For a while, I’ve been wanting to share My Top 5 Favourite Greens with you all. And, during the past year, quite a few of you have asked me to do so. I’m finally getting around to it! 😀
As you know, green nail polish is my weakness. It’s my comfort colour. It’s what I can’t seem to get sick of wearing. It’s love, but also lust. 😉
It was really tough to whittle it down and to just pick 5, but I did it. (Haha, watch, right after I publish this, I’m going to have a moment where I go, “Ahhh! I forgot to include [insert the name of a green polish here]!”
Come see what made the cut.
Here are the polishes that made my list. They were chosen from all the ones that I’ve shared on my blog. They’re listed in no particular order:
Sally Hansen Project Runway
Sally Hansen Project Runway is a jelly polish with golden glitter!
This was the one that got away. I was shopping at a grocery store and found it. I asked my then-boyfriend about it, and he thought I had enough colours like that. (Truth is that I didn’t, and to him, any green was the same.) So, I put it back. (D’oh!)
When I returned home, I read some bloggers raving about the polish and how it was pretty hard to find. So, naturally, being a nail addict, I went back to the store to try to get it. And…it was gone!
Since then, I looked everywhere for it (even on eBay, but it was nowhere to be found)! I didn’t give up for a good year or so.
And then a miracle happened. I was killing some time while waiting to meet up with a friend, and I started browsing a bargain bin at a small salon that I never go to. I saw the shape of the bottle and the colour. My heart wasn’t sure it could take this kind of excitement. Then I checked the name on the label. When I saw it was Project Runway, I was on Cloud 9!
(See full details in my Sally Hansen Project Runway swatches & review post!)
China Glaze It’s Alive
The first time I wore this swampy green, I was racing against the clock to head out the door. To my delight, it dried super fast, and the pigmentation was insane – even a single coat pretty much covered the entire nail!
But it was the colour that really got my attention and made this manicure memorable. Although I love cheerful spring greens, my heart usually races faster than Usain Bolt for dirty-olive kind of greens.
Plus the glitter in this one was interesting. You get large and small glitters.
Despite having worn and loved so many green polishes, after I wore this one, it immediately took first place!
(See full details in my China Glaze It’s Alive swatches & review post!)
Chanel Peridot
This was the first Chanel anything that I ever owned…and it’s still the only Chanel thing I own!
I initially hesitated to buy this because this brand is really a luxury, and my wallet was screaming at me to resist. But…resistance was futile, so I caved. Thank goodness!
I’ve worn this several times since buying it, and every time, I fall in love with it even more. It’s a strong multichrome with gold showing up on the middle of your nails, a murky green on the edges, and, depending on the angle you look at your nails, sometimes you can see a blueish green!
This truly is a decadent colour that makes you feel edgy yet classy at the same time.
It was such a special polish that I later caved (again) and bought a back-up bottle! Haha, this was before OPI Just Spotted the Lizard came out, which is supposedly a dupe of Chanel Peridot and much more affordable.
(See full details in my Chanel Peridot swatches & review post!)
China Glaze Glittering Garland
This evergreen polish is vampy, but it doesn’t look black, which is why I really appreciate it. There are flakes that are very small, and they really do a great job at catching the light!
I loved how easily and smoothly it was to apply this polish, and the pigmentation was top-notch.
When I’m craving a dark green, this is the one I usually have in mind because it’s hassle-free and a green like this is definitely a comfort colour for me.
(See full details in my China Glaze Glittering Garland swatches & review post!)
SpaRitual Earth Matters
SpaRitual Earth Matters is one of the newer greens that I purchased, and from the first time I saw it in the bottle, I knew I’d love it.
Sure, it’s another green with golden glitter, but it takes a lot for me to get sick of that combination. 😉 Maybe you’re yawning now, but I got tons of compliments by complete strangers when wearing this polish. That’s when you know it’s a looker!
Yes, your friends can give you compliments because they see you more, but when a stranger stops you on the street or in the subway just to tell you that they dig your nails, that’s always awesome!
