OPI Euro Centrale: You're Such a BudaPest swatch

Another swatch - this one is from OPI's Euro Centrale range. This range is super varied and there is a colour in it to suit everyone. When I get my butt into gear I will do a post showcasing the whole range, but for now here is You're Such a BudaPest.

I would say this is a blue but The Crazy Kid insists that it is a purple. Either way, the formulation is beautiful. You can just about get away with one coat though there is the tiniest amount of streakiness. Two coats and it is perfection.

So, who is right - me or The Crazy Kid? Is this a blue or a purple?


All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. This polish was provided for consideration.

OPI Modern Family She's Lily Something

Here is the next swatch I have for you from the Nicole by OPI Modern Family Collection - She's Lily Something. This is described by OPI as a fantasy land filled with glittery pick, confetti and stars.

Ordinarily, I would say that OPI are the glitter pro's. Their formulations are usually flawless. However, I had issues with this one. All of my stars sunk to the bottom of the bottle and it took ages to shake them back into the formulation and, even then, it was very difficult to pick them up with the brush. I initially did one thin top coat on each nail and half of my nails did not end up with even a single star on them. I then went back and did a second coat and this time made an effort to keep dipping the brush back in the bottle until it pick up a star. I then had to dab the polish on kind of thickly to get the stars to stay.

The final look is quite effective and funky but I am not sure if it is worth the effort. I love the random stars and the glitter is awesome. It is very fine and a mixture of pink and hologram. There is plenty of it and it gives the nail a reflective sheen.

 I did have one other issue with the stars. The corners of the stars lifted up easily which made the nails kind of sharp and scratchy. Maybe I should have applied another top coat over them to really seal them in. As cool as the stars look once applied, I don't think that they were worth all the effort.

The below swatches of She's Lily Something have been applied over butter LONDON Molly-coddled (swatched here).

If you missed my swatch of Luke of the Draw from the same collection here it is.

What are your thoughts on the stars - worth the effort or give it a miss?


All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. She's Lily Something was provided for consideration.

Butter London Molly Coddled Swatch - a cure for my end of Summer blues

The First of March is my most hated day of the year. Every year, without fail, I feel a little bit depressed on the First of March. I absolutely love summer. I love the hot weather, the skimpy clothes, the summer fruits and the party seasons. I only have good memories of summer - Christmas time, six weeks holidays when in school then three months off whilst at uni. In my eyes, there is not one bad thing about summer. That is why I hate the First of March. Yes, it is still hot. Yes, my summer fruits are still in season and I can still wear my skimpy clothes, but, in my mind, it means that winter is near. The weather is only going to get colder and my favourite time of the year is official over.

In an attempt to lift my end of Summer blues I decided to give myself a bright, cheerful manicure. The colour I choose was a luscious purple cream from butter LONDON called Molly-Coddled. It was just about opaque after one coat, just ever so slightly streaky. Two coats, completely opaque and streak free.

If you haven't previously heard of butter LONDON, it is a nail polish brand with a massive range of high fashion colours and it's products are formulated without the use of the harmful ingredients like Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP or Parabens. butter LONDON was the first company to sell 3 Free nail lacquer in the United States. Formaldehyde is one of the biggest nasties that I make a real effort to avoid. I did my PhD in Forensics and spent a lot of time watching autopsies. Once the body parts have been harvested, they are stored in Formaldehyde to be preserved. The Formaldehyde alters the proteins in the tissue to stop them breaking down - fine for the dead, not something I want to use whilst I am alive. It is nasty, nasty stuff.

(apologies for this photo - it looked in focus
on my phone. I have put a glitter top coat on so
can't re-photograph)

butter LONDON polishes can be purchased from Beautiful Life Industries for $20.00 with free delivery. Below is a sample of some of the other colours in their range.

Have you tried butter LONDON before? Are you a summer lover or a winter fan?


All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. Molly-coddled was provided for consideration.

Nicole by OPI Modern Family: Luke of the Draw

The other day I brought you the news that Nicole By OPI had released a Modern Family Collection. Here is my first swatch from the range - Luke of the Draw. OPI describes it as an adventurous gunmetal grey; however, I would not describe it that way at all. It is a black jelly base jam packed with tonnes of various shaped silver glitter pieces. The effect, once applied, is striking. The different shaped glitter gives the final finish a real depth - a bit like staring into a star packed milky way. The glitter applies very thickly so there is only slight gaps between the particles. The glitter is easy to apply and two thin coats is all it takes for totally opaque coverage. After the first coat it looks patchy and streaky but this completely clears up after the second coat.

I absolutely love this polish.. I have not seen a glitter polish like it before. Most glitters seem to be sparse topcoats but this is a glitter packed lacquer. It is super sparkly when on and quite striking.

The swatches below are all two coats, with one top coat shot in various lights.

Luke of the Draw and the rest of the Nicole by OPI Modern Family range will be available from 14th March at selected pharmacies Hairhouse Warehouse, Petra Haircare and on-line at www.nicolebyopi.com.au, $14.95 RRP incl. GST.   For stockists contact 1800 358 999 or visit www.nicolebyopi.com

Have you discovered any other glitter polishes that are jam packed with glitter - I'd love suggestions!

All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. Luke of the Draw was provided for consideration.

