Deborah Lippmann Run the World (Girls) Boxed Set

So, I have been lemming this Deborah Lippmann neon boxed set for months.  As soon as I saw the press release, I immediately said "want".   I kept putting it off because it was only a set of minis and it was $45, but as soon as I saw that HSN had it for $35 and it was on value-pay, I snatched it up.  I got it a few weeks ago, and finally had a chance to swatch it...

Isn't the packaging the cutest?  I love that the polish bottles form the nail colors when you put the lid on the box.  I'm a sucker for adorable packaging.  

The colors themselves are a set of 5 neons, each of them named after a song with "girl" in the title...

Hollaback Girl - red-orange neon.  Hollaback Girl surprised me a little bit.  I thought it was going to be more orange when it was in the bottle, but then when I applied it, you could definitely see the red coming through.  It's like a neon version of OPI A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find.  Also, I now have "Hollaback Girl" stuck in a continuous loop in my head.

I Kissed a Girl - candy pink neon.  I Kissed a Girl is a gorgeous medium pink, with a good amount of blue in the base.  It reminded me of Orly Beach Cruiser, in that it's a neon pink, but unlike Beach Cruiser, it doesn't burn your retinas.  I really loved this color and it is one of my 2 favorites in this set, and it's the one that I wish she would sell as a full-sized single.  I had no issues with the formula.  3 coats.

It Girl - bright yellow neon.  It Girl was the sheerest of the bunch and is the only one that is a true jelly.  Personally, I didn't really like it alone on my nails, as it is almost the color of egg yolks.  However, I loved it when layered over white.  The first picture is 3 coats of It Girl by itself and the second color is 2 coats of It Girl layered over 2 coats of Nails Inc Floral Street.

Nasty Girl - magenta neon.  Nasty Girl was my second favorite in this set.  It's a beautiful magenta-purple and was the most opaque of the bunch.  I was able to reach opacity in 2 coats, but I used 3 to be consistent.  It did remind me a bit of Zoya Charisma, though, so I need to do a comparison.  Although, I think Nasty Girl leans a bit more red.  I used a topcoat over this polish to show you how they look when you apply topcoat.  

Party Girl - coral neon.  I say this is a coral, but keep in mind that this is a very red-based coral, like Rescue Beauty Lounge Bangin' (I don't have it to compare, unfortunately).  Again, the formula was very nice and I used 3 coats.  I did have a bit of a wonky brush on Party Girl, but it wasn't hard to control.

I think I may be in love with this set.  It's really cute, but also, all of the colors, except for It Girl are very wearable.  You can also make It Girl wearable simply by giving her a little foundation (is it wrong that I keep wanting to say "nail polish panties"? LOL).  I tried the other colors over white, and they didn't seem to play as nice, so they are definitely colors that can be work on their own.  The one thing I wish Deborah had changed was substitute one of the red-based polishes, Hollaback Girl and Party Girl, with another neon (blue or green) or perhaps even a bright white, though I realize she probably used the colors she did from a continuity stand-point.  

Also, the finish on these dries, what Deborah Lippmann calls, "demi-matte".  To me, they are more of a rubbery finish, like some of the Illamasqua polishes.  In some reviews I read of this set, I saw that many people were complaining of the finish.  Keep in mind, the finish is par for the course with neon polishes.  If you want to make your neons shiny, simply add a swipe of topcoat, like I did with Nasty Girl above.  Easy peasy.  

This set retails for $45, though I found it cheaper on HSN.com, though sadly, it's no longer on value-pay.  The set includes five 0.27 fl oz minis.  So, if you use retail pricing, that's $8 per mini or about half the price of a regular sized Lippmann polish.   Which isn't bad for these considering they are a good sized mini (much larger that the OPI minis which are an 1/8th of an ounce).   Yes, this is girl-math.  :)

Deborah Lippmann Run the World (Girls) was purchased by me from HSN.com.  The above link links to this product on HSN's website and is not an affiliate link.

