Swatch Comparison - OPI DS Original vs. Milani Hi-Res

Hey guys!

After my comparison of OPI DS Coronation and Milani HD, I started to think about my other DS polishes and wondered if there are any other shades from the Milani 3D Holographic Collection that are suitable alternatives to any of my other DS polishes.

The first similarities I noticed were between OPI DS Original and Milani Hi-Res so I'll be showing you that comparison today. I've also got one more OPI DS/Milani 3D comparison lined up to keep on the lookout for that.



Keep reading for the comparison!



OPI Designer Series Original, Milani Hi-Res


OPI DS Original


Milani Hi-Res


OPI DS Original, Milani Hi-Res


Milani Hi-Res, OPI DS Original

So while these are not dupes, they're definitely similar.
First of all, the base colours are almost identical - a light shimmering lilac. The differences lie in the holographic effect/particles.

The Milani 3D Holographic polishes all have bigger, chunkier pieces of silver holographic glitter pieces that the OPI DS polishes do not have, which makes the Milani polishes look a little more bling-y.

The holographic effect is very evident in both shades and although Hi-Res is one of the most holographic of the entire 3D Collection, DS Original still wins in the intensity of the holo effect. Hi-Res is more of a scattered effect with just a touch of linear holo while DS Original is very clearly linear.

One of the major differences between these two polishes is the pricing. OPI Designer Series polishes are more expensive than regular OPI polishes and will run you anywhere between $10-15. However, because DS Original has been discontinued, it'll run you even more than that from places like eBay. For example, my bottle of DS Original cost me $23 (including shipping) on eBay and it's currently the polish in my collection that I've spent the most money on.
On the other hand, the Milani 3D Holographic Collection polishes are $3.99 on the Milani website.

In the end, a choice between these will really come down to personal preference and budget. Hi-Res is a good alternative to OPI DS Original, especially considering the price difference and some people will prefer Hi-Res because it's got that extra bling-y quality. For me, DS Original has a special place in my collection and my heart so that one wins out for me.

My friend Rebecca also did a comparison of these two shades so you can check out her post for another look.

Do you have either of these? Both? Which do you prefer? Is Hi-Res similar enough to DS Original for you to cross that lemming off your list and opt for the more cost efficient option?

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Review & Swatches - Nfu-Oh Holographic Series: #61

Hey guys!

Another silver holo post for you today!

Over the next couple of weeks I'll be doing a series of reviews/swatches on all 6 of the Nfu-Oh Holographic polishes. Because I've heard a lot of different things about the formula, application and wear of these polishes, I've decided to not just swatch them on nail wheels like I normally would, but to actually put them through wear tests.
Additionally, these polishes are just too special and coveted that I had to do full nail swatches for each of them.

This means that you won't be seeing any new nail art from me while I'm doing this series but I'll try to itch the nail art bug for you by uploading a few tutorials of my past designs.

At the end of the series I'll do an overall review/recommendations post for all 6 of the shades so that you'll have an easy access post for all of them.

I'll go in the proper numerical order of the shades so today I'll be starting with Nfu-Oh #61 which is a bright silver linear holographic polish.



Keep reading for swatches and the full review!
(Believe me, you're going to want to keep reading.)



(Artificial Light)


(Flash)


(Flash)


(Sunlight)


(Sunlight)


(Sunlight)
I've got a total case of lobster hands in this photo but it was too pretty and showed the rainbow effect of the holo too well so I just had to include it.


Unfortunately, I don't own the Nfu-Oh Aqua Base which is supposed to help with the application of this polish and the only retailer of Nfu-Oh products (www.fabuloustreet.com) has been out of stock of this product for a while now. Thus, everything that I have to say about the formula of these polishes might sing a different tune if I had the Aqua Base to accompany them, so please keep that in mind when you're reading my review.

