Tea Party Nail Art #glamnailschallengefeb

Another month, another @sparkleandpolish attempt at completing a nail art challenge... I really love the prompts from this months Glam Nails Challenge on instagram. For Tea Party, I decided to do nail art inspired by mismatched tea cups.

Polishes Used:

All OPI

Alpine Snow

Another Ramen-tic Evening

Dreams Need Clara-fication

Got Myself into a Jam-balaya

Hopelessly Devoted to OPI

How Does Your Zen Garden Grow?

Hurry-juku Get this Color!

I am What I Amethyst

I'm On a Sushi Roll

It's a Boy! 

Kanpai OPI

Love.Angel.Music.Baby

Meet a Boy, Cute as Can Be

My Dogsled is a Hybrid

Pink Ladies Rule the School

Polly Wanna Lacquer

Sunrise... Bedtime

Suzi-san Climbs Fuji-san

That's Hula-rious 

The I's Have It

Was It All Just a Dream?

Stay Sparkly,
A

OPI Spring 2019 Tokyo Collection Swatches and Comparisons

Happy 2019!! Can you believe the OPI Spring collection is already here?! Time flies when you follow nail polish collections instead of seasons ;) Here are the 12 new polishes from the Spring 2019 Tokyo collection, there are also 6 limited edition polishes but I do not have those. As always I purchased these from PolishPick.com. If you pick these or anything else up from them, tell them "Sparkle & Polish" sent you!

Swatches

Tempura-ture is Rising!

From the promo pics and OPI's description of this polish, I was expecting a true hot orange color. I still really like this, it is just more coral/pink toned than I anticipated. This looks a lot like Living Coral, the Pantone color of 2019. I did 3 thin coats for opacity here, formula was thin but easy to control and manipulate. 

Another Ramen-tic Evening

basic dusty pink? dusty rose? A neutral yet dusty pale pink. I surprisingly didn't hate this, it is by far my favorite pink/neutral polish from the past 3 OPI collections. Formula is solid, 2 thin easy coats for perfect opacity. It does dry a shade deeper than in the bottle. 

Rice Rice Baby

slightly darker dusty pink? mauve? This color looks so bad on me y'all, cool and dusty mid toned pink looks dead on me. Formula is amazing though if this is a shade you like. 2 coats for perfect coverage. 

Arigato From Tokyo

Orchid creme. Formula is amazing! With a slightly thicker coat this could easily be a one coater. I thought I would hate the color in the bottle, but I actually really like it. A surprise fav for me from this collection :)

Hurry-juku Get This Color!

This a muted fuchsia/berry creme? This is a surprise favorite for me. The formula is incredible, one coat perfection! And I actually like this color on me, I usually am not a fan or pinks/purples that are super red toned like this but this one is a hit! I don't really see this as a spring/summer polish, but I think it is a perfect transition shade for summer to fall or winter to spring. 

All Your Dreams in Vending Machines

A bright pink with purple/fuchsia shimmer- looks almost metallic on the nail. This is definitely not a polish with subtle or hidden shimmer, this is serious sparkle going on. Also this is a total Barbie pink in my opinion. Formula is thin but nice, I only needed 2 coats for opacity. 

Samurai Breaks a Nail

An orchid purple jelly with fine blue shimmer and bigger pink shimmer. I'm pretty sure this is just Grandma Kissed a Gaucho from the fall 2018 Peru collection with added shimmer. This has the same slightly sticky jelly formula that Grandma has.... I really think thats what OPI did here....  It took 3 coats for opacity, but I found the formula very difficult. Sadly this polish is a fail for me, not worth the crap formula for a color that isn't my personal style. Side note, this polish dried much slower than what I'm used to with OPI and with quick dry top coat. 

Chopstix and Stones

This is a deep blue with bright blue shimmer. This has a pretty thin formula but I think that is why the pretty shimmer shows through so well. I did 3 thin careful coats for opacity and was very happy with the final look. Polish carefully with this one, it will stain your cuticles if you paint a bit messy like I did also I would recommend doubling up on base coat so your nails won't be stained. 

Kanpai OPI

Cheers OPI! I am in love with this dusty periwinkle/lilac creme shade! I did 3 thin perfect coats and this polish dried quickly and glossy. To me, this is the perfect winter to spring transition color. It does dry a tiny bit deeper than in the bottle, but it doesn't bother me here. 

