Of Life and Lacquer

China Glaze Crinkled Chrome – Don’t Be Foiled

Posted on 7 January, 20146 January, 2014 by Cynthia

Happy Tuesday everyone! I think I’m feeling a little giddy right now because I am suffering from exhaustion even though I’m denying it. My work schedule has changed again so I am back to working at the buttcrack of dawn which is pretty brutal when you’re NOT a morning person like me. I know it’s going to take me some time to get back into the groove of things, so I may act a little cray cray here and there. So….I don’t know where to start today. When I first saw images of these polishes from CosmoProf, I am not going to lie, I was horrified. When I started seeing swatches pop up, I thought I was going to barf. When I saw that my Sally’s had these polishes, I told myself that I would take one for the team and buy *one* to try out. Well, today I have the demonic spawn of popcorn texture polish and feather-like glitter polish to share with you. Its unholy name is China Glaze Crinkled Chrome in Don’t Be Foiled. Yeah, more like Don’t Be Fooled…into buying this polish. Before I get into, let’s take a look at the polish.

I should have known to stay away after all the swatches I had seen online. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN! When I asked my nail guy when he was getting this collection, he told me that he wasn’t going to order them because they are “ugly and weird and [he] would never be able to sell them off.” Even that didn’t completely deter me. When I saw that Sally’s had these, I figured that I might as well buy one to try out because how bad could they be? Holy crap, this polish is hideous. To start with, I already hate chrome and metallic finishes so it had one strike against it before I even tried it out. Then this super strange combination of hairy bar glitter and some bead texture just makes it look incredibly odd. You want to know what it reminds me of? Cultures growing on a petri dish. To top it all off, the formula on this is absolutely atrocious. It dries way too quickly so it gets super goopy while you’re still trying to apply it. Since the formula is rather opaque, you can get away with just one coat so that will eliminate the issues that arise when you want to apply a second coat.

I don’t think I really need to say this, but I’ll say it anyway: I absolute abhor this polish. These Crinkled Chrome polishes need to be banished to the 9th circle of hell where they can entertain Satan. You may think I’m being overly dramatic here, but I just can’t contain myself because I adore China Glaze and then they do this to me? Yes, I take it personally. I always look forward to new China Glaze releases, and now I’m starting to feel scared before I click on a link purporting to have some sneak peeks of upcoming collections. I know a lot of people out there are calling these “interesting” and “unique.” I can agree with that if they mean “interestingly vomiticious” and “uniquely horrifying.” However, I can concede that there may be some people who actually like these. They are probably the same people who like Crocs. Now I’m really hoping that the Sea Goddess collection makes up for this bitter disappointment, but I’m not going to hold my breath. Traditionally, China Glaze puts out my favorite Fall collection so at least I have that to look forward to. Sooo….what do you think about this polish? Please let me know because I am very curious to know if I’m the only one who feels this way. Thanks so much for stopping by, and I will talk to you soon.

P.S. If anyone wants this, pay me $3 for shipping and it’s yours.

Carrie Underwood For Nicole by OPI – Swatches & Review

Posted on 6 January, 20145 January, 2014 by Cynthia

I don’t know about you, but I am always excited when I see interesting and fun celebrity collaborations. When I first heard that Carrie Underwood would be teaming up with Nicole by OPI, I was thrilled because I looooove her. I can’t say that I’m still an American Idol fan, but I still remember when she won her season and how awesome I thought it was. Now that she because a huge superstar in her own right, I’ve continued to follow her and her music despite the fact that I’m not a typical country music fan. As soon as I received this collection, I set out to swatch it because I was so excited. Let’s take a look at my swatches for the Carrie Underwood for Nicole by OPI Collection, and then I will share my thoughts with you.

