Swatch and Review of Essie Penny Talk

Today I have Essie Penny Talk! I have been wanting this polish for a long time! I haven't seen a lot of rose gold polish and this one has a great shine to it that makes it really look metallic. This polish came out a while ago, but I think you can still find it in some stores, I bought mine online though. I was so angry when it arrived, in the bottle it looks like plain gold. I was mid complaint to my husband as I was applying it and realized that it actually does look rose gold on the nail. Here are my swaches:

So shiny and such a pretty rose gold! I applied two coats for the pictures above. I used a ridge filler for a base coat since I had previously seen that suggested. I really like this polish except for the frosty streaks it leaves before it dries. Once dried, the streaks go away. I can see so many beautiful combinations with this polish! I am so looking forward to creating them. When you look for metallic colors, what do you usually gravitate towards? I realized I have a lot of bronze colors, but I have been wanting a rose gold. Rose gold is just such a hard to find color. I am really grateful I have this now! Hope you enjoyed this post!

UPDATE: I did notice this polish chipping really easily. After two days of wear I have some major corner chipping. I did use a different base coat than usual, but I'm not sure that was the problem. Just a heads up!

Comparison: Which White?

As you know, black and white are pretty much staples in any nail art lover's stash. I have recently been trying to find the best white of them all. I only have five to share with you today, but I figure that is a good start. The biggest problem I find with white polish is that it gets terribly streaky. When you use white as a base for nail art, you don't want tons of layers before you even start your nail art! I decided to try this over the last design I had on, so see more easily the contrast. I used (Left to Right) Sinful Colors: Snow Me White, Sally Hansen: White On, NYC: French White Tip, China Glaze: White On White, and OPI: Alpine Snow.

One Coat

Above I have a picture of just one coat on each nail and however many coats were needed to achieve opacity. Starting out, Sally Hansen White On was my favorite, and I think it still out performs all the others. It has the easiest formula to work with (a bit thicker than I like, but still the easiest) and it has the best opacity with no streaks. Sinful Colors Snow Me White is one that I have had forever, it also covers very well with only two coats and is a bargain at only $1.99. I would choose this as my backup because of the formula. It is a little runny, making it a little messier. OPI Alpine Snow has been acclaimed by many as their favorite white of all time, but I have to disagree. I only own the mini, so maybe the regular size is different, but I found this to not give great coverage. It has a tendency to streak and not self level, which creates a lumpy surface. I only applied two coats in the photos, but I probably would have applied three if I was using the white for a nail art design. NYC actually was surprisingly easy to work with. I have a distant memory about having a really difficult time with this polish, but maybe it was in the warmer months. This time, it seemed to apply well but didn't give as good of coverage as others. China Glaze...what do I say about White on White? Clearly from the first photo, it has the least coverage of all. I was so disappointed with this polish. I had such high hopes! I think I actually would have applied 4 coats if this were for a design. If my polish has such little coverage, I expect it to be a jelly with a gorgeous squishiness, but this was so streaky! Overall Sally Hansen White On takes it with the best coverage and formula. China Glaze was the big disappointment. I wish I could say better things about it. I would really like to know if the full size Alpine Snow is better than the mini, and if so, why would the quality of the mini be any less acceptable than the full size? Whew, I think this was the most I have written in a while, but I hope it was helpful! I may have a part two if I collect more white polishes soon! Thanks for reading and stay warm out there!

Nail Art: Snowflakes!

Hello all! You know what is funny? Today was the first day of snow where I live and I am posting about snowflake nails! Wednesday I hosted a nail polish party and we all decided to do winter and Christmas themes. I had been wanting to try out snowflake nails for a while, and here is the result.

I used OPI Quarter of a Cent-Cherry for the red base and a nail stripping brush for the snowflakes. Snowflakes are a little harder than I thought they would be. I think I just forgot what a snowflake looked like. I like the way they ended up though. It was a little tricky with the striping brush, but really fun! I think I will be doing some more snowflakes this season! What do you think? What sort of Christmas or Winter nails are you going to create? Thanks for reading!

Swatch and Review of Sephora by OPI: The Way Tutu His Heart

With the discontinuation of Sephora by OPI, I now have a stockpile of it. There were too many good sales for me to let the deal go by, but now I am teasing you with discontinued polish just forewarning you. I have SOPI The Way Tutu His Heart, which appeared to be a milky white with a sheer finish online, however in real life it is a pinky-white with an opaque finish. This polish reminds me of a white that just got a tiny drop of color.I applied four coats to get this look.

As I was painting my nails I noticed a striking resemblance to Essie Fiji- which I adore. So, I thought I would do a comparison. Below I have Essie Fiji on my pointer and ring fingers and SOPI on my middle and pinky fingers.

 

These two are really similar! I can barely notice a difference in real life, I wouldn't say these are dead on dupes, but they are so close I wouldn't buy both. I prefer Essie to the SOPI. The Way Tutu His Heart had such great prospects, but it was really streaky. Not the endearing- we'll get there- streaky, but the -I hate this polish- streaky. I thought I could get away with three coats, but there was just a streak here or there that drove me crazy. I would actually be really upset if I spent the full amount on this polish, but I got it for $3, so I can't complain. Since it is discontinued, Essie is a great option. Essie is one of those- we'll get there - streaky polishes. The first coat is not pretty but a thicker second coat does it. I added a third coat here just for extra coverage. I do love the color of both, even though it wasn't as sheer as I had hoped, The Way Tutu His Heart is a lovely soft shade that I know will go with anything. Thanks for reading!

Nail Art: Plaid Nails

I cannot believe it is already December! Thanksgiving went by so fast, I feel like it was such a blur. We had several different Thanksgiving dinners to attend, so maybe that makes it feel like it goes by so fast. We had a great time with family and some great food. I can't get enough turkey and pie! As we transition into December, I am starting to immediately think of Christmas and everything that comes with it. One thing that really reminds me of the Christmas season is plaid prints. I have been wanting to try a plaid print for a while now, and I decided to do one with blue tones.

 

I started with a base color of OPI On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I love that color so much! It is from the Skyfall collection. On top of that I freehand painted lines of China Glaze Sea Spray. Then it got a little tricky, I painted little diamonds in L'Oreal Greycian Goddess with a small nail art brush. Lastly, I painted overlay lines of Color Club Luminescent. I'm not sure if you would call this argyle or plaid, but both are great for winter. I can't imagine the possibilities here. I am really excited to try this with really Chirstmas-y colors! I think next time I would probably do fewer lines, as I think this is a little too busy for everyday, but I like it nevertheless. Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thanks for reading!