Tag: OPI

Sally Hansen Gel Manicure Starter Kit – Review

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I splurged this weekend and bought myself the Sally Hansen gel manicure starter kit in Shell We Dance. It was literally like unwrapping a new toy. I had done some research on this kit and found that most everyone liked it and Sally Hansen offers a range of other gel colors that are compatible with this kit. Though part of me wants to see if I can buy the OPI and Essie gel colors and test them out in this thing. Has anyone tried this?

This kit comes with all the essentials to get started with your at-home gel kit: base coat, color, and top coat, the LED lamp, cleanser pads, acetone remover and a small nail file and cuticle stick. I read the instructions and got to work, and it was actually pretty simple. Prep your nails, make sure to use the alcohol pads on them to get your nails super dry. Then apply base coat and cure, then color and cure, color again and cure, top coat and cure x 2 (I cured twice at the end). The lamp stays on for 30 second increments. FYI: my nails were still “wet” after curing the base coat, and only the base coat. Not sure if that’s normal for this kit because I’m pretty sure the base coat always dries at the nail salon. Maybe I should have cured them twice, oh well, learnings for next time. I love the nail color “Shell We Dance” it’s very light and resembles my favorite Essie Sugar Daddy. This kit comes in two other colors a red and a fuchsia. I can’t wait to get other colors (of course!) and try out some nail art + the LED lamp. I’m interested to see what works!

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Pretty kit with all the essentials included

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Curing my first hand

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Closer look at curing

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All done!

P.S. This kit retails for $40. Don’t pay any higher. In NYC, they sell for $60 at Duane Reade and that’s very high. I purchased my kit at Bed Bath & Beyond and used a 20% off coupon. Amazon also has it for less than $40.

50 Shades of Beauty Products

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In light of the upcoming and arguably highly anticipated movie release, let’s explore all the beauty products collaborating and inspired by of 50 Shades of Grey. (List will be ongoing an likely, frequently updated, here’s looking at you NYX)

Make Up Forever Give In To Me kit, let it be known they also have a Desire Me cheek set and a Tease Me Trio.

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OPI x 50 Shades of Grey

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Bobbi Brown’s “Come Hither Greys”

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Get Bonded

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OPI’s latest collaboration with the James Bond 007 movie Skyfall is absolutely gorgeous. The colors are rich and dark and after seeing the movie, I can tell they are an accurate representation of the film. You can buy the colors individually or there are 2 gift sets: one is a 4-pack of mini’s and the other is a 3-pack of full sized colors. I chose the 3-pack because I have the OPI Nicki Minaj minis and I found them hard to work with and one of the glitter colors dried up: not worth it. Most importantly the 3-pack comes with the color “Skyfall” which is a essentially oxblood aka hottest color of the moment. I’m currently wearing the color and love the look. I didn’t see “The Man with The Golden Gun,” which is the color with gold foil in honor of the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise. But I’m not sure it’s worth the $30 price tag. Regardless, if you only chose one color from the collection pick up Skyfall.

OPI Holland Collection

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Anyone who knows me is aware of my love for Amsterdam. I know I left my heart in Europe two years ago, but especially in Amsterdam. I could use all the beautiful adjectives in the world in attempt to describe the city, but nothing I say would do it justice. It’s somewhere that you have to discover for yourself. If you’ve been then you know what I’m talking about, and we’ll share this special moment. With that said, I walked into Ulta to see this gorgeous display:

How did I not know that OPI’s spring collection would be Holland? I am a nail polish freak and when my love for all things Holland and OPI come together…it could be disastrous…for my bank account. After much thought, I’ve come to the decision that I cannot have all of the colors and that I should choose a few, to be reasonable, of course. I’m leaning towards “A Roll in the Hague” (bottom tier, far left) because neons and specifically tangerine are the hot colors for Spring. Keep in mind this windmill display does not portray the colors very well, they all generally have a bit of sparkle in them. And just for kicks, I thought I’d include the Pantone color of the year: Tangerine Tango. I can assure you that the orange and red colors will be the first ones to go from this collection so buy them now!