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Hello lovelies,

I've been recently approached by Rimmel London if I'd like to review some of their polishes and since Rimmel is such an iconic brand I happily agreed. I've been testing out the new Rita Ora nail polish range and here are the first four swatches. I've done tonnes of nail art so expect to see some soon ;)

Rimmel 513 Let’s Get Nude - beige creme shade. This is quite a classic colour; I always call them 'office-friendly'. The formula is very fast-drying so I had to work fast to avoid patching and I also had to apply thicker coats to get full opacity. The brush is not too flexible so thicker coats also ensured that the brush didn't drag the polish causing streaks. As I've mentioned previously, the polish dries very fast and glossy.

Rimmel 703 White Hot Love - white creme with strong silver shimmer. This frosty white looks very cool and will best stand out in monochrome black & white nail art. The formula was a bit tricky - it was patchy when applied in thin coats due to the fast-drying formula but second coat covered it up. I needed two thicker coats for full coverage and topcoat to get glossy finish.

Rimmel 323 Don’t Be Shy - hot pink creme. Great vibrant shade that is perfect for summer season! It has excellent pigmentation and was almost fully opaque in one coat. I ended up applying two coats to get perfect coverage. It also dried fast so I had to work as fast as I could.

Rimmel 863 Do Not Disturb - teal creme with strong green undertones. Ok let's say it upfront - my camera is lying! The shade is much greener than it shows in the pictures. I've tried to change the colour in Photoshop but I couldn't get any closer to the true shade.

The formula was good to apply, actually a bit better than with the previous polishes but that comes with its own baggage - staining. I'm very sorry to say that this gorgeous green teal stained quite a bit :( I did manage to remove the staining with toothpaste but it is still a major drawback for me.

This was my first encounter with Rimmel polish mainly because I'm not big on purchasing drugstore brands. I like the colours and the fact that they dry fast and quite glossy. What I don't like is that they can be patchy and streaky for which I mostly blame the brush. I really don't like the brush. It is flat and kind of slanted on the edges and it's not very flexible so that can easily drag the nail polish and case streaks. I think I managed to paint the polis nicely but you should still be aware that they are tricky to apply, always use thicker coats.

I'm happy to say though that they worked very well for the nail art I've done and I can't wait to share it with you!

Rimmel London polishes are available in drugstores in UK, at Rimmel London website and online at Superdrug and Boots. I have no idea where they are available internationally except Czech Republic. There I know they are in drugstores too. Each bottle holds 8ml and is sold for £3.69. Superdrug currently offers buy 1, get second bottle half price.

Have a nice day! Lucie x

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Hello lovelies,

Today's post is massive, fun and colourful! I'm reviewing the whole OPI Brazil collection which has been released in February 2014.

"Brazil by OPI brings the colors of tropical rainforests and warm sandy beaches to nails and toes for Spring/Summer 2014. This new collection features a palette ranging from bright hues of red, pink, coral, orange and yellow to earthy tones of taupe, sienna, mocha and jungle green. In addition to 12 nail lacquers, the Brazil launch includes a set of four limited edition Beach Sandies Liquid Sand™ mini neon nail lacquers in bold purple, pink, turquoise and yellow shades with a textured, matte finish."

I Just Can’t Cope-Acabana - medium yellow creme. This pretty canary yellow will brighten anyone's day! It's slightly lighter shade of yellow than the full on vivid shades. The formula was easy to apply but not as well pigmented. I needed two thick coats (or three thin coats would do) for good coverage.

Where Did Suzi’s Man-Go - mango orange creme. It's a very cute lighter shade of orange that flattered my skin tone so I enjoyed wearing it. The formula was a bit tricky - it was drying very fast so when I tried to apply thin coats it was a bit patchy. So I applied thicker coats. Two thicker coats were enough for good coverage but generally the pigmentation is lower, same as with I Just Can’t Cope-Acabana.

Kiss Me I’m Brazilian - lighter pink creme. This is a nice shade of pink but sadly it is not unique at all. It has the same formula as the two shades above so I needed two thicker coats for good coverage.

Live. Love. Carnaval - vibrant coral creme. Now we're talking Summer! Live Love Carnaval is very bright red-based coral creme with excellent formula. It applied very easily and all I needed were two thin coats. The polish is almost one-coater so it will be brilliant for nail art.

Toucan Do It If You Try - red orange/coral creme. This coral shade has more orange than undertones and although it looks very similar to the Live Love Carnaval, there are differences. The formula was good and easy to apply and two regular coats were enough for full coverage.

Red Hot Rio - vibrant ruby red crelly. I absolutely love this shade of red as it's glossy and has a bit of jelly finish to it and cherries spring to my mind. The formula was also good. it applied well and two thicker coats provided nice coverage you see in the pictures.

AmazON...AmazOFF - jungle teal green creme. This is THE stand out shade in this collection. I love a good teal and this one is just so gorgeous! It has a very subtle silver finish to it but it is almost unnoticeable. Although it's a gorgeous shade it has its flaws - the formula was runny so I had to make sure I don't have too much polish on the brush. I needed two coats for good coverage. A bit minus for me was staining which wasn't the worst one I've experienced but still, this polish stains so be aware.

Next Stop…The Bikini Zone - amethyst-toned pewter. I think this colour is quite unique as I haven't seen many like this. It has slight colour change to it and I like the amethyst tones coming nicely through. It is on a sheer side though so I've applied two thick coats (three thin coats would do). It dried fast and applied ok. I had to pay attention to brushstrokes to avoid streaks.

Don’t Bossa Nova Me Around - pale creamy nude creme. Lovely light shade with a bit of mauve undertones that is definitely office friendly! The formula was easy to apply and two coats provided good coverage. It also dried fast and glossy.

Taupe-Less Beach - light taupe creme. I'm very inclined to call this shade greige despite OPI's description. It looks very much like a mix of grey and purple with maybe hint of taupe. I like this shade, it's elegant and classy. It applied well but the pigmentation was a bit lower so I've applied two thick coats.

I São Paulo Over There - dark mauve creme with taupe undertones. This is basically a dark version of Taupe-Less Beach, very cool for Autumn/Winter season. It also has the same formula. It applied well but the pigmentation was a bit lower so I needed two thick coats.

Scores A Goal! - rich maroon brown creme. Another pretty shade that I would rather wear in Autumn/Winter. Nevertheless, I like how rich and deep the shade is. The formula was a bit watery but still applied ok and two thicker coats were enough for full coverage.

Overall, I love most of the colours but some of the polishes don't have that well-pigmented creme formula I'm used to with OPI. They all dried fast and glossy but I still applied topcoat over each polish. I think I'd rather see the second half of the collection for A/W season and instead added some neons and bright purples, greens and blues.

If you'd like to purchase OPI Brazil collection, it is available at your usual outlets, at Amazon.com (US) and for UK at The Nail & Beauty Link (UK, just register to shop), opiuk.com (UK), Feelunique (UK).

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