tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62207094718959546272024-03-19T04:03:31.334+00:00London-LacquerLondon Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-35002444159845452892011-11-18T00:15:00.000+00:002011-11-18T00:15:45.797+00:00Hello! (again!)Hi my lovely readers!<br />
<br />
I'm sorry I haven't posted on here in more than two weeks now- I've been a very busy gal recently!<br />
<br />
So: while the last month has been great for nail polish finds- three shades from the long discontinued China Glaze Kaleidoscope collection for £3.00 each, (WOW!), some lovely duochrome W7 shades, and today Barry M Limited Edition Lilac Foil Nail Paint, (even though it's only supposed to be released in December!) it has not been so good for my actual nails!<br />
<br />
I think it must be the onset of Winter- my nails were breaking, so I had to cut them all off! Boooo.<br />
<br />
More Avoplex use needed, I think!<br />
<br />
Anyways, swatches to come soon!<br />
<br />
xx L-LLondon Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-62533331788433173312011-10-31T22:58:00.002+00:002011-10-31T22:58:52.920+00:00MAN-icureThis one's for the guys!<br />
<br />
Check this article out:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2055867/Johnny-Depp-David-Beckham-wear-nail-polish-guys-sold-Evolution-Man.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2055867/Johnny-Depp-David-Beckham-wear-nail-polish-guys-sold-Evolution-Man.html</a><br />
<br />
Hit or miss, what do you reckon?<br />
<br />
Do you like the colours?<br />
<br />
:)London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-54268900345897980462011-10-27T16:06:00.002+01:002011-10-27T16:10:59.394+01:00OPI early 2012: Nicki Minaj and the Holland CollectionsHi people!<br />
<br />
What's the buzz on 2012?<br />
<br />
Well, the Olympics are coming here, to London, it's the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, it's my quarter-of-a-century birthday year, and all the nail companies are gonna be releasing some new and doubtless exciting shades for us nailphiles to feast our eyes on!<br />
<br />
Start celebrating, it's gonna be a great year!<br />
<br />
Ok, so OPI have recently announced that they're collaborating with Nicki Minaj... Expect some crazy colours here and some even crazier lacquer layering combos!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyle3QwHIGdaGkaQjdj6j9m1oDnxQh-0pof5n4M-mIHskmogA-aKFyofpsGHQlSTxSToC-KUI3gRdyCHS0Csh8C8S1Np64DybOHn2hBF1cmo2mZFxRDq_P-Xo519z3OTOuAuyg9hdfeDF/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-10-27+at+15.52.05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyle3QwHIGdaGkaQjdj6j9m1oDnxQh-0pof5n4M-mIHskmogA-aKFyofpsGHQlSTxSToC-KUI3gRdyCHS0Csh8C8S1Np64DybOHn2hBF1cmo2mZFxRDq_P-Xo519z3OTOuAuyg9hdfeDF/s400/Screen+shot+2011-10-27+at+15.52.05.png" width="400" /></a></div>Nicki Minaj for OPI<br />
<br />
...And a close up of the shades:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3v46zRAE_6XFFjTG9ZrTMNacCmgOIh8z9rPAo37MGijyO3CFicdxDweFTVH32LOYUVvwW8qDW6VWEKgOay6rtEHuZiKr9Rx5yIhl3YYj-e4RTzLj9mzfVVwk4K-o07pNBULTmgo7OrXY/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-10-27+at+15.53.21.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3v46zRAE_6XFFjTG9ZrTMNacCmgOIh8z9rPAo37MGijyO3CFicdxDweFTVH32LOYUVvwW8qDW6VWEKgOay6rtEHuZiKr9Rx5yIhl3YYj-e4RTzLj9mzfVVwk4K-o07pNBULTmgo7OrXY/s400/Screen+shot+2011-10-27+at+15.53.21.png" width="400" /></a></div>...Ooooh, shiny!<br />
<br />
What do you think, good, bad or indifferent!?<br />
<br />
Personally, I must admit that on first impressions, I'm not exactly going crazy for this collection... Still, OPI's Spring release is looking quite interesting to me.<br />
<br />
We're taking a trip to the lovely land of tulips, bicycles and clogs this year. We've already been to the US, Spain, Australia, India, France and many more so it was about time!<br />
Actually, now that's just got me to thinking where OPI should go next.... on that wishful note, here are my Top 5 OPI 'Holiday' requests, in no particular order:<br />
<br />
*South Africa (Rainbow shades to represent the Rainbow Nation)<br />
<br />
*Cuba (Dusty 1950s-esque shades-very unique and cool)<br />
<br />
*Morocco (Amazing jewel shades here!)<br />
<br />
*China (The red shades would be plentiful and amazing, for sure!)<br />
<br />
*Brazil (Can you even imagine the Carnival related glitters!? Aaaaahhhh!!! I may be experiencing heart palpitations!!!)<br />
<br />
Anyways, back to Holland now. Here is the collection:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2ifvG_ZseGgYSxKqd3uzM4TOMCqfuOYnQPVRSGaAm5e9VeP4X7tUOTkcCkXt9X10k-_e47wgI4vWyFDCoALwGkf6Uhc3VDUxepg1FgzNVEL3D1dbjkSh_8DQDdenKPDv6-cR6ZneEzSq/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-10-27+at+01.40.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2ifvG_ZseGgYSxKqd3uzM4TOMCqfuOYnQPVRSGaAm5e9VeP4X7tUOTkcCkXt9X10k-_e47wgI4vWyFDCoALwGkf6Uhc3VDUxepg1FgzNVEL3D1dbjkSh_8DQDdenKPDv6-cR6ZneEzSq/s400/Screen+shot+2011-10-27+at+01.40.35.png" width="400" /></a></div>OPI Holland<br />
<br />
There sure is something for everyone in this collection! ...Having said that... Blimey! Not a true red shade in sight! I can't work out whether this is a good or a bad thing... I mean, I do love a red nail, it has to be said! Still...<br />
<br />
Which country do you think OPI should go to next? I'd love to hear what you think!<br />
<br />
x L-L :)London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-32166596108165673552011-10-24T13:08:00.000+01:002011-10-24T13:08:43.757+01:00OPI Gettin' Miss Piggy With ItHi people!<br />
<br />
Today I have a gorgeous, shiny mani for you to feast your eyes on- OPI Gettin' Miss Piggy With It.<br />
<br />
This lacquer is one of the two from the Muppets collection that I had to have! The other one being, as I'm sure you can guess, Rainbow Connection, which obviously is so super popular that it's sold out at the moment on Lena White... I picked my two Muppets bottles up in Selfridges a couple of weeks ago.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I'm a huge fan of shimmery and glittery reds, so I was crazy excited when I saw the Muppets promo shots and I had to get my mitts on OPI Gettin' Miss Piggy With It!<br />
<br />
Here are some pics:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKf9ykWkTCTuWYD6d50zmJBW25_w1ffdLAqrz0JFJQVieLAKx92p6pCmEIHyMsp6TljBKEzVl7hCcWHdx8qZd6rIwbVr8MpCrQkTYqky1NceJ1WE9mPEIM5hIMQ2bUrbTwnn9atprQFTX2/s1600/_MG_0288smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKf9ykWkTCTuWYD6d50zmJBW25_w1ffdLAqrz0JFJQVieLAKx92p6pCmEIHyMsp6TljBKEzVl7hCcWHdx8qZd6rIwbVr8MpCrQkTYqky1NceJ1WE9mPEIM5hIMQ2bUrbTwnn9atprQFTX2/s400/_MG_0288smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpoiAsGWKg9KVh9nJEYj8Lg41HbZKinx8fNcvpDJhZZwypJnAsyC_mT71QdEBwBB5uNqt_jBQHl-NSKhxwpgUGb4Q4WDfX8mTECXIf_GsxmoY3aMN3jfbNL3Ton7ZEQOgFZQFB86pvxIe/s1600/_MG_0289smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpoiAsGWKg9KVh9nJEYj8Lg41HbZKinx8fNcvpDJhZZwypJnAsyC_mT71QdEBwBB5uNqt_jBQHl-NSKhxwpgUGb4Q4WDfX8mTECXIf_GsxmoY3aMN3jfbNL3Ton7ZEQOgFZQFB86pvxIe/s400/_MG_0289smlblog.jpg" width="336" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8OewZMkjtKmbuaaC5TRK_ZZCJRs-WQHyLfCh-6bcbDdqcZVo_tHOuOJ19qmMZ57J9aw9UOk6dRjgL0W0mU6AGy38HloLqy5GS91lOfvOCQH5xhPwagI9_xteB4EysYJmHmSD84Oy-klz/s1600/_MG_0293smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8OewZMkjtKmbuaaC5TRK_ZZCJRs-WQHyLfCh-6bcbDdqcZVo_tHOuOJ19qmMZ57J9aw9UOk6dRjgL0W0mU6AGy38HloLqy5GS91lOfvOCQH5xhPwagI9_xteB4EysYJmHmSD84Oy-klz/s400/_MG_0293smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBtOM-01-gey6glO2SRWXoWMBxJbnAqrB3zBI8KgzC_wVEJv_xoEURNPWWMihbx-sEWS3J8bPvCGjAyEG0YvagqjCkhYrGT522zsWP4bHnoY5MUhNcVF5R5q0C1YrsxLcXHUjJgQbaxuR/s1600/_MG_0297smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBtOM-01-gey6glO2SRWXoWMBxJbnAqrB3zBI8KgzC_wVEJv_xoEURNPWWMihbx-sEWS3J8bPvCGjAyEG0YvagqjCkhYrGT522zsWP4bHnoY5MUhNcVF5R5q0C1YrsxLcXHUjJgQbaxuR/s640/_MG_0297smlblog.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LbmiU68mRlOYyrC2WEEILdLSRX0GvFLqFgnssspplTPt9Z0cOBAqjUycmgURE0ISqp8YaHq6_Ed86-i5L_EJD6MHL6_YgYcfjhC4DFOp_3O63nF_IYW23XFRYwZMVYPoWY4WdFGhMv_t/s1600/_MG_0300smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8LbmiU68mRlOYyrC2WEEILdLSRX0GvFLqFgnssspplTPt9Z0cOBAqjUycmgURE0ISqp8YaHq6_Ed86-i5L_EJD6MHL6_YgYcfjhC4DFOp_3O63nF_IYW23XFRYwZMVYPoWY4WdFGhMv_t/s400/_MG_0300smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It hasn't disappointed me, but I'm sure it's much better to layer it over another red shade as:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1) You'll only need one or two coats, according to your taste, to make your mani into a red shimmer bomb</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">2) Your bottle of GMPWI will last a lot longer if you're not using about four coats to make it opaque enough to wear on its own with no visible nail underneath</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">3) I'm not going to lie, removal is tough enough with two thick coats over another polish- removing four coats of this would be god-awful... </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Anyway, loads of small red glitter as well as bigger cerise and silver hex glitter particles in a clear base... What's not to love?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Shrinkage with my Seche Vite was again a bit of an issue with this mani.... Seche does not like glitter, whereas I love it in all its forms! Booo :(</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Anyways, I'm a big big fan of OPI Gettin' Miss Piggy With It... Just my thing!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Have a great day, everyone!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">:)</div>London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-10358659378936233382011-10-17T09:21:00.000+01:002011-10-17T09:21:13.245+01:00OPI French Quarter For Your ThoughtsHi everyone!<br />
