Blogs of Note

Happy Sunday!


First today is Daily Polish.  Owner Sara does really blog daily, although her most recent posts have been guest writers while she's on vacation in Israel.  She has short nails and has a LARGE selection of polishes to check out.


Next is Deez Nails.  This is one of the few blogs I've seen that uses false nails normally.  She wears both Nailene Active Square and Fing'rs brand Trophy Wife length.  There are many benefits to wearing false nails, and she has a great post on application and removal.  In addition to colors, she also has frankens and nail art.


Last today is Emerald Sparkled.  This is the awesome blogger who made the graphic used on mine and many other blogs.  Her name is Deniz, she lives in Turkey, and she has some amazing pictures and nail art in her blog!  Seriously, she's one of the best polishers I've seen - her nails always look beautiful.

OPI Not Like the Movies

How many colors do you count up there?  It looks like a green, a blue, almost a pinky purple...  I thought this color was going to be my new obsession.  OPI's Not Like the Movies from the Katy Perry collection is listed as a sultry silver but I really didn't see too much silver... except for the silver microglitter that was running through the bottle - quite a surprise to me!


I used a base of OPI Natural Nail Base Coat, 3 coats of Not Like the Movies and a top of OPI Top Coat.  I found the formula to be good, just a bit thin and not as build-able opaque as I hoped.

This is a bit what I would think deborah lippmann Wicked Game looks like - a different color at every turn of your hand.  


Update: Jenny from Polishology has a great comparison post here!

Check out this awesome view of the duochrome (trichrome?) in action with the green on my first two fingers and the purple gray on the last two fingers.  This was fun to play with it, for sure but overall wasn't quite what I expected.  I have to admit, it's much more fun in person than in pictures - I couldn't quite capture the range of colors you see on the nail.


And finally, a layer of Black Shatter over it all.

Unfortunately for me, all the purple disappeared after Black Shatter was applied and you were stuck with the purple.  While it's a beautiful purple, I loved all the swirling colors.


OPI is available at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and Ulta, for $8.50 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer. Please visit their website for details [official website].  

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

OPI Teenage Dream

It's January and the OPI Katy Perry Collection has launched!  If you've been following OPI's Facebook Wall, you know that this collection has been in HIGH demand and shipments are delayed as many as six weeks for some retailers.  WOW!  Go Katy!

OPI Teenage Dream is a pink based polish packed with small disced rainbow glitter (silver that reflects light).


I used a base of OPI Natural Nail Base Coat, 3 coats of Teenage Dream and topped with OPI Top Coat.  Application wasn't bad.  Pink can be a hard color to wear because you're not sure if it's opaque or not when suspended with glitter, so I used three coats to be sure but I could have gotten away with 2.

In the sun, this color just looks a bit drab against my skin tone.  You can tell there's lots of glitter in the bottle, but it doesn't bounce around on my nails as much.  I'm wondering if it's because of the sun being so low in the sky, or what.

Indirect sun - you can see a bit more of the glitter, especially on the pinkie.

In the shade, you can see there is a lot of glitter that is transferred to the nail.


Also in the Katy Perry is a bottle of Black Shatter, so I went ahead and put a layer over after putting on OPI Top Coat.  I then sealed it with Seche Vite to give my nails a smooth feeling.

I loved this.  I loved it so much I made it my NOTD (Nail Of The Day) and wore it to the gym where I was constantly staring at my nails.  The crackle/shatter works so well when paired with a glitter.  Uber win.


My only real complaint was removal.  The glitter was a pain to get off my nails - so much so that I used pure acetone instead of my normal Zoya Remove+.  Otherwise, this is a great shade.


OPI is available at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and Ulta, for $8.50 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer. Please visit their website for details [official website].  

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

MAC Mean and Green

Oh MAC Mean & Green, what an enigma you are!  Are you purple? Are you green?  Are you golden yellow?!


I used a base of Seche Natural, 3 coats of Mean & Green, and a top of Seche Vite.  Application was okay but the polish felt too sheer for me, especially for the price.


Here's some sun overload.

Here are two pictures in the shade

See what I mean?!  It's all over the map!  I didn't keep this color on too long... the green is such a weird murky color for me.  I felt like it was a little like China Glaze Zombie Zest or even Ick-A-Body with the green base, but the purple was at least a nice pop.  I am a sucker for a purple.  :)

MAC retails for $13 a bottle and can be purchased at MAC stores, counters or online.  Currently online, Mean & Green is sold out and there isn't any word if there will be restocking.  Check your local MAC counter/store!

OPI Black Shatter

Alright people, I'm going to be honest.  When I first heard about this "shatter/crackle" trend, I was miffed.  I feel like "shattered" nail polish resembles chipped nail polish which is such a no-no for me.  Now granted, I said I didn't like matte nail polish originally because it looked too much like a chalkboard, and now I'm in love with matte.  Would I feel the same about shatter/crackle nail polish?


THE ANSWER IS DUH!  YES!  THIS STUFF IS AWESOME!

I took my existing manicure of Simply Smash-ing! and just painted one thin layer of Black Shatter over it.  In about 20 seconds, the polish completely separates, leaving you with a cracked effect.  I even took a video for you!

Here are some finished pictures in the sun and in the shade.

I did not use a top coat afterwards, but I recommend it if you like smooth nails (and I do).

OPI is available at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and Ulta, for $8.50 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer. Please visit their website for details [official website].  

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.