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.

New Colors from Superstar Nail Lacquer!

This spring Superstar Nail Lacquer is introducing their Rising Star collection which has six hot new colors. Today I have two of them to share with you. 

Superstar Nail Lacquer Rising Star Razzberry:

This is a super HOT, like whoa bam! in your face bright pink with small holographic glitter. This color was too hot for my camera! It really did not pick up the holographic effect that the glitter has, but you can see where it is. This would make a great pedicure color. This color dries on the matte side so make sure to use a super shiny top coat like Seche Vite with it.

Superstar Nail Lacquer Orangeu An A-Listher:

Bright coral toned orange with an iridescent sheen. Another super hot, bright color. This is one of the few orange colors that I think works for my skin tone. The iridescent sheen really softens the bright color and makes it more wearable. Another hot pedicure color but I would wear this on my tips too!

The formula of these is top notch! Smooth like butter. They also dry super fast! My pinky finger was nearly dry by the time I got to my index finger. I was actually shocked by how quickly these dry. 

You can the rest of Super Star Nail Lacquer's Rising Star collection at www.superstarnaillacquer.com. The polishes retail for $8.50 each but right now they have a 5 for $35 promo going on with promo code 5for35. 

If you are contemplating an order and would like to see more swatches, check out my archives by clicking the Superstar Nail Lacquer tag at the bottom of this post to see the other colors I have posted. Scrangie and Vampy Varnish have also swatched colors from this line on their blogs too, so check 'em out. It should not be hard to come up with 5 polishes that you want to take advantage of their 5 for $35 promo right now.

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

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

More BB Couture for Nails Swatches For You!

Hello, my lovely readers!

Today I have more BB Couture for Nails polishes to share with you. Click any of the photos to enlarge! I always try to remember to add this little tidbit of info for you but sadly I forget sometimes. 

First, BB Couture for Nails Hound Dog:

Dark, chocolaty brown creme. This swatch is 2 coats. This is a true, pure brown; no hint of red here!

Next, BB Couture for Nails La Bamba:

Burnt orangey red type of color that has a nice jelly finish with small glitter. This swatch is 3 coats.

BB Couture for Nails Tangerine Scream:

I love this hot, bright orange! This will be on my toes next summer for sure. This swatch is 3 coats.

BB Couture Poison Apple:

Nice red with a jelly finish. I really like this one too. This swatch is 3 coats. I think that this also has excellent potential for a pedicure color.

BB Couture for Nails Prince Charming Blue:

Gorgeous royal blue with a nice, shimmery finish. This looks electric in person! Super bold, I love it. This swatch is 2 coats.

BB Couture for Nails Erotic Night:

This is my absolute favorite of the bunch. Dark plum with a jelly finish and the slightest shimmer that can only be detected in full on sun. This swatch is 3 coats. I will get a ton of wear out of this color. Can't stop staring at my nails with this color on them.

All of these applied beautifully with the exception of Tangerine Scream which was a bit streaky. I don't know what it is with orange nail polishes but I find that most of them are streaky. This one was not bad as far as oranges go, it just wasn't a dream like the others. If you like Tangerine Scream don't let this stop you from buying it.

I will also mention again, that I love BB's brushes and handles, and that these babies wear like IRON!! If you are looking for something long wearing then I would definitely give BB Couture for Nails a try! Buy them online at bbnailpolish.com and overallbeauty.com.

If you missed my other BB swatches, scroll down to my entry from November 6th to see six more!

Ta ta for now! Thanks for reading and hope to see you back here soon.

xoxo
Katee

BB Couture for Nails: Official Product Review!

Good morning ladies!

I love it when I discover a brand that is 'new to me'. You know what I mean, right? Not 'new', just 'new to me'. If BB Couture for Nails is also 'new to you', then you are in for a real treat! Today I am going to be sharing with you six of their nail polishes that I just had the pleasure of trying.  

All of my swatches are two coats unless noted and without a top coat. Also, they are in no particular order. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

First up, BB Couture for Nails Great Balls of Fire:

Is it reddish orange or orangish red? I can't tell. But it is a unique and fun shade that is packed with small glitter. This shade has a jelly finish and is the only one of the bunch that took 3 coats to reach opacity. Shades like this do not typically flatter my skin tone but I can see this looking really nice on ladies with a darker skin tone than me.

Next, BB Couture for Nails Lindsey's Spell:

This is a really sexy nail color that looks like a deep red but then outside it almost takes on a fuchsia tone. It is a cream polish that also has an extremely glossy finish. For someone that is not that into reds, I think that this one has made me a convert. I love it!

Next, BB Couture for Nails Poison Ivy:

Oh my God, I love this green polish. I have been on the eternal search for the perfect, wearable, green cream and I just found it. This nail color was nearly opaque at one coat but I used two for good measure. I think the picture speaks for itself. This color is amazing!

BB Couture for Nails Tutti Frutti:

This is a really fun color! I classify it as Barbie pink with a slight blue shimmer or iridescence that runs through it. I took two pictures of this one for you - one to show the color and one where I tried to capture the iridescence for you. If you click to enlarge the second picture you can definitely see the blue shimmer.

BB Couture for Nails Blue Suede Shoes:

This is a cornflower blue shimmer. Another really fun color! I have a feelings that there are going to be a bunch of cravings for this one.

Last, but certainly not least, BB Couture for Nails Maleficent Magenta:

This is a stunning purple nail color with multi color shimmer. Absolutely gorgeous! This swatch has a top coat of Seche Vite on it. Not because it wasn't already glossy enough, but because I wanted to wear this color as a mani for a few days to test the wear. After two days of wear, and lots of typing away at my MacBook, I have minimal tip wear and NO chips! That is pretty darn good in my book.

All of these polishes are extremely glossy even without a top coat. So imagine what adding a coat of your favorite shiny top coat would do! No complaints to report in the application department either, they went on smooth like butter. All BB Couture for Nails polishes are free of toluene, formaldehyde and DBT. So all around, these are winners!

I have to tell you that I also love the handle on the polish bottles. It is just the right length, not too fat and not too skinny. Have you ever bought a bottle of nail polish and found the handle awkward to hold? Well not these. I wish all nail polish bottles had these handles.

BB Couture for Nails nail polish retails for $8.95 and you can purchase them on line at bbnailpolish.com and at overallbeauty.com. 

I have 6 more bottles of BB Couture for Nails in my stash... guess what I'll be testing for you later this week?!

Ok, so have I created any cravings with this post? Let me know in the comments!  I've created major cravings in me for other nail colors in their collection like Icy Plum, Hollywood Junk, Dragons Breath and Cappuccino Maddness to name a few. 

That is all for now. I look forward to reading your comments (I love when you leave them for me). Thanks for reading and I'll see you back here soon!

Happy Halloween!!

Today's Halloween NOTD is Chanel Black Satin, OPI Orange You Glad It's Summer with a little Essie Carnival over the orange nail polish. The OPI polish was a hot streaky mess to apply but it is the only orange I have. 

Please visit me again on Monday, I am going to have some new Laura Mercier nail polishes to share with you!

Have a Happy Halloween!!