Showing posts with label Blue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blue. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

CND Anchor Blue and Sally Hansen Effect in Girl Flower

Where do I start?  CND polish in general is a dream to use for me.  The formula is so thick and creamy it applies like a dream.  Anchor Blue is a bright blue creme that really comes to life on the nails. Wearing the color actually put me in a good mood.  Weird.  I had no complaints about this color or the formula. 



CND Anchor Blue #544

I decided to pair my manicure with Sally Hansen Effects in Girl Flower.  These nail effects are very cutesy and I've collected quite a few since they first came out.  This was the first one that I actually wore and hey are said to last up to 10 days, although I didn't wear them that long.  It was easy to apply and really looked like actual nail polish once applied the nail.  Just be sure to push your cuticles back and apply it as close as possible so there is not a gap between the pattern and the actual nail.  I applied this mani in a hurry and didn't wrap the tips so apologies for the messy nails




I chose to only use on on each hand as an accent. Using them on all 10 nails at a time is a bit much (for me).  But I tend to lean toward the conservative side when it comes to nail art so 2 accent nails is a lot for me.  Those of you are are more into nail art will probably love these effects as a full mani.  I say so for it!




I pulled out some other blues to compare and I couldn't find and exact dupe for there are some that come very close.  The closest one being OPI Orge The Top Blue (which I love to pieces).


SH Blue Me Away, Zoya Robyn, OPI Orge the Top Blue, CND Anchor Blue, Orly Calypso Breeze

CND nail colours are available for purchase at beautybrands.com. Also at other various retail locations.

What CND colors do you currently have or want to try?

Monday, August 22, 2011

Dior Saint-Tropez Nail Polish #401



**First off I must apologize for my pics.  They are not the greatest. I'm new to this blogging thing so I need to figure out how to take better pics or buy a new camera eventually.  But please bear with me for now :) **
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Initially I purchased this color due to hype. It was not a must have for me but I caved because I kept reading so much about the much anticipated release. I normally cannot wear light shades of green/mint because of the yellow undertones in my skin.  It just never works (Essie Mint Candy Apple, Chanel Nouvelle Vague...both fails for me). But I am pleased to say that this color is gorgeous both in the bottle and on me too!  (If I do say so myself)






Dior Saint-Tropez  (One Coat)
 Saint-Tropez was released as a limited edition online for $21 and reportedly sold out immediately.  It was also available in select Dior boutiques where I was able to find mine before it sold out.

Color:  It pulls more blue than green on me and I was very pleased.  I planned to only wear this shade for a day or two, as I am working through my untrieds and trying to get through summer brights so I can begin to pull out my vamps.  I'm normally not a seasonal polish person because I wear what I like, whenever.  However, I am currently living in a sea of untried polishes so it just makes sense to pull out as many brights as I can while its still summer.

Formula:  The color is great but the formula really disappointed me.  It was extremely thick and difficult to apply.  So thick, that I had to take extra care not to go over the same area twice because it would have made a thick mess.  I only did one coat for this reason.  There were a few spots that were thinner than others on my nail but I just wanted it to be over and didn't bother with a second coat. 

This is not the first Dior that had a thick formula that I did not appreciate.  All of their polishes are not like this, I guess it just depends on the color.  I would like to use thinner because I love the color so much, but I don't want to ruin it as its not a cheapy polish.  Let me know if any of you have had luck thinning a Dior

I wore this for about 5 days before it began to show major wear.  I didn't wrap my tips with color as I usually do because I was trying to hurry though the mani.  I had some minor tip wear immediately due to the top coat I used (Seche Vite) but that was to be expected.



Brush:  The brush is huge, the same shape and width of the Sally Hansen Complete manicure brush. I don't really like it, because I have smaller nail beds.  But over all its not bad.  Two swipes and I'm done.  The curve of the brush fits nicely when you are trying to get close the the cuticles.  I don't like cleanup afterwards so I'm always trying to get my cuticle edge as perfect as I can



China Glaze For Audrey/ Dior St. Tropez/Milani Dressmaker/ Essie Turquoise and Caicos

Comparison:  This color does not look like anything that I own in the bottle.  I pulled out a few colors to compare (some tried and untried). All the others have more green and not the unique blue/green combo that makes St. Tropez so original.  If I had to pick one I'd say its closest to China Glaze For Audrey but its not a dupe at all.

Despite my difficulty with the formula I do recommend that you pick one up if you can still find it.  It's a unique color and I enjoyed wearing it. 

Was available on www.dior.com for $21usd but is now sold out.  But maybe they will bring it back at some point?  Hopefully.