German-icure

 Name: German-icure 

Collection: Germany 2012

Colour: Plum Shimmer with Copper Undertones

Coats: 2

Pros: The first coat is a dark, frosty grape colour which was surprising because in the bottle this polish is more copper than purple. This is a great quality, long lasting polish with a beautiful shimmery sheen and no streaks.

Cons: Although I do like this colour, I wasn’t really happy with how different this polish looked on my nails versus how it looked in the bottle.

Similar Shades: This shade is really similar to “Vampsterdam” and “Every Month is Oktoberfest” 

I am trying out a new nail shape that is more pointed; however, they are more rounded here.

Polish provided by OPI

Danke-Shiny Red

Name: Danke-Shiny Red

Collection: Germany 2012 

Colour: Rich, Rosy Red with Frosty Finish 

Coats: 2 

Pros: I know it’s a bit early but this polish’s lovely, frosty red that is perfect for the upcoming holiday season. The deep red with rosy undertones makes your nails look like ripe berries on a holly branch. I had no problem applying this polish and any bits on the side came off without any hassle or staining. I chose to say two coats for this polish because although it comes out as a gorgeous pinky red after one coat, it barely lasted an hour before it chipped away. 

Cons: Unfortunately, it’s really flakey at the tips. 

Similar Shades: Danke-Shiny Red is very similar to “Cha-Ching Cherry” but has just a bit more red in it.

I've 'Fall'en In Love With: Berlin There Done That?

Name: Berlin There Done That? 

Collection: Germany 2012 

Colour: Pale Mauve-Taupe 

Coats: 3 

Pros: First of all I absolutely love this name! The polish was so smooth and creamy with a perfect shiny finish. I have really wanted to wear more neutral crème polishes as the autumn sets in so this was a nice alternative to the many bright shimmers from the rest of the German collection. 

Cons: This colour is perfect for fall but may be a bit too cool and subdued for the long, chilly winters, so get it on soon! 

Similar Shades: This is quite similar to “Over the Taupe” as it is also a mauvey taupe but is a bit darker. In the pictures I have posted, “Essie’s Case Study” looks a lot like BTDT because of the lighting but it doesn't have that extra ever-changing tone mauve untertone.

Nein! Nein! Nein! Ok Fine!

Name: Nein! Nein! Nein! Ok Fine!

Collection: German 2012

Colour: Deep moss green base with grey, black, navy and brown undertone (Very hard to describe!)

Coats: 1-2

Pros: This is a truly unique and constantly changing colour. As I moved through different lighting during the day, I saw various dark “military” shades like army green and dark navy. I didn’t have much extra time between classes to apply more than one coat so I was impressed with its coverage and fast drying time. I usually find dark polishes flat and boring but I like this polish because it plays with a mix of really interesting tones.

Cons: The only complaint I have is that I had to touch this polish up quite a few times over the days I was wearing it as the tips chipped really badly.

Similar Shades: If you are a fan of this colour, I suggest you check out the darker shades in OPI’s Touring America Collection from last year or “Here Today Argon Tomorrow” which is a darker, very deep green.

Essie: Case Study

Name: Case Study

Collection: Essie’s Fall 2011 Book Bag

Colour: Taupe/ Camel

Coats: 1 coat

Pros: This was the first Essie polish that I have ever tried, and I must say I am very happy with it. It was so quick and easy to apply! Only one, fast drying coat left a smooth and polished finish. I was impressed with how long it lasted (4 days) with only one coat.

Cons: This is not a high shine polish and the colour is a neutral so it’s not the most exciting look. Additionally, it can look a little dull on some skin tones because of its green undertones.  

Summer Sunrise

Name : Summer Sunrise

Colours Used: Too Hot Pink to Hold 'Em/ If You Moust You Moust/ Are We There Yet?　

Today I am featuring a super cool mani that my mom discovered. By combining three of OPI’s beautiful shades she created the appearance of a summer sunrise on her nails. I have spent some time at the beach this summer and my favourite times have been watching the sunrise and sunset when the sky becomes nature’s canvas. I tried this mani too so I will share the steps for creating a seamless blend of colours.

First I used Too Hot Pink to Hold 'Em as a base coat, it is a jelly formula so it took two coats to become opaque. Unfortunately, waiting for the polish to dry is painful when you are applying multiple colours but my OPI RapiDry spray helped the process along.

