OPI Infinite Shine Running with the In-finite Crowd

 *Sent for review*

This week I am finally getting around to testing out the OPI Infinite Shine system. I've had these for awhile now, but I always put off doing wear tests, mostly because I get bored of wearing the same color for more than 2 days, LOL! OPI Infinite Shine is a three step gel-hybrid system. The polish is supposed to wear for 10 days with a brilliant shine, and it applies/removes like a normal polish, no curing under a lamp. The first step is a Primer that prevents staining and increases polish durability. The second step is the color and there are a TON of fantastic colors to choose from in the Infinite Shine line-up. The final step is the Gloss that protects the mani and adds the crazy shine.

Today I'm wearing OPI Running with the In-finite Crowd, a bright fuchsia creme. This is a gorgeous blue-based hot pink. I've gotten a ton of compliments on it this week. It's a really eye-catching pink and it's SO shiny! It definitely has the appearance of a gel mani in terms of shine and smoothness.

Running with the In-finite Crowd applies beautifully. It has a gel-like consistency that is easy to control. I used three thin coats for this mani. The Primer and Gloss were easy to apply as well, and I found the whole mani dried fairly quickly, considering that the final step isn't a quick dry top coat.

 *Sent for review*

I am testing this shade for wear right now, and I do want to do a second wear test just to confirm my results. But in a few days I will have swatches of the four other OPI Infinite Shine colors I have, as well as a report on the wear time. I do consider wear time to be a VERY individual factor and I typically don't report on it at all. But for a system like this, where part of the appeal is the long wear time, I do think I need to test it out for you!

The OPI Infinite Shine Gel Effects Lacquer System is available now at professional salons, including Ulta, Ulta.com, beautybrands.com and more.

A Change of Pace: OPI Girls Just Want to Play

OPI Girls Just Want to Play, two coats, no flash

Being a nail blogger, I rarely go to the salon to have my nails done. I change my polish so often that it seems like a waste to go pay money to have my nails done, only to remove it a day or two later. However, during my recent trip to the salon, I remembered why it's nice to get a professional manicure occasionally.

Since getting my nails done isn't something I normally do, I also picked a color I wouldn't normally pick- OPI Girls Just Want to Play. Girls Just Want to Play is a red creme. When do I wear red cremes? Neverrrrrrr, they bore me. However, I really like this one. It's a super bright red with a healthy dose of orange. I have received loads of compliments on this color since Friday.

OPI Girls Just Want to Play, two coats, with flash

As you can see in the pictures, my nail tech didn't do the kind of clean-up around the edges that I would normally do. I have since cleaned this up, of course. She did a great job shaping my nails, although I definitely winced when she started sawing away at the walls of my nails. I'm sure I'm in for some breaks soon. The main things that convinced me to go to the salon more often were the treatments she applied and the hand massage. I got the Mineral Salt Spa Manicure, and the nail tech just applied cream after cream, followed by an exfoliating scrub, followed by oil, followed by more creams! Could I do this at home? Yes. Do I? No. The Mineral Salt manicure was definitely a nice treat and I think I will try to do this maybe every other month. It really is a nice change of pace to have someone else do your nails.

OPI Girls Just Want to Play, two coats, no flash

Also, this visit got me thinking- I'm dying to try the OPI Axxium Gel polish. A friend of mine recently had this done, and her nails have looked gorgeous for more than 2 weeks! Have you tried this yet? How was it? My mom is dying to try them as well. I think that would be a good Christmas present- mother/daughter Axxium nails! Obviously, I'll post about my experience with them!