OPI The Amazing Spider-Man Collection Swatches

Hi loves! Today I have OPI The Amazing Spider-Man Collection to show you. I did these swatches back in May, but decided I would save them until the day the movie is released. I'm going to be watching it in IMAX 3D today. Yay! After editing my photos, I kind of wanted to re-do my swatches, but I just don't have that kind of time so I'll be posting them anyways. There's 6 colors and 1 shatter. I wish I could get my hands on OPI Spotted, but it's only available in France. Oh well, I'm pretty sure I'll get over it.

My Boyfriend Scales Walls

My Boyfriend Scales Walls with Shatter the Scales 

Your Web or Mine. This is the first frost I like, EVER. I never thought that would happen =]

Your Web or Mine with Shatter the Scales

Call Me Gwen-Ever

Call Me Gwen-Ever with Shatter the Scales

Just Spotted the Lizard. LOVE this color. 

Just Spotted the Lizard with Shatter the Scales

Number One Nemesis

Number One Nemesis with Shatter the Scales

Into the Night

Into the Night with Shatter the Scales

I really enjoyed all of the colors in this collection except for Number One Nemesis. It is very pretty and there's a lot of depth to it, but it's just not my style. Like most people, I expected a red in this collection. I really wish there was one in it because it doesn't seem very Spider-Man without it. I didn't really care much for Shatter the Scales. I know the crackle trend is pretty much over, but sometimes a new one will come out that I really enjoy. This one just didn't seem to go well with any of the colors except for Just Spotted the Lizard, the gold-green duochrome. The colors aren't unique, but of course I'm happy to have added them to my collection!

Red and Gold 49ers Nails!

Hi everyone! Today I have a manicure for my favorite football team, the S.F. Forty Niners! They're playing tomorrow and I thought these would be very fitting for the occasion =] I used a base of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Cherry Red. Then I used some scotch tape to make a V shape and used OPI Gold Shatter for the tip design. Then I used some gold hex glitter. I stamped using Konad M42, M17, and M18 in Konad White. I love how these turned out! Go Niners!

Here they are with no stamp for those of you who don't care for football or who have a different team preference. These can double as Chinese New Years nails! Chuc mung nam moi!

OPI Nicki Minaj Collection Swatches

Hey everyone! I'm officially on my winter break and I'm so excited to get back to blogging. I took my final yesterday and it just so happens yesterday was also the day nail polish heaven got this collection! Lucky me since this collection is actually due out in early January. I'm going to have to go back to nail polish heaven soon because they will be receiving China Glaze magnetic polishes any day now (also due out in early January)! Hope these swatches will be of help to those who are interested in getting this collection.

L to R: Did It On 'Em, Fly, Pink Friday, Metallic 4 Life, Save Me, Super Bass Shatter

Did It On 'Em. Lime green creme. 3 coats no topcoat. Formula got a little thick on my 2nd and 3rd coats, but not a problem.

This reminds me of Reptar from the Rugrats for some reason =P 

Fly. Turquoise creme. 2 coats no topcoat. This one stained a bit, but it was minimal.

Pink Friday. Bubblegum Pink. 2 coats no topcoat. 

Metallic 4 Life. Black jelly base with silver hex, round, and micro glitter. 3 coats no topcoat. So much depth, love this one!

Not sure about this combo because both polishes are dark and it's hard to distinguish between the two, but I  still like it.

Save Me. Clear base with holo bar glitter and silver micro glitter. 3 coats no topcoat. Don't think I'll be wearing this one alone, but it's gorgeous and I love the added effect from the holo bar glitter.

No flash. Love this combo because all the glitter underneath really shines through!

Flash

I have to say I truly love this collection. I'm big on bright colors, cremes, holos, glitters, and shatter and this collection has it all. I was really pleased with the Super Bass Shatter because I own a purple crackle polish from Sally Hansen and it was super sheer, but this one from OPI is opaque. I added topcoat to all the swatches with shatter and it really brought out the shimmer inside the shatter. My favorite to wear alone has to be Metallic 4 Life because it is so unique and my favorite combination was Save Me with the Super Bass Shatter. Well that's it for OPI's Nicki Minaj Collection. I'll be doing some holiday manis in the next few posts so stay tuned!

