Nubar Parisian Collection Summer 2009

Nubar's new Parisian collection is a set of sheers, pinks and french manicure shades.


Champs-Elysees Pink. A warm, pale pink. This has a very soft peachy tone to it, I'd call this in between baby pink and pastel peach. This looks like a creme, but if you look really closely you'll see that it has a faint amount of soft shimmer. This is three coats.

Cineaqua Shimmer. A metallic coral-pink. This is a very shiny and reflective shade of warm pink. When applying this one you should be mindful of the frosty metallic formula to avoid brushstrokes as much as possible. The brushstrokes fade slightly when the polish is completely dried. Three coats.


Eiffel Tower Sparkle. Sheer crystalline pink shimmer. My favorite of the collection! It's so pretty and sparkly, it starts out sheer and builds opacity with each layer. This reminds me strongly of OPI Princess Rule!. Three coats.

Hotel Baby Pink. Pastel pink creme. This one is a very mod-60's looking pale pink creme. It really stands out despite being soft and pale. Three coats.

La Siene Shimmer. A sheer warm pink with strong blue flash. This is a really cool color. The blue flash is really nice and it's great for layering. It looks really nice over neon pink as well as on top of these sheers. I've been trying out a few different layering combinations for this one. Three coats.

Louvre Nude. Sheer nude-pink jelly creme. This really does have a jelly-like texture. It is transparent and milky. This can easily be worn with one or two coats because it's not the least bit streaky. This is four coats.

Notre Dame Nude. Milky nude-pink creme. This one is similar to Hôtel Baby Pink in finish but it's a slightly cooler shade of pink. Very hard to describe. It also has that 60's-retro look to it. Three coats.

Parc Floral Pink. Sheer petal pink creme. This one almost has a jelly finish to it, but it's a little more milky than Louvre Nude. This shade of pink is particularly delicate- almost white but pink enough to blend with your natural skintone. Another very sheer polish that isn't streaky. Four coats.

Since this is designed to be a french manicure collection, I did a little layering with the two shimmer shades to give some examples of what you can achieve with these shades.

The base for layering here is the Revlon Charlotte nail from the Naturally Chic line.

Eiffel Tower Sparkle (one coat) over a french manicure.

La Seine Shimmer (one coat) over a french manicure.

As you can see, these are all very soft, natural, feminine shades of pink and peach. They would make great colors for the traditional french manicure, or they can be worn alone either as sheers or with more coats for full coverage.

Siobhan at The Nailphile did a great post about this which includes some great pictures of La Seine Shimmer and Eiffel Tower Sparkle layered over the other shades in this collection

The formula on these was very good. Smooth and thin, non-streaky and quick drying. I had no issues applying them aside from the brushstrokes on Cineaqua Shimmer, but that's more due to the finish than the formula. I normally have a problem with sheers and milky pinks being extremely streaky, but these didn't have that problem. Very cool.

Not the most exciting collection I've ever seen, but if you're into sheers and pinks, you may really enjoy these, especially if you've had issues with streaky sheers in the past.

This collection is available now at ByNubar.com. As a bonus, until May 15th, Nubar is including their Foundation base coat and Diamont Shine topcoat free in every order of $50 or more. This entire collection is priced at $49.95 if you buy them all together, five cents short of the free gifts with purchase... Kind of odd, but maybe they'll include it anyway since it's so close.

OPI Summer 2009 Colorcopia Collection - 20th Anniversary of OPI

Colorcopia is a special OPI collection- instead of being a set of twelve brand new colors, they have re-released the most popular or best-selling shades from classic OPI collections.

I absolutely can not think today so please don't mind my incoherent babble. I can't even remember my middle name right now, much less construct an understandable sentence! Also, another warning ahead of time: OPI picked the twelve most IMPOSSIBLE to photograph shades they could think of, so not all of these pictures are 100% color-accurate. I did the best I could, but pinks and reds do a number on my camera!

I have many thoughts about this concept, but I'll save that for last. Swatches first!





Berry Berry Broadway. Re-release from the New York City Collection (2000). A bronzed berry shimmer.




Cancun Fiesta. Re-release from the original OPI launch in 1989! A medium blue-toned pink with very subtle shimmer. This is not a very good representation of the shade- it's more saturated and leans a little more purple in real life.




Copper Mountain Copper. Re-release from the Winter Resort Collection (1995). A rich red-mauve near-metallic shimmer. Not really what I think of when I hear 'copper' but it's still a beautiful autumn shade.




D.C. Cherry Blossom. Re-release from the 9091 Collection (1990). A saturated blue-pink creme. This color isn't the most unique but it's really hot. On the rare occasion that I do wear pink, I love these nearly-purple bright pinks.




