This post is for Tatin who loves this collection and who needs a break from the craziness of moving to her sexy new home.
You should have seen us the day awesome Golda from Etude House Philippines sent over these babies. We couldn’t stop playing with them.
Tatin, sit back, put your feet up and check out the swatches.
These new colors from Etude House’s Petit Darling Nails Matte line are yummy – they remind me of candy.
Mint Cookie is a pretty minty green polish.
I can’t resist mint polish so I love this one.
The formula was nice and thick.
I used three coats to even it out.
Berry Bubble is a sweet lavender.
It reminds me of grape bubble gum which I love.
Like Mint Cookie, this was thick without being goopy.
Again, three coats.
Orange Muffin is, naturally, orange. When Tatin saw this shade, she said she wished it was a little softer. I agree.
Orange Muffin is seriously making me hungry. I could totally go for some orange cake from Bellini’s now.
Consistent formula.
Three coats. You could get away with two if you use thick ones.
Ice Sherbet is a gorgeous pale blue.
This is my favorite from the set.
Ice Sherbet is the matte sister of Chanel Riva.
I used three coats.
Strawberry Yogurt is a lovely milky pink.
I don’t like strawberry yogurt but Strawberry Yogurt is making me want to grab a strawberry milkshake.
Yes. Even one from McDonald’s would be great.
Three coats.
Lemon Cheese is a happy yellow.
I’m pretty sure they meant Lemon Cheesecake but no one’s complaining.
I love how sunny this color is. I can see it on my right thumb and left pinky right now and I like it.
Yes, three coats for this one too.
I don’t think it’s possible to have these colors in front of you and be able to resist the urge to try a skittles mani. I certainly didn’t.
Candy!
Each bottle is ₱98.
You can find Etude House products at SM Cubao Department Store, SM Fairview Department Store, SM Makati Department Store, SM North Edsa Department Store, SM Pampanga, SM Fairview, Festival Mall, SM Iloilo, SM Manila, SM Megamall, SM North The Block, SM Southmall, SM Bicutan, SM Cebu, SM Sta. Rosa., SM Iloilo, SM Pampanga. Visit Etude House Philippines’ website. You can also find Etude House Philippines on Facebook.
When OPI first released the Katy Perry collection, I passed.
Sure, the colors were pretty but I wasn’t a big Katy Perry fan. Her songs were catchy, I had some of them in my iPod and I liked that she’s into nails but I wasn’t crazy about her.
But that changed when I heard Last Friday Night.
And when I saw the music video, I knew I had to have its polish namesake.
Any polish inspired by this nutty 80s awesomess (yes, I mean awesome mess) is a polish I want to have in my life. And no, not just because I wore braces for years.
Luckily, my favorite online shop Digital Traincase was bringing in the collection. I immediately placed an order with Sol, the ultimate polish pimp.
And a couple of days ago, they arrived.
Teenage Dream.
And Last Friday Night.
Both colors are pretty sheer (with amazing holographic glitter that flashes the colors of the rainbow even when you’re not in the sun) and since I never wear sheer polish, I knew I was going to layer them.
But that didn’t stop me from trying to get Teenage Dream to go opaque.
Clearly, I failed.
So I brought out Steady As She Rose.
I thought this gorgeous pale pink from the OPI Pirates of the Caribbean Collection would look pretty with Teenage Dream.
I was right.
I love how Steady As She Rose gives Teenage Dream a softness, making the crazy glitter subtle.
I wanted to see if it was possible to bling this color out so I added another coat.
And another.
There. That’s blingy.
I brought out Sparrow Me The Drama too, also from the Pirates collection.
And it looks great with Teenage Dream too.
This pink prettiness is driving me crazy.
Two coats of Teenage Dream for a little extra crazy.
I grabbed Zoya Zara from my Helmer.
When I applied it, I thought, “Holy crap! Why did I never wear this before?!” Zara is crazy pretty. Just check out that flash of gold. Madness.
But Teenage Dream made that gold flash disappear.
Hmm, not exactly a great mix.
Zara was already blingtastic without the glitter. I probably shouldn’t have touched it.
I played with Last Friday Night next. I didn’t try getting it to go opaque anymore.
Instead, I picked up Orly Frisky, which is part of Orly’s recently released Happy Go Lucky Collection.
This bright blue is just beautiful.
And with Last Friday Night on top?
It’s magical.
I don’t know why it turned some of the glitter yellow but I don’t care because it’s pretty.
I tried finding polish soulmates for Teenage Dream and Last Friday Night so I can make them look opaque but I only succeeded with Last Friday Night.
Doesn’t China Glaze Frostbite look like Last Friday Night’s more opaque and electrified twin?
I think so. Don’t stare at Frostbite’s bottle too much – he feels shy. He knows he looks like crap, with the letters all rubbed off. He wants you know he’s been through a lot.
