OPI Outrageous Neons Boxed Set Review

A few days ago, I showed you Deborah Lippmann's boxed neon set, Run the World (Girls), and today, I have for you the other mini neon set out on the market, OPI's Outrageous Neons...

Set in the box.  From left to right, contains a white base, yellow, orange, pink, and purple neons, and a topcoat.  

Ridiculously Yellow - neon, daffodil yellow.  This is the only one of the 4 that I showed over the white base (like with the Lippmann, I had streaking with the darker colors over white).  It's a little brighter than it's Lippmann counterpart, being a daffodil yellow, rather than an egg yolk yellow.  Picture shown is 2 coats over 2 coats of the White Base.  

Formidably Orange - bright, red-orange neon.  This one reminded me of a neon version of OPI A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find (much like the Lippmann).  3 coats.  

Riotously Pink - bright pink neon.  This pink is very bright, but it's not retina-searing like Orly Beach Cruiser.  I think this one would look amazing with a black stamped design.  3 coats. 

Seriously Purple - magenta purple neon.  This one had a lot of red in the base, and reminded me of Zoya Charisma.  3 coats.

The formula on all of these was very similar.  It took 3 coats to reach opacity.  You will also want to wait a few minutes between coats as they are prone to drag.  

My biggest issue with these is the size of the bottle.  I never use up a bottle of polish, so the amount of polish you get (a eighth of an ounce) isn't my problem.  It's just that the brush is so itty-bitty.  :P  I also found myself wishing for a different color, such as a blue or a green or a bright (non red) purple.

This OPI boxed set retails for $19.99, and can be purchased a supply stores, salons, and online.

OPI Outrageous Neons was purchased by me.  

Dollish Polish Random Dancing

Just when I say I am over the indie polish craze, Dollish Polish, one of my 2 favorite indie brands, re-stocked her shop.  And in her re-opening, she stocked 2 of my Dollish Polish lemmings, GTL and It's a Me, Mario.  So, of course, I had to eat my words and stalk her website all morning until the inventory went live.  As soon as I saw "add to cart", I rushed to add those 2 polishes to my cart.  Unfortunately, I was a minute or two behind, so all the full-sizes of GTL and Mario had already been snatched up, and I had to settle for the minis.  But the upside to that was that I got to add the Mystery Polish, the holo-tastic Toxic Avenger, to my cart with absolutely no guilt.  :)  Dolly has stated that she is now furiously packing up polishes and all orders will be shipping within the next 2 weeks.  So now I have to wait patiently.  LOL.

She also posted updated information in her shop showing the next 2 restocks, which should happen at the end of June and and early July, respectively.  For your reference, click here for a link to Dolly's site showing the next 3 restocks.

Thankfully, for my wallet and my sanity, I only want one of the restocked colors and that's I'm a Material Girl, which won't be restocked until late July.  However, I know that may of you are still lemming Random Dancing and Putting on the Ritz, both of which I already have.  Thus, I thought I would stoke the lemming-fire just a little bit and show you pics of both of these.  Today, I have for you Random Dancing, and I will show you Putting on the Ritz within the next few days...

This is 3 coats of Random Dancing over OPI Who the Shrek are You?, which probably wasn't the best choice for my skintone, but I absolutely love the colors in Random Dancing over the bright chartreuse Shrek-green of the OPI.  Random Dancing consists of multiple sized and shaped glitter in shades of blue, green, purple, golden yellow, and hot pink in a clear base.  Best part?  It has square glitter, which I absolutely love.

When I first got it, I had a hard time finding a color to wear under it, as it just didn't work over black or white, IMO.   But I've found it best to take one of the colors in the mix, in this case, I used the green, and then go a shade or two lighter as a base color. 

Random Dancing does take a while to dry, so it's best to wait a couple of minutes between coats and then a couple of minutes before you apply your base and then wait it out.  LOL.  

Random Dancing should be restocked on Dollish Polish's website around the end of the month.  Be sure to follow Dolly on Facebook for up-to-date information about the restock.  Dollish Polish Random Dancing sells for $8.75 for a full-size and $4.50 for a mini.

Random Dancing was purchased by me.  The above links link to Dollish Polish's website and Facebook page and are not affiliate links.

