The Polish Addict » Business Appropriate Colors

OPI – It’s Sheer Luck!… I PASSED THE BAR EXAM!

Steph — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:53:00 +0000

As some of you may know, I’ve been on hiatus because I was studying for the bar exam. What you don’t know is that I was utterly and totally convinced that I failed the exam. The testing occurs over the course of two days. The first day, the Florida portion of the exam, beat me down and ultimately broke me. I walked out of the testing center, did the walk of shame back to my hotel room, thought about how I would be staying there again in February to retake the exam and I cried. Yes, it really was that bad. The questions were just absurd and completely unexpected. I could have memorized the study materials word for word and I still wouldn’t have known the correct answers with absolute certainty. The second day consisted of the MBE (the national portion), it was hard but very fair. My hope was that I would score high enough on the MBE to make up for my major failure on the Florida portion. The problem is… you have to wait almost 2 months for the scores to be released. I was hanging over the edge of a cliff over these scores.

Then, finally, the scores came in the mail. Not only did I pass, but to my complete disbelief, I actually scored very well on both portions.

What does all this have to do with nail polish? Well, sometimes life throws some pretty perplexing stuff my way and when it does I take the opportunity to find a color that expresses how I feel.

The name says it all. OPI It’s Sheer Luck is a ultra light pink toned off-white with a frost finish. This is 3 coats. This color was originally from the Las Vegas Collection (Spring/Summer 2003) but I believe it became part of the main Soft Shades Collection all of which are available on an on going basis.

The Big Return: Color Club Spring 2009 Catwalk Queen Collection

Steph — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:43:17 +0000

I’m back! Things are going to be a bit slow at first because, frankly, my life (and nails) are still a huge mess. But rest assured, I will respond to all the emails and comments very soon. Posting frequency should pick up shortly thereafter.

In any case, I know you’ve all seen it but here’s Color Club Catwalk Queen Collection. Like Femme Fatale, this collection is composed of sheers and solids that can be mixed, matched, and layered. I like this collection but it’s a little depressing looking at these pictures. The photos are from a few months ago, my nails were so long back then. Man, the bar exam takes away everything.

Catwalk Queen, the collection namesake, is a vampy tyrian purple with complex amethyst and subtle blue shimmer. This swatch was 3 coats but this polish is pigmented enough that coverage would be fine with just 2 coats. (This image is a little blurry because I was trying to capture the shimmer – I failed. The shimmer is way more obvious in person.)

Fashion Addict is my favorite from this collection. Lilac holographic? Sign me up. The holo is medium grain like the holos in the Femme Fatale collection. Like Worth the Risque and Revvvolution, the holo has a greenish cast. The polish gets darker with each layer so it’s slightly lighter with 2 coats, this picture is 3 coats.

Here’s a shot of the holo flash. I hope Color Club does a few more holos in the future because these were just superb. Personally, I would love to see a dark green holo.

Front Row Diva is an extremely pale gray that leans towards lavender, it has a pearl finish. It’s chic and work appropriate – which is pretty much all I’m wearing now so I’m stocking up on colors like this and you’ll see plenty of them featured here in the months to come.

Runway Muse is one of those sadly deceptive duochromes. In the bottle, it’s a predominately green duochrome that flashes pink. On the nail, it’s a frosty sheer with pink shimmer that only flashes a subtle green rarely. I so wish that the bottle appearance was comparable to the on nail result, nonetheless, it’s pretty amazing over black. Scrangie has all the sheers from both the Femme Fatale collection and the Catwalk Queen collection over black on her site.

Vintage Couture. Scrangie called this a mod lilac pink baby creme and that’s definitely the best description for this color so I’m going to steal it from her. It’s pinker on the nail than I expected but it’s still pretty stark. The application was finicky. I forgot to write down exactly how many coats I used but if I remember correctly, I believe it took 4 to even everything out.

