OPI Cuckoo For This Color versus China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald

This week I will be showing you some comparison posts with polishes from the new Swiss Collection by OPI (if you missed my swatches of the collection have a look here). I start with the greens. I have been asked to compare Cockoo For This Color with China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald. I wanted to do this comparison from the time I saw both IRL :) On the right you can see the bottles. You can´t say there is any difference. Now both of these polishes need two coats, so no difference here either.

As you can see from my swatch, there is a slight difference between them. Emerald Fitzgerald (EF) has more shimmer which gives the feeling that the color has more depth than Cuckoo For This Color (CFTC). This difference is only visible if you look really close at them, so normally you just think they are the same. It depends on what you like more...OPI or China Glaze. I think the brush factor is most important here :)

Which one do you like more?

Stay tuned for other comparisons :)

OPI Swiss Collection 2010 - Video

And as always for those of you whole like the polishes moving I have a video for you :D Hope you enjoy, the colors are just gorgeous.

If you prefer normal swatches, have a look at my review here.

OPI Swiss Collection 2010 - Swatches and Review

This fall OPI takes us to Switzerland! I have never been there before but I love to travel with these collections :) I have to say that this collection was a very nice surprise. From the first promo pictures I thought I would like only four colors but now I love nearly all of them.

OPI says: "OPI offers a new take on classic neutrals with must-have hues in the Swiss Collection. These highly anticipated lacquers feature rich shades sure to become the new standard basics, or “new-trals” for Fall/Winter 2010."

The swatches are all without a base or top coat and are in natural daylight (no sun or lightbox).

My video of the collection is here.

I’M SUZI & I’M A CHOCOHOLIC

I will start with the cremes. The first one is with Suzi’s name :) I thought that this shade would be nothing for me but it actually is. You get the feeling of something warm. Makes you think it is already fall outside. The application was flawless and I have two coats.

FROM A TO Z-URICH

I am starting to be a red lover with this collection. This is warm red. It is very pigmented and you could go with one thicker coat, I did two.

COLOR SO HOT IT BERNS

Hot! Hot! Hot! This polish is just awesome. Ok the color itself is nothing new, a very bright red. But I didn´t have something like this in my collection. In fact this was the polish I reached for first. Looks great on, very sexy. You will need two coats for coverage, but with three it look even better. And believe me, the third coat is worth it.

JUST A LITLLE RÖSTI AT THIS

Maybe my least favourite from the collection but that is because the collection is full of very pretty polishes. Nice brown berry shade. Like all the cremes, this was so smooth and shiny. Two coats.

WILLIAM TELL ME ABOUT OPI

A very popular color for this fall, you see more brands releasing these. You can never go wrong with a vampy color like this. A very dark purple, almost black creme. Two coats.

SKI TEAL WE DROP

How could I live without a creme teal? I like this color on me a lot and will wear it. Two coats.

DIVA OF GENEVA

One of my favourites. Goes to the top three of the collection for me. This polish is really stunning and looks great on. Love the golden shimmer in it. Two coats.

LUCERNE-TAINLY LOOK MARVELOUS

I needed three coats of this one. A very nice foil like greyish silver.

GLITZERLAND

Same family as the one above, just gold. Again needed three coats for full coverage.

YODEL ME ON MY CELL

Love this so much! Really hard to capture all the beauty of the polish. The blue base and the shimmer. Another of my favourites. Can´t wait to wear this as a full mani. OPI makes such beautiful blues and this is no exception.

THE COLOR TO WATCH

I have a feeling that this polish is a bit underestimated. Well yes because you need four coats for full coverage and not everybody is willing to do that. But once you do, you get a beautiful color. I love the way it looks on me! It is a light purple with blue shimmer.

CUCKOO FOR THIS COLOR

Pretty shimmer green leaning to the blue side but it is not a teal. Reminds me of Christmas trees :) Two coats.

I think you know what I will say about the collection :) yes, I love it. The formula of these was great. Especially the cremes were like a dream in terms of application. Most of the polishes in the collection are two coaters which is great. And whenever I review an OPI collection I have to say that I LOVE their brush. Works great for me. What I liked is the color choice. I think everyone gets to choose...you have a sexy red a dark vamp etc. Can´t wait for fall to come, I will wear these a lot!

