China Glaze "Blue Island Iced Tea"

China Glaze "Blue Island Iced Tea" is a light blue glass fleck from the Winter 2008 Bahama Blues collection. it's a bit sheer and needs 3 coats but it's a very pretty colour. i found this one at a local dusty supply shop where i had a great time hauling!

BB Couture for Men "Ceremony"

as i mentioned before, i love BB Couture for Men's shades. Ceremony is a grey-based shimmering green polish (close to grey-asparagus green). this polish is both on the sheer and streaky side so you have to be careful applying it. i used 4 coats to get it to look nice. it's a very pretty polish though. i'm not sure if it's worth the trouble (or the price tag) though.

Maybelline Express Finish "Cool Couture"

Maybelline "Cool Couture" is part of the limited edition Fall 2011 Scene On the Runway collection. it is a cool medium-dark grey creme with teal blue microshimmer.
i used 2 coats plus some bald patching. i don't like the brush on this one. the formula was pretty good though. i think it's a fairly unique polish--it looks like something Zoya would put out rather than Maybelline.

Duri "Mystic Elements"

this is the first and only Duri polish i've owned. i picked it up at a local discount beauty supply store many months ago. in the bottle it looked like a prettier version of OPI "Tease-y Does It" (which i have never bought). it has a dark wine-red jelly base with large red shimmering particles. for what it is, it's a pretty colour, but these shades just don't thrill me. i'm not big on red polishes.
i used 3 coats but could have gotten away with 2 if i were more careful. it wore really well for 3 days before i removed it, but that might've been because my nails are so short right now!

Rimmel 60 Seconds "Camouflage"

i love my green polishes. Rimmel "Camouflage" is one of my very favourites. i got it in the beginning of my nail polish obsession and have since purchased a back up. it's so cheap and easy to find yet so gorgeous.
"Camouflage" is a stunning, shimmering medium green that leans a little blue. it has a great formula that is nearly opaque in one coat and dries quickly. i would suggest using a glossy top coat to get the most out of it.

Nicole by OPI "Coral Denominator"

i was so lucky and grateful to receive Nicole by OPI "Coral Denominator" from a Canadian MUA swapper. i first saw it on Milan & Vanaily where i fell in love with it. unfortunately, this gorgeous peachy pink foil is part of a Canadian exclusive Justin Bieber sequel collection. it took me a very long time to acquire it, but i absolutely adore it. it has strong golden iridescence that glows beautifully. it needs three coats for full opacity but it dries quickly.
"Coral Denominator" is a dupe to Wet n' Wild "Waves of Enchantment" from the Mermaid's Cove collection which some people found in some drugstores. i haven't seen this collection anywhere near me.

CQ "Eggplant"

CQ "Eggplant" is a warm dark grey creme polish. it is NOT purple as the name implies. regardless, it is a lovely polish. the formula is alright--a little watery but two coats provide sufficient coverage.
i bought "Eggplant" because i've wanted a dark grey creme that suits my warm skin tone. Zoya "Kelly" pulled too blue on me. CQ "Eggplant" is a nice grey but still doesn't thrill me. it's a little TOO dark, too close to black. i may franken my perfect warm grey someday.

CQ "Slate"

i picked up a couple CQ polishes the other day at Rite Aid: "Slate" and "Eggplant". both are misnomers, amusingly enough. "Slate" is a dark green creme. it is a dark version of what Essie "Going Incognito" and Rescue Beauty Lounge "Orbis Non Sufficit" would create if they were mixed together. in low light, "Slate" nearly looks black. it is a very classy colour and i have to rave that the formula was amazing--super pigmented (nearly a one-coater), perfect viscosity, dried quick. the CQ brushes are also awesome, small and similar to Zoya brushes. however, i anticipate some staining when i remove it...

Color Club "Revealed"

Color Club "Revealed" is from the Reveal Your Mystery set of the Spring 2011 Alter Ego collection. it's very pretty in the bottle--a light peachy-pink with pink shimmer--but i was ultimately disappointed by this polish. i am not a fan of the stiff Color Club brushes. this polish was particularly hard to apply evenly as it is a sheer pink and required four coats to look good. the pink shimmer in the bottle barely shows up on the nail. thumbs down.

Ulta Salon Formula "Mint Condition"

i received this Ulta Salon Formula polish as a RAOK from a generous NBer after posting on the boards that it might be the perfect mint for my skin tone. indeed it is flattering on me as far as mints go. it's a weird polish that pulls robin's egg blue on me most of the time. sometimes it reminds me of turquoise or of porcelain. it's more vibrant on the nail than the bottle reveals. it is on the squishier side of a creme finish that needs at least 2 coats to be opaque and takes a bit to dry.


on a related note, have you guys noticed Ulta's new packaging? i hate it!