Did you 'ear About Van Gogh

From: OPI's Holland Collection Spring/ Summer 2012

         http://addictedtoallthingspretty.com/2012/01/opi-holland-collection-for-spring-summer-2012-review-and-swatches/

   I’ve been in a very neutral nail polish mood for this week. It might be due to the cooling whether, an increasing workload, or the fact that nudes are pretty. Regardless, I was looking through the OPI nail swatches collection online (online they have a studio where you can test out different nail colors and you can change your skin tone and nail length!) and I found this little gem called Did you ‘ear about Van Gogh. Being somewhat of an art nerd I had to laugh. Van Gogh is from the Netherlands so he is right at home in OPI’s Holland Collection. But even more funny is the fact that they used the word ‘ear to obviously stand for hear. This is rather clever because Van Gogh cut off his own ear. I love witty humor.
            Any way, Van Gogh is a famous post- impressionist artist. He is noted for his harsh brush strokes, strong emotions, and bold color (ironic that OPI would choose a nude color, oh well you can’t expect them to be art historians). One of his most famous pieces, Starry Night, can be found in the MOMA (museum of modern art) next to another one of his paintings The Olive Trees. My personal favorite painting of his is Café Terrace at Night, which is unfortunately located in the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands. Today he is one of the most famous artists known around the world. He created over 2,100 pieces of art. However his fame did not come till after his death. Van Gogh suffered from depression and killed him self at the young age of 37 from a self inflicted gunshot wound, though the gun was never actually found.

Café Terrace at Night

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vincent_Willem_van_Gogh_015.jpg

            Van Gogh was still an influential painter and an icon and hero for the people of the Netherlands. So throw on some nude Did you ‘ear about Van Gogh and hopefully you can channel the artsy spirit of Van Gogh 

Royal Flush Blush

From: OPI’s 2003 Las Vegas Collection

            I may have chosen this color so I could show you this scene from the Parent Trap, one of my all time favorite movies. I can recite almost every line. Though I’ve never actually played poker before, I don’t think they played it right either. I pretty sure it is a little more complicated than just dealing five cards and pouring your money into a circle, then again they are only 11.

            Focusing on the nail polish for a second, the color is a light pink that is perfect for spring. It is part of OPI’s permanent collection. Most colors come out as part of a specific collection and then due to popularity get placed into OPI’s permanent collection. Colors not placed into the permanent collection are discontinued, meaning OPI stops making them, rather quickly.

            This colors name obviously comes from the obvious poker connection. After some Googling I’ve come to understand the following (I think). A flush is 5 cards of the same suit; they do not have to be consecutive. A straight flush is 5 cards of the same suit that are consecutive and a royal flush are the 10, jack, queen, king, ace of the same suite. Obviously a royal flush is better than a straight flush, which is better then a flush. The probability of getting a royal flush in spades, which is the highest possible hand that can be dealt to you, as Halley gets in the Parent Trap, is 1 in 2,598,960. So while your chances of every getting a royal flush are slim you can very easily get your finds on some Royal Flush Blush nail polish! 

Cajun Shrimp

From: Gel Colors by OPI & The Classics Collection           

Classics Collection

http://www.sobeautymag.com/2009/07/confessions-of-a-high-maintenance-chick-primary-colours/

Gel Colors by OPI

http://imabeautygeek.com/2010/06/04/f-is-for-fingernails-another-opi-axxium-gel-nails-update/           

            For being March 15 in State College the weather is beyond beautiful. It feels like the days of summer are here. And though summer may still be several weeks away that doesn’t mean we can’t pull out the shorts, throw on some flip flops, get a little bit of a tan, and of course, the best part of summer, paint our nails bright colors. My favorite summer shade is Cajun Shrimp now a part of OPI’s Classics Collection. The word Cajun comes from the term Acadian. The Acadians were French speakers from Canada. They populate Louisiana and have their own vibrant culture. They speak Cajun French, a dialect of French and make their own unique recipes. They are predominantly Roman Catholic and responsible for the notorious holiday of Mardi Gras. The people as a whole embody the philosophy of “joie de vivre” or “the joy of living”. This color definitely embodies that fun and carefree attitude.

            A great new thing that OPI just introduced is their new gel line. It is called Gel Colors by OPI. OPI already has a line of gel nail polish called OPI Axxium.  However the old line came in a jar and it had to be applied with a paintbrush. It needed to dry under a UV light and it was next to impossible to take off. It wasn’t easily available to the public, other than nail technicians. OPI’s new line of Gel Colors comes in bottles like their regular nail polish. It still needs a UV light to dry, but comes off quickly. The color takes 30 seconds to dry under the UV light and last for 2-3 weeks with the same shine as the first day you put it on. This line launched with 30 popular OPI shades. This line really is for nail salons more than everyday use. A bottle cost upwards of $15 bucks, which isn’t that bad but you also need a UV light at home. So you might have to take a trip to the salon to try out the new line, but it does give you 2-3 weeks of beautiful color that might outlast this nice whether. If you’d rather do your nails yourself you can still get Cajun Shrimp, and all of the 30 shades in the Gel Colors Collection, in good ol’ regular OPI nail polish. While I keep my fingers crossed that this whether stays, take the trip and try out this new line and have the comfort of knowing that at least your bright summer nails will last. 

   

Pink of Hearts

From: OPI's 2010 special edition

            My sorority just had our philanthropy this past week. Zeta Tau Alpha’s national philanthropy is Breast Cancer Education and Awareness. So we teamed up with Pink Zone to put on “Mr. Think Pink”. We had boys from all over campus including Tim Frazier, Shane McGregor, Tommy Schanitz (2012 Hoss THON overall) and many others who competed for the title. They were introduced, had a swimsuit round, a talent round, and a formal wear round. I was an escort for the night and I’m proud to say the contestant I escorted Steve Huber, President of Nittany Nation, won! Steve and the rest of the boys did a great job and it was a huge success. 

