See It, Try It and Buy It with Zoya Color Spoons

During the summer Zoya unveiled their new Color Spoon program after a few weeks of speculation by the polish community. Zoya Color Spoons essentially give you a way to preview a polish before you commit to purchasing it. You can purchase a Spoon for 50 cents, and the 50 cents is credited toward a future purchase of polish at zoya.com. The spoons are actually an awesome product... they are nail-shaped swatches of real polish, so what you're seeing on the Spoon is exactly what you will be getting in the bottle. They are also shipped for free, so there really is nothing to lose!

I decided to see for myself what the Spoons were all about, and I was able to do so by taking advantage of Zoya's Free Spoon Friday promotion that was held on December 9th. I selected Edyta, Valerie, Isla, Ibiza, Robyn, and Tiffany.

They arrived promptly, and packaged in a flat bubble mailer. In the package along with my Spoons was a Zoya color catalog, which was a nice freebie! The Spoons themselves come nestled in a lovely plastic envelope with the Zoya logo on the front and back. I honestly wasn't expecting them to be packaged so nicely!

The Spoons aren't flimsy, they are made of rigid plastic. They come labeled with a barcode and their color name on the handle. The swatches are shaped ideally to hold against your fingertip to give you a better idea of how the color looks against your complexion.

 

I was surprised at the quality of the Spoons, I really wasn't expecting them to be much more than thin strips of plastic with color painted on them. The swatches are actual Zoya color pooled into the little spoon part, which you can see when you look at the back of the swatch.

Overall I am very, very impressed and pleased with the Color Spoon program. The Spoons give you a true representation of Zoya's nail colors, and I really like the "try before you buy" aspect of the program. I really think this is something that sets Zoya apart from other nail polish companies... they truly think about their customers. This is a super convenient way to see if a color is right for you! You really can't lose anything by trying the Color Spoons out, since the 50 cents you pay up front ultimately ends up coming off a future purchase!

 

 

I am glad I decided to take advantage of the Free Spoon Friday promo! I plan on purchasing all of the colors I sampled! What do you think of the Color Spoon program? Have you tried it yet?

~Carley

Zoya's looking for 20,000 Fans!

Zoya is looking to hit the 20,000 Likes mark on facebook and is promising a wonderful reward in return! If their facebook page reaches 20,000 Likes before January 3rd, they will release a code that will be good for 3 free polishes! Let's help them reach this goal! Click on the image below to reach their facebook page.

I am a HUGE fan of Zoya nail polish. I don't have a single Zoya polish that I am not pleased with. The range of colors that they offer is incredible, and they don't limit themselves to 'tame' colors. I love that their polishes wear so long on me and are such a dream to apply.

Zoya's most recent offering, the Flame collection

My two newest Zoya colors are from the Flame collection. I chose Gloria and Crystal. Gloria is a gorgeous rosy pink flecked with gold, and Crystal is an icy gold-flecked blue that is perfect for winter. Both colors applied fabulously, and were opaque with two coats. I wish I had swatches to show!

Spread the word about their promo! Let's help them reach their goal of 20,000 Likes!

Coty buys OPI!

A Done Deal: Coty Buys OPI

2010-11-29 | 10:43

After weeks of speculation, Coty Inc. has signed a deal to acquire salon nail care specialist OPI Products Inc. The price tag is said to have come in at under $1 billion. Now, Coty is said to be looking at another opportunity.
The beauty giant has been on a buying spree and in recent weeks has struck deals to acquire skin care brand Philosophy from private equity firm The Carlyle Group and Dr. Scheller Cosmetics from Russian company Kalina.

Coty funded the acquistion with cash, input from its investors and debt. And more could be on the way in a few days.

