NOTD: OPI Tickle My France-y

As much as I love fun, bright nails in the summer, sometimes it's nice to tone it down and choose a neutral polish that'll pair well with any crazy combination of colours you might be wearing outfit-wise. Lately, my favourite pick for that has been OPI Tickle My France-y. 
I've been obsessed with Essie polishes for the past while but I thought I'd go back to my tried and true OPI polishes for this gorgeous shade! I remember seeing this when the France collection came out years ago and never picking it up. Although it is a late addition to my nail polish collection, it's quickly becoming one of my favourite slap on and go polishes (much like Essie Mademoiselle has been for the past year!). 
The formula of this is creamy and applies like a dream. Two coats is all you really need! This is very much a colour that gives your hands that sophisticated look - are you following along? I know it may seem strange but it just looks really polished while adding a bit of colour, unlike very pale pinks do. I think I'll love this even more when Fall comes in! In terms of dupes, it's very similar to Essie Ladylike although Ladylike is definitely a bit more purple. So if you have one, you really don't need the other! 
Any OPI polishes you're loving? I just picked up The Thrill of Brazil and it might be my new favourite red!

The Best of Spring: Essie Edition

As a previously loyal, die hard OPI fan, this post kind of makes me laugh. I was never interested in buying Essie polishes until maybe a year ago when I fell in love with them. As with every brand, you have the odd dud here and there, but I've loved many of the shades that I've had from Essie and I actually prefer their brushes because they are thinner and allow for a lot of precision. 
I noticed that my collection, as a whole, was lacking in the spring/summer shade category so I took myself to Target (when Essie was on sale whoop!) and did some damage. Keep in mind this was over a period of like 7 months - which in the end doesn't matter because it's still a lot haha! I'm so excited to be sporting these shades on my nails in the coming months! The colours I included are: (bottom row) Mademoiselle, Fiji, Sand Tropez, Absolutely Shore; (top row) Bikini So Teeny, Mod Square, Watermelon, Really Red.  (I'm wearing Mod Square in the picture). I love wearing Fiji with a tan and Watermelon looks like it'll be one of my preferred pinks during the warmer weather!
This line up has everything I could want for Spring/Summer nails - except I would probably add in an orange and a purple, but otherwise, these are some of my go to shade ranges. Aside from Essie though, I am so tempted to buy some shades from the Deborah Lippmann Spring Collection because they are seriously beautiful! Vivianna Does Makeup has made me want more beauty products once again! (more on her recommendations in an upcoming post!) To sum it up, I'm involved in a major love affair with Essie at the moment and I don't think it'll be a summer fling ;)

Nailed It!

Apart from my love of the blackened red manicure, I've been enjoying a few of my Essie polishes a lot this month, as well as a new base coat and top coat to go along. A few years back I swore by Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat but after hearing about all the health warnings that came along with that little bottle I decided it was time to start searching for a new top coat. I've been thoroughly enjoying Sally Hansen's selection of top coats lately (btw, how weird is it that there was never anyone even named Sally Hansen....). I tried the one that comes in the metallic bottle but I settled for Insta Dri because it dries my nails really quickly but won't have me inhaling the toxic fumes emitted from Seche Vite.
 For a base coat I'm not particularly fussy, mostly because no matter what I try nothing prevents the staining that happens with dark polishes. Lately I've been getting through this bottle of Sally Hansen Complete Care base coat. it says it basically does everything from protecting your nails from staining to helping to fortify them.... I can't say much for the fortification and lengthening of nails due to this alone but it has served me well. 
Colour wise this month has definitely been about the Essie domination. I grew up very much an OPI kind of girl but I've expanded my horizons and been liking Essie polishes, especially since the brush isn't so tiny anymore. The colours that I've been gravitating towards the most this month have been Merino Cool (a new purchase which I love --- very similar to L'Oreal Greyt Expectations), Sand Tropez and Fiji. Funny enough these colours are a little bit harder to apply for me. Not impossible but definitely a bit more finicky compared to those shades that are opaque in one swipe. All of these picks are definitely more muted and neutral but I cannot wait to wear brighter hues in the months to come. Hello Spring, I'm waiting for you!

Perfectly Polished: Clean, Fresh Nails

Nail polish. Just hearing those two words get me giddy and reaching for my nail polish remover waiting to see what hue will grace my fingertips next. As the weather starts cooling down (... freezing up is more like it), I tend to reach for darker, vampy shades. That being said, this year soft pinks and nudes are tickling my fancy - that made me giggle just typing it - and I'm not complaining. No matter what time of year it is, there is nothing more satisfying than looking down at your hands and seeing freshly manicured nails that look clean and very Kate Middleton-esque. *sigh* She's so beautiful. Ok, back to nail polish, I tend to get side tracked whenever I think about how gorgeous and ladylike she is. Don't judge!

If you feel the same way or don't but want to see what the fuss is all about, here are some shades that are sure to make you swoon!

Top Row: OPI - (L to R) Bubble Bath // Coney Island Cotton Candy // Samoan Sand
Essie - (L to R) Allure // Fiji // Eternal Optimist

Out of this bunch I'd have to say my faves have to be Bubble Bath and Fiji. In this picture you might think that they're similar but the formulas and opacity are very different. Bubble Bath is definitely sheerer while Fiji is very opaque and gives your nails such a clean, girly look - It's the polish Emily Maynard always wears. And how pretty is that neutral ombre look?! I think I may give that a try soon.

Thanks for stopping by x

Glorious Peonies.