OPI - Don't Talk Bach to Me

Don't you just love the title of this lacquer? Some lacquer names I could care less about, others will prevent me from purchasing a lacquer altogether, and some I must own due to the great name.  Well, with this lovely shade, I fell in love with the color long before I knew the name.

Don't Talk Bach to Me (DTBtM) hails from OPI's Germany Collection for Fall/Winter 2012. This collection is described as "edgy elegance" and is said to include "rich colors and striking textures for fall". I would describe it as redundant, with the exception of two shades, the namesake of this post, and Schnapps Out of It!  The other colors I've seen before and could not justify purchasing.

Color Description:  OPI describes DTBtM as a sassy lime-yellow.  It's sassy because there's a secret silver shimmer going on that makes this lacquer extra shiny.  I love this color because on me it turns into a lovely neutral that can be worn with anything.

Similar To: Okay, so I pulled out American Apparel's MacArthur Park and at first glance, in the bottles they look very similar but the AA is darker albeit in the same family.  It has also been compared to Fiercely Fiona in OPI's Shrek Collection (not even close) or China Glaze's Trendsetter which is closer but not nearly enough to call it a dupe.

This Look: One coat of Growing Nails Orderless Garlic base coat, two coats of DTBtM and one coat of my all-time favorite Shine & Hold topcoat.

Velusa: yellow green/gold -
Wallpaper from the 70s

Price Point/Availability: Germany by OPI became available August 8, 2012 and can be purchased at Professional Salons near you including JCPenney and ULTA; retails for $8.50.

70's Vinyl Sofa

Don't Talk Bach to Me is the kind of color that you just forget you have on all together until someone pays you a compliment - which will happen, a lot. This yellow leaning, green reminds me of a throwback to the 70's upholstery fabric or wall coverings.  Just gorgeous!

COMP-POST: Essie Navigate Her vs. CQ Mint Green - Part Two

Navigate Her (2 coats) ~ Mint Green (3 coats)

Well, the verdict is in and as you can see, there's no dupe here.  I would even say that if you like one, you may not like the other - that's how different they look on the hand.


The picture to the left is showing, on alternating fingers,  Essie Navigate Her (index and middle) and CQ Mint Green (middle and pinky).


Color Description: Navigate Her is a warm-tone creme that has yellow undertones and I would definitely describe it as a pistachio or celery green, whereas, Mint Green is cool-toned with more of a pastel green and is a bit lighter and airier, which I prefer.  Personally, I think Mint Green is prettier.


Application: Navigate Her was almost opaque in one coat with the application being easy and pretty much flawless with little effort.  Even though I prefer the look of Mint Green, it was thin and watery and a challenge to apply.  The question is which one did I choose to wear out the door?


This Look: As you can see in the picture to the right, I chose to wear Essie's Navigate Her for the ease of application with two coats, and one coat of Nutra Nail Ultra Shine topcoat.


Price Point/Availability: I found both Navigate Her and Mint Green at Rite Aid for $2.99 and $8.00, respectively. If only CQ's application was as good as the price we would have a winner!  But as it is, it's just gonna take a little more time and forethought before applying.


Hope you enjoyed this comparison post and that it will help you in your selection process. :)

COMP-POST: Essie Navigate Her vs. CQ Mint Green - Part One

Okay, so I've searched high and low for something remotely close to Essie's Navigate Her ($8.29) and I think I found it - CQ Mint Green ($2.99).


I know they're not identical twins but they are definitely more than fraternal twins.  So here's the bottle pic but I will have actual swatches up shortly.

The Essie has a bit more of a yellow undertone but I would describe them both as a celery green creme.

Can't wait to see what this looks like on my nails.  Exciting stuff, but I must admit that I'm easily pleased.  See you soon!

Ulta Salon Formula - Limelight (01/24/2012)

Light Box w/ OTT (daylight) lighting

Good Afternoon All!  Today my nails are inspired by the lovely blogger, Wig Wam, who so nicely named me in her favorite 15 Versatile Bloggers!  Please click on the green award to the right to check out her post and the others that she's selected.  


I am so happy to get this because I don't do a lot of designs and never do konading (which some would consider versatile), but what I do ♥ to concentrate on is beautiful color - vivid, saturated, intense, soft, mysterious, you name it color's the name of the game for me.  That's how I keep things ever changing...


So I thought I'd do a beautiful green that is similar in hue to the Versatile Blogger Award which brings us to Ulta's Limelight's review:


Color Description: Limelight is more of a fresh leaf green which would be great for the Spring. It's a unique color that's not shocking in any way.

