Tag Archives: Grey

May 9, 2012 · 11:40 pm

China Glaze: Stone Cold

I had high hopes for this polish from the jump since I am a fan of the name. I was really hoping that this polish wouldn’t fall flat on the nail. There are a lot of metallic-ish black / grey / silver polishes out there and I didn’t want this one to be like all the rest, and I’m happy to say it’s not.

Graphite-y black, charcoal polish with silver microshimmer

As mentioned, I was hoping this charcoal polish was different from the ones we have all seen before. And I think it really is. I like how it’s not really metallic, but since there’s so much silver shimmer in it, it almost has the feel of a metallic without any streaky-ness or frost or anything weird. It has a very graphite feel to it. A silver-ed black. It’s almost earthy in a weird way. It looks really beautiful when applied and is everything I hoped it’d be!

Pigmented and smooth application

This polish was very easy to apply. I had no issues with the formula (like I did on Smoke and Ashes from this Hunger Games collection). It applied smooth and very easily. It was also very pigmented and I only used two coats for full coverage. I’ve enjoyed wearing this polish, it’s a nice alternative for black. And is interesting in its own regard.

Where To Buy: Sally’s / Trade Secret / Ulta / Online Retailers / $ 6

Did you pick up Stone Cold? Does this charcoal polish appeal to you? What are your favorites from The Hunger Games collection? Or, what are your favorite alternatives to wearing black?

- Liz

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January 5, 2012 · 6:36 pm

Zoya: Gemma

I think many of you all are probably familiar with this polish already. Gemma was a big hit when it was released last year, and for good reason. I love green nail polish, and this one is truly unique and worth owning.

Murky, greyed out green with hidden purple shimmer

The base of Gemma is a gorgeous, muted, greyed out green. It’s very subtle for a green. It’s also very pretty and doesn’t scream “look at me!” It almost reads as neutral, It’s beautiful. But what makes this murky, dusty polish even better is the hidden violet-y blue microshimmer that lies, almost dormant, within. It comes out to play in the sunlight and is gorgeous. However, of course I wish it was a touch more noticeable so I could admire it a little more.

Hello blue microshimmer! And easy application

Usually I have little issues with application with any Zoya polish. Gemma is easy enough to apply. It’s smooth, however, I do wish it was a little more pigmented. I wish I could get away with two coats, but I had to do three for this manicure. It applies just a touch streaky and sheer for a shimmer and for Zoya’s high quality polishes. My only application tip would be to apply thicker coats for more coverage and let them dry in between coats!

Where to Buy: Zoya.com / $ 8

Do you own Gemma? Do you want to add Gemma to your collection? Do you find this polish to be unique? Or do you not buy into the hype of this green polish? Did these swatches change your mind? ;)

- Liz

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November 27, 2011 · 9:09 pm

Zoya: Kristen

I was pretty excited to wear Kristen the other day when I changed my manicure. And I’m excited to say that I really love this polish, it took me by surprise.

Pretty, pale dusty blue

Kristen is a pale, powder blue creme with a bit of grey. What I really like about this polish is that it’s so pretty, but also not overly girl-y or juvenile. The grey in the base really brings down any brightness that pale polishes can sometimes have. The tone and color are so flattering. Even though this color seems fairly straight forward or bland, there is something about it that is really unique and pretty. I can’t think of another blue similar to Kristen. Even if you’re against wearing blues, I highly recommend it.

Very smooth, easy application

I had no formula or application issues with Kristen. I applied two thicker coats. It went on smooth without streaking or being too thick like some pastel-y colors can be. My only application tip would to be make sure the first coat is dry to avoid any bald spots. This polish had a quick drying time as well.

Where to Buy: Zoya.com / $ 8

I can’t tell if polish lovers are that into the Zoya Feel collection. I think this color is very beautiful and flattering, what do you think? Does it seem like a typical blue to you? Or are you interested in it? It doesn’t read as very winter-y to me though. So far this is my favorite from the collection, but I have a few more to share with you guys in the near future!

- Liz

 

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October 7, 2011 · 9:00 am

Sonia Kashuk: Tauped

TGIF, am I right?! Sorry I was gone all week. I was wearing a really light, sheer polish that lasted me 5 days. Another Sonia Kashuk for fall, Sugar Rush. I loved it. A total “your nails but better” polish. Pick it up!

I know I have mentioned before how much I really like Sonia Kashuk’s Target line, and I’m going to say it again. It’s great. All of her cosmetic products, including polish, deliver great quality for a minimal price. I use her polish (of course), tinted moisturizer, and make up brushes. Love.

A somewhat, lighter taupe

A taupe is just a taupe, right? Almost. What I actually really like about Tauped is that it is a bit lighter, and softer than the other taupes that I own. A lot of them are richer and deeper, but this one is a bit grey-ed out which makes it a little milkier. I like the softness of it a lot. And the hint of purple.

