NOTD: Orly Mirror Mirror + Grey Nail Polish Comparisons!

Two (2) Coats of Orly Mirror Mirror, One (1) Coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat

Orly Mirror Mirror is one of my favorite nail polishes. Grey may not be everyone's choice of color to wear on their nails, but considering 75% of my wardrobe is gray, it suits me quite well. Even though it may seem like a winter shade, I remember wearing it all through this past summer. Mirror Mirror is a creme formula grey polish with a pale blue undertone. On the nails, it looks like a true to life grey, and then in certain lighting it looks like a neutral, pale blue. 

The formula of Mirror Mirror is pretty nice. It's a little thick, but it dries fairly quick and it is extremely opaque. Two coats is more than enough. 

Here's a comparison to other grey nail polishes I own..

From Left to Right: Orly Mirror Mirror, Essie Chinchilly, Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Steel Grey, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Grey Area, Love & Beauty Gray, Moodies Persian Blue & Sinful Colors Blah-Blah.

Orly Mirror Mirror - Pale grey with a pale blue undertone

Essie Chinchilly - Pale grey with a slight purple undertone

Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Steel Grey - Pale grey with a purple/mauve undertone

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Grey Area - Deep, blackend grey with a deep blue/navy undertone

Love & Beauty Gray - Deep toned gunmetal grey with a golden green pearl

Moodies Persian Blue - Mid toned grey with a blue/green undertone

Sinful Colors Blah-Blah - Pale grey with a slight purple undertone (very similar to Essie Chinchilly)

What is your favorite grey polish?

HOT Nail Colors for the Summer! (Forever 21 Love & Beauty Hot Pink & Orange)

Forever 21 Love & Beauty Nail Polish in the shades Hot Pink and Orange

Left: Hot Pink, Right: Orange.

I picked up these polishes the other day at Forever 21, thinking they would be perfect for the summer. I didn't realize they were both neon until I got home and swatched them, but I'm not at all disappointed with either one. I think everyone needs a couple of neon shades in their nail polish collection, and I was due for a new bottle of hot pink. I really love Orange, and I think it's a really awesome coral/orange shade that is perfect for the current "orange" nail and lips trend.

Love & Beauty Hot Pink and Orange Nail Polishes (2 coats of each, no top coat)

Love & Beauty Hot Pink and Orange Nail Polishes (2 coats of each, no top coat)

As for the formula of these, they are pretty much like any other neon polish. The consistency isn't too thick or thin and it's easy to work with. Application wasn't streaky what-so-ever, and the result is very smooth nails. On my hand swatches, I used two coats and the color was completely opaque. The finish is slightly matte, like most neon polishes, so a top coat is recommended!

I gave myself a pedicure last night and used Orange, and I'm loving it! For some reason, I can't get my nail polish to last long on my toes. Especially my big toes. I think its because I have long toes and my big toe gets crushed in my shoes, damaging my nail. So I tried to make it "fool proof" and applied two coats of Seche Base Coat, 1 coat of Orange polish, 1 coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat, 1 coat of Orange polish & 1 more coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat. Hopefully the long process with pay off!

Love & Beauty Nail Polishes can be found at Forever 21 for $2.80 a bottle. (click here to view all shades)

What do you think about neon polishes? Like/love?

NOTD: Wet N Wild Fast Dry Nail Polish in Grey's Anatomy.

Three (3) coats of Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy, No Top coat

Gray’s Anatomy #237C, is a silvery gray with light purple and green pearly undertones. Depending on the lighting and angle, Grey's anatomy can appear as a silvery light purple or a silvery green. I notice in lower light, the purple is very prominent and when I bring my fingers in the sunlight, the green shows much more. It's slightly holographic, and reminiscent of the colors you may find inside a seashell. 