Next I applied Are We There Yet? to the top half of my nail and waited until it was fully dry. Finally I took a make-up sponge and painted If You Moust You Mouse on to the edge and sponged the pink in the middle. Of course each nail is not exactly the same as the next as it is hard to be accurate with a sponge, but then again every sunset is different!

I was happy with the effect and to ensure it lasted a little longer I applied two coats of clear varnish to seal the deal.

I hope you are enjoying what is left of summer and that this manicure will encourage you to get out and check out the sunrise and sunset. I will continue to do this manicure throughout the colder months to remind me of those wonderful and carefree days of summer.

Guinness Nails

(I'm holding a Guinness stress-ball, not an actual pint)

Name: Guinness Nails

Colour: "Black Onyx" and "Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh?"

Story: Today, I decided to create a twist on the old French Manicure by using the same technique but with black and cream polish to create the appearance of a pint of Guinness! For those of you who aren't familiar with this drink, it is an Irish Beer with a black body and creamy head. This is one of my favourite beers and I decided to feature this manicure because it is from the country where my parents and all my family for generations have lived, Ireland. In this beautiful country, Guinness has been brewed since 1759 where it is the best selling alcoholic drink in Ireland; however, it is enjoyed worldwide!

Method: To create the appearance of this beverage on each of my nails, I first painted my nails black with my new OPI "Black Onyx" polish. This created the dark appearance of this full bodied stout, with the shiny finish of a glass. Once that had dried, I applied my Sally Hansen French Manicure Guide Stickers to the edge of my nail line. These handy and very affordable little stickers can be found at most drug stores in North America, I got mine at Shopper's Drug Mart here in Canada. Next, I applied a coat of OPI's "Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh?" and removed the stickers once it was dry. Using this simple process, I had a unique looking manicure that looks great on it own but better with the interesting story behind it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sally-Hansen-Adhesive-French-Manicure/dp/B000Q50ZRC

"Did You Ear About Van Gogh" was provided by OPI

If you would like to read more about Guiness, they have a really cool website.

http://www.guinness.com

Giveaway Results!

A big congratulations goes out to Amber, Entry #446scarslikelace of http://nailsbyscarslikelace.blogspot.ca Thank you to all of my followers for participating and I hope to do this again in the near future!

OPInionated About OPI

250 Follower Giveaway!

❤ As promised I have set up a giveaway for my lovely, loyal followers! Thanks so much for your support ❤

Up for the taking are the super cute OPI GER-MINIS and the amazing REVLON Expert Shapers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Laced Up With Sally Hansen

After reviewing OPI’s Nail App Stickers a few weeks ago and I received a comment from Nail Narcotics asking if I had tried the Sally Hanson version. So when I was at the drugstore I found some with really cool designs and decided to pick some up.

Name: Laced Up

Collection: Sally Hanson Salon Effects

Colour: Cream Base with Black Lace Design

Coats: 1 sticker per nail

Pros: I love the design on these stickers because it is so intricate and looks exactly like real lace without the trouble of painting it on by hand! The stickers were super easy to apply once you read the handy instruction pamphlet and use the little nail file (which were not included in the OPI one) to trim the excess material. I didn’t have any problems with excess nail sticker hanging on the edges or with peeling! I would definitely buy these again!

Cons: From far away the lacey design isn’t really clear so it seems like kind of a random design. However, I still think it looks great.

OPI OLYMPICS!

The five coloured rings represent the five continents and are interlaced to represent the meeting of the athletes of the world during the Olympic Games. Every flag of a country participating in the Olympics includes one of the colors I have on my nails. I used No Room For the Blues, Bling Dynasty, Lincoln Park After Dark, Jade is The New Black, This Colour of Minnie with a white background this time because on the Olympic flag the coloured rings appear on a white background. At least one of the colors of the rings, including the white background, can be found on the flag of every nation in the world. This flag translates the idea of the universality of the Olympic Movement, which is fitting because I love all my followers from countries around the world!

Left to right: No Room For the Blues, Bling Dynasty, Lincoln Park After Dark, Jade is The New Black, This Colour of Minnie

I will now award gold, silver and bronze medals to my favourite polishes in the OPI Olympics

Gold: Come to Poppy

Silver: Mermaids Tears

Bronze: Do you Lilac It?

