OPI German-icure

German-icure is a blackened red shimmer with brown undertones. It’s quite a vampy shade. It’s is also probably more appropriate for fall or winter. I used 2 coats. The application is very smooth. 

I swatched Every Month is Oktoberfest here. Germani-cure is very similar in texture and overall look. The only difference is that Oktoberfest is purple and German-icure is red/brown. 

Caution: Both polishes do not go well with Seche Vite top coat. Top coat starts chipping of immediately leaving the nail polish intact though.

OPI Germany Collection 2012 – Every Month is Oktoberfest

I was anticipating OPI Germany Collection to be absolutely stunning. Well, nothing is new in terms of finishes, but collection is definitely lovely and very well composed. Maybe because I own so many polishes, I can’t be fascinated with entire collection and buy all of the polishes as I used to anymore:). Overall, there are definitely some timeless and classic pieces like Don't Pretzel my Buttons and Schnapps Out of It.

I got only 2 of the polishes from this collection so far: Every Month is Oktoberfest and German-icure.

Every Month is Oktoberfest is blackened base with mix of dark purple metallic shimmer. The shade is very complex and definitely looks “rich”. It’s almost black under the indoor artificial light. In sunlight it reminded me of Max Factor Fantasy Fire. Great polish to have in your collection. Every Month is Oktoberfest definitely more on the classics side.

The application is flawless; only 2 thin coats are needed for the full opacity. It also dries fast and durable as most of the OPI polishes.
The only strange thing I noticed is that it doesn’t go well with Seche Vite top coat. After one day of wear clear top coat started chipping off. At the same time, the nail polish itself didn’t chip at all and stayed for 5 days.

Dupe Day: OPI The Amazing Spiderman Collection vs. Chanel

Hello!

After reviewing OPI the Amazing Spiderman mini set, I instantly thought of comparing Just Spotted the Lizard with Chanel Peridot. But when I swatched Number One Nemesis it also reminded me of Chanel Graphite.

Just Spotted the Lizard and Peridot are both copper-green multi-chrome nail polishes. After comparing them side by side, I can’t see much difference in color. They are both equally vibrant. The formulas of these 2 polishes are very close. The polish is on the thinner side and dries quickly. I would recommend using 2-3 coats.

Number One Nemesis and Graphite are also very close dupes. Graphite has colder undertones, whereas Number One Nemesis has gild glitter dust in it. In the natural light only slight difference shows. In terms of formula, Graphite is more pigmented, so only 2 coats are enough for the full opacity. Number One Nemesis is sheer and 3 coats are required to get the coverage you see in the pictures. I would also say that Graphite is more “grainy”, that I don’t really like, so overall the OPI formula is better.

Verdict: If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on Chanel polishes, OPI the Amazing Spiderman is a great substitute in terms of color dupes and quality.

Bright Colorblock French manicure

For this bright colorblock mani I used:

- OPI Pamplona Purple
- OPI Do you Lilac it?

I already posted this manicure once on my Facebook page, but I thought it would be nice to make it in different colors.

Nicole by OPI Me+Blue

Me+Blue is a blue glitter polish with small holographic sparkles. It is boring to me personally in the sunlight, mostly because it completely loses shiny multi-dimensional effect. On the other hand, it is definitely stunning under the artificial light. 

OPI the Amazing Spiderman Mini Set

I really got into mini polishes lately. Today I’m showing you a mini set from OPI the Amazing Spiderman Collection that includes:

- Into the Night;
- Number One Nemesis;
- Just spotted the Lizard;
- Your Web or Mine?

Into the Night is a deep purplish blue with metallic finish. At first, I didn’t like it that much, but this nail polish really stands out in direct sunlight. Despite of the fact that Into the Night has a metallic finish, the polish is sheer. You will need 3 coats for the full opacity. On the other hand, it dries fast and doesn’t chip for couple of days.

Your Web or Mine? is the least favorite of all the set for me, personally. It is coral-pink metallic nail polish, definitely a pretty shade, but it doesn’t stand out for me. The quality of the polish is good, it is definitely more opaque than Into the Night, so 2 coats will give the needed color and coverage.

Number One Nemesis is beautiful steal grey nail polish with a hint of blue. It contains golden glitter dust that creates texture. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful shades in the entire collection. Strangely, it reminded me of Chanel Graphite. I will try to find it somewhere in my stash and compare these two J.

Just Spotted the Lizard is a golden-green-copper multi-chrome, very similar to Chanel Peridot. The quality is superb and application is flawless.

