OPI Femme de Cirque Soft Shades Collection Spring 2011 Swatches and Review

OPI's annual Soft Shades collection is circus-themed this year. I have to say, I like the theme! No Soft Shades collection can rival my love for the old Princess Charming collection, but the names of the polishes in this set are fantastic.


In The Spotlight Pink. A soft, squishy-looking milky pink jelly. This pink is mostly neutral in the bottle, but it does border on warmer/peachy-toned against my skin.


So Many Clowns, So Little Time. This name seriously cracks me up... It's going on my list of all time favorite OPI names. The color is a creamy off white with a slight splash of pink and grey. Reminds me a bit of the whiter version of Bubble Bath.


Step Right Up. This one has a similar finish to So Many Clowns, but it has more pink and peach in it. Very pale, very white-based, slightly muted, like there's one drop of grey in it.


My favorite part of this collection is the glitter topcoat, I Juggle... Men. Well, it's not quite a glitter, but it's a sparkle. It's sort of like... maybe Orly Fifty-Four or CND Sapphire Sparkle, but it's even more like the duochrome shimmer in OPI Unripened / Nicole Blues In The Night. Funky irregular particles, like mini-flakes... Broken crushed flakes... Super duochrome gorgeous. It wouldn't show up on camera all by itself on my nails, but it's really intended for layering anyway, so I've layered it.

OPI I Juggle... Men sparkle topcoat over In The Spotlight Pink.

OPI I Juggle... Men sparkle topcoat over So Many Clowns, So Little Time.


OPI I Juggle... Men sparkle topcoat over Step Right Up.

As you can see, it's subtle over the sheers, but it adds a nice touch of blue/purple duochrome sparkle. It really shows up best over darker colors. It's especially nice over Color Club Total Mystery.

The formula on these was difficult. I found it to be somewhat watery but goopy at the same time, a texture similar to early Big 3 Free polishes. I did have a hard time applying these. They wanted to run into my cuticles. The Pro-Wide brush seemed smaller and flatter than usual and that added to the difficulty. These are meant to be worn as sheers, but my nails are way too stained to wear them that way, so I did five coats of all. When worn sheer, they are very subtle, providing only a slight milky wash of color.

The exception is the I Juggle... Men topcoat, which is a nice thin, even texture. It dries very, very fast and quite shiny, which leads me to believe it is actually a topcoat, quick-dry even, and not just for layering. It's fantastic.

These would probably make a nice, soft, natural looking french manicure. One that looks like clean natural nails with a touch of softness.

While the colors aren't really my thing, I do love that glitter topcoat and I love the names. They're very, very sheer so if you're someone who is only into subtle tints on your nails, these might interest you.

(These were sent to me for review.)

Deborah Lippmann Spring 2011 Swatches and Review

This year's spring shades from Lippmann are soft and subdued.


Naked. This is a soft, milky neutral beige. You could call it nude, fleshy... Naked, really. It's almost my perfect 'Mannequin Hands' shade, but it's just a touch too tan. It can be worn sheer, but I think it looks best opaque like I'm wearing it here (three coats).

And the star in this spring duo....

Glitter In The Air. What can I even say about this color? I'm totally in love. Yes, I am in love with a sheer polish. It's true. I would have never expected this. Let me describe it. It's a milky, cloudy, gentle baby blue jelly. Very sheer. Sprinkled throughout the blue jelly base are shiny bits of large and small pink and blue glitter. It's not a dense glitter and you won't have full coverage with it, but that's the beauty of it. It reminds me of cotton candy and cupcake sprinkles and magic. It's just so romantic and dreamy looking. I'm wearing three coats and it's really sheer. It looks even better at four thin coats but I didn't get a picture of that. If you prefer a more opaque look (or just hate visible nail line), you can easily layer it over pastel blue or a white creme.

The formula on these was decent. They both start out sheer and can be layered for more coverage. With the texture of the formula on these polishes, it's best to wait a minute or so in between coats so that you don't get that goopiness that some sheer polishes can get when applying. Drying time was a little long, but not horrible.

Naked is nice, but Glitter In The Air is magical. It's a fantasy polish. Sheer polishes, especially sheer glitters, aren't something I usually like, but this one is different. It looks squishy and soft, like candy and marshmallows. And... unicorns!!

(These were sent to me for review.)

More random Zoya swatches- Sheers, nudes, reds/berries

Uma

Rose (this has green duochrome shimmer!)

Riley

Racquel

Quinn

Portia

Parker

Mia

Kat

Jaime

Isabel

Heather

Diana (jelly finish!)