<br />
It's Monday morning here in London, but it's a beautiful clear blue sky day (so far!) which is always nice!<br />
<br />
Seeing as it's the start of the week, I'm gonna post what is reckon is quite a work appropriate shade- OPI French Quarter For Your Thoughts. I don't own many real greys really, not counting things like OPI Skull and Glossbones, the 'truest' grey I can think of in my stash is probably China Glaze's Pelican Grey.... Whoops! American spelling! Pelican Gray, I meant!<br />
<br />
Anyways, I think French Quarter For Your Thoughts is very nice. It's sophisticated and elegant. I can imagine going somewhere like Paris in the winter wearing this shade.<br />
<br />
I got perfect application with this one in a standard two coats, and it's an extremely smooth cream finish. Again, as with the other Touring America Collection Lacquers I have tried, this polish dries darker on the nail than it looks in the actual bottle.... Just something to be aware of.<br />
<br />
Here are the swatches: Feast your eyes!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKWRfwzUGfSHsKt6ra6udXgAwlYzKfZzgBYooYtaakvEjROCITchCdVMZMIWBjGxyHieO8-4nPTE2sW19ynU_oN8eItnS_uiFxSIcQv5pn94_eBCQSi1u34LL8a9URpdvECE59gikqEUg/s1600/_MG_0265smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKWRfwzUGfSHsKt6ra6udXgAwlYzKfZzgBYooYtaakvEjROCITchCdVMZMIWBjGxyHieO8-4nPTE2sW19ynU_oN8eItnS_uiFxSIcQv5pn94_eBCQSi1u34LL8a9URpdvECE59gikqEUg/s400/_MG_0265smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Yup, unfortunately the hands are looking a bit red in this pic...... Hmm. Lucky, it turned out that this this polish didn't have that effect on me all the time....!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXQ6a98V-RhyPrbNUUstza6ueT7-kSM2vkiITDRyabhwPIBs5pzL65MhLpnSGPXzNLoNdmI4YmcqRcZMDtjd_f6wl7qhVe6Xxdo3gi8QLChoNlOdU1zMC9ZfcRTamai2VieYiDCk3ZxjT/s1600/_MG_0266smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXQ6a98V-RhyPrbNUUstza6ueT7-kSM2vkiITDRyabhwPIBs5pzL65MhLpnSGPXzNLoNdmI4YmcqRcZMDtjd_f6wl7qhVe6Xxdo3gi8QLChoNlOdU1zMC9ZfcRTamai2VieYiDCk3ZxjT/s400/_MG_0266smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpi6IeHoxqr68yji2pnQB7mkJv6DpaDODcAhj9g3vRsxguLqepnVRFOor-6AdSYk7MlHzoztgupq_us6bLJFT91QWkSb4-na0xqyYQRZx4W1TCZ206dvI3DRRvTOfRM8YorQAQQpB-Vzv/s1600/_MG_0271smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpi6IeHoxqr68yji2pnQB7mkJv6DpaDODcAhj9g3vRsxguLqepnVRFOor-6AdSYk7MlHzoztgupq_us6bLJFT91QWkSb4-na0xqyYQRZx4W1TCZ206dvI3DRRvTOfRM8YorQAQQpB-Vzv/s400/_MG_0271smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Grey Jumper + Grey Nails = A London A/W staple! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHRJ1bvbm39qWxbQ_VFYpx7rsbkSHUm1p01U85dAiprOAtVC988yZ0QdUgBO04biiY4pDq3n8t5LbiOxDIOViBpWcZMRrt8nIuYelTOdYJc56GGT1w81C_QWsmsk9-FThGGuys5treoAT/s1600/_MG_0275smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHRJ1bvbm39qWxbQ_VFYpx7rsbkSHUm1p01U85dAiprOAtVC988yZ0QdUgBO04biiY4pDq3n8t5LbiOxDIOViBpWcZMRrt8nIuYelTOdYJc56GGT1w81C_QWsmsk9-FThGGuys5treoAT/s640/_MG_0275smlblog.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br />
Match the sky with your nails!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9AQa9YwDK8mRvIuz2mIf0anTckKjPqDhqgQxhkkRWST3vhBPgQWWsj1aDMiZbfPxERyhe8ZyetoTNLeg-YFe_l91NBJ4HI7hv57P2BkGv-JC0QxuKyWVg_hWj2AbCY4WwoH4j2pLRgXK/s1600/_MG_0283smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp9AQa9YwDK8mRvIuz2mIf0anTckKjPqDhqgQxhkkRWST3vhBPgQWWsj1aDMiZbfPxERyhe8ZyetoTNLeg-YFe_l91NBJ4HI7hv57P2BkGv-JC0QxuKyWVg_hWj2AbCY4WwoH4j2pLRgXK/s400/_MG_0283smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-em1kHCYfdOCJo0y4A0RcAqye6MBiw535XqyGSaE4gnlUnF3A2Kprq3diaGznGizaeE5mRpn54c4ybepEqWT8zk3GZUw13b9YFAyRKUdPZM_Quf7FY298KwZSrXZb4ARZyrOhyphenhyphenjID_lC/s1600/_MG_0286smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-em1kHCYfdOCJo0y4A0RcAqye6MBiw535XqyGSaE4gnlUnF3A2Kprq3diaGznGizaeE5mRpn54c4ybepEqWT8zk3GZUw13b9YFAyRKUdPZM_Quf7FY298KwZSrXZb4ARZyrOhyphenhyphenjID_lC/s640/_MG_0286smlblog.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>OPI French Quarter For Your Thoughts<br />
<br />
What do we think, everyone? Pretty and ladylike, non?<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">*OPI French Quarter For Your Thoughts was provided to me for reviewing purposes. I was not paid to review this polish or to say great things about it. All opinions, good or bad, are my own*</span></span>London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-10384608617919478112011-10-15T16:55:00.000+01:002011-10-15T16:55:48.981+01:00The Muppets are finally here!Hi guys!<br />
<br />
Just thought I'd let you know that if you're in the UK, like me, you can now FINALLY get your beautifully manicured little hands on the Muppets collection by OPI at the official online OPI stockist Lena White <a href="http://www.lenawhite.co.uk/store/the-muppets/animal-istic">http://www.lenawhite.co.uk/store/the-muppets/animal-istic</a> or do like me (insanely impatient) if you live in London and go directly to Selfridges to pick up all your favourites!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQELxSnFplgKA8eQfofXbotOFiUMcy0ijawQNZtn0OINEsnBsm3kPoY2iC-m1RDVgx7qkJog53kLHhmXGgtWkqziZ5yOh3M2eAfENFVGOfVFI24oJQ-Ncc3_gV13kzvs5uBkD3jQS-VA4Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-10-15+at+16.54.04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQELxSnFplgKA8eQfofXbotOFiUMcy0ijawQNZtn0OINEsnBsm3kPoY2iC-m1RDVgx7qkJog53kLHhmXGgtWkqziZ5yOh3M2eAfENFVGOfVFI24oJQ-Ncc3_gV13kzvs5uBkD3jQS-VA4Q/s400/Screen+shot+2011-10-15+at+16.54.04.png" width="400" /></a></div>OPI The Muppets Collection<br />
<br />
Which Muppets shade are you most excited about purchasing? London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-5239037429076746512011-10-15T15:43:00.000+01:002011-10-15T15:43:56.787+01:00World's oldest OPI fan?Last week I went down to my Dad's parents who live quite near to me in London, and gave my 96 year old grandmother a manicure using OPI's classic and very popular shade, I'm Not Really A Waitress.<br />
<br />
Here are the results:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdsYFcdfvM5vLIGOHbGK9wHOT49UBCF3qX02AfVzgbaPp6VqKCh6ZEThnbL6c1pOw8eJhuixA0lYRqsBEstz9AnLgcDDIad1RzDmCLXyLWlRnYfbWwnFhc6rIuDUKGCWabJ_6IIS6Orn9/s1600/IMG_0611smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdsYFcdfvM5vLIGOHbGK9wHOT49UBCF3qX02AfVzgbaPp6VqKCh6ZEThnbL6c1pOw8eJhuixA0lYRqsBEstz9AnLgcDDIad1RzDmCLXyLWlRnYfbWwnFhc6rIuDUKGCWabJ_6IIS6Orn9/s400/IMG_0611smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>OPI I'm Not Really A Waitress<br />
<br />
I think they look great! She was a bit worried at first at having such a 'young' colour on, and because of her, in her own words, 'ugly hands' (she has arthritis!) but apparently she has since had lots of compliments on them and is enjoying having some nice painted nails now!<br />
<br />
She'll probably want to slap me for posting her 'ugly hands' for all the world to see, but ummm.....<br />
<br />
...Sorry Nanny, I think they look great!<br />
<br />
:)London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-32103989455113586912011-10-15T14:55:00.002+01:002011-10-15T14:56:31.648+01:00OPI Honk If You Love OPIHi everyone!<br />
<br />
Today I'm going to start going through the OPI Touring America Minis Collection!<br />
<br />
Three of the lacquers in this pack I think are very Autumn appropriate- French Quarter For Your Thoughts, A-Taupe The Space Needle and Honk If You Love OPI. The other one, My Address Is Hollywood, to me is more of a Spring/Summer colour.<br />
<br />
But anyways, all are very pretty shades that I think sum up the essence of the 'Touring' collection.<br />
<br />
So, to start: Honk If You Love OPI.<br />
<br />
This colour is a very pretty deep Aubergine (or for my American readers, Eggplant!) shade. To me, it's one of those shades that pops more when you put it next to black- it's easier to see the real colour of the lacquer when compared to black. It's very smoky and murky, which I really like.<br />
<br />
Originally when I put it on, I thought it was quite a burgundy sort of aubergine, but no, in the sun you can see that it's definitely purple.<br />
<br />