"This acquisition will allow Coty to expand our presence in the nail care category via an important new channel of distribution: professional salons, and importantly will offer an even greater selection of products and choice to consumers," said Bernd Beetz, chief executive officer of Coty in a statement.
"Our management team will continue on with the company and OPI's business strategy will remain focused on the salon professional," said George Schaeffer, president and ceo of OPI, which was founded in 1981 and made a name for itself selling nail polishes with names such as Flashbulb Fuchsia and Dim Sum Plum.

source: happi.com

What does everyone think about this? I wonder how this will affect the collections that come out and the rate that they are released! I also wonder if Coty will bring OPI products into more retail outlets.

China Glaze's Summer 2011 Sneak Peek!

Weeeelllll helllllllooooooo everyone! I have to apologize for my lack of posts over the past month. I have been so embarrassed by my nails and they have been camera shy for weeks now. I took a bunch of NOTD photos to share a while ago but when I looked at them I realized my nails looked like crap and deleted them all. I have been in a nail funk lately and it sucks!

I am coming out of hiding to show you an awesome sneak peek for China Glaze's Summer 2011 collection that I found while Googling different brands along with "Summer 2011." I found a blog, Nailmall, that had these photos featured and I just had to share them!

The collection is called Island Escape and it consists of three glitters, two cremes, and one shimmer. The colors are bold, bright, and definitely tropical! There have been a lot of nice fall collections this year, but I am relieved to see what waits for us lacquer lovers in the winter!

I am really looking forward to seeing what these glitters are going to look like. I wonder if they are going to look anything like the Specialty Glitters that China Glaze released a little while ago. For some reason the thought of summer glitters really excites me, I don't recall seeing any summer glitter polishes recently!

The bottle shots in this picture give a slightly better representation of the colors than the dots in the first picture... that orange really reminds me of Sun Worshiper from the Poolside collection! Wouldn't it be cool if China Glaze came out with another glass fleck collection similar to their Summer Days collection? I have high hopes for Island Escape and I am SO looking forward to seeing swatches of this collection!

Are you excited about this collection?

~Carley

source: Nailmall.info

Oldie but goodie: Revlon Color Illusion Mocha Mirage

A few years ago when Sally Hansen released the Nail Prisms line a couple other companies came out with similar collections that tried to mimic the duochrome and multichrome awesomeness that the Prisms were known for. Revlon's attempt was the Color Illusion line, and it had some beautiful duochromes.

Mocha Mirage is one of the duochromes from the Color Illusion collection, and I think it is fantastic! It has a rich metallic finish and in the sunlight it shows a beautiful rosy-copper color.

 

Mocha Mirage, two coats in full sun

 In this shot the rosy hue is a little more apparent.

Do we see some gold tones making an appearance as well? This is a great duochrome!

Revlon really had a hit with this collection, but much like the Nail Prisms they eventually disappeared from drugstore shelves and never came back. There are too many amazing collections that eventually met this fate, and it is such a shame.

Here's a shot of Mocha Mirage in the shade. I love the way the bottle looks here! I think I would have named this color something else unrelated to coffee... I don't think this polish leans brown enough to warrant a coffee-centric name. I see more rose, gold, and copper. I am so not creative enough to name nail polish!

Overall I really love this nail polish. The color is unique and the formula is surprisingly good for an older Revlon. It isn't goopy or watery; it applied smoothly and only took two coats to get a great finish. I put one coat of Seche Vite on top and I got about 4 days of wear out of this manicure.

Unfortunately this line is discontinued, but you may be able to score them on eBay!

~Carley

An update

I just wanted to apologize for the lack of swatches or updates...

A very close friend of mine at work passed away on Saturday after a year-long battle with cancer. He was a great guy and I am very sad about his death. I haven't had much energy to swatch. I just wanted to let you all know that I didn't give up on my blog.

~Carley

Awesome Drugstore Find: Petites Color Fever Black Diamond

A couple months ago I had heard through the grapevine that a new Petites nail polish range was popping up at Rite Aid drugstores. The line is called Color Fever and it is quite different from the regular Petites lineup: the colors are bolder, the bottle style is different, and the price is higher at $3.99 per bottle. The bottles still hold the same amount as the classic Petites bottles (.25 OZ) yet we are paying more... perhaps we are paying more for the fancy bottle, maybe for the trendier colors. Price difference aside I am really fond of the Color Fever range so far.

