Nail Palettes - Blacks

Black is one of those standard, never goes out of style nail polishes. People probably think I'm crazy for owning so many of the "same" black polishes. I'd have to say that my three "solid" black nail polishes actually all differ in formula and how many coats until opaque so they aren't equal exactly. You can't go wrong with it! Black nail polish is no longer reserved for goths and punks; I think it's very flattering on everyone!

(From left to right: Sally Hansen Black Out, Essie Licorice, China Glaze Black Diamond, China Glaze Liquid Leather, and China Glaze Jitterbug)

Sally Hansen Black Out: The formula on this was not my favorite. However, it is the most opaque out of SH, Essie, and ChG. This was my first black nail polish ever!

Essie Licorice: I feel like this formula is more "jelly-like" than the Sally Hansen. I think this is my favorite formula; it is opaque in 2 coats.

China Glaze Black Diamond: This gorgeous nail polish is from China Glaze Ski Collection. I really love the shimmer; it's a dark charcoal color with silver shimmer.

China Glaze Liquid Leather: Liquid Leather was the biggest disappointment to me; it takes 3+ coats to be opaque. I suppose it is "glossy," as it advertises itself as a hi-gloss creme. However, with only 1 or 2 coats, it looks like you colored in your fingernail with Sharpie. I suppose it's still a good polish, just not opaque enough for me!

China Glaze Jitterbug: I LOVE this nail polish. I blogged about it a week or so ago. It's such a pretty gunmetal foil; I love silver! I wore it last time with China Glaze Wireless Holographic Top Coat and China Glaze Fairy Dust for super bling!

Nail Palettes - Purples

(From left to right: Chelsea Kaleidoscope, Sally Hansen Flair, China Glaze Midnight Ride, and China Glaze Fly)

Chelsea Kaleidoscope: Kaleidoscope is so annoying to photograph! Unlike in these photos, Kaleidoscope is a green, gray, and purple duochrome. It changes in every light (and therefore is very difficult to capture). I'm not a huge fan of wearing this alone though, as the gray makes me feel a little tired and not as exciting (at least for the summer). I would prefer a more blue/green/purple duochrome instead.

Sally Hansen Flair: Along with Sally Hansen Glow, this was one of my first nail polishes. Come to think of it, I purchased Glow, Flair and Black Out last summer as part of some retail therapy after a break-up, with my now-current boyfriend. See, good things come with nail polish! Anyways, the shimmer in Flair is made up of red and blue. You can distinctly see the shimmer as being red and blue, but from a distance, Flair is all royal purple.

China Glaze Midnight Ride: I have yet to actually wear Midnight Ride. The color is very dark and vampy, but you can still tell that it is purple and not black. I really can't wait to wear this color, perhaps in the fall!

China Glaze Fly: Fly is now one of my favorite colors. Even though I lumped it with the purples, it is more of a fuschia. I really enjoy this color because it is very vibrant and almost Barbie-like. Before this summer, I was not a fan of any pinks/reds, and certainly not fuschia. However, I'm happy to say I am now a converted fan! I can also imagine this being a very gorgeous color for the toes to stand out.

Since I took these pictures, I have acquired quite a few more purples. I'll swatch them at a later date! Hope you are all having a good week so far!

Nail Palettes - Blues

Blue polishes are among my absolute favorite, as blue is my favorite color! I really love any shade of blue polish, even though they tend to stain a bit.

(From left to right: China Glaze For Audrey, China Glaze Atlantis, N.Y.C. Skin-Tight Denim Creme, China Glaze Rodeo Fanatic, China Glaze Custom Kicks)

China Glaze For Audrey: What can I even say about this polish? Almost every nail-obsessed person probably owns this polish. I really can't get enough of this sky blue polish. It isn't actually a dupe for Tiffany's blue (which is impossible, because Tiffany's owns the color apparently), but it comes very close. Regardless, this color looks amazing, whether you care about Tiffany's jewelry or not (which I don't because it is ridiculously expensive). I do however, own two bottles of For Audrey, just in case!

China Glaze Atlantis: I'm not quite sure why, but I did not like this polish on me at all the last time I tried it. It is a very gorgeous color; perhaps I was just not in the mood. As you can see in the first picture, Atlantis is very glitter-packed in a jelly base. I think the reason I am not a huge fan of wearing glitters alone (like Sour Apple), is because I don't like the jelly base look around the edges of my nails (all the glitter seems to concentrate in the center). Maybe some practice at applying said glitters will make me like them more.