OPI A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find

This is 3 coats of OPI A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find, a bright, red-based orange creme, and one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri topcoat.

I have swatched this polish in the past, when I reviewed the collection, but I have never actually worn it as a manicure.  Honestly, I was never really taken with the color, as when I swatched it, I didn't really like it with my skintone. 

However, I was taking my youngest nephew out for his birthday on Saturday, and I needed a bright orange-ish polish to go with the outfit I had in mind.  A Good Man-darin... came immediately to mind.  And after applying it, I must say that my first impression was not the right one.  I loved this polish with my skin-tone.  Yes, it's an orange (which sometimes doesn't look so great with my pink skin), but this one worked, probably because of the red in the base. At any rate, it's a fantastic color and I can really see me wearing more of it this summer.

The formula on this one was good, better than good actually.  I had no issues with application, but I did need 3 coats to reach fully opacity.  Though, if you wore a sticky base coat (which admittedly, I stubbornly refuse to wear) you could probably get this one opaque in 2 coats.

A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find is from OPI's spring 2010 Hong Kong Collection (I apologize for previously stating 2011... my years are starting to run together :P), and per OPI's website, it is still in their line-up.  OPI polishes retail for $8.50 a bottle.

OPI A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find was sent to me for review

OPI Excuse Moi!

Today, I have for you a polish from OPI's 2011 holiday Muppets collection, which unfortunately, I never got around to reviewing.  

This is OPI Excuse Moi!...

This is 3 coats of OPI Excuse Moi with 2 coats of Nubar Diamont topcoat.  

Excuse Moi! was one of the stand-outs of the Muppets collection, in my opinion.  It's a warm pink semi-sheer base packed with glitter in about 500 colors.  ;)  Actually, I am seeing pink, purple, silver, yellow, and green, and there may be a few I am missing (you can get a good idea of the colors of glitter from my pinky nail in the second picture).  The base is sheer, but buildable, and the coverage on the glitter on this was exceptional.  You didn't have to go fishing in the bottle, which was very nice.  

Because of the uniqueness of the glitter in the base, this one actually reminds me of one of the indie glitter polishes that are so popular, and impossible to get your hands on, nowadays.  It's super-pretty, very girly, and makes me think of cupcakes with sprinkles.  :)  

It does dry very textured, so you will need a thick coat of topcoat, probably two, to even things out. I used Diamont, but any of the thicker, quick-dry coats will work.  It also dries very quickly.  I had nails that were dry before I even applied the topcoat.  If you own OPI's glitters from the Absolutely Alice collection or from the fall 2010 holiday Burlesque collection, this one is very similar in formula.  It's probably even more wearable because it has a colored base, and you don't have to apply the glitter as thick in order to completely cover your nail.  

In case you are interested in picking this one up, I checked on OPI's website, and it looks like Excuse Moi! is still available.  OPIs retail for $8.50 a bottle.

Excuse Moi! was sent to me for review

OPI My Address is "Hollywood"

While I was in the middle of my "30 Days of Blues", I kept saying that I was gonna need a week of boring pinks after I finished wearing so many blues.  So, that's what I'm going to do.  All this week, my manicures will be untried pinks in my collection.  

Today, I have for you one of the pinks from OPI's 2011 fall Touring America collection, My Address is "Hollywood"...

My Address is "Hollywood" is a salmon pink with pink and gold micro-shimmer.  I have seen swatches of this one where it looks very rosy.  However, on me, it was definitely salmon.  

Honestly, I'm kind of torn on this one.  I find the color itself to be a little boring.  That said, it's the shimmer in this one that makes me like it (be sure to enlarge the pictures, so you can see just how pretty this shimmer is... the bottle in the second picture is a great example).  

The formula was a little thin, but nothing unmanageable.  I was able to reach opacity in 3 coats.  

Also, I wanted to mention that when I first saw this color last year, I was a little perplexed by it being in a fall collection, as it seemed much more summery to me.  However, now that I am wearing it in the middle of spring, I definitely see how this would be more appropriate for fall.  Yes, it's a pink, but there is a warmth to it, that makes it seem much more fall-ish.

