Nail Polishes of the Moment: Bronzed & Bright

Warm and Fozzie by OPI (Image via Google)

For Thanksgiving weekend, I painted my nails with OPI's Warm and Fozzie from the 2011 Holiday Collection (The Muppets). I absolutely love bronze nail polishes and was excited to try this one out. There is a world of difference between the first and second coats of this polish. I used 3 to achieve full opacity. It wore for about a week without really chipping and I was happy with the results (lots of compliments on this one). I was hoping it would have more dimension (in a lot of the swatch pictures I saw online, it almost appeared to have an ombre effect) but it's still a beautiful shade for fall.

Peridot by Chanel (Image via Google)

Today, I finally used my new Chanel polish in Peridot. I told myself I would never splurge on a Chanel polish unless I found an extremely unique color that didn't have a dupe from a cheaper brand. I only bought this because it wouldn't likely be matched by an alternative polish. Peridot is a unique green/gold shade. I thought it would be a nice transitional color to wear from fall into the holiday season. Let's just say that I love to look at it in the bottle but on my nails and against my very cool, fair skin, it leaves a bit to be desired. The application is tricky. It definitely shows brush strokes and every mistake (pretty standard for Chanel). On the plus side, one coat will work fine which is convenient but I did two in hopes that the color would become a bit darker- it didn't. This is certainly not a buildable polish. In some lighting, it appears like a yellowed gold and in others it switches to a greened/gold with the ever so slightest touch of blue. It's definitely not a pedicure color (I feel it would look like a toe fungus). As much as I want to lovvvve this, the color/effect seems a bit dated to me (80s/90s). But it is original and for that, it earns many points. I will try this again in the spring with whites/creams/neutral clothing (I think it might look nice this way) but I wouldn't repurchase.












Now Playing: "Where Is My Mind" by Pixies

Nail Polish of the Moment: Desert Haze by e.l.f.

It has been quite awhile since I've done a nail polish of the moment post. Because I scored elf's Desert Haze for such a low cost ($1), I had to share this one with you, girls! Desert Haze is a sophisticated, nude/khaki/grey. Against my very fair skin, it looks great. But there are some cons: the smell is very unpleasing and the packaging isn't great (FYI: I really dislike the brand name e.l.f.). The application was tricky and definitely took some patience! It is slow to dry! But if you can deal with a brush applicator that isn't aligned properly and some of the other grievances that I've stated, this is an excellent find! Desert Haze easily looks like it could have been included in a CHANEL, Essie or OPI collection. I definitely recommend picking a bottle up (I found mine at Big Lots). I used OPI's base coat and top coat and haven't experienced any premature chipping. It's a beautiful shade!

Photos Courtesy Google Images



Now Playing: "St. Elsewhere" by Gnarls Barkley (I LOVE this song!!!!)

Polish of the Moment: InStyle Red by OPI

(Not my hand or photograph)
When my InStyle magazine subscription ran up, my Mom generously gifted me with a year renewal. Part of the promotion included a free subscription for a friend and an OPI polish exclusive to the magazine. It was my kind of deal- a new year of one my favorite reads, a gift to a friend AND a new OPI polish! But it has been a couple months and I completely forgot about it!

InStyle Red arrived in the mail today (I was expecting a few other goodies so I was surprised to get it) and I'm very pleased. Believe it or not, I don't have any "true reds" from OPI. I would consider InStyle Red to be somewhat of a true red but it's more of a strawberry. Very chic and wearable!

Hand Swatch of InStyle Red by OPI
I'm painting my nails black and yellow for the AFC Championship game this weekend (GO STEELERS!). Otherwise, I would have tested it on my nails but it looks great (especially for free)! I'll most likely wear this on Valentine's Day <3


If the promotion is still ongoing, I highly recommend getting your hands on this polish! InStyle is one of my favorite magazines and it's well worth the cost to subscribe!


Now Playing: "Cult Logic" by Miike Snow

The Look For Less: NAIL POLISH DUPE ALERT!

(Please forgive the quality of these pictures. My digital camera and cell phone are both not working properly. I captured these on my webcam.)

As stated in a previous post, I have acquired an addiction to nail polish. I was in the mood to add to my Essie collection, so I searched the net for suggestions. A few things factor into my selection process- color, quality, price, ratings, name of product. Essie is known for having a lot of beautiful pinks. I liked the name Lily Pond, so I ordered it. I expected it to be a pale to medium toned pink- a natural look that wouldn't wash my fair skin out. I was happy with the polish that showed up in the mail (I bought it on Amazon.com) but it looked a bit different than I expected. It also looked familiar.


When I painted my nails, it turned out a bit brighter than I would have liked but Lily Pond still manages to compliment my extremely fair skin. I kept looking down at my nails and realized it looked really familiar. I went into my room and grabbed the box that houses my nail polish collection. Sure enough, I knew I had an exact dupe in Sinful Color's Beautiful Girl. Sinful Colors is one of my favorite brands for nails. It only runs $1.99 at the drugstore (Walgreen's, Rite Aide). Sometimes you can even get Sinful Colors for .99! Essie is much more expensive at $8 dollars (Ulta, Target).


Both polishes have a cream formulation. To get a perfectly opaque finish, Essie (notorious for its thin compositions) required 3 coats. Sinful Colors is much thicker and only called for 2 coats. The similarities between these two polishes are striking. I am so confident in calling Lily Pond (Essie) & Beautiful Girl (Sinful Colors) dupes that I could easily wear one on my right hand and the other on my left- I guarantee no one would ever be able to tell they were two different polishes. This is the best dupe I have ever seen from any type of makeup product!

Lily Pond (Essie), Beautiful Girl (Sinful Colors)

Lily Pond by Essie

Beautiful Girl by Sinful Colors

Left- Beautiful Girl by Sinful Colors, Right- Lily Pond by Essie

The webcam is picking up the colors a bit differently. Both are prettier in person and are close to being exact matches. If you were planning on purchasing Lily Pond by Essie, save yourself the money! :)


Now Playing: "Zephyr Song" and "Scar Tissue" (Live at Slane Castle) by Red Hot Chili Peppers