Onto the swatches!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_U76kmrdxb9W_lA6Rrn7uVdlgLo3lat1QoAVyaZ3MdBi3zkfc11HYCLQ_3DYtAelOobqMo1ckBS-mf7m7-QeTRLBZkMnvu6muvqkceGFkTM_-BCE8jj1ki14FGoyNo9mqUiCyC_AKZom/s1600/_MG_0263smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_U76kmrdxb9W_lA6Rrn7uVdlgLo3lat1QoAVyaZ3MdBi3zkfc11HYCLQ_3DYtAelOobqMo1ckBS-mf7m7-QeTRLBZkMnvu6muvqkceGFkTM_-BCE8jj1ki14FGoyNo9mqUiCyC_AKZom/s400/_MG_0263smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-soHfCKRHLSKDCK6FH7Fx7PEc8aZuEgmdWPiIxM7gbf8qT8GsmnhLmPCJYh2yYpXFMMCO38UJpzrXapnVSUEMYQNRDjMaL-WrX0dXJmUAbeHNepMaS8ZtWy929v2pFeBkeVfA7v4FrGyw/s1600/_MG_0262smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-soHfCKRHLSKDCK6FH7Fx7PEc8aZuEgmdWPiIxM7gbf8qT8GsmnhLmPCJYh2yYpXFMMCO38UJpzrXapnVSUEMYQNRDjMaL-WrX0dXJmUAbeHNepMaS8ZtWy929v2pFeBkeVfA7v4FrGyw/s640/_MG_0262smlblog.jpg" width="328" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxo37moAHW0Dop2aae79yUD_BBo660rojAiizyS7TEtDiX-0zoMe2rz4RH_ipN4OgNuBIwrbZA6iB78byjzmyCSL9G8BJZv0qKnw5UbeKB3pPBjRFKHM4LzTaV_eKMVu8qZZbTY4MulIUy/s1600/_MG_0258smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxo37moAHW0Dop2aae79yUD_BBo660rojAiizyS7TEtDiX-0zoMe2rz4RH_ipN4OgNuBIwrbZA6iB78byjzmyCSL9G8BJZv0qKnw5UbeKB3pPBjRFKHM4LzTaV_eKMVu8qZZbTY4MulIUy/s640/_MG_0258smlblog.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgioU47drcDiIJWRtRqh_Jc-fafNo_pHGSHu3_N37hKZLvpoqEfdSbA_OVXgXOk-KFliIAdfZt2LAk6_dyjXM67Lib9xJrZ3k90C3FKjsl5x_TQagRVgLb2jpORvc5fL3yme-Bf2Ygwbaju/s1600/_MG_0257smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgioU47drcDiIJWRtRqh_Jc-fafNo_pHGSHu3_N37hKZLvpoqEfdSbA_OVXgXOk-KFliIAdfZt2LAk6_dyjXM67Lib9xJrZ3k90C3FKjsl5x_TQagRVgLb2jpORvc5fL3yme-Bf2Ygwbaju/s400/_MG_0257smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Like the other 'Touring' shades I've tried so far, this lacquer looks at least a shade or two lighter than it dries to on the nail, so that's something to bear in mind when purchasing.<br />
<br />
Two things I'm sorry about with these pics: one- I wore this mani for about four days before photographing it, waiting for some nice natural light, hence the scratchy bits on the nails! and number two- shrinkage! I think my bottle of Seche needs replacing asap!<br />
<br />
I used three coats of Honk If You Love OPI here to even everything out. Application was smooth and good with this lacquer, also like the other 'Touring' colours I've tried so far.<br />
<br />
To be honest, I think this lacquer's nice enough, but I'm not bowled over by it really. It's just the colour that bores me a bit... others may disagree. Just my humble opinion!<br />
<br />
:)<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">*OPI Honk If You Love OPI was </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">provided to me for reviewing purposes. I was not paid to review this polish or to say great things about it. All opinions, good or bad, are my own*</span></span>London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-23721504615487409562011-10-10T09:42:00.000+01:002011-10-10T09:42:53.930+01:00OPI Parlez Vous OPI & OPI Uh Oh Roll Down The WindowHi everyone!<br />
<br />
I'm sorry I haven't posted in nearly a week! The end of last week was pretty busy and then at the weekend I was down on the Kent coast making a visit to my 102 year old grandmother, who was very curious about my blogging activities! Try explaining blogging and the Internet to a 102 year old! :)<br />
<br />
Anyways, I'm back, and showcasing a pretty cool mani I wore for a few days last week.<br />
<br />
It's a funky French, using OPI Parlez Vous OPI & OPI Uh Oh Roll Down The Window, both of which I haven't tried before.<br />
<br />
Here it is!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4s9tRfc6E1Ple-QTspjLZIR_-QR0TfIsS13nqgsVzF7REYfggS0F3FfosIww-j1KTWqPSzZnEhzM6kRl2SNYc6LSVI-eyTsF3RO7zraXSaTfNJjq8v-yxm1IHg8lBZyrMnu-4IXC3ARg/s1600/_MG_0172smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4s9tRfc6E1Ple-QTspjLZIR_-QR0TfIsS13nqgsVzF7REYfggS0F3FfosIww-j1KTWqPSzZnEhzM6kRl2SNYc6LSVI-eyTsF3RO7zraXSaTfNJjq8v-yxm1IHg8lBZyrMnu-4IXC3ARg/s400/_MG_0172smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>OPI Parlez Vous OPI & OPI Uh Oh Roll Down The Window<br />
<br />
I thought of this combo as I reckoned that even though Parlez Vous OPI isn't part of the Touring America collection, it's muted and smokey, so I thought it would go quite well.<br />
<br />
Parlez Vous' application was literally a dream- it was fantastic, so smooth, and brilliant around the cuticles- no clean up required here!<br />
<br />
I painted on the tips with freehand application using Uh Oh Roll Down The Window but I found they were fairly easy to do, despite the fact that I didn't have the benefit of using my smile line as a guide.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWzF4qmE7JfchHD3wZwqc9uHvUj4n5Gcb3iWreaqyeQfvCGXIXpLkOSljORRoIP6br2pTiBkEPyC9U9foEJWVn7mCpqz6bsXk8qMuZ_2QiP-cNEr7l_QAeZ1fJDzCRpAfAodayVkJ-s8A/s1600/_MG_0174smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWzF4qmE7JfchHD3wZwqc9uHvUj4n5Gcb3iWreaqyeQfvCGXIXpLkOSljORRoIP6br2pTiBkEPyC9U9foEJWVn7mCpqz6bsXk8qMuZ_2QiP-cNEr7l_QAeZ1fJDzCRpAfAodayVkJ-s8A/s640/_MG_0174smlblog.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>OPI Parlez Vous OPI & OPI Uh Oh Roll Down The Window<br />
<br />
I really like how this mani turned out- great for Autumn, I think.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXRN6ONdHapsXeX23M031K5pwzBDtSL5yP1BDvIb2XvR5B1sfZ0ivyWKDwnZeYb1U4ADmzSkDCiBegKo13slUzUWLJkdYrU4xw7YlciAizh8-AiabRz0YzuofYq0OATu4mOPUx7r6lbyw/s1600/_MG_0173smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXRN6ONdHapsXeX23M031K5pwzBDtSL5yP1BDvIb2XvR5B1sfZ0ivyWKDwnZeYb1U4ADmzSkDCiBegKo13slUzUWLJkdYrU4xw7YlciAizh8-AiabRz0YzuofYq0OATu4mOPUx7r6lbyw/s400/_MG_0173smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> OPI Parlez Vous OPI & OPI Uh Oh Roll Down The Window<br />
<br />
What do you think?<br />
<br />
:)London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-35737220158249760402011-10-04T14:37:00.001+01:002011-10-04T15:51:12.367+01:00Ultimate Grand Supreme: Franken inspired by Toddlers and TiarasHiya!<br />
<br />
I some something very special and unique to show you guys right now...<br />
<br />
Yesterday I made my first ever Frankens!<br />
<br />
The one I'm posting now is my favourite, which I've named 'Ultimate Grand Supreme' as a kind of ode to the American show Toddlers and Tiaras! I've seen clips from the show a few times, and while I'm not exactly sure what on earth I think about its morality and all that, some of the outfits the girls wear in that show are very cute.<br />
<br />
This nail polish was kind of inspired by the girls' glitzy dresses and the sashes and crowns they win....<br />
<br />
My answer to OPI's Miss Universe collection, haha! OPI should definitely do a Toddlers and Tiaras collection... Or I'll do one instead!<br />
<br />
....Anyways, your Ultimate Grand Supreme is:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFWlcfTW8nWqL0QrItFO5ckx_J129n2vQ__QGGs_qLrbiNFVoCse_YQDmHXedtj_TpgPgMHmopLUd32cz9toJRMPNwXAkG9IaBp8nymCClFnfBPhq7Ag4As8jSFg641MpWOsbb4WrQVyf/s1600/_MG_0168smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFWlcfTW8nWqL0QrItFO5ckx_J129n2vQ__QGGs_qLrbiNFVoCse_YQDmHXedtj_TpgPgMHmopLUd32cz9toJRMPNwXAkG9IaBp8nymCClFnfBPhq7Ag4As8jSFg641MpWOsbb4WrQVyf/s400/_MG_0168smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjdfbVwk32msrXDajlJwdFY3kKe7cEBqQfumXHJTHig7SuVgvy3hLp94V2NZC6LlURf2YQrffcpShsXoh9_qWima2No6t_6mT84CqGMPqF3CuXNpkQQCtEw_7l_nNkdRUbtI9xtxs45hv/s1600/_MG_0168smlstripblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjdfbVwk32msrXDajlJwdFY3kKe7cEBqQfumXHJTHig7SuVgvy3hLp94V2NZC6LlURf2YQrffcpShsXoh9_qWima2No6t_6mT84CqGMPqF3CuXNpkQQCtEw_7l_nNkdRUbtI9xtxs45hv/s640/_MG_0168smlstripblog.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_6HgPxsZsBdrtkVtZlBNLzNFO_IscjmA-CnHbQ4z2mQGG80fbbuOb6xQ_w9BH9LZhUAzFtD20Ccjh7EuyIREgOYJr3MYziVAcVA8GnQemebU35MeIEh8CaQkbJ5iPobF6DrYCRnC2are/s1600/IMG_0170smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_6HgPxsZsBdrtkVtZlBNLzNFO_IscjmA-CnHbQ4z2mQGG80fbbuOb6xQ_w9BH9LZhUAzFtD20Ccjh7EuyIREgOYJr3MYziVAcVA8GnQemebU35MeIEh8CaQkbJ5iPobF6DrYCRnC2are/s400/IMG_0170smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZY-VU07o3Elapc8hTPK5OlMy1dRT0n097A40QTETusgJKgitfXXs5E-4gO1gdtbUrgOQlaCKJzYkB7-DDaMn088zwtR6AkIMstsTi8uRZhoikaGZnSWn_WxuSACgTsw5NnFaaCXxSB6E/s1600/IMG_0170smlstripblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKZY-VU07o3Elapc8hTPK5OlMy1dRT0n097A40QTETusgJKgitfXXs5E-4gO1gdtbUrgOQlaCKJzYkB7-DDaMn088zwtR6AkIMstsTi8uRZhoikaGZnSWn_WxuSACgTsw5NnFaaCXxSB6E/s640/IMG_0170smlstripblog.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>Sorry my pictures are pretty terrible! Today's really cloudy in London, so no sun pics here, unfortunately. Still, I think the glitteryness of this polish is dazzling enough even without the sun!<br />
<br />
This polish is a combination of five different glitters and a few drops of colour in the base. I really like the base colour, it's a lovely pale fuchsia/magenta pink shade with a jelly finish, which is saturated on the nail in two coats. I used a lot of Seche Vite to smooth out this Franken, but it's good and smooth now.<br />
