OPI I Lily Love You

I saved the best for last from the 2011 Nice Stems collection.  This is I Lily Love You, a pink based jelly glitter with flakies!  The flakies are mostly pink and semi-iridescent but it's still a flakie!  To show you how it looks alone, this is 2 coats over OPI Natural Nail base coat.

The flakies are hard to see on the nail, and there is also some glitter sprinkled out there too.  Not sure how much I like this on my nails bare - it almost makes the fingers look injured?

In the shade, it looks a bit better.  I have to tell you, this dries gritty.  You can use OPI Top Coat or RapiDry, but if you want a smooth finish, I recommend Seche Vite or nubar Diamont.

Finally indoors with the flash, you can see the flakies, the glitter, the pink jelly base... it's all pretty.


However, this color seriously looks amazing over other colors.  Here is it over OPI Come to Poppy.

Oh yes, much better.  I still wish the flakies showed up on the nail as well as it does in the bottle, but hey, it's a start!  More like this OPI!

And in the shade - seriously, I'm just repeating myself at this point.  I LOVE THIS COLOR.  I noticed that my salon I go to for my manicures and pedicures had this color up on the shelf, so it's good to see that the locals here like it too.  I still have to say my peace on the piece that was in NAILS magazine but since I haven't gotten my issue yet, I'm waiting a bit.  More on all that later.


And this completes this collection!  Woo hoo!


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.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Spring 2012

Please enjoy the following press release from Sally Hansen!

INTRODUCING

COMPLETE SALON MANICURE

LIMITED EDITION SPRING 2012 DESIGNER NAIL COLOR COLLECTIONS

FROM SALLY HANSEN

THINK: Trend-setting spring polishes, hot off the runway.


WHAT THEY ARE: A designer spring wardrobe for your nails. Nail leader Sally Hansen took New York Fashion Week by storm, joining forces with Tracy Reese, Prabal Gurung, and Alexander Wang to create exclusive nail colors to complement each of their runway collections. Sally Hansen’s limited edition fall collections put exclusive runway nail looks at your fingertips.


The designers looked to Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure to create their custom colors. Complete Salon Manicure is an all-in-one formula that combines the components of a professional salon manicure—base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, rich color and top coat in a single multi-tasking polish. Backstage Beauty fixture and nail expert, Jin Soon Choi, created the manicures at each of the three shows.


Tracy Reese joined forces with Sally Hansen for the twelfth consecutive season to create seven bold shades that mirror the designer’s relaxed, romantic spring aesthetic. On the runway, models wore Complete Salon Manicure in Temptation.

Prabal Gurung’s three-color Complete Salon Manicure collection features eye-catching brights and creamy pale hues with an edge that reflects the designer’s spring collection inspired by Nobuyashi Araki’s photographic series, “Sensual Flower.”On Prabal Gurung’s fall runway, models sported Loves-Me-Not, a deep plum.

Alexander Wang enlisted Sally Hansen for a first-time collaboration to create a clean, natural-looking runway nail to offset his spring collection which channels a tropical speed racer using perforation and lasering. Models wore Parchment, a sheer nude Complete Salon Manicure shade on the runway—the perfect accent to Wang’s downtown cool looks.

Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure:
• Buttercup
• Fired Up
• Honey Whip
• Olive Branch
• Temptation
• Parrot
• The Sky’s the Limit


Prabal Gurung for Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure:
• Barely Bluebell
• Loves-Me-Not
• Purple Posy


Alexander Wang with Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure:
• Oxblood
• Parchment
• Petrol


WHAT THEY COST: Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, $7.99 each.


WHERE TO FIND THEM: Sally Hansen products are available at chain drug stores, food stores and mass merchandisers nationally starting April 2012

OPI Be A Dahlia Won't You?

Almost through the Nice Stems! collection - here is Be A Dahlia Won't You? - a red with purple shimmer.  This color reminded me a lot of OPI Wing It! from the 2010 Summer Flutter collection, but they are slightly different (promise!).  There's a joke here about nail polish junkies really knowing all the tiny differences in polishes, but I'm not quick enough to make it.  ;]  I used a base coat of OPI Natural Nail, 2 coats of polish and a top coat of OPI Top Coat.  The formula was super nice on this polish - good job on OPI for this collection so far!

In the sun, you can see the purple showing already.  This is supposed to be a fuchsia shade, but I'm just seeing more red than anything.  It's a pretty color - lots of sparkle in it.

In the shade, it's all about the purple shimmer.  Talk about a stunner!  I definitely can see myself wearing this color often.

Finally indoors with the flash and it's a nice combination of that red base coat and the purple shimmer.  There's more pink in this than the OPI Wing It! so I definitely have to have both.  Who am I kidding - I'd keep it even if it was the exact same.  ;]


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.

CND Daily Nail 09.12.2011 Sugar Babe Manicures at Alexandre Herchcovitch

Please enjoy the following press release from CND!

The CND Daily Nail 9.12.11

Sugar Babe Manicures at Alexandre Herchcovitch

September 12, 2011 - This season, CND is transcending nails past the point of nude and neutral...to totally transparent!Take a look at today's nails looks, which took shimmer and texture to the max:


At Alexandre Herchcovitch, Wanda Ruiz designed "Sugar Babe" manicures that dazzled with shimmery white glitter on clear tips - fit for Sugar Plum Fairies on Summer holiday. The nails were created using Air Dry Top Coat on the entire nail, with fine white sparkle sprinkled on top, and an additional sweep of Air Dry down the middle, loaded up with more glitter. Eyes were shimmery iridescent to match nails, and popped with a collection of 40's-inspired feminine golden silks, intricate embroidery and elaborate beading.

For Norman Ambrose, Candice Manacchio fashioned six different manicure looks to go with high glam 1960's pieces straight out of vintage Vogue - for the sexy, exotic woman who swims in her diamonds. Here are the recipes to re-create each of these long, oval shaped nail styles at home:


1) CND Colour in Flashpoint iced with Sheer 24K Sparkle Effect for a funky French tip
2) Flashpoint topped with CND Colour in Poppyfield, acid washed with a sweep of acetone for texture
3) CND Colour in Gold Chrome topped with CND Colour in Copper Chrome, finished with acetone wash
4) Gold Chrome edged with CND Colour in Blackjack and gold leafing
5) CND Colour in Desert Suede topped with Ice Blue Shimmer Effect, edged with CND Colour in Silver Chrome
6) CND Colour in Putty topped with CND Colour in Creamy Cameo and Ice Blue Shimmer, and edged with CND Colour in Silver Chrome

OPI Come to Poppy

Continuing with the Nice Stems! collection is Come to Poppy, a coral-pink with a very slight red shimmer to it.  My son calls my dad "Poppy", so this color's name is pretty funny to me.  The formula was super nice on this polish.  I used a base coat of OPI Natural Nail, 2 coats of polish and a top coat of OPI Top Coat.

Look at how shiny this color looks!  In the sun you can really see the red shimmer shining through.  The bottle looks like a creme but on the nail - nope... it's a shimmer!

In the shade, the shimmer is hidden and this color is fighting between pink and coral.  Very pretty!

Indoors with the flash and you can see that the shimmer ALMOST looks like a light lavender or purple but it's not.  It's still very beautiful.

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.