OPI has just announced that January 2012 will be the release of the highly anticipated OPI / Nicki Minaj Collection. This is a 6 piece collection that includes a deep shimmering purple shatter polish called Super Bass and 5 other polishes that are named and inspired by the hit songs on Nicki’s debut album.

L-R: Super Bass, Metal 4 Life, Save Me, Fly, Did It On 'Em, Pink Friday

This collection is not for the timid or those who are interested in classic nail polish shades. Besides the Super Bass purple shatter there are 3 bright and bold colors that just scream spring and 2 glitters that will make your nails glitter and sparkle. Fly(aqua), Did It On ‘Em (lime), and Pink Friday (pink holographic) are the brights in this collection. Metal 4 Life is a rich charcoal glitter polish and Save Me is a Rainbow Glitter Polish.

Each color will be sold individually as well as a mini set that will include 4 small bottles of the nail polish.

The collection will be out in January but no exact date has been announced so be sure to come back for more details about the collection and to see swatches of these colors.

Click Here To Buy OPI Miss Universe Collection

It is September and that can only mean one thing….The Miss Universe Pageant is right around the corner. Soon women from 89 countries around the globe will come together in Sao Paulo Brazil for a night of competition with one of these lucky  women being crowned Miss Universe 2011. While the majority of us women will never be given the opportunity to compete to become a Miss Universe, we can all pretend with the help of OPI nail polish. OPI has teamed with the Miss Universe Organization and created a 4 color nail polish collection inspired by the pageant.

Since the closest I will ever come to the Miss Universe contest is with the OPI nail polish I decided to review it in the order of the events of the pageant.

The first live round is the swimsuit competition. OPI h created a great color called Swimsuit…Nailed It. This is an electric blue foil that is absolutely gorgeous. I love the vibrancy of the blue and all the micro glitter infused in the polish. It looks great inside but even better in natural sunlight. The only drawback to the is that it stained my nails a bit even with a base coat. Be sure to use a quality base coat unless you want to scrub your nails. I will give you a hint to remove the blue stain, or any nail polish stain for that matter. After you remove the polish the best you can, pour some baking soda in the palm of your hands and add just enough water to make a thick paste. Now rub your hands together pretending the baking soda is soap with an emphasis on rubbing your finger nails. Most of the stain should come off. Even a better way to remove the stain is to use lemon juice in place of the water. Your nails should look good as new!

Click To Enlarge Swimsuit...Nailed It Inside

Click To Enlarge Swimsuit...Nailed It Outside

After the swimsuit round the contestants move on to the evening gown round. While there is not a OPI polish that is directly tied in terms of a name to this round, I figure each girl is thinking It’s My Year so that is the OPI polish that I associate with this round. It’s My Year can be described as a duo chrome meets foil. The purple with a golden shimmer is my favorite color from this collection. The shade of purple has some pink tones to it but the best part is the micro glitters in shades of gold and mauve. The flecks from the micro glitter are best seen in sunlight, though you can get a good view of them indoors as well.

Click To Enlarge It's My Year Inside

Click To Enlarge It's My Year Outside

The third round is the final question round where we find are introduced to each woman’s views on a variety of topics. This is the time when the contestants can make it or break it, though there is always the consolation prize of best smile, best hair, etc… OPI kept the “back up” prizes in mind when naming the third color in the collection. Congeniality Is My Middle Name is a berry wine color with micro shimmer blue, pink, and purple  shades infused in the formula.This is a great fall shade to wear and I think I will get a lot of wear with this color all fall and winter long.

Click to Enlarge Congeniality Is My Middle Name Inside

Click to Enlarge Congeniality Is My Middle Name Outside

After going through all the preliminary rounds a few of the girls remain for the final round….the crowning and I am sure the number one thought going through all of their heads is Crown Me Already. The OPI shade is the perfect shade and look for this name. The over saturated clear jelly polish has silver glitter, micro-glitter, and hexagonal glitter in it . Much of the glitter is suspended in the polish giving it a lot of dimension but due to all of the glitter the polish does not dry as smooth as other colors.  The polish reminds me not only of the shimmer of the Miss Universe Crown but of the silver confetti that drops from the ceiling on the winner. This color looks great on its own but  you can wear it over any of the other colors in this collection to add sparkle to the already great colors. This was the hardest color to photograph due to all the sparkle and shine but I assure you this is a great color that you should buy.

