Sephora by OPI Fall 2011

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I received a Sephora gift certificate recently, so I picked up a few of the Sephora by OPI Fall 2011 releases to show you.  I just have three, not all of them, but they're most likely the only ones I'll be getting out of this release so I felt good committing to a title anyhow.

The first is Sin-cerely Violet, which is a delicate, pale lavender pearl, not violet and with nothing even hinting at sin.  In three coats, Sin-cerely Violet was even and opaque, and it dried well with Fast Forward.

Sephora by OPI Sin-cerely Violet Nail Polish, Three Coats

I like it even if there's nothing Fall about it.  The other two are separate releases not from the same collection, but since they're coming out at the same time, I think it's close enough.

Next up is Spark-tacular!, which is multicolored glitter of different sizes in a clear base.  I found that the glitter is much denser than  in some regular OPI glitter top coats, like Disco Ball Sparkle.  I added one coat of it to Sin-cerely Violet, a coat of top coat, then took a picture in the sun.  You can see that it's pretty smooth and the glitter lies flat, so I'm sure another coat of top coat would even it all out.

Sephora by OPI Spark-tacular! Top Coat, One Coat

I like it, but again I don't see anything seasonal about it, as I'd be more likely to use it in Spring.

The last is What's Your Poison, and I have a bottle picture rather than a swatch.  It looked like Sephora by OPI Merry Me, which I wore to celebrate a month of not smoking (and still going strong!).  I took out Merry Me, and but for the labels and the shrink wrap still on What's Your Poison, I can't find any way to tell them apart (the shrink wrap makes the bottle look a shade darker in the pic).

Sephora by OPI What's Your Poison? and A Dupe

Merry Me is especially fabulous, so if you missed out on it, it's back with a new name.

That's about all I know about Sephora by OPI's Fall 2011 releases, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nal polish to you!


All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Sephora by OPI Nail Art Decals

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today's manicure seemed like a good opportunity to give you a closer look at Sephora by OPI nail art decals, so that's just what I have in store.

I started out with the intention of a hot weather manicure, and the first polish that appealed to me for that was Misa Sandals, Flip Flops and Hip Hop, which is kind of an red-pink-coral neon creme.  It took three coats of color, which is pretty good for a neon.  It's really pretty on its own, but just a bit plain, so I went looking for something to spruce it up a bit and ran into my Sephora by OPI Hello Kitty nail art decals.  I specifically recall how impressed with their quality I was when I last used them, and since I see Sephora is offering a greater variety of nail art decals now, I thought I'd show you just what I found to be so impressive about them.

I used a total of three decals from two packs on an accent nail, which is a little much, but this manicure really turned into a decal demo.  The three I chose were a rhinestone flower, a butterfly with a trail of tiny rhinestones behind it, and a plain Hello Kitty Face, and I chose those three to have one of each type (only rhinestone, with rhinestones, no rhinestones).  To apply them, for each I loosened the decal from its paper backing by bending the paper to expose an edge, used an orange stick to lift the decal up by the just-freed edge, lining it up just above the nail, then placing it with the orange stick and patting it down.  The last step was to gently press each down with a right-hand finger, then I sealed them with a coat of Revlon Color Stay Top Coat and one of Poshe.  I took close-up pictures from several angles that are really not the most flattering of either my nails or the manicure, but their purpose is to illustrate how perfectly smooth the decals lie on the nail, so that's what we're looking for here.

First, the whole manicure.  Here, you can get a sense of how easy the Sephora by OPI decals are to work with - they don't stick to things or get bent when I remove them from their backing, and they're very, very thin so they shape to the nail nicely when they're placed.

Sephora by OPI Nail Art Decals over Misa Sandals, Flip Flops and Hip Hop Nail Polish

Here, the accent nail is pointing at the camera so you can see how flat the decals lie across a curved nail, so they don't catch or snag on anything.

Sephora by OPI Nail Art Decals Lying Very Flat

These two side views illustrate the same point with a better view of the rhinestones, which are often problematic in decals and are not here.

