OPI Nail Color Swatches- Brazil

Product Info:

Set 1: OPI Brazil CopacaBabies 4 pc Mini Kit
Tropicalicious shades - sizzling and spirited! OPI's Brazil CopacaBabies Mini Pack contains:

• Next Stop - The Bikini Zone
• Kiss Me I'm Brazilian
• AmazON - AmazOFF
• Where Did Suzi's Man-go?

No DBP, Toluene, and Formaldehyde Free

4-mini nail lacquers (1/8 fl oz.)  $12.95 at Ulta

Set 2:  OPI Brazil Beach Sandies 4 pc Mini Kit
Four vibrant Liquid Sand minis from the Brazil Beach Sandies Collection.

Set includes:

• Samba-dy Loves Purple
• I'm Brazil Nuts Over You
• What's a Little Rain Forest
• You're So Flippy Floppy

No DBP, Toluene, and Formaldehyde Free

4-mini nail lacquers (1/8 fl oz.)  $12.95 at Ulta- available online only

Individual Shades available at Ulta and Ulta.com for $9.00 each

My Thoughts:  These are ok colors for the OPI brand.  I'm used to a bit more pigmentation, and I'm not sure whether it was because it's in a mini bottle or not?  I felt that most of the textured shades needed three or more coats to come out looking even.  The solid colors were much better, but they still needed at least two coats.  My favorites overall were the Live Love Carnival and Where Did Suzi's Man-Go.  I love these for the summer, and I'm sure I'll be rocking them quite a bit.  My favorite shades for summer are corals and pinks.

I like the shade range overall in this collection.  There's a little something for every taste.  Plus, it's fun that some of them are sandy textures, kind of like the beach.  I was most disappointed in the blues, as I didn't think they were all that original.  The teal is pretty, but it definitely needs lot of coats.  You can see in the photo even after three coats it's still not perfectly even.  The light blue is very streaky as well, and it's just a rather boring light blue.  The only think that makes it a bit different is the texture.  I do just adore the shade names of these nail polishes.  As expected, OPI has the best shade names for their nail polishes.

These last about what I'd expect for nail polish on my nails.  Since I'm constantly typing and working with my hands, polish only lasts at max two days before it chips. 

I bought these kits from Ulta back in March, but I thought now would be a good time to review them as they are really fun summer shades.  You can probably still find them online from Ulta.com or full size bottles at dugstores.

Final Verdict:  The mini bottles in the kits are a great way to try out new OPI shades without having to pay for a full size bottle you may not wear often.  Especially good for people like myself who buy way more nail polish than they could ever wear!

**Disclaimer: As with all my product reviews, I was not paid by the cosmetic company to provide feedback or review/promote their products. This article contains some affiliate links provided through Viglink.com. All the opinions expressed in this article are my own. These items were purchased with my own money. For more information on my policies, please view my Let's Chat page.

Revlon Scented Nail Polish Review

Revlon Scented Nail Polish Review

From the Brand:  Revlon Parfumerie Scented Nail Enamel is intoxicating color with an irresistible scent. Vibrant shiny shades go on smoothly for flawless color and then dry to light, irresistible fragrances.

• Fragrance revealed when dry
• Light fragrances last all day
• Available in 24 shades.

Retails for:  $5.99

Where to Buy: Anywhere drugstore makeup is sold, such as Ulta stores and Ulta.com, Walgreens.com, CVS.com, Target, Walmart, and grocery stores

My Thoughts:  I remember the days back when I was a kid when I'd put on scented nail polish and I thought I was Little Miss Hot Stuff.  Well, let's just say this has a touch of nostalgia for my youth while being a totally sophisticated grown up way to paint my nails.

I love the formula of the three colors above that I've tried above.  They are the only shades I've purchased, but I definitely would try more.  They go on richly pigmented and very creamy, and they don't streak.  I'd recommend two coats though to get a perfectly even nail. 

My favorite is the yellow, Sunlit Grass.  It's the perfect shade of yellow for my fair skin that doesn't look too acidic or jaundiced.  It's a beautiful warm yellow that instantly makes me think spring.  And despite the name, it doesn't have any green tones to it at all.

The pink, African Tea Rose, is not as pigmented in one coat as the other two, but it's still a gorgeous shade.  It was the first color I was drawn to and the first that I purchased.  There's a hint of blue to the shade without getting too far into the purple range, so I think it would compliment both cool toned skins as well as warm toned skins.  It's the perfect pink for summer time.

The red, China Flowers, is a beautiful warm red without getting too much into the coral range.  It's a true red without the cherry undertones of darker or brighter reds.

The nail polish scents are light, not overpowering at all, and it's really unique how the smell comes out as the polish dries.  I wish it lasted longer than a day, but of course it's not really plausible.  The finish of the polish is a smooth creamy finish with no shimmer on any of these three colors.  Although, in the stores I've seen shades with some beautiful shimmers.  There's a huge range of colors, too!

