China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy

Hey guys!

We've been having some amazing weather here in Wisconsin, so I figure now's the time to get out the neon polishes.  Today I have Flip Flop Fantasy from the China Glaze Poolside Collection for Summer 2010.  Let me warn you, I could not get a good, color-accurate picture of this polish.  Believe it or not, both of the pictures below are of the same polish! The first picture really shows how the color pops. The second picture is a little more color accurate, but downplays the brightness.



China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy



Flip Flop Fantasy is a bright coral pink creme.  If you work in retail or have been shopping lately, you'll see that Coral is THE color of Spring 2012.  From tops to shoes, (and of course your nails!) you must rock some Coral!  Here's a little tip I've picked up:  Because neons are difficult to apply (i.e. they're thick and streaky), apply a thin coat of white polish first.  Then apply your neon polish.  For this mani I used 2 coats.  Neons also tend to dry with a matte finish, so I opted to use a top coat.

Thanks for stopping by!

K

China Glaze Colors From The Capitol Swatches

Hey guys!

Today I have some swatches and comparisons for a few of the Colors From The Capitol Collection for China Glaze.  I chose to do these 3 first since they aren't overly fun.  I want to save the fun ones for later on! 

For each swatch, I added a coat of Luxe and Lush  Luxe and Lush is a clear base with chuncky mylar flakes.  All of the pictures are photographed with a flash, and with 2 coats of polish.

First up is Dress Me Up.  Dress Me Up is a warm rose creme. 



Dress Me Up



Dress Me Up with Luxe and Lush

Next up is Fast Track which is a light gold creme base with gold shimmer.



Fast Track





Fast Track with Luxe and Lush



Finally, we have Foie Gras which is a dusty purple/greigh creme.

Foie Gras

Foie Gras with Luxe and Lush

Foie Gras with Luxe and Lush
no flash with artificial light

Here is a comparison between Fast Track and China Glaze Knotty.  In the bottle they look different enough.  But once on my nails I could barely figure out which was which!  The formulas were nearly identical.  They're both on the sheer side, but build up well.  Fast Track is a little "dirtier" than Knotty while Knotty has more of a yellow tone and has a "milky" look to it.

(From L-R)
One coat Fast Track, one coat Knotty,
2 coats Fast Track, 2 coat Knotty

Bottle shots of China Glaze Fast Track and Knotty

For some reason I was convinced that I had a bunch of dupes for Foie Gras.  But when I went to look for them, I couldn't find any!  I did however find some colors that were somewhat similar.  Below is Foie Gras compared to China Glaze Below Deck and Street Chic.



Below Deck, Foie Gras, Street Chic, Foie Gras





Bottle shots of Below Deck, Foie Gras and Street Chic


They are definitely completely different colors.  The only thing they have in common is the creme finish and the wonderful application.  These colors aren't anything amazing or unique, but they're definitely key colors to have in your collection.  They're trendy yet work appropriate.  Tomorrow I will have some of my favorites from this collection.

Thanks for stopping by!

K

---I really enjoy writing this blog.  I love having a way to share my love for nail polish with other polish lovers.  If you enjoy reading Knailed It! as much as I enjoy posting, please show your support by following this blog.  I would really appreciate any comments, questions or suggestions that you may have! 

OPI Jade Is The New Black VS Don't Mess With OPI

Hey guys!

Today I have a comparison between OPI's Jade Is The New Black and Don't Mess With OPI.  To me these two colors are nearly identical, but equally pretty!

On the left, Don't Mess With OPI.  On the right, Jade Is The New Black

Jade Is The New Black is from the Spring 2010 Hong Kong Collection.  JITNB is a jade green creme with blue undertones.  Don't Mess With OPI is from the Spring/Summer 2011 Texas Collection.  DMWOPI is a forest green creme.  When I first saw the Texas Collection in person, I decided not to buy DMWOPI because it was so similiar to JITNB.  However, I recently spotted DMWOPI hiding at JCP's Salon, and it was on clearance for $4.25!  So I decided to pick it up and do a comparison.  Below is a picture with 2 coats of both colors.

As far as being dupes, there are some slight differences.  JITNB is a little bit darker, while DMWOPI is a little more sheer.  Formula was a little different also.  JITNB applied more smoothly and had better coverage.  DMWOPI was a little more sheer, so it showed the ridges in my nail more.  I also had some bald spots with DMWOPI that would probably require a third coat.  Here is a shot of each color on its own with 2 coats.


OPI Don't Mess With OPI



OPI Jade Is The New Black

If I had to choose between the 2, I think I perfer JISTNB.  Application was smoother, I prefer the darker color and the polish dries more glossy than DMWOPI.  You probably don't need both polishes in your colleciton unless you love greens.  Or unless you find a great deal on one of them!

Thanks for stopping by!

K

OPI Did It On Em'

Hey guys!

