new nail polish: wet 'n wild megalast in "red tape"

i'm not sure i'm a red nail polish type girl. i've never really worn it before. red nail polish always says high-maintenance and trashy to me, but i thought it would be nice to branch out of my usual blue/green/purples* and experiment with something new. i loathe the idea of getting stuck in a rut.

i took these pics yesterday, six days into my manicure. is that incredible or is that incredible?? as you can see, i finally had some chippage on my index finger, but that didn't happen until yesterday! wow. these wet 'n wild megalast polishes are seriously well-formulated. love them. here's proof:

from L to R: "red tape", "haze of love", "bite the bullet", "private viewing"

i now own 4 of them. they last longer (and are easier to apply) than any other polish i've ever tried.... BUT i don't make it a habit to try higher-priced nail polish (OPI, essie, orly, etc.). within a couple days of painting my nails, i usually get bored and am ready to switch colors anyway. 

*about the blue/green/purple thing.... apparently those are "my" colors, because that's all i ever wear- shirts, nail polish, colored eyeshadow, jewelry.... i've yet to find a shade of blue or purple that i don't like with my coloring. now green, on the other hand, is quite a bit trickier....

new nail polish: wet 'n wild megalast in "bite the bullet"

a polish that's not really new to me, but it's new to you-

with flash: looks a lot like the color in the bottle, doesn't it? until you see it....

 

 without the flash! now it looks more greige/mushroom-y

shown: katie showing off her mani and her new HUGE green ring.... love!

in real life, the shade is somewhere in between. it's definitely more of a dull purple than a greige color. i used 2 coats, no top coat, just fyi, if you're into that sort of thing....

 

new nail polish: wet 'n wild megalast in "private viewing"

have you tried the new wet 'n wild polishes yet? and by new i mean a few months ago.... well you should, because they're amazing! they're $2, available everywhere, last forever, and are all super sophisticated colors. here's the first one i tried-

2 coats, no top coat

,i really like this shade. it's kind of so ugly that it's awesome. lucky magazine featured a shade like this a few months ago, and i much prefer it to the dark taupe shades that are soooo popular these days. kind of reminds me of chanel inattendu:

photo: makeup and beauty blog

or this awesome rimmel one (in milk chocolate) that is now defunct:

photo: mocha mishmash

wet 'n wild's "megalast" formula is amazing, by the way. i've bought another one, and still want more!

 

so what do you think about this color? kind of reminds me of chai tea... mmmmmm, chai tea. i should go make myself some. isn't rainy weather perfect for a hot cup of chai tea? and jazz.... and jelly shoes!

sally hansen hard as nails in "sheer vanilla"

you know how in magazines editors are always talking about their favorite sheer pale pink color for their skin tone? well i think this is mine.... except it's not pink. huh?

i don't really like the look of pink polish on me, but this milky shade is perfect. it only takes one quick coat to make you look polished (ha) and professional. i usually don't need to look polished and professional, but sometimes i do! plus it's super long-lasting, only $2, and available almost everywhere. 

 

did you also know that it's a great base coat? oh, and sometimes i paint a coat of this over a different color to make it more pastel. more about that later :P. don't worry, i won't leave you hanging.

 

anyone else have a boring, sheer, neutral favorite?

revlon nail enamel in "minted"

alright, so i caved. i finally bought this mint polish after walgreens-stalking it all over town. i know i say this about every new nail polish i buy, but this one is my *favorite*! 


(until the next one, of course.)

doesn't it go perfectly with my bangle??

ok, so the formula's not so great. but that's what base and top coats were invented for, folks! i've gotten four days of wear from this manicure already, with only one tiny chip. and it's not because revlon nail polish is amazing, it's because my sally hansen top coat is.

these nail polishes make my mouth water....

holy moly. i think i NEED all of these!

american apparel nail laquer in "office", $6

essie resort collection summer 2010 collection in "playa del platinum", $8

photo: makeup and beauty blog

and my favorite:

china glaze vintage vixen fall 2010 collection in "ingrid", $6

photo: makeup and beauty blog

i've never tried any of these formulas, but the shades are great. i know they're everywhere now, because they're so of-the-moment, but i still love them! especially that china glaze shade. soooo pretty! it's different from the rest of the "greige" shades these days, because of that awesome shimmer.

yes, i know it's too early to be pining for fall makeup colors.

