OPI Taylor Blue

Hey everybody!  

Hmmmm...I was TJ Maxxing the other day (you didn't know that was a verb, did you?) when I found a mysterious bottle of OPI there in the buckets o' polish.  I already had a heads up about said mysterious bottle when I had read a post in one of the Facebook polish groups that Taylor Blue, a polish that was created to be an exclusive charity polish for the Taylor's Gift Foundation for organ donor awareness and registrations, was spotted at TJ Maxx and Marshall's here and there.  Well, I have no idea how these bottles ended up at a discount retailer, as Taylor Blue was (and still is) sold on the charity's website, but I purchased one of the two bottles I saw.

Taylor Blue is a beautiful turquoise creme with, honestly, one of the most wonderful formulas I've ever encountered.  I have historically had trouble with cremes.  I'm not sure why they don't cooperate with me, but it sure is a pleasant surprise to get one like this!  Makes me feel way less untalented.

I've heard that differences in Taylor Blue and OPI Fly are practically imperceptible, but I don't have Fly and couldn't say yay or nay.  (That sounded almost like a Mother Goose line.)  I used two coats and see Mr. VaNeLi in the pics, but it's not out there in real life.

While I was on a roll feeling less untalented, I decided to do some stamping.  I used a giraffe pattern from MoYou London Pro XL 05 and stamped with OPI DS Radiance.  The color of Taylor Blue looks quite a bit greener is this photo than in real life.  The actual color is closer to the first photo.

If you're interested in purchasing Taylor Blue from the Taylor's Gift Foundation, it is available for $10.  Otherwise, there's no telling if or how this will turn up elsewhere. :/

As always, thank you for reading, and have a lovely day! 

OPI Designer Series Radiance and Magic

Hey everybody!  I hope your weekend has been fantastic.  Hurricane Joaquin is skirting by us, so we're nice and cloudy and gloomy.  And that makes me happy. :)

I am wrapping up my posts of the OPI Designer Series polishes that I got from the Ulta clearance rack.  I spent between $2 and $6 on these, which was pretty exciting.  Exciting to me, anyway. :D

First up is DS Radiance, arguably the Queen of All Silver Polishes.  This metallic polish applies like butter and is probably a one-coater, but I used two because I'm me.  If you're in the market for a silver lame for your nails, this gal's for you.  It's a white silver with no pewter undertones.

Oww!  My eyes!!  And I'm kinda digging this with my skin tone.

The last Designer Series polish I was able to snatch up for cheap is Magic.  This polish has a lot going on, but it's all good stuff.  Magic is a violet-tinged royal blue glass fleck shimmer with color-shifting flakes.  Not recommended for girls who don't want to be noticed!

You can see the heavy purple shift in the bottle.  This is less pronounced on the nail, but it's still there.  Wow, I just love the non-color I turn whilst sporting blue polish! 

I totally did not see that bald patch on my middle finger...?  Oh well...SHIMMER!

I used two coats of Magic, but as I'm spotting a bald patch, I'm thinking I could have used three.  My bottle's formula was a bit thin.  Magic wasn't too bad of a stainer either. 

I'm quite happy with my OPI Designer Series selections I was able to get for way cheap.  I would love to find a stray bottle of DS Sapphire that wasn't a bazillion dollars.  Do you have any Designer Series favorites?  Do you think they're as special as they used to be before the plethora of indie choices that we have today?

On a side note,  in case any of you are perplexed at times with my blog terminologies, I have added a tab called "Lacquer Reverie Glossy of Terms" to clear up any confusion. :) 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! <3

OPI Designer Series Extravagance, Lapis and Mystery

Hey everybody!  I am really bummed today.  I was supposed to see my beloved Mr. Sweets this weekend, but Hurricane Joaquin has put an end to our plans. :'(  So I decided instead to treat you all to a quick post of a few more of my amazing OPI Designer Series finds from the clearance rack.

DS Extravagance is still a very popular polish and one that is probably still on many a wish list.  I think (?) it was released around 2008.  It is a beautiful purple/wine jelly base filled with holographic shimmer.  This is two coats, but I could have used three, as I spot a bald patch on yon index finger! :o  Extravagance is easy to apply and wears quite well.

DS Lapis was released in 2013 (along with Pewter) as a textured polish.  The color is iolite blue, which has a hint of violet.  It's full of silver shimmer and dries matte, but as you can see, it has a distinct sheen.  As you know, I'm not really a matte girl, so I topcoated mine and wore it to work the following day with the intention of getting a topcoat pic that night as well.  But much to my dismay and surprise, this polish chipped like crazy, even with topcoat, within a few hours!  I was so disappointed too, because Lapis really is a stunning color, and the sparkle is out of this world.

