Tag: nail polish

Categories
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.

Categories
Beauty

The Purge: Nail Polishes, part 1 of 235.

I’m a nail polish hoarder. I’m not even holding my hopes high for this one — the amount of nail polishes in my house is going to return to the original number very soon after the clean-out. Out with the old, in with the new, etc.

But I gotta try.

Behold the first five candidates.

flormar berry fine glitter

Flormar Nail Enamel, deep berry with fine glitter

This is so old, I can no longer tell you the number. It’s… I think it’s from 2006, maybe earlier. Still like it, even though I’ve become a bit more particular with finishes and try to avoid everything but creme and matte these days. But it is old, and it has to go.

wetnwild megalast soulmate

Wet ‘n’ Wild MegaLast Strengthening nail polish in 214 Soul Mate

Apologies for the quality of the photograph.

We don’t have Wet’n’Wild around here, so the only place I could’ve got it from was the States… And I’ve been to the States in ’07. Lovely colour, but has to go.

orkide olivia mint green

Olivia nail enamel, mint green

A lovely mint green. Very aged. Separated up the wazoo.

orkide olivia melon yellow

Olivia nail enamel, melon yellow

A sheer melon yellow. It liquefied significantly, and no longer behaves like a polish.

catherine arley sheer silver

Catherine Arley nail lacquer in 190

A sheer silver polish, quite possibly the oldest polish in my collection. More of a topcoat/ French manicure enhancement than a stand-alone polish, if you ask me. I used it recently. My nails didn’t fall off, and it still behaved like a polish ought to, but it has to go. I still love silver nails, but this one is too sheer and glittery for me. Still in hopes of finding a good silver chrome.

Categories
Beauty

Lip Monthly March ’15.

lip monthly march

I seem to be issuing these posts at the speed of light.

Minute of sarcasm aside, there were three lip products and one nail polish in this box. Bag design was a standard one.

hikari crush

Hikari Lipstick in crush

This is the second Hikari lipstick I own, first one being cabernet, also received via Lip Monthly. I love this product. The colour in this case is a little bit not ‘me’, but it’s wearable. Matte, relatively long-lasting. Doesn’t feel drying.

lip monthly march balm

Jordana Easyshine Glossy Lip Color in Raspberry

This feels like a balm. Sheer pink, nicely smelling. I have a full queue of balms that I need to use up before I get to this one, but I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy using it.

lip monthly march crayon

J. Cat the Big Lip Pencil in Caramel Mocha

I love lip crayons, and I really wanted to keep this one. The texture is creamy, the longevity is okay. The only downside is that you have to sharpen it, and it’s a huge product waste with these big pencils. Unfortunately I was not feeling the colour at all, so after a quick swatch I gave it to my friend, who enjoys it very much.

lip monthly march swatches

Hikari, Jordana, J.Cat swatched. The photograph is a bit washed out, the Hikari lipstick is much brighter in person.

lip monthly march sally hansen

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Nail Polish in Mighty Mango

A bright, almost neon, pink-orange colour. Would look great with a tan, which I never really have. Applied smoothly, but I cannot report on chipping etc., as I haven’t worn it yet.

Categories
Beauty

Nail File #1: AVON, Elanor.

avon rebel rose

AVON Speed Dry+ nail enamel in rebel rose

I kept raving about this nail polish on my old blog, and I’ll continue to do so here. The brush is perhaps nothing special, but it works well. It’s large, not too flat — a generic brush with improvements, I’d say. The formula is amazing – it applies like a dream, and for a quick job on short nails even one coat is sufficient. Despite its bright colour, which is great, it doesn’t stain, so if you’re in a real hurry, you can forgo the base coat. It compliments my skin tone, too. Dries in seconds — at the very least, your nails will be completely dry in under five minutes. The only problem with it, besides this particular colour being discontinued a few years ago? It chips fast. This is my second day hand, and as you can see it’s chipped on at least three fingers. Two days is actually a long time for this polish. Usually it shows serious signs of wear in under 24 hours.

elanor 572

Elanor nail enamel in 572

This brand of polishes is displayed in huge boxes at the local Grand Bazaar. It’s cheap — in currency equivalent, it’s way under £1. I’ve had it for a while now. It was one of the first grey shades to appear on the market around here. Considering its age, it performed well. The brush is generic, but works without trouble. The formula is a little on the runny side – two coats here, and it can definitely benefit from a third one. It doesn’t so much streak, as it … pools, I guess, perhaps due to its thinness. The drying time is OK — not fast, but not outrageously long either. I painted my nails about an hour or two before bed, and got minimal duvet prints. It did bunch up a bit on the edges of my thumb nails, though.

The picture shows fourth day of wear, and as you can see it lasted. This polish doesn’t so much chip as it gradually rubs off. I think if I hadn’t started rigorously cleaning the kitchen, it would’ve stayed at least one more day.