(See full details in my SpaRitual Earth Matters swatches & review post!)
Hope you enjoyed this slightly different post than usual. Thought that I’d switch it up a bit. 🙂
I’m also thinking about sharing my ‘top lists’ for other colours and perhaps makeup products, too. Please let me know if you’re interested in round-up type of posts like this or if you’d prefer just regular review posts from me. (I want to do what I enjoy, but ideally, I’d like it to mesh with what my readers are most interested in because you all help me improve this blog.)
What are some green nail polishes that top your list? What was the last green you wore? Do you remember what your first green lacquer was?
Other Top 5 Favourite Posts:
- My Top 5 Favourite Purples
- More to come!
I’m in love with all of them! I don’t have any of them, but a few I’m coveting! I know Nubar Reclaim would be one of my top 5! Thanks for sharing!
Hey The KnitMaster!
D’oh! I knew I was forgetting an important one. It should’ve made my list. ARGH! Hahaha!
Amazing post! Green is my go-to color for polish, too! Well, green or black, although currently my only blacks contain green glitter…LoL
I’m madly in love with OPI’s Just Spotted the Lizard (and I suppose Chanel’s Peridot, too :P). Even my mom loved changing the angle of my hand to see the color change.
China Glaze’s Glittering Garland is definitely on my wishlist, since I don’t own a nice, dark green like that!
I’d definitely enjoy more round ups like this. 😀
Here are two greens that are very close to GG: Orly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe and Revlon Rainforest,. I own the Orly and CG, and found myself strangely drawn to the Revlon, LOL!
Another Cristina recently posted: S-MASH-ing good news!
Nice! And hopefully if people can’t find the Orly or China Glaze, they’ll be able to track down Revlon. I’m not sure, but I don’t think I’ve seen Rainforest before.
I think Orlly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is part of the core collection at Sally’s, because I’ve seen it at more than one in my area.
Revlon Rainforest should be easily available, I just saw one at Walmart this weekend. Here’s the comparison with GG that I first saw: http://www.goosesglitter.com/2012/01/revlon-rain-forest-china-glaze.html.
Another Cristina recently posted: 6/10/12 Weekly Blog Roundup-Mermaid’s Dream dupe, new OPI effect polish!
Cool – thanks for sharing the comparison. I like how lively Rainforest looks in that post.
Hi Mary,
Love the nails, like always. Blue has always been my fav color. Now, since seeing all your wonderful post I have bought a lot of purples,( I think I have more purple that blue now :~) ). I am also starting to buy a lot of greens. My first green was OPI Fresh Frog of Bel-Air. Keep up the great work and have a great weekend.
Hi Melissa!
Hehe, it’s all my fault! 😉 It’s cool that you can remember your first green polish. And that one’s really fun with all the glitter.
Though I’m not as much of a green fanatic as you, I still love the 2 on the list I own-Glittering Garland and Zombie Zest. Great list!
Another Cristina recently posted: S-MASH-ing good news!
I don’t know why I always want to call It’s Alive “Zombie Zest” instead. I guess I just associate the color with Halloween and horror movies.
anotherCristina recently posted: Comparison-Wet n Wild On a Trip vs. Revlon Modern Grace
Hey Another Cristina!
I thought about putting China Glaze Zombie Zest on my list, which is like Orly It’s Not Rocket Science, but I remember how sheer that one was. Even though I loved it, it didn’t make the top 5. Maybe top 10. 🙂
Okay, so we’re on the same page about Glittering Garland and It’s Alive. 😀 Woo hoo!
Ooops! I don’t know why I always want to call “It’s Alive” by the “Zombie Zest” name instead. I know it’s a Halloween collection release, I think I associate both names with monster movies.
BTW, here’s another blogger who loved It’s Alive:http://gothampolish.blogspot.com/2011/12/top-10-nail-polishes-of-2011.html. Her original post about it was quite interesting as well. 🙂
Another Cristina recently posted: Comparison-Wet n Wild On a Trip vs. Revlon Modern Grace
I’d love to see more of these! I’m just not a green person, but I have a pretty mint green that I like and I love Just Spotted the Lizard.
