Essie: Footloose

I don't know why this was in my untrieds. Footloose is a berry colored creme from the Fall 2005 collection (the one with the feet theme). Two coats, no topcoat:






The color is a bit deeper in real life. There isn't much to say about this polish other than that the formula was perfect. If your application skills are on point, it's definitely a one coater. It went on like butter and it needs no topcoat at all, as you can see.

I don't have many Essies in my stash and I really need to rectify that. I've never had any issues with the brand and I think they make some really lovely shades. Footloose is the perfect spring/summer color.

How do you feel about Essie?

Happy painting!

Essie: After Sex

What a great name for a nail polish lol. As I've said before, I generally don't do reds, but there are some exceptions and this is one of them. After sex is a glowy, shimmery red with pink undertones to it. This is two coats, no topcoat (please excuse the residual glitter from my last mani):








The application on this polish was very good. It went on smooth and was opaque in two coats.

Do you have a favorite red?

Happy painting!

Essie Jumpin' Junkanoo

Jumpin' Junkanoo is one of my favorite pinks. It was released with the 2007 Essie Bahamas collection. The base is a cool medium pink with really pretty subtle pink shimmer. Something about this shade seems so fresh and tropical. I wasn't all that impressed with the rest of the collection, but they got it right with this one. This is three coats, no topcoat.

Sunlight:





Shade:


The formula is odd, in that it's not a jelly, but it has jelly tendencies. In other words, it's a little on the sheer side and needs three coats to get to opacity. The finish is also jelly-like, which may be why it looks so fresh. It's really beautiful and my pics don't do it justice.

I've been to the Bahamas twice and I love the fact that many of the buildings there are pink, including the Parliament Building below:


Here I am in front of one of the hotels:


It's such a beautiful set of islands with a rich history and some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I can't wait to go back one day.

Happy painting!

*Parliament picture taken from Wikipedia

Brown-y Sunday

I just felt like some brown picspam today!

Essie Decadent Diva

This one was from the 2007 Glamour Girl Collection. It's a deep brown with bronze shimmer. It's pretty straightforward and not terribly unique. Three coats, no topcoat.








Color Club Black-ish

Blacki-ish is from the Haute Browns Collection. I'm not sure why this is called Black-ish, since it's reddish-brown with gold shimmer. It's very pretty in the bottle, but less so on the nail. Two coats, no topcoat.



Now, we get to my favorites.

China Glaze Side Saddle.

This one was part of the excellent Rodeo Diva Collection. It's coffee brown with very pronounced gold shimmer. It's so gorgeous. Two coats, no topcoat (I probably should have done three coats...please excuse the sparse area on my pinky).




The last one is my all-time favorite from the brown family.

China Glaze Ingrid

This one is what You Don't Know Jacques would be if it were a tad lighter and had gorgeous gold microglitter. It was released as part of the 2010 Vintage Vixen Collection. It's stunning. Three coats, no topcoat.






Formula-wise, the Essie was the easiest to work with and the three coats dried within a few minutes. The China Glazes were next, with Color Club bringing up the rear.

Happy Painting!

Old NsOTD

I have tons of old NOTD pics, but some of them look like crap. I've since gotten a little better at taking pictures so the bulk of my postings will be new swatches. I did find some old ones that don't look too bad, and I'll share those now.

OPI Dating a Royal

This is royal blue creme goodness. Two coats, Seche Vite on top.




China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise

This has a turquoise base with turquoise shimmer. Two coats, Seche Vite on top.




Essie Charmeuse

Baby pink base with very subtle pink shimmer. This one was a little streaky, but it evened out by the third coat. This is three coats, Seche Vite on top.


See the pretty shimmer?




NYC Molten Metal

This was one of the those polishes that had a ton of buzz surrounding it's release. I think I scoured every CVS and Walgreens within a 10 mile radius to find it.

It's hard to describe, but it appears to have a greyish/tan base with lots of silver glitter. It really does look like molten metal. This is three coats, Seche Vite on top.





Wet N' Wild Quartz of Course

This has a fuchsia base with gold shimmer. Very pretty and the formula was great. Not too shabby for a cheapie brand! Two coats, Seche Vite on top.


With flash:



OPI Designer Series Glamour

Blue base with lots and lots of rainbow holo glitter. It's beautiful. My pics don't do it justice. Two coats, Seche Vite on top.





Happy Painting!