Sephora by OPI Rhinestone Flower and Hello Kitty Nail Art Decals

Sephora by OPI Rhinestone Butterfly and Hello Kitty Nail Art Decals

I have no idea why I didn't notice that the last picture was 90° off from the others until this very moment, maybe because my finger's going in the opposite direction.  That's okay, I trust that it shows the same thing...

I bought these because, well, they were $5 and had both rhinestones and Hello Kitty .  When I opened them, I felt a little ripped off at the little sheet of decals for $5, and how having used them twice, I've completely reversed that sentiment.  Most decals (with the exception of Konad's, which I've mentioned how much I like)) are a fight for me to apply without messing up a nail, then about 90% of the time the decal flattens back out and the edges of it pop up off my nail after top coat and before they're dry, so all they accomplish is completely destroying a manicure.  I haven't shown you many (if any) stick-on decals in almost three years, and I have used them a handful of times only to have such a complete failure that I didn't leave it long enough for a picture.  So for me, that means for my $5 I can have five larger packs of decals that don't work, or one small packet of decals that are very easy to apply and wear.

More Sephora by OPI Nail Art Decals are on my wish list because they're such a handy little addition to a manicure, so when the day comes that I have others, I'll give you a look.  Until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

Sephora by OPI Rock His World

Good morning, Dear Reader!

This morning I changed my polish to Sephora by OPI Rock His World, a deep red vampy creme.  I'd planned to add on to Orly Frolic, but I used my nails to pry something yesterday and chipped the polish on a couple of them when I did it.  I don't think it was the polish - the only two nails with any chips or wear were the two I pretty much pried chips off of, so please don't let that put you off to Frolic.

I chose Rock His World because I have something early in the day tomorrow for which I want my nails to look nice, and while I have no reason to downplay them I also didn't want to go over the top, so a standard shade seemed like a good choice.  In the bottle, Rock His World looks like a kind of dark brick red, but once dry on the nail it's darker and less brown than in the bottle.  It applied really, really well (as the picture shows - there was no cleanup after application), but it did require three coats to completely even it out.  That's not unexpected - I associate shades like this with being kind of blotchy unless care is taken to keep them even.  This is Rock His World in sunlight after drying with a coat of Nubar Diamont.

Sephora by OPI Rock His World Nail Polish, Three Coats

Although nothing unique or unusual, I like this color quite a bit.  I was fine with the bottle color, but I'm far more enthusiastic about Rock His World after it's had a chance to dry on the nail.  Given how it applied, whenever I get around to weeding out duplicate colors, I'll be keeping Rock His World.  It's just a really good version of a solid basic color, and you can't go wrong with that.

That's Sephora by OPI Rock His World and just about all there is to tell you about today, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Sephora by OPI Once a Cheetah, Always a Cheetah

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I gave Sephora by OPI's Once a Cheetah, Always a Cheetah from their recent Safari Luxe Collection a try, and that's what I have to show you today.  It's the one described as "opaque orange with medium gold glitter," but I think it's really that new-ish pigment that came out last year and was in several manufacturer's releases.  There's not regular glitter in it at all.  It's bright orange with light yellow gold mixed in, and it was good in three coats.  Here is is dry.

Sephora by OPI Once a Cheetah, Always a Cheetah Nail Polish, Three Coats

It's not awful, but it's very foil-y and looks pretty garish on my hands.  I'm not a big fan, which is a little on the annoying side since I bought three from this collection during the brief window of employment, so they're the last nail anything purchase for a while for me.  I'd much rather have a success as the last one for a while!

You know there's really no way I can get through this whole post with no discussion of the names here.  It's seems as thought the names were chosen and approved based upon the sound of the words together, and they work as long as I don't take a step back and consider what the words actually mean.  I'll start at the top with the collection name: Safari Luxe.  I've known a few heavy-duty travelers in my day, and my understanding is that "luxe" in the context of a safari is one where malaria is avoided and the intestinal troubles aren't too debilitating.  As for the polish, I can dismiss the fact that cheetahs aren't typically bright orange and say the name is cute, one of OPI's better plays on words, but it's only cute for a second until I realize that it's a play on words about infidelity, which just isn't a fun topic to me, more sad, really.  For both it makes me wonder why a manufacturer would want me to think about the topic presented in the name at all.  I perceive Sephora by OPI color names to be the ones where the most thought went into the puns and the least has gone into the meaning (Iris I Was Thinner, anyone?), which makes for some amusing misses.  They're doing something right though - they got me to mention the names!

