OPI Press Release: Couture de Minnie Collection

OPI has introduced a new Couture de Minnie Collection inspired by Minnie Mouse to be released in the Summer of 2013. 

OPI announces the launch of its Couture de Minnie collection, including four limited edition nail lacquers and one new Liquid Sand™ shade. Created in honor of Disney’s beloved character, the Couture de Minnie line explores the fashion-forward side of Minnie Mouse, mixing pink, fuchsia and red shades with textural elements. In addition to three crème lacquers, the Couture de Minnie line features a red and white polka dot glitter shade and the strawberry-hued Liquid Sand nail lacquer in Magazine Cover Mouse to give nails a sparkly, matte finish. 

“Last summer, OPI created a ‘Vintage Minnie Mouse’ line. Women around the world fell in love with the fun and playful shades evocative of Minnie’s traditional look,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “This year, OPI is exploring a different side of Minnie Mouse. The Couture de Minnie collection draws inspiration from Minnie’s iconic style and incorporates trends most recently seen on the runways, from standout shades to fun textural elements.” 

Couture de Minnie nail lacquers each feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Liquid Sand lacquers should always be worn without top coat. This limited edition promotion will be available beginning June 2013 at professional salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ulta.com for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter@OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan! 

So what do you think of their 2nd Minnie Mouse Collection? Is it too soon since the last one? Personally I think it's a bit soon but this collection does seem to be quite different and the Liquid Sand looks amazing! Will you be picking any of these up?

~Linda

Aly's Dream Polish + Nail Art

Hello Hello!

Today I've got a quick upgrade to the Aly's Dream Polish holographic polishes I showed you the other day. I created some triangle designs using striping tape and added Intense Blurple over the base color of Blue Lapis. Next I used the turquoise Kiss Nail Art Paint I received in this past months Nail Art Society Box to add a pop of color in outlining those triangles.

Imagine riding a tractor through through a pumpkin patch...full of pumpkins...and trying to draw a straight line. That's how steady my hand is when sitting at a desk (doh!) That being said, my lines didn't come out all that bad but enough so to almost drive me nuts. At least I accept my limitations..lol

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Aly's Dream Polish

Hi ladies, Today I've finally got a chance to swatch some of Aly's Dream Polish because the sun decided to make an appearance...yay!!! It was an absolutely gorgeous day here so after spending most of the morning outside cleaning the yard, the garage, our patio, setting up the badminton set and lawn chairs...phew...I got some polish time!

I have two holographic polishes from Aly's Dream Polish Euphoria Collection in Intense Blurple #58 and Blue Lapis #59.

Intense Blurple #58 is a gorgeous shade of...you guessed it...bluish purple. It mostly looks purple with that blue base color that hints through. I honestly don't have any other polish that I can compare this to. It's a very pretty color. This is two coats with topcoat taken in sunlight.

The holographic effect on both of these polishes are pretty darn good. It's not comparable to the quality of Layla or Color Club Halo Hues but it's definitely strong enough to never have to say..."Well if I turn my hand this way you can see it". (I cannot be the only one who has said this) I had no problem seeing the holo inside or outside, but oddly enough I noticed that the holo effect was stronger when I had a topcoat on.

Indoor - Daylight Bulb

Indoor - Daylight Bulb

Blue Lapis #59 is nice dark, rich shade of cobalt blue. On her Storenvy shop the picture seemed a bit lighter and more purple based but I do actually like this color. This is two coats without any topcoat taken in sunlight.

Indoors - Daylight Bulb

Aly's Dream Polish Euphoria Collection can be purchased on her Storenvy shop and costs $12 for the full sized 15 ml bottles. All their lacquers are made with cosmetic grade materials, polish friendly ball bearings and are free of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), camphor, toluene and formaldehyde (A.K.A 4 Free). All materials sourced are Cruelty Free.

Have you purchased any Aly's Dream Polish yet?  What's your favorite color that you've gotten?

~Linda
 

Mari Moon So Unique (Pic Heavy Post)

Hello my lovelies! I have been a complete hermit lately and have barely even painted my nails. Sigh...but they are getting nice and strong again after a gross winter full of breaks and peeling, thanks to OPI Nail Envy.