Great, almost fully jell application and finish

The formula on this polish was great. It went on smooth and was easily spreadable. The formula was somewhat of a half cream half jelly hybrid, but I would say it was more jelly. It wasn’t as opaque on the first coat as a creme would be. I only needed two coats, and this had excellent drying time. As for application tips, since it’s jelly-ish, I would work on getting an even, opaque first coat to avoid bald spots and a third coat!

Where to Buy: Target / $ 4

Do you love taupes? They are a great sophisticated color. Did you pick up any of these Sonia Kashuk’s for fall? Any of her polish in the past?

Have a nice weekend. I love October.

P.S. Go Blackhawks!

- Liz

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September 6, 2011 · 10:51 pm

Zoya: Neeka

Neeka is another polish from the Smoke and Mirrors 2011 collection. This polish is unique in both color and finish. I feel like I’m so used to Zoya doing their standard cremes and foil finishes in these sets that I was surprised to see this different finish for the Mirrors part of the collection. Happily surprised though!

Muted, medium toned dusty purple

Neeka is an all around unique polish in my collection. The base color is really pretty. It’s a somewhat medium toned purple, but has a lot of dustiness and grey mixed in. Almost dirty or dingy. It’s almost dull in a cool way, if that makes sense. Indoors it can look a bit dark, but with enough light you can really tell the color and tone.

Sparse glitter scattered throughout

The finish on this polish is really cool. There’s metallic glitter scattered throughout the polish, but it’s not too heavy and not really fine (not a microshimmer). It’s an interesting finish that I really like. Just a bit of sparkle. This polish just seems like “the cool girl” of the group. It’s different and I love it. The formula and application of this polish was good, I had zero problems. I used two coats and they went on smooth and even. Though, I think I did have chips within the first day of this manicure, a total bummer.

Where to Buy: Zoya.com / $ 8

Do you like Neeka? Do you like the restrained glitter finish? Or are you more keen to creme or sparkle? What are your favorites of the Smoke and Mirros so far? I’m looking forward to wearing Yara next!

- Liz

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June 25, 2011 · 11:42 am

OPI Pirates of the Caribbean: Stranger Tides

Wow. Let me start off by saying I hope, or actually I know, that everyone else has been having a better week than I have. Chicago had a crazy storm about 3 days ago and Death by Polish’s headquarters (aka my house) was left with no electricity or water until 10 pm last night. A total nightmare to say the least.

At any rate, Stranger Tides is a polish I wore a couple weeks back that took me pleasantly by surprise.

Muted sage greyish green

As you may know, this polish is a very light, muted sage green. This was the first color from the Pirates collection I was drawn to. I think this color would look great on almost everyone, but it did think it looked particularly nice with my newly tanned skin. It reads a neutral but when you noticed it wasn’t, it added a nice little surprise. It was really pretty and I enjoyed wearing it.

A pretty outcome but not the greatest formula

The formula on this polish wasn’t great. It was streaky and slightly annoying to apply, but not awful. I did need three coats to even everything out. I have heard bloggers mention that Essie’s Da Bush is a dupe with a better formula, if that’s an issue for you. Sometimes I get annoyed with OPI when their creme formulas aren’t easy to work with. I feel like they should have that figured out, haha.

This is one of the very few polishes I own that I actually got a couple of compliments on. Which doesn’t happen very often to me (seriously it does not) and when it does I get really excited. So more points to Stranger Tides for that.

Where to Buy: Ulta / JCPenny / Trade Secret / Online Retailers / Professional Salons / $ 8

- Liz

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June 11, 2011 · 12:00 am

Jason Wu for CND: Sophia

It may come to no surprise to regular readers that I also love this Jason Wu for CND polish. As I have mentioned, the formula on every polish in this collection is, basically wonderful. The colors are just standard neutrals, but for some reason, I’ve really taken to them. They are so sleek and clean.

Sophia - Medium chocolate-y creme

Jason Wu describes Sophia as “perfectly warm, smooth, milk chocolate nail.” This polish does remind me of milk chocolate, however, the color is more interesting than that. It has this grey tone to it that makes it look really earthy and reminiscent of a beautiful, natural stone. It’s somewhat like a twist on taupe. Very professional, sexy, and elegant. I don’t own another polish like this one. I loved this manicure.

Dreamy smooth application and finish

Like all of this collection, the formula and application was one of the best I’ve ever used. It went on completely effortlessly with almost fully opacity in one coat. The formula was so smooth and velvety. I used two coats to finish the manicure. I also noticed that this manicure wore pretty well considering what I put my polish (and hands) through daily.

Where to buy: CND.com / Transdesign.com / $47 on CND or $23 on Transdesign

Come on, I know I can’t be the only one loving these polishes. Anyone else give these a try? Or have you been thinking about picking them up?

- Liz

PS – Enter our 1 Year Giveaway if you haven’t yet! You can win over 15 polishes! It ends tomorrow, June 12th!

