Essie Summer 2013 Picks!

Hello again, surprised I'm back so soon? Well, I just couldn't stay away because I've been eager to try out a different camera for my nail photos and I am loving how great the photos are with the switch! Let me know what you guys think of the photo quality :)

Last time I was at CVS, I came across Essie's summer collection- full of shimmers and brights with nautical names. I couldn't resist and picked up 3. There's either 4 or 5 in the collection, but I passed on a couple of the shades.

Lots of photos in this post! All swatches are without topcoat.

Essie Rock the Boat 

Essie Rock the Boat

Essie Rock the Boat

First up is Rock the Boat, a light cornflower blue with silver shimmer. The shimmer is only noticeable in the sunlight, but I love the shade nonetheless! Its formula was decent; at first it was uneven and streaky, but 3 coats seemed to do the trick to create full, smooth opacity. 

Essie Sunday Funday

Essie Sunday Funday

Essie Sunday Funday

Sunday Funday is a bright coral/pink with the same silver shimmer that the whole collection has. The application was better on this one; it only required 2 coats for opacity. This color was really hard to capture on camera! In person, it's a little more pink-leaning. 

Essie Naughty Nautical 

Essie Naughty Nautical 

Essie Naughty Nautical 

Naughty Nautical is a sea green/muted teal with the same silver shimmer. This may be my favorite from the collection because it's so unique! The application was similar to Sunday Funday and only required 2 coats. I must say the name drew me to it as well; I can't resist polishes with cute names!

What do you think of Essie's new summer collection?

-Shelby

Revlon After Party & Infamous

Hello ladies! Sorry for my lack of posts yesterday! Also, I didn't make a "black and white" themed post for the 31 day challenge, but I was tied up all day! My boyfriend surprised me in the morning and I woke up to a bouquet of flowers and a kiss :). We spent the day together and went to the gym (first time for me in...well, we don't need to say! haha) in the evening. I am back now and have an exciting post for you guys :)!

I was in Walgreens yesterday and I saw a display for new shades from Revlon's top speed line! Emma Stone was the model for the display and she was wearing two gorgeous shades together; I looked at the new colors and figured they were After Party and Infamous. I had to recreate the look and share it with you guys!

Below I did 2 coats of After Party and 2 coats of Infamous!

Revlon After Party and Infamous

Revlon After Party and Infamous

After Party is a steel gray creme! It's a little more gray in person, but I like the blue/green tint it has. The formula was great on this, no streaking and such. Infamous is a hot coral creme, almost neon-like. The formula on this wasn't as great; it was a little goopy and didn't want to spread to the edges of the nail. I still like the color, though :). Also, my apologies for even more short nails, I got a little "clipper happy" today! haha

What do you think of these new shades?

-Shelby

Essie A Cut Above & Van D'Go

Good morning ladies! I hope all of you are having a good Labor Day :). I'm going to a music/art festival in Sausalito with my family for the afternoon! I decided last night to do one of my favorite summery combos. I did it plenty of times before I started my blog, so I did it again!

I used 2 coats of Essie Van D'Go and 1 coat of Essie A Cut Above!

Essie A Cut Above
Essie Van D'Go

Essie A Cut Above
Essie Van D'Go

Essie A Cut Above
Essie Van D'Go

Van D'Go is one of my favorite peachy pink cremes! This color is a little streaky at times and requires 3 coats for full opacity, but it's totally worth it! It complements my skintone well and it's much more vibrant in person :). A while back I got A Cut Above, a gorgeous pink glitter in a clear base, and tried it over Van D'Go; I was smitten!! 

What do you think of this mani?

-Shelby

Untried China Glaze Swatches!

Good evening ladies! I was looking through my stash today and decided to swatch a few of my China Glaze polishes that I haven't tried yet. I had more than 3 untrieds (my untrieds keeps expanding!), but I decided to keep it short and sweet this time :P. I chose to swatch Dorothy Who?, IV, and Four Leaf Clover!

China Glaze Dorothy Who?

China Glaze Dorothy Who?

 Dorothy Who? is a stunning blue glitter! In the sun it sometimes looks blue, but it also flashes silver! This color was perfectly opaque in 2 coats and didn't give me a single problem! This is from the Wizard of Oz collection; I wish I had more polishes from it since I'm a fan of all the WOZ characters!

China Glaze IV

China Glaze IV

IV is a sheer, jelly-like salmon/coral creme! I was worried this wouldn't be opaque in 3 coats since there was quite a bit of VNL after 2, but I was pleasantly surprised! This is the perfect summer color! I don't hear about it much; I'm not sure why it goes unnoticed! It was made to celebrate China Glaze's 4th birthday I believe!

