Brazil: Beach Sandies by OPI

Beach Sandies featuring liquid sand mini nail lacquers from the Brazil Collection by OPI. I think these liquid sands polishes are only available in the minis for the Brazil Collection. I'm not entirely sound on that one. The box has only four mini lacquers of 3.75mL(1/8 FL Oz.) each. I would say this box ranges from $12 to $19 (CAD). I purchased it for $14 myself at a salon, but I have seen them go up to $18 something, which is super expensive!

First, from left to right, we have Samba-dy Loves Purple, which is a vivid magenta violet. I'm Brazil Nuts Over You is the neon pink shade. Next, is What's a Little Rain Forest? which is a vibrant sky blue colour. And lastly, your highly pigmented sunshine yellow; You're So Flippy Floppy.

Now these textured nail polishes are as fun as the names they were given! These are featured with two coats on my nails, and which the box implies for "optimum textured finish." They are all so highly vivid, with the exception of the yellow sandie being a tiny bit more translucent. I figure you will need at least 3-4 coats to really cover your nail bed.

They all have tiny accommodating glitter particles that shine nicely. The finish is textured, but not too heavy on the nails. I tend to find a lot of these textured polishes feel heavier than regular polishes when applied, but these mini sandies actually feel a lot more comfortable. When dried, the sparkle lasts, and the textures are consistently a lot more smooth than expected. I would definitely say these are more wearable for casual and fun looks. 

These polishes really hit their mark. Whatever OPI has done with the liquid sands formula for these minis, I don't care; I want more!

Thanks for checking in with these swatches. If you liked it, please share. Did you grab these too??

~Misty

Previous Polish Progressions Part 2 of 3 (2012 Edition) featuring Konad Nail Art Stamps

This is the second part of my recordings of nail polishes photographed in 2012.

The nail looks were made by using any standard nail polish as a base, and the Konad Stamping nail art kit my parents gave me from their trip to Las Vegas. From what I know, Konad isn't readily available here in Canada, though I did bump into a merchant once at the summer carnival here in Alberta (K-Days). They didn't come back the year after though. =/

NailPolishCanada.com is a Canadian online store that sells Konad. I haven't bought from them yet so I can't really vouch how the shipping and handling is. The Official Konad site is here, and the company is based in Korea.

Nail art stamping kits aren't exclusive just from Konad. There are different companies that readily have these kits available. This is just the only kit I have and can review.

My parents got me the B set stamping kit. My mom says she picked it up at the Las Vegas Premium Outlet on the North side for about the original price at $45(USD). It was available at a random kiosk. We don't know if it's still there now. It was about 3 years ago, so apologies on outdated information. The Konad site has it listed at $31.45(USD) right now, but it's out of stock at the moment. There are others too so have a gander.

Konad Set B comes with 3 Special Nail Polishes, 4 image plates, a stamper, and a scraper. Konad does have their own line of regular nail polishes. The ones with the kit are "special," because there is something about the formula that lets you clean them off your plates easily and without staining.

To use the kit, lay out your desired plate/pattern, and dab a drop on a  your pattern. You don't really need a lot of product, and I can't emphasize that enough - it will help you save more product. The scraper is used to wipe the nail polish over the pattern. Then take your stamper, roll to grab your pattern, and then roll over your desire position on the nail. The rolling parts are important because it will pick up your pattern and lay them down on your nail with the most success. It is time consuming and messy, so use some newspaper, or scrap paper for your "work area." Use a top coat when the pattern has dried so it doesn't streak.

These are the image plates and the scraper in the smaller square packaging. You can see I did do the mistake of staining some of the images when using a regular polish. The scrapper's handle isn't very cleanable by acetone(nail polish remover), since acetone is corrosive to plastic, so it ended up looking like this (=_=;;). The scraper isn't anything special except that the metal part is stainless steel. For me, I'm completely content using a standard hard plastic card, like a library card or a coffee card, as my scraper. They're actually easier to clean and are reusable. Reduce, reuse, recycle folks!

Also the bottom two plates were from that merchant at the summer carnival I mentioned. I like that the patterns aren't just standalone art, but patterns and nail tip patterns are available too. The plates have a HUGE range of patterns available, and with the mention of other companies that sell nail art stamping kits, I'm sure there are endless amounts of combinations.

Now, some of the look-backs! Again apologies for the quality of the photos. They were taken with a spoon of a phone camera back then.

Here are two butterfly designs are from the plates, m15 and m21 - the ones with the B set kit. They are stamped white on #170 Deep Purple by Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails' Xtreme Wear. This is just a lovely way to get into stamping. The detail you get is definitely worth the time. And that purple shade is something I love to keep going back to.

BAM! Here's to all my paintball players. Pardon the messy white background. This splatter was a lot of fun to utilize. You can switch it around with different colours for a paint splatter look, or even different red shades on a dark background for a gorier look. =P

This cute pattern was used in the spring time. It easily resembles an Easter egg. It is stamped on #205 Pink Blink by Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri series.

