Quo by ORLY Spring 2012

Hey guys! I just have a quick press release from Quo by ORLY to show you today. I was in the Pharmaprix by my house (St. Laurent in the Plateau, if any Montrealers want to get their hands on these), and I saw some new Quo by ORLY colours out that I had to email and ask about. I am told these should be in stores for March 1st!

Quo by ORLY Introduces New, Limited-Edition Shades for Spring 2012

Originally launched in October 2011, with 30 core shades ($10) and five nail treatments ($10), Quo by ORLY now introduces five new, limited-edition shades for Spring 2012 ($10).

Available exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart / Pharmaprix stores across Canada, Quo by ORLY Nail Polish is completely free of DBP, formaldehyde and toluene.

The Spring 2012 offering includes five season-worthy hues to help ease out of the winter freeze and into the warmth. Dial up your digits with an attention-grabbing shade like Orange Pop, stick to classic spring-inspired pastel tones like Lavish Lavender, The Blue Box and Tease, or make a statement with the striking metallic grey of Steel Heart.

                                   

Orange Pop  |  Lavish Lavender  |  The Blue Box  |  Tease  |  Steel Heart

Lynnderella Connect the Dots

Hello everyone! I thought I'd be doing a new mani everyday this past week since it's Reading Week (the Canadian equivalent of Spring Break), but I've had the flu and can barely get out of bed. Today I am very excited to show you my interpretation of Lynnderella Connect the Dots. I can already hear you asking what I mean by "my interpretation," well take a look..

That doesn't look quite right, does it? Well that's because it's not!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I proudly present to you my submission for Sarah at Chalkboard Nails' Dotting Tool Nail Art Contest! I am dying to win the grand prize of a $25 gift certificate to Llarowe's shop, where I hope to finally get my hands on the real (and very elusive) Connect the Dots! Keep reading for some more photos and to find out more about my design.

Ozotic 509

Hello everyone! I have a brilliant post to show you today, it's a colour I've been dying to blog about ever since I got it but it was really important for me to do this shade justice - Ozotic 509. Ozotic 509 is a gorgeous silver holographic shade and is described as follows:

"This shade has no glitter - it contains a holographic shimmer that will bring rainbows to your fingertips!

Your nails will take on a whole new dimension when in bright light or sunlight, sparkling with all the colors of the rainbow!"

I could ramble on about this polish all day, but let's see some photos of this gorgeous colour.

Look at that holo effect, the force is strong with this one. I used three coats of Ozotic 509 to reach opacity and the desired holo effect.

Ozotic 509 is available for purchase from Canadian e-tailer Harlow & Co. right here for $17.00 CAN. If you don't have a classic silver holo in your life yet then this is one I would recommend. The holographic effect is strong and Ozotic bottles contain 0.5 oz / 14 mL. While it may seem expensive at first glance it evens out when you look at the price / mL ratio. 

My dear friend Carla lent me her Nikon D5100 so I could take some worthwhile pics of this polish for you, so please keep reading after the break. I warn you, I may have gone a little crazy with the photos.

OPI Pinks Comparison

When I received Kiss Me on my Tulips from the Holland collection I immediately grabbed my bottle of OPI Strawberry Margarita and thought: aha! They're dupes! Fortunately after doing a thorough comparison I can say that I was wrong in thinking they were exact dupes, but they are extremely similar.  

Here you can see I am holding Kiss Me on my Tulips from the new Holland collection, and I have it on my ring and index finger. My middle finger has OPI Strawberry Margarita. On the nail you can really see the blue base of KMomT, it's more fuchsia than Strawberry Margarita. I love both colours but I'm not sure if I really need both in my stash. 

Here is KMomT on the bottom and Strawberry Margarita on top. Keep reading for some more photos!

OPI Reds Comparison

Hello everyone! I have my friend Carla visiting me from Toronto because it's reading week so I've cued this post up ahead of time. Today I'll be comparing OPI Red Lights Ahead...Where? from the new Holland collection with another OPI The Thrill of Brazil and Quo by ORLY Red Hot. I am happy to say that I did not find a dupe, but that there may still be dupes for this colour out there somewhere, my reds part of my lacquer collection isn't very developed. 

In these pictures I have Red Lights Ahead...Where? On my index and ring finger, on my middle finger OPI The Thrill of Brazil, and my pinky is sporting the Quo by ORLY Red Hot. The other two reds are much too dark and much too blue to be close to the new Holland one. I didn't really realize the diversity between reds until now, but this just makes me glad that I got my hands on RLA...W? because it's definitely welcome in my collection.

Keep reading for some more photos!

OPI Holland Part 2 - Swatches and Review

Wow, finally my week from hell is over and I can post the rest of my swatches from the Holland collection! This was the half I was a little less excited about, what could possibly be new about a red, a pink, and an orange? Well, I thought wrong..

