OPI Mariah Carey and Euro Centrale Press Releases

Hi everyone! Today I have two press releases for upcoming OPI collections that landed in my inbox this week. The first one is the much anticipated OPI collaboration with Mariah Carey, let's see what they have to say about this collection which should hit stores in January 2013. I've hidden the rest of this post under a break because it is pretty long, so make sure you open the rest and keep on reading!

Lynnderella + The Man with the Golden Gun

Hello everyone! Today I have the most gorgeous combination ever to show you all. I actually did this before my birthday, but since I wanted to post my special mani on that day this one had to wait. I know some of you loved the manicure I did with OPI Fly and Lynnderella I Don't Mean Rhinestones, and what better to do with a good thing than to make it even better?

Here we have my previous combination of two coats of OPI Fly, two coats of Lynnderella I Don't Mean Rhinestones, and one coat of OPI The Man with the Golden Gun. 

I am dying right now, this is so gorgeous! I really love how the gold looks against the turquoise.

Yum, look at that depth! 

What do you guys think about this? Was it worth it to add the extra layer, or would you have left it as it was?

Birthday Manicure

Hi everyone! As some of you may know, today is my 20th birthday, so I have a fun manicure to show you. I  mentioned that I had been experimenting with glequins so that I could use them in this mani, and though they didn't turn out perfectly, the effect is still there.

These are so chic, I'm in love!

As you can see in the photos, I used Quo by ORLY Little Black Dress as the base. I applied the gold glequins using the tip of a dotting tool. I then taped off triangular sections and used Essie Matte About You.

I'm really proud of these, I wish I had been a little more patient in doing them. I guess it's my birthday and there's more important things to do than obsess about manicure details!

Who wants to see what I got?

My parents bought me this super cool watch. Can you believe I'm turning 20 and have never owned a watch?

My boyfriend Dan gave me a Lululemon top that I was really wanting, but I can't find a pic of it right now. My Grandparents sent me a card with some money, and my sister is going to make my boyfriend and I a dinner as soon as I give her a date. 

Lynnderella I Don't Mean Rhinestones

Hi everyone! Today I have an absolutely gorgeous combination to show you all that I have been trying hard not to stare at all week long. I couldn't decide which of my Lynnderellas to use until the sun shone in through my window and I couldn't keep my eyes off of I Don't Mean Rhinestones. I know it sounds like I'm kidding, but I'm not, I had no idea how many different colours were in this polish!

Here is two coats of Lynnderella I Don't Mean Rhinestones over two coats of OPI Fly. These colours complement each other absolutely perfectly.

This was really difficult to photograph in the sun because all the different shapes, sizes, and colours of glitters wanted to show off their sparkle.

Mmm, here is a delicious macro shot. Can you guys see the mixture of hex, square, and diamond glitters mixed in with all the little glitters. 

I really think you have to see this in person to be able to appreciate its beauty, but I recommend this wholeheartedly if you're looking to add a Lynn to your collection. 

What do you think of this combination? Do you have a favourite Lynnderella polish?

Ditsy Daisy Pattern Nail Art

Hey guys! How are you all doing? I've been having a fantastic day, it's been refreshing compared to the past two weeks so definitely was a great break! Tonight I was fortunate enough to see a preview showing of Twilight: Breaking Dawn with my workplace and all I can say was that if you're a Twilight fan you're going to love it. I won't say any spoilers but it's definitely worth seeing! I even wore my Team Edward shirt and all to commemorate the last film!  Anyway, here's where the polish comes in! :)

I based this design sort of off of Bella's bedsheets... cheesy I know. But hey, when Charlie buys her purple bedsheets I assumed there was a flower pattern so why not! I could write my own book about her purple bedsheets... (I'm still a little hyper from the movie so bear with me!) I also wanted to use my handy dotting tools again, so here you have it! A design that I will call 'ditsy daisies' because I have a shirt from American Eagle that's called 'ditsy pattern western shirt' or something like that. Anyhoo, enough rambling! Here are the pics:

3 coats Kiko 245 + FingerPaints Easel Come, Easel Go! for the flowers

Yay for trigonometry... Don't you love seeing what units I do in school every time I post?

EEEEEEEE SO LUCKY!!!

Sorry for the bad lighting in the photos everyone! I wake up to darkness and come home to darkness so there's not much I can do about sunlight short of bringing nail polish bottles to school and swatching in the middle of the day! 

Hope you enjoyed this quick and fun nail art, see you all soon!

Mandy

Cirque du Soleil - Worlds Away! China Glaze - Press Release

Hello world! I have exciting news for you today! China Glaze and Ardell are coming out with a Cirque du Soleil themed collection. This is exciting because 1) Canadian girl pride who loves nail polish, YES! and 2) the polishes are absolutely gorgeous. First off, here's a blurb on the collections!

China Glaze® and Ardell® Introduce Exclusive Collections Inspired by
Paramount Pictures’ new 3D Film, “Cirque du Soleil™:  Worlds Away”

LOS ANGELES (November 15, 2012) – China Glaze® and Ardell® announced today their partnership with Paramount Pictures to offer exclusive collections of nail polishes and eyelashes inspired by the upcoming 3D film, “Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away” in theaters December 21st.

From the big top to the big screen, visionary filmmaker James Cameron and writer/director Andrew Adamson invite you on an all new 3D adventure: “Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away.”  A young couple who is separated must journey through the astonishing and dreamlike worlds of Cirque du Soleil® to find each other as audiences experience the immersive 3D technology that will allow them to leap, soar, swim and dance with the performers.

