Shades by Barielle Summer 2009 Sugar Rush Collection

Eek! I am so excited about the new Shades by Barielle Sugar Rush collection for Summer 2009! This collection is aptly named because when I look at these colors they really do make me think of candy. The new Sugar Rush Collection has six pretty candy colored hues to satisfy your mani-pedi cravings with on-trend, fashionable nail color. I am so glad to see that companies like Barielle are taking risks and releasing fun and bright colors like this! This collection will definitely satisfy non-traditional polish consumers. 

Shades by Barielle Cotton Candy:

Barielle Cotton Candy is a medium toned pink with a subtle magenta shimmer. This color really reminds me of Zoya Barbie. This is the only one in the bunch that needed three coats. 

Shades by Barielle Swizzle Stix:

Barielle Swizzle Stix is hands down my favorite in this collection. It is a robin's egg blue that is slightly more vibrant than the real thing. I love love love this color!

Shades by Barielle Grape Escape:

Barielle Grape Escape is a gorgeous purple creme. I don't have many purple cremes so this is a welcome addition to my stash. Grape Escape reminds me of Sally Hansen Night Hydrangea (Spring 2009) minus the shimmer. Purple shades that actually look purple in all lights are hard to come by, so this is a must for you purple lovers. 

Shades by Barielle Lemondrops:

Barielle Lemondrops is a vibrant yellow creme. There is nothing muted about it but it really isn't neon either. This color looks so good, I want to eat it! That is because it reminds me of my favorite candy - yellow Sprees! The only thing this manicure is missing is some smiley faces a la Rihanna style. 

Shades by Barielle Sweet Addiction:

Barielle Sweet Addiction is a minty green creme that reminds me of chewing gum. Another fabulous color!

Shades by Barielle Decadence:

Barielle Decadence is a shimmery blue/green/turquoise color. This color is so gorgeous! It really glows.

Application of all colors in this collection was fabulous. Some of them were a little on the thick side but none were problematic. All of the colors were extremely pigmented. The only one that I thought could have used three coats was Cotton Candy. The others were totally opaque with two coats. Most were opaque on even the first coat. Again, I applaud Barielle for this fabulous collection! Each color is unique and wonderful. 

The Shades by Barielle Sugar Rush collection for Summer 2009 is available now at Barielle.com. The nail polishes retail for $8.00 each. But right now they are offering free shipping for orders over $50 and if you buy 2 colors you get the 3rd one free! I'd buy these soon because I don't know how long the promo will last. 

China Glaze Summer Days for Summer 2009

They are here! THE summer collection of the year - China Glaze Summer Days. These polishes are spectacularly beautiful. This is only collection that I have seen in a while where all of the colors are truly must haves. On to the swatches! Oh, one small disclaimer before these swatches. I have yet to see any photographs of these polishes that accurately capture the amazing FIRE that these babies put out. My photographs are no exception. While they are color accurate, you just will not understand how truly amazing they are until you try them. The shimmer and fire from the glass fleck like glitter is just amazing. Now, on to the swatches, really!

China Glaze Raspberry Festival:

Raspberry Fields is a pinkish red with magenta and silver glitter. It really does not remind me of raspberries, which incidentally are my favorite fruit. But who really cares about the name when it is this gorgeous?

China Glaze Watermelon Rind:

Watermelon Rind has a green/teal base with silver, green and blue glitter. This is freaking stunning. 

China Glaze Cherry Pie:

Cherry Pie is a slightly orange toned red with magenta and silver glitter. This shade reminds me of candy for some reason.

China Glaze Grape Juice:

Grape Juice is a purple with silver and purple glitter. The glitter in this one has a very iridescent feel outside in the sun. It certainly is juicy! This is tied with Watermelon Rind for my favorite shade in the collection. 

China Glaze Strawberry Fields:

Strawberry Fields is a deep pink with gold shimmer. This one is particularly glossy looking!

China Glaze Orange Marmalade:

Last but not least, Orange Marmalade. You guys know how I feel about orange nail polish. I think it is really pretty but just not on me. It just does nothing for my skin tone! But this shade is still super gorgeous. Orange with gold and orange shimmer. If you are an orange lover, you won't be disappointed with this one.

Wow! Aren't these amazingly gorgeous? They are all so juicy looking. Like I said earlier though, the brilliance of fire of these in real life is so much more amazing than my pictures. Application was top notch, smooth, and quick drying. All swatches were three coats. Two coats is nice but three coats make these look spectacular!