Love My Pups
Let’s “paws” for this adorably sweet pink

Carnival Cotton Candy
This spun sugar pink is all about fun

Color Me Country
This soul-ful hot pink makes me want to sing

Some Hearts
You can’t beat this romantic coral dream

Sweet Daisy
A bouquet of southern peach blossoms

Southern Charm
Frankly my dear, this nude shade looks charming on you

American as Apple Pie
Tradition runs deep in this classic red

Goodbye Shoes
Hit the road, but leave me this standalone gray-green

Fisher Queen
I’m hooked on this deep, deep eggplant

Lips are Dripping Honey
This multi-gold glitter is sweet on you

Backstage Pass
I want access to this brown with purple nuances

Party Bus
Celebrate on-the-go with this party-perfect confetti glitter

Sing You Like a Bee
Put some of this frosty ice on that, honey!

Carrie’d Away
Carrie’s own gold record signature shade

Wow, that was a lot of swatching! This 14 piece collection is composed of 8 cremes, 4 glitters and 2 shimmers. All of those crèmes made my heart happy! The two best crèmes—formula-wise—are American As Apple Pie and Goodbye Shoes. American As Apple Pie is one of those perfect one coat reds that I can always appreciate. The 6 other crèmes were nice, but I did find that they required a little more work because they all applied streaky on the first coat. I left plenty of dry time in between coats so that I could eliminate and dragging which unfortunately creates bald spots. I just love pink polish so I was so excited with all the pink here. The light pink nudeish shade, I Love My Pups, will require multiple coats and you may still have some visible nail line. Despite this, the color is very crisp and lady-like so I’m diggin’ it.

The two shimmer shares (Bastage Pass and Fisher Queen) are great dark and vampy colors. At first I felt the formula was lacking pigmentation, but the second coat evened out my polish perfectly. I think these shades are super welcome in this collection because of the sugary sweetness of most of the crèmes. We all need some variety…amirite?

The four glitters include two glitter toppers that I quite liked. I wouldn’t say that Lips Are Dripping Honey is revolutionary, but boy did I love how it looked. In fact, it’s my favorite glitter from this collection. Party bus is cute but I’m always cautious about big glitter. I didn’t notice any curling with the bigger flower-shaped glitters and I left this on for a day. I may have to try it out again because I suspect it might curl a bit. The two other glitters are somewhere between fine micro-glitters and texture polishes. I didn’t think that they were quite as rough-feeling as most texture polishes out there but they still had that sandy look to them and they dried fairly satin-y and matte. Carrie’d Away, in particular, is super sparkly. Even though I’m not a fan of gold polishes (I’m looking at you, Gold Master V!), Carrie’d Away is so bright and sparkly that I know I’ll be using it again. The one thing I didn’t like about these last two polishes is that the glitter gets into every nook and cranny. I used pure acetone to remove these polishes and I still had glitter embedded in my cuticles, under my nails, up my arms, in my nose…ok, maybe not in my nose but you get the picture.

Overall, I really like this collection. If you’re like me (or like Lesley), you’ll probably want these bad because they are Carrie Underwood polishes. While the colors aren’t something groundbreaking, you get a nice variety of colors and finishes. I’m not going to lie: I love that this collection has 8 cremes. I love crèmes. I have always loved crèmes and I always will. My favorites are: Goodbye Shoes, Carnival Cotton Candy, Color Me Country, Backstage Pass, Fisher Queen and Lips Are Dripping Honey. So now that I have rambled on and on, what do YOU think about these? Thank so much for the visit, and we’ll talk soon!

From Nicole by OPI

Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality. This limited edition collection will be in newly designed bottles featuring the NEW Nicole logo. These shades will be available January 2014 for $7.99 each at retailers including select CVS, Duane Reade, HEB, Kroger, Kmart, Ulta, Walmart, Fred Meyer, Meijer, and Harmon locations. In Canada, these shades will be available for $10.99 each at Shoppers Drug Mart, Target Canada, Walmart Canada, Jean Coutu, London Drug, and Loblaws. For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

Lush Lemony Flutter

Posted on 5 January, 2014 by Cynthia

Ever since I started blogging around 2 years ago, there has been one product that has been lauded but that I had resisted trying out…until now. Behold the glory of Lush Lemony Flutter.

