Caroline Burke | Burkatron

I've always liked OPI polishes (particularly the names) but I do tend to overlook them in favour of models own or illamasqua. I'm not sure why, mainly habit I think? the formula of their polishes is really good so I'm determined to invest in a few more and rectify the situation! 

today I'm wearing elephantastic pink an OPI polish that was sent to me by fragrance direct, it's a gorgeous colour and the formula is a beauty. I hesitate to describe it as 'salmon' pink ....but it's the word that springs to mind so I guess I will!

OPI elephantastic pink*

I wouldn't normally be so eager to share a simple swatch post with you but I'm quite astounded by the prices on their website, they have dozens and dozens of OPI polishes available and they're only £3.99, did anybody else know this...??

they also sell essie polishes for £1.99 

seriously £1.99 

I feel a bit robbed thinking of all the ones I've brought in boots at full price! although they don't have many essie colours available at the minute so your choice is limited.

I have to say I'm deeeelighted (but slightly concerned for my debit card) that I can get hold of OPI at such a bargain price. apologies for those of you not so interested in nail polish but this has been a little revelation for me aha!

I'll be back tomorrow with a super cute DIY project (hope you like it!)

caroline x

yep, my love affair with blue nails continues!

I was sent some nail polishes by the lovely peeps at look fantastic and I had to share this one with you! it's a gorgeous little number from the O.P.I euro collection called can't find my Czechbook 

I don't own a huge amount of O.P.I polishes but I've loved the ones I've tried in the past. 

as expected it's a good formula (you only need 1-2 coats for full coverage) it has a high shine gloss finish and I've been wearing it for a few days with no chips (so far so good!) 

I love the colour; bright without being garish it reminds me of vintage denim and summer skies.. sigh, hurry up summer!

overall I give this collection a big thumbs up; lilac's, pinks, blues and metallic I think there's a colour for everyone (they're available here with free delivery if you fancy a sneaky peek!)

what do you guys think? are you fans of O.P.I?

caroline x

I ventured out in a dress minus tights yesterday and spent most of the day cuddling up to a vacant radiator, huge mistake. since the cold has arrived I'm switching over from pretty pastels to winter warmers on my nails.

you may remember my post on american apparel nail lacquers a few weeks back, well I couldn't resist grabbing a couple more and I thought I'd show you how they swatch.

I opted for some deep winter shades, perfect for emphasising pale skin (I'm currently a nice shade of transparent but I'm going to stick with it) 

lipstick and imperial purple are the two shown here, they're unlike any nail polish I own. the consistency is really light when applying, it's almost like a heavy ink and even though the pigment is really dense it has a suggestion of transparency (the best comparison I can think of is the colours in a stained glass window!)

they need two coats for total opacity and a high shine, I took these snaps in daylight but it's still hard to capture the true shade variation (the red is a really sexy vampish colour but looks more berry toned indoors!)

 I'm a little bit in love with both colours if I'm honest so I'm giving them a thumbs up!

I'm a nail polish addict. there I said it, I hope this means I'm on the first steps to recovery (hmmmm)

as you may have guessed I'm a huge fan of models own polishes (did you all take advantage of the 50% sale? I bet you did!)

however I've had my head turned by a new kid on the block; american apparel nail lacquer! 

ok, they've actually been around for ages but I've never tried them until now.

oh lord they are preeeetttty! I splurged on three colours, they're not the cheapest coming in at £7 each (but you can get 3 for £17 which is a slight saving!)

the neon colours are beautiful, I went for the violet which I can't rave about more! sometimes it looks pink other times purple, it's pure gorgeousness in a bottle.

(the only problem to report is it has a slight matte finish so I have to wear a clear top coat to make it shiny.)

I also went for a pretty grey/blue which is really lovely; I'm having a real fling with blues and turquoise colours this month. 

lastly I nabbed a chunky glitter called galaxy, big fat rainbow coloured glitter which look rather pretty over other polishes! even though there's bucket loads of glitter the varnish is rather thick so two coats are needed for best effect.

anyway rather than me rambling on any more; have a peek yourself!

'galaxy' polish

'the valley' polish