opi skyfall collection

As promised, I'm back with swatches of the new OPI Holiday Skyfall Collection!

Tomorrow Never Dies is a blue-toned purple shimmer:

Love this shade! Last year I was all about iridescent blue and this year it's all about purple in my book.

Skyfall is a dark maroon creme: 

This is a great basic to have for Fall if you don't already own one similar. Plus, this one in particular is very easy to apply (hard to come by with such a dark color).

The Spy Who Loved Me is a vibrant red shimmer:

This is the lighter, more vibrant cousin of one of my favorite winter shades, An Affair In Red Square.

Moonraker is a silver-gray frost:

This one's formula is a little finicky (common with metallics) so it takes one more coat to look right, but the end result is gorgeous.

The World Is Not Enough is a brown-rose shimmer:

I hated I couldn't get this one to photograph properly. Truly, this shot doesn't do the shade any justice. This one will certainly be a favorite of mine this season!

Live and Let Die is a dark, forest green with gold and green shimmer:

This one had me instantly intrigued. The darkest green I've ever donned is Jade is the New Black (a far cry from this vampy forest green). I certainly don't hate it- but jury's still out on whether I can pull this off.

Die Another Day is a shimmery orangey-red:

Usually I run for the hills when it comes to orange but this shade has just enough red to work for me. Digging it!

The Living Daylights is silver, blue, and copper hexagonal glitter in a clear base:

This colors of this glitter are so unexpected! I love the shades for Fall.

Casino Royale is a plum creme:

Another great basic for Fall and winter. I don't think I'll ever swatch a creme plum I don't instantly love!

You Only Live Twice is bright magenta with fuchsia and gold shimmer:

Adore this one. Reminds me a lot of Meep Meep Meep from the Muppets Collection (one I wear all the time).

Goldeneye is a yellow gold glitter:

Another one that, unfortunately, I couldn't get to photograph quite right. It's so lovely in person (and not quite so yellow).

And lastly, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a gray-blue with purple and green shimmer:

This polish is definitely the most complex of the bunch. It will change dramatically depending on the lighting and angle of your hand. Keeps me guessing!

What is y'alls favorite? If I had to choose, I'd say The World is Not Enough.. or Tomorrow Never Dies.

opi so so skullicious halloween minis

Happy Friday lovelies! If any of you get as excited about Halloween as I do, this mini set from OPI will be right up your alley. Here goes:

A-Rose From the Dead is a very pretty bright and rosy pink.

 Candlelight is a somewhat sheer bright yellow. I was hesitant about this one with my skin tone, but maybe it's growing on me. What do y'all think? Fair warning though, the application is a little tricky, I needed to have added 1 more coat to cover up all the bald spots effectively.

Mourning Glory is a super-shiny black. Love this one!

Hi, Pumpkin! is a medium orange creme. It photographed a teensy bit brighter than it really is. But this one is probably my favorite from the set, I shy away from orange but this one is definitely a hit in my book. Glad I finally gave saturated orange a chance!

And saving perhaps the best part for last- here are the decals included with the set. They were such a lovely surprise- I've actually never purchased any decals (they've always looked tacky to me), but I think these unique, colorful skulls and flowers are all kinds of adorable.

opi pink of hearts 2012 swatches

I'm home tonight with sweet Jelly who is feeling under the weather with an ear infection, so I thought it was a perfect time to bust out the new OPI Pink of Hearts duo that arrived earlier this week and give myself a quick mani. For those of you that don't know, OPI releases a micro collection to support Breast Cancer Awareness each year, and this year's shades might just be my favorite yet.

I Think In Pink is a beautiful sheer pink, almost bubblegum in the bottle, but on- it's gorgeously natural and versatile. In the packaging, I thought this was going to be a dupe of Pink Friday from the Nicki Minaj Collection (a truly lovely shade, but one I already own), but it's really much more sheer and subdued (i.e. wearable for everyday). Plus, although it's sheer, it builds to full opacity in as little as 2 coats. Love!

You Glitter Be Good to Me is a small pink glitter and magenta hex glitter mix. It's a great formula with tons of sparkle (no going in the bottle multiple times to get more glitter on the brush) and I think it'll look great over purple polish as well (pictured here layered over I Think in Pink). 

And here's a shot of these swatched individually and layered that I hope gives you a better idea of what You Glitter Be Good to Me looks like on it's own.

I'm not sure on the official release date for this duo. If you know, please comment and let me know!

opi minnie mouse collection

If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably already picked up on how unreasonably excited I am for this new OPI Minnie Mouse-inspired collection. I've been in girly heaven the past few days swatching these shades! 

The Color of Minnie is a shimmery cherry red that's very comparable to one of my all-time favorites from OPI, An Affair in Red Square, but a bit lighter. Everyone looks great in a saturated apple red but the shimmer in The Color of Minnie is the cherry on top. 

Nothin' Mousie About It is such a fun, pink heart glitter lacquer (pictured here layered over The Color of Minnie). It's a little harder to apply because the hearts are so large but the final look is so worth it- it's adorable!

