[NOTD] Zoya Gloria

I love that Zoya categorizes their polishes into cool, neutral, and warm families.  I have cool-toned skin, so I look best in cool-toned colors.  By searching for cool-toned reds, I was able to find this polish, Zoya Gloria, a red with golden orange microglitters.  On my monitor, I thought this polish looked warm-toned, but I gave it a chance, and it is indeed a lovely color for me to wear.  And it's perfect for autumn.

Zoya Gloria (indoor lighting)

[NOTD] Zoya Kate

When I went apple picking in September, I wore Zoya Kate, a creamy red polish to coordinate with the red apples I was picking.  Kate is a cool-toned red which leans a bit brown.  I wore two coats of Kate over one coat of Zoya Anchor basecoat, topped with one coat of New York Color Grand Central Station.

Zoya Kate

[NOTD] Oopsie Daisies Mischief Night

My nails are still dressed for Halloween.  I'm wearing the indie polish, Oopsie Daisies Mischief Night, a glitter polish which has purple and orange hexagons with pink and orange dots in a black base.  I'm wearing two coats over Wet n Wild FastDry Ebony Hates Chris.  My basecoat is Zoya Anchor, and my topcoat is New York Color Grand Central Station.  Mischief Night is very chunky, so I later added a second top coat.

Oopsie Daisies Mischief Night over Wet n Wild Ebony Hates Chris

Oopsie Daisies Mischief Night over Wet n Wild Ebony Hates Chris

Black is always a harsh contrast against my pale skin.  I love this polish, but I'm not sure it is the best color for me.

[NOTD] Halloween Manicures

I usually don't dress up in costume for Halloween, but I will take any excuse for a themed manicure.  These are the Halloween manicures I've sported over the past couple weeks.  For all manicures, I used Zoya Anchor for my basecoat and New York Color Grand Central Station for my topcoat.

1.  Milani Purple Passion (2 coats) topped with Hit Polish Witches Brew (1 coat)

Halloween mani #1:  Milani Purple Passion and Hit Polish Witches Brew (modeled with my favorite book, Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury)

2.  Zoya Pia (2 coats) with Color Club Status Update used to stamp a pumpkin design from Bundle Monster BM-222 plate

Halloween mani #2:  Zoya Pia and a stamp from Bundle Monster Plate BM-222 using Color Club Status Update

3.  Orly Steel Your Heart (2 coats) topped with Hit Polish Harley (1 coat)

Halloween mani #3:  Orly Steel Your Heart with Hit Polish Harley

[NOTDs] Purple Nails

I'm still catching up on blog posts.  This post will be a compilation of NOTDs from spring and summer, feauturing all purple nail polishes.  I'll start with my favorite, Zoya Malia, a creamy mid-tone, blue-leaning purple.  Malia is one of my all-time favorite nail polishes.

Zoya Malia (two coats, sunlight)

Zoya Malia (two coats, sunlight)

There are more purple manicures after the jump....

[NOTD] Essie Innocent

I wore this manicure in September.  The nail polish is Essie Innocent, two coats, with base and top coats. Innocent is a light mauve, and I think it's the perfect neutral nail color for autumn.  (I also like Essie Lady Like and Revlon Gray Suede - both shown here - for demure fall manicures.)

Essie Innocent (under sunlight through a window)

[NOTD] Essie Made to Honor

My nails and cuticles were in great condition this summer, so I kept my nails looking neat and trimmed but usually unpolished.  However, here I wore a my-nails-but-better polish, Essie Made to Honor, two coats.

Essie Made to Honor (indirect sunlight)

Essie Made to Honor (indirect sunlight)

[NOTD] Essie My Place or Yours

For this Nail of the Day, I wore Essie My Place or Yours, a salmon pink-orange polish.  In the pictures, the polish looks more orange than it does in person.

Essie My Place or Yours (indirect sunlight)

Essie My Place or Yours (direct sunlight, with shadows)

I wore one coat of the Zoya Anchor basecoat, two coats of My Place or Yours, and one coat of New York Color Grand Central Station topcoat.

[NOTD] Nicole by OPI All Kendall-ed Up

I've been wearing bright nail polishes lately.  Today, I'm wearing Nicole by OPI All Kendall-ed Up, a bright perfect-for-summer pink.  The formula is excellent, and I'm wearing two coats of color.

Nicole by OPI All Kendall-ed Up

Nicole by OPI All Kendall-ed Up

On my toe nails...

