Saturday, September 6, 2014

OPI Gwen Stefani Holiday 2014 Nail Effects




Are you ready for Holiday collections yet?  For the Winter of 2014, OPI is releasing 3 separate collections in collaboration with Gwen Stefani.  The collection I have to show you today is the glitter collection.

Let's begin with a look at the solid color polishes that come with the collection for you to layer the glitter over:


no base coat, 2 coats Rollin' in Cashmere, no top coat


First up is Rollin' in Cashmere.  A frosty yellow-gold.  To me, this looks exactly like I though 50 Years of Style from the recent Ford Mustang collection would look.  I don't have them to compare, so you'll have to tell me if you agree or disagree.


no base coat, 2 coats Rollin' in Cashmere, no top coat


Next up is Unfrost My Heart.  Made up of dense, tiny silver particles to give you a chrome finish.  Like Rollin' in Cashmere, I think this polish looks very similar to a previous OPI polish.  What do you think: could this be a dupe to My Signature is DC from the Coca-Cola collection?


no base coat, 2 coats Unfrost My Heart, no top coat


How about another photo to help you decide:


no base coat, 2 coats Unfrost My Heart, no top coat


Ok, now on to the part you (probably) came here to see: the glitters.


no base coat, 1 coat of So Elegant over 3 coats of My Boyfriend Scales Walls by OPI, no top coat


This is So Elegant.  Large gunmetal hexagonal glitters, medium gunmetal hexagonal glitters, small matte black hexagons, and micro matte black dots are all suspended in a clear base.


no base coat, 1 coat of So Elegant over 3 coats of My Boyfriend Scales Walls by OPI, no top coat


Next up is I'll Tinsel You In.  Yay!  An easy-to-apply black and white glitter-topper from a mainstream brand.


base coat, 1 coat of I'll Tinsel You In over 2 coats of My Turn by Sinful Colors, no top coat


Honestly, I thought this was just a black and white glitter.  Upon closer inspection, this polish seems to fit its name perfectly.  There are large matte white glitter pieces, matte white bar glitter, small matte black hexagons, micro matte black dots, and… what  appears to be silver chrome bar glitter, thus making it look like this polish has actual tinsel in it!


base coat, 1 coat of I'll Tinsel You In over 2 coats of My Turn by Sinful Colors, no top coat


Snow Globetrotter was the polish I was most interested in when I heard about this collection, and it doesn't disappoint!


base coat, 1 coat of Snow Globetrotter over 2 coats of Whipped by Sinful Colors, top coat


Layered over black, this polish looks like a mix of crushed jewels and galaxies on your nails!  A combination of opalescent hexagons in large, medium, small, and micro, along with matte white hexagonal glitter in sizes large, medium, small, and micro all in a clear base.


base coat, 1 coat of Snow Globetrotter over 2 coats of Whipped by Sinful Colors, top coat


In the sun, the opalescent glitter pieces really catch the light!


base coat, 1 coat of Snow Globetrotter over 2 coats of Whipped by Sinful Colors, top coat


Last but certainly not least, here is Comet in the Sky.  I tried to save the best for last, and I think you may agree.


no base coat, 1 coat of Comet in the Sky over 2 coats of You Got Me Started by Deborah Lippmann,  no top coat


Comet in the Sky is the twin to Snow Globetrotter in that it features multiple sizes of matte glitter and multiple sizes of opalescent glitter in a clear base.


no base coat, 1 coat of Comet in the Sky over 2 coats of You Got Me Started by Deborah Lippmann,  no top coat


The matte black hexagonal glitter comes in size large, small, and micro, while the opalescent glitter comes in large, medium, small, and micro, all in a clear base.


no base coat, 1 coat of Comet in the Sky over 2 coats of You Got Me Started by Deborah Lippmann,  top coat


The strong opalescent colors are most prominent in regular indoor (tungsten) lighting, unless you want flashes of sparkle, which you can get by wearing this glitter in the sun.  If you see below, you'll notice that the opalescent glitter on the bottom of my ring finger which looked clear-tinted yellow two photos above now glows a purplish-blue.


no base coat, 1 coat of Comet in the Sky over 2 coats of You Got Me Started by Deborah Lippmann,  no top coat


And there you have it!  

The coverage in each of these glitter polishes for just one coat was great.  No fishing for the larger glitter pieces was necessary!  The glitter applied smoothly and laid flat on the nail when dry.

I bought this collection on eBay for relatively the same amount it would cost at a beauty supply store, so if you can't wait for this collection like I couldn't, try checking online sellers, since this collection hasn't been officially released yet.  You can buy it at Ulta or JC Penney's (or any of your preferred retailers) when it becomes available in the fall.  But, you know, why wait when you can buy it online.  Right now.  Go!

But first, share your opinions!  What do you think of this Holiday collection?  Better than the last?  What do you think of this Gwen Stefani collection compared to the last?

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Chanel Sweet Star for FNO 2014

Are you in Australia?  Are you attending Fashion's Night Out (FNO)?  If you were in debate about it, here's the reason you should go:

image from Vogue.com.au

Yes, that is a new Chanel Le Vernis.  And it's exclusive to FNO 2014.  If you're lucky enough to live in Australia (Sydney to be precise, since Australia's pretty big, it's not going to do you any good if you're sitting at home in Perth or somewhere across the continent), then run to Myer Sydney City Makeup Studio!

According to Vogue Australia, this polish will be at the (below) Chanel location for FNO.  And you can only get it if you go in person.  Tonight.  In Australia.


For more information, follow this link to visit Vogue Australia's info on the FNO exclusive: Chanel at Vogue Fashion's Night Out

Now, if you're like me and do not live in Sydney, then we just have to wait until November for the Chanel Delights collection to become available (according to this article from Vogue Australia).  

Unfortunately, I called my local Chanel boutique to confirm, and they said that the United States will not be getting in any of the FNO products.  I'm going to make a wild assumption here and state that I think Sweet Star will become available the way Cosmic and Magic did from last year's FNO exclusives.  So this polish may be available to you later this month.  At this time, I do not know if any other countries participating in FNO will be able to get Chanel Sweet Star on their FNO date/time (for example, FNO for the UK is occurring on September 23), but I'll keep you updated if I hear any more news about where you can find Chanel Sweet Star.

Note, at the time of this posting, FNO in Australia is set to start in a little over 3 hours.  So, you know, if you're on the opposite side of Australia, you can still run to the airport and fly out to Sydney.  

If you're one of the lucky ones to have gotten a bottle, please share some pictures!  Comment below, or tag me on Twitter and/or Instagram and I'll try to update this post so everyone can share in the nail polish exclusivity!