Nicole by OPI 'Kardashian Kolor' - Part 1

While I am not a fan of the Kardashians, I really like some of the colours in the collection.

Follow Me On Glitter has a base of small black and silver glitter with a mix of multi-coloured hex glitter. Such an interesting polish

Khloe Had a Little Lam-Lam is a dark green/blue creme.  The picture just doesn't do the polish justice. Great formula, opaque with 2 coats.

My Empire...My Rules is a taupe/brown creme polish.  A pretty basic neutral polish and I achieved opacity with 2 coats.

Hard-Kourt Fashionista is a a dark brown/wine creme.  Yet again the picture just didn't pic up the true colour of the polish.

Great polishes!!

Mani Mondays

Morning everyone! This is my very first post for a great new Blogger/Facebook group Mani Mondays that I joined.  It was created by Lindsay, one of my favourite beauty youtuber/blogger, and is for fellow nail polish addicts.  I think the name says it all…very simple; every Monday I will do a themed manicure and will blog about it.  This week’s theme is Whatever you Want.

I chose Bottoms Up from the 2013 Sunsational collection by China Glaze.  This is a neon bubblegum/barbie pink.  I started out with a coat of white polish than 2 coats of the polish.  It was streaky and of course matte, but the trusty Seche Vite took care of that:)  This polish is so much brighter in person.  I normally don’t wear neon on my fingers, just on my toes…so this is a stretch for me.  I am starting to step outside the box, a bit!

Note:  There were some bad reviews for the formulas of the polishes from this collection.  I think we must remember that neon pigments are famously difficult to work with and a white base coat really helps.


China Glaze Sunsational Cremes

Barielle's New York Style 5 Pack

I picked up this 5 pack of Barielle polishes at my local Winners store.  Winners is a Canadian discount chain store; similar stores in the US are TJMax, Ross, Marshall's, etc.  These are my first Barielle polishes!

Big Apple Red is a true red creme polish with cool undertones. This has to be my favourite red in my collection!  Was opaque with two coats.

Soho at Night is a dusty grape purple, without being too dark.  I used 3 coats for full coverage.

Central Park is a dusty 'jade' green creme polish.  I have a bunch of greens in my collection, this one is very unique.  Was opaque with 2 coats.

Fifth Avenue Boutique is a beautiful coral leaning towards red.  It looks very similar to OPI's - A Definite Moust-Have.  This went on like a dream, opaque with 2 coats.

Date Night is a great deep green shimmer.  I achieved full opacity with 1 coat but used 2 coats for good measure :)

I definitely need some more Barielle in my life :)

R.I.P Fantasy Makers from Wet n' Wild

Once Upon a Time is a black jelly with a bunch of small and medium size red hexagon glitter. I used a coat of black polish, prior to application.  I really like this one.

Rest in Pieces is a black based polish with purple micro glitter.  I was able to achieve full opacity with 3 coats, with no base colour. This one seemed so easy to work with.

Nail in the Coffin is a black creme with multi-coloured shimmer. This is very subtle and looks black until you get in the sun....then WOW!

I think these Halloween themed polishes are so much fun and the bottles are so cool! Such a great addition to my collection.

Quo by Orly in 'Lavish Lavender and 'Steel Heart'

These are my first 2 polishes from Quo by Orly.  Quo by Orly is an Orly brand made exclusively for Shoppers Drug Mart...a chain of 'drug stores' in Canada.

Lavish Lavender is a great neutral polish.  It is a taupe with a hint of dusty rose.  Full opacity was achieved with 2 coats.  It kind of reminds me of the popular 'Steel Grey' by Rimmel, just lighter.

Steel Heart is a dark metallic grey.  Opaque in two coats, but somewhat streaky.

A couple of good polishes...I will definitely be checking out some more Quo by Orly polishes.

OPI Dating a Royal

OPI Dating a Royal is a oldie but a goodie!  Originally it was released in the summer 2008 Mod About Brights collection.  It is a royal/cobalt blue jelly polish.  It was opaque with 3 coats.

I love this timeless polish...a beautiful dark colour without it being black.

OPI Euro Centrale Collection - Part 2

Here are the remaining 6 polishes of the 12 piece OPI Euro Centrale Collection.

I Saw...U Saw...We Saw...Warsaw is a dark blue creme.  I loved this blue, because even when not in the sun it did not look black, I think because it also has a slight teal undertone. It was streaky but Seche Vite fixed that!

My Vampire is Buff is a great nude-ivory creme.  I used 3 thin coats to achieve full opacity.

Polka.com is a very pretty blue, dark pink and teal multi-sized glitter.  I layered it on top of Your Such a Budapest, also part of the Euro Centrale collection.  It was relatively easy to apply for a glitter.

A Woman's Prague-ative is a copper-orange with gold shimmer. To achieve opacity I used 3 coats.  I have never seen anything like it...not sure if I like it.

Hands Off My Kielbasa! is a darker beige-pink shimmer polish. Opaque with 2 coats.  I think you could classify this as a frosted polish.

Oy-Another Polish Joke is a gold shimmer.  I used 4 coats for opacity.  I think this would be good as a coloured top coat over blacks or blues.  I personally don't like the look of it on its own.

I usually don't buy 12 piece collections but for some reason I just couldn't resist this one. Check out OPI Euro Centrale Collection - Part 1

OPI Euro Centrale Collection - Part 1

These polishes are the first 6 in the 12 piece OPI Euro Centrale Collection.

Can't Find My Czechbook is a aqua blue creme.  Applied wonderfully and was opaque with 2 coats.

OPI...Eurso Euro is a dark royal blue creme.  In the sunlight it seems to lean towards a purple.

