Category: Review

Of Life and Lacquer > Review
KBShimmer Unicorn Pee Collection

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee Collection

Posted on by Cynthia

Happy Monday! Yeah, yeah…I know how most of us feel about Mondays but let’s try to be positive! We’ve gotten some heat relief here in SoCal (at least in my area), so I’m grateful for that small thing. This weekend went by waaaaay too quickly, but I did get a bunch of stuff done so I feel somewhat productive. On Friday, I got these beautiful polishes that I have to share with you today. I’m sure that by this time, you have seen a million swatches of these but I know that they don’t get old because who gets tired of Unicorn Pee? Not me! Let me go ahead and show you my swatches of the KBShimmer Unicorn Pee Collection.

***Press Samples***

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Let’s Slang

(3 coats of polish + 1 coat of Poshé)

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Let’s Slang

(3 coats of polish + 1 coat of You Dew You + 1 coat of Poshé)

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer So Jelly

(3 coats of polish + 1 coat of Poshé)

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer So Jelly

(3 coats of polish + 1 coat of You Dew You + 1 coat of Poshé)

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Coal Digger

(3 coats of polish + 1 coat of Poshé)

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Coal Digger

(3 coats of polish + 1 coat of You Dew You + 1 coat of Poshé)

KBShimmer You Dew You

(2 coats of Low and Be Bold + 1 coat of You Dew You + 1 coat of Poshé)

The KBShimmer Unicorn Pee Collection is made up of 3 jelly polishes and 1 topper. The three jelly polishes: Let’s Slang, So Jelly and Goal Digger require multiple coats to deepen the color. If you are looking for an opaque result, you will have to apply 3 coats. If you do not top coat these polishes, they dry to a satiny finish. Personally, I love them hella glossy so I applied 1 coat of Poshé. The 4th polish in the collection is a topper that can transform any polish. I love to use it to amp up the sparkle in the other 3 polishes as you can see in my swatches. The first two swatches of each color are solely of the individual polish and the next 3 show them with one generous coat of You Dew You. I tried to get pictures at different angles to try to show you the gorgeous shift that is the hallmark of the Unicorn Pee pigment.

So where can you buy these? As of the writing of this post, the KBShimmer website is sold out of all the polishes except Goal Digger. You can, however, still purchase these on Color4Nails and Harlow & Co. Check them out at the links below.

kbshimmer.com

Color4Nails

Harlow & Co.

Rainbow Connection (UK and EU Only)

So what is your verdict? Personally, I love them. At first I thought they were going to be a little ho hum but they are NOT! They are gorgeous!! I really hope that additional pigment can be sourced so that everyone who wants these beauties can get them. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Are you sick of Unicorn Pee? Did you manage to get these? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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Disclosure: These products were provided to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer Unicorn Pee

KBShimmer You Dew You – Stamping Saturdays

KBShimmer You Dew You – Stamping Saturdays

Posted on by Cynthia

Hey there. I know it’s been 5 billion years since I have done a Stamping Saturdays mani, but I just felt inspired today. Yesterday I got my KBShimmer Unicorn Pee Polishes and I just couldn’t wait to play with them. I did watch the 3 polishes i the collection and also used the topper for today’s Mani. KBShimmer You Dew You is the Unicorn Pee topper of the collection which can beautifully transform any polish. Let me start by showing you the polish that I used as my base color.

**Press Samples**

KBShimmer Low and Be Bold is one of those delicious cobalt blues that work so well under the Unicorn Pee pigment. This polish has a jelly type consistency but it builds up nicely with two coats which is what I used for my swatches above.

KBShimmer You Dew You

KBShimmer You Dew You

KBShimmer You Dew You

I then applied one coat of KBShimmer You Dew You over KBShimmer Low and Be Bold. This looks much more beautiful in real life since artificial lighting doesn’t truly show all the beautiful color shifts from orange to green. It’s very difficult to capture the shift in all its glory!

