Nail du Jour: OPI Cozu-melted in the Sun

My local department store had a mahooosive 20% sale on all OPI products a few weeks ago so I just couldn't resist ANOTHER nail varnish... Eeek! This one is called Cozu-melted in the Sun and it's a glossy, shimmery beige-pink. It's not too in 'yer face so would be great to wear for work. 

I think this may be my new favourite (although I say that about all my new nail varnishes - fickle eh?!). And it kind of reminds of a silk nightie - sexy, glamorous and understated. Definitely a must-have : - )

What do you guys think? Is it worth it even with a 20% discount?!

Sami xx

My Nail Varnish Collection

As you can probably tell by all my NOTDs I loooove nail varnish! And I've built up a little collection over the past few months... here's what I've got right now....

Left to right: OPI Coney Island Cotton Candy, OPI Glitzerland, OPI Pinking of You, OPI So Hot it Berns, Bourjois Rose Lounge,  Bourjois Rose Lounge, Barry M Bight Purple, Mint Green, Flamingo Pink and Matt White, Estee Lauder Wild Orchid, Nubar Creme, No7 Matt Top Coat, NARS Adelita, Rimmel Urban Princess, Sleek Nailed Polish, GOSH Golden Brown, LCN no name pink

My Top 5

OPI Pinking of You - a lovely bright candy floss pink that I have been wearing non-stop lately

OPI Glitzerland - another beautiful colour from OPI, this is from the Swiss collection and looks like melted gold on my nails... I don't think I'll ever get fed up of this colour

Barry M Mint Green - I love how obscure and bright this colour is! 

Barry M Pink Flamingo - beautiful two-toned colour that looks amazing in the sunshine

Bourjois Rose Vamp - this is, in my opinion, the perfect pink

I also LOVE Bourjois' Fuchsia Hype but I've lent it to a friend :)

Not really liking...

OPI Coney Island Cotton Candy - the colour is a little blah in my opinion... but maybe it just doesn't mesh with my skintone... Zara from MouldyFruit suggested using it as a top coat to give bright colours a pastel wash so I might try that

 Barry M Matt White - I'd been itching to try white nails for a while but found that the consistency of this was awful... imagine applying Tipex to your nails and you'll get the idea...

Bourjois Rose Lounge - another blah nude that just gave my nails a polished sheen but failed to make any impact 

Rimmel Urban Princess - gorgeous colour but chips a few hours after you apply it

NARS Adelita - again... blah, blah, blah on its on but could be used as a top coat to give a shimmery finish

In terms of brands I really like OPI but find that their nail lacquers are slightly overpriced... but for high street I really like Barry M and Bourjois for colours and quality.

As you can see I tend to avoid blues, greens and darker colours and stick to pinks and neutrals. It's mainly because I have been collecting nail varnishes throughout the summer and so my taste has geared more towards the brighter, girly colours... I'm still on the lookout for the perfect purple so any suggestions would be lovely :- ) 

Sami x

Breast Cancer Beauty Products

I'm not going to tell you about the importance of breast cancer awareness because you probably already know. What I will tell you is, that if like me, the mere thought of doing a sponsored marathon or walk for charity has you breaking out in sweat then don't worry - there's an easier and funner (is that a word?!) way to raise money! Some of the big beauty brands have come up with special limited edition pink products to support the cause. Which one (if not all) will you be buying?!

Estee Lauder Elizabeth Hurley Pink Ribbon Lipstick Collection, £25

Estee Lauder Elizabeth Hurley Pink Ribbon Lipgloss Collection, £25

Clinique Great Lips, Great Cause Glosswear Key Chain, £15

Clinique Special Edition Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion, £35

Estee Lauder Pink Ribbon Collection Jewelled Pin, £10

OPI Pink of Hearts Nail Laquer, £9.95

Bobbi Brown Pink Shimmer Brick, £29.50

My favourites are the Shimmer Brick and OPI nail varnish (surprise, surprise!) And don't quote me on this but most, if not ALL, the proceeds from the sale of Bobbi Brown's Pink Shimmer Brick will be going to charity. The rest will be donating £2 - £7.50 from each sale. I love non-guilty makeup! What will you be picking up??

Sami xx

PS - Normal blog posting will resume shortly - I've just been taking it slowly since Ramadan because my days are usually a blur of work, eat and sleep! Ramadan Mubarak to all my Muslim sisters reading this :- ) xx

Summer Flutter OPI minis

It's official - I am obsessed  with OPI - however, it's an expensive obsession, one which I can't indulge in it that often. Having said that, I recently spotted these little beauties on British Beauty Blogger and immediately fell in love. So in true addict style I popped into Selfridges and picked it up straight away :- )

The set comes with four mini OPI nail lacquers from their latest summer collection.