<br />
The only problem with using the two thick coats of Seche was the crazy shrinkage, which was pretty bad with this polish, annoyingly enough. I love love loveeee Seche in general, but it does grate on me sometimes!<br />
<br />
All in all though, I absolutely love this Toddlers and Tiaras inspired Franken!<br />
<br />
What do you guys think about it? I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-20568155046430497432011-10-04T13:32:00.000+01:002011-10-04T13:32:11.303+01:00OPI I Brake For ManicuresHi!<br />
<br />
Here today to show you guys is a mani I had on for the first time last week.<br />
<br />
It's I Brake For Manicures, from OPI's Touring America Autumn 2011 Collection.<br />
<br />
This was the second colour I wanted after Roadhouse Blues, which is my favourite of the collection. Aside from that one and this polish, the only other TA shade I have is Uh Oh... Roll Down The Window.<br />
I thought a lot of other shades in the Touring collection were much more summery looking, and at this time of year, I'm done with the crazy neons and want something a bit darker, more muted.<br />
<br />
So- with that in mind, OPI I Brake For Manicures fits the bill pretty well!<br />
<br />
Here are a couple of pics- I made the first pic a teensy bit brighter so that you guys can see the colour more accurately: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtevziqfxRGHQyang1cblc-e63qz7HD89dR8VglYLZ4o6O2Yp6NH7FV_VfYriDFkIGC_RoR9zJqr8-FejEXzIulr9yCCIayLJ6TUM3Urk6ryzvJQN6fCFOetWk__y1y_iMK3FclGmrG5RN/s1600/_MG_0080smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtevziqfxRGHQyang1cblc-e63qz7HD89dR8VglYLZ4o6O2Yp6NH7FV_VfYriDFkIGC_RoR9zJqr8-FejEXzIulr9yCCIayLJ6TUM3Urk6ryzvJQN6fCFOetWk__y1y_iMK3FclGmrG5RN/s400/_MG_0080smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> OPI I Brake For Manicures (a bit brighter)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrHZFwgO_HJT5zeBSeZFq9Hqiu1teNIYg5UU6LG-NVRycL-eVFjJ7s6lSOZKXH0ob71qeLnHPaG2c2dHKeVTTNODCjQvaiDEJhF-wYQt6N4ABMEj4r3nCOfoOg1DiRXN40nNbaFPJxUYy/s1600/_MG_0086smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikrHZFwgO_HJT5zeBSeZFq9Hqiu1teNIYg5UU6LG-NVRycL-eVFjJ7s6lSOZKXH0ob71qeLnHPaG2c2dHKeVTTNODCjQvaiDEJhF-wYQt6N4ABMEj4r3nCOfoOg1DiRXN40nNbaFPJxUYy/s400/_MG_0086smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>OPI I Brake For Manicures (regular)<br />
<br />
What do you think?<br />
<br />
I like this shade, I think it looks quite sophisticated, and I like the fact that it's fairly neutral.<br />
I will say, this is (I found at least!) one of those shades that you can really appreciate the actual colour of when you put it next to black. The dried eventual colour on the nail is definitely darker than the colour the lacquer looks in the actual bottle.<br />
The colour is a lovely smoked/greyed aubergine- eggplant for my American fans! :) sort of shade, very Autumn appropriate.<br />
<br />
Another point about this varnish- for some strange reason, I found my bottle to be very runny, and it was the first time I had used this shade, aside from opening it to put a swatch of a nail wheel... That seemed a bit odd, but it could just be my bottle.<br />
<br />
I'm not obsessed with this colour but I certainly like it and I'm sure I'll be wearing it again this coming Winter...<br />
<br />
What do you think?London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-55830130719365831282011-10-03T08:27:00.000+01:002011-10-03T08:27:37.937+01:00OPI Swimsuit...Nailed It! and OPI Absolutely AliceHi everyone, and Happy October!<br />
<br />
I hope the month is going very well for all of you so far and that your weekend was a good one!<br />
<br />
Here in London, we've started the month with some freakishly unseasonal weather. It was 28c here yesterday! Unbelievable, no?!<br />
<br />
Because it's been so hot here over the last few days, I decided to do a summery sort of manicure before all I'll probably be wearing are more Autumnal/Wintry shades.<br />
<br />
So- I did a mani with OPI Swimsuit...Nailed It! and OPI Absolutely Alice. It's a very pretty combo, and reminds me of a sparkling blue sea in the middle of summer. I think Swimsuit...Nailed It! should have been called Dive In! if it weren't part of the Miss Universe collection- this colour reminds me of the sea, and as it's a foil, it's very glowy and has a lot of depth.<br />
<br />
Some pics:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgQAr0A6Yv_XR11uk0cvrPjrmnXHlxF-L4JJA31TG83422ITs09YyP6DR_rHGHDafYZeHlYL6MubXFtUWuHIU7SDQqqSVg7X1mqkKjpvBLW96TGwJHxEzTIrtDP0j0JJJ5a555kfdI2rJ/s1600/_MG_0104wholesmlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgQAr0A6Yv_XR11uk0cvrPjrmnXHlxF-L4JJA31TG83422ITs09YyP6DR_rHGHDafYZeHlYL6MubXFtUWuHIU7SDQqqSVg7X1mqkKjpvBLW96TGwJHxEzTIrtDP0j0JJJ5a555kfdI2rJ/s400/_MG_0104wholesmlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>OPI Swimsuit...Nailed It! and OPI Absolutely Alice<br />
<br />
I found that Swimsuit...Nailed It! was a bit thin, so I used three coats in my application, and then did a gradient with Absolutely Alice. The yellow 'Alice hair' pieces of glitter in Absolutely Alice remind me of sand!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUphwdOxwHwOzjdEHPgTJ2Nq2MwPeTGAT03XxT0Axy2UhAEGOJxHHZjk5fUlfmZlBRr_8dO_jFbasSeo9tIJO5lAPlRviNQhiw-Zj0pRTEXdNj6UkGjRVl_zvvRuVmHUf28DQAbqZ4tJF/s1600/_MG_0104smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUphwdOxwHwOzjdEHPgTJ2Nq2MwPeTGAT03XxT0Axy2UhAEGOJxHHZjk5fUlfmZlBRr_8dO_jFbasSeo9tIJO5lAPlRviNQhiw-Zj0pRTEXdNj6UkGjRVl_zvvRuVmHUf28DQAbqZ4tJF/s640/_MG_0104smlblog.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>I did this crop on my index finger to show off the glitter- and the natural starburst effect my camera captured! It looks really cool! :)<br />
<br />
On another note, sorry about the crazy amount of shrinkage and cuticle area rubbishness of this mani! Apparently, Seche Vite and Swimsuit...Nailed It! is not a good combination... The shrinkage was very bad indeed...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGuHYB6HNPp0Gic3vF75smBMEQB5voC0ggnyleZhM9_BU-zCvmFTIO4MCb_SGcaKvKOKDKWPGDfRCpuHV_0paK_pgrwtaEtLfPDFMXMElQZKI1ub0td4D0frwFC08_fU6cNBSqvylP4wW/s1600/_MG_0100smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGuHYB6HNPp0Gic3vF75smBMEQB5voC0ggnyleZhM9_BU-zCvmFTIO4MCb_SGcaKvKOKDKWPGDfRCpuHV_0paK_pgrwtaEtLfPDFMXMElQZKI1ub0td4D0frwFC08_fU6cNBSqvylP4wW/s400/_MG_0100smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>...As you can probably see. I had to re-polish the cuticle areas of my nails... Check out my ring finger in the pic above- yes, that ridge on the top of my ring finger came from shrinkage! Not very good....<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmine1DB3MJYzfIsTmNVHWy3NimjTujSgDLFgyOesEBXpwq1EBPmcpFXZf4Z_EfgahvrJSRwY2dManPUaENJaW4FlE8DIUAwsvJW7XLKk-eFQ9gP2JqgD5RsFgAuF3CO0eiv1Swn8cPcO/s1600/_MG_0108smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmine1DB3MJYzfIsTmNVHWy3NimjTujSgDLFgyOesEBXpwq1EBPmcpFXZf4Z_EfgahvrJSRwY2dManPUaENJaW4FlE8DIUAwsvJW7XLKk-eFQ9gP2JqgD5RsFgAuF3CO0eiv1Swn8cPcO/s400/_MG_0108smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>A blurry pic of this mani to show off the sparkliness of it- it really shines in the sun.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0VX9twG0QBTEsRLbGHqKv9sVvCJ3tSbKJ1QOezPHn5lJbuvhyMrrqTSpqdyJO9-82zV6L9zGfeMP-rc5fbWoApL5fD3bPf-x986CErhUGjZikqdEhc6itXKcwdlKll5YNij_oRbf8hPD/s1600/_MG_0111smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg0VX9twG0QBTEsRLbGHqKv9sVvCJ3tSbKJ1QOezPHn5lJbuvhyMrrqTSpqdyJO9-82zV6L9zGfeMP-rc5fbWoApL5fD3bPf-x986CErhUGjZikqdEhc6itXKcwdlKll5YNij_oRbf8hPD/s400/_MG_0111smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>And a close up blurry pic! It's a very sparkly manicure.<br />
<br />
So, I really liked this combination, it's very nice for Summer. I think Swimsuit...Nailed It would look amazing with gold shatter as well, so I might be trying this combination with my newly-released Barry M Gold Shatter...<br />
<br />
Stay tuned!London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-40787559296227861822011-09-30T09:50:00.000+01:002011-09-30T09:50:57.846+01:00This made me laugh...Happy Friday, everyone! It's the weekend!<br />
<br />
Having a look on Ebay just now, I came across this listing from an OPI seller:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidB3ELeBq1nRuhrOsUN2FHBcMBlN9ndx-okMtUJl2c5Wm_77xID3gjMwYQiUg1QK8Ld7kzn2gB5OP0ITxkyn0XrPJbU5WuNrVkRmoek5WXfNo9sevvfaUd_KlCIJvwwry5QhknZankDVr/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-09-30+at+09.56.45.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="25" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidB3ELeBq1nRuhrOsUN2FHBcMBlN9ndx-okMtUJl2c5Wm_77xID3gjMwYQiUg1QK8Ld7kzn2gB5OP0ITxkyn0XrPJbU5WuNrVkRmoek5WXfNo9sevvfaUd_KlCIJvwwry5QhknZankDVr/s400/Screen+shot+2011-09-30+at+09.56.45.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I think you mean, um, No Spain No Gain!?<br />
<br />
I'm pretty sure that OPI wouldn't endorse people injuring themselves!<br />
<br />