Brianna recently posted: Graduation Day Nails!
Hey Brianna!
Thanks for your feedback. 🙂 I’ll see if I can do more round-up posts for other colours, too.
Yes – do like the round-up post! Green with envy on this one. 🙂 Blues of any color are my weakness, but blue-greens/teals/aquas are second. Anyway – other ideas – top brands, top go-to polishes for ease or cheering up, or top collections. Happy Saturday. 🙂
Hey Kim!
Thanks for letting me know. I’ll work on doing some others for different colours. Blue is definitely on my list since I’ve worn quite a lot of them and showed them on the blog. Also, I’ll need to do one for purples!
Awesome – those are great suggestions!
I love greens as well!
My fave is Dragon by a England, it’s such an amazing colour. I also really like Ivanka and Holly by Zoya and Glittering Garland by China Glaze.
Hey Amanda!
A England has so many amazing polishes. I really need to get some sometime. For now, I just drool over other people’s swatches of them because I’m trying to save a bit more money. Dragon is gorgeous!
I for one am a fan of this post… Though my heart does not skip a beat for green shades like yours does …
I agree that Peridot was, and still is, worth every penny of the luxuriously expensive price tag.
The SpaRitual shade reminds me of Toxic Seaweed from Cult Nails (minus some flakies)… I bet you’d love that one too!!!!
I would love to see your favourite BLUE shades
Marta recently posted: MASH Nail Art Polish – REVIEW
Hey Marta!
SpaRitual Green Matters is a little like Cult Nails Toxic Seaweed. When I wore and reviewed Toxic Seaweed, it definitely did get top marks. Maybe it’d be in my top 10 list. But the richness of Green Matters helped it land in my top 5 list. 🙂 Toxic Seaweed is a lighter green.
Blues? Yeah, I can definitely do a post for that since I’ve worn so many of them. Haha, it’ll be tough whittling down the list (as always). 😉 I’ll see what I can do!
I would love to see more “round-up”-type posts! How many green polishes do you own now? Haha I’ve been following your blog for quite some time now and I didn’t think you would be able to pick just 5 faves ;). Out of my mere 31 polishes I have only two “true” greens, CG Emerald Sparkle and Sinful Colors Green Ocean, but I love them both :). Green Ocean is a green chunky flakie and I like to put it over a black polish to capture its full beauty.
Hey Jessica!
I’m not sure exactly how many greens I have now because I’ve been a little lazy updating my Excel document (yeah, I keep one…haha). But, if I were to estimate, I probably have over a hundred green nail polishes. Haha, yes, it was VERY tough to choose just 5. (And I totally missed adding Nubar Reclaim to my list. D’oh!)
Emerald Sparkle is gorgeous. I remember when it was first released. I saw Scrangie’s swatches of it and it immediately went on my Must-Have List! Green Ocean sounds pretty! I don’t have any Sinful Colors polishes because they’re not as easy to come by here.
Earth Matters is STUNNING. I need to go out and find it!
Kas recently posted: Jubilee Nails
Hey Kas!
Hope you can find it! It’s a gorgeous colour that’s worth tracking down. It came in a duo pack for Earth Day in 2011.
I love these types of round-up posts! Peridot always looks SO amazing, I’m tempted to pick up the OPI dupe next time I’m at Trade Secrets. I don’t have many greens but the ones I do have I love! My favourite is probably either Mint Sorbet by Sally Hansen or Essie Mojito Madness 😀 I’m obsessed with the lighter, mint green polishes lately, so I have my eye on Essie Mint Candy Apple too…and the pistachio Essie Navigate Her. The list just keeps growing, haha!
Hey Jenn!
Oh good! 🙂 I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this type of post. After your feedback and the feedback from other readers, I’m definitely going to do more of these. Blues and purples will probably be next.
Hehe, yes, I understand how the list keeps growing. 😉 And lucky you how you can sport mint greens! I have to be really careful. Sometimes they make my fingers look red, but others don’t. And I’m not sure why.