OPI Summer Flutter Mini Collection, £12.95, available at Selfridges

Left to right:

Catch me in Your Net a super shimmery turquiose colour

Wing It! a glittery fuschia pink

Flit a Bit! a bright acidic orange

Flower to Flower a bright pink with white pearl running through it

On my hands

Look how cute and dinky they are!

I really loved trying these colours out - the bright pink and orange in particular are perfect summer colours. In my humble opinion, OPI have the most amazing colour range and quality, but I can never bring myself to pay the hefty £9.95 price tag for one bottle. This mini pack is a good (cheaper) alternative though - especially if you're as fickle as me and get bored of a nail colour after just a few uses...!

Until next time... Sami x

OPI... again!

I go through stages where I am obsessed with something.... for a while it was blusher, then lipstick and now nail varnish. I don't know how it happens but I suddenly become amorously fascinated with that one thing. I've been experimenting with different nail colours on my hands and feet and I love how something so simple and inexpensive can transform someone's look.

Here are some NOTD pics of my OPI nail lacquers that I've been hearting lately...

OPI in Pinking of You

I picked this up at my local department store because they were having a 20% off OPI and I just couldn't resist. Although technically not a 'summer' colour, the pink really jumps out and is very pigmented. In real life  it's brighter and less milky and opaque - definitely not a boring pale baby pink. In fact it reminds me of the MAC lipstick in Pink Nouveau, which never suited me... but the nail varnish version does so yay!

OPI in So Hot it Berns

This is part of the OPI A/W Swiss collection and isn't available to buy until August, but if you're looking to pick something up I'd definitely recommend this along with Glitzerland. The colour is a really bright, sizzling red and looks amazing on the feet. I took the pic with a flash only because it captured the true colour much better then without flash. If you want to turn heads this is the nail varnish for you!

Does anyone have any other nail varnish recommendations for me? I tend to avoid dark colours but anything else goes!

Sami x 

New: OPI Nail Laquer Swiss Collection

Sooooo earlier this week I attended the OPI A/W Press Launch in the swish Absolute Ice Bar. For anyone not familiar with OPI (shame on you!) it's a super-glam nail varnish range that has EVERY nail colour under the sun. 

There were mini manis available @ the event and I was fortunate enough to get mine done by Lena White's daughter! She was lovely and gave me some great advice on nail care... here are a few pearls....

• When applying nail varnish, use a base coat to avoid bright/dark colours staining your nails
• A glass nail file gives a smoother, softer finish than a standard one
• Bright nail colours will transform even the most boring outfit
• Always get acrylic nails professionally taken off to avoid damaging them 

The new collection was themed around the idea of the Swiss Alps, snowy nights, cabin breaks and ski holidays - very cosy! The colours included rich berry reds, maroons, aubergines, emeralds and jewel-toned blues.

OPI A/W Swiss Collection

To be honest I'm not really a fan of dark, moody colours like these but there were a few that stood out to me.

Here are the ones that I got:

                              

 (From left to right: Cuckoo For This Colour, So Hot It Berns, Glitzerland)

I haven't tried the first two colours out yet because I'm rocking Glitzerland - and it hasn't budged or chipped for five days now! Cuckoo For This Colour is a bit too dark for my liking so I might give it away as a gift but I'm soooo excited to try So Hot It Berns! It's a really warm, bright red, which I think will look fab on my toes. 

And as for Glitzerland...

Can you say bliiiiiiiiiiing?!! This pic is doing it no justice because in real life it looks like I've dipped my nails into gold. It kind of resembles the Minx manicures that are becoming really popular with celebs - only they cost more. Mmmmm I think this is going to become my fav nail varnish of all time...

OPI Nail Laquers are quite pricey though, so I'd only consider buying them as an indulgent treat or for a spesh occasion (Glitzerland is perfect for weddings, parties, everything!) 

I'll do a seperate post for So Hot It Berns sooon.

Sami xx

OPI Nail Laquers retails at £9.95 each, available at www.lenawhite.co.uk

The Swiss Collection will be available in August.

I was given these three nail laquers but this doesn't affect my views

Summer Trend: Nude Nails

Yep, that’s right – barely there nails are totally on trend this summer so chuck out the acrylics and get painting! Lighter skintones should go for peaches, baby pinks, blushes and creams with a pink undertone and darker/olive complexions suit light browns, beige and taupes. I’m currently lusting after OPI Tickle My France-y and Revlon’s Sheer Blush. Does anyone know if these are worth buying??

Revlon varnish in Sheer Blush

OPI nail lacquer in Tickle My France-Y

If you have any recommendations please let me know… xx