My first purchase was Black Diamond... a charcoal creme with intermittent holographic glitter. I took it out of the bag after I walked out of the store and held it in the sun to see how impressive the holo was and I was pleasantly surprised! Black Diamond has since become one of my favorite drugstore finds.

Black Diamond, full sun

It took me two coats of Black Diamond to get a nice opaque finish. The formula is smooth and incredibly easy to work with, and it is surprisingly pigmented and full of holo particles. I had no dragging or spots when I applied my second coat.

As you can see the holographic aspect of the polish is intermittent in the sense that it isn't as in-your-face holographic as OPI My Private Jet. Black Diamond is similar to Color Club Revvvolution in terms of their holographic finishes, but Black Diamond leans more black than Revvvolution, which is dark gray in my eyes.

If you are a fan of holos, I would recommend picking up Black Diamond next time you're in Rite Aid! What a great little polish! I feel that it is worth the price tag, but there are some colors in the Color Fever range that I feel aren't worth the price... you could easily find full size 15 ml bottles of some of those colors for the same price.

What are your favorite drugstore polishes?

Color Club Magic Attraction

I decided to wear one of my favorite polishes yesterday, Color Club Magic Attraction. This is definitely one of my go-to polishes when I need a pick-me-up; it really sparkles like crazy and it makes me feel happy when I look down at my fingertips!

 

Magic Attraction, 2 coats in sunlight

Magic Attraction is a clear-based polish that is jam-packed with various sizes of holographic glitter that is incredibly vivid. There is also some rosy pink glitter, but it isn't nearly as noticeable as the larger holo glitter flecks. There may even be some silver in this, but I can't really tell.

Bling bling!

The pink glitter is easily noticed in my photos... I had a hard time catching the holographic rainbows on camera, but you can see here that the polish kinda leans to the pinkish side.

I see you, rainbow!

I tried taking several pictures to try to catch the best angles of Magic Attraction, but I could only get a SOMEWHAT good example of the glitter explosion when I took a blurry shot.

Out of focus!

 

This goes on easily for a dense glitter, it isn't goopy and it builds up nicely with a few coats. I would definitely recommend using a topcoat over Magic Attraction, though; since it does have quite a rough finish due to all the glitter! I didn't use a topcoat for these photos, but I usually use two coats of Seche Vite to get a smooth and glassy look. This polish wears like iron for me... I wore it once for nearly 5 days on top of Sally Hansen Nail Quencher and had no wear!

Close-up, partial sun

I have trouble using the paintbrush and acetone cuticle cleanup method when I use this and other polishes like it... the glitter just does not want to come off, and the acetone basically just loosens it on my cuticle. I'll take my rubber cuticle pusher and kinda pick the glitter particles off individually, so it gets to be quite a pain when I try cleaning up glitter manicures. I get frustrated especially when pieces of glitter get wedged under my cuticle! Annoying!

What are your favorite glitter polishes?

~Carley

My Silver Holographic Comparison

I recently received GOSH Holographic in a swap from a very sweet girl in Scotland. Once I opened the package I realized immediately that none of my other holographic polishes are anything like it. I took it out and swatched it and found that it is truly the most amazing holographic polish I own, and then I decided that it would be a great time for a comparison!

Nail Prisms Diamond, China Glaze OMG, GOSH Holographic, OPI DS Shimmer, Color Club Worth the Risque

What a lovely lineup! These are the five silver holo polishes that I own right now... and all five of them are unique. Each one has a different consistency and holo strength. Everyone should know that I am really a sucker for holos... I will pretty much buy any holographic colors that I can get my hands on.

Nail Prisms Diamond, 2 coats

Nail Prisms Diamond is the oldest polish in this group. It has a very thin and watery consistency, but that really had no effect or impact on the overall application. It builds up nicely and has a really nice shimmery holo effect. I first bought this polish back in 2004 (I believe) and it was the first holographic nail polish I had ever seen, and it became my go-to mani and pedi color for a couple years. I have gone through 2 bottles of Diamond, this one is my third.