Click To Enlarge Crown Me Already Inside

Click To Enlarge Crown Me Already Outside

All of the polishes were swatched with with two coats and they all gave great coverage. Crown Me Already probably could use a third coat to give even more sparkle and less of the clear base showing through but I am happy with the two coats. Since all of the colors have some sort of glitter to them it is a bit of a pain to fully remove the polish completely but if you remove the polish, wash your hands then do another go around with nail polish remover, you should be able to get most of the glitter off of you.

Click Here To Buy OPI Miss Universe Collection

Click Here To Buy OPI Serena Glam Slam Pros and Bronze & Love is a Racket duo Pack

Back in June I mentioned  that the last OPI Serena Williams Glam Slam Nail Polish would have two colors tied to the US Open. Well the time has come and the nail polish has been released and the tennis tournament is at full swing.

The first color in this collection is Pros & Bronze. This is a glass  micro glitter infused golden bronze. This color reminds me of a late summer suntan that has built up for many months. It is the perfect shade to be released for the end of summer as a reminder of all the great summer memories that have built up the past few months.

While the color itself is so gorgeous and in the sunlight even more sparkles and glitter  in gold, amber, and pink can be seen, Sadly this is not the most ideal color for my skintone. I am quite pale and the shade is way to orange for me but that does not mean that it will not work for me. I really wanted to wear this color and tried so hard to convince myself that I could wear it but sadly it just is not right. I may have to wear it on my toes when the weather cools off so that it can remind me of summer.

Click For Larger Image of OPI Pros & Bronze Indoors

Click For Larger Image of OPI Pro & Bronze Outside

The second color in this collection is Love Is A Racket which is a red pink glass micro glitter shimmer that sparkles in the light, especially when in the sun where blue, gold, and pink flecks can be seen. I personally am not a fan of red polishes but this one leans enough to the pink side and the micro glitter pushes this from a basic red to such an interesting shade that I really like it a lot.  This is a great polish for late summer / early fall but come winter you may find it too much of a warm weather shade to wear and have to put it back on a shelf until spring returns.

Click For Larger Image of Love is A Racket Inside

Click For Larger Image of Love is a Racket Outside

The best way to wear these colors, and the solution to my trouble wearing Pros & Bronze is to wear the colors together. If you wear Love Is A Racket with Pros & Bronze on top you get a really unique color that looks perfect for fall.

The formulas for these polishes are  jellylike and not thin at all so you should be able to get great coverage with two coats. The only drawback to the formula is that due to all the micro glitter removing the polish is a bit of a challenge because tiny pieces of the glitter spread and stick to your fingers and nails. I have found the best way to get it off is to remove the polish, wash and dry my hands then use another cotton ball of nail polish remover and most of the glitter is gone.

To read a recap of all of the Glam Slam Polishes click here

Click Here To Buy OPI Serena Glam Slam Pros and Bronze & Love is a Racket duo Pack

Click Here To Buy OPI Touring America Collection

Even though it is August and we are still enjoying summer it is time to put a little thought into the fact that fall is right around the corner. While heavy coats and shearling boots may be a distant thought, the Fall 2011 OPI Touring America Nail Polish Collection is a good way to ease into fall and many of these colors can be worn with ease right now and are great end of summer colors.

Recently I was sent the OPI Touring America Collection to sample and here are my thoughts about these colors.  Most of the colors in this collection are rich creme colors but there are a few shimmer colors as well.