Dharma

Celeste

Angel

Nubar Holiday Jewel Basket Set for Winter/Holiday 2010

I'm glad the Finest Silks collection didn't end up being the actual Holiday collection.... A holiday collection just isn't right without a little glitter!

Nubar is now offering the Holiday Jewel Basket gift set for holiday- it consists of all re-promoted colors, but they are being offered at a discount.

Here's what it has:


Competition Red. A medium red creme. Lately I really love red cremes, but this one isn't doing it for me- it's too 'medium'. It's not crisp looking, it's a little softer. It's not really bright or saturated, it seems faded. Maybe it's just my skintone, but this red is just very soft and mild. Applies really smoothly, though!

Gold Glitter. Is this a photogenic color or what? So gorgeous. This is just a plain gold glitter in a clear base. Very opaque, covers completely in two coats. One of the best gold glitters in my collection. On top of having great coverage, it also dries smoother than a lot of other glitters.


Grass Green Glitter. Oh no... I think this has been reformulated! It doesn't look like I remember it. It's more blue-toned now, the particles are a little bigger and now there are flecks of gold glitter mixed in. It's still pretty, but it doesn't look like this anymore:


(I know, I know, horrible picture! The lighting is all wrong and what on earth am I doing with my fingers? But look at how small and green the glitter is.)



Pixie Dust (two coats over black). This is a very, very delicate and subtle glitter for layering. The particles are tiny, thin and shiny- they're pretty much clear- but they add a nice sparkle. Think Zoya Sparkle Gloss topcoat- but this seems less dense. I couldn't capture it alone- I had to layer to get it to show up on camera. Very pretty and snowy, definitely not a flashy type of glitter. Reminds me of ice crystals on a window.


Silver Glitter. Pure silver, nothing else. I dig it. I do have a fondness for silver glitters... The color may not be unique but the formula is really nice. Totally opaque in two coats, dries quickly and seems uncannily smooth for a glitter. Extremely sparkly and shiny.


Ruby Red Glitz. Yes, it is a Ruby Pumps clone, but there's nothing wrong with that. Ruby Pumps is freakin' gorgeous and so is this. I've actually been wearing this for a few days and I'm really in love with it. It only needs two coats, it dries super fast and is extraordinarily smooth for a polish with so much glitter. The red jelly base combined with the red-gold glitter is just such a captivating combination... looks like it's on fire.



2010 (index and middle finger in first photo, on the right in the second photo). Hm... I thought I had a picture of 2010 all by itself, but apparently I don't! 2010 has become one of Nubar's most popular shades in a very short period of time- it's only been out for a few months but already almost everyone I know has it! It is similar to Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure (as seen above) and also GOSH Rainbow (which I have just recently acquired- thanks Helen!). It's an opal flake in a clear base- it reflects red, gold, green, orange and sometimes a little pink and blue depending on the angle. It is excellent for layering and looks good over pretty much any color.


The Holiday Jewel Basket set also comes with a bottle of Foundation basecoat and a bottle of Diamont topcoat. I have to warn you- something bad happened to Diamont. I had been hearing that it was reformulated and wasn't the same as before, but I hadn't tried the new formula until now. You all were right- it's horrible. It never dries and it's so thin and watery! Why on earth would they reformulate such a perfect topcoat?! I loved Diamont so much- it never, ever shrank on me no matter how many layers I used. It wasn't the fastest drying topcoat but it was definitely the most durable. I sincerely hope that Nubar brings back the old formula cause I'm pretty sad about this terrible new one.

The formula on these was great. I had zero application problems. All the glitters were smooth and opaque (except Pixie Dust, which is for layering). Everything was as it should be, application-wise.


So, overall, nothing new here (except the new Diamont formula) but it's still a nice collection of festive glitters with excellent formula. I don't believe that anything in this set is limited edition and all of the colors are sold individually so you don't have to buy the whole set if you already have some of these. It's available now on Nubar's website for $49.95- it claims to be the most "deeply discounted" set they have, but it's the same price as all the other sets (it does contain one more bottle than the rest of the sets, though). However, today is the last day to use the NOV3030 code for 30% off orders of $30 or more, so you can get a little extra discount!

(These were sent to me for review.)

Nubar Finest Silks Collection Winter 2010

I don't think this is intended to be a winter-themed or holiday-themed collection, it just happens to be being released for winter. More thoughts on this collection after the pictures!





Charmeuse. A soft coral-mauve creme. On the warm side. Looks like dark muted pink with some orangey tones. A little too dated for my tastes but it may look good on someone with a warmer skin tone.