My Address is "Hollywood" is still readily available and OPI's polishes retail for $8.50.

My Address is "Hollywood" was sent to me for review.  

30 Days of Blues for Autism Awareness - OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue

Today is Day 29 in my "30 Days of Blues".  This is OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue...

This is 2 coats of OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue, a deep blue shimmer from OPI's 2009 Spring India collection.  I just checked and it looks like it's still in OPI's line-up.  

Come back tomorrow for the last day in my "30 Days of Blues".  

30 Days of Blues for Autism Awareness - OPI Absolutely Alice

Today is Day 26 in my "30 Days of Blues" and today, I have for you probably my favorite glitter polish and one of my favorite polishes all together. This is OPI Absolutely Alice...

Absolutely Alice is a blue and gold glitter polish that was released with OPI's 2010 Alice in Wonderland collection.  I have both Absolutely Alice and it's glittery sister, Mad as a Hatter, and I have to say that Alice is my favorite.  

I adore this polish.  It's one of the more prized polishes in my collection.  The application on this one is perfect.  It takes 3 coats to reach opacity and there are none of the issues that I typically associate with glitters, like drag and leveling.  I'm assuming that's because the glitter in this is fairly fine.  It's also really even after 3 coats, but I still recommend a topcoat (as shown) as it does dry a little dull.

Unfortunately, Absolutely Alice is discontinued (isn't that always the way), though I did see bottles on eBay.  

30 Days of Blues for Autism Awareness - Zoya Wednesday

Today is Day 15 in my "30 Days of Blues".  Part me is so happy I am half-way through with my 30 Day challenge.  That part includes my blue-stained nails.  LOL.  And yet another part of me is going to miss it when it's over.  I think even after this month is over, I am still going to have "Blue Mondays" every week.  

Anyway, today's blue is a relatively new addition to my collection.  I reviewed this polish when I reviewed Zoya's summer collection, but 1. because I got some flack for my swatches, and 2. it's just a freaking awesome color, I wanted to re-visit it...

I realize this is another color with which I may be stretching the definition of "blue", but hey... Zoya calls this one aquamarine, and aquamarines are blue stones, so that's good enough for me.  :P

This is 2 coats of Zoya Wednesday that I topped with one coat of Nicole by OPI Make a Comet-ment (a fine, holographic glitter top coat) on my tips.  I also added a stamp below Make a Comet-ment using Konad White Special polish and the floral design from BundleMonster plate BM04. 

Zoya Wednesday is available at Zoya.com and Nicole by OPI Make a Comet-ment is a Target exclusive, but as it's still on Target's website, I'm assuming that it's in the regular line-up and is still available in-store.

30 Days of Blues for Autism Awareness - Sonic Nails

Today is Day 14 in my "30 Days of Blues".  Today, I am cheating a little bit because right now IRL, my nails are naked.  I've had a crazy day and just haven't had a chance to sit down and paint them.  So, for today, I am bringing you one blue manicure that I have yet to post (though I did post on FB and tweet about it)...

Right before I was getting ready to remove OPI Swimsuit... Nailed It!, I decided to play around with stamping and glitter.  I used a Bundle Monster plate (I can look up the plate # if anyone is interested) and Konad White Special Polish and then topped it with OPI Gettin' Miss Piggy with It.  I called these "super-hero nails", but Blake called them "Sonic the Hedgehog" nails, so it kind of stuck.  

Hope you all are enjoying these posts for Autism Awareness.  I will be back tomorrow with a new blue manicure.  

30 Days of Blues for Autism Awareness - Blue (Half) Moon

Hi all, today is Day 13 in my "30 Days of Blues".  Today, I have for you a blue manicure that was inspired by this recent post by Cristina at Let Them Have Polish.  I absolutely loved Cristina's Black and White half-moon manicure, and I knew I had to try a similar look during my "30 Days of Blues"...

This is one coat of OPI Roadhouse Blues, a rich navy creme from last year's fall collection, with one coat of Julep Jessica over top.  Both of these polishes are one-coaters on their own, so that is why I chose them for this manicure.  I also used a silver glitter striper over my moon lines. 