As for the polish itself, because it's a pearl, you have to be careful when applying it, because it shows all of your brush strokes once the polish is dry. A base coat may be a good idea for a smooth application. The polish is incredibly sheer, and to build the color to it's full opacity, you'd need three coats minimum. This polish claims to be dry in 60 seconds, but I think it takes a bit longer than that. After a couple of minutes, I tested it out and touched my nail and was able to make a fingerprint. So, I wouldn't compare this at all to OPI. I applied three coats, and although the color wasn't completely opaque, it was alright. I don't think I waited long enough between coats, otherwise the outcome may of been better. The finish is quite dull, so a top coat is very necessary.

I personally, didn't care for the color at all. I'm usually only go for creme formula polishes, and skip out on any frost or pearl finish polishes. But, I thought I'd try something new, that looked a bit interesting. In the end, I should of stuck with my instincts. I ended up removing this polish from my nails after I took the photo. It just reminded me of something I would of worn with a mood ring when I was in 5th grade. haha! Don't let my opinion effect yours though, this shade is actually very popular and many love it! It's actually a cheaper dupe for OPI "Not like the Movies" nail polish from the Katy Perry collection. 

(Sorry my blog has been turning into a nail blog lately, lol)

What do you think of this color???

NOTD: Revlon Scented Nail Enamel in #325 Gum Drop!

Three (3) Coats of Revlon Gum Drop (no top coat)

I have never really been one to buy in to scented nail polishes. I guess it's kind of a fun concept, but every scented nail polish I have ever owned had the same exact scent. That sort of - fruity, candy smell which gets a little annoying after 5 minutes.

(random story) I remember purchasing Bonne Belle nail polishes when I was in Elementary school. I actually remember when I was 5th grade I was painting my nails with a gold glitter Bonne Belle scented nail polish (that smelled like Pinneapple) during Art class while our teacher was giving us instructions. Everyone was surrounding the teacher at a table, while I was all the way in the back knealed down with my little nail polish. I suppose because it was scented, the smell drifted through the air and the teacher got up right away & questioned what the smell was. Well, he caught me red handed and I was punished by sitting in the hallway for the rest of the period. I remember him being completely mind boggled and telling me "In all of my years of teaching... no one has ever painted their nails during my class". Haha! That's my little fun memory I think of when I see scented nail polish.

Anyway, while I was at CVS - I spotted a sale sign for all of Revlon's Nail Polishes. The price is $3.99 for a bottle, and you get $3 extra bucks at checkout. Meaning, at checkout you pay $3.99 but a $3 off coupon will print on your receipt that you can use on your next purchase on anything in the store. So in the end, it's like paying 99 cents for the bottle of nail polish. Sweet deal. 

I decided on Gum Drop, which is a pastel purple perfect for the Spring. I've never really been "keen" on purple nail polishes, but there's something about these light, pastel lilac colors that I love. The formula is fine. It's very sheer, so It was necessary for me to apply 3 coats. I never apply 3 coats of nail polish, but I had to with this one. It didn't take forever for my nails to dry, which I was worried about and by the 3rd coat, I had no streaks & no nicks.

I really like this polish & will be using it again soon!

NOTD: Love & Beauty (Forever 21) Nail Polish in Coral!

Two (2) Coats of Love & Beauty Coral Nail Polish (No Top Coat)

Coral is a beautiful, vibrant coral-red. When I first purchased this polish, I thought it was going to be "salsa" red - basically an orange/yellow red, but this coral is absent of any yellow tones. It's almost like a vibrant, salmon-coral. I think it's a pretty close dupe to the Essie Escapades Nail Polish from Essie's Summer of '08 Collection. As for the nail polish itself, it is quite sheer with one coat and is very opaque with two. Some may prefer three coats - as when I look at my nail in the light, I can see my nail line. The formula is creamy and dries quickly. I was able to apply a second coat within a minute or two. The finish is actually very shiny, but a top coat is necessary so you won't "nick" your nails.

This Nail Polish can be found at Forever 21 stores.

NOTD: OPI Miami Beet!

 I had planned to do my nails today with Wet n Wild's "Grey Anatomy" Nail Polish that I purchased last month, but I couldn't find the bottle for the life of me. So, I just grabbed any polish from my drawer and quickly polished my nails before leaving out with my mom for the day!