The formula/application of #61 was absolutely awful. I knew beforehand that the formula of the Nfu-Oh holos is notoriously disappointing so I was extra careful and cautious in my application, but I can't say that it helped much. The first layer applies ok (not great, but ok) but when you go to add the second coat, the brush picks up patches of the first coat and clumps them together with the new layer of polish, leaving bald spots in some areas and little clumps of polish in others.

Regarding the wear of this polish, I got a much better wear time out of #61 than what I expected to get after what I have heard/read about in other reviews. I've heard some people say they don't even get a full 24 hours out of their manis with these polishes, but I got a full 4 days with only tip wear and no chips at the time of removal. In fact, a few of the photos above (the sunlight ones) are from day 3 of this mani and it still looks fresh and new. I'm honestly only removing it tonight because I want to move on to the next colour, but I think I could get another day out of #61 without any chips.

How did I manage to get a better wear time out of #61? Well, since I had heard about the short wear time, I prepared myself and used products that I thought would help to extend the life of my mani.
First, I layed down a layer of OPI Chip Skip (review to come after more testing) and then I used CND Stickey (review to come) as my base coat. I don't want to say that these products made my mani last longer without chipping because I can't be certain, but it certainly didn't hurt my mani to use them.

Now, onto the good aspects of this polish.
It's GORGEOUS! Seriously, I've caught myself just staring at my nails so many times over the last 4 days. It's so beautifully prismatic, especially in the sunlight. Even in the shade you get a more subtle but still noticeable linear holo that catches your eye.

Also, the Nfu-Oh bottle design is stunning. It looks great in photos and it has become my new favourite bottle to hold to take nail photos (my prior fave to hold were Zoya bottles).

Overall, despite the formula/application, I would definitely recommend this polish. It's so beautiful and special and I love having these bottles in my collection. Furthermore, the Nfu-Oh Aqua Base is supposed to help with the application of these polishes so the problems I had might be easy to solve with the right product.

Nfu-Oh polishes are sold by this online retailer and they will run you $12.50 US or $13.82 CAD. Unfortunately, #61 is currently out of stock but #'s 62-66 are still available and you'll be seeing swatches/reviews of those from me in the near future.

What do you guys think about Nfu-Oh #61?

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Swatch Comparison - OPI DS Coronoation vs. Milani HD

Hey guys!

While swatching all of the DS polishes I own, I noticed that the scattered silver holographic polish DS Coronations looked very similar to Milani HD from the 3D Holographic Collection.

I've already reviewed and swatched the Milani collection (check it out here) but I thought it would be useful to swatch these shades side-by-side to determine if they are dupes.



Keep reading for the comparison!



OPI Designer Series Coronation, Milani HD


OPI DS Coronation


Milani HD


OPI DS Coronation, Milani HD


OPI DS Coronation, Milani HD


Milani HD, OPI DS Coronation

As you can see, these aren't total dupes but they're super close. The only difference in the actual polishes is that HD has bigger holographic particles which make it more prismatic and more holographic looking than DS Coronation. Besides that, the base colours are almost identical with DS Coronation having just a touch more grey than Milani HD.

Additionally, there is a significant price difference in these two polishes. OPI Designer Series polishes are more expensive than regular OPI polishes and will run you anywhere between $10-15. On the other hand, the Milani 3D Holographic Collection polishes are $3.99 on the Milani website.

In the end, if you have either one of these, I wouldn't say that you need to run out and get the other one. However, if you don't have either and you're in the market for a scattered silver holo, I'd recommend Milani HD over OPI DS Coronation. The chunkier pieces of holo make HD a little more special than DS Coronation in my opinion and the price is much more wallet friendly.

Do you have either of these? Both? Which do you prefer?

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Swatch Comparison - Pink Shimmers (featuring Orly Flirty)

Hey!

This will be the final comparison post for the Orly Happy Go Lucky Collection and it will feature the pink shimmer shade - Orly Flirty.

You can find my original review and swatches of all 4 shades from this collection here.

I'll also do a final recommendations type of post that will sum up the entire collection as well as all 4 comparison posts so that there will be one easy access post for everything to do with this collection.