The 2009 release DS Mystery is just that.  I put this on and still had no idea what color it was.  It's extremely dark and rather confusing.  In the bottle, Mystery looks black with a heavy gold shimmer.  On the nail, it's blackened purple, and the gold seems not as obvious.  It's weird.  I've seen other photos of Mystery that looked more interesting, but on me, something just got lost.  It wasn't any better in person, either. :/

Do you have any of these Designer Series shades?  What is your opinion of them?  And did you notice the pliers marks on Mystery's bottle lid? :)

As always, thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day. <3

OPI Designer Series Opulence

Hey everybody!  I hope you're doing well as we approach the halfway point of the work week. :)

Tonight I'm showing a fancy flashback:  OPI Designer Series Opulence.  I picked this little jewel up for $2 via the Ulta clearance shelf.  Class, that is what you call a "good investment." 

Poor little Opulence sat languishing in my collection of never-worns until recently.  Part of the reason is because - see those marks on the bottle cap?  I could not get the bottle open for anything, until I broke down and got the pliers.  Opulence is the second DS polish to which I had to break out the pliers!  But ugh...isn't it beautiful?  It's an antique-looking mauve pink loaded with shimmery holographic particles, and on me it has the tiniest hint of fawn, which creates a completely gorgeous autumnal look.  

Application of Opulence was my very favorite in a polish:  mistake proof!  And by that, I mean...well... mistake proof!  This formula is just too good to mess things up.  I was quite loathe to remove this one.

Have you snagged any fabulous deals lately?  Do you have any OPI DS polishes?  I was fortunate enough to pick up several DS polishes on clearance, so stay tuned for more yumness.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! <3

Nail of the Day: OPI Innie Minnie Mighty Bow

Hey everybody!  After years of searching, I've found it.

My perfect red:  OPI Innie Minnie Mighty Bow.

See?  I told you.

As words cannot describe how much I love this, I shall not attempt to use them.

Moral of today's story:  be sure to eventually wear those polishes you've forgotten you own.  THIS could happen to you, too.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely evening and a safe Halloween! <3

Emerald Greens: OPI, Ulta, and Zoya

Hey everybody!  Sorry for my absence during the past week...I've had a lot going on and not very much time to devote to the blog. :/  BUT I am back tonight with another green family post.  This time, it's those luxurious emeralds.  Emeralds were always my favorite gemstone...I got my very first gemstone ring, an emerald, the Christmas right before I turned 14.  It was pretty microscopic, but I still have it. :)

First up is a polish by OPI that I believe was created for Ulta as a freebie with purchase during the Christmas 2012 season.  It's called Skip the Gift Wrap, and it's a shimmery metallic emerald that's very nice even without a bow on top, thank you. :)

Skip the Gift Wrap is, in my opinion, a true emerald green.  It's not kelly, or hunter, or pine.  It's got an easy formula but is rather on the sheer side...I used 3 coats.  It's a touch frosty, but it's the good kind of frosty...no, not the one from Wendy's, but you know what I mean. :P

Next up is an Ulta polish that I am *cough* just getting around to trying out. :/  It's called Envy.  Ooooh.

Envy is a little more hunter green than Skip the Gift Wrap.  It's also a metallic shimmer, but it doesn't have as much shimmer as Skip the Gift Wrap.  It also doesn't have that frosty look.  I liked the application on this a lot.  It may have to do with the tiny Ulta brush that is more suited to my toddler-sized nails.  Sometimes, those wide OPI brushes make me feel like I'm using a spatula. :P

Last on our emerald tour is last year's Zoya Giovanna...loved my some, disliked heartily by others.

I was one of the ones who loved Giovanna.  It's got all that lovely blue in it!  It's not what I would call a true emerald green.  Maybe a created emerald.  No.  Make that a blue indicolite tourmaline.  Trust me on this one.  But YIKES...I look at my pics, and I should have used 3 coats instead of 2!  That is some bald-looking mess going on there.  Okay, if you're going to be out meeting people in macro, use 3 coats. :D  Giovanna has that pleasant frostiness about it too.

Are you an emerald green fan?  How about emeralds in general? :)  What was your first gemstone jewelry?

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day. <3

Saturday Night Smackdown: Indigo!! OPI vs. L'Oreal

Hey everybody!  In the mood for some more brutal battles for the fabulous title of...uh...favorite nail polish color? :)  I don't know about you, but I love me some indigo shades.  I'm not talking about blurples; while I love blurples, they are mostly purple with a tinge of blue.  Today I'm talking about blues with a tinge of purple.  I hope that clears it up.  BUT, in case it doesn't, here are today's contenders!!

