Review: OPI Vintage Minnie Mouse Collection

Just when you thought what's next after their collaboration with the Muppets, the Pirates of the Carribeans.... what else can they come up with?

Yes, the most recent collaboration would be with our dearest gloved gal friend...... Minnie Mouse.

The entire collection is rather small compared to the ones that OPI churns out every now and then, there are only 4 colours in it, mainly the Pinks and the Reds.

There is a creme based pink polish "If You Moust You Moust", a pinkish semi translucent polish with heart shaped flake "Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It", a shimmery bluish cool tone red "The Colour of Minnie" and "I'm all Ears" which is a shimmery stronger tone of Pink (almost red).

Red is not my colour, although i like it very much but it just does not grow on me, be it on the body, on the face or on the nails.

I got myself just "Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It" as i am drawn to the cute hearts suspended in the translucent pinkish liquid. 

                                                                 Nothin' Mousie 'Bout It.

                                                 2 Coats but with strategically placed hearts......

The quality of this polish did not wow me, like i mentioned earlier its just a matter of impulse buy as i regretted it after eagerly apply it on my thumb the first thing i reached home with it.

The consistency of the polish is slightly thicker than the creme formula but not so thick that it makes spreading of the polish on the nails a chore. Although getting the hearts out of the bottle requires some practice, you would need patience as well as a tooth pick to help you get some hearts out, and placed them on the nails.

The end result is something that is rather cute (definitely not for corporate world), and i almost forgot that i regretted hauling it home with me. It takes 2 coats to get some decent colour on the nail, 1 coat is sufficient if you are layering it over another colour.

Not a must buy from the collection, a must if you grew up singing the Mickey Mouse song and that Minnie Mouse is the only mouse you will not jump on the chair when you see her.

Available at Scape Weekend market for S$10.00.

Review: OPI New York Ballet Series.... Part I

Yes, this is what i have been wearing these days....

This series needs to further introduction from me, there are already tons of reviews on it in the beauty world.

Let's admire, shall we? ; )

                                         Star of the NYC Ballet series- Pirouette my Whistle.

                                                          Pirouette My Whistle NL T55.

                                                   The matte flakes immersed in shimmers.

I have been told that deep inside me i am a bling bling lover through and through though very much in denial. When this bottle first caught my eyes, it is surrounded by a sea of bling bling polishes and its subdued subtle matte flakes draw me to it immediately. The next minute i know, i am happily handing over money to the seller for this baby. Application is a breeze and usually one would expect the surface of such polishes to dry down to a rough surface, but not this baby. It is smooth and a little glass-like. The matte flakes stood out in the sea of fine shimmer. Very elegant, refined and sweet. I think it will work to compliment any polishes.

                                       The only lilac in the NYC Ballet series- Care to Danse?

                                                 Care to Danse?- a light cool toned lilac.

                                                       The jelly-like translucent colour.

Care to Danse? is one that pleasantly surprised me too.....if you are the kind that looks for total opacity in a nail polish, the NYC Ballet collection is obviously not for you. This collection is for jelly lovers.....and i am turning into one as i am tying now. So much so that i went back and hauled another few bottles in the collection, which i will feature if i can.

Care to Danse? is a very light cool tone lilac that seems to make my nails look whiter and neater... Haha, it did not clash with my skintone as i initially thought it would. Application is smooth, but it is a little streakily though it evens out itself eventually. Opacity would be an issue for some people (like i mentioned earlier), it took me 3 coats (with a base coat) for the colour to show up more obviously (the nail line is still visible). I like anything purple, so this is one that i am definitely going to wear more often. It has a romantic feel to it, yet not too in your face.

                                  3 coats of Care to Danse? and 1 coat of Pirouette My Whistle.

A closer look.

For this manicure, i have used a base coat, 3 coats of Care to Danse?, 1 coat of Pirouette My Whistle and 1 coat of Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat. It lasted me a good 1 week before it starts to peel and during this 1 week i have been doing all the packing, househouse chores, all the manual work you can think of.

Something interesting that i found in my stash.......

Twins? Dupes?

Did i finally lose it and bought doubles without realising?