PBI to tell you that if you want to save a bit of money, Sinful Colors has a near dupe of Navigate Her called Olympia, which I have and love.
Another Cristina recently posted: 6/10/12 Weekly Blog Roundup-Mermaid’s Dream dupe, new OPI effect polish!
Green is definitely your color Mary!! I really like Earth Matters. It’s my first time seeing it.
MariJo recently posted: Kleancolor – Holo Chrome
Hey MariJo!
Awwww…thanks! 😀 Haha, even if it wasn’t before, I’ve influenced green to befriend me by flattering it all the time and buying many other bottles to keep it company in my Helmer. If green didn’t warm up to me, I fear that it would have a whole army now to rebel against me. 😉
Hey there!Great post! I’m also a green polish lover (hum hum…read maniac) and seem to never find enought of them around! I like your top 5 but i was surprised to find mainly glitters …I love glitters but i think i like my greens more on the creme side…i have an quite olive and tanned complexion so maybe that’s why..So far i think my green top 5 would go like this : 5- Essie, Turquoise & Caicos 4- China Glaze, Zombie Zest 3-Opi, Zom-body to Love (worn 2 thin coats over a base it’s quite sublte an soft kinda like a mint green but not like one 😉 2- China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald and in top 1- AmericanApparel Hunter
So far this is my top 5 but obliviously i could a top 5 with only the mints and the teals and the darker greens by themselves…
Enjoy!!!
Hey Marine!
YAY! We should make up some kind of green-polish gang sign or something. Green polish fo’ life! Hahahaha! 😛
Those are lovely choices you’ve listed! 🙂
Great story on your long lost Sally Hanson one here! So glad you found it finally. I have some that escaped me – some I find, some I forget about, and a rare one I kick myself constantly for not having bought it like OPI DS Glamour and I won’t pay $45 for it now…I paid that much for a few polishes in my collection and not in position to do it anymore $ wise – nor can I justify it with the amount of colors/bottles I own. Love the SpaRitual green here. I also really like Glittering Garland. It does not read Christmas green only which as you know is rare often of the greens that come out in holiday collections. I did buy Peridot when it hit with all the hype over it. I did not like it on me..the gold foil in it just was in my face vs. letting the green come up through it. I gave it to a friend who loved it. Since then I have come across about 3 good dupes to it, most recently the OPI one from the Amazing Spiderman collection. After all the craze with Peridot I picked it up thinking maybe I missed something with Peridot. I think I like the OPI one a lot more – it still has a lot of gold in it, but I read the green better in it and the application is way better than my Chanel was.
Hey beachgal!
Yeah – when I saw the name on the label, I couldn’t believe it. My search finally ended! 🙂 It’s only took YEARS…haha!
Remember when a lot of the old OPI DS holos were going for discounted prices at e-tailers and were so easy to find? It’s just so crazy knowing that now they’re $45 or more…wow! There’s a holo that escaped me and I’m kicking myself for not buying. It’s China Glaze LOL. That holographic purple was in my cart so many times and I took it out. 🙁 Then it was discontinued and I regretted not getting it.
Wowwwww….you didn’t love Chanel Peridot? Also, wow, my bottle of Chanel went on like a dream – no application issues. I think you’re the first person I’ve ever heard of who didn’t like it. But it’s good for your friend…hehe! Lucky her! 😉 Hmm…interesting that you think the green comes out more in the OPI. I had no idea – thought it was a Peridot dupe! I’ll have to look at it again and maybe buy it.
I love my Chanel Peridot and like you it was splurge but I didn’t regret afterwards! However, in terms of my favourite green last week actually for my birthday my friends bought me OPI Uh-oh Roll Down the Window, which I ADORE! I prefer more matte colours over sparkly ones so naturally I felt like you overlooked this little gem 🙂 Although it looks kinda icky in the bottle, when you actually wear its freaking amazing!
Hey AJ!
I also really like OPI Uh-oh Roll Down the Window…hehe, and the name makes me giggle!