That's the not-so-successful polish for today, Dear Reader, and until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Sephora by OPI Merry Me

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I'm a very, very late showing you Sephora by OPI Merry Me, one of the holiday releases from last year.  Since it's a ton of glitter in a cranberry red jelly base, I figured it was worth hanging on to until there was something to be all celebratory about.  It's none of the obvious stuff, certainly not an engagement or proposal - I'll tell you more after the picture so those who don't care can stop reading before I get there.

Merry Me was just right after two coats, and every bit of glitter shines through.  It's like a violet red OPI Absolutely Alice.  It did require a few coats of top coat to be smooth, but that's not a big deal, especially for a polish this pretty.

Sephora by OPI Merry Me Nail Polish, Two Coats

So what's worth breaking out a celebratory polish?  Today, it's been thirty days since I quit smoking.  In that time, I started a new job, had the new job become an ethics nightmare immediately and then quickly end, my parent's anniversary and Mother's Day came and went, I peacefully sent my then-beloved packing, a dear family member had cancer return (this time in her bones and lungs), and it's now May 10 and I have zero ability or viable plan for how to even pay my rent in June.  But I haven't smoked, and I'm going to celebrate that because it is worth celebrating.  The reason I offer the litany of stressful events is because life happens and so there isn't ever a convenient time to quit, and I wanted to illustrate the point that anyone who wants to can do it just the same.  I smoked my entire teenage and adult life, and I really do believe if I can do it, anybody can.

That's the update for today, Dear Reader.  I'm off to finish up a batch of cover letters, have some coffee, not smoke, and admire my sparkly red manicure.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Sephora by OPI Celibacy Club and Sue vs Shue

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have a manicure using two of the Sephora by OPI Glee mini set exclusives, Sue vs Shue and Celibacy Club.  I got the mini set on Valentine's Day when Sephora was giving out a free bottle of Sephora by OPI Access 24/7 with any order - I've had my eye on that one forever, and I was interested in the minis, so now they're here.

When I opened the set's box to check out the polishes, I noticed Celibacy Club, described by Sephora as a diamond top coat.  That was the one I was least interested in before seeing them in person - I figured, another fine silver glitter top coat can't be too different than any other.  It looked like it might be holographic when I was sizing it up, so I set it aside to try out.  I looked at what to put it over, and I chose Sue vs Shue, a pretty standard navy blue shimmer (which I wouldn't be astounded to hear was just the regular $OPI navy rebottled).

Sue vs Shue applied very well, with one coat being just shy of enough for even coverage.  I used two coats, then added one coat of Celibacy Club before finishing it off with a coat of Poshe.  For this, I wish I had sunlight, but I don't.  I took about seven billion pictures to get one that would even hint at the glory that is Celibacy Club, and this is as close as I could get in artificial light.  It's pretty impressive at full size, so give it a click to see a full screen version.

Sephora by OPI Celibacy Club over Sue vs Shue, Glee Mini Set Exclusives

Here's a blurry picture from the same batch that shows the colors reflected by the glitter pretty well.

Sephora by OPI Celibacy Club over Sue vs Shue, Blurred to Show Glitter

The real kicker is that this is how the manicure looks in regular indoor light.  Truthfully, I'm a little bummed that Celibacy club isn't offered in full size.  It's the coolest polish I've seen from the Sephora by OPI line (and I'm a fan of $OPI despite the price tag), so selling it only as a limited edition mini seems like a waste of a dang good polish.

That's the scoop for today, Dear Reader.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!  

Sephora by OPI Traffic-Stopper Copper

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Sephora by OPI's Traffic-Stopper Copper is a glitter top coat that I wanted to try out, and I have a picture of it for you today.  It's a copper version of Only Gold for Me - a clear base with lots of copper hex and regular glitter.  I wasn't entirely wild about the gold, but thought I might like it in copper.  As luck would have it, I do.