This was my first time trying a half-moon manicure, and I was more than a little intimidated.  However, it was actually easier than I thought it was going to be.  It was time-consuming, as this took me over an hour, but it wasn't difficult.

Thank you so much for reading my "30 Days" posts.  I will be updating the participating blogs list over the weekend, so if you are participating or if you know of a blog that has also participated in Autism Awareness month, but isn't on my list, please let me know.  

Roadhouse Blues was sent to me for review

30 Days of Blues for Autism Awareness - OPI Swimsuit... Nailed It!

Welcome to Day 9 in my "30 Days of Blues" for Autism Awareness.  Today, I am posting quite late in the day because my previous idea for this manicure just didn't materialize.  That seems to be happening a lot lately.

Anyway, as I was getting ready to go to sleep, the crack in my middle finger nail that had been threatening to break finally did.  So, I figured I'd have to take pictures of my right hand for today's "30 Days" post.  Now, while I am pretty proficient at painting my left hand, my right hand is another story.  Sometimes, it looks like I got drunk and then painted my nails.  So, I knew I would need a polish that was easy to apply and only required 1 or 2 coats.  That would mean an OPI, as the pro-wide brush makes polishing my nails, even my right hand, practically effortless.  But what blue OPI?  As I was looking over my stash, I then saw Swimsuit... Nailed It and realized it had to be my blue for the day...

Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out how to hold my right hand to get good pictures (it was quite a sight), so I apologize for my super-short middle finger.  

Anyway, regarding the color...Le Sigh... I have no clue why I left this one untried for so long.  OPI Swimsuit... Nailed It! is a gorgeous, velvety blue foil from OPI's 2011 Miss Universe collection.  This one has the effect of looking like it is lit from within, and while that isn't incredibly unique for say a red or a deep pink, I can't think of another blue polish with the same effect.  It's absolutely mesmerizing.  It reminds me of a blue sister to the foily shimmers in OPI's 2010 Holiday Burlesque collection.  After I applied it, I just couldn't stop looking at my nails.  It is perfect.  If you love blues, you neeeeeeed it, and if you think it's pretty inside, just look...

Here's a picture of it outside.  This color is true-to-life, as my indoor pictures look a little too teal.  Now, it's not a blue for the faint of heart, or for those that are just getting their feet wet in the blue-pool, but again, if you love blues, you need it.  End of story.

OPI Swimsuit... Nailed It! is not on OPI's website, so it may have been a limited edition color, but if you love it, a quick Google search shows me that it is still readily available for retail prices.  OPIs retail for $8.50 a bottle.

As always, thank you for reading my "30 Days of Blues" for Autism Awareness posts.  If you are participating with me, or if you have a comment or a request for a particular blue polish, please shoot me an email to megan@apolishproblem.com.  

Swimsuit... Nailed It! was sent to me for review

Glitter Sandwiches with Nubar Jellybeans

In my previous review of Nubar Jellybeans, Leona Carolina asked if the polishes could be used for glitter sandwiches.  Great minds think alike because that was something I'd been asking myself as I was reswatching the collection.  

For the most part, the answer is yes.  However, I wouldn't recommend doing the glitter sandwich method with Nubar Cherry as the base is just too thick (I tried and it was a fail).  That said, all of the other 7 polishes can be used for glitter sandwiches and frankly, I think that is a fantastic use for them.  By the way, if you are unfamiliar with glitter sandwiches, basically it means that you sandwich a glitter topcoat (usually with a clear base) in between 2 layers of jelly polish. 

For testing purposes, I used 2 of the Nubar Jellybeans, a light shade and a dark shade, Nubar Strawberry and Nubar Blueberry respectively.  I also used OPI Rainbow Connection as the glitter in both examples.

This is 2 thin coats of Nubar Blueberry topped with 2 coats of OPI Rainbow Connection and another thin coat of Blueberry.  I'm in love with this.  I may have to do this as my blue nail of the day for a day in April.  Of the two I tried, this look was my favorite.

This is 2 thin coats of Nubar Strawberry topped with 2 coats of OPI Rainbow Connection and then another thin coat of Strawberry.  To me, this really looks like Deborah Lippmann Candy Shop.  I did this one first, so I was a little unsure on how much polish to use when I topped the glitter.  On my ring finger, I used the least amount of polish over Rainbow Connection, and I think it looks the best.  Because my coats were thicker on my middle finger and my pinky, I did have pooling at the tips.  So when you do this, be sure to wait a little bit between the coats, and use a thinner coat over top.  

