200th Post: Celebrate With Some Polish Pics!

Thought I would take a break from feeling bad about myself to post some polish photos.  Seems like to took me a while to get up to 200 posts but somehow I got there!

Run don't walk to your local Sephora and buy the Chaotic top coat from their Sephora X polish line.  It's now my favourite top coat of all time.  Chaotic is a glitter polish except for the particles are not super shiny and that makes the top coat look like Jackson Pollock rose from the grave just to splatter paint all over your nails.  It's layered over Hampstead Gardens by Nails Inc. and I love it!!!

Jamaica Me Crazy is your typical summertime pink polish but I am always found of a pink that's heavy on the blue.  I remember the formula as being a little bit more durable than Essie usually is.

It's been a while since I've set foot in a Joe Fresh and I still have a few photos from their polish line that I hadn't posted yet, so here they are:

Mallard is a dark green creme that is actually as glossy as it appears in this photo.  I'm not sure if they still make it but if they do, it's a classic fall colour and not a waste at $4.

I'm not as enthusiastic about Mist.  It's a light frosty green tone and it's nice enough but it's nothing to shout about either.  It dries quickly though, so if you are looking for something to quickly do your nails with, this one's a safe bet.

This one has me stumped.  When I found it in the store, none of the bottles had a label that indicated its name.  It's a nice Blurple but it has a few issues with streaking, which you can see in the photo.

Rusty from Gosh is definitely going to be going back on my nails this summer as it's a great bronze shimmer with good wear time.

I think I might have had Essie's Sag Harbour before I started writing this blog, so I guess it was time to post it.  Again, this is a colour that says summer and is exactly the type of colour I like to sport while swimming in the ocean!  God, I want to go back and see my family in Barbados...:(

She's Picture Perfect from Essie is a lilac colour I liked much, much more in the bottle than I like on my nails.  It didn't quite go with my skin tone and you can notice some patchy bald spots that made the application less than stellar.

Anyone one who has checked out this blog knows about my goofy/sad/manic/self-deprecating obsession with actor Tom Hiddleston.  Well, this Wednesday, it got even worse!  I guess I'm going through a mid-life crisis and so while some people buy expensive sports cars or cheat on their spouses, I decided to do something else.  After waiting almost a entire year, and paying for it on installments (because it is that expensive) my Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece 1/6th LOKI finally arrived at my doorstep and man!  Is it something to be seen:

No, I Did Not Happen to Bump Into Tom Hiddleston on the Street While He Happened to be Wearing Full Loki Regalia!  This is s DOLL!!!

If you're not familiar with deluxe figure manufacturers Hot Toys, then you should know that they are arguably the very best at facial reproduction of the a film's original character.  He has wrinkles on his forehead and tiny freckles on his face and neck with what I assume is a brush made with one single hair plucked from the eyelash of an angel.  I have not even begun to take pictures of my 1/6th sized imaginary boyfriend  but would like to do a full length review because this thing is so damn awesome!!!

Hampstead Gardens & Gatwick by Nails Inc.

I'm really getting to like Nail Inc. nail polish quite a bit!  Although I've only got 4 bottles from the line (all of them picked up at a GTA Sephora), I'm quite found of them...even the glitter polish.  I found Hampstead Gardens in a clearout bin for $5 CDN and I completely love it!  Sure, it almost looks like I've smeared mustard all over my fingers but what's not to like about that?  Mustard equals hot dogs and hot dogs equal tasty BBQ!  Definitely what some would consider a fall colour.  This had a good formula and application and there was full coverage in 2 coats.

Although I'm still into matte finishes, I can understand why trend that keeps coming back goes away just as quickly: The Formula!  The vast majority of matte polishes chip away within a few hours of application.  Gatwick (also $5 CDN in the Sephora clearout bin) was no exception here.  It's a beauty rose red but as you can see, I had major issues with its chipping off in no time at all.  Matte polishes dry extremely quickly but they are also much thicker than regular polishes.  Retouches take only a few minutes but the texture will make every flaw on your nail show up, as evidenced by my index finger. 

Warwick Way by Nails Inc.

Warwick Way with Flash

Every once in a while, I'll pick up a polish that just absolutely refuses to be photographed properly.  Warwick Way by Nails Inc. is one of those polishes.  I was genuinely happy to finally see this UK brand finally make it to Canadian store shelves via Sephora and even though their initial offerings are limited, I still picked up 3 of them to give the brand a try.  It's a stunning blue teal creme which IS NOT how it photographed at all.  Sunny days are in short supply in the GTA and usually, I get good results with flash photography but this polish just can't be captured...

Warwick Way in Overcast Light

And it's still not right!  It's just such a deep and rich tone with a great amount of shine.  There's no top coat on my nails and it's so glossy that when you rub your finger across your nail, the polish squeaks!  I used two coats but some may want to go for three as you can still see your nail line through the polish.  It was quick drying and even though the brush wasn't special, it was workable.  Here's to hoping the line expands trough Canada!

Gleek Out & The Buyer’s Remorse

I recently picked up Gleek Out from the Sephora by OPI Glee collection. It’s a super shimmery light lime green that despite the fact it’s pretty, I regret buying it.  There’s nothing wrong with the polish, it’s nice and it applied well.  It’s just so similar to OPI’s Simply Smashing.  They’re not dupes, I just didn’t need two such similar polishes in my stash.  It’s just not original. It’s funny but a lack of originality is part of why I’m not really a fan of this show.  When I watched the pilot, my sister and I took one look at the character Mercedes Jones and we both wondered in which episode would she would belt out And I am Telling You I’m Not Going... 

Answer: Episode 13 

 Really?  A Black girl singing And I am Telling You I’m Not Going?  Man, that’s “original”!  I can’t wait for Tina Cohen Chang’s version of Sukiyaki!

Oh You Did Not Just Say That!

(Waves fingers in the air while snapping) Oh yes I did Girl!  All that aside, both of those ladies are very talented and I don't feel that they deserve that kind of generalization.  

Gleek Out wasn’t the only polish in the collection that looks like another polish from OPI.  I couldn’t help but notice how much Mash Up from the Glee Collection looked like Not Like the Movies from OPI’s Katy Perry Collection. I should have taken a picture of it in the store for a comparison but trust me; they are practically kissing cousins in the colour department.  I don’t know if OPI is spreading themselves too thin with so many collections or am I just disappointed in myself for giving my money to brands I didn’t care for in the first place.

Yodel Me On My Cell by OPI

Part of Opi's Swiss Collection for Fall/Winter 2010, I would describeYodel Me On My Cell as an shimmery auqamarine but it is a lot darker in the flesh than it is in this picture. I love to look at this colour and I find it's kind of between Sephora by OPI's Teal We Meet Again and Zoya's Tallulah. I applied 2 coats and as you can see, there is visible tip wear. VTW is an issue for some people but it isn't an issue for me most of the time.

It applied very smoothly as OPI usually does. I really love blue nail polish but I don't like how it can stain my nails so much that it looks like I have serious heart problems. I used a base coat underneath which I loathe to do since everytime I do, my polish chips instantly. This occassion was no exception and my manicure was ruined within an hour. I don't blame the polish, but I blame the base coat.

Stash it or Pass it: Stash it!