Product Review: OPI Elephantastic Pink

Hey everybody! I'm back with a post that is actually relevant to the blog - after watching that Cater 2 U video about 10 times this morning. I just love it. Anyway. We're talking nail polish and I think today's product is a great pick.

OPI's Elephantastic Pink is one of those colours that I as a DDD see on the shelves and think "oh what a pretty colour for a white girl". Before trying it on I was very skeptical but I'm happy to report it was love at second site for me and this colour.

What had happened was I got my nails done at work for free the other day (I have the best job ever) and when the manicurist suggested this colour I didn't think it would work for me, but she urged me to give it a try. When she was done I was like "meh" (except I NEVER say "meh" I hate that word).

Then I went outside for one of my many smoke breaks and was struck dumb by how great it looked in natural light.
Yeah baby!

This is such a pretty flirty pink and I feel so spring-like. As soon as I finished work I went and bought it and wore it for the next two weeks straight.
But on to the business now. OPI's website describes the colour as "[a] carnation pink [that] may start a stampede!". Carnation pink is a good description. It's bright without being hot pink and it's slightly warm, which I think looks better on dark skin tones than blue-based pinks.

Two small caveats here. First, don't assume that because OPI is more expensive than drugstore brands that it's superior quality. It doesn't last any longer or dry any more quickly than cheaper polishes. (Actually if you're looking for a drugstore dupe of this try L'Oreal Pro Manicure in Trust Fund Baby - not exactly the same but it will give you that flirty pink feeling).

The other caveat is that this polish is kind of difficult to apply so if you're a novice, seek help.

This might not make sense, but it goes on like a sheer polish; you have to be extremely careful otherwise it will streak and show brush lines and make you look like the amateur you are.
My advice to you is to let each coat dry completely before applying the next (I use 2 or 3 coats depending on how bright I want it to be -it seems to get brighter the more you put it on).
It also has that big-ass OPI brush that just annoys me to no end. I don't know why all these companies felt compelled to change their brushes. I never had a problem with the old-school brushes.
Maybe I'm some kind of nail polish prodigy, I don't know.

Anyway, the WWIFM verdict is....yes!

Product Review: The only long term relationship I’m interested in right now

Hi there!
Welcome to "[But] Will it Work For Me?"
That is what I meant the blog to be called but I somehow forgot to add the "but". So "will it work for me" it is then.
I should give you a bit of intro about myself shouldn't I? Otherwise why would you listen to what I have to say about anything? But it's after 10 o'clock which means I should be in bed. So let me quickly give you the 411 on my new life partner...

Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship

According to Herbal Essence's website, this shampoo/conditioner/leave-in trio is supposed to "…lavish every inch of your hair, protecting against damage and leaving it oh-so luscious. for even more protection, slip into my silky conditioner and split-end protector, too. grow your hair as long as you want!"

Sidebar: I really don’t like the way all of Herbal Essence’s packaging pretends as though the shampoo/conditioner is speaking to me. It’s annoying. And maybe I’m slow but I find it confusing…oh, wait you’re luscious? Oh no I’m luscious! Okay I get it now.

Anyway. Let’s talk about the fragrance first. It has extracts of red raspberry and satin. To me it smells like a combination of Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door Revealed perfume with a hint of hubba bubba. When I open the bottle, I get a blast of RDR first (maybe this is the satin) and then it fades and there’s just the gentlest whiff of bubble gum (which would be the raspberry I guess). It’s not bad, but I suspect it’s one of those scents that you either love, don’t mind, or hate with a deep and abiding passion, if you know what I mean.

Okay I’m going to quickly go through the trio one by one.

First the shampoo. It has a great lather, which I enjoy because I don't feel like my hair is getting clean if I don’t get good foam. I’m sure the one has nothing to do with the other, but oh well. It lathers well and rinses off easily enough, but it leaves my hair feeling very dry, matted, and a little straw-like to tell you the truth. This would be a huge problem (for reference, I’m half Black, half East-Indian with fine, super-curly, type 4A hair that NEEDS its moisture) if it weren’t for…

The conditioner. Same smell. A little goes a long way with this, it distributes easily through my hair and quickly takes away the straw-like feeling the shampoo gave. I usually put in on my hair, concentrating on the ends mainly, and put a shower cap over it and continue with my business in the shower so it has time to sit. This can take anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes depending on how much hot water there is. One thing about this conditioner is that it takes a long-ass time to rinse out. Holy jumping! The worst part is that I rinse with cold water and it’s honestly like torture for me to stand there freezing my tuches off waiting for this stuff to get out of my hair. Honestly I’m sure at least 50% of the time it’s not all gone but I just can’t take it anymore.

The leave in conditioner is optional in my opinion. It has of course the same scent, and again a little goes a long way with this product. I can’t stress that enough. I use the tiniest, smaller than a pea-sized amount on my ends only and that is all I need. (I’m one of those lucky ladies whose hair gets really greasy at the roots and dry at the ends after a few days if I overdo it with product). It does make my ends noticeably softer.

I’ve been using these products for about two months now and my hair has definitely grown which is what I wanted. But I actually think this stuff was meant to keep existing long hair healthy and strong rather than to promote growth. (Those marketing people are too smart to make an ambitious claim like that I’m sure). Either way, I’m pleased with the results I’m getting and at $2.99 a pop you can’t go wrong can you?

The best part about this for me is that my hair still smells good a couple of days after I wash. I’m a stinky smoker so my shampoo fragrance NEVER lingers. Except with this.
So the WIWFM Verdict is…yes!