Back with a project

Hi all... It's 8 years later and I'm back :) I revived this blog more or less for my private use, but of course, you're all welcome to follow it. I've made it my mission to go through my nail polish stash. I have around 1000 polishes of all ages and brands, so expect a wild ride:) First today, an Essence polish from a limited edition Valentine Who Cares? In the colour Blah Blah Blah. It took two layers to look good and dried semi matte.

Essence - Sunshine 4ever

Since there are many many new Essence products coming, many have to go also. This is one of those that have to go. Since it was on sale I bought it, I figured I need a nice yellow in my stash anyway. In the store it looked really yellow, almost neon, but it actually isn't. It's a lovely yellow, slightly orange toned, and I actually like it. I applied two coats and it was perfect, no streaks or anything. I'm glad I bought it:)

Essence - Black Out and Constance Carroll - Flashing Silver

Even though I drastically shortened my nails again (because I can't type with long nails...), they're still sort of yellow or greenish, because i was lazy the other day and didn't use a base coat. I know I know, should have known better... I was in a real hurry yesterday, so I had to put a polish on that was a one coater. I remembered reading about this Essence one from their new trend edition - I was lucky and Santa brought it to me:) It's a semi matte, plastic sort of finish polish.

One coat was enough for medium coverage, the sort that you can get away with, but are annoyed by the balder spots:) So when I came home, I put another coat on my pinky finger - you can see that it does look much better. I also put a matte top coat on my middle finger, to show you the difference between matte and "soft touch finish" as Essence calls it.







I've been in a shimmery/blingy phase for some time now, so of course having matte black nails is not acceptable:) I put a layer of Constance Carroll's Flashing Silver on top, and two layers on my ring finger, sort of like an accent nail. I really like this polish, it's cheap and makes any dull polish liven up just enough, so it's still wearable but blingy.

Essence Metalics

They're finally here! another novelty I had to have, of course. I jumped with joy today as I saw the stand:)

I guess you've all heard about magnetic nail polishes - they have small metal particles in them, and you apply them and put a magnet next to your nails. And tatatara, a nice pattern appears:)

I just had to swatch these as soon as I got home. They're rushed swatches, but what the hell, they'll give you an idea of what I'm talking about anyway.

These are, from left to right: Steel Me, Iron Goddess, Nothing else Metals and Copper Rulez. There is a fifth polish in this LE, but I wasn't interested in it because it's not magnetic:) I used the Essence magnet that comes in the LE for the first three nails, and I like the pattern a lot! And on my pinky I used a kitchen magnet. FAIL!






And a couple of advices:
* if you use the Essence magnet, paint one nail at a time. Be ready - you'll have to work fast as lightning. Put one thick coat of polish on your nail and immediately put the magnet next to your nail, just milimetres away. Hold as still as possible for 20-30 seconds, and there you have it:)
* shake the bottle before you use it! And i don't mean roll it in your hands, I mean vigorously shake it. A lot, and often.
* of course you can use other brands of magnets for polish - I know Alessandro and L'Oreal did something alike.
*if you're going to use kitchen magnets, expect some trial and error. You'll have to see for yourself which magnets work best. I do believe you can make some great designs with those too, but I still suggest buying the Essence one too (unless you have the Alessandro one, that one is supposed to be much better).
* be patient, and don't give up!

Essence - Sun Downer

It's been really hectic around me lately... Nothing seems to be going as I planned:( I wanted a bright colour to counter my mood, so I chose this one. I don't think I ever wore it before. It's from a trend edition that was released in the start of summer if I remember correctly, Return to Paradise. A vibrant orange with hints of gold shimmer, two coats, no TC.

Essence - Trendsetter

I love the new additions to the Essence nail polish line! I bought almost all of them (except the pinks and sheers...), but this one had to be the first I tried. I mean hello, it's a perfect cross between blue and green. And two coats, maybe could have gotten away with one.






And some bonus pics: he's growing like crazy! :)

Essence - Underwater and SH layering

I was at the drugstore yesterday and this lovely polish caught me off guard, so I had to have it:) I also have the "old" version of Underwater - it's a frosty/shimmery blue. Tish one is a dusty dark blue with sparse blue glitter that doesn't really show on the nails. It does on my pics though, because I had to take them with flash as there is no natural light because of crappy weather. I like the "new" version better!





And I had to put something to satisfy my bling addiction over it - Sally Hansen In the Spotlight. Stringy holo glitter in a clear base. Haven't decided yet if I like it or not:)

Essence - Lime Up!

It's a gloomy day today, so I decided for a screamingly bright mani:) I desperately wanted OPI's Shrek minis, but didn't want to spend the money, so I was exstatic when I saw this one from Essence. It's great! Two coats did the trick:)

Essence - Absolutely Stylish

Another great one from We Saw It First. Of course I had to have it, even though these will be in their core line in October.

This one is supposed to have green shimmers - according to the bottle cap. It sort of does, but the shimmery particles are somwhat weird - most of the time they look like they do in the pics. In the shade they're less apparent and more green, but sometimes I could see some pink too. Interesting polish:)

Essence - Gold Rush

I don't think I've ever written about my mom. She's really into nail polish too, but never admits it. She comes into my living room and takes a long time to pick a polish from my collection, and then acts like a little child when painting:) And usually she picks up polishes "for me" and then I store them in my collection and she uses them:) Because "she's not really that into polishing her nails".... :)

This is one of those polishes, of course. Three coats, a classic silvery gold colour.

Essence - What Do U Think?

Damn, this "project" of mine really isn't going anywhere:) I'm slow as hell:)

This one is from Essence's We Faw It First trend edition. It's named What Do U Think?, just like a polish from their core line. They're the same colour, but the "new" one has some sparse gold glitter in it. The glitter or shimmer doesn't show a lot on nails, but you can see it clearly in the bottle.

Two coats:)

Essence - Fivepocket Grey

Another one from Essence's TE Denim Wanted! I'm pretty sure I have a dupe or two of this in my smallish stash. Will look sometime. Overall it's a great colour, two coats.

Essence - My Boyfriend's Jeans

I've been feelin totally crappy these days, that's why you didn't get these swatches on sooner, and that's why you get no blabbering today.

This polish is from the new Essence TE Denim Wanted!, it's a dark creme blue, really a must have. Two coats:)

Essence - So Glamourous

I have had this one for a really long time, it was one of my first polishes when I started my obsession :) I still like it - it's a deep red with red shimmer that spices it up just a little bit. Two coats, like almost all Colour&Go polishes.








And on another note: I have to mention another nail polish blogger which I totally admire, especially now. She decided to follow her dreams and is starting her own nail polish company. You've probably heard about her - I'm talking about Maria from R3 Daily. Her line will be called Cult Nails. So Maria, kudos to you!