OPI and Nicki Minaj

I know, I know. It's been a while. I'll blog more about this soon, but right now I'd rather focus on something that has me excited! Maybe this is leading into a better time...

You may have heard something about this... OPI is joining forces with Nicki Minaj to put out a fun, vibrant collection of polishes that are absolutely screaming my name! Honestly, I'm not that much of a fan of Nicki Minaj, mostly because I don't like the music she does. But I have to say, I respect the hell out of her as a businessperson and an artist!

Nicki is known for her vibrant, colorful style, and these polishes really do match perfectly. From the vibrant blue of Fly to the holographic gorgeousness of Save Me, these are all stand-out brights that call attention.

Ok, I have to admit, I'm not exactly jumping up and down over the idea of holographic bar glitter. Really? Hairy rainbow nails? But apparently, I'm in the minority, because it looks like bar glitter is coming back in a big way this season. Yippee.

I know, I know, quit yapping, Laynie. Show the colors!!

 

You can click each of those to make 'em bigger if you like. Is that blue insanely gorgeous or what? Also, notice that Super Bass is a shimmery shatter, sort of like Sally Hansen's Vintage Violet shatter polish. I'm not sure how alike they'll be in person, but they do remind me of each other! I really like what I'm seeing of Metallic 4 Life. It's got an almost Deborah Lippmann vibe to it! And I'm just not sure how I feel about Save Me...

Nicki Minaj by OPI nail lacquers contain no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application. This limited edition promotion will be available beginning January 2012 at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for  $8.50 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer. For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

What are your thoughts? Do any of these colors excite you? Are you planning to rock Pink Friday on your nails as well as your iPod? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Press release was provided by the manufacturer for consideration.
Graphic adapted from original at http://mypinkfriday.com.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

Fall 2011- Polishes from NYC and OPI's The Muppets

Wow... Fall is shaping up to be pretty gorgeous, judging by the polishes I'm hearing about. This is a quick post just to show a couple of upcoming collections. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a tease!

First, let me show you these gorgeous polishes by NYC. These limited edition colors really give off a steampunk vibe to me somehow, rich and lush and slightly muted. They make me think of the turning leaves, the grey bark on the trees, and a pop of color by late-blooming flowers. There's a hint of shimmer in these too, which makes me really excited, although I'm not sure why. I'm really looking forward to these, because they inspire such a feeling of peace for me.

First off is Scenestealer Grey, a deep grey that reminds me of wet concrete, tree bark, and steel. The hint of shimmer makes me think it will be even more reminiscent of steel in person. I'm excited for this one!

Backstage Brown, on the other hand, is a rather golden brown that reminds me of suede and fall leaves, of roaring fires and toasted marshmallows. This seems to be a beautiful neutral that will be perfect for fall!

Finally there's Underground Purple, which may be my favorite of the bunch. Although this is a fall polish, it reminds me of the glorious splash of color when azaleas are in bloom. They're my favorite flower, so it's no surprise that I'm drawn to this polish. I imagine the hint of shimmer will make it that much prettier!


Overall, I think this collection will be quite a fun addition to the other polishes being released for Fall 2011.

This brings me to the other collection in this post, one that made me squeal with glee when I saw it: OPI's The Muppets! First off, I absolutely adore the Muppets. I spent so many hours watching the show as a kid, and I remember having this amazing hardback book about the Muppet Show. It basically had several episodes in storybook form, with lyrics to songs, amazing photographs and illustrations, and transcriptions of the skits from the show. I can remember carrying that book around with me, reading it, using it as a lap desk, using it as inspiration when I wanted to draw, or sing, or act out scenes from the show.

Yea, I've always been creative. It's a bit of a curse. :D

So these polishes had me excited, but also a bit wary- if these polishes were going to live up to the name, they needed to be something special. Thankfully, I think they just might fit the bill...

I'll share the polish descriptions from the press release, since it's now 5am and I've been working on these photos and blog post since about 2am. (Yes, I made the teaser photos!)

 

This line features six shimmery reds and neutrals, as well as six glitter-packed shades, including:

Animal-istic
This wild bright red cannot be tamed!

Meep-Meep-Meep
Missing out on this fuchsia would make you weep, weep, weep!

Wocka Wocka!
The popular deep berry makes everything fun and merry!

Pepe’s Purple Passion
This deep, decadent shade is the best purple ever, okay!