China Glaze Summer Days for Summer 2009 officially launches in March but sometimes the etailers get these early, so keep your eyes peeled! These will *fly* off of the shelves.

Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Spring 2009

It's that time again! Time for another fabulous collaboration between designer Tracy Reese and Sally Hansen. These nail polishes in the Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Spring 2009 collection are so hot! I love each and every one of them. They are super pigmented and a joy to apply. Enough babble, on to the swatches!

Sally Hansen Azalea:

Azalea is a gorgeous pink creme. This swatch is two coats. For me, this is definitely a fabulous summer pedicure color.

Sally Hansen Forsythia:

Forsythia is a yellow shimmer. This is so pretty! There is something very oddball about this color but I am so in love with it. It reminds me of lemons. This is one of those colors that I want to eat! I don't know how well this color suits my skin tone, but it is so cool that I don't care. I will totally wear this all summer long!

Sally Hansen Nasturtium:

Nasturtium is a fabulous orange creme. I have heard this color called coral. I don't think there is anything coral about it personally. It is orange. I don't really think this color suits me but I still think it is really pretty. I'll also say that most oranges are a streaky hot mess to apply but this one applied perfectly, like butter.

Sally Hansen Honeydew:

Honeydew is a green/teal shimmer. It is nice to finally see that nail polish companies are recognizing the need for some funkier colors in their seasonal collections. I personally love to wear anything blue or green. So this is right up my alley! This color is 100 times prettier in person than in this picture.

Sally Hansen Night Hydrangea:

Night Hydrangea is another color that is 100 times prettier in person. This is the perfect purple shimmer. I don't mind blackened shades. I actually quite like them. But sometimes you just want a purple that looks purple. This is it! The purple that looks purple in all lighting situations.

Sally Hansen Tassel:

Tassel is a metallic gold. This was the only one of the bunch that required three coats. I love that Tracy threw a metallic in the mix for spring. It is fun and unexpected!

There is one more color in this collection - Beet Stain. I have no idea where it is... It's very similar to OPI Miami Beet and Zoya Moxie.

Did you guys notice my short nails in these pictures? I broke the corner off of my index finger so they got filed down. In the winter it is so hard to keep them in good shape! The air is just so dry. Oh well, they have been growing like weeds lately.

Back to the nail polish banter now. Like I said, application on all of these colors was superb. Tassel was the only three coater of the bunch. The others were perfectly opaque with two coats. My only complaint, if you can even call it that, is about the brushes. There is nothing wrong with them per se, but they are a bit long in my opinion. It is really just a matter of my personal preference. My preference is for a shorter brush. I just find it easier to control the polish with a shorter brush. Other than that, these babies are perfect!

The Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Spring 2009 collection is set to hit stores late February/early March. Distribution of these special collections is notoriously bad; so keep your eyes WIDE OPEN for them and snatch them up as soon as you see them! They'll be gone before you know it.

More from BB Couture for Nails

Today I have more from BB Couture for Nails to share with you. I have one brand new shade, one that is new to me, two that you've seen here before but I tried to get better pictures of and a few old favorites.

First, the brand new shade, BB Couture for Nails Midnight Desire:

Super dark blue/purple shimmer. This is one of those shades that looks nearly black indoors but then outdoors it is super gorgeous. At first I thought this might be dupeish to Chanel Vendetta but it is not. This is more noticeably blue than Vendetta, which is way more purple. I would have done a comparison swatch if I thought it was warranted, but it isn't. I am wearing Midnight Desire right now and I absolutely love it! I never get tired of shades like this. Midnight desire is extremely opaque with one coat but I used two for good measure.

Next, the shade that is new to me, BB Couture for Nails Dragon's Breath:

Purple/plum jelly with glitter. LOVE this color! This swatch is three coats. I love jelly based glitters like this because they have amazing depth. I love how the glitter looks almost like it is trapped deep under the layers of polish, almost like it is suspended in jello or something. Am I making sense at all?

Finally, the shades you have seen here before but that I tried to get better pictures of.

BB Couture for Nails Sea of Cortez:

BB Couture for Nails Frosty Meadow:

I tried to get better pictures of these jelly based stunners. Hopefully it worked! For you girls out there that appreciate the funkier colors, both of these are *must* haves. I think these blue an green shades are absolutely perfect. Just stunning.

