The mint green polish train isn’t slowing, are you still on board? I know I am! Give me more, give me more!! RGB Cosmetics announced their holiday offering, Minty, today on their Twitter account which makes it a great time for me to introduce it to you. If you recall, when I reviewed RGB’s Fall collection I was a bit let down by the lack of uniqueness as compared to the Pre-Fall colors.  Well Minty certainly piqued my interest.  As if a green exciting me is news, what really gets me is that I have yet to find any true dupes among the ones I own.  You won’t find me complaining about that.  Check out Minty along with its closest living polish relatives, after the jump!

If you missed my full RGB review and 5-day wear test, check that HERE. In regards to Minty’s formula it was a bit on the thick side and a little problem child-ish in application.  I till got two coat coverage due to the high level of pigmentation but the brush hairs were pretty splayed so I had to be careful to avoid hitting skin.  That could just be my specific brush.

Minty is a blue tinged mint green that dries a bit darker than I can capture in a photograph. It’s not at all pastel and chalky. In fact it reminds me of a piece of Chiclet gum on the nail.

I weeded through my stash to come up with some comparisons and the most blue-based of the bunch are Barry M Mint Green and Essie Greenport. Essie Mint Candy Apple is SO pastel that they don’t even look like relatives.  As you can see, Minty falls somewhere between the two and even though the Barry M looks pretty blue based on its own, next to Minty it looks very green.

RGB Minty is on sale NOW at RGBCosmetics.com and retails for $14 with complimentary (ie FREE) shipping.

So who’s still loving all these mint greens?  Anyone else planning to wear one for the holidays like I am?  Who’s tried RGB and what do you think?

Disclosure: A product sample was furnished to me by RGB Cosmetics. For further information view my Disclosure Policy.

Is it just me or does OPI reserve their most interesting nail polish shades for the holiday season? 2003′s Holiday On Broadway brought us the beloved La Boheme. 2006′s Kick Up Your Heels collection included a slew of home run hitters. I Get A Kick Out of Gold and Opening Night Champagne are still faves of both my mom and I and we RARELY agree. Not to mention the range of winners from Holiday In Toyland and Holiday in Hollywood. On that note, this year’s Holiday Wishes collection is doing its predecessors proud. I was happy to see a nod to the “flakies” trend in this collection. Flakies, a nickname for irregularly shaped glitter particles, have been popular in the nail fanatic community for some time now. It’s nice to see mainstream brands, like OPI, acknowledging that. Check out Holiday Wishes after the jump!

It seems the OPIs I gravitate to most often come from holiday collections, with a few exceptions of course. Espresso Your Style is a usual pedicure shade and Hollywood Blonde is one of the few pale semi-sheer shades I’ll wear. Though OPI, I have one small complaint. Where did the glitter top coats go? Gold Lang Syne, Sugarplum Yum and Paris Couture For Sure are treasured favorites amongst OPI enthusiasts. I’d love to see a return.

Oh and since I’m complaining, can we talk about the formula? While I love the majority of these shades, dark colors are expected to be well pigmented. For me, these missed the mark. All except Ginger Bells required three coats over a ridge filler to be truly opaque. I get that glitters require a semi-sheer base but that doesn’t explain the cremes. Ever since the India collection, I’ve come to expect more from OPI . Regardless of the opacity some of these shades just bowled me over.

Sapphire In The Snow instantly drew me in. The vibrant, burple (bluish-purple) shade just beckoned me. On the nail it dries a bit darker, which is to be expected, and in low light it can look somewhat blackened but it’s still full on love.

Holiday Glow is another standout for me. The rich dark chocolate base with its sugar crystal-like, gold glitter feels chic and glam.

Ginger Bells is an unexpected winner. In the bottle it looked like dried pumpkin pie filling. The glass bottle does it no favors. Applied, it takes on a richer, more vivid tone like a piece of pumpkin hued earthenware.

Thank you OPI for continuing to give us unique purples a la Who Are You Wearing? Merry Midnight is a special flower indeed. Granted it’s semi-sheer but the red-grape jellyish base is the perfect medium for the blue/purple shimmer and red flakes of glitter.

All A-Bordeaux The Sled is a berry-based, browned, wine creme. It comes across as a warm chocolate. Much warmer than Holiday Glow above. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before and considering the opacity issues, this one is a “pass” for me.

