Dior Acapulco

 Happy Wednesday!  How’s everyone’s week going?  Life has been super busy for me lately with all the planning to go back to grad school, and it’s only going to get worse as grad school actually kicks off next week! Ha.  Anyway, even when I’m not blogging, I’m still using mani/pedis as my relaxation technique, so I have tons of photos for these precious moments when I do have time to blog!

Today I have for you a bright polish perfect for summer, Dior Acapulco.  Earlier this summer Dior released the Summer Mix collection, four bright jelly-finish polishes with a gorgeous, high-gloss finish.  I picked up two polishes from the collection, Lagoon (blue tinted teal) and Acapulco, a bright, bold yellow.  Now, I’ve not had a lot of luck in the past yellows, as they tend to be very streaky and so difficult to get full coverage.  So how did Acapulco do?  Judge for yourselves!

The first photo is in direct, bright sunlight, while the second has a little shade.  I had to do 3 coats for this mani, and I think it was totally worth out – Acapulco is gorgeous!  There's still a little visible nail line showing through even after 3 coats, but I don't mind - this is such a buttery, rich yellow that I love it even with a little VNL!

Dior Acapulco, along with the rest of the Summer Mix collection, is available through Dior boutiques and retail for $23 each.  I don’t know if this collection ever made it to Dior counters (such as Nordstrom or Saks), but you may want to call around or do some googling if you have a difficult time finding it.  Happy Hunting!

Fall '11 Watch: China Glaze Trendsetter

It's a gorgeous day in LA!  What is everyone up to?  I did a lot of swatching and photographing this morning, and am about to head out to do some dusty hunting and look for old nail polish favorites!  Although being so nice out, I may let myself be derailed and lay out by the pool for a few hours - we shall see.


Now that I'm all setup in my new apartment with my shiny new light tent, I am soooo ready to start whipping out the fall polishes!  At least over the next few days, if not weeks, I'm going to be taking a look at all the new polishes released this fall.  Some brands have left a lot to be desired with their fall collections - I'm looking at you, OPI Touring America! - but others have really stepped up to the plate and brought awesome us awesome colors and textures!

Today I picked out a color perfect for transitioning from summer to fall, China Glaze Trendsetter.  Trendsetter is a mustard yellow polish with the most gorgeous yellow gold shimmer.  This polish is so atypical from my normal style!  I tend to shy away from warm-toned polishes, but since discovering my love for olive green/ugly pretty polishes like RBL No More War, I've been out hunting and buying up everything remotely in the color family.  Including Trendsetter.

And just because it's a stunner, I did a close up to really show off the shimmer:

Trendsetter is even more amazing because when you see the bottle at first you think 'ooh, might there be a shimmer in there?' but when it's on the nail, the shimmer is so much brighter and noticeable!

Trendsetter was released as a part of China Glaze's fall 2011 Metro Collection.  Polishes retail for $6-$8 each for a 0.5 fl oz bottle.  Check  back soon for more swatches and reviews of other polishes from the Metro Collection!


What do you think? Are you into these murky yellow polishes?  Have you already picked up any other polishes from the Metro Collection?  Sound off in the comments below!

Models Own Lemon Meringue

Good Afternoon! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and start to the work week! Sorry for the radio silence here at Polish & Tonic for the past few days - moving day is fast approaching (next Thursday! eek!), and my hands are taking a beating from all packing! I hopefully should be back in full capacity around Labor Day weekend, but until then, I'll hit you guys up with some new polish looks when I can!

Since I'm so excited about the Models Own 50% off sale currently underway, I thought what better way to get you excited than to give you another Models Own swatch! Today I have for you Models Own Lemon Meringue. Lemon Meringue is one of the polishes I picked up during my London-Paris vacation last month (gosh, it seems forever ago!) and is completely a-typical for me. I know I own one other yellow, but that's it in my entire collection! Lemon Meringue is a soft buttery yellow creme. As can be expected from yellow polishes (and probably why I don't own many), this went on quite streaky. I applied 3 thin(ner) coats, and you can still see some of the bumpy and unevenness on the nail. Take a look!




Now, you probably thought I was going to send Lemon Meringue to the swap/share drawer, didn't you? WRONG! Even for all of its issues, there's still something about this color that has me falling in love. There are a few nails that with 3 coats didn't have the streakiness, so I'm inclined to think if I had more time (I threw this on before work this morning) I could make Lemon Meringue look something special on my nails. I'm keeping it for now!

Lemon Meringue is currently available on the Models Own website. All Models Own products are currently 50% off on the website with code FIFTYFIFTY. The sale runs through 8/29, but get over there early to make sure they have all the colors you want in stock!


What do you think? Do you have any yellow polishes without the streaking issues? Do you like your yellows bright, or are these pastel, soft shades better on you? And what polishes are you haulin' from the Models Own sale?