Ready to Wear is my current NOTD and as you can see my nails are little yellow nubbins right now. *More sobs* Ready to Wear is a frosty opalescent sheer with warm pink shimmer. Usually sheers like this require 4 layers but I actually got good coverage with 2 coats, but since my nails are so yellow, I went ahead and added another layer. Edit: I’ve been wearing this color for a full day now and I want to revise my review. It’s definitely a duochrome, it’s not really noticeable until you see it in sunlight. It flashes a warm light coppery gold tone, almost some what metallic. The mixture of the gold and the pink reminds me of a sunset. I love it when colors present surprises in the sunlight.

White with Gold Shimmer is Love: Rescue Beauty Lounge Moxie

Steph — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:25:03 +0000

There are a million whites with gold shimmer (just to name a few: Essie Amalfi, Essie Tennis Corset, OPI She’s Golden, OPI Oh So Glam!, Icing’s Goddess, and Orly Meringue). And I love every single one. To me each one is unique in its own way. Rescue Beauty Lounge Moxie is no exception. It’s an off-white with iridescent gold shimmer that occasionally flashes a very subtle goldish-green. The amount of gold shimmer in relation to the off-white is somewhere between that of Essie Amalfi (which is almost completely gold with very little white) and the OPIs from the Beyond Chic Collection (that have a more subtle gold shimmer). When Moxie isn’t glimmering gold, the combination of the white and the gold together creates a sort of white platinum shade, very chic. This color is transitionally work appropriate, meaning no one at the office is going to bat an eye at it but it’s in no way boring.

Moxie’s formula is thin. I needed 4 coats to get full coverage. The first time I wore this color, several months ago, I had a lot of trouble with the application. We’re talking some major issues with bubbling, so bad, that I didn’t take a picture that time. As you can see from the image this time, I didn’t have that problem, so what changed? There are a lot of things that can contribute to bubbling. The usual culprits are drafts (like an overhead ceiling fan), oil on the nail bed (which can be avoided by wiping with a nail prep or vinegar) and applying coats of color too thickly. I think my problem last time might have been my own application shortcomings. The first time I wore this color I was still applying very thick coats of color. Even with very think coats, I do still get bubbling sometimes with some polishes but a coat of Seche Vite usually takes care of it. Seriously, it just makes bubbles disappear. (If you have yet to experience the miracle that is Seche Vite – go buy it now). The other factor that may have contributed to my more successful application this time is Rescue Beauty Lounge’s ridge filling base coat which I used for this manicure but not the previous one.

A More Work Appropriate Kind of Spring: Barielle Shades Spring 2009

Steph — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:44:17 +0000

Sorry for my extended absence. I took the MPRE last week and then took a mini-vacation for spring break. I’m back now so normal posting will resume. : )

I like the approach that Barielle took to Spring. Now wait, before you throw stones, let me explain. This Spring collection is not very Spring-like, it’s all work-safe variations of pinks and a sheer taupe, whereas traditional Spring colors tend to be bright. Barielle probably would have gotten fire from me for releasing a collection like this with nothing more. But, Elle and Barielle, knowing best, released the Spring and Summer collections nearly simultaneously. Together, these collections contain something for everyone and my irrational (irrational because soon I won’t be able to wear them) desire for out of the ordinary colors is well met. (I’ll have swatches of Barielle Summer 2009 soon but Scrangie already has some excellent swatches for your viewing pleasure.)

As an aside, I’m trying a different approach to my swatching. I’m going to be using for left hand for a little while in order to get swatching done a faster. I’m sure you have all noticed that I’m really behind on the Spring collections so I’m playing catch up. The added benefit is that my left hand is no where near as yellowed as my right hand so you’ll get more accurate swatches. Bare with me as I get the kinks worked out, photographing my left hand is still very awkward.

Barielle Nauti Gal is a translucent taupe with tiny flecks of translucent glitter. It’s a great professional/work appropriate shade. I’m a little disappointed in it only because it looks opaque in the bottle. I am a huge fan of taupe so I was really excited for this color only to find that it applied sheer. I love sheers but I just can’t wear them properly anymore, my nails are just too yellow. Nauti Gal applies very well. Not a streak in sight so this would make an excellent french manicure color at 1 or 2 coats. Even though it applies sheer, it is build-able so at 3 to 4 coats you get a semi-translucent nearly opaque shade of taupe. If my nails weren’t so horrifyingly yellow, this color would be stunning. This swatch is 4 coats.

