We have come to our last installment of the OPI x Barbie collaboration manicure posts. I do not have any more polishes to review from this collection and Barbie is no longer my personality trait...that is, until September 5th when it arrives on streaming services and I can watch it once a day!

The final shade from the collection that I have in my possession is 'Every Night is Girl's Night' which is a beautiful, silver glitter shade. It reminds me so much of the party scene in the Barbie movie -- it really does scream 'girls night'.

Another Monday, another Barbie themed manicure. I truly have not stopped thinking about the Barbie movie and I will not stop thinking about it until it comes on streaming services and I can watch it once a day. That means I also will not stop wearing pink nail polish and I might have to get my hands on the full OPI collection.

When I went to see the movie for the 2nd time last week, I painted my nails with another OPI shade, the 3rd I've tried from the 4 polishes I have. 

Ever since seeing Barbie two weeks ago, I have not stopped thinking about it. I loved the movie so much that I went to see it for a 2nd time this past weekend with my friends. For the past few weeks, I've been rocking Barbie manicures thanks to OPI's collaboration with the movie, and it's been so fun to have pink or pink adjacent nails.

We're continuing the manicure review with the 2nd polish I used from the collection, Best Day Ever, which is a beautiful pink glitter. It reminds me so much of the dance scene from the Barbie movie which is one of my favorites.

Glitter polish isn't my favorite because of how difficult it is to take off but this was a great formula that I really enjoyed.

 When I was a little girl, my favorite toy in the world was Barbie. My mom tells stories of how I would sit in my room for hours and just play Barbie, all alone. I had so many Barbies, the Barbie dream house, the cars, all the accessories. I was Barbie obsessed. 

That lasted probably a little too long because I remember being almost 12 years old and still playing with Barbies. 

To this day I still love Barbie. I love the nostalgia it brings me and how a doll has stood the test of time throughout the years. One of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow is 'Barbie Style' which truly is the dream social job - to post different photos of Barbies in different scenarios, to get paid to play with Barbies? Yes please.

As I've gotten older I also became interested in the history of Barbie, the way she was ahead of her time and even though she is thin and blonde, she is not stupid. Barbie is a girl boss in every way - she has had every job on the planet and is honestly very inspiring. I love the feminist twist we have given her over the decades.

All of this to say that when I found out about the Barbie movie I was over the moon; having Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken is perfect casting and I already have my tickets for July 21st.

 

In my opinion, red nails are just as classic as red lips and sometimes I just get in the mood to rock a beautiful red nail. Red is proven to make you feel confident and more powerful so it's not a surprise that it puts me in a really good mood when I have red nails.

I've been loving the Grease Collection from OPI and really want to get my hands on more shades, but for now, I want to talk about the 2nd shade that I purchased.

I mentioned Frenchie Likes to Kiss in my last Grease OPI post but when I tried it out, I solidified my love for it.

I love a good lavender nail color and this is IT. Frenchie Likes to Kiss is the perfect sheer, lavender color that is ideal for spring and summer. It looks gorgeous on the nails and really pulls together a nice summer outfit.




There's something really nice about having a polish that makes you feel good and makes you love how your hands look (it's weird but you know what I mean) and that's how this polish makes me feel.




The formula is fine on this -- it's a little watery and sheer but two coats is enough.

I highly recommend this shade and this entire collection to all the #ManiMonday lovers out there -- it won't disappoint you!

What's on your nails this Monday?
xoxo
B

It has been quite a while since I did a new Manicure Monday post but I've been in a nail polish mood. This week it's all about a pale pink color from a new OPI collection that has my chills multiplying.

When I saw that OPI was releasing a Grease collection I knew I had to have something from it. Grease is my favorite movie of all time and I have seen it well over 200 times. I first watched it when I was 7 years old and ever since then, I've been in love.

Danny Zuko was my first love and Grease is the reason I fell in love with musicals. Grease means a lot to me and I get very excited when I see/hear other people express their love and appreciation for the iconic movie.

The Grease Collection from OPI is to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the movie and I knew I needed a few (if not all) of the shades.



My first pick was the shade I'm talking about today and that's 'Pink Ladies Rule the School'. Since I purchased this one, I've also purchased 'Frenchie Likes to Kiss' which is a beautiful lavendar shade.

Pink Ladies Rule the School is of course, a gorgeous pink shade. It's a classic, baby/candy pink that is simple but really looks gorgeous on the nails. It's a color that can be worn throughout the year and adds a nice pop of color to a traditional manicure.




The formula is on par with other OPI nail polishes I have tried. It's smooth, easy application, and opaque after just one coat. It dries rather quickly which I can appreciate.

As for chipping, I think this was better than most. It looked good a solid 4-5 days after application so I was quite pleased with that.