This is also a momentous occasion because I finally visited a Lush store, and I hate myself for it as I now want everything they make. To be honest, I didn’t even know that there was a Lush store close to me and I actually stumbled upon it when I hunted down Brown Sugar at Neiman Marcus. Once again, Tom Ford is responsible for leading me down ANOTHER road of cosmetics perdition. Are you ready to hear what I think about Lush Lemony Flutter? Well, put on your conversation caps because I’ve got a lot to say.

I didn’t take a picture of the virgin container, so excuse the fact that I’ve already dipped my pudgy fingers into it. Well, first of all I want to say that I was very worried about what this product would smell like because if you’ve read about my issues with scented products, you know this is a big deal to me. A VERY BIG DEAL. Well, this product smells lemony, of course, but it also has another subtle scent…a little bit like gasoline. Doesn’t lemony gasoline sound delightful?! In addition to that delicious lemony gasoline scent, I also detected another scrumptious scent: corn tortillas. Ok, ok…hold up. Yes, you read that right: corn tortillas. Since I basically eat corn tortillas every day, I think I am pretty qualified in the science of tortilla-ology so this seems pretty accurate to me. Despite the caucophany of scents, I didn’t hate the smell of the product which is pretty awesome. Secondly, the consistency is very thick so a little bit goes a long way. When I tried it out at the store, the associate slathered some on my cuticles and it felt like I had dipped my hands in lard. Even though the product feels very greasy, it soaked into my skin within a few minutes. Unfortunately, I felt that the product left a film behind which was very bothersome so I have resolved to only use it at night as an intense overnight treatment.

Have you had a chance to try Lush Lemony Flutter? I am glad I finally got this because I always read about it online. Since I’m kind of a cheapskate, I was a little surprised that this container was like $17+ tax. That’s some expensive cuticle butter! Because it’s so thick, you only need a tiny bit so I can see this lasting a looooong time. Bailey from Partial To Polish (check out her blog cause she’s awesome) had mentioned to me that her Lemony Flutter had gone rancid so she had to throw it away. Maybe keeping it in the fridge will extend its life. Have you guys had yours go rancid? Man, I’d be so pissed–especially if it was still fairly full. Well, I hope you’re all doing well and that you have enjoyed your weekend. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Sephora by OPI I’m So Sari!

Posted on 4 January, 2014 by Cynthia

Oh man, I am so tired right now. Today we had a little party for my brother since he turned 24 a couple of days ago so there was a lot going on. Holy crap, we are getting old. It was really fun, and I had a great time with some family and friends. I didn’t get enough sleep last night because I was up until 2 am finishing up my swatches of the Carrie Underwood polishes, so now I’m paying for it. Since I have been swatching so much in the last week, my nails took a real bad beating, and I could tell that one nail wanted to break. I don’t know if anyone else has experienced this, but any time I use non-acetone remover, I feel like my hands and nails get really messed up. I never have a problem with just regular acetone which I would think would be the complete opposite. Anyway, after I finished swatching the 14 polishes, I filed my nails way down. I fee so much better because my nails were getting way too long for my own comfort. I have a couple of posts with my longer nails and then you’ll be seeing my new nubs. They’re not completely nubbinized, but I did take off some decent length. Today’s polish is also from my untrieds (yay!): Sephora by OPI I’m So Sari! Let me take a moment here and bless the polish Gods for such a glorious creation.

This beautiful glitter concoction is just so breathtaking that my photos don’t manage to do it justice. I didn’t think much of it when I bought it at Sephora, so it had been sitting in my melmers for quite a while. When I swatched Sephora by OPI Slushied, I figured that I might as well try out I’m So Sari! on top of it, and that is how this beautiful mani was born. I’m So Sari! is a pretty dense glitter which you can definitely wear on its own, but by layering it on top of a blue, I only needed one coat. It has a foil-like quality to it, but those holographic glitters really kick it up a notch.