Even the packaging is awesome on these.  I love the little glass bottles with the round black tops.  Something about them is just feminine to me and appeals to my inner girl.  I like displaying them in my bathroom rather than hiding them under the counter in a shoebox.  They stand out from the endless sea of uninteresting bottles of nail polish.  Almost like a perfume bottle rather than nail polish.  Or maybe I'm just seeing things?  Am I the only one who gets that vibe from these?  I mean the "Parfumerie" isn't just an allusion to the smell, right?


Final Verdict:  LOVE!  These are the first three, and I can't wait to get some more when Ulta does some kind of Buy One, Get One sort of sale on Revlon products.

Today I want to know: Who else has tried these nail polishes?  Did you like them?  How long do you feel the scent lasts?  Have you reviewed them for your blog or YouTube channel?  Post the link below so we can all check you out!

**Disclaimer: As with all my product reviews, I was not paid by the cosmetic company to provide feedback or review/promote their products. This article contains some affiliate links provided through Viglink.com. All the opinions expressed in this article are my own. These items were purchased with my own money. For more information on my policies, please view my Let's Chat page.

Makeup Tip #2!

***Here is the second post that should have gone live yesterday!  Today's post coming later this afternoon!***

Today's makeup tip can also be applied to doing your nails, too!  Whenever you want your color to pop and be really vibrant, start with a white base.

For eye makeup:  Use a white cream color on your eyelid and then pat the brighter color over the top for the most impact.  This works especially well for loose pigments, as the cream give the loose powder color something to stick to, and the white eliminates any skin color that could dull down the vibrancy.  You can use a cream color in a jar or pot or a convenient stick, like the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk.

For nails:  If you're doing a bright color, especially a neon (which is so in for spring!), coat your nails with a white nailpolish first.  Once that's dry, put on two coats of your favorite color and watch how bright it appears!  Revlon even sells dual ended nail polish duos that have a white base color and a neon color in the same container for your convenience- Nail Art Neon.

China Glaze Ombres Sets

At Sally Beauty Supply the other day, I found the coolest looking sets for DIY ombre nails.  There were three color palettes to choose from, but naturally I had to pick up all three.  The boxes come with instructions on how to achieve the look, and it looked so easy.  It was, but then again it wasn't.  There are definitely some tricks to getting it to look like the photos, but I think I came pretty close.  The pink set came out the best.  What do you think?

The purple one kept losing color on the tip while I was dabbing trying to blend.  For some reason it wasn't sticking.  Also, if you aren't wiggling it up and down along the nail, it gives it a really textured look from the sponge instead of the smooth blended look in the photos.  If I were doing this on my nails, I'd probably do two coats of color.

It's really hard to see the gradation of the greens, because the two middle colors of green are too similar to see much of a difference at all.  

Here are all of the single swatches of color.  The first color of each I did two swatches so that I could show the ombre on the first and then still have each of the single colors next to it. The pink is really pale and doesn't show well on the nail wheel, and the green is a pure white.  But there's a blank nail in between each color set to keep them separate. The darkest green color is also weirdly matte instead of glossy like all the other colors.  I think the greens are my least favorite set, but the middle two colors are pretty on their own.

The directions show to dab it directly on the nail and wipe the color off the skin afterwards, but I'd recommend either putting cuticle oil around the skin or even using masking tape to make clean up much easier.
 

The pinks came out better because by then I learned to do thin strips of color and not use so much of the lightest when I sponged it out.   I think I'll do this as a video some time coming up if my nails grow out enough.  They've broken off almost every finger now.  Oddly, the middle finger on my right hand is the only left still unbroken!

Summer Nail Color Swatches

I've been posting way too late in the day this past week, so I apologize and promise to get my tail in gear next week by prepping my blog posts at night in advance rather than spending the quiet time after my kids go to bed to write my post for the day.  But my eldest has been on spring break, and I guess I'm not so used to having both of the boys home with us during the day!  Little man has been at his worst when it comes to pestering his older brother, the novelty of having him home to play with quickly subdued by having to share mom and dad and the toys all day long now instead of just for a few hours before bed.  Tomorrow is Easter, and big guy goes back to school on Monday, so I'm hoping I can get my tail in gear!

On that note, Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it!  Whether you're reading this Saturday night when I post it, or Sunday on the big day itself... or even Monday after celebrating with the family.  Whenever you read this, I hope that Easter was lovely for you! haha

I have been on a real nail kick this week.  I bought an at-home gel manicure set, about $125 in new polish colors (standard polish and gels), and I still shelled out the cash today for a professional pedicure at the local nail salon by Target.  There's just something about getting your feet rubbed by someone else, sitting in that massaging chair with your feet in the hot water... Ahhh.... even if the weather hasn't been cooperating most of this month, prepping my feet for sandal weather sure gets me in the mood for spring!  Plus, my tootsies need to be in top condition for trying on sandals this week. It's time to start shopping for warmer weather apparel!

Since I did a review of some of the Essie Spring Collection colors yesterday, I thought today I'd give my opinions on some of the new colors I've found that I plan on wearing this summer.  Some of those Essie colors did scream a little more summer (or maybe they were thinking spring break in Miami or Cabo) to me, so I put the rest of my summer colors on with the Essie ones.  I tend to gravitate towards blues and corals for summer, as it makes me think of the beach and the tropics in general.  So these were the colors I chose.  And of course a fun neon pink it totally summer!