Here's a better close-up of Nothin' Mousie About It over The Color of Minnie 

I'm All Ears is another great classic to have. It's a super fun jelly pink absolutely packed with fine, iridescent shimmer. This one is going to be one of my go-tos for Spring.

And here's a close-up that shows the sparkle better 

I couldn't resist layering Nothin' Mousie About It over the already-shimmery I'm All Ears.  

 The last shade, If You Moust You Moust, is the one I have on my nails right now. It's such a fun, Pepto Bismal pink that puts a smile on my face every time I look at my fingertips. Plus the formula is really great with this one.

Are y'all as excited about this collection as I am? These shades are fun and fresh (especially that heart glitter!) but also great classics to have on hand this season.

opi nyc ballet soft shades collection

I'm so happy to be sharing swatches for the OPI Soft Shades collection inspired by the NYC Ballet, a whole collection of jelly polishes (my favorite)! Here goes:

 left to right: Don't Touch My Tutu!, My Pointe Exactly, Pirouette My Whistle, You Callin' Me A Lyre?, Barre My Soul, Care to Danse?

Don't Touch My Tutu! was the one shade coming out of the box I wasn't super excited to see on and it actually turned out to be my favorite from the whole bunch. It's a soft, white jelly that reminds me of fluffy clouds. It'd be so perfect under glitter polish or of course, on it's own (great for when you don't want your nails to look lovely, but not compete with your outfit).

My Pointe Exactly is a blue-toned grey that I'm afraid doesn't get near enough credit from my photo. It's beautiful and changes slightly depending on the lighting- which I love.

Pirouette My Whistle is the glitter polish from this collection. In the above photo it's layered over My Pointe Exactly. It's a very fine, light silver glitter with white hexagon glitter flecks. This is a great glitter for layering because it's sheer enough that it doesn't cover your base color too much. 

You Callin' Me A Lyre? is a a peachy pink. It packs a little more color than OPI's Bubble Bath which is great since I'm weary of those almost-white pinks.

Here's Piroutte My Whistle over the ends of my nails with You Callin' Me A Lyre? as a base. I really can't imagine this glitter looking bad paired with any shade, it's so gorgeous and versatile.

Barre My Soul is a light white-based beige. I'm crazy about nude polishes but since I'm so fair-skinned I have a lot of trouble finding ones light enough for me and this one was surprisingly, the perfect thing. All this time I've been looking for a opaque nude when a jelly one is just the ticket!

Lastly, Care To Danse? is a very, very pale lilac. It looks a little more purple-based in the bottle and pink on your nails but it's totally distinct from the pink polish in this collection, You Callin' Me A Lyre?

This whole collection is truly gorgeous, any of the shades will pair fabulously with gold or silver glitter and the jelly finish and soft shades are perfect for Spring.

Have you picked up any of them yet?

opi holland collection

I have more OPI goodness to share with y'all! This time, OPI's Holland collection:

Did you 'Ear About Van Gogh? is definitely a favorite. It's a creamy, neutral putty and looks gorgeous, even on my super pale skin. 

Gouda Gouda Two Shoes is a dark rosy pink with golden shimmer. I had to photograph this one with a white background, because my camera kept wanting it to be orange (still didn't get it quite right unfortunately). It is a little darker than the bottle would have you believe. 

Pedal Faster Suzi! is a light pink with silver shimmer and probably the girliest polish I've ever come across. Try not to let my super pink-based skin fool you, this one is super flattering on and will contrast more against anyone else's skin.

Red Lights Ahead... Where? is the one polish from this collection you must go get... right now. It's a coral red creme and just beautiful.

Thanks a Windmillion a light sea green. I was delighted when I saw it in the ads for this collection because I have no other color quite like it. I love the way it contrasts with my very pink toned skin!

I Don't Give a Rotteram is quite difficult to describe, just because it's so unique. I'd say it's a light, dusty blue with gold and silver shimmer. 

Vampsterdam is a bit out of place with all these colors but I loved it nonetheless. It's a deep plum with super fine silver frost. Dark purples are one of my go-to shades but until now I've always preferred ones without any shimmer but this one totally changed my mind. Love!

Wooden Shoe Like to Know? is a medium, chocolate brown with gold shimmer. I've purchased and flirted with the idea of wearing dark brown polish before but never worked up the nerve to apply it. This one is perfect for dipping your toes in the water of the brown polish trend.

Kiss Me on My Tulips is a hot pink creme. It's a gorgeous shade every girl should have in her collection in my opinion.

I did a bit of a double-take when I saw how similar this shade, I Have a Herring Problem, and the one I previously mentioned, I Don't Give a Rotterdam, are. This one is the darker version and my favorite of the two. 

A Roll in the Hauge is a bright orange creme and another classic I think everyone should own. This one is about as close to neon you can get without being fluorescent (in other words, I'm crazy about it!).

Dutch'Ya Just Love OPI? is a red-toned purple with golden shimmer (looks even more fabulous in sunlight). This is one I know I'll be reaching for a lot in the near future.