Reader Requests: Comparison Swatches Part 2

Happy Saturday!

I have more comparison swatches for you today. If you don't see your request here, do not worry, I still have more in the works.

First, OPI Miami Beet (pinky and middle fingers) and Zoya Moxie (ring and index fingers):

It was so sunny yesterday that photographing these colors was nearly impossible outside. The bright sun was really distorting the colors for me. So this pic was taken in my laundry room where I get really nice natural light from the huge window. As you can see, these two colors are extremely similar. OPI Miami Beet has a brighter appearance and Zoya Moxie is slightly dusty or muted. Both are great colors! Do you need both? That is your choice.

Essie Eternal Optimist (pinky and middle fingers) and OPI Tickle My France-Y (ring and index fingers):

Two totally different colors. The only thing they have in common is that they are nudeish shades with a creme finish. I personally prefer Tickle My France-Y but I also like Eternal Optimist and will definitely wear it. But if you already have Tickle My France-Y, and were wondering if it was a dupe for Eternal Optimist so that you did not have to buy it, well clearly it is not a dupe. Sorry ;) 

Sorry that I only have two comparisons for you today! Our weather here in the greater San Diego area has been freaking amazing for the last week or so. We have been having high temps in the low to mid 80's and it has been super sunny. When we get a streak of weather like this in January, as much as I like playing with my nail polish, I just can't bring myself to sit in the house and swatch. Our 2nd floor deck overlooks a lagoon and the ocean, and I just love to sit out there and catch some rays. My cats Cleo and Vincent usually join me outside and sit under the chairs for some shade. As I have mentioned before, we moved to California from Michigan back in July. I am not used to living in such a beautiful climate, especially in the dead of winter!

I'll have more comparison swatches soon in the next few days. Feel free to comment or email me if you have any special requests! I will also have more spring 2009 new releases to share with you.

Hope that all of you have a fab weekend and if you are in the mid-west or somewhere else chilly, stay warm! I know my fam back in MI has been getting some ugly weather. Junk.

xoxo,

Katee

Reader Requests: Comparison Swatches Part 1

Hi everyone!

Hope you all are having a wonderful day so far. My recent posting of spring collections from Zoya, Essie and OPI inspired many of you to write me and request comparison swatches. I am happy to oblige! If you do not see the swatches posted that you requested, do not fret. I will be bringing you more comparison swatches in the next week or so. As always, feel free to e-mail me (nailpolishfan@gmail.com) anytime or just leave a comment if you would like to see a comparison swatch. If I have it, I'll swatch it! If I don't, I'll let you know.

First up, we have OPI Feelin' Hot Hot Hot! and OPI Party In My Cabana, both from their new South Beach collection:

OPI Feelin' Hot Hot Hot! is on my pinky and middle fingers. OPI Party In My Cabana is on my ring and index fingers. As you can see, Feelin' Hot Hot Hot! is a bit lighter and brighter than OPI Party In My Cabana. PIMC is slightly darker and dustier than FHHH (excuse my abbreviations, I get tired of typing the long names over and over again). I prefer OPI Feelin' Hot Hot Hot! out of the two, but if you love pinks, of course they are different enough to justify purchasing both.

Next, we have China Glaze Pink Underground from the fall 2008 Operation Colour collection and Zoya Barbie from their latest collection, Twist:

China Glaze Pink Underground is on my middle and pinky fingers. Zoya Barbie is on my ring and index fingers. Both Pink Underground and Barbie are pinks with a similar magenta shimmer, only Pink Underground is darker. Personally, I prefer China Glaze Pink Underground. But again, if you love your pinks, go ahead and get Zoya Barbie even if you already have China Glaze Pink Underground.