new nail polish: wet 'n wild in "blazed"

why am i so attracted to this shade of nail polish? on all accounts it just doesn't make sense.... it's um, orange. i usually hate orange. but something about this punchy, coral-y shade was calling to me. see for yourself. can you take your eyes away from it??

fyi, this isn't a very long-lasting formula. but hey, it's $2. and i still love the neon color.

new nail polish: revlon's "lilac pastelle"

oh, my my. i really don't mean to keep buying new nail polishes. but can i help it that i love pastels, and it's spring so there are tons of new pastels on the market?? of course i can't. that's what i'm telling myself, anyway.

i've been looking for a lilac cream for FOREVER. who would've thought that i'd love cream formulas so much? i used to be all about the metallics (you know, when i was 12....). i paid between $4 and $4.50 for this at walgreens.... i don't usually spend that much on a silly nail polish, but what can i say? i loved it and walgreens was the only place that had it. end of story.

they also had a gorgeous mint green shade in this spring collection that's totally my cup of tea.... you're next, mint green.

another new favorite nail polish: "mint apple"

my husband saw my nail polish stash the other day and proceeded to ask, "um, why do you have 5 of the exact same color?" to which i replied, "shows what you know! they're so different!" no, but seriously, i need to lay off of the teal polish.

here's my favorite, though, that i just bought a week ago:

isn't it beautiful?? it's like the perfect cross between teal and pastel green. it's sinful colors in "mint apple". and if you look carefully, it has a little bit of shimmer in it, but now enough to get my hands confused with my 7-year-old piano students' hands. plus, i think the shimmer makes it last a little longer. i painted them sunday, and they're still going strong today (thursday)!

uhhh, have i mentioned it's $2 at walgreens?? definitely looks like a lot of those pricier pale greens that are so "trendy" right now. (bahh, i hate the word trendy. i have a family member, who will remain nameless, who I SWEAR says "trendy" in a conversation every time i see her!)

orly nail polish in "green with envy"

why is it that almost every nail polish brand has a shade named "green with envy" and they all look vastly different? i also have the sally hansen one and it's lime green. weird.....

well, i usually don't spend more than like $2 on nail polish.... but i saw this one at sally beauty supply several months ago (december?) and i decided i needed it.  it was $6, so a little expensive for me, but not exactly a huge splurge.

    

i think i only used 2 coats. it's very pigmented, very smooth, and will last at least 5 days on your nails. you know, depending on what you do with those nails. i like everything about it, except how hard it is to remove! lately i've been lazy (and a bit anxious, apparently) and have just been chipping all my polish off. hey, i guess that's one way to save money on nail polish remover.

favorite nail polishes

aka nail polishes over which i would cry if they discontinued. ok, not really. that's a bit dramatic.

 

1. winwax- #6 (from japan)

2. sally hansen- #21 tough buff

3. orly- green with envy

4. wet 'n wild- shield

5. revlon- peach nectar

6. petites- pink suede

7. pure ice- taupe drawer

8. covergirl- plum pudding

if i ever were to pack up all my stuff into 2 suitcases and move to tokyo (hey, you never know!), i know take these and throw away the rest. plus, japan has really awesome nail polishes, so i wouldn't be too sad.

                                         

wet 'n wild nailpolish in "shield"

this is the polish i wore for valentine's day (that was a while ago, i know). i wore a bright purple lacy top, so i wanted something that was neutral, but still dramatic enough. oh yeah, these are also the beautiful flowers my husband got me for v-day. and that silver spoon ring. nice, huh?

i bought wet 'n wild's "shield" on recommendation from nouveau cheap again (can you tell i really like her blog?). it's dirt cheap ($2 at walgreens), is super pretty, and has no phthalates, which i made sure to tell mr. green because he's convinced i'm gonna die from carcinogenic makeup.... that's what i get for making him watch "america the beautiful", a documentary about body image and beauty.

120 days of shadow: Day 31

Hot pink today. Not my favorite, but I guess it's OK. I put a paler pink on the inner part of my eyelids to keep it from look like I'd just had a major cry-fest.

The reason this picture looks cheesy is because I was trying to show off my nail polish. It's one of those $2 Sinful Colors bottles from Walgreens (although I have seen them at some Targets too). The shade is Midnight Blue and it's very pigmented and very shiny. I painted my nails 3 days ago, and washed a whole sink full of nastiness today, and they're still perfect! No base or top coat or anything. Sweet.