Since we are on the subject of BB Couture for Nails, I thought I'd also show you a few of my old favorites.

BB Couture for Nails Poison Ivy:

BB Couture for Nails Maleficent Magenta:

BB Couture for Nails nail polishes can be purchased at Overall Beauty. Also, if there are any shades that you see on my blog but that you can't find at Overall Beauty, you can also contact BB Couture for Nails directly via phone or email (info on their website) and they will sell them to you directly.

Lippmann Collection Spring 2009

These new colors from Lippmann Collection SCREAM Spring to me!

Lippmann Collection PYT: Pretty Young Thing:

PYT: Pretty Young Thing is a fabulous coral pink jelly. When I saw this in the bottle I was kind feeling "meh" but I really like it on! Application was perfect and I used it over a ridge filler. My nails are a bit yellow and so when I wear sheer nail colors I really like a ridge filler to help cover the yellow. Trust me, sheer jelly pinks and yellow nails do not play well. This swatch is 3 coats of color over the base coat. PYT is opaque with 3 coats over a ridge filler. If you don't use a ridge filling base coat you might need 4 coats. And seriously, PYT by Michael Jackson is one of my favorite songs ever. Such a good party song! Just the idea that this nail polish makes me think of the song is a good thing.

Next, Lippmann Collection Purple Rain:
Purple rain is a sultry lilac frost. It was designed by Lippmann with the help of designer Zac Posen for use in his Spring 2009 fashion show. When I first saw Purple Rain, I thought it might be dupey for one of the purples in China Glaze's Romantique collection - but it is not. Purple Rain is definitely unique! The formula is a frost and the brush strokes are apparent but they don't bother me one bit. I think they give this nail color a very pretty and soft, almost delicate feel. It is a very feminine color. I usually don't like colors like this but I got so many compliments when I wore it the other day that I just cannot help but like it. 

I am always so excited to see what Lippmann Collection has in store for us so I am a little disappointed that only 2 new colors are being released. Oh well, 2 is better than a big fat zero. I guess we'll just have to take what we can get!

Did you guys know that Lippmann Collection nail polishes contain green tea extracts and protein-building biotin? I did not until doing a little more research on them today. Interesting! I am not aware of any other lines that contain these ingredients. 

These new colors from Lippmann Collection will launch next month online at Lippmann Collection and both online and in-store at Nordstrom.

Zoya Twist Collection Spring 2009 Swatches

Hello, dear readers!

Today I have for you my swatches of the Zoya Twist collection for Spring 2009. These are so pretty! As always, click my pics to enlarge them. Enjoy!

Zoya Cassi:

Peachy pink with awesome shimmer. For some reason this reminds me of sherbert! I don't know why, but it looks good enough to eat. Call me crazy. The shimmer in this is totally insane, it is like Zoya chopped up little golden diamonds and put them in the polish. Amazing! You could definitely get away with two coats of this nail color but I used three because I was really digging it.

Zoya Malia:

Gorgeous lavender creme. This applied super smooth like butter. Actually, all of these did. This swatch is two coats. I am a habitual three coater but there was absolutely no need for a third coat, that would have been wasteful. 

Zoya Barbie:

Cutsey pink with magenta shimmer. For me, this is a perfect summer pedicure color. When you enlarge the picture you can see the shimmer much better.

Zoya Harley:

Flawless shimmering grey. I knew I would be in love with this one from the second I saw the promo pics. Oh Harley, where have you been all my life?

Zoya Moxie:

Vibrant red plum creme. This is one that I was not excited about when I saw the promo pics but as soon as I put it on I was in love. What was I thinking? This color rocks!

Zoya Jo:

Fabulous shimmering blue that falls somewhere between cornflower and periwinkle. Funny thing about this color, I love blue nail polish and my boyfriend hates blue nail polish. But when he saw me wearing this one, he actually liked it. Not that I really care what he thinks, I wear what I want! Thank you Zoya for putting a blue in your Spring collection!

Overall, I have nothing but compliments for Zoya on this collection. Flawless application? Check. Fabulous, vibrant colors? Check. Pause from typical Spring colors? Double check. I don't know what else to say. The colors speak for themselves. 

The Zoya Twist collection is available now at www.zoya.com.