Moving right along to Zoya Harley (spring 2009 Twist collection) and Sephora by OPI Run With It!:

Zoya Harley is on my pinky and middle fingers. Sephora by OPI Run With It! is on my ring and index fingers. Clearly you can see the difference between these too, Harley is a cool toned grey shimmer and RWI has a golden look to it. Funny, before swatching these two side by side, I always knew that RWI was a warmer grey, but I never thought of it as golden. I don't think I will ever think of Run With It as grey again.

Finally, Zoya Harley and OPI "Sheer" Your Toys!:

Zoya Harley is on my pinky and middle fingers. OPI "Sheer" Your Toys! is on my ring and middle fingers. Wow! I never thought that these two would look so similar! You can see that SYT has a bit of a more blue or steel tone to it. Both nail polishes have similar copper flecks, but the ones in Harley are finer and more of a shimmer. The copper flecks in "Sheer" Your Toys are larger, chunkier, and more noticeable. Click the picture to enlarge it so you can see what I am talking about. Again though, I am very surprised at how similar the two of these are. If you are on a low/no buy right now, I really don't think you need both of these. But if you are a grey lover, you'll probably still want both.

That wraps up this round of comparison swatches. I'll have more coming soon! 

Also, just wanted to remind all of you about my random giveaways. I am cleaning out my stash of nail polishe, the unopened ones, and you guys are going to benefit from it! Every now and then, when I am in a random mood, I am going to randomly pick an e-mail subscriber to win the unopened nail polish of my choice. If you are not an e-mail subscriber yet, you should definitely sign up. Just enter your e-mail address in the box below to subscribe.

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Ok, gotta run... talk to you all later! (it's 75 and sunny outside)

xoxo,

Katee

OPI South Beach Collection Spring/Summer 2009 - Swatches Part 2

Hello, dear readers!

Today I am bringing you part two of my OPI South Beach Collection swatches for Spring/Summer 2009. The more I use and play with these nail polishes, the more I love them!

OPI Done Out In Deco:

Gorgeous lilac creme. Need I say more? Ok, I will. This color is fabulous.

Paint My Moji-Toes Red:

Rosy red creme. Not my thing, but there is nothing wrong with this color either. This is one of those colors that falls into the category of something that my mom, sister and best friend would love. 

OPI Clubbing Til Sunrise:

Frosty orange with golden shimmer. I think Clubbing Til Sunrise is the prefect name for this color because when I was swatching it, I definitely thought of the sun. If I have not said this before, I'll say it now - how the heck does OPI come up with these names? I love them! OPI always comes up with the most clever and witty names for their nail polishes. I don't know how they do it.

OPI Suzi & The Lifeguard:

Cool pink shimmer. This is a very girly color! A great opaque pink for those of you that do not like sheer pinks. My sun stopped cooperating during the swatching, so for now, this is not the best swatch of this shade. I will update later when the sun comes out again. 

*edited* The sun came out and so here is an entirely better picture of Suzi & The Lifeguard:

OPI Miami Beet:

Dark raspberry colored creme. I absolutely LOVE this color! My picture does not do it justice. This color is really a few shades darker than this picture suggests. For some reason, colors like this always appear lighter in photographs than they really do in real life. 

OPI Conga-Line Coral:

Rosy orange shimmer. I think this is a shade that my girlfriends with darker skin will be able to rock more successfully than I. But still very pretty!

Ok, so now for my overall thoughts on this collection. I'll be the first to admit, when I saw the promo pics for this collection, I was feeling let down and underwhelmed. But now that I have had a chance to swatch all of the colors, I think this collection has something for everyone.  For lovers of pinks, purples, and summer brights, this collection does not disappoint. OPI also threw in a few colors that are different enough to satisfy those with tastes that fall outside of the mainstream. I know that some of you are disappointed with the lack of a green or blue shade, but hey, all collections can't be everything to everyone.  But seriously, the tie in for a blue color in this collection entitled South Beach would have been soooooo perfect! Either a pale art deco blue or something vivid and shimmering like the ocean. Oh well! But even me, with my tastes for "different" colors, I still found plenty (see below) that I feel are MUST HAVES. 

