Polish Finish Series: Metallic

Hey there!
It's time for another episode of Polish Finish Series! Today I want to talk about the Metallic.
Metallic polishes, like the name already suggests, make your nails look a little like metal. They mainly come in the traditional metallic shades such as gold, copper and silver. But there are more and more metallic finishes with other, brighter colors.
The thing that makes the metallic look like a metallic is the shimmer. It is very fine and most of the time silvery, but it's not really frosty. The shimmer of the metallic is a lot smoother than the frost, but the big amount of shimmer particles can sometimes cause visible brush strokes.
Metallics aren't one of the most popular finish, not every brand makes them. But they're still rather common and also a lot of drugstore brands have metallics.
Some metallics can look a little like foils *click*, since the shimmer can be very similar.
As some examples I have these here:
First of, Essie - Trophy Wife. It's a turquoise metallic, and you can see the metallic shimmer nicely. It's not a traditional metallic color, but super pretty nonetheless.

The other one I want to show you is Coquettish Brown by Shu Uemura. It's a very interesting copper/silver/lilac/bronze shade, super pretty with the metallic shimmer! It has this little foil-like look to it, but it is a metallic in my opinion.

What do you think of Metallics?
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Flakies

Hey everyone!
I didn't do a post of this series in a while, but luckily I remembered to do today :D We're getting close to the end of Polish Finish Series, there are only a few more finishes I need to talk about.
Today's topic is Flakies. Flakies themselves are actually just glitter particles. They're not like "real" glitter, they're rather random shaped and thinner and they shimmer a different way. Some like to call them opal particles, which is just the same as the word Flakies.
Some of these flakie particles have a duo- or multi-chrome effect to them, that means they change their color at different angles. A very popular version of that is yellow to orange to green.
Flakie polishes are most of the time jelly or sheer polishes containing these flakie opal particles. They're not always meant to be worn opaque, but rather for layering. At that point I also have to mention a special method of layering: the jelly-flakie-sandwich. It's basically a method where you first use a jelly polish, then, in-between coats, use the flakie polish and top it off with another coat of the jelly polish. That way the flakies are sandwiched :D It looks actually really nice :)
Not so long ago there were only special brands who sold Flakies, like Nfu Oh or Nubar. By now a lot of common brands make flakies in all kinds of variations. Essie has some, Zoya, even Essence! I'm glad about that, because I love flakies and it's great to get the chance to buy them more often :)
Here I want to show you 2 examples:
The first one is a very basic flakie polish, a clear polish with the yellow to orange to green multi-chrome. The one I have is Essence's Waking Up In Vegas from their Re-mix Your Style LE of fall 2011. It was limited, but now they have the same polish under a different name in the permanent line.

The other polish is another Essence polish, of their Color3 Line. It's a double-ended polish with one shimmer and one flakie part. It's called Midnight Date (City That Never Sleeps). The opal particles are blue and change to green at some angles.

After all, I love flakies :) What do you think of them?
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Frost

Hi guys!
Today's episode of Polish Finish Series is abouth the finish Frost.
A Frost polish has a very fine and cool-toned, most of the time silver, shimmer. This shimmer is so fine that is shows every brush stroke and is therefore very obvious.
The obvious brushstrokes don't make this finish very popular, because it is not nice to apply and doesn't look even. That's why Frosts are losing popularity and you find them rather with older polishes. By today brands are able to spread their shimmer better ;)
The decreasing availability of this finish is one of the reasons why I don't have many Frosts. The other reason is that I'm not really a fan of it ;)
Here you have one, 10 by Chresy. It's a dark reddish pink with the typical silver frost. It needs 2 coats for full opacity.

