Barielle Fall 2014 Me Couture Collection - Swatches and Review

Today I have the Barielle Me Couture Collection for Fall 2014 to share with you. The set consists of 6 gorgeous creme shades. 

OPI Holland Collection 2012 - Swatches and Review - Part 1

Happy Friday! So glad this week is over and on to a healthier happier week. Today I have the OPI Holland Collection to share with you. This is the first of two posts dedicated to the collection. I started with the shimmers because they're one of my favorite finishes. All of the polishes were photographed using indoor lighting to showcase the shimmer.

Pedal Faster Suzi! - pink base with tiny silver/white shimmer. The formula is a medium thickness and slightly sheer so I used 3 coats but probably could have gotten away with two. This is one of my favorites from this half of the collection.

Gouda Gouda Two Shoes - dirty rose pink with matching shimmer. I wasn't sure how this would look against my skin tone but I like it. It has a slightly thicker formula than Pedal Faster Suzi! and only needed 2 coats.

I Don't Give A Rotterdam!- Smokey light denim blue base with silver shimmer. I'm in love with this one. Two coats to perfection!
I Have A Herring Problem - the sister to I Don't Giver A Rotterdam! It also has a smokey blue base with silver shimmer but there's a touch of green giving it a darker tone. I could have gotten away with 2 coats but I added a 3rd.

Wooden Shoe Like To Know? - light brick red-brown with copper-red shimmer. I used two coats.

Dutch'ya Just Love OPI? - medium purple with copper-red shimmer. My camera totally changed the color of this one. It's more of a dusty medium purple. I used two coats for to make it opaque.


OPI successfully captured a few of the Spring color trends for 2012. Most of the polishes from this half of the collection have an earthy feel to them but it's balanced on the nail with the addition of shimmer. Overall I'm pleased with this half of the collection. My favorites are I Don't Give A Rotterdam, Dutch-ya Just Love OPI? and Pedal Faster Suzi!

The Holland Collection by OPI will be available Spring 2012, at Professional Salons and Spas. For more information 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com.

~Sent for Review~

Color Club Back to Boho Collection - Fall 2011 Swatches

"The Back to Boho Collection feautures twelve 70's inspired longwearing polish shades perfect for creating an effortless "Boho Glam" look. "

Rebel Spirit

Chocolate brown creme that looks more like a jelly, opaque in 3 coats. I don't wear vamps too often but I'm in love with this one.

Earthy Angel
A pretty creme camel opaque in 2 coats.

Nomadic in Nude

Greige creme opaque in 2 coats. Color Club describes this one as off-white but it looks more grey-beige to me. It's a pretty neutral but I prefer Earthy Angel with my skin tone.


Artsy Crafty
Muted military green creme, opaque in 3 coats.

Boho Mojo

Frosty silver that needed 2 coats. I'm a true silver lover but this was my least favorite because of the streaks. If you apply a top coat you may want to wait until the polish is dry to avoid smears.

Shabby Drab

Purple greige that was thinner than I expected. I used 3 coats but I didn't mind because it's quite beautiful.

Rad Nomad
Dark purple-brown creme that reminds me of Essie Smokin' Hot. 3 coats.

Voodoo You Do

Charcoal grey with blue undertones. Two coats are all that was needed.

Nouveau Vintage

Red wine base with green/gold shimmer throughout that comes together to give off a rustic look. I really love how textured it looks on the nail.

Red-ical
Crimson red creme opaque in 3 coats.

Blue-topia
Deep blue jelly that looks almost black indoors. Quite beautiful. I used 3 coats.

The polishes went on smoothly with 2-3 coats each. Some of the colors were thinner than I imagined but they dried well with a shiny finish. Most are cremes so there may be some dupes out there. The only one I can think of is Rad Nomad and Essie Smokin' Hot. So if you missed out on the Essie, Rad Nomad just might crush that lemming.

The standouts for me are Nouveau Vintage, Rebel Spirit, Blue-topia, Shabby Drab and Artsy Crafty. Most of the colors capture the Boho-Glam feel but I would love to see a dirty orange thrown in the mix. I'll just have to settle for Nouveau Vintage which best represents the theme for me!

The Back to Boho Collection will be available Septemeber 2011.

~The polishes featured above were sent to me for review~

OPI Serena Williams Glam Slam Duos

OPI captures Serena Williams’ winning spirit with four additions to the Glam Slam! collection, including two new shades of the fashionable, must-have Shatter – Red and White. Launching in conjunction with the French Open, Glam Slam! France celebrates with two duo-packs for four unbeatable looks.

Spark de Triomphe & White Shatter

Spark de Triomphe is more gorgeous than I expected. It's described as silver but I see gold in my bottle, which combined with the silver, creates a beautiful champagne color.


Here the close-up shows the color variation along with the small and medium sized glitters. I used 2 thick coats.


Here's Spark de Triomphe topped with White Shatter. I used a thinner coat on the index finger to create smaller cracks. Although it is pretty with the glitter peaking through, I must say that I prefer Spark alone. It's definitely a head turner and a strong enough look to stand solo.