Miami Beet is a cream formula polish that is a deep red purple, the true color of ripened beets. In artificial lighting (indoors) it appears to be a deep red, but in the sunlight or florescent lighting it's a deep fuchsia. Miami Beet is an older polish from OPI's South Beach Collection from the Spring/Summer of 2009.. I got a hold of this polish last summer in a swap, and this is probably only my second time wearing it. 

Two (2) coats of OPI Miami Beet & One (1) coat of Rimmel Lasting Finish Top Coat.

Lighting: Sunlight; in the shade. No flash. (The red tone is very visible)

Lighting: In Bright Sunlight. No flash. (You can see the purple tone well here)

Whats on your nails?

NOTD: Nude Nails with Love & Beauty (Forever 21) Nail Polish in Nude!

Two (2) coats of Love & Beauty "Nude" Nail Polish & one (1) coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat. My middle fingernail is looking a little odd because the corner of it chipped pretty bad. I had to file all of my nails down so they somewhat matched in length.

I really like wearing nude colors on my nails, but I rarely ever wear them. Mainly because I don't really like the way it looks with my self tanner. But, since I've been going real light on the self tanner lately, I thought this would be a pretty neutral shade.

It's a warm pinky nude that I think is very flattering on my skin tone. Neutral colors on your nails are supposed to elongate your fingers and I actually do think this polish blends in with my hands at a glance and makes my fingers appear longer. The color is soft and milky, but it's not too light or pastel. I'm very happy to say that the formula is opaque and you only need two coats. Many nude polishes are too sheer, which require additional coats. And additional coats for me typically mean that all of my nails are going to smudge (I never wait long enough in between coats).

Anyway, great shade and I'm sure I'll be using this again and again.

My last NOTD (love & beauty forest green) actually lasted pretty long. It lasted a full week with one minor chip. Very nice for a Forever 21 polish!

NOTD: Forever 21's Love & Beauty Nail Polish in Hunter Green!

Lighting: Indoors. Daylight, No flash.

Hey Everyone!

Thought I'd share with you my freshly painted nails. I purchased this nail polish from Forever 21 while I was Christmas Shopping and thought it was a perfect Holiday shade. Hunter Green is a sheer black polish filled with green reflects. At a glance in low lighting, it looks black. But in daylight, or an area with bright lighting the polish looks like a deep, forest green pearl. With one coat, it is quite sheer and the black base is very visible. By the 2nd coat, the color is very opaque and you mostly only see the green reflects.

The polish really reminds me of NARS Night Porter eyeshadow in liquid form (which is a black eyeshadow filled with green reflects) haha!

I applied one (1) coat of Seche Vite Base Coat, two (2) coats of Love & Beauty Hunter Green Nail Polish and one (1) coat of Sally Hansen Insta Dri Top Coat.

Lighting: Indoors, Flash.

As for an update on my previous NOTD (Revlon Cupid).. it wore very well. I wore it for 6 days and I didn't have any significant chips. It just started to chip off very little near the base of my nail by the last couple of days. I could of wore it for a couple more nails but I was anxious to wear a different color. Pretty good, considering I didn't use a top coat.

NOTD: Revlon Top Speed Fast Dry Nail Enamel in #120 Cupid! My New Fav!!!

 You might be familiar with the all new Revlon "Top Speed" Nail Polishes that launched in 2011. These polishes are said to have a built-in top coat that will deliver "salon quality" nails with a smooth finish - that sets in only 60 seconds. There are 32 colors to choose from. There are lots of trendy colors that it was a little difficult to choose one, but I ended up choosing to purchase #120 Cupid. It seemed like a pretty purple toned pink - that's somewhat pastel.. but not TOO pastel for my skin tone.