Sailor’s Delight is a somewhat muted although vivid medium pink creme, very flattering. At first glance I thought it was going to be too pink to be considered professional but on my skin-tone the color tones down and the muted-ness of the pink becomes more pronounced. I suspect it might look different on girls with lighter skin. The consistency of the polish is chalky but it applies well, this is 3 coats.

Beaches and Dreams is a very light sandy-ish creamy peach creme (a little tough to describe haha). I think it might be too stark for an ultra-conservative office but it’d be perfect any where else. I really like this color, it’s like a peachier version of Color Club Coastal Creme. It’s my favorite from this set.

Skinny Dip is a delicate muted pink nude sheer. It’s perfect for french manicures at 1 or 2 coats but the color is build-able. This swatch is 4 coats with no top coat.

Sand-al Chic is less muted than Skinny Dip and more pink. It’s also makes an excellent french manicure shade but builds well. This is 4 coats with no top coat.

And finally, Shell Shock is a slightly lighter than a traditional barbie pink. It’s sheer like Skinny Dip and Sand-al Chic but I don’t think it would make a good french manicure color because it’s a little too bright. Also I had trouble with the application. This is 4 coats. The color applies smoothly but the sheerness is such that it takes some effort to build it properly.

Swatches of the Essie Spring 2009 Collection

Steph — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 05:27:48 +0000

Essie’s Spring 2009 Collection is… very Essie-esque. That is, the majority of the collection is composed of neutrals, pinks, and reds. For that reason, the collection didn’t receive the greatest reception from most nail polish enthusiasts. However, a consumer who maybe does not own a lot of nail polish and randomly ventures into a Trade Secret during a trip to the mall might pick up some of these colors on a whim. I can’t help but feel like nail polish companies are targeting that crowd when they release what we consider to be ’safe’ collections.

We have to face it, I don’t think we (I mean ‘we’ as in the people who have a psychotic appreciation for nail color) are the target demographic for most companies. I don’t think anyone would disagree, these are pretty colors but most people who collect nail polish probably feel like they’ve seen it, done it, and done it some more. I’m an exception only because I’m stock-piling work appropriate colors for my legal debut in May and I’ve long accepted that the repetition of red and pink nail polish is just a fact of life (like mosquito bites and chicken pox). But, I can definitely sympathize with everyone’s desire to see Essie step outside of it’s company image.

With all that said, look at the magic that happens when Essie does decide to take a stroll on the wild side and throw collection caution to the wind:

Holy &%$#! Essie Mesmerize, in all her glory, is a medium blue cream. (I think it’s Super Man blue but my roommates told me I have no idea what I’m talking about.) The color accuracy of the image is a bit off, Mesmerize is a slightly darker blue in real life. Oh man, this is one gorgeous, unique color. Seriously, can we get a slow clap going for this color? Mesmerize is so out of the ordinary for Essie that it almost looks kind of weird in the Essie bottle, like it doesn’t belong. The application was good but a little thicker than the other colors in this collection. It could have worked with 2 coats, but I preferred 3. I got a mega ton of compliments while wearing this polish, a testament to its awesomeness. This is definitely my favorite color of the season so far. I consider it a ‘must own’. But, beware, I suggest wearing a good base coat with this color or you will end up with smurf fingers.

Eternal Optimist is a pink toned nude. This is a great ‘work appropriate’ color. It’s a lighter, less pink version of Rescue Beauty Lounge Om. Eternal Optimist is definitely not a dead on dupe but certainly the closest I’ve seen so far and a good enough substitute. This swatch is 3 coats of color.

Flawless is a muted Barbie pink. Pretty and delicate, but probably not appropriate for ultra conservative work places – A-Okay for every where else. This is 3 coats.