What polishes would you pick as your top 3?

200 Followers!

Yeah 200 followers! Thanks so much everyone for your support :) To celebrate I'll be doing a 200 follower giveaway, so check back soon for more details!
Love OPInionated About OPI

Schnapps Out of It

Name: Schnapps Out of It

Collection: Germany 2012

Colour: Gingery Salmon with very fine silver microshimmer ribbons

Coats: 1 coat at first but so many touch-ups!

Pros: I don’t really have anything nice to say other than I love the name and it photographed well but that was because I had to paint my nails a few seconds before taking the picture so that there were no chips. This colour had so much promise with its creamy mauve and hint of silver microshimmer but the silver was not actually visible on the nail!

Cons: Honestly, this polish had a thick, gummy consistency that peeled off after a few hours! I was so disappointed because this colour looked so nice in the press release but unfortunately ended up being unoriginal and impossible to wear. I would give this polish a pass.  

Similar Shades: As I said above this colour is unoriginal as it is almost identical to two great OPI polishes: “Java Mauve-a” and the new “Gouda, Gouda Two Shoes” from the Holland Collection. I would just stick with these two and not waste your money on this disappointing newcomer.

This product was provided by OPI

Liebster Awards!

My post today is going to be a little different! I have been nominated by Ashlee at The Makeup Wonderland for a Liebster Award! Thank you so much Ashlee. The award is for new bloggers with less than 200 followers.

The rules are as follows:-

Each person must post eleven things about themselves.

Answer the eleven questions the tagger has set for you.

Choose eleven people and tag them in this post.

Follow the tagger and at visit at least three nominees

11 Things about Myself

1. I wish I had been born circa 1950 because I love the fashion and lifestyle as depicted on the TV show Mad Men.

2. I am a shameless cat lover and I have two cats Tess and Zoe.

3. My favourite colour is red.

4. Some of my favorite TV shows are Mad Men of course, Thirty Rock, Parks and Recreation, Arrested    Development and Modern Family.

5. I love the movie Beauty and the Beast and I hope to have a library one day just like the one in the movie.

6. I do not like hats, at all, on me or anybody else!

7.  I love to read, especially the classics, one of my favourites is The Great Gatsby

8.  I love painting and drawing.

9. I am a huge art geek.  My favourite artists are Alphonse Mucha , Gustav Klimt and John William Waterhouse.

10 I am really interested in astronomy and psychoanalysis and poetry.

11. I would love to travel Europe someday.

Ashlee’ Questions

1. What's your favorite candy?   Tangy Taffy (cherry)

2. What was your favorite TV show when you were younger?   Sailor Moon

3. Do you have a nickname? No but my name is shortened to Jenny

4. What is your current favorite song? Runaways by The Killers

5. What do you usually order at Starbucks(or any other coffee shop)?  Tall caramel frappicino  (extra caramel)

6. What's your favorite perfume?  Victoria Secret Incredible

7. If you could go on a $10,000 shopping spree anywhere, where would it be? Modcloth.com

8. If you could learn something new today, what would it be? A new language

9. What is your favorite makeup store and favorite clothing store? Make up: Sephora, Clothing: H & M

10. What is a product you regret buying?  A hair dye that promised to make me a brunette but it ended up being a strange mixture of purple and red

11. Pancakes or French Toast?  Pancakes (blueberry)

Here are my questions for the nominees:-

1. What’s your favourite beauty product?

2.  Favourite movie of all time?

3.  Who is your Hollywood crush?

4.  What is your favourite season and seasonal activity?

5.  If you could  have any car, cost not being an issue, what would you buy?

6.  If you could have a super power what would it be?

7.  If you had a time machine, what era/ place would you go to?

8.  Swimming pool or ocean?

9.  Who has had the biggest positive impact on your life?

10. Are you a night owl or a morning person?

11.  What is your favourite book?

The Nominees are:-

Just A Leitmotif

Purple-Shampoo

Indigo Nails

Blush Bug

Beauty Obsessed Girl

Georgiabeee

Dianaluv

One Girl's Obsession With Makeup
All That Is Pretty

Fabulous Glitter Glam
Viki’s Beauty Blog

Thank you for visiting my blog and hope you enjoy my posts!

