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I have a bit of a backlog of this week’s NOTDs to post, starting with OPI Can’t Find My Czechbook (Euro Centrale, Spring 2013), a bright, saturated aqua creme:
Picture taken in sunlight. (I think the color looks a bit washed out here, because it is quite saturated in real life.) This applied well; I got full coverage in two coats, with some touchups in between to cover up streaks. I’m always drawn to this type of color whenever it shows up in a collection. It almost looks like a really bright, bold sky blue, but in the end I’d call it an aqua. I didn’t buy as many polishes as I thought I would from this Euro-themed collection, but I think this is one of the standouts. It’s bright and pretty and perfect for spring. I paired this with OPI A Roll in the Hague on my toes.
<3sarah
This is so unlike the polishes I’ve been wearing for the past month, but I really wanted to give this new liquid sand finish a try. OPI Stay the Night (Mariah Carey Collection) is a textured black glitter with pinkish red glitter:
Picture taken in sunlight. This applied well, but it does get cuticle draggy, so I’d advise against doing too many brushstrokes. I got full coverage in two coats, with minor touchups. This dries fast, but it doesn’t set as instantly as the suede polishes. It remains dentable for a little while, but once it’s fully hardened it wears tough. I originally planned to wear topcoat with this after seeing swatches, but once I had it on I changed my mind and decided to embrace the textured finish. When I put down the first coat, I saw the polish contained some bits that glistened just like real sand, so “liquid sand” is a perfect descriptor for this new OPI finish. Once this fully dries down, the black glitter looks matte, and the pinkish-red glitter sparkles through, like glowing embers. The overall look makes me think of volcanoes and black sand beaches. 
I paired this with OPI The One That Got Away on my toes.
<3sarah
I can’t believe baseball season has started already! Today I’m wearing a blue for the Yankees’ opening day. OPI OPI…Eurso Euro (Euro Centrale, Spring 2013) is a deep, vibrant cobalt creme:
Picture taken in sunlight. This applied well in two coats. In the shade, this looks like a very dark, slightly indigo-toned blue, but the sunlight brings out its true cobalt quality. This is an amazing shade of blue! At first glance it doesn’t really look like a bright color in the traditional springy way, but there’s just something so vibrant and intense about it. It also looks incredibly rich and regal. It may be a “simple” creme, but it definitely makes for stare-worthy nails (in the sun, anyway.) I paired this with OPI Red Lights Ahead…Where? on my toes.
<3sarah
I put this polish on on the first day of spring, while there was still some snow on the ground. OPI I Saw…You Saw…We Saw…Warsaw (Euro Centrale, Spring 2013) is a dark, dusty blue creme:
Picture taken in weak sunlight. This applied well in two coats. It’s refreshing to see a dark blue that isn’t a navy. This one has a great faded quality that makes me think of denim. I guess it’s the dustiness that makes it look more springlike. Although it looks like a worn shade of blue, the color is still strong and solidly pigmented. It looks nice and creamy on the nail. The only thing I don’t like about it is the overly long name! I paired this with Lippmann Waking Up in Vegas on my toes.
<3sarah
I’ve gotten started on some spring collection polishes, but since the weather is still cold I thought I’d start with the darker shades. OPI Vant to Bite My Neck? (Euro Centrale, Spring 2013) is a dark, cool purple creme:
Picture taken in natural light. This applied well in two coats. I love seeing a deep, vampy purple that isn’t warm-toned or wine-colored! This one lies on the neutral to cool side, but not so cool that it looks blurple. Also, since those vampy wine purples tend to have a jelly-ish finish, I’m glad to see this one looks solid, smooth and creamy. It’s a very rich, regal color. It also makes me think of Ursula from The Little Mermaid! I paired this with Rescue Beauty Lounge Moulin Rouge on my toes.
<3sarah
For my last mani of the year, and the last in this series of reds, I’m wearing OPI Danke-shiny Red (Germany, Fall 2012), a cool candy apple red metallic shimmer:
Picture taken in weak sunlight. (This looks more cool-toned than the photo reflects.) This was well pigmented and applied very smoothly in two coats. The formula is metallic, but the shimmer hides any brushstrokes. Metallic finishes, even the shimmery ones, aren’t my favorite because of the brushstrokes, but I love them when they come in a rich color, and when they have that certain glow to them. This one definitely has both! This shade of red is on the cool side. It’s not exactly bright but still looks very vibrant because of the glow from the metallic finish. The glow on this one seems really intense, too. I can definitely imagine this being a car color. The name inevitably reminds me of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, though. 