I think you could probably do fantastic glitter sandwiches (anyone else pronounce this in their head as "glittah sammiches"?  No?  Just me?) with almost all of Nubar's Jellybeans collection.  I can't wait to try one with Blue Raspberry.  Also, if you were waffling on this collection due to streakiness, if you like glitter and like using the glitter sandwich method your nails, you may want to pick one or two of these up as they are perfect for that application.

Products in this post were sent to me for review

Today's Nails - Barielle Shannon's Attitude

If you follow any of my ramblings on Twitter, you may know that today is my 37th birthday.  :\  

I've been waffling for a few days on what to use for my manicure today.  At first, it was going to be the obvious choice, Lippmann Happy Birthday, but I decided to do something different because 1. I think I did that last year, and 2. I don't like being predictable.  :P  

As luck would have it, I had just received my Barielle order (from their 30% off sale) and figured I'd use one of my new glitters (gnah... it's like crack).  This picture is 2 coats of one of their new shades, Shannon's Attitude (holo bar glitter and small micro-glitter in a clear purple base), over 2 coats of OPI Honk if You Love OPI (a deep, browned plum from OPI's 2011 Fall collection).  I also used 2 coats of Nubar Diamont.

Here's a bottle pic of Shannon's Attitude...

It's super-pretty and more than a little distracting.  LOL.  Unfortunately, when I pulled it out of the box, I was a little disappointed, to be honest.  This is because it looks nothing like the picture on Barielle's website.  I quickly got over my disappointment, and I now really like Shannon's Attitude, and my birthday mani in general, but I just wanted to give you all fair warning that in real life, this is nowhere near the picture on Barielle's site.

Barielle Shannon's Attitude is available on Barielle.com, and it retails for $8, though Barielle has their Shades by Barielle always offered on a "buy one, get one half-off" promotion.

QUICK UPDATE - 3/25/2012 - Shannon's Attitude was a complete hit when I went out for my birthday.  It shines like crazy.  If you love glitter, especially bar glitter, you need this one. 

Shannon's Attitude was purchased by me.  Honk if You Love OPI was provided to me by OPI.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

So, as I was thinking of manicures to do for today, I went back and forth about what to do.  It seems like the big trend this year is water marbling.  Water marbling terrifies me.  I'm such a total spazz that I would end up covered in nail polish.  It would also be all over my table and my sink.  LOL.  

I thought about a konad, because I do have a shamrock stamp, but then I realized I don't have all the supplies to konad anymore and I didn't feel like going to Sally's to pick them up.  Then I saw a tutorial on Julep's FB page on how to create a shamrock.  I thought that would be easy-peasy and perfect for today.  Then I realized that painted-on shamrocks did not need to be green, and the perfect idea was born.

However, I greatly over-estimated my freehand shamrock-painting abilities because what started out as painting shamrocks all over my nails quickly evolved in to plan B.  That said, I really like plan B...

Okay, so it's not a conventional Saint Patrick's Day manicure, but think the pink and green work really well together, and I like my non-green, though slightly-wonky shamrock.  Here's what I used...

1. China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint (mint green) - on all nails except for ring fingers and thumbs - 3 coats

2. OPI Sparrow Me the Drama (light tea rose pink) - on ring fingers and thumbs - 3 coats

3. OPI Dim Sum Plum (bright purple/pink) - for freehand shamrock

4. OPI Divine Swine (red-based purple and silver glitter in a clear base) - over Sparrow Me the Drama

5. OPI Fresh Frog of Bel-Air (green and silver glitter in a clean base) - over Re-Fresh Mint

I feel like I practically forced this manicure in to existence, as I had to remove it once and then apply it again.  I almost gave up and applied a boring green creme and let that be that, but I was stubborn and wanted (most of) the idea in my head to end up on my nails, as that seems to be a bit of a problem lately.  LOL.

