OPI Vintage Minnie Mouse Collection: I'm all ears

OPI never disappoint with their huge array of shades, not to mention the quirky names. But my gosh have they achieved brilliance this time. My love of hot pink Koala Bear-y has been completely overturned and replaced with this new beauty. Yes The Vintage MinnieMouse Collection has utterly blown me away in a breeze of pretty pinks, classic Minnie reds and heart confetti (CONFETTI!!).

At the moment I only own I’m all ears, but after falling head over heels for the magenta pink – a shade that has the finest, most subtle flecks of blue and purple glitter, reminding me of sparkly pink cupcakes and fairies every time I look at my nails - I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want need the whole set.

The varnish in all its pretty glory is quite transparent, and weak in pigment. But where it lacks in colour strength, it makes up for in sparkles! This is not a negative in my opinion as it just means you have to ensure two coats are applied, perhaps even three. But the formula glides on beautifully and dries very quickly for an OPI polish.

Each colour retails at £11 but I cheekily got mine at the airport and therefore paid a VAT free price of £9.25. I so should have got more shouldn’t I?!

Have you tried anything from Minnie Mouse’s gorgeous collection? 

Brain Boggle

Do you ever feel as though blogging is constant? Not in a chore sense but that you have never finished and never can because there are always posts to be written, blogs to be found, comments to be made. It literally is an infinite, never ending hobby. This can make it all the more exciting for some and does not alter my passion for the concept at all but of late I have felt overwhelmed with to-do's and adding a task that can never quite be completed to my list just didn't seem possible.

I have lots of ideas that I'd like to try for my blog but A this involves a better camera which I have to wait a few short months for, and B my head is so consumed with other thoughts that thinking of what to post about was proving difficult (and as bloggers you'll know that you can't force a post, you have to be inspired or excited to share something).

So apologies for the tardiness, and for yet another nail post! I'm not sure if you like these or not?...let me know :)


As I mentioned in a previous post, I used the ELLE Grey Mavala varnish that came with my September issue of the magazine to create a polka dot effect. But I wanted to try it as a base colour with sparkles on top. Well voila! Something I can check off my list. I didn't want to go overboard with the glitter as I really liked the neutral monochrome of the grey - a colour that's right on trend in the nail varnish world I see!

This week I'm concentrating on my final major project for my third year uni assignment and it's not going very well, hence the head-confusion, tearing-out-my-hair frustration, mind-boggling-ness that's kept me from what I like to do best. Hopefully things will begin to 'click' soon - well I hope so as I'm off to a spa next week and would love to go with a clearer mind so I can truly relax.

Wish me luck! (My stomach flips with nerves just at the thought of the gigantic task ahead eeek :/)

Mavala Magic

I’ve seen lots of posts lately on different designs that have been created with the Mavala nail varnishes given out with the September copy of ELLE. So I apologise if you have seen lots of the itsy bitsy cute polish pots around already, as I’m about to show you another...


Taking inspiration from the pic Jennifer Dickinson of ELLE posted on twitter, and from the WAH designs featured on their website, I opted for a patterned look (my first attempt at anything other than block colour). Keeping the design simple whilst I practise more daring arty strokes, I went for popular polka dots. But of course this look is all in the colours you choose!


My Mavala freebie (this is my first experience of the brand) was ELLE Grey: code 26101 which is very versatile. I thought about using it as the main colour and then topping it with glitter but I’ll save that for next time and instead opted for a magenta pink in OPIs Koala Bear-y. However after two coats this does appear as more of a berry red shade.


The bright, fun and feminine colour contrasts beautifully with the muted, masculine shade of the grey. Applying sporadic dots also breaks up the main colour nicely and makes for something a bit more interesting. I can’t wait to try this design against other shades or even reverse it and use some of my brighter, girly colours as polka dots!

Which colour did you receive with your ELLE? What designs did you create with them?

Ps, my beloved laptop is fixed – THANK GOD! – (or rather THANK G who actually fixed it) and my blogger is working properly now so I have started commenting back to all your lovely messages. Also with a bit more time on my hands I have been exploring some of your blogs too and found some new favourites :)

Pretty Paints

I have a new obsession that many girls have crazed over for years. You may think I’m a late bloomer but I have my reasons. I’ve discovered a love for painting my nails (queue your laughing). This may sound silly and of course I have had my nails painted before but never do I do them myself. When I was younger I worked in a beauty salon so I had them done there and when I wasn’t there, my mum is a trained beauty therapist so never have I had to think about doing my own nails.

