PolishSWATCHES

polishSWATCHES: Part 1- My favorite goldtone polishes on brown skin

fabulousfashion — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:03:35 -0700

This is part one of a series of posts highlighting a few of my favorite gold tone polishes that I feel really flatter those with brown/dark skin. It can really be hit or miss with most gold tone polishes when it comes to finding the right one for us brown beauties. Most often times we shy away from golds and browns assuming that most are colors that just won't look well against our skin.

I can honestly say however that every color looks great against our skin we just have to be able to pick the right shades. I don't have a magic formula or even really sound rules that I follow, but through trial and error I've learned how to eye what will look good on me. Golds with a warm to medium tone shade are generally what tend to look best.

The first polish shown here is China Glaze's 2030. In my personal opinion it's not one of the easiest colors to work with, but it is a really nice shade that compliments brown skin quite nicely. 2030 for some reason photographed to look like it was really similar to the Sally Hansen polish below, but in all actuality the two colors look nothing alike. 2030 is a medium to warm toned chrome polish that happens to start setting fairly quickly. It dries smooth to a dull mirror like finish and looks like molten gold on the nails. You need to apply one coat of this polish and let it dry before applying your next. Doing this will help you work out any imperfections and correct any visible brushstrokes.

This Sally Hansen Complete Salon nail color in Guilty Pleasure just may be my top pick out of this bunch. This formula is so smooth and easy to work with that it makes application quick, easy, and headache free. A lot of people complain about the brush with this particular polish, but I actually really like this brush. My nail bed is wide so it offers great coverage and it's not as big as the one in the InstaDri's. With the formula being so smooth the brush really isn't a problem and the polish held up to my wear test. This picture is a true representation of Guilty Pleasure, which to me looks like a nice smooth gold foil. Two to three coats are all you need with this polish and it gives you plenty of time to work out brush strokes before drying. Drying time is good, but it can be iffy with Seche Vite, especially if you apply it really thin.

Last but not least in this post we have Bronze Beauty from Cover Girl's Boundless Color line. This is such a gorgeous polish and makeup wise reminds me of the new Orly Foil FX polishes. It has that mixture of a gold shade with finely milled silver particles, but this one has bronze ones as well. The color is just beautiful on brown skin! It combines those micro glitters perfectly to create this wonderful iced latte shade with this awesome metallic shimmer throughout. Perfect in two to three coats with a great drying time, I've been nothing but pleased with this polish. It's actually a polish on the cooler side of the color spectrum when it comes to gold, but I think it works well because the yellow undertone is well balanced with the silver and bronze particles.

polishSWATCHES: CND Gold Chrome

fabulousfashion — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:02:26 -0700

CND's Gold Chrome is said to be another one of those shades that can be labeled as "Mink-like" in appearance, but as you can see from the photo it just doesn't even compare to the look of Minx's high luster look. The best polishes to mimic Minx are polishes like the Stargazer Chromes, Sally Hansen Chromes, Maybelline Chromes, and etc. But Minx is just one of those looks that can be imitated, but definitely not duplicated.

It's really hard for me being a brown skinned girl to find a gold that really suits me and my skin tone and unfortunately for me, this shade just doesn't seem to be one of them. It's just too "yellowey." Yes, I do know that's not really a word, lol! I've really tried to give this shade the benefit of the doubt and warm up to it, but it just doesn't do anything for me. I'm much more happy with gold shades like China Glaze's 2030.

Tomorrow or sometime this week I plan to do some gold swatches for all the brown beauties who have the same problem or dilemma when it comes to gold tone nail polishes. Maybe I can franken up something else with this CND Gold Chrome in the meantime that will actually get a little wear time from me. Any suggestions on what I can mix to get an awesome color out of this bottle of polish?

x0XoxO,

polishSWATCHES

polishSWATCHES: Sally Hansen Commander in Chic + Orly Foil FX Luxe

fabulousfashion — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:50:28 -0800

I've been having Sally Hansen Commander in Chic for quite a while now and have never swatched or worn it. I seriously don't know what has taken me so long because this was a favorite of mine when I purchased it. I think once I make the transaction and the polish is mine I just have comfort in knowing that I own it... I dunno.

At any rate, today I decided it was time to break this color out and give it a test drive on my tips and I LOVE IT! It's very chic! I'm also in love with my Orly Foil FX polish in Luxe and I'm now thinking about getting Rage.

I've been very hesitate to give Rage a try because I just don't feel like I'll like the color, but I know some of you may be feeling the same way so I figure why not buy it and swatch it... right?! Since it doesn't cost that much for me to invest in the polish it just seems like the logical thing to do for my readers.

I did notice that Luxe tested my patience when it came to it's drying time, but let me state facts... I'm not very patient. I couldn't live without fast drying drops or speed spray, but even drying drops didn't dry it fast enough for me.

With that being said... a little goes a long way and you really don't have to "generously"apply this one like I did, lol. The formula was wonderful and gives you ample enough time to be able to work out your polish brushstrokes and I only applied the normal two coats. I love how Luxe has the tiny silver micro glitter infused within that really adds to the whole foiled look.

polishSWATCHES: Sally Hansen Celeb City... Got Me Seeing City Lights

fabulousfashion — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:41:13 -0800

So tonight, today me and my wonderful hubby had the opportunity to enjoy a night on the town and spend some much needed time together. Today was such a beautiful day here today that we couldn't bear to spend our time in the house. We laughed, we loved, we ate till we were full... and we enjoyed the city lights in our city. Thank goodness I had the foresight to put on my party nails, because we TORE UP the town tonight, lol. Yeah, we ran this townnn! Sorry Rihanna and Jay... new sheriff's in town.

polishSWATCHES: Sally Hansen Celeb City... Got Me Seeing City Lights

Gold Polish: Sally Hansen Guilty Pleasure

Silver Polish: Sally Hansen Celeb City

polishSWATCHES: Leighton Denny Golden Girl Who Dat?! Inspired Nail of the Day

fabulousfashion — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:03:17 -0800

polishSWATCHES: Leighton Denny Golden Girl Who Dat?! Inspired Nail of the Day

As promised on Twitter, due to the Sanits winning the Super Bowl I decided to don my Who Dat?! Inspired Nail of the Day mani. I used my liquid gold Golden Girl nail polish by Leighton Denny which applies like a dream. One of those "treat yourself" nail polishes that makes you feel it was worth every penny every time you apply it.

I used...

Konad image plates M45 & M70

SinfulColors Black on Black

Leighton Denny Golden Girl

Dollar Store gold-tone rhinestones

NailTek 10 Speed Drying Drops

Seche Vite Top Coat for finsh