What I have for you today is completely amazing! The Mari Moon Holographico collection was something I was drooling over after seeing a blogger abroad showing off these beauties. The first chance I got, I bought all four even though three of them seemed weirdly close in color. I'm soo happy I didn't skimp and got all four. ☺

This collection is all about showing off duo-chromes with a holographic sparkle to it. The holo effect is not very strong but is definitely visible. The duo-chrome is simply amazing. The two together is absolutely to die for.

Today I'm showing off So Unique which is a red/maroon color and dark eggplant purple as the two major color shifts. Don't let me deceive you...those are the two main colors, but you get about 8 varying shades of red, orange and purple depending on the light and the angle of your nails. AH-MAY-ZING

I've barely had luck getting these photos to look as great as IRL. Be warned...when I love a nail polish, I take tons of photos and by tons I mean 344. Pick your chin up off the table and take a look at some of my favorites. I painstakingly chopped it down to a manageable amount but this is still pretty pic heavy.

Unfortunately, as the sun and weather still do not want to cooperate here, all these pictures were taken indoors either in or out of my lightbox but using daylight bulbs.

So in case you didn't catch it the other 9 times I mentioned it....So Unique is amazing! I wish the holographic effect would have been stronger but it's possible that it is when in the sunlight. Damn you gray sky!

I'm hoping to get some sunlight this weekend so that I can pull together some pictures of the other 3 polishes in this collection and some of my Aly's Dream Polish.

I picked up the Mari Moon Holographico Collection at Llarowe but it seems they've sold out. She has periodic restocks, so don't miss out on grabbing So Unique and maybe some of the others.

Thanks for stopping by!
~Linda

April Nail Art Society Box

Today I'm showing you what came in this months Nail Art Society (NAS) box. If you've seen some of my prior posts, this subscription is one that I've been on the verge of cancelling however I do actually think that this month was a good box and worth my subscription cost of $10. Unfortunately some others are paying their $19.95 price point since they were not locked into the earlier pricing.

This months theme is 'Bows & Stripes' and they've gotten their inspiration from Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2013.

They've given NAS subscribers the bows and other tools to create the checkered pattern or stripes. While they didn't give any true polish they did give some good quality products to recreate these looks.

The Kiss Nail Artist paints have the striping brushes (long and thin like a toothpick) to create your stripes or checkerboard patterns and came in three different colors shown above and also had some tip guide 'stickers' within the box. I've seen these little sets in CVS or Walgreens before and they cost around $7 or $8. They also included some aqua striping tape which I've used before and think does a fantastic job at allowing for straight lines (which I would have never been able to do freehand). The 'Love Stones' are 3D plastic bows and they've supplied the nail glue to apply these babies. There are a considerable amount of these bows and they are in 12 different patterns so that's quite a variety. I wouldn't be surprised if you were able to re-use these as well. (Thrifty Thrifty Thrifty)

I've included a close up below so that you can get a good idea of what these look like. Not too shabby in my opinion.

I think the inspiration and what they've supplied this month really allows their subscribers to pull together some fun nail art and the value of this box is substantially better than previous months.

Here's the handy card they include each month to explain their inspiration and some step by step directions (on the back) as to how to use these products.

I'll be pulling together a look using these items this weekend and will make sure to share my vision with you all. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

Zoya Earth Day Nail Polish Exchange is back!

Don't miss out on your chance to get some seriously discounted 5Free polishes, and an opportunity to discard your old (non3free) polishes the proper way! See the details below from Zoya.com

The Zoya Nail Polish Exchange* is BACK for Earth Day 2013!

Once again, Zoya is helping you do a little spring cleaning with the return of the Earth Day Zoya Nail Polish Exchange* for 2013. Clean out your nail polish wardrobe and get rid of old nail polish that may not be BIG5FREE(Free of Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene, DBP and Camphor) and exchange it for a greener alternative - long lasting, award winning, healthy ZOYA Nail Polish Bottles!

1. Go to Zoya.com and pick out the polishes you would like (Note: ALL Zoya PixieDust Collection shades are excluded) and add them to your cart. You must select at least 6 bottles and no more than 24 bottles of polish (Salon accounts minimum 12 maximum 48 bottles).
2. Apply the code: ZOYAEARTH2013
3. Your order value will be adjusted to reflect a 50% discount (we use these funds to properly dispose of the old nail polish).
4. SUBMIT your order!

