LACQUER LUST: Essie 'Tart Deco'

Okay, I admit. I have a bit of an addiction to nail polish. It's strange because in high school I barely wore nail polish. But, once I went to college, I've been addicted. I partly started to wear nail polish more frequently because I had a nasty habit of biting my nails and having my nails done helped me not want to chew my nails down.  But, that's developed another nasty habit of painting my nails at least two or three times a week.

I recently painted my toe nails with Essie's 'Tart Deco'.  I am usually pretty weird about oranges on my nails, but I have the mentality that you can wear any color on your toes, so I tried this out.  I ended up falling in love with it and decided to give a try on my fingers. 

This is not your usual orange.  In fact, it isn't quite orange at all.  It's actually a beautiful, peach color that's a great bright shade for the spring/summer seasons. Also, it makes you look really tan. Which is never a bad thing.

The consistency is quite good for an Essie polish. I tend to find Essie nail polishes to be way too thin and it usually takes three to four coats to get it perfectly opaque.  This takes about two to three coats, which isn't too bad.  The finish is a creamy finish, which is my favorite.

If you're a bit afraid of color on your nails, I definitely recommend trying out a bright shade on your toes.  That way, you can see if you like the way the polish looks on your skin tone without having it too exposed if you end up not liking the color. It's a great way to transition into wearing brighter colors on your fingers and it looks great with the open toe sandals you'll be sporting for the upcoming seasons!

xx,

Jordana

LACQUER LUST: China Glaze 'Celtic Sun'

It's officially spring and one of my absolute favorite trends for this season is neon.  I'm the kind of girl who really doesn't wear much color, but neon shades are absolutely my guilty pleasure.  

Now, those of you who are a bit afraid of the neon trend for Spring, I don't blame you.  It's a pretty intimidating trend.  I remember the first time I wore a neon coral top, I felt like I was wearing a huge flashing neon sign and everyone was staring at me, expecting me to explode or something. So, if you aren't ready to dive into the neon trend just yet, the perfect way to incorporate neon into your wardrobe with baby steps is to inject a bit of neon into your nail polish!

One of the best neon nail polishes I've found so far is China Glaze's 'Celtic Sun'.  It is THE perfect neon yellow shade.  Neon yellow isn't the neon shade I would typically go for, but on my nails, I find it to be a great accent, without looking overbearing. 

Although I adore the shade, my one issue with this nail polish is that it's very, very thin.  In order to achieve an opaque look, I have to apply about 10 coats.  Not kidding.  But, each layer does dry very quickly so I was able to have my nails done in less than 30 minutes.  And, when it is opaque, it's absolutely beautiful.

It's a pretty matte nail polish on its own so a good top coat is completely necessary!  In my opinion, neon nail lacquers look best when they're glossy.  My favorite top coat is the Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.  It applies smooth and gives an impeccable shine.  It does get thick and goopy pretty easily, but that can be easily fixed by a thinner.  

I haven't seen many neon nail polishes on the market, especially from typical brands like O.P.I. and Essie, who tend to stick to more pastels or darker shades.  However, China Glaze has a really good selection of about five beautiful neon shades.  I found mine at my local Sally's Beauty Supply for about 6 dollars but China Glaze can be found at Ulta and online.

So, take a leap into the neon trend (without feeling like you're blinding everyone around you) by painting your nails!

Do you have any favorite nail shades for spring? Let me know as a comment!

xx,

Jordana