NOTD: OPI French Quarter For Your Thoughts & Comps

Hello Everyone!

The NOTD I have for you today is from OPI's Touring America Collection (Fall 2011). French Quarter For Your Thoughts is said to be inspired by the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. French Quarter For Your Thoughts is brown/grey creme polish. The best way for me to describe this polish is saying it looks like putty or clay. In some lights it looks more grey and in others it looks more brown toned. I had no application or removal issues. Pictures shown are two coats of French Quarter For Your Thoughts over CND Stickey and topped with China Glaze Fast Forward.

While I was wearing French Quarter For Your Thoughts I kept thinking it looked a little familiar so I decided to comp it with Essie Chinchilly.

Index & Ring Essie Chinchilly

Middle & Pinky OPI French Quarter For Your Thoughts

Index & Ring Essie Chinchilly

Middle & Pinky OPI French Quarter For Your Thoughts

As you can see Chinchilly & French Quarter For Your Thoughts are not completely dupes but they are very close. Chinchilly has a touch more brown but I think for most people they will be close enough. Feel free to judge for yourself. I also left all these pictures huge so you may click them for more detail.

NOTD: Illamasqua Load & OPI What's Dune?

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The NOTD I have for you today is a layering combination using Illamasqua Load and OPI What's Dune?. Load is one of my favorite Illamasqua polishes. I knew I wanted it as soon as I saw swatches. Personally, I find yellows a little difficult to wear, and I feel Load is the perfect soft yellow creme for my skintone. What's Dune? is from the 2003 OPI Summer For Shore collection. I'd describe What's Dune? as an opalescent holo. It is definitely a holo but it is extremely sheer. I would say What's Dune? is best used as a layering polish. I can't wait to try What's Dune? over more polishes. I had no application or removal issues with Load or What's Dune? I love this combination, and I feel it's perfect for spring.  Pictures shown are two coats of Load topped with two coats of What's Dune?

Blurry to show the holo

NOTD: China Glaze Coconut Kiss

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Have you ever continuously seen a polish in the store and pick it up and then put it back? That's how I was with Coconut Kiss. I kept seeing Coconut Kiss in Sally's Beauty Supply and i shamefully admit it just didn't look that special to me. I kept seeing swatches and oohing and ahhing over them. I finally decided it must be one of those colors you cant judge by the bottle so I picked it up. Coconut Kiss is a rich, but not vampy, almost metallic royal purple. I'm in love with this polish- there I said it. I had a small issue with bald spots, but I was in a little bit of a rush. I had no removal issues or staining. Pictures shown are three coats over Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator topped with China Glaze Fast Forward.

NOTD: Essie Fiesta & Essie As Gold As It Gets

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The NOTD I have for you today I created with Valentine's Day in mind. Nothing says Valentine's Day like pink and sparkly glitter! I started off with Essie Fiesta. Fiesta is a bright medium pink creme. It was very self leveling. I then added one of the newish Essie Luxeffects polishes in As Gold As It Gets. As Gold As It Gets is small gold irregular shaped glitter, and red to green flashing micro glitter suspended in a clear base. I used two coats of Fiesta and one coat of As Gold As It Gets over Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator and topped it off with China Glaze Fast Forward.

NOTD: OPI Sapphires In The Snow & Fingerpaints Twisted

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The NOTD I have for you uses one of the new Fingerpaints flakies. I was so excited to get my hands on these flakies. I haven't tried them all out yet, but I intend to soon. Stay tuned for more manis using the flakies. The mani I will be showing you today is OPI Sapphires In The Snow topped with Fingerpaints Twisted. Sapphires In The Snow is a blue/purple creme polish. I found it to be quite opaque and it could be a one coater if you're careful with your application. I always have trouble stopping at one coat, especially when I know I'll be photographing the mani. Twisted is an amazing flakie glitter polish. It starts with a milky base and the flakes flash a rainbow of colors. I see flashes of blue, purple, green, red, and gold. The flakes in Twisted are medium sized, cover well and really come to life over darker polishes. The milky base did not distort the base color at all. Application was a breeze and the flakies are smooth with a normal topcoat. Unlike other flakies I've tried, I have zero removal issues. Pictures shown are two coats Sapphires In The Snow and two coats Twisted.

NOTD: NYX Girls Frizz Spots & Super Funk

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The NOTD I have for you today is NYX Girls Frizz Spots. Frizz Spots is a sheer black jelly base jam packed with small and large silver hex glitter. Super Funk is a clear base with small and large purple hex glitter. I have such a weak spot for Frizz Spots. I'm sure it would look great over black but since this was the first time I've worn it I chose to wear it as it is intended to be. I had no application issues, and no removal issues when using the foil method. Pictures shown are three coats Frizz Spots topped with one coat Super Funk.

NOTD: Claire's Mood Polish Happy/Earthy

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The NOTD I have for you today is something I picked up at a blog sale but is readily available for purchase in Claire's. It is a mood polish, meaning it changes colors. I really love these mood polishes from Claire's. Every one I've tried has such an obvious color change. Happy/Earthy is a grassy green in the bottle. It changes highlighter neon yellow with heat and a darker blue toned green with cold. At room temperature Happy/Earthy shows a lovely gradient from yellow to green on my nails. This, of course, will vary from person to person depending on the length of your nail bed, how much free edge you have, and the temperature. I've had way too much fun playing with the color change of this polish. Happy/Earthy was quite sheer, but it is a neon and neons are usually sheer. While I'm not happy to have visible nail line, the effect of this polish is cool enough for me to live with it. Pictures shown are four coats over CND Stickey and topped with China Glaze Fast Forward.

With Lukewarm Water

With Cold Water

With Hot Water

Cooling Down

Room Temperature