Comparison: Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow vs Nicole by OPI Brilliant Idea

In yesterday's review post, I mentioned that Nicole by OPI Brilliant Idea reminded me of Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow, so I figured I'd do a quick comparison for you (and for me. LOL).

I also mentioned a few days ago that I wore Nubar Honeysuckle with Boom Boom Pow on the tips and got tons of compliments, so I wanted to show you that look as well.  Well, I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone.  :P

This is Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow on my middle finger and pinkie and NOPI Brilliant Idea on my ring finger.

Tonally, though the NOPI is very green in the bottle, once you get it on the nail, especially layered, it really does look like a golden polish, so it's very similar to Boom Boom Pow.  The differences are that the NOPI has a thicker base which is tinted (the Lippmann base is clear, but full of gold dust) and the hexagonal glitter in the Lippmann is larger.  It's easier to layer with the Lippmann as there is no way you are gonna get that puppy opaque.  That's not the case with the NOPI, so while you can do 3 coats with the Lippmann, you can only do 1, possibly 2, with the NOPI.  Also, Brillant Idea doesn't contain the gold dust that Boom Boom Pow does, so it's lacking a bit of the brilliance, but again... it's still very close.

Honestly, if you are lemming Boom Boom Pow and just can't fork over $20 for a glitter topcoat, definitely consider picking up Brilliant Idea.  It's not identical by any means, but it's very similar and will probably kill the lemming, and I'm saying this as someone that LOVES Boom Boom Pow.  Plus, it's 13 bucks cheaper.  Cheaper is better.  :D

As for the look of Boom Boom Pow over Honeysuckle, I am love with this, and it's my new favorite thing to do with Deborah Lippmann's hexagonal glitters.  I'm actually planning more as I type this.

Nicole by OPI Brilliant Idea and Nubar Honeysuckle were sent to me for review.  Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow was purchased by me.

Nubar Spring Garden Collection (and a sale!)

As soon as I saw the press release on this one, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.  I know it seems like a lot of companies are doing polishes along these lines for spring/summer, and I know that all the soft/pastel shades are starting to run together a bit.  However, I really like them, and this Nubar offering is no exception.  Maybe it's because they are just so springy. :)

Also, these are set a part by the pretty pearl finish that all of these colors, save for one and the top coat, have in them.  Some are more and some are less, so I'll try to specify in the reviews.

Baby Sprout - Pale yellow-green crene.  This one is one of the two that I fell in love with as soon as I opened the package.  Given past experience, I was a wee bit afraid that this one would make my hands look red and dirty, but I was actually pleasantly surprised.  There's a bit of redness, but nothing that would deter me from wearing this.  This color is so pretty.  It's almost like a colored-white, if that makes sense.  Like most pastels, it took 3 coats to reach opacity.  Formula was a tad streaky at 1 and 2 coats, but that evened out nicely.  The pearl in this one was pretty evident in the bottle, but more "hidden" on the nail.

Blue Hydrangea - Sky blue pearl.  This one is hands-down gorgeous in the bottle.  Unfortunately, on the nail, it really gave me a case of red-hands.  Funny, because normally pale blues don't cause this (it's normally pale greens as mentioned above).  The pearl on this one is very noticeable, and I'd say that this is the only one of the collection that I would classify as a true pearl, rather than a creme with pearl shimmer.  It's not streaky, like a frost, so the finish is perfect.  No formula issues and pic is 3 coats.  It really is beautiful, though.  Would look amazing with a tan.

Earthen - pale taupe creme.  This one a spring/summer interpretation of a fall-ish "greige" creme.  It's slightly murky and dirty, but it's so soft that it's definitely work-safe.  The pearl on this one is definitely less than Blue Hydrangea, but it seems a bit more evident that Baby Sprout.  No formula issues.  Pic is 3 coats.