Suzi-san Climbs Fuji-san

This is a blue toned teal creme, even though OPI describes this as emerald... lol nope not emerald, but still gorgeous! Formula is a bit thin, but I only needed 2 thin coats for opacity. I think this is another fabulous color to wear as a seasonal transitional shade. Perfect for winter to spring and even summer to fall in my opinion. Fun fact, someone in the OPI Mad Love Facebook group shared that this name actually means Ms. Suzi climbs Mr. Fuji, which makes me love it even more. 

I'm On A Sushi Roll

Obsessed!! I love this polish so much! The color, the name, all of it! This is bright tealy green goodness, much more emerald in my opinion. Great formula, a little thin but easy to control. 2 thin coats for perfect opacity. 

How Does Your Zen Garden Grow? 

pale muted green creme? muted lime green? Pale wasabi green creme. I love this polish, even if it isn't the most flattering on me. The first coat was a little sheer, but I had perfect opacity with 2 coats. This did photograph a bit brighter than it appears in person. 

Comparisons

Tempura-ture is Rising! (pointer/ring) vs Live, Love, Carnival (middle) vs Toucan Do It If You Try (pinky)

Not dupes, but all are similar. I really want to do a gradient with these 3 polishes, I think they would blend seamlessly in to each other and be bright tropical goodness. 

Another Ramen-tic Evening (middle)vs Rice Rice Baby (ring)vs Seven Wonders of OPI (pinky)vs Lavendare to Find Courage (pointer)

Not dupes but I'd say they are in the same color family for sure, 2 coats of each. All 4 had nice formulas, not a fan of any of these shades honestly. 

Arigato From Tokyo (pointer/ring) vs Suzi Will Quechua Later! (middle/pinky)

These aren't dupes, but I'd say they are 2 different shades of the same color. Like maybe OPI made a massive amount of Arigato and then dumped white in half of it to make Suzi. Both have stellar formulas as well. 

All Your Dreams in Vending Machines (ring)vs Samurai Breaks a Nail (middle)vs Berry Fairy Fun (pointer) vs Pompeii Purple (pinky)

Definitely not dupes. All Your Dreams and Samurai both have an almost metallic or pearlized finish that is very similar but clearly the colors are different. Berry Fairy Fun is like the glass-flecked baby of the 2 new shades. Pompeii Purple, which is definitely pink, is pretty close in color to All Your Dreams, but the finishes are different for sure. 

Hurry-juku Get This Color! (pointer/ring) vs Just Beclaus (middle)vs Toying With Trouble (pinky)

Def not dupes, I think this may be close to Spare Me a French Quarter from the Spring 2016 New Orleans collection but I don't own that to compare. Hurry-juku is my favorite of all 3 for sure. 

Chopstix and Stones (pointer/ring)vs Chills are Multiplying (middle/pinky)

These are stupid close. I feel like all they did was thin Chills are Multiplying and maybe add a little bit more shimmer, or maybe the shimmer is just more visible due to the thinner formula? Anyways I like the color of Chopstix more, but I much prefer the thicker formula from Chills. Both of these were super hard for me to photograph. Unless you love shimmery dark blue I don't think you need both of these. I would probably pick Chopstix purely for the more visible shimmer.

Kanpai OPI (pointer/ring) vs  I am What I Amethyst (middle)vs Dreams Need Clara-fication (pinky)

I'm pleasantly surprised to see that these aren't dupes. They look much closer in the bottle than on the nail. I love all 3 of these shades and am glad to own all of them. I really want to do a gradient with Kanpai and Amethyst, that topped with China Glaze Fairy Dust would be stunning!!

Suzi-san Climbs Fuji-san (pointer/ring) vs Can't Find My Czechbook (middle/pinky)

Super close, but not dupes. Czechbook is more blue and dusty, it also has more white in the base and a creamier formula. As a huge blue polish lover I think these are different enough to own both, also not sure how easy it is to find Czechbook anymore so it doesn't both me that these are close

Suzi-san Climbs Fuji-san (pointer/ring) vs I'm on a Sushi Roll (middle/pinky)

Obviously I was hoping these weren't dupes, but as they are both from this collection I had to see how they compare. These are ridiculously close to be released in the same collection, but I do really love both of these colors. To me, these are the brighter versions of Alpaca My Bags and Ayahuasca Made Me Do It from the Fall 2018 Peru collection.

