Crystal File 79: OPI Sea, I Told You! and Entity Swatches

I've found a new polish love, and it's name is Sea, I Told You! by OPI. For me, the OPI South Beach collection was an unfortunate failure, but Sea, I Told You! has given me new faith in OPI. Sea, I Told You! has a stunning finish that is both foil and micro-glitter. It truly does remind me of the ocean beneath a bright, sunny, blue sky. In low light you may even catch a glimpse of the soft laverder sparkle and *hint* of duochrome this polish has. For complete opacity i need three coats, but i certainly don't mind when the end result is this stunning!











I also had a brief moment of sunshine yesterday to snap a photo of these skittle swatches of a new brand (new to me, anyways) called Entity. I'm pleasantly surprised by the quality of these polishes. These swatches are each two coats, no base or top coat. The fomula is quite smooth, although a tad bit thick, and dries quite shiny. The orange is by far my favorite of the group i ordered, and i would recommend it to anyone who wants a great bright (but not neon) orange. I apologize for the smudged pinky swatch, i bumped it just before taking the photo. Colors are Pearl Orange, Pearl Turquoise, Pearl Violet, and Pearl Fuchsia.





Entity polishes are available to order through Transdesign.com, i've yet to see them at any retail location. They're certainly worth checking out!


For any who might be interested to know, i've finally gone over to the dark side and ordered a Konad stamp and several plates. At the moment i am simply experimenting and practicing, but i hope to soon be able to share some fun new Konad NOTDs with my readers! If you're considering ordering a Konad stamper, i would highly recommend OCNailArt for your Konad needs. The owner provides fabulous customer service and offers a %20 of discount for readers of the Sasse Stamping Stampede blog. Simply enter code SASSE at checkout to receive your %20 discount.

Crystal File 77: BB Couture Swatches

If BB Couture is a brand you've yet to check out, my fellow fanatics, trust me when i say, "Do it!" BB Couture features some amazingly unique shades and an easy to apply formula. You can find their polishes for sale at overallbeauty.com. This brand is constantly coming up with new, interesting colors, so they're definitely worth watching!

First up is Balboa Beach Bunny, a warm purple shimmer base with blue and red glitter, plus very sparse holographic bar glitter.






Next up Zuma Wave Rider, a totally bodacious sky blue creme (there is very secret lavender shimmer in the bottle, but it's creme on the nail).




And these two lovelies have the smoothest, sparkliest, foil finishes I've ever seen! Karribean Kiersti (blue), and Love Drunk (pink)










And the amazingly beautiful Fairy Blood. A gorgeous berry-red jelly base with the tiniest red micro-glitter. Absolutely stunning! (shown with two coats of top coat, since it's a true glitter it can be a bit bumpy)






I hope you've enjoyed these great polishes as much as I've enjoyed sharing them! Stay tuned for more new pretties to come!

Crystal File 072: TGIF!

So, if I'm not mistaken, today is the first day of Spring. Mother Nature is certainly trying to pull a fast one up her, our high temperature is forecast to be in the low 40's! Complaints aside, it is Friday, and the sun is shining at least. I have a really lovely TGIF mani to share with you. I just received this beauty last night, and had to share it with my readers as soon as possible!

This is the gorgeous BB Couture Moon Over Manhattan. With it's dusty blue-teal base and subtle sparkle it is perfectly on trend for the spring season. The formula applied very nicely, two coats over Zoya Get Even base provided complete opacity. Even though this is a micro-glitter polish, the heavily pigmented base hides some of the sparkle, leaving it more subdued than the "typical" glitter. One coat of Poshe leaves it glossy and smooth. All photos taken in natural light.

This first photo was taken closest to the window, the intense light washes the color out a little, but it shows the sparkle well.













and a close-up to show how dense the micro-glitter is.




That's all for this installment! I hope you all enjoy the first weekend of Spring, whatever weather it may bring :)

Crystal File 071: Essie Introduces The North Fork Collection

According to the Essie press release this limited edition collection of three shades were inspired by the "soft hues that floated down this season's runways". The three colors in The North Fork Collection are each named for quaint vacation villages located on Long Island's East End. Essie Weingarten says, "The new nail colors remind me of the most beautiful blues that surround the North Fork" (from the Essie press release).

I just received these three lovely colors this morning and have snapped a few quick photos to share with my readers. Please excuse the rough shape my hands are in, i haven't been kind enough to them lately! Both cremes are pictured over Zoya Get Even base as they are a bit jelly-ish in texture, the ridge filling base helps aid opacity. All polishes are two coats, no top coat.


Greenport:




Misa Dirty Sexy Money compared to Greenport (DSM on index/top, Greenport on thumb/bottom)




Shelter Island (Misa Right Here Now, No More Later on thumb)




My favorite of the collection, although not very flattering on me, is Sag Harbor. A lovely, soft, shimmering, silvery blue, it is opaque at two coats. Photographed with no base or top coat.




The North Fork Collection is limited edition and will be available beginning in April. See anything you need? Let me know which ones you might be stalking :)