I don't have any other true frosts, it's not really my type of finish.
What do you think of frosts?
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Pearl

Hey there!
Today I want to talk about another nail polish finish, because I want to get on a bit with these posts! I'll be showing you the Pearl finish now.
A pearl finish is quite similar to a shimmer, or a frost, about which I'll be talking in another episode. But they little particles in the Pearl are way smaller than in the other two finishes, and that's one thing that sets them apart. The sheen in the pearl finish is kind of, well, pearly! I'm sure you can imagine this soft pearly sheen I'm talking about :)
It's easy to apply, and since the pearl has this super fine particles, it spreads evenly. Pearl colors are most of the time silver, so they can look a little frosty.
Pearls aren't actually that common, because most companies rather do real shimmers. But the pearl is also a really nice one!
As an example, I have OPI Come To Poppy from their Nice Stems Summer 2011 Collection. It's a bright pink with a silver pearl, and needs 2 coats. Here *click* is a NOTD with it.

The other color is Essence's You're A Heartbreaker from their 50ies Girls Reloaded LE from last summer. It's a medium gray with also a silver/blue pearl. *Click* for a NOTD.

What do you think of pearls? I like them a lot! :)
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Foil

Hi there!
Today I want to talk to you about another nail polish finish, the foil. A foil polish has a super fine shimmer that spreads really evenly and makes it smooth but also shiny. It has a metallic base most of the time, so that means most foils are silver, gold or something like that. But there are also a few other foil polishes that have brighter, other colors.
Foils are super pretty, and with that fine shimmer it makes them really special. They're easy to apply most of the time, needing 2 to 3 coats.
As an example, I have Essence's Tinka's Dress from their Fairytale LE. It's a orangy silvery kind of color with the typical foil look.

The other one is of the color range that is not too usual for a foil. It's a bright blue with that finish, OPI's Swimsuit...Nailed It! from their Miss Universe Collection. It's super stunning!

What do you think of foils? I like to wear them :)
See you soon,
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Sheer

Hey guys!
I noticed I haven't done a Polish Finish Series post in forever, so here is finally a new one! We'll be talking about Sheers in this episode, yay! :D Excitement! :D
A sheer is, like the name already says, a polish that doesn't cover and that applies sheer :D Making sense, right?! Sheers are often just giving the nails a very light tint and for example a milky look. They can contain shimmer or not, that doesn't matter. Very often they are in light colors, like pink, beige or cream, and they're used for french manicures as the base color. They are definitely not meant to cover the nails in color, therefore they are also just in light natural colors. Sheers are really work and school appropriate, and they look classy and chic, as long as you have neat nails ;)
They don't get opaque, some don't even build up or anything, that's what they're meant for.
I personally don't have a lot of sheers because I just prefer opaque colors, but I'm sure a lot of girls like these :)
One sheer I own is from Catrice, from their Urban Baroque LE. It's called Pearls&Chains, and it's a cream color with just a small amount of shimmer. It doesn't build up, but it gives the nails a milky tint.

The other one is from an old brand called Colors For You, and it's a almost clear base with blue shimmer and it is also a sheer. Really pretty, still :)

What do you think of sheers? Do you wear them?
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Duochrome

Hi guys!
For this episode of the Polish Finish Series I want to talk about Duochromes. This finish is a really pretty one, and it is quite popular. It means basically that to the main color there's a second one that appears at different angles. So it's like a color shift.
Duochromes are always - I think - shimmer polishes, I've at least never heard of a creme duochrome, I don't think that works. I guess the color shift is due to the shimmer.
Duochromes can be opaque, but there are also sheer ones, so it depends on the polish itself.
The Multichrome is a variation of the Duochrome, it means that there are not only two colors appearing (duo), but a lot of different ones (multi).
Nubar has some very popular Duochromes and Multichromes, but also drugstore brands like Essence do Duochromes. There are more and more available.
Some polishes look like Duochromes in the bottle, but in the end that doesn't translate onto the nail. That can sometimes really be a pity!
I only have one true duochrome, and that is Essence's Out Of My Mind. It's a blue with a light green duochrome. Unfortunately it's discontinued, but you can find other pretty ones.