Today I had planned on wearing Did It On Em' from the Nicki Minaj collection for OPI.  Unfortunately, I had a big girl meeting today, and I thought that lime green might be a little flashy.  Instead I went with OPI Time-less Is More, which is a really sheer off-white.  I normally don't do something so plain, but this poor polish has never been used, and it's a perfect meeting, interview and/or office appropriate color.  It's also perfect for a french manicure or as a base for a layering polish. 

OPI Time-less is More
w/flash

For Time-less is more I used 3 very thin coats. I learned the hard way that you cannot rush this polish. I did one coat, let that air dry completely and then did the other 2 coats followed by SV. 

Instead of redoing my nails, I just put Dit It On Em' over Time-less Is More.  Layering the polishes didn't effect the color of Did It On Em', so what you see is what the polish looks like on its own.  I also added Super Bass shatter on my accent nail.

OPI Did It On Em'
w/flash

OPI Did It On Em' with OPI Super Bass shatter
w/flash

Did It On Em' is a bright yellow-toned green creme.  The application on this one was ok.  It was a little thick and streaky, but I was able to pull it off in 2 coats.  Having a neutral color underneath the polish probably helped minimize the need for another layer.  As for whether or not I like this color....I'm not really sure.  I don't have a dupe in my collection, (it does look very similar to OPI Fiercely Fiona) so I'm glad I have it, but I don't know how often I'll wear it.  Maybe when Spring rolls around I'll warm up to it.

Thanks for stopping by!

K

Retro Pink Wednesday......with OPI Pink Friday!

Hey guys!


Today I have the mani that I'll be wearing for Pink Wednesday.  This is OPI Pink Friday from the Nicki Minaj collection.  I also decided to a black outline on my accent nail.  I first saw this technique on Tornado Calli's blog and thought it was really cute and had kind of a retro feel to it.

OPI Pink Friday w/flash

OPI Pink Friday
artificial light without flash

Pink Friday is a bubble gum pink creme.  I used 3 coats to cover up some streaks and bald spots.  Unfortunatly this didn't apply as well as the other cremes from this collection.  For the black outline, I used a nail art polish by Kiss and started by drawing a line down each side, then along the base of the nail as well as the tip of the nail to connect each side making a square.  Then I repeated the steps to thicken the lines and round out the edges.  Overall the outline was pretty easy, but next time I do it, I'll be sure to pick up a nail art pen to have a little more control over the lines. 


Teen Vogue has an awesome tutorial for this technique and includes a "Retro-Glam" mani.  I found this link after I did this mani, but I wish I had seen this first!  Check it out for a more indepth how-to.

Thanks for stopping by!

K

OPI Fly with OPI Super Bass

Hey guys!

Today I have OPI Fly from the Nicki Minaj collection.  I was able to find the whole collection at JCPenney's last month.  I normally don't buy an entire collection, but this one only has 6 polishes, and the colors were all different enough, so I was able to justify it!  I started out with Fly, and added Super Bass shatter on my ring finger.

OPI Fly with OPI Super Bass on accent finger

With OPI Super Bass

Fly is a rich aqua/teal creme polish.  Application was 100% perfect.  I used 2 coats to cover up some bald spots, but you could probably get away with one coat.  I was going to leave this mani alone, but I decided to add Super Bass on one finger.  Super Bass is a purple/magenta shatter with a bit of shimmer.  I'm over the whole shatter look, but this one was too pretty not to pick up.  (Hint: Before I applied Super Bass, I put a coat of Seche Vite over Fly.  When  you use a Shatter, it tends to dull the base color if you don't use a top coat.)  Super Bass applied very well for a shatter.  It does dry matte, but I prefer it with a glossy finish.  So after Super Bass dried and was done "shattering" I applied a coat of Seche Vite.  Once you apply a top coat, you can really see the shimmer in Super Bass.  Plus, it really pops over Fly.  The more I look at it, the more I want to add Super Bass to the rest of this mani.  This will definitely be a top Spring/Summer combo!

I will have the rest of this collection throughout the week.

Thanks for stopping by!

K

China Glaze Kinetic Candy

Hey guys!

China Glaze just released their Spring 2012 collection called Electropop.  Unfortunately, I wasn't too excited about this collection.  The colors are pretty and fun, but they are by no means unique.  When I saw the collection, I told myself I'd only buy the colors I like, and don't have dupes for.  There are 12 polishes in this collection; 6 brights and 6 lights.  I decided to get Kinetic Candy, Aquadelic and Fuchsia Fanatic.  I will probably end up getting the rest of the brights....but I'll pass on the pastel colors.

Here is Kinetic Candy, a dusty light blue creme.

China Glaze Kinetic Candy
w/flash

China Glaze Kinetic Candy



no flash with artificial light

Application on this one wasn't ideal.  It was pretty streaky but thick at the same time, so I used 2 coats for full/even opacity.  I have to say, I was not impressed with this one.  The light blue reminded me of Easter candy and it did not work with my skin tone.  I love China Glaze and normally I at least like their colors, so I was pretty bummed with how much I did not like this one :(

Thanks for stopping by!

K