Well, what do you think of this? I’m really loving it and will definitely be wearing it in the future. I have a bunch of stuff to share with you guys, but I think I will wait because I’m tired and should be going to bed since I work at 6 am tomorrow. Just typing that out made me cringe. Anyway, I hope that you’re enjoying your weekend, and we’ll talk soon.

Sephora by OPI Slushied

Posted on 3 January, 20142 January, 2014 by Cynthia

I’m wondering how long it’s going to take me to write 2014 every time I date something. Apparently, today I couldn’t even remember that it’s January so I was typing February on a whole bunch of orders and stuff at work. I’m an idiot, but I least I caught myself before causing all these accounting nightmares. I’m feeling pretty good about myself right now since I am continuing the trend of swatching from my untried stash so I hope that I can keep this going despite all the new Spring collections that are bound to start popping up any day now. Sweet Baby Jesus, please help me resist temptation with your sparkling eyes and wondrous curls. When I was putting some polishes away, I looked at my melmer drawer that houses all of my Sephora by OPI polishes, and I realized that I haven’t swatched even half of my stash so I picked this one up because I had recently swatched another beautiful blue. Let’s take a look at Sephora by OPI Slushied.

Ah, Slushied! You had so much promise. I swooned when I saw swatches online, and I refused to read anything negative about you. You were so pretty, bright and delectable. When Sephora started slashing prices on their now discontinued SOPI line, I jumped at the chance to get a few colors that I had missed out on. Sephora by OPI Slushied really is a great color, but the formula leaves a lot to be desired: it is thin, runny and streaky. Oh, how you wound my heart Slushied! I had to apply 4 thin coats to get even coverage so I know most of you are already thinking, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” Sadly, I agree. Since I had swatched OPI No Room For the Blues earlier in the week, I felt that these could be dupes so I confronted them, bottle to bottle in a battle of the dupes.

Are they dupes?

Can you tell which is which? Don’t cheat.

It might be difficult to tell from my pictures, but these are not 100% dupes although they are amazingly close. Slushied is slightly more green leaning and is a little darker. No Room For The Blues is a tad lighter and more crisp. In this battle of the dupes, No Room For The Blues comes out the winner because of its superior formula and because you are more likely to be able to find it. I like both colors but sometimes you just don’t want to deal with a shitty formula, you know?

So what do you think? Are these blues calling your name? Are you sad that the SOPI brand is no more? To be honest, I am a little sad because I remember how I went bananas for Metro Chic when it first came out. Ahhh…polish memories. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

Formula X Hyped

Posted on 2 January, 20142 January, 2014 by Cynthia

I read a lot of nail blogs. Despite having my own blog, I still read all the blogs that lured me into this world of nail fanatics and continue to find new ones that I enjoy. One of the blogs that I read religiously is The Polishaholic because I just love her pictures and she has a great variety of mainstream and indie brands. When I saw her post on the Sephora Formula X polishes, I nearly lost my mind. Formula X Hyped just jumped out at me, and I was obsessed with getting my hands on it until I actually found it at my Sephora. It was so hard not to grab all the polishes, but I knew that Hyped was the one that would give my psychotic mind some peace so it came home with me.

Holy crap this polish is everything I hoped it would be.This neon purple/magenta polish has some gorgeous blue shimmer in it that makes it come alive in the sun. Since it is a neon, it dries very dull so a shiny top coat is a must! One thing I did notice is that it was streaky and applied unevenly. I think that neons tend to do this in general so I wasn’t that surprised. I ended up applying 3 thin coats for full coverage, but I think two thick coats should be enough.