My Paprika Is Hotter Than Yours!  This one surprised me...I usually don't like red-orange polishes.  It is just the right combination and surprisingly doesn't look too bad on me.  It has a slight shimmer and was opaque with 2 coats.

Suzi's Hungary Again is a warm tone pink-coral polish.  I was worried with the first coat as it was a bit streaky, but with the second coat I achieved full opacity.

Vant To Bite My Neck? is a dark purple/eggplant that was opaque with one coat.  Beautiful polish.

You're Such A Budapest is a light lilac with a slight silver shimmer. Another winner!

Of the 12 polishes of this collection, these 6 are my favourite.  I think this collection is a great addition to my collection.  As always, these OPI polishes are stellar.

A Couple of China Glaze Sunsational Jellies

When I ordered the Sunsational Cremes collection I was sent 2 from the Sunsational Jellies collection.

You Drive me Coconuts is a bright pink jelly.  Opacity was achieved with 3 coats, which is surprising because it is a jelly.  I really like this one.  Would look great on the toes :)

WARNING EPIC FAIL!
This is Keepin' it Teal.  I wasn't going to post this, but...  What a horrible formula, even for a jelly.  I gave up after four coats :(

I have never been a sheer/jelly polish fan, so these are not my ideal polishes.

China Glaze Sunsational Creme Swatches

Maybelline Color Show 'Polka Dots'

I picked up a couple of polishes from the 5 piece 'Maybelline Color Show Polka Dots' glitter collection.

Blue Marks the Spot has a blue jelly base with black and white multi sized glitter.  I used Bikini So Teeny by Essie as a base colour.  I used 2 coats of glitter for a decent coverage.

Dotty has black and white multi-sized glitter in a orange jelly base. I used Fear or Desire by Essie as a based colour.  I ended up applying 2 coats of glitter for pretty good coverage.  All I can think is Halloween when I see this!

I liked these glitters...they were easy to apply, not too gloopy. I passed on the remaining polishes of this collection as I already had very similar indie brand polishes.

China Glaze Polishes from the 2012 Holiday Joy Collection

I know it is the middle of summer, but I found 3 of the 2012 Holiday Joy Collection from China Glaze and I just couldn't pass them up:)

First one is Winter Holly.  It is a green micro glitter with a ton of small holographic glitter.  It was completely opaque with 3 coats.

Angel Wings is a gold micro-glitter plus a bunch of small holographic glitter.  Three coats and it was completely opaque.

Red Satin is a vibrant blue based red creme.  I achieved opacity with 2 coats.

I would definitely recommend these 3 great polishes, obviously geared more towards winter/holiday season.  Also the 2 glitters are surprisingly easy to remove.

Nicole by OPI

Here are a couple of polishes from the 14 piece Selena Gomez Collection by Nicole by OPI.

Love Song is a light purple/lavender creme polish.  Was opaque with 2 coats.

Selena is a peachy pink with a slight shimmer.  Great application with 2 coats.

I would definitely recommend Nicole by OPI polishes.  I'm trying to get my hands on some of the Gumdrop collection!

Butter London Polishes

Here are some Butter London polishes!  I picked up Marrow, Slapper and Snog.  Three beautiful polishes!

Snog is a pink toned red crème.  I achieved opacity with 2 coats but could have gotten away with 1 coat; a great consistency to work with.

Marrow is a lovely medium-dark purple creme with a very slight silver shimmer.  Again I could have gotten away with 1 coat.

Slapper is a slightly neon teal blue creme.  Lovely vibrant teal…I love it.

So glad I finally purchased some more Butter London polish.  I will be definitely seeking out more!

Cuticle & Nail Moisturizer Products

One of my pet peeves is ragged, dry and cracked cuticles.  Being a nail polish enthusiast I love many different kinds, colours and types of polishes... so I want to see the beauty of the polish on the nails not the unkempt cuticles :(   I have naturally dry skin, so it stands to reason that my cuticles also have a tendency to get dry. With that being said, I have a bevy of products to keep them moisturized!

Product	Application	Major Ingredients
Julep Essential Cuticle Oil	Roller Ball	Vitamin E, Jojoba Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Lavender Oil, Ylang Ylang Oil
Pro-Fx Apricot Cuticle Oil	Brush	Apricot & Jojoba Oil
Super Nail Cuticle oil	No Applicator	Mineral Oil, Carotene
Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream	Hands	Lemon Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Cocoa Butter, Beta-carotene, Sunflower Oil
Nail Tek Renew Cuticle Oil	Dropper	Tree Tea Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Apricot Oil, Jojoba Oil, Grapefruit Oil
Attitude Mineral Cuticle Oil	Dropper	Eucalyptus Oil, Dead Sea Salt & Minerals
Finger Paints Cuticle Oil	Brush	Argan & Macadamia Oil

There are many affordable products available to care for your cuticles. My favorite product for bedtime is Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream.

Happy 4th of July to all my American friends!

Not Your Mother's Avon - Part 4

This is the last in the series of Not You Mother’s Avon. These 2 colours are part of the Forbidden Fruit Nailwear Pro+ line.

Mandarin Magic is a vibrant orange with yellowy gold shimmer. Name definitely matches the colour.

Grape Goddess is a very beautiful fuchsia, which I could not capture in the picture. It looks more on the red side?  It has shimmer that is slightly different than the colour of the polish. Beautiful colour, if only I could have gotten a better picture.

All in all I like all of the Avon nail polishes.  I purchased most of them on sale for 2.99 and up. Go find your local Avon Representative and get yourself some polish :)

Not Your Mother's Avon - Part 1
Not Your Mother's Avon - Part 2
Not Your Mother's Avon - Part 3