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June 6, 2011 · 8:22 pm

OPI: Pirates of the Caribbean Skull & Glossbones

My current love of neutrals and creme polishes is crazy. I don’t even want to wear anything else. Gimme more neutrals, please!

I only picked up a couple of these Pirates polishes. I know some of you may be sick of seeing and hearing about swatches, but I’m going to throw in my two cents.

Light, bone-y grey

When I first put on this polish, I didn’t really have all that much love for it. I didn’t think it looked much different from a lot of the greys I own, or a lot of the greys readily available. But something about it has grown on me. I like how light it is. It has almost has a bone-ish tone to it. I see no hint of dustiness to this polish, but I like its clean, modern, and sophisticated qualities. It’s just a really nice hue of grey. I ended up enjoying this manicure a lot.

Not the best formula

I was, however, totally annoyed with the application. I really wasn’t feeling like doing three coats when I applied this manicure, but that’s what it needed. The first coat was streak city, and super patchy. The formula was really workable and not thick, but pigmentation and saturation wasn’t there without three coats. The polish also dried quickly.

Where to buy: Ulta / TradeSecret / JCPenny / Dillards / Professional Salons / $ 8.50

What was your surprise favorite from the Pirates of the Caribbeans? Or did you not give into the hype?

Also guys, don’t forget to enter and check out our 1 Year Giveaway! Lauren recently added some more polishes so comment and enter, ladies!!

- Liz

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May 30, 2011 · 5:30 pm

Jason Wu for CND: Miss Wu

 I can’t recall the last time I felt overly satisfied with the purchase of an entire set of nail polishes. This Jason Wu for CND collection is great. Although tame in its color palette, the colors are wonderful and a solid group of wearable, neutrals. From the way the colors flow, to the packaging, to the polishes is a home run.

Light, barely metallic grey

Miss Wu is a sexy, modern grey. Jason Wu describes it as a warm grey, but it doesn’t particularly read that way on me. It’s almost more neutral in tone. However, it’s definitely not reading as cool, or blue toned. But there’s something about it that makes it very appealing and lovely. It’s a nice, crisp, light color that’s super fresh for any season. It also has a bit of subtle, hidden metallic sheen that comes to life in the sun.

Perfect, smooth application

Most importantly regarding Miss Wu, is its completely outstanding application and formula. I may just go out there and say this is one of the best formulas I’ve ever used in a polish. It was SO pigmented, saturated, and smooth it took me by surprised. There wasn’t a hint of streaks or unevenness. It was beyond perfect in two coats. This polish dries matte, which is a little surprising, but it looks great matte or with top coat. I couldn’t ask for anything more in a polish. Even if the color isn’t the most unique the application would beat any other similar color by a mile. It’s excellent!

CND Jason Wu packaging

Jason Wu book about polishes and his inspiration

The packaging is a nice, sturdy case that houses all 5 polishes. It pulls in and out very easily and is well made. A little pamphlet comes inside with details and explanations of the collection’s colors and where they were drawn from. I think this is nicely put together and it’s interesting to see where the fashion designer pulled from in his own collections to come up with the polishes.

Where to buy: CND.com / Transdesign.com / $23 from Transdesign and $47 at CND

I love everything about this collection. The polishes perform better than I imaged. If you’re interested, neutrals or not, go for it.

I hope everyone had a nice, long weekend. I like to be a busy bee, so I’m happy to go back to work tomorrow. I’ll leave you with this HUGE beauty:

Hot pink tree peonies!

- Liz

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April 21, 2011 · 10:32 am

OPI: Parlez-vous OPI?

The OPI French Collection seems to be one of their most infamous. Probably because You Don’t Know Jacques took everyone by storm. And sometimes I feel embarrassed that I don’t own that polish because it’s such a cult classic. Oops.

But for now, we have this French Collection gem, Parlez-vous OPI. I really like this name. This polish is kind of like Zoya Caitlin’s purple sister to me.

Murky purple

This polish has a lot of grey in it. It’s a version of all of the popular greyish purple cremes but lighter. What I like about it is that you won’t mistake it for grey. It is still very much purple, just with a bit of an edge. Something that makes you look at it twice. It’s murkiness is interesting, but doesn’t cause the polish to be too dark or cloudy. It’s very spring and fall appropriate.

Pretty purple

The formula and application on this polish was great. It went on like butter. I only needed two coats for everything to even out and be opaque. This color is so chic and perfect for those people who love an off beat creme manicure that always looks sophisticated and put together.

Where to Buy:  Online Retailers / $6 ish. (Or maybe you can find this at Ulta, Trade Secret, JCPenny, etc. I’m not 100% sure.)

Even though You Don’t Know Jacques is the most popular, I think this polish is also awesome. If you’re a purple lover, I totally suggest it. Or if you love interesting cremes, this color won’t let you down.

Do you own Parlez-vous OPI? What is your favorite French Collection polish?

- Liz

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