:)London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-90352975870743925202011-09-26T09:13:00.001+01:002011-09-26T09:13:47.960+01:00China Glaze SkyscraperHi everyone!<br />
<br />
It's early morning here in London so sorry if I still sound a bit sleepy and under-caffeinated!<br />
<br />
So- now- China Glaze: Skyscraper!<br />
<br />
What can I say? I love love love this polish. Adore it! It's so rich and beautiful. It reminds me of a starry sky, and funnily enough when I was putting it on, I was watching Titanic on TV, so the colour also reminded me of the huge 'Heart of the Ocean' diamond Cal gives Rose in the film.<br />
<br />
In general, I wouldn't say I wear blue nail polish an awful lot, although I have been trying to get a bit more experimental in what I wear recently. But China Glaze Skyscraper? This one was love at first sight! It's, to me, kind of the blue version of China Glaze's Ruby Pumps, which is probably, at a push, my favourite red.<br />
<br />
Anyways, enough of that! -Skyscraper: here it is!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ekwk6z7ncwmN1aJobVjcQwJoavom3nNCHZ9gFOKvh1kDYBFirig56cyJyBgw1cKvhLcAl4sCiukNJIFqY_qaE1l05WIuD2ZZ7dqi61_SyLeAKSHGCYtA7_Dm0fKrF0TGyX62NUU3fqxX/s1600/_MG_0045smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ekwk6z7ncwmN1aJobVjcQwJoavom3nNCHZ9gFOKvh1kDYBFirig56cyJyBgw1cKvhLcAl4sCiukNJIFqY_qaE1l05WIuD2ZZ7dqi61_SyLeAKSHGCYtA7_Dm0fKrF0TGyX62NUU3fqxX/s400/_MG_0045smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>China Glaze Skyscraper view I<br />
<br />
Stunning, no? The colour of the base in this polish is beautiful too. I like the fact that the base does actually have a a colour, otherwise it would be like the other glitter in China Glaze's Metro Collection, CG In The City, which despite being very cool for layering, would be pretty tricky to wear alone, probably due to it's clear base.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnSRsihKWA3Zt6VizrbltpRsAednYG77An4hxAlHPQjAYj-oEiNnw67kICTor2TjV5djU1ETkZfTogNzR1cfwTZuaNIc1kVLQ0LL8Sk4NYZqZmMjTxBCPp95Rjlr6eCrZcC0hf-PhphJR/s1600/_MG_0047smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnSRsihKWA3Zt6VizrbltpRsAednYG77An4hxAlHPQjAYj-oEiNnw67kICTor2TjV5djU1ETkZfTogNzR1cfwTZuaNIc1kVLQ0LL8Sk4NYZqZmMjTxBCPp95Rjlr6eCrZcC0hf-PhphJR/s640/_MG_0047smlblog.jpg" width="394" /></a></div> China Glaze Skyscraper view II<br />
<br />
For China Glaze Skyscraper, I used two thickish coats for the deep, rich kind of opacity I was after. If you like to apply your lacquer thin and want the same sort of depth of colour and opacity, I'd apply three coats.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJKAC_Yzc6sT_q1-D2nxMi3jbVSNSx58RrrUUktSdqHJk34yr0lzMCI2NyVAC1_Q7ouEZgk0qx9lTIEMOo6iXa6-kV_PApPmRyON8TJAl6y1gbFiWE7o_U0KfxcVodiIqw4a3QrmcrAMp/s1600/_MG_0051smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJKAC_Yzc6sT_q1-D2nxMi3jbVSNSx58RrrUUktSdqHJk34yr0lzMCI2NyVAC1_Q7ouEZgk0qx9lTIEMOo6iXa6-kV_PApPmRyON8TJAl6y1gbFiWE7o_U0KfxcVodiIqw4a3QrmcrAMp/s400/_MG_0051smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>China Glaze Skyscraper view III<br />
<br />
Such a gorgeous polish. I was kind of annoyed at myself for only purchasing one bottle!<br />
<br />
Try this one out, for sure. I don't think you'll be disappointed.London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-34555267537320359742011-09-26T00:15:00.001+01:002011-09-26T01:20:27.025+01:00OPI Samoan Sand & Konad M59Hiya!<br />
<br />
I thought I'd post about my current Mani.<br />
<br />
I wanted a chic, neutral base this time (in contrast to all the crazy shades I've been rocking recently!) so I used the classic nude shade, OPI Samoan Sand.<br />
<br />
I was pretty apprehensive yet seriously excited about doing this manicure, because it would be a first for me- I purchased three Konad plates at the Olympia Beauty Expo the other week, after years of wanting to try Konading out. For some daft reason, in all that time I failed to buy into the Konad system on the Internet, (no real idea why!) so when I discovered that Konad would be at Olympia... Well, the time had definitely come!<br />
So yeah, I was so excited about doing these nails, but a bit worried that I'd screw up my nails, etc. as I'd had no prior Konading experience!<br />
<br />
Turns out, I needn't have worried so much!<br />
<br />
I decided to do a 1950's themed Mani, so did my Samoan Sand base and then dotted black spots onto all apart from my middle finger nails. On these, I used Konad plate M59 and used the plain bow (also using black lacquer) and honestly, I was so excited and happy at the way my nails turned out!<br />
<br />
Have a look:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLY0wSqvJLaCki_JznuIKonk87INV3G8EUsUoo_V2JtJs0ZgQk5KFPFOlqAo2lSZtal0pOb6_k9phe9wDDcCG3pXSemQgLqVHv1TSyhYuFIxo3nBfoX9y_KCk9rQhPrazJlvAU5VAuvrbl/s1600/_MG_0062smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLY0wSqvJLaCki_JznuIKonk87INV3G8EUsUoo_V2JtJs0ZgQk5KFPFOlqAo2lSZtal0pOb6_k9phe9wDDcCG3pXSemQgLqVHv1TSyhYuFIxo3nBfoX9y_KCk9rQhPrazJlvAU5VAuvrbl/s400/_MG_0062smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> OPI Samoan Sand & Konad M59 view I<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BmwJyPMWz8scjEIRs8ilD4qAR55wnJDwVidRwWeHC_LBq00BfrD0DmoS_E0SlMIwi7YUwm63goVgOcg5zM4F3Ljp6XHWQ7C7el7VXFfhbxsfp6rjOyQPuwVCITAc4Q7vG-UwPqGeOp6o/s1600/_MG_0070smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BmwJyPMWz8scjEIRs8ilD4qAR55wnJDwVidRwWeHC_LBq00BfrD0DmoS_E0SlMIwi7YUwm63goVgOcg5zM4F3Ljp6XHWQ7C7el7VXFfhbxsfp6rjOyQPuwVCITAc4Q7vG-UwPqGeOp6o/s640/_MG_0070smlblog.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>OPI Samoan Sand & Konad M59 view II<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ICS0q6hXYJO6XGNO8NIuatrAA0uww1j3pDMYAI-YVxKLsiEyTXa7KqpEybLg49aEbxEdgSG0U_udkczFIsZCpnHHFwJ3hCmewWZFcwLvf2WKY4941M_L05hsx3UET81U11CQ0MlpfcAa/s1600/_MG_0065smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ICS0q6hXYJO6XGNO8NIuatrAA0uww1j3pDMYAI-YVxKLsiEyTXa7KqpEybLg49aEbxEdgSG0U_udkczFIsZCpnHHFwJ3hCmewWZFcwLvf2WKY4941M_L05hsx3UET81U11CQ0MlpfcAa/s640/_MG_0065smlblog.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>OPI Samoan Sand & Konad M59 view III<br />
<br />
They're cute, right?<br />
<br />
Now that I've finally (!) hopped on the Konad bandwagon, already I can't get enough!<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for way more Konading to come!<br />
<br />
:)London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-52885987089967087942011-09-25T18:56:00.001+01:002011-09-25T23:58:54.589+01:00Color Club Hot Like LavaHi everyone!<br />
<br />
Hope you've all had a great weekend!<br />
<br />
It's now the turn of Color Club Hot Like Lava to get reviewed.<br />
<br />
I'll start by saying that, while I love foil/metallic finish lacquers, this wasn't a shade I thought I'd like that much... The colour made me a bit unsure, and I also worried that there would be visible brush stroke issues with this one.<br />
<br />
However; when I actually swatched it, I was very pleasantly surprised! The colour is pretty dramatic, (good thing), the pigmentation is great (very good thing), and the sparkliness is brilliant- (great thing!)<br />
<br />
Here it is:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1rzRd-Xtd5Y6iQgsqSvn7GdCZXeeOxBKNe-ykXpwe_uRqJiDNj0vqv17GS-BuBW8v1an2W8sZ1z6QHHIWViDix6SJYdDO51eRtL0xzsurvy9CM9fQGx1gsrEzYVH6Tz02FEsM5n9jb7d/s1600/_MG_9913smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1rzRd-Xtd5Y6iQgsqSvn7GdCZXeeOxBKNe-ykXpwe_uRqJiDNj0vqv17GS-BuBW8v1an2W8sZ1z6QHHIWViDix6SJYdDO51eRtL0xzsurvy9CM9fQGx1gsrEzYVH6Tz02FEsM5n9jb7d/s400/_MG_9913smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Color Club Hot Like Lava view I<br />
<br />
This shade is very rich and seems to glow on the nails. It was perfectly saturated in two coats.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxXJQZKxLBjjSHWQrrr4sCEli8lvG3OGjj7akPhVbUfPd2yAxs2nXtpxCryzIyo3dMlcq16XTTuXK_ZXRuRaUQX6Vak4uWl5IfkgQ_qJa2HA6AOp8q0d2f8_tmehnmnZisaGbyzmI1IvS/s1600/_MG_9911smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjxXJQZKxLBjjSHWQrrr4sCEli8lvG3OGjj7akPhVbUfPd2yAxs2nXtpxCryzIyo3dMlcq16XTTuXK_ZXRuRaUQX6Vak4uWl5IfkgQ_qJa2HA6AOp8q0d2f8_tmehnmnZisaGbyzmI1IvS/s400/_MG_9911smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Color Club Hot Like Lava view II<br />
<br />
Judging by my very happy thoughts on this polish, I now wish I had more shades from this collection. I can't get enough of this finish!<br />
<br />
On a side note, I think that it would be really interesting if someone brought out a collection of sludgy foil polishes! You know the sort- mushroomy purples, taupes, sludgy greens and greys.... I think that would be crazy cool!<br />
<br />
...Next Autumn perhaps?<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">*Color Club Hot Like Lava was provided to me for reviewing purposes. I was not paid to review this polish or to say great things about it. All opinions, good or bad, are my own*</span></span>London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-34713981761933999872011-09-23T18:45:00.001+01:002011-09-23T18:52:16.716+01:00China Glaze CG In The CityCG In The city from- yep, no prizes for guessing here- China Glaze is a lacquer from their new Metro Collection. It's a complete sparkle fest, and has lavender, gold, silver and black glitter particles in a clear base. The sparkles in this polish are very small, so it looks very saturated with glitter.<br />
