O.P.I Avoplex Nail & Cuticle Oil - Review

It's still really cold here in Canada and there's nothing worse than winter for our nails and cuticles so I thought using this Nail and Cuticle Oil by OPI Avoplex would definitely help me with that.

I have two different styles of this product. One is in a nail polish form, the other one is in a squeeze tube that has a brush applicator. These are definitely the same product but as I said in two different packaging. The one that comes in a nail polish form is easier to use at home, preferably at a desk, so it can stay on the desk and not spill everywhere when applying it to the nails. The tube packaging can be used pretty much anywhere and as the name suggests "to go", can go in a purse, or a pocket if you really need it that bad all the time haha but I keep mine beside my bed table usually. The both styles of this product is easy to use in my opinion and the oil absorbs pretty quickly. It's doesn't evaporate in seconds but it won't take hours to absorbs either. (that's how it is for me at least). It has a very light scent but I honestly can't pinpoint what it smells like. It's not an oil scent if you know what I mean, some face oils does have that sort of oil smell to them, which isn't all that pleasant in my opinion. The scent of this oil is not strong at all, and I haven't had any issues with this irritating my nails and cuticles. 

This is a very moisturizing nail and cuticle oil and what I like about this is that, when I apply it on my nails and specially cuticles, it doesn't drip or start to get runny with the warmth of my hands and go everywhere, which is great. I really enjoy using this during winter and colder months, because that's when my cuticles specially get cracked and dry. I like to use this at night, right before I go to sleep because then it can do it's thing, without me getting in the way of it. In the ingredients, there are lots of good oils added in this which I'm sure helps a lot with softening and moisturizing cuticles. So overall, I really like this product and I do recommend it to anyone with dry nails and cuticles.

Have you tried this Nail & Cuticle Oil? What are your thoughts on it? share your comments down below.

Don't forget to G+1 and follow my blog for more reviews to come. I'm always happy to have more blogging friends!

Lots of love,
Dina
♥

NOTD : Julie G - Mermaid's Tale

I love NOTD (nail of the day) posts, I just rarely do them, because I honestly forget. I am slowly becoming obsessed with Julie G nail polishes. I have a bunch of different shades from her collection and honestly, they're all great. I love the name and color of this one. I love that this is like different shades of ocean in a bottle with lots of either glitter or sparkles. I'm not really sure, but if it is actual glitter, then nail polish doesn't dry gritty or bumpy like some glitter nail polishes do. I always love doing two coats to get the color of the bottle. These last pretty long on me which is nice since they're really inexpensive.I get these Julie G nail polishes at Jesse's Girl Cosmetics online and as I said, these are very inexpensive for the quality so I ordered a bunch of then and my collection of these nail polishes has grown a lot.

You can checkout my other NOTD and nail polish reviews on the Nails tab at the top of my blog, or you could click here, and it will take you there as well.

Also don't forget to G+1 and follow my blog for more reviews to come. I'm always happy to have more blogging friends!

Lots of love,
Dina
♥

NOTD : Julie G - Royal Rebel

Such an awesome fall/winter color right? well it is for me!

It's been a long time since I have done a Nail Of The Day post so here it is. I love this nail polish by JulieG. It's such a unique shade and I have nothing like it and haven't seen anything as same as this anywhere either. This nail polish is very smooth and one coat can cover the nail, but I like to go over it a second time to make it more opaque and true to the color of the bottle. It's not streaky and it goes on very smoothly. I have to say, it will stain the nails just a little bit if you are like me and don't like using base coats. but what I do is remove it with nail polish remover, wash my hands and moisturize. after about an hour, the stain starts to sort of appear, and I act as if I'm removing the nail polish again. So, I repeat what I did before and the stain is completely gone. So I won't say it's actual stain, well it's a stain that can be removed. I love how this nail polish doesn't dry too quickly while applying so I can fuss with it a little. But in general, it does dry pretty quickly so I wait about one minute and apply the second coat. You can get the JulieG nail polishes at Jesse's Girl Cosmetics online and these are very inexpensive for the quality so I ordered a bunch of them a long while back. (posts/ reviews coming in the future)

You can checkout my other NOTD and nail polish reviews on the Nails tab at the top of my blog, or you could click here, and it will take you there as well.

What are your favourite fall nail polishes? Share your comments down below in the comment section.

Also don't forget to G+1 and follow my blog for more reviews to come. I'm always happy to have more blogging friends!