Honeysuckle - pink-coral creme.  As soon as I saw the info for Pantone's 2011 Color of the Year, Honeysuckle, I've been trying to find it in nail polish form.  I've seen several recommendations, CND Smoochie, Orly Butterflies, but nothing completely hit the nail on the head.  This does.  Yeah, it's just a coral creme, but it's so much more than that.  It's a coral that doesn't lean too orange, so it looks really good on my pink skin.  It also has a perfect application.  I was able to reach complete opacity in 2 coats, and the formula practically glided on.  Last week, I wore this as a full mani (with Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow on the tips) and I got so many compliments.  Basically, this is my HG coral creme (something I've been searching for for years).  Hands down... it's my favorite of the collection.  This was the color without any pearl in the finish.  (FYI, this is a tad pinker than my picture.  It is very close to the Pantone color).

Pink Lily - pale, warm, baby pink creme.  This one is pretty straightfoward.  It's a pale pink creme that leans slightly warm (in the vein of OPI ElePhantastic Pink, though that one is MUCH darker... same family).  It almost looks like the inside of a shell.  Very pretty.  The pearl on this one is about the same as Earthen.  Pic is 3 coats.  No app issues.

Purple Aster - Dusty, orchid purple creme.  I love this one.  It's not your standard pale purple.  It's very dusty and looks like it contains a good amount of grey.  Again, same amount of pearl as Earthen and Pink Lily.  No app issues and this was only pastel to be opaque in 2 coats.

White Peony - soft white creme.  This one is so pretty, though you really have to see it in person to fully appreciate it.  It's definitely a soft white, but there's also a whisper of pink to this one that really captures the feeling of a white peony.  I can almost smell them simply by looking at it (I adore peonies).  I didn't have any real issues with application, but, as common with a white polish, this took 4 coats to reach opacity.  The pearl in this one is pretty hidden, along the lines of Baby Sprout.

Yellow Primrose - baby chick yellow creme.  I'm slowly starting to warm up to yellows and Yellow Primrose is a really pretty one.  It didn't look like crap on me (which is my main reason from steering away from yellows), it actually looked pretty nice on my hands and the formula was good in general and great for a yellow polish.  The pearl in this one was similar to Earthen.  Pic is 3 coats.

This collection also includes a glittery top coat...

Dewdrop (pictured over Honeysuckle) - opal glitter in a clear base.  This one reminded me of the Color Club glitters, only with smaller particles and a better formula (along the lines of the 2 glittery top coats from the Holiday collection, 2010 and Pixie Dust).  This was a great top coat.  Formula wasn't goopy or glumpy at all.  This is 1 coat over the base color.

--

All in all, now that I've had a chance to review it, I really like it.  The colors are just so peaceful and happy and serene, that I can't help but like them.  I like polish that makes me smile.  Simply in terms of wearability,  Blue Hydrangea was a bit of a miss, but I still like the color quite a bit, and plan on trying it with nail art or a white crackle.  On the flip side, Honeysuckle is amazing and it's definitely in my list of favorites.

Also, a review on Nubar polishes would be remiss if I didn't talk about one of my favorite things about the brand... the bottle cap.  Seems so silly, I know, but application and ease of application are everything in the polish world.  You can have the most amazing polish with a craptastic brush, and it just wouldn't be worth it.  I absolutely adore the wand on Nubars.  It has a perfect place to rest your index finger which allows you to be very precise in your application. It's almost like using a pencil.  I love it.

And now the sale that I mentioned in my title... From now until 3/18, Nubar is offering this complete collection for $39.95 (the 8 in the case plus Dewdrop).  As Nubars normally retail for $7.50 and this breaks down to $4.44 a polish... I think this is a fantastic deal.

These were sent to me for review

OPI Texas Collection - Sorbets

Today, I have for you the first half of OPI's new spring 2011 Texas collection.  This half of the collection consists of 6 "sorbet" finish polishes.  All of which, to some degree, are in the red/orange family.

As the finish on all these is the same, I'm going to only post color descriptions with the pictures and then discuss the finish below.  All these had the same formulation and on all of them, it was 3 coats.

