Free beauty tips: brown

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Dior Aztec Chocolate 886

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have a swatch of Dior Aztec Chocolate, one of the new holiday colors from Dior. It's an elegant brown with a visible shimmer. It applied like a dream and dried quickly, which is typical of Diors for me. This is two coats.

Dior Aztec Chocolate Nail Polish, Two Coats

I love browns for Fall, and I especially like how understated this one is. I think it's really gorgeous.

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader. Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Some Limited Edition Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicures

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Yesterday I swatched a few of the new limited edition Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure nail polishes, and I have pictures of them for you today. The sun wasn't the best I've ever had for pictures, but good enough to get by. I swatched three of the shimmers before my patience for swatching wore thin.

I only got the colors from this collection that I really like so I don't have all the names in front of me, but of those I got, I can't make sense of the names or see how they're related to one another. They're pretty bad. But truthfully, if the worst thing about a polish is its name, I can live with that.

These all applied really well, now that I'm used to the wacky brush they have, and the colors are strong. First up is Perfect Match (which immediately makes me ask, "To what?"), a great red shimmer. It's on the dark side of real red and has a really glowy shimmer - I'm thinking it might be the perfect pedicure red. This is two coats of Perfect Match (completely dry).

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Perfect Match Nail Polish, Two Coats

The one with the worst name has received a good bit of hype, Sequin Scandal (a scandal related to one sequin). It reminds me a lot of the old Revlon Blacker Lacquer Talk Dirty. Here's two coats of Sequin Scandal, which I think I like better in the bottle than on my nails. It's smooth, it's the small flaky bits that make it look lumpy.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Sequin Scandal Nail Polish, Two Coats

Back to one I like: Problem Child (not an inherently bad name, I just don't see how it's related to the other color names). This one's a deep plum with flaky shimmer bits. It looks deep plum indoors, not black, and I like it.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Problem Child Nail Polish, Two Coats

That's a good start to what this display offers. Although I got most of them, I did leave behind a few cremes that just weren't sufficiently noteworthy to buy. Now I've worn two and swatched two more, and I like them quite a bit. A happy surprise about Starry, Starry Flight was that it was easy to remove - I think the glitter's fine enough to make it completely not a hassle to take off, which also bodes well for the red glitter.

That's the update for today, Dear Reader. I'll show you the rest of my picks from this display as the week wears on. Untl then, love and nail polish to you!

Posted in brown , nail polish , purple , red , Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure , vampy

Les Khakis de Chanel

Good evening, Dear Reader!

I mentioned a few days ago that the Chanel Khaki nail polishes were available on Chanel's U.S. site, and I have swatches of them for you today. This collection of three limited edition nail polishes was created by Peter Philips, Chanel's top creative guy for makeup, to celebrate Fashion's Night Out.

They're not the most unique colors that have ever existed, but they're very, very nice. For all three, one coat gave sufficient coverage of color, and the second coat gave them the high vinyl shine I associate with Chanel cremes (like Imperial and Dragon). I sprung for them as my birthday gift to myself since I love colors like these, and the timing was good since by birthday is tomorrow.

The pictures are taken in natural light, but i's not terribly sunny out. I swatched the first two, and the third is my birthday manicure for tomorrow, finished with top coat.

Khaki Rose is quite simply a khaki rose creme, the most mainstream of the three shades.

Les Khakis de Chanel: Khaki Rose Nail Polish, Two Coats

Khaki Brun is kind of a muddy brown creme.

Les Khakis de Chanel: Khaki Brun Le Vernis

Les Khakis de Chanel: Khaki Brun Nail Polish, Two Coats

The last one, which I really love, is Khaki Vert. It's a dusty green creme that's about one shade darker than Essie Sew Psyched.

Les Khakis de Chanel: Khaki Vert Le Vernis

Les Khakis de Chanel: Khaki Vert Nail Polish, Two Coats

There you have them, Les Khakis de Chanel. I'm really happy with them, but I'm also disregarding their cost because they were within my budget for a planned special occasion expense. I probably would have been pickier otherwise.

That's it for today, Dear Reader. Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Posted in brown , Chanel , green , Khaki , nail polish , Rose

Color Club Untamed Luxury Indulgence Collection

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

This morning I had a chance to swatch the other half of the Color Club Untamed Luxury colors, the Indulgence Collection, that I'd promised you a while back. The colors are tame, but modern and quite nice nonetheless. Like the others, the polishes applied well and were easy to control, and all but one of the seven were two coaters, with the seventh requiring three coats. The dry time for these is good.

I took the pictures in very early morning sunlight, so it's not the most even light I've ever had, but it gives you a good look at the colors and their finish.

Pretty in Platinum is a pale shade that's a cross between beige and grey, with a subtle shimmer. This is two coats.

Color Club Pretty in Platinum Nail Polish, Two Coats

Wild Orchid is neither wild nor orchid, but a good color. It's a light greige with a sparkly shimmer, and I used two coats.

Color Club Wild Orchid Nail Polish, Two Coats

Soft as Cashmere is a muted brown beige creme, and this is the one that needed three coats to be totally opaque and even. Having said that, I'll let you assume the polishes that come after it are all two coaters.