Nah.

                                            Notice the difference in opacity in the bottle?

               Left: Steady as she rose (Pirates of the Carribean), Right: Care to Danse? (NYC Ballet).

                                        Steady as she rose (Pirates of the Carribean Collection).

                                                        Steady as she rose- NL P14.

The creamy light cool tone lilac.

Interestingly, the 2 shades shares the same shade of lilac, the difference is of course the formula. Steady as she rose is a nice dusty cream lilac while Care to Danse ? is a cool tone jelly.

Review: Ciate Wait Unitl Dark and possible dupes

This is a post that is way long overdue, i might have as well forgotten all about it until i was trying to reorganise my nail polish stash. I would like to take this opportunity to thank a friend, Mr J for updating me on beauty related news and for his generosity in gifting me stuffs from time to time.

Now, introducing Ciate Paint Pots in Wait Until Dark.....

Ciate Paint Pots- Wait Until Dark.

This is such a cute bottle, something totally different from the usual "OPI" kind of packaging, you know brands such as "China Glaze", "Orly" and well perhaps a few more others sport the similar roundish bottle and fat rounded cap. With a cute black bow attached (by glue) to the bottle, one can't help but be drawn to it (and yes, cute bow is a girl thing). The long handle makes it easier to twist the cap from the bottle, plus the rectangular packaging actually save space during storage (minimum storage wastage).

 Side view of the bottle.

 Wait Until Dark- 13.5ml. made in France.

Quantity-wise, Ciate nail enamel contains 13.5ml which is a little lesser than OPI's standard 15ml, but then again i have not known anybody who can finish her bottle of OPI yet. I am just halfway through my OPI's Tickle my Francey with my frequent usage. Personally, i am contented with the amount as i do try to rotate among my stash if i can help it.

It is a breeze applying Wait Unitl Dark, the formula is slightly thinner than the standard OPI's formula, yet application is smooth and it took 2 coats to obtain decent opacity and 3 coats for total opacity which is pretty much standard. Drying time for Ciate nail enamel is pretty fast, and no smudges once the color sets and dries.

Now, what wow me is the color..... when i cast my first glance upon it, i thought this is such a dupable color and i should have no problem spotting similar shades in my stash. I was wrong.

In the bottle, Wait Until Dark sports a resemblance to OPI's Eiffel for This Color from the France Collection 2008. However, the resemblance stops the minute i pulled EFTC out from my stash and placed them side by side each other.

Eiffel for This Color is a burgundy wine red while Wait Until Dark is a vampish dark blackish purple with subtle shimmer in it. Then, i thought maybe Lincoln Park after Dark might be its dupe, and so i pulled it out, only to realise that mine is the suede edition, which i applied a top coat after the nail color settled thinking that i might be able to create the dupe (as i have seen on several blogs, OPI suede's coloring does get darker and more beautiful if a top coat is applied to it, totally alter the look). Lincoln Park after Dark (suede with top coat) has visible shimmer and appears more purplish.

As one can see in the photos below, i have nothing in my stash that resembles WUD totally, at the most they are considered "distant cousins", not really "family".

Well, i would love to snag more of Ciate's nail enamel, if they are more widely available.

 Ciate Paint Pots Nail Enamel in Wait Until Dark- no chipping at all even when i am done doing the household chores.

 Love the color.

 OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark Sude.

 See the visible shimmer in the bottle.

OPI's Eiffel for this Color (France Collection,2008).

It's purplish red made me think that it might be a dupe for WUD.

 L-R: OPI Lincoln Park after Dark Suede (with top coat), Ciate Wait Unitl Dark, OPI Eiffel for this Color and Ciate Wait Until Dark (2 coats each).

 L-R: OPI Lincoln Park after Dark Suede (with top coat), Ciate Wait Unitl Dark, OPI Eiffel for this Color and Ciate Wait Until Dark (2 coats each).

Note: Ciate's Wait Until Dark is gifted by a friend, i doubt its available locally in the stores.