Chiffon. Soft, muddy, mousy grey-taupe. Love these types of colors. Looks more grey in the picture than it does on me in real life- it's more tan toned in real life.



Marabout. Another gorgeous taupe-grey-muddy color. This one is darker than Chiffon, more purple toned (but not purple-looking) and less warm. This one seems to suit my skin tone better but they're both nice.



Moire. This is an odd color! It's a brown-toned medium pink nude... Very difficult to describe. It's fleshy and earthy. It's like coffee with cream mixed with the color of ham. It's breakfast colored!



Organza. Sheer pearly white shimmer. More of a pearl than a frost. Still has the same brushstroke issues as frosts do but it has that shiny, smooth pearl-like reflection on it. I'm sure this is meant to be worn sheer and I think it would actually look better sheer. I bet you could layer it to add shimmer to these colors as well.



Pekin. The lighter of the two reds in the collection. It's a medium bordering on dark red and it seems blue based to me.




Sateen. This is the darker of the two. It's a red wine color with a hint of brown undertone.



Taffeta. Soft warm milky brown with a touch of warm orange or pink in it. Not a pure milk chocolate color, it's more of a pink chocolate. Or perhaps... a brown peach? Skintone shade- most likely intended as a nude color for a deeper, warmer skintone than mine.


The formula on these was just perfect. Dreamy. Flawless, effortless application. Excellent coverage on all shades except Organza (I used three coats to build opacity, it's probably intended to be worh sheer). Drying time is good and I experienced no problems with the texture, application or brushes. The formula was really, really great, I am impressed with it more than I am with the colors....

These are all very soft, conservative, office-appropriate types of colors. Nothing fun or wild or attention-grabbing. I don't believe they were intended to be. Normally I would blast a collection for being this bland and safe, but in this specific instance I'm not going to. The press release states that they were aiming for a collection of timeless colors for every skintone with the benefit of a two-coat coverage formula, and that's exactly what they've created. Seems like Nubar is trying to expand their line lately- adding lots of shades in the same color family but with that lovely new formula. Reds, the greys, the greens, the corals, the purples, the browns....

I do like a couple of the colors- Chiffon and Marabout of course, but I'm also intrigued by Moire. While the collection doesn't suit my personal tastes, I gotta say that the formula was amazing. Their creme formula seems to have been perfected- comparable to Rescue Beauty Lounge's perfect creme formula. So, if you are looking for colors like these I'd recommend based on formula alone.

Though, I must say I was really looking forward to some sort of sparkly, glittery colorful winter/holiday type colors for their winter release.... I am a bit sad that they've done nudes and wines for the winter collection instead. Oh well... Maybe they'll have something more edgy and fun for Spring!

(These were sent to me for review.)

Borghese Tutti Gelati Collection Summer 2010

It's still summer for a couple more days, right? Crap crap crap I still have summer collections to post before it ends!

Here's one of Borghese's summer offerings, gelato themed! I love pistachio gelato... mmm.

Berry Confezione. A really punchy bright fuchsia/light purple creme. Not a neon, but still very clear and bright.

Limoncello. Oh man, I love limoncello... the liqueur, not so much the polish. Okay, Limoncello the polish is not so bad, it's just a little sheer and doesn't mesh quite so well with my skintone. It's a pale yellow frost. I think this was four or five coats, I don't remember for sure, but it was definitely on the sheer side.

Maraschino. My favorite of the collection. A really bright coral-red creme. Looks better in real life than it does in my picture. The color is so bright and colorful that it did that weird thing to my camera that neons do. Not a neon, but still really bright.

Menta. This is one of the ones I bought before I knew it was part of a collection. Looks better in the bottle than it does on the nail, sadly. Absolutely nothing wrong with the color, it's a gorgeous sparkling turquoise shimmer. My issue with it is the sheerness- it's extremely sheer. This is five coats and you can still see my nails through it.

Pistaccio. Another one I bought randomly off the shelf at Ulta. A green shimmer! Had to have it. Sadly, like Menta, it's ridiculously sheer. This is five coats. The color is great, it's a rich green shimmer, but I don't have the patience to do five coats unless the color is really, really unique.


Tutti Gelati. A pink with silvery shimmer. Almost glass-fleck like shimmer. Could be a warmer cousin to China Glaze's 100 Proof Pink.

The formula on these was varied. The creme-based shades were thick and opaque while the three frosty shimmer shades were thin and sheer. The Borghese brush makes application of the sheer shades a lot more difficult, but it makes the creme application a breeze. If you've never used Borghese before, you might be surprised by the brush. It's huge and wide and flat and when you look at it closely you realize it's actually two brushes side by side. It's a little bit stiff so you need to use a light touch with it (why did that sound so dirty?)

