NOTD : Maybelline Mini Colorama in Urban Lemon

Long time no see ! But I'm back with - yes, again - a nail polish post. Spring is definitely here and the need for bright colors on my nails is back too. This is Maybelline's Urban Lemon from their Mini Colorama range, a bright lemon yellow polish.

(I'm again very sorry for the poor state of my cuticles. I ran out of my holy 

grail cuticle cream and I keep forgetting to buy more.)

Urban Lemon stayed perfect on my nails for 5 days. After that, desert-like cracks start to show on the polish, and it starts to chip (following the cracks). Five days is still long for a polish, so I'm fine with it.

Application was streaky, but it's a yellow so that is to be expected. You just have to be light on the brush. I managed to get away with two coats and it was opaque (Although you can see some nail line on my index finger. I guess I had less polish on the brush for that finger than with the other ones.)

Do you have a yellow polish ? Or several yellow polishes ? What's your favorite one ?

NOTD : agnès b. mini b. in b. Rose Libellule

In an attempt to forget about HIMYM's horrible finale (well, at least those last 5 minutes or so) I thought today I'd show what I had on my nails last week.

Before I buy any more nail polish, I want to finish the ones I've had for years. It's hard, because there  are a lot of colors or finishes I'm just not a fan of anymore. I've only managed to part with two or three polishes that were past their prime (they were too thick and... stringy. You know, when you take the brush and there's a string of polish forming between the brush and the bottle ? Yikes.)

The one I'm wearing in the picture I've had for... at least 7 years ? I'm positive I had it in 2007, because I clearly remember picking at my polished nails in German class, in what would be 9th grade in the US. Oh how boring German was...

It's a polish from agnès b. bought from the CCB. It's a mini b. in b. Rose Libellule. Isn't the name just... ugh ? Back then I thought it was a bargain (it could have been 5€ or something) but now that I've tried better quality polishes for a lot less money and more quantity (this one's only 7 ml, half of a China Glaze polish), well, I'd say it's an expensive polish. Although I've seen worse. Nowadays this line is only 3,95€ (link here) but I still wouldn't repurchase.

Anyway, b. Rose Libellule is a sheer (those are 3 coats and bad cuticles, sorry) pearly white that shifts to purple. I tried to get the shift in the picture but I don't think you can really see it on my nails. I've apparently worn it a lot (bottle's half empty, which is a record for me), but I'm just not a fan anymore. I stay away from sheer polishes now, because I hate seeing my irregular nail lines #firstworldproblems. It was a cool polish back in 2006/2007, and it has held up pretty nicely (it's not thick or goopy) and it applied perfectly, but... it's an old polish. Rose Libellule, you remind me of German class and well... those aren't my best memories.

Do you have any polish that reminds you of a special time ? Are you trying to go through your stash before buying any more polish ? Do share !

OPI Gouda Gouda Two Shoes (Holland Collection) Nail Polish Swatch & Review

Let's all forget I said this would be posted yesterday. Let's also forget this should actually have been posted over a month ago. Like I mentionned in my last post, the first swatch pictures I took didn't turn out great, and I only realized it once the polish was off my nails. And yep, it took a month for me to finally get around to re-taking pictures. I'm so lazy.

Gouda Gouda Two Shoes had been on my nail polish wishlist (yes I have one of those) ever since it was released with OPI's Holland collection in the Spring 2012. I have a few other from that collection on my wishlist, and when it was time to buy last December and I could only pick one, well... I hesitated. I finally picked Gouda Gouda Two Shoes, because I figured it'd be a nice Winter to Spring transition polish.
Here's the swatch :

I love the color. It's an old rose with a subtle golden shimmer that was super hard to photograph. It is definitely there in the sunlight, unfortunately it was raining when I took the pictures so you can't really see it. But it is so pretty !

The polish applies perfectly. I used two coats, but I think three might be best, especially for staying power. I get some tip wear very easily with this polish (without base/top coat), even if I wrap my tips, but that's honestly the only bad thing I have to say. It didn't even chip when I washed my hair ! Am I the only one who judges a polish by that ?

Do you have a nail polish wishlist ? Is there that one polish you have to have ? Do share !

Kiko 389 (Mint Milk) Nail Polish Swatch & Review

Hi everyone ! Today I have the LAST polish from my May (!) Kiko haul. And yes I know that makes three nail polish posts in a row but who cares. Here is Mint Milk :

Do you know how long I've waited for a mint polish ? Long enough. Mint Milk had to be mine. Especially since it was only 2€50. It was a bit streaky, but again, it's a pastel polish and they tend to always be streaky. This was two coats. I could have applied a third one as I had some bald spots but I was too lazy to do so. It lasted about 2/3 days on my nails without chipping (again, without base or top coat). For some reason, Kiko polishes last almost a week on my sister's nails, without base or top coat.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with all my Kiko polishes. With the exception of Melon, which stained my nails, I didn't have any problem with the polishes I ordered. Will I buy again ? Hell yeah. Wear time is great for me, as the chips on day 2 or 3 of the manicure are small and can easily be covered up with some polish. They have a great assortment of basic colors, whether you're looking for polish or lipstick, their prices are super low and you get quality. I've paid more for polishes that peeled right off my nails on the first day. Kiko, you've got a happy customer here.

What's your favorite mint polish ? Have you ever shopped at Kiko ? What's your favorite low-price makeup brand ?

Kiko 330 (Lilac) Nail Polish Swatch & Review

I have a lot of purple polishes, but I didn't have any soft/pastel one, so with my Kiko coupon, I bought ... Lilac. Please please please excuse the horrible cuticles and short nails.

It's a creme polish that could easily be opaque in one thick coat. I was actually surprised by this, as usually pastel polishes tend to be a bit streaky and need two coats to hide the mess. I did use two coats in the pictures below, because I'm not a one coat kinda polish addict. Lilac, like every other Kiko polishes I own, lasted about 2 to 3 days without chipping, without base or top coat.