This was something I sported in October for obvious reasons. The middle finger is stamped white then black for that drop shadow effect.

So these are just a few ways of using your stamp nail art kit. I hope you liked this post. Please recommend it if you think it'll be a great read.

Thanks!

~Misty

Nicole by OPI's On What Grounds?

If you're subscribed to Ipsy's Glam Bag, you might have received this polish in your March Glam Bag. For those of you who don't know what Glam Bags are... Ipsy is one of many subscription-based companies that distribute beauty bags of 4-5 random beauty products every month, or every so often for some. I may make a blog series on subscription beauty boxes. We'll see. =P

I actually didn't get this nail polish in my bag. My sister, though, generously gifted me hers from her glam bag since she's not using nail polishes at the moment.

Nicole by OPI's new collection is called Roughles. They feature these unique texture polishes in pastel colours. This one is called On What Grounds? and is a pastel turquoise colour.

They are comparable to OPI's line of Liquid Sands Polishes, and have a thick glittery texture. With Liquid Sands, I can get an opaque application with two coats. This polish was opaque with one coat. I applied it over Avon's Nail Strengthening Basecoat. This one is specifically extra grainy when dried. When first applied, they have a bit of a shine that offsets the grit a bit. It does feel and look like coloured dirt... I really don't know how to explain that, but that's impression on this one. On What Grounds? has big sand particles in the formula that appear brown and dark teal. As with a few of these liquid sands, it does feel like your nails are wearing individual hats (like you're wearing too much polish).

The texture is fun, but it doesn't last very long. This is after a few hours of wear. The polish looks even grittier than when first applied. The shine is completely gone, leaving a matte and unflattering look. It's like coloured cement. I didn't leave it on for very long after.

Simply put... fun, but not for long.

Thanks guys!

~Misty

Divergent + Sephora Collection

Just a disclaimer, I bought this collection mostly on the basis of the packaging. I don't know anything about the new film, or the novels for that matter, but I have heard good things. I have not read any of the novels, and anything related is probably just based off my knowledge of reading and watching ads for the movie. So I apologize if anyone who has read the novels is offended that I'm not a fan of the series, yet.

The kit is available exclusively at Sephora online. It's called the Divergent Multi-Piece Collector's Kit under Divergent Cosmetics, which is the promotional name of the makeup line. The retail price for the Collector's Kit is $71 (CAD). It's pretty big, just over 12 inches across by 9 inches wide, and 2 inches tall.

I happened to click by this collection while "window" shopping online at Sephora. It was one of those, "Hmm... Never seen this bef -- OMG It's beautiful!"

So yes, I kind of snatched it up before it was sold out the first time 'round. On another note, it was only available to Sephora VIB Rouge members when I purchased it at the time. This kit is currently out of stock, but I'm sure they will be available again on the site soon, and to everyone else. For now, Sephora has posted up a customer service number as this kit is so popular. So if you're wanting to grab one, give them a call to see if it's at a Sephora near you.
Sephora also has a 7-piece Nail Art Set and a smaller separate Palette Set available. They are retailing for $33 and $39 (CAD), respectively.
As I mentioned before, the "transformer" shades are swappable with the other eye shadow palettes, and they can be applied wet or dry. My advice is, if you're going for a more subtle look, to apply the transformers dry. Applied with a dampened brush, they are more vibrant and definitely have more presence. Choose just seems to have more sparkle.The mossy olive colour in Diverge (middle) has more body when applied wet as well. The only uneven shade is Transform (right most swatch).

The main attraction, for me, was the gorgeous lit-up Ferris wheel featured on the front/lid (top) of the packaging. The wheel's spokes and vertical supports have a holographic finish which kind of has that extra glowing effect on the dark background. The Ferris wheel is depicted on the inner lid too in a reverse gloss print. Very illuminating and just well put-together, in my opinion. So well, in fact, that I may just go see a movie that I would have otherwise waited until showings were out of theaters. 

The box is physically large, and you could stand it on its side, but the makeup inside will shift if you do. When I first opened the box, the lip glosses were strewn everywhere, so I would recommend storing it flat. The plastic insert seems reliable only for the palettes and brush.

Yes, I fell for the ARTISTIC packaging. It's a gift and a curse I tell you ...loving packaging as much as this, but loooook... the palettes inside piece together the entire Ferris wheel. It's geniuuusss!

The three eye shadow transformer shades on the ends can be swapped out by sliding the single eye shadow down along the silver "Divergent" decal.

The inside of the lid has an envelope with three different looks based on each of the eye palettes. They're nicely detailed with an illustrated gal, and a step-by-step process of styling your makeup.

Now, the moment you've all been waiting for... Makeup and swatches! Personally, I'm going to say I love the quality of these shadows. Sephora does not disappoint. All of these colours adhere to the skin very nicely, and pigment is out of this world. Some of the shadows feel more creamier than others. Fallout isn't too much of a problem here if you handle the product nicely. =D

From top to bottom, we have the Divergent Cheek Palette, the Erudite Eye Palette, the Dauntless Eye Palette, and the Abnegation Eye Palette.

