Sephora by OPI - Handpicked for Me Review

Hello, hello, Monday greetings everyone! A Monday in which we still have off. Hope you all enjoyed your three-day weekend.

But in all seriousness, today isn't simply a day we have off. Let's take a moment to think about,appreciate and thank those men and women whom have sacrificed for our country. The United States as we know it wouldn't be the same without these brave people. Thank you very, very much.

So guys, today is Monday, which means this post will be manicure related. Unlike other weeks, I will not share with you a new manicure this week. I tried out a polish from Sephora by OPI for the first time last week. Since it is my first time trying the brand out and the fact that it is still holding up well even today, I decided to keep it for another week. Today's post will be a review.

So to back track, the polish I used last week is called Handpicked for Me - a shimmer polish; I bought this along with four others from Hautelook a while back. It was priced for $3 and the original price marked was either $15 or $18, I forget.

I had no issues with application as it applied very evenly without streaking and it dries super quick. Like literally, within a minute or two, I was able to apply the second coat. This polish is very sheer with just one coat, my nails were very visible. With two coats, the nails underneath was still visible but you gotta look very closely. I was satisfied with three coats, my nails no longer was showing. Please keep in mind that I do very thin coats each time. I find that thin coats dry faster and it looks neater. I rarely ever do thick coat, maybe when I only do one coat... but that's another story.

I used a base coat to protect my natural nails but I did not use a top coat (with the exception of the middle finger). I am really surprised at the longevity of this polish without a top coat. I did all sorts of hands-on activities the last week, from swimming to scrubbing rocks, hammering cements, gardening and lots of dishes washing. Other than my nails growing out and a little bit of chipping from the top, the polish itself is somewhat fading, losing its color intensity.

From afar, you can't really tell in my opinion. As seen below, last week, fresh paint and this week, not much of a difference.

Last Week, Fresh Paint

One Week Later

Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading guys! :)

Sephora by OPI - Hautelook Order

Tuesday greetings everyone! We're
almost there guys, just
a couple more days until the weekend. Imma go swimming on Friday so I definitely have something to look forward to. How are you all doing?

Have you checked out my Mani Monday post from yesterday yet? I used the Sephora by OPI for the first time. Which is what this post is  about today. Sephora by OPI was on Hautelook a couple of weeks back for $3 each. I'm not entirely sure, but the "original" priced listed was for $15 or $18; either way, I picked up five which only costed me $15. There were probably twelve or fifteen shades available for sale but by the time I got to it, five or six shades were already sold out. The five shades I did pick up were my favorite from the bunch.  Thinking back, I should have bought a couple more...maybe next time.

left to right: A True Romantic, Seeing Pink Elephants, Handpicked for Me, Mermaid to Order, Go My Own Way

A True Romantic and Seeing Pink Elephants are cremes while Handpicked for Me, Mermaid to Order and Go My Own Way are shimmers.

Although this was my first time using Sephora by OPI, I have very high expectations for this because I have heard nothing but praises about 'em. I am preeeetty excited to try them out myself. From what I can see from the swatches, the formula of these polishes are very thin, thinner than what I'm used to. They apply evenly without streaking and they dry super fast!

The shimmers are fairly sheer. With just one coat, you can absolutely still see your nails underneath. It's basically a tint. With two coats, there's more color to it, but you can still see the nails underneath. I used three coats to achieve the right amount of color and I can no longer see my nails underneath. Please keep in mind that I do paint a thin coat each time, they dry faster than thick coats.

The cremes are a little thicker than the shimmers but it is still not nearly as thick as other polishes. These too, like the shimmers, apply evenly with each strokes and does not streak either. The cremes dry a tad slower than the shimmers but overall, it is still quick if compared to other brands. From what I can see from my swatches, I can probably be satisfied with just one coat because it is super opaque.

I used Handpicked for Me yesterday and I am super pleased. The color is so fresh and paired with my freshly trimmed nails, it looks super neat and clean. The pinkish lilac color works great with my skin tone and I think it'll look great with many ranges of skin tones. It creates a great contrast pop that adds color to the nail, a high maintenance look without the effort.

I have yet to wear or swatch Mermaid to Order and Go My Own Way on my nails so I really cannot tell you yet how it looks with my skin tone. Mermaid to Order is a greenish teal that glistens and shimmers when it catches the light. As for Go My Own Way, it's a grayish navy blue. It's shimmery but does not so much reflects the light like how Mermaid to Order and Handpicked for Me does. I think shades like this are perfect for the toes.

Seeing Pink Elephants is a true bubble gum pink. It is pink, it is creme, it is opaque, it is in your face. A classic color any nail enthusiast must include in their collection. A True Romantic is a whitish cream shade that is very professional. With one thin coat, this polish can be sheer. It just so happens that sheer nail are in for Spring. Yippee! 

Hopefully this post helped out those who are reluctant in trying Sephora by OPI or those who wanted to try these shades. What shades would you like to see next? Comment down below.

Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading guys! :)

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SONG OF THE DAY/MOMENT

"YOU YOU YOU" - FLY TO THE SKY

They're FINALLY back ya'll...... it's about time. 

Manicure Monday: Clean, Cut, Cute

Hello Monday everyone! Hope You all had an enjoyable weekend. Mine was crazy but fun.
Although I did spend the night at the hospital again. I am super tired today, heavy duty concealer was my best friend. But on the bright side, I did get to trim, file and clean up my nails. I tend to keep my nails short for the warmer months because I either go swimming with my cousins, do gardening or wash my cars. I've had bad experiences with long nails while do said activities...  Never again said I.

A couple of weeks ago, Sephora by OPI was on Hautelook for $3 each so I picked up five. They took forever to arrive but they finally did last Friday. Although I've worn nail colors from OPI and Nicole by OPI before, I have never tried Sephora by OPI. I have heard many great things about this polish so it's about time I tried it out for my own.

Comes Monday and guess what's on my nails for this week?!

Sephora by OPI in Handpicked For Me (sheer)

*Bonus* On my toes for the next two weeks are Sinful Colors in Tempest

I thought this shade was absolutely gorgeous from the site, that's why I ordered it but upon seeing the shade from the bottle, in person, up close... I wasn't too sure. I already own a couple of shades VERY similar to this, one of them OPI. So if I already bought it, might as well give it a try; if I like it, I'll keep it, if not, I can give it to my Aunt.

Maybe because this is a shimmery polish, but the formula is very thin compared to other polishes. It applied very evenly and dried quicker than you can say quick. After the first coat, I wasn't convinced still. After the second coat, I can faintly see my nails underneath but the color has become a whole 'nother shade. I added another coat to get the total opaqueness. And so what you see there, took three thin coats.

I wore a base coat on all of my nails to protect them like I always do. However, with the exception of the middle finger, I did not wear a top coat. I am testing this polish out so to see how well it fends on its own. Would defeat the purpose if I wore a top coat. The middle finger I needed to wear a top coat to secure the stone and the bow.

Like I said, I bought five, a couple creams and some sheer. I will do a post on them if not tomorrow then Wednesday. So please stay tuned if you're interested.

Thank you for visiting and thanks for reading guys! :)

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MAN MEN CRUSH MONDAY #MCM

EXO

OT12