Oh yeah, did I mention they're BOGO (free!) right now at Walgreens? Tomorrow is the last day so GO!

The perfect fall polish (at the perfect price!)

"Mr. Green" and I went to Walmart last night for our weekly Friday-night junk food run. While he went and bought a pinball game for his Xbox, I sneaked a peak at the makeup. I was really looking for a pale lavender nail polish, but found something much better! This awesome shade of gray-purple:

Love, love, love! It's by Pure Ice and it's only............

dum dum dum dum dum (insert your own imaginary drumroll please)

$2! So of course I HAD to buy it. My husband cleverly pointed out that I technically do not NEED another nail polish.... ever again for the rest of my life. I also cleverly said he didn't need another Xbox game for the rest of his life, so we agreed to disagree. To each his (her) own, I guess.

The best part of this polish? It's named "Taupe Drawer." What the *word I shouldn't say*? Who named that one? Why not "Ivory Crown Molding" while we're at it? It's OK, it just makes me that much more emotionally attached to this awesome nail polish.

The other good things about this color is how it kind of morphs depending on the lighting. The first picture (taken without a flash) looks more grayed, but in this one (with a flash), it's more vibrant purple. Nifty:

And it gets better. I only applied one coat for these pictures! It's very highly pigmented AND one of the smoothest, glossiest polishes I've tried. Sooo easy to apply, even for me! I have yet to find out if it wears well, but I'll get back to you on that one.

GASP........

I need this nail polish right now....

But $9 for nail polish????

Sinful colors nail polish- BOGO!

From left: Bali Mist, Tokyo Pearl (I couldn't resist- I'm a Tokyo girl, born and raised), Easy Going (which is really a pale pink, not white), Mercury Rising, Euro Trash, and Boogie Nights.

This week at Walgreens (sale ends on Sunday), these nail polishes by Sinful Colors are buy one get one free! They're normally priced at $1.99, but getting one free would make it a dollar! I've reviewed "Mercury Rising" before, a shiny brown color, but let me tell you that all of these shades are great! They're long-lasting, come in several different finishes, and have a HUGE color selection from nudes that my grandma would wear, to intense brights that my 8-year-old sister keeps trying to steal from me. The shades above are only the ones that I have, but the display at Walgreens probably has 50 different colors. Go check em out!

If you're perhaps crazy and feel like you need more color options, check out SinfulColors.com and browse many, many more shades. BUT (here's the kicker) they're $2.50 online! Plus S+H! Gasp. You'd do much better to heed my sage advice and head to Walgreens.

behold the amazing power of: clear top coat!

So when magazines say that you should apply a clear top coat over your regular nail polish, I always said, "meh", and disregarded it as superfluous beauty advice that is nice, but utterly useless (like using a facial toner, lipliner, cuticle oil, etc.). Seems like another conspiracy to get women to spend extra money on little tiny beauty steps that (bonus!) also take way too much time. But today I was hanging out at my parents' empty house, bored out of my mind (why are there only 4 decorating shows that replay over and over and over??- This is why i don't have cable), and I borrowed my mom's clear top coat, and decided to try it out of sheer (get it? sheer??) boredom. I was already wearing my mom's Sally Hansen nail color (in "Rose-a-Go-Go"... If you think it looks like that mauvy-pink official bridesmaid color of the 80s, then it's definitely my mom's and not mine), and I just layered this over it. I'd had a couple nicks in my polish, and that fingerprint that always magically appears on at least one nail (hey, I never said I was perfect), and this stuff "glossed over it" (haha) and smoothed it all out! Plus now it looks more modern and not quite so 80s bridesmaid-y.

All I have to say is, why didn't I discover this earlier?? Like i said, I'm not the greatest at applying my own nail polish, and this really makes it look more professional. But hey, I'll let you be the judge. And oh yeah, as I said, if you hate it, blame my mom not me.

Brown shiny nails

In my May issue of Glamour, Miley Cyrus was wearing dark shiny brown nails, so I went out and tried it. I hate spending $10 on nail polish (or anything, for that matter!), so I went to Walgreens and bought a $2 bottle. It's Sinful Colors in Mercury Rising. Kinda cool, right? I like it as an alternative to my dark purple that I've been wearing for the past couple months.