OPI James Bond "Bond Girls" Liquid Sand Collection - Swatches and Review

Happy Easter!  I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday. I didn't realize Easter was so early this year, so I didn't plan anything special. I'm also new in town, so I really don't feel at  home yet. It's weird, the only time I miss my old town is during the Holiday season which is normally spent with family.  I still had a great day with my girls and they are stuffed with Easter goodies :)

Today I tried something a little different. I made swatches using video instead of doing still photos. I'll probably go back and take still images later, but I've been wanting to do a video for a while, so I finally jumped out there.

This is my first video ever, so please be kind. I realize now that I was way too close to the camera, LOL. I have a lot to learn, but I still think the video is okay for a first try.

Hope you enjoy the swatches. I also added in a couple of polishing techniques. They're probably a little unorthodox, but its my way of doing things. Enjoy :)

Click here to watch the video.

The Bond Girls Collection will be in stores May 2013 at Ulta and other fine retailers that carry OPI.

*The above products were sent to me for an honest review. My opinions are my own*

Zoya PixieDust Matte Sparkle Spring 2013 Collection - Swatches and Revew

Hello beauties! Today I have the Zoya PixieDust Collection to share with you.  The collection consists of 6 matte textured polishes that look great alone as well as with a top coat. 

"This newly developed formula is sure to captivate with a magical sparkle and sugary finish like no other.  The color experts at Zoya have created six, long-wearing stunners for the introduction of this look."

Chyna - lovely pomegranate textured polish with shades of deep crimson and red glitter. I'm in love with the color.  Very stunning. 

It reminds me of Ruby Pumps when glossy but far more interesting. It almost has a jelly look, where you can see through layers, when a top coat is applied. 

Dahlia - intense graphite black sand with silver glitter throughout. It looks amazing on the nail and the glitter really pops when a top coat is applied. I used 2 coats of Dahlia.

Dahlia with 2 coats of clear to glossify. Isn't this a beauty?

London - smokey grey with silver glitter throughout. I used 2 coats to achieve this look. 

London with 1 layer of top coat. 

Godiva. Soft nude sparkle. It reminds me of All Hail The Queen but with more sparkle. I used 2 coats. 

Godiva with 1 layer of top coat to glossify. 

Nyx - bright periwinkle sand with shimmering glitter throughout. Very soft and feminine.  The formula on Nyx was a little thinner than the others.  I used 2 coats. 

I added another coat plus a top coat to glossify. 

Vespa - mint kiss sparkle. Another soft and feminine sand color with shimmer throughout. I used 2 coats. 

A base coat is not recommended to be used with the polish. I didn't use a base coat when I swatched them and they applied smoothly without any problems.  A top coat is not recommended in order to create the Pixie Dust matte effect but I added it just for fun to see the outcome.

Overall the collection is great. Textured polishes are a nice switch from the norm and are very interesting to look at on the nail.  They're not too gritty and won't snag your hair.  They also look amazing glossified so it's like getting 2 polishes in 1.  Plus they all have that hidden glitter shimmering effect which creates a sparkle on the nail.  The brights are pretty for a soft look but for striking glamour go with the intensified black and red, Chyna and Dahlia.

The PixieDust Collection is available at Zoya.com. $8.00 each (US)

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are BIG5FREE - all formulas are completely free of harmful industrial chemicals such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find over 300 stunning Zoya colors on www.zoya.com.

Each and every color has a name as unique as the women who inspired it.

*Sent for an honest review*

OPI Mariah Carey Spring 2013 Collection - Swatches and Review

Today I have the Mariah Carey Collection to share with you.  Being a long time fan, I was very excited to hear that OPI would launch this collection. I had read about her love neutral polishes so I never expected her line to include glitter or more unique polishes. The set includes 8 polishes, 4 of which are Liquid Sand or textured polishes as I like to call them.

First I'll show you the non-sand polishes. 

A Butterfly Moment

A Butterfly Moment is a mauve pink with a slight shimmer and the only neutral in the line. From the look of the bottle I thought the formula would be more sheer but it's actually more opaque. It went on smoothly in 2 coats. 

Sprung

A golden rose-bronzy shimmer with a very thin formula. I had to use 4 coats to achieve this look. It's very pretty and reminds me of Warm and Fozzie but with more red and less depth. 

Pink Yet Lavender

I topped off Sprung with the only glitter from the line, Pink Yet Lavender. I used one thick coat.  PYL is a gorgeous holographic glitter with small and medium hex glitter throughout. It almost reminds me of Teenage Dream but it's turned up about 4 octaves. Very glamorous!

Anti-Bleak

I haven't heard much buzz about Anti-Bleak but it's really beautiful. A vibrant plum that applied smoothly in 2 coats. A surprise favorite. 

Now let's take a look at the Liquid Sands. I love an interesting textured polish.

The Impossible

A bright cherry red that leans more pink. Is that even possible?  The base is more pink with red micro and medium hex glitters. It even has star glitter! I applied 2 thin coats which dried in about 5 minutes to a matte finish. 

The Impossible with Topcoat

Even more beautiful when wet. I applied 2 coats of Gelous Nail Gel Coat to achieve a smooth look. 

Stay the Night

This was love at first sight. In original pictures I thought the glitter was red, but it's actually more of a pink-fuchsia. I used 2 thin coats.

Stay the Night with Topcoat

I followed up with 2 coats of Gelous to achieve a jellied effect.  I love the glossy look!

Can't Let Go

Very stunning purple sand effect. It's much deeper and vibrant than my camera could capture. A surprise favorite. I used 2 thin coats.

Can't Let Go with Topcoat

I used 2 coats of Gelous to achieve the high gloss effect. This was the only sand that didn't look like a jelly with a topcoat but it's still gorgeous. 

Get Your Number

Another gorgeous sand, this time in a beautiful blue. I love how textured it is, like blue concrete. My camera made it about a shade lighter for some reason. I used 3 coats here because I tried to make it darker, but only 2 are necessary. It took about 15 minutes to dry because I used so many coats. 

Get Your Number with Topcoat

Looks amazing with a topcoat added. I used 2 coats of Gelous again to achieve this look. 

If you haven't noticed, all of the Liquid Sands get lighter when they dry and are closer to the color in the bottle when wet. Drying time varied from 5-15 minutes. The thicker the coat the longer it takes to dry. Most of them only require 2 very thin coats. When I noticed how dark the blue got with additional coats, I kept applying it, but it wasn't necessary. Instructions say no topcoat is required, but they are so pretty with a topcoat on, and most of them look like jellies layered over a glitter polish.

Overall I really love the collection, especially the Liquid Sands. Some people may not like this look, but I find them very interesting on the nail, and a good change from cremes. At least they came out with a mini collection so that you can sample each color before committing to large bottle. My favorites from the collection are Stay the Night, Can't Let Go, Anti-Bleak and Get Your Number.

The OPI Liquid Sands are now available at fine retailers that carry OPI.

*Sent for Review*