Don't throw out your nail polish!!

I used to toss nail polish when it got thick and gloppy.  I used to pass on clearance nail polish that was separated and looked icky.  Polish that looked like it was "going bad".  Those were the dark days before I knew that nail polish never gets old.
 If your polish has separated, shake it. It will mix back together again.  Essie polish is notorious for separating.
If your polish is thick, add polish thinner.  Add it drop by drop, shaking to combine, until the polish is back to its normal consistency. I've used polish thinner to thin both nail polish and top coats. Top coats need something more on the order of squirts of thinner vs. drops of thinner.  Nail polish gets thick as the chemicals in it evaporate.  Thinner replaces the chemicals that have evaporated.    Never try to thin polishes with nail polish remover.  Polish remover is designed to break the chemical bonds in polish.  This is not something you'd want to add to your bottle of polish.
The nail polish thinner I have is Beauty Secrets Nail Polish Thinner from Sally Beauty Supply.  It is about 4$.  It is three free, if that is a concern.  In the past few years, most polishes have become three free.  I've read if you have older polishes, you may prefer Seche Vite Restore.  It contains toluene, one of the three chemicals that are missing in three free polishes.  The old polishes once contained toluene, so it makes sense that a thinner that contains it would be better for old polishes.  Seche Vite Top Coat contains toluene and Seche Vite Restore is supposed to work better for thinning is.  I thinned my Seche Vite Top Coat with my Beauty Secrets Thinner and it seems to be working just fine. I've read you can even bring completely dried up polishes back from the dead, although the quality may suffer some.
You do want to keep polishes away from heat and sunlight.  I've read this can cause the polish change color.

Spring Nail Polish Trends 2012

I want to point out that none of the nail in this post are mine.  Click on the polish name for the corresponding blog post.  The polishes are from the OPI Holland Collection, Nicole OPI Kardashian Collection, Essie Navigate Her Collection, Zoya True Collection, and a new Milani.
I'll start with peach/pink polish. The Essie version is reportedly very streaky.

Nicole by OPI Paparazzi Don't Preach

Essie A Crewed Interest

 

Milani Juno

Another big trend is what I'll call denim blues.  Sort of a denim blue color with sparkles.

OPI I Have a Herring Problem, Zoya Skyler, and OPI I Don't Give a Rotterdam

Another trend it light greens, especially the colors in the first picture.

OPI Thanks a Windmillion and Zoya Bevin

Essie Navigate Her

Also, bright orange and red-orange, red-coral.  I'd imagine these are more like summer colors, but they are in the spring collections.

OPI A Roll in the Hague and Essie Orange, It's Obvious!

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Essie Ole Caliente

OPI Red Lights Ahead...Where?

Nicole OPI Strike a Pose

And is it just me, or does the name OPI A Roll in the Hague make you think of this too?

Zoya Noel

This is Zoya in the color Noel.  Zoya calls this a cool blue metallic with an opacity of 5 (on a scale of 1-5).  This is two coats.  I always do at least two coats, but you may be able to get by with one thick one.  This color is a bit out of my comfort zone, but I think I like it.  Zoya calls this a cool toned foil finish and compares it to faded blue denim.  Personally, I'd call this a warm or neutral toned blue, but what do I know?  I don't think this resembles denim in the least.  Zoya polishes dry very slowly for me and I usually mar the manicure before it dries.  I used Essie Good to Go quick drying top coat and it dried just fine for me.  So far so good.  As long as this mani doesn't start chipping prematurely or something, I'll be going with the Zoya/Good to Go combo from now on.
Update:  Essie Good to Go works great with my Zoya polish.

Nail Polish Trend: Glitter

The first thing I want to point out is that none of these pics are my nails.  Click on the names of the polish to see the corresponding blog post.

