More New Nail Polish Colors from Nicole by OPI

Happy Monday! Here are some more of the new colors from Nicole by OPI. 

Nicole by OPI Light a Candle:

Light a Candle is a silvery color with a lavender twist. It is a chrome and therefore has a much different appearance indoors vs. outdoors, hence the two pictures. It dries relatively brush stroke free which is a huge plus. Opaque coverage in two coats.

Nicole by OPI I've Got the Power:

I've got the power is a magenta/red metallic. I love the smooth and shiny metallic look indoors and then the fabulous shimmer in the sun. I think this shade is particularly flattering for women with pale skin but I am also sure it would look great on darker ladies as well. Opaque coverage in two coats. 

Nicole by OPI Imagine If...:

Imagine If... is a silver holographic glitter suspended in a clear base. This swatch is two coats. As you can see, two is not enough for opaque coverage. I think you would need 4 coats to make this one totally opaque. But I still think it looks great with two coats if you don't mind the sheer look. This would also make a great one coat 'topping' for a dark color. 

Nicole by OPI Positive Energy:

Positive Energy is a true silver chrome. Again, this chrome applied fabulously. When it dried I could hardly notice the brush strokes. This color is more silver than stainless steel but it still reminds me of stainless steel appliances. I love it! Super opaque, only two coats needed.

Nicole by OPI You're a Star:

You're a Star is a clear base that is super packed with fine white/iridescent glitter. It is relatively opaque with three coats. This is a really pretty and sparkly color. 

My favorite thing about these Nicole by OPI colors is that I really enjoy the formula, application and brush. There are some three coaters but they don't bother me. They all apply super smoothly. These new shades are available at select Target and Wal-Mart stores. I wish they were easier to find!

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. 

New Colors from Nicole by OPI

This is the first of a few posts featuring new colors from Nicole by OPI. It has been a really long time since I have featured Nicole by OPI on my blog; probably because these polishes are not available at the online discount beauty supply stores that I frequently order from. These new colors from Nicole by OPI are available at select Target, Wal-Mart, and other retailers and are definitely worth hunting down. The application is perfect and I absolutely love the brushes. They are much better, in my opinion, than the regular OPI pro-wide brush. Application on all of these was really dreamy.

Nicole by OPI Do Good...Feel Good:

Perfect opaque light pink creme. This swatch is three coats. I love how non-streaky and non-chalky this one is. It dries super glossy. A lot of nail polishes that are similar in color to this are problematic when it comes to the application. This one was perfect!

Nicole by OPI Play Fair:

Gorgeous lavender shimmer. This swatch is three coats. It looks fine with two coats but I prefer the more opaque look of three coats. The shimmer in this color has a wonderful iridescent quaility.

Nicole by OPI Love Your Life over Play Fair:

More cute hearts! I love these pink hearts suspended in iridescent glitter. These hearts were much easier to fish out of the bottle than the Maybelline hearts because the bottle opening is much larger. I did not even need to use a toothpick, the brush worked just fine.

Nicole by OPI No Limits:

Super dark, blackened blue. Very similar to Lippmann Devil in a Blue Dress. This color is more opaque and only takes two coats to achieve bottle color. 

Nicole by OPI Dream Maker:

Sheer pink that is loaded with iridescent micro glitter. This color is great worn alone (this swatch is three coats) and would also make an excellent topping for another color, like a deep pink. 

Nicole by OPI Keep It Real:

Two photos of this color to show you the wonderful metallic finish it has indoors and then the amazing shimmery glow it has outdoors in the sun. This red really reminds me of the holidays! I can't wait to do a pedi with this color. This swatch is two coats. 

I will be featuring more fabulous new colors from Nicole by OPI soon. Check your local Target and Wal-Mart stores for these new colors! They are all all available now.

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.

SpaRitual Cherish Spring 2009 Color Collection

The new SpaRitual collection for Spring 2009, Cherish, features six shades that range from princess pink to baby blue. I have swatches of two of them to show to you today.

SpaRitual Marvel:

Lavender pink shimmer. Gorgeous color, fabulous application. I used three coats but you could really get away with two coats just fine. I love this color and look forward to wearing it often. 

SpaRitual Delight:

Stunning aqua blue creme. Before you ask, this is not a dupe for China Glaze For Audrey. Delight is a shade or two lighter than For Audrey. 