Do you like Duochromes? I think it's a really great finish!
See you soon!
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Neon

Hi there!
Today's episode of Polish Finish Series will be about Neons. You might think that Neon only describes color, but it is also a finish. First of, into the category of course all of the "color-neons" fall. These very vibrant and extremely bright colors are all probably Neons. But what is also typical for a Neon is the semi-matte finish. Very true Neons always dry like this, and that's one of the differences from a vibrant creme. So if your polish is very vibrant and dries semi-matte, it's 100 percent a Neon.
Because of the semi-matte finish they dry quickly and are rather easily to apply. Normal for a Neon is 2 to 3 coats.
Neon colors are almost glowy, that's how bright they are, and they're also very clear colors. You'll probably never be able to find a muted neon ;) They're especially likely in yellow, hot pink, bright blue, bright green and bright purple. But these are not the only colors ;) Neons are especially popular in summer.
I only have one true neon, from the Italian brand Chresy, in the color 65. It's a bright pink with warm undertones, and it dries semi-matte with 2 thin coats. In real life the color is way more vibrant, but that just wouldn't show up in my pictures :/ Pinks are already hard to photograph, and neon finishes make that even harder...

Do you have Neons? Or do you like the finish in general?
Until next time,
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Holo

Hey there!
Today I want to continue my Polish Finish Series with the Holo Finish.
There are basically two types of Holos available, the linear and the scattered holo.
The linear has the stronger effect, and is most often referred to as "the" holo. When you move this polish in sunlight or other direct lighting, you can see a prismatic rainbow "linear" effect.
The scattered holo has just small glitter particles that sparkle in all kinds of colors in direct sunlight. It's not as bright, but still apparent.
In case you want to franken a holo: there's a certain glitter, called SpectraFlair, used for it. You can get that at a few online stores.
Some linear holos can be a little problematic in application, but they normally don't need more than 2 coats. Scattered holos apply nicely, too.
There are a few really popular holos, like China Glaze OMG Collection, Nfu Oh Polishes, Chanel and stuff like that.
I don't own a clear linear holo, just one with a more dull effect, which is H&M Sinful Senorita. It barely needs 2 coats, and is a nice pink shade.

The scattered holo I have is Kiko 281, which I showed you here *click*. It's also a pink :)

Some brands (I'm looking at you, Essence) call a Duochrome a Holo, but that's not the same. I'll talk about the duochrome in another episode of this series!
See you later,
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Suede

Hey guys,
today I want to show you a finish that is related to the Matte finish I showed you last time *click*.
The Suede is basically like the matte, but with shimmer or glitter in it. That's practically the main difference between the matte and the suede, and in all the other points they're pretty similar: they dry fast, they chip easily, hand lotion is best to be avoided, you don't want to use a top coat to keep the suede finish. This can all be read more detailed in my Matte finish post I linked above.
OPI has made an entire collection a while ago (2009?) with just Suede colors, and also in various matte collections you can find suedes.
You can turn your regular shimmer polish into a suede by adding a matte top coat.
Suedes are very often called mattes, but technically it is a finish on its own.
For the examples I want to show you one polish from the OPI Suede collection I already mentioned, We'll Always Have Paris SUEDE. It's a purple with silver shimmer, really pretty. It needs 2 coats.

The other color is Beam Me Scotty! from Catrice's Out OF Space LE. It's a black polish with a teal hue and silver shimmer, and it dries matte like a suede. It needs 2 coats, too.

I hope you found this post helpful!
See you guys later!
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Matte

Hi dear readers!
So for this episode I want to show you a finish that has been very popular during the past few years: the Matte.
Matte polishes are like Cremes (what that is? *Click*), without any shimmer or anything else, but they don't dry glossy, but matte. When it's a true matte, it also doesn't have a slight sheen or something. There are a few other finishes that have a few things in common with the Matte, and I'll be showing these to you in the future. But here I just want to talk about the true matte.
Mattes dry extremely fast, and therefore you need to be quick with you application. They tend to be a bit streaky, but that is nothing you can't handle. Most of the time they need about 2 coats.
One thing to keep in mind when you are wearing a matte: Hand lotion is not the best thing, because it can make a matte more satin-y, and not fully matte. So be careful about that!
Matte polishes also tend to be a little less good in terms of wear as their shiny cousins. So tip wear can be appearing pretty soon, and also more chips are common.
Mattes can of course be turned into a glossy polish, just by adding a top coat. That will also help with the wear, but the finish will be gone.
Most brands recommend not to use a base coat and a top coat. Using a top coat is of course not good, because it'll destroy the matte finish. But a base coat can definitely be used, that doesn't create any problems at all.
For the polishes I want to show I have these:
First, Catrice's Sea Of Green from their Oceana Collection. It's a dark blue-toned green, and dries fully matte. Needs 2 coats.