In this collection there are two great grey nail polishes. French Quarter For Your Thoughts is a medium grey that has a bit of a purple/ blue  undertone to it. It is a great all around grey shade of polish to wear and will work on all skin tones. Suzi Take The Wheel is a very similar grey though the undertones are subtle yellow / green. If the lighting is not ideal you will not be able to tell the difference between the two colors and even in ideal lighting the differences are so subtle. In my opinion there really is not too much different between the two and you really do not need to buy both colors since they are so interchangeable.To sum up the greys, French Quarter is a cool grey and Suzi Take The Wheel a warm grey.

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Uh-Oh Roll Down The Window is an interesting name for a polish and the shade is a mix between a military green and a murky smokey olive green.  The color is a bit too bright to be considered a true military green and definitely stands out from the crowd. I really have not seen another green from OPI or any other brand to compare it to. This is a must have color from this collection.

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In the bottle A-Taupe The Space Needle looks like a warm taupe brown with a bit of a military brown mixed in. When applied though the color appears to have more of a greenish gold tone to it which is a bit unexpecting in a good way though. This color is definitely unique because of the fact that the color shifts so much in different lighting.  In bright sunlight and perhaps strong indoor lighting it definitely can be classified as an khaki green taupe but in dimmer lighting it is more taupe with a green undertone. When I saw the bottle I was not expecting to like the color too much but once on the color warmed up to me and I would wear it again.

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Get In The Expresso Lane is a deep dark brown very close to the a dark roasted espresso bean in fact. This color is so dark that it is almost black. You can really see the rich brown tones when in sunlight. This is not one of my favorite colors from this collection though I should say that browns are not a favorite of mine in general. I may wear this color on my toes or use it for some nail art stamping.

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Moving on from all the neutrals and dark colors there are some great pink/ coral colors in this collection. My Address is “Hollywood” is a dusty rose pink polish with subtle gold and pink flecks of shimmer infused. The shimmer is very minimal and can really only be seen in sunlight. In the sun, you can see a bit of a coral undertone to it. The formula is a bit on the thin side so you will most likely need 3 coats of polish to get full coverage.  I really like this color but to me it is a bit too bright for a fall color, it is more appropriate for summer though you can wear it in early fall and have it still look appropriate.

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Are We There Yet? is a pink coral color that leans more towards orange than it does to pink. It  has a pink / gold shimmer that can really only be seen in the sun.  I like this color, not a favorite but not at the bottom of the list. I would put it somewhere slightly above the middle and had it been released during the summer I think I would have like it more. It really is not a fall shade in my opinion. Like the previous color, the formula for this polish is on the thin side so you will need three coats to cover the nail well.

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Of all of the brights my favorite is I Mainely Eat Lobster. I do not know if I like it because I love lobster or the shade is that great. It too is more of a summer color than a fall one but if you hurry and buy it now you can get a lot of wear from it before it gets to be too far into fall. The shade is a pink coral but leans more towards the pink side and can almost be considered a neon shade. Like the other shimmers, the formula is thin and the shimmers are very demure unless in the sunlight. This is a must have color for me and I can see wearing it a lot now as well as next spring.

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The last of the shimmers, is also the darkest and is the most shimmer filled. Color To Diner For is a deep dark ruby red with flecks of gold, pink, and magenta shimmer infused into it but again you really need to be in the sun to see it. I am not a fan of red polishes in general so this is not my favorite of colors. I do not know if I will wear it again but once the weather cools I will see if my mind changes, even if it is on my toes that I use it for. The formula seems a bit thicker and two really good coats of the polish should do though you may want to use three just to play it safe. This is the most fall ike of all of the bright shimmers.

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Going back to some darker colors there are two deep purples that are a bit similar in color. I Brake For Manicures  is a deep, dark, dusty purple. The purple really comes though in the sunlight though when indoors it is still purple, unlike other dark colors that appear almost black. Honk If You Love OPI is also a dark purple but this one has a red tone to it though not a strong one.  It can be described as a purple grape. While not identical, these colors are close enough that you can get away with only buying one of the two colors. If I had to describe the difference between the two, I would say that Honk is a bit more of a visible purple than Brake is.