Big Hair... Big Nails - Orange-leaning, tomato red.   OPI's PR info stated "rosy pageant peach", but on me, this was definitely a tomato-y red.  I get the hint of peach, and the more I stare at it, I do see a touch of rose, but the first thing that stood out to me was the orange/red.... which I guess is just a more vibrant way to say peach/rose.  :P

Do You Think I'm Tex-y? - Berry.  Pretty straightforward.  Just a different interpretation of OPI's classic berry cremes (i.e. No Spain No Gain or Manicurist of Seville).  

Guy Meets Gal-veston - Bright coral.  Coral was the descriptor in OPI's PR stuff and while I definitely agree, I almost wanted to use "guava" in my description.  It's feels very tropical and makes me want a fruity drink.

Houston, We Have a Purple - Red-based purple.  Very similar to Do You Think I'm Tex-y? (almost like the differences in No Spain No Gain and Manicurist of Seville, which I mentioned earlier).  One is more grape and one is more berry, but they are quite similar. 

Too Hot Pink to Handle - Bright red-pink.  Again, another straightforward color.    It's a beautiful red-based pink.  Honestly, as boring as it may be... I think this is my favorite of the sorbets.

Y'all Come Back Now, Ya Hear? - Juicy orange.  OPI says it's "tangerine".  Potato, Potahto... same thing.  LOL.  :P  Again, this reminded me of a new take on another OPI polish... Nicole by OPI Fresh Squeezed Orange. 

One thing you must keep in mind is while the formula isn't thin per se, it isn't your typical OPI formula.  It had a tendency to spread, especially down near the cuticle.  It took me a couple of strokes to get the hang of it, but once I got it... they applied really well.  You can't have too much product on your brush.  In fact, less is more.  You will want to do thin coats with all of the sorbet polishes, otherwise, you will get streaks as you build the polish.  These dry very fast, so while it does take 3 coats to reach opacity, it doesn't take long.  If you are interested, here's a link to a video from OPI about how to properly apply the sorbets (sorry about the link, I tried to embed and it wasn't playing nice)...

Sorbet Video

Regarding the finish on these... over the past few weeks, in the nail polish community, there has been quite a bit of buzz about this new "sorbet" finish.  Admittedly, it has been as big of a buzz as the hubbub surrounding all the new crackle polishes (:P), but the chatter is still there.  Mainly it's focused on if the sorbets are actually jellies or not.  For my money... while I do see plenty of similarities with sorbets and jellies, I don't think that "sorbet-finish" is just a glorified term for jelly.  To me, these have a milky quality that makes them stand out.  While many people compare jelly polishes to candy or jell-o, IMO, these look like fruit snacks.  I really hope that makes sense... otherwise, it means I spend WAY too much time around 5-year-olds.  :\

Also, I really like the finish on these, and I'm not a huge fan of jellies.  I find them to be frustrating as a true jelly will never reach opacity.  These do.  It takes 3 coats, but they will become opaque.  However, like OPI mentions in the video, you can of course wear these as a colorwash over your nails by using only one coat.  Here, I used one coat of Too Hot Pink to Handle, to show you the effect with just one coat...

I'm not a huge fan of this look, but at least it doesn't look like a streaky mess.  So if you wanted just a bit of color, this might be a good solution.

All in all, like I mentioned above, I really like these sorbet polishes, and I'm kinda hoping that OPI offers more of them in the future (hopefully some in a different color range).  These are available now at B&M suppliers and online at etailers.  OPI retails for $8.50.

These were sent to me for review

OPI Hong Kong Collection Re-do

About a month ago, I posted my review of OPI's spring 2010 Hong Kong Collection.  I'd just bought a new camera and was determined to make the macros work.  Unfortunately, while it's a great mega-zoom camera, it and macros, don't get along, so I was forced to go back to my Sony Cybershot for nail blogging.  An unfortunate casualty of my camera issues was my review of this collection.  Quite frankly, the pictures sucked.  I hate feeling like my work isn't up to par, especially on a product review, so I decided to do a few (okay 3/4ths) of the pics in the collection.