[Favorite] Polishes for Summer Pedicures

I spend my summer days in sandals or barefoot (unless I'm hiking in sneakers), so I want to make sure my feet look as cute as possible, so I always wear fresh pedicures.  Since I'm extremely pale, I try to pick nail polish colors that make me look more "tan" (aka less pasty).  My three favorite colors to accomplish this are coral, bright light nudes, and rose gold.  These are my favorite polishes for a summer pedicure.

Essie Mademoiselle | Revlon Tropical Temptation | Essie Buy Me a Cameo

[NOTD] Essie Cloud Nine

I have fallen behind updating my nail of the day photos.  This summer, I've been wearing mostly nude nail polishes.  I think shiny, natural-colored nails look fresh and classy.  This manicure I wore about a month ago.  It is two coats of Essie Cloud Nine, a milky transparent white polish, not at all streaky.

Essie Cloud Nine

In the above picture, I am wearing a coat of Zoya Anchor basecoat, two coats of Cloud Nine, and New York Color Grand Central Station as my topcoat.

[NOTD] China Glaze Kinetic Candy

I painted my nails with China Glaze Kinetic Candy.  It is a light aqua (or turquoise) color, leaning more blue than green.

China Glaze Kinetic Candy

China Glaze Kinetic Candy

I wore one coat of Orly Bonder, two coats of Kinetic Candy, and then one coat of New York Color Grand Central Station.

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[NOTD] Essie Bikini So Teeny

Essie Bikini So Teeny is an electric sky blue nail polish with a hint of shimmer.  It leans towards lavender.  The formula is semi-sheer, so (if I remember correctly) I wore three coats below.  I also wore Zoya Anchor for a basecoat and New York Color Grand Central Station for a topcoat.

Essie Bikini So Teeny

In person, I can detect the shimmers on my nails when they catch the light, but they aren't much visible in the picture.

I love the color and finish of this polish, but it was chipping by the end of the first day.  I do clean and wash dishes, so polish doesn't stay long on my nails, but this only lasting a day seems atypically poor.

[Favorites] Summer 2012 Nail Polishes

This summer, I will likely have my nails painted either nude or turquoise.  Nude and turquoise nails go with almost everything in my summer wardrobe, and they look casual and beachy.  I do like to mix it up occasionally with bright or red nails, but I always wear sheer or cream-finish polishes in the summertime.  These are my top 7 favorite nail polishes for Summer 2012.

My Favorite Nail Polishes for Summer 2012 :: Essie Cloud Nine, Orly Gumdrop, Maybelline Racy Red, Essie Splash of Grenadine, Zoya Maya, Zoya Malia, Nicole by OPI All Kendall-ed Up

Essie Cloud Nine :: This is sheer milky white.  It's not streaky - at all.  It makes my nails look naturally whiter and shinier.  Other good nude polishes for summer include Essie Mademoiselle, China Glaze Inner Beauty, and Wet n Wild Megalast Sugar Coat.

Orly Gumdrop :: Turquoise or aqua nails complement my summer clothes and add a bohemian element to a look.  Orly Gumdrop is a light turquoise than leans more blue than green.  I also like Essie Turquoise and Caicos and China Glaze Kinetic Candy.

Maybelline Express Finish Racy Red :: Red nails make a casual summer outfit look more classy.  This is the ideal shade of red for me.  Essie First Dance is a similar color.

Zoya Malia :: I like bright purples and bright blues, and Malia is somewhere in between.  Wet n Wild Megalast On a Trip is similar but leans more blue.

Zoya Maya :: Coral nails are a summer classic, and coral makes most skin tones look more tan.  Maya is a pink coral with a jelly-like finish.

Essie Splash of Grenadine :: I adore this light plum nail polish.  Bonus: it complements my pale, cool-tone complexion.  Maybelline Love Me Lavender is a dupe for this.

Nicole by OPI All Kendall-ed Up :: I love wearing bright pink in the summer, and I think this may be the perfect fuchsia to complement my skin tone.

Maybelline Racy Red, Essie Cloud Nine, Orly Gumdrop || Essie Splash of Grenadine, Zoya Maya, Zoya Malia, Nicole by OPI All Kendall-ed Up

What are your favorite summer nail polishes?

[NOTD] Orly Gumdrop

I love to wear turquoise and aqua nail polishes in the summer.  I think turquoise complements most of my summer wardrobe.  Below, I'm wearing Orly Gumdrop, a light blue-green polish.  I think it leans more blue than green.  It lasted me four days before wearing or chipping, but on that forth night, it started chipping off in chunks.

Orly Gumdrop (direct sunlight)

Orly Gumdrop (indirect sunlight)

I wore two coats of Gumdrop with the Zoya Anchor basecoat and New York Grand Central Station topcoat.