China Glaze OMG, 2 coats

The holo effect in China Glaze OMG is much more dense compared to Diamond. The particles are smaller and seem to reflect more light which creates a more intense rainbow. The application of this polish is a little tricky for me... OMG tends to drag a lot on the second coat, and I have to swipe my brush just right to avoid bald spots. The end result is amazing, though; I get many compliments when I wear this on my tips.

GOSH Holographic, 2 coats

This is the most amazing nail polish I own at the moment. I wasn't expecting much from looking at the bottle, but when this polish dried I felt like my eyes were gonna fall out of my head. GOSH Holographic has the most intense holo effect I have ever seen, and I have nothing in my collection that even comes close to it. The application was difficult, as I had problems with dragging. I think this can be expected of this type of nail polish. Just like OMG, the issues with the application are totally worth the result! It really is a shame that GOSH polish isn't easily obtained in the US, because this is something everyone should be able to own!

OPI DS Shimmer, 2 coats

OPI DS Shimmer was my first DS polish. I had actually found out about it while Googling "holo nail polish" a while ago when I was wondering if there were other polishes like Nail Prisms Diamond! I found it on an auction site for an incredibly good price and I couldn't pass it up. Shimmer has a wonderfully smooth application and a beautiful scattered holo effect much like Diamond (it isn't as in-your-face as OMG or GOSH Holographic). I had no problems with dragging, and it dried incredibly fast. Shimmer is a great option for layering... I love putting it over dark blue cremes!

Color Club Worth the Risque, 2 coats

Color Club Worth the Risque is a great polish! While the holo effect isn't as pronounced as the other four polishes I've compared, I still really like it. The formula is great and I have never had any issues with application... it goes on smooth like buttah! I really enjoy using Worth the Risque as a Konad stamping color, especially over black. All in all this is a good holo for the money; I think I paid around $2.50 for it.

Group photo! Thumb to pinkie: Diamond, OMG, Holographic, Shimmer, Worth the Risque

I had a hard time maneuvering my hand into a position where all of my nails were visible, but I can clearly see that GOSH is the Holo Champion! Look at that baby glow! OMG is a close second!

My thumb went bye-byes.

And that concludes my comparison!

What are your favorite holographic polishes?

~Carley

A nice giveaway!

Fellow blogger Tara over at For Your Nails Only is holding a giveaway in celebration of hitting 20 followers! Congratulations, Tara! I'm right there with you! Here's to many more to come!

For Your Nails Only features a lot of different swatches and some really awesome nail art. Check out her Where's Waldo manicure!

~Carley

NOTD: Sally Hansen Insta Dri Wined Up

Let me start off by saying that I know that a lot of people either love or hate the Sally Hansen Insta Dri polishes. I think the hate is mainly based on the type of brush it comes with, as I haven't really heard many people complain about the formula itself. The complaints are typically centered on how wide the brush is, that it is moppy, that it is too big, and that it holds too much polish... I have to admit that the brushes did take some getting used to at first, but I really do love this line and the brush doesn't give me any problems. I had never seen the flat-type brushes before coming across Sally Hansen's Insta Dri lineup.

Wined Up, two coats in full sun.

Wined Up was one of the first Insta Dri polishes I purchased. It is a beautiful deep red with a rich shimmer that really glows when the sunlight hits it. The application is actually pretty nice... I half expected it to be terribly goopy, for some reason. It went on smoothly and I could have gotten away with one coat, but I chose to do two out of habit.

I was impressed that this polish dried to a pretty glossy finish... I didn't need to apply a quick dry topcoat to cure it or give it shine. Insta Dri stayed true to it's name and really did dry quickly. I will probably use a coat of Seche Vite next time, though... just to get some extended wear out of the manicure. I did have some noticeable tipwear after one day of doing laundry.

I'm ready for my close up! Look at that shimmer!