OPI Oz The Great and Powerful: When Monkeys Fly! swatch

There is a new Oz movie coming out - Oz the Great and Powerful. It is the prequel to The Wizard of Oz and tells the story of how many of the characters ended up in the land of Oz.

To celebrate the release of the movie, OPI have created a new range of lacquers inspired by the movie - the Oz the Great and Powerful range. As soon as I heard that there was a range based on The Wizard of Oz, I straight away imagined sparkly ruby red and emerald green - but, of course, they are colours from the original movie and not the latest installment. Instead, the Oz the Great and Powerful range is all soft shades and glitters, described by OPI as:

The soft shade limited edition range by OPI - Oz the Great and Powerful - is bursting with magic and excitement designed to capture the magic and whimsy portrayed in the film. The collection features soft neutrals in white, beige and pink combined with glittery shades of white, gold and silver.

There are seven shades in this range:

Which is Witch, a silver glitter lacquer with a magical iridescent sparkle.

Glints of Glinda, only a good witch could turn beige from bland to chic.

When Monkeys Fly! you will go bananas for this gold confetti (swatches below).

Don’t Burst My Bubble, an irresistible white like puffs of clouds

Lights of Emerald City, like a white confetti spray bursting with excitement

I Theodora You, an adorable sheer pink that is bewitching.

What Wizardry is This? – designed specifically for The Great Wizard - a rich taupe hue with reflective sparkle in OPI’s new Liquid Sand formula

I managed to get my hands on When Monkeys Fly! and have swatched it below. When Monkeys Fly! is a glittery top coat with a mixture of 3 different types of glitter - super chunky gold circles, tiny hologram specks and slightly larger hexagonal (or perhaps octagonal!) hologram disks. In the swatches below I have just applied one coat. The large round gold glitter randomly scatters over the nails, so some nails end up with only a couple of dots whilst others have heaps. The gold glitter is really striking - it looks a little bit like diamontes on the nails. I have swatched this over two different colours and it looks fantastic over both. I honestly think that it would look amazing over just about any colour (probably not gold - would get lost on that one, but any other colour!).

When Monkeys Fly! swatched over Suzi's Hungary AGAIN (from the Euro Centrale range)

When Monkeys Fly! swatched over You're Such a BudaPest (from the Euro Centrale range)

OPI’s Oz the Great and Powerful will be available from mid February at selected salons, David Jones and Myers, $19.95. For more information on stockists contact 1800 358 999 or www.opi.net.au.

What are your thoughts on When Monkeys Fly? Do you love the chunky gold glitter? What colours are you hoping to get your hands on from the Oz the Great and Powerful range?

All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. When Monkeys Fly! was provided for consideration.

Mariah Carey by OPI collection: Can't Let Go Swatch

This morning I brought you swatches of Get Your Number from the Mariah Carey by OPI collection. Now, here are my swatches of Can't Let Go. This is a lovely deep purple that applies easily and is pretty much opaque after one coat (I used two here to ensure perfection!). OPI describe it as a matte purple with a dazzling sparkle. I found the sparkle to be silver (as opposed to hologram in Get Your Number). I think I prefer Get Your Number, mostly because I love the hologram sparkles.

Deliberately out of focus to show sparkle

There are 8 shades in the Mariah Carey by OPI collection - the following four Liquid Sand lacquers:

• Can't Let Go -  matte purple with a dazzling sparkle
• Get Your Number - matte blue with dynamic sparkles
• Stay the Night - matte black with a red glints of glitter particles
• The Impossible - matte fuchsia shade with confetti star power 

As well as four normal finish lacquers:

• A Butterfly Moment - frosty tan nude 

•  Anti-bleak - deep, creamy purple

•  Pink Yet Lavender - pink glitter with a lavender shimmer

• Sprung - shimmery copper

Which shade do you most want to try in this range? Are you a fan of Mariah Carey and/or her music?


All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. Can't Let Go was provided for consideration.

Mariah Carey by OPI collection: Get Your Number swatch

Mariah Carey has collaborated with OPI to create a collection of new polishes. Mariah took a very hands on approach, selection colour shades and names.

Her ranges features the new Liquid Sand finish. There is a huge trend for textured nail polishes (think crackle) and this is a total new entry to the texture market. According to OPI:

OPI’s new Liquid Sand lacquers dry to a textured, 'pebbled' effect leaving a sparkling textured finish with fine glitter particles. The Liquid Sand lacquers feature groundbreaking technology that offers a textured, matte finish infused with reflective sparkle. If worn without top coat, Liquid Sand lacquer gives nails a unique textured matte finish worthy of a superstar.

Initially, I was unsure how I would like the sandy texture but it actually looks really effective. I received many compliments when wearing the shades - I think because they came out quite sparkly and the effect is quite striking. It applies easily and is pretty much opaque after one coat; however, I used two coats to completely ensure opacity. You may notice that my middle nail looks blotchy - this is not due to the polish but I wrecked it changing Kiki's nappy and tried to get away with a patch job rather than redo it.

Below are my swatches of Get Your Number, which is described by OPI as a matte blue with dynamic sparkles.

I deliberately took this out of focus to show the
rainbow hologram sparkles

The Mariah Carey by OPI collection will be available from January 2013 for RRP $19.95 and can be found in David Jones stores and selected salons.


What are your thoughts on this new Liquid Sand finish? Does it excite you or are you sick of textured finishes?


All opinions are my own and I received no remuneration for this post. This polish was provided for consideration.