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Beauty

Nail Polish: Oriflame The One in Orange Burst 31455.

oriflame orange burst

Oriflame usually does classic nail polish shades. Variations of beige, pink, red, purple, plum, and coffee brown are in abundance, but that’s about it. Their line VeryMe, aimed at youngsters, sometimes shows some variety. They also come out with limited edition lines, and this polish is from one of such collections.

I’m a sucker for cheap polishes. Besides, companies like Flormar have me totally spoilt in that regard – their polishes are very affordable, yet their quality is amazing. So when I saw these five shades, retailing for 59 MDL (~$4.5) each, I turned the catalogue page, thinking that I won’t be spending that much on a polish.

A few days later, though, I was picking up all five colours in the collection from my local delivery spot. You guys, the colours are just so good.

And never mind me, I’m a nail varnish maniac, I’ll buy almost anything. However, I was showing my newest purchase to an acquaintance who usually does practical gel manicures in classic hues. That didn’t stop her from purchasing all but one colours in the collection on the spot. I actually ended up repurchasing some of these shades for myself, because she just took all the bottles there and then (I haven’t had the chance to try all but the one above yet).

The quality of the polish is great, too. Above are two coats. They don’t streak, apply easily, and the brush is very convenient – a definite upgrade from the previous Oriflame Beauty nail polish brush.

However, this particular colour does the following:

orange burst nail polish

Nightmare material~ That’s with a basecoat. I shudder to think what would’ve happened to my nails had I decided to skip a basecoat that day.

I painted my nails using this polish more than 10 days go, and the stain didn’t fade one bit, no matter what I do to it. Which leaves me painting my nails every day, lest the good people around me decide that I had somehow contracted hepatitis.

This detail is such a shame, because the colour is gorgeous. I’m not sure if all the polishes in the line do this, or if it’s the case with this one and the pigments in it. I’m so in love with the colour that I will continue using it, but I either need some nuke-proof basecoat, or an understanding that I would need to paint my nails every day after using this one.

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Beauty

Nail Polish: Oriflame The One in Lilac Silk 30524.

oriflame lilac silk

I am happy to report that the application and the formula have seen a considerable improvement in all The One polishes I’ve tried so far. This colour and its variations (from greyish lilac, to light lilac, to intense blue purple) has become one of my obsessions over the last year. I enjoyed staring at my nails throughout the day. It’s a very gentle shade of lilac. The title of the polish couldn’t be more apt in this case. Lilac Silk suits it through and through.

Alas, it chipped quickly. It was off my nails in under 48 hours, but I still can’t quite figure out if it’s my current base that is at fault.

Pure Colour, previous main line of Oriflame polishes, has what looks like an identical shade, titled Lavender Shimmer. I can’t quite figure out whether it has shimmer in it, but judging by the title it might. The colours are very, very similar.

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Beauty

Nail Polish: Cairuo in 20.

cairuo mint

I snagged this as I was returning home from a disappointing meeting. I’m a grown-up, I need pick-me-ups to get through shitty days.

The colour is wonderful, but the quality is less so.

The brush is OK, and on the first three nails the formula feels OK too. It goes on thickly but smoothly. However somewhere around fourth nail it begins to streak and gloop and stick something fierce. My right hand looked beyond bad. It’s also a bit hard to control around the edges, so both the root area and the nail end were unevenly painted.

This polish is scented. It smells like any other polish during the application, but begins to smell like a cheapo imitation green tea when it starts to dry. When it dries completely, the scent becomes very faint, but can still be felt if you stick your fingers close to your nose.

No worries, though, you’ll have enough time to enjoy its scent, because it takes its jolly time to dry. So much time.

Also, this is three coats. I went with two originally, but it looked too uneven. so I put on another one in the morning. It chips off fast, and doesn’t do well with water at all.

cairuo mint 20

This is shade #20. Green tea is not the colour’s name, but the indicator of the scent.

I really want to love this because the colour is so good, but alas.

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Beauty

AVON Nailwear Pro+ in midnight green.

Avon Nailwear Pro+ in Midnight Green is a shimmery type of forest green colour that I quite enjoyed. I’m a sucker for certain green polishes, and this one falls exactly into that category, even though most of the time I prefer the absence of any kind of shimmer or glitter on my nails.

It goes on relatively smoothly and dries quickly. I love the brush, it’s wide. It easily takes two strokes to cover the entire nail.

The colour is rich, and I think that even one coat of this would’ve been enough. However, there was something a bit off with the formula of this one. It felt too thick, but when I tried removing the excess from the brush, it didn’t go on smoothly at all. So a second coat was in order.

Another thing with Avon polishes is that they’re not long lasting at all. Their Speed Dry series is notorious in that department. Nailwear Pro+ are better, but only a bit. I applied this polish yesterday evening, and took these photos about 22 hours later. It’s not as evident in there, but it’s become quite thin and rough around the edges. As I’m typing this, a little over 30 hours after application and one round of dishwashing later, it’s quite chipped on at least three fingers. Not a tragedy by all means, and maybe even suitable for a grocery run, but no longer looking *dundundunnn* polished.

This particular shade was discontinued, I believe; but I doubt I would’ve repurchased it, even though I’m absolutely in love with the colour.

I’m curious: what’s your experience with Avon polishes? Do they hold well? Is it just me?

Categories
Beauty

The Purge: Nail Polishes, part 2 of 235.

beauty skin glamour nail polish 04

Beauty Skin Glamour Nail Polish 04

A neon orange that is unfortunately too sheer. It went on relatively smoothly, but I find the formula in the majority of the Beauty skin polishes I tried to be on the thick side.

beauty skin glamour nail polish 68

Beauty Skin Glamour Nail Polish 68

A shimmery silver that is too sheer as well. More of a top coat, to be honest. My search for a good, solid no-sheer metallic silver continues. (Don’t even get me started on the mirror effect/ chrome polish.)

 

 

golden rose paris 87

Golden Rose Paris 87

A nice pink coral that is quite good for summer. However, it applies patchy and goes on sheer. Not sure if you’re beginning to see a pattern here… Overall I really like Golden Rose polishes, but the Paris collection was my least favourite one.

leydi nail polish 107

Leydi Nail Polish 107

Once upon a time I had an obsession with green polishes. I bought them in epic quantities. They joined me from all walks of life. With time, though, my polish tastes solidified, and this one became too shimmery.

Overall, though, I really like Leydi polishes. They’re very cheap, but also good.

pacific gabrini provitamin 129

Gabrini Cosmetics Pacific Provitamin 129

A neon jelly. I used it a few times, but — I’m getting repetitive here, bear with me for two more sentences — it was sheer. I just can’t get over the sheerness, and I’m only now realising it. Unfortunately you can’t always see it in the bottle, so with time I’ll go through another batch of too sheer polishes. Plenty left in my collection, too.