I'm pretty new to Borghese polish. I'm really liking a couple of the shades and now I want to try more. Before these my collection was Espresso Brown, some minis with glitter, Stellare Notte (which is AMAZING), a pink shimmer from the clearance bin at TJ Maxx and Almondine. Very curious to see what they release next... Hopefully another sweet duochrome like Stellare Notte!

(Some of these were sent to me for review. )

Nicole by OPI Gossip Girl Collection 2010

First, let's set things straight. I don't do Gossip Girl. I've never seen an episode, don't know the name of a single character or actor in the show, nor do I care to. That said, if there's some sort of inside joke in one of the names of these polishes or it somehow relates to something in the show, I'm oblivious to it! So I can't comment on that aspect. But, I can comment on the gorgeous colors...

Party in the Penthouse. Gorgeous medium blue foil. It doesn't have the typical foil polish texture, but it does have a glimmering metallic foil finish. The texture actually reminds me more of something like Zoya Kotori- bright metallic particles in a sheer blackened base. Same with Too Rich For You. This was pretty sheer for me so I used three coats. Looks great at three coats, very sparkly.

Too Rich For You. A dark smoky blue shimmer with green tones. Looks like it has a lot of duochrome in the bottle but isn't really duochrome once it's on the nail. Again, similar to Zoya Kotori with the sheer smoky black base and the bright shimmery particles. This one was also sheer and I did use three coats to get rid of the visible nail line. The end result is quite beautiful, don't you think?

And now on to the best part... the glitter shades!


Scandal, Secrets and Sparkle. I think that's in the right order... all I remember is it was three S words! This is a medium-sized silver glitter in a sheer silver shimmer base. Very much like Zoya Luna or China Glaze The Ten Man. The base of this isn't so much colored as it is filled with little shimmer particles, so it gives a milky look that shimmers when sunlight hits it. Very sheer, probably best for layering. If you want a less-sheer version of this color to wear alone, Zoya Luna is your best bet. However, Luna is too opaque for layering, so if you're looking for a layering glitter, Scandal, Secrets and Sparkle is the better option.


Nicole...Spotted! I saved the best for last. Man, do I ever love this polish. It's a sheer aqua gel-like base with super tiny golden-green iridescent sparkles (micro-micro glitter?) and small sized pastel iridescent/opal glitter- mainly colors of pale yellow, green, blue and orange. This is just so much prettier than other polishes of this type.... I know I have a few, the first one that comes to mind is Sinful Nail Junkie. Nicole...Spotted! is so much more sparkly and lively, it never falls flat. I layered it over tons of things and it looks good over pretty much everything. Here's a couple layering combinations:


Nicole...Spotted! over OPI Unripened. Here's what it looks like over a black based shade. Smooth, sparkly, mesmerizing, adds a slight blue tint, too!

Nicole....Spotted! over Party in the Penthouse. Looks good over a foil, too. Looks... oceanic? Looks like blue ocean water with colorful rocks below the surface.


And my favorite combination so far... Nicole...Spotted! over Too Rich For You. You might want to enlarge these pictures to really enjoy the delicate golden sparkle in this. It's so bright and awesome. I'm obsessed with it now.

For thoroughness sake, here's Scandal, Secrets and Sparkle layered:

Scandal, Secrets and Sparkle over Too Rich For You. See how indoors it looks cloudy and in sunlight it looks sparkly? That's the little particles of white-silver shimmer in the base. Very odd look, it changes so much from indoors to outdoors.


The formula on these wasn't the best. The two dark shades, Too Rich For You and Party in the Penthouse, were rather sheer and a little watery and needed three coats to be totally opaque. I'm used to a thicker, more opaque polish formula now and these were a little bit of a surprise! The glitter shades were perfectly normal, though. Not thin, not too thick or glue-like either, nice and smooth. They are also sheer, I did three coats in these pictures and one coat for layering. Drying time is great. The glitters aren't super lumpy but they do benefit from thick topcoat as most glitters do... they look amazing under that shiny glassy layer of Seche Vite....

Overall, not a bad set... But I'm most enthusiastic about Nicole...Spotted! I can't even see the other colors... I only have eyes for Spotted. It's fantastic. Looks good alone, over black, over blue, over creme, over shimmer... It just looks good, period! (And then exclamation point?)

If you're looking for these, I saw them on clearance at Target just this week! They also have huge cardboard displays of them at Meijer, but they're full price there.

(These were sent to me for review.)