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!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

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

NOTD: Mood by SpaRitual

Good morning, dear readers!

I hope that your 2009 is off to a wonderful start. I found a few extra minutes this morning so I thought I would share with you the manicure that I did yesterday, Mood by SpaRitual.

For those of you that are not familiar with SpaRitual nail lacquers, they are Vegan and free of DBP, toluene and formaldehyde. I especially love the ruberized cap on all SpaRitual nail polishes. Not only are they easy to open, but the cap is especially easy to hold and use. SpaRitual nail polishes also have a very nice brush that is not too big and not too small. I find that the SpaRitual formula is always spot on, no clumps or goo. It always flows perfectly on to the nail. Now on to the swatches!

I could not pick one favorite picture, so I have a few for you.

SpaRitual Mood:

Direct sun:

Click on the photos to enlarge them, if you wish.

Indirect sun:

See how glossy this is! 

SpaRitual Mood is from their Fall/Winter 2008 color collection called Inspired. SpaRitual Mood is a wonderful, shimmery, smokey grey/charcoal color. It is similar to Zoya Freja but less silver and more grey. This color really reminds me of my cat, Vincent (LOL). He is a Russian Blue - grey fur with silver guard hairs. I will have more nail polishes from SpaRitual to share with you soon.

SpaRitual nail lacquers are available for $9.00 each (totally worth it) and can be purchased at www.skinstore.com.

That is all for today!

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

Essie Fall 2008 Ulta Exclusives

Hello, lovely readers! 

If your Ulta is anything like mine, they have a tendency to bring out products really late. For instance, they just put out Essie Winter 2008 about a week ago at my local store and these Essie Ulta exclusives for Fall are still readily available there too. I usually do not buy nail polish at Ulta because they are full price; but what I do look for there are the Ulta exclusives, the colors that you can only buy at Ulta. 

This year Essie teamed up with Ulta to release three exclusive shades for the fall: Groovy Grape, Retro Red and Plumski. Everyone has been talking about Groovy Grape but I have not heard much buzz about Retro Red or Plumski, so I thought I would share them with you. 

Essie Groovy Grape:

Ok, everyone already knows about this one. Gorgeous vampy purple shimmer on a blackened base. This color is absolutely flawless.

Essie Retro Red:

Classic red with a jelly finish. Nothing special but if your collection is missing a red jelly, then this is a good one. 

Essie Plumski:

Plum color that is very vibrant and bright. This one was the big surprise for me. I thought it only looked OK in the bottle, but on my nails I AM IN LOVE!! I don't know what it is, but this color has depth, and it complimented my skin tone perfectly. I usually only wear colors once, because I have so many and I am always getting more, but this will be one of those that I reach for more often. 

Depending on how your Ulta is, these might be readily available, or they might not be. If there are any of these that you really want, maybe call a few Ulta stores on the phone before driving around. Essie/Ulta also released three exclusive shades for Winter but I skipped those because they are all red colors and I have enough of those. But if you really like reds, check those out too! Good luck polish hunting!

xoxo,

Katee

China Glaze Operation: Colour Swatches

Hello, lovely readers!

Today I am sharing with you one of China Glaze "Operation: Colour". This collection was released a few months ago for Fall 2008. I know that I am a little late in the game swatching these but I just thought that I would remind you that it is still fall! It is easy to forget with all of the holiday decorations and items in the stores that I am seeing. 

China Glaze Golden Opportunity:

China Glaze Golden Opportunity is a shimmery, golden yellow.

China Glaze Code Orange:

China Glaze Code Orange is a orange with very fine pink shimmer.

China Glaze Revolution:

China Glaze Revolution is a red creme that reminds me of a ripe tomato! 

China Glaze Pink Underground:

China Glaze Pink Underground is a bubble gum pink with magenta shimmer.

China Glaze Agent Lavender:

China Glaze Agent Lavender is a lavender creme.

China Glaze Secret Periwinkle:

China Glaze Secret Periwinkle is a periwinkle creme.

Overall I am really loving Operation: Colour! I would wear all of these colors both on my tips and my toes. These colors are so unusual for a Fall collection, they are really a breath fresh air! I think that this collection has something for everyone. I also love that none of these color are dupes for anything else in my collection. 

All of these swatch photos were taken outside in the sun with the exception of Secret Periwinkle. I had to photograph Secret Periwinkle indoors under artificial light because the photos made it look blue in the sun. But indoors I was able to get a more accurate depiction of the color.

I apologize but I forgot to take notes while swatching these and so I don't remember which colors were two coaters and which ones were three coaters. I did not have any major problems applying these. The ones that were three coaters probably could have been two coaters if I was a little more slow and careful while applying them. 

China Gaze Operation: Colour can be purchased online at Head 2 Toe Beauty and 8ty8 Beauty, please see the links under the "where to haul" section on the right side of the screen. They are under $3.00 each at these e-tailers. In retail and beauty supply stores you'll likely pay $6.00 each.

That is all I have for you today! Thanks for reading and hope to see you back here soon.

xoxo

Katee

NOTD: China Glaze Rodeo Fanatic Nail Polish

Good afternoon!

Quickie post today because there are lots of errands to be ran. 

Today's NOTD is China Glaze Rodeo Fanatic, from the Fall 2008 Rodeo Diva Collection. Rodeo Fanatic is a beautiful, slightly blackened, shimmery teal. In certain lights this nail color looks a bit metallic too! Application was only OK because it was a little on the thin and runny side so that gave me a bit of cuticle drag. But the color of the polish makes up for that. Me likes it :) Swatches are two coats of polish with Seche Vite top coat.

China Glaze Rodeo Fanatic Swatch Indoors (artificial light):

China Glaze Rodeo Fanatic Swatch Outdoors (full on California sun today!):

Have a great day!!

NOTD: China Glaze Wagon Trail Nail Polish

Good afternoon readers!

Today's NOTD is China Glaze Wagon Trail, from the Fall 2008 Rodeo Diva collection. I cannot believe how long it took me to try this one! From the instant I put it on, I was in love. First of all, the formula and application was top notch; not too thick and not too thin, with perfect coverage in two coats. And the color - totally unique and totally cool! Wagon Trail has a blackened or charcoal colored base and is packed with olive greenish gold shimmer. There are also scattered bits of multi color shimmer in there which really give this nail color a lot of

depth. I also like Wagon Trail because it looks noticeably olive green indoors, not just out in the sun.

Here are the swatches:

China Glaze Wagon Trail (indoors, artificial light):

China Glaze Wagon Trail (outdoors, sun):

If you don't have this nail color yet in your collection, I highly recommend it. Head 2 Toe Beauty and 8ty8 Beauty (links listed on the side of my page under the "where to haul" heading) have great prices on China Glaze nail polishes if you want to pick this one up.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day :)