Katee's MUST HAVES from the OPI South Beach Collection, in no particular order:

OPI Sand In My Suit

OPI Done Out In Deco

OPI OPI On Collins Ave 

OPI Overexposed In South Beach

OPI Miami Beet

OPI Feelin' Hot-Hot-Hot!

Those are my MUST HAVES, colors that I will be rockin' this summer on both tips and toes. 

If you missed the first half of my OPI South Beach Collection swatches, make sure to check them out here. This collection hits store shelves February 4, 2009. 

OK, now that you have seen all of the swatches, I want to know what colors you are feeling! I am really curious, so let me know in the comments.

That is all for now. I hope you enjoyed the swatches.

xoxo,

Katee

OPI South Beach Collection Spring/Summer 2009 - Swatches Part 1

Good day, dear readers! 

Today I have for you the first look (other than promo pics) at OPI's new South Beach Collection for Spring/Summer 2009. I am sharing six of the colors with you today and will share the other six colors in the coming days. The OPI South Beach Collection will be available February 4, 2009. For those of you that love pinks, corals and reds, you will *love* this collection. There are also a few oddballs in this collection, for those of us with different tastes in nail polish. Now, on to the swatches! And as always, you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.

OPI Party In My Cabana:

Pink creme that has a slightly muted appearance. I do not usually wear colors like this but I know that mom, sister and best friend would LOVE this one. I expect emails from at least two of them wanting to steal it from me hahaha.

OPI Bronzed To Perfection:

Caramel brown base loaded with gold shimmer that is large enough to be considered a glitter. This color was one of the surprises for me. When I saw the promo pictures of this color, I did not think I would like it. But now that I am wearing it, I know that I'll love it in the summer when I have a tan. I can also see my friends with darker skin than moi being able to successfully rock this color. I think this would look *awesome* on my friend Brittany from Clumps of Mascara. B, what do you think?

OPI Overexposed In South Beach:

Dark magenta purple with violet shimmer. I really like this color a lot! Probably one of my favorites in this collection. I will wear this on both my fingers and toes. Again, I also think this color will look better on me when I have a little more color. *edited to add* This is a distant 2nd cousin to OPI Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not, but not a dupe. LMLMN is more violet purple than Overexposed. Overexposed is more magenta toned. I would definitely suggest owning both if you like colors like this!

OPI Feelin' Hot-Hot-Hot!:

Very pretty bright pink creme. It looks much more vivid and brighter in person. This is very similar to OPI's Elephantastic Pink but is brighter and cooler than EP. Probably not a color that I would wear on my fingers but I will definitely be sporting this as pedicure as soon as it gets warmer outside. 

OPI Sand In My Suit:

Golden beige-y nude base with serious shimmer. I think this shade is just stunning! This is a great go-to nude for the spring.

OPI OPI On Collins Ave:

Bright coral orange creme. This is another HOT shade. It is bold but I think I will be brave enough to sport this on my fingers this summer. Of course, it would rock for a pedicure too, no question about that. This color is so bright, it glows!

Application on all of these was fine, just like all OPI's that I have used. The only ones that required three coats were OPI Party In My Cabana and OPI OPI On Collins Ave. Other than those two, they were all totally opaque with no streaks at two coats. I will share with you my overall thoughts and feelings on this collection when I post the rest of the swatches in the next week or so.

Again, the OPI South Beach Collection will be available February 4, 2009. From what you have seen so far, let me know which colors you will be getting! Tell me in the comments.

That is all for now, dear reader.

xoxo,

Katee 

OPI La Collection De France Swatches - Fall/Winter 2008 - Part 2!

Good morning!

Today I have part 2 of my OPI La Collection De France swatches for you. Here they are in no particular order.

OPI You Don't Know Jacques!:

Mushroomy taupe creme. This is the absolute stand out color from this collection, the one that started the taupe craze. 