I paired this with Sally Hansen Midnight in NY (Complete Salon Manicure) on my toes.
Happy New Year!
<3sarah
This is the last of the James Bond-themed polishes I have to try. I may not have gotten the whole collection, but I loved all eight I did buy. OPI Goldeneye (Skyfall, Holiday 2012) is a honey gold, tiny irregular flake glitter:
Picture taken in natural light. This applied well, and for a glitter in a clear base, was very opaque. I got total coverage in three coats. I don’t jump to buy gold polishes as much as I used to; though I like wearing gold jewelry, somehow I prefer silver polish. But this isn’t your standard yellow gold glitter. I find this honey gold a more flattering shade; it’s darker and has an antiqued look. I may just be seeing things but I think there’s orangey-copper glitter mixed in there to break up the uniformity of color. I also love this type of glitter! The irregularity in the shape of those tiny, crushed-up flakes makes for a more interesting finish. Unfortunately I had no sun to photograph this in, but it does have a beautiful, almost foil-like sparkle. I paired this with China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald on my toes.
<3sarah
Most of the Bond franchise came before my time. When I was old enough to watch the movies, Pierce Brosnan was Bond and I wasn’t really enthusiastic about him. So the first Bond film I watched with interest was the namesake of this polish (and I’m certainly enthusiastic about Daniel Craig ). OPI Casino Royale (Skyfall Collection, Holiday 2012) is a rich plum creme:
Picture taken in sunlight. This was well-pigmented and applied smoothly, giving full coverage in two coats. This color doesn’t really scream “holiday” to me, more fall-like and vampy, but it is refreshing to see among the usual reds, greens, silvers and golds. Although I’d still call this a vampy polish, it’s actually not that dark of a shade. I find it fitting that the polish called “Casino Royale” is a purple, because one of the things I always associate with that film is Eva Green as Bond girl Vesper Lynd, wearing a gorgeous purple gown with a plunging neckline accented with diamonds (I wish I had a photo!) The dress was a cooler royal purple while the polish is a warmer plum, but this still makes me think of it anyway. I paired this with China Glaze Tinsel on my toes.
<3sarah
So far this month I’ve been trying one red polish per week, so I’m continuing the pattern with OPI The Spy Who Loved Me (Skyfall Collection, Holiday 2012), a bright candy apple red with red and gold microglitter:
Picture taken in natural light. (Unfortunately the lack of sunlight doesn’t show off how it sparkles, but with the depth this polish has, you can still see that it’s there.) This applied well; even with the slight jelly-ness of the base, the formula was still pigmented and I got complete coverage in two coats. This type of polish is not unique, but I still get at least one every time the holiday collections roll around because red microglitters are gorgeous! I love how the formula is strongly pigmented but still appears sheer enough to let the microglitter shine through. The depth of finish combined with the smooth and glossy surface makes it seem like I’m looking at the glitter through glass.Perhaps I’m being influenced by the gloomy weather but this looks extra bright and cheery. I can see why this shade of red has the word “love” in the name; in addition to being very holiday-appropriate, it also looks Valentine-y. I paired this with China Glaze Poinsettia on my toes.
<3sarah
So far I’ve been mostly switching back and forth between this year’s OPI And Essie holiday collections. After a couple of manis in a row of the latter, I’m returning to the former with OPI Live and Let Die (Skyfall Collection, Holiday 2012) is a blackened forest green with gold and green irregular microglitter:
Picture taken in sunlight. This applied well; the formula was nicely thick and pigmented and I got full coverage in two coats. This is a gorgeous, deep shade of green. Since it’s a forest green, it leans slightly more on the yellow side. It is very dark, so in low-lighting situations it practically looks black. I don’t say this often about greens, but the shade’s so deep that it looks vampy. Naturally, the finish looks best in the sun, where you can see all the microglitter light up. It’s the type of microglitter I love, too, the kind that looks like tiny, crushed-up flaky glitter. I’ve jumped the gun a bit; the official start of winter is still a week away, but this is totally perfect for the season. I paired this with China Glaze Emerald Sparkle on my toes.
<3sarah