<br />
Overall, looking at the bottle, it looks like a lavender/pewter colour... And the sparkliness is blinding!<br />
<br />
I think this shade is really nice, but if I had one thing to say about it, I wish that the base holding it together was not clear- a grey shade perhaps would have made this one a bit easier to wear alone.<br />
<br />
As it stands, it's probably best to use this one as a topcoat. It's still gonna be buildable of course, but you'll have more of a base. Some people using this polish may not mind that you'd probably have to use about seven coats to make it completely opaque, but I really don't have the patience to do a Mani like that.<br />
<br />
Therefore, I decided to layer this polish over China Glaze's Street Chic, also from their Metro Collection. I felt these two lacquers would go quite nicely together, especially as they're from the same collection and season.<br />
<br />
Application with CG In The City was good. No problems there! I used one thickish coat over my base.<br />
<br />
Here is CG In The City over a Street Chic base Mani:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKSppQWCu6PX4dJQtUDhtpWLPsBr2ApDu5bJt943Fkrtt83WYt81m4VLKlOXC_2rpQpo75lAVndeyugjoyG2xiJseTisDUoNMbyHhcm9bCX_3i4mlqCHM4_8qdl8z2OrpG3zomvg06dao/s1600/_MG_9943smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKSppQWCu6PX4dJQtUDhtpWLPsBr2ApDu5bJt943Fkrtt83WYt81m4VLKlOXC_2rpQpo75lAVndeyugjoyG2xiJseTisDUoNMbyHhcm9bCX_3i4mlqCHM4_8qdl8z2OrpG3zomvg06dao/s400/_MG_9943smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>China Glaze CG In The City view I<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNBfaWAaUwAoDQyz2HGVTYzCDAzp6MlAhsqihPXu21Dc5-tEA3s-h3evStcFrqJ0herMzod0vShA5h8Ix5zZ5ZaU7kdqCyn1CCRgJVnm44DqWtPdEmSiknBI0DBKf4FL35EekqLomrJdn/s1600/_MG_9946smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNBfaWAaUwAoDQyz2HGVTYzCDAzp6MlAhsqihPXu21Dc5-tEA3s-h3evStcFrqJ0herMzod0vShA5h8Ix5zZ5ZaU7kdqCyn1CCRgJVnm44DqWtPdEmSiknBI0DBKf4FL35EekqLomrJdn/s400/_MG_9946smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>CG In The City view II<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5XxLActtEZcmaCFq8E5k12LibHxCk5ssZaL4gxdV_qU-EVbdD3d81tKivgB9spIAAwYVNjs2EUDjCwO3LzRWcMbKOk6WyrKHkkmjO5CoYex54JE8sWz48GeoxCkPMR1jP3NVIEPfsLgv/s1600/_MG_9950smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5XxLActtEZcmaCFq8E5k12LibHxCk5ssZaL4gxdV_qU-EVbdD3d81tKivgB9spIAAwYVNjs2EUDjCwO3LzRWcMbKOk6WyrKHkkmjO5CoYex54JE8sWz48GeoxCkPMR1jP3NVIEPfsLgv/s640/_MG_9950smlblog.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>CG In The City view III<br />
<br />
Ooooh! Sophisticated and elegant yet blingy- I like this combo a lot.<br />
<br />
Could you get away with wearing this Mani to work?<br />
<br />
;)<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">*China Glaze CG In The City was </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">provided to me for reviewing purposes. I was not paid to review this polish or to say great things about it. All opinions, good or bad, are my own*</span></span>London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-61998076882289175852011-09-23T12:17:00.001+01:002011-09-23T12:17:45.736+01:00Olympia Beauty 2012For those of you who were wondering, (inc. Nails by Catherina and Manicure Maniac!) the Olympia Beauty Expo 2012 is going to be held on 23rd and 24th September. I just received an email confirming the dates from their PR.<br />
<br />
I'm already super excited! :)London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-76893308038505733702011-09-23T12:01:00.001+01:002011-09-23T12:04:11.818+01:00China Glaze Street ChicGood morning from London, everyone! It's a lovely sunny day here today :)<br />
<br />
Today I'm going to post on a new China Glaze acquisition- Street Chic, as part of the Uptown Set from their new (and may I say very lovely) Metro Collection.<br />
<br />
Street Chic is an extremely creamy mushroomy dark taupe shade. It's also very Autumnal and work appropriate too, as it's very neutral, yet fashion forward too. Look at all this point scoring! :)<br />
<br />
Get ready for the swatches!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDHQmQlYM-XEK3FDwJYYzEuqVFPHbhRb1Cs9OLk_IUcuDGu_6xRxfvpkAHJzceWi71Ze886A3wbpbtt1bvlLIHdlzun_rflwipBaYXdY2mepAYVkRi4OxOmwEr8H-q3i7X5jAOpuN5mlY/s1600/_MG_9937smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDHQmQlYM-XEK3FDwJYYzEuqVFPHbhRb1Cs9OLk_IUcuDGu_6xRxfvpkAHJzceWi71Ze886A3wbpbtt1bvlLIHdlzun_rflwipBaYXdY2mepAYVkRi4OxOmwEr8H-q3i7X5jAOpuN5mlY/s400/_MG_9937smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>China Glaze Street Chic<br />
<br />
Literally this polish is so wonderfully creamy. It applied beautifully and the colour looks very sophisticated and ladylike, right?<br />
<br />
It's not something I'd wear all the time because I tend to gravitate to sparkly shades a lot of the time, but sometimes I do like to go back to basics and just wear a plain creme, and this polish fits the bill!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK42vMXvSvFB3hTH5EEsyiCU19UQvgeN9MOYOSbhwDtRXIOTqvCxjg32Nuab5Ie-xCMXzpYyLo_wBHbwYktyWQyvvAJKR7yGoLyStlnBpWRHbE0F-s1sC1REDs2a5Qx9nVIiEO5c9g4N3q/s1600/_MG_9928smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK42vMXvSvFB3hTH5EEsyiCU19UQvgeN9MOYOSbhwDtRXIOTqvCxjg32Nuab5Ie-xCMXzpYyLo_wBHbwYktyWQyvvAJKR7yGoLyStlnBpWRHbE0F-s1sC1REDs2a5Qx9nVIiEO5c9g4N3q/s640/_MG_9928smlblog.jpg" width="388" /></a></div>China Glaze Street Chic view II<br />
<br />
What do you guys think about this one?<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">*China Glaze Street Chic was provided to me for reviewing purposes. I was not paid to review these polishes or to say great things about them. All opinions, good or bad, are my own*</span></span>London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-19422986070619566192011-09-22T23:20:00.004+01:002011-09-23T12:03:50.745+01:00OPI Warm & FozzieOPI Warm & Fozzie is the last swatch from the Muppettes Mini Lacquer collection.<br />
<br />
It's a bronze foil shimmer with gold, rose gold plus greenish shimmer in there. This polish has quite a lot of depth and dimension to it, which is pretty cool.<br />
<br />
Check it out:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCqPURqjHovQR71nCeXHK9wpYQafq8xgrUnt7AslJcbpyEy4KW5ct48rUdY_DJGbUCJuD8GwuFaXEY_cHFkExCzhIorRrroD_Hp0qQluzpTZRNTr1OiWjIkaVt92uY8G6wqEu4Xc7y5X6/s1600/_MG_0028smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCqPURqjHovQR71nCeXHK9wpYQafq8xgrUnt7AslJcbpyEy4KW5ct48rUdY_DJGbUCJuD8GwuFaXEY_cHFkExCzhIorRrroD_Hp0qQluzpTZRNTr1OiWjIkaVt92uY8G6wqEu4Xc7y5X6/s400/_MG_0028smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>OPI Warm & Fozzie<br />
<br />
This one was a three coater too. Strange that all of these Muppets polishes have been three coaters, but there you go. If you're impatient and lazy like me, two thick coats will probably suffice... Just about!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3T7GQ2MAshcGb-i_XhykboXFExpW_i1sju4xjc7LGFwL7Wa-Twx25wed19bE0EvJ_kb-TkT1vR9zdivMkDKV5kQ0YoKCN6xSh9lfuhWwMzlRTgqvbo1gdr8xd2427f4unD4WRNo9Zv__/s1600/_MG_0027smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3T7GQ2MAshcGb-i_XhykboXFExpW_i1sju4xjc7LGFwL7Wa-Twx25wed19bE0EvJ_kb-TkT1vR9zdivMkDKV5kQ0YoKCN6xSh9lfuhWwMzlRTgqvbo1gdr8xd2427f4unD4WRNo9Zv__/s640/_MG_0027smlblog.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Like Designer... de Better! I'm not a huge fan of Warm & Fozzie; there's nothing wrong with it at all, it's just that this colour doesn't make my heart skip a beat, but it's nice to be experimental with colours and not always go for the same sort of shade, right?<br />
<br />
:)London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-17217980806348214452011-09-22T21:57:00.000+01:002011-09-22T21:57:47.904+01:00OPI Designer... de Better!This is the third polish in the Muppettes mini pack.<br />
<br />
OPI Designer... de Better! is an interesting polish- it's an extremely shimmery chrome-look foil finish with scattered copper shimmer particles.<br />
<br />
The shimmer particles aren't really that noticeable if you're looking at the nail polish from afar, but they make the overall hue of the polish more of a very pale champagne/beige shade than a silver.<br />
<br />
Observe:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRs1Yxwv7SU-THV2xp5xIm4cu0lDRHeyW7Y0A1AxzmczEoTDkXyLkOv1G5a2sIyYfnssiKBXOP93QuIWd1o87b-ZJJyfswetPQJRTqLBtuJ8ExYbPCfnHSU48x4-HcYS_jSqtlniVLwaga/s1600/_MG_0002smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRs1Yxwv7SU-THV2xp5xIm4cu0lDRHeyW7Y0A1AxzmczEoTDkXyLkOv1G5a2sIyYfnssiKBXOP93QuIWd1o87b-ZJJyfswetPQJRTqLBtuJ8ExYbPCfnHSU48x4-HcYS_jSqtlniVLwaga/s400/_MG_0002smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> OPI Designer... de Better!<br />
<br />
Shimmery, no?<br />
<br />
