April Fool's randomness. Tag: Show me your fridge! and NOTD

We all need to cheer up a little bit, don't we? I was thinking of posting my recent Fyrinnae haul, but then I found this random stuff in my Drafts and decided to give it a go. And it's more appropriate for April Fool's day. Honestly, I don't get the whole idea of this whole thing, but whatever. lol

Remember this funny tag going around a couple of months ago? I thought it was quite interesting&entertaining. Here is what's on my fridge:

Note: Magnet from Thailand was a present from our friends. I wish we could go there one day!

We began collecting magnets-souvenirs just recently. I really enjoy the process of finding "the most unique". :) Unfortunately, sometimes it's just impossible to find any shops selling souvenirs. Hence, several places are not represented here. :/ 

Sweet Corn, Mickey Mouse, Henry&Gord (from Thomas the Tank Engine), butterfly - cute stuff with their own stories&memories. :) We change cards from time to time. But the one with cute tiny mice and the one with animals (btw, these two are from the same author) are our all time fovourites, so they are not going anywhere! :)

Our fridge is perhaps the most colourful place in our apartment. :)

NOTD - my first attempt at konading!

Natural light

As you might have guessed it was my NOTD for Alice in Wonderland. :)

I used OPI Done Out in Deco as a base, Color Club Wild At Heart for the bow.

Overall I liked how it came out, but I wish I could place the bow closer to the tip. Oh well, next time I'll be more careful.I really like the combo of these two! And, I even got several complements! Yay! :)

I'm terribly sorry for my awful cuticles (now I think it could be the residue from the base coat... hmmm). The picture was taken a couple of weeks ago when my hands still were suffering from the cold weather. They're much better at the moment.

And, the most important thing, this picture is a perfect illustration of OPI nail polish (at least this one for sure) being long-lasting. It's my 4th day of wear. Not bad considering I constantly washed my hands and did some house cleaning.

Have a nice Easter!

Do you celebrate Easter? What do you think about April Fool? :)

Orly Country Club Khaki (plus comparison with OPI)

Sunlight (!), flash

Sunlight

Natural "light", flash (might look a little bit cooler under the certain lighting)

Natural "light"

Note: I managed to get a dent on my Index finger somehow... And my hands are super dry again... :/ Just a little confession! lol

18 ml (0,6 oz), exp. date: 36 months after opening, made in USA.

From Prepster collection, spring 2009.

3 Big free.

Claims: "A fast drying, long lasting, high gloss nail lacquer." (Can't comment on these, because I used a fast drying top coat.)

Colour: pale dusty "mushroomy" taupe-brown with a tiny-tiny hint of lilac (it's still on the warm side though). At first, when I saw the bottle, I was very skeptical (read: that is why it was sitting in my nail polish box for almost 6 months!), because I thought it looked like hmmm... plain light dirt? lol Now I think this colour is very interesting and unique. I bet it looks stunning on darker skin tones! I'm a little bit tanned now and I really like how it enhances my tan.

Finish: creme. I would call it milky! Definitely! VERY light "milky-chocolate-y". :)

Application: very smooth application , 2 coats is enough for a full coverage.

Retail price: ranges between 3 USD - 12 EUR.

Pros: versatile flattering shade, perfect coverage, easy application, nice brush, pretty bottle, very comfortable rubber handle, big 3 free.
Cons: the fact that it's so expensive here!

PS Suitable for school, office, beach, party, etc.:)

Comparison with OPI Tickle My Francey

Natural "light", flash

 Orly CCK (left) vs OPI TMF (right)

Natural "light", flash

OPI TMF (left) vs Orly CCK (right)

It looks that they're almost dupes, but IRL they're absolutely different (well, not drastically, but still the difference is obvious). OPI TMF is more gray than brown, and is with a rose-mauve-lilac hint.

PS OPI's can make your hands look dead, whereas Orly's will make them look alive. lol

OPI Your Royal Shyness

Natural light, flash

Natural light

Note: These pictures were taken in autumn. Hence, the bad quality is here again. lol Consider this as a review only. :)

15 ml (0,5 oz), exp. date: 36 months after opening, made in USA.

From Princess Charming collection, 2007.

Contains Toluene and Formaldehyde Resin (black label!). You can get the improved version without Toluene but still with Formaldehyde Resin (green label) if you are lucky enough. I got mine in June from 8ty8beauty. In the same order I got OPI My Daddy's the King (from the same collection) with a green label, so you'll never know what to expect! :/

Colour: pale peachy-pink-beige. Nude! :)

Finish: pearly shimmer-frost (quite difficult to describe).

Application: pretty smooth application (a little bit streaky - brush strokes, still manageable though), 2 coats is enough for a full coverage.

Retail price: ranges between 5 USD - 15 EUR.

Pros: versatile shade, perfect coverage, pretty easy application, nice brush.
Cons: not 3 Big Free, a little bit streaky (brush strokes), the fact that it's so expensive here!

PS Very wearable and versatile shade! Have to go to the office and party (or wedding?) on the same day? Here is the solution! :)

OPI DS Fantasy

All the pictures were taken under the bright artificial light (surprise surprise lol). No sun here, but at least it's warm (for winter) and it's not snowing! :) Note: the colour appears much brighter than it is in reality.

15 ml (0,5 oz), exp. date: 36 (usually it's 24 months for OPI) months after opening, made in USA.

From Designer Series 2007.

Contains toluene and Formaldehyde resin (black label!).

