Nail Polish Stash Swatch

Nail polish is a fairly new interest of mine. It is only in the last few years that I have managed to properly break my childhood nail biting habit. Even after I cracked that, my nail polish collection only really began to grow when I finally worked out how to paint nails prettily. Once I learnt to leave a gap so the polish didn't seep into my cuticles it felt like a new world had suddenly been opened to me (only a slight exaggeration).

My nail polish stash is still very modestly-sized (and not exactly brimming with exciting brands) but I thought it would be fun to share because it nicely encapsulates some of my colour preferences. Although I no longer bite my nails, I am still a terrible picker so I will spare you pictures of my hands -- you're getting swatch sticks instead. I used to keep polish swatches on nail wheels, but it bothered me that I couldn't keep colours together as I added to my stash. I prefer nail sticks because (i) you can reorder and group them easily and (ii) there's more space for labelling. I chose off-white ones because, in theory, the swatch should better resemble the appearance of polish on nails.

As you can see, I store my nail polish in a large Muji stacking drawer along with cotton wool, remover, tools, etc.. You might notice in the pics below that there's something of a brand bias towards Essie -- this is largely because I picked most of them up in Hong Kong where Essie polishes are readily and cheaply available.

As I'm such a nail polish newbie I'm going to try to keep the rest of this post low on words (not exactly my strong suit) -- instead I'll direct you to this excellent Ars Aromatica Beauty Primer which contains lots of helpful information for manicure beginners.

A few further notes before I get going:

• All swatches are two coats topped with Majolica Majorca Glass Drop Nail Gel Top Coat.
• My main priority when purchasing nail polish is finding a thin and fast-drying formula. I am so fidgety and impatient that I smudge my nails almost instantly otherwise. For the same reason I prefer polishes that are opaque in two coats (any more just takes too long to dry) and self-levelling formulas (for when I do inevitably bash my hands while my nails are drying).
• As you'll see, I don't really go for 'effects' beyond a cream finish. I am usually put off glitters because they are so hard to remove and I find metallics and other more complex polishes don't flatter my hands terribly well and are difficult to apply without streaking/unevenness.

BLUES

Essie Cocktail Bling // China Glaze Electric Heat // Essie Lapis of Luxury // China Glaze Secret Peri-winkle

Essie Cocktail Bling is an interesting grey-blue polish which changes colour according to the light. The other three are the product of my search last summer for the perfect cornflower blue. None is quite what I was looking for, but I decided to put the hunt on hiatus after I bought the Essie which is the closest colour-wise but which applies annoyingly unevenly.

BROWNS

Butter London Yummy Mummy // Barry M Mushroom // Essie Merino Cool // Barry M Cappucino

This is my default nail varnish colour group. Butter London Yummy Mummy is (despite the name) probably my all-time favourite polish. It's the perfect slightly taupey mushroom brown with just a hint of shimmer. Sadly my bottle needs to be retired -- after a year or so of use it's turned horribly gloopy and no amount of thinner will salvage it. I had hoped that Barry M Mushroom would prove a cheaper dupe, but unfortunately it's nowhere close. I shall have to bite the bullet and repurchase the Butter London when Zuneta restocks. I do, however, call dupe on Barry M Cappucino and Essie Merino Cool, both lovely mauvey-grey browns. I'm really impressed by the Barry M formula -- the Nail Paints are only c.£3 and they apply beautifully and last well on the nails.

GREENS

Beauty World Nail Cocktail 586 // Essie Mint Candy Apple // Barry M Mint Green // Essie Turquoise & Caicos // Topshop Pool Party // Barry M Watermelon

Essie Turquoise and Caicos was another summer winner this year. I find the colour flattering on my hands (and very cheering to wear). Essie Mint Candy Apple is the only bottle I own from the Boots/Superdrug diffusion line. Unfortunately, despite the reduced price, I'm not impressed -- the formula is thicker and I find the larger brush unwieldy. For a minty green I much prefer the Barry M 'dupe'. I picked up Topshop Pool Party in Tokyo recently (after this post I remembered there are stores in Japan so I went to check whether they carry the make-up line). I think the brush has improved since I last tried Topshop polishes. The Beauty World trio is a Tokyo drugstore find -- the set was just too sweet and cheap to resist. Finally, Barry M Watermelon is a new release 'Gelly' polish. This coniferous green is an absolute dream -- super cheap and opaque in one coat.

CORALS AND REDS

Becca Summer Daze // Essie California Coral // Essie Escapades // All For Eve Red

Corals and orangey-reds are my summer pedicure shades of choice. Both the Essies are much-loved. I am not a fan of the Becca polish -- it's not the colour I was expecting (I bought it blind from Zuneta shortly after the polishes were released) and the formula is too thick. The All For Eve polish is a classic Hollywood red, created for the philanthropic line by the manicurist Sophy Robson.

PINKS AND PURPLES

Topshop Moonshine // Essie Ladylike // Essie Splash of Grenadine // Barry M Pomegranate // Barry M Rose Quartz Glitter // Beauty World Nail Cocktail 581 // Rococo Lady Lavender

Topshop Moonshine is a polish I actually owned and gave away before I left the UK. I recently repurchased it in Tokyo -- although it's difficult to apply without visible brush strokes it's just such a beautiful rose gold colour that I couldn't resist. The pinky-brown Essie Ladylike is a close second to Yummy Mummy in the battle for my favourite nail polish. Rococo Lady Lavender is another polish that's completely opaque in one coat -- but, unlike the Barry M Gellys, dries very slowly.

VAMPS

Essie Recessionista // Kure BAZAAR Scandal

My final two colours are recent acquisitions for this autumn -- because what's a bandwagon for if not jumping on? Recessionista is a beautiful deep wine-red from the Essie Fall 2012 collection. Scandal is the first Kure BAZAAR polish I've tried. So far I'm very impressed by this '4-Free' brand. The consistency of the polish is fantastic and it lasted days without chipping (almost unheard of for me). Scandal is a deep red -- so vampy it's almost black.

MISCELLANEOUS

Essie Good To Go! // Majolica Majorca Glass Drop Nail Gel Top Coat // Essie All-in-One Base // Butter London Horse Power Nail Fertiliser

My current top and base coat sandwich of choice is Essie Good To Go! and All-in-One Base. Good To Go! is not quite as fast-drying as Seche Vite but it wins out because (i) it doesn't go horribly gloopy in no time at all and (ii) it doesn't cause shrinkage on my nails. The Majolica Majorca topcoat unfortunately has the same too-thick sticky consistency as Seche Vite so I have kept it for swatching purposes only. I turn to Butter London Horse Power when my nails need a break from the painting/removing cycle and start flaking.