OPI DS Couture Swatches and Review

This holographic nail polish is one of the older polishes I’ve got. Nevertheless, it is one of my favorite reds.

OPI Couture is a part of the OPI Designer Series collection. It is a linear red holographic nail polish with a hint of coral. It also has some peach and pink undertones. 

The application is great and only 1-2 coats are needed for the full opacity. I think you can still find this polish on eBay or other website without any trouble for $8-$15.

Priti NYC Lambstail Cactus and Black Holo Comparison

Lambstail Cactus is a brown-black linear holographic nail polish. It looks brown indoors and almost black under natural sunlight. It has lots of gold shimmer that makes it different from the other dark holographic nail polishes on the market.

I thought it would be useful to compare Lambstail Cactus with some of the similar nail polishes I already have:
-  OPI My Private Jet, 
- Color Club Revvvolution,
- Golden Rose 118.

As you can see on the photos below, Priti NYC Lambstail Cactus is a pretty good dupe for My Private Jet. The only difference is that My Private Jet has multi-colored Holographic effect and Lambstail Cactus is on the warmer golden side. Revvvolution and GR118 are definitely blacker. But on the other hand, comparison in the direct sunlight doesn’t show that much difference between these four nail polishes.

Geometric manicure

I hope all of you guys had an amazing weekend! 

Today I’m showing you one of my experiments with the nail art striping tape. It is a little different than the Fishnet Mani I posted earlier.

I had a completely different idea at first planning on actually using the tape. But in the end I liked the result without the tape better.

I used:
- OPI Mermaid's Tears;
- Orly Purple Velvet;
- Priti NYC Horned Poppy.

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Metal Cross manicure

Cross Manicure is just a little experiment with the metal stud rhinestones. I got them on Ebay for 4$. Shipping takes a while though.
First I applied OPI Suzi says Feng Shui as a base coat. I used tweezers to apply every rhinestone on a base that still haven’t dried completely. Then I covered finished design with 1 coat of top coat.

OPI Not Like the Movies

OPI Not Like the Movies is a part of Katy Perry Collection. It is a green-purple duochrome with some tiny silver glitter particles. It is pretty close to Wet ‘n Wild Grey’s Anatomy and Deborah Lippmann Wicked Game, but the last 2 have more purple than green. I don’t have DL, but I will make compare Gray’s Anatomy with Not like the Movies later this week.

Usually, OPI polishes have the perfect formula for me, but this one was a nightmare to apply. It was too runny and streaky. I used 3 coats and although on the pictures it looks pretty, the application was quite messy.

Crackle Circles Manicure

I haven’t used crackle for a while. And frankly speaking, I’m not obsessed about it anymore, mostly because of the limited ways to use it.

I decided to do something fun with it and see how it turns out. This mani is really a blind guess. 

I used:
- China Glaze Concrete Catwalk
- OPI Silver Shatter
- Hole reinforcements

OPI Wooden Shoe Like to Know?

Hi Ladies,

Here’s another OPI from Holland collection for you. I already reviewed I Don’t Give a Rotterdam! here.

Wooden Show Like to Know? is on the classy side. It’s a taupe crème with tiny pink glitter particles for the shimmery effect. I like the color, but I have several polishes of this kind. I thought pink shimmer would be a little bit more obvious. I wasn’t able to see it in direct sunlight.

OPI I Don’t Give a Rotterdam!

Here we go…OPI did it again!

Initially, I thought that I will not be attracted to any polishes from Holland collection. Don’t get me wrong – they are all lovely, but when you have more than 300 nail polishes it becomes harder and harder to find something amazing.

This spring I was excited about several collections from China Glaze, especially Hunger Games. But when I saw swatches, I understood that I won’t probably get anything, may. On the other hand, there are a lot of amazing indie-brands and talented franken bloggers on Etsy that surprise with creativity and amazing nail polishes.

OPI played it safe last year. A lot of the shades were quickly duped by competitors. Some might think that Holland collection is also trivial…and in some ways it is. But it has couple of gems that shine and definitely should be in a nail closet of every polish junkie

Personally, my gem from this collection is I Don’t Give a Rotterdam!. Being a huge fan of blues and having a lot of them in different finishes, I still find this little wonder very unique.

On the one hand, I Don’t Give a Rotterdam! Is a lovely subtle baby blue with silver shimmer that is very easy to wear on every occasion. On the other hand, it is a very non-trivial blue, maybe because of the shimmer in it. I get a little bit of Chanel vibe from it…very graceful.
The coverage is superb; the formula is on the thinner side. 2-3 coats are enough for the full opacity.

Natural afternoon light:)