Essie - Playa del Platinum

As I had finished with my American Apparel, I went back to my Essies, and since I had to go to the construction site of my new project yesterday, I thought I'd do something mellow, so I wouldn't shock my new collaborators. That's how I picked this one. This is a cream very light beige, toward sandy white colour.
It's got a great formula just like all the other Essies, this is two coats and one coat of Revlon top coat.
Today I was at home, and did a little modification on my mani, added a top coat of CND's JAde Sparkle.
I also went by Printemps today because I received from the best father in law ever a gift card valid in their stores, and picked up my Christmas present - lot's of goodies - I will show you tomorrow.

Cristina does nails - OPI Ire-swiss-ables miniset

Cristina had some time off work so she did this mega post for me. Enjoy!!
"Irre-swiss-ables is the mini pack Opi released with their 2010 fall colection « Swiss ».

I bought this in November for a full, big time prize (18,90 euros) from Monoprix.

It contains 3 small 3.75ml bottles nail polishes from the Swiss collection (Colour So Hot It Berns, Yodell Me On My Cell and Lucertainly Look Marvellous) and the Opi RapiDry Top Coat.

Now that I’ve tried every colour from the pack I can say that this was a good thing and I don’t regret the acquisition.

Here are the 3 nail polishes:

The first one is Colour So Hot It Berns:

Such beautiful bright orange-based red! It’s really creamy, applies like butter, and the drying time was a very unexpected and great surprise for me! This is a cream, yet it dries suuuper fast. Really! If it wasn’t for protecting the polish, you wouldn’t need instant drying top coat at all.

The formula is wonderful, perfectly opaque in two coats and very shiny. Here I’m wearing 2 coats with no top coat. Already tried it for a pedicure, in 1 coat, and the wear was perfect!

With Flash

Natural sunset light

The next one is Yodell Me On My Cell:

This is a sheer blue with green and turquoise shimmer. Very sheer. I’ve done 1 coat on the pinkie, 2 coats on the ring, 3 coats on the middle and 4 coats on the index. OK coverage with 4 coats. No top coat. Here too I must emphasize on the drying time which is excellent. It is a beautiful colour, and although I love blues, this was my least favourite of the 3. A colleague of mine told me that this polish looks like a car’s body paint!!! LOL I think he’s right. Pretty, still.

Natural sunset light

With Flash

I saved my favourite for last. This is Lucertainly Look Marvellous!

Have I already said that this was my favourite? :D

What a beautiful polish! This is stone gray with silvery, lead-ish fine glitter. Excellent drying time, like its siblings, but this is actually expected from a glittery polish. The formula is kind of sheer, but the coulour builds up ok and you get full opacity with 3 coats.

Here I’ve done 1 coat on the pinkie, 2 coats on the ring, and 3 coats on the middle and index. No top coat.

Wouah, I can’t take my eyes off my hands!

I’m definitely going to buy this in a normal sized bottle.

Artificial light

Natural sunset light

Well, you’ll say I must have forgotten to talk about the last bottle from the pack… Not, actually. I thought about this a lot before writing it down… But I believe people should know. So, here it is:

As much as I love Opi, and as Ruxi said in a previous post, I’m a big fan of their polishes… But the RapiDry Top Coat was a total, I mean… total disappointment for me. I wondered WHY Opi would do this to us? Why would they put this … thing… in the same pack with such wonderful and high-quality nail polishes? I can’t answer this. The Top Coat, indeed, helps dry the polish very well at first, but what they don’t tell you, is that it dries itself too! And this in only a 2 weeks time! No more, no less. After 2 weeks it was impossible to use anymore… My advice would be to try to avoid this product, or at least, try not to buy it in full sized bottles (especially in Europe where it costs about 18 euros = 23.5 USD!).

But still, I think the nail polishes are really worth it and I totally recommend the Irre-swiss-ables and the whole Swiss collection; they’ve done amazing formulas and very beautiful colors."

So there you have it!!
Didn't quite see this coming about their rapid dry.

American Apparel - Destiny and Make up

Destiny is a beautiful dusty cream mauve, just like Coney Island the formula is a bit on the thick side, but I didn't have a problem with applying it, in two coats. Although 1 coat seems to be ok, I always put on two coats, but I've noticed that these polishes are generally opaque enough even with 1 coat.
Dries off in normal time I would say, but I don't use Seche vite, I've still got some of my revlon quick dry and untill I use all of that up I will not start using my seche vite. So maybe with seche vite it is faster. On this one too I had a great quantity of tip wear.

Make up is a cream light brown, cappuccino like color. The formula is just like on the other one, but I actually found this one good enough in one coat.
And had a pleasent surprise with it too, as in no tip wear on the first day like on the others.

Bright lights big color giveaway

Check out Landa's giveaway here

Ends january the 31st.

American Apparel - Coney Island

When shopping on Friday, I went in the American Apparel store for like the ... I've lost count how many times, to drool on their polishes, and decided for once to profit of their offer 3 for 21 € and picked up Coney Island, Dinasty and Make up.
First up is Coney Island - a cream light pink. I loved the formula, a bit thick but I guess that helped, because I didn't get any streaking, it was perfectly opaque in 2 coats, and dried off ok I think. The wear wasn't so satisfying, as I got big time tip wear after half a day.

Cristina does nails - Mavala Bronze green

Here's another guest post from Cristina, she did a swatch of Mavala's Bronze Green - I actually wanted to buy this along with my Revlon, but for some reason didn't, but here is what she had to say about it.

"Mavala Bronze Green is one of my favourite polishes of all I own. It is a beautiful creamy forest-green, slightly dusty, with fine bronze shimmer. I really love this colour. Perfect application, fast drying, opaque in 2 coats, very good wear. Here I am wearing 2 coats of MBG with 1 coat of Seche Vite. Morning sunlight.

The only bad thing about it is that it comes in small 5ml bottles! ;)"

I must say I agree with her, the mavalas are very good polishes, and the colors are just gorgeous. Oh and I must say I love her bunny cup!!!

Revlon - Emerald city

I don't usually buy Revlon, but when I saw this I fell in love. It's part of their winter collection I think, three matte polishes. It's a gorgeous green with some kind of deep glitter, and matte finish. I put on two coats but didn't put any top coat, because it would have made it shinny. The problem with it is that having no top coat, I got tip wear in one day.
But I guess it is still worth it, it's a beautiful color.

Le premier invité - Cristina

Today I have a guest post it's one of my best friends, Cristina - we've been friends from high school and we still keep in touch after 13 years -with whom I share my passion for nail polish. She does not have a blog but has a lot of polishes and wants to share them with you guys.
First up is OPI's Lincoln Park after Dark, because as you will find out soon enough, Cristina has an obsession for OPIs.
I will just tell you what she told me about this polish - " It's a dark violet, looks black in the light, and only appears to be violet on the edges, the formula is great, I've worn it since Thursday night, and even went to volleyball wearing it, and it didn't chip at all". 2 coats and 1 top coat of seche vite.
So thank you Cristina for your contribution!!!
Bonus my new New Look slippers!! love them so cozy and soft, it's like walking on cushions.

Dior - Timeless Gold

This was a Christmas present from my mother on law, which I love for buying it to me.
Because it is the perfect gold polish. It's opaque in one coat but I did two because I find that two make the polish stand out.
I just love love love this polish, it's gorgeous, wonderful and did I mention that I love it?
Here are the photos. I don't know why I felt the need to stamp on it with Zoya Envy, a model from my B65 plate, because it was superbe by itself.