Lacquer Lundi

Let's start off today with a question:
Ann said..."Here is my question: Do you find that the polish you wear is enhanced by the clothing that you wear? The color I applied for Sunday was lifeless against the black and white outfit I wore to church, but today it delights me, sparkling against the bronze tones of my top and hinting a bit of gold itself. What do you think?"

Absolutely! I consider nail polish to be an accessory just like scarves or jewelry. In the same way that accessories can harmonize with or contrast pleasingly against the rest of an outfit, nail polish serves the same purpose. I have been known to change clothing because one of my garments clashes with my fingers!


Now, on to the pretties:

China Glaze - TMI
- purchased at head2toebeauty.com for $3.29 US

As many of my regular Lacquer Lundi readers know, I am not a pink fan. However, I am always willing to make an exception for the dark coral pink holographic beauty known as TMI. This beautiful polish is from China Glaze's Summer 2008 OMG collection. Although not as insanely blingtastic as some holo polishes, TMI is still quite the looker.

I have included an indoor (to the left) and an outdoor (to the right) photo.

TMI slides onto the nail easily, covering in two coats. It stood up okay to two days of wear with tip wear and minor chipping. I never seem to get excellent wear from my holo polishes, but I still love them!


Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear - Peach Daiquiri
- purchased at Zehrs (chain grocery store) for $1.34 CDN

I don't tend to enjoy sheer polishes, so when I put on Peach Daiquiri I was a bit dissappointed. Although it is a pretty peach (with subtle silver shimmer) in the bottle, it is very, very sheer on the nail. The photo you see is five (yes, five) coats of polish and it is still too see-through for my taste.

For those in the crowd that enjoy a sheer polish, you will be pleased by the formula - it flows on easily. I however, removed Peach Daiquiri right away as I can't stand VNL (visible nail line) and the five coats were taking forever to dry. I will however try layering Peach Daiquiri over another polish at a later date.






MAC - Cool Reserve
- purchased at maccosmetics.ca for $14.50 CDN

Another of the new Fall 2009 releases from MAC. Cool Reserve is a greyed-down medium lavender creme polish. It is a fairly unique colour (although I did find something comparable if you don't want to shell out the mega bucks for the MAC - see below).

This polish applied better than the previously used MAC polish (see above link for Rich, Dark, Delicious review). It went on fairly easily, although it required three coats to be completely opaque and streak-free. I had higher hopes for the formula of a polish this pricey.

The wear was quite good however. After two very active days with my hands (back to school organization), I only had minor tip wear.


Rimmel Play Fast - Hit That
- purchased at Rexall (chain drug store) for $3.26 CDN

Looking for an inexpensive alternative to MAC Cool Reserve? Consider, Rimmel Hit That. Although it is not an exact duplicate, it may quell the lemmings enough to get by. The base colour of the two polishes are pretty much the same. The only real difference is that Hit That has a subtle bronze micro-shimmer that Cool Reserve does not. If truth be told, I actually prefer the Rimmel polish - it's bit more interesting.

Hit That glides on easily due to a great formula and a nice wide brush (a better brush than the MAC polishes IMHO). It dries quickly too, which is another bonus. I also got just about the same level of wear with the Rimmel polish as with the MAC. So, if you like the dusty lavender look, get the Rimmel and save your shekels for a rainy day.




Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear - Sun Kissed
- purchased at Zellers (chain discount store) for $2.99 CDN

SHHANXW polishes have recently come out with a ton of shades, some of which are new and some are re-releases of older, popular colours. You may have seen the huge display at local drug stores. It was at one of these displays that I found Sun Kissed and fell in love. It is a gorgeous bright orange polish that reminds me of an Orange Creamsicle, that tasty cool summer time treat from my child hood.

As with all my SHHANXW polishes, Sun Kissed flowed on smoothly and moved around the nail nicely (I love the nice wide brush). It did however take three thin coats to ensure opacity, but since this polish dries quickly, it wasn't much of an imposition. It wore well for the day that I had it on.