Essie "Allure" and ORLY "French Tip"

Oy vey. First attempt at doing French tips - I found these cute little stickers at one of the local beauty stores and decided to give it a try. Turned out to be WAY harder than anticipated. I started with a base coat and two coats of Essie "Allure" (the color that Kate Middleton supposedly wore on her wedding day - of COURSE I had to have it!) and used ORLY's "French Tip" for the tips...

So "Allure" is a very nice sheer pink/white that makes your nails look clean and well, polished. Nothing special, just sophisticated. I'd give it an 'A'. 

This dang polish though? Sticky, goopy, takes forever to dry, and once I removed the stickers managed to smudge all over EVERYTHING -- I removed this manicure after 24 hours, I couldn't stand the icky lines any more. Will probably try again with a different polish. Will likely NEVER use this ORLY polish again. YUCK. 

Butter London "All Hail the Queen"

Oh my. The Butter London website calls this beauty "All Hail the Queen." Described as a "winter" version of their classic "Yummy Mummy," this is a stunning beige holo. And I'm wearing it in the summer. ;) I'm such a rebel. 

This color is like a combination of rose-gold and silver microglitters. Really pretty in all lighting. Maybe not the best color on me, just given how much pink I have in my complexion, but I plan on wearing this  all the time. In all seasons. Forever. Super pretty, work appropriate, opaque in 2 coats and doesn't need a topcoat. Definitely going to be trying out more Butter London polishes in the future!

For REAL swatches, let me refer you to what is fast becoming my go-to blog for getting my nail polish fix, the PolishAholic. The photography is really exceptional, especially in capturing the real sparkle of this color. 

All hail the sparkle!

OPI "Bubble Bath"

 This is a lovely pale pink, described by the manufacturer to exhibit romance, softness, elegance, and style. It is very sheer. I put on two coats. It reminds me of that makeup trend, the "no-makeup makeup look," that is supposed to be "natural but better." It gives your nails a nice soft pink color, a beautiful glossy finish. The formula is very thin. So if you are fond of doing thick coats (like me) because you are impatient and like to do as few coats as possible, this is not the polish for you. It will pool around the sides of your nails. No bueno. Might be a good base for a french manicure. If you are looking for color, this again is not the polish for you. It is a nice change of pace though, a nice sweet palate cleanser.

Cult Nails "Let's Get Dirty"



Wax-like finish (pardon the back-drop)



Oy. Totally in love with this polish from Cult Nails. I came across this gem while trolling the nail blogs for the perfect neutral shade.

This is a lovely neutral soft taupe with hints of purple - mauve? - and a lovely shimmer. It actually has a finish that is described as 'wax-like,' a soft matte finish that dries in like 30 seconds. Very pretty. I've never seen anything like this. Add a top coat and this stuff just glistens with little silver shimmers. For some reason, the longer I wear it the more purple it looks. Right now it seems like a dusty lilac, when I swear it was milk-chocolate-mousse to start off. Weird. Maybe I've worn all the brown pigment off?

My only complaint is that this stuff dries soft, for lack of a better explanation. Even after a topcoat. The polish dries fast, but even DAYS later, that gorgeous soft shimmer get all sorts of creases - not chips... it's like an ice rink, right after it's polished, you know? And then everyone starts skating and well everything is still technically 'white,' but it shows the mark of everything that's passed over it? That's kinda like this stuff. It creases, and looks like wrinkly laundry.

With top coat

Has anyone had a problem with polish like this? Should I try a different top coat? (Using the Revlon top coat right now). It's so strange, I've never had a polish that is this soft before. And it's a shame because this color is just a fabulous neutral.
Thoughts?