I am slowly waddling my way through this all to familiar term, backlog. So I hope you don't mind me putting up all these items I have received from awhile ago.

Awhile ago being towards the end of last year.

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It was during my confinement period when Nicole by OPI held their bloggers event, thus I could not head down for it but they were kind enough to send over a generous bag of polishes for me to swatch to my hearts delight.

I have 10 Nicole by OPI bottles with me, all from the brand as I did not own one prior to this.

I am not unfamiliar to Nicole by OPI but with the amount of polishes on hand (and other distractions), I never gave myself the opportunity to look at their offerings until now.

The polishes they sent are a good spectrum of colors and even contained shades that I do not have in my stash – such as that bright pink, bright yellow and bright green that you see there!

So... maybe there are some 'loopholes' in my stash. And we all know what that means.... heh.

Nicole by OPI polishes, as many of you may already know, comes with a flat brush and isn't too long in length. Polish brushes of this design and length are my favorite because it applies easily and the length allows for good control.

In terms of the Nicole by OPI brushes, I found them easy to work with. There was nothing overly spectacular yet the design and size did allow for easy application.

Since I don't have time to paint my nails that often these days and do not want to go for an uncoordinated skittle nail look, I decided to make use of my nail wheel once again to show you some swatches!

All swatches done below were done with 2 coats regardless if the polishes are still sheer or were easily opaque in one coat.

Here's a bit of a rundown about each shade.

• Berry Sweet is a chrome-like shiny red. It reminds me of Danke Shiny Red which is now in my mom's possession so I welcome this color very much.
• Reach Out is a lovely jelly pink shade. While it is a jelly, it still remains vibrant in color.
• It Starts With Me is a rusted champagne shade. It is a little sheer at 2 coats but would maybe look quite nice with 3. Alternatively it could be used atop another color
• Light A Candle was easily opaque in one coat. Some brush strokes are inevitable with this blue-ish metalic shade but it isn't obvious nor would I classify it as streaky.
• You're A Star is a sheer polish, made to serve as a topcoater to add sparkles

Now on to the second batch of shades, featuring 2 colors from the Kardashian Kolor collection.

• Keeping Up With Santa appears very similar to Berry Sweet (above) but is more darkened in appearance which would make it easier and more understated to wear for some. The red jewel tone is still very lovely regardless.
• Deck the Dolls is a beautiful pearly cyan-blue shade. It does have a chrome and slight metalic effect to it resulting in some brush strokes being apparent but yet again, not streaky in my terms.
• Purple Yourself Together is beautiful, simply stunning! A medium, slightly cool-toned, purple with gold shimmers within. The shade itself is also beautifully glossy.
• Make Mine Lime was stunning in the bottle and slightly disappointingly sheer but a bright green nonetheless. There was a slight pearly tone in the bottle that is lost upon swatching.
• Yellow Its Me , like Make Mine Lime, is also on the sheer side which is sad but it is a cheery yellow nonetheless. It would be most effective over a white base.

My picks of the lot would definitely be Purple yourself Together, Deck the Dolls, Keeping Up With Santa and Reach Out. The other shades are also very lovely too but these were the ones that stood out the most to me.

While these nail wheel swatches serve as a quick representation of the colors, I will show them up-close and with better shots when I wear them on my nails (in On My Nails entries).

In fact, I think I really want to swatch Purple Yourself Together soon!

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While doing this entry up, I hopped over to Nicole by OPI's website and noticed that they had a Modern Family collection! Modern Family is probably my favorite sitcom of all times so... call me intrigued!

Turns out VampyVarnish had done swatches of all the 14 shades released with this collection (yes, all) and you can see them here.

Some shades are passable, well most are to me actually, but I like how What’s The Mitch-uation? and Candid Cameron looks! How coincidental!

Well, thanks for reading and I hope these swatches are of help!

Nicole by OPI retails at S$12.90 and is available at select Watsons outlets (Ngee Ann City for sure).

Do you own any of these shades? If not, did anything catch your eye?

Disclosure:
Products were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.

