Essie have founded the first ever (US) National Nail Polish Day! They’re also running a contest on their website, though I think you may have to be US-based to enter.
In full support of this new day, today’s Throwback Thursday is, of course, an Essie.
Bonded (492) is long discontinued, but still one of the prettier reds I’ve ever come across. It’s a clean, clear candy apple red shot through with fine red and silver microglitter. The glitter is just dense enough to look sprinkled on, but not so sparse that it looks haphazard.
I don’t actually know when it was first released, but it has reviews on MUA going back to 2010, so it’s at least that old. It remains in Sinful’s core collection.
It’s a happy-looking light jade green with icy silver shimmer. Super pretty, and only a couple of bucks at the drugstore. What’s not to like?
SinfulColors Nail Colour in Mint Apple
The formula is reasonably easy to apply and fully opaque with two coats.
I think this is a unique enough color to pick up, considering how inexpensive it is!
SinfulColors Nail Colour in Mint Apple, swatch
SinfulColors Nail Colour in Mint Apple, label
♦♦♦♦♦
SinfulColors Nail Colour, 0.5 fl. oz. / 15 mL. MSRP US$1.99 / CA$2.99. They are made in the USA and are free of formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate (DBP).
SinfulColors was founded in 1991. The company was acquired by New York, NY, USA-based Revlon in 2011, so they can no longer be considered cruelty-free.
I was quite a big fan of New York-based Hayden-Harnett back in the day, though mostly for their small leather goods. I still use my Clutch Wallet and Emile Indexer Wallet, and they have held up beautifully. One of these days, I’ll do a post on all my HH SLGs: wallets, leather cuffs, shoes, and more. They came in such a fun range of colors and patterns!
I only owned one HH handbag, though, the Newman Hobo, which is a lovely bag but not really to my taste. (That’s how sale goggles get you!)
Finally, a few months ago, I snagged a second HH bag after all these years of being a fan. And I’m in love.
The Tharpe was introduced in the mid-2000s—the oldest references to it on the Purseblog forums are from 2007. Sure, it’s a little dated-looking, particularly the side pockets, but I think it’s dated in a good, vintage sort of way. I see a little Chloé and Marc Jacobs influences in its design. The graphic pieces (just look at the zipper pull on the front flap!) and the pewter metallic of the Anthracite colorway both give it a bit of a sci-fi edge, and I love the contrast of the aged brass hardware against the warm grey.
Hayden-Harnett Tharpe Hobo in Anthracite, angle
I acquired this bag over the summer, so I didn’t get around to using it until now. It shouldn’t really matter, but this bag just strikes me as a winter bag! I’m sure I’ll get over it and start using it in spring and summer next year. Grey goes with everything, right?
I recently picked up a few of Sally Hansen’s recently launched Color Therapy argan oil-infused nail polishes when they went on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart. My review of Powder Room covers the product line in more detail; I’ve also reviewed Slicks and Stones.
Is it just me or do the rose gold caps go with everything?
Therapewter (130) is a semi-sheer metallic microglitter that a beautiful antiqued silver color, with more than a hint of greenish, old gold. It can look like a tarnished pewter, though it actually reminds me a little bit more of pyrite, a.k.a. fool’s gold.
Earlier this year, Essie released a Retro Revival collection, consisting of six older Essie shades. I already own three of them, so there remained just three for me to pick up: Bikini With a Martini, Birthday Suit, and the infamous Starry Starry Night. I’ve already reviewed these three newer polishes, so now it just remains for me to review the three older ones that I already own.
Here’s a shot of the three Retro Revival polishes I bought, plus the originals of the other three in this collection:
Sequin Sash (534) is from a 2005 Winter collection. I have four of the six polishes from this collection (National Velvet, Pouf Daddy, and Tennis Corset are the other three; Card-Again and Sophisticated Lady are the ones I never had), and I would have preferred any of those three to have been selected for the Retro Revival collection instead—particularly Tennis Corset, which is quite lovely, and Pouf Daddy, one of my all-time favorite red creams.
Sequin Sash is a very sheer light brown with bronze and silver microglitter. In a less sheer formula, or perhaps one that is more packed with glitter, Sequin Sash would have been quite a winner. However, I had to use three coats just to get it looking like this:
Earlier this year, Essie released a Retro Revival collection, consisting of six older Essie shades. I already own three of them, so there remained just three for me to pick up: Bikini With a Martini, Birthday Suit, and the infamous Starry Starry Night.
You can check out my first review from this collection (Birthday Suit) for further details.
Here’s a shot of the three Retro Revival polishes I bought, plus the originals of the other three in this collection:
Sequin Sash [2005, sheer glittery bronze with silver flecks]
Starry Starry Night [1997, twinkling midnight blue]
Starry Starry Night (958) [originally 295 from a 1997 collection] is a deep, just-about-vampy blue jelly with slightly sparse silver microglitter. The effect is, indeed, that of a starry, starry night!
The Starry Night (1889), Vincent van Gogh. Image: Google Art Project
Earlier this fall, Swedish fast-fashion kings H&M launched their cosmetics line, and I finally had a chance to check it out last month. Of course, I made a beeline through all the skincare, fragrance (had a quick sniff of a rose scent, meh), bath & body stuff, and even the eyeshadows (perhaps it was the store lighting, but I wasn’t drawn to them), and went straight to a quite large selection of nail polishes! I picked up one iridescent color and made my way around to pay, but then I was sidetracked by what was the “front” of the new cosmetics display.
Apparently, I’d initially walked in through the back of the beauty department. In the front were stacks of nail polish and lipstick gift sets, and special holiday shades, which suddenly looked way more appealing than the sad little iridescent polish I had in my hand. It sat right back down and two other polishes and a lipstick came home with me.
Today, I’m reviewing Space Race, a whitened silver holographic shimmer. I don’t have a huge holo collection, so this is decidedly unique in my stash!