Suzi and the Seven Dusseldorfs

Name: Suzi and the Seven Dusseldorfs

Collection: Holland 2012

Colour: Medium Plum/ Magenta Shimmer

Coats: 2

Pros: Not only does “Suzi and the Seven Dusseldorfs” stand out as a front runner in this collection, but it is my new favourite purple shimmer polish! I found “Purple With A Purpose” to be too deep and bluish and my favourites “Do You Lilac It?” and “Pampalona Purple” are both crèmes. This polish however, is a warm magenta with a cool chrome effect finish that catches the light beautifully. The name is so cute and witty with its Snow White reference and because Dusseldorf is Germany’s fashion capital. I would give this a buy for sure.

Cons: I unfortunately had some staining on and around my nails with this one but definitely not as bad as with some other purples. I tried my best to clean up the edges but this polish was thin at my nail beds so you have to be careful with the application!

Similar Shades: “Plugged in Plum” and “Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not” are both similar shades but they seem to have more micro sparkle than the shimmery shine of “Suzi and the Seven Dusseldorfs”

This product was provided by OPI!

Unfor-greta-bly Blue

Name: Unfor-greta-bly Blue

Collection: Germany 2012

Colour: Sapphire Blue Shimmer

Coats: 2-3 coats

Pros: I have found that many shimmer polishes are watery and not durable but OPI’s “Unfor-greta-bly Blue” from their upcoming German Collection is really well formulated. I often avoid blue polishes because of the staining they cause; however, when I removed this polish I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not a Smurfy mess again! The colour is one I’ve seen before from OPI, even just this year with “Into the Night” from the Spider-Man Collection. I am pretty happy with this collection so far because it mixes some bold shimmers like this with some more subdued crèmes mixed in.

Cons: I don’t have any big problems with this polish but like any daring blue polish, this is not a very professional nail colour and I personally just didn’t feel like it was a very wearable colour for me.

Similar Shades: This is very similar to the amazing “Swimsuit Nailed It” from the Miss Universe Collection and a darker version can be found in “Into the Night.”

Product Provided by OPI

Going Nude On The Beach With Don’t Pretzel My Buttons

Today I'm posting my OPInion from the beach on my amazing summer vacation! Welcome to all my new followers and thanks so much for your lovely comments

Name: Don’t Pretzel My Buttons

Collection: Germany 2012

Colour: Nude crème with very light pink and yellow undertones

Coats: 2-3 coats

Pros: This is one of my new favourite nude shades as it is a subtle but chic, warm nude ! I love how there are really light undertones of both yellow and rose. It not only compliments my skin but it will look great on other OPI lovers with different skin tones. I am happy to report that it applied evenly and stayed on perfectly for days. I found that it dulled a little after the first day but I’m almost positive that was caused by an interaction with the sunscreen applied.

Cons: The polish is almost the same colour as my skin so sometimes it looked a bit weird I guess, but hey it’s a nude shade so this isn’t really a bad thing. Also when I first read the name of this polish I expected a deeper “pretzel” brown so I was surprised to find it was a nude.

Similar Shades: This colour is quite similar to San Tan-tonio in both application and appearance. San Tan-tonio is another interesting sandy coloured polish that is a bit darker and would work great for those of you who have more yellow undertones to your skin. Tickle My France-y would be your perfect nude shade if you are looking for a polish with rosy undertones.

This product was provided by OPI

Every Month Is Oktoberfest

Name: Every Month Is Oktoberfest

Collection: Germany 2012

Colour: Rusty Chocolate Brown/ Red Shimmer

Coats: 2 coats

Pros: Super easy application and a colour that will be excellent for fall. I love how this polish is both a brown and shimmery deep red so it changes in different lighting! I’m glad this contains the shimmer feature because it could have ended up looking dull. The first coat was very dull and transparent so i'm glad that it built up and evened out with a second coat.

Cons: The formula was pretty thin and chipped easily so I could only wear this for a maximum of two days!

Similar Shades: I’m Suzi and I’m a Chocaholic is a reddish brown crème if you don’t want any shimmer while the old DS Jewel is a lighter version of this polish.

Product provided by OPI