Then Zoya will ship out your NEW polish! YEAH!
Once you get your order, here is where the exchanging* happens…

1. Ship back the equivalent number of bottles you received to the return address below (ie. If you got 6 bottles of Zoya – you would send us 6 NON-ZOYA polishes). Please check with your carrier on the proper way to ship nail polish.
2. Include a copy of your order. 
   

To clarify the exchange: You do not have to send us the exact amount of bottles that you are ordering. You can send any quantity up to that amount. You can also donate. If you decide you don't want to do either, it's ok "Offer is not contingent on customer returning polish" - we will still love you and will ship the Zoya polishes... we'll just send you on a guilt trip for a while :)

Ship Your Old Nail Polish To:
 

Art of Beauty, Inc.
c/o Polish Exchange
5060 Taylor Rd, Unit D
Cleveland, Ohio, 44128, USA

Once we receive your polish we do the rest! It’s that simple!

IMPORTANT!

The bottles you send in cannot be Zoya, Qtica or Nocti polishes (but they can be any other brand).

We are using the honor code here folks! We want to make sure you get your Zoya Nail Polish! We send you the polish first then you send your old polish back to us! If you do choose to send us your old polish we promise to properly dispose of it according to EPA guidelines. This offer is only good for 1 week so hurry – Don’t Wait!

*Offer valid online at www.zoya.com only. Offer expires on 4/26/2013 at 11:59PM EST. Continental US ONLY.Excludes ALL Zoya PixieDust Collection shades. Not valid with any other codes, coupons or promotions. Shipping and handling fees apply. Consumer accounts must exchange a minimum of 6 polishes with a 24 bottle maximum. Salon accounts must exchange at least 12 with a maximum of 48 bottles. Polish can be from any brand EXCEPT Zoya, Qtica or Nocti and can be exchanged for in-stock .5oz Zoya Nail Polish. Offer is not contingent on customer returning polish. Zoya Exchange code is unique and non-transferable. One code per account. Art of Beauty is not responsible for incorrect addresses, credit card entry errors or errors associated with declined credit cards. Please allow standard time for processing and shipping, however if volume is higher than expected please allow up to 6 weeks for shipping and processing. Art of Beauty, Inc. reserves the right to remove any polish that is out of stock from your order. You will not be charged for this polish. Backordered polish is not included in this promotion.

OPI Diva Of Geneva

Hello again my fellow addicts. Today I have a quick post showing off the beauty of an oldie but goodie...OPI Diva of Geneva. I absolutely love this polish! The color spectrum changed drastically for me when in different types of lighting. At work it appeared to have a golden/pink shimmer to it, at home it is more red based and outdoors it's a purple/red color. It's multi dimensional color...and it's fan-freakin-tastic!

I'll just leave you with a few quick shots of the polish. This is two coats with Color Club topcoat.

Diva of Geneva has the standard consistency and brush as any other OPIs. I love their brush because it's not super skinny, and it gives me an amazing application for my wide nails. :)

Hope you enjoyed.

~Linda

Essie & Aly Unite

Happy Weekend!

It's been a rainy 2 weeks with no sunshine, or I would have shown you some of my new Aly's Dream Polish Holographics that Jennifer requested. Sooo...I decided to do something else and use one of them for stamping. Not quite the same thing but...it worked out nicely. 

I started with two coats of Essie In The Cab-ana from the Spring 2013 Resort Collection: a beautiful turquoise-ish blue that sometimes leans more sky blue. On my index finger I used a few coats of holographic top coat that I made using a Spectraflair liquid mix, then added a coat of Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing. On my other fingers I used a Spring inspired stamp, Aly's Dream Polish  #58 Intense Blurple and some purple striping tape. 

I used the striping tape along my fingers so that each nail was slightly more angled with more coverage of stamping towards my pinkie. This made a nice visual for me while I was photographing my hands, but still looks nice from a day to day perspective.

What do you think of using a holo topcoat, glitter, stamping and striping tape all in one mani? Was it a bit all over the place for you or do you like the way it looked? 

Thanks for stopping by ladies! 

~Linda

Ocean Blues

Hi Lovelies!