Keep reading for the comparison!



OPI Flower-to-Flower, Color Club Space, Orly Flirty, OPI La Paz-itively Hot, Wet 'n' Wild How I Met Your Magenta


OPI Flower-to-Flower (from the Summer Flutter Collection)


Color Club Space Case (from the Starry Temptress Collection)


Orly Flirty (from the Happy Go Lucky Collection)


OPI La Paz-itively Hot (permanent)


Wet 'n' Wild How I Met Your Magenta (permanent)


OPI Flower-to-Flower, Color Club Space, Orly Flirty, OPI La Paz-itively Hot, Wet 'n' Wild How I Met Your Magenta


OPI Flower-to-Flower, Color Club Space, Orly Flirty


Orly Flirty, OPI La Paz-itively Hot, Wet 'n' Wild How I Met Your Magenta


Wet 'n' Wild How I Met Your Magenta, OPI La Paz-itively Hot, Orly Flirty, Color Club Space, OPI Flower-to-Flower


Wet 'n' Wild How I Met Your Magenta, OPI La Paz-itively Hot, Orly Flirty


Orly Flirty, Color Club Space, OPI Flower-to-Flower

Like the other shades from this collection, there is no dupe, at least from my stash, for Orly Flirty. This was the one I least expected to find a dupe for anyways so I'm not surprised that I couldn't find one.

The finish of Orly Flirty and OPI Flower-to-Flower is exactly the same with the same kind of shimmer but the colours are very clearly different.

In terms of base colour, the closest to Flirty is definitely Wet 'n' Wild How I Met Your Magenta but that shimmer that makes Flirty special isn't really there in How I Met Your Magenta. Additionally, How I Met Your Magenta dried to a vinyl-like finish while Flirty is shiny and shimmery without top coat.

Color Club Space Case is also close to Flirty in base colour, although they're not entirely alike - Flirty is more of a hot pink while Space Case is more of a barbie pink.

OPI La Paz-itively Hot is probably the farthest away from being a dupe of Orly Flirty because it's not similar in finish or colour.

What do you guys think? Are any of these shades close enough to Flirty to deter you from picking it up yourself?

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Top 5 - MAC Lipsticks

Hey!

In the sidebar poll that I had up last week, you all told me what you would like to see more of on my blog and I really did take what you had to say seriously. With 12% of the votes, you guys voted that you would like to see more makeup posts. Now, while there were a number of options ahead of this in terms of votes, it's clear that at least some of you still want to see more makeup related posts.

So, although my blog will remain primarily focused on nail polish and nail art, I will do my best to include more makeup posts in the mix.

Today I'll be showing you my top 5 MAC lipsticks. I was originally just planning a top 5 lipsticks post, but once I went through all of my lipsticks, my favourites all ended up being from MAC.



Keep reading for swatches and more info on my favourite lipsticks!



Top 5 MAC Lipsticks: MAC London Life, MAC Courting Lilac, MAC Viva Glam Cyndi, MAC Laugh A Lot, MAC Sweetie




5. MAC London Life (from the Euristocrats II Collection)
I wasn't into MAC when the Euristocrats Collection was released (Summer 2009) and I actually thought this was a permanent shade until I just did some quick research. I'm guessing that it stayed up on the MAC website for a while after the collection because I did purchase it from the MAC site. Nevertheless, it has since been discontinued from the site but it's not considered a HTF shade so if you're really into it, you shouldn't have too much trouble finding it.
London Life is a deep berry shade packed with lots of tiny shimmer particles, and it's a lustre finish shade. I'm a little intimidated by really opaque shades of lipstick on me so I tend to lean towards the lustre shades much more than any other finish, especially when it comes to deeper shades. This is great for me because it's a deep and vampy but not too overpowering on my super fair skin.




4. MAC Courting Lilac (from the Tartan Tale Collection)
Courting Lilac is a light lilac shade with gold shimmer and sheen and is a glaze finish. The gold shimmer and sheen of this tone it down from being a true purple shade - which would really intimidate me. It's unique in my collection and it's really flattering on my skin colour.