I started with a base coat, added two coats of OPI Suzi Loves Cowboys (another polish name I don't fully understand - it sounds dirty to me!), and then I added one coat of Traffic-Stopper Copper to it.  I applied it using small strokes with the brush to more evenly distribute the glitter, then added a coat of Gelous to smooth it out and a coat of Poshe to dry it all.

Sephora by OPI Traffic-Stopper Copper over Suzi Loves Cowboys

I like it with the brown a lot.  Suzi Loves Cowboys is a kind of dull brown, and I think both the color and sparkle of the glitter liven it up a good bit.  With Gelous plus Poshe, it's almost completely smooth, and any quick dry top coat should work over Gelous (Poshe is somewhat thin, so it's not contributing much to leveling things out).

I have a little brown nail polish tale that I thought of when doing this mani.  My beloved (a much less ridiculous term than "boyfriend" when referring to someone over 40) is always very encouraging and supportive of my blog, but he doesn't really have much of an opinion at all regarding what I put on my nails.  If I ask for an opinion, I get the A answer from the Men's Official Guide to Non-Opinions, "they're all great on you," which is perfectly fine.  Except one day not too long ago he paid me a compliment saying that, which was nice, but after a long pause he tacked on a very emphatic "No browns!" so loaded with emotion that it made me laugh.  It would seem that he really hates browns a lot!  I don't, so I'm wearing this manicure anyhow... The male reaction here is probably to wonder why I asked for an opinion if I'm just going to do what I want to anyhow, but my thinking was that if a preference was expressed with which I agreed, I'd go with that more often.  No one's taking my browns away!

I like Traffic-Stopper copper a lot, I think because the copper color is unexpected - I can't think of any other reason I like it so much more than the otherwise-identical Only Gold for Me.  It doesn't seem like a real copper color is used too often, but I'm glad to see it showing up lately.  I think I'll have to mess around with Traffic-Stopper Copper to find out what colors I like it with - brown was the easy solution today, but I think it would be better over a less predictable base shade.

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Sephora by OPI Hell to the No

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I needed a little change of pace and wanted to wear a good shimmer, and Sephora by OPI's Hell to the No from their Glee Collection fit the bill perfectly.  Hell to the No is a beautiful medium purple with a strong gold shimmer.  I'd wanted to pass on all from this collection, but after seeing a few sets of swatches, things didn't quite shake out that way...

The application of Hell to the No was very good, with the polish being a bit thick but easy to control and two thin coats providing excellent coverage.  Here it is in the sunlight.

Sephora by OPI Hell to the No Nail Polish, Two Coats

Hell to the No really melts my heart - it's spectacular.  I love purple combined with gold, but there just aren't that many polishes like that, so I sprung for this one and it's perfect.  Well, the polish itself is, the name, not so much...

My impression is that whoever names $OPI's tries hard to be cute and punny and edgy at the same time, but is lacking a good bit of sense.  I recall a lot of women being offended by the contender for Pro-Ana Color of the Year 2010, Iris I was Thinner, and it strikes me that as far as potential to offend, Hell to the No is right up there with it.  Although the word "hell" doesn't harm my delicate ears, I have quite a few friends roughly my age who are active members of very conservative faiths who are offended by the word - I've been told so after using it.  I'm not a proponent of the super politically correct ways that would have everything so universally inoffensive that it's watered down and indistinguishable from anything else, not at all, I just don't think the name Hell to the No is good enough to use when it is likely to offend many.  If it were as funny as Tickle My Triangle, likely more offensive to more people and probably my all-time favorite nail polish name, I wouldn't have a complaint since that's well over the line of funny enough to keep no matter what.  It's not a huge deal, but I didn't want to just ignore the name.

Hell to the No is a gorgeous polish in every way except for that pesky name.  Good thing that in real life, I never have to mention the name so it doesn't matter in a practical sense and I'm going to enjoy wearing it.

Until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!  

