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Nail polish audit – The Twelve:18
These are the latest twelve shades to be evaluated in my ongoing nail polish audit project. These twelve polishes were worn from the middle of October until the end of 2022. Three by Zoya and OPI respectively and one each from A England, Darling Diva Polish, Powder Perfect, China Glaze, Indigo Bananas and Enchanted Polish.
Hell yes!
OPI – German-icure by OPI Powder Perfect -Ensorcel Indigo Bananas – Anansi Zoya – Kelly Zoya – Evvie Zoya – Natty Enchanted Polish – Groovy Ghoul China Glaze – Mind the Gap Maybe
Darling Diva Polish – Cast a Spell Cast a Spell is pretty but I’m just unsure of how much I would wear it moving forward. There is somehing that is attractive about it but when i get it on my nails it just feels so so.
OPI – Call Me Gwen-ever Another pretty shade but I’m torn. It’s an interesting muted shade but it is not my favourite to wear. So into the abyss of “Maybe” it goes for now.
A England – The Blessed Damozel I’m not sure about this one. A metellic dark purple just does not float my boat anymore, but I’m hesitant to get rid of A England shades in general. My younger self would have loved this one (the late 90’s version of Sofia). It can stay in the Maybe pile until further notice.
Hell no!
OPI – A Womans Prague-ative I just do not like the way this his gilded orange polish look on me.
So to conclude this round I ended up with eight keepers, three maybes and one single hell no.
Thanks for reading!
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Nail polish audit – The Twelve:17
Today I’m going to present to you the 17th post in my nail polish audit project. The concept of the project is as follows; I’m choosing twelve shades at the time to wear and evaluate. No time limit. Shades are either a clear keeper (Hell yes!), need-to-think-more-about-it-when-I’m-done-with-the-audit (Maybe) or obvious discards for various reasons (Hell no!). When those twelve have been worn and judged I pick twelve new. Easy concept.
These twelve polishes were worn from the beginning of August until the beginning of October. Two from OPI, China Glaze, Darling Diva Polish, Mentality and one each from Barry M, Zoya, H&M Beauty and Essie.
Hell yes!
Darling Diva Polish – BEWBS!! OPI – I Just Can’t Cope-acabana China Glaze – Tart-y For the Party Zoya – Dream Barry M – Mint Green Maybe
China Glaze – Fancy Pants This is an ok polish and the colour is unlike anything I have. But I’m just not sure it is a shade that I love wearing enough to warrant keeping it.
OPI – I Don’t Give A Rotterdam! Another ok polish. I am not nuts about it but I do not dislike it either. However I suspect that I have several similar shades that I like more so I want to compare it to them before deciding.
Essie – Shake your $$ maker I’m very torn about this Essie polish. This is a great colour, an amazing green, but the formula is just not up to par. I generally love a good jelly but this needs an unreasonable amount of coats to look good. It dries matte which is not a problem in itself since it can easily be fixed with a shiny top coat. But I’m bothered that it takes forever to put on and frankly I do not think it looks very even in the end anyway. My initial thought was to let it go, but when I saw this picture it felt wrong not to keep it. I am so drawn to the “dream” version of this shade of a jelly that I am not able to let it go just yet.
Hell no!
Mentality – Duality I’m not entirely sure what I was thinking when I bought this polish. I think I wanted to try something new but I have not worn it much over the years.
Mentality – Doublet The same with this other polish from Mentality. I would never choose to wear it nowadays.
H&M Beauty – Sunny Snowdrop I feel that Sunny Snowdrop looks too cutesy on me. The shade is very close in depth and colour to my skin tone and the gold shimmer is too prominent for my liking. This polish will look great on someone else.
Darling Diva Polish – GTO This one is a stunning polish but it has sadly dried out. Otherwise I would have kept it.
So to conclude this round I ended up with five keepers, three maybe and four hell noes. It feels great to get rid of the ones that do not excite me anymore. And hopefully the ones in good shape can find a new life with friends and family.
Thanks for reading!
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Nail polish audit – The Twelve:16
I started writing this blog post at the end of July and now I’m finishing it at the end of September. The conclusion is the same however, that blogging is not something I’ve spent much time on lately. I’ve been wearing very little makeup (and nail polish) and when I do sit down to put some colour on the process is very quick. So I have some catching up to do with my planned blog posts which I look forward to.