I was surprised to see that the polish appears more purple toned than pink. It's like a pinked lilac. Also, the color is very vibrant.. so it will be a perfect spring and summer shade! I think it's a shade that flatters all skin tones and would look great on the toes and when you're sporting a tan. It's definitely one of those shades that makes your hands appear more tan and less dull. I absolutely love this color and I'm pretty sure I'll be wearing this all through the year! Also, the formula is excellent. It's very creamy and applies pretty opaque with one coat.. but 100% opaque with two coats. It does indeed dry in 60 seconds, as I applied my 2nd coat exactly a minute later and they were dry to the touch. And what I love most of all is that it has a high gloss finish. 

I'm just hoping this isn't one of those shiny polishes that will peel off in once piece after a couple of days! I'll update this post to let you know how it wears later in the week!

This is with 2 coats. (No base or top coat)

NOTD: Essie Sew Psyched Nail Polish!

Essie Sew Psyched Nail Polish

Essie Sew Psyched is a creamy, neutral gray-green (army green) with a soft, luminous sheen. 

Like many reviewers have mentioned, it's the perfect military/khaki green that goes with a lot of the military themed fashion this past fall. I own a few green polishes and don't wear them very often, but this is such a pretty shade that I think will flatter a lot of clothing pieces in my wardrobe. I wear a lot of tan and gray and I think this will go great! 

The formula is very creamy and opaque. With one coat, the color is opaque, but two coats is recommended for better wear.

One coat of Essie Sew Psyched (no top coat)

NOTD: Essence Colour & Go in 08 Ultimate Pink!

Essence Colour & Go Nail Polish - Ultimate Pink

I got this nail polish yesterday at ULTA.. Essence has some really cute colors and they're only 99 cents each! I was temped to buy a taupe and a grey.. but I figured I own enough of those. I'm not sure how well these polishes wear.. I only have one other Essence polish that I puchased last summer. I think they're pretty average.. but I'll update this post and let you know when my nails start chipping.

The formula is very nice.. it's not too thick or thin. The color is opaque and the color dries pretty quickly. It says "1 second per nail".. which it's not exactly 1 second.. but it's around the same as an OPI polish. I applied a second coat within a minute and my nails didn't cake up or get nicked. I also really like the brush. It's not too long and it's pretty thick (not as thick as Rimmel Lasting Finish though) so it makes applying the nail polish very quick.

This is two coats, no top coat.

NOTD: Sally Hansen Grey Area + Glitter Tips with LASplash Glitter!

Here is what two coats of Grey Area looks like on my nails. It isn't the most flattering picture of the nail polish.. I had done the two coats before I went to bed and I woke up with very dull, nicked up nails.

The color is a very deep gray, that almost looks like a navy blue (as opposed to Rimmel Steel Grey that almost looks purple). The formula of Grey Area is a little on the thick side. Once the color hit my nails, I had to coat my nail quickly because it seemed to already start to dry. With two coats, the color is completely opaque. Like I said, I had done my nails at night.. even though I let my nails thouroughtly dry.. because of the thick formula, my nails ended up nicked in the morning (This can obviously be avoided by using a top coat).

I decided to put my LASplash glitter to some use from my latest drugstore haul.. So I applied a third coat of nail polish and quickly dipped my nail in the glitter. I blew off the excess glitter and let them dry completely and applied a top coat.

I really liked the color combination of the glitter and nail polish. I'll definitely be doing this mani again in the future!

Have you tried doing glitter tips? What technique did you use?

NOTD: Rimmel Lasting Finish Steel Grey! + Photos!

This was a very popular color last year, but I never purchased it because I was loving my Orly Mirror Mirror and Essie Chinchilly. Since I absolutely love Rimmel Lasting Finish polishes, I decided to give Steel Grey a try. I wear grey very often.. almost every day, so I love wearing grey nail polish! Steel Grey applies very nicely - not too thick or thin, and it dries fairly quick between coats. The color is a dove grey - it almost looks like a neutral, dusty purple.

I applied 3 thin coats (although 2 was fine) and 1 coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat. I never apply 3, so I hope it's not going to be too thick on my nails and peel off. 