I really loved this nail color and I'm excited to try "Frenchie Likes to Kiss" and try to pick up some more colors from this collection!

*The Grease Collection also comes in an Infinite Shine finish, and a Leather Effects finish. I'm interested to maybe try one or two from these collections as well.

 Below is a good overview of the entire collection available on Ulta.com

It's been a while since I've done a Manicure Monday but I got a few new polishes over the past few weeks and I wanted to share one of them.

You'd think that the week before Christmas I'd be rocking red nails and I may change it up this week, but last week it was all about OPI's Iceland Collection. I love how trendy Iceland has become over the past year... it's somewhere I really, really want to go and I never thought that I would.

The shade I've been obsessed with is Less is Norse, which is a dark icy blue. It's not navy but somewhere in that family. It screams winter to me and it has made me feel super cozy and chic, which is how I like my nail polishes.





The formula is really good and I always forget that OPI has some great formulas; I'm just overwhelmed by all the colors so I always opt for the limited edition polishes.

This formula was smooth, and not messy; it lasted a while too. I'd still have it on if I didn't pick at some of the little chips.

The entire Iceland Collection is really gorgeous and it was a tough decision to only buy Less is Norse but the taupe colors are also really pretty-- I may have to go back to Ulta and get them!

What's on your nails this Monday?
xoxo
B

Last week I went to a salon in Manhattan for a complimentary blowout and manicure. It's called MB45 and is located in Tribeca. Their whole shtick is that you get a blowout and manicure in 45 minutes; I posted an Instagram gallery all about it last week -- it's definitely worth it in my opinion!

I was not going to do a Manicure Monday post today because it's just been too much but I feel like it's my civic duty to tell you about this.

At MB45 they used the OPI Infinite Shine nail polish which is OPI's version of Essie Gel Couture -- a gel manicure without the LED light.

I've never used this nail polish before so I just assumed it would be like a regular polish; non LED light gel manicures never really last longer than regular polish on me. My nails are just too damaged for that.

Well, I'll be dammed!

It's been one week and there is minimal chipping on my nails. I've never been so impressed with a nail polish formula before.


It was a long week and I was very active with my hands so I'm really shocked that the polish held up well. I could probably last another half a week with this polish and I just might!

The color I got is gorgeous; it's called "From Here to Eternity" and it's the perfect summer pink; it's a hot pink with a touch of coral but not neon, so it's awesome for everyday.



Below is a photo of when I first got my nails done:

I've dove deep into the summer nail colors and this week I needed a break. I've been experimenting with bright blues and hot pinks and just wanted something more subdued, but still with a touch of spring and summer.

Bring in, OPI's new 'California Dreaming' Collection...

I purchased this peachy shade, 'Barking Up the Wrong Sequoia' and have been obsessed with it since I received it. This is, however, the first chance I'm getting to wear it.



In recent months I've really taken a step far from Essie and started experimenting with more OPI formulas and I have to say, I really have been sleeping on this brand. I love OPI polishes and they're more consistent than my beloved Essie.

When it comes to Essie, the formulas vary from shade to shade but OPI, all the colors I have are pretty much the same which is great because you know exactly what you're getting. I can appreciate that.

This gorgeous peach shade applies smoothly, evenly, and two coats will do it justice. I use my typical base and top coat with it, which you can shop below. The other colors from the California Dreaming Collection aren't up my alley but they do scream summer!

There have been like 4 beauty posts in a row so I apologize but I'm just feeling my beauty stuff lately.  I also know this is the 2nd Manicure Monday in a row but you know how I get when a new season starts ... I get manicure crazy.

I mentioned last week how excited I am to start with my bright, spring colors and I just dove head first into that deep end with this manicure.

Ever since I got this polish back in the winter I've been dying to use it and I made the bold choice to rock it all week long.





"I Believe in Manicures" from the OPI Breakfast at Tiffany's collection is a rockstar. The formula was great with smooth application and hardly ANY CHIPPING, and the color was bright & beautiful. It is the perfect Tiffany blue I've ever seen in a nail polish and nothing compares to it.

I've become addicted to it and can't wait to paint my nails that color again. I've really been enjoying OPI polish and they have really gorgeous shades on Ulta.com so I may start looking at them more than Essie.

Unfortunately, the collection is no longer available (whoops) but here are a few two shades:

• Forgot My Czechbook
• Suzi Without a Paddle

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I hope you all had a great holiday weekend with your loved ones! I'm so sad to see Christmas go, but excited for a fresh start in 2017. I'm off from work the entire week so I'm planning on doing lots of writing, lounging, and watching Netflix!

Now, for a different kind of Manicure Monday....

