O. P. I. - athon: Tiramisu For Two... And A Cup Of Java, Please

Hi friends,
Ahhh... tiramisu, that light creamy, rich, cocoa, espresso flavored, choclatey goodness. Who can say no to a teeny tiny taste? My mouth is watering thinking about it. The name tiramisu means "pick me up" probably because of the espresso and cocoa in it. This polish is from the Fall 2015  Venice Collection inspired by the great city itself. So, this is how it works. Our eloquent O.P.I. team of polish naming magicians were taken to a top secret, national security level, Quantico sealed, undiscoverable location where they perused maps and viewed the art, architecture and any other notable treasures of Venice, devoured the local foods (hence tiramisu) while brainstorming names to suit the chosen polish colors. I take vacations that don't compare to their brainstorming sessions. Polish Naming Magicians who are you and how did you get that job???  Those powers cannot be taught. Are you Chosen Ones, groomed from birth to bless the world with your creative talents?  I believe they actually have true magical abilities to pull those names out of the hat. They couldn't have attended Hogwarts could they?  I mean that is a fictional place...right?

The magicians must have gotten fat from tasting, testing and sampling the local cuisine judging by the fact that many of the names in this collection seem to have been food inspired.

Since coffee is one of the main features to a good tiramisu , I decided to do a coffee themed manicure.  It's my personal Ode To Starbucks, with whom I have an ongoing love affair.

I think I'll make a coffee run now. Bucky misses me.
Ciao for now.

Orly's New 2016 Summer Collection: Pacific Coast Highway

Hello Ladies,
Today, I have another new summer collection for you. This one is by Orly, and I think it's a winner. The Pacific Coast Highway Collection includes six vibrant pastels that are all truly perfect for the summer.

Road Trippin is a bright yellow cream, Summer Sunset is a soft shimmery orange. Put The Top Down is a soft pink cream. Scenic Route is a basic lavender cream, Life's A Beach is an orange red cream, and last, Paradise Cove is a fuchsia shimmer.  A few are described as neons, but I don't think I'd describe them as such (maybe Road Trippin).
All six colors are also available in mini's.

If you pick up any of these, let me know how you like them. Till next time, Ciao for now.

Sneak Peak: Morgan Taylor - A Very Nauti-cal Girl

Hello friends,
Are you ready for the summer?  Morgan Taylor is.
I have a traditional summer set for you today. But, alas, no manicure to show. Not because I haven't polished my nails, but because my camera has disappeared. Yup, my trusty friend grew legs and walked right out the door.  I hope she comes home soon. In the mean time, I can catch you guys up on a few new polishes. Morgan Taylor's new summery set, A Very Nauti-cal Girl, includes four colors that are perfect for July. The 4th of July to be specific.

All four colors appear to be cream finishes. Wish Upon a Star is a vibrant classic red, Girls Love Buoys, my favorite, is a beautiful rich magenta.  Catch My Drift is a deep cobalt blue, and My Yacht, My Rules! is described as "a sweet white".  Ok, they look good to me.

The collection includes two duo packs with Girls Love Buoys or Catch My Drift and it's coordinating Gelish mate.  Also, for those who don't want to commit to the full size set, there is a mini 4-pack.

If you get your hands on one or more of these babies, I'd love to hear your thoughts on them.
Until next time, Ciao Bellas!

Zoya Week Sunday: Meet Edyta and Neely

Although I have more Zoya polishes to share with you, we've come to the end of our week long Zoya journey.  These last two ladies are in direct contrast with one another.  Edyta is a black/gold micro glitter while Neely is a pastel green creme.

Edyta

Since my new stamping polishes and stamping plates arrived, I haven't been able to stop playing with them.  I did several manicures, but somehow lost the pics (Painful. I can't talk about it).  But I did salvage these two.

Edyta is a black/gold shimmer polish that appears glittery in the bottle, but is more of a shimmer once applied.  I used gold Mundo De Unas stamping polish with a MoYou London plate from the Explorer set.  The Greco Roman theme worked great with this black/gold polish.

Mundo De Unas Gold 17 and MoYou London Explorer Collection - 09

Neely

I have two Neely polishes.  Once again, I unintentionally repurchased a polish. Maybe I could avoid this if I make a list of the polishes I have and carry it with me. Not likely, but it's a good idea. 