Have you tried this polish or anything similar??

NOTD: OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous Nail Polish & Revlon Belle Nail Polish!

OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous & Revlon Belle Nail Polish

I'm still in the holiday mood, so when I saw this glittery topcoat at Walgreens last night, I decided to purchase it and pair it with a charcoal nail polish.

I've managed to break three nails in the past three days so I cut down all of my nails pretty short. (Btw, none of my nail polish had chipped from my previous NOTD.. but since I cut them down I thought I'd do  polish change) It doesn't bother me much.. I actually like having shorter nails because its easier to apply concealer :)

I used 2 coats of OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous & 1 coat of Revlon Belle. Then, for my top coat (even though Revlon Belle is a top coat) I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri.

They didn't turn out as well as I would of liked them to. I applied too thick of layers of Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous and it took forever to dry. Usually OPI takes a minute between layers and I waited 10 minutes between layers and I managed to smudge a few afterwards. So my advice is to apply a thin layer. I also wish my nails looks more glossy.. they look kind of dull to me. I didn't show my thumb because Rocky was being mischievous and when I grabbed him.. I ultra smudged my thumb. I'll probably redo it later on..

In other news, I'm working on a few posts.. one of which is the hair post I promised. But I'm sure it will take me a while to put together.. So I thought I'd post a NOTD in the mean time :)

NOTD: Forever 21 Love & Beauty Grey Nail Polish!

Two (2) coats of polish and one (1) coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat.

I purchased this polish last week and I used it for the first time today. I love this polish! I think it may be a new favorite of mine. It's a very deep gray with a golden/green pearl.. which gives the effect of a very deep olive/gray.

What's on your nails?

NOTD: Revlon Gold Coin Nail Polish!

I picked up this polish the other day on my trip to ULTA.. It's "Revlon's Gold Coin" Nail Enamel from the Heavenly Metal Collection. The collection had three shades in total.. a golden shade, silver and copper shade. Since I've been on the lookout for a pretty gold, I decided to give it a try.

I applied (2) coats and (1) top coat (Sally Hansen Insta Dry). The formula is opaque, not too thick - and not watery at all. The color is a a metallic silvery gold. In the light, it appears more silver. I love the color and how well it stands out. Metallics tend to apply streaky, but I didn't have any streaks. Only on a couple of my nails my ridges are slightly highlighted. Also, when I usually apply my top coat.. my nails look very lustrous and have that clear shiny top coat look to them.. for some reason it doesn't even look like I'm wearing a top coat. I may try applying another.

Pros: Great formula, Pretty shade - very bright & lustrous, Wears well (no chips or dents yet), Affordable ($3-4)

Cons: Doesn't dry as fast as I'd like (it's definitely no OPI), Is not very forgiving if you smudge your nail and paint over it, Isn't very shiny with the top coat.

Overall, I like this polish a lot and I'll update this post to let you know how long it lasts before it chips. :)

I took a picture of my ring too.. lol I got it a few days ago from New York & Co. and I've been wearing it every day. So pretty!

Whats on your nails this holiday season??

NOTD: Love & Beauty Camel!

I finally had a chance to use the nail polish I posted about a month ago that I purchased from Forever 21. (View post here). The shade is "Camel" and can be purchased for $2.80. The colour is a light, creamy tan (no pearl or iridescence). It looks very natural and is a perfect shade for the winter! I wear tan very often.. so depending on how well this nail polish wears throughout the week.. I'm hoping to wear this shade a lot more throughout the season.

Have you tried this shade or any similar shades? Share your favorite taupe/brown nail polish in my comments! :)

On a side note.. it was 7 degrees outside today!! *tear* Every year I get more and more aggravated with the winter.. (Well, it's not so bad yet.. )

Here I am this morning.. lol fumbling to put my gloves on or something.. My hands were frozen within 5 minutes.. and ouch that hurts!

Hope you all have a great day today! Be sure to bundle up if it's cold outside.. I sure am.