I am at a loss when it comes Shim-merry Chic. Is it supposed to be a metallic, a brushed chrome or what? All I know is that next to my skin tone it’s a fail. The tan base color takes on a slightly greenish cast from the green micro-shimmer and whereas the red particles worked in Merry Midnight, it doesn’t in Shim-merry Chic.
The OPI Holiday Wishes collection is on sale now and includes 6 reds in a finish range from creme to glitter. You can find OPI at salons nationwide and online at some of my favorite e-tailers (see sidebar).

What do we think of the OPI holiday colors Fanatics? Are you on the “flakies” bandwagon? Who want to counter my Shim-merry Chic dislike with a tale of how fab it is? Let’s hear it!

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That seems to be the China Glaze adage for Holiday 2009 and I totally get it. I mean how much did we all freak out over Emerald Sparkle? It’s the ultimate in green glitter gorgeousness. And how many of you regretted not getting a backup?

Well China Glaze obviously “Loves You Snow Much” to bring it back with a brand new friend. They’ve expanded last year’s Sleigh Ride trio of Tinsel, Ruby Pumps and Emerald Sparkle to include the way apropos 5 Golden Rings. Check out the new kid on the block and refresh your memory as to why Emerald Sparkle is an utter must-have.

Like her sister Tinsel, 5 Golden Rings packs a whole lot of glitter love into a golden semi-sheer base. I wouldn’t ID it as one of their glass flecks, rather it has a foil-like quality with glitter particles that sparkle like crushed gems. It’s a shame the camera lens can’t capture its brilliance. It’s also more of a true yellow gold than I’m able to show. My only disappointment is the opacity. I used three medium-thick coats and still see my tips.

Tinsel is an explosion of silver glitter. Like 5 Golden Rings, it also exhibits a semi-sheer appearance after three coats.


Of course by now most of us are familiar with Ruby Pumps. The lone survivor of the original Wizard of Ooh Ahz collection, she really does Dorothy’s slippers justice. Long before all the other brands introduced their take on those iconic shoes, Ruby Pumps was already a fan fave.

Emerald Sparkle, what can I say about this gem that hasn’t already been said? I’ve had my original sample bottle for over a year and a half and it still makes me swoon-y on sight.
The China Glaze Loves You Snow Much collection is on sale now. You can find it at Sally Beauty stores and online at e-tailers like Head2ToeBeauty.com and Transdesign.com.

Would you like a chance to win the Loves You Snow Much collection along with a ton of other great polishes and pink ribbon themed products? Then don’t forget to enter the Think Pink – Donate & Win Giveaway to help support Breast Cancer Research. It ends tomorrow so don’t miss out!

So what’s your take Fanatics? Are you happy to see the Sleigh Ride colors return? Would you have preferred something new? Who’s backing up their Emerald Sparkle?

I can’t help but get excited when the holiday collections start rolling out. There is usually some fun nail glitz to be discovered. And what I love about the Dior Cristal Boreale collection shades is that they’re a subdued version of the typical blinged nail. We’re talking cocktail party flare, not a full-on disco party for the nails. Don’t get me wrong, I love the look of glitter bombs. I just HATE the removal more than people talking at the movies (and I DESPISE that). Dior Silver Purple brings on the sparkle without all the irritation. Check it out after the jump!

As I’ve come to expect from the Dior Le Vernis line, the formula provides flawless application. Between the flat brush, the intense pigmentation and smooth consistency I applied two coats in a flash and called it a day.

I was so excited to get my hands on Silver Purple that I rushed to take off my current mani so I could try it out. The color completely roped me in. A smokey purple with silver metallic shimmer, I wouldn’t describe the finish as being brush stroke-y. You can see lines of metallic particle running down the nails but it reminds me of falling stars not brush marks.
Making a return for holiday, Dior is relaunching Black Sequins as a Sephora exclusive. As I said in my review from last year, Black Sequins is a very rich black sprinkled with silver micro-glitter.

Finally, Rose Boreal looks like a crystallized pink. Unfortunately I do not have this one to show you.

The Dior Cristal Boreale collection is on sale now at Nordstrom.com though only Silver Purple is listed for nails. The other shades will release at Sephora and Dior counters nationwide this month. Dior Le Vernis lacquers retail for $20/ea.

Are you digging Silver Purple as much as I am? Who’s happy to see a Black Sequins comeback? Let’s hear it!