Prescott Coral C by Elizabeth Arden

If there's a brand that I never hear anyone blogging about, it's Elizabeth Arden cosmetics.  They've been lingering around department stores and pharmacies for years now doing nothing except conjure up visions of your Grandma's dresser, all stocked up with some of the most run of the mill or "classic" items like Chanel #5 or Red Door.  Not to say these are bad things (grandmas are awesome!) but let's just face the fact that nobody thinks of Elizabeth Arden products and says to themselves "Boy, that brand is really fresh and current!"

I could also say the same thing about the polish that my sister is sporting in this photo, Prescott Coral C.  It's a bright coral creme that looked a lot pinker in the bottle than it did on my sister's nails.  She had really liked the polish in the bottle but once it was on her nails, she hated it!  Of course, loving or hating a colour is pretty much subjective and depends on what your tastes are.  However, there's nothing subjective about quality and our experiences with  EA polishes isn't turning out too great.  I've recently discovered that the macro function on my camera is not working anymore but that doesn't disguise the rampant bubbling that this EA polish had.  Honestly, if you saw her nails in the flesh, you would have thought that her nails had a rash!  I've got a few more EA polishes in my collection that I haven't tried out yet but considering the strike outs that we've been experiencing so far, I'm not that eager to get around to trying them at this point.  They're like the Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull of nail polish:  You may think your getting Harrison Ford & Cate Blanchett but you're really just getting cold, leftover LaBeouf!

Audience Expectations...

Actual Results...

Actual Audience Reaction!

Mayfair Lilac F by Elizabeth Arden

Part of my first big haul from Cha Ching Liquidation in Eglinton subway station, Mayfair Lilac F by Elizabeth Arden is a pale lilac frost.  Not a shimmer, but a frost which totally makes it your grandma's nail polish!  Frost polishes are not finishes you usually see anymore  and they have really fallen out of favourite with consumers.  I suppose that frost's lack of popularity is due to the resulting streaks on the nail that occur during application and streaks are something that polish enthusiasts never like to see.  Frankly, I didn't find the streaking with MLF to be that bad but the problem was there. I can't say that I liked the colour all that much either.  I'm actually proud that my skin tone can accommodate almost every colour in the rainbow but somehow, this pale shade is just not working for me.  I'm hoping that I'm going to be a little more fond of the other EA polishes I picked up but this one is a bit of a wash out.

Cha Ching Liquidation Has Super Cheap Nail Polish In Midtown Toronto

If there's anything I love more than nail polish, it's really inexpensive nail polish!  If you live in the Midtown area of Toronto and you are looking for a bargain, then you'll be interested to know that a cosmetics clearance store named Cha Ching Liquidation has opened up in the Eglinton Subway station on the Yonge line.  Located on the upstairs level opposite the Eglinton eastbound bus stops, the clearance store now occupies what used to be a discount clothing store.  The store is bare bones with the majority of products in boxes and bins that you'll have to dig through but if you dig, you'll probably find something good.  They don't have a vast selection of brand names but the ones they have are easily recognizable:  Sally Hansen, Elizabeth Arden, New York Colour & Borghese are some the brands I spotted during my visit. Here's what I picked up:

Elizabeth Arden: La Jolia, Mayfair Lilac, Grand Canyon Sunset, Providence Cherry

Sally Hansen: Bronze Yourself, Signature Taupe, Silver Anniversary, Mindful Mocha, Adoring Amethyst

Sally Hansen: Wet Clay, Problem Child, Wined Up, Blush Rush

To give you an idea on how cheap their prices are, I bought 13 bottles of polish and all it cost me was $20.34 CDN.  I'm especially excited to try out the Elizabeth Arden polish since I've never tried the brand before and that was largely due to cost.  So if you are in the area and you are so inclined, pop into their little store.  You might find something you'll like.