Have you tried any of the new Formula X polishes? I picked up 3 during my last Sephora trip, and this one is definitely the belle of the ball. You can purchase this polish for $10.50 for a .4 oz bottle. Personally, I think the prices are a little high so I probably won’t be buying too many of these unless I positively can’t live another second without the color. So in Cynthia logic, that means I will be getting one of each. Ah well, we can’t all have solid will power, right? Anyway, I hope you liked this baby as much as I did. Thanks so much for the visit, and I will talk to you soon.

Kiko 402 Jewel Pink

Posted on 1 January, 2014 by Cynthia

Hey, it’s 2014! If you’re reading this, you surely survived any kind of NYE debauchery so I’m glad for that. If you read last night’s post, then you know I had a calm and uneventful NYE and I am thankful for that because it was just what I needed to really start 2014 off on the right foot. This morning I woke up strangely excited about my blog like I couldn’t wait to swatch some polishes and start working on posts. This is something that I’m really happy about because to be honest, for the last month or so, I was feeling like I was losing interest in maintaining this blog. I still had a major boner for polish, but I wasn’t sure that I wanted to keep committing so much time and effort to blogging. Well, I’m glad those feelings went away and that I am once again feeling excited about writing up posts. I don’t know if this is normal for all bloggers, but I tend to go through this maybe 3 times a year and I think that the best thing to do at that time is maybe take a little break to just rest and not worry about your blogging schedule or anything else that you feel pressured about. I’m glad that I wasn’t that active in December because now I feel better about everything.

Today I was looking through my melmers (again) and I decided to try out a gorgeous holo. I remember that when I first started getting hardcore interested in nail polish (sometime around 2010), I knew nothing about different finishes and basically only used creme polishes. When I started my blog at the end of 2011, I had already been educated by various nail blogs so I knew about the existence of holographic polishes and I lamented the fact that there weren’t many viable options for affordable holos. Fast forward a year and EVERYBODY and their grandma was making holographic polishes…linear holographic polishes. The holo polish that I have for you today is Kiko 402 Jewel Pink so let’s take a closer look at it.

As far as holos go, this one is pretty darn great. The formula is really nice in that it applies smoothly and is very easy to control. I did notice that you can create bald spots if you don’t allow for enough dry time between coats, but otherwise it’s a great polish. Since the formula is so opaque, you could almost get away with one coat if you are careful with your application. The one thing that I didn’t like is that it dries very dull…even more dull than other holo polishes. I have learned that some holo polishes lose some of the strong holo effect if you top coat them, but thankfully that is not the case here.

Sometimes I hate posting polishes that I know will be difficult to get for most of you, but this is just so pretty that I couldn’t stop myself. Kiko is an Italian brand that can be found in a few countries in Europe, but unfortunately we don’t have easy access to them here in the states. Woe is me. I’m not sure how readily available this polish is since it does come from the Limited Edition Lavish Oriental Collection from 2012 so don’t hate me if you really want this. Anywho, I hope you’re having a nice day and aren’t suffering the horrible effects of too much alcohol from the night before. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

OPI It’s My Year

Posted on 31 December, 2013 by Cynthia

Woo! Last post of the year! Since I’ve been such a slacker lately, I told myself that I would definitely write a post on the last day of 2013 just so that I can end and start on the right foot. So far my New Year’s Eve has been pretty uneventful which is exactly what I wanted. I had a yummy dinner with my family and now we’re just snacking and watching movies. When I was trying to decide what polish to wear tonight, I chose the most fitting polish of all my untrieds: OPI It’s My Year.

I still can’t believe that this gorgeous polish has been hiding in my untrieds stash for probably over a year. OPI It’s My Year is a gorgeous berry purple with tons of gold shimmer throughout. I keep finding amazing untried polishes in my melmers which makes me realize a couple of things: 1) I really shouldn’t be buying more polish (at least not tons) and 2) How many more hidden gems must I have hiding in there??? The formula on this is a little sheer so I did have to apply 3 coats to get full coverage, but it’s totally worth it. This shade is part of the Miss Universe Collection from 2011 in case you were wondering.