OPI Louvre me Louvre Me Not:

I "louvre" this color! Violet shimmer that is super bright. This color really pops on my pale skin. But I also think that this would look great on ladies with darker skin tones. This is the only color from the whole batch that I had a bit of a hard time applying, it was a bit on the thick side. Hopefully a few drops of thinner will correct that for me the next time I want to wear this. 

OPI Yes...I Can-Can!:

OPI described this one as an eggplant shimmer but I thought it looked like it was a little more cherry colored and red toned than eggplant purple toned. Whatever you think it looks like, I just cannot get enough of these deep and vampy shimmers. I don't care that they look a bit flat indoors, I am in it for the shimmer in the sun.

OPI I'm Fondue Of You:

Brownish, almost cinnamon like shimmer. Really pretty but not sure if I'll end up wearing this one or not. Hmmm... after looking at the picture again, I think I will give this one a shot and wear it as a NOTD.

OPI Eiffel For This Color:

I fell for this color big time! I am wearing it on my tips right now as I type up this blog post. Another deep, vampy shimmer. Again, cannot get enough of these colors. This one is a bit more purple to me than OPI Yes...I Can-Can!

OPI We'll Always Have Paris:

Deep brownish burgundy creme. Looks more brown indoors. Very pretty but another one that I probably won't wear because it is a bit boring for me. 

OK, so my favorites from this collection, in no particular order: OPI You Don't Know Jacques, OPI Louvre Me Louvre Me Not, OPI Eiffel For This Color, OPI Yes...I Can-Can, OPI Tickle My France-Y and OPI Parlez-Vous OPI? I really can't put these in order because I don't have "one" favorite. This collection for me pretty much covers anything I'd ever want. Professional color? Check (tickle). Odd and off-beat colors? Check (ydkj and parlez-vous). Deep and vampy? Check (eiffel and can-can)! That is why I think that this collection is one of my favorites from OPI. 

What are your favorites from this collection? What are you lemming from this collection that you don't have yet? Let me know!

That is all for now. See you back here soon!

xoxo,

Katee

OPI La Collection De France Swatches - Fall/Winter 2008 - Part 1

Good Morning!

As I write this post, I realize that I have gotten a bit out of order with my swatches... I posted Spring 2009 for China Glaze, before Holiday 2008 for OPI, before Fall/Winter 2008 for OPI... oh well! These swatches of the OPI La Collection De France are still to be enjoyed, in my humble opinion. 

I will be posting these swatches in two batches, with the next batch to come in the next day or two.

OPI Tickle My France-Y:

Nude-ish, pink, creme. This color is so classy and so chic, I love it. One of my top picks from this collection.

OPI Parlez-Vous OPI?:

Smoky violet creme. Also super classy and chic, another top pick.

OPI Baguette Me Not:

Salmon creme. I kind of thought that it looked "blah" in the bottle but I really like this one on. Big surprise for me!

OPI A Out Bit Of Red:

Bright red with faint magenta shimmer. Very pretty but not terribly unique. Toe color! p.s. as always, click on the pictures to enlarge them. If you enlarge this one you will see the shimmer better.

OPI Crepes Suzi-Ette:

Caramel creme. Another one that looked "blah" in the bottle to me but I really liked it on.

OPI Bastille My Heart:

Deep burgundy shimmer. Very pretty but probably more of a toe color for me. 

I will have the rest of the OPI La Collection De France for you soon!

Wanted to make a quick shopping note for my newer readers - the best places to purchase OPI polishes online are Transdesign, 8ty8 Beauty, and Head 2 Toe Beauty. Links are under the "where to haul" section (bottom right of my blog). These sites essentially sell wholesale prices to the general public and it is much more economical to order from these sites and pay their shipping prices than to pay retail prices in regular stores for these polishes. These online stores also carry all of the treatment products that I love as well. You will save mucho dinero shopping online at these e-tailers!