Status Symbol is a mid-toned pink with a semi-jelly consistency. I wore this with Maybelline Clearly in Love layered over it as my pre-Valentine’s Day manicure (I haven’t gotten a chance to post about this manicure yet but I promise I will, even though, I guess it’s a little late now. haha.) This swatch is 3 coats but I feel like it would have looked better with 4th.

One of a Kind is a red/orange/coral cream, similar to my beloved Color Club Sexsea. One of a Kind is slightly less extravagant, more toned down. It applied well in 2 coats, but I used 3 for this photo.

Lacquered Up is a bright, bright, bright true red creme. It exudes sexiness. I wore Lacquered Up to a party and it quickly became a topic of conversation. The application was exceptional, perfect in two coats.

The Polish Addict’s Top 20 Polishes of All Time: #10 OPI – Time-less is More

Steph — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:22:33 +0000

A lot of you asked me for a good alternative to the white version of OPI Bubble Bath so I figured now would be a good time to pick up the count down again. OPI Time-less is More is whiter than Bubble Bath and it doesn’t lean towards pink but I passionately love this color. In my endless search for the perfect off-white, I’ve tried many, many polishes and, to me, this is absolutely the most perfect one. It should be everyone’s go to off-white. You can read my original post on this color here¹.

I also have an announcement unrelated to nail polish. Some of you may remember that I’ve been on the job hunt. I’ve received an offer from the State Attorney’s Office (Florida’s equivalent of a District Attorney’s Office) in which I’ve been interning and I’ve decided to take the position! I’m so excited that I’ll have the opportunity to continue working with them as an Assistant State Attorney upon my graduation. This is truly a dream come true. Annnnnd since this is my final semester of law school and I won’t be interviewing any longer, I don’t have any professional obligations so I can wear ridiculously unprofessional colors! For those of you that like to see professional colors, I’ll still be posting those too but now there will a good mix that should make everyone happy.

You can see the progression in my photography skills by looking at this picture and comparing it to my more recent photography. I think I’ve come a pretty long way. :) ↩

I Want to Believe: A Tale of Two Bubble Baths

Steph — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:05:19 +0000

When my obsession with nail polish first sprouted, I really wanted to find the perfect soft shade (a mission that continues to this day.) Everyone recommended the quintessential soft color, OPI Bubble Bath. Soon thereafter I conned my roommate into placing an order for my birthday, I asked for Bubble Bath. I had never seen pictures of it so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, I just knew it was a flattering soft very light milky color . I received a bottle of very light, milky pink nail polish.

Since I didn’t know what to expect, I took my pink, wore it, liked it, threw it in with the rest of the stash and moved on to other colors. A little while after that, someone posted on MUA requesting suggestions for a milky off-white. Another person suggested Bubble Bath. I thought it was a weird suggestion because Bubble Bath was clearly pink, not white. So I said something to that effect in the thread. We argued back and forth a while, both of us utterly baffled at how the other could mistake what was so clearly one color for another color. Eventually another member clued us in that we were both right. The more recent version of Bubble Bath was pink. The original Bubble Bath was, in fact, white.

I hunted around for this version for a really long time and couldn’t find anywhere. I had just about given up when Dami of Perfectly Polished Tips hooked me up with a bottle. I love this soft off-white milky color way more than the subsequent pink version. However, to my major shock, the pink version which is OPI’s new formula, applied better than the the white version which is OPI’s old formula. The common belief is that OPI’s older formula is vastly superior to the newer big 3 free formula but that’s definitely not the case with this color. I had to use something like 5 coats of color with the white version and it was fairly streaky. The pink version was perfect in 3 coats, very easy to apply.

Here they are, the sneaky polishes together. The original version does seem to have a slightly pinkish tinge. This leads me to believe (and this is all conjecture) that it is possible that the new version is a mistake, too much pink pigment in the batch. However, the color is so different that I wonder whether OPI purposefully changed the color of Bubble Bath. I’d email them and ask but I have a feeling the answer would be “we didn’t change the color.” *cues X-files music*

(Sorry, I’m watching the final disc of entire X-files series right now. I have been unduly influenced. haha.)