Hello folks! It's been awhile, I know and I am terribly sorry for my disappearance on here. While most of you may know, you can follow me on twitter or instagram for quicker updates and to know I'm still alive and well! :)

While I haven't posted pictures of myself (on here) in a bit, here is a glimpse of my hand in this nail swatch.

I know, lame but hey, it's to signify I'm still running this!

I figured I had bore-d you all enough with my swatch-journey through what I hauled from the OPI Germany collection so I painted this on with no intention to snap pictures of.

Though what started as a move to slap something quick on my nails turned out to be yet another OPI Germany swatch entry!

The minute this color went on my nails, I was just so in love with it – and I don't entirely love dark jewelled blue shades either.

I do fancy this color, which is why I hauled it to begin with, but it's not the usual gorgeous holo or cutesy pastel that catches my eye so I was caught off guard by how attracted I was to it.

(with flash)

(with flash)

This shade works well with a single coat but for the swatches in this entry, I applied 2 just to make sure that I completely masked the nail bed.

And because I think nail shots with my phone are just as good, here's what I snapped while waiting for the dreaded bus to work. Why dreaded? Well, if you check my twitter feed on select mornings, you would probably see my early morning tweet-complaints about commuting, Heh.

This color, like Danke Shiny Red, reminds me of a car's paint job – so chrome yet littered with specs of shimmer. How pretty!

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great Sunday!

I have loads of posts in mind to put up, some with pictures snapped, some without but for the most part my brain hasn't been co-operative of late and I draw a blank each time I try to draft something. My pals call it the pregnant-brain, where you get scatter-brained, slower and not as smart but pshhhh, I don't believe that.

Though it may seen true....

But oh well, more stuff on here soon and I am trying to churn them out as quick as I can before baby arrives!

Thanks for reading and hope noone gets a case of the Monday Blues tomorrow!

What a quirky (and long) name for this polish and it faintly reminds me of Hitler... tsk.

I normally prefer darker tones when I have shorter nails so after (finally) trimming my nails down, I took this opportunity to swatch on OPI Germany's Nein! Nein! Nein! Ok Fine!

Yes I am still going through the Germany batch one at a time.

The swatches are 2 coats of Nein! Nein! Nein! Ok Fine!, without a top coat so you can see the color's glossy glory.

(with camera flash)

The color is fairly straight forward but still lovely — a darkened olive that is almost black yet not not quite. It isn't so dark that under dim lighting it is a flat black, no, you can still see mild greenish tones running through it.

I have been wearing it for over a week now and while I love it, dark creamy tones have a tendency to bore me after awhile, no matter what brand and how gorgeous.

I think I need a color kick in my life again so I will be moving on to something else real soon.

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In other news, work is picking up again with the influx of assignments, along with home-matters to tend to after and on weekends thus time has been on the tighter side these days.

I have just been a wee bit overwhelmed with everything and my life is a little on the routinal track thus isn't overly exciting and is a lot of rushing about with my makeup routine (work or weekend) being at its peak of simplicity (really just foundation, brows and blush) thus I apologize for any blah-ness going on here! In truth, I would love to have some me-time for a bit but that's a little hard to achieve at the moment.

I am working at clearing the backlogged stuff by drafting with Evernote (awesome app btw) when I get some time on-the-go but there's only so much you can jot down while you're out and about!

Lastly, I have news to share sometime down the road. I am still in the process of putting that news to words but... yes I will share it shortly and when it's ready. Stay tuned :)

Thanks for sticking around and reading still!

Still easing my way through my OPI Germany haul here and I wouldn't lie, I have my sights set on a couple more nail polishes, some already out there and some upcoming ones.

I remember what I said but frankly it's quite impossible to completely halt purchases, and why decline yourself that bit of hauling fun in life, yes? But I am making sure I don't go overboard with the current lemmings!

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Anyway, OPI's Berlin There Done That is one beautiful shade if you are a fan of greige / grey tones on your nails.

It's not extremely unique and it is likely dupe-able but that doesn't take away the fact that it is a lovely color with a decent formula.

In comparison to the other 2 I have swatched from OPI Germany, this has a slightly thinner consistency but 2 coats later, you're left with a creamy, glossy and streak-free finish.