Lastly, I used a Born Pretty plate BP-L016 for the stamping image. I used some of my trusty Konad white stamping polish as well, but I’m really looking for an alternative. If you have any suggesting for a great white and black stamping polish, please let me know!

So there you have it. I was happy to try my hand at stamping again after neglecting any kind of nail art for so long. Since I did finish my swatches of the KBShimmer Unicorn Pee Collection, I’ll be posting those on Monday. Let me know what you think of this mani; I’m pretty happy with it and love how it turned out overall.

If you’re interested in purchasing this polish, unfortunately it is not currently available. Only one polish from the collection is still in stock at kbshimmer.com but I’m hoping that they will be able to find more pigment and bring back the whole collection.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Tonic Curio

Tonic Curio

Posted on by Cynthia

The weather here in SoCal is incredibly gloomy and humid today–a putrid combination. The last week has been super hot so I am hoping that we get a little break this week. It’s kind of hard to do your nails when it’s hot and humid because polish acts funky, but I did manage to do a few swatches this weekend. On Sunday, I spent my whole day glued to the couch watching season 3 of Narcos on Netflix. Have you seen it yet? I really hope there is a season 4!!!!! I definitely think that the show was much more interesting when they were focusing on Pablo Escobar, but the new angle and the story of the Cali Cartel is engrossing as well. Anyway, today I want to show you my very first Tonic purchase. Yes, you read that correctly: my first Tonic purchase. The polish I have for you today is Tonic Curio from the coveted Unicorn Pee Collection. Let me show you some swatches first.

Tonic Curio

Tonic Curio

Tonic Curio

Tonic Curio

Tonic Curio is a blue toned purple with the gorgeous unicorn pee pigment that flashes from red to green depending on the lighting and angle. This polish is very sheer since it is a jelly so expect to apply up to 4 coats if you plan to wear it alone. You could also apply a purple base color and apply 1-2 coats of Curio on top of it if you don’t want to wear it on its own. Personally, I loved wearing this on its own even if I did have to apply multiple coats. Currently, the Unicorn Pee Collection is sold out on the Tonic Website and I have no idea if the polishes will be restocked. Womp womp.

Did you manage to get any of the Tonic Unicorn Pee polishes before they sold out? I really wanted to get Serendipity but it was sold out by the time I remembered the restock. You’ve really got to be quick as a ninja to get some of these LE polishes. Let me know what you think about this polish. Are you a Unicorn Pee fan or are you sick of all the frenzy around it? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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OPI Iceland Collection Fall/Winter 2017

OPI Iceland Collection Fall/Winter 2017

Posted on by Cynthia

I had not done an actual swatching session in a really long time–at least not an OPI swatch session which usually consists of 12+ bottles in one collection. To be honest, I was glad to see that the OPI Iceland Collection is “only” 12 bottles because my fingers and nails just aren’t up to the task of swatching a gazillion bottles in one sitting. In the past, I used to swatch up to 40 bottles in one sitting–how did I ever do that?? I know that there are plenty of in demand swatchers who regularly do this today so props to them because I can’t do this anymore. Anywho, today I’m going to show you my swatches of the OPI Iceland Collection which is OPI’s offering for Fall/Winter 2017. Let me show you my swatches before we get into the deets.

OPI Iceland Icelanded A Bottle Of OPI

OPI Iceland Icelanded A Bottle Of OPI

OPI Icelanded A Bottle Of OPI

OPI Iceland I'll Have A Gin & Tectonic

OPI Iceland I'll Have A Gin & Tectonic

OPI I’ll Have A Gin & Tectonic

OPI Iceland Reykjavik Has All The Hot Spots

OPI Iceland Reykjavik Has All The Hot Spots

OPI Reykjavik Has All The Hot Spots

OPI Iceland Aurora Berry-alis

OPI Iceland Aurora Berry-alis

OPI Aurora Berry-alisOPI Iceland One Heckla Of A Color!

OPI Iceland One Heckla Of A Color!

OPI One Heckla Of A Color!