Sephora by OPI Glee Collection Promo Pictures

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

When I got the Sephora by OPI Glee Collection info I shared with you yesterday, I asked Sephora if they had any pictures of the collection.  It turns out they did, and I have them here for you with Sephora's description of each.  You can click on the pictures for an even more giant version of each.

First are the Chic Prints, which will be $15 each.

Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection Chic Prints for Nails in Showstopper (gold stars)

Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection Chic Prints for Nails in Berry Special (navy polka dots)

Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection Chic Prints for Nails in One Hit Wonder (music notes)

There are also the full sized nail lacquers, which will be $9.50 each.

Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection Nail Polish in Slushied (opaque blue)

Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection Nail Polish in Hell to the No (purple shade)

Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection Nail Polish in Gleek Out (lime, glittery green)

Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection Nail Polish in Diva in Training (poppy pink)

Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection Nail Polish in Who Let the Dorks Out (peacock green)

Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection Nail Polish in Miss Bossy Pants (rich raspberry)

Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection Nail Polish in Mash Up (pearlescent green gray)

Last is the mini set, which will be $22.  There are six minis, three of which are exclusive to the set.  Those are Celibacy Club (diamond top coat), Express Yourself to Yourself (coral shimmer), and Sue vs Shue (navy blue).  It looks like the other three are Miss Bossy Pants, Slushied, and Gleek Out.

Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection Mini Nail Lacquer Set

That's just about all I know about the Glee Collection.  Until tomorrow, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!  

Sephora by OPI Glee Collection

Hello again, Dear Reader.  Just as I finished posting, I received a press release that seemed noteworthy about the Sephora by OPI Glee Collection.

Here's what it tells us:

Gleek out with the new Sephora by OPI goes Gleek Chic collection, available February 2011, a limited-edition range of ten new nail colour shades and three Chic Prints nail design appliqués inspired by your favorite characters from FOX’s hit show, GLEE. With signature names, colors and styles developed in conjunction with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products, the set list for the Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection has a little something for every Gleek, from the infamous slushie blue to a Gleek Out green- the new GLEE line will make you feel like part of the GLEE club.

Seven new Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection Nail Colours are available individually ($9.50) or as a mini set of six with three additional exclusive colours ($22). All are Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP),Toluene and Formaldehyde-free.

Slushied – There’s no need to duck from this opaque blue 

Hell to the No – This purple shade might as well be considered liquid-pizzazz 

Gleek Out – A lime, glittery green that will have everyone singing your praises 

Diva-in-Training – Step aside Rachel Berry. The next solo is yours with this poppy pink hue 

Who Let the Dorks Out? – All the cool kids aren’t doing it! Express your individuality and    inner-Gleek with this statement peacock green

Miss Bossy Pants- A rich raspberry as show-stopping as Rachel herself

Mash-Up – Whether your style is sporty or goth, this pearlescent green gray pulls it all together for a pitch-perfect look

Celibacy Club (mini set exclusive)- Even if it’s only part of the show, express your inner angel with this glimmering, diamond top coat 

Express Yourself to Yourself (mini set exclusive)- Even more entertaining than Sue Sylvester in a music video, this coral shimmer shade will have people talking 

Sue Vs Shue (mini set exclusive) – Capturing the rivalry by this rebellious navy blue 

Sephora by OPI GLEE Collection Chic Prints for Nails Design Appliqués ($15) are easy-to-apply, precut strips of varying widths available in three different GLEE-inspired designs, Showstopper (gold stars), Berry Special (navy polka dots) and One Hit Wonder (music notes). Appliqués last 2 days on either fingers or toes and provide a fast and fun way to update your look instantly.

Sephora by OPI Nail Colours and Chic Prints for Nails Design Appliqués will be available February 2011 ($15 each) in all in all Sephora stores, as well as by calling 1-877-SEPHORA or logging on to sephora.com via computer or smartphone.

One thing I noticed right away is that the price for the polishes will be $9.50, so either this collection is $0.50 more (which would be a very Chanel move!) or else there's a price increase (also a very Chanel move, now that I think of it).