Spring of Yesteryear: Zoya Blissful Collection

Steph — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:46:09 +0000

Soon we’re all going to be bombarded with the spring collections so I figured I would kick off Spring ‘09 with a collection from Spring ‘08. Zoya Blissful is a pretty, light and demure collection. All the colors in this collection are subtle and work appropriate. It’s definitely not exciting, but I like it.

Zoya Felicity is rose with subtle pink and gold sparkly shimmer. It’s work appropriate with a kick. This swatch is 3 coats.

Zoya Laurie is jelly-like sheer pale baby pink cream. It’s opaque at 4 coats but can be worn at varying levels of sheerness with less coats. Laurie is more cute than it is professional, I probably wouldn’t wear this one in really conservative officers.

Zoya Lulu, a jelly-like sheer light peach, is one my favorites from this collection. It reminds me of Rescue Beauty Lounge Starfish Patrick but it’s not a dupe. Lulu is not as bright, however, I think this would be a good substitute for anyone who hasn’t taken the RBL plunge yet. Lulu takes 4 coats for opacity but can be worn with fewer like Laurie.

Zoya Miley, a jelly-like sheer pale lilac cream, has been one of my favorite Zoyas for a really long time. I’ve been on a mission to spread my love for it since I first tried it on. It was one of my choices for the Zoya Mini-Collection promotion last year and I also ROAK’d it to Dami of Perfectly Polish Tips. She raved about it as well. Like Lulu and Laurie this is a 4 coater if you want bottle color but it can be worn with fewer coats.

Zoya Penelope, a dusty mauve cream, is a Mom color. It’s chic and professional. This swatch was 3 coats.

Zoya Zanna is a muted dusty rose cream. As many of you know, I have a thing for dusty versions of traditional colors so I’m really digging Zanna. This swatch was 3 coats.

Surprisingly Gorgeous: Essie Pound Cake

Steph — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:59:47 +0000

Many girls steer clear of Essie’s soft colors. I, however, compulsively buy them. I just can’t stop myself. The result is a drawer full of off white, taupe, nude, and a soft pink Essies that I only occasionally dig out for use. I’m always pleasantly surprised by how much I like these colors on myself. Essie Pound Cake doesn’t look like much in the bottle but it’s very chic on the nail. It’s a beige creme with a slight tinge of smokey muted pink. I would refer to it as a borderline mushroom-y color. The application wasn’t amazing, but not horrible. This mani is 1 coat Essie First Base base coat, 4 coats of color, and 1 coat seche vite. I really loved it.

Completely unrelated to this great color, I’m taking a small pseudo-hiatus until mid January. I’m sure many of you have noticed that I’ve been doing a lot of one-polish posts lately. I’ve been working on a few polish related side projects that, along with my internship, have taken up all my free time. I’m going to keep posting more or less in the same manner that I have been, i.e. NOTD posts, the Top 20, etc. but I won’t be able to cover large collections for a little while. I have a tone of collections to cover for you guys once things quiet down a bit, so I hope you’ll stick with me through this period of meagerly posting. I also want to apologize a head of time, many of the NOTDs for the next few weeks are going to be professional colors again. In any case, everything will go back to normal shortly.

The Polish Addict’s Top 20 Polishes of All Time: #20 OPI – Tickle My France-y

Steph — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:47:38 +0000

Twice a year, the girls on the Nail Board vote for their top 20 polishes. I’ve been promising you guys my personal top 20 for a while and I’m finally getting around to it. My top 20 has some classics in it but there are also a few colors that people might not expect. First up is # 20, this year’s OPI Tickle My France-y.

