XOX Betsey - $9.50 at sephora.com
I very nearly didn't buy this, but I can't resist a pinky sandy nude to save my life. Up till this point, my favorite nude polish had been another Sephora by OPI: Don't Feed the Hand Models, which I used in this manicure. I still love that one, but this is now on top. It is a bit pinkier, and has a bit more grey in the base, but really the main reason is because it's so much more smooth and opaque. Also, I don't know when this started, but Sephora by OPI polishes are coming with a flat brush similar to the OPI Pro-Wide which makes me like it even more. This polish went on perfectly in two coats. That's a first for me with a nude polish, especially one this pretty. The color changes a bit depending on what light you're in. Sometimes is a really pale milky beige, and in others it's a light pinky grey sand. Sounds strange but, have mercy, it is gorgeous! It looks sexy on the nail, in my opinion. LOVE IT!!
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Products used:
- China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat
- China Glaze Reggae to Riches
- Sephora by OPI Opening Night
- China Glaze Millenium
- Seche Vite Top Coat
I did this right before I changed my nail shape from square to oval. Man, it feels weird to see them so square, lol. Anyway, I'm really into half-moon manicures right now, and I like the added interest of contrasting colors and a little something extra to deliniate the place where the colors meet. I used China Glaze Reggae to Riches for the base, which is a beautiful bright magenta shimmer with a really, really intense blue flash to it. Then for the rest of the nail, I used the incredibly well-pigmented Opening Night by Sephora by OPI which is a rich sapphire shimmer. For the line of "beads," I used a dotting too and China Glaze Millenium. I'm thinking of trying this same manicure out with black, white and grey soon, I think that would be really elegant. Maybe with some 3D pearl action...
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Sephora by OPI Havana Nights Mini Collection - $18 at sephora.com
There are some great and not-so-great things about this set I want to share with you. I'm going to start with the bad, just to get it out of the way, then we'll get on to the good stuff. Regular ol' OPI full-size bottles will run you $8.50 retail, and the Sephora by OPI polishes will only set you back an extra fifty cents at $9. No biggie there, right? Well, then you look at the difference in price between this 4-piece mini set versus a 4-piece mini set of the regular OPI. The SOPI set of minis will set you back $18, whereas you can cop a OPI mini collection, with bottles the same size, for a low price ranging online from about $10-12. Why the huge yawning chasm between mini collection price points? I dunno, but it's ridiculous in this girl's humble opinion. At the least, I'd expect to see mini versions of all six polishes from the Havana Nights collection in this box for the extra six or eight bucks, am I right? This frustrates me, but let's move on, shall we?
These four polishes are all very nice in their own right, if not entirely unique. The Sephora by OPI formula is quite nice and these minis are no exception. At just the right balance between thick and thin, and they apply beautifully into the bargain. If you'd like to see the swatches and my thoughts, please check out the jump.
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I mentioned to you guys earlier today that this Sephora by OPI polish I'm holding above, Run With It, reminded me of fresh sparkling sand. So I got this bug in my brain that I wanted to use it in some nail art. I went googling and looked at palm tree images and nail art with palm trees and gave freehanding one a try. It didn't work out so great. So I got out my trusty Konad plates and used plate m29 and plate m79 and got to work. This is the second time I've done "Konad-assisted" nail art. The first was this MAC Liberty of London manicure where I used konad stamps and dotting tools as well. I am the absolute worst at freehanding nail designs, so I figured using konad as a sort of template was the way to go for me. I know it's far from perfect, and usually I'm anal about that, but I really like it. I am even more in awe of the chick at The Daily Nail, I couldn't do this every day, let alone freehand it all and come up with the ideas to begin with. She's my hero...
-I painted the whole nail with Orly Snowcone.
-Then I used Color Club French Tip and plate m79 to stamp a cloud on the top of each nail.
-Orly Enchanted Forest and plate m29 were used to stamp the palm tree on each nail.
-I used China Glaze Unplugged and a dotting tool to go over the trunk of the palm tree.
-I went back with Orly Enchanted forest and traced the spines of the palm fronds with the same small dotting tool letting the articulated parts of the konad stamp show for a little definition.
-I used China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini and the dotting tool to add a little highlight to the top of the palm
-With Sephora by OPI Run With It, I made little sandy islands with a dotting tool
-I went over everything with Seche Vite Fast Dry Topcoat
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Run With It - $9 at sephora.com
I haven't been blown away by the other Sephora by OPI polishes I've tried so far, so I was ecstatic when I tried out Run With It. Metro Chic was pretty but a bit thin and I just didn't love it. The much-talked-about 212 was a solid "meh" in my book. Run With It is one of those shades that normally fly just under my radar being neither jewel-toned nor overtly sparkly. This subdued sandy shade is such a gem, though. I can't remember where I saw this first, it must have been another blog, but my curiosity was piqued big time. Now I'm thinking of it, it might have actually been the Sephora blog that got me drooling over it... I grabbed it finally when the 15% VIB thing was going on at Sephora and I couldn't be more thrilled. The light dusty beige base and the gold and silver microscopic shimmer are a sight to behold, albeit you must "behold" it fairly close to your face to appreciate it all. The effect reminds me of fresh sparkling sand. The application was very good, two coats would do it for most anyone, but three for this neurotic gal. The finish can look a tiny bit frosty till it dries, but disappears once it cures completely. I love the slightly-off and dusky quality of this neutral beige, and the shimmer just puts it over the top.
Historically, when the release of new Sephora by OPI, or SOPI, is imminent, they will show up in the shade list as "temporarily out of stock." These six shades are showing up now as currently out of stock, so I presume this means coming very soon. They all seem to be part of some Caribbean gypsy sort of theme and include a couple outrageously gorgeous-looking shades. You can see the season's fashion-victim shade, light jade, is featured in this collection. It looks to be part of the same family of the sold-out Jade and all of it's doppelgangers. You can see a shimmery teal as well, which is another shade of nail polish that's been getting quite a lot of buzz recently. Additionally, Havana Dreams, which is described as a pale sky blue, seems like it might be similar to the soon-to-be released Chanel Nouvelle Vague Nail Laquer, which is sure to be a quick seller like Jade and Particuliere have been recently.
Which of these polishes is calling out to you? Read My Palm and Teal We Meet Again are definites for me!
Sephora Daily Hand Moisturizer $9 at sephora.com
As a hand cream junkie, i've tried dozens and dozens of creams and lotions made specifically for hand skin, and this is a fairly nice choice. One thing to really consider about this hand product is that it's really more of a lotion. Sephora by OPI does carry a heavier, more moisturizing choice filled with great oils and shea butter, though amazingly I have not tried it yet. This hand moisturizer is a great choice to keep in your bag, especially after the frequent handwashings of flu season. I sometimes feel a little silly using a heavy cream when I know I'll be washing my hands again in under an hour. The texture is all lotion, though a rich lotion at that. There really is no greasy feeling left behind but my hands always feel well-moisturized after using it. The scent is amazing, and this is coming from someone who dislikes floral scents, because it smells completely accurate and authentic. I can almost feel the silky touch of a flower on my nose when I sniff this. At a price point of just $9 for 4oz, I feel like it's a steal. Overall, I really love the light but effective moisturization, and even though the packaging might seem a bit cumbersome in it's length, I do like that it's easy to find in my bag.
