summer nails: neutrals

Nicole by OPI It Starts With Me

I've loved this sort of rose-gold champagne-y shimmery neutral colour for years now. The first similar one I had was a GOSH polish that seems to have been discontinued because believe me, I have tried to hunt it down even on eBay. This isn't as champagne-y and shimmery as my beloved GOSH one which I've now used up every drip of, but it comes close and does a good enough job. I find that the shimmery-ness of this shade seems to disguise all potential chipping, making it the perfect travel polish. The wide and every so slightly rounded brush is also fantastic for a quick five minute manicure and nail pick-me-up.

Nails Inc. Basil Street

This is one of those mannequin hands colours, though I suppose that would depend on your skin tone. It glides on pleasantly, doesn't streak -- I've found that Nails Inc. probably makes one of my favourite formulas, and is delightfully opaque in two coats. There really is not much to say about this other than it is a pleasant neutral for the hands (totally work-appropriate) and I have yet to try this on my feet.

summer nails: reds

OPI Big Apple Red

I love red polish to the moon and back, especially on toes. This is a suitable year-round, glossy, bright cherry red and the best red of all the reds. You could probably get away with one coat if you have perfect application skills since it is so incredibly pigmented, but if you want that depth of colour you're probably better off with two.

China Glaze Hey Sailor

Another red, but this is in-fact my summer red. Unlike the aforementioned OPI Big Apple Red, it doesn't have quite the same warmth and depth of red but instead almost a neon-like brightness to it. It looks amazing on either hands or feet for the warmer, sunny months and goes fabulously with a bit of a tan. The smooth formula is highly pigmented and allows for an easy and even two-coat application despite the narrowness of the China Glaze brushes.

summer nails: lavenders

 

Essie Lilacism

I've never really been one for pastels until I ventured into the amazing murky-pastel-y-taupe-y-purple-y (it's very hard to describe just click this link) colour that is Nails Inc. Porchester Square. It was when I was obsessed with pale lavender-y colours that I decided to pick this shade up on a whim while I was in Duane Reade. At first, I wasn't too sure about it and just thought I would be adventurous and that it would be nice to have something to spruce my nails up for spring. But now that it's summer, I find myself itching to wear this colour all the time despite the fact that Essie's wear time on my nails is peculiarly short -- I most tragically tend to get chips within days. Application wise, it can get a bit thick as it's quite a dense opaque shade, but the way my nails look when I'm done is always so inexplicably perfect for summer that I can never stop staring at them.

Nicole by OPI Am I Making Myself Claire

Again with the continuing love for lavender pastels, this is like the in-between of Nails Inc Porchester Square and Essie Lilacism. For those days where I want the summery-ness of colour but not quite feeling neutral, this is the perfect shade. The formula doesn't go on as smoothly as I'd like it -- it can get ever so slightly streaky especially when applying the first coat, but with two coats it gets pleasantly opaque. I'm not sure if Nicole by OPI changed their brushes, but the one with this polish isn't as nice as my other Nicole by OPI brushes, it's not rounded and it's a little longer. It may just be a fluke that I happened to get the bottle with a funky-weird, kind of annoying brush but the colour is worth it.