OPI Tease-y Does It

The last time I wore this polish was over a year ago when it came out. It's from the Burlesque collection that way released last winter. I picked it up on clearance at Ulta. The reason I haven't worn it since was because I really did not like it when I first wore it and saw no reason to really wear it again (I'll go into that after the photos). But anyway, here it is. Giving it another shot.















Bottle Shot




2 coats OPI Tease-y Does It
1 coat Poshe

Tease-y Does It has a deep black/brown base with a deep pink/red shimmer with very minimal flashes of a golden shimmer. Disappointingly, this polish looks a lot more dynamic and lovely in the bottle. I should add a disclaimer. Vampy, deep colors are not my favorite. I'm sure that this is an amazing polish for those who like blackened colors. But the bottle shows significantly more shimmer with a dark pink to gold shift that doesn't translate as well on the nail. The shimmer is not very apparent. I tried to get the polish at a ton of different angles to show that there is a bit of shimmer. But I think the first photo is more accurate at how dark and... plain this polish really is. Nothing like the bottle. :(

The reason I didn't like this polish the first time was because I remember I had gone out with a bunch of coworkers and I had at LEAST 3 people comment on my "black" nails. I mentioned it's not black, but in the lighting we were in, you couldn't tell there was anything more to it. It just annoyed me because I spent money on what looks like a "black" polish to other people... and to me. That's why I didn't bother to wear it again.

If you've read my blog, you know I don't like OPIs brushes. Apart from that, the formula was perfect, opaque in 2 coats. It seemed to migrate a LITTLE towards my cuticles, but stopped before it got there. It was kind of funny, actually!

While I wasn't a fan of this polish, I just want to reiterate that if you like these nearly black colors, I'm sure you'd find this one beautiful!!

OPI Fly

I've been LOVING teal for a few months now. I fell in love with it when I moved and was trying to decide on a color scheme for my living room. I settled on greys, whites, and blacks, but I still needed color. Teal. So now I'm obsessed with teal. I never really had a favorite color besides when I was a child and I liked pink and my sister liked purple. But once I started shopping for home stuff, teal came in!! I realized I didn't have any true teal polishes. I have and love Orly Bailamos, but it wasn't exactly the teal I had in mind. Unfortunately, I don't know that this is either, but it's so close that it's the best I have right now!! While I'm not a huge OPI fan, I do love Nicki Minaj and I love teal, so this polish was def a win for me!!









Fly is a pretty straight forward teal creme. In some lights the green stands out more than the photos show. It's a beautiful, simple color.

The formula was fine. Opaque in 2 coats with no problems. Per usual, I hate OPIs brush, but paired with a good formula, and it was totally fine.

OPI Rumple's Wiggin'

I've wanted this polish for-gosh-darn-ever!! From the second I saw it. It's nothing that special, I just wanted it. The last Ulta Rewards I was able to get a polish, and I debated between Rumple's Wiggin' and What's With The Cattitude? Obviously, I went with WWTC. But my boyfriend got me RW for my birthday this year, and I've FINALLY decided to wear it!!







2 coats OPI Rumple's Wiggin
1 coat Poshe

This is a lavender that has some blue undertones. I don't know that it is one of those "bright" pastels, but it's right on that line. I wish I had this in the spring. This late into summer isn't the best time to wear this polish, but whatev!!

The formula was similar to most OPI's. Thinner, opaque in 2-3 coats. Not bad at all! The only thing is this polish REALLY brings out any imperfection on my nails. The ridge down my ring finger is super noticeable, and my silk wraps aren't as hidden as they are with other polishes. I don't know if it's because it's a creme. I don't think so because I've had that pinkie silk wrapped for 2 months (it was a VERY bad break), and this is the most noticeable I've seen it despite wearing lots of cremes.

Green Fauxnad

This is actually a mani from a week ago, but the photos hadn't come out that great so I wasn't going to post it. Then I realized it's been 5 days since my last post, and I'm working today and tomorrow and possibly Monday, so that means more days without posts (because I can't wear polish to work). So I figured I'd throw this together before going to work today.

Over the time I hadn't post, I did keep polish on my nails... obviously!! Haha. But I wore my blue holo leopard mani for a good few days. 1. Because I liked it and 2. Because I never had time to change it. Then Thursday I quickly threw on OPI Stranger Tides because I wanted something more demure. I went out with a friend that day and she looks at my nails and goes "your nails are so boring today!!". It was hysterical because I had no idea she actually paid attention to my nails!! Haha.