In the OPI corner, representing The Amazing Spider-Man collection 2012, is a shimmery goodie that's SO shimmery, my camera lens went nuts:  Into the Night!  *rahhhhhhhh*

When I picked up Into the Night from the Ulta clearance rack, I had forgotten the reviews I'd read about how sheer it is.  I used FOUR coats to banish Mr. VaNeLi..  I'm not gonna lie...this is a weird polish.  It's like a frost, but it isn't like a frost.  It's not brushstroke-prone, but there is so much silver shimmer that you simply have to call it a frost.  I could not get a pic of this polish that did not convey anything less than a glowing nimbus.  But even with its strange qualities, this is one beautiful polish!  It's a denim blue color with a slight indigo undertone.  AND I put this on last night, got up this morning and groomed both my puppies and shampooed my hair, and I had ZERO tip wear.  Yes, reader, you read that right.  Well done, OPI.

Aaaaaaand next we have in the L'Oreal corner, representing Electric Fantasie Project Runway 2012, is The Mystic's Fortune! *rahhhhhhhh*

I have to say that I don't know WHY these two polishes were so hard to photograph.  Ugh.  Anyway, The Mystic's Fortune is a true indigo metallic with a lot of blue shimmer, but not so much that it morphs into a frost (a la Into the Night).  I used two coats, and the application was very good.  I really love the color of this polish.  It leans a bit bluer than the photos...about *this* close to navy, but with enough violet in it to not actually BE navy.  I think this makes a nice alternative to wearing black IF you feel funny about wearing black. :)

So...what do you think?  Which one has your vote?  I'm torn on this one...I think I'm going for L'Oreal for the color.  And OPI for that fantastic wear time! :P

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! <3

Saturday Night Smackdown: PINK!! OPI vs. Barielle

Hey everybody!  Is everybody having a pleasantly peaceful weekend?  Good.  Now how about a bloody, fearsome battle to the death, where you, the spectator, get to decide who lives and who doesn't??!  Oh, okay.  So it's not *that* bad.  It's more like "vote for your favorite pink."  Heh heh...

I have amassed quite a fortune of pinks in the last year...amazing feat, considering that when I first started blogging, I had very few and considered pinks to be one of my least favorite nail colors.  My, what a difference a few months make! :D  I love pinks, especially those pure pink shades wholly unadulterated by the stench of coral. :P  So take a look at today's contestants and vote for your favorite!

In the OPI corner, representing Holland 2012, we have Pedal Faster Suzi!  *rahhhhhhhhhhhhhh*

I think everybody in creation owns this polish, and I can now call myself one of said everybody after snagging this one in a recent blog sale.  Pedal Faster Suzi is a sheer baby pink...and I mean really sheer...with an insane silver shimmer.  I had to use 3 coats of this one, and as you can see, Mr. VaNeLi is still strutting around like he owns the joint.  *Sigh*.  But Pedal Faster Suzi is SOOO pretty...it brings to mind spring flowers, Easter dresses, and that clean baby smell.  What...too much caffeine?
 

Tough competition to be sure...so let's introduce our opposing contender...in the Barielle corner, representing Brilliant 2013, is The Pink of Fashion!  *rahhhhhhhhhhhhhh*

The Pink of Fashion is a straight-up creme with Barielle's impeccable creme formula.  It's such a perfect Barbie pink that Ken might get confused and show up at YOUR dream house by accident.  Apparently, The Pink of Fashion has been retired and isn't *technically* in the Brilliant collection, but there is another pink in that collection called Smarty Pants that looks a whole bunch like it. :)  I applied 2 effortless coats of The Pink of Fashion.

So who gets your vote??  Will it be the barely-there pink with loads of shimmer, or the bubblegum pink creme?  As for me, although I adore my shimmers, I am going with The Pink of Fashion. <3

Thanks for reading, and have a lovely rest of your weekend! :)

Nail of the Day: OPI Not Like the Movies

Hey everybody!  A couple of weeks ago I was doing some cheapskate polish shopping at TJ Maxx and found several interesting things (including an Orly duo of Beautiful Disaster and Sparkling Garbage for $6.99.  I figured that HAD to have been an accident but bought it anyway.). :D  The store had several OPI duos, and I purchased a lovely Katy Perry Collection duo of The One That Got Away and today's polish, Not Like the Movies.

UGH!!!  How gorgeous is this??!!  It's just amazing.  Not Like the Movies is a green/purple shifting duochrome, but it's got that little extra something in the form of *shimmer*!  You see, shimmer makes the world a better place.  The end.