I'm On a Sushi Roll (pointer/ring) vs My Dogsled's a Hybrid (middle) vs Teal Me More Teal Me More (pinky)

Not dupes, I'd say these shades are all in the same family though. I love them all and am happy to own them. 

How Does Your Zen Garden Grow? (pointer/ring) vs That's Hula-rious (middle/pinky)

Zen Garden is much more yellow toned. I think it may be closer to Gargantuan Green Grape or maybe even Don't Talk Bach To Me, but I don't own either of those to compare. 

Final thoughts, I love this collection as a whole! For the first time in a while I feel super inspired to play and do fun nail art with most of these polishes! Which polishes are your favs from the collection? Are you planning on picking any up? These are available now on PolishPick.com and should be available at other OPI retailers around Feb. 1! Also if you want to see video swatches and additional comparisons of this collection, check out Phoebe Moon's video.

Stay Sparkly,
A

I'll Have A Green Christmas....

It is no secret green is one of my favorite nail polish colors, so naturally I had to do something green for Christmas. I attempted some nail art for the first time in like 5 months... shameful, I know :( I have been loving plaid manis lately, so I attempted to freehand some bold Christmas plaid.

Polishes Used (all OPI):

Envy the Adventure

I'm Sooo Swamped

Christmas Gone Plaid

Alpine Snow

Never Have Too Mani Friends

Tinker, Thinker, Winker

And just for fun, here it is mattified with OPI matte topcoat.

 

Do you like it shiny or matte better? I think I actually prefer matte!

Merry Christmas! I hope Santa brought you all of the goodies you wanted!

Stay Sparkly,
A

Top 8 OPI Polishes of 2018

It is no secret that OPI has my heart. I have definitely drifted away from nail polish in general lately, but I have continued to purchase all OPI new releases, in fact Spring 2019 Tokyo Collection is already on the way to me. OPI had some major winners this year, and some fails... but I want to close the year with positivity, so here are my 8 top picks from the OPI collections released in 2018.

Tinker, Thinker, Winker (Holiday 2018)

Alpaca My Bags (Fall 2018)

Hopelessly Devoted to OPI (Summer 2018)

Was It All Just a Dream? (Summer 2018)

Teal Me More, Teal Me More (Summer 2018)

A Red-vival City (Spring 2018)

Tile Art to Warm Your Heart (Spring 2018)

Lisbon Wants Moor OPI (Spring 2018)

Also, all of these polishes are still available on PolishPick.com, and as I was checking stock on these I noticed they also have some of the Ulta and Sally Beauty exclusives from the Lisbon collection so that is awesome! If you pick up these or any other polishes from PolishPick.com let them know Sparkle & Polish sent you. They are finally on instagram, so give them a follow for all of your OPI needs. And they have the Tokyo collection for pre-sale already, shipping right around January 1... just sayin'.... ;)

My wish for OPI in 2019 is to pump out some more awesome greens, blues, and teals and maybe take a small break from these pinky/purpley/dusty polishes that filled the Peru collection... and might be filling the Tokyo collection too. And also, I hope OPI makes more holo polishes like Tinker, Thinker, Winker in some fun colors that aren't pink or purple... (Zoya has that covered, am I right?!)

What were your favorite polishes of 2018? What are your polish wishes for 2019?

Happy New Year!

Stay Sparkly,

A

OPI Holiday 2018 Collection Swatches and Comparisons

For Holiday 2018 OPI released a collection inspired by the upcoming movie "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms". This is an interesting bunch of polishes, some shades scream HOLIDAY to me while others don't exactly... This collection is made up of 12 polishes, and also includes 3 limited edition special glitter polishes. Grab a snack and something to drink, this is a long and very picture heavy post. These polishes are available now at approved OPI retailers, and I purchased mine for PolishPick.com.

Swatches

Black to Reality

From the promo pics I thought this would be another basic dark red creme... but I was pleasantly surprised to see a blackened red shimmer polish. This is a lit from within shade and I really like it. I'm generally not a shimmer fan, but I think this is exciting because OPI hasn't released a polish like this since like 2012. The formula on this was strange, it felt thick on the brush but not thick on the nail... if that makes sense... I did 2 thin coats for opacity and actually ended up wearing this as a full mani for almost a week with minimal tip wear and chipping. This was a surprise fav for me.