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I saved the best color for last. Road House Blues is a rich dark blue, not quite a navy because it has a bit of a purple color to it. I love that the blue is dark enough to make it appropriate to wear all of the time but not too dark that it can be mistaken for a black.  Once the weather cools down I think this will be my most used color from the series.

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Overall Thoughts and Opinions: This is a great collection of nail polishes.  I love the names and most of the shades. There really is a color that will appeal to everyone.

I do wish however that the bright colors were well, a little less bright. With the exception of Color To Diner For, the other shimmers were thin and would be better in the spring and summer rather than fall and winter. I also wish that the shimmers were a bit stronger and could be seen easier but you can always apply a shimmer top coat to enhance them. Had the shimmers been released during the spring or summer I think they would be more of a success for as it stands now, most will have a short wear time and will have to be put away until next spring.

Had I not been sent these colors to sample , I would definitely have bought Road House Blues, French Quarter For Your Thoughts, Uh Oh Roll Down The Window, A-Taupe The Space Needle,  and Honk If You Love OPI.  I am on the fence as to whether I would buy Mainely Eat Lobster and My Address is “Hollywood” though they both would be a must have had they come out earlier in the year. Most likely they would be bought and saved for next spring or worn right away because I think I would regret not owning them. The remaining colors are ones that I personally am not a fan of in general and tend to shy away from in general as they are not the best for my skin tone.I do not think that there needed to be two such similar greys and purples though their subtle difference are enough that owning both is not necessary but understandable.

To develop 12 colors for a nail polish collection is not an easy feat and OPI has succeeded yet again with this collection. I love all of the great names and variety of shades, and as said earlier there really is a color for everyone no matter taste, desire, or skin tone.

Click Here To Buy OPI Touring America Collection

While the saying goes “April Showers bring May Flowers” this is not the case for OPI. In June a limited edition nail polish collection named Nice Stems will be released by OPI. This 4 color collection has pale to bright pinks as well as a great pink glitter polish. These Nice Stems colors are all named after different flowers and are perfect as a manicure or a pedicure.

These shades of pink easily enhance your look no matter what it is that  you are going for is. If you want  a feminine ladylike appearance,  there is a pale pink that gives your nails a bit of color that is demure and refined just like the lady look implies. Perhaps you are wearing bell bottoms or a retro romper, this  means you need a great retro glam pink and there is one of those in this series. If though  you are wanting a great bright bold colorblock  look, well there is a shade of pink that will appeal to you and bump your  look up a notch. There is even a glitter pink that can be worn on its own or over any of the other pinks that will create a whole new look to them.

For more information on any of these colors be sure to click the links below

OPI Play the Peonies is a soft shade of pink that will complement your outfit without overpowering it.

OPI Come to Poppy is a shimmering  coral pink with a bit of a retro 70s look to it

OPI Be a Dahlia Won’t You? is a bright and bold Fuschia Pink Perfect for when you want you nails to stand out

OPI I Lily Love You is a sheer light pink sparkle to be worn on its own of over another pink for enhancement.

None of these colors are available for sale yet so please like us on Facebook or google friend connect with us so you will be the first to know when and where to buy these great colors.

If you can not decide on a single color you can always buy the whole set. Remember it is limited edition so you do not want to miss out of this great collection!
OPI New Summer 2011 Collection Nice Stems! 4 Pc Set

UPDATE: Be sure to click here to check out my post of the swatches of Nice Stems so you can see how they look in real life.

Recently all the excitement for OPI nail polishes has been for the Shatter Nail Polishes but come fall, all the talk will be  about the OPI Touring America Nail Polish Collection. This 12 piece nail polish collection is inspired about America and its culturally enriched cities. Touring America  has a shade for everyone, there are bright colors, neutrals, as well as deep purples and blues that make up this collection. Some of the names of colors are inspired by a specific US city or geographical region and others are inspired by adventures of driving cross country from one coast to the other.  All of the names of the colors are quite original and the tag lines with each of the colors elaborates on the name a bit to give it a better understanding. The cities you will visit in this collection are Baltimore, Clarksdale, Hollywood, Jackson Hole, Memphis, Milwaukee, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, St. Louis, and Tucson.