It's quite a unique shade, I don't think I've seen any kind of dupe for this one.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgT6mLPP41dukhlBpFCvcMu13bJ_EMpAMSnwcbWmuSQerK3m2baqBwFa45Bu0U8qN0zLHKI80p8Cu3lgAz7FzrSTdIT6VOwzXY_qNz0vIRs72P8FHXWbTgADqhXz6t__4bAYz6Hye1T50/s1600/_MG_0014smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgT6mLPP41dukhlBpFCvcMu13bJ_EMpAMSnwcbWmuSQerK3m2baqBwFa45Bu0U8qN0zLHKI80p8Cu3lgAz7FzrSTdIT6VOwzXY_qNz0vIRs72P8FHXWbTgADqhXz6t__4bAYz6Hye1T50/s640/_MG_0014smlblog.jpg" width="458" /></a></div>This lacquer went on very smoothly again, I'm very impressed with what I've tried so far in the Muppets collection with this in mind.<br />
Again, in keeping with the Muppets formula, this polish needed three coats as it was pretty thin.<br />
<br />
I must say, I'm not the world's biggest fan of this colour, but that's just a personal preference...<br />
<br />
What do you think about this shade, hit or miss?London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-60942130199784162912011-09-22T19:34:00.003+01:002011-09-22T20:06:58.175+01:00OPI Excuse Moi!Another polish from my OPI Muppettes mini collection for you now!<br />
<br />
This one is pretty cool, it's a saturated pink glitter. Not as saturated in base shade as OPI DS Bold, but saturated all the same. It's a light, feminine pink shade, but definitely not work appropriate!<br />
This polish pretty much contains all the colours of the rainbow!<br />
<br />
Obviously, the base is light pink, and inside there's red, purple, green, blue, pink, silver, gold glitter... You get the idea!<br />
<br />
All that makes for a pretty darn sparkly manicure!<br />
<br />
Here it is:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaApw3QHyOuqDvHXhNGBGv5-wX4fDPziD-4mR9krmon0OEpRpNAKTzS4oU7s5WPm2OGIhW9nq6U_TIfrmWBsT1gzBelLe_7WPxkMtJkk3f8ojzOrowJOVpt4sBAbILaslLv3CWpz8voq8k/s1600/_MG_9985smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaApw3QHyOuqDvHXhNGBGv5-wX4fDPziD-4mR9krmon0OEpRpNAKTzS4oU7s5WPm2OGIhW9nq6U_TIfrmWBsT1gzBelLe_7WPxkMtJkk3f8ojzOrowJOVpt4sBAbILaslLv3CWpz8voq8k/s400/_MG_9985smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>OPI Excuse Moi!<br />
<br />
This looks, to me, like a lighter pink version of DS Bold and with multi colour glitter instead of DS Bold's pink/silver glitter.<br />
<br />
Also, there are two different sized glitters in Excuse Moi!- a very fine glitter which makes up the base, and then the addition of the multi coloured glitter pieces.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEhLvfFBnCJKvGJS3gERd2gH7v1f-wElSbfIEtlw78Rv6X8ZJBimkOfd7qbpEEMykAkgRVjJGGacREOowlcIuMmXMEC1rLlbENgjmeguwooXiRbnnsLboUybJtDOk8vuJFo3peEJQnrlT/s1600/_MG_9992smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEhLvfFBnCJKvGJS3gERd2gH7v1f-wElSbfIEtlw78Rv6X8ZJBimkOfd7qbpEEMykAkgRVjJGGacREOowlcIuMmXMEC1rLlbENgjmeguwooXiRbnnsLboUybJtDOk8vuJFo3peEJQnrlT/s640/_MG_9992smlblog.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
This polish was very easy to paint with, it spread onto my nails very well. I went with two thickish coats for my swatching, but three thin ones would probably be better and longer lasting for a complete Mani.<br />
<br />
It's a pretty polish, no? :)London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-75106247897118037342011-09-22T16:57:00.002+01:002011-09-22T20:06:06.416+01:00OPI Wocka Wocka!Hi!<br />
<br />
I've got something very cool to show you guys now- Wocka Wocka! from the as yet unreleased in stores Muppets collection by OPI!<br />
Exciting!<br />
I got this shade from the Muppettes Mini Nail Lacquers pack at the OPI Trade stall at the Olympia Beauty Expo here in London last weekend. It was a great show, I loved every minute of it, and I especially enjoyed getting my mitts on this mini Muppets pack!<br />
<br />
So- here is Wocka Wocka!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgny7Iah8Gtuf57v_e8O2RG4rBOgtc0zT1Tk41fiW5avuyKic5Dw3bHwAC474Jhorx7cYrkflt_Ob2W5S7DCywQ-wBsNl17Gfn7EwB4woMFOp5NhxwMkeqKjRcMPpSkwNNPew6Oko_Mo_T5/s1600/_MG_9968smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgny7Iah8Gtuf57v_e8O2RG4rBOgtc0zT1Tk41fiW5avuyKic5Dw3bHwAC474Jhorx7cYrkflt_Ob2W5S7DCywQ-wBsNl17Gfn7EwB4woMFOp5NhxwMkeqKjRcMPpSkwNNPew6Oko_Mo_T5/s400/_MG_9968smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>OPI Wocka Wocka!<br />
<br />
I think this shade is really pretty. I must admit, I was surprised by it because, as a red lacquer lover, I have so many reds (especially shimmery reds as I'm a big fan) in my collection already, and I was just kind of expecting it to be a bit sort of mehhhh, seen this before...<br />
<br />
But no!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnGGR90YCTE23Dr7xCQbOTDI3saPvEhmZiOlpbjP5cIoOre_af8yMFzAEAfVpoYUEvWZxnRh1_wU1XGnuqhnVcWOJsRP5c4w261LF1FPOHARv3L15IaUROLvJEJ8tlnFU7sy5RKFwDEEs/s1600/_MG_9969smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnGGR90YCTE23Dr7xCQbOTDI3saPvEhmZiOlpbjP5cIoOre_af8yMFzAEAfVpoYUEvWZxnRh1_wU1XGnuqhnVcWOJsRP5c4w261LF1FPOHARv3L15IaUROLvJEJ8tlnFU7sy5RKFwDEEs/s640/_MG_9969smlblog.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><br />
It's a gorgeous cherry red, with a pinkish shimmer to it, which gives it much more depth. It's a shade that's perhaps a contender for a more subtle and lighter toned I'm Not Really A Waitress... Definitely cherry in colour.<br />
<br />
OPI describes it as a 'berry' shade....<br />
<br />
Is a cherry a berry or not!?<br />
<br />
Answers on a postcard, please! :)London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-1171664332700008132011-09-22T15:19:00.000+01:002011-09-22T15:19:27.549+01:00The Impatience Test: Crackle/Shatter LacquersA bit of background for you guys before I get started on this post:<br />
<br />
I've lived in London for six years now and it's a fast paced life- running round the city on the Tube, battling the crowds on Oxford Street (don't ever do that on Christmas Eve- what a complete and utter nightmare!), darting from one friend to another, attempting to prevent myself getting flattened by black taxis....<br />
You get the picture.<br />
<br />
London has transformed me into one of those city types who wants it all, and wants it now!<br />
<br />
With my patience and attention span of a flea, I've found my ventures into crackle/shatter nail polishes very interesting. I've already reviewed OPI and Barry M shatters, if you haven't seen them yet you can check them out here-<br />
<br />
<a href="http://london-lacquer.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-come-on-opi.html">http://london-lacquer.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-come-on-opi.html</a> (OPI)<br />
<br />
...And here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://london-lacquer.blogspot.com/2011/08/opi-and-barry-m-combo.html">http://london-lacquer.blogspot.com/2011/08/opi-and-barry-m-combo.html</a> (Barry M)<br />
<br />
...Anyways, today is the turn of China Glaze Tarnished Gold Crackle Glaze, and Color Club Smash Hit (pure Black shatter)<br />
<br />
Let me just start the review by saying that, because this is an Impatience Test, I didn't let the colours I used on the base dry in either case with these shatters. I was swatching that day and didn't use my Seche Vite topcoat, as I always do when doing a complete Mani for either swatches I tried the shatters out on.<br />
<br />
Also, the base colours (and finishes) I used in the Impatience Test were different. With both of the bases I waited until I had taken pictures and both of the Manis in question were touch dry when I put the shatter coats on.<br />
<br />
With that said, let's get started!<br />
<br />
First up, China Glaze Tarnished Gold Crackle:<br />
<br />
Great shade, I must say. This is a beautiful shimmery gold crackle containing gold and silver pigment, which I layered over OPI DS Temptation.<br />
<br />
Here is the result:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFdHU0CidoHh-yAXdKAnE7XMtimgDP5Cp38SqTVbKK_mZeBhQyI8Gv7-FxaM9oYG8Cwm2h3F09pCzBHNUqDUlWPH1wQJVz53Eg-ek25FWq3bgf_r3bxr8aSrZJzMD_YJDgU7k8HP628Md/s1600/_MG_9897smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFdHU0CidoHh-yAXdKAnE7XMtimgDP5Cp38SqTVbKK_mZeBhQyI8Gv7-FxaM9oYG8Cwm2h3F09pCzBHNUqDUlWPH1wQJVz53Eg-ek25FWq3bgf_r3bxr8aSrZJzMD_YJDgU7k8HP628Md/s400/_MG_9897smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> China Glaze Tarnished Gold Crackle over OPI DS Temptation<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfW7yvh9f3UxIJ7zTnWSbfaDx5JkFDKm1up366RSYFTmFZgbWcn5bblw3OUnbKHujqfTY2NLDQJA5ZE0Wk6Fc7kkMMmboNm4di38gLGF3ocQmNUi7cEZKCrEwiOuKWHEkU4xlRaCIExiXW/s1600/_MG_9898smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfW7yvh9f3UxIJ7zTnWSbfaDx5JkFDKm1up366RSYFTmFZgbWcn5bblw3OUnbKHujqfTY2NLDQJA5ZE0Wk6Fc7kkMMmboNm4di38gLGF3ocQmNUi7cEZKCrEwiOuKWHEkU4xlRaCIExiXW/s640/_MG_9898smlblog.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>A close up of China Glaze Tarnished Gold Crackle over OPI DS Temptation<br />
<br />