I mentioned that we had a yummy dinner tonight so here is a little peek:

My mom made this delicious birria which is a type of beef stew. Traditionally it’s made with goat meat, but we just make it with beef. It was so yummy. I also got to spend some time with Prince Peanut who just keeps getting cuter and cuter.

He kills me with those huge eyes!

Awww…little baby hands!

So, I hope that you are all enjoying your NYE and that you are staying safe. Thank you so much for stopping by and supporting my blog; it means so much to me. I chose to wear this polish today because it’s called It’s My Year. 2014 will be my year; I hope it will be yours as well.

Much Love,

OPI No Room For The Blues…Cause I’m Feeling Blue

Posted on 30 December, 2013 by Cynthia

Can you guys believe that it’s almost 2014. Seriously. One more day and we are officially entering 2014. The thought of this is super depressing to me because once again I am getting down on myself for the pathetic state of my life. I wanted 2013 to be different but here I am once again lamenting that I don’t have a career, I’m still fat, sad and depressed. Ok…I’m not trying to be super melodramatic here, but it is really hard to find myself in this situation. I’m going to be 35 next year…35!!!! Whatever happened to me? Seriously. I remember when I was 16, I was sure that I was going to become an archeologist/anthropologist/Shakespearean scholar/writer/world traveler…and now what? Life has just judo chopped me in the face, and I’m taking it while I ask for more. I hate starting out every year with all these resolutions that I know I will abandon on the 2nd, so this year I am focusing on something different.

Last night my two best friends and I went to dinner and we pinky swore (you know the power of the pinky swear is undeniable and binding for life) that we would take an awesome trip next December. We are going to plan a trip to Paris, Florence and Rome so we can celebrate (or lament) turning 35. Doesn’t that sound awesome?! Awesomely expensive, that is. So in order to be able to afford such a trip, I am going to go on a serious budget and I will stick to it this time because I have made a promise. We also promised to support each other in our quest to get healthy by working out together at least once a week. We really have to stick with it because I am getting to the point of no return with my health and my weight so I’m really looking forward to making some healthy changes. Given my frame of mind, I decided to pull out one of my untrieds that seemed very fitting: OPI No Room For The Blues.

The first thing I asked myself after applying this polish was: WHY HAVEN’T I USED THIS BEFORE?!?!?! It is one seriously gorgeous blue! The formula is like butter and it applies flawlessly. When I saw the brightness of this polish, I seriously feared the dreaded blue staining but I am happy to report that it did not stain at all. OPI No Room For the Blues is now one of my favorites blues ever.

Before I forget to ask, what do you think of my new pictures? I felt like I needed a new hand position and this just happened the other day. It’s not the most flattering, but it’s a change from what I have had for the past two years. Also, do you think the size of the pictures is too big? Anyway, I’ll probably make some slight blog changes for the coming year and it all has to start somewhere, right? Since I don’t have any plans for tomorrow, I’ll probably spend NYE with the fam and have something yummy for dinner. I should be able to squeeze in one last blog post for 2013 tomorrow so I will catch you later!

Gwen Stefani by OPI Collection

Posted on 28 December, 201330 December, 2013 by Cynthia

As a huge Gwen Stefani/No Doubt fan, I have been patiently waiting for this collection to come out so I wasted absolutely NO TIME in getting it swatched. There is a degree of excitement surrounding this collection precisely because it’s tied to Gwen whom I have always loved. Being born and raised in Orange County, I can remember watching No Doubt explode and feeling proud of my fellow OC’ers. When I first got the press release for the Gwen Stefani by OPI Collection, I was so freaking excited that I am sure I annoyed a few people. Why is it that some people can’t understand how awesome this collaboration is??? My poor nail guy pretty much felt harassed by my multiple weekly calls to ask him if he had received this collection yet. Imagine my elation when he finally told me they had come in! I raced there after work and grabbed everything so I could come home and play with them. Are you ready for GS awesomeness?