Now the collection is already in shops so go and get yours :) As always there is also a mini set available (contains Color So Hot It Berns, Yodel Me On My Cell, Luceme-tainly Look Marvelous and a RapiDry Top Coat). 

I will do comparison posts and a video next, so stay tuned!

So what do you think? Any must haves? :) Let me know.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company.

CND Anchor Blue and CND Violet Shimmer

If you want a good creme polish you can never go wrong with the new CND line. At least that is my experience so far. This one is no exception. Anchor Blue i a mid-toned creme blue which is so smooth and creamy. Applies very well and is very pigmented. You will need just one thicker coat or two normal. Isn´t it gorgeous?

Now if you think creme polishes are boring or you want to change your mani after a few days try layering it with a polish from their Effects line. I chose Violet Shimmer. The shimmer is very fine and you can see it very well from certain angles. Gives the base color more depth.

There is one more thing I noticed with these two polishes. The caps don´t sit well and polish gets into the screw and everywhere. It is a lot of mess. Now I already had about seven bottles from the new CND line and this has nevver happened to me before, so not all of them do this. Maybe I was just "lucky". Did this happen to anyone too?

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company.

Sigma Complete Professional Brush Kit - Review

Today it is going to be all about brushes. Not nail polish brushes as you would expect but makeup brushes. I got the chance to try out the Sigma Complete Kit and would like to share my thoughts with you. First I would like to say that I am not a brush maniac, I have just five Smashbox brushes and no MAC. So this post is just my thoughts about the brushes, no comparisons. I used the brushes for a month before writing this post. Hope it will be helpful for someone :)

Sigma says: "12 professional quality brushes for a complete makeover! Everything you need to apply makeup to eyes and face."

The brushes come with a leather look like brush roll. It is great for keeping the brushes in, I like it. I just don´t like the smell of it...smells like plastic and I found the brushes smell from it too.

Inside the roll are twelve brushes for the face and eyes. I agree with what Sigma says, you get everything you need. On the above picture is the Large Powder Brush. As you can see, the handle is black and all the brushes have their names written on in white. I really like the handles.
Now lets have a look at the brushes one by one :)

Large Powder Brush (F30)

I like this brush. It is big and fluffy. The size is ideal to apply powder on the face and body. The downside is that it sheds.

Large Angled Contour Brush (F40)

Found this brush not thick enough. Used it for blushes and didn´t have enought control. It is soft and I use it for touch ups in contouring the face. Generally I prefer black brushes but that is just my personal taste. White ones get dirty very easily. The good side is that it doesn´t shed.

Duo Fibre Brush (F50)

This brush is very soft. First I didn´t know what to use it for exactly :D I didn´t like the way it applied my blushes. Now I know it works very good with a foundation but I still think my application skills are not good enough as I prefer the classic foundation brush.

Foundation Brush (F60)

This is one of my favourites from this set. I love applying foundation with it. The brush is flat, slightly stiff...perfect for creamy and liquid products. Doesn´t shed, I really love it. Perfect for me.

Large Shader (E60)

Now we get to the eye brushes. This one is also flat and stiff. I use it to apply my creamy eyeshadow base  or creamy eyeshadows. Works great with them. Another favourite of the set.

Medium Angled Shading Brush (E70)

This soft angled brush is nice for applying the highlight eyeshadow that you put under your eyebrows. After washing this doesn´t keep shape much but doesn´t shed.

Eyeliner Brush (E05)

As the name already says, this brush is for applying your eyeliner. I like the precise tip but maybe might be too big for people with smaller eyes. I liked the size.

Pencil Brush (E30)

The second white brush in this collection. As I said not a big fan of this color. The shape of this brush is universal for me, I used it for pigments end eyeshadow but I have a feeling I could live without it.

Tapered Blending Brush (E40)

I don´t know what to use this brush for. I find it just too big to use on my eyes. I couldn´t blend with it, I guess I am used to different kinds of brushes. I didn´t like the shape much.

Eye Shading Brush (E55)

I like the shape and size of this one. It is not too small and it is flat. The brush has natural bristles and I used it with pigment and eyeshadows.

Large Shader Brush (E60)
I like this brush too, again it has natural bristles and a round shape.

Small Angle Brush (E65)
Great brush for applying cream eyeliners. It is precise and easy to work with. Try defining your eyebrows with it, works great like this too.