            For the occasion I though it was appropriate to wear OPI’s Pink of Hearts. OPI came out with this shade in 2010 and a part of the proceeds went to breast cancer research. It’s a perfect pink to show support for women and men all over the world who are fighting, have fought, and have sadly lost their battle with breast cancer.

            Breast cancer makes up for a little more than 10% of cancers diagnosed around the world. Women are a hundred times more likely to get it, while the survival rate does not differentiate based on sex. There are several stages of breast cancer; stage 0 has a 100% survival rate. This is why early detection is so vital and promoted in the media. At stage IV there is a 20% chance that they will live 5 years after the detection. Breast Cancer affects everyone and does not target a specific race or ethnicity. 

            After becoming a member of ZTA I tend to buy everything I see that has a pink ribbon on it. Sharpies, headbands, socks, shirts, you name it I have it. I rarely feel guilty because it is for such a great cause. So enjoy your bottle of nail polish and know in addition to a great manicure you are helping fight breast cancer. 

Bogota Blackberry

From: OPI’s Classics Collection

            I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m still on a high from THON. I was sad to see my diamond painted nails to but they were chipping like no other. So I took at the nail polish remover, which I must admit smells good to me now, and saw my nail beds for the first time in two weeks. Of course leaving my nails naked is as good as a sin in my books, so I whipped out a new OPI bottle I recently bought called Bogota Blackberry. It is a deep reddish purple mixture with a magenta glow to it. It definitely needs two coats, but it goes one smoothly and has a nice finish.

            The origin of the name for this shade isn’t a real mystery. It is taken from Bogota, Columbia. Bogota is the capital city of Columbia and the largest city of the country and through out much of Latin America. Columbia is known for its agricultural exports including blackberries.

            In the mid 90’s Bogota was considered on of the most violent cities in the world. Since that time the government has been trying to change that view. It is a great cultural hub. The city sits high on the mountains and has developed the nickname “the Athens of South America”.

            So if enjoy a new shade and maybe some blackberries from a city rich in culture and life. 

Alpine Snow

From the: OPI Soft Shades Collection

 http://www.body-soulbeauty.com/2010/03/some-older-opis-loyalty-islands-lilac.html

            Alright, I’m sure you’ve heard about this kind of awesome event that’s happening this weekend, called THON. Of course, I’m kidding about the kind of awesome, its fully awesome and then some. THON for those of you who don’t know is the Penn State IFC/PanHellenic Dance marathon. It is a yearlong fundraising effort, which culminates in a 46 hour, no sit, no sleep dance marathon. All the money goes to the four diamonds fund, which provides money and emotional support for pediatric cancer patients and their families. In 1973 there were 39 dancer couples who raised just a little over $2000, since then it has grown to more than 300 captains, 700 dancers, 3300 committee members, and 15,000 student volunteers who together raised $9,563,016.09.  Wow.

            Relating this back to my nails now, I decided to do THON themed nails for this week. Honestly, I love THON and looking at my nails gets me pumped for the best weekend of my freshman year. So to decorate my nails I wanted a nice, whiteboard, white to draw on. I chose OPI’s Alpine Snow from the Soft Shades Collection. It’s a great white color that needs two coats to cover your nail. It sets beautifully, and with two coats you cannot see the nail bed.

            I’ve had the privileged of seeing the Alps. I hiked them a few summers ago, in Birkenstocks none-the-less (talk about embracing the culture). It was a great hike, probably four to five hours round-trip. I hiked in Austria, but the Alps are part of many countries throughout Europe such as France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Germany, and Slovenia. They attract tourists all year long, providing great ski slopes December to April. The Alps usually make up part of the Tour de France course every year as well.

            So whether you are skiing on the slopes in Aspen or raising money for the fight against pediatric cancer in the BJC, you can rock OPI’s Alpine Snow for much more than 46 hours. 

Gouda Gouda Two Shoes

From the: OPI’s Spring/Summer 2012 Holland Collection

http://www.fashionpolish.com/

            OPI just released their latest collection for 2012’s spring and summer. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. OPI never fails to amaze me, every year, each collection has something new and different. This particular collection has 12 new shades and most of them have a very subtle glitter to them. It is by no mean obvious, but when the sun or light catches it you’re a nails sparkle, perfect for the spring and summer sun! I was looking through the colors and this particular one caught my eye. It’s a combination of nude and pink and is great for everyday. It is appropriate to wear anywhere, and the glitter does not inhibit that.

            I must admit I had ulterior motives for picking this shade, and it most certainly has to do with the name Gouda Gouda two shoes.  Besides being a bit of a goody two shoes myself, it instantly reminded me of the scene below from one of my favorite movies, She’s the Man.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJe1AgWJrzc

            I decided to look up the history of Gouda cheese, because I was curious as to why it was specific to Holland, and of course I promise you all a history lesson with each bottle. So enjoy your history lesson of cheese with your bottle (I hope someone appreciates the subtle wine and cheese reference.) It turns out the Gouda cheese is native to Holland. However, Gouda cheese is made all over the world today because the name is not protected. If you want to have authentic Gouda cheese from Gouda, Holland you will need to look for the name Holland Gouda. Or it you want the authentic name in Dutch it is Noord-Hollandse Gouda, both of these names are protected by the European Union. The process in making this cheese different from the others comes in towards the end, when water is added. The water washes away some of the lactic acid giving the cheese a sweeter flavor.

            So enjoy this subtle shade from the Holland Collection. Next time you are at the store pick up some authentic Gouda from Holland and enjoy it with a bottle of Pinot Grigio, a light white wine that goes with the cheese!