Swatches are 2 coats of Berlin There Done That with 1 coat of Seche Vite Topcoat. It is probably glossy enough that you can do without a topcoat but I love that extra shine (and durability).

Berlin There Done That is greyish taupe with a slight milkiness to it, a very easy shade to reach for and wear on occasions when you want something chic, neutral but not quite a nude. At least that's how I see it and how I would likely wear this color.

(with flash) – Blur shot but it shows how creamy this looks!

At a glance, this felt a little comparable to the really (once?) popular Sephora by OPI's Metro Chic.

Comparable, probably in the color family but Metro Chic has more mauvey tones in it and isn't as grey or milky as Berlin There Done That.

While Metro Chic still has a special place in my heart for being one of the earlier polishes I had been downright obsessed with, I think I may reach for Berlin There Done That a whole lot more in situations where I would used to reach for Metro Chic.

I just love that neutral creamy grey-ness!

Did you haul Berlin There Done That? What are your favorite grey-toned polishes?

Thanks for reading!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend! I'm spending mine being very productive in the lazing department (oops), catching up with the family and just enjoying the slow pace of life before Monday comes around again. Boohoo.

I realize that this is quite a random (perhaps boring to some) update from the middle of nowhere but I have been extremely swamped with work of late to be able to handle proper entries. In fact typing this simple one up challenges my sleep-deprived brain cells a little but it's too pretty a red not to share.

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And yes, you heard me right.

I have previously mentioned with my OPI Germany haul that red nails aren't quite my thing but this was way too pretty to pass up.

From the swatches online, it seemed like a gorgeously glowy color with a chrome-ish finish that I personally have never seen on another red.

Perhaps I just haven't been looking but I am pretty satisfied with this find! What's more, the swatch you see below is just 1 coat (plus Seche Vite Topcoat over) of OPI's Danke-Shiny Red.

(with camera flash)

(with camera flash)

Danke-Shiny Red is a beautiful glowy red that is somewhat chrome-ish, darkens a little at angles and yet still has a pearly hint to it. I am horrible at describing it but simply put, it's a beautiful red.

It's also odd how this reminds me of a car body's paint job with the whole chrome-y bit.

While I love this, I have given this bottle to my mom as she's a huge fan of reds and I think this shade would be a lot better appreciated with her.

What is one red polish you absolutely love?

Thanks for reading and I will speak with you all again when I manage to draw some time out of my jam-packed work schedule this September. Tata!

You could say that I went a little berserk with this haul but I couldn't help it... Almost every single color looked awesome in Scrangie's and The Polishaholic's posts.

The bottles you see below are already a result of restrain being practiced. Though in my defense, I rarely go this crazy over one collection, much less an OPI one, so the occasional indulgence is... permissible.

With that said, please stop me from any nail lemmings and send a "tsk" my way if another nail haul goes up within, a month?

Here's a close-up at the bottles!

Every Month is Oktoberfest – This color was one of the super unique-looking ones of the bunch due to its purple shift amidst a crimson / dark maroon base. Just - gorgeous!

Danke-Shiny Red – If you know me, you know I hardly ever wear reds on my nails but I was completely drawn to this shade from the swatches. It's not just a bright red but its almost glowy and shiny at the same time.

Unfor-Greta-bly Blue – A rare sort of color purchase for me because I think this may be my first jewel-ish blue polish but I couldn't resist how pretty it swatches. It's glowy, slightly frosty yet still darkens around the edges where light doesn't hit it.

Nein! Nein! Nein! Ok Fine! – I love olives, I think I may have established that but oddly I don't have too many darkened olive polishes so this, I couldn't pass up on!

Don't Talk Bach to Me – I love how odd this color is. It's a mustard-yellow-ish color yet has some subtle shimmer to it instead of solely sticking to a cream finish... I think the weirdness of this was what really drew me in.

Berlin There Done That – And of course I couldn't pass up on this one. It was either this or Don't Pretzel My Buttons but the greyish tone in this (more apparent when swatched) won me over.