Incandescent Lighting

Similar To:  This color has been compared as a dupe to OPI's Green-wich Village by Noelie (click to see post here). Very close indeed!  Other than that not sure what else to compare it to.


This Look: Two coats of OPI Acrylic Nail Base Coat (I have it so I said I might as well us it!), three coats of Limelight and one coat of Shine & Hold.


Price Point/Availability:  I purchased this a year or so ago at Ulta and since then they've changed the packaging but the price still retails for about $5 and they're always running a bogo of some sort (i.e. buy 2 get 2 free, etc.).


So now I'm off to compile my list of 15 ladies for this award...  The versatile blogger post will be coming soon!

China Glaze - Trendsetter (11/4/2011)

I pulled Trendsetter out of my box of untrieds for this Fall and I must say I really like this one, a lot. 

Color Description:  Best described as a yellow-toned mossy green with gold shimmer, Trendsetter is definitely on the mustard side and is very unique.

Similar To: With a name like Trendsetter it better not have any dupes... Can you think of one?  I can't.

This Look:  One coat of Instant Artificals, two coats of Trendsetter and one coat of Shine and Hold.

Price Point/Availability:  This lacquer is from China Glaze's Metro collection for Fall 2011, however, I believe this was a limited edition offering but you can readily find Trendsetter online.

How do you choose which color to wear next? For me it really depends on how the wind blows but as I mentioned above if all else fails I have a trusty-dusty box of untrieds to choose from. :)

OPI - Jade Is The New Black (11/1/2011)

Jade Is The New Black is a beautiful GREEN from last year's Hong Kong collection and is the perfect lacquer to complete, what I will call, my "traffic light series", which included the RED Caviar & Vodka (from the 2007 Russian collection) and my last YELLOW post of The "It" Color (from the 2008 Mod About Brights collection).


Color Description: A very vivid, deep and dusty green creme that looks great in bright lights.


Similar To: The color of the Starbucks logo (lol) and what else?  The closest thing I've seen is Revlon Emerald (comped by The Daily Varnish here)...  Pretty close I'd say!


This Look: One coat of Growing Nails Garlic base, one coat of Instant Artificials, two coats of Jade Is The New Black and one coat of Shine and Hold.


Price Point/Availability: Again, it looks like this color made it into the core/permanent line and retails for $8.50/ea.


Thanks for stopping by once again!  Green means "go" so off to make some moves this week.  See you soon... :)

Nubar - Verde (10/17/2011)

A very sophisticated green, Nubar Verde is on trend for the Fall!  I've owned this lacquer for at least a year and finally decided to wear it and its all that and then some.


Color Description: Verde is, of course, green but with an unusual golden-bronze glass-flecked undertone that sets it apart from most greens out there. It's a beautiful deep forest green with a golden shimmer you don't come by everyday.


Similar To: So close to Zoya Edyta that they could be fraternal twins. My Lucid Bubble did a "smackdown" between the two and here it is for you viewing pleasure.


This Look: One coat of Growing Nails Garlic basecoat, two coats of Nubar Verde and one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine.


Price Point/Availability: Nubar Verde is available online at ByNubar.com and retails for about $7.50.


See you on Pink Wednesday peeps! :)

OPI - Uh Oh Roll Down The Window (09/16/2011)

This lacquer has one of the most "interesting" names of my entire OPI collection - Uh Oh Roll Down The Window.  There are a few schools of thought as to the meaning of this name but I have to agree with Nail Juice on this one.


Imagine you're "Touring America" trying to reach your destination at 85 mph in a 65 mph zone and the CHP (California Highway Patrol) pulls you over.  What's you first reaction?  Uh Oh Roll Down The Window - LOL!!!  This is a fitting name for a lacquer from OPI's Touring America collection.  By the way, depending on what part of the U.S. you're from, UORDtW is the same color as the uniform that highway patrol officers wear - again a very fitting color for this collection.


Color Description:  UORDtW is a mossy olive green creme with brown undertones and like a highway patrol officer, this lacquer means business!  This color is not for everyone so if you'd like to play it safe you might want to pass this one by.

Similar To:  In the bottle UORDtW is almost, if not, exactly the same color as Zoya Dree.  Did a quick swatch below.  So, in other words, if you have Dree you do not need UORDtW.

Dree on index finger (all others UORDtW)

This Look:  One coat of Barielle Camouflage, two coats of UORDtW and one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine.


Price Point/Availability:  Included in the Touring America collection for Fall 2011, Uh Oh Roll Down The Window, is available at select salons and other retailers and sells for $8.50.