[NOTD] Zoya Tosca

To commemorate the first day of summer today, I wore a fiery red nail polish, Zoya Tosca.  Tosca is a pink-leaning red with a flash of orange shimmers.

Zoya Tosca

Zoya Tosca

As always, I wore one coat of Orly Bonder then two coats of Tosca, topped with one coat of New York Color Grand Central Station.

[NOTD] Sinful Colors Cinderella

Sinful Colors Cinderella is a sky blue polish with iridescent pink glitter.  The sparkles transform this ho-hum polish into something special.  I bought this for only a dollar, but it is still a deal at its full retail price ($2).  I found this at my local Walgreens.

I apologize for this slightly blurry picture, but it still captures Cinderella's true color and sparkles.

Sinful Colors Cinderella

I wore one coat of Orly Bonder for my basecoat and one coat of New York Color Grand Central Station for my topcoat.

[NOTD] Essie Splash of Grenadine

Essie Splash of Grenadine is one of my favorite nail polishes to wear in the summertime.  It is a bright medium-tone plum pink.  It looks great in two coats, and its consistency is a cross between a cream and a jelly.  It is shown below as two coats over Orly Bonder and topped with New York Color Grand Central Station.

Essie Splash of Grenadine

If you are looking for a similar polish, I posted comparisons to Splash of Grenadine.

[NOTD] Pink Ombre

I was swatching pink polishes to decide which one to wear when I realized that they looked good together.  I created this ombre manicure with (dark to light) Nicole by OPI All Kendall-ed Up, Wet n Wild Megalast Candy-licious, China Glaze Dance Baby, New York Color City Sweets Pink, and Wet n Wild Megalast Sugar Coat.  I used Orly Bonder for a basecoat and New York Color Grand Central Station for a topcoat.

Pink ombre nails with Nicole by OPI All Kendall-ed Up (thumb), Wet n Wild Candy-licious (index), China Glaze Dance Baby (middle), New York Color City Sweets Pink (ring), and Wet n Wild Sugar Coat (pinky)

[NOTD] Memorial Day Weekend

In the United States, Memorial Day Weekend marks the start of summer, and summer indeed has arrived here in Massachusetts.  This weekend, the weather has been sunny, hot, and breezy.

To celebrate, I painted my nails bright summery colors.

Summer nail polish: Zoya Maya and Nicole by OPI All Kendall-ed Up

I painted my finger nails with a bright coral, Zoya Maya.  Maya is a sheer polish that can become opaque in three or four coats.  I sometimes like seeing my nail line under polish, so today I wore only two coats.  As you can see in my pictures, my nail line is barely visible even with two coats.

Zoya Maya

Zoya Maya

On my toe nails...

[Comparison] Essie Splash of Grenadine Dupes

Essie Splash of Grenadine is one of my favorite nail polishes.  I love the bright plum pink color.  Maybe that's why I accidentally bought two very similar polishes: Maybelline Love Me Lavender and Color Club Sweetpea.

Maybelline Love Me Lavender | Essie Splash of Grenadine | Color Club Sweetpea

Love Me Lavender (not a lavender shade) and Splash of Grenadine are nearly identical.  In some lighting, Splash of Grenadine looks a smidgen more purple.  Sweetpea is more gray and a shade darker than the other two.

Essie Splash of Grenadine (pinky & middle fingers)  with Color Club Sweetpea (ring finger) and Maybelline Love Me Lavender (index finger)

All polishes have thin consistencies and look opaque in two coats, but Color Club Sweetpea does not level out on the nail.  Splash of Grenadine wears the longest - almost a full week!  Love Me Lavender lasts a few days while Sweetpea chips within a couple days.

None of these nail polishes are available in permanent lines.  Splash of Grenadine was originally in a Summer 2010 collection.  I'm not sure if it has been moved to Essie's permanent line or not, but it can still be found online.  Sweetpea and Love Me Lavender are in Spring 2012 collections.  Essie retails for $8, Color Club retails for $8, and Maybelline retails for around $5.50.  I bought Splash of Grenadine and Sweetpea from Transdesign.com at discounted prices, and I bought Love Me Lavender at CVS.

Since Love Me Lavender and Splash of Grenadine are very nearly dupes, I recommend buying only one.  (I do not recommend Sweetpea at all.)  While Love Me Lavender costs less, it does not wear as long as Splash of Grenadine.

