A few weeks ago, the Bath & Unwind great product swap experiment got under way. A mid-year secret Santa turned out to be one of my better ideas; for a few days there was a palpable buzz of anticipation in the office and when the big parcel arrived from our warehouse, it was like Christmas morning all over again.
I picked Charlotte, and as luck would have it she picked me, so we had to make sure we got each other some great things. Charlotte is in the buying department, and as she has excellent knowledge of the thousands of products we stock, I was happy for her to surprise me. I did hint a bit about needing a new mascara however, (Charlotte always has impeccably made up eyes, so I figured she’d know which mascara was the best for me).
I was more than pleased with Charlotte’s choices. I received Bare Escentuals Flawless Definition Mascara in black, Dr. Hauschka Liquid Eyeliner in black and OPI Extravagance nail polish, (perhaps she is not-so-subtly trying to tell me something – it’s true I do arrive at work most days looking like I’ve been dragged through the proverbial hedge due to my three mile walk, usually in the rain. Poise and glamour come naturally to some people; I don’t happen to be one of them).
So far, the only item I have tested is OPI Extravagance. This polish is part of the OPI Designer Series collection and is a gorgeous, rich shade of glittery purple. I tend to favour nude, barely-there nail polish shades, so this made quite a change.
I had never used OPI before and was immediately taken by the heavy, chunky packaging which feels very high quality. The polish goes on easily with the well designed brush and, although I put two coats on, there was good coverage from just one. For once, I followed instructions, using both a base and top coat to help prevent staining and make the polish last longer. It was on for about a week before there was any significant chipping which is pretty impressive, especially when you consider the activity undertaken in this time (aikido, yoga, motorcycling, washing up…).
The colour was deep and I was quite relieved that the glitter was subtle enough for the overall effect to be much more sophisticated than my last (tweenage) foray into glitter-based cosmetics. Perhaps a little dark for me in summer, it is a colour that I will get a lot of wear out of in the colder months. I am off to browse the other fabulous OPI shades for something summery, just in case the sun decides to do its job properly this year.