Ginger's Revenge

In the bottle it looks like a pretty basic berry toned deep red creme. And it is a pretty basic color, but it is a color that I adore. The formula was also really nice. I did 3 very thin coats for my desired opacity and look. Do you need this, no.. but if you like reds and vampy polishes then I think you would really like this one. I'm happy to own it.

Candied Kingdom

OPI describes this as a hot and spicy candy shade. I thought this was just another basic red creme, I didn't even notice there is shimmer in this polish until I started swatching. When dry, the pinky toned shimmer is barely noticeable... To me, OPI threw in this shimmer just so people like me couldn't cry DUPE when we saw this latest OPI red. Formula is super opaque, this is easily a one-coater... which is usually awesome but I think this is why the shimmer just doesn't work here. I also left my swatch without top coat so you can see how not smooth it dries :(

Dazzling Dew Drop

Yikes... shimmery yellow polish. I did 2 thin coats for opacity, the formula is really nice. This polish is very "holiday" in my opinion, but it is just not for me. Be careful with removing this one, the shimmery particles wanted to stick to my skin. This may be close to Oy Another Polish Joke, but I don't own that (or anything else close) to compare. 

Envy the Adventure

This is the polish I was most excited for from the promo pictures... and I do like it, but it doesn't wow me like I was hoping it would. This is a kelly green crelly polish, but it does reach opacity in just two coats. I do actually like the color, I just wish it was a true OPI creme polish and not a crelly. This polish also dries a shade or 2 darker, which makes me like it more.

March in Uniform

This is a nice navy that leans a bit purple/blurple. As much as I love the color the formula on this one is weird. It is similar to the weirdness of Black to Reality. I wish OPI would just stick to their amazing creme formula that we all know and love. I'm not sure what pigments OPI used here, but it doesn't have the super skunky ultramarine smell that other rich blue/blurples tend to have.

Dreams Need Clara-fication

OPI has decided this is the "hero shade" of the collection, probably because it is named after the main character from the movie... it definitely isn't because this color is special or exciting. Even though it is pretty basic, I really love this polish. I did 3 thin coats for perfect opacity and found the formula to be thin but easy to work with. 

Lavendare to Find Courage

OPI compares this polish to a blooming flower... to me this is a pretty basic pinky lavender creme polish. The color is nice, formula is nice, overall this polish is just nice. It isn't a color I find flattering on my skin... but if you like colors like this then I'd say pick this polish up as it is nice. I did 3 thin coats for smooth opacity. 

Berry Fairy Fun

Shimmery, almost metallic berry. Not a fan honestly. This polish is more opaque than I expected, but the formula and color are meh in my opinion. I have to give OPI credit for making this a pinky-purple polish and not a holiday shimmery red berry. Even though I don't love this, it is something unexpected which I can appreciate. 

Toying with Trouble

Bright pink creme polish. Super basic and dupable, but the formula is amazing!!! Almost a true one coater. Even though I am not a huge fan of bright pinks, I can get on board with this one because of the formula. 

Dancing Keeps Me on my Toes

This is a shimmery white with some teeny tiny micro silver and gold glitters that are sadly pretty hidden by the shimmery base. I did 3 thin coats for opacity. I left this swatch without topcoat so that you can see the glitters/texture. The formula is fine on this, but I just don't understand this polish :(
 I don't have anything really close to this, but I think it may be close to Happy Birthday, Kyoto Pearl or maybe even Oh My Majesty. 

Tinker, Thinker, Winker?

 

 

Hello OPI, welcome back to the age of holographic polish! OPI has released holo polishes before, but it has been a while since OPI has launched a silver holographic... or really any true linear holographic polish at all. Obviously this isn't the most intense linear holo polish in the world, it is a much larger particle holo, but I freaking love it. I did 4 thin coats for my preferred opacity. I have already worn this polish as a full mani 3 times, and my mom has rocked this as an accent nail. 

Dreams on a Silver Platter

This polish is an interesting mix of silver glitters and pale champagne glitters. The base also has super tiny gold-ish micro flakies. I did one coat over black on all nails except my ring finger, there I did 3 coats of Dreams on a Silver Platter alone. If you want to wear this alone, I would recommend sponging the polish on because it got a little thick on my ring finger as I tried to reach opacity. 