NYC Skin-Tight Denim Creme: As the name implies, Skin-Tight Denim Creme is a creme. It is not as shimmery as it looks in the first photo; the finish is a little dull. That being said, it is still a very versatile and gorgeous blue color. Before I discovered base coats, this one always stained my nails; I haven't tried wearing it in a while, but I'm sure having a base coat helps.

China Glaze Rodeo Fanatic: I reviewed this color a week or two ago, and although in that post I said I was not wowed, it is still a very gorgeous color. I think I wanted it to be more of the duochrome that appeared in the bottle, even though it is not supposed to be a duochrome.

China Glaze Custom Kicks: This is one of my new polishes. Custom Kicks is a very pretty teal color, with gold shimmer. I think the gold shimmer really makes this polish stand out among other teal polishes; it makes it look and feel very summery and luxurious at the same time.

China Glaze Calypso Blue (not pictured): Calypso Blue is a deep, midnight blue. It's very deep, almost black when you first look at it. A closer look reveals a gorgeous midnight blue creme. I really love this color!

Nail Palettes - Greens

My first green nail polish was Sally Hansen Glow. This was back when I wasn't all too experienced and knowledgeable in the world of nail polishes (still learning though), and I was blown away by the Sally Hansen Lacquer Nail Collection. The colors looked so gorgeous. However, the price tag for them was a bit steep I suppose; at $7-8 a bottle (versus China Glaze at $3-4 a bottle). I still love my Sally Hansen Lacquer polishes (I have Glow and Flair, but I wish I had Spark!)

(From left to right: Sally Hansen Glow, China Glaze Sour Apple, China Glaze Kiwi Cool-Ada, China Glaze Gussied Up Green, China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald, and China Glaze Paper Chasing)

Sally Hansen Glow: Glow is a very gorgeous green, with very strong gold undertones. It really does look like it's "glowing," even though it is not a neon.

China Glaze Sour Apple: Sour Apple is a jelly-like base with tons of glitter. The only negative I'd have to say about Sour Apple is that it really cannot be worn alone because the base is very sheer. I wore it over Sally Hansen Glow and it looked absolutely fabulous, almost like a green apple Jolly Rancher.

China Glaze Kiwi Cool-Ada: This is my very first neon! I wasn't sure quite what to expect, as I read that neons dry matte. I have yet to try this on my fingers/toes yet, but I think I would want to apply a top coat; otherwise, the finish feels a bit like a highlighter.

China Glaze Gussied Up Green: Gussied Up Green is a deep forest green, leaning on the brown side (as opposed to Emerald Fitzgerald). It has a gorgeous shimmer and applies very easily.

China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald: This is a gorgeous deep green, leaning on the blue side. It really does have a vintage green feel to it, as the collection name implies (Vintage Vixens).

China Glaze Paper Chasing: Paper Chasing is a bit sheer, but overall a very gorgeous bright green. I wish it looked a little brighter/deeper, like it looks in the bottle. It's a bit darker than Kiwi Cool-Ada, and with very pretty shimmer. I also purchased this because I loved the name!

Misa Dirty, Sexy, Money (not pictured): I didn't feel like taking another nail palette picture for the three new greens that I purchased. In case you haven't noticed, I LOVE greens and blues! Anyways, Dirty, Sexy, Money is a gorgeous "dirty" green creme. It's not very blue, although I've noticed that when people post swatches, it appears blue (when I just took a photograph, it looked blue in the photo too). I'd describe this as a very gorgeous "army" green.

Misa The Grass Was Greener On My Side (not pictured): This color is really pretty, a very bright green. It's a very true green, which I guess I'm trying to say that it's neither gold-toned or blue-toned. The polish dries matte, which I was not expecting. I think the color will look even more gorgeous with a top coat.


Misa Toxic Seduction (not pictured): Toxic Seduction is like the middle child between China Glaze Gussied Up Green and China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald. While Gussied Up Green has a brown-toned feel to it and Emerald Fitzgerald has a blue-toned feel to it, Toxic Seduction leans more towards Gussied Up Green, but with less brown. All three are very beautiful!