4 coats OPI Gargantuan Green Grape
Bundle Monster plate BM-208 with Orly Enchanted Forest

The stamping looks so off in these photos, but I SWEAR it looked great in real life!! Anyway, I'm loving these new Bundle Monster plates!! Highly recommended!!

Love/Hate Relationship with Gargantuan Green Grape

I stared at my Helmer for a good 20 minutes today trying to decide what to wear. I even went through my spreadsheet and tried to pick an untried. Everything I wanted to wear was either blue, pink, or glittery. I've been wearing SO many different blues and pinks lately, and I'm avoiding glitter due to numerous (4) silk wraps because removal would be awful. And I flat out refuse to wear any dark/vampy colors during the summertime. I also wanted to use my new BM plates with whatever color I chose.

And finally I chose OPI Gargantuan Green Grape, which I haven't worn in a LONG time. You'll read why after the photos.

**These first photos in the sunlight are more accurate color-wise**



















4 (Yes, FOUR) coats Gargantuan Green Grape
1 coat Poshe

GGG is a delicious bright, pastel springy green. It does NOT look like snot on your nails like it could have potential to. I have not found another green like this despite my numerous searches. It's very unique and just so lovely.

The problem is a HUGE downfall. Aside from my disdain for the ProWide brush, this formula is crap. You have to be prepared to baby this polish. It is thin and streaky, requires a delicate touch, and you cannot use too many strokes or it will give you cuticle drag like whoa. Even after 4 coats, it coulda used another because there are some bare spots, but they're not too noticeable.
I don't understand why OPI would put out such a terribly quality polish. Maybe because they know it's a gorgeous, unique color and if they changed the formula, it'd change the color.

It's unfortunate because this would be such a staple polish for me if it weren't for the formula.

Nubar Blue Hydrangea

I'm loving Nubar. I wish that they'd do more promotions because I'd be more apt to pick up some polishes. When they're already not easily accessible and you can only buy online, I think it helps to do something for customers that makes them want to pay and wait for shipping in addition to never being able to tangibly have the polish before purchasing. I know Zoya gets a little crazy with their promotions, but at least if Nubar had a free shipping promo for ANY order for a week or so, or 20% off ANY order, or something along those lines, I'd see myself more willing to buy polish.

But looking at some of their previous promos - 20% off retail orders of $50+ with free shipping on $40+ on VDay 2011, 30% on retail orders of $30 or more in November 2010, 20% on retail orders of $30+ St. Patty's 2010 - there has only been one promo this year so far, and all that I've seen require you to spend at LEAST $30 before you can get any sort of % off and at least $40 for free shipping. So you have to purchase at least 5 polishes for a % off and 6 for free shipping. I'd say 4 polishes for a % off, but their polishes are $7.49, they're not actually $7.50, which means 4 polishes only bring the total to $29.96. I find that kind of sneaky IMO.

So aside from the promo stuff, I knew when I saw swatches of Blue Hydrangea from their Spring Garden Collection, I had to have it. I don't really know why, it seems somewhat generic, but I really just fell in love with it.











2 coats Blue Hydrangea
1 coat Poshe

This polish is really gorgeous. It's a bright, pearly sky blue. When I say pearly, don't be apprehensive. It's hard to make a sky blue polish seem grandma-ish, and it's more pearly than frosty if that makes sense. The pearl in this polish is what makes it really pop. Instead of it being a simple, boring creme, going more extreme to make it a true shimmer, or changing the color by making it iridescent or duochrome-y, the pearlescent finish really makes this polish stand out. I LOVE it against my skintone, I find it to be very flattering.

The blue in this polish is very similar to OPI What's With The Cattitude. If you were looking for a non-creme version to WWTC, this is it. Not identical, WWTC is about 2 shades darker and slightly more green, but very comparable. And the formula on Blue Hydrangea is MUCH nicer.

The formula was very easy to work with. Completely opaque in 2 coats, it has a nice thickness to it, similar to the thickness of Orly polishes, but a little thinner. I did get some cuticle drag on several nails, but I definitely think that was my error and not the polish. It was easily corrected, though. The brush was nice and dense, with a good flare when pressed on the nail. I really liked this brush. It's generic, but that's a good thing. The other thing about the formula/brush is that despite the polish being pearly, there were NO brush strokes. Even before the top coat, there were no brush strokes.