L-R: Road House Blues, I Brake for Manicures, Uh-oh Roll Down the Window and Honk If You Love OPI

L-R:My Address is “Hollywood”, Color to Dine For, Are We There Yet? and I Eat Mainley Lobsters

L-R: A-Taupe the Space Needle, Suzi Takes the Wheel, Get in the Expresso Lane, French Quarter for Your Thought

Full details and swatches of these color are not available yet so it is hard to tell the exact details of each of the colors but stay tuned and check back often so you can be the first to know more about these colors. The collection will be released in August so expect more information in June or July. You can like is on facebook,  google friend connect with us, or subscribe to the feed to get updates about FashionUrbia right away.

UPDATE: The collection has been released. Click the link to buy any of these great colors OPI Touring America

Also you can check out swatches of this entire collection OPI Touring America Swatches Fall 2011

Some  of the biggest trends for Spring and Summer 2011 are ladylike and feminine looks, like ruffles,pleats,  bows, and frills.  When I think of ladylike and feminine colors I immediately think of soft pinks, neutrals, and white. The OPI Femme de Cirque to be released in April has 4 great soft colors that are inspired by the circus, more specially the feminine women like the aerialists, tight rope walkers, and contortionists.

My normal go to colors of nail polish are usually bright and bold, mainly shades of purple or glitter but for certain occasions I do want to wear something light and sheer with a little shimmer. The 4  Femme de Cirque softshades by OPI most definitely fit the bill. I can see myself wearing one of these colors for one of the outdoor weddings I am attending this summer or on a day that I am dressed in ruffles or pleats or a  day of nude tones.

While not for sale yet here is a look at the 4 great Femme de Cirque soft shades.

left to right: I Juggle..Men, So Many Clowns..So Little Time, In the Spot-light Pink, Step Right Up

The latest collection from OPI is the Texas Collection. This is  a large collection, in fact it has 12 colors in it and 6 of these colors will dry with a sorbet like finish. I was not exactly sure what was meant by that when I heard but upon further research into it I found that what this meant was the formula goes on jellylike and dries a bit translucent and is similar to an icy water based sorbet.  In fact the Texas collection is just the first one to have sorbet finishes and you can expect to see many more like this in the future. There has been a mixed reaction to these sorbet finishes. Since it is somewhat transparent it takes on average 3 coats to get  a good coverage on and it if you have long nails it looks a little strange when the sun hits because it is still see through. My nails are not too long so it looks fine to me but if you do have long nails just be cautious before you buy the whole set.

The six sorbet colors are all ones that I could see as a sorbet flavor, they all look so bright and refreshing. The sorbet colors are shades of purples, pinks, and oranges. The remaining creme finish colors of this collection are browns and neutrals and a green and a blue polish.

Texas Collection Sorbet Colors

From L-R:Do You Think I’m Tex-y? , Houston, We Have A Purple , Too Hot Pink To Hold Em , Y’all Come Back Ya Hear ,
Big Hair….Big Nails,  Guys Meets Gal-veston

OPI Texas Collection Creme Finish

L-R: Don’t Mess With OPI , Suzi Loves Cowboys , San Tan-tonio , Austin-Tatious Turquoise , It’s Totally Fort Woth It! , I Vant To Be A-Lone Star

If you can not decide between colors you can always buy the entire collection.Remember this is a limited edition series so when they are sold out, it is going to be really hard to find these colors anywhere at retail prices

OPI Nail Texas Collection 12 bottles

Yellow is a color that can brighten the cloudiest of days.  It is bright and cheerful but it is also a color that some shy away from. The problem with yellow is that if your skin tone is really pale and you wear certain shades of yellow it will make you look washed out so it is best to wear a deep yellow it will warm you up. If you have a tan or a darker complexion then a paler yellow is your best bet.

