Polish Days: Something New

I almost forgot about this month’s Polish Days even though it was pushed back a week (because the first Tuesday fell on the 1^st). The idea was to try something new – an untried color, a technique or even a new finish! I have quite a number of untried polishes but I thought it would be more fun to try a new technique. Then I remembered an old trend: newspaper nails!

My original idea was to have nude nails but I failed my first attempt. So I switched colors because newspapers are usually grey. I couldn’t get the ink to ‘print’ clearly on my index finger (as seen) even though the rest turned out better.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Stormy

Medium grey cream. There’s a drop of green in it that pulls out the red in my skin tone. This is one of the two RBLs I have, the other is Scrangie. I used Stormy as a base under Aritaum Tweed Jacket.

My RBLs were the luxury brand polishes I ever bought. I got them through a mass order during a 50% sale but they were still expensive after shipping and conversion. The formula for Stormy is fantastic though, easy to control and very opaque.

Polish peels:
• NailTek Foundation II (1 coat)
• Rescue Beauty Lounge Stormy (2 coats)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)

China Glaze Stone Cold

Collection: Capitol Colours (2012 Spring)

Charcoal matte with silver shimmer. Like all other matte polishes, this dries fast. No need to wait if you’re in a hurry. It also chips easily – I had one within 24 hours. And that shimmer also gets everywhere during cleanup (and removal).

While I had it on, I noticed something weird – the charcoal base gets worn off, making it more silvery over time. Especially at the tips. If you dislike such a thing, then this polish is not for you.

Polish peels:
• NailTek Foundation II (1 coat)
• China Glaze Stone Cold (2 coats)

Aritaum 21 Tweed Jacket

Collection: Modi Glam Nails

Clear base with black and white glitter. There are small and medium squares, medium hexagons, and bar glitter. This is my first black and white glitter polish and I love it so much I had to show you right away! It’s obviously inspired by a certain Lynnderella but it’s not a copy.

As with many Asian polishes, 21 is the code for this shade. This brand also names their polishes – in Korean. Tweed Jacket is what Google Translate provides me with so I’m not sure how accurate that is.

There’s a good amount of square glitter in this, the other glitter shapes are sparser. That’s alright for me, because I have a huge weakness for square glitter. Hexagons are just, well, normal glitter ;)

The clear base is rather thick and dries fast – it was starting to get clumpy as I tried to spread the glitter. I recommend the dab and spread method as it gets more glitter on (as seen on the index). I used the normal painting motion for the other nails.

Polish peels:
• PVA Glue (1 coat)
• Rescue Beauty Lounge Stormy (2 coats)
• Aritaum Tweed Jacket (1 coat)
• American Classics Gelous (1 coat)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)

Aritaum is a cosmetics brand from South Korea. I discovered them while searching for swatches of Innisfree (another S. Korean brand) polishes. Like most of you, I don’t read, write or speak Korean. After a lot of googling, I bought their polishes from Qoo10 (our local Gmarket) and the package took around two weeks to reach me.

You can also find this brand on the Korean Gmarket site, or you can check out their brick and mortar stores. The Glam Nails shades are 10ml while the Juicy Nails are 7ml. I think the original shop prices are KRW2500 (7ml) to KRW3500 (10ml). They also have other interesting shades; a few are inspired by popular Deborah Lippmann colors.

The Face Shop BK901

Collection: Hologram

Charcoal holographic. It’s a bit more holographic than my pictures are showing here. Although it’s not true black, the grey base makes it rather unique among holos.

The formula is also lovely! Two easy coats with little fuss, no special base coat needed. I did put on Seche Vite as it didn’t seem to negate any of the holoness. Here's a bonus shot of the holo goodness in the bottle (please ignore my awkward hand):

Thanks for looking!
Polish sandwich:
• China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat (1 coat)
• The Face Shop BK901 (2 coats)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)

Megan Miller Foxy

Taupe grey jelly. I’m very excited to share this polish with you! Why? Because it’s the first time I ever won a giveaway! Also, I’ve heard good reviews of this brand and I’m always excited to try something new!

Before my review, take a look at that adorable bottle! I really like how it’s put together – the cork cap and rounded body shape, finished with the tied raffia. Just looking at it makes me think of resorts, beaches and relaxation. According to the website, the bottle shape was custom designed and the cork was specially fitted for it. No two bottle are the same – how’s that for personalization! I’d say they definitely achieved their vision of a rustic, natural elegance.

I love jellies and this one is no exception. The formula was just right; it wasn’t runny, gloppy, or too thin. Three coats gave perfect coverage and that glossy shine I’ve come to love in jelly polishes. The first picture in the shade is the most color accurate, but it does take on different tones in different lighting. I’m really glad I had the chance to try this, thanks to Mei Mei!

Polish sandwich:
• Megan Miller Foxy (3 coats)

Elianto Glittery Nickel

Collection: Sparkling Diva

Greyed purple with silver micro-glitter. This is one of those colors that are hard to categorize. It looks like dark grey in my pictures, especially in the shade, but it definitely leans more purple in real life. I really like this shade, because I have a weak spot for colors that are “in-between” and hard to classify.

The formula was a bit thick, and I needed a third coat to cover up some bald patches. Perhaps if I thin it, two coats might be enough. It dried smooth and glossy like all the others from the same line. To enlarge the pictures, please click on them! Thanks for looking!

Polish sandwich:
• Elianto Glittery Nickel (3 coats)

Nubar Gem

Collection: Prism (2010 Spring)

Grey base with pink iridescence and holographic glitter. This is quite the tricky thing to capture on camera. The photo above shows the greyish base clearly but it doesn’t look like that on my nails at all. The pink flash is very strong in real life and consistently appears in all lightings. I wish the pictures had turned out better because Gem is such a beautiful and unique polish.

Gem is on the sheer side and required three coats for full coverage. The formula was pretty easy to work with, very thin and easy to control. The glitter gives it a gritty feel so be sure to use a top coat for a smooth finish and extra shine.

And here's a blurred picture to show the holo glitter! Feel free to click on the pictures if they’re too small. Thanks for reading!

Polish sandwich:
• China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat (1 coat)
• Nubar Gem (3 coats)
• Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (1 coat)