OPI What's With The Cattitude vs. Nubar Blue Hydrangea Comparison





Direct Sunlight


2 coats of each

I woulda done this on my nails, but I'm actually wearing BH as my mani today, so I didn't want to take polish off and then reapply. Too lazy for that!!
Description between the polishes is above, but ultimately, in the sunlight, they look darn near identical (but they're not) save the pearly finish of BH. In different lightings, WWTC looks anywhere from 1-3 shades darker and just the slightest bit more green. As I said above, if you love the color of WWTC but don't want a creme, you have to have this.

Orly Ancient Jade Vs. OPI Mermaid's Tears Comparison

Something you should know about me. I'm cheap frugal. With that, I hate buying polishes that are dupes or WAY close. I see no need. I definitely have a polish obsession, but in this aspect, cost outweighs owning polish. And I don't like to buy a polish that I essentially already have. Definitely nothing against those who do!! Thank goodness for those of you that buy dupes. If you didn't, I'd never get to see comparisons of similar polishes. Thanks to those of you who do buy dupes, I was able to pick Essence Choose Me! up instead of OPI Catch Me In Your Net or Zoya Charla. I was able to pick up Revlon Electric instead of Chanel Mimosa. You get the idea.

So, unbeknowst to me, I bought some dupes. Obviously as the title suggests, those dupes are Orly Ancient Jade and OPI Mermaid's Tears. I picked up Ancient Jade (from the Precious collection) first back in February. I even used it in one of my posts. I later bought Mermaid's Tears in early May. I had seen swatches of MT online, and obviously I had worn AJ. I had not a FREAKIN' clue how similar they were. I hadn't even given it a second thought, honestly. In hindsight, I definitely thought AJ was much more green, and even when I heard rumor that they were dupes for each other, I just couldn't believe it. So I just had to swatch them together, and here's what I got.









In Direct Sunlight




2 coats Ancient Jade
2 coats Mermaid's Tears

Here's a photo of 1 coat of each for comparison:



So they're obviously really, really close. Complete dupes? I'd say no. Close enough? Absolutely. If you're like me like I said above, I would say you don't need both. They are so so similar. If I had to chose, I'd pick Ancient Jade.

Aside from the fact that I don't enjoy the ProWide OPI brushes, Orly won me over with the formula. Completely opaque in one coat, not streaky, easy to use, just awesome. I used 2 coats of each in the photos for a more true comparison. OPIs was fine, too, but it did require 2 coats and if they were on the thinner side, you might've needed 3. I'd still say 2 coats is fine, though. Mermaid's Tears had the same applications as the other two polishes (Stranger Tides and Skull & Glossbones) I have from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection. Thin and watery, but opaque in 2 coats.

Color wise, anything I mention is SUCH a slight difference, so keep that in mind. By slight I mean if they were to go one shade different, they'd be identical. So MT is the slightest bit murkier while AJ is the slightest bit brighter. I'd also say AJ is about 1 shade more turquoise than MT. I think AJ has a more clean look than MT, and I think it's a little more striking. By striking I mean alluring. It has a demure brightness that MT doesn't have because it's more murky.

These photos do not have a top coat. I painted them as if I was going to use a quick dry top coat. I didn't wait for the first coat to dry fully before adding the second. I felt my nails about 15 minutes after painting them, and they're both dry to finger marks.

And can you tell how my middle finger nail and kind of my index finger nail are starting to curve inwards at the sides? Clearly my nails are a little too long for me and I need to file 'em down a bit. Lol. Eh, I'll get around to it eventually.

Newspaper Nails withOUT Alcohol (Vodka)

I noticed that so many people are wondering if you can do Newspaper nails without alcohol (vodka). I wrote this Newspaper Nails Tutorial, and I used vodka. Here's my second part to that which showcases other things you may have around your house to use instead of vodka. And if you're under 21 (or 18 depending on your country), you can still do Newspaper Nails!!

All nails were done with the tutorial I linked to above.



Nail Prep:
2 coats OPI Skull & Glossbones
1 coat Poshe


Note:
If you're having problems with the newspaper print not being dark enough, try a lighter base coat. It can make a HUGE difference. I tried this with Essie Nice is Nice and the print came out too pale. Just know that pale newsprint may not be due to your technique at all, it may be your base coat.

What I Used:
70% Rubbing Alcohol
Vodka
Hand Sanitizer
Almond Extract



My Results:



Index Finger - 70% Rubbing Alcohol
Middle Finger - Vodka
Ring Finger - Hand Sanitizer
Pinkie - Almond Extract

70% Rubbing Alcohol


Not bad, absolutely a great alternative. Unfortunately, though, I had to redo this nail several times to get it to look this way. I don't know if it's my nail shape or the rubbing alcohol, but it kept missing parts of the text. The intensity of the text is great, though.

