Oxblood Red Swatch: Essie Skirting The Issue

Hey everyone! Here’s a very quick swatch of Skirting The Issue by Essie, which is a deep burgundy red. The pictures were taking with (I think) 5 coats, but it was still very manageable and didn’t seem too think. It dried in a reasonable time without getting goopy. I still think it would have worked well with fewer layers, but it would not be nearly as dark. I like how the jelly finish works with the vampy color. I hope I have a reason to wear it soon!

Nail polish swatch – Illamasqua Monogamous

I just started my surgery rotation, so I’m going to be going on a bit of a hiatus. I’ll try to post something about every week and we’ll see how that goes. I have a lot of neutral pink polishes because I can get away with them in every setting. This is Illamasqua Monogamous, which is a semi-matte/satin pinky nude. I love Illamasqua blushes, so I had high expectations for this polish.  I really love the color and finish. The thing that I couldn’t get the cuticle line to look good no matter what I did. If I applied normally, it would drag near the cuticle and get streaky. If I tried using a thicker layer, I would flood my cuticle. I used 3 coats + topcoat for these pictures. I generally prefer colors that I can get away with using as few coats as possible, so this was another downside for me. If anyone has any advice for tricks to use this polish, I’d love to know!

Nail polish swatch of Lime Crime – Crema de Limon

This is from Lime Crime’s Desserts d’Antoinette collection, which I bought the whole set of. I like all of the polishes in the collection because the colors are unique and they wear surprisingly well for being pastels. This is 3 coats with topcoat. And look, no streaks!

Zoya Mieko swatch

Hey everyone! Nothing fancy today, just a swatch of Zoya Mieko. It’s a beautiful warm pink with gold shimmer, which adds so much depth. It’s one of my favorite nail polishes. It’s a unique, versatile color that applies beautifully. This is with two coats and topcoat. Happy holidays.

Zoya Alegra nail polish swatch

I’ve had a big problem with my nails peeling and breaking, so I’ve been using Dermanail for about one month. I haven’t broken a nail in at least 2 weeks, which I think is the longest I’ve gone. Now that my nails are approximately all the same length and shape, I feel like this is a good excuse to post a plain ol’ swatch.

This is Zoya Alegra, from the Sparkle collection. As I always am with Zoya nail polishes, I’m impressed by this formula. This was two coats with a top coat and was fully opaque. It applies so smoothly and the color is gorgeous!

Fimo Flowers

Zoya Mieko + some fimo flowers I found at Sally’s. It stayed on better than I thought!

Ruby Slippers over black

China Glaze’s Ruby Slippers has a cult following. I got it quite a few years ago when I was searching for a black nail polish with red glitter in it. I intended to mix it with black polish, but I just didn’t get the effect I wanted. I realized shortly after that I love one coat of it over black polish. This is over Zoya’s Raven. What’s your favorite way to dress up black nail polish?

Maya

This is my nail polish of the day, Maya by Zoya. I love this color. It’s right in between coral and pink. This formula is pretty sheer, so this picture was taken with 3 coats.