revlon nail enamel: #570 vixen

As we're well into autumn (the recent weather is certainly making a point), I decided to get into the mood, and pulled out the darkest nail polish I have in my collection (besides black): Revlon's nail enamel in #570 Vixen. This caught my interest when Lily Pebbles mentioned it in her 2013 Beauty Favourites video. I purchased this on a recent vacation to Macau, and it was about 25 MOP on sale at Sasa (converts to about $4 in New Zealand). 

The polish is a deep vampy burgundy; often compared to Chanel's Rouge Noir. It translates much darker on the nail compared to the bottle, and requires 2-3 coats to be completely opaque. Two coats were used in the photo above, but my right hand took three coats as the first layer was a bit thin and streaky. The finish is gel-like and glossy enough on its own, but I always recommend applying a top coat for some extra shine and to prolong wear time. My manicure (trying to sound professional...) lasted about two days before the tips started to wear off, and started chipping by day three without a the use of a top coat. The staying power isn't the greatest, but the shade is so beautiful that I'm willing to look past that. I haven't tried Chanel's classic shade to compare, but a few dollars for an almost exact dupe? I don't think I'll need to...

The problem with dark nails is that you need to be precise in perfecting the edges, and it can really emphasis your nail size (though this is only an issue if you have wide nails like mine). A little trick I like to do is to leave a gap between the polish and the very edge of my nail (I tend to leave a much wider gap on my thumbnails as I dislike the shape of them). No one will know unless they really examine up close! 

topshop nails: boy next door

Ever since Essie's Mint Candy Apple release in 2009, the mint green/blue trend has been going strong. I've wanted to carry that colour on my nails for as long as I've been into painting my nails, but shelling out $24 for a bottle of nail lacquer isn't something I'd like to do. Then I saw this beautiful shade while (casually) browsing at Topshop and just knew I had take this baby home with me.

Topshop's Boy Next Door ($15) is something I didn't intend on purchasing, yet it seemed like the right thing to do. The packaging is sleek, super cute, and fits nicely amongst the few polishes that I have. With 8ml of product, it's smaller than OPI (15ml) and Essie (13.5ml); accompanied with a cheaper price tag. I prefer it this way; because finishing a bottle of nail polish before it becomes too thick and goopy seems virtually impossible. (On the other hand, it's tempting me to buy more...)

Based on swatches online, Mint Candy Apple falls right in between green and blue, and can gravitate towards either shade depending on the wearer's skin tone. Boy New Door however, is definitely a duck egg blue. (Excuse the wrinkly hand above; it's an Asian gene thing). The consistency is thinner than OPI polishes, and this took about three coats for a complete opaque finish. I am super impressed with the formula; it took no time at all to dry between coats, and I was able to get back to my usual activities within 1.5 hours of painting my nails. That might sound like a long time, but I've had experiences where my polish would dent after many hours of careful handling. Not cool. I'm on day three and the tips only just started wearing off. 

This looks amazing on the toes during spring/summer, and I'm really hoping the weather stays warm enough for me to continue rocking these brighter shades. Oh autumn, please be good to me...