Rally Pretty Pink & Red Shatter

Pink-mauve with golden glass flecks. The color varies according to how the light hits the polish. It looks more golden and more pink/mauve at certain angles. This is a dupe for Zoya Faye. They're very much alike, but Rally in Pink requires 2 coats, while Faye requires 3.

Red Shatter over Rally in Pink creates subtle cracks with flecks of gold peaking through. It's not as dramatic as the other crackle effects because the colors are so similar, but it's still pretty and maybe even work appropriate for some. The red is almost jelly-ish which lends to the softer appearance.

I really like the sets but overall Spark de Triomphe was the standout for me. I like that it's neutral yet still very glamorous. White shatter is also neutral and can be paired with many brights over the summer to make it pop. I probably won't wear it a lot with Spark de Triomphe because it's gorgeous alone. Red Shatter is not as opaque as White or Black Shatter, therefore; it's not as dramatic. I personally like the pairing with Rally in Pink because it creates a softer look and that's difficult to capture with a shatter polish. Overall I believe OPI did a great job with the two new sets. The downside is that Rally in Pink is similar to Zoya Faye, so you may end up with two beautiful pinks :)


Glam Slam! France will be available beginning May 2011 at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for $14.95 ($20.95 CAN) suggested retail for each duo-pack.

* The above polishes were provided to me for review.*

Zoya Summertime Collection 2011

Hello Ladies! I wanted to finish adding my Zoyas before the exchange is over. Here's the Summetime Collection

Sooki. A bright, crisp, cherry red. Very smooth formula and applied in 2 coats.

Tamsen. A warm brick red with orange undertones with an opaque creme finish. I had slight VNL with 1 coat. Two coats or a neutral base should do the trick.

Kieko. A warm dusty light purple with berry undertones with an opaque cream finish. Smooth application and applied in 2 coats.

Areej. Soft muted cool fuschia pink with an opaque cream finish. Opaque in 2 coats.

Mira. Blue toned medium purple with dusty lavendar tones and an opaque creme finish.

Breezi. Soft, medium cerulean blue with an opaque cream finish.

The Zoya Summertime Collection are all creams with a flawlessly smooth application. There are many cool tones and I was pleasantly surprised at how flattering they are. The shades are not just great for the summer but great year round. They all dried with a high gloss and only needed two coats. Sooki, Kieko and Mira are my favorites.

Zoya polishes are free of harmful chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP).

Available at Zoya.com for $8.

* The above polishes were sent to me for review*

Zoya Sunshine Summer Collection

Happy Saturday! Today I have Zoya's Sunshine Collection to share.

Zoya introduces six new rich and elegant shades for Summer. Each delicious shade is infused with a glowing golden metallic sparkle thats creates your own sunshine on each fingertip. Each ultra long wearing Zoya Sunshine nail polish shade is highly pigmented and applies like silk.


Tanzy. Light, bright tangerine orange with yellow/gold metallic sparkle. Two coats.

Rica. Warm light coral with pink and orange tones and golden metallic sparkle. Two coats.

Apple. Luminous yellow-toned apple green with golden metallic sparkle. Two coats.

Faye. Bronzed mauve with purple and brown undertones filled with golden sparkles. This one looks more golden on the nail with a purple hue. Very beautiful. Three coats.

Kimmy. Gleaming metallic candy apple red brightened by golden sparkle. Two coats.

Reva. A cool toned strawberry red with glowing golden metallic sparkle. I'm in love XOXO.

Zoya certainly captured the Sun with this collection. All of the polishes glistened with a golden hue that's captivating without being over the top. They applied very easily and went on with two coats, except Faye that needed 3 coats. My personal favorites are Reva, Kimmy, Faye and Tanzy!

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

Find Zoya Sunshine as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com.

Sunshine by Zoya, available March 21, 2011
Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl.oz. bottle (US)
Available at www.zoya.com

* The above polishes were provided to me for review*

China Glaze Anchors Away - Sand & Sea Collection

Hello everyone. Tonight I have China Glaze's Sand & Sea Collection to share. I'm sure you've seen most of them before, but here they are on me :)

Sunset Sail. Salmon-peach with a slight shimmer. Three coats but I could have used another.


Pelican Grey. Very soft shade of gray with a slight shimmer. The application was quite smooth. A surprise favorite.


Knotty. Tan with a touch of micro glitter, 3 coats.


Below Deck. Dark mauve creme, 2 coats. I never really understood the fascination with mauve colors, but now I get it. A surprise favorite.


White Cap. Light golden flecks in a thick white base. It totally changed the appearance of Below Deck.


Sea Spray. Last but definitely not least. Dusty blue-gray with a slight shimmer. My favorite :)


I normally don't wear neutrals but I've fallen for quite a few of these colors. I usually go for the bold and dramatic but sometimes it pays to be soft. These colors are a great segue into the Summer collections. Sea Spray, Below Deck and Sunset Sail are my favorites!

And here is my Sea & Sand marble. Hope you like it!

*These polishes were provided to me for review*