I could swatch every color I had gotten but since there are a zillion swatches available online (trust me, I searched for them while painfully eliminating some shades), I shan't do a speed-swatch of them all. I would very much rather enjoy using them and marvel at how they sparkle on my nails for maybe a week before switching to another shade.

What I do have for you now is a swatch of my favorite shade of the lot. Or at least one I feel is somewhat the most unique in my stash.

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Every Month is Oktoberfest (2 coats) + Seche Vite topcoat

And with flash so all the pretty glitter bits show up.

I must warn you though that these shots are really zoomed-in and macro-ed. The polish looks stunning but when swatched on the chances of you staring at your polish's sparkle this close all the time is very low. Unless you really do admire your nails quite a bit from time to time.

From afar, the polish looks like a darkened magenta with a deep purple-red sheen (like the daylight shots). It is still very beautiful if darkened shades are your thing but don't let the extremely apparent red shimmer bits steal your heart too much.

One unique point about this polish, which is lost with 2 coats, is the purple base color it seems to have.

Here it is at 1 coat; it's lovely enough but the nail bed is still apparent.

It looks almost like some flame or oil sleek with the red and purple-ish hues, or am I just thinking too much? I believe that purple hue may come into play if you layer this polish over something or just fancy using 1 coat of this.

Incase you are wondering, I had hauled my fill of the OPI Germany collection from timtam.

While I am enjoying these polishes and trying not to hastily swatch them all, I honestly can't wait to play with all the shades. Thus you may see these popping up (quite reguarly) on upcoming On My Nails entries!

Thanks for reading and I hope everyone is enjoying their weekends!

This upcoming week is not a good time for me and I am literally swamped with work commitments (weekends included - boohoo) so I may disappear a little. I will blog when I can, which is when the workload hits a calmer pace!

Crazy is probably an understated word to describe what the weekend had been. Have you ever came out of a weekend feeling more tired than ever as opposed to feeling recharged?

Well that's what this was though amidst all that, it was fun times and somehow I managed to squeeze in some time to have some fun with my nails!

I wanted to try my hand at a fun-colored french manicure and here's what I ended up with!

I dug out China Glaze's For Audrey (love this color on my toes) and applied that after using a coat for OPI's Fair Dinkum Pinkum.

I initially left it as that but felt the manicure wasn't 'defined' enough and so I added that black trim with Etude House's Nail Art Pen.

For the fun of, I drew a simple bow on my thumb!

The lines definitely aren't perfect and I wish I was able to do a sleeker line but it was fun doing this up! It's interesting having nude-ish nails yet with a bright rim of color and a contrasting black line.

To 'live out' the effort, I would have wanted to wear this manicure for a longer period of time but I broke a nail on my right hand so... I shall see how long I can go tolerating that nick till I have to remove it all and trim everything short.

Thanks for reading!

What are some fun little manicures you like to do?

p.s. in other news.... I passed my Driving Practical today! Holla if you see me on the road, or maybe not...

While a part of me was itching to change my nail color, the other part of me was too caught up with hectic-ness to sit down, scrub off my current manicure and paint a fresh new one. While it's not terribly time consuming, the part where you are waiting for your polish to dry and hoping you don't ram it against something and ruin it is always the scariest.

Even with a super quick drying topcoat, if you are hurriedly sketching ideas and punching keyboard shortcuts... stuff will happen.

So instead of a brand new manicure, I thought to refresh the current one and while this looks even more time consuming, I assure you it's not.

With a little bit of tape and OPI's Red Shatter Polish (thanks Amy!), I have this!

Tape manicures may seem like a huge hassle but in this case it is wasn't much of a mean feat. It doesn't take much to cut a little triangle and I reuse one piece of tape for 2 nails, though you really have to press it down good on use #2.

Shatter polishes also dry real quick, plus if they do chipped or ''poked'... all the more for that shattered effect!

I topped everything with Seche Vite Fast Dry Topcoat after.

Not a very clean cut or uniformed tip and a totally shoddy image overall but I'm cheered by the minor refreshment to my nail color.

Unlike most polishes where you have to hold it upclose to admire it's beauty in all forms of light, I think this is best admired from a considerable distance so you don't see the itsy bitsy flaws.

