If you saw my post about how long my manicure using Rimmel Burgundy Flirt lasted (seven days with no chips!) you know that I was going to just wait...and wait until it chipped before doing another manicure. Well, it never chipped, and as predicted by my lovely reader Kimberly, I "cracked". It's not that I don't love Burgundy Flirt, but the allure of another pretty polish was too much to resist and I had to remove it.
After wearing the same color for seven days, I guess I went a little crazy and I swatched a TON of different shades, including an NYC and Maybelline dark green comparison and a 1940s half-moon manicure inspired by Dita Von Teese.
So as they say on Project Runway, let's start the show!
First up, a comparison of NYC Flat Iron Green and the limited edition Maybelline Fashion Week Fall 2010 Grand in Green:
NYC Flat Iron Green (index and middle fingers)
Maybelline Grand in Green (ring and pinky fingers)
Both colors required two coats for the opacity you see here. Flat Iron Green is a deeper, "inky" type of green, while Grand is Green is lighter, murkier and has more visible shimmer. If you're a dark green lover, you probably need both. To the rest of the world, I think one would do.
Next up, a few NYX Girls polishes I got at a local beauty supply store that sells NYX Girls for just 99-cents a bottle (yay!). San Diego girls, I bought these at Beauty Supply Warehouse on El Cajon Blvd near SDSU, but I see there's another location on University in North Park (fyi, they also sell Ruby Kisses and Kiss Cosmetics!):
NYX Girls Buzz Worthy (retail: $3 at cherryculture.com)
Buzz Worthy is really more of a layering polish. The pics above were taken after three coats, and there's still VNL (visible nail line). It's a pretty beige-ish gold though and I'm looking forward to layering it over a red creme.
NYX Girls Robotic (retail: $3 at cherryculture.com)
Oooh la la! I love Robotic! This polish required two coats. The first coat went on very streaky, but the second coat leveled things out considerably and it's pretty opaque with just two coats. This one's MUCH prettier in person. I'm so in love with it--I can't believe I got it for just 99-cents. I can't wait to wear this on my toes.
Next up, a shade that's a real departure for me:
Kleancolor Pink Baby (sadly, this one's discontinued)
I've been accused of not swatching a lot of lighter, pinks, peaches and neutrals on this blog, and I admit I'm totally guilty of this. It's not that I don't like soft pinks, peaches and neutrals, but I spent many years wearing JUST these types of shades, so now I just prefer darker, bolder colors. But when I was at Beauty Supply Warehouse recently, they had a shelf full of older Kleancolor shades with a "75 cents" sign next to them. All of the shades on sale were light pinks and peaches, and Pink Baby called out to me. I love how it's a peach creme indoors, but in the sun you can really see that pink shimmer come alive. And Kleancolor for less than a dollar? Come on now.
And finally, my half-moon experiment:
Maybelline Grand in Green with Sally Hansen Plum Luck
Thanks to a former colleague and dear friend for telling me that you can easily achieve the retro half moon by using a simple office supply. For a buck or two, you can get 100 hole punch reinforcement stickers at your local drugstore or office supply and guess what? They totally work! The only thing I failed to do is keep the reinforcements on my nails long enough to let the polish dry, so when I peeled them off, the line wasn't as clean as it could have been. If you'd like me to do a tutorial on this, just leave a comment and let me know. Next time I'll do it with better shades. Again, this was just an experiment and I grabbed the first two colors in front of me to try this out. Yay for finding new and fun ways to use office supplies!
That's it for the swatchfest. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of the colors mentioned in this post!
Ooh, I'd like to see that tutorial, G.
ReplyDeleteI really like the half moon, and I happen to have both of those polishes! I will have to get some hole punch reinforcer thingies and try it out!
ReplyDeleteI love the robotic color too - will have to see if my beauty supply store carries it.
Sherry
1. Tutorial please =D
ReplyDelete2. The Kleancolor polish looks so pretty =( unfortunately I don't think I see anything from their website that is exactly like it =/ Then again...the swatches suck lol
3. How are the NYX nail polishes =D I've always added them to my cart on Cherry Culture but then removed them lol
Tee hee! You DID crack! It's too hard to resist staying with one color when there are sooooo many other beauties calling your name. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat's the difference between a half-moon and a Ruffian?
oldfashioned: You got it! I'll post one this week. :)
ReplyDeleteSherry: Yay! Glad you like the color combo! Please keep me posted if you try the half-moon! I'd love to hear how it went.
sillylilacs: Awww, I'm sorry they don't seem to have a shade that's similar. I hate it when brands d/c something and don't have anything even close to the old color. :( And I love NYC polishes! Every one I have applies very smoothly. Totally worth the $$.
Kimberly: Hahah! Yep, I did! The difference between a half-moon and a ruffian is the curve. The curve of the half-moon is meant to mimic (or highlight) the natural curve of the white part of your nail (the part just above the cuticle). In the ruffian, the curve goes in the opposite direction. Does that make sense? Google "ruffian manicure" and you'll see the difference. :)
I LOVE Robotic <3
ReplyDelete@Gianna: Wait, NYC or NYX lol I have 3 of the NYCs..and they stink =( I don't know if I picked the wrong ones or what haha
ReplyDeleteI just heard of Kleancolor yesterday from another guru...I never heard of this brand before and never seen it in any store. However, I believe that they just put this brand in Target....I checked out their website and most items are cheap and seem aamzing...If you ever buy anything else from them, can you do a review on it?
ReplyDeleteI don't do light colors because I'm always worried that they will need 4, 5, or more coats to get opaque. I'd love to do lighter colors! That Kleancolor is just the kind of shade that looks good on me too. Peaches, corals, and mochas always look like they belong on me.
ReplyDeleteSince Kleancolor is so cheap I expected there to be little to no color payoff on the shadows, but I saw one blogger do a LOTD with them and they are as bright on the eyelids as they are in the pan. Now I want one of the palettes. They come in wild colors that I like to play with. One of these days I'll break down and order from cherryculture.com.
I loooove Kleancolor nail polish!! There is a lady at a flea market that has boxes and boxes of random colors every weekend and she sells them for $1 each. I have never seen them in an actual store though.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous swatches! I love the deep greens and NYX Robotic!! :)
ReplyDeleteWow, I want the Pink Baby soooo bad! I had a similar color back in high school (I think it was Claire's brand, or maybe Pure Ice?). If you find them again, I'd gladly pay you for it!
ReplyDelete