Lots of love,
Dina
♥ 

Loreal Magic Top Coats - Review & Swatches

Hello lovelies. Today I am talking about these fun Loreal top coats. I know they're not new but I have had a while to use them and can finalize my opinions on them finally. These as the name suggests, are meant to be as topcoats, so basically to be used on top of other nail polishes. I'll be honest, I have used them on their own as well. There's no "rule" really. So these each have different effects. When used as top coats, it changes the look of the nail polish. It also can look different if used on lighter polish or darker. When using these, I would prefer using a creme finish nail polish instead of shimmer obviously, since the top coats are doing the sparkle job so why use shimmery nail polish and apply a gold glitter on top? haha. Of course, anyone can do what they please, that's just how I prefer to do mine.

The True Gold is small sized gold glitter and it applies evenly and feels smooth after it's dry.
The True Diamond is super fine, pearly shimmer. It applies evenly and sparkles like diamonds.
The Sparklicious is larger differently shaped glitter in black and silver holographic. This one, I had to work with it a bit and almost place the glitter where I wanted.
The Shift Me actually changed the colour of the nail polish. In this case, it changed my dark red nail color to a lighter pink and gives it a thin frosted blue shimmer effect.

These top coats each give a very pretty and fun look to the same nail polish. So you can get a different effect with these and have fun with it. My favourite would have to be The True Diamond and The Shift Me. I've used those two the most as top coats on top of other polishes as well as alone like a normal polish.

Have you tried any of these yet? which one is your favourite?

Don't forget to leave a comment and also follow my blog for more reviews to come.

Lots of love,
Dina
♥

Nail of the Day : Julie G "Butterflies and Rosebuds"

 So a few weeks ago I ordered a bunch of Julie G nail polishes that I didn't have before and I was also in desperate need of some new shades. I was tired of all of my polishes and I wanted new ones and funny enough the shades I picked out look like Christmas-y colours, so it goes with the whole December holiday theme I guess. But it was not intentional you guys!! Don't blame me haha

Butterflies and Rosebuds is one of the colours I ordered in the big nail polish package. It's a really pretty shimmery maroon/purple colour. It was easy to apply and it went on smoothly. It dries pretty quick and there are no streaks. One coat covers the nails pretty nicely but I am personally a two coat nail polish girl.

I absolutely love this nail polish. It looks unique because I have nothing similar to it in my collection. The shimmers catch the eye and I have gotten a few compliments while I had this on my nails. It also last a good amount of time on my nails. I had it for about a week when I noticed the chipping on the tips of my nails which is the first spot that starts to chip for me usually.

Overall, I am very pleased with this polish. Hopefully all the other ones I ordered turn out as amazing as this one. I will definitely do blog posts on those as well!

Have you tried any Julie G nail polishes? What are your thoughts on it?

Lots of love,
Dina

♥ 

Nail of the Day : Julie G "You-Niverse"

Today's nail of the day is on this gorgeous green-gold duo-chrome nail polish from JulieG. It is a very unique colour that you don't really see everyday.

This nail polish if from the "JulieG Nail Colour 2013" Collection and retails for $3.99

In the packaging, the polish looks like an antique gold with teal/green shimmer duo-chrome, but the teal part can only be really seen in the bottle.

This is one of those colours that it is a certain colour in different angles. In some angles it looks like a teal green metallic. In a different angle, it looks like an antique gold with green shimmer. In some ways it looks like a mix of gold green colour with the same colour of glitter. It is just so much fun to look at and very unique on the nails as well.

In these picture swatches, I have applied only 2 coats of the polish and it is with no top coat. It has a good shine to it so if you only apply top coat so the nails looks shiny, you may get away with it with this particular polish.

It goes on the nails very smoothly and it is a thin formula but it is opaque with just two coats. The wear time is pretty good too. For me, it lasts for 4-5 days until it starts to chip.

Overall, I really like this polish and it is specially appropriate for fall in my opinion. I am actually very impressed by the JulieG nail polishes. I have a bunch of them and plan on to review them all for you guys. I already have reviewed another one which you can check it out here.

Have you tried any of the JulieG nail polishes? What are your thoughts on it?

Love, Dina

Nail of the Day : Essie "Aruba Blue"

Fall is pretty much here and I got into the mood of painting my nails a fall-ish colour and I pulled this out of my nail polish collection. Since it has been a long time that I have worn this on my nails, I decided to just go for it and also do a little review on it for you guys.

Aruba Blue is a cobalt blue colour with shimmer which goes on very smooth and it is opaque in just two coats. I think this is a very eye catching because of all the shimmer and the blue colour.

This nail polish on the nails is the exact colour as it is in the bottle which I love that fact. I apply two coats and I am satisfied with how opaque it looks on my nails.

