Category Archives: Nail Polish Swatches & Reviews

China Glaze For Audrey Swatches & Review

China Glaze For Audrey Swatches China Glaze For Audrey is a refreshing robin-egg blue that sometimes looks more blue in brighter lighting and a touch of teal in dimmer lighting.

If you’re into China Glaze nail polish like I am, chances are that you constantly heard a lot of hype about this color even though it launched back in 2007.

Yes, it’s named after the ever-elegant, Audrey Hepburn for her role in Breakfast At Tiffany’s.

(Who else is a fan? Liked her in My Fair Lady, but loved her uncharacteristic role in Wait Until Dark! Which is your favorite Audrey Hepburn movie?)

Some people say that China Glaze For Audrey is the exact same shade as a Tiffany & Co. box. I don’t own anything from that store, so I can’t confirm, but I’m skeptical because the ‘Tiffany Blue’ is a trademarked color. Maybe China Glaze got permission. Dunno.

Before I got into nail polish, I had no idea that colors themselves could be trademarked. Color names? Sure. But actual colors? Interesting. Continue reading →

Nubar Peacock Feathers Swatches & Review

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Nubar Peacock Feathers Duochrome Swatches As I opened the plastic-bin lid, faint squeals of delight could be heard.

My nail-polish children looked up at me with as much desperation as the 3-eyed green-rubber aliens from Toy Story.

Then a hush fell over them all. Who would be The Chosen One this time? Who would be labeled ‘Trusted’ or ‘Busted’ on Swatch And Learn? If nail polish had eyes, they were all on me.

The fate of Nubar Peacock Feathers was in my hands – literally. This purple-green duochrome nail polish had a lot of expectations to live up to!

Some of the polish elders scoffed at the choice. They complained about how they’ve been waiting for years to be picked and then in walks the new kid, still shiny from Lacquer Academy, and gets chosen because of its bells, whistles, and Big-3-Free formula.

And because of all the commotion, the babies (the mini OPI bottles) woke up and started crying.

Was it worth all this fuss? Did Nubar Peacock Feathers shut them all up and perform like a champ in the lion’s den? Continue reading →

Essie Funky Limelight Swatches & Review

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Essie Funky Limelight Swatches When I’m feeling like crap, I hit the neon nail-polish bottle. It’s an instant pick-me-up. I’ll look down and see the retina-burning shade, and it makes me smile.

Neons can be tacky, but I really don’t care. I always have so much fun wearing them that I don’t even restrict wearing them only in the warmer months. I’ve been known to rock them even in the winter.

Essie Funky Limelight is a neon yellow that’s exactly the same as a highlighter marker. The awesome thing about this hue is that while it’s always bright, it almost seems to glow in dim light!

Note: My camera wasn’t able to accurately capture this color no matter how many photos I took of it in various lighting. It’s waaaay brighter and more shocking in person. Try wearing any true neon polish and you’ll catch my drift.

Also, check it out – I trimmed my nails super short. I like to grow my nails and then cut them really short. Not fixed on any particular length. Which length do you think looks best on me? I think neons look the best on short nails. Continue reading →

Revlon Orange Pop Review & Swatches

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** This post was written by Fiona. She no longer blogs for Swatch And Learn. However, Mary still continues to blog and will be happy to reply to your comment. **

I’m not a very bright and sunny person, and the colors I like reflect that. So it’s not really a surprise that Revlon Orange Pop is my first ever orange nail polish. But you know what? I like the happy-go-lucky, look-at-me-I’m-more-vibrant-than-the-sun, and I-demand-all-the-attention-you-can-give-me orange.

Although I probably wouldn’t have picked this up if it weren’t scented. Yes, I was drawn in forcefully by the novelty of a scented nail polish. I’m weak. Sue me. 😛 I call this a novelty because, well, this fad fades fast. The color, however, I think is here to stay. It’s very pretty, and I would wear it even if the polish isn’t fragranced. Continue reading →

OPI Stranger Tides Swatches & Review

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OPI Stranger Tides Swatches When I first laid eyes on OPI Stranger Tides from the Pirates of the Caribbean Collection, it was like X marks the spot!

Pirate booty is the best kind of booty call! And I wouldn’t mind getting shipwrecked if Johnny Depp was there with me and we were enjoying a bottle o’ rum.

This anemic, murky green won me over because a) I hadn’t seen a green like it before and b) it gave me a slight case of Zombie Hands, which I actually like.

Plus I give kudos to OPI for putting out more greens lately. In the past, we’ve seen red after red in so many collections. It was great to see that they’re expanding and testing the waters.

If you’re looking for a unique green that looks both sophisticated and zombie-ish at the same time, you’ll love Stranger Tides by OPI as much as I do! Continue reading →

Nail Art: Crackle Manicure Using Sephora by OPI Caught With My Khakis Down & Bundle Monster Image Plate BM 208

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New Bundle Monster Image Plates BM 208 Crackle Manicure If you’ve seen my previous blog post, you’ll know that I fell in lust with Caught With My Khakis Down, a jaw-dropping fatigue green, from the Sephora by OPI Safari Luxe Collection.

After wearing it for a little while, I wanted to turn it into a Crackle Manicure. But all the colorful crackle polishes I had didn’t seem to go with it, and I didn’t feel like using OPI Black Shatter or China Glaze Black Mesh.

Then I remembered a new Bundle Monster Image Plate I have (BM 208), which had just the effect I wanted.

As you can see, this design has thin lines that allow the base color to shine through. I really like how the lines form many quadrilaterals.

It reminds me of a spider web…if the spider was spinning its web while drinking Red Bull and listening to the song Seven by Army of the Pharaohs. (Yes, Wilbur, Charlotte’s kids are all grown up now.)

Continue reading →

Sephora by OPI Caught With My Khakis Down Swatches & Review

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You know how much I love me some green nail lacquer, so when I first heard about the limited-edition Sephora by OPI Caught With My Khakis Down from the Safari Luxe Collection, I couldn’t resist!

Had no idea that this fatigue green would land in my list of top 5 green polishes of all time! It’s so different than all the other greens in my collection.

It’s too bad my camera didn’t do it justice, though. For some reason, I could only capture it being either super gray or with too much teal. In person, it’s a touch more primary green and a lot more dusty – definitely a grayish green.

Let me get into the nitty gritty of it and tell you why Caught With My Khakis Down is a winner in my makeup book! Continue reading →