Florentine Fuchsia. Re-release from the International Collection (1991). A medium fuchsia jelly. This is also a fairly poor representation of this shade- it's nearly impossible to photograph. It's very jelly-like: squishy looking and nearly translucent but not sheer. It's more of a berry shade but it's not like Misa Push Upon It or Zoya Moxie.





French Bordeaux. Re-release from the International Collection (2001). A warm red with slightly magenta-hued shimmer. This color is a little more brown in real life. It appears a lot more brown in the bottle, but when applied it is a brighter shade of red than expected.





Kinky In Helsinki. Re-release from the European Collection (2002). Pearly metallic fuchsia with blue-pink duochrome. I love the name of this, it was one of the first OPI polishes I ever bought just for the name. This is a really glowy shade, it looks lit from within.




Mediterranean Moonlight. Re-release from the Mediterranean Collection (1994). OPI describes this as "a light shade of gleaming caramel" but it's so not caramel. It's peach... Deep peach. It's a little more faded looking in real life.




Purple-opolis. Re-release from the Greek Isles collection (2004). A light, shimmery red-toned purple. This looks really different in sunlight and indoors. The sunlight picks up on the warm tones in the polish, but in dim light the cooler more blue purple shade comes out. Very, very pretty. Although, I'm pretty sure this is a bit different from the original release, but I can't find my bottle to compare. I need to re-organize. Ugh.




Sahara Sapphire. Re-release from the Painted Desert Collection (1998). A metallic blue pearl. This goes on with heavy brushstrokes, but they fade a little bit as the polish dries. They don't completely disappear, but they're not too bad. It has the same texture as Pike's Peek-A-Boo Purple. This almost has a hint of violet to it in certain lights. Serene looking.





Shootout At The O.K. Coral. Re-release from the American Collection (1995). A bright coral with blue/pink duochrome. This was my go-to pedicure color for years. It is very bright but not quite neon.



Venus Di Violet. Re-release from the Collezione Italiana (2001). A soft lilac pearl with blue-violet duochrome. A very unusual color!


I think it's really cool that OPI re-releases shades from long discontinued collections. I love old polishes and I love that people will have the chance to be able to buy them again for a regular price. However...


... I think they picked the most bland, boring shades they could find! Okay, there are a few old favorites of mine in this collection of re-released shades, but three reds? Three pink cremes?? Cancun Fiesta isn't really a creme, but the shimmer is so subtle that it could pass as one.

OPI has released some *incredible* unique shades in the past and I would have loved to see them as part of this collection. I feel like the colors they chose are really playing it safe. It is stated that the colors selected for this collection of re-releases were past best sellers. I believe that. These are the types of colors that tend to sell really well. That doesn't necessarily mean they're unique, but they'll most likely be very popular.

If I had to choose twelve shades to re-release in my very own Colorcopia, they would be these:

1. Rainforest
2. Jasper Jade
3. I Get A Kick Out Of Gold
4. Black Tie Optional
5. Crim-Sun
6. Amethyst Abyss
7. Mystic Moonshine
8. La Boheme
9. Affair In Times Square
10. Vampire State Building
11. Real Teal
12. Home On The O-Range

Okay, that's just one possible set I can think of- there are hundreds of combinations of 'vintage' awesome colors that could be re-released. Those are just a few long-gone favorites and impossible to obtain wishes of mine.


Overall, not a terrible collection but not terribly adventurous. I love a lot of the colors- Venus Di Violet, Kinky In Helsinki, Shootout At The O.K. Coral, Florentine Fuchsia, Sahara Sapphire- that's almost half! I can't complain too much, but I would have liked to see some of their more unique shades in this collection instead of three uninteresting reds and three easily duplicated pinks.

And, just for fun, here are some very old pictures of me wearing the original versions of a couple of these colors:


Kinky In Helsinki.



Shootout At The O.K. Coral.



What would you have rather seen in this collection? Or is it perfect the way it is?

MAC Sugarsweet Polishes: Seasonal Peach and Peppermint Patti

I'm sure you've all seen these a bajillion times already, but I've been wearing Peppermint Patti since it arrived on my doorstep on Friday and I snapped a few pics.

It is super hot. Seriously.



MAC Peppermint Patti, in sunlight and indoors. It's not 100% accurate in these pictures, it's a bitch and a half to photograph! It's not as blue as these pictures suggest. It's a soft minty, nearly turquoise green. I had no application problems- it was smooth, dense and creamy. This is two coats. Very pigmented. Excuse the tipwear, I've been wearing it since Friday.