All in all I am pretty glad I picked this up! I have since added to my Insta Dri collection, and I would say that almost all of the colors I've gotten have been totally awesome. I did have some issues with Orange You Fast! though... that color was very difficult to work with!

I would definitely recommend buying Wined Up and other Insta Dri polishes if you don't find the brush a dealbreaker... though you might want to wait for a sale, because these run over $5 at Walgreens!

~Carley

Ten Things!

I am very flattered that KarenD over at Frazzle and Aniploish has tagged me with the Happy 101 award! Thank you, Karen, for being a follower of my blog!

The rules for this one:
1. Post who gave you this award
2. State 10 things you like
3. Give this award to 10 other bloggers and notify them with a comment

10 things I like:
1. Going to the movies. My boyfriend Damon and I go to the movies quite often together, it is something we have always done on a regular basis!
2. Traveling... it doesn't matter how! Car, plane, train, whatever! The best time of my life so far was driving from New Jersey to California with Damon. We had so much fun and we saw some pretty unforgettable sights, along with funny moments like getting lost and staying at weird motels!
3. Shopping. I *love* to shop. There is nothing I like better than just going to the mall and spoiling myself every now and then... even though I can't afford to do that very often.
4. The city of San Francisco... it is my favorite place in the entire universe!
5. I like turtles... they are my favorite animal! I will buy anything turtle-related!
6. Camping... I haven't been camping in a long time, but it has always been a favorite pastime of mine.
7. Nature. Kinda ties in with #7, but I appreciate and love nature. I like standing outside during a rainstorm, laying outside and looking at the stars, walking through the grass barefoot, digging my hands into soil to garden in the springtime. Mother Nature is my homegirl!
8. I like crafting! I love to make my own beaded jewelry, greeting cards, and embroidery floss bracelets among many other things!
9. I like spending time with my family. I don't get to see them often at all, but I cherish the time that I get to spend with them.
10. California... my home state. I love everything about it, and I miss it very much!

And now I tag the following blogs to receive the Happy 101 Award as well!

Little Music Boxes
Getcha Nails Did
Body and Soul
Vibrant Point of View
Scrangie
The Daily Nail
Susie's Home and Hobbies
Never Enough Nails
Tastes Like Glitter
Oh My Polish!

Nubbin NOTD

My nails are still pretty bad. I am battling the worst case of peelies ever, and it is starting to annoy me quite a bit. It has been way too long since I've posted a swatch, so I decided I'd take a couple pictures of what I'm wearing now.

NYX Sapphire, two coats

I picked up NYX Sapphire from an independent beauty supply store that specializes in... wigs. Yep, a wig store! They had two displays of nail polish, Ruby Kisses and NYX. I was delighted to finally find NYX!

Tipwear! Ahhhh!

 

Sapphire is quite a beautiful color, in my opinion. It is a deep purple-toned blue, and it reminds me of a precious gem, as the name suggests. The formula was surprisingly awesome... full coverage was achieved with only two coats. This polish is highly pigmented and went on ridiculously smooth. I topped my two coats with a coat of Seche Vite.

 

Close-up! Cheeeeeeese!

I am actually quite pleased with NYX's nail polish! I wasn't expecting it to be this good, and I am eager to swatch the two other colors I picked up, Jungle and Graffiti. I will definitely be ordering more of their line!

What are your favorite NYX colors?

~Carley

My nails HATE me!

I haven't been able to swatch at all lately, and I am really bummed about it. My nails had been growing nice and strong over the beginning of the summer, and I was really quite pleased and excited with how long they were getting (I've never been able to grow nails too far past my nailbed before splitting). I had been using my Swissco glass file, nourishing basecoats, and taking a mutivitamin every so often. I stopped taking the multivitamin and a couple weeks later ALL of my nails started splitting and peeling in the most awful way. I had to file them all down to absolutely NOTHING, and it really sucks!
Even though I have had trouble with my nails and I am now officially a Girl On A Budget, I still managed to amass a little haul during the week. I have really been conscious of my spending habits lately, so I haven't been buying as much polish as I normally do. I can't remember the last time I made an e-tailer haul! Imagine how I feel seeing all these amazing new collections coming out!