The thing is though that wearing yellow clothes is fairly easy and you can add accessories and other colors to break up the yellow palette to make the outfit work with your complexion but when it comes to nail polish it is a bit harder since it is literally against your skin. You can obviously avoid this problem by not wearing a yellow nail polish but the thing is there are so many great yellow polishes to choose from. By cutting yellow from your collection you are truly missing out on something great.  The key to wearing a yellow polish is to know your skin tone and make sure to choose the right one for you. not just the hottest color that everyone else is wearing.

Chanel makes some wonderful nail polishes or as they refer to them Le Vernis Nail Colour. The formulas and colors that they use for their polishes are absolutely exquisite and a bit pricy so make sure that you do not pick a yellow polish on a whim and you make sure that it works on you. There are not too many choices of Chanel Le Vernis, the first is Chanel Robertson LA Sunrise #287 Le Vernis Nail Polish which was a limited edition color 2 years ago so it is a bit hard to find and more expensive than a normal Chanel polish but is really a great lemon yellow with a bit of a silver shimmer. For 2011 Chanel is releasing Mimosa. This color is also a lemon yellow and has yellow and orange shimmer with a few fleck of green mixed in. Overall than the Mimosa is a bit lighter and more shimmery than the LA Sunrise.

For More Information or To Buy Chanel LA Sunrise Click Here

For More Information or To Buy Chanel Mimosa Click Here

I love Deborah Lippmann Glitter Polishes and have not tried any “traditional” ones so I am not an expert with overall look, application, and overall wear but I have not heard many complaints about these polishes too much. The  Deborah Lippmann Yellow Brick Road nail polish was just released on  April 1st  and is already flying off the shelves.  The color is a sheer jelly yellow. This is the color that Lady Gaga was wearing for her Grammy performance last month.  Yellow Brick Road was not supposed to be released until later in the year but with the popularity of requests after Lady Gaga wore it the release date was pushed up.

For More Information or To Buy Deborah Lippmann Yellow Brick Road Click Here

While the above polishes are are great, the fact is that they either have not been released yet or are hard to find so perhaps you want to find a great yellow to start wearing now. The NARS Desperadois a rich golden yellow and should work for all skin tones.

For More Information or To Buy NARS Desperado Click Here

Butter LONDON is another brand that has a great yellow polish that is already available. The butter LONDON Cheeky Chops is a pale creamy yellow.

For More Information or To Buybutter LONDON Cheeky Chops Click Here

Other great brands of Nail Polish that have yellows currently are OPI, China Glaze, and Zoya. These are brands that have a polish that is under $10 which is great when buying a color that you may only wear a few times before retiring.

For More Information or To Buy Zoya Pippa Click Here

For More Information or To Buy OPI Need Sunglasses Click Here

For More Information or To Buy OPI the It Color Click Here

For More Information or To Buy China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Click Here

For More Information or To Buy China Glaze Lighthouse Click Here

Do you have a favorite yellow nail polish from above? Is there a great yellow nail polish that you have discovered that is not on the list? Please comment below and let me know.

The wait is over and there are finally images of the much anticipated 2nd Glam Slam OPI Serena Williams French Open Duo. The previous duo Spark de Triomphe has had information and images released for about a month now but there has been little information anywhere about the other combination, Rally Pretty Pink paired with a Red Shatter.

When I first heard that a red and a pink would be paired together I was a little skeptical of how they would look together. I mean you do not to wear the red shatter over the pink  but obviously OPI thinks that this is a good combination otherwise they never would have paired them together.  I was pleasantly surprised though that the pink was not a true basic pink but rather it is a somewhat deep metallic pink  that has has gold and yellow undertones to it. I am not sure whether or not the pink would catch my eye on its own but it really does look great under the red shatter. I am really excited though about the red shatter and will definitely by it on its own and possibly as the duo.

The colors together look like they should have been released for perhaps Valentine’s Day but they are tied to a tennis tournament which in this case is the French Open so I understand why they could not be releases in February. I then had a train of though go through my head: red/pink= valentine’s day= love=paris aka city of love= French Open so maybe that is the connection between the colors and the event.

Look for the color to be released in Late April / Early May but in the meantime you can find other great shatter polishes from OPI or even some Crackle Polishes from China Glaze Here