Essie: Eternal Optimist

Instead of being a normal flat nude color, Eternal Optimist is the perfect mix of nude with a slight tint of pink.  It's that perfect shade when you want a nude color but don't want your nails to blend into your fingers.  A pretty creamy polish this seems to be one of Essie's more opaque colors.  I like to consider myself an optimist so the cute name just further adds to my affection for this color.  

I actually only needed 2 coats to get this color to reflect the shade in the bottle, and they went on nicely and easily without any streaks or bubbling.  This color is also nice on a lot of different skin tones, I've worn it, my sister is a lot darker than me and she likes the way it looks on her and my friends who are lighter than me have also used this polish.

*natural sunlight, 2 coats, Canon T3.

OPI: Purple with a Purpose

One of my best friends gifted me OPI's Purple with a Purpose as part of my Christmas present in 2010. When I first saw it I thought that it was one of those plasticy metallic looking colors that I wouldn't get much use out of, but I'm so glad I gave it a shot.  This was still during my phase where I shied away from bright colors and stuck to mainly neutral colors so I didn't know where exactly to begin.  I used this polish on my toes first, thought that I could ease myself into it, and I absolutely loved the way that it came out!  Turns out I actually love the way this shade complements my skin tone, and it has just the right amount of metallic-ness to make it a little shimmery without looking like foil.

The only issue with this polish is that it takes 3 coats for me to get it the way that I like it, which again is not much of a problem if you know me.  I normally like to paint an extra coat or so, I don't know why I just like the look of my polish being a little thicker, anyway it isn't that big of an issue.  Overall, I wouldn't say that this color is a necessity in my collection due to the fact that I don't wear it that often however it is one of those great fun colors to have when you feel like taking a bigger risk with your polish.  Every time I put this polish on it makes me wonder why I waited so long to use it again.

*natural sunlight, 3 coats, Canon T3.

Sally Hansen: Midnight in NY

Midnight in NY is a nice black if you don't really want a completely black dark polish.  It's practically black with the tiniest golden shimmers that you have to look closely to spot, however they lighten up the entire polish so that it's a little less dark and more glimmery than a creme black.

It is also one of the Sally Hansen polishes from the 'complete salon manicure' line which boasts the thick square shaped brush that I love.  Aside from the width of the brush the bristles are also short enough making it easy to control all strokes.  Overall I love the bottle and brush that this line has, something about the way that the bottle feels just seems so nice and sturdy to me.

While it goes without saying that you should always use a topcoat, it is extra necessary with this polish. I find that if you don't use a topcoat the golden shimmers don't show up as much which makes it come off as a plain black shade completely losing the magic of this color.  Another plus, I love the name (I'm such a sucker for cute names, I'll buy just about anything).  2 coats is plenty with this color, you could even get away with one pretty thick coat however you may end up with a few light colored patches, so it's always good to add an extra coat for good measure.

*natural lighting, 2 coats, Canon T3.

Urban Outfitters: Orange #6

I've been searching for a good sherbety orange color for a long time.  It's another one of those shades where you have to find the right one for your skin tone.  Of course, I found this shade when I wasn't even shopping for nail polish.  I was window shopping with my friends one day when I saw that Urban Outfitters was having a sale.  Standing in the checkout line I spotted this lovely color, and grabbed it to add to my purchase on a whim.  Boy am I glad that I did.  It's the absolute perfect shade for me!

At first glance I thought that the bottle would be pretty on a shelf but overall difficult to work with, however after a few uses I'm actually fine with it.  It did take a little time to get used to because of the large square shape but once you get the hang of it everything is normal.  Application is smooth, it only takes 2 coats to get an opaque color but of course I painted on 3.  Drying time was average, although I did use a quick dry topcoat due to my impatience.  Another plus, I love the way that this color makes my nails look perfectly shaped and my fingers a little more elongated.

*natural lighting, 3 coats, Canon T3.  

Unfortunately, this polish is not available for purchase on the Urban website and it's kind of a hit or miss with finding certain colors in store.  So if you happen to see it one shopping trip, grab it while you can!