Today I have a Julep mani to show off. I recently purchased a Julep set of 5 blue polishes that I don't already have in my collection, and when I got them I swatched them instantly! I loved Annie from their Trina Turk collection and I really loved Portia which is a sheer tropical blue color with opalascent glitter. So I used both in todays mani.

This is two coats of Annie on all nails. I added Portia to my ring finger for an accent nail and then added bubbles of Portia on the inside half of my thumbs. I followed up with a thick layer of seche vite.

Since portia is not a creme it started to spread as the bead of polish started to dry, so the dots are not as clear and distinct as I would have liked, but it still looks pretty good. The lighting was not doing me any favors, so the pictures are kinda crappy. Sorry guys.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Linda

FabFitFun March Box

Today I will be sharing the FabFitFun VIP Inaugural Box that I received for March 2013. This was the first box that has been issued and it seemed like it was going to be a pretty big deal. The subscription is described as including hand picked beauty, fashion, fitness and wellness items by Giuliana Rancic. The box will be sent out quarterly (4 times a year) and will include full size items worth over $100 in value. They also promote that some random lucky ladies will receive super fabulous bonus gifts. The going price for the box is $49.99 but there are a few coupons lingering around the world wide web so you might be able to get it for a bit cheaper. I believe I used a coupon for $10 off therefore I paid $40 for my box.

Wanna see what I got?

All together they sent me 8 items in my box:
-Full size (3.4 fl oz) MoroccanOil Treatment
-Full size Zoya made specially for FabFitFun (Fuchsia)
-Full size thinkThin creamy peanut butter bar
-Full size Josie Maran lip duo
-Sample size Jouer lip gloss
-Perfekt Brow Gel
-2 JewelMint items

Moroccanoil treament has an uber nourishing formula packed with fatty acids, omega-3 oils, vitamins, antioxidants and deluxe oil guards to add serious shine and transform dull, dry hair.

The Zoya polish is a foil metallic finish and bright fuschia pink!
The Josie Maran lip duo is also a bright redidish pink color which has a lip stain and a lip crayon option.
The Jouer lip gloss is loaded with vitamins, shea butter, jojoba oil, and pomegranate seed oil for smoothness and hydration. It's super soft, not sticky or gloopy and adds some serious kick-ass shine to your lips. Loved this!! I wish I had received a full size of this as this was probably my favorite item in the box.

This thinkThin bar has some serious protein in it. 20grams of protein is a knockout and will probably keep me quite full when using this as a meal replacement. The bar is super heavy and gluten free. 240 calories and 9 grams of fat rounds out some of the key nutritional information.

The perfekt brow perfection gel is something I have never used before. Mine is a caramel color and will probably be a bit dark for my brows but I'm intrigued.

This JewelMint charm bracelet has a good weight to it but I'm unsure of the material. It has 7 charms attached that are mostly summer of travel related. This is not something I would ever wear so maybe I will be able to swap it out or give it away to someone.

These are some.....hmmm, how to put it?...Interesting? Eclectic? Unqiue?...Let's go with unique, earrings. Bright yellow plastic with golden slightly brown tinted jewels. These have to be some bottom of the barrel cheap-o earrings that they couldn't get rid of, because I can't imagine anyone wanting to buy these. (sorry to anyone who likes these...I guess I'm just not into 80s style costume jewelry)

Overall I think that the box had a decent value to it (mostly from the Moroccanoil) but it was kind of all over the place. A meal replacement bar was not something I was expecting when it could have been replaced by some other beauty product to give it a much better value. Two pieces of jewelry was nice, but nicer pieces would have been a plus. For $50 I don't think I will continue my subscription.

If you're interested in checking it out, you can see some brief information about FabFitFun VIP on their website but they do not go into too much detail as to the brands they have partnered with. Her FFF site does have quite a lot of information and articles to peruse.

Did you subscribe to the FabFitFun VIP Inagural Box? Please share any products that you received that you think were Studs or Duds, I'd love to hear that others received a variety of products!

Thanks for stopping by!

UPDATE: I'm hearing from many ladies that they have are having serious problems with customer service. Please be advised and I will make sure that I follow-up with any more news I hear. Soo sad to see this type of thing happening after only one box.


~Linda