Now that every color has taken over the nail polish world, the next logical step is glitter.  Yep, glitter for adults.  Some of these glitters are the glitter nail polishes we traditionally think of, full coverage small glitter.  If you are looking for this type of glitter, China Glaze has lots of interesting options (at Sally Beauty Supply).  Another trend that has been around a while is holographic glitter, such as China Glaze OMG (last pic, bottom right). Some of the new glitters have bigger or different shapes.  Hexagon shapes are popular, but you will also see circles, donuts, and long, thin pieces.  There are some polishes have sparse glitter that looks more like polka dots on your nails.  Essie just came out with a collection of glitter top coats (first pic) called the Lux Effects Collection.  Some of the Essie collection have tiny shimmers, others with hexagonal glitter meant to look like small stones.  I've added some pics of  drugstore glitters popular with nail polish fanatics.   First, on the right, is Revlon Facets of Fuchsia (now renamed Scandalous).  It is a dupe(licate) of Deborah Lippman's Bad Romance (more expensive). It has purple hexaganol glitter and micro glitter in a black jelly base.  Next is Revlon Whimsical which is a dupe of Deborah Lippman's Glitter in the Air.  It is blue and pink hexagonal glitter plus blue glitter in a sheer blue base.  Third is Revlon Starry Pink, now renamed Revlon Popular.  It is a light pink base with silver hexagonal glitter and silver glitter.  Wet N Wild Party of Five Glitters is a sparse glitter overlay of glitters of varying size and color.

Another big trend in glitter is flakies.  In the first picture, the bottom left and center are Essie Shine of the times which is a flakie.  Flakies look like little pieces of mica.  In fact they could actually be little pieces of mica.  Who knows?? (not me, but someone knows)  These polishes remind me of the rocks with mica in the black hills of South Dakota.  As you can see with the two pictures above, flakies look quite a bit different over light or dark polishes.  Traditional flakies, like Shine of the Times, flash between green and copper, depending on the angle.  Some of the newer flakies flash blue to dark blue or green to blue.  Click for swatches of the newly released Zoya flakies or Finger Paints flakies (at Sally Beauty Supply).  I own Essie Shine of the Times, but so far I don't think it is for me, unfortunately.  I'm going to keep trying though and see if I can find a way I like it.
If  you want to ease your way into glitters, you can always do an accent nail in glitter.  An accent nail is where you paint one nail, usually the ring finger, a differently then the rest of  your nails.

See my post on how to remove glitter nail polish.

Sally Hansen Insta Dri Review

 I'll start with my usual nail polish disclaimer.  Nail polishes work differently for different people.  What works for me may be terrible for you and vice versa.  That said, I hate pretty much everything about this nail polish.  It is very thick.  So thick that I thought the first bottle I bought must have been opened in the store and dried out some before I bought it.  Nope.  The second bottle was just as thick.  It applies in very thick coats, but still will not cover in two coats.  The picture above is two coats, and you can see that the coverage is uneven and not opaque yet (it is also really sloppily applied and all over my skin, sorry).  This polish does not self level.  If the polish is not level when it is applied, it will dry bumpy.  It is nearly impossible to apply level.  The top surface of this polish will dry quickly, but the bulk of the nail polish takes a long time to dry.  It stays malleable for quite a while, maybe an hour or two.  I end up with dents and impressions in the manicure from where it gets bumped while it is drying.  It wears pretty well for me, 6ish days.  I'm not really a fan of either color.  I thought a Barbie pink (Fuchsia Flare) might be fun once in a while, but this color is too yellow for me.  Luckily, my preschool niece loves this color. I thought I could put a glitter over the white (Whirlwind White) and it would look like new fallen snow on a cold winter day.  It didn't look like that.  It looked like I painted my nails with white out and put some glitter on top.  I was not a fan of the formula or the colors I picked.  I will not be buying Sally Hansen Insta Dry again.

Failed Search for Dupes

A dupe (short for duplicate) is a color that is the same as a more expensive formula but costs the same or less.  I never get to search for dupes, because I don't buy colors that are similar if I can help it.  When my Aunt gave me some polishes, I had some similar colors.

Revlon Blackberry is close to OPI Bogotta Blackberry, but the OPI color is much more of a berry color.  Wet n Wild Through the Grapevine is darker and more purple then OPI My Auntie Drinks Chianti.  But, if you just want a color that is close, either of these cheaper versions could work.  As you can see, I just slopped nail polish on for the comparison.