Today I’m going to present to you the sixteenth post in my nail polish audit project. I started wearing this lot in late April and finished them by the end of June. Four by OPI, two by H&M Beauty and one each from Depend, Revlon, China Glaze, Zoya, Illamasqua and Cirque. Let’s dive in!
Hell yes!
OPI – Amazon_Amazoff OPI – A Grape Fit! H&M Beauty – Spring To Life Zoya – Jules Cirque – Harlow Illamasqua – Speckle OPI – A Good Man-darin Is Hard To Find Maybe
No maybes this time around.
Hell no!
China Glaze – Sunday Funday This is a pretty blue that I’ve worn quite a lot over the years and it is starting to thicken due to repeated use. But I know that it is not my favourite type of blue shade to wear so I can safely let it go.
H&M Beauty – Cinnamon Spark I know exactly why I bough this. It reminded my of the type of eye shadow I love to wear – a ruddy brown base with a reflective blue or green on top. As a nail polish however it does not suit my tastes at all. I think it clashes a bit with my skin tone as well.
Depend – 361 This is a fun shade but I do not enjoy wearing this shade of green. Not my jam at all. At some point I must have been drawn to it because I did buy it, but my speculation is that I was attracted to the fact that it was an unusual shade (for the time anyway).
Revlon – Topaz Another one I would like more if it was an eyeshadow. I do not have any feelings for it on the nails.
OPI – Do You Think I’m Tex-y? I love (really love!) this jelly formula but the hot pink hue is definitely not for me.
So to conclude this round I ended up with seven keepers and five hell noes. It feels great to get rid of the ones that do not excite me anymore. And hopefully the ones in good shape can find a new life with friends and family.
Thanks for reading!
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Nail polish audit – The Twelve:15
I’m deep into my summer vacation and I finally have some breathing room and energy to catch up on some more posts. Today I’m going to present to you the fifteenth post in my nail polish audit project. I’m choosing twelve shades at the time to wear and evaluate. No time limit. Shades are either a clear keeper (Hell yes!), need-to-think-more-about-it-when-I’m-done-with-the-audit (Maybe) or obvious discards for various reasons (Hell no!). When those twelve have been worn and judged I pick twelve new. Easy concept.
These twelve polishes were worn from mid March until late April. Two from OPI, Zoya, Indigo Bananas and one each from Barry M, IsaDora, H&M Beauty, Glam Polish, China Glaze and Pahlish.
Hell yes!
Kristen – Zoya Hole In The Sky – Indigo Bananas Bad Wolf – Pahlish Stranger Tides – OPI Mango – Barry M Klein Trink Wasser – Indigo Bananas My Pointe Exactly – OPI Luxe and Lush – China Glaze (on top of My Pointe Exactly) Maybe
Granité D’Orange – H&M Beauty Hell no!
Vespa – Zoya Mad Magician – Glam Polish Loden Green – IsaDora In this round I ended up with eight keepers, one maybe and three hell noes.
Thanks for reading!
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Nail polish audit – The Twelve:14
These were worn from early November to mid March. Two Zoya shades and one each by Butter London, OPI, IsaDora, Formula X, China Glaze, Pipe Dream Polish, Darling Diva Polish, Mentality, Illyrian and Gina Tricot. I think I wore many of the shades twice over this time period since I forgot to take pictures of them over and over again. That is why it took me almost five months to go through them.
Hell yes!
You’re Such A Budapest – OPI Blue Moon – Illyrian Combat Khaki – IsaDora Yuna – Zoya Ringer – Darling Diva Polish (over a black polish) Zinfandel – Gina Tricot Empyrean – Pipe Dream Polish (over Galactic Grey by China Glaze) Maybe
Wallis – Butter London I have loved this polish and I still do but the formula has become very thick due to age and use and I probably should let this one go, but I’m sentimental and the easy way is to stick it in the Maybe pile for now. I’ve worn this one so much and there is not all that much left in the bottle.
Hell no!
Legend – Formula X Legend is pretty enough but it took quite a few layers to make it look nice and I know I will never reach for this one over other shades.