Although I didn´t like two or three of the brushes, overall I think this set is very nice. I like the long and thick handles, great to work with. The roll is perfect to keep the brushes in (but be aware of the smell). Some of the brushes were sheding but after a few washes it was ok. The set is perfect if you are starting with makeup brushes. The choice is very nice and I really didn´t need anything else. As I said I used the brushes for a month and now I will continue using them...I think that says it all.

You can buy this set here for $99. For this price you get really very good quality. I reccomend trying their sets, it saves you a lot of money.

Have you tried Sigma brushes? What do you think?

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company.

Orly Glitz & Glamour (Tis The Season Holiday Collection 2010)

detail

Calling all the gold lovers out there! You NEED to get this beauty. For this holiday Orly comes with a collection of six beautiful shades. Today I want to show you Glitz & Glamour, for me the best of the collection. This polish really stands out. I can´t think of anything negative about it. The color is beautiful, it shines like crazy and covers only in two coats. The application was flawless, the finish is foil like and I love the Orly formula. Do I need to say more? :)

New from Barielle

After the stunning High Steppin Collection (my swatches here) Barielle comes with another beautiful collection. Today I have for you only the press picture but the colors look great for fall and unique too. Looking at them makes me feel warm. Tell me what you think :)

BARIELLE SHADES LAUNCHES AUTUMN

‘STYLE IN ARGYLE’ POLISH COLLECTION

Fend off the season’s chill with six new colours from Barielle’s Style In Argyle Autumn collection. With a rich colour palette to choose from and their signature ‘3-free’ formulation, this collection is inspired by stylish Argyle fashion colours.

Indulge yourself with Cashmere or Loose Me – a soft brown with copper pearl; cosy up with Tight Knit – a purple brown crème; keep your hands as pretty as the fallen leaves with Aura Angora – a royal gold crème; get tied up with Unraveled Red – a burnt rust crème; engage yourself with Wool you Marry Me? – a plum brown crème. and howl at the moon with Cowl of the Wild – a mushroom taupe crème.

China Glaze Latte

China Glaze Latte is one of those work safe polishes I don´t like to wear much but from time to time need them :) Now this one is not one of my favourites for two reasons. First, I have three coats on the picture and the coverage is still not as I would want. Second, the polish is runny and tends to pool at the edges. But I like the color, a nice shimmery champagne :) Any tips for a better alternative?

OPI Mad As A Hatter

detail of the glitter

bottle detail

Hi everyone! Hope you had a great weekend :) To cheer you up on Monday I have a fun polish for you. Mad As A Hatter is glitter madness. When it came out I still had my glitterphobia and passed it (if you are scared of glitter have a look at my post about The foil method). Well silly me, now it is hard to get (the one on the picture is from my friend). I think it is one of the most pretty OPI glitters. But who knows...the Burlesque collection looks like full of promising glitters, so I will wait for that :) What is your favourite OPI glitter? From the comments I got under my post about the foil method I bet it is Mad As A Hatter.

OPI Mad As A Hatter (3 coats)

Illamasqua Art Of Darkness Collection: Precision Ink in Alchemy

I am so excited! I love summer but there are moments one wishes it is fall/winter already...and one of them is the new collection from Illamasqua called Art Of Darkness. What can I say about Illamasqua? I LOVE this brand and not only their nail polish :) Now if you think of their beautiful packaging and the whole image, it is one of my favourite make up brands (bye bye MAC).

Today I want to show you a product from their new collection - the Precision Ink in shade Alchemy.

what Illamasqua says: "Precision Ink - an iconic pen with a fine tip allowing for defined, precise application for the face and body. It dries within seconds and stays color true from dusk until dawn..."

The liner comes in a sleek black tube. I found it very easy to work with. I like the handle, it is nice to hold and long, so you have control of what you are doing. The tip is very precise (click on the picture to see it in a full size - I left it big). I took a picture of the pen with the Illamasqua polish in Spartan so you can have an idea of how big it is. It contents 1.8ml of product.

Now about the color. It is a very pigmented yellowish gold. It shines like crazy. I swatched it with the Illamasqua Liquid Metal in the shade Solstice so you can see the difference. Now the best part is how long it lasts. What Illamasqua says about the product is absolutely true. I put it on my hand waited a few moments and then tried to rub it off, no matter how hard I tried it styed! Wow! I tried it after a few hours and it was the same. Makes you think...will it go off? :) oh yes, with an oil based remover, no problem.