Have a great weekend folks and see you soon!

Zoya - Cynthia and Comps (08/28/2011)

Zoya Cynthia is from the Fall 2011 Smoke Collection, of which, I purchased two: Cynthia and Dree.  I now see that I can't resist a green in any form from dark to light from teal to olive, greens are great!


Color Description: Zoya describes Cynthia as "a smoky, blackened peacock teal with soft warm undertones. A very uncommon shade of blue for a subtle but funky look."  It also is a creme with the slightest hint of shimmer, so slight it's not a secret it's just abut non-existent.  And, it is true you don't find this shade of teal very often but I now have at least four versions of this color in my collection, wanna see?


Similar To: Cynthia is extremely dupish to two, if not three shades that I own: L'Oreal Mystery, Jessica Frost At All Cost and CQ Slate.  Of these the least similar is Slate (a bit more green than blue) but to the "normal" eye they are all pretty much the same. (see pic directly below - can you tell the difference?)

Slate (index), Frost At All Cost (middle),
Mystery (ring), and Cynthia (pinky)

This Look: One coat of Starting Over After Artificials, two coats each of the above four shades and then topped off the final look (first picture) with Zoya Cynthia; used Sally Hansen Mega Shine as the topcoat.


Price Point/Availability: The most difficult of the four to get your hands on would be Jessica Frost At All Cost because it's not as widely available as the others.  The easiest would be CQ Slate from you local Rite Aid (or drugstore) and L'Oreal Mystery, although Limited Edition, can still be found at many drugstores including Bed, Bath and Beyond.  Zoya Cynthia can be found online at Zoya.com for $8.


Hope this helps when deciding which deep teal lacquer to purchase next.  Have a great Sunday, y'all!

Slate, Frost At All Cost, Mystery, Cynthia

Chanel - Peridot

Chanel Peridot is the color I chose to wear for my one year blog anniversary and it's has been a week of wonderfulness!  I have been wearing this lacquer since Tuesday (8/23/2011) and can't seem to take it off...  


It's lasted through Disneyland and a host of other activities and is well worth the money.  These pics were taken today after close to four days of wear.


Besides a little dent on my index finger tip, Chanel Peridot has held up extremely well - for a Chanel.  Sad to say my Paradoxal did not hold up half as well, chippity chip chip chip was its theme song.


I love the venetian glass effect that Peridot has and that's why I had to save up a few ducats to make this purchase.  I know whenever I try to layer and franken to create a dupe the next thing is just to break down and buy it.


As you can see in certain lighting it looks like a foil and other lighting it has a duochrome pearlized finish, either way I'm in love.  See you soon!

Maybelline - Scene On The Runway Collection Swatches (Fall 2011)

The new Scene On The Runway Collection from Maybelline caught my eye on Thursday (yesterday) in Rite Aid and so I decided to "participate" in the BOGO50 promotion that was ending.  

These were the three that I thought I must have...

Cool Couture is a dark gray with fine turquoise blue shimmer
(Ott light w/ light box)

Here's another look at the shimmer
(incandescent lighting)

Natural Beauty is a nice deep tan creme and
is almost a dupe for OPI San Tan-Tonio.
From top to bottom: STT, NB, STT, NB - close, eh?
(NB is a shade or two deeper than STT)

And lastly, Be Scene In Green a medium green frost
(not special enough, IMO)

I am definitely going back for the purple shimmer that I overlooked called Purple Trend!  See it here on Nouveau Cheap as well as glimpse at the rest of Maybelline's new Fall 2011 line.  


So far, what do you think?  Have you seen this in stores yet.  My sales associate just put these out today and I'm glad I stopped by! :)

Silhouette - Orchis (My Take on Chanel Peridot)

This is my take on Peridot...  I stumbled upon Silhouette Orchis with my friend at a beauty supply/wig shop yesterday and thought it reminded me a bit of Chanel Peridot. So today I tried a layering experiment:


This Look: One coat of Orly Golden Coral, on coat of Silhouette Orchis, one coat of Maybelline Colorama Give Me The Chills, one coat of Best Sence #89 and one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine.  If you have Revlon's Glimmer Gloss in Banana Blaze this could replace the #89 and if you have Maybelline's Khaki Fringe this could replace Orchis.  I had fun layering - thanks for looking!

I went to Macy's to test Peridot and this is a side by side comparison of Orchis/Peridot.  In certain lighting, Peridot turns into a beautiful light green duochrome reminiscent of venetian glass and Orchis does not.