Remy – Zoya Remy is just not my type of blue. The colour and the shimmer just does not do it for me. Hopefully it can find a new home since it is in good shape and Zoya polishes are a great formula.
Galactic Grey – China Glaze Galactic Grey has dried out but I have enjoyed wearing it a lot over the years.
Diverse – Mentality There is something about this green that I’m not attracted to. I know I will not reach for it any longer.
Those were all twelve! I ended up with seven keepers, one maybe and four hell noes. I sincerely hope it does not take me five months to go through the next lot.
Thanks for reading!
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Nail polish audit – The Twelve:13
These were worn from mid September to the beginning of November. Three Zoya shades, two OPI, two IsaDora and one each by MAC, Powder Perfect, Smitten Polish, Lilypad Laquer and Nails Inc.
Hell yes!
Sia – Zoya Vintage Chic – Lilypad Laquer My Boyfriend Scales Walls – OPI I’m Sooo Swamped! – OPI Gemma – Zoya Blaze – Zoya Maybe
Fire Burn – Smitten Polish Fire Burn stained my nails so badly that I will only keep it if it es extremely unique in my collection. If I have anything else like it I will let this one go, despite it being so stunning.
Hell no!
Bad Fairy – MAC This polish is just straight up ugly on me. A poor purchase with a great name.
Oasis – IsaDora Oasis is not unique enough to keep and I already had lukewarm feelings about this one.
Beetle Green – IsaDora The same goes for Beetle Green. Not special enough to keep.
Diamond Arcade – Nails Inc. (over Sia) This glitter polish did absolutely nothing for me. I have no use for it and considering how seldom I’ve worn this (maybe once) I can deem it a poor purchase.
Meet Me in the Glade – Powder Perfect This rosy brown polish is lovely in theory but on my nails it is not really working. Sadly.
That was the final polish in this instalment of The Twelve! I ended up with six keepers, one maybe and five hell noes. I’m very pleased that I am letting a total of five go. A very satisfying run and I cannot wait to go through everything and only keep the really good ones.
Thanks for reading!
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Nail polish audit – The Twelve:12
These were worn with start in the beginning of June and all the way through mid September. This lineup consisted of four Zoya shades and three by Darling Diva Polish. Other brands represented are CrowsToes, W.I.P, Deborah Lippmann, MAC and China Glaze.
Hell yes!
Maya – Zoya For Audrey – China Glaze Landslide – Darling Diva Polish Cuda – Darling Diva Polish Eastyn – Zoya Josie – Zoya Midgard – CrowsToes Yellow Brick Road – Deborah Lippmann Yelllow Brick Road is used here layered over a shimmer polish and that is the way I prefer to use it since it is a very sheer jelly polish.
Janel – Zoya Maybe
Quiet Time – MAC When I bought it the colour was quite unique but I think I have similar shades nowadays that I think suit me even better.
Stand Back – Darling Diva Polish It’s a beautiful purple but I’m unsure of how often I would chose to wear a shade like this. It’s a tad to “soft”.
Hell no!
Wings – W.I.P at Urban Outfitters I initially planned to keep this polish because this is a pretty shimmer. But after wearing it for a couple of days I realized that this is a type of shade that I don’t feel very me in. It is a very opaque shimmer so I do not think it is perfect for layering the way I usually like to use my shimmers, layered with jelly shades. So I’m letting it go. It is in good condition and I’ve already found it a new home.
That was the final polish in this instalment of The Twelve! I ended up with nine keepers, two maybes and one hell no.
Thanks for reading!
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Nail polish audit – The Twelve:11
These twelve shades were worn between mid April all the way through May. A bit more light and bright shades to accompany the move towards sunnier weather. The lineup this time was an even mix of smaller and bigger brands; A England, Smitten Polish, Mentality, Barry M, Revlon, H&M, Ciaté, Essie and Butter London. The verdict is as follows..
Hell yes!
Crown of Thistles – A England Blue Grape – Barry M (Gelly Hi-Shine) Captive Goddess – A England Nuclear Sunshine – Smitten Polish Key Lime – Barry M (Gelly Hi-Shine) Masala Chai – H&M Bikini So Teeny – Essie Maybe
Gold Chroma Chameleon – Revlon Gold Chroma Chameleon by Revlon is nice but how many similar items do I have? Takes quite a few layers to get good coverage as well.