OPI Iceland This Isn't Greenland

OPI Iceland This Isn't Greenland

OPI This Isn’t Greenland

OPI Iceland Check Out The Old Geysirs

OPI Iceland Check Out The Old Geysirs

OPI Check Out The Old Geysirs

OPI Iceland Less Is Norse

OPI Iceland Less Is Norse

OPI Less Is Norse

OPI Iceland Suzi & The Arctic Fox

OPI Iceland Suzi & The Arctic Fox

OPI Suzi & The Arctic Fox

OPI Iceland That's What Friends Are Thor

OPI Iceland That's What Friends Are Thor

OPI That’s What Friends Are Thor

OPI Iceland Krona-logical Order

OPI Iceland Krona-logical Order

OPI Krona-logical Order

OPI Iceland Turn On The Northern Lights!

OPI Iceland Turn On The Northern Lights!

OPI Turn On The Northern Lights!

 

First of all, if you don’t like cremes, then you’re probably not going to like this collection. And if you don’t like cremes, I won’t trust your opinion anyway. Just kidding. Sort of. Look, I adore creme polishes so of course I was in heaven here when it comes to finishes. This collection consists of 9 cremes, 2 shimmers and 1 frost/shimmer. We all know that the star of this show is Turn On The Northern Lights! so I’m not even going to pretend that this isn’t my favorite polish of the whole collection. My light box lighting definitely does not show how amazing this polish can look so let me show you a picture that I took in direct/bright sunlight:

Beautiful, right?!?!?! The other shimmer in the collection is a light blue called Check Out The Old Geysirs. The shimmer was impossible to capture because it is extremely delicate, but when you catch it at the right angle, it’s sooooo pretty. There are some very typical creme colors in this collection and I probably could have done with less brown/taupe/mauve. My other favorite is Less Is Norse which is his like denim blue color that reminds me of the Chanel denim polishes we went nuts for a few years ago. I don’t have anything crazy to report when it comes to the formula and application: they were all pigmented and applied well. All were opaque at two coats and I applied one coat of Poshe for my swatches. Actually, I take that back: Turn On The Northern Lights! was the only sheer-sh polish in this collection and I did apply 3 coats to build up the color. This leads me to believe that it could be a great layering polish–experiments to follow.

So what do you think? Have you picked up any of these shades from the OPI Iceland Collection? Since this collection has been out a good solid moth, I’m sure you’ve already gotten a few and might end up getting more…amiright? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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Disclosure: These products were provided to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

KBShimmer Hella Holo Customs August 2017

KBShimmer Hella Holo Customs August 2017

Posted on by Cynthia

Hey guys. I hope you had a nice and relaxing weekend. Mine was pretty chill so that makes me feel more relaxed and ready to tackle the week. Today I am going to show you three new polishes that were created by KBShimmer for the Hella Holo Customs group on Facebook. As you may recall, KBShimmer was one of the guest makers back in February 2017 and I’m so glad that they are being featured again! You can see my swatches for the February polishes here. Let me show you my swatches and then I will give you my thoughts on each. I have included the description provided by KBShimmer as well. On to the swatches!

Hella Holo Customs KBShimmer That Goes Without Cyan

Hella Holo Customs KBShimmer That Goes Without Cyan

Hella Holo Customs KBShimmer That Goes Without Cyan

KBShimmer That Goes Without Cyan

“A perfect morning starts with a vibrant sun rising up to fill the turquoise blue sky with its glowing copper gold hue. This sun and sky inspired linear holo polish takes inspiration from the vibrant blue skies. An aqua leaning blue color, we accented this strong linear holo with bits of copper and gold for a sparkle even in low lighting.”

