Essie - Topless & Barefoot + O.P.I - Teenage Dream

To continue with the Valentine's Day theme (even though it's over), I decided to put on a neutral yet slightly pink manicure.  I started with Essie's Topless & Barefoot, which is a nice creamy nude colour.  This definitely needed 2-3 coats because it is quite streaky for me.  Then, I applied 1-2 coats of O.P.I's Teenage Dream from the Katy Perry collection in 2011.

Hope you like it!

 

I heart China Glaze - Fifth Avenue

This was originally just a Nail of the Day post, but it was pink and it's almost Valentine's Day, so I thought I would add a little kick to this couple-day old manicure.

First off, China Glaze's Fifth Avenue... I always always end up turning back to this polish.  This was actually my first higher end polish that I own.  I am just in LOVE with this muted rosy colour.  It's so easy to wear to any occasion!  The application is amazing and coverage is superb.  No complaints, whatsoever =)

For the heart, I drew on a bright pink heart shape using Sally Hansen Insta-Dri - Rapidly Rosy, and then outlined it using a silver glitter striper.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Butter London - No More Waity, Katie

This is my first Butter London nail polish. I have some good and bad observations... let's start with the good things. The colour is so unique, which is what caught my attention in the first place. It is a gray-toned purple base with some purple glitters. It is so unique, I've never seen any other polish like it. I heard that this was created based Kate Middleton and her wedding last year. Another good observation is that the polish dries very quickly. I was able to put the second coat on pretty much right after the first. The not-so-good things I noticed was that the brush is a little bit too rounded and the consistency gets goopy pretty quickly. This makes it a lot more difficult to control and to put on a consistent coat. All in all, it is a very pretty colour and has a beautiful finish. Thumbs up!

 

Nicole by O.P.I - Shell Me The Truth

Haven't had much time and mood to do my nails as often lately. But here's a pretty pink-gold duo chrome. It's shimmery and unique, but not overly powering. It has a pink base with gold satin/shimmery shine. The only criticisms I have about it are the badly shaped brush and the lack of shine. It's supposed to be what it claims a Perfect Stroke Brush, but the trim of the brush is in an odd shape, which makes the application that much harder. Also, I already put on a mega shine top coat, but the finish does not look shiny. I am very impressed with the colour though.

 

Essie - Chinchilly

This has got to be one of Essie's most popular colours.  And I'll have to agree that it's a really nice neutral gray that will go with just about any outfit, any accessories, anything.  But I'll have to say that it's not going to make my top 10 list or anything like that.  There's something about it that doesn't go as well with my skin tone than some other colours.  Maybe I'm just expecting too much from this polish because so many people love this so much.

 

 

China Glaze - Twinkle Lights

Happy Lunar New Year!  For the new year, I thought I would use traditional colours: gold and red.  This is China Glaze's Twinkle Lights, which is a gold/red/green glitter polish.  I know, looks like Christmas too, but mehh, who cares, it's definitely Lunar New Year-themed as well!

I put on 3 coats with no top coat.  It is so opaque, much more saturated with glitter than the Deborah Lippmann I tried last time.  I'll have to look into China Glaze's glitter polishes more!  So far, they're two for two!

 

O.P.I - Hong Kong Sunrise

What can I say? An oldie, but goodie! I'm actually not sure when this polish came out, but it's definitely not a new release. I've had it for a while anyway. I love this coraly orange colour. It's not so "in your face" bright, yet it is still very noticeable. Currently, I'm going through some down time in life, and this polish definitely cheers me up a little bit!

This was 2 coats with no top coat. It's smooth, it's consistent, the colour is beautiful. It will forever be on my to-wear list! :)

 

Deborah Lippmann - Some Enchanted Evening

$20+ nail polishes like Deborah Lippmann's Some Enchanted Evening... is it worth it?  Maybe.  I applied 3 coats onto my nails and it still wasn't opaque.  Deborah Lippmann is suppose to make the best glitter polishes in the industry.... how?  By all means, if I get the chance, I will still try some other colours from Lippmann, but this pink glitter one definitely doesn't make my favourites list.  Sorry :(

On another note, it is much easier to remove than other generic brand glitter polishes.  At least that's a plus!

 

Chanel - Péridot

Happy New Year!!  Wish everyone the best for the upcoming year!

Since this is my first post of 2012, let's start the year off with another first!  My first ever Chanel nail polish that retails for $27 + tax!  (I bought it using a gift card I received over the holidays.)  This is Chanel's Péridot, which was part of the Fall 2011 collection.  I fell in love with the gold-green duo chrome colour when it first launched, but didn't really want to pay the price for it.  I couldn't believe I still found it on the shelves after the holidays!  That particular beauty counter had only ONE bottle left too... I had to buy it!

Like I said, this is a gold and green duo chrome with a slight shimmery finish.  I tried to show you the duo chrome in the pictures below... hopefully you can see that.  The polish itself, I find, is not much different than an O.P.I or Nubar polish.  I wished the brush was bigger and wider too.  Although it was still quite easy to apply and control.  It was nice and pretty opaque with one coat, but I decided to put on 2 coats anyway.  I actually prefer wearing this polish alone rather than with a top coat.  Maybe because every time I use a top coat, it somehow shrinks the polish colour or makes the application look inconsistent.

This was colour launched in the fall time, but I don't really care what season it is... this is such a pretty-ugly duo chrome (if you know what I mean =D).  Hope you like it!

 

 

Nubar - Indigo Illusion

Nubar... I wonder why I haven't heard much of this brand. O.M.G... it is gorgeous. The colour, the consistency, the brush, the shape of the bottle top, etc etc.  Where should I start?

As soon as I unscrewed the top and held the handle in my fingers, ready to apply the polish, I knew the little handle was perfect.  It curves out a bit near the bottom, so my fingers rest nicely on there... which gives me so much control.  The application of the polish was so consistent and so easy.  The colour is a duo chrome of a purply-pink and a greenish-blue colour.  Just beautiful!

I bought this Nubar polish for about $10, which is in the same price range as O.P.I.  Now O.P.I has some competition in my collection!!

Have you tried Nubar polishes before?