The brush that this nail polish has is pretty small. I am really used to the OPI nail polish brushes which are a medium wide size and I find it a little hard to do my nails. I have to work fast and pick up quit bit of the polish to be able to get an even colour all over my nails. I know this might be confusing but I'm not sure how to explain it in another way. haha

Also, this polish or the actual brush leaves minor brush strokes which can be seen if look closely. It is not a big deal really but to some people, it might be an issue.

Two coats of Aruba Blue, silver glitter on the ring finger  just to glam it up a little

The formula is pretty thin but it gets opaque in just two coats. This polish is very light weight and I don't feel it on my nails at all, unlike some cream polishes that feel a bit heavy on my nails.

Also, the fact that this polish is pretty thin, it is easy to get it on your cuticles which for me, this always happens. So I just paint my nails and then clean up around my cuticles after. 

Pros:
- Good coverage with two coats
- Jewel/shimmery blue colour can be flattering on different skin colours/tones
- Lasts for a good amount of time without topcoat

Cons:
- Small brush
- Minor brush strokes can be seen
- Could be a little expensive (depending on the store)

This polish is easy to find in the stores and it retails for about $9 - $12 (Canadian Dollars)

So overall, I really like this polish especially for fall and winter time. I think it is a very flattering on the nails. It is darker than the usual blue we see but not too dark, it is just very unique looking.

Have you tried this nail polish? What is your favourite fall/winter nail polish?

Love, Dina

NOTD : JulieG "Sushi For Two"

From the "JulieG Nail Color 2013" Collection

This summer I have really been into the whole bright colourful nails. It has been fun to experiment with brighter nail polishes and go all out and have fun with it. Let me tell you that is has been very fun, very very fun.

Flash Photography

Flash Photography

Natural-Light Photography

Natural-Light Photography

Sushi for two is a coral/Orange/mandarin creme colour nail polish. Such a beautiful shade for spring and summer. I call it the perfect warm weather nail polish!

It applies smooth and nicely but I saw some streakiness which went away with the second coat. Applying top coat can definitely make this way shinier on the nails than it is by itself.

You can also glam it up and add some glitter on top. I like to add the silver glitter on my ring finger for a pop of fanciness! haha

I ordered this polish from the Jesse's Girl Cosmetics with several other polishes from the JulieG line. 

This retails for about $3.99 US dollars I believe.

Overall, I love this colour. It is so bright and happy on the nails! haha does that even make sense? What I am trying to say is that it makes me happy when I see my nails.

Have you tried any of the JulieG nail polishes? What are your thoughts on it?

Love, Dina

NOTD : OPI "A Butterfly Moment"

"Mariah Carey by OPI Collection 2013"

Flash Photography

Flash Photography

Flash Photography

Sunlight Photography

Natural Light Photography

Flash Photography

Colour

Peachy pinky-nude with golden shimmer

"A Butterfly moment" is a tan, pinkish nude with soft golden shimmer that can be seen depending on the lighting. I think this is the perfect nude shade that is classy and perfect for everyday. The pink/ tan shade is very delicate and pretty and goes well with anything in your wardrobe in my opinion. This polish has a frost finish to it which can look as a pearly pink with golden shimmer. Depending on the light, a golden glow can be seen and also the sheen in this polish gives it life, if you know what I mean.

Some neutral shades can come off as somewhat flat, but that is not the case with this polish.

I think this polish is the perfect office/work friendly neutral shade.

One thing I would like to add is that I think this polish can tend to look different on different skin tones. So I think you should keep that in mind before trying this polish, because I have seen some people who

Formula, application & finish

This polish went on as if it was a thick polish but the actual formula is more on the watery side.

First coat of this polish on your nails can look a little sheer sometimes and depending on how much there is product on the brush when it is being applied. Second coat of this polish and it fully covers the nails perfectly.

This polish has a nice formula, not way too hard to work with.

Removal

When removing this nail polish, I had absolutely no trouble. It comes off very easily and it does not need any hard work to get it off.

Pros

• Low maintenance, goes well with any colour of clothing

• Appropriate for any occasion, work friendly

• Makes the nails and fingers look long (this might not work for those who already have long nails/fingers.)

Cons

• It could clash and not look so good with some certain skin tones, basically like foundation, it needs the right skin-tone to look good on the nails.

Rating

10/10

Looking at all the facts and everything all together, I think this is a great polish. I absolutely love it and I think it  will definitely be in one of my top nail polish picks. The fact that it is a neutral but at the same time looks pretty and not too flat on the nails is great. Also, it looks very clean and fresh on the nails and I think this can be worn any time of the year. It really doesn't have a time limit as the colour goes but you know, it still depends on the person who is wearing it!

What is your favourite neutral nail polish?