Below is Chanel Peridot in all of its glory... :)

Chanel Peridot from Retail Therapy
http://retailtherapy.onsugar.com/category/Peridot

Omega Labs - Silvery Green (07/24/2011)

Umph, umph, umph!  This glitter is insane in the membrane and shines its brightest over black or maybe even a deep green.  This is the green glitter that the Burlesque Collection was missing.  Hmm, what would OPI call this one with titles like Bring On The Bling and Simmer & Shimmer? Maybe,  Green Light A Go-Go? LOL!


Color Description: This is an outrageous holographic and medium green glitter suspended in a clear base and definitely competes, toe to toe with every OPI glitter that's been on the market.


Similar To: Nothing that I own or that I've seen...


This Look: One coat of Silvery Green over OPI Black Onyx (previous post) then topped with one coat of Sally Hansen NailShine Miracle and Mega Shine.


Price Point/Availability:  I found this at a Mom & Pop beauty supply store for $1.  Can't wait to go back out of town to that secret dusty spot to pick up a few more of these. 


Thanks so much for your comments!  Can't believe I have over 300 readers and without a single "giveaway"...  So, next time I go to that secret dusty spot, I'll try to remember to pick up a few extras of these.  They have many other holo glitters, too.  Maybe, once I get to 500 I'll do an Omega Labs give-away of some sort - that might be fun!

Kleancolor Crack - Green Crackle (5/4/2011)

Left Hand

The market has been flooded with all sorts for crackle collections for every budget and I wanted to try a few colors from the Kleancolor Crack line, so I picked up Green Crackle, Red Crackle, Brown Crackle and Purple Crackle.  


Color Description:  Green crackle is deep green like the color of school bus seats in the 80's - lol!  Oh and the crackle pattern reminds me of a tortoise shell.


Similar To:  Is there another green crackle on the market yet?  If you know of one please fill me in, but for now I know of nothing similar.

Right Hand

This Look:  Two coats of Miss Marion's Super Base (white), one coat of Green Crackle, and one coat of Z Super Fast Dry topcoat.  Please note that a good base is imperative.  I painted my bare nail and 1st it didn't crackle and second, as I was blowing it dry, it literally blew off my nails like powder.  So, strange!


As you can see from my pics, the left hand (thin layer) crackled a finer than my right hand (thick layer).  I prefer the look of the right hand, myself. 


Price Point/Availability:  I believe these were released within the last week, or so, however, they are not available online yet but will retail for $3.99 (+ tax) with a whopping $8.00 for shipping.  So if you can find these in a local beauty supply that's your best bet; they can get as low as $1.99.


Well, today's my day off so I will wear this for a few hours tops!  Have you seen these around yet?  There are a few other Kleancolors that I'd like to get my hands on and for this price you can't go wrong.  As always, stay well-polished and talk to you a bit later.

Debbilia - #51 (Chartreuse)

Incandescent Lighting

Another popular color this season is chartreuse and although some say it's a difficult to wear, I feel daring, bold and will be wearing this with a suit the exact same color later on today at a special event. 


Color Description:  Debbilia #51 is a very regal and interesting color.  It is a  chartreuse or lime green shimmer with gold and pink undertones - stunning.  


Similar To: Looks extremely similar to OPI Simply Smashing from Serena's line.  It also puts me in the mind of OPI Who The Shrek Are You or Fingerpaint's Lucky in Love Lime, however, the finish is totally different.  Not sure if there's anything out there exactly like this - I haven't seen it, at least.

This Look: One coat of Miss Marion's White Super Basecoat, two coats of #51 and one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine.

Price Point/Availability:  I picked this up at the Debbilia beauty supply store that is no longer open.  I went back one day and it was GONE.  I think this cost me all of $1...  I tried to google it and the old address comes up *iz sad*.


Thanks for reading my jibber-jabber and hope you like this color.  If anyone knows another color like this on the market, please leave your comment below.  Also, what do you think about this?  Is it too bright for you or would you totally rock this?  Let me know!

OPI - Not Like The Movies (4/23/2011)

Hello there my pretties!  Today I'm going to a baby shower at a country club (nice!), so I wanted to wear something exceptionally pretty for the occasion.  Well, Katy Perry's Not Like The Movies was just screaming, "wear me, wear me!". 


Color Description:  
While my version has virtually no violet/pink undertones, it definitely is a duochrome that changes from a beautiful silver to a lovely shimmering green.  Oh, and I can't forget the silver micro-shimmers that take this color over the top.  


Similar To:  The original version has been compared to Wet N Wild's Gray's Anatomy and this one puts me in the mind of OPI Brand New Skates in certain lighting (so pretty)!  