Today's Nails - Glitter Layering

As you all probably know by now, I am currently in a glitter-obsessed phase.  I can't seem to wear anything on my nails that isn't covered in glitter in one way or another.  Today's manicure is no exception.  If you are anything like me, you may think about possible manicure ideas before going to sleep.  Sad, but I guess that's goes with the territory.  Well, this idea came to me last night, as I was falling asleep.

This is actually a combination of 5 polishes, but it's not as involved as you'd think.  Here are the polishes I used...

1. Color Club Bewitching (my go-to black creme)

2. OPI Your Royal Shineness (a bright silver)

3. OPI Paris Couture for Sure (a holo top coat) - this is the bottle pic

4. OPI Crown Me Already! (a silver glitter top coat with large, mirror-finish hex glitter)

5. OPI Gettin' Miss Piggy With It (a mostly red glitter top coat with a little bit of silver glitter in the mix)

I started with a base coat of Bewitching.  I then added a thin coat of Your Royal Shineness and a thin coat of Paris Couture for Sure.  I then added another thin layer of Your Royal Shineness and Paris Couture for Sure.  So there are 2 coats of each but they are layered.  I then added a coat of Crown Me Already! and Gettin' Miss Piggy With It, and sealed the whole thing in with Diamont.  Sounds like a ton of coats, right?  Well all in all, it was 8 including topcoat, but being that I used extremely thin coats of each one, with the exception of Bewitching, which was just a normal coat, they were almost like half-coats.  I used dry drops so it was dry within minutes.  It only took me about 30 minutes, too.    

Maybe tomorrow, I should step away from the glitter.  

Tie-Dyed Nails

So, the concept of this manicure was to sponge rainbow colors on white nails using a makeup sponge.  It was a cool idea in my head.  Unfortunately, I didn't account for the colors becoming all muddled up.  So, it does look more "tie-dyed" than anything.  I used Zoya Sooki, OPI A Good Man-Darin is Hard to Find, ChG Happy Go Lucky, ChG Starboard, Zoya Robyn, and OPI Funky Dunkey over OPI Alpine Snow Matte.  I then topped it with 2 coats of Nubar Diamont. 

I think was a fail, but it's oddly fascinating, no?

Yesterday's Nails: Crazy Navy

I wanted to preface this by saying that I am not normally one to show a gazillion pictures of the same manicure, but for this one, I felt that several pictures were necessary to show just how pretty this was.  This is 2 coats of OPI Russian Navy and 1 coat of Klean Color Chunky Holo Bluebell...

I had been wanting to dig Russian Navy out of the depths of my storage container for a few days.  Russian Navy is one of those colors that it took me several uses to like it.  When I first got it, right after the OPI Russia collection came out, I loved it in the bottle, but hated it on the nail.  At the time, I had acrylics, and I thought it just was too much on the long nails.  However, once I tried it on shorter nails, I liked it much more.  Unfortunately, right after I applied my manicure, I got tip wear (grrr), so I decided to apply something over top.  My first thought was to do glitter tips and then I saw Klean Color Chunky Holo Bluebell in my glitter/holo drawer.  I adore these Klean Color Chunky Holos.  Bluebell is a slightly blue base with random-sized multi-chrome (green, gold, red) glitter.  I think this is a fabulous combo.

Thanksgiving Skittles

 

Hi everyone, it’s so hard to believe that Thanksgiving is a matter of days away.  I swear, the older I get, the shorter the years become and this time around, it feels like we should be somewhere in May. 

As I was sitting here contemplating the upcoming holiday, I suddenly had the idea to create a Thanksgiving-inspired skittles.  My desire was to do more of an “ombre” effect, but it wasn’t quite there. 

This is L-R, Zoya Tamsen, NARS Dovima, OPI A Good Man-Darin is Hard to Find, and Barielle Angora Aura.

I swear, it looked better on.    My flashed washed out the oranges, and yet when I managed to get one that was true to color, it made my skin look odd.  Oh well.  I still think it was a cool concept.  While I was doing it, it really reminded me of the colors of the fall leaves, though at this stage, they are almost all gone. 

Anyway, just in case, I don’t post, I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving to my US readers, and to my international folks, I hope you have a great Thursday. 