Color Club Soft as Cashmere Nail Polish, Three Coats

Positively Posh is a muted brown creme.

Color Club Positively Posh Nail Polish, Two Coats

Jewel of a Girl is a deep reddish brown shimmer.

Color Club Jewel of a Girl Nail Polish, Two Coats

Nothing but Truffle is a deep brown shimmer.

Color Club Nothing but Truffle Nail Polish, Two Coats

Ready to Royal is a deep plum creme that looks almost black on the nail. Not quite black, but almost.

Color Club Ready to Royal Nail Polish, Two Coats

That's all of Color Club's Indulgence Collection, which wraps up Untamed Luxury. As you can see, all seven shades are pretty tame, very work-safe colors. At the same time, I find them to be very modern, pretty representative of what we're seeing a lot of this year. I like them.

That's it for today, Dear Reader. Tomorrow I'll resume with SpaRitual's Imagine Collection, and until then, love and nail polish to you!

Posted in Beige , brown , Color Club , Greige , nail polish , vampy

Sephora by OPI Dating the Drummer

Good evening, Dear Reader!

Tonight I have another polish from Sephora by OPI's Fall 2010 offerings, Dating the Drummer. It's a cool shimmery brown, and I like it a lot. It was good in two coats, and I think the shimmer in this one is what makes it special.

Sephora by OPI Dating the Drummer Nail Polish, Two Coats

This is far from the tidiest manicure I've ever done, sorry about that. I decided to show it to you anyhow since it has a great shimmer and I had good sun. I figured you'd forgive me this time, since it's in the interest of showing you a cool polish.

That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader. Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Posted in brown , nail polish , Sephora by OPI

Color Club Nouveau Vintage

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I have a couple of things to tell you about today, and the first is Color Club Nouveau Vintage* nail polish from their Fall 2011 Back to Boho Collection. It's an interesting shimmer that's brown overall with a lot of gold and green in the shimmer. It was good in two coats and dried completely in reasonable time. Here it is in the sun, and I chose this picture because parts are less focused and you can see its sparkle well.

Color Club Nouveau Vintage Nail Polish, Two Coats

I also did a little filing for this manicure, partly because I needed some shaping and partly for product testing. Sally Hansen sent their Nailgrowth Miracle Serum for me to try out, with the product claims being flawless cuticles and up to a 59% increase in growth in two weeks with daily use. For the increases growth, the labeling isn't totally clear on the claim - it says 59%, I'm assuming that means up to 59%. I figured for our purposes here, just hacking off some length and then looking at the change over a couple of weeks with it as compared to a set of older pics with a similar starting length covering the same time period would be sufficient to determine whether it makes a difference or not. So really, I took off some length to see how fast it comes back.

That is Color Club Nouveau Vintage and my little extended testing project, so I think that's just about everything. Until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

*This product was sent for review by the manufacturer.

All Rights Reserved, Siobhan@The Nailphile. If you're reading this elsewhere, it's stolen from a real nail polish blog.

Posted in brown , Color Club , Color Club Back to Boho , nail polish

Essie Fall 2010 Minis

Good evening, Dear Reader!

I'm back sooner than I expected, this time with swatches of the Essie Fall 2010 minis, the set of four that are a Nordstrom exclusive.

In using these, I realized that I'm reasonably certain I've never used Essie minis before. I usually dislike the teeny brush on minis, bit these were a normal Essie brush on a shorter stem, so not bad at all. All four shades, all cremes, were good in two coats and are great Fall colors.

Merino Cool is a greige with a touch of purple to it.

Essie Merino Cool Nail Polish for Fall 2010, Two Coats

Sew Psyched is a pale sage green very similar to RBL Diddy Mow.

Essie Sew Psyched Nail Polish for Fall 2010, Two Coats

Little Brown Dress reminds me of Lippmann Maneater.

Essie Little Brown Dress Nail Polish for Fall 2010, Two Coats

Limited Addiction is a deep but still vivid red jelly.

Essie Limited Addiction Nail Polish for Fall 2010, Two Coats

That's all I have for you today, Dear Reader. Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

Posted in brown , Essie , green , Long Nails , nail polish , red

Zoya Wicked Collection for Fall 2010

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I'm back with swatches of Zoya's Wicked Collection for Fall 2010 (samples sent to me by Zoya). This collection is six glass flecked polishes, the same finish we've seen a lot of this season. They're all two coaters and easy to control and apply. I had to use artificial light today for reasons I won't bore you with.

Carrie Ann is a bright classic red.

Zoya Carrie Ann Nail Polish, Two Coats

Kym is a very Fall-appropriate rust red.

Zoya Kym Nail Polish, Two Coats

Karina is a good cranberry red.

Zoya Karina Nail Polish, Two Coats

Cheryl is a really great chocolate brown. I love browns for Fall.

Zoya Cheryl Nail Polish, Two Coats

Edyta is a moss green with gold flecks.

Zoya Edyta Nail Polish, Two Coats

Finally, the one I'm wearing is Julieanne, a grapey purple. The dry time on this one was better than average, and the picture is with top coat.