As my the text in my review is still accurate, I won't move it all over here.  Please click the link above if you would like to read my ramblings.  I will go on a repost pics of entire collection, though 4 of the pics were ones that looked okay in my previous review.

Here are the ones I feel still look okay:

Hot & Spicy - warm orange-based coral

Bling Dynasty - yellowish gold with pink and green shimmer

Jade is the New Black - slightly dusty medium-toned green creme

Suzi Says Feng Shui - dusty medium-blue creme

And now here starts my re-do of the pictures.  I've been having issues with my nails splitting, so I just decided to cut them all down.  That's why the last 2 pics have different nail lengths than the other 6.

Pearl of Wisdom - mother-of-pearl sheer

A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find - bright orange-based red.  Much darker than Hot & Spicy.

Red My Fortune Cookie - Clear, bright, glossy true red. 

Meet Me on the Star Ferry - metallic mauve with pink and green shimmer (the same shimmer in Bling Dynasty).  Leans slightly plum.

Chop-sticking to my Story - medium, red-based, nutmeg brown

Dim Sum Plum - bright, pinkish-purple berry.  More berry than plum.

Lucky, Lucky Lavender - milky, light-medium, pink-based lavender.  More pink than purple.

Panda-monium pink - milky, pale, baby pink.  Lucky, Lucky Lavender's little sister.

Whew.  Now I can quit stressing.  LOL. 

These were sent to me for review

KOTD: OPI Lunch at the Delhi with Migi White

Sorry for the craptastic pic, but I wanted to go on and post this while it was on my mind.  If I think about it, I'll take another pic in the morning.

LatD is a muted, corally red.  When it was released, OPI described it as a coral.  It does have a hint of coral, but it's definitely a dusty red.  I used b/c I was kinda lemming Essie Chubby Cheeks, but LatD looks close and there's no need for a dupe of this kind of color, no matter how pretty.  This is 2 coats, though it could have used a third, you can still see VNL IRL.  If I wasn't doing a konad, I would have done a third.

As for the konad, this is another one of the fauxnad eBay plates.  I have a small obsession with lobsters and crabs (not live or cooked ones (blech), but cute ones.  LOL) and I was lemming this plate something awful.  Unfortunately, it didn't apply/release all that well, so it wasn't great, but I still love it.  I think it would look awesome in the summer.

EDITED to change my 2am typos.  :)

2 More China Glaze Up and Away polishes

I finally have a couple minutes to sit down and update, so this will be the first of several posts tonight.

This is Heli-Yum.  I'm pretty sure this is 2 coats.  For some reason, I'm having a hard time remembering how this applied, but IIRC, this applied pretty easy.  Not as nicely as Four Leaf Clover, but much better than High Hopes (up next).  Sorry to hide the index finger, but it was so chippy just after a day.  I had to re-do that nail when I did my mani, so I must have had something on it before I applied the polish.  The other nails were fine, so I don't think it was a problem with the polish.

ChG describes it as raspberry, and I can kind of see it in an processed raspberry sort of way.  It's not like fresh raspberries, but it does remind me of the raspberry sauce that comes with the Great Wall of Chocolate from P.F. Chang's.  (drooooooooooooooooool... okay, I'm done  :P).

This is a very pretty color, of not really original.  I kind of wonder how this compares to ChG Sneakerhead from the Custom Kicks collection.  They look kind of similar in the bottle, but I need to swatch it and see.

Next up is High Hopes

ChG describes this color as Guava, but to me, it's a bright, orange-based coral.  It's pretty, but I didn't really like on me.  You can't really tell from the pic, but even after 3 (thin) coats, you could see bald spots.  You could also see every imperfection on my nails.  It's a pretty color, and I may feel differently about it in warmer weather.  I think on somebody with actual pigment in their skin, this would look amazing, especially with a tan.  Also, I wanted to mention that this one had a very thick, goopy formula.  I had to do thin coats to combat it.  I want to compare this one to OPI Lunch at the Delhi.  I plan on doing a comp post with all the Up and Away polishes.