This color is so subtle, so chic, just perfect. As completely ridiculous as this may sound, I rarely wear colors more than once but I’ve worn OPI Tickle My France-y a whopping 3 times. This color has become my go-to ‘professional’ color. As some of you may know, I’m applying for a position as an Assistant State Attorney. It’s a 3 round interview process. I’ve worn TMFy to two of the interviews already and plan to wear it one more time this Monday for my final interview. I almost feel like this color gives me confidence, maybe even a little bit of luck. If I get the job on Monday, I guess we’ll know for sure. Even if TMF-y isn’t bestowed with magical job granting powers, it’s still an excellent color. It definitely belongs in everyone’s collection. (You can read my original post about TMF here.)

Color Club Haute Browns Collection

Steph — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:14:20 +0000

I’m back-tracking a bit to show you guys the collections of yesteryear. Color Club released the Haute Browns collection a few seasons ago. In my eternal search for wearable browns, acquiring this collection was a no-brainer. The collection is composed of what I would consider three professional work appropriate colors and three colors with a little more pizzazz.

Color Club Urban Edge is a pinkish tan. It’s not hard to apply but it has a chalky consistency and it’s definitely a thee to four coater. Three of the six colors in this collection are pink toned tans that get incrementally darker and less pink. When I saw the three colors (the other two are pictured below) I immediately thought of OPI Dulce De Leche. The difference between these tans and Dulce de Leche is the pink tone, which Dulce de Leche does not have.

Color Club Diva in Brown is slightly darker and deeper than Urban Edge. The application was better than Urban Edge but it took four coats to reach opacity.

Color Club Out and About is slightly darker and deeper than Diva in Brown. This one had excellent application, it’s a two to three coater.

Color Club Golden Girl is probably my favorite from this collection. It’s a gorgeous tannish gold with a slight pink undertone and very complex shimmer that flashes mostly gold and green but you can see bronze as well. I think this color would work really well for people who feel that they can’t wear true golds. It’s very flattering. This is three coats.

Color Club Black-ish is a deep plummy reddish brown with the same complex shimmer found in Golden Girl. This is three coats but it applies very well, I think most people could get away with two coats.

Finally, Color Club Haute Couture is a vampy plummish brown. Gorgeous. This is a 2 to 3 coater, this swatch is 3 coats.

Super Underrated: Misa Runway Collection Swatches

Steph — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:39:53 +0000

Misa Runway Collection was released several seasons ago but its awesomeness goes mostly unappreciated. I love collections that have themes that relate the colors to each other in some way. Runway is composed of chic dusty shades, very reminiscent of haute couture, that look as though they were meant to be together. Despite being an older collection, it’s surprisingly relevant as far as this fall’s newest trends. It’s almost as if Misa had some insight into the future with this one. All these colors have excellent application (except where noted.)

Misa Runway Diva is a dusty rose. Excellent application, this is two coats. Love it.

Misa Fashionista is a dusty purplish mauve. Again, excellent application, this is two coats. *Love it.*

Misa High Waist Hue is a dusty pink. It’s actually a pinker version of OPI Ticke My France-y, which I passionately love. It also has really subtle, practically nonexistent blue shimmer. I only noticed it under my photography lighting. This is 3 coats but the application was good.

Misa Moody Model is a milk chocolate creme. Ah, this is that elusive and rare wearable brown. 2 coats. And again, great application.

Misa Passion 4 Fashion is a dark chocolate creme. Everyone has been wondering how this stacks up against Lippmann Maneater. Lippmann is a much darker ‘almost black’. Passion 4 Fashion is as dark as chocolate can get without looking ‘almost black’. This is 2 coats, also great application.

Misa Hot Couture is a dusty honey mustard creme. I wore this one was a mani earlier this week. I really *really* wanted to love this one because it’s so unique and chic looking in the bottle. Sadly, it didn’t flatter my skin tone at all. Maybe when I get a tan again? I’m sort of a pasty yellow color right now. : P This is 2 coats. My bottle was a little on the thick side so I used 3 drops of thinner and it was fine.

OPI Holiday in Toyland Swatches Part I

Steph — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:29:26 +0000

The fall blitzkrieg is mostly over and now we’re barreling towards the winter collections. The OPI Holiday in Toyland collection is composed of 6 very unique colors and 6 reds. I’m splitting this collection up into two posts accordingly. The Nailphile has swatches of the whole collection up right now in case you’d like to see the reds as well. (As a side note, I apologize for the lack of posting lately, this is my last year of law school and I’ve been swamped with the job search, etc.)