I never understood how women painted their own so perfectly as I thought it would be near on impossible to do my right hand with my left. But I had a go, managed it and now I’m getting more a bit more creative.

Never before had I branched away from OPI but I have also realised that highstreet cosmetics brands offer great varnishes! There’s one in particular that I heart but I’ll save that for a separate post – keep your eyes peeled.

My current paintwork is OPI’s (I could never turn my back on them altogether) Koala Bear-y to match my toes. To jazz it up a little though, and taking inspiration from Louise at SprinkleofGlitter, I added sparkles! This is great for when your varnish is looking a little tired and really brings it to life again. Instead of layering on my usual OPI topcoat to re-gloss, I used a basic clear glitter varnish and used it on alternate fingers. This looks lovely over any colour and I’ve had so many compliments!

I’ve used it on a coffee cream colour which looked fab but I’m dying to try it over a dark purple black. However not very summery, so maybe I’ll wait until the winter months for that one.

Do you get creative with your nails? Are there any patterns or artwork that you recommend trying?

Recommendation: OPI Nail Varnish

I put my hands up. I admit it. I am a creature of habit. I always order the Pollo Carbonara at Prezzos, I always buy my jeans from River Island, and I always use OPI nail varnish.

Recently a couple of friends of mine bought nail varnishes in the nearly off-trend by now pistachio green and a hideous metallic colour from the make-up counters at Boots. The likes of Rimmel, Maybelline, and L’Oreal which I’m sure are good quality varnishes. But once you use OPI, you don’t go back.

I have been around this product for about 6 years now as my mum has a massive stock of them at home and, from my days working in a beauty salon where OPI was the only brand they used. For fellow fans of the products, they had a giant heavenly case of about 60 different colours for clients to choose from that would have left you feeling like a kid in a sweet shop. And it was my job to tidy and clean them!

Anyway you are spoilt for choice in terms of the colours they have available. There are also several different types of varnish such as Matte Finish, Suede Finish, and each season a new line of colours that fit the fashion palette for that season perfectly. For A/W 2010 we have the ‘Swiss’ collection. I love the ‘Glitzerland’ and ‘I’m Suzi and I’m a Chocoholic’ colours. They have the weirdest, wackiest, coolest names for each new colour as well. Imagine having the job of naming nail varnishes!!

(Image links sourced from Google Images - www.nailtechsupply.com)


As well as a creature of habit in brands, I am also a creature of habit when it comes to the colours. Here’s me emphasising the endless amount of shades available and I just usually stick to ‘Koala Bear-y’, for my toes anyway. It’s hot pink, it’s girly, it goes with anything and I love to have a bright colour on my feet so this is perfect! I’m not a lover of neutral shades or blacks at all...I’d rather have a French any day!

So application...If you combine your new £8.50 bottle of varnish with an OPI top-coat and base-coat, or OPI start-to-finish then, you’ll definitely be getting the most out of it. I use the start-to-finish first on a clean nail, then paint two coats of your chosen colour on leaving the first to dry for a minute or two, then use start-to-finish again over the top. This gives a lovely glossy finish to your nails and helps to seal and protect your varnish. And believe it or not, by carrying out this process my varnish lasts for about 4 weeks before it starts to chip or peel!!! Now you see why I don’t use any other brand!


(This is Koala Bear-y on my toes. This was applied almost 3 weeks ago now and I’ve been swimming 3 times with it on. It still holds its shine and hasn’t yet started to chip!)

Every varnish will eventually chip, including OPI but in my opinion, it lasts the longest and is well worth paying the extra few pounds compared to the price of a Rimmel varnish. However, deciding on a colour is always so difficult. If you want to give OPI a try but really can’t decide what shade to go for, their website has a great 'Try it on' gadget on their where you choose a colour and it shows you what it looks like on a hand. You can adjust the nail length and skin tone to make it look like your own and really get an idea of which colour suits you best. Plus you can save or email the colours to yourself so you don't forget them!

....you’re welcome!