Love, Dina

NOTD : OPI "Sprung"

"Mariah Carey by OPI collection 2013"

with flash

natural light

3 coats of "OPI Sprung", 1 Coat of  "Revlon Colourstay longwear top coat"

close-up picture, you  can see the gold, purple-ish, green/yellow shimmers

This is the perfect fall nail-polish in my opinion. It has a duo-chrome metallic shimmer. It is a warm shimmer copper polish which is perfect for fall time. But to be honest, I would wear this any time of the year! It's so pretty and shimmery that I just can't resist it.

At the first glance at this polish, you can see copper mostly, but when you look closely at the bottle, you can see copper, gold, green and sometimes purple shimmer throughout it. Even though this polish looks very shimmery, the finish is very smooth and pretty shiny!

I bought mine on eBay but you can find it at Trade Secrets, and some beauty salon & spas

I've seen the price ranges from 6$ - 9.95$ (Canadian Dollar) per bottle, before tax

Colour
Reddish copper with mostly gold shimmer and red-orange reflects

Formula, application & finish
This polish is very thin. the first coat goes on pretty sheer. The second coat was pretty good but I could see some parts that was missed so for me three coats is perfect.

Even though the nail-polish is very shimmery, when applied, it goes on smoothly and dries fairly quick. At first I though this was one of those nail-polishes that when it dries, it would leave a semi-rough surface because it looked glittery to me. Well, I was wrong. There is actually intense shimmer instead of glitter. I noticed that when I was applying the first coat, the polish had a reddish copper base with lots of gold/copper flecks. By the second coat, it looked like the flecks were "hugging" each other in a way and leaving no space. It was pretty unique looking in my opinion!!

As I said, when I finished my third coat, I was perfectly happy with the pigmentation and didn't see any gaps on my nails. The formula was very smooth when it was dry, and pretty shiny. To be honest I wasn't sure if I even needed a top coat. Still I did apply the top coat to see the difference and there wasn't much. the before and after were pretty much the same to me. Both very shiny. I think the top coat will make the polish stay longer though .

Oh also, the three coats that I applied didn't make my nails feel heavy. Some creme polishes that are very pigmented the first coat, if you apply too much of it, your nails feel heavy but with this polish, (I know its not a creme) but it didn't feel heavy at all. My nails actually feel so light that sometimes I forget that I have nail-polish on!!

Removal

This polish is not the easiest to remove but definitely not the hardest either. I would say it's somewhere between a creme polish and a chunky glitter polish as how the removal process goes.

At first I thought I would have to scrub my nails to get this polish off. Surprisingly, it was not as hard to remove as I thought in the first place.

For the easiest removal of this polish, I like to soak a cotton ball in my polish remover, and then hold the cotton ball on my nail for few seconds (10-20 seconds) and then try to work the it through to get the nail polish off completely.

Pros

• Smooth
• Buildable
• Metallic-shimmery & shiny finish
• Unique and Luxurious
• feels light on the nails
• Doesn't chip in chunks

Cons

• Harder than creme polish to remove but definitely easier than glitter polish

Rating

10/10

Looking at all of the facts, pros and cons and everything all together, I absolutely LOVE this nail polish. There is nothing stopping me to wear this at all. I would wear it any time of the year and I don't care if it suits the fall season best, I just love this polish so much that I'll be rocking it during the summer time too. There's absolutely nothing I would change about this polish. OPI is one of my favourite brands for nail polish. I love everything about them and it's just great. There's nothing for me to complain about. I just love OPI. The best of the best!! 

Would you wear it?
Love, Dina

NOTD : OPI "My Address is Hollywood" & "GoldenEye"

My Address is Hollywood, GoldenEye

I think this is a really pretty combination on the nails. All pink and a pop of gold on one finger is very eye catching!

"My Address is Hollywood" (from OPI's Touring America Collection) is a dusty rose/ pink colour with fine/subtle gold shimmer. It can look like a creme nail polish but when you look closely, you can see the tiny gold sparkles. the shimmer is more visible in person and in the bottle than in the pictures since it is very fine.

I personally don't think creme polishes look the best on my nails so the sparkle in this polish makes it totally wearable for me.

The accent polish "GoldenEye" (from OPI's Skyfall Collection) is a very unique polish. It is the prettiest gold polish I have ever seen. It is more like a golden-fleck than glitter which makes it unique in my opinion. At first I wasn't sure to get this polish but when I got it and applied it, I fell in love. It is absolutely amazing. It is very build-able and also when it dries, the nails feel soft and not like one of those glitter polishes that leaves a rough surface. So that's a plus as well.

2 coats of "My Address is Hollywood" , 3 coats of "Goldeneye"
with flash photography

Love, Dina