It’s no secret that I am a rabid lover of hot pink polishes, so you’re not really going to hear me complain about OPI Hey Baby…well, not much anyway. This pink is the kind of color that I like to sport because it’s super bright and looks great on my skin tone. Any time I wear a pink like this, people always comment on my nails. I do love the color, but the formula was a little bit of a pain because it was so darn streaky. After two coats, I could still see a lot of uneven coverage so I applied a third thick coat to smooth it all out.

OPI I Sing In Color is one of those colors that can look almost black. It’s a dark brownish red with an outrageously glossy finish. The finished look of it makes my creme loving heart beat faster. The formula on this was a little thin, in my opinion, so you have to let each coat dry a few minutes before going back over it. I created a lot of bald spots with my second coat so I applied a third coat to even out the coverage.

Are we all silver/holo glittered out? I have so many versions of OPI In True Stefani Fashion that I wasn’t super excited about this. It’s just a lot of small silver holo glitter with some squares thrown in. My lighting doesn’t really show how pretty this looks in sunlight because it really does shine.

I think I’ve said plenty of times how much I DON’T like gold polishes, but OPI Love.Angel.Music.Baby is actually my favorite polish from this collection. It’s not an obnoxious ghetto gold, but rather a delicate and classy version that I am totally in love with. This polish has a satin finish so you should not apply top coat to keep the satin effect. Let me tell you about the formula on this baby: it’s creamy like butter and applies beautifully. It looks a little sheer at the first coat but it’s fully opaque at two coats. This is like the gold equivalent of This Gown Needs A Crown from the Miss Universe Collection.

My second favorite from this collection is OPI 4 In The Morning. I really do like black polishes and this one seems a little unusual with its satin finish so don’t apply top coat to keep the soft effect. I also loved the formula on this baby as it was super opaque and easy to apply.

Let’s be honest here: how many of us are dying for a polish that accentuates and magnifies every single ridge and imperfection on our nails? Me, me, me…NOT! Well, OPI Push And Shove does just that if you don’t buff your nails and/or use a good ridge filling base coat. In fact, this polish comes with a mini “Lay Down That Base” base coat that is recommended before applying Push And Shove. I don’t think that I have any polish quite as reflective and metallic as this one, and I was beyond surprised that it wasn’t as brush stroke-y as I feared. The funky thing about this polish is that the packaging states that it is a one night only polish which I guess means that it will start to chip/flake almost immediately. Personally I don’t have a problem with this since I change my polish so often, but I thought it might be important to note.

So, let’s get down to it. Did I love this collection? Meh. If it wasn’t a Gwen Stefani collaboration, would I still purchase these polishes? Not all of them. And that, my friends, is the genius of marketing. This whole collection does not scream Gwen Stefani to me, and I’m a little disappointed. For those of you who are wondering about why there isn’t a red here considering it’s Gwen’s signature lip color, there is a red in the collection called Over & Over A-Gwen but it comes in a special boxed set that wasn’t available when I picked these up. If you’re as polish obsessed as me, I’m sure that you’ll run out to get these as soon as they are available–especially if you’re a Gwen Stefani fan. Overall, I love Love.Angel.Music.Baby and 4 In The Morning. Shockingly, I also like Push And Shove even though it’s a chrome. I just like how reflective it is and I can definitely see myself wearing it for a special occasion. The Gwen Stefani by OPI Collection will be out next month sometime and you will be able to purchase it at the usual OPI retailers such as Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA.

And here is my question: What do you think of this collection? If you’re not a huge fan of the colors, will you purchase it just because it’s Gwen Freaking Stefani? I’m really curious to hear your thoughts on this so let me know. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

*Edit: I’m selling these: 37.25 for the 6 polishes including priority shipping in a box.* email me if you’re interested.