Vodka


This transfers the text SO quickly. If you're looking to do this quickly, vodka is the best out of all of them. Intensity is very similar to the rubbing alcohol, but I don't feel I can do a complete comparison because some text didn't transfer right with the rubbing alcohol, which makes it look more faint.

Hand Sanitizer


Nope. Didn't work. Well, sorta worked, but no where NEAR as well as the others. I'd definitely say don't even bother.

Almond Extract


Umm, yes please!! I cannot believe how well this came out. I think it's my favorite. The text is very sharp, the color is very dark, and the extract smelled delicious!! The texture of the extract makes it very easy to keep it on one spot on the nail. I think that helps attribute to how well it works.

Which do I think is the best?
Honestly, I vote the Almond Extract. And the fact that it smelled DELICIOUS makes it that much more awesome.

Overall Opinion:
If you're looking for something besides vodka, go with an extract. The Almond Extract I used is clear (I say this because some extracts are not clear), and it lists alcohol as the second ingredient next to water. It uses 36% alcohol. Even if you have vodka, I still suggest trying an extract. The results are amazing. I'm sure other extracts, such as vanilla, orange, mint, etc would work fine, but the vanilla extract I have isn't clear, so I thought that might cause problems. The almond extract was clear.
I would also recommend rubbing alcohol, though it wasn't my favorite. It did a fine job transferring, so it will certainly work.
As for the hand sanitizer, don't waste your time.

Note:
I know that the close up photos still look fuzzy. This is because I'm shooting in macro. In real life, you canNOT tell there is fuzziness on the index, middle, or pinkie. And when I say the pinkie is the sharpest, even if it doesn't look it in the photos, it is. It's amazing.

OPI Stranger Tides

Had NO idea what polish to wear today. It's apparently supposed to be gloomy ALL weak. Ugh. And because I just had to silk wrap, I like to stick with light colored cremes for a little while after I put it on just so shimmer/glitter or dark colors don't get stuck to it before it adjusts to my nail. Sounds odd I know, but just go with it! Haha.

Stranger Tides is part of the Pirates of The Caribbean collection that came out earlier this month. When I initially saw promo pics, I KNEW I wanted Stranger Tides. Then when I finally saw swatches a while ago, I knew I had to have it. I even posted about wanting it April 1st!! So I've been stalking it for a while.

I was freaking out the week before the collection was released at Ulta. Due to my work schedule, I wasn't going to get to Ulta until a few days after the collection was out. I was afraid it would've been sold out!! I walked into Ulta and remembered that this is the Ulta I bought Black Shatter at 3 weeks after it came out. No one around this Ulta follows polish, clearly. So they had 2 full displays of Silver Shatter save 1 or 2 bottles, and had every other color from the collection as well. Because I had a $5 off $10 coupon (as did my Mom, who I went with) I decided to grab 4 polishes from the collection and I saved $10 total, making each polish only $6!! Yay!!

So here's Stranger Tides













2 coats Stranger Tides
1 coat Poshe

Ready for it? If you've seen my other OPI posts, you know what I'm about to say. I HATE THAT BRUSH!! When I paint my pinkie, I cannot let the brush spread at all, or it'll get all over my skin. Even when I do the rest of my nails, I have to use the brush so gingerly or it'll get everywhere. Great for my thumb nail and big toe. Even fairly decent for the rest of my toes. Sucky for the rest of my fingers. Despite what it may look like in my photos, I have skinny nails.

So the color. This is a... paler camouflage green? A murky sage green? Yeah, I'll go with both of those. I don't think you can describe this polish one way. So picture a pale camo, murky sage, and you have Stranger Tides. Certainly... strange. And GORGEOUS!! Loving this color. Loved it in the promo, loved the early swatches, love it on my nails!! Very, very interesting.

I'm much happier with the formula of this OPI polish. I'm usually sadly disappointed by OPIs formulas with their newer polishes (b3f). But I had no trouble with this one. Totally opaque in 2 coats, no strokes, nice and even. Had a little cuticle drag on two nails, but I was able to fix it. I think it's just because of my frustration with the brush.

Overall, please do not hesitate to grab this polish if you want it! It's an interesting, different color, and the formula is great! Now if only they'd fix that brush...

Song:
Default - Wasting My Time