The other polish is not actual matte polish, but a top coat. This one is actually a base coat by RdLY, but as a top coat it works perfectly to mattify your polish. It's called 03 Base Coat

There are top coats that mattify your polish, most brands have one by now. That's a convenient thing, because you can make any color you like matte!
Do you like matte polishes?
Hope this was helpful!
Talk to you guys later,
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Glitter

Hey you guys!
Today's episode of the Polish Finish Series will be about Glitter polishes.
A glitter polish most of the time has a clear base and then the glitter added to it, sometimes more densely, sometimes less. In a few cases there is a colorful base to it, most of the time a jelly (What that is? *click*), because that makes the glitter easier to apply. The glitter can be one color, or a lot of different ones, that doesn't matter. They're sparkly and add a special touch to everything. Some glitter particles spread out evenly, whereas others don't. Since they are just particles in a clear polish, they need a couple of coats to get opaque. Depending on how many glitter is in the polish, they need something between 2 and 5 coats for full opacity.
Glitters are most of the time not intended to be worn on their own, more as a topper.
They can have all kinds of shapes, like round, square, string, hexagonal, and shape, like hearts or stars or something. There can also be different shapes and sizes of glitter in one polish.
Due to the glitter, they dry to an uneven finish, for which you need a top coat to smooth it, sometimes even some layers of it.
The thing about glitter polishes is that they are a pain in the *ss to remove. The glitter will only come off with rubbing, and it'll get all over your nails. There are a few methods, including the alu foil method *click*. But I don't really use a method, I just try to deal with it with patience. You have to know yourself if the removal process makes it worth wearing glitters.
The ones I'd like to show you are these:
Sparkle-icious by OPI, from last year's holiday collection. It has golden, blue and purple glitter particles and needs 3 coats.

Circus Confetti by Essence, from the Nail Art Special Effect Topper line. It contains different-sized multi-colored glitter particles, and needs 4 coats. Here *click* I reviewed it.

Do you like glitter polishes? I do :D They're so sparkly!
See you soon!
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Glass Fleck

Hi there!
Today's episode of the Polish Finish Series is about Glass Flecks. Glass Fleck polishes contain glitter that looks a little like glass particles. The glitter is bigger and definitely visible. For the base, they use mainly Jelly polishes, hardly ever cremes (here *click* I talked about the Jelly finish, and here *click* about the Creme). Therefore, they apply rather sheer in the beginning and need most of the time 3 coats.
Very often, the glass fleck color is gold. When you have a polish with a strong golden glittery shimmer, it is most certainly a glass fleck. The background colors are most of the time bright, these polishes really stand out.
Especially China Glaze and Zoya are well-known for their glass flecks and have even whole collections with just glass flecks, like China Glaze's Summer Days Collection and Zoya's Sunshine Collection. But also other brands produce polishes with this finish.
A glass fleck is one of the finishes that gives you the prettiness of a glitter, without the pain when it comes to removal. But they can still be a bit difficult to remove.
The example polishes I want to show you are both from the Collections I already mentioned. I'm sorry I couldn't find any drugstore polishes in my stash with this finish.
Here's the first one, Apple by Zoya. It's a bright green with golden glass flecks. Here *click* showed it to you on my nails. It needs 3 coats.

The other polish is Strawberry Fields by China Glaze. It's a bright pink with golden flecks. Here *click* is a NOTD with it. 3 coats here, too.

