All posts in OPI

OPI Holiday 2011 – Here in Ireland!

November 2, 2011

I get so excited at Christmas collection time. You know how I feel about press releases, I don’t generally like to post them – unless it’s something I think you might find of interest. But I had to post about OPI’s Christmas 2011 collection. I am so excited about these. Glitter…. Ooooooh…Aaaaaaaaaah….. I also wanted to see which shades interested you before I select which ones to buy. Another reason I decided to post these is that they are actually available in Ireland (shocker, I know).

OPI The Muppets

Left to Right: Warm & Fozzie (metallic copper), Animal-istic (bright red), Wocka Wocka! (deep berry)

Left to Right: Pepe’s Purple Passion (deep purple), Gone Gonzo! (aqua-blue glitter), Fresh Frog of Bel Air (green glitter)

Left to Right: Divine Swine (magenta glitter), Gettin’ Miss Piggy With It! (Red glitter), Gold Shatter

Left to Right: Warm & Fozzie (metallic copper), Animal-istic (bright red), Meep-Meep-Meep (fuchsia)

Left to Right: Black Shatter, Rainbow Connection (rainbow glitter), Designer, de Better! (light metallic bronze)

Single bottles are €12.95 and packs of three minis are €16.95, making them the ideal treat or stocking filler.

OPI is available in Aer Riatna shops, Horgans, McCabes and Unicare Pharmacies as well as leading pharmacies nationwide and McIlhinneys, Ballybofey.

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OPI Texas Collection Spring 2011 – What do you think?

April 5, 2011

OPI collections always evoke a bit of a dual response in me. On one hand, I can feel my blood pressure spike when there is talk of new shades (sad, but true) and on the other hand I dread it – the ‘need’ to add them to my collection.

I can practically hear my bank balance screaming.

I was recently sent the release and had a good aul drool. A new finish? Semi-transparent sorbet shades? Oh dear!

As it stands I am lusting over Austin-tatious Turquoise, Too Hot Pink To Hold ‘Em, Guy Meets Gal-veston, San Tan-tonio and I Vant to Be A-Lone Star. This is terrible news.

I love the look of Houston We Have a Purple but in fairness I own about 10 similar nail polishes. Equally, Don’t Mess With OPI looks beautiful but in swatches in appears similar to Jade is the New Black I was very good when the last collection was released and only whipped up two. This time, I can feel my self control slipping away…

I’ll be making my purchases and I shall return with swatches and my thoughts.

What shades appeal to you?

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OPI Catwalk Nails by Katy Perry

January 30, 2011

Katy Perry has produced nail polish range with OPI. There are four colours in the collection which are said to reflect her love of street style.

OPI Teenage Dream

OPI The One that Got Away

OPI Last Friday night

OPI Not Like the Movies

Each colour can be worn as a colour on its own or layered with the Shatter Black top coat formula which is also part of the collection. The black creates a cracked pattern when worn over the dried bright layer.

What are your first impressions?

opi nail polish

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OPI Jade is the New Black – Starbucks Green!

January 21, 2011

One of the lovely Christmas pressies I received was a voucher for a local beauty salon (my favourite one!) So I booked myself in on Saturday and had a back massage, facial and a manicure. I’m usually choose pink or purple shades for my manicure but I was feeling a little more adventurous that day.

I chose OPI ‘Jade is the New Black’. Apparently it had been on the shelf for months and no one had ever chosen it. I popped into Starbucks to a cup of Awake Tea after my treatments and noticed that Jade is the new Black is the exact same shade as ‘Starbucks green’ :)

I love this shade, I will definitely be purchasing. They also had ‘Dating a Royal’ a gorgeous creamy royal blue which really appealed to me too. Uh oh! I need another nail polish like I need a hole in the head.

I always get my nails done at Jule Beauty Salon in Malahide. It’s my favourite beauty salon, it’s chic and has more of a day spa feel than a salon.

What is your favourite nail shade at the moment?

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OPI Pompeii Purple – More Pompeii Pink?

November 11, 2010

This week I am loving the gorgeous Pompeii Purple by OPI. The name is a bit misleading – surely it’s more of a Pompeii Pink?! In some light there is a purple hue off it though so I suppose I understand their reasoning :)

Pompeii Purple is a bright fuschia pink with a bluish iridescence to it. The iridescence shows up under certain lighting condition but not all. There’s no shimmer or glitter to speak of, a bonus for speedy removal!

These photos show two coats and a top later of Orly Sec n’ Dry. I should point out that both were applied by a beautician in Jule salon (Malahide village) last Saturday. It’s still going strong – no chips but a tiny amount of wear and tear at the tips which is barely noticeable.

This makes me wonder about Orly Sec n’ Dry, if you have tried it let me know what you think. I may have to add it to my collection :)

It looks great on toes too, which is a bonus. I’m weird about toe-nail polish, I tend to stick to safer colours on my feet so most of the nail polishes I buy are for my finger nails only. Maybe I need to start branching out.

