NOTW: Etude House PetiteDarling Nails Matte in Purple Milky Way

This has got to be my favorite Etude House nail polish of all time.  This is not the first Etude House nail polish I bought. I think that this is the second. The first one I got was a beige-brown shade.  (Will check the number later but I am pretty sure that the lovely Erika Jjang has it too!)

This is Petite Darling Nails Matte in Purple Milky Way, a purplish brown matte nail polish.  I bought this from SM Makati last September. The price is PhP 98, or roughly USD 2.00 or so.

I've always been fascinated with matte finish on book covers and such. So why not nail polish in matte, right? I couldn't resist it.  And I love brownish shades so this one was definitely a must-have for me! ^_^


What do I love about this nail polish?

1. It is matte!  It doesn't have a glossy finish so it's not too eye-catching, I think. XD I could go to a client meeting and not be conscious about my nails.
2. The color is just so cute. ;)  Of course, it's a nail polish so it's best to buy something that appeals to you.
3. It is affordable.  Considering this is matte nail polish, PhP 98 is a good price.
4. It is locally available.  There are so many Etude House counters and boutiques.  Just go out and buy a bottle of this if you think it has a nice color too.
5. It dries quickly. Sorry I didn't time it but it's fairly quick to me. ^^; Less than 15 minutes, I think.

What do I think are downsides of this nail polish?

1. This doesn't last so much on my nails.  I suppose I should get the matte top coat to make it last more than 3 days.  Then again, such wear and tear depends on your activities.  If you do stuff that make it easy for nail polish to chip off, well, you better find a good top coat. ^_~
2. The color on the bottle doesn't really show it's true color when it dries.  I suppose the picture doesn't help much.  But really, it's much more purple in real life.  In the bottle it looks more like a dark beige or mocha though.  I am not sure if it's because of the frosted glass of the bottle.
3. The nail polish becomes too thick or something.  Would the proper term be viscous?  I have to use a solvent and mix it up so I could apply it on my nails.
4. The bottle is small!  I wouldn't mind paying a higher price but I wish Etude House would make this color and sell it in a bigger bottle.

Have you tried using this nail polish too? What are your thoughts about it?  Or maybe you have other nail polish that you'd like to recommend. Please feel free to post a comment. I'd appreciate it. ^_^ Have a great week ahead!

NOTW: Nature Republic BR901

This happens to be my favorite nail polish among everything I have.  I thought I'd like matte nail polishes more but really, this is just so special to me. To think that I just got it from Nature Republic on a whim, it was a lucky find and a great decision to get it. ;)

The pictures show you how nice and metallic this  nail polish is.  It has some shimmery stuff but nothing too big.  It's like heavy/thick caramel syrup with golden pixie dust to me XD  If you put just a layer of it, it doesn't look so brown.  It's pretty light, like maple syrup with some shimmers.

What I love about this nail polish:

1. In terms of texture, it isn't too thick nor very watery.  Just like the other Nature Republic nail polish I have, it's consistently like that.  That's why it's not so difficult to use it.
2. The color of BR901 is really pretty if you like browns or golds.  It's something that gives you a little of both.
3. The shimmers of this nail polish are small. They are so small that they're not that obvious.  If you're not into big chunks of glitter, or if you want to wear something shimmery on your nails without looking too casual or party-like when you're in the office, I think that this nail color will do.
4. For PhP 65 (or roughly USD 1.5), this nail polish is affordable considering the bottle isn't so small.  
5. It is available in the local market.  You don't need to order this online. ;)  Just head to the nearest Nature Republic branches in SM Fairview, SM North the Block, Festival Mall in Alabang.

What I dislike about this nail polish:

1. It chips off after 3-4 days.  It's pretty average in terms of chipping off from one's nails.  Most nail polish I have has that issue.  I wonder if getting from the more expensive nail polish set will yield longer-lasting nail polish.  Nature Republic has a more expensive set of nail polish and I have none from that set. Hmmm. That's something to try, I guess? :)
2. All glittery nail polish from Nature Republic are a little more difficult to remove. I guess it's the stickiness of the shimmers that is affecting it?  I suppose that if you're a little more careful with your nails this nail polish will last longer without chipping off.  At least that's my conclusion based on how difficult it is to remove.  It takes me much more effort compared to the plain nail polish. Maybe 3-4 swipes of cotton with nail polish remover compared to the 1-2 swipes to remove the plain/non-shimmery ones.

Unobserved point:

Drying time.  I haven't really observed how long it takes to dry. I just know that when I use the top coat with it, it takes much longer to completely dry.  Without the top coat, maybe it completely dries in 40 mins max?

In the end...

I really love this nail polish and would probably look for a silver version of this. :)  And if they have a black version too, that's another to check out. I am going out today so I am definitely going to see if they have other similar nail polish in stock.  In general, I think I've come to love Nature Republic's nail polish and most of the ones I have at home are from their shop. If there are two things I recommend from their shop, it's the nail polish and their kelp mask which I have yet to review.

NOTW: Glittery Pink Party Princess

See what I did there? Lol. I got inspired by Erikajjang's post: Etude House Party Queen Gradiation No. 2. It's not quite Party Queen-like because I don't have glittery nail polish like that. But this is the closest I could get. :) And I really think it's a cute combination. <3

I used three nail polish products from Nature Republic. :)

From left to right: PK202, clear top coat, PK203

How did I paint my nails?

1. I used PK202 first. It kinda looks like a really pale lilac in the bottle but once on the nails, it looks more like white with a hint of pink to me. I used two coats because the first one was quite streaky. At least with 2 coats, it looks decent.

2. PK203 is the transparent one with little pink shimmery stuff. After the first color has dried, I applied this to the tips of my nails.  It doesn't have to be perfect like French tips because it will look like some cute gradient effect. The shimmers are so small and dainty. I think it's a bit harder to make the glittery goodness obvious unless you apply around 3 coats -- which I did.

3. Apply the clear top coat so it would be neater for much longer. Well, at least that's true in my experience. :)

It's my first post on nails of the week. I hope this would last long enough on my nails.  Longer nails are tougher to maintain because I type everyday and I am such a clumsy person.   The top coat has been helpful to me more often than not so maybe this would be fine.  Anyway, the nail polish from Nature Republic come in bigger bottles so it's a good thing because this newbie here has difficulty painting nails and I did start over on certain nails. Ahahaha. XDDD

I might post other nail related blog posts someday soon. Looking at great nail art by Thiamere and Erikajjang's posts are making me want to do my nails more often.