Essie Naughty Nautical

 This was such a fun manicure. I know it is fall but I wanted to do something fun and summery so I pulled out Naughty Nautical from Essie Summer 2013 line and did a palm tree accent nail. Naughty Nautical is a gorgeous ocean teal with slight sliver shimmers in it.

NYC Park Ave (246)

 

There is absolutely no law that says you have to at least $8 on a salon nail polish like Essie or OPI to achieve a salon quality manicure. (except for mine, again, please excuse my ratchet cuticles). This gorgeous taupe color from the very affordable NYC (New York Color) brand really has me head over heels. it looks amazing on my skin tone. It is a mixture of gray and brown and gives an almost foundation-like appearance to my hands. (like the RGB foundation nail polishes). This is great for work, and great for fall.

You can find it at your local CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens.

NYC Empire State Blue(140)

 Now this is a fun cheap find. I never really paid attention to NYC as a brand but they were having a ridiculous sale so I decided to pick up this blue color. I know there is no fun design to accompany it, (sometimes I like to keep it simple) but this is a pretty decent polish for the price. It doesn't compare to the Wet n Wild Megalast line but it is definitely worth a try.

This shimmery blue incorporates a pretty green that is compact but not duo-chromey

Revlon Whismical

I've never been more on the fence about a polish than this one. As you can see, the bottle looks like loads of fun. It's a milky mint color with lavender and teal hexagonal glitter suspended into it. there are also smaller specs of similar colors floating in there too.
The first time I saw it I desperately wanted it but the second I put it on I realized how disappointing a shade this was. The pictures above are FIVE coats of polish. Needless to say, that manicure never really dried. I was just so shocked that the color was so sheer. I'll retry the polish over a base coat of some sort but I don't want anything to take away from the color itself.

Do I look like Beyonce wearing this Nails Inc. Baker Street color?

 

If you don't know, I'm the type of person that is SLIGHTLY obsessed with King Bey. When I heard her favorite nail polish color was this vibrant cobalt blue shade from the brand Nails Inc., I made it my mission to track it down and add it to my collection.

Honestly, the color and formula are OKAY. Yes, it is an opaque color and it goes on nicely... doesn't chip excessively... but this was nothing special really. It reminds me a lot of the Essie color, Butler Please.... (Beyoncé Please!)

Maybelline ColorShow Metallics in Bold Gold

I know this might seem a little strange but this polish was the most unforgiving color that I have ever had the displeasure to put on my nails. If you notice, this cheetah and rhinestone design is bomb but I couldn't get over the streaks and unsightly marks this formula showed off. Is it corny to say that this color 'showed' too much?

You can see on my middle finger that I have a press-on nail to match the length of my other nails... That is usually not a problem with other polish but this metallic lacquer made all the harsh filing I did to get that press-on smooth a little too visible.

I don't know, I'm not too versed in the world of metallic polishes, maybe they are all like this.

The color on the other hand, is also not my favorite. It is a gold but has a odd (very fine) silvery shimmer to it.

L'Oreal Paparazzi Pleaser

Please excuse the slightly sloppy application but I just had to say how much I love this purple. Fall is here and it is time to put away those bright neons of the summer (if you are one to follow trends, personally I where what I want, when I want). This color by the L'Oreal line of nail polishes is called Paparazzi Pleaser.

I am not the one to love dark polishes on my nails but this purple is not too dark. It is not a scary vampy color but it definitely is not a neon. And don't get me started on the formula! I guess you would say it is a crème but this is more like a shiny gel. The lazy girl wouldn't even need to put a top coat on.

This is a hidden gen that you can't afford to sleep on. It doesn't chip excessively either, average wear.

Essie Van D'go

Omg, I absolutely love this creamy neautral peachy pink color. My accent nail is this cute teal bow with polka dots. If you are a girl that loves beutral colors or need a color great for work, this polish would be great for you. the formula dries a little more matte than I would like.. just make sure you have a really good top coat. It is a nice spring time color.

Sally Hansen Big Money

So I am officially on my glitter kick. I know it is fall and I'm supposed to be following the whole dark color rule but... guess what? RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN! Big money is an ok glitter. As is it is getting a little on the older side, it is getting on the thicker side. That is a little annoying because that means I can't layer it over other polishes. This is after two coats, and I find that the color dries a little more matte than I would like. It's a glitter polish! It is supposed to be beyond sparkly... but it is a little more subdued than you would think. I used some black stripers on my nail for some fun.

It is a gold chunky polish with purple accents.

Kiss 100 Full Cover Nails

So my guilty ratchet pleasure is press-on nails. I don't know why, but it is heard for me to retain length on my nails because they keep breaking. When I do have my press-ons it is easier for my nails to grow because they are not breaking as much. And it is not crazy damaging to my natural nail because unlike acrylic nails, you're not sanding away layers of your nail.

I always get the Short Square ones because I like a shorter look (if they came out with an extra short, I'd be all over it). One of these days, I want to get stiletto nails. (those are oval)

My short, damaged nails.

You get 100 nails but you only use a portion because a lot of those nails... you can't fit! That is really annoying.

The finished products.... white plastic nails. I know they look crazy now but they look good after you paint them :)