China Glaze Four Leaf Clover

China Glaze Four Leaf Clover

 Four Leaf Clover is a true kelly green creme! I'm sorry if my hands look a little yellow; I had to adjust the color a little since this shade did NOT want to photograph! This is a very unique color and it screams "leprechaun" to me! This went on pretty well and was opaque in 2 coats. This is from the Up & Away collection. I'm still trying to obtain every color from this collection. I'm drawn to pastel shades and for some reason want this whole set! haha

What do you think of these shades? Do you like random untried polish posts?

-Shelby

Sally Hansen Pop of Pink

Good evening! I have had a pretty relaxing afternoon and finally got the chance to paint my nails a full mani! I chose to do a limited edition Sally Hansen polish, Pop of Pink. There is a whole range of colors that are limited edition (all neons) and they're still being sold at Walgreens! So if you're interested, check them out before they're gone :). I usually don't go for neons, but I thought I'd give a few a shot since I like Sally Hansen!

What I used:
1 coat Seche Clear
2 coats Sally Hansen Pop of Pink
1 coat Diamond Dry

Sally Hansen Pop of Pink
*artificial lighting*

Sally Hansen Pop of Pink
*natural lighting*

Sally Hansen Pop of Pink
*artificial lighting*

Pop of Pink is a neon pink/orange. Boy, this color gives me trouble trying to photograph it! It's more pink than in the photos, but definitely still has some orange in it. This wasn't the easiest to apply; the coats were thick and the polish didn't want to spread/paint to the edges of the nails. I like this polish, but I think next time I'll try it on my toes instead!

What do you think of Pop of Pink?

I'll swatch the other two LE Sally Hansen polishes soon :)

Until next time,

-Shelby

Essie Cute as a Button & Fifth Avenue Swatches

Hello! I hope everyone is having a great Monday. I've just been relaxing since the rest of the week I'll be shopping for my dorm!

I wanted to share with you 2 polishes I've recently gotten from Essie: Cute as a Button and Fifth Avenue. I originally only wanted Cute as a Button, but it was a better deal on eBay to buy the set!

These appear to be the colors sold at drugstores, since both have the printed labels on the lids.

Below I did 3 coats for Cute as a Button and 1 coat for Fifth Avenue!

Essie Cute as a Button

Essie Cute as a Button

Cute as a Button is a gorgeous coral creme! This reminds me of Wet n' Wild Tropicalia. I didn't have issues with the application, but I should have waited longer between each coat since the polish tends to drag a little. I could have gotten away with 2 coats if I had waited longer, but I did 3! I adore colors like this. I think they're summery & flatter multiple skintones! I've heard a lot about this polish and I'm glad I finally got around to buying it!

Essie Fifth Avenue

Essie Fifth Avenue

Fifth Avenue is a vibrant, tomato-red creme! I was very surprised that this polish was fully opaque in one coat. I like this color, but I feel like it won't be the most flattering on every skintone, since it leans orange. I don't have anything like this in my collection; most of my reds are either very orange or cool-toned. I think this is a fun alternative to the classic red! Unfortunately, though, this polish left some staining.

What do you think of these polishes? Do you have either?

-Shelby

Wet n' Wild Tropicalia & First Post

Hello! I have been reading nail blogs for quite a few months and today it dawned on me that I should try and make my own. I want to share my nail polish addiction with fellow nail addicts & thought I'd start off my first post with a nail of the day!

The color I'm wearing today is Tropicalia from Wet n' Wild's megalast line. Tropicalia is a nice mid-tone coral shade, leaning more towards pink than orange. The best part about this polish, aside from the gorgeous color, is the price. It's only $1.99 at most drugstores, but can be found on sale for .99! 

For both photos below I did two coats with a base and fast-dry topcoat. 

I had no issues with the application of this polish. It was fairly opaque in one coat, but I did a second to smooth it out. 

Below: Without flash, natural lighting. Looks like a true coral in natural lighting. This color screams beach to me. I can imagine myself wearing it on my toes while tanning on the beach :)

Wet n' Wild Tropicalia

Below: With flash. It leans more pink with flash, but it's a true coral.

Wet n' Wild Tropicalia

The only problem I have with this polish (and all the polishes from this line) is the brush. The brush is rather short and wide. The rounded end isn't as much of a problem as the stiffness of the brush itself. It's hard to get onto the sides of the nail due to its lack of flexibility.                                                  

Overall, I really like this polish! I think it's a fun shade for spring and summer. It's available at most drugstores, but it's a popular shade and often sold-out. I hope you guys liked this post and I'll be sure to keep posting soon!
Have a great week!
-Shelby