OPI Apricotcha Cheating

Hey hey hey! Recently I was able to get a hold of a number of black label discontinued OPI polishes. Featured today is a color called Apricotcha Cheating which is a coral creme/jelly mix. From a little google research, I found out that it was from the 2003 Las Vegas Collection. Overall, I think it's really cute! I did three coats here but it probably would've benefited from a fourth. I was too lazy though >_<. Anyways, scroll on.

Sun

Shade

Indoors

Black Label OPI! Old school, baby =D

 

Left: indoors, Middle: shade, Right: sunlight

Isn't it beaaaautiful? I really love it. One thing to note is that these polishes do have a "toxic" smell  due to the fact that they still contain all the original chemicals from the old formula. Nowadays lots of polishes claim to be B3F (big 3 free - the three being Formaldehyde, DBP & Toluene).  This may add to the dry time when compared to newer polishes. Regardless, awesome polishes are awesome polishes!

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Sally Hansen Gray by Gray

As some of you may know, Sally Hansen has a line called "Complete Salon Makeover" notoriously known for its humongous wide set brushes. While it may seem like a convenience, it can cause problems for those who have smaller nail beds. Especially when polishing corners while trying to avoid cuticle flooding. So, you might wanna proceed with caution during application. As for the polish itself, this is a beautiful dark teal/navy/gray/blue (?? ... so hard to pinpoint the exact color) creme that is completely opaque in one coat. I did two coats just for good measure. This time around, I applied Sally Hansen Quick Dry Top Coat (in the red bottle) to see if I would prefer it over Seche Vite but honestly, it's a no go for me. It didn't give it quite a glossy finish nor did it dry anywhere near as quick as SV. Also, I found that even after my polish was dry, I still had little nicks and visible "scratches" on my nails. I'm reverting back to my old love SV until I find a better replacement... and I don't think that'll be any time soon...

Sun

 Shade

Indoors

Can you see the streakyness in the bottle? I tried mixing this 

up quite a bit but the streaks still remained. This may show up 

on your nails. Not a big deal to me but may be for some...

Left: indoors, Middle: shade, Right: sunlight

There you have it, lovelies. I am up waaaaay too late for a "Thursday" night but I felt the need to fulfill my blogger duties.  Time to head off to bed now. Gnite everyone!

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Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Limited Edition Fall 2011 Swatches (2 of 2)

So here is the second set of the new Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fall 2011 line. You can read about the first set here. These are the cooler tones from the collection. Like the other colors, all the ones shown here have a really nice metallic looking finish and even have some hints of duochrome when looked at in the right light. They're gorgeous, no doubt about it. The first picture, again, is the entire collection for reference.

L to R: Emerald Express, Teal-y Fast, Grape Escape, Presto Pewter

 Sun

 Shade

Indoors

Top row: Sun, Middle row: Shade, Bottom row: Indoors

So like the previous colors, these apply well in 2 coats, the purple might even be a one coat wonder if you can work your magic with the brush correctly. The first color, Emerald Express borders on 3 coats but it's all just a matter of how thick you apply your polishes. As mentioned earlier, these are currently on sale at Walgreens in a B1G1 50% off sale till Saturday, August 6, 2011. Get them while you can because they are a limited edition set.  I haven't seen all these colors swatched yet so I hope this helps some of you out there =).

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Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Limited Edition Fall 2011 Swatches (1 of 2)

Hi guys, today's post is gonna be picture heavy. Sally Hansen currently has a limited edition Insta-Dri set out right now which you can pick up at your local drugstore. They consist of pretty dark metallics that all have a vampy kind of feel to them. They're all really gorgeous. I'm going to break this up a bit since there are so many polishes. This is the first set. I will link you to the second set once I finish that post. Updated: Click here for the link to the second set of this collection. The first picture is the entire collection.  I'll be swatching the vampy reds/browns first.

 L to R: Coco a-go-go, Bronze Ablaze, Ruby Rush, Quick Brick

 Sun

 Shade

Indoors

Top row: Sun, Middle row: Shade, Bottom row: Indoors

They apply really well like most Sally Hansen Insta-Dris. Keep in mind these do come with the extra wide brush so if you have smaller nail beds you need to be careful when it comes to cuticle flooding. These were all done in 2 coats. The last two colors stained like crazy though. Make sure to wear a good basecoat. These retail for about $4.50-$5 but there's currently a B1G1 50% off at Walgreens on all Sally Hansen products until Saturday, August 6, 2011. Get these while they're on sale! Stay tuned for the second half of the set.

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