Oh Delight, you are a delight to look at but not a delight to apply. You see, this swatch isn't three coats of color, it's not even four coats. This swatch is a whopping FIVE , albeit thin, coats of nail polish. This color was just too streaky to look even with less than five coats. I have never encountered a five coater before, this is the first. I am shocked because I have never met a SpaRitual that I didn't like; usually their application is flawless. I don't know if it had something to do with my base coat or if somehow I got a dud of a bottle. Admittedly, I do not own SpaRitual's base coat. But I swatched this over my regular base coat and also a ridge filler. Neither was better than the other. I don't know if using SpaRitual's base coat might have improved the application of this color. I can only hope it would. Sigh... this is still such a pretty color. I don't know if I'll ever have the patience to actually do a manicure wearing it.

There are four other colors in SpaRitual's Cherish Spring 2009 color collection:

SpaRitual Love - bright pink creme

SpaRitual Adore - light pink shimmer

SpaRitual Treasure - bright orange shimmer

SpaRitual Revere - orange and gold shimmer 

I have not seen swatches or even bottle pictures yet of the other four colors but I am very curious to see Revere and Treasure. 

SpaRitual nail lacquers are available in fine salons and spas and online at skinstore.com

These new colors should be available any day now. 

New to me: PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics

Today I am very excited to introduce you to a brand that is new to me and I am guessing it might be new to you too: PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics.

At the grocery store, I am all about everything organic. But when it comes to beauty products, I am not one to seek out organic, natural or vegan products. I don't know why, but I have been operating under the assumption that these products would lack in quality; that there was a trade off for the organic ingredients. These nail polishes from PeaceKeeper, or should I say nail paints as they call them, has really changed my mind about that.

These nail polishes had a beautiful consistency, flowed nicely onto the nail and dried quickly. Absolutely no complaints about the formula of these nail polishes! Here are the colors that I tried:

PeaceKeeper Paint Me Luminous:

Love this one! Frosty white base with iridescent multi-color glitter. This one is serious bling yet subtle at the same time.

PeaceKeeper Paint Me Forgiving:

Pinkish nude with silver shimmer. I love this color because it is really natural looking and chic, yet it has a little something extra. I think this is one of my favorite nude colors to wear right now. My picture really does not do it justice.

PeaceKeeper Paint Me Stunning:

I am not that into pinks but this is one of the prettiest ones in my collection. This color has a very luminous and almost etherial quality about it.

PeaceKeeper Paint Me Patient:

Brownish nude shimmer. Another very chic, gorgeous color.

As I said before, I am super impressed with everything about these nail polishes - beautiful colors, flawless application and relatively quick dry time. The line does not make any crazy colors, but these are nice, wearable, and practical colors for everyday.

PeaceKeeper Nail Paints are made without Toluene, Formaldehyde, Acetone, Phthalates, Parabens, or FD&C/Lake Coloring and PeaceKeeper does absolulely NO ANIMAL TESTING! For more information on the ingredients here is a direct link to the section of PeaceKeeper's website that discusses the ingredients. This is actually very interesting information, I really recommend checking it out.

PeaceKeeper also makes a nail polish remover that is eco-friendly. It is made from sugar beets, rosemary and spearmint. I will be reviewing this product for you very soon.

One more fabulous thing about PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics: they are the first cosmetics line to give all of its after-tax distributable profits to women’s health advocacy and urgent human rights issues.

PeaceKeeper Nail Paint retails for $10 and can be purchased online by clicking here. PeaceKeeper offers free shipping on all orders.

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

Random Monday Giveaway!

Good morning, dear readers!

Happy Monday! I know that Mondays are kind of random, so I thought I would take a quick break from swatching the spring collections and do a totally random giveaway. One lucky e-mail subscriber has been picked at random to win a bottle of SpaRitual Nail Lacquer in Surreal. The winner is "jcjones23@..." (provider not published to ward off the spam). Check your e-mail inbox to see if you are the lucky winner! Please send me your mailing address as soon as possible so I can get this baby out to you. This is just the first of many random giveaways exclusively for those who subscribe to e-polishblog's e-mail updates. 

Here is a swatch of SpaRitual Surreal:

(click to enlarge)

SpaRitual Surreal, from their fall 2008 collection dubbed Inspired, is a gorgeous deep navy blue that is super glossy and shiny. It has just the faintest amount of shimmer when you look at it in direct sunlight. It certainly is surreal!

No, the bottle of SpaRitual Surreal that jcjones23 is being sent is not the one in the picture hahaha. I just happened to have an extra, un-opened bottle.

Wasn't that fun? I love a random giveaway! Like I said, this is just the first of many random giveaways that I will be doing for those that subscribe to my e-mail updates. Not a subscriber yet? Well enter your e-mail address in the box below to subscribe so you can be eligible for my next totally random giveaway. They happen without warning whenever I am feeling, well, random!

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That is all for now. Don't worry, I will be back soon with more swatches from the spring 2009 nail polish collections!

xoxo,
Katee