The decal is by Fing'rs EDGE Royal Punk Nail Art. Isn't it awesome?!



MAC Seasonal Peach. A creamy, milky retro peach. I bought this when it came out last year, so I'm not sure if there are any formula or color differences between this and the one released with Sugarsweet. I love this color. It's so retro! It's very flattering and feminine on my hands, but it's not boring. I think the starkness of it gives it an edge. I don't have very many colors like this in my collection and I can't think of a single duplicate.

I also had no problems applying this one. It's streaky on the first coat like any other light milky color would be, but it was pretty much entirely even on the second coat. I do three coats when I wear it, just to make sure it's entirely opaque. Many people complain that this is a nightmare to apply- it wasn't for me. It was actually really nice. So, your mileage may vary.

I think these would look even better together. I was going to do Peppermint Patti on all fingers but my ring finger and then do Seasonal Peach on my ring finger, but then I decided I wanted a decal instead. I'm definitely doing it next time!

I'm also testing out a few new things- a fake nail that promises 10 days of wear and topcoat that promises not to chip or peel, so we'll see how that works out. I look like I have Frankenfingers- one nail is short and french, the rest are long and green with skull decals. I feel like I have someone else's thumb attached to my hand, it's so bizarre. Stripper thumb transplant FTW!!

Reader Requests

I've been sooooo behind on my swatching and requests, but I managed to finish a few today!



OPI Golden Rules! From one of my favorite OPI collections of all time, Night Brights. A soft metallic gold with a brushed-metal type finish.



OPI Cozu-Melted In The Sun. A shimmery peachy metallic with large particle shimmer. Super pretty. It looks darker in the bottle than it does on my fingers... Strange!


Lippmann Collection Rhapsody In White. I didn't think I had this one, but it turns out I did! A very pearly bright white. Easier to apply than Icing On The Cake, but still not easy to work with. Very brushstroky.



China Glaze Aqua Baby. A bright blue creme. If I recall correctly, this is practically identical to China Glaze Shower Together from the Eco Collection, but I couldn't find my bottle to compare.

I finally got a chance to swatch the Essie 2008 Bridal Collection and the OPI Princess Charming collection, as well as a ton of old and brand new polishes, so keep an eye out for those. I have comparisons on the way also. Whew!

China Glaze OMG Collection

You know, I meant to post this yesterday but after I got back from the doctor the rest of the day kinda got away from me... But I'm posting it now and that's all that matters, right? Right? *crickets chirp*

From the top!


2NITE. Bright medium blue holo.



BFF. Medium pink holo.



DV8. Fabulous bright teal blue holo.


FYI. Neutral tan/beige holo.



GR8. Gold holo.


IDK. Light dusty purple holo.


L8R G8R. Bright spring green holo.


LOL. Purple holo.


OMG. Stunning silver holo.


QT. Hot plum-pink holo.


TMI. Warm coral/salmon holo.


TTYL. Warm peach holo.


Okay... I think that's all of them!

As you can see, the holographic effect in these is quite different from the holo in the Kaleidoscope collection. These are very smooth and straight, the particles appear more organized and linear. The holographic effect in these is barely visible under low light and indoor lighting, and they actually appear pretty flat and uninteresting unless you're in bright light or outdoors. The Kaleidoscopes, however, still appear sparkly in low light.

The formula on these is a little more tricky. These are best applied without a basecoat, as weird streaking and bald spots occur when applied over basecoat. These do not stain, so don't worry too much about not using a basecoat. The formula is also a little drippy and tricky to apply, but these colors are well worth the extra effort.

They only need two coats for total opacity and they dry lightning fast. They also look best without a topcoat. For some reason topcoat seems to dull the holographic effect.

Another downside is the wear time on these. Even with basecoat and topcoat, every single time I wear these they chip the same day... Sometimes even the same hour. But, touchups are a small price to pay for such an incredible polish.

And a little tip: These polishes work incredibly well with the Konad nail art stamp!
The first time I tried this with Konad (inspired by Misa Masa!) I was blown away- totally freakin' amazing. Look!


With flash. Can you see all that holo goodness? Oh yeah!



Why is it that the blurry pictures show the holo more?


Ths is what it looks like in very dim indoor lighting. You can still see the holo, but nowhere near as much as outdoors or under bright light.


So, Konad-lovers, go get out your OMGs and stamp amazing designs! (Sidenote: I am working on a Konad tutorial. In the meantime, you should check out the Konad Queen, Siobhan.)

I don't think this collection has been discontinued yet, so no rush to buy them before they disappear. However, I wouldn't wait too long, because the best stuff always seems to get discontinued first.

China Glaze OMG. Exactly. I couldn't think of a better name myself.