A lot. But not enough to turn ugly. Because Frostbite on its own is hot. And Frostbite with Last Friday Night? Insane.
Doesn’t this look like Last Friday Night just decided to stop being sheer?
Yes it does.
I pulled out another polish I haven’t given a lot of love even though it totally deserves it – OPI Ink.
This blurple shimmer is amazing. I feel sorry for neglecting it all this time.
And with Last Friday Night on top, it’s a little too crazy. Almost like I’m trying to compete with Tony Moly’s Galaxy.
There’s so much going on on my nails.
It looks so much like outer space that I am feeling the need to check my nails for alien life forms.
Katy Perry isn’t the only celebrity at this party. Let’s ask Serena Williams to join in.
I also ordered her England OPI Duo from Digital Traincase. The two colors in the collection are Grape… Set… Match and Servin’ Up Sparkle.
Grape… Set… Match reminds me so much of OPI Ink – it’s just more purple.
Servin’ Up Sparkle is the same glittery holographic goodness you can find in Teenage Dream and Last Friday Night – except this comes in a clear base. Perfect for layering.
This is Grape… Set… Match.
I thought this was going to be a two-coater but after two coats there were still bald spots so I went for three.
What makes this purple even more pretty is the iridescent purple sparkle that flashes blue, pink and purple.
Grape… Set… Match is gorgeous on its own.
With Servin’ Up Sparkle on top, it looks like I dusted my nails with sparkly sugar.
This is one coat – as you can see, I didn’t get a lot of the bigger glitter pieces onto my nails.
So I did another coat.
And there you go, glitter craziness.
Like Teenage Dream and Last Friday Night, I love how the holo glitter in Servin’ Up Sparkle turns into all colors of the rainbow without having to be out in the sun.
I love it.
But the party is over – and now I’m kind of drunk on glitter.
If you’re in the Philippines, order these colors from Digital Traincase. Aside from these colors, Digital Traincase has the following bottles of OPI available now: Your Royal Shine-Ness Duo Set, Katy Perry’s Not Like The Movies and The One That Got Away, the Miss Universe Collection (which I think I must own) and Play the Peonies and I Lily Love You from the OPI Nice Stems Collection. Sol also has the China Glaze Crackles, China Glaze Metal Crackles, Misa 9 to 5 Collection, Seche Vite Top Coat and Essie Matte About You in stock. Follow Digital Traincase on Twitter.
You know I love Deborah Lippmann‘s glitter. So when she released Glitter In The Air, which was inspired by Pink’s performance at the 2010 Grammy Awards, I had to have it.
Glitter In The Air, described by Deborah as “sky blue confetti” is sheer – and it’s not a buildable sheer like some polishes are. This polish was created for layering.
My first layering attempt was a total failure though.
I chose Nars Ecume as my base.
Nope, Glitter In The Air over white didn’t work for me.
Blue was the way to go.
Chanel Riva seemed closer to Glitter In The Air’s shade of blue than RBL Bikini Bottom so I used Riva.
I did two coats of Riva and two coats of Glitter In The Air.
That’s more like it.
As you can see, Glitter In The Air’s glitter is more sparse than Happy Birthday or Across The Universe or Bad Romance.
But I’m not complaining.
Because it was this performance that inspired the polish.
So yes, the glitter is sparse.
But my favorite combination is Glitter In The Air over a brighter, more vivid blue.
I used Barry M Blueberry Ice Cream as base.
Two quick and easy coats of Blueberry Ice Cream and two coats of Glitter In The Air.
Clearly ice cream and glitter make a great combination.
Polish addicts based in the Philippines are among the luckiest in the world. Most nail polish brands are easily available in this country – from high end brands and US favorites to hot picks from Korea and Japan. Even more obscure brands from smaller companies can be found here – if you know where to look.
I got a call from Tatin last week, asking if I wanted polish from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics.
Hell yes. I had read about the brand and have been curious about it for a while now.
But where was Tatin? And where was she getting my OCC fix?
Apparently, she and our friend Lele were shopping for makeup at City & Land Mega Plaza when they stumbled upon the brand. And Tatin was able to predict the colors I’d pick – Chlorophyll and Radiate.
She knows me too well.
Although the New York-based brand’s Lip Tars were responsible for making OCC famous all over the world, their nail polish line shouldn’t be ignored either.
Because yes, their polish is pretty freaking cool.
This is Chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll is a bright UV teal.
I am sad to report that my camera failed to capture just how bright this blue green is.
It’s bright and incredibly pretty.
It dries to a satin finish – the sexy line between glossy and matte.
I used two coats.
Because I was usually bored out of my mind in science class, I never thought chlorophyll could be sexy. Now it is.
And now, put your sunglasses on and get ready to say hi to Radiate.
OCC calls this “vibrant UV red,” I call it “holy hell that’s bright.”
It’s so bright it drove my camera crazy, making it look more orange than red in pictures.
