Belated Christmas mani: Nicole by OPI – Sensational Scarlet

Yet again, I have neglected this blog! Apologies all around. Previous term was pretty awful, but since it’s a new term and a new year, I though I’d start off fresh…by showing you what I wore for Christmas!

Nicole by OPI’s Sensational Scarlet. A beautiful jelly berry red full of small red glitters and rounded holographic glitters. So wonderfully festive! Got tons of compliments on this colour – it was just perfect for the holidays.

This brush was awful. Nearly unusable. I tried to cut off the rounded edge to make the brush perfectly straight in the hopes of making it like the OPI ProWide brushes, which sort of worked. The formula of this is not too bad to work with. It’s a bit thick, and the texture is something rough and goopy…I remember reading somewhere that it reminded someone of oatmeal? Not a bad description. It dries to a gritty finish and loses its shine as well, so make sure to follow up with an ultra-shiny fast-drying top coat!

I’m a Belieber: Nicole by OPI – My Lifesaver

Was there any nail polish obsessed person out there who didn’t cringe when they heard about the Nicole by OPI collaboration with Justin Bieber? I don’t know what else to say but…why? It’s so unnecessary. Thankfully, either JBiebz has really good taste in nail polish, or I just caught a lucky break.

Nicole by OPI’s My Lifesaver is a dead-ringer for the previously-blogged Gumdrop by Orly, an extremely clean-looking light/pastel turquoise creme. This colour is perfectly on trend, but I don’t know if I can give Justin Bieber the credit. Formula is very good on this, two coats and you’re looking at fully opaque coverage and a smooth finish.

However, I HATE THIS BRUSH. The Nicole by OPI Perfect Stroke brush is a perfect nightmare. I don’t mind the “sculpted” brushes so much (I just came up with that. Good, right?). I’ve used them before (like the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri line), but for some reason these Nicole by OPI ones are particularly difficult. They’re not consistent at all, and are not shaped into a nice semi-circular shape that can fit nicely with your cuticle line. Every one I’ve tried has had a very strange shape and is so difficult to work with. The bristles are also quite stiff and can cause some dragging of the polish on your nail. If it weren’t for the superb formula, this polish would have been a nightmare to work with.

All I ask is for nail polish companies to use flat, rectangular brushes, much like the OPI ProWide ones. Or at the very least, use a traditional brush shape (thin, and circular at the base). If you’re going to do a “sculpted” brush, please make sure it retains its shape properly. Ugh.

Apart from that though, My Lifesaver is an outstanding colour with a great formula. Definitely worth checking out! Props, JBiebz. Props.