Review: Parlez-Vous OPI Vs Nature Republic

Parlez-Vous OPI is part of the La Collection de France 2008, if i am not wrong the collection includes You Don't Know Jacques, Tickle My France-y, Lourve me Lourve me Not, Baguette me Not, Crepes Suzi-ette, I'm Fondue of you, A Oui Bit of Red, Bastille My heart, Yes i Can-can..., We'll always have Paris and Eiffiel for this colour. 

I was never into Purple of any sort for polishes.....and since i was in a friend's shop doing my first manicure in years (i seldom go for manicures as my line of work is a conservative one plus my manicure will not survive for long). I brace myself and decided to be bold, so there, i picked Parlez-Vous OPI which i would describe as a creamy dusty purple.  

Under bright light-literally under my lights in the room. 

 Naturé Republic and my hand.

A closer look at the bottle and my nails for comparison.

I had this sense of deja-va when my manicurist was doing my nails, its as if i have seen this colour somewhere in my stash... and the minute i reached home i went through my humble stash of nail polishes.... so there you are..... its one of my haul from Taiwan- Nature Republic's nail polish.

Looking at the bottle itself and my nails, these 2 colours look like possible dupes for each other. However, we all know that what looks like it in the bottle might not necessary be so in reality, thus a sacrifical is required- i swatched on my sister's big toe (which silly me forgot to take a picture : ( but i will post it up again when i have the chance to.)

Basically, these 2 are not exact dupes for each other.... they are cousins by relation if i were to put it. Why? Because Parlez-Vous OPI has more colour intensity whereas NP is slightly of a lighter tone (which resembles the faded version of Parlez-Vous OPI) and secondly the underlying tone is different. Parlez-Vous is like smoky purple (muted version) while NP is like dusty violet (even more muted). So both are not that similar afterall, just that the first impression i get is that they are (if i were to have Parlez-Vous OPI side by side with Nature Republic's polish, the difference would have been more prounouced, pity i don't have it.)

Now, how does Parlez-Vous OPI wear on me?

Judging from the wear and tear on the 3rd day, it holds up quite well, a little chipping at the side for the last finger other than that so far so good (that was 2 coats of Parlez-Vous and a top coat to protect it).

Application wise, OPI's formula is superior than Nature Republic's which is smoother, NP's brush is a much wider than OPI's which makes application a skilled task (to me, maybe i am just used to OPI's brush width).

In terms of colour, i think this is a colour that suits most skin tones, i am a RMK 104 and sometimes a little darker if i do get a tan, it doesn't look dirty or awkward on me. In fact i get compliments. The fact is Parlez-Vous is a unique colour and i don't recall having seen any dupes or colours close to it, so i am drawn to it.

The colour just look like it is a colour that is more suited for winter/Fall (where i stay, Summer is here to stay 365 days- so i just heck it.)

Hm... yes, this is a colour that i am interested in acquiring it provided it is still available. It would be an interesting addition to my collection.

Priced at S$23.55 for 14ml, might be available at Metro Paragon or any Nail salons.

The Legion of Saviours of my Nails......

Introducing the legion of saviours of my nails and i should be using them as frequent as i should be but is not.....
The sacred 5......

The Legion.

OPI Avoplex Nail and Cuticle Replenishing Oil.

Totally love the scent of the oil (its slightly fruity), the OPI Avoplex Nail and Cuticle Replenishing Oil is rather heavy duty in performance yet light in texture despite the fact that it is oil. I use it whenever i need to give my nails a break and when they look like they could use a bit of nourishing treatment.

A little goes a long way, the amount that one brush holds is sufficient for 5 fingers (1 left hand or right hand), i always do the thumb first (to deposit more oil due to the larger surface area) then ultimately the pinkie finger. Slowly massage the oil into the cuticle and then the remaining oil traces on the fingers, i massaged it into my hands. Its nourishing oil, whats the harm anyway?

Maquillage Quick Dry Oil from Shiseido.

This is the saviour i whipped out when i need the coat of polish to dry really fast and yes, it did what it says.

Maquaillage Nail Protect and White.

It is supposed to protect your natural nails from being stained by the pigment from nail polishes and to keep your nails white. It can also function as a base coat as well as for nail colours to show up nicely.