And now for Color Club Smash Hit over Color Club Hot Like Lava:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLZfMA7Zrj87h6eRIH-fJZkfXPZ6gSQUdJO1mwRN7yRMgT5thuzh7g1x54Rh7PtKts5C8uRIfj9IBiJMWZ_AIdT6AiXGXqTDKmlsimqLVGRqCvUXWsGVu0v-9Jl8qX-a6QU2apYOQuFTA/s1600/_MG_9917smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLZfMA7Zrj87h6eRIH-fJZkfXPZ6gSQUdJO1mwRN7yRMgT5thuzh7g1x54Rh7PtKts5C8uRIfj9IBiJMWZ_AIdT6AiXGXqTDKmlsimqLVGRqCvUXWsGVu0v-9Jl8qX-a6QU2apYOQuFTA/s400/_MG_9917smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>L-R: Index finger- thin crackle coat, Middle finger- thick crackle coat, Ring finger- thin crackle coat, Little finger- thick crackle coat<br />
<br />
So after doing these two Crackle swatches, I thought- well, obviously the Color Club turned out out a lot better than the China Glaze Crackle... I also really liked the fact that with the Color Club, it seemed easier to get a thicker or thinner Crackle effect, as demonstrated in the photo above. Color Club had won the Crackle battle!... <br />
<br />
...At least for now. I later thought that it might have been unfair to judge China Glaze perhaps too fast, and so I decided to experiment with the polishes further and conduct a completely fair test.<br />
<br />
For my bases, I used different finishes:<br />
<br />
* Color Club Artsy Crafty: Creme<br />
* Color Club Hot Like Lava: Metal/Foil<br />
* OPI DS Original: Holographic<br />
* China Glaze It's Alive: Glitter<br />
<br />
I painted all four colours twice on a nail wheel and left them to dry to touch, before layering over the China Glaze and Color Club crackles.<br />
<br />
Here are the results:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittMruSLxSq9d4DOBtfZTO9A4EnnINF1NiGy_Fb8q7kMguBuY5-H8hsDW-GJs-fQPATzsYiWkhV-XSsA8gxGTLUINz1NMWjA2qtWGH_iaIVbLusvZ-ItlFTTBDIruf7BfiIUwp5oLKi_au/s1600/_MG_0061smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittMruSLxSq9d4DOBtfZTO9A4EnnINF1NiGy_Fb8q7kMguBuY5-H8hsDW-GJs-fQPATzsYiWkhV-XSsA8gxGTLUINz1NMWjA2qtWGH_iaIVbLusvZ-ItlFTTBDIruf7BfiIUwp5oLKi_au/s400/_MG_0061smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Left Set: Afore mentioned colours plus Color Club Smash Hit (Black Crackle) and Right Set: Afore mentioned colours plus China Glaze Tarnished Gold Crackle<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUhANuPkI8ec_to0rTqd2Fb5apGPQvqzspiFs3S15jTSRbcenZu8K7UoeZYSBjcrIu95UiRW0AYkIiPRAihWAb0sDIRNBDsVcJX97YeIcMlWjmNSg1nMWEq7TvfhKIdOxO3p1Oaob2n5J/s1600/_MG_0058smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUhANuPkI8ec_to0rTqd2Fb5apGPQvqzspiFs3S15jTSRbcenZu8K7UoeZYSBjcrIu95UiRW0AYkIiPRAihWAb0sDIRNBDsVcJX97YeIcMlWjmNSg1nMWEq7TvfhKIdOxO3p1Oaob2n5J/s640/_MG_0058smlblog.jpg" width="336" /></a></div>Color Club crackle close up. I lightened the the Artsy Crafty nail a bit to let you guys see the crackle effect better.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XglVgYHMWu3QGIYa7cOZPcqrE9-Ra3zMf6wY-JFejqTICuEow16lsbiCfzY7jTH8jCgl61uoUyFVHNcSnscdI89rNDs8CHFhkN6EP0M7G9l30n8giDs8k1sLWiiJeZUzHvEZTNgetyni/s1600/_MG_0059smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XglVgYHMWu3QGIYa7cOZPcqrE9-Ra3zMf6wY-JFejqTICuEow16lsbiCfzY7jTH8jCgl61uoUyFVHNcSnscdI89rNDs8CHFhkN6EP0M7G9l30n8giDs8k1sLWiiJeZUzHvEZTNgetyni/s640/_MG_0059smlblog.jpg" width="344" /></a></div>A close up of the China Glaze set.<br />
<br />
I still prefer the Color Club crackle. I like the way it 'separates' more than the China Glaze, and I mentioned, I really like that the color Club crackle seems more versatile- it can easily be crackled thin or thick for different effects.<br />
<br />
Color Club wins for me!<br />
<br />
What do you guys think?<br />
<br />
*China Glaze Tarnished Gold Crackle and Color Club Smash Hit were provided to me for reviewing purposes. I was not paid to review these polishes or to say great things about them. All opinions, good or bad, are my own*London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220709471895954627.post-50886558199269336752011-09-22T13:01:00.000+01:002011-09-22T13:01:33.452+01:00OPI DS Bold and OPI DS TemptationHi everyone!<br />
<br />
New OPI DS shades here for you today!<br />
<br />
These two are OPI's diamond dust formulation, and are brand new releases. I picked up my bottles last weekend at the Olympia Beauty event. I hadn't seen them in person before, and DS Temptation especially caught my eye immediately. These two shades are such a riot of glitter and colour!<br />
<br />
Have a look:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgot1EbozzzwFjF9Qefyed17IRNVw0nTXIGmRjJIswfVfepDWhOao19CFrcdgvLZSLSG1GiP3E7Bq8cY8BxPiYC3ALvLatDYndYlarN5ptGnHG9vHEFde2mBtq4UfEpRMVPeDLMlESginPj/s1600/_MG_9866smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgot1EbozzzwFjF9Qefyed17IRNVw0nTXIGmRjJIswfVfepDWhOao19CFrcdgvLZSLSG1GiP3E7Bq8cY8BxPiYC3ALvLatDYndYlarN5ptGnHG9vHEFde2mBtq4UfEpRMVPeDLMlESginPj/s640/_MG_9866smlblog.jpg" width="330" /></a></div>First up is OPI DS Bold<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03iRkVrvNfi-xh6e9sIvaQQ99T4B76XgsGdCzVDrQJj7biAokE18CIuyZnGzNGAb6f4WIPq5GfMVxKIj8CdxCHr3uyjUu4ZZD_TvHJmv8AvWaJi5XpY-6AX5k8BKWBt5hJ83NOySf5bLE/s1600/_MG_9868smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03iRkVrvNfi-xh6e9sIvaQQ99T4B76XgsGdCzVDrQJj7biAokE18CIuyZnGzNGAb6f4WIPq5GfMVxKIj8CdxCHr3uyjUu4ZZD_TvHJmv8AvWaJi5XpY-6AX5k8BKWBt5hJ83NOySf5bLE/s640/_MG_9868smlblog.jpg" width="338" /></a></div>OPI DS Temptation<br />
<br />
Nice, huh?<br />
<br />
Firstly, about the application on Bold. I liked this one because the base is pretty saturated with colour, so you can wear this polish on it's own. Some of OPI's polishes, such as Last Friday Night and Teenage Dream from the Katy Perry collection, had such an undersaturated base colour that it pretty much became necessary to layer them to prevent a washed out (yet amazingly sparkly) looking Mani.<br />
<br />
So yeah, no problems with OPI DS Bold. Application was great, perfect and saturated (no bald spots!) in two standard coats.<br />
<br />
Some images:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPlrJFYvbEssydgJrRq-N5xF1RSCbS_7gFR4Eqd7ZRcSeQlj-YwmzHEBtXgg8JMna_8vwAD4C8CrCXQ8-OTfqtjvsrdTzmndkwNrqA_WSGbVGyV08SO7no5rG7BrnrI-zfbqTHp1D8oRA/s1600/_MG_9877smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPlrJFYvbEssydgJrRq-N5xF1RSCbS_7gFR4Eqd7ZRcSeQlj-YwmzHEBtXgg8JMna_8vwAD4C8CrCXQ8-OTfqtjvsrdTzmndkwNrqA_WSGbVGyV08SO7no5rG7BrnrI-zfbqTHp1D8oRA/s400/_MG_9877smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> OPI DS Bold view I<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqoHo3bJ4BPuZcXx-fZnbWdYxhNCCsA1Ss3juOuU6A6V2ZkvjeuOxOXTivEMsPDcC6zpY8cXwLjQLH6haOxV_p0ZDCxXNXUrmhWej3PskC2xwiiQIhjm7ewBW-Qf6nhYjxtDr4vYRDQXR6/s1600/_MG_9880smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqoHo3bJ4BPuZcXx-fZnbWdYxhNCCsA1Ss3juOuU6A6V2ZkvjeuOxOXTivEMsPDcC6zpY8cXwLjQLH6haOxV_p0ZDCxXNXUrmhWej3PskC2xwiiQIhjm7ewBW-Qf6nhYjxtDr4vYRDQXR6/s400/_MG_9880smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>OPI DS Bold view II<br />
<br />
As you can see, the glitter in this polish is very saturated. I definitely prefer that over sparse glitter polishes, but OPI has been great at producing saturated glitter polishes recently, probably my favourite would be Crown Me Already! from their Miss Universe collection- it's incredible!<br />
<br />
Onto OPI DS Temptation now-<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55oC-23vkAkpg0NvFKR6MQp3CNWWpSzODZ6FbtfjBoWKeSP_in_18dTPubgOQTbgmXLY2pJBK5ja1mS9BfNHhkO9wpvLSYW-yk2jJsoohbZ3qgdORhXj7XaPpK_3x0TNMjy15IPPOIrbh/s1600/_MG_9889smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55oC-23vkAkpg0NvFKR6MQp3CNWWpSzODZ6FbtfjBoWKeSP_in_18dTPubgOQTbgmXLY2pJBK5ja1mS9BfNHhkO9wpvLSYW-yk2jJsoohbZ3qgdORhXj7XaPpK_3x0TNMjy15IPPOIrbh/s400/_MG_9889smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>OPI DS Temptation view I<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmI-Weblc-aqInpmprk6kP5NcfoLDzP-S8tKh3uMqtBj7qIyxqIWWj22pY9VBpmV9qmHQIcsK5xlalefARdtZqoEVfYUxom0zf9U0wbJ7eUQ3v97wBCHXKB0HeFpFIVg7p2l9s41en5f_/s1600/_MG_9883smlblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwmI-Weblc-aqInpmprk6kP5NcfoLDzP-S8tKh3uMqtBj7qIyxqIWWj22pY9VBpmV9qmHQIcsK5xlalefARdtZqoEVfYUxom0zf9U0wbJ7eUQ3v97wBCHXKB0HeFpFIVg7p2l9s41en5f_/s400/_MG_9883smlblog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>OPI DS Temptation view II<br />
<br />
I really like OPI DS Temptation. The base in this one is pretty blue, and it isn't as saturated as Bold so I used three coats of colour for Temptation. The application was excellent.<br />
<br />
It's a beautiful polish. It reminded me of the wonderfully deep hued Tanzanites I've seen in jewellery shops in Cape Town, South Africa. Lots of purple, blue and also pinkish glitter in this polish produces more depth in the shade.<br />
<br />
Talk about dramatic!<br />
<br />
I think both of these polishes are lovely. Not exactly work appropriate, unless you work for someone like Zandra Rhodes, but for everything else, big thumbs up!<br />
<br />
With both of these polishes you'll need a nice big thick swoop of a topcoat like Seche (which I personally love) to make the sparkliness as eye catching and blingy as possible!<br />
<br />
Great stuff, OPI!London Lacquerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02304286353852279164noreply@blogger.com0