 

Hella Holo Customs KBShimmer One Holo-of a Storm

Hella Holo Customs KBShimmer One Holo-of a Storm

Hella Holo Customs KBShimmer One Holo-of a Storm

KBShimmer One Holo-of a Storm

“A storm off in the horizon, the flash of lightening and setting sun fill the sky with deep dues of cobalt, periwinkle, pinks and fuchsia while reflecting natures artwork in the water below. This photo of the stormy seas has inspired our August Hello Holo custom polish. A periwinkle leaning blue polish, this holographic shade sparkles with holo glitters. At the right angles, a pink shimmery flake with blue shifts pops through for a vibrant polish your tips and toes will love. If you like our Mega Flame finish, this shimmery cousin to that collection is perfect for you!”

 

Hella Holo Customs KBShimmer Pinking of Paradise

Hella Holo Customs KBShimmer Pinking of Paradise

Hella Holo Customs KBShimmer Pinking of Paradise

KBShimmer Pinking of Paradise

“A setting sun softly tints the clouds a cotton candy pink, while crashing waves in a tropical aqua hue lap against pink sand. This photo of paradise has inspired our August Hella Holo custom polish. A softly tinted pink polish features our holo glow flakes. These flakes have a unique holo glow to them in bright lights, while in softer lighting, a turquoise shimmer pops out to say hello. This polish is sheer enough in one coat to layer over your favorite pink cream, but is best in 2-3 coats alone. If you loved our Polish Con exclusive, We Make Your Dreams Come Blue, you will not want to miss this sister shade!”

As usual, I had no problems with these gorgeous polishes.That Goes Without Cyan was perfectly opaque at two coats and you may even be able to get away with one if you apply a generous coat. There was no staining despite the saturated color and removal was a breeze. One Holo-of a Storm had a nice consistency and I found it very easy to apply. This polish will look best with two coasts as it can appear a little sheer at the first coat. As with any polish with glittery components, expect the glitter to get on your skin if you rub it around. I tend to apply cotton saturated with acetone and let that do most of the work before swiping off the polish. Lastly, Pinking of Paradise is the most sheer polish of the trio. This polish surprised me because of how sheer it looked after the first coat, but it was perfectly opaque after a generous second coat. This one is actually my favorite of the three because that silvery blue glow that appears just makes it look so unique! Again, as with any polish with glitter, expect having to use acetone and a little bit of elbow grease to remove.

If your are interested in purchasing any of these beauties, you must be a member of the Hella Holo Customs group; you can join by clicking here. Membership will be verified so make sure to join if you want to purchase and receive these polishes. You are able to purchase these directly at kbshimmer.com for $10 each.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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Disclosure: These products were provided to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Hella Holo Customs Hella Holo Customs

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection

Posted on by Cynthia

Hello! Remember me? Once upon a time I posted more than once every other year. *Le sigh* For once, I do actually have an excuse because I was majorly sidelined by illness. After a week long hospital stay, I’ve been trying to take it easy. Of course I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to swatch the KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection for you guys because you know how I love me some KBShimmer. The only thing that sucks is that my nails are just not growing–I attribute it to my recent illness so I hope that they start growing again soon. I swatched these polishes in direct sunlight which unfortunately makes my skin look hella greasy. I hope that I can start using my usual light box in the near future, but for now, let’s take a look at these beautiful shades!

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection Flock This Way

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection Flock This Way

KBShimmer Flock This Way

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection Shady Beaches

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection Shady Beaches

KBShimmer Shady Beaches

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection Squeeze The Day

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection Squeeze The Day

KBShimmer Squeeze The Day

KBShimmer Summer Collection Kiwi Real

KBShimmer Summer Collection Kiwi Real

KBShimmer Kiwi Real

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection No Wave!

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection No Wave!

KBShimmer No Wave! 

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection Hashtag You're It

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection Hashtag You're It

KBShimmer Hashtag You’re It

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection Berry Chill

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection Berry Chill

KBShimmer Berry Chill

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection I'm Onyx

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection I'm Onyx

KBShimmer I’m Onyx

I was extremely excited to see this collection roll out because I absolutely loved We Make Your Dreams Come Blue and these polishes have that same holo-y flake finish. I love how gorgeous the colors are–juicy and vibrant. I do want to tell you that the formula is a little jelly-esque so it can be a little sheer. I applied 3 thin coats of each polish to make them perfectly opaque. It’s also a good idea to give each coat a few minutes to dry before applying the next because I noticed that I created some bald spots in places but I tend to be a little heavy handed with the pressure I apply with the brush. Overall, I really love this collection! I never thought I’d say that my favorite is the darkest color I’m Onyx because I tend to prefer bright colors, but this polish is just so gorgeous! You really can’t lose with any of these!