The shades I'll be showing you swatches of today are Red Lights Ahead...Where?, Kiss Me on my Tulips, and A Roll in the Hague. This post is super picture heavy, so keep reading only if you dare..

Be Mine, Valentine

Hello and Happy Valentine's Day to all! Today I have the final installment in my Valentine's Day series for you, and it's a little different than the previous pink, red, and white designs.

How sweet are these! Can you guys pick out what a cheater I am? I did this nail art over top of my previous comparison post. On the nails with lots of hearts I have OPI Skull & Glossbones as a base, on the other nails I have Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh from OPI's new Holland collection as a base, and I made the hearts with dotting tools using OPI Dating a Royal and OPI No Spain No Gain. These are so cute!

Comparison OPI Greige

Hey guys! I have kind of a crazy, crazy week so I am going to be spreading out my comparison posts instead of lumping them into one, because if I post them in one post you probably won't hear from me until Friday. I have some comparison shots of OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh (one of my new favourite polishes) from the just out Holland collection, and OPI Skull & Glossbones, a fan favourite from last spring's Pirates of the Caribbean collaboration. These colours are very close but I am thrilled to say they are not dupes! 

In this photo I have Skull & Glossbones on my ring and index finger and Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh on my middle finger and pinky. Skull & Glossbones is definitely more grey and putty coloured than DYEAVG (what a name!) The Holland polish has a little bit more of a sandy feel to it, it's leaning towards a greyed out neutral colour, not a pure grey. I don't know if I could choose between the two, I love them both. I think DYEAVG might be more flattering on my, my mom once told me that Skull & Glossbones made my fingers look dead.. Both of these colours are welcome in my stash, and they are probably two of the most unique and versatile polishes I own. Colours like this make a great base for nail art, which you may or may not see in my next post :P

OPI Holland Part 1 - Swatches and Review

Hello everyone! I was lucky enough to receive 6 of the polishes from OPI's new Holland collection that hit shelves yesterday. Today I'm going to show you I Don't Give a Rotterdam, Gouda Gouda Two Shoes, and Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh? I am in love with this entire collection so far, this post is going to be extremely picture heavy so get ready!

piCture pOlish razzle dazzle

Today I have my very first piCture pOlish to show you guys, and it's called razzle dazzle! I'm not sure if I'm supposed to capitalize that or not so I'll just leave it alone. This is a glitter in a clear base that is mostly purple and blue but there seems to be silver and green glitter dispersed throughout too! I was originally planning on wearing this polish alone but the glitter isn't very dense and I think it's best used as a layering polish. I have it over some pastel skittles for you guys to see which colours best show off all the different glitters!

In this picture I have one coat of razzle dazzle over OPI Banana Bandanna, OPI Do You Lilac It? OPI Pink Friday, and China Glaze For Audrey. I didn't know how well the glitter would stand out against the blue or purple backgrounds, but those might be my favourite colour combination! Keep reading for more photos of this glitter bomb.

SpaRitual Water Collection 2012

Hey everyone! C'est le weekend et je me sens trés heureuse parce que aujourd'hui, je ne devais pas aller à l'école! If you don't know French, I said I'm very happy today because I didn't have to go to school. I miss my French class even though the teacher/curriculum was not the greatest.. but I do miss the people in my class. Anyway, that was random, onto the polish!

I received information about SpaRitual's Water Collection that hit salons on February 1st, and the colors look really nice and soothing. I wonder where I can find some SpaRitual here... First, here's what they look like!

SPARITUAL INTRODUCES WATER 2012 NAIL LACQUER COLLECTION

Portion of proceeds donated to Surge
Benefits Clean, Safe, Drinking Water

Water shades include Hidden Reef, a shimmering coral, Deep, an iridescent reflection of moonlight, Ripple Effect, a creamy & dusty mauve, Lucid, a lilac blue hue, Undercurrent, a dark blue like the ocean floor, Ebb & Flow, a light aqua like the sky. The complete collection is available February 1, 2012 and will retail for $10.00 each in fine salons and spas nationwide, including Spa Halekulani, Canyon Ranch, and the Mandarin Oriental. SpaRitual products are also available online at skinstore.com, beauty.com, and skincarerx.com

Keep reading for more info!

V-day Water Marble

Hello everyone, who's excited that it's February? That means the coldest month of the year is over and we can (almost) fast forward to spring! Before posting my Nicki Minaj swatches my top post was my first successful water marble and you can find that post here. I tried doing a Valentine's water marble for you last week but I had troubles with OPI Pink Friday, a colour that shouldn't be left out on Valentine's Day. I got up the courage to try it again this weekend and had lovely results!

I used one layer of OPI Alpine Snow for the base, and in the marble I used Quo by ORLY Red Hot, OPI Alpine Snow, OPI Strawberry Margarita, and Zoya Ashley. I had no problems getting these polishes to spread in the water, unlike when I tried multiple times with Pink Friday. I wonder what it is about the formula that makes it good for water marbling. Keep reading for some more pictures of my V-Day creation!