Zoya Julieanne Nail Polish, Two Coats

That's Zoya's Wicked Collection. Of both Wicked and Wonderful, I can say I have no complaints at all - if you like the color, you shouldn't run into any troubles if you spring for it. Like the Wonderful Collection, Wicked was released on the first and is on Zoya's site now.

That's it for today, Dear Reader. Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

Posted in brown , Glass Flecked , green , Long Nails , nail polish , purple , red , Zoya

Zoya Wonderful Collection for Fall 2010

Good evening, Dear Reader!

This week I received samples of Zoya's Wicked and Wonderful Collections, and I have swatches of the Wonderful Collection for you tonight. Zoya's Wonderful Collection consists of six cremes, all two coaters. I photographed them in indirect natural light.

Shawn is a slightly yellow green creme, kind of an army green shade.

Zoya Shawn Nail Polish, Two Coats

Kristi is a vivid, slightly blue based red.

Zoya Kristi Nail Polish, Two Coats

Burke is a classic berry shade.

Zoya Burke Nail Polish, Two Coats

Cola is a very pretty reddish brown.

Zoya Cola Nail Polish, Two Coats

Stacy is a rich mulberry.

Zoya Stacy Nail Polish, Two Coats

The one I decided to wear is Kelly, a slightly purple medium grey creme. This is before top coat.

Zoya Kelly Nail Polish, Two Coats

All six shades of the Wonderful Collection applied very well, and were easy to keep smooth and even. I like the variety this collection has, and each color is a really good one for Fall. These were released on the first, so they're on Zoya's site now.

Tomorrow, I hope to have good sunlight to swatch the Wicked Collection for you. Until then, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

Posted in Berry , brown , green , grey , Long Nails , nail polish , red , Zoya

China Glaze Vintage Vixen Swatches, Part II

Good morning, Dear Reader!

As promised, I have swatches of the other half of China Glaze's Vintage Vixen Collection for you this morning (manufacturer samples). These were again three coats in artificial light. A few could have used a fourth coat, but I wanted to be consistent.

Swing Baby is a great champagne shimmer, but I can still see through it after three coats. It would need a fourth.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen: Swing Baby Nail Polish, Three Coats

Hey, Doll is a light reddish brown shimmer, good in three coats.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen: Hey, Doll Nail Polish, Three Coats

Bogie is a really interesting eggplant purple shimmer, good in three coats.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen: Bogie Nail Polish, Three Coats

Midnight Mission is a great shade of blue with silver microglitter, and was good in three coats but for one bald patch I didn't notice until I was selecting pictures. Had I seen it when taking pictures, I could have fixed just the one spot.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen: Midnight Mission Nail Polish, Three Coats

Emerald Fitzgerald is a very nice dark green shimmer.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen: Emerald Fitzgerald Nail Polish, Three Coats

First Class Ticket is a dark bluish purple, and the one I'm wearing. The picture is before top coat.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen: First Class Ticket Nail Polish, Three Coats

That's the end of China Glaze's Vintage Vixen Collection. I told you there wasn't a bad one in the bunch! I still think some are better than others, but they'll all get used by me.

That's all for today, Dear Reader. Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

Posted in Beige , Blue , brown , China Glaze , green , nail polish , purple , Vintage Vixen

China Glaze Vintage Vixen Swatches, Part I

Good morning, Dear Reader!

The mystery package I mentioned yesterday turned out to be samples of China Glaze's Vintage Vixen Collection from the manufacturer, and I have swatches of half of them for you this morning. The collection consists of 12 shimmers (or microglitters), and there's not a bad color in the bunch. Some are better than others, but none elicits the ol' "What were they thinking?" question.

Today's swatches are under artificial light, and are just some six - I took two of the three pack boxes and swatched. Each required three thin coats to be opaque and even, but the dry time on the one I'm wearing is above average. There were no changes in the brush or bottle to mention - they're what you've come to expect. Application was good and I found the polish easy to control.

Classic Camel is just that - a classic camel shade with a good shimmer. Unfortunately, it's not a great color on me - it makes my hands look pink. However, it's the same color as my favorite winter coat, so I'll still be wearing it.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen: Classic Camel Nail Polish, Three Coats

Ingrid is a kind of muted brown with gold shimmer.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen: Ingrid Nail Polish, Three Coats

Going My Way? is a shimmer the shade of a chocolate Labrador Retriever. This one was a little brushstrokey on me.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen: Goin' My Way? Nail Polish, Three Coats

Jitterbug is a silver shimmer with microglitter.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen: Jitterbug Nail Polish, Three Coats

Foxy is a great rusty red shimmer.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen: Foxy Nail Polish, Three Coats

Riveter Rouge is the one I chose to wear, although the picture is before top coat. It's a deep red with silver microglitter.

China Glaze Vintage Vixen: Riveter Rouge Nail Polish, Three Coats

That's the first half of the China Glaze Vintage Vixen swatches, and I'll have Part II for you tomorrow. Until then, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

Posted in Beige , brown , China Glaze , red , Vintage Vixen

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