This time, that really is it!

Clarins 230 & Just A Little Dangerous

Happy New Year, Dear Reader!

I thought I'd start off the new year with a fun manicure, so I figured I'd go with Clarins 230.  Since I'm not entirely wild about it on its own, I layered it over Sephora by OPI Just A Little Dangerous, a deep royal purple shimmer.  I used two coats of the SOPI, then two of Clarins 230.  Since I knew it would be a lot of layers of polish, I waited about two minutes between coats to allow each to set a bit before applying the next, and after one coat of 230, I tested a second coat on one nail to be sure it actually made a difference.  It did, so I used the second coat.

I took the pictures outside, where it's daylight bright but cloudy, so the light isn't glaring.  I took several pictures, but I would have liked to have gotten more to show more colors in Clarins 230.  Unfortunately, it's really dang cold out, so I lasted as long as I could before my hands started to get pink.  Of the pictures I took, I think this is the most representative of how this mani looks in regular light.

Clarins 230 Nail Polish, Two Coats over SOPI Just A Little Dangerous

So that's my first manicure of 2011, which ain't a bad start.  I hope your 2011 is off to a fantastic beginning, and until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!  


Edited to Add:

Hello again, Dear Reader!

I don't normally edit a post to add to it, but in this case, I am.  I was out and about running errands, one of which required my camera, when the sun came out and I was able to get a decent picture of Clarins 230 in the sun.  It's dangerous to drive with this manicure - check out the color variation from thumb to pinky.  That's a result of the angle of the sun, which makes it hard to not play with this one in the light.

Clarins 230 Nail Polish over Just a Little Dangerous in Sunlight

I just wanted to add the sunlight picture since I had a chance to get it.  This time, I'm really done for the day!

Candy Cane Nails

Good morning, Dear Reader!

This morning I did a manicure I thought of for the request for warm weather Christmas manicures.  I looked up some images to see if that would help me pick something, and it did, but it was still strange to see.  What I found was red and white were more prevalent than anything with green, but the thing that was odd to see is that there were a heck of a lot of beach scenes, like people in red bathing suits wearing a traditional Santa hat.  Now, please don't think that as a result of seeing those pictures, I now believe the entire southern hemisphere gallivants about the beach during the holidays - I know those are as authentic as the pictures of American families laughing around a fireplace in matching holiday sweaters.  What I did get out of it is that I should go with red and white, and that using the same imagery would work as long as it wasn't specific to winter, so I chose candy canes for the theme.

From there, I considered how a fun gathering would go on Christmas with June weather.  My best holidays have always involved a bunch of family and some friends just hanging out talking for hours after the main events are over, and we'd always sit outside if weather permitted.  For that, I thought a glow in the dark polish would be good for the white, and since I really like Sephora by OPI Full Moon, that was my white.  For a fiery hot red, I chose China Glaze Red Stallion.  To decorate, I used Chez-Delaney's plate H1, which has a tip pattern that includes three diagonal lines, and I just painted and picked up the three line part of the pattern.  Since it looked like a lot of stamping, I only did one nail in the candy cane pattern, and to match the others I used Red Stallion to stamp.  The lines aren't as clean as with Konad polish and don't hold up under the close scrutiny of a giant picture, but they're just fine walking around.

Candy Cane Nails: Sephora by OPI Full Moon, China Glaze Red Stallion, Chez-Delaney H1

So that's my take on Christmas in summer, and that's just about all I have to tell you about at this hour.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

The Rainbow Leopard Mani

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Yesterday I finally wore a manicure that's been in my brain to do for a while, and it turned out pretty well. What I wanted to do was a black on white leopard print with the spots filled in with bright colors. Kind of a rainbow snow leopard... Anyhow, I hadn't tried it because I thought it would be a giant project, which it was. Here's the finished manicure.