Colour: dark navy blue with fine holographic (well, it's not really holo, but it "sparkles strangely" :) ) glitter. This colour is so strange. Under the certain light (i.e. most of the time) it seems black or dark, I mean really DARK blue, but when the sun shines it sparkles! Doesn't it sound familiar?.. Guy... hmmm... polish that sparkles in sunshine? lol

Finish: glitter

Application: very smooth application , 1 coat is enough for a full coverage.

Retail price: ranges between 7 USD - 15 EUR.

Pros: perfect coverage, easy application, nice brush, pretty bottle.
Cons: it's not that bright and sparkly as I thought it would be! the fact that it's so expensive here!

PS Since there is no much sunshine these days here in Finland, I can't appreciate the whole beauty of this polish. It sparkles only under the bright artificial light, not under the normal artificial light! I tried to convince my hubby it "can" sparkle, but he still thinks it's black! lol

PPS Can it be that I was "lucky" enough to get some crappy version? Or is it my fantasy? lol

PPPS  Hello! I'm a "Twiaddict"! :)

OPI Tickle My Francey

Artificial light

Artificial light

Natural light (shadow, where would you get the sun in Finland these days? :) )

15 ml (0,5 oz), exp. date: 24 months after opening, made in USA.

From France collection 2008.

Seems to be 3 Big free (green label!).

Colour: pale dusty gray rose/mauve. This colour is so strange. Under the certain light it seems more of a cool tone, but I still think it's more of a warm tone (despite the fact that it may make your hands look a little bit dead... cold... huh... lol).

Finish: creme. I would call it milky! :)

Application: very smooth application , 2 coats is enough for a full coverage.

Retail price: ranges between 5 USD - 15 EUR.

Pros: perfect coverage, easy application, nice brush, pretty bottle, big 3 free.
Cons: the fact that it's so expensive here!

PS Pretty unusual colour suitable for office though. But wear it with caution! :)

OPI Done Out in Deco

15 ml (0,5 oz), exp. date: 24 months after opening, made in USA.

From South Beach collection 2009.

Seems to be 3 Big free (green label!).

Colour: lavender with a little hint of dusty rose (meaning that it's more of a warm tone). I've noticed a strange pattern regarding this polish when I was checking the swatches before ordering: it looks so pale on almost all the pictures I came across, when in fact it's "stronger" (darker? brighter?) lavender. This effect of "paleness" and "strength" could be seen on my picture: check the top ("strong") and bottom ("pale") of index and middle finger nails.

Finish: creme. I would call it milky! :)

Application: very smooth application , 2 coats is enough for a full coverage.

Retail price: ranges between 5 USD - 15 EUR.

Pros: perfect coverage, easy application, nice brush, pretty bottle, big 3 free.
Cons: the fact that it's so expensive here!

PS This is when my love for unusual (for me at least) polishes started! :)

PPS This picture is also from my "first attempt" pictures back to June. As you can see it's still of an awful quality, but somehow it shows the colour pretty close to the original. :) It's so foggy and quite dark (no sun) here in Helsinki these days, but at least it's +6C! :) Tried to take several pictures outdoors, but no luck - awful pictures again. :(

8ty8beauty haul

I've never tried OPI and Orly nail polishes before as they're ridiculously expensive here (13-15 euro) and the colour range is rather poor (mostly pinks and reds - not my cup of tea). Until recently (this June)... I've checked so many swatches and websites before ordering my first bunch of OPI and Orly! I chose 8ty8beauty after all because they seem to carry all the nail polishes from my wishlist.

I was (and still am) very impressed with their service. Perfect customer service and very fast shipping! I was so shocked when I saw our postman with a package behind my door just a week after I placed my order. I thought I'd have to go to the post office in about one month or so! So naive! lol

For the start I decided to buy pastel "office-friendly" shades. I've already tried them all. And all I can say - I'm hooked! :) Since June I've ordered several more polishes from other suppliers. More on that some other day. Btw, I'm eagerly waiting for my 2nd order from 8ty8beauty! Hope to get it this week. :)


From left to right: Orly Golden Halo, OPI Done Out In Deco, OPI Suzi & The Lifeguard, OPI My Daddy's The King, OPI Sand In My Suit, OPI Your Royal Shyness.


My initial thoughts & short reviews:
Overall: nice bottles, perfect brushes, smooth & easy application. LOOOVE! :)

Orly Golden Halo (French Manicure): pale lavender - golden halo, shimmer. Very interesting shade. In some lights it's lavender, in some - golden. the only negative thing - the drying time is horrible! Even with a top coat, it dries for more than 2 hours. I've experinced the exact same problem with Orly Super Natural. It was my "all-summer" choice for my toe nails. :)

OPI Done Out In Deco (South Beach Collection 2009): lavender, creme.

OPI Suzi & The Lifeguard (South Beach Collection 2009): pale pink, shimmer. I have troubles with application. It is so liquidy-runny, but somehow manages to appear as a thick mess. SO weird!

OPI My Daddy's The King (Princess Charming Collection): pale peachy-pink, pearly shimmer. Gorgeous!

OPI Sand In My Suit (South Beach Collection 2009): sandy beige, shimmer.

OPI Your Royal Shyness (Princess Charming Collection): pale pink-beige, pearly shimmer. The beauty beyond words! :) I get the most compliments when I wear this shade. :) Although the colour is not unique, it's pretty classic-simple and the application is quite tricky (brush strokes!!!), I still think it's simply beautiful! :)