If you have an expensive product (nail polish, eye shadow, lipstick, etc.) and would like a similar drugstore dupe, here is what I would recommend.  Do a Google search with the name of the product and you are interested in and the word dupe.  This should pull up some links with product recommendations (assuming the product actually has a dupe)

Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro in Gold Silk

This color is a cross between gold and taupe.  (Taupe is defined as a 50/50 mix of brown and gray.)  This color is sheer with a soft metallic sheen.  It took three coats to make it opaque.  I'm thinking an eye shadow this color might be nice.  :)
For more on this Rimmel nail polish formula, see my previous post.

Zoya Jade

This is Zoya polish in the color Jade.  Why is a red polish named Jade?  All of Zoya's polishes have women's names.  So why is a red polish named Jade?  No idea.  This is a red jelly polish with red sparkles.  It took three coats to make it opaque.  The red sparkles are sort of floating within the polish itself in three different layers.  I haven't had a polish quite like this one before.  Photos just don't capture how pretty this is.  I stamped a silver snowflake on my index finger with my new nail stamping kit.   
On my nails Zoya polish wears like iron.  It grows out from the cuticle and needs to be removed before it even begins to chip.  I've had issues with getting Zoya to dry.  It has stayed wet for hours for me, and usually gets some kind of bump or dent before it dries.  It dries with no issues for my sister.  Polish is a very your mileage may vary product.  How it performs varies from person to person.  I'm still experimenting with different top coats and ways of applying Zoya.  Hopefully I will get it to work for me.  This time I waited 10 minutes between coats, and it seemed to dry faster.
Notice the green grass poking through the snow at Christmas time.  So much better then the several feet of snow and sub zero weather we have had for the past few years.
Edit:  I'm now using Essie Good to Go topcoat and this polish dries without an issue for me.

Silver Gradient Polish

For the Gradient Silver Nails I used 3 nail polishes.  Milani in Ms. Milani, L'Oreal in Silver Star (appears to be discontinued), and Wet n Wild in Kaleidoscope 460D.  First, I added a base coat.  Then I used a make-up sponge to sponge on color.  I painted Ms. Milani directly onto the sponge.  Then I sponged the color onto the nail, about 1/3 of the way down the nail.  I sponged a second coat of this polish starting further up the nail.  Next I used Silver Star and sponged near the tips of the nails.  Then I used Kaleidoscope and painted on a coat starting halfway down the nail.  Finally, I added a second coat to the last 1/4 of the nail.   Sponging on color leaves thin coats and dries quickly.  There is no need to wait between coats of polish.
To reuse the make-up sponge for another manicure, just snip off the dried polish from the sponge with a scissors.

3 Free Nail Polish and Why You Might Care Even if You Don't Care.

What is 3 free nail polish?  3 free nail polish is Formaldehyde, Toluene, and Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) free.  These chemicals are reported to have health risks and be bad for the environment.  I know there is some debate about the health risks.  I’m just a schmo who has no idea how to review the science, so I can't give an informed opinion.  There is more info in the link below.  Most nail polish formulas these days are now at least 3 free.  

Link with laymen info on the chemicals and contains links for more info
Link that lists 3 free (and more) nail polishes
In addition to the polishes listed in the link, Jordanna (at K-mart) is also 3 free.

Why you might care even if you don’t care?  Big 3 free top and base coats are not as common.  If you mix a non 3 free top or base coat with a 3 free polish, it could mean trouble.  If you use a toluene containing top coat over a 3 free polish, it may come off in large chips.  (*Light bulb appears over head .*  This may be my issue with Wet n Wild Gray’s Anatomy pealing off in sheets.)  If you use a base coat containing formeldehyde,  you may get yellow staining on your nails.  I believe this what was happening to me when I was using Rimmel Pro Top Coat/Base Coat as a base coat.  My nails looked like I was a chain smoker (I don't smoke).  The base coat didn’t react with every polish formula/color, so it took me a while to figure it out.    Essie, Zoya, Nubar and Carolyn New York top and base coats are 3 free.  
Link with info on mixing 3 free and non 3 free top/base coats and polishes.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Polish

