Wow! That's an accomplishment!

Barry M Pink Flamingo is not Coral - My very first blog post!

Today's post is just to say thank you... polish insomniac has just passed 1,000,000 pageviews!  Last week was also my 2 year blogging anniversary, but I have been so caught up by work that it blew right by me!  Seriously, thank you to each and every one of you that come here to read my blog and look at my pictures.  I wouldn't be here without you!

I would like to take this time to ask what you would like to see more on this blog.  Just leave your answer in the comments!

Don't forget, you can follow me on Instagram, where I will often post pictures, swatches, and NOTD's before I have a chance to blog about them!  Follow me at http://followgram.me/jbrobeck

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

OPI Pure Lacquer Nail Apps Review

OPI Pure Lacquer Nail Apps are the latest and greatest offering in the world of nail polish strips (others include Sally Hansen Salon Effects and Innoco polish strips).  You can check out the full range of patterns here.

The application instructions are simple.

1. Start with clean, dry nails
2. Remove top clear film; peel strip away from backing
3. Place strip on nail and smooth
4. Crease strip at edge; file of excess in a downward motion.

While I have not tried the Innoco polish strips, I have used the Sally Hansen Salon Effects many times.  When compared to the Salon Effects, the patterns available from OPI are much more complex and interesting… For example the Gold Lace (above) is so intricate it looks as though it was textured… but its not!  Smooth as silk.  The OPI are also more “stretchy” and slightly thinner - it is much much easier to file off the excess strips. 

However, the premade sizes are the OPI’s weakness, at least for me!  The Sally Hansen comes with eight different sizes, and I never have any trouble fitting them to my narrow nail beds.  The OPI also comes with eight different sizes, but they were all slightly too large for my nails, and the one intended for my pinky was too small!  But since they are so easy to trim, I can forgive this!

One other issue I had with the specific OPI Pure Lacquer Nail Apps that I used, Gold Lace, was that the design was awesome, but much much to large for my fingers!  Let me show you what I mean:

The edge of the strip that is attached to the backing (where it says “remove clear film” is designed to go on the base of you nailbed - where your “moon” is.  The problem is that I have small hands, and even though my nails are long (for me) the design was cut off and I only had black on my tips, not a black band across the middle as it would be if the full design fit on my nail: 



However, it is very easy to flip it over and use the other end instead, which is what I did on my ring finger:



Even with the problems I ran into with sizing and the design, I am very excited to try more of the OPI Pure Lacquer Nails Apps - but next time I will chose one with a full nail design, like this one:

Pure Lacquer Nail Apps are available at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for the suggested retail price of $11.95.

Are you going to try the new OPI Nails Apps?  I am going to use my ULTA coupon to pick up a pair soon!

China Glaze Summer Neons - Sunkissed, Splish Splash, and Hang-Ten Toes - Swatches & Review

Happy Memorial Day!  Today I have three polishes from the new China Glaze Summer Neons collection.  Check out the rest of the shades in the collection here.

Sun-kissed is retina searing highlighter yellow - in other words bright yellow with a tinge of green.  On the first and second coat, it seamed more summery yellow, but after the third coat I saw the neon in it.  It’s so bright, it makes you do a double take when you look at it! 







Splish Splash was the color number one color I wanted out of this collection.  This color reminds me of pool water - bright and shimmery and in your face.  I can’t tell you how much I love it - the combination of neon pigment and shimmer just MAKES ME HAPPY.  Like Sunkissed, I wore this with three coats of polish followed by top coat.





Hang-Ten Toes is described as a Bubblegum neon with iridescent purple shimmer, but to me it is more of a blue based fuchsia.  It was the the only shade that I could have worn just two coats, but I did a third out of habit.  The formula on this one was very smooth - the first two polishes were thick, but not unmanageably so.  The formula on Hang-Ten Toes was perfectly smooth, it almost didn’t need a topcoat.  I used one anyways to make it nice and shiny!

I really like the China Glaze Summer Neons collection - the shimmer was a great spin on classic neon shades.  Although I haven’t yet seen the rest in person, I plan on purchasing several more when they hit the stores this June - Beach Cruise-r, Ride the Waves, I’m With the Lifeguard and Flirty Tanki to name a few!

What about you?  Which shades do you have your eye on?

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

PSA: Deborah Lippmann polishes 2 for $9.95 on HSN!

Let's Hear It For The Boy, Dancing in the Sheets

This deal was so awesome, I just had to share it with you!  Right now in the HSN Beauty Clearance section, you can buy a set of TWO Deborah Lippmann polishes for only $9.95!  There are two sets available, Let's Hear It For The Boy & Dancing in the Sheets, or Almost Paradise & Footloose.  (Can you tell these are the from the LE Footloose collection?) 

Even with shipping, I only paid $13.90!!!

Disclosures: Links provided for your convenience only!

Kardashian Kolor Pretty Petites

Nicole by OPI has released 8 of the original Kardashian Kolors as two mini polish sets!  I am very excited for these, as I do not own the original Kardashian Kolors collections (I wasn’t an official OPI blogger at that point).  Since I have swatched these colors before, I added pictures of each shade below.  You can click on any picture to enlarge.

Kardashian Kolor “Celeb-bitties”

 

All Kendall-ed Up, Kim-pletely in Love, Sealed with a Kris, Wear Something Spar-Kylie

Kardashian Kolor “Sophisti-cuties”

My Empire… My Rules, Follow Me on Glitter, Khloe Had a Little Lam-Lam, Hard-Kourt Fashionista

Pretty Petites will be available July 2012 for $10 each at Duane Reade, H-E-Butt, Fred Meyer, Meijer, Rite Aid, Sears and ULTA. In Canada, each set will be available for $15 at Katz Group, Loblaw, Shoppers Drug Mart, select Sears locations, and Walmart Canada.

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Barielle BFF Sweepstakes!

Barielle is hosting a sweet sweepstakes their Facebook page! The contest starts May 21,2012 and ends June 30,2012. Twenty random winners will be selected. The prize is Barielle’s Nail Strengthener Cream(full size), a Barielle Base Coat, Top Coat and 3 Shades Colors of your choice-a retail value of up to $74.50.

I have personally used Barielle hand care for years, and you KNOW I love their polish!

To enter, click here!

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.

Way Too Many Pics of BeYu 209!

I can’t believe I never posted these pictures!  I took these over a month ago, and then got so wrapped up at work I promptly forgot about them.  This is two BeYu 209, layered over two coats Milani Totally Cool.  For those of you not familiar with BeYu, it is a German drugstore brand, and 209 is their Unicorn Pee dupe.

I took the first three pictures after four days… and my manicure still looked good!



I’m thinking this is BETTER than the original Unicorn Pee!  I even like it better than Max Factor Fantasy Fire… what do you think?

Disclosures: polish insomniac at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page.