I've been experimenting with other nail polish brands aside from Essie. The most reasonable place to start is with the other drugstore empire, OPI.

I've tried some OPI polishes through the years, and they are some of my favorite shades ever. From the Washington DC collection to my favorite Pumpkin Spice shade, they are some fabulous nail polishes. Good formulas, unique colors, and good quality; OPI is the brand that I won't technically buy on my own expect if I find a color that I must have.

However, when I found out that OPI was releasing a Breakfast at Tiffany's collection, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I adore Audrey Hepburn & Breakfast at Tiffany's, so I knew I needed this. To my surprise, my job was doing a partnership with OPI and we received most of the collection to photograph & use for social media purposes!



Therefore, I have the entire collection (minus one or two shades that I gave away) and my mind is blown.




I now have the ability to try out a handful of OPI polishes and truly test them out. I've already had my hands in some of them (more on that later), but I'm obsessed with all the colors.

From deep, dark reds to a true Tiffany blue color, and glitter top coats, there is something in this collection for everyone. There is a mixture of classic OPI formulas to their new Infinite Shine Gel collection.







By far my favorites of the collection are:

• "Champagne for Breakfast": a silver glitter topcoat
• "I Believe in Manicures": a true Tiffany blue
• "Black Dress Not Optional": the blackish of black
• "Can't Read Without my Lipstick": A true red

The time has come for fall nail polish. I am crazy excited for this because there is something sleek, sexy, and fun about dark & deep nail colors. I usually am sick of summer colors by now, and I guess that's kind of true, but I didn't go wild with nail colors this summer.

I kept it to nudes, pinks, and a few crazy colors thrown in there once in a while. I was really feeling the more subdued look, but now it's time for red, browns, orange, and black. Bring it on!

Once the fall nail collections were being released a few weeks ago, I knew I needed to get on them ASAP. I wasn't that impressed by the Essie Fall 2016 collection, but what did intrigue was the Kerry Washington x OPI collection that is featured at Ulta *not sure if it's available everywhere!*

I'm not an OPI girl; I have 1 other nail polish by them and it's pretty good but I'm not drawn to them. Maybe it's the colors, maybe I'm just used to Essie and their formulas, but I never buy OPI products.

This is the exception.

I wasn't drawn in by the entire collection but the two colors named: Shh...It's Top Secret, and Inside The Isabelletway really spoke to me. I can't find these on the Ulta.com website anymore but you can head to OPI's website to see the entire collection.

My mom used Shh... It's Top Secret this week and it looks great on her; it's described as as chocolate brown but on her it almost looks black/plum. Maybe it'll look different on me!




I'm not ready for the deepish shades of fall yet, but I couldn't wait to try the Isabelletway shade; it's described by OPI as a caramel creme and that's exactly what it is. I feel like I'm wearing a latte on my nails and I love it.

The formula is definitely different than my favorite Essie ones; it's a little heavier, which makes it a little more difficult to apply. It's more prone to bleeding onto my cuticles which is kind of annoying, but if you're careful, it shouldn't be a problem.



Once you get passed that, it's a great polish. It applies smoothly and evenly, and I really like the bigger brush that OPI has.

I used the Julep Oxygen Base Coat underneath, and Seche Vite as a top coat; my nails are super shiny  and they look ready for fall!

This is going to be my go-to polish throughout the fall & winter; it's the perfect caramel beige that isn't too dark or too light. I'm obsessed!

What is your favorite fall nail polish shade?

For the first time in months, I went two weeks ago to get a manicure. I needed to clean up my cuticles and just felt like my hands needed some pampering.

I never get manicures for the color because like this manicure, it chipped almost immediately. I've come to realize that my nails are not that healthy and don't hold a manicure well, but I'm doing my best to fix that.

Just because a manicure chips easily doesn't mean that'll stop me. I love a good fall nail color and I usually stick to my faithful Essie while in the nail salon chair but this time around, I saw a new color that I've been wanting to try.



Kathleen Lights, my favorite Youtube beauty blogger posted this photo on Instagram of OPI's new color, 'A Piazza Cake' and I knew I had to have it. I don't have anything like this color nor have I ever tried anything like this. I was instantly intrigued because it looks like pumpkin nail polish and I need everything pumpkin #basic.

I couldn't find this polish in the stores but when I walked into my nail salon, I saw it there waiting for me. It was clearly fate.




My mom was not a fan of this orange nail polish and I was definitely weary of it but it looked SO good on the nails! It was super smooth and opaque, it was a really good formula. I never use OPI polishes and I don't remember the last time I actually wore one but this may have opened the doors to a new found love.

How gorgeous is that color? I cannot get enough and I need to find it in store now.

Do you use OPI nail polishes? What's your opinion of them?