The Red Shatter reminds me of a rose petal's texture. Now if only I was able to represent an image of a rose on my nails, that would be cool. Nonetheless, I'll most likely be changing this out over the weekends when I get time.

Do you still reach for your shatter polishes?

Thanks for reading!

Never thought I would say this but sheer polishes, yes the ones you have to pile on a couple of times, actually looks really lovely!

I think my experience with Megan Miller's Caribbean has made me understand and appreciate the translucent and almost jelly-looking quality these beauties have.

Not the usual post from my part but I thought I would highlight a collection I currently have my eyes on, the OPI NYC Ballet Soft Shades 2012.

(image credit: vampy varnish)

5 shades are sheer creams and 1 is a glitter!

While majority seems like your typical sheer polish, I'm actually attracted to the 3 on the right - (left ro right) Care to Danse?, My Pointe Exactly and Pirouette My Whistle

Here are swatches of those, courtesy to ThePolishaholic.

L-R: Care to Danse? / My Pointe Exactly / Pirouette My Whistle (1 coat) over My Pointe Exactly

The swatches above are 3 - 4 coats of the polish, unless otherwise stated.

My Pointe Exactly really lies in the grey zone (no pun intended) with it looking unique and interesting to own yet I'm afraid it would look muddy/blah on because it's a sheer grey. It seems, if not pulled off right, it could make your nails look sickly.

Yet, here's another (I think) pretty shot of it:

(image credit: alizarineclaws)

These are good shots of the polish but I have seen iffy shots of it too.... so I can't decide.

Sheer grey nail polish - yay, nay? It also looks really good with Pirouette over. Decisions, decisions.

What do you think about the shades, would you get My Pointe Exactly? Should I get My Pointe Exactly?

Thanks for reading!

While February is drawing to a close with a leap year, I have one more item from the month to share and it is the February Vanity Trove!

Of the three beauty subscription boxes available to us (in Singapore), I have yet to give an introduction to Vanity Trove so... here's me doing it now.

Vanity Trove is currently the highest priced of the bunch, at S$25 per month with a monthly subscription. The others stand at S$15 for Bellabox and S$18 for Glamabox.

While the price point may turn you away straight out, it's funny to say but it actually piqued my interest to figure out or rationalize what is so different about this that commands this price difference. It could be a marketing idea whereby the costlier your item, the more premium your position is. Well, whatever the plan is, I'm not sure but let's take a look at what February has to offer at Vanity Trove.

I like the drawer idea of Vanity Trove's boxes because of it's functionality. Imagine stacking and creating a Vanity Trove shelf solely out of the boxes. Now that, is called recycling.

As this is still a February subscription box after all, it follows the mood of love that one associates with the month of February.

The slip that came with features shots of the products included which was a pretty nice touch because that means a unique design, photo and layout each month. Though I didn't like that there was no price mentions within the slip.

However, if you are intrigued about anything, you may visit the Trove page on Vanity Trove's site to find out more. The Trove page comes with a rundown of the items in the box, even for past months, along with more information about each product, where to purchase them at and prices for some.

I believe it's just for the month of February that the Vanity Trove box came very nicely perfumed with potpourri. It was simply delicious to open with various scents wafting up at you, due to the contents as well.

The items included with the February Vanity Trove are:

• 2 Mini OPI Nail Polish Bottles (from NIcki Minaj Collection)
• Filthy Farmgirl Handmade Soap
• Mekahaliving Shampoo and Conditioner
• SkinC Eye Mask
• Rinsie Rose Earring
• 1 Allerines Premium Tea Sachet

That totals up to be 6 different products within this month's Vanity Trove, yet it's not a total count of 6 items since there are 'sets'... and I'm rambling so here's a closer look at them.

Filthy Farmgirl Handmade Soap in Cheeky Ginger Citrus

Upon checking the Trove page, I realized that they do have slight variations for some items, so not everyone receives the same thing. Such as in this case where there are 4 different soap scents available and of the 4 I received Cheeky Ginger Citrus. Judging by the name itself, I would stray far far away from this because 1) I don't like Ginger and  2) I don't like Citrus scents but I've noticed that things that I dislike have this very odd habit of bonding together to create something I like.