[NOTD] Rainy Day Ombre

To celebrate the spring rain showers of the past few days, I wore this gray-purple ombre manicure.  I used these polishes (dark to light): Sally Hansen Complete Manicure Commander in Chic, Wet n Wild Megalast Bite the Bullet, Orly You're Blushing, Zoya Megan, and Essie Master Plans.

Rainy day ombre nails

Gray-purple ombre nails

Grayed purples ombre manicure

Sally Hansen Commander in Chic | Wet n Wild Bite the Bullet | Orly You're Blushing | Zoya Megan | Essie Master Plans

Does you enjoy spring showers?

[Comparison] Color Club Lavendarling v. Zoya Malia

Although I had previously never tried a Color Club nail polish, the Spring 2012 colors from Color Club caught my attention, and I purchased a few polishes from the Blossoming Collection.  When my order arrived, I realized that Color Club Lavendarling looked awfully similar to another polish, Zoya Malia.

Color Club Lavendarling versus Zoya Malia

Zoya Malia is one of my favorite nail polishes.  It is a creamy medium grape purple.  Its formula is perfect - self-evening, not streaky, and looks fabulous in one to two coats.  However, Malia costs $8, and I purchased Lavendarling for only $3, so I would be happy to find a more affordable dupe.

In the picture below, I am wearing two coats of Zoya Malia on my middle and pinky fingers and two coats of Lavendarling on my pointer and ring fingers.

Zoya Malia (middle, pinky) | Color Club Lavendarling (pointer, ring)

While the colors of the two polishes are indeed identical, the Zoya formula far outshines the problematic Color Club polish.  As you can see, Lavendarling was thick, streaky, and did not even out on my nails.

I'll stick to Zoya Malia.

[NOTD] Rainy Day Nails

I'm sporting two gray-purple polishes: Essie Master Plan and Sally Hansen Commander in Chic.  I'm wearing two coats of each with Orly Bonder for my basecoat and New York Color Grand Central Station for my topcoat.

[Rainy Day Nails] Essie Master Plan with Sally Hansen Commander in Chic

[Gray-purple Nails]  Essie Master Plan with Sally Hansen Commander in Chic

These colors remind me of storm clouds.

[NOTD] Color Block Aqua & Purple

This weekend, I had cheery spring color blocked nails.  I wish my pictures showed how cheery they were in person, but I took them at night.  I wore Color Club Lavendarling (3 coats) on three fingers and Orly Gumdrop (2 coats) on two fingers of each hand.  As always, I used Orly Bonder for my basecoat and New York Color Grand Central Station for my topcoat.

[Color block nails] Color Club Lavendarling and Orly Gumdrop

[Color blocking aqua & purple] Color Club Lavendarling with Orly Gumdrop

[Comparison] Maybelline Tangerine Tango and New York Color Peaches 'N Cream

I bought Maybelline Tangerine Tango nail polish because it is a vibrant spring orange, somewhere between a tangerine and a coral.  Unfortunately, its formula is terrible.  It is streaky and a little chalky, and its texture does not even out on my nails.  I then bought New York Color in Peaches 'N Cream, which has a far superior formula.  Peaches 'N Cream is creamy, not at all streaky, and it looks great in 1 to 2 coats.

New York Color Peaches 'N Cream | Maybelline Tangerine Tango

In the pictures, I wore two coats of Tangerine Tango on my middle and pinky fingers, and I wore two coats of Peaches 'N Cream on my pointer and ring fingers.  I wore Orly Bonder for a basecoat and no topcoat.  The two colors are identical (dupes), but as you can see, Tangerine Tango has streakiness.

New York Color Peaches 'N Cream (pointer, ring) | Maybelline Tangerine Tango (middle, pinky)

New York Color Peaches 'N Cream (pointer, ring) | Maybelline Tangerine Tango (middle, pinky)

Tangerine Tango is in Maybelline's Spring 2012 Fashion Week collection.  Peaches 'N Cream is in New York Color's Spring 2012 Sweets collection.  Both are limited edition.  Both can be found at various drugstores.  Locally, Tangerine Tango costs $5.50 (at CVS), and New York Color costs $1.99 (at RiteAid).

[NOTD] Revlon Whimsical

I adore Revlon Whimsical, a polish with various sizes/shapes of blue and pink glitters in a blue base.  It indeed looks whimsical, but I call this color "Unicorn Farts."  The base is semi-transparent and leans towards seafoam green, so I wore two coats of Whimsical over one coat of China Glaze Sea Spray to make it pull more blue.  I used Orly Bonder for my basecoat and New York Color Grand Central Station for my topcoat.

Revlon Whimsical (over China Glaze Sea Spray)

Revlon Whimsical (over China Glaze Sea Spray)