If you’re interested in picking up any of these delicious polishes from the KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection, this collection will launch on 7/28/2017. These polishes can be purchased online at kbshimmer.com and at the following retailers: Color4Nails, Live Love Polish, Harlow & Co and Amazon. Do you have any favorites from this collection? Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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Disclosure: These products were provided to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection

KBShimmer Summer Vacation Collection

 

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Summer 2017

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Summer 2017

Posted on by Cynthia

Before I even start right now I’m going to say something: I AM SORRY FOR THE CRAPPY PICTURES. You have no idea what a mess this swatch session turned out to be. First of all, my skin looks oily AF and I decided to swatch in full sunlight. If that wasn’t enough, I also made the brilliant (yes, sarcasm) decision to use a crazy holo background which did some flashback onto my pictures. Ugh, this whole thing was a big fat NOPE. It’s been a long time since I cringed when looking at my swatches, so please forgive me because I have learned my lesson. Before I ramble on too long, let me show you my swatches of the Zoya Wanderlust Collection for Summer 2017.

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Etsy

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Etsy

Zoya Etsy

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Byrdie

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Byrdie

Zoya Byrdie

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Lois

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Lois

Zoya Lois

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Sonja

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Sonja

Zoya Sonja

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Cora

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Cora

Zoya Cora

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Sawyer

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Sawyer

Zoya Sawyer

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Arbor

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Arbor

Zoya Arbor

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Journey

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Journey

Zoya Journey

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Mandy

Zoya Wanderlust Collection Mandy

Zoya Mandy

Zoya Wanderlust Collection River

Zoya Wanderlust Collection River

Zoya River

The more I look at these pictures the worse I feel about them. I guess I could have just re-swatched everything but….ain’t nobody got time for that. Besides the horrible swatches, my package suffered two casualties. Two of the polishes broke during transit and they drenched most of the other polish bottles. It took me forever to clean them up. See? Everything just started out on the wrong foot.

Despite all of my swatching drama and bad pictures, I did like this collection for Summer. I did not have any significant formula issues to speak of. I am a little heavy handed with my polish application as of late so for all my swatches I used two generous coats of polish and 1 coat of glossy top coat. This collection screams fun juicy Summer colors to me, but I do feel like it’s so similar to the Summer collections that Zoya tends to put out. That’s not a bad thing, but you know you probably already have close dupes. If you’re interested in picking up any of these shades, they can be purchased on zoya.com where they retail for $10.00 each.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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Disclosure: These products were provided to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Zoya Wanderlust Collection

Zoya Wanderlust Collection

Zoya Charming Collection Spring 2017

Zoya Charming Collection Spring 2017

Posted on by Cynthia

Zomg, can you say tardy to the party? I knew I was way behind on all my swatching and posting, but I just realized that I had this collection just sitting in my drafts folder like “HELLO, WHY HAVEN’T YOU POSTED ME?!” I guess better late than never! Later this week I will also have my review of the Summer collection, but for today let’s proceed with the Zoya Charming Collection for Spring 2017.

