Toes that take notice, OPI Swimsuit… Nailed it!

Posted on May 24, 2013 by joyluscious

I have been wearing nail polish on my toes for over a year now and for the first time, MY HUSBAND COMMENTED ON MY PEDICURE! “Nice toes,” he said. I was shocked!

In fact, I had more people comment on this pedicure then all of my others combined. I certainly ‘Nailed it’ with OPI Swimsuit… Nailed It! from 2011 Miss Universe Collection.

OPI Swimsuit… Nailed It! is an one-coat blue foil polish. I used one coat of Seche Vite over for extra shine and protection. I have absolutely no complain about the formula or the application, and the dry time was also very fast.

The only concern is that it may stain my nail as I was cleaning up the edges, I can see lots of blue stain left behind. So I will update you on that when I take them off in three weeks!

Tri Polish Challenge: Fan Brush Art

Posted on May 23, 2013 by joyluscious

Crumpet's Tri-Polish Challenge

I almost went ahead with a redo but I believe it is unfair to make everyone thinks that all my nail art attempts turn out well because THEY DON’T. So here is an example of failed attempt, fan brush nail art. Honestly, the photos look a lot better than IRL and just in case, you haven’t seen or used a fan brush before, this is what it looks like.

I was hoping for a “drizzle/fine line” look but it really did not turn out that way. First, I did the base color with NYC Sidewalker. Then, I dipped the fan brush in NYC Water Street Blue and brushed from left to right. After the blue dried a bit, I used L.A. Colors Blood Red on the brush and did the opposite direction.I don’t know, the result was kinda ‘scratchy’ looking, in a not so good way. Maybe, I will give it another shot with a different color combo.

Trip-Polish Feature: NYC Sidewalker

Posted on May 22, 2013 by joyluscious

Crumpet's Tri-Polish Challenge

I decided to go with all drugstore brand polishes for the May Tri-polish Challenges. I haven’t been using drugstore polishes for nail art because I find the drugstore brands tends to dry slower and the formula tends to be sheer. I like to use polishes that are almost opaque in one coat for nail art because they give the nail art vibrancy.

NYC Sidewalker is a warm medium grey. I chose this one because the only other grey I had was a slate which I think too ‘purple-y.’ I believe I only paid 50 cents for it because it was on clearance for 75%off from $1.99.

The formula for the Sidewalker is a bit watery so here you see it three coats with no topcoat. Although sheer, Sidewalker isn’t runny so that’s a good thing.

Tri-Polish Challenge: Stripes

Posted on May 21, 2013 by joyluscious

Crumpet's Tri-Polish Challenge

Grey, Red, and Blue are the colors for the month of May. I chose NYC Sidewalker (grey,) LA Girl ‘no name’ (red,) and NYC Water Street Blue (blue.) I used the trusty Zoya Purity for white.

I have been wanting to do a freehand strip manicure so I did.

I was afraid the color combo will make the stripe design too Forth of July-ish but it did not. The grey set up the blue and red and made design kinda retro!

OPI Couture de Minnie: Innie Minnie Mightie Bow

Posted on May 20, 2013 by joyluscious

I love red and I cannot resist buying red polishes. However, I never color my nails red. Why? Bright red on the hand is a statement and it has to be made for the right place at the right time. Other wise, it is just like wearing a ballgown to the grocery store.

Innie Minnie Mightie Bow is a candy apple red with gold shimmer. Super beautiful when it is wet and shiny. I really see the gold shimmer while it is wet.

The formula is great, almost an one-coater for me, but I did two coats with no topcoat for the photographs. The polish is self-leveling and perfect consistency, with no run-off. All the photograph see are taken when the polish was still a bit wet.

The dry time is quite fast for Innie Minnie Mightie Bow but the downside is that it dries very thin. I could hardly see the gold shimmer like I could when it was wet. When wet, it has so much depth and when dry, it is flat and very little sparkle. Pretty much the same thing happened with OPI Danke-shiny Red. So a nice topcoat will revived the shimmer and give the finish some depth.

I probably will be reserving this color, like most of my reds, for my toes. Somehow, it just seems more appropriate.

OPI Couture de Minnie: Magazine Cover Mouse

Posted on May 19, 2013 by joyluscious

Magazine Cover Mouse is the lone Liquid Sand in the OPI Couture de Minnie collection. Described as ‘strawberry red,’ Magazine Cover Mouse is pretty enough to eat.