Nail Palettes - Golds and Yellows

Today's nail palette contains my golds and yellows. For a while, I was obsessed with finding the perfect gold. I thought (and still think) it goes very well with my tan skin, as I have yellow/gold undertones. However, I'm also trying to branch out and try new colors. This summer, I've stepped out of my nail comfort zone and bought a few bright colors and I love them! Previously, I didn't own many cremes or brights, and now I am a converted fan!

(From left to right: Sally Hansen Fairy Tale Ivory, Etude House Gold, China Glaze 2030, OPI Bling Dynasty, Cover Girl Gold Rush, China Glaze Happy-Go-Lucky)

Sally Hansen Fairy Tale Ivory: The picture did not do this shimmer justice! The color is a very light, beige color with a gorgeous shimmer. It's very sheer, but I use it in French manicures (just like Sally Hansen Pink Promise). This was one of the first polishes I ever got; my mom was the one who picked it out! Still one of my favorites of all time.

Etude House Gold: I bought this polish when I was in Korea last summer. I wasn't that into nail polish yet, which I totally regret! All the polishes were $1-$2, but I only got this one. It's a very pretty gold foil; the gold isn't too bright or gaudy, but not too light either. However, it takes several coats for it to be opaque.

China Glaze 2030: As I mentioned in the post about China Glaze 2030, this polish is an antique-looking rose gold. It appears more yellow gold in certain lights, and rose gold in brighter lighting.

OPI Bling Dynasty: Bling Dynasty is a mustard-y looking gold. It's very shimmery and gorgeous, and I love the name Bling Dynasty. The shimmer in it is darker than the base color; I almost want to call it pepper-y (or maybe I'm just hungry, talking about mustard).

Cover Girl Gold Rush: Cover Girl Gold Rush is gold glitter suspended in a clear polish. Not much to say about this one; it's gold glitter, exactly as one would expect. I wouldn't wear this polish alone, as it is in clear polish.

China Glaze Happy-Go-Lucky: This is a super bright yellow polish. It leans more towards the orange side of yellow than the green, as it is not a neon-colored yellow. I really love this color; it is pretty flattering on my tan skin tone.

Nail Palettes - Pinks and Reds

As you all know, my nails are still extremely short from me cutting them off; I figured they deserve a rest! I think I will also try out my China Glaze Calcium Fortifier during this break time and I'll let you all know how it goes. For now, I will be posting for this week, my nail palettes. I bought these plastic nail palettes from Transdesign for around $1 each because I really wanted a way to see the nail polish out of the bottle without having to look online at other people's posts or my own pictures. My camera didn't do the most awesome job at capturing each polish, so I will also give a description of each one (outdoor and indoor lighting).

(From left to right: China Glaze White Out, Sally Hansen Pink Promise, Revlon Rose Zing, China Glaze Sugar High, Love My Nails Seductive Red, and China Glaze Riveter Rouge)

China Glaze White Out: This is your standard white - perfect for French manicure tips. The formula is pretty good, although if you want to use this as a base color, it may take several coats for it to be opaque.

Sally Hansen Pink Promise: I don't really like sheer colors; I like my base polishes to be opaque. This color is a very light pink, and I personally use it for the base of shimmery French manicures.

Revlon Rose Zing: I bought this nail polish from Safeway grocery store the summer before last, in my obsession with gold-flecked polishes. The polish is a dimmer coral color with gold shimmer in it. I am not a huge fan of this polish because I'd prefer something brighter, but the gold shimmer makes a huge difference.

China Glaze Sugar High: As I mentioned in my previous post, it's a very pretty pink and very girly. I'm actually wearing this one on my toes right now, and it really stands out again my tan skin tone. I am absolutely in love with this pink!

Love My Nails Seductive Red: I bought this red from Wal-Mart during my fall semester with my roommate. I wanted a red because I never owned one before and I wanted a cheap red for nail art. I still have only worn this as a base color once because I'm not a huge fan of bright reds; it just doesn't feel quite right for my age yet.

China Glaze Riveter Rouge: I just purchased this one from Head 2 Toe Beauty Supply.  It is part of the new China Glaze Vintage Vixens Fall 2010 collection. As I said, I am not a huge fan of reds, but this red is really gorgeous. It's very shimmery and glittery (without a top coat, it feels a bit rough). The sparkles look gold to me, although I am in indoor lighting right now, without a top coat. I'll let you all know what it looks like when I wear it myself!