Fuchsia shades usually aren’t for me, but I love the iridescent purple in this one. Sold!

OPI Pompeii Purple

This color makes me feel so cheerful! I will definitely be buying it in Chicago.

Do you wear a variety of colours on your toes or do you stick to the same few? Have you tried Orly Sec n’ Dry?

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Are you Fickle about Nail Polish? OPI Chick Flick Cherry

November 9, 2010

I have mentioned on numerous occasions how fickle I am when it comes to nail polish. It’s not surprising then that I have found a new favourite.

OPI Chick Flick Cherry…

It’s a creamy cherry red, nothing unusual. Yet it makes me so happy to see it on my nails. It’s so easy to apply and dries rapidly.

It just adds a touch of class to whatever you are wearing. I have been wearing this polish on my finger and toe nails, not simultaneously since I don’t like matching.

I wonder how long this love affair will last?! I’ll be using this one regularly over the Christmas period. I think this might be my new Metro Chic!

What’s your favourite polish at the moment? Do your favourites change frequently?

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OPI Rising Star

November 4, 2010

I promised to keep the OPI swatches and reviews coming from the polishes in my haul so here is another :)

Today I reluctantly decided it was time to test Rising Star from the OPI Christmas collection. It looked the most terrifying in the bottle too me – an orangey gold so I have been avoiding it. Time to dig in…

First of all let me say that the coverage and application is flawless. One coat would have sufficed but you know what I’m like – I had to apply a second in the name of habit. Each coat dried in a few seconds to a creamy opaque finish.

The colour will definitely not be everyone’s cup of tea but it is slightly more wearable than it appears in the bottle. Bear in mind that I made this judgement based on my skintone. The orangeness of the gold brings out the pink tones in my hands (probably the only part of my body I appear to have a pink tone, the rest of me is yellowy).

I suspect that this shade might be very gorgeous on someone with darker skin than me (I’m NC25). I might even try it again when I have applied some false tan :)

This polish came in an OPI giftset with a gold bag and one other polish, Bring on the Bling – which I love (click here to see what Bring on the Bling looks like on my nails).

You can buy OPI polishes in selected pharmacies in Ireland and from beautyfeatures.ie.

What are your thoughts? Would you wear this shade?

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Christmas Nail Polish – OPI Bring on the Bling!

November 2, 2010

Christmas nail polish time! It’s the time of year for sparkle and glitter. I usually shy away from glitter my there’s no reason why my nails can’t get in on the action.

OPI Bring on the Bling!

I applied three layers of polish for this picture. One layer wasn’t enough, it looked a little patchy. Two coats was fine but I decided to maximise the glitterage (I need to stop making up words!).

Glittery polishes are usually hard to apply but not this one. It wasn’t too tacky or too sheer, at the risk of sounding like Goldilocks – it’s just right. It also dries rapidly which was both surprising and fantastic.

After two or three coats you get an opaque finish but you could also apply one coat over another polish to make a plain nail varnish more festive.

The downside to any glitter based nail polish is the removal. My usual nail wipes didn’t even make a dint in this polish, even I left it on for a few minutes. I had to use L’Ongex’s acetone based nail varnish remover to get it off.

Bring on the festivities!

What do you think of glittery nails?

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OPI Ski Teal We Drop – Review & Swatches

October 29, 2010

Swatch and review time! In the line of fire today is Ski Teal We Drop from the OPI Swiss Collection 2010.

OPI Ski Teal We Drop

I bought this from an ebay shop (BeautyZone2007) for about €4.50. I ordered 6 polishes to save on shipping… sure, that’s why you ordered six Amy!

I usually shy away from blues and greens, actually ‘run and hide from’ would be more accurate. Lately I have been feeling bored of my usual pinks and plums. Seriously, how many pink polishes can one girl own?! I made a pact to try something more daring.

This decision led to branch out into navy – I wanted to dip my toe into more extreme colours first, ease myself in. I then decided that teal would be a good option to ease myself from navy to green.

Enter Ski Teal We Drop…

There is no point in beating about the bush, I love the colour! It looks beautiful in the bottle and just as pretty on the nails.

The consistency is creamy and opaque. One coat covered most of my nails but I chose to add a second for an even finish. It’s easy to apply and dries quite quickly.

I highly recommend this shade. It’s wearable and chic and not too in your face. Best of all, I have received quite a few compliments on it so it must be a winner.

It’s also a very flattering. One of the reasons green and blue never appealed to be is because the skin on my hands is so fair – I thought it might make be look ill. This shade could be worn by anyone and definitely flatters an Irish skintone – in fact the contrast is beautiful!

I used the OPI top coat over the top and the polish lasted 3 days before minor chipping occurred.

I will definitely repurchase.

Now all that’s left to do is decide where I go from here. I have braved a teal, dare I go brighter? I was thinking of keeping it safe but dipping another toe in by going for a brighter teal like OPI Teal the Cows Come Home?

Any green or blue polish recommendations?

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