This Look:   One coat of Starting Over After Artificials, three coats of Not Like The Movies, and one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine. 


Price Point/Availability:  I found mine in the JC Penney Salon where it retails for $8.00.  Although this is a Limited Edition color, you can still find this online and at other Salon locations.   


I believe this is the second batch to be released but I can't be too sure.  What I have been noticing, however, is that if your batch number on the bottom starts with a 10 then you have the first batch and if it starts with an 11 then more than likely you have the second batch.   

Last Thought:
Even though Not Like The Movies will, more than likely, go down in history as OPI's biggest debacle of 2011, I'm glad to own this version. 


What do you think of this color and which version do you have?  Better yet, what number is on the bottom of your bottle?  Do tell...

American Apparel Swatches - Greens (Mac Arthur Park and Army Jacket)

Today I'm turning over a new leaf - thus, the color choice for this post!  Over the past year I've picked up 12 of these lovely American Apparel lacquers without swatching one.  So, here are swatches of few colors I picked up last weekend:

Army Jacket

I the formula is to die for...  The colors are great and I don't know exactly what took me so long to try them on.  I guess they just look so pretty in the bottle.

Mac Arthur Park

Which color would you like to see swatched next? I have one in mind but definitely welcome suggestions.

Including the two in today's post, I currently own:
Peacock, Manila, Pinto, Palms Springs, Summer Peach, Butter, L'Esprit, Mount Royal, and Office.


These lacquers are currently being sold American Apparel stores and online for $6 or 3/$15.  Which do you own?  Can't wait to hear from my well-polished readers.

QwicPic: NDB Sweet Pea over Daisy Asian Pear (12/09/2010)

This "qwicpic" is with lacquer found at the Nail Expo (Daisy - Asian Pear) last month and a beauty supply yesterday (NDB - Sweet Pea).

Asian Pear (l); Sweat Pea (r)

I thought it was about time I pulled out my mint greens again and obviously yesterday's find, Sweet Pea, prompted my selection.
 
Hope you have a wonderful Thursday and talk to you lovely and well-polished ones soon...

Dare 2 Wear Mood Polish - Blue Charcoal 2 Green

My latest mani is Dare 2 Wear Blue Charcoal to Green and was an extra in a lovely swap package that I received a few months ago.  

I had this color well before I purchased Essie Sew Psyched and once compared it's surprisingly similar except with more shimmer, as you can see.  

The shimmer is not noticeable without the flash, but for some reason the flash makes this this color look like a frost, which it is not.

The mood polish blue to green effect is no longer working. EDIT: Though, I've seen no charcoal blue, there is a darker green that is apparent when my hands are in cold water. The picture to the right shows what "cold" does to the polish. This after one day and tip wear is showing.  I really do like it, though. :)

Thanks for checking me out and have a well-polished Sunday evening!

COMPS: Green and Gorgeous - MAC Jade Dragon Q&D's

This is definitely a set of gorgeous green polishes worthy of comparison!  This quick and dirty post was totally inspired by MAC Jade Dragon, which the Nordies SA so kindly pointed out, that this was the "last one" they had in the store.  

What'd she want to say that for, I took a closer look and said, "I'll take it!".  I did, however, mention to her that I have many greens and if it's too close to something I already have I would bring it back.  Well, so much for that - IT'S A KEEPER!

The picture above consists of (top to bottom): Ulta Tainted Love (index), China Glaze Watermelon Rind (middle), Orly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe (ring), and MAC Jade Dragon (pinky). At a glance, you will see, that the bottle pics (below) are in the same family.

These colors, though they're similar, are not the same.  And I'm thrilled to have them all in my collection.  MAC's JD has what I'd call a "secret shimmer" which makes it super shiny and is darker on the nail, while Orly's MMUtM is all-out glass-flecked gorgeousness.  ChG WR is the most teal of the bunch and is glass-flecked, as well, with Ulta's TL being a beautiful deep green with golden shimmer.  And if I'm not mistaken, all of these colors are still available for purchase in the U.S.

One more gorgeous deep green of note would be Nina Ultra Pro's Emerald City.  This was the very first green shimmer I fell in ♥ with (see pic to the right).  This would be a suitable base for all comps above, that is, if you wanted to stretch your nicer bottle of polish.  At any rate, I hope you enjoyed these comps and please let me know your thoughts below.  

Now off to do my "real" mani, Orly Space Cadet!  Can't wait and until the next time, thanks for checking in and being my inspiration to be well-polished.