OPI You’re A Doll is a sheer muted pink with silverish frost-shimmer finish. The unique aspect of this color is the multi-sized reddish copper flecks that run throughout. This color is fairly sheer, I used 3 coats to get full coverage and bottle color. This is what I would like to refer to as a ’sneaky professional color’, like Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge. It’s definitely professional and work appropriate but you can have the personal satisfaction of knowing you’re operating outside the status quo with your little coppery flecks. That might be something that only amuses me though, I know, I’m weird.

OPI Baby, It’s “Coal” Outside is probably my favorite from this collection. It’s slightly more gray than a pure black and it’s infused with silvery glitter. The glitter is potentially multi-sized. It’s hard to tell because the glitter is so small. This is 2 coats. The image above is without flash, below is with flash.

OPI Brand New Skates is silvery charcoal with irridescent glitter that flashes green and copper tones. This shade applies sheer but is buildable. This is 3 coats.

OPI Glamour Game, my second favorite from this set, is a gorgeous, chic… um… that’s where my powers of description end. It’s a very light champagne gold sheer with a finish that is both shimmery and frosty. Glamour Game has green to copper toned flecks of glitter similar to the ones found in Brand New Skates. This swatch is 3 coats. The image above was taken in indoor lighting, the image below was taken in direct sunlight.

OPI Play ‘Til Midnight is a deep blurple (more purple than blue, my picture is inaccurate as always) with blue and purple shimmer throughout. I used 3 coats because I tend apply very thin coats of polish – I think most people can get away with 2 coats. The ‘me’ of yesteryear would have loved the daylights out of this color but I think my collection has reached critical mass when it comes to purples. I can’t believe my fingers just typed those words.

OPI “Sheer” Your Toys! is another sheer, simultaneously frosty and shimmery subtly pinkish gray with multi-sized reddish copper flecks. This is 3 coats as well. I like the creative thematic design scheme present in this collection, the repeated use of green to copper toned glitter, combine frost and shimmer finish, and reddish-coppery flecks gives this collection that extra… oomph of uniqueness. I really love this set of colors.

This collection is up for sale now on transdesign.com.

Professional with a Twist: Zoya Deidra

Steph — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:28:04 +0000

Generally, I tend to associate work apropriate polishes with creme finishes, but every once in a while I encounter a good shimmery polish that can pass for work appropriate. Zoya Deidra is exactly that – a gorgeous mauve with glowing fine gold shimmer. I’m calling it a shimmer but the finish is probably more akin to a frost. This mani is 1 coat of Zoya Anchor, 2 coats of Deidra, 1 coat of seche. I had no application issues and it wore very well.

What I particularly love about this color is that it’s stunningly chic despite the fact that’s it’s fairly subtle. It’s refreshing when I find colors like this in my stash. It helps to stave off the plague of the work appropriate polish purgatory.

This picture is an accurate depiction of the color but there’s a good bit more shimmer in real life. In the shade, it’s sort of a borderline grayed out mauve but in the sunlight it just gleams gold. This color is probably too much for really really consversative offices but I think it would be a great color to wear just about every where else.

P.S. I recently had a bad break so this is one of the last long nail pictures we’ll have here on the Polish Addict for a while. Boooo.

Fall Blitzkrieg: OPI La Collection De France

Steph — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:15:20 +0000

I’m a little late to the party (check out Scrangie’s swatches) but, of course, I have to give you guys my take on one of the biggest collections to hit us this Fall. I wasn’t all that excited for OPI France when I initially saw the promotional images. OPI has a proclivity for releasing several reds and ‘almost blacks’ in just about every collection and, frankly, it gets old. The promos of France made it seem like more of the same. Consequently, I wasn’t expecting to like these. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this collection is actually pretty cool.

