Sally Hansen HD "Opulent Cloud"

"Opulent Cloud" is so far my favourite nail polish ever. the colour is so unique. it's a silver-lavender/pale gold duochrome with additional shimmer. it is flattering on my fair skin and applies well in two coats. even the brush is nice and wide. this was the first polish i put effort into finding and i have one back up bottle. i love it dearly and it fueled my love of nail polish.

sunlight

shade

Ulta Salon Formula "Happy Hour"

"Happy Hour" is an older Ulta salon formula polish. it's a mauvey magenta base with fuchsia shimmer. this was an impluse buy and my oldest untried polish until a couple days ago. it ended up going on a little sheer and i should have applied two coats. the shimmer is nice and what drew me to the polish in the first place, because it makes the colour a bit unique.

Essie "Over the Knee"

i considered buying "Mink Muffs" but decided on "Over the Knee" because of the subtle copper shimmer. it's a really nice warm brown creme. the shimmer doesn't come out except in direct sunlight and i wish it were more pronounced. this is still a really nice polish. it applies well and is opaque in two or three coats. i don't know if it's the *best* brown for my particular skin tone. i may still try out "Mink Muffs"

Zoya "Edyta"

Zoya "Edyta" is a dark forest/olive green metallic polish. it's very shimmery for being so dark. i picked it up at Ulta along with "Kelly" from the Fall 2010 Wicked and Wonderful collection. the formula on "Edyta" was good; two coats and it's opaque. i like Zoya brushes.
i wish that "Edyta" wasn't so dark. it looks almost black most of the time. i wish it were a little greener.

sun

shade

OPI "The Show Must Go On"

OPI "The Show Must Go On" is a pink/orange duochrome foil polish from the Holiday 2010 collection. it's a pretty polish, although the formula is a little sheer. i like when it shines orange, but overall this polish doesn't really suit me. it's very pink!

full sun

shade

shade

Orly Lemonade + Zoya "Kelly" for first ruffian

since i didn't like how Orly "Lemonade" looked on me, i decided to attempt my first ruffian manicure freehand. my local Ulta stores have JUST started carrying Zoya polish, but only the Fall 2010 Wicked Collection. i purchased Zoya "Kelly" because i love grey. it's a beautiful dark slate grey creme, a lovely light black :P
since i love grey + yellow (my bedspread is testament to this), i put Zoya "Kelly" over the Orly "Lemonade". it didn't turn out well, but it was worth a shot! with a darker yellow and a lighter grey, this could look neat. "Kelly" looked too blue next to "Lemonade"!

Orly "Lemonade"

Orly "Lemonade" is a light, cool yellow creme from the Spring 2010 Sweet Collection. a friend lent me this polish because i've been wanting to try a light yellow. i actually love yellow, even if yellow doesn't love me...

this polish had a good formula for a yellow and was opaque in three coats. it dried well and stayed on nicely. however, this yellow is too blue for my skin. it was nice to try out, but i won't be purchasing this polish.





i'm going to try American Apparel "Butter" next...

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Concrete" + "Mystic Lilac"

i found "Mystic Lilac" last night! i put two coats over the "Concrete" i was already wearing and i like the result a lot. it darkened "Concrete" a little and obviously added the green microglitter. very pretty. because of it's sheerness, i may keep both polishes for layering.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Concrete"

i picked up "Concrete" because "Mystic Violet" was sold out. i like it a lot but i'd probably trade it for "Mystic Violet" if i have the chance. i feel like it looks cooler/bluer against my skin that in other photos i've seen. i think it's JUST dark enough for me, any lighter and it'd look off. it's a nice neutral-almost-nude

Orly "Space Cadet"

i wasn't going to go out of my way to buy this polish after i picked up Galaxy Girl instead. BUT a local CVS had a completely full Cosmix display, so i decided to give it a swap. it's a nice polish. it really needs three coats to be opaque. i'm not in love with it, but i do like it, and it's definitely flashy and fun. it reminds me of watermelon tourmaline:



i took sunlight and shade photos for accuracy:

OPI "Friar, Friar, Pants On Fire!"

i got an e-coupon from my local Peninsula Beauty Supply for a free polish so i sent the offer to my friend and we went out to collect our spoils. they have a ton of OPI, Orly, and Essie polishes, but nothing was calling our names.
i saw this polish on the top OPI shelf and took it down to look. she and i both fell in love immediately and we both got free Friars.
i only have a couple other reds but this polish is so balanced. it's a light cherry leaning toward orange with a brilliant shimmer. the application was SO NICE and it dried quickly. i am so happy with this polish. i also like how pale it makes my skin look.



on another note, this is the first manicure where i've used a small synthetic paintbrush dipped in acetone to clean up my cuticles. this method is easy and very successful!

China Glaze "Far Out"

i swapped for this polish after seeing swatches of it. for some reason, i was expecting more copper and less bronze. it's a very warm brown with gold shimmer. it's a nice colour but i don't like how it looks on me.