almost* felt like exactly the season when the hubs and I fell in love...the same smell was in the air. (I love fall for so many reasons!)

And all of a sudden I was curious about Sew Psyched. It exuded that same cozy and warm - but yet fresh and new - feeling that fall gives me. It matched my mood perfectly and I *had* to try it.

(I took these shots at work...my coworker noticed my nails and loved the colour so much she borrowed my bottle and painted her nails for her upcoming vacation!)

Words can't describe how pleased I am with this polish. I guess it's even better because it was a total surprise! I wanted to try it, but I fully expected to hate it. I was greatly rewarded for stepping outside of my comfort zone. It's the most beautiful blue-leaning green creme with a grey cast (NOT duck poo) enlivened by a hint of subtle silver microshimmer. For some reason the colour reminds me of the Clinique bottle caps even though they are much much lighter than this polish. It has the same calm, serene thing going on. But Sew Psyched is much more mysterious - it's the green version of all of the popular dusty taupe shades that I love.

I know not all greens are created equal, and I'll probably never be someone who waits impatiently for a new green to come out, but this one has a firm place in my collection and in my heart. Maybe I'll even give green more of a chance in the future.

Are you a green polish enthusiast? Have you tried Sew Psyched??

kittytokaren

P.S. RBL Diddy Mow is an exact dupe, so if you have one, I wouldn't bother getting the other unless you're partial to one formula over another.

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