I have two bottles of Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Polish.  I have Midnight Blue and Purple Rain.  I'm in love with the color Midnight Blue.  It is exactly what I wanted this color to be.  It is light enough in color to read navy, and not black, in all lights.  But it is not so light in color that it only reads royal blue instead of navy.  This is a fine line to walk for dark polishes.  The picture of the three nail polishes illustrates this point.  The Wet n Wild is royal blue on my nails, the Rimmel is navy in all lights, and the Orly is Navy blue in bright light, but black in most lights (Pic 3).   I've added one picture of  Midnight Blue on my nails with a regular top coat (Seche Vite, pic 1) and one picture with a matte top coat (Hard Candy Mattle-ly in Love, pic 2).  I'm a fan of how this polish looks with both finishes.  I think this is a particularly nice color on pale skin.

I wanted Purple Rain (Pic 4) to be a similar polish, but in a purple.  This color was a disappointment.  It just skews way too brown for my taste.  Midnight Blue makes me feel sophisticated.  Purple Rain makes me feel like a 40 year old who is trying to be a disgruntled teen.  I know that dark or black polishes are now acceptable for all age groups, but I just didn't like this one on me.

This formula is a winner for me.  It wears 5-6 days without any noticeable chips.  This is basically my one and only true criteria for judging nail polish.  Other then that, it preforms the way you expect nail polish to preform.  I'll add my declaimer that nail polishes preform differently on everyone.  What works for me may be terrible for you.

See also my post on the Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro color Gold Silk and Rags to Riches.

Wet n Wild Fast Dry in Gray's Anatomy

Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy is a really interesting color. This has a duochrome finish.  The base is gray.  But depending on which way the light hits, it looks either purple or green.  This is gorgeous in the bottle, but didn't fulfill all of my hopes and dreams on my nails.  It is still a very nice, unique color.   This polish is very sheer.  It took me 4 coats to get this opaque.  My guess is that it is designed for people who prefer to see some of their nail bed through their polish.  This is a very thin polish, so even after 4 coats, it isn't thick on the nail.  It really is fast drying.  By the time you finish nail ten, nail number one is dry and ready for a second coat.

Before I go further in this review, I'll point out that nail polish formulas work differently for different people.  What wears well for me, may chip on you.  What takes forever to dry on me, may dry quickly for you.  The only way to know what works best for your nails is to experiment with different formulas yourself. 

With that disclaimer, this nail polish peeled of in sheets for me after I wore it for a few days.  :(  Like most polishes that don't wear well on my nails, it wears perfectly fine on my toes.  I will probably try this again in the future with a different base or top coat to see if the results are different.  I also plan to try is layered over a gray or black polish.  This is a fun color and it is only around a buck if you want to give this one a whirl.
EDIT:  I tried this polsih with Essie All Bases Covered base coat and Essie Good to Go top coat and it did not peel off in sheets.

EDIT:  The duo chrome is really brought out when you later Gray's Anatomy over a turquoise polish. 

Newspaper Nails

You'll notice as I start posting pictures of nail polish, that my manicures are never perfect.  They probably never will be either.  :)

This manicure is really easy to do, but looks impressive.  The base polish color is Zoya in the color Harley. You can use any color you want as the base color, but it must be light enough for the newsprint to show up. You cut nail sized squares of newspaper.  It doesn't matter what it says, since it prints backwards anyway.  You want to pay attention to where the paragraphs on the newspaper end, because you could end up with blank spaces on your nails.  I filled a shot glass part way with rubbing alcohol.  I dipped my nail into the rubbing alcohol.  Then I pressed the newspaper clipping against the nail for 30-40 seconds and pealed it away.  I topped my manicure with a matte top coat (Hard Candy's Matte-ly in Love from Walmart).  I wouldn't use a matte top coat with this particular polish color again, but it might be nice with a newspaper mani on a white or cream nail polish.  A normal top coat works just fine, but you must use a top coat to prevent the newsprint from wearing off. Here are a couple of newspaper mani tutorials that I have bookmarked:
Ask me What's-News on Nails
Youtube video from Cutepolish