Snow Globe – Ciaté Snow Globe (here pictured over Masala Chai) is pretty but I think it only looks good on darker polish. The shape of the glitter particles is unique but I need to think about how many glitters topper I own in relation to how infrequently I wear them. Which ones am I most likely to use?
Hell no!
Tanzanite Chroma Chameleon – Revlon Tanzanite is just not my shade. If the murky shift that was prevalent in the bottle had been stronger on the nail it could have worked, but that is sadly not the case.
Rigoberta – Mentality Rigoberta is just not my speed. At tad too light I think and something about the shade itself does not speak to me.
Frilly Knickers – Butter London Frilly Knickers has sadly dried up on me. I’ve gotten a lot of use out of this polish over the years and I’m a bit bummed to see it go.
That was the final polish in this instalment of The Twelve! I ended up with seven keepers, two maybes and three noes.
Thanks for reading!
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Nail polish audit – The Twelve:10
After wearing darker shades for several months I wanted to take a different route. I was also eager to crack on with the audit and get rid of some older and unloved shades. First I considered to do a whole batch of only blue or green polish but then opted for the usual “two shads per drawer” from my somewhat colour coordinated nail polish drawers. These shades were worn between mid March to the beginning of April.
Hell yes!
Miley – Zoya Eleganza – Polish Revolution Mottle – Illamasqua Sani – Cirque Colors Arizona – Zoya Did It On ‘Em – OPI Don’t Talk Bach To Me – OPI Rouge Escarpin – Bourjois Maybe
I’m Not Lion – China Glaze This glitter polish is a mix of silver and gold and I think it is very pretty. I want to se how many similar polishes I end up with before I decide to keep this one.
Hell No!
Chopped Lavender – Kicks. Chopped Lavender is a Sugar Laquer aka a matte textured polish. I simply don’t enjoy this anymore.
372 – Depend A pale grey blue with bright blue shimmer. I love this and it’s mainly used up. It’s goopy now due to repeated use and its time has come.
Heavenly (on top of Don’t Talk Bach to Me) – Revlon I rarely wear glitter toppers nowadays and this is one I never reach for. I have some other toppers I know I will always favour over this one. It smells really strongly as well so I’m glad to see it go. That was the last one of the twelve!
Thanks for reading!
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Nail polish audit – The Twelve:9
These shades were supposed to be worn during December when i was doing #redlipsdecember on Instagram. An easy way to navigating colour combinations on my face (via my monthly arsenal) and body (via you know, clothes) without having to care about them clashing with my nails. I am the owner of a multitude of darker shades so it was nice to focus on them for a bit. However I was really crappy with evaluating and photographing them whilst wearing them so I decided to wear the lot all over again. That fact combined with skipping nail polish a lot in the beginning of the new year resulted in this ninth installation of the Twelve being worn between December 2020 to mid March 2021.
The lineup this time was mainly indie brands; three Pahlish, two Illyrian, and one each from Darling Diva Polish, LilypadLaquer, A England and CrowsToes. Bigger brands were represented by two by OPI and one China Glaze.
Hell Yes!
LilypadLaquer – Rainbows in Space OPI – Live and Let Die Pahlish – Le Bijou du Roi Illyrian – Demogorgon A England – Incense Burner OPI – Every Month is Oktoberfest Darling Diva – Dark Ritual Illyrian – Dream Hopper CrowsToes – The Terminal Engagement Pahlish – My Bespoke Psychopath Pahlish – La Belle Endormie Hell no!
China Glaze – Free Bear Hugs Free Bear Hugs by China Glaze is a brown dark red that I’ve used the crap out of. It’s too goopy to be saved (I tried) and has to go for that reason. I love this colour and have used it a lot both on my fingers and toes.
From an audit point of view this was quite an interesting round. I let go of one polish and that was a well loved one that had started drying out. All of the others are keepers. I know I love wearing darker shades but I never wear them back to back like this. I usually mix in brighter shades of varying lightness/darkness and some neutrals. A testament that I should really not buy any more “darker” shades, since I know I have many many more.
Thanks for reading!