Rainbow Leopard Manicure

I started with, as you can see, a white Sephora by OPI. Just for funsies, I decided to use Full Moon. That way, on the off chance I don't have enough going on here, it'll glow in the dark, too. After three coats of that had set, I stamped the leopard pattern in Konad Black Pearl. I used the black shimmer Konad polish because I had shimmers for the spots, and also because it's harder to smudge than regular black. Then it was time to fill in the dots with nail art pens. It was a good thing I did this while watching a movie or I might not have survived the boredom. Once the dots were filled in, a coat of top coat finished everything off, and I finally have my festive manicure.

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader. Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Sephora by OPI Halloween 2010

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have swatches of the three new limited edition Sephora by OPI nail polishes for Halloween 2010, which are on Sephora's site.  They're varied and not all hits...

Full Moon is a really good one.  It's a white glow in the dark polish, not a totally stark white, but with a hint of ivory.  It differs from OPI Ghostess with the Mostess in that Full Moon is much more opaque and glows more.  For the OPI, I've always had to use two coats over two coats of a white creme, but Full Moon was opaque and even on its own in three coats.  My experience is that glow in the dark nail polish is pretty much the opposite of self leveling, so I just ignore that and a coat of top coat fixes it.

Sephora by OPI Full Moon Nail Polish, Three Coats

Kitty Loves Black I got because the swatch looked interesting.  Sephora describes the color as "opaque metallic black," but it's neither black nor metallic.  It's more of a dark charcoal with a bit of silver and blue shimmer, and it took three coats.  It's not bad, but nothing to write home about either.

Sephora by OPI Kitty Loves Black Nail Polish, Three Coats

If You've Got It, Haunt It was the one I was most excited about.  It's a blackish base with loads of silver and blue glitter, and it looks really cool in the bottle.  The good news is that it only took two coats, the bad news is that applying it was just like spreading out brownie batter.  The glitter is so dense that the polish is unbelievably thick.  Because there's so much glitter, it took three coats of Seche Vite to smooth it out.  About five minutes after taking the picture of If You've Got It, Flaunt It, I panicked about removal of all that fine glitter and took it off while I still could.  I don't know if I'll ever work up the nerve to try it again.

Sephora by OPI If You've Got It, Haunt It Nail Polish, Two Coats

Those are Sephora by OPI's Halloween 2010 offerings.  Knowing what I know now, I think Full Moon would be the only one I would get - it's by far the nicest GID polish I have (it doesn't look like a novelty polish in normal light), and I have an occasion to wear it later this month, so that one is a keeper.  The other two, not so much.

That's the update for today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Sephora by OPI Dating the Drummer

Good evening, Dear Reader!

Tonight I have another polish from Sephora by OPI's Fall 2010 offerings, Dating the Drummer.  It's a cool shimmery brown, and I like it a lot.  It was good in two coats, and I think the shimmer in this one is what makes it special.

Sephora by OPI Dating the Drummer Nail Polish, Two Coats

This is far from the tidiest manicure I've ever done, sorry about that.  I decided to show it to you anyhow since it has a great shimmer and I had good sun.  I figured you'd forgive me this time, since it's in the interest of showing you a cool polish.

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Sephora by OPI Just a Little Dangerous

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I had grand plans to be productive today, but after procrastinating all morning I finally conceded that in the middle of a holiday weekend, all I want to do is relax.  Once I decided that, I went about the business of a fresh manicure.

I used Sephora by OPI's Just a Little Dangerous, one of the Fall 2010 colors.  It's a deep royal purple with bright pink and purple shimmer, and it's really nice.  I just needed two coats, and it applied really well for me.  Here it is finished with a top coat.

Sephora by OPI Just a Little Dangerous Nail Polish, Two Coats

Writing this borders on being productive, so I better stop soon... Until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!  

Sephora by OPI Midnight Mambo

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I'll show you a manicure I wore last week, Sephora by OPI's Midnight Mambo.  It's a light medium blue base with a ton of baby holographic hex glitter in it.  It was opaque in two coats, but took an absolute boatload of top coat to smooth it out - I used one coat Diamont, a coat of Gelous, then another coat of Diamont to get it smooth.

Sephora by OPI Midnight Mambo Nail Polish, Two Coats

Despite that, it was relatively easy to remove, and I really like how it looks, so I think it's a winner.

That's all for now, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!