OPI Rose Petals

OPI Rose Petals was released with the 2005 Soft Shades collection. It's a mauve-y, pinkish nude sheer that needs 4 coats for opacity. I borrowed this from my roommate, and I'm quite glad I did so instead of buying this, because it is just...not good.

See what I mean? It's too cool, and waaaaay too pink for me. The formula is fine, pretty standard for a semi-sheer polish, but this is not a flattering color. In the sun:

A little bit better now, but still. Bleh. So, there you have it. If you're tan, warm, and yellow-toned, stay awaaaaay.

Have you tried Rose Petals? Thoughts? Feelings?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great week!

Reswatch: Revlon Devil's Candy

Devil's Candy is my favorite red jelly, so I figured I'd reswatch because...yeah. Why not.

2 coats, super smooth formula, lots of general awesomeness. In the sun:

This was a limited edition polish from last fall, but I think the core color Fearless is quite close. I've already got too many red jellies, so I didn't get that one, but in the bottle it looks pretty close. I keep meaning to do a comparison between some of my reds, but it hasn't happened yet. Someday...

Thoughts? Feelings? Are you a red jelly addict like me?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great weekend!

Essie Wicked

Today I'm going to show you Essie Wicked. I don't think this came out with any particular collection, but it's widely regarded as a classic, and with good reason. Wicked is a squishy, vampy red jelly that is just full of win. 3 coats, plus top coat, in the shade:

In the sun:

You do have to be careful with application, as it can stain your cuticles red if you get the polish on your skin. And because it is a jelly, it can be a bit streaky, so you would do well to give it a few minutes between coats.

But just look at that shine! So cool. So awesome.

To be fair, this isn't exactly a unique color. Between Essie, Revlon, and OPI, you have tons of alternatives available. I think the OPI colors are mainly cremes rather than jellies, but Revlon has Devil's Lure, and Essie has many many vampy jellies out there. I'd list them all but...

Have you tried Wicked, or anything similar? Thoughts?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week!

Nails Inc. Whitehall Teal

Helloooo! Luckily, my hiatus wound up being much much shorter than I thought it would be. My exam schedule was quite nice this semester, so I didn't need an entire month like I did in the past. Anyway, today I'm going to show you Nails Inc. Whitehall Teal. I believe the Nails Inc. magnetics came out around Fall 2011 or something. I'm a wee bit late, but whatever. Here is 1 coat of the polish before using the magnet:

If you're one for nail art or stamping, magnetics would probably be useful to you since they are so opaque. Here it is at 2 coats, with the magnet held over it.

Photos can't capture the awesomeness of this effect. It looks so 3D and cool in real life, kind of like those marbles with the stripes inside of them.

Now here's the drawback. I've actually had a few magnetics for quite some time, at least 4 or 5 months, and I have a hard time with them. My nails are curved, and I have shaky hands, so I have a hard time keeping the magnet steady to get a crisp pattern, and the design also doesn't reach all the way to the sides of my nails. The formula is good, but basically, I can only get a good design when my nails are short like this. But out of the magnetics that I have tried (aside from this, Icing and Sinful Colors), this magnet is a pretty good one, and the color is really really nice. I think Layla Metallic Sky is similar, but much bluer.

How do you feel about magnetics? If you've tried any, did you have the same problems I experienced?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great week!

Revlon After Party + Comparison

Hey y'all! Today I'm going to show you Revlon After Party. It's from the same collection as Guest List, which I posted last week. After Party is fabulous. It's a dusty teal creme. Here it is in the shade:

And in the sun:

Unfortunately, it has the exact same formula as Guest List, meaning that you will probably have to let the coats dry completely in between to prevent streaking, and it will most likely need 2-3 coats to even out anyway. Oh, and ignore the TOP SPEED labels because I'm pretty sure these take longer to dry than regular polish. 

BUT. I do quite like this color, as evidenced by the fact that I've also got Revlon Chic...let's compare the two, shall we? 2 coats of Chic versus 3 coats of After Party, with top coat. In the shade:

And in the sun:

They're not thaaaaat similar right? RIGHT??? Oh well, it's ok, they are both great colors.

On a side note, the end of the semester is quickly approaching and it's going to be killer, so I'm going to go on hiatus for a bit. I will hopefully resume posting towards the end of December.

Anyway, talk to me about dusty blues! What are your favorites? Do you have Chic or After Party? Do you have a weakness for dusty blues like me?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week!

Ruby Kisses Regaled Out Blue

Ruby Kisses is one of those brands that I've only ever seen at hole-in-the-wall beauty supplies, so I have no idea whether they even do collections or anything of the sort. They're quite cheap, $1 per bottle, but most of the colors didn't interest me. Regaled Out Blue is a total exception! Let's take a look.

Squishy navy jelly awesomeness. I can't even.

Check out that gloss. I don't even have top coat on in these photos. Here it is in the sun:

Now, the formula...is not so good. It takes 3 coats, which isn't bad, but the polish is watery and runny, so you really have to be careful to avoid getting it all up in your cuticles. And the other thing is, once that blue gets onto your skin, good luck getting it out without messing up the rest of the polish. This stuff stains your skin pretty much instantly. But as you know, I'm a big jelly lover, and for a $1 polish that looks like this...I can forgive the other flaws. Or at least, overlook them.

I think there are several alternatives to Regaled Out Blue, since navy jellies aren't really that hard to come by. Color Club Blue-topia, for example, is close enough. L'oreal After Hours is darker, but similar. And Nfu Oh 119 is slightly purple-toned, but for all intents and purposes, these polishes are close enough that one of them will probably suffice. Sparitual also has a new dark blue jelly out for fall/winter called Osmium, but that one looks much darker, almost black.

Do you have any navy jellies? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Do their formulas suck too?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great weekend!

Revlon Guest List

Revlon Guest List is one of the LE Top Speeds from this fall, so it should still be available. The collection seemed to be party-themed, or something. Guest List is a murky olive green creme, and the first color of this sort that I've ever tried. I worried about my hands looking dirty or turning into lobster claws with olives, but I'm pleasantly surprised by this one! In the shade:

In warmer lighting (since the sun was nowhere to be found). This is a more accurate depiction of how it looks most of the time.

So, let's talk formula. I don't think Top Speeds and I get along very well. Apparently I can never seem to wait long enough between coats to prevent bald spots, which is weird because I wait several minutes, and that works just fine for non-quick dry polishes....So, because of the streaking, Guest List is a definite 3-coater. It could be solid in 2 if you can prevent the streaking.

As for dupes...I'm really not familiar with olive greens, as I had always ignored them because I figured they would look horrible. However, I could never really shake the Chanel Khaki Vert lemming until now. I think this is like a more flattering version of Khaki Vert (which is grayer, and a bit browner). For reference, check out theasiangirl's swatch on Tumblr. She and I have very similar skintones, so I know I can rely on her swatches.

Have you ever tried an olive green polish? Did you wind up liking it, or hating it?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week! And for my American readers, have a great Thanksgiving!