Awww, just kidding...I'm back! :)  Not Like the Movies has also got this silver undercurrent going on that gives it a fantasy feel.  Why is it that nail polish addicts love that?  Do we have a problem facing reality?  Or do we just feel better with magic sauce on our nails? :P

I used 3 coats of Not Like the Movies to cover my visible nail line.  Now for some color shift angle attempts!

(Midget Pinky regrets that she was unable to appear in today's post.)

I hope you can see the delicate sparkle.  It's more obvious in real life.  I am not always super in love with every duochrome out there, but Not Like the Movies is a truly beautiful polish.  There's something about the finish that reminds me of a ballgown from the 1950's.

What do you think of this glamorous polish?  It's old Hollywood meets the Age of Technology.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! :)

Skittles for Essie - A Tribute

Hey everybody!  

Many of you may have read this past week that Essie Rae of IHeartPrettyPolish has decided to take an indefinite break from blogging.  This was a difficult decision for her, but she ultimately feels like this is the best thing for her life right now.  Essie has become a dear friend to me over the past few months.  She was the one who encouraged me to start my blog.  Her blog was also the very first polish blog I ever followed.  I think I was her 27th follower! :)  So about 1200 followers later, Essie still always made the time to encourage me in my blogging and just be a good friend in general, even from 1497 miles away.

The lovely Christine of Polished Marvels had the wonderful idea for a few of us to honor Essie in the form of a tribute skittlette.  Now you all know I don't do nail art, and even the idea of a skittlette made me panic (I never let on to Christine...LOL), but I just put together some memories of Essie's manis from over the past year and a half, and it all came together. :)

 

Essie's Skittlette: Starring Zoya Dannii, OPI OY-Another Polish Joke, Maya Cosmetics Imagine

Way back before I was blogging and looked upon Essie as quite the nail polish rock star (I still do, by the way), she did a Friday Favorites post featuring Zoya Dannii.  Dannii was my very favorite polish for a long time.  I thought to myself, "Well, it's official.  This girl has great taste." :D  I even got up enough courage to COMMENT on the post!

Zoya Dannii is a medium purple shimmer.  It's a completely beautiful polish with the usual fantastic Zoya application.  I painted my thumb and index finger with Dannii and my pinky bookend with another shimmer, this year's favorite gold, the fabulous OPI OY-Another Polish Joke.

For my middle and ring fingers, I used Imagine by indie company Maya Cosmetics.  Essie featured a Maya Cosmetics polish about one week before I started my blog, and I was not very familiar with indie companies then.  But per usual Essie, she made the polish look so good that I looked up Maya myself. :)  Imagine is a sheer white base with purple and yellow gold satin glitter and some tiny iridescent glitter.  Because Imagine is so sheer, I layered it over Zoya Kendal, and oddly enough, it still looked white! 

The finished look shows how well the matte satin glitter of Imagine compliments the shimmer of Dannii and OY.

And could I ever "imagine" blogging without having known my dear friend Essie?  No.

You can check out more love for Essie today here:

http://polishedmarvels.blogspot.com/2013/09/skittles-for-essie-tribute.html

http://www.must-stash-em.blogspot.com/2013/09/skittles-for-essie-tribute.html

http://liesllovesprettythings.blogspot.com/2013/09/skittles-for-essie-tribute.html




Thanks for stopping by.  And thanks, Essie. <3

OPI Cuckoo For This Color and The Living Daylights

Hey everybody!  Today I have a lovely fall combo to show you.  I recently snagged the shimmery gem that is OPI Cuckoo For This Color from the 2010 Swiss Collection.  I also picked up The Living Daylights from the Skyfall Collection at the same time.  And I got them both off the Ulta clearance shelf! :)

Cuckoo For This Color is SO appropriately named.  Because you see, I am.  It's a blue-leaning pine green, and I am nuts over it!  It's got the shimmer and the exact same formula as my beloved Suzi Loves Sydney.

The Living Daylights is a clear-based glitter topper made up of teal, silver, and copper glitters.  I'm sorry for all the glaring light on my ring finger, but every photo looked like this due to the intense reflective quality of the glitter.  I love this polish!

It's the 3 Amigos with their sidekick, Midget Pinky!

In my opinion, it's the copper glitter that makes The Living Daylights so special.  And copper + teal = autumn loveliness! :)

More photos.  I can't stop admiring this combination.  It's so autumn that it almost makes me want to drink cocoa or rake some leaves.  Almost.

*SHIMMER ALERT*

Wasn't that Swiss Collection great?  Cuckoo, Diva of Geneva...need I say more?  And I think The Living Daylights is one of the loveliest mainstream glitter polishes out there.

So there you have it...another fall offering during this week of 90 plus temps, LOL. :)  Ah, I'll just wipe away the perspiration and wear my cozy autumn colors anyway. 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! :)