Crabtree & Evelyn Nail and Cuticle Therapy.

Performs the same function as OPI Avoplex Nail and Cuticle Replenishing Oil, it is slightly thicker in texture (gel to cream like), took slightly longer to absorb, love the La source scent nevertheless.

Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Daily Nail Growth Programme.

I am already half way through the bottle, i bought it initially to speed up the growth my nails (i used to be a habitual nail biter-quit the bad habit totally now), and discovered that it can perform more function that really prove its value for money. It gives my naked nails a healthy pinkish sheen, speed up the nail's growth process and it is a excellent top coat. Love it.

That's my legion of saviours of my nails... new members to be added?

We shall see, shall we? : )

Review: Chanel Particuliere vs OPI Over the Taupe

This is the post that i have been wanting to do but for some reason i kept putting it off until my good sister reminded me when we were browsing at the Chanel's counter at Metro Paragon during the members' sale day (i prefer to browse certain counters during sales as that's when the not so helpful SAs are busy to attend to "big fishes"and so the "planktons" can browse and check things out to their heart contents in peace. : ) )

This post might be quite similar to one that i have done earlier introducing the Browns in my collection, in fact the point of this post is to answer a question that is there hanging in my head whenever i see OPI's Over the Taupe: Is Particuliere = Over the Taupe? Are they identical Twins? A 100% dupe for each other? Or they are merely related?

Now, the answer......

Nope, they are not 100% dupe for each other. Yes, they are related and might very well be identical twins (if one doesn't put them side by side and scrutinize them closely).

L to R: OPI You Don't Know Jacques, OPI Over the Tapue and Chanel Particuliere.

L to R: OPI You Don't Know Jacques, OPI Over the Taupe and Chanel Particuliere.


T to B: OPI You Don't Know Jacques, OPI Over the Taupe and Chanel Particuliere.

L to R: Chanel Particuliere, OPI Over the Taupe and OPI You Don't Know Jacques.

In terms of formula, I find that OPI applies more smoothly than Chanel (i applied 2 coats for each), and that OPI has thinner consistency plus it takes a much shorter time for each coat to dry totally compared to Chanel (i accidentally snag OPI Over the Taupe when i was applying the 2nd coat : ( ). Since Chanel's has a thicker consistency, 2 coats of the polish gives a more "solid" or opaque look than OPI's which i think can be achieved with a 3rd coat.

I do find Particuliere is more of a brown than Over the Taupe, it is not as "bright"as Over the Taupe whereby Over the Taupe has a little of a red or pink tone to it. It is slightly warmer than Particuliere. The difference between the 2 is more obvious when they are placed side by side especially when the tones are highlighted upon closer look. However, i do find that they are very similar to each other and yet so different in some aspects.

In conclusion, personally i prefer Over the Taupe more as it looks better with my skintone and i very much prefer OPI's formula than Chanel's. Price wise, OPI retails at S$23.55 (if you are spreeing, OPI would usually cost around S$9.00 per bottle) and Chanel retails at S$36.00 (if i remember correctly), OPI wins hands down economically. Of course the exception would be if Chanel has a colour that there is absolutely no dupe or anything remotely close to it, then yes go ahead and splurge on THAT colour, otherwise nope....

I swatched You Don't Know Jacques for the comparison and yes... it belongs to the Browns family but a distant relative, whereas Particuliere and Over the Taupe are close siblings born perhaps a year between each other.

OPI

Priced at S$23.55 for 15ml, available at Sephora and Metro Paragon (as well as online Spree).

Chanel
Priced at S$36.00 for 11ml, available at all Chanel Counters (it is a permanent colour, from the Spring/Summer 2010 collection).

Review: Nail Polishes Coming soon......

My humble nail polish stash..... Reviews coming soon......

Review: OPI My Private Jet and Black Shatter, Chanel's Black Satin and Givenchy Elegant Pearl

Every now and then, i will tidy up my makeup and skincare stuffs which i do feel therapeutic and that's when i realised i actually have enough nail polishes to group them into colour groups (although my nail polish stash might seem to be small compared to the others out there).