Designer, de Better!
And this light metallic bronze is ready for the runway.

Warm & Fozzie
A feel-good shade of metallic copper.

Rainbow Connection
The rainbow glitter of your dreams.

Excuse Moi!
Ahem! This pink glitter has something to say!

Gone Gonzo!
The aqua-blue glitter is taking over the world!

Fresh Frog of Bel Air
A glitter that prefers the greener things in life.

Divine Swine
The finest, most fabulous magenta glitter ever.

Gettin’ Miss Piggy With It!
Red glittery fun for everyone!

What can I say, I'm really looking forward to these as well! And to leave this on an appropriately-Muppety note, I'll close this post with a great new video by OK Go and the Muppets!

Til next time!

Information was provided for press purposes.

See my disclosure statement for more information.

OPI- Crepes Suzi-ette Has Stolen My Heart!

I am so excited! I won the giveaway on KittyPolishNBags, and my package finally arrived! Let me tell you, folks, this chick knows how to package things! Each bottle was wrapped in bubble wrap and taped closed. Then, packing peanuts surrounded the whole thing for even more cushion. Happily, it was a bit like Christmas in that I got to open each package individually, and I'd even forgotten what colors were coming! SO much fun!

Once I had them all opened and entered into my nail polish spreadsheet, I realized I needed to swatch the single OPI in the bunch. It's a creme color that screams fall to me, a deep spicy burnt orange that reminds me of nothing so much as pumpkin pie. It makes me think of leaves changing color, the crisp bite in autumn air, of sweaters and boots and scarves.

Also, I decided to experiment with swatching using artificial nails. I love the way longer nails look on me, but I don't like wearing them all the time. This is a fun diversion for me, but let me know what you think in the comments. If you don't like them so much, I'll try sticking to my own nails.

Back to the polish... It's another one of those lovely matte polishes that I probably wouldn't have chosen for myself, and yet now that I have it, I love it! Maybe there's a lesson in there...

Once I took these photos, I realized I wanted to see what this color would look like with the Glimmer Glosses applied. As you can see, the various colors really do change the color of Crepes Suzi-Ette! The first photos show the nails photographed using flash, which shows the shimmer nicely but seriously altered the color of these. As you can see, Grapefruit Glimmer is packed with a lovely cool pink shimmer, almost glittery. The other two have a more subtle shimmer. Blueberry Burst is full of a very subtle, almost hidden shimmer, while Cherry Fizz is almost all gloss, with just a touch of shimmer bits.

This photo, on the other hand, shows the color more accurately. Blueberry Burst turns the pumpkin pie color of Crepes Suzi-Ette to a deep chocolatey brown, very cool toned. I'm absolutely stunned by this, I wasn't expecting it at all. It's a beautiful brown packed with almost-hidden teeny tiny blue shimmer! Grapefruit Glimmer doesn't change the base color much, but adds an amazing amount of pink sparkle. And Strawberry Fizz takes this to an almost brick-red with the occasional tiny red sparkle. They're all absolutely gorgeous, and I'd wear every one of them!

So, that's OPI Crepes Suzi-Ette. They are fantastic! Have you worn this color? Do you like it? Also, what do you think of the nail tips for swatching? Let me know in the comments!

Heaven Nail Lacquer is waiting for you...

I got so many questions about where, exactly, I bought my Heaven polish. I felt a little guilty, because I was waiting til I could get there and snap a few pictures to tell. What can I say, I wanted to share all the colors, not just one! So... the big secret is out. If you're looking for lots of fun colors at completely affordable prices, go to . . .

You read that right. Go to the cosmetics department at your local Albertsons grocery store and pharmacy. I bet you didn't know they had an extensive cosmetics department! The only way I knew is because I have a family member who used to manage the cosmetics department in her local Albertsons. She would bring me the most wonderful things all the time.

The interesting thing is that the Albertsons cosmetics department isn't managed by any old grocery store manager. No, they realize that cosmetics are important to women, so their departments actually are staffed by cosmeticians! So you really should stop by and look to see what's there... you might be pleasantly surprised.

Oh wait, I did that for you! Now, let me preface this by saying that just because these were found at my local store doesn't mean they'll be at all stores, but I know that this is a concept Albertsons is proud of across the board, so I bet you might have more luck than you might expect. So, your mileage may vary, keep your seatbelts on, and let's see what I found!