Such as, I hate apple juice and I hate Ribena, but I love the Apple flavored Ribena... odd comparision?

Either ways, I cannot recall where I have seen this before because the name is extremely familiar but it is available on thenatureskin.com.

SkinC Pure Repair + Whitening Eye Mask

I have caught wind of this brand being mentioned a couple times of late and I want to think it's new to our shores but I'm really not certain. Regardless, I welcome any form of ammunition to combat puffiness and to nourish the undereye portion so I am looking forward to try this out. Would this little itty bitty mask count for a masking up session? I think not since it's just the eye portion but... we'll see!

Mekalaliving Regenerative Black Rice Shampoo & Conditioner

Black rice is said to be an amazing product for your locks so the aim of Mekalaliving's product is to... feed your hair! The shampoo and conditioner is provided in little 30ml sizes, which I find perfect for travel. I will not be opening these just yet because I prefer stashing mini shower bottles away for travel periods.

Mini OPI Bottles from the NIcki Minaj Collection

One of the items that I am pretty stoked about would be these mini nail polish bottles. I believe that Vanity Trove is alternating between the entire collection and the shades I received are Pink Friday (the pink) and Fly (the blue). Seeing them side by side, they remind me of the dual-ended color pencils from kindergarten days. Perhaps I may try something with these two bottles, since the colors look so complimentary.

Earrings from RinsieRose.com

I was a little surprised to see earrings amidst the mix but that is a very interesting touch! A quick drop by rinsierose.com and I got to know that she creates jewelleries from earrings to necklaces, bracelets and more! Some designs are really adorable and worth the look.

Allerines Premium Tea

Another item I was surprised to receive is this tea sachet because... well I wasn't expecting tea in a beauty box! Though it is still a nice touch nonetheless, as such with the earrings. I haven't tried this out yet but I am thinking to brew a pot over the weekend for a much-needed

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In all, this is my first experience with Vanity Trove and from what I gather with their earlier boxes, Vanity Trove seems more focused on the skincare aspect of things with a sprinkle of other things within. Such as in this month, where bath products are pretty prevalent in the content line-up along with nail polish thrown in. To touch on the price point, I think while Vanity Trove costs more, that extra that you are paying does translate into a very customized effort where the slips are designed for each month. The contents for the February box does speak to me in a way that is... somewhat personal? Like a friend sharing some lovely finds, probably due to the inclusion of jewelry and tea which was quite refreshing.

it's hard to judge these beauty boxes purely by receiving a month or two subscriptions because they are changing every month and it is inevitable that some months will fare better than others for either boxes. In my opinion I really like the contents in Vanity Trove's February box enough to be intrigued about coming months. If anything, I would point out that for a makeup lover, perhaps Vanity Trove may not be the best bet for you (right now) as their contents seem more skincare-centric and seldom touch on makeup (like Bellabox does with lipstick and shadows).

Summing up beauty boxes...
While most would like to hear a battle of the boxes and narrow it down to that one better box, I don't know if I will be able to pull a verdict. I personally feel that these beauty boxes are fun things to subscribe to, to receive a package every month and learn about new brands or even try bits and pieces from stuff you may have passed up (e.g. OPI's Nicki Minaj for me). Though to do it long term would be something I will not consider, purely because of the hassle of sample items bulding up. Yet at the same time, the possibility of missing out on something interesting that month I don't subscribe may haunt me so I believe that could be the draw of their random contents.

I feel that at the end of it, there is no harm in alternating between beauty boxes that are currently available since, as I have mentioned, they all have their niche area. It would be more refreshing I find and keeps the idea of beauty boxes fun with their various product-scopes.

Now, that was a rambly closing statement and I'm sorry for having to dump it within a Vanity Trove entry but I feel that it was the last remaining beauty box brand that I haven't mentioned so a little closing speech was necessary.

Thanks for reading and making it this far!

Disclosure:
Products were provided to me for review consideration.
I am not affiliated to them and all opinions expressed are my own.