And here is a quick look I made with it. I love the combination of purple and gold. I did a sleeping eye so you can see the pen :) I have oily lids but that was no problem, it stayed on.

The precision liner will also be available in black (the shade is named Abyss - love it). When it comes out I am for sure buying it too. This stuff is great! If you don´t want to miss the launch of the Art Of Darkness Collection watch The Official Illamasqua blog.

* the product(s) in this post were sent to me by the manufacturer or their PR company.

H&M Grey Sky

close-up of the shimmer

Look what I found today in my H&M! I never tried their polishes so I went to look at the stand if they have any nice colors and they did. I picked just one to try it out. The shade Grey Sky is a grey shimmer with a bit of purple. It cost me 1.5 dollars (29kč) which is not much but if you consider that it is only 3.2ml it is not cheap anymore. Anyway I think it is a nice way to try new colors. I have two coats on the pictures.

P.S. sorry about my nails...I broke one yesterday and had to file them down :)

Just playing..

Ok, this is nothing special. I did this after yesterdays playing with a tape. It is simmilar to what I already did but using different colors. This time I didn´t use any stamping...instead I covered the whole mani in flakies :)

Five minutes later, after taking pictures, I went to clean up the bathroom and broke a nail...well worse things happen, it will grow again :)

New from Essie

Just got this in my email and thought I would share with you :) looks like another promising fall collection. I really liked the last fall collection from Essie and this looks even better. I am curious about Sew Psyched (which I loved on Kellie) and Merino Cool most.

Essie’s new fall 2010 collection embodies the essence of these eclectic fashions with autumnal pops of color in six stunning new shades that are a perfect match to fall’s exquisitely refined accessories and finely tailored ensembles.

The Fall Collection by essie is available beginning September 2010 at www.essie.com at fine spas, salons and beauty destinations nationwide. Suggested Retail Price: $8.00 USD.

Misa Girls Night Out - Three Different Ways!

Something to cheer up your Monday! This polish was fun :) I took a lot of pictures of it. The problem was I didn´t know which to show you. I decided that I will show you three and you see for yourself what you like most.

So we start with Misa Girls Night Out, a very vivid neon. The color is pink but with a hint of purple. I was amazed with the application. Neons are hard to apply but this one went on so nice and creamy. On the picture I have two coats and as you can see there is still VNL. I also didn´t use a top coat so the finish is semi-matte.

Now you know how I hate VNL...I just can´t help myself. So I did a very easy trick to hide it. I used ManGlaze Matte Is Murder and a piece of tape. It was quick. So here is an inspiration for those of you, who like to add something extra to your normal polish.

Now if you still think it is not enough and you want to play a little bit more, go on and have some fun with stamping. I used a glossy black polish and Bundle Monster plate BM12. Again, very easy and looks pretty.

Removing Glitter Polish: The Foil Method

Glitter nail polish is great but can be a real pain removing it. Some people even have a glitterphobia (I had it too). It is such a shame not to wear glitter polishes just beacuse of the removal, so today I have for you a post about one of the methods that make it easy...the foil method. Lets have a look at it step by step:

Before you start, prepare these things:

1. nail polish remover

2. cotton pads

3. foil

4. scissors

5. cuticle cream

So obviously you also need your nails with a glitter nail polish on :D (I have Nubar Petunia Sparkle)

Take one cotton pad and cut it into half (or even on quarters...what you like more). Put you nail polish remover on the pad and the place then pad on your nail:

Cut the foil into smaller pieces and wrap it around your finger with the cotton pad and remover:

Now do the exact same thing on all your fingers. Then leave the foil on for about 5 - 8 minutes (go watch TV, read a book, just relax):

After 5 - 8 minutes remove the foil and cotton pad. All your glitter will be on the pad and your nail is clean. Effortless :)

Now because soaking your fingers 8 minutes in a nail polish remover isn´t very good for your cuticles (they will be dry) put on your favourite cuticle cream :) I like Lush Lemony Flutter and Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream.

So this is it...nothing copmlicated. It is very simple :) Now tell me...what is your favourite glitter polish and how do you remove it?