OPI Simmer and Shimmer

Wow, this post is really really old...been sitting unposted forever! This is OPI Simmer and Shimmer, an untried glitter that I still had from the Burlesque collection. I have all the glitters from this collection actually, but I've only used like 2 of them now...and I used them for layering. This is the only one I've tried on its own.

2 coats, I think...truthfully, it doesn't look that good. Really does need either more coats or a polish underneath it. Despite that, though, it actually looks better in real life than it did in these pics. It's actually a really pretty glitter...mostly blue with pretty much every other color thrown in, from pink to gold to red to green. A really pretty mix.

The formula wasn't too bad though, somewhat rough and bumpy when it dried but 1 coat of Seche Vite worked fine for me. Next time I'll probably wear it over another color...I think it'd look reallllly good over Sephora by OPI Naughty Is the New Nice. Ooh, I'll keep that in mind for next time.

Also, removal on this wasn't too much of a hassle for me...because I peeled it off, like I always do with glitter! Ah, I'm so bad...

Sincerely, Cat

China Glaze Agro (w/ comparison to ChG Peace on Earth)

My only China Glaze Hunger Games polish...this is 2 coats of Agro. Gorgeous color, great formula...applied like butter. Nice and shiny, too. Not too much else to say about it, lol. The first thing I thought when I saw it though was, "that looks a lot like Peace on Earth from their Holiday collection a year or two ago." A polish that I happen to love, and my bottle also happens to be almost gone. So I had to compare...

Agro on left, Peace on right.

Index and ring are Peace on Earth, middle and pinky are Agro.

Same 

Same

Same, with Chanel Peridot on thumb.

So, there's some obvious differences...Peace is lighter and more yellow/gold, whereas Agro is more of a dark, forest-y color. I'd say they're in the same family, but definitely not close to dupes. They are both really shiny though, and have the same type of shimmer in them. I also felt the need to throw Peridot in there just to see how it compared...not really close at all, besides the fact that it's also a green/gold type shade.

So, it's definitely not a bad thing to have both Agro and Peace...they're both absolutely gorgeous, unique colors! But if you have one of them, I'd say it's ok to skip the other. I love both, but I do have to say I think I like Agro a little better...only because it's a little darker and more green instead of gold. I just can't pull off gold, unfortunately!

Sincerely, Cat

OPI Jade is the New Black w/ Nails Inc the Donmar & OPI I Lily Love You

My latest obsession: layering with flakies! The only real flakies I own though are Nails Inc the Donmar and OPI I Lily Love You, so I've been putting those two over like every color I own, lol...here's one of my recent combos that I was totally drooling over (and a bunch of my friends were, too!)

Here's 2 coats of OPI Jade is the New Black, 1 coat of the Donmar, and 1 coat of I Lily Love You. I'd only used Jade I think once, which was two years ago when it came out, and I used it for layering...but it's a really nice polish. Pretty shade, good formula. Donmar and Lily are good as always...I've used both in the past before.

So, this combination is pretty stunning, I'd say. At first I was just gonna stop with Jade and Donmar, but it just wasn't enough bling, so I added Lily...wow. Lily is what really makes it. There's so many different colors of flakies, since Donmar is mostly orange-ish with a green flash, and Lily is a sheer pink base with confetti-like flakes in it. Lily also darkened the base color just a teensy bit, since it is really lightly colored.

I got a lot of compliments on this...most were people asking if these were my prom nails (my prom is this coming Saturday and everyone's freaking out about nails and all that stuff lately). I told them no since my dress is purple and this doesn't exactly go with that...but I've been told I should wear this anyways because it's so pretty. I've considered it, but all I know for sure is that I WILL be using Donmar and Lily for sure. I might wear Illamasqua Baptiste or my franken As a Sophomore underneath...who knows. I've been trying out some different flakie combos and trying to decide. I'll figure it out eventually...lol.

Sincerely, Cat

China Glaze First Mate w/ OPI Servin' Up Sparkle



Love this combo! This is 2 coats of China Glaze First Mate with 1 coat of OPI Servin' Up Sparkle, and 1 coat of Seche Vite. Both were in my untrieds pile...I wasn't sure how the combo would turn out but I think it looks great!
First Mate is awesome, nice and pigmented. Not too dark...perfect shade of navy. Kinda reminds me of OPI Roadhouse Blues, but a lot less purple...more like a cross between RB and OPI Ski Teal We Drop, maybe? Haha. Two coats looked perfect, and the formula was just exceptional.
Servin' Up Sparkle really surprised me. It doesn't look that special in the bottle, just like small silver glitter with some silver hex glitter thrown on...um, yeah, I was wrong. It's great. It's tiny silver holo glitter with some larger silver hex in a clear base, and it's just gorgeous. Looked sooo pretty over First Mate, reminded me of planets and space and a starry night or something...lol. Formula on it was pretty great as well. I thought about blinging it out more with 2 coats, but I didn't want it to be too much. I think it turned out awesome.
So yeah...this mani was an unexpected win, lol!

Sincerely, Cat

Nicki Minaj nails! OPI Pink Friday and Save Me

Nicki Minaj's new album dropped yesterday!! YAY! I'm a huge fan of her, so of course to celebrate Roman Reloaded I did some Nicki inspired nails!

Most of my pics today are close-ups, since my closer up pics turned out better and show it more.
2 coats of Pink Friday, 2 coats of Save Me, 1 coat of Seche Vite. I used minis, and it sucked. Sooo bad. I had so much trouble, it was just ridiculous. I really wish I had full sizes of these instead of minis, because it's not the formula that sucked; it was the brushes. Oh lord. I had to dip my brush AT LEAST 3-4 times per nail, and it was a streaky mess. Making it worse, the caps of these bottles (I've noticed this in all of my more recent OPI minis) don't screw on right. It took me at least 5 minutes to get the cap off of Save Me. I almost gave up. Ugh.
Despite the crappy application, I do think it turned out good. It's pretty dazzling. I've gotten a lot of compliments on this mani...one of my favorites was my friend who told me that these look like "party nails!" Great way to put it. Another friend also told me she loves the "stringy glitter."
Pink Friday is a pretty basic pink, the sort of pink I like...bright and bubblegum-y, not too dark or too light. Save Me is great; tiny silver glitter with blue bar glitter and holo bar glitter thrown in. So unique. Will probably need a full bottle. OPI did a great job on this collec!!

Sincerely, Cat