Sure, a few of the colors were fairly run of the mill OPI type stuff. I’m not doing back flips for OPI Louvre me Louvre Me Not (ducks to avoid thrown stones, tomatoes, assorted rotting vegetables), but there are several solid gorgeous, unique colors in this collection. There have been a few complaints about colors in the France collection being thick and difficult to apply but I didn’t have any real trouble with them.

As a side note, I really feel like OPI did a good job of designing colors that are representative of French culture and fashion. I say that because I felt like they could have done more with the Indian collection, it’s good to see that they were spot on with France.

*Dies* OPI You Don’t Know Jacques is my absolute favorite color from this collection. Seriously, every once a while an amazing color like this comes out and renews my passion for nail polish. The color is tough to describe, grayish, brownish, dirty, mushroomy? This is my current NOTD, 2 coats, love it. I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again, love these grayed out mushroomy colors. I just can’t get enough.

OPI Yes… I Can-Can! is a shimmery eggplant type color. The base color seems similar to OPI Lincoln Park After Dark. The shimmer seems multi-colored, I see flashes of green, silver, and violet in the bottle. On the nail, it’s silvery and serves to give Yes… I Can-Can! depth. This swatch is 3 coats but with careful application good coverage is possible at 2 coats.

OPI Tickle My France-y is my second favorite color from this collection. It’s a grayed out subtle nude pink – it is chic and sophisticated perfection. Earlier last week, when I went back into the professional nail color purgatory, Tickle My France-y was the first color I chose for the big switch. This color was so beautiful, so flattering that I didn’t even care about being forced to wear professional colors. This mani was 3 coats.

OPI Parlez-vous OPI?, another stand out color, is a grayed-out (or smokey as OPI puts it) plum. The application was slightly troublesome, my bottle was chalky and thick but it’s workable. This is 2 coats.

OPI Louvre Me Lourve Me Not is my least favorite color from this collection. Sorry guys, I know I’m completely alone, everyone else loves this one. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this color but I have a predisposition to disliking shimmers and I’ve just had my fill of shimmery mid-range purples this fall. You can’t really see it in my image but Louvre Me Lourve Me Not has blurple and violet shimmer. This swatch is 3 coats.

OPI I’m Fondue of You is a reddish light chocolaty brown with reddish brown shimmer. I don’t love this one. It’s pretty but not special. This swatch is 2 coats, I think the color would look better with 3.

OPI Eiffel for this Color is an ‘almost black’. OPI says it’s wine but it looks dark purple with violet shimmer to me. It’s similar to Yes… I Can-Can! but they’re different enough to warrant owning both if one is so inclined to do so. Normally, I would say boo to an almost black but I, surprisingly, like this color. This swatch is 2 coats.

Scrangie called OPI Crepes Suzi-ette a ‘mom’ color… it is – but – it’s hot. I think this one ventures into the realm of work appropriate. I’m actually surprised that I like this color too. I probably wouldn’t have batted an eye at this creamy reddish caramel in a store, but it’s actually very flattering on the nail. I would even dare say that it’s unique. This swatch is 2 coats.

There will always be reds in an OPI collection, shockingly there were only two in the France Collection. One of which, OPI Bastille My Heart, is a deep burgandy with violet shimmer throughout. Pretty, but standard.

OPI Baguette Me Not, a creamy salmon, is another shocker. Totally didn’t expect to like this ‘mom’ (haha) color but I love it. Very chic, very work appropriate. This swatch is 2 coats.

OPI A Oui Bit of Red, the other red in the France Collection, is a mid-range bright red. I love reds and I would have loved this one too, but for the shimmer. The saving grace is that the fuschia shimmer is very subtle, hardly noticeable. This swatch is 2 coats.

Finally, OPI We’ll Always Have Paris. Love. It. This is the color that I wanted the annoyingly almost black OPI Lincoln Park After Dark to be. I love LPAD but I always wanted it to be more noticeably purple and vampy. OPI granted my wish with We’ll Always Have Paris. Strangely, OPI says this color is dark coffee… definitely looks dark reddish purple to me.

Special thanks to OPI.