I also want to say that the Milani coral in Flamin Race is a near perfect dupe for Essie Hip-Anema.  I put the two side by side so you can see.  I did throw on two pastel colors next the the Essie ones, too because I feel like pastels can easily transition into summer as well.  And of course the Pantone color of the year, a nice emerald by Maybelline Color Show.  It may be called tenacious teal, but it really doesn't have much blue to it at all.  (This did require about 4 coats though.  It's super sheer, so keep that in mind when applying it on yourself!)

In order, the colors are: (Brand, color name)

1. Orly, Beach Cruiser (this photo doesn't do it justice, it's really a very 80's neon pink)
2. Orly, Skinny Dip (one coat- it's very sheer)
3. Orly, Skinny Dip (three coats- more like what it looks like in the bottle)
4. Milani, Quick Teal
5. Milani, Flaming Race (just a touch pinker than Essie's color, but darn close for half the price)
6. Essie, Hip-Anema (slightly redder than the Milani color)
7. L'Oreal, Lacey Lilac #119
8. Maybelline Color Show, Green With Envy #320
9. Maybelline Color Show, Tenacious Teal #330

I'm sorry for the low quality of images recently.  Since we are moving, all of my photography equipment is packed away right now, and I'm relegated to using my iPhone to capture shots of my swatches for now.  Since I can't focus on my own arm or nails (or anything up close really) without a macro lens, I'll probably end up picking up a point and shoot at Best Buy some time soon so I can really show off the colors to you better.

Update on the Essie polish I put on Thursday night- it's already majorly chipping! :(  Bummed out!  I think it's because my nails underneath are so brittle from wearing gels for the last few months, and I didn't put a good top coat on them either.  Any recommendations for an awesome topcoat?

Essie Nailpolish- First Reaction and Spring Color Swatches

Ever have one of those days where it seems like the clock is playing tricks on you, and it's ticking by so much quicker than you thought?  Today has been one of those days, so I apologize this post is coming so late!  At least I got it in before midnight, so that counts for today, right?

I think I'm the only woman on the planet who has never used the Essie nailpolishes before.  I seen them in magazines everywhere, and I'm always drooling over the colors.  Something about seeing the color dripping all over the white handle of the bottle always makes them look so amazing!  Yet every time I've gone to Target for polish, I've skipped over them for some weird reason.  Maybe it's because I wasn't supposed to use them for the first time until it was time for me to do a review on them.

Yesterday I decided that in addition to doing makeup reviews, I'm going to also review nail polish colors for my favorite makeup brands and the new lines of the big guns like Essie, Opi, China Glaze, etc.  What better time than at the beginning of spring, when everyone is priming up to get their tooties ready for sandal weather? (IF it ever gets here!)

Avenue Maintain- looks a little more teal in this photo due to lighting.  The swatches below with a white background give a more accurate depiction.  The color is a bright mid-tone blue, bordering on Robin's Egg Blue.

My first reaction: OMG!  I used the color Avenue Maintain to paint my left hand for an image of me holding the bottle, and I couldn't believe how creamy and pigmented it was!  I'm so used to the colors in the bottle being so vibrant and rich, and then the color going on sheer and needing a couple coats to achieve the look it has in the bottle itself.  Not so with Essie!  In fact, every color I applied to the swatches only needed a single coat.

 

I didn't get all of the new colors.  I do have kids to feed, too! haha.  But these were the ones that really stood out to me.  I guess I'm in a big blue phase right now, because in addition the the three pictured here, I also got one from Orly.

In order: 

* Hip-Anema- A GOREGOUS bright coral color. I can't wait to wear this this summer.

* Bond With Whomever- A soft lilac with enough warm undertones that I don't look like a corpse with my fair winter skin. perfect for Spring with all the pastels on the market right now

* Bikini So Teeny-  Another pastel, this is a chalky light blue.  I can totally see this as the perfect pedicure color for bridesmaids!

* Avenue Maintain-  The beautiful mid-tone blue I painted on my nails.  Looks much darker in this photo than real life.  (sorry for the crappy iPhone photos!  My camera didn't want to focus so close up.)

* Butler Please- The perfect summer blue.  Reminds me of the tropics.  Again, looks a bit darker on screen than in real life.

Even though two of these are more "summer" to me than "spring", I think these colors are a total hit, and I look forward to buying more in the future.  I'd definitely recommend them!  The big test for endurance will come from tomorrow's photoshoot I have in the morning, and we'll see how the color lasts into next week.  Since I only have my left hand painted right now (and I'm too lazy to get up early tomorrow morning to do it before I leave), I may end up taking it off and re-doing it for endurance at a later date.

Disclaimer: As with all my product reviews, I was not paid by the cosmetic company to provide feedback or review/promote their products.  I purchased these products with my own money at my own discretion.  All the opinions expressed in this article are my own.