As always, please feel free to email me or comment with any questions that you have and I'll definitely get back to you shortly! I want my blog to be a resource for all of  your nail polish and nail care tips and needs, so if you have any questions that you want answered, all you have to do is ask. I love receiving, reading and responding to your comments!

Have a wonderful day.

xoxo,

Katee

OPI Holiday In Toyland Swatches - The Reds

Hello, dear readers!

Today I have the rest of the OPI Holiday In Toyland collection for you. The OPI Holiday In Toyland collection contains 12 nail polishes - 6 of them are dark or neutral shades and the other 6 are variations of red. Today I have the red ones for you. All of these were flawless in application!

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, when I first started really getting into nail polish, I avoided reds like the plague. I thought that all reds were the same. Wrong! The more I get into collecting nail polish, the more red shades I acquire. There really is a huge variety when it comes to reds. 

I have found that photos of red creams look extremely similar to each other when in real life they are really quite different. But I also found that if I swatch the colors next to each other, on the same hand, you can see the difference in the colors better; so that is what I did with the red creams in this collection.

As always, you can click the pictures to enlarge them. It is really fun to enlarge them to see all of the detail in the shimmer and sparkles!

Left to right:

OPI Little Red Wagon, OPI Red Hot Gift, OPI Girls Just Want To Play

The first picture is in the sun and the second picture is indoors but under natural lighting. 

OPI Little Red Wagon is a great, deep, blue toned red cream. 

OPI Red Hot Gift is a medium, blue toned red. 

OPI Girls Just Want To Play is in my opinion, a very summery, almost coral red. I will definitely sport this one on my toes in the summer.

And now on to the shimmery and sparkly reds...

OPI Rosy Mistletoe-Sies:

OPI always has the cutest names! Love this one. This is a very shimmery, magenta toned red. The shimmer in this one looks a bit on the gold side. 

OPI A Ruby for Rudolph:

Medium toned red shimmer with sparsely placed glitter. So gorgeous!

OPI Don't Toy With Me!:

Dark magenta-ish red with red, silver and hot pink shimmer/glitter. I say shimmer/glitter because it is both shimmery and glittery. Absolutely freaking gorgeous! I wore this one as a NOTD and got so many compliments from random strangers. I love when that happens. 

I am so impressed with the reds in this collection. Way to go OPI!

That is all for today, until we meet again!

xoxo,

Katee

p.s. Have you subscribed to e-polishblog yet? I also have a new option for you to subscribe by e-mail to have e-polishblog delivered to your inbox daily. Go to the upper right hand corner of the blog to subscribe :) 

 

OPI 2008 Holiday in Toyland Nail Polish Swatches - Darks & Neutrals

Hello, dear readers!

Today I have nail polish swatches of the OPI 2008 Holiday in Toyland collection for you. I am sharing the darks & neutrals today and will have the red shades for you in a few days. I am just waiting on "A Ruby for Rudolph" to complete my collection. When you are done looking at these, make sure you enter my giveaway for your chance to win a bottle of Essie Pama. 

OPI You're A Doll!:

Nude-ish, gray-ish pink shimmer with flecks of red glitter. If I had to name a favorite from this collection, I think this would be it. As a reminder, you can click on all of the pictures to make them huge. I think enlarging them really helps to show the detail of the shimmer, glitter, my bad clean up job LOL, etc. 

OPI Baby It's "Coal" Outside!:

Gorgeous dark charcoal, almost black, nail color that is loaded with chunky silver glitter. The glitter is smooth, I only say chunky because it is not all the same size. I really like this color but just found it way too cool for my skin tone. 

OPI Play 'Til Midnight:

Dark blue loaded with purple shimmer and hot pink glitter. The base of this color is very heavy on the charcoal side which gives this blue an almost "dusty" appearance indoors. 

OPI Glamour Game:

Gorgeous soft metallic champagne nail color with iridescent glitter. Love this color! I have a Christmas party to go to this weekend and I might wear this one. 

