Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Swatch of boredom.

Well, no. I'm not actually bored. I do have better things to do (like school), but I took to swatching my brand-new nail wheel anyway. Here are the 12 colours I currently own



  1. Four Leaf Clover by China Glaze, Up and Away collection '10. Hmm. I realise my camera made it look bluer and darker than it really is. This is a tremendously bright, pure green creme which covers very opaque in 2 coats. Asian people might recognise this green to be something similar to the back of mahjong tiles. I bought this upon the urgent recommendation of many nail bloggers out there, but then I realised that I'm not really into the pure greens much. Not only do I not have clothes to match, but it also makes me look rather like a mahjong-playing auntie. However, for green lovers out there, it definitely is a must-have colour. Just... not my style, I guess. This is also currently my only bottle of China Glaze polish, so I can't compare how good/bad, thick/thin the polish is.


  2. Yodel Me On My Cell by OPI, Swiss collection '10. This has got to be one of my favourite nail polishes of all time. I randomly bought this at a bazaar in school, and it was like I unlocked (like a RPG, get it?) a huge obsession with blue-greens, as well as a weakness for shimmers and glitters. This is a aqua blue with a teal/dark turquoise flash and blue shimmer in it. Application is fine, it covers in about 2 coats, but I usually add a 3rd coat to make sure. When I Google it, I find that most photographs I see out there depict it to be lighter than it really is. I'm not sure how, but I managed to capture the right intensity of the colour, as I view it in real life.


  3. What's With The Cattitude? by OPI, Shrek collection '10. A pastel baby blue creme. It is definitely a few shades lighter than what is shown in the picture. I like this, it flatters my skin tone and looks quite sweet but unique at the same time (although I notice an upward trend in people wearing blue polishes). Application was noticeably streakier than most other OPI polishes, and I usually need 3 or 4 coats to get an opaque, unstreaky finish but it's possible. My friend describes it as 'balloon blue'.


  4. Lapis of Luxury by Essie, Resort collection '10. A lot of blogs out there also rave about this one and call it a light periwinkle blue. I imagined it to look something similar to Cattitude above, but it turned out greatly disappointing. It's a tad more purple, and also a shade lighter. This is definitely a unique blue, haven't seen any dupes around, but it somehow does not flatter my skintone at all. I can imagine it looking better on whiter, Caucasian skin. Anyhow, application was all right, needed about 3 coats for full opacity. I wore this for Christmas, with a layer of white shimmer over it for a frosty snowy look.


  5. Mesmerize by Essie, Spring collection '10. This is a deep blue, just a few shades before navy. I find this colour vibrant (or maybe I just haven't seen enough blues) and unique! I haven't worn it on my fingers yet because I'm afraid it'll turn my nails all blue (because it's such a deep blue), but I've worn it at least twice or thrice on my toes so far (because who cares about toe nails?).


  6. Dance Studio by L.A. Girl, Black Light Disco. Have not yet tested this polish in black light so can't tell you if it glows or not. I'm not sure why it looks black in these photos but it's actually a more royal, slightly darker version of Mesmerize above. It almost seems to radiate, somewhat. Maybe it will show up in black light. I wouldn't be surprised. There is a pseudo-neon quality about a dark colour that makes you feel that they've definitely played with some fluorescent-related chemicals in there.


  7. Who Needs A Prince? by OPI, Princesses Charming collection. Another one of my absolute favourites. It's a white creme base with red shimmer so it looks virtually pink on the nail. It's pretty sheer so you need at least 4 coats to achieve opacity but it is buildable. I actually get distracted by my nails when I paint this colour. It's only red where the light hits it, and everywhere else is white/pink. I LOVE IT. I can't emphasize that enough. I'm even thinking of buying more from the same collection.


  8. Pop Art Pink by Essie, Spring collection '10. This is a lightish pink creme that is somewhat sheer to apply and requires at least 3 coats for some kind of opacity. I think it looks gorgeous on Caucasian hands but on a Chinese girl like me, it makes me look a little like Barbie. It makes me think my nails are plastic, because it's the shade of pink that I used to see on my plastic Barbie doll house. Anyway, that's not to say it's not a nice colour. I'd definitely wear it again. It is also perfect for layering with shimmers and what not.


  9. Matte Pink by L.A. Girls, Matte. Honestly, I have no idea what the name of this polish is because the label peeled off. I'm just assuming since the other one is Matte White. Anyway, the first few polishes that I bought, and the first matte. I never tried this for the longest time and I actually still haven't worn it. The pink has quite a significant hint of coral in it, and perhaps even a tinge of peach. Orange, as I have found out, is not quite my colour. Anyway, matte also tends to dry with visible brushstrokes, which isn't cool. I'm not a fan of this colour.


  10. Diva of Geneva by OPI, Swiss collection '10. Another favourite. This is a royal purple duochrome that flashes - red? red-purple? In the bottle, it flashes a gorgeous gold which never quite translates onto the nails. Despite this small set-back, the shimmer in this polish is enough to win me over. It dries to a semi-matte finish and is very flattering on my skin tone. I love how in some lights it almost appears dark maroon-purple. Amazing, love it.


  11. Janice by Zoya. This is a red creme with a berry/pink duochrome, which is barely visible. The red is brighter than what is shown in the photo, and leans towards the fuchsia side. It just looks like a red creme to me unless I hold it up to my eyes. I'm not sure if it's because I found it in my mum's drawer (typical) and it could be a thousand years old for all I know. Red isn't quite my thing. If the duochrome was more obvious, I would possibly give it more chances, but after painting it on my toes for a bit and feeling utterly vampy, I'd probably stay away from red from now on.


  12. Matte White by L.A. Girls, Matte. This is all right. One of the first few polishes I painted since I stepped into my obsession with it. Although I don't quite like mattes, white doesn't seem that bad. It doesn't make your nails look and feel as fake. You can't really go wrong with white, really.

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