Gold Key to the Kingdom

This polish has yellow gold glitters and white glitters with super tiny barely gold toned micro flakies. I did one coat over black on all nails except my ring finger, there I did 3 coats of Gold Key to the Kingdom alone.

I Pull Strings

This polish looks rose gold but it seems to actually be made up of pale champagne glitter, copper glitter, and red micro flakies. I did one coat over black on all nails except my ring finger, there I did 3 coats of I Pull Strings alone. This is my favorite of the 3 glitters, I think it is the most unique color and mix of glitters.

Comparisons

Black to Reality(pointer/ring) vs Every Month is Oktoberfest(middle)vs Germanicure by OPI (pinky)

I can't believe I haven't worn a polish like this in literally years, because I used to love them. All 3 are different and I do love the colors, but the formula on German-icure and Oktoberfest are so much better than Black to Reality. I really loved Black to Reality... until doing this comparison, now I feel underwhelmed by it. This made me realize I have been missing out by not wearing these OPI OG polishes has been a big mistake and I'm happy to have rediscovered them.

Ginger's Revenge (pointer/middle/pinky) vs Malaga Wine (ring)

These are basically dupes. Ginger is a hair darker and Malaga is a hair brighter, but unless you love deep vampy reds like this, you do not need to own both of these. I'm not sure if Malaga Wine is readily available anymore, so Ginger might be an easier shade to find. Both have easy formulas so I don't think you can go wrong with either polish.

Candied Kingdom (pointer/ring)vs Tell Me About it Stud (middle)vs Got the Mean Reds (pinky)

Stud and Mean Reds are true OPI creme formulas, while Candied Kingdom has a super thick almost goopy formula probably due to the subtle shimmer. They all look much closer in the bottle than on the nails. Candied Kingdom is also a bit darker than the other 2, so definitely not dupes. Taking color and formula in to consideration, I don't think that Candied Kingdom is necessary to keep for my collection :(

Envy the Adventure (middle/pinky) vs Jade is the New Black (ring) vs Stay Off the Lawn (pointer)

I expected Jade and Envy to be a lot closer than they actually are. None of these are dupes, and I do really like all 3 polishes, so I am happy to own all of them. If you are not a green polish lover like I am, maybe you don't need all of these, even though they are all different.

March in Uniform (pointer/ring)vs Umpires Come Out at Night (middle) vs OPI Eurso Euro (pinky)

These are all super close, but none are actually dupes. As neither of the older OPI shades are easy to find now the closeness doesn't both me. Of all 3, Umpires is my favorite for color and formula. I also think March would be close to Roadhouse Blues, but I no longer own that to compare.

Dreams Need Clara-fication(pointer/ring)vs The I's Have It(middle)vs You're Such a BudaPest(pinky)

Obviously these are not dupes, but The I's Have It and Dreams Need Clara-fication are really close, but Dreams is more purple toned. Also, since when is BudaPest a terrible polish? I gave my original bottle to a friend and recently picked up a new one at Ulta, and the formula is absolutely awful. It is so thin and runny and I swear the color is different now. Such a bummer :(

Lavendare to Find Courage(pointer/middle/pinky) vs Seven Wonders of OPI (ring)

I think this would be closer to Purple Palazzo Pants, but I don't own that anymore. These are clearly not dupes, but as they were released so close to each other I wanted to compare them. 

Toying with Trouble (middle/pinky) vs You're The Shade That I Want (pointer/ring)

These are crazy close and if you aren't a fan of bold, pink polish... you definitely don't need both of these. Trouble is slightly warmer toned compared to Shade so therefore it is my favorite of the two. Both have impeccable formulas though, so if you love pink I recommend picking up one or both of these for sure. 

Tinker, Thinker, Winker? vs all the glitters in this collection

Obviously these aren't dupes, but I wanted to show them all next to each other. I honestly don't see why all 3 of the chunky glitters were necessary for this collection. Yes they are all different, but they give such a similar look on the nail. I'm pretty sure Tinker might be a dupe for DS Coronation, but as that is long discontinued I'm excited to see it resurrected here.

If there is a new polish that I haven't compared to anything it is because I don't own anything close to it. Check out Phoebe Moon on youtube because her video featured a lot of comparisons that I had in mind but don't personally own.

I purchased this collection from PolishPick.com, if you decide to purchase this collection or anything else they sell please select "Sparkle & Polish" at check out so they know I sent you :)

Stay Sparkly,
A