Like Chlorophyll, this dries to a satin finish.
I used two coats.
I love Radiate.
Now that I’ve tried OCC, I can’t wait to get my hands on their other colors. Next on my list are NSFW, Anime and Grandma.
If you’re from the Philippines, you can buy OCC nail polish for ₱600 each from HD Makeup Studio & Academy. You can find HD Makeup at the lower ground of City & Land Mega Plaza, ADB Avenue corner Garnet St., Ortigas Center Pasig. Call 09228878921 or follow HD Makeup on Facebook. If you live in the US, get your dose of OCC from the OCC website. Find an OCC reseller in your country here.
I have a question. Why has nobody grabbed me by the shoulders, shaken me and asked, “Why are you not crazy about Misa? Why?! Why?! Why?!”
Thankfully, someone finally did. Scratch that, two people did. The first was Cat, the super sweet woman behind the pink awesomeness that is Posh Nails. And the second was Des, from Beauty Blends Inc., Misa’s exclusive distributor in the Philippines.
And they didn’t exactly grab me by the shoulders and shake me, they just sent me a lot of love in the form of Misa bottles.
I can’t believe I’ve ignored this brand’s awesomeness for so long. I do have a few bottles of Misa but they’ve been eclipsed by my madness for other brands. Now I’m so glad I spent time getting to know this brand. And after Misa Swatchfest #1, I’m so happy to know the brand is now readily available here in the Philippines. Getting our Misa fix will be easy.
Misa is Big 3 Free, the formula is fantastic and the colors are super pretty. All eleven colors you will see in this post (I will swatch the bottles Cat sent me in another post) gave me zero problems. I love the brush too – Des says the secret is in its 230 strands.
Beauty Blends sent me five colors from Misa’s 9 to 5 Collection along with other customer favorites.
This is Blush Hour, from Misa’s 9 to 5 Collection for Spring 2011.
Blush Hour is a creamy almost-white pink.
And what do we know about pale pinks? They’re usually hell to apply – they streak like crazy. But Blush Hour didn’t. The formula was fantastic.
There was zero streaking.
It wad the perfect two-coater.
I swear, when I saw how easily this polish applied, I wanted to do a slow clap.
And I love how clean this polish looks. So classy.
This is PaintMyNails@Work, also from the 9 to 5 Collection.
The name made me laugh. Because while I’ve never done a full mani at work, I’ve been known to do quick one-finger swatches when I get new bottles in the mail.
PaintMyNails@Work is a light gray with a little taupe mixed in.
I have a ton of grays in my collection but I still love this one.
The formula was fantastic. I used two coats.
This third color is also from the 9 to 5 Collection.
Pay Days Are Happy Days is a grayish taupe color.
It’s the taupier sister of PaintMyNails@Work. Yes I know taupier isn’t a word. But I know you got what I mean.
Again, amazing formula. This could even be a one-coater.
But I did two.
Working Hard or Hardly Working is my favorite shade from the 9 to 5 Collection.
This bluish gray is so pretty.
I love this color.
The formula is fantastic.
You will get sick of hearing me gush about Misa’s formula but it cannot be helped.
It really is great.
And finally, Office Polish-tics.
This grayed out blue is pretty.
It’s a little darker than these photos show.
Pretty pretty pretty.
Again, I used two coats.
But we’re not yet done. Far from it.
Because I still have a lot of beautiful colors from Misa to show you.
This is Delicate Cacao.
Although not part of the 9 to 5 Collection, this pinkish brown is office-safe too.
Great formula. I used two coats.
This is Femme Fatale.
This orange-tinged red is hot hot hot.
It reminds me of RBL Bangin’ which I love.
The formula was great. All I needed were two quick coats.
Love.
I love love love Mauve-Elous.
This reddish brownish pink is just pretty.
I love how this color looks vintage. It would be perfect worn with a pretty floral dress and fabulous shoes.
I don’t need to say this but I will – the formula was great.
Two perfect coats.
Red Valentine is another hot Misa red.
This one is pink-based and sexy.
It’s a gorgeous red.
I used two coats but this works as a one-coater too.
This is Poppy Dreams.
Poppy Dreams is a pretty pink.
It is also the sheerest of all eleven colors.
Two coats were okay but I wanted to use three to really show the color.
It may be a little more sheer than the others but the formula was still great.
I love how easy application is.
Here is the last color and the only non-cream in the set.
Misa Wishing On A Star is a black shimmer polish with silver micro-glitter.
The awesome thing about the glitter is it flashes blue and green.
The finish may be different but the formula is as great.
I used three coats for full opacity.
So yes, it’s official. I love Misa.
If you’re in the Philippines and you want a Misa fix, order from Beauty Blends Inc., the exclusive distributor. Visit their website, call (632)363-6736, (632)363-6739, +63922-8BEAUTY (8232889) or e-mail inquiry@beautyblends.com.ph.