Anyway, on to my little haul! I had made a trip over to Sally Beauty Supply to pick up a cuticle pusher (I swear that was all I went in to get!) and I saw some new Savvy collections. Savvy is now called Savvy Femme Couture and is in a redesigned bottle: they kept the awesome square bottle but updated to a new cap and label.

Old Savvy versus New Savvy! Who wins?

I looked at both collections, one called Pop Rocks and another with a fairy tale theme. I immediately picked up Prince Ala Charm and left. The next day I felt a nagging feeling and decided to go back to get the rest of them (except for Knightly Armor, which I wasn't crazy about) in addition to two colors from China Glaze's Vintage Vixen collection: Emerald Fitzgerald and First Class Ticket. I also had to get Nina Ultra Pro Sailor, a deep blue creme.

Emerald Fitzgerald, Sailor, First Class Ticket

The fairy tale Savvy's are pretty appealing... they are all shimmery. I am actually not quite sure how to explain their finish, but they look like they will be amazing layered. They were each on clearance for $1.99, so I figured I can't lose.

From L-R: Purple Potion, Fairy Twinkle, Magic Pumpkin, Prince Ala Charm, Glass Slipper, Fairy Twinkle

Close up!

Close up of Fairy Twinkle. Look at that beautiful twinkly-ness!

Yesterday we went to the mall and I bought two new-looking Hot Topic colors, a bright blue and bright purple creme. It seems like most of Hot Topic's new nail colors are cremes! I was about to swatch them on my thumb, but in true Hot Topic polish tradition both of the brushes are wonky mops.

Hot Topic Blue and Purple

I am pretty much dying to swatch all these and start experimenting with the Savvy colors. I hope my nails will come around soon! I am tired of them looking like a hot mess!

~Carley

The Arsenal: My frequently used products

One thing everyone should know about me... I have very short, thin nails. My nails seem to fare a lot better when I keep my hands and cuticles hydrated and happy, which I have to do multiple times a day due to my job. I work at a big box home improvement store and I am always lifting heavy things, moving product around, and just generally being very rough on my hands and nails. When I first started at my job about 3 1/2 years ago, I never EVER wore gloves or put lotion on. My cuticles were cracked and dry to the point of bleeding from all the dirt and dust that I encountered on a daily basis. I tried a lot of different products over the course of a few months until I found my holy grail of nail care items: Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme.

I started using it every morning before I went to work, while I was at work, and before I went to bed at night. I saw results in about a week. My cuticles weren't as sore and cracked as they were before, and they seemed completely healed after about a month. The smell was a little off-putting to me at first, but I quickly got used to it. The creme itself is more balmy than creamy; it feels a little greasy at first but sinks in after rubbing it in. The greasiness doesn't bother me once I put my gloves on at work, the product really sinks in after that. I can't tell you how many tins of this cream I have gone through! You can see in the photo that my current tin is quite loved! It spends a lot of time getting roughed around in my apron at work.

This year I had heard a lot about Lemony Flutter from Lush. A lot of people on Makeup Alley's Nail Care message board had great things about it, so I decided to pick some up. It is priced fairly higher ($12.95) than the Burt's Bees cuticle treatment I normally use, but the price difference was worth it, in my opinion.

I bought this tub about 8 months ago, and I use it twice a day in conjunction with the Burt's Bees. I consider Lemony Flutter well worth the price tag, especially since the product itself is fantastic and lasts a long time! It has a lemony scent, it sinks in immediately as you apply it to your cuticles, and has great effect on other dry patches of skin (I've used it on my elbows with awesome results). Love, love, love! I actually put a bit of Lemony Flutter into a sample container I got from Lush and I keep it with me in my purse! Moisture on-the-go!

