Lacquer Lundi

Straight to the pretties:

Sally Hansen Insta Dri - Uptempo Plum
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $5.99 CDN

Uptempo Plum is a very, very (did I say very?) dark purple base with micro glitter. It would actually be quite nice if it didn't just read as black by an observer from any distance larger than 10 cm from the nail. Even in direct sun, it still appear essentially black (usually with these darker shades, the direct sun can reveal their true colour). So, that was a tad disappointing.

However, Uptempo Plum applied nicely and covered opaquely in two coats (I could have gotten away with one coat if I had been more careful about covering bald spots). Unfortunately, the wear on this polish was not spectacular - I had tip wear after less than 12 hours (and most of that time I spent in bed sleeping). The good news is that the tip wear appeared quickly, but it did not worsen for the next two days.


China Glaze - In Awe of Amber
- purchased at Sally Beauty Supply for $2.00 CDN

I am a sucker for a good metallic polish. At this time of year (autumn in Canada), I am an even bigger pushover for a beautiful copper, bronze or gold shade. In Awe of Amber, with it's pinkish-brown base and coppery-gold shimmer, is firmly in pretty metallic category.

In Awe of Amber applied nicely, although it is rather sheer. To build up to bottle colour and eliminate any visible nail line, required four coats of polish (which is a bit of a pain, as it takes longer to dry). This polish wore well for the two days I had it on - only minor tip wear.







Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear - Emerald City
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $2.95 CDN

Emerald City is a re-release of a polish that I have had on my wish list for quite a while. So, I was obviously pleased when I saw it at a local drug store in the new SH display. Emerald City is a glorious metallic forest green and it truly could not be any more perfect if it tried.

This polish required three coats for perfect coverage (but to be honest, two coats would be enough if you aren't completely anal about every little bald spot like I am). Emerald City is very similar in colour to one of my previous favourites, Rimmel 60s Camouflage. However, the wear on the SH polish is far superior as I only had very minor tip wear after two days.


Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear - Crushed
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $2.95 CDN

Crushed is such a pretty, glowing orangey-pinky-coraly shade. Although, it's not a new cutting edge colour, it is a good, solid addition to any polish wardrobe. I can definitely see sporting Crushed on my toes next summer.

Crushed applied wonderfully (as do almost all of my SHHANXW polishes) due to the nice formula and the excellent brush. It took three coats for opaqueness. I had essentially no tip wear after two days of wearing.