OPI Brand New Skates:

Gray soft metallic shimmer with the same iridescent glitter as Glamour Game. I call both of these shades "soft metallic" because they aren't quite as metallic as other nail colors I've used, which I like, because I did not have huge brush stroke issues with these. Normally a metallic gray like this one would be too cool for me but the iridescent glitter warms it up just enough.

OPI "Sheer" Your Toys:

Silvery gray nail color that has silver shimmer and flecks of red glitter, the same red glitter in You're A Doll! This is another one of my favorites from this collection. 

I think that OPI has a huge winner on their hands with the Holiday in Toyland collection. So many of these dark and neutral shades are very unique and nothing that I have dupes for in my collection, with the exception of Play 'Til Midnight. The OPI Holiday in Toyland collection is available for sale now in stores and online. 

That is all for today! Remember to enter the giveaway and I'll see you back here soon. I have some good stuff coming up! Let's just say that Spring is in the air :)

xoxo,

Katee

OPI 90210 Nail Polish Swatches

Good afternoon, lovely readers!

I am excited to be able to share with you the rest of the OPI 90210 nail polish collection. The following swatches are 2 coats of nail polish, shot in the sun, no top coat. I apologize for a few stray polish marks. Usually my clean up is meticulous but today I was going for fast rather than perfect to show these to you ASAP.

OPI Sweet As Annie-Thing!:

Red with an orange hue, I would call this a scarlet red, laced with golden shimmer. Hello perfect pedicure color!

OPI Pretty & Privilieged:

This color was my photographic nemesis! This ruby red is laced with some fairly chunky but sparsely placed magenta colored glitter. However you would never guess that from looking at my pics. I just could not get it to show up in the photos. Rats! I really like this color. p.s. as always you can click the pics to make them bigger. When you enlarge these I think you can see that magenta glitter I am talking about. 

OPI Queen of West Web-erly:

I described this one as a lavender magenta laced with gold and multi color shimmer. One of my loyal blog readers, Diana, said it looks like "mauve and purple got busy". I think I like her description the best. Thanks Diana!

Overall, I am really digging these colors! Especially the reds, which is strange for me. You see, when my nail polish obsession first started, reds were way to ordinary for me. I think I thought that they were too common. But now, as my obsession deepens, I appreciate all of the different hues of red, different shimmers, glitter, etc. There are just so many unique reds that I cannot help but love them.

Well I hope you enjoyed seeing swatches of the OPI 90210 collection! These will be available for purchase in January. What do I have up my sleeve next for you? You'll never know... See you back here soon!

xoxo,

Katee 

Sneak Peek at the OPI 90210 Nail Polish Collection

Good morning!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I certainly did. I am excited to dig into the turkey leftovers a little later. But even more than that, I am excited to give you a sneak peek at the OPI 90210 inspired nail polish collection that will be launching in January 2009. 

The OPI 90210 collection is made up of three colors: 

Queen of West Web-erly - Lots of blog buzz for this purple shimmer.

Sweet as Annie-thing! - Irresistible lollipop red.
Pretty & Privileged - You’re entitled to this ruby red

Today I have swatches for you of OPI Queen of West Web-erly:

The first two swatches were photographed in the sun and the last one was photographed indoors. Click on any of the pictures to make them larger.

OPI Queen of West Web-erly is a beautiul purple that is along the lines of a lavender magenta and it is laced with gold and multi colored shimmer. Indoors the golden shimmer is predominant but then outside in the sun the multi colored shimmer stands out.

I will have the other colors in the OPI 90210 collection swatched for you just as soon as the sun here in Cardiff decides to cooperate! We usually do not have cloudy weather this time of year here but the sun just won't come out today!

I am off to the mall now to do my part to stimulate the economy. Hopefully when I get back I'll be able to swatch the other two colors for you, my dear readers. If not, then tomorrow!

That is all for now. Hope to see you back soon!

xoxo,

Katee