Zoya Charming Collection Millie

Zoya Charming Collection Millie

Zoya Millie

Zoya Charming Collection Tina.Zoya Charming Collection Tina

Zoya Tina

Zoya Charming Collection Abby

Zoya Charming Collection Abby

Zoya Abby

Zoya Charming Collection Jordan

Zoya Charming Collection Jordan

Zoya Jordan

Zoya Charming Collection Amira

Zoya Charming Collection Amira

Zoya Amira

Zoya Charming Collection Lacey

Zoya Charming Collection Lacey

Zoya Lacey

I know you have seen a million and a half swatches of this collection so it’s not like I’m sharing anything new with you. Zoya does cremes exceptionally well and the ones here are no exception. The cremes applied well: I applied two coats of polish and one of of top coat for my swatches. For me, the stand outs were Amira and Lacey because of the beautiful finish and soft/dusty tones. I know a lot of people were kinda disappointed with these shades but I actually really love them. I felt that the application on these was a little sheer so I ended up using 3 coats to make sure they were even and perfectly opaque. Despite this, me likey a lot. Other than that, the collection was nice–nothing groundbreaking. How did you feel about this collection overall? Did you end up picking up any of these shades? If so, which were your favorites? If you’re interested in picking up any of these shades, they can still be found on zoya.com where they retail for $10.00 each.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

 

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Disclosure: These products were provided to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Zoya Charming Collection

Zoya Charming Collection

OPI California Dreaming Collection Summer 2017

OPI California Dreaming Collection Summer 2017

Posted on by Cynthia

Hello friends. It’s been a slow few days chez moi so I ended up busting out all my swatching paraphernalia which includes my lighting and light box. I had been experimenting with swatching in direct sunlight, but I wasn’t quite satisfied with the results. I hadn’t had a massive swatch session in a long time and I can say I kind of missed it. I just wish that I had prepared myself by purchasing lint free cotton rounds because I had a hell of  a hard time dealing with all the fuzzies. Anyway, today I want to share with you my swatches of the OPI California Dreaming Collection for Summer 2017. Being a born and bred California girl, of course I was excited to see a collection paying homage to my home state but the colors just kind of threw me off. Before I get into the details, let me show you some swatches.

 

OPI California Dreaming Collection To The Mouse House We Go!

OPI California Dreaming Collection To The Mouse House We Go!

OPI To The Mouse House We Go!

This magic red is for kissable lips, polka dot bows and tempting apples.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Me, Myselfie & I

OPI California Dreaming Collection Me, Myselfie & I

OPI Me, Myselfie & I

But enough about me, doesn’t this coral look good in my selfie?

OPI California Dreaming Collection Santa Monica Beach Peach

OPI California Dreaming Collection Santa Monica Beach Peach

OPI Santa Monica Beach Peach

Go ahead and hit the beach, this punchy orange has your back.

OPI California Dreaming Collection This Is Not Whine Country

OPI California Dreaming Collection This Is Not Whine Country

OPI This Is Not Whine Country

The merlot the merrier I always say.   

OPI California Dreaming Collection GPS I Love You

OPI California Dreaming Collection GPS I Love You

OPI GPS I Love You

I couldn’t have pinked a sweeter travelling companion.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Time For A Napa

OPI California Dreaming Collection Time For A Napa

OPI Time For A Napa

It’s always the right moment for this bubbly hot coral.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Malibu Pier Pressure

OPI California Dreaming Collection Malibu Pier Pressure

OPI Malibu Pier Pressure

This cotton candy pink has a very persuasive vibe.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Excuse me, Big Sur!

OPI California Dreaming Collection Excuse me, Big Sur!

OPI Excuse me, Big Sur!

This rose may be soft, but it’s not afraid to speak up.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Barking Up The Wrong Sequoia

OPI California Dreaming Collection Barking Up The Wrong Sequoia

OPI Barking Up The Wrong Sequoia

Finding the perfect peach is a tall order.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Feeling Frisco

OPI California Dreaming Collection Feeling Frisco

OPI Feeling Frisco

This nude’s bound to put you in a Bayful mood.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Sweet Carmel Sunday

OPI California Dreaming Collection Sweet Carmel Sunday

OPI Sweet Carmel Sunday

You’re always a treat in this glistening gold.

OPI California Dreaming Collection Don't Take Yosemite For Granite

OPI California Dreaming Collection Don't Take Yosemite For Granite

OPI Don’t Take Yosemite For Granite

Of quartz not! Everyone appreciates this shimmering slate.