When I use hand lotion, I have a few requirements: It has to absorb quickly, smell good, and work well. I don't like thick lotion that sticks around on your hands all slimy-like. Back when I was having my cracked cuticle problem I was trying ton of different lotions. The Burt's Bees cuticle creme came with a small sample of their Shea Butter Hand Repair Creme, which I immediately tried. I have been using this lotion ever since then.

This lotion has a very strong herbal lavender scent, which is pretty refreshing. A glance at the ingredients list shows that this creme is JAM-PACKED with natural ingredients (sunflower oil, shea butter, rose water, and beeswax to name a few) and is actually labeled as "98% Natural" on the front of the tube. I like that Burt's uses a lot of natural ingredients in their products! The lotion is wonderful... it is smooth and cooling, and moisturizes wonderfully. I love how quickly it absorbs and it makes my skin feel so soft. The only downside is that when I use it at work some of my coworkers think it smells too medicinal... these same coworkers said Lemony Flutter smelled too strong, as well. I am a big fan of anything herbal or aromatherapy-related, so the scent does not translate to medicinal to me.

What are your favorite moisturizing products?

~Carley

Haul photos, long overdue!

I apologize for taking so long to post these photos! I have been so tired from working early mornings since coming back from vacation... I haven't even had the energy to do my nails or take any swatch pictures!

So, I hauled like crazy while I was on vacation. We went to a mall down in North Carolina and I couldn't restrain myself from picking out a few polishes... especially since I had some belated birthday gift money from my boyfriend's father to spend. I went to Claire's, Trade Secret, Sephora, and the little salon in JCPenney in search solely of nail polish. That's all I wanted to spend my birthday cash on!

I found some pretty awesome things at Claire's. First I picked out Chunky Purple which is a purple jelly packed full of silver hex and purple microglitter, then I spotted Glam. Glam is really unique! The polish is a clear base with dense green and blue microglitter. I can't wait to swatch it!

I looked around some more and I found a bunch of the mood changing polishes. I have been wanting some of these ever since I first saw them swatched online, and I really couldn't restrain myself. I purchased all but one color... I forget the name, but it was the lighter pink color. My nails aren't really long enough for these to get the totally awesome two-color effect, so I'd only get to see the color change when I wash my hands. Oh well, I'm still glad I bought them!

My next stop was Trade Secret to see if they had the OPI Summer Flutter collection. They had an empty display, which was a bummer! My spirits were lifted when I saw a huge shopping basket full of clearance polish. I managed to snag No Room For The Blues and Russian Navy Suede out of the mess of mostly dark reds and browns with no labels. Big win for me, since I have been wanting both colors! I went to the JCP Salon after that and found OPI Catch Me In Your Net, which was the color I wanted most from Summer Flutter. Win! I stopped into Sephora on a whim and ended up not being able to leave without Teal We Meet Again. This color is GORGEOUS! It is also my very first Sephora by OPI polish!

I stopped into a little independent beauty shop on our way back home and I found NYX Jungle, Graffiti, and Sapphire. I have had Jungle on my wishlist for a long time, so it was nice to finally find it! Graffiti looked too amazing to pass up... it kinda reminds me of Maybelline Vanishing Venus. My only complaint is that I didn't notice that half of it was used/evaporated before I bought it... but a little thinner fixed that and I can't complain for $1. Sapphire is a stunning deep shimmery blue color.

I was so excited to find two swap packages waiting at home for me... one with China Glaze 2NITE and Zoya Kotori, and the other package with OPI Lincoln Park After Dark Suede. Three wishlist polishes all in one week!

I'd like to thank Mary at Body and Soul Beauty for giving me the chance to win one of her awesome Friday Follower Freebie giveaways. She put together an awesome giveaway with Maybelline Blackened Teal, Blackened Maroon, Shooting Stars, Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure and an assortment of skincare products from Reviva Labs (not pictured). Thanks again, Mary!

I haven't hauled like this in a long time. I have to tighten my purse strings a little bit, since there are a ton of new polishes I need to add to my wishlist. Some of the upcoming collections for fall and winter are KILLER! I gotta start saving now!

~Carley