Divergent Cheek Palette

We have two blushers, a highlighter, and a bronzer. Applied with a brush, the pigments can be sheered out to give you a natural glow. Obscure Coral is a warm flush with a light golden shimmer which makes for a dynamic cheek colour. Misty Rose is a cooler toned mauve colour, and the only cheek shade that is matte in the palette. Gleaming Pearl is spot on with it's name. It has a cooler, light golden shimmer which, I think, compliments Obscure Coral very well. Intelligent Bronze is a soft tan for a bronzer. Personally, I think this shade too close to my tone as a bronzer, and would work better as a complimenting eye shadow.

Erudite Eye Palette

The eye palettes all have very great quality for shadows. 

The Erudite Eye Palette has a light pink toned sparkle base called Choose as the "transformer" shade. Burnt Mahogany has very subtle peach shimmer particles in a dark sepia base. Radiant Initiation is the only matte shade, and is a pebble grey that appears more like a greyish latte in the pan. Peaceful Shimmer is my favourite shade in this palette as a peachy glistening colour. And Humble Sheen is a pearly shimmer with a very subtle pink tone.

Dauntless Eye Palette

The Dauntless Eye Palette has a more dramatic feel to it. The transformer shade is called Diverge, which appears as a dark olive shade is actually a dark base with darker gold glitter particles. Dauntless Ink is the darkest shade with a subdued shimmer. Applied, it looks more matte, and is the only shade that has uneven application. Abnegation Stone is the most mauvy taupe shimmer shade I will enjoy from this collection (sooo faved!). Erudite Sapphire is a darkened greyish blue with finer blue shimmer particles. Aaaand Serene Vanilla is the lightest colour in the collection as a whited out creme. You can't have darkness without the light. ;)

Abnegation Eye Palette

The Abnegation Eye Palette starts with a snowier transformer shade. Transform appears very close to Choose but as a silver glitter shadow. Applied dry, it's not very impressionable. Bold Espresso is your trademark dark coffee (Mmm... Yes please!). 
Intrepid Moss is more taupe-y than mossy, and has a nice complimenting golden shimmer. Golden Honesty is a shimmery light gold. And Altruistic Almond is a very light, matte beige colour.

These are the transformer shades applied dry, and then wet (with water). From left to right, we have Choose, Diverge, and Transform. They definitely have a more vibrant presence when applied with a wet or damp brush.

Divergent High Shine Lip Glosses

And here, we have 'em Divergent High Shine Lip Glosses. They look nice in the packaging, but they were the most disappointing of the Kit, in my opinion (>.>).

From left to right we have Fear Not, Natural Virtue, Supreme Ritual, and Temptation's Choice.

The glosses all have small doe-foot applicators. I find them a little inconvenient since you have to dip the wand in a few times to get enough product for application.

These are all very wearable glosses. Though with that said, the glosses all don't have very much pigment when applied, so they're not very exciting. Layering will give you more colour, but then it gets a l'il more gooey on the lips, and they aren't very long wearing. They might have more potential for fairer skin toned customers though. The glosses all have some kind of shimmer, mostly light pink, but all different. They aren't sticky, which is a plus one in my book when it comes to lip glosses. They all have a minty scent, and with it, tingly plump action. The scent isn't too overbearing, and the tingling isn't unpleasant, but if that's not your thing, then you can always use your own alternative nude gloss to complement the rest of the kit.

The quality is comparable to Buxom lip gloss products (which I looooove!). The packaging is adapted from Hourglass, and I think that is who Sephora teamed up with to make the kit. The labels on the back are very similar.

Double Ended Eye and Cheek Brush

And here we are with the one tool included with the Collector's Kit. The brushes are actually great quality. The bristles are synthetic, but also very soft. They're not as fine, but they get the job done nicely. 
The angled face brush is dense, but comfortable against the skin. And the eye brush side is more suited as a fluffy blending brush. 

The logo is reverse printed (glossy on matte) on the handle, much like the inner lid of the box. Very fitting.

Overall, the kit is a nice purchase. The box is bulky but stores neatly. The design and quality of the palettes were consistent throughout. I think one more brush might have a good addition. There are just a lot of eye shadows to make use of, and if they added another double ended brush with a standard, stiffer brush and an angled brush maybe, for example, I think it would tie in well.

The only disappointing feature were the lip glosses. I would have enjoyed more pigmented colours, maybe a brighter pink or a berry. They are good on-the-go types of lip glosses. Not everyone is fond of the menthol ingredient in glosses too. While I don't mind the tingling that much, I know a lot of gloss-lovers who would stray away from the product.

I know I will use everything here. I think my money was well spent, and I would recommend the collection to anyone who is fond of makeup and the novels/film. Thanks a lot for checking in. It is a lot to go through, but I think everyone would like to know what they're getting.

Now to find someone to take me to go see the film... =P

~Misty