This post is about the Blacks and the Silver that i have currently in my nail polish stash (which is evergrowing as days went by, depending on what interest me. : ) )

Without further introduction, i present the Blacks and the Silver to you......

L to R: Givenchy Elegant Pearl, Chanel Black Satin, OPI My Private Jet and OPI Black Shatter.

Givenchy Elegant Pearl from 2009 Holiday collection.

167 Elegant Pearl - 5.5ml.

Chanel 219 Black Satin- 11ml.

OPI My Private Jet.

NL B59 My Private Jet-15ml. OPI Katy Perry Collection Black Shatter NL E59 Black Shatter- 15ml
L to R: Chanel Black Satin, OPI My Private Jet, OPI Black Shatter on top of MAC Originality and Givenchy Elegant Pearl.



L to R: Givenchy Elegant Pearl, OPI Black Shatter over MAC Originality and Chanel Black Satin.

My favourite of this lot is Chanel's Black Satin (permanent item), it applies smoothly and evenly for me, i just need 1 coat for the colour to show plus the glossy finishing is something that makes the black pop for me. There are some blogs that compared Chanel's Black Satin with Zoya's Raven as well as OPI's Black Onyx.

However, i am unable to lay my hands on Zoya's Raven at the moment (they are not available in Singapore if i am not wrong) and i do not have OPI's Black Onyx in the stash to do a direct comparison. Perhaps when i am able to lay my hands on both polishes, i will do another review : ) Currently, it is still my favourite out of the lot (though i can't wear this colour to work : ( ), i will still grab every chance i can to put it on.

OPI's My Private Jet (permanent item) is sort of a "legendary" favourite among many nail polish fanatics and i can see why when i first swatched it. To call it a black is misleading because it isn't a black nail polish, but a steel gray with tiny silver shimmer in it. Nevertheless, just as expected from OPI, My Private Jet swatch beautifully with just 1 coat and that's all i need for application. A unique colour, i would say.

I happen to come across Givenchy' Elegant Pearl by chance (got it during a sale) and was immediately attracted to it. Some may have compared it to Chanel's Steel (though i did swatch it at Chanel Counter), i do find that they are 2 very different nail polishes. Elegant Pearl is a lighter steel gray with a little shimmer in it whereas Steel is a dark steel, almost black polish with shimmer. I would say Elegant Pearl and My Private Jet are rather similar in colour (in the bottle), but when they are swatched the difference is more promiment. 1 coat is sufficient to obtain a decent opaque swatch.

Now, for OPI's Black Shatter from the Katy Perry Collection....... this is the nail polish that i had trouble hunting it down (having to go to quite a number of places to hunt for it, its even out of stock for a long time on certain spree website for the entire collection! ).

My perseverance did pay off as i spotted it in Metro during the 20% storewide sale, i knew i had to grab it and so i did. Well, this is indeed a interesting item to add into my collection. As you can see in the swatches above, the polish "cracked" into pieces which resembles leopard prints to me (perhaps due to MAC's Originality which i used as a base colour to show the "crack").

When the crack dried it is actually a matte black and it is quite fragile (it rubs off easily even when completely dried). What i did was to apply a top coat to give it some shine and to "seal" the cracks. Definitely a must have if you are seeking for something outside the norm or to spice up your collection.

A word of caution for application of Black Shatter, you must wait patiently for the base colour coat to dry completely before applying the Black Shatter plus Black Shatter dries very fast and easily so one has to be quick in the application otherwise the polish on the brush can become lumpy in no time.

For the Black Shatter fans, there are news that OPI is going to introduce more "shatter" polishes but i am not too sure of the colours that will be available... that's something to look forward to : )

OPI nail polishes

Priced at S$23.500 for 15ml at Metro Paragon and S$23.50 at Sephora (wonder why the S$0.05 difference ? ). Much cheaper if you plan to go on a spree with friends.

Chanel nail polishes

Priced at S$35.00 for 11ml, available at all Chanel counters.

Givenchy nail polishes

Price unavailable for 5.5ml ( i bought mine at a sale, so its only S$10.00)