The new China Glaze® and Ardell® “Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away” inspired nail polish and eyelash collections will bring to life the wonderfully exotic artistry that is presented throughout the film. The China Glaze® nail polish collection combines rich crèmes, soft shimmers and bold glitters to create 12 limited edition shades including:

Whirled Away

It's a Trap-eze

Escaping Reality

Surreal Appeal

Def Defying

Running in Circles

Hanging in the Balance

Water You Waiting For?

Creative Fantasy

Bend Over Backwards

Igniting Love

Get Carried Away

Doesn't this collection look absolutely amazing?!?!? I am in LOVE with all the shimmers and glitters already. Chunky glitter <3 My dream come true. In such fab color combinations too! Very creative China Glaze, I can't wait to see them in person! There is also a collection of Ardell lashes to go along with this collection so I think that it ties in really nicely and adds to the surreal, mystical, other-worldly effect that Cirque du Soleil surprises its audience with. Anyway! How are you liking these bottle shots? Will you be picking any of them up? I'd have to say Whirled Away, It's a Trap-eze, Running in Circles, and Get Carried Away are on my watch list!

Thanks for reading!

Mandy

xoxo

Pink Glequins

Hello everyone! Today I have a pink glequin nail look to show you all, I've been meaning to play around some more with my glequins because they are so much fun. My 20th birthday is coming up and I way toying with the idea of doing a look using glequins, so I needed to do some practicing.

You may have noticed I chopped off my nails. I honestly didn't mean to make them this short..at least they grow back quickly!

I love these! The base colour is OPI My Very First Knockwurst, which I think was underrated when it came out in the Germany collection for Fall 2012.

My glequin placement is improving slowly but surely, but it's still not quite perfect.

If you're interested, you can purchase these glequins here from Born Pretty Store. They're a good deal and they're good quality, I think they're a nail art must-have.

What do you guys think of this look?

Zig Zag Nail Art

Morning everyone! Today I have some fun, free hand zig zag nail art to show you all. I wasn't really sure where I was going with this manicure, but it turned out alright. It was a little time consuming and I'm not sure I love the results enough to do it often, but it does have a really unique look to it and there are a lot of possible colour combinations.

I really like this colour combination: OPI Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh, OPI Skyfall, and Zoya Kristin.

This is how this looks in the shade. Unfortunately, it's nearly winter here which means getting pictures in the sun while being at school all day is extremely difficult.

What do you guys think of this look? Have you ever done something similar?

Oldie but a Goodie - Sephora by OPI Just a Little Dangerous

I'm sure I've posted this polish at least once before, but it's definitely one of my favorites. Just a Little Dangerous is a dark purple creme with slight shimmer suspended in it that can only be seen in certain lights. I love the deep, richness of this color as it looks classy and elegant, yet at the same time is different than conventional red or french manicure. It's just something a little more edgy, which I absolutely adore. So here are the pics!

3 coats Just a Little Dangerous + Seche Vite topcoat

I haven't gone on a polish spree lately... should maybe get on that when I have some time ;) 

Anyway,

Thanks for reading!

Mandy

xoxo

In Flanders Fields

Good morning everyone. Today I have some Remembrance Day nails to show you all, featuring the trademark poppy. Remembrance Day has always resonated with me for no particular reason, meaning I don't personally know any veterans. I've always wanted to attend one of the ceremonies in Ottawa or visit one of our overseas memorials. I'm pretty excited that Vimy Ridge is on the new twenty dollar bill.

I used OPI Skull & Glossbones for the base of this manicure, then for the poppies I used a dotting tool and two different colours - China Glaze Poinsettia and OPI A Roll in the Hague. The stems were painted using OPI Jade is the New Black and the centre of the poppies with Quo by ORLY Little Black Dress. 

I hope everyone can take at least one minute out of their day today to remember and honour those who gave their lives for our country, whether you are Canadian or otherwise.

Lest We Forget

Pretty Pink Gradient

Hi everyone! Sorry for the absence for a little bit, I feel like I say this every post, but I'm so busy all the time. Man I wish it were summer again, I guess that's one of the huge perks of being a student. Today I have a really pretty gradient to show you all that I did about a week ago using three OPI colours.

This reminds me of fairy princesses or something, it's so sweet and girly. I used OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and OPI Mod About You, as well as OPI Pirouette my Whistle layered over top.

What do you guys think of this look? Too girly for you? I think I'll be using Pirouette my Whistle a lot more this holiday season, it reminds me of snow falling!

This was a nice change after all the Halloween manicures I was wearing. 

Opinions on this look? Too girly for you? What about some other colours - maybe blue to white?

Skyfall James Bond Manicure - The Living Daylights

Hello hello good friends! It's been a super long time since I last posted, but don't worry I'll be posting more frequently now that the craziness has settled just a little bit ;) As many of you already know, the new James Bond movie, Skyfall, is coming out on Friday! I'm hoping to go after work, but we'll see if the tickets are going to be all sold out. Anyway, in commemoration of this film, here is a manicure that features the Skyfall glitter topcoat from OPI!

2 coats Lincoln Park After Dark + 1 coat The Living Daylights + Seche Vite topcoat

Good 'ol Hamlet

I've grown to really love this glitter polish because it adds a little shine to any base you put under it. It really is a party in a bottle, love love love chunky glitters. I also really enjoyed the color combination of this manicure, overall I'm happy!  What do you guys think? Will you be seeing Skyfall in theatres this weekend?

Thanks for reading,

Mandy

xoxo