Do you like glass flecks? I do for sure :)
Until then,
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Jelly

Hey guys!
Today's episode of Polish Finish Series will be about Jelly polishes.
A jelly polish looks kind of similar to the Creme finish *click*, and that is mainly because neither the jelly nor the creme contain any kind of shimmer, glitter whatsoever, they're just one plain color.
But there are a few differences between these two finishes. A jelly is sheerer than a creme, meaning it needs more coats to get opaque. It's also a lot shinier and very glossy already on it's own, without a top coat. When you apply a jelly, it feels a little squishy and spreads nicely, even if it needs more coats, which are usually 3 or 4. Jelly polishes also tend to be more self-leveling than other polishes. They're just jelly-like, they do their name justice. Jellies can also be the base for a glitter polish.
Sometimes it's really hard to tell a jelly from a creme. Some jellies apply like cremes, but look like jellies, and vice versa. It can really depend on you whether you call a polish creme or jelly, it's not always sure.
Unfortunately I don't own a lot of Jelly polishes, so I can only show you 2 OPI polishes.
The first one is Houston We Have A Purple, and it's a berry purple that needs at least 4 coats. Even though OPI calls the finish Sorbet, it's still the same as a jelly. Here *click* I showed it to you on my nails.

The second polish I want to show you is Dating A Royal. This is a jelly, but it definitely leans towards creme. It's a royal blue, needs 3 coats and is very shiny.

Do you like jelly polishes? And do you mind that they take a few coats more?
I'll see you guys soon!
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Shimmer

Hey dear readers,

today I will continue with my series of polish finishes. To see the first episode about cremes, *click* here.
This post will be about the shimmer, which is also one of the basic finishes. A shimmer polish has a "background" color, and then added shimmer to it. The shimmer is fine, always the same size, and spread evenly, that means no matter how you apply it, you should always end up with the same amount of shimmer on your nails. Most of the time this shimmer is silver, but theoretically it can have any kinda shimmer. There are polishes with blue shimmer, with purple shimmer, with gold shimmer...silver's just the most common one. For the background color, that can be any kind of color, no matter what. It's in 99% of the cases a creme base, very very seldom a jelly (what that is? An episode for it will be up soon).
Shimmers are really pretty in the sunlight, because that's where they get a bit more vivid. But if it's a true shimmer, you should always be able to see the shimmer, also when it's pretty dark ;)
Shimmers are fun, and with the shimmer they can totally change the base color. A creme is considered to be the more classy look, but a shimmer can be, too.
To show it to you, I pulled out two shades. Here's the first one, Essie's Sexy Divide. It's a dark purple with a both silver and purple shimmer.

The other color is p2's summer heat from last year's Sun Love Collection. It's a bright orange with a golden shimmer.

This finish is really really common and, just like the creme, available at pretty much any brand.
I myself own a lot of shimmers, I like them :D
Do yo also have some shimmer polishes?
I'll see you later!
xoxo, Misch

Polish Finish Series: Creme

Hi there!
Yesterday I introduced a new series, Polish Finish, to you here *click*, and today I already wanna get started!
For the first post, I wanna show you a very common finish, the creme.
A polish with a creme finish is one plain color, from light to dark everything's possible, and it doesn't contain any shimmer or glitter or anything else. It dries shiny, glossy and smooth. Creme's are very popular and you can get them from pretty much any brand. A creme needs 1 to 3 coats to get opaque, most likely is 2 coats. Cremes are very rich in color, but they can be vibrant, muted, or a lot of other things.
I hear a lot of people call a polish without any shimmer or glitter "matte", but a creme is not a matte. We'll make that clear with the Polish Finish post about mattes ;)
Here I have 2 cremes to show you, the first one is Starboard by China Glaze. It's a bright grass green, and as you can tell, doesn't have any shimmer whatsoever. It needs 2 coats for full opacity.

The second one is Manhattan's 47K from their Sexy Plexi LE. I know this is limited, but I'm sure it's enough just to show you the finish.

I'm sure a lot of you already know this finish, but I want to start with the basics, if that's okay ;)
Until next time,
xoxo, Misch