3. MAC Viva Glam Cyndi (from the From Our Lips Viva Glam Campaign)
Viva Glam Cyndi is a soft coral-red lustre finish shade. This shade of red is my way of wearing red - not totally opaque and not really bright. I think most people fell more in love with the Viva Glam Gaga shade that was released with this collection but Cyndi was the winner here for me.
WARNING: My photos above are not colour accurate. For some reason my camera spazzed out and didn't want to get a good picture of this shade. It's more muted, red and less coral in reality. The swatch photos below are much more accurate.




2. MAC Laugh A Lot (from the Spring Colour Forecast Collection)
Laugh A Lot is plum-pink lustre finish and is my favourite my-lips-but-better shade of lipstick. I really don't like nude/flesh coloured lipsticks on my so this is my favourite type of shade to wear when I just want to add a touch of colour to my lips.




1. MAC Sweetie (permanent)
Sweetie is a medium rosy pink with gold shimmer and once again, it's a lustre finish (are you seeing a pattern here?). This is my everyday go-to shade, as you can see from the usage shown in the picture. I absolutely love this shade and I'm SO glad that it's part of the permanent line at MAC because otherwise I'd be in trouble.


Top 5 MAC Lipsticks: MAC London Life, MAC Courting Lilac, MAC Viva Glam Cyndi, MAC Laugh A Lot, MAC Sweetie


Top 5 MAC Lipsticks: MAC London Life, MAC Courting Lilac, MAC Viva Glam Cyndi


Top 5 MAC Lipsticks: MAC Laugh A Lot, MAC Sweetie


Are any of your favourite MAC shades listed here? What's your everyday go-to shade of lipstick?

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Swatch Spam - OPI DS Polishes: Part 2

Hey!

I think you should all be super proud of me today! As you all know, I have been checking my beauty supply store for the OPI Nice Stems Collection for a couple of weeks now and they still don't have it in. Well, I got news last night night that one of the salons in my area has both the Nice Stems Collection AND the Miss Universe Collection, which I wasn't expecting to even start looking for for another couple of weeks.

The dilemma for me was that I get professional pricing at the supply store that doesn't have these collections, but not at the salon which has both collections. So, I had to decide which was going to win - my wallet or my impatience? I finally decided that it would be better if I just waited for the professional store to get the collections in and save myself some money. Yay for willpower!

Anyways, that's not the point of this post at all, I promise.
Today I'm going to be showing you the rest of my OPI DS polishes that weren't included in this post a couple of days ago.
These last 4 shades includes my favourites out of all the ones I own, so enjoy!



Keep reading for the swatches!



OPI Designer Series: Original, Desire, Extravagance, Passion


OPI DS Original (medium lavender scattered and linear holo)
This is currently my all-time favourite polish in my entire collection and it's also the most expensive polish in my collection. I did a full review of this when I first got it so I won't go into too much detail here and you can just check out that post.


OPI DS Desire (rich, deep gold linear holo)
This is another of my favourites that has somehow managed to go overlooked in my stash. The holo is really strong and although this looks good on my skin tone, I bet this will look spectacular on darker skin tones.


OPI DS Extravagance (rich raspberry-purple scattered holo)
This shade is SO luxurious looking I can't get over it. The scattered holo is one of the strongest I've ever seen - the particles just light up within the deep base.


OPI DS Passion (medium rosy pink linear holo)
This one is similar to DS Chiffon from my first post but has a more mauve base and a slightly stronger holo effect. I like both of them a lot but I prefer Passion just little bit more because of the little teeny bit of purple in the base.


Original, Desire, Extravagance, Passion


Original, Desire


Extravagance, Passion


Passion, Extravagance, Desire, Original


Passion, Extravagance


Desire, Original

Which of all 9 shades is your favourite?
Oh and by the way, I haven't forgotten about my part 2 Deborah Lippmann swatch spam post - it's coming soon.

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