I do plan on posting soon, however, as I do have Duri’s new Girl with the Dragon Tattoo collection begging me to swatch them.  I also have to play catch-up with holiday collections from OPI and Zoya.

OPI Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Review

As I am continuing in my tradition of striking while the iron is hot (LOL)... I bring you the months-old OPI Pirates of the Caribbean collection.  Unfortunately, this one that got put aside while I had to take a little break and I'm just now able to review it.  However, as the movie is due to be released on DVD in November, I figure I'm still relevant.  Heck.  I'm now ahead of the curve.  :P

Anyway, this was OPI's "Brights" offering for 2011, and that kind of threw me, as their brights collections in the past have been extremely vibrant, and bright hues.  These colors, as a whole, are far more subdued that past collections.  However, I actually think it's a misnomer to call them pastels.  While the are lighter shades, there is still a vibrancy about them that I would not associate with a pastel shade (as when I think of pastel, I think of soft baby-ish colors).

Mermaid's Tears - Mint green creme.  This one has perhaps a bit more blue in it and is perhaps a tad brighter than a traditional mint.  However, it still gave me a dreadful (say that in a pirate voice) case of red-hands.  The color is absolutely beautiful, but I just can't wear it.  :(

Planks A Lot - Slightly dusty, mid-tone purple.  This one is probably on the lighter end of what I consider mid-tone.  However, it's much darker and brighter than what I consider to be a light purple or a lavender.  There is a slight dustiness to it, but I don't think it's a dupe for RBL Purple Haze (though if any one wants a comp, I will be glad to do one).  

Skulls and Glossbones - Pale grey creme.  Yes, this one is a pale grey, but going back to the vibrancy I mentioned above, it's not a color that looks white.  It is most definitely grey.  It's also got enough warmth in the base to not give me dead-hands, but it's not exactly what I would consider to be a warm grey.  It also has a touch of green in there to give it just a slight dirtiness (along the lines of Stranger Tides, but not nearly as funky).

Sparrow Me the Drama - Tea rose creme.  When I was swatching this, I thought it may be a dupe to RBL Smitten, but after looking at pics, I don't think it is.  Sparrow Me the Drama has a smidge of purple in it, whereas Smitten is a true rose creme.  That said, it a gorgeous color, and it looks amazing under Lippmann Glitter in the Air

Steady as She Rose - Pale dirty rose creme.  Again, like most of the other colors in this collection, Steady as She Rose has a slight dirtiness to it.  These colors really do fit in well with the Pirates of the Caribbean theme.  It is a pale pink, so you wouldn't think it would be that unique, but the dirtiness really sets it apart. 

Stranger Tides - dirty, artichoke green.  This color is completely funky and it didn't work with my skintone.  That said, I completely loved it. 

Also, the formula on these was fantastic.  I had no application issues with any of the colors and each color was opaque in just 2 coats. 

I kind of wish that they had included a bright Caribbean blue with this collection (perhaps lose one of the pinks), but I think being a collection based on a movie, it was cohesive and well-thought-out.

Additionally, along with these 6 cremes, OPI released Silver Shatter along with this collection...

Here it is swatched over Stranger Tides with no TC. 

The fact is, I stink at crackles/shatters.  I hate that you have one chance at getting it right.  You also have to have just the right amount on your brush and go in the right direction.  It's just too much pressure.  LOL.  I have problems with getting the right amount on the brush, so I either end up with a thin coat with drag marks or a thick coat that never cracks.  That said, the finish on this one is gorgeous and if you and crackle work well together, I think this would be an amazing option to add to your collection.

This collection is out now and OPI retails for $8.50 a bottle.

these were sent to me for review

OPI Stranger Tides

I shouldn't love this one as much as I do. It gives me red-hands, and it's not a particular pretty color, but that doesn't stop me from being madly in love with it.  I can't really tell you why.  It's an odd, slightly dirty, artichokey green creme.  However, the formula is fantastic and the application was flawless.  Plus, I like that the color is a bit of an odd duck.  It's not typically "me", but I do like it.  LOTS.

Stranger Tides is from OPI's Pirates of the Caribbean collection that was released earlier this year.  This has been out for several months and OPI's polishes retail for around $8.50.

This was sent to me for review