Magazine Cover Mouse has a base that is red that leans slightly magenta. Gold and pink sand particle mixed in with the red sand. It is hard to see the gold and pink until the polish is at least half-way dried. The dry time is slightly faster than average but it does take a while for the manicure to dry fully, at least an hour. It does dry completely matte.

The formula is really good and stay where I laid the brush down so no problem there. Here you see is two coats and no topcoat.

I been happy with the matte finish with all the Liquid Sand formula but for some reason, I want to try a topcoat with Magazine Cover Mouse. All well, maybe next time.

OPI Couture de Minnie: A Definite Mouset-Have

Posted on May 18, 2013 by joyluscious

OPI A Definite Mouset-Have is a definite must have. If I were to wear fuchsia (with a touch of coral) on my nails, this would be it. Think of A Definite Mouset-Have as OPI Suzi’s Hungary Again‘s brighter, louder, (Hungary-er) sister. It is bold and beautiful.

The formula is AWESOME. I could probably got away with one thick coat but I really want the color super saturated so I did two. A Definite Mouset-Have also have faint white shimmer (seems to be a theme with OPI lately) but it is hard to capture on camera.

I love it. I mouset have it. I am keeping it.

OPI Couture de Minnie: Minnie Style

Posted on May 17, 2013 by joyluscious

Day two, I jazzed up my OPI Chic from Ear to Tail with Minnie Style.

I actually REALLY LIKE THIS LOOK! I haven’t been super impressed with OPI glitter topcoats but Minnie Style, I like. It is full of red, hot pink, fuchsia and white hex glitter, with a little surprising twist of white squares.

The application was interesting because I couldn’t get a lot of glitter on my nails, even thought, I could see the bottle packed with glitter. If I just ‘paint’ it on, I got only a few, after some careful ’dabbing’ I got what you see in the photograph.

It is worth the work because it is very ‘Minnie Stylish‘ despite all the pink

OPI Couture de Minnie: Chic from Ear to Tail

Posted on May 16, 2013 by joyluscious

I got a call yesterday from my favorite beauty shop because OPI Couture de Minni e was in. Cannot believe that I just posted the press release and I already have it!

I am starting with the lightest shade and working my way up to the darkest one. First up, Chic from Ear to Tail is a very barbie, princess-ish pink with faint white shimmer. A lot like the shimmer in OPI Suzi’s Hungary Again.

The formula is sheer and watery, well, at least, for the bottle I bought. I read from other blogs that they only needed two coats and I used three. The first two were streaky and the third one finally went opaque and streak-less. I did get some run-off on the cuticles so my coats were on the thin side. Maybe that is why it took three coats?

I wasn’t expecting to like the color and I wasn’t impressed, especially, it took me three coats to achieve opacity. However, I cannot deny that it is a pretty color and the shimmer gives it a nice sparkle in the sun.

I don’t know if I’d wear it again but I am keeping it in my stash for the little girls that comes around for mani-pedi parties. They will love it!

OPI Couture de Minnie (Mouse) Press Release

Posted on May 15, 2013 by joyluscious

OPI announces the launch of its Couture de Minnie Collection, including four limited edition nail lacquers and one new Liquid Sand™ shade. Created in honor of Disney’s beloved character, theCouture de Minnie line explores the fashion-forward side of Minnie Mouse, mixing pink, fuschia and red shades with textural elements. In addition to three crème lacquers, the Couture de Minnie line features a red and white polka dot glitter shade and the strawberry-hued Liquid Sand™ nail lacquer in Magazine Cover Mouse to give nails a sparkly, matte finish.

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“Last summer, OPI created a Vintage Minnie Mouse line . Women around the world fell in love with the fun and playful shades evocative of Minnie’s traditional look,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “This year, OPI is exploring a different side of Minnie Mouse. The Couture de Minnie Collection draws inspiration from Minnie’s iconic style and incorporates trends most recently seen on the runways, from standout shades to fun textural elements.”

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The Couture de Minnie Collection includes:

Minnie Style | This white and red glitter is the height of fashion.
Chic from Ears to Tail | This pop of bubblegum pink is totally fabulous!
A Definite Moust-Have | This fantastic fuchsia is at the top of my shopping list.
Innie Minnie Mightie Bow | Catch this crimson by the toe!
Magazine Cover Mouse | The headline-making strawberry has sparkling texture, calledLiquid Sand™

Couture de Minnie nail lacquers each feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Liquid Sand™ lacquers should always be worn without top coat. This limited edition promotion will be available beginning June 2013 at professional salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ulta.com for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter (@OPI_PRODUCTS) and become a Facebook fan!