OPI Black Onyx and O.P.I. Gold Shatter

I've been buying a ton of crackle/shatter polishes lately! I can't help it. Just like regular nail polish, I feel the urge to own all colors and try same colors of different brands haha. Anyways, I used OPI Black Onyx as a base and used OPI Gold Shatter on top. I also added some gold hex glitter that I just got last week at U.S Nails (yes, again, but only a mini haul this time >.<) . I bought a little container of it because I wanted to try something new and also because the holidays are just around the corner and I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a lot of use from it. I really loved the formula of this gold shatter. I applied it thick and it came out great. I keep going back and forth sometimes whether I like OPI shatter or China Glaze crackle better, but more often than not I like OPI better. I think it has to do with the pro-wide brush that makes the application easier because I use less brush strokes. What about you ladies, do you have a favorite shatter or crackle brand?

OPI Spark de Triomphe & O.P.I. White Shatter

I'm so glad I bought another set from OPI's Serena Williams Glam Slam Collection. Not much to say about this one, except that I LOVE it! Spark de Triomphe has a clear base with 2 different sizes of silver and gold glitter. I believe I used 3 coats here. Then of course, I used white shatter on top. I would have to say that out of the 3 brands of crackle/shatter polishes I've tried (Sally Hansen, China Glaze, OPI) that the OPI shatters have the best formula and work well for me all the time! My pictures really don't do this one justice.

Pirate Mani 2

This mani doesn't look "pirate themed," but I used the OPI Pirates of the Carribean polishes so I'm pretty sure it still counts! I used OPI Mermaid's Tears and OPI Silver Shatter. This combination looks B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. Mermaid's Tears is a pastel minty creme. Like most other reviewers have said, it's truly unlike any other polish I own in my collection. I'm so happy I got this one from the POTC collection. I used 2 coats for a completely smooth, opaque finish.

No topcoat



(Right hand shown with Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat)

Bonus pic: The last pic shown is with the new Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat. I wish I just waited to do a full mani with the gold crackle because it was such a pain to try to take a picture of my right hand with my SLR camera, but I really wanted to try it out! The brush is so much narrower than O.P.I. that it was a little weird to use at first. The formula is also a little more watery than O.P.I.'s, but I'd say the end result was still pretty good. It cracks a little less and in bigger chunks, but I'm still happy I got it. I used this over Mermaid's Tears because I read a few people saying that it would look better with gold crackle, but after trying it out for myself, I say Silver Shatter is definitely the way to go!

OPI Teenage Dream & OPI Black Shatter

Whee I finally tried out OPI Teenage Dream from the Katy Perry collection and I have to say i LOVE it! It is pretty sheer, but I used 3 coats and it looks great. It dries really bumpy so a topcoat is needed. It's sooo sparkly though it's hard not to love it.

I decided to only use black shatter on half of the nail because Teenage Dream is so pretty I didn't want to cover it all up. I got the sideswipe idea from LOVE4NAILS on YouTube. She's able to do the sideswipe freehand, but for my mani I did use tape. I also added a line of silver glitter to add more sparkle!

OPI Simply Smashing & OPI Black Shatter

Okay so I'm new to blogging, but my fiancee convinced me I should make one and I'm really excited to start this up. I don't know where to begin, so I'll start off with a bit about me.

I wasn't too into nail polish or nail art until my sister introduced me to Konad a couple years ago. I would use hers on occasion, but I finally decided to buy my own and I have fell in love with nail art since then! I have recently started doing my nails more often than usual because I will start a nursing program soon, and heartbreakingly, nail polish is not allowed. That's pretty much the worst thing that can happen to a nailphile ='[ Anyways, until then, I'll be sharing my nail art, swatches, and any exciting events that come my way!

So I tried out Serena Williams first two polishes from her OPI collection. First is "Simply Smashing," which is a gold-green polish with very fine glitter. The other is "Black Shatter," which is the same shatter polish that comes with Katy Perry's Collection. I was hesistant to use Simply Smashing since a few reviewers said they had super yellow nails after wearing it, but I mustered up the courage! Here are the pics: