Saturday, April 7, 2012

Top 10 Spring Nail Polishes


I've been on a polish kick lately and while painting my nails the other day I thought I'd compile a list of some of my favorite Spring colors! My polish color selection during this time of year is a mixture of Fall and Summer colors; so neither complete brights nor complete dark-vampy shades either. During this time of year I love reds, shimmers, pinks, pretty pastels, neutrals and even glitters. Here are some of my favorites I always reach for, all of which look great on both hands and toes.


Click to enlarge! 
(And while working on this post, I realized how hard it is to be a nail blogger. I clearly need to get a nail wheel for swatches so please excuse my n0obtastic swatches).

First up is Zoya's 'Pandora' ($8) which is described as a "a medium pink-beige nude with blue and mauve undertones and a hint of pearly silver shimmer." Can I just add how gorgeous the formula is?! When I just want clean fool-proof nails, this is the polish I reach for. The formula is the perfect consistency that one coat does the job.


OPI's 'Catch Me in Your Net' ($8) is a sea green/teal with gold and green shimmer. This color is vibrant and gorgeous, aaaand it looks superb on the toes. The formula is slightly semi-opaque and the swatch below is with 2 coats.


OPI's 'I'm Not Really a Waitress' ($8) is what I'd describe as a deep shimmery red. It's synonymous with OPI and is their bestseller for a reason. This reminds me of a Snow White-red and is probably my favorite polish in general. The formula is perfect and one coat does the job. I love this on the toes but especially love it on my hands. I can see this working for every skin tone because of the undertones. A favorite!


The highly coveted OPI's 'Mad as a Hatter' ($8) from the Alice in Wonderland collection is a complex and a sophisticated glitter polish. This is a unique glitter polish which does not look obnoxious or "adorable" and I'd describe this as sheer black with gold, green, purple, red and blue (almost a rainbow of colors!) micro-glitter. The glitter is dense enough that this becomes opaque in 2-3 coats. I love this accent deep pastels or as a top coat for bland colors.


Butter London's 'All Hail the Queen' ($14) is described as an "opaque, holographic beige' but I think it's more a light taupe with SUPER-refined pink-gold holographic glitter. A gorgeous shade with a fantastic formula. The swatch below is with 2 coats.


Orly's 'Space Cadet' ($8) from the Cosmix FX collection is GORGEOUS. It's one of my favorite duo-chromes and I'd describe this as a green, purple and gold/orange multi-chrome with possibly a teal/blue base. I think you can detect the blue-ness in the picture on the top-right corner (or am I seeing things?) and the swatches below are with 3 coats, so the formula is slightly thin. Regardless, it is BEAUTIFUL and totally unique in my collection.


Chanel's 'Graphite' ($26) is a new purchase and has already become a favorite. I just love silvers and refined-glitter polishes and this fits the bill perfectly. This is described as a "light charcoal foil glitter warmed up with small gold flakes", and is overall very dimensional. Not only is Graphite a beautiful color but the formula is great too because the swatch below is with one coat.


Essie's 'Sew Psyched' ($8) is another FAVORITE of mine. I love odd shades of green and this is described as a "a cashmere-soft sage pewter" which I interpret to be a grey-green (ahem). I absolutely LOVE this color and find it to be perfect for every season, but especially during the months of Fall. The other reason I love this-- the formula! This has the best formula out of any of these polishes here because it's opaque with just one coat and the finish is SUPERB. Take a look for yourself (hopefully my camera catches the creamy goodness of this polish) because it almost looks like I added a Seche Vite-esque topcoat on top but nope, that is the polish in a single coat. Gorgeous, right?


Essie's 'Super Bossa Nova' ($8) is a fun pink I love for both hands and toes. This is described as an "upbeat bright fuchsia" and I spot some flecks of purple/blue ultra-fine shimmer in this when looked at under sunlight. The formula is not creamy-opaque but builds to the intensity below with 2 coats.


And last up is Dior's 'Rose Dauphine' ($23), also known as Dauphine Pink or Pink Icing and I would describe this as a soft baby pink with ultra-fine pink/red/gold shimmer in it. This is perfect when you want subtle and clean hands. I also like the color of OPI's Sweetheart but hate the sheer and gooey formula of that so prefer this over that. The formula is not streaky but still sheer and the swatch below is done in 3 coats. I especially love the brush on the Dior polishes which has a "rounded" tip and for those that do not like to flood their cuticles/like the "gap" will love the Dior polishes.



I'll be sure to add another top 10 when the summer months roll around, too! *\o/*

6 comments:

  1. I share five of your ten favourites and the other five are going on my list immediately. Damn your fabulous taste and photography!

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  2. That's a great selection for Spring. Your photo of Graphite makes me want to go apply mine immediately!

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