This polish is such a soft color that I wanted to add a soft design to it.  I stamped a simple floral design and used a dotting tool to create multi-colored circles.  Soft and simple.

What are your favorite Zoya polishes?   

Zoya Week Friday: Meet Caitlin and Daisy

Caitlin

The first time I saw Caitlin I knew I needed to have the unusual color.  In the bottle, it appears to be a muted lavender, but on the nail and from a distance it appears to be almost a soft gray. It glides on smoothly, although the first coat goes on a bit streaky. The second coat creates a streakless creamy, opaque finish.   This color is versatile. As a subdued and sophisticated neutral it works well in a conservative environment, but a splash of color or a top coat of a shimmer, glitter or holographic polish, will liven it up.  For this manicure I used a reverse stamping technique that allowed me to add color to an otherwise simple stamp.  I chose a masquerade theme because of the mysterious aura that Caitlin exudes.

Daisy

Daisy is as sunny. light and happy as the name implies.  This is a mellow lemon shimmer that requires three coats to be completely opaque.  It has green and blue micro glitter that gives it an iridescent quality in the light.  I think that the micro glitter makes it much more interesting and unique than your average yellow polish  I think it's impossible to be sad while wearing this perky color. So, if you're having a down day, throw on a couple coats of Daisy to brighten your mood.

Caitlins masquerade theme put me in a celebratory frame of mind and the colors I used in the masks reminded me of Mardi Gras.  Using some of those same colors I stamped Mardi Gras colored flowers and Daisy provided the perfect backdrop.

Tomorrow will be a no-plans Saturday.  I can only promise that the polishes will still be by Zoya.  Ciao for now.

Zoya Week Wednesday: Meet Rue and Jolie

You know that I love Zoya polishes, but I haven't told you why. Well, there are a few reasons.  I have strong brand loyalty, so once I latch on to a brand, it's full steam ahead.  And when I'm consistently impressed with a brand, my loyalty grows.  Zoya has never let me down yet.  If I find one I'm unimpressed by, I'll let you know.  Little things build my brand loyalty.  The shape of the bottle, type of brush, the name of the company and the names of the colors.  The more creative the polish names, the more I'm inclined to be drawn to a brand.  I admit that I have purchased a polish just because of the name.  A little obsessive, I know, but for me, it makes my polish experience all the more pleasant.  Zoya polishes usually have female names.  Or names that you could choose for your daughter. I love the simplicity and the added feminine touch the names bring to the brand.  There are other reasons why I like Zoya polishes. They are 5-free, meaning that they are free of 5 not-so-healthy chemical ingredients that are often found in nail polish.  Those are Tolulene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde resin, DBP and Camphor.  Most likely, wearing these chemicals in small quantities on your nails won't harm you, but many companies are jumping on the 3-free and 5-free bandwagon so that they can advertise the natural and healthy qualities of their polishes.  Go green. Now, you understand why I love Zoya polishes.

I have two great polishes for you.  No glitter or sparkles today.  Instead, I have two soft neutrals that are versatile and appropriate for all occasions.  One is a cream, the other is a sheer pearlescent.

Rue

The first polish I want to show you today is one that I bought just because of the name. It's a beautiful soft blush cream called Rue.  Usually the color draws you to a polish, followed by other attributes, but I never considered the color of this polish until I got to the counter and really looked at it.  I thought, "Hmm, this might be cute". And it is.  The name attracted me because of the Hunger Games character, Rue.  I'm a Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Divergent fan (Yes, I admit to enjoying a few YA books) and anything that relates to my favorite book/movie series is a definite no-brainer for me.

For this design I used Born Pretty stamping plate BP-13 and Your Touch by China Glaze.

Jolie

Jolie is a sheer pearlescent ivory polish.  I used three or four coats to achieve this look and you can still see a hint of a smile line peeking through.  To avoid having a visible smile line, you can use a white base coat.  However, it works perfectly as a sheer top coat to tone down an otherwise overpowering polish.    I used a gold stamping polish (probably Konad Gold) for the design. Tomorrow we'll look at a couple more neutrals. Ciao for now.