Welp, I like this collection and I don’t. Part of me loves some of the shades but part of me doesn’t see the spirit of my home state reflected in this collection.

Was I the only one wishing for a polish called “Welcome to the OC, Bitch!”? Yes? No? Well, ok. I didn’t have any issues with the formula on these polishes. For all of my swatches, I used two generous coats of polish and 1 coat of glossy top coat. I was not expecting some of these shades to have a jelly formula. To The Mouse House We Go! and This Is Not A Whine Country have a jelly formula but they do build up fairly nicely so you don’t really have to worry about VNL. I did want to mention that my swatch of To The Mouse House We Go! has some shimmer flecks–that is not part of the polish; my top coat brush had some shimmer flecks from Sweet Carmel Sunday that unfortunately transferred to my swatch of To The Mouse House We Go! I absolutely love pink and coral polish shades so you can imagine that I quite enjoyed the shades in this collection. My absolute favorites are Excuse Me, Big Sur!, GPS I Love You, Malibu Pier Pressure and Time For A Napa.  I found a surprise like in Sweet Carmel Sunday–who am I?  The cutest part of the collection was the PR package. I posted some shots on my instagram:

So what do you guys think about the OPI California Dreaming Collection? Have you picked up any of the shades yet? The collection is available in both classic Nail Lacquer and Long-Wear Infinite Shine formulas. Nail Lacquers retail for $10.00 ($13.50 CAN) each and Infinite Shine retails for $12.50 ($16.95 CAN) at Professional Salons, as well as Beauty Brands, beautybrands.com, Chatters, Dillard’s, Regis, Sally Beauty, ULTA and ulta.com and Macy’s.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

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Disclosure: These products were provided to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

OPI California Dreaming Collection

OPI California Dreaming Collection

Sweet & Sour Lacquer POTM June 2017

Sweet & Sour Lacquer POTM June 2017

Posted on by Cynthia

 

 

Hello everyone! How has the weather been in your neck of the woods? It has been super overcast here which is surprising but then it has also been on the cool side and it has been hella windy. This is very atypical for California weather in May. It’s not that I’m hoping it gets hot because we all know how much I hate the heat, but I’m just seriously thrown off. The sun did cooperate at least one day this weekend which allowed me to do some swatching. I really like taking pictures in direct sunlight when I swatch, but I rarely get the opportunity to do so. Today I have a really fun polish to share with you from a new-to-me brand. While this is the first time I try this brand, I have definitely heard about them and have seen some beautiful polishes from them in the past. Let me show you my swatches of the Sweet & Sour Lacquer POTM (Polish of the Month) for June 2017.

Sweet & Sour Lacquer POTM June 2017

Sweet & Sour Lacquer POTM June 2017

Sweet & Sour Lacquer POTM June 2017

Sweet & Sour Lacquer POTM June 2017

Sweet & Sour Lacquer Polish of the Month June 2016

This beautiful polish has a turquoise base with lots of shimmer/micro holo sparkle. While the polish has a sheer to medium-sheer jelly base, it builds up nicely. For my swatches above, I have applied two regular coats of polish and a coat of quick dry top coat

Since I haven’t done much stamping lately, I decided to stamp up my mani. I used a Born Pretty plate but can’t remember the name of the plate. Shortly after I finished my mani, I started rearranging some of my nail stuff and I can’t find the plate. I’m a mess.

I really like this polish! Sometimes I can be a bit critical when it comes to jelly polishes, but this one is really beautiful. I love teals in every shade and finish so that just made me like it even more. I like the formula on the polish since it was easily buildable and was very easy to control–this is one of those polishes that did not require any clean up and allowed me to do a perfect cuticle line with minimal effort. If you’re interested in picking up the Sweet & Sour Lacquer POTM for June 2017, you can do so at sweetandsourlacquer.com starting June 2nd. Let me know what you think and if you will be picking this up. Do you have any recommendations that I should check out? I’ll definitely be picking some up in the future!

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.