Also, don't forget about the awesome nail polish exchange that Zoya has going on right now. In a nutshell, you send Zoya your old, crappy polishes (non Zoya polishes of course) and then they send you brand new the brand new Zoya polishes of your choice in return. All you have to pay is $3 per bottle processing plus your end of the shipping to send them your old stuff. But basically this offer amounts to a 50% discount, which rocks. I believe there is a 6 bottle minimum and 200 bottle maximum limit. Thanks again Zoya for a fabulous offer. Check out full details on their program at www.zoya.com/exchange.

Ok guys, I mean gals, let me know what you are getting! Guys reading, if you are out there, you can let me know what you want too :)

That is all for today!

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 

NOTD: CHANEL Vendetta

Hello everyone!

I think this might be might last post of 2008, so I wanted to go out with a bang! I have mucho mega packing to do tomorrow and then we fly home to Michigan on Christmas day. We have a wonderful 6:30 a.m. flight that I am really looking forward to *wink*.

Today I am wearing the lovely CHANEL Vendetta, which is new for Spring 2009. Ohhhh I am in love with this one. On to the swatches!

CHANEL Vendetta indoor natural light:

CHANEL Vendetta sun:

(click pictures to enlarge, especially the sun ones to see shimmer)

CHANEL Vendetta is very similar to CHANEL Blue Satin in the sense that the shimmer is only visible outside in full on sun. It also has a very similar glossy, satiny and deep finish indoors. I think they should have called it Purple Satin or Violet Satin. The first picture of CHANEL Vendetta indoors is very true to life as far as the color goes, even though the shot is a bit blurry for my standards; it also represents the satiny finish very well. CHANEL Blue Satin has been my favorite nail polish for a long time but I think that CHANEL Vendetta *might* take the top spot from it. Maybe a tie. CHANEL Blue Satin is the only nail polish that I have ever bought a backup of. CHANEL Vendetta might be next.

Well, since this might be the last time that I am here in between now and the new year, I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you loyal readers. All of your comments and e-mails really add to to my enjoyment of blogging! I hope that all of you have a wonderful Christmas!

xoxo,

Katee

p.s. I apologize for the obnoxious watermark, I tried to make it as unobtrusive as possible. I am just sick of my pictures turning up everywhere on the Internet, being copied without my permission. Someone even had the nerve to post my pics to their Flickr photostream!! Now at least if people copy my pictures they will look like jerks, since they say "DO NOT COPY".

Unveiling My New Short Vampy Nails With Zoya Sloane

Good morning or afternoon dear readers depending on where you are!!

First of all, I just want to say THANK YOU to all of the lovely, caring and thoughtful readers that left me such positive comments yesterday. I was really feeling traumatized yesterday by the short length of my nails but this morning, I am happy to say, that I am feeling much better about them. It is much easier to type and take out my contacts now. 

What a perfect opportunity, as a lot of you suggested, to break out the dark and vampy colors. I couldn't agree with you more! So I got out my big shoe box of untried polishes last night and picked out a perfect one: Zoya Sloane. I polished my nails with Zoya Sloane last night but snapped the pictures this morning at about 9:45 a.m. Pacific Time. The sun is out and shining strong this morning! Still a bit chilly here though. Although I cannot complain too much. My friends and family back in Michigan are getting hit with snow big time right now.

 Zoya Sloane:

This is a gorgeous, deep, purple &  vampy shimmer. I cannot believe that I had this one sitting in my untried box! This is the perfect color to rock on my new short nails. Although, even with long nails, I had no qualms about wearing colors like this. I guess now I am more "in style" or whatever now. 

A bunch of you also suggested to me that this would be a great opportunity to track how fast my nails are growing as inspiration for all of the ladies that might be trying to grow out their nails. Great idea! I am going to call it "Nail Growth Watch 2009" (we only have 2 weeks of 2008 left ok). I would love to encourage all of you ladies who are trying to grow your nails out to participate with me and let me know how you are doing!

It was much harder than I thought it would be to take a picture of me measuring my nails. I really needed a 3rd hand for this. So this picture is just an approximation. I am going to use my left hand, middle finger, as the benchmark for "Nail Growth Watch 2009". Right now this nail is approximately a five eights of an inch long, measuring from cuticle to tip. I will post a new measurement once a week. I would love for all of you to participate with me! Let me know how you are doing each week in the comments.

Also, just a reminder, you have until Sunday night to enter my giveaway. Click here for all of the details. 

Thanks again everyone for your support. I love you! Time to do some serious Christmas shopping now. I have not started yet.

xoxo,

Katee