Quick Update

Hi all, I apologize for being off the radar for much of the past 2 weeks.  I'm in the process of moving some rooms around in the house so that's made everything a bit topsy-turvy.  Also, I started my new job 2 weeks ago and I still haven't found a good balance.  I blog in my free time from being a SAHM.  Unfortunately, that free time is now being eaten up by this job.  Hopefully, in the future, I will be able to reach a happy medium, but for now it seems I am only able to blog in bursts.

I'm going ot be OOT for the next 2 days so I will have to make up that time with my job, so here's hoping I'll be able to bring you a few more posts next week.  I'm always available via email or twitter if you want to reach me.  :)

Nicole by OPI One Less Lonely Girl Collection pt. 2

Nicole by OPI has followed up their very successful first collaboration with Justin Beiber with a second set of polishes (and I hear there is a third set in the works).

"Baby" Blue - light blue creme.  This one is probably my favorite of the collection.  Usually pale/light blues have a tendency to give me red-hands.  This one does not.  It's a beautiful lighter blue, which isn't in the pale or baby blue category (despite the name).  This one had a great formula, but due to brush issues, I had to do 3 coats in places.

I'm a Beleiber - dusty purple creme.  I thought this one was going to be pretty straightforward, but once I added the third coat, the red in the base came out.  The formula was thin, but manageable.  3 coats.

I've Got Beiber Fever - deep Tyrolean purple with blue, red, and purple shimmer.  This one is beautiful, if not completely unique.  I especially love it on my short nails.  Good formula, but at 2 coats, it was spotty in places, so I had to do a third coat.

Make U Smile - bright, multi-sized silver glitter in a clear base.  I'm showing this one over I'm a Belieber.  This one is a really nice top coat.  You could do a 1000 coats and never be able to reach full-coverage, but it is very nice to add some sparkle over a base color.  This one would also look nice to create a "glittered tips" look.  This is 2 coats over the base color.

My Lifesaver - light minty green.  I've already shown you My Lifesaver in the review of the first Justin Beiber collection (it was included in the press samples for that collection), but I thought it deserved a second look.  Mint greens, with rare exceptions give me red-hands.  This is one of those exceptions.  It's reminds me of wintergreen mints.  Perfect formula.  2 coats.

Not a Gold Bigger - Bright golden foily metallic with silver and golden shimmer particles.  This one reminds me of OPI Glitzerland, though it's not a dupe.  Golds and I rarely get along, though I love them in theory, but this one actually looked nice with my skintone.  Aside from the name, which I feel is beyond stupid, I like this one.  Formula was spotty.  3 coats.

One Time Lime - Bright spring green creme.  This one is such a beautiful green.  The color saturation is fantastic.  As we are in the middle of spring, this one reminds me of all the bright green leaves.  Formula was thin.  3 coats.

Redy To Runaway Love - bright red creme.  Okay, so this one isn't at all unique, but it is a fantastic red creme.  Perfect formula.  2 coats.

All in all, I think this one was another winner for Nicole by OPI.  The colors are very nice, and there isn't one of them that I don't like.

One thing I don't like?  Nicole by OPI's new brush.  They still haven't worked out the kinks and it's moppy and hard to handle and not consistent from bottle to bottle.  Hopefully that will improve.

These are still available at drugstores and big boxes.  Nicoles are usually in the $7-8 range.

These were sent to me for review

Essie/TOMS One Day Without the Blues

Hi all, my nail polish table/storage is still in a state of flux, but I thought I'd take a short break from my break (LOL) and post about TOMS One Day Without Shoes. 

Recently, on Facebook, TOMS Shoes along with Essie offered a contest where 5000 FB followers could win a bottle of an exclusive polish, One Day Without the Blues.  I was very fortunate to be one of the 5000.  The contest was to raise awareness of TOMS shoes' One Day Without Shoes, a day to raise awareness of shoeless-ness in third world countries. 

For more information on One Day Without Shoes, click here

Also, here is the color, One Day Without the Blues...

If it looks familiar, it is... it's Essie Coat d'Azure.  I cannot find my bottle of Coat Azure for the life of me, so you are just going to have to take my word for it.  :P  I know some people were upset that they weren't one of the 5000 chosen, and if that was you... fret not... as Coat Azure is easily available.

I still greatly appreciate the message and the cause, but it's not an exclusive polish (which is fine, I just don't want you lemming it as it's easy to find).