Minty Fresh

My favorite part about spring is slowly incorporating color into my wardrobe. I feel like it’s a break from mourning by wearing black all winter. Not to mention it hides those holiday pounds we gain. Since the fall, I have been testing my color forecasting predictions, turns out my picks were correct. This is my mood board I made for a class back in September of 2011:

I can’t seem to get enough MINT in my life lately (mint chocolate chip ice cream optional). From the runway to the red carpet; mint skinny jeans and nail polish seem to catch my eye. Pastels usually make me think of Easter and bonnets and bad marshmallow candy. Not to mention, since I was a kid I always manage to get sick on Easter. This year I love all the floral prints paired with pastels.

Now that the acrylic nail phase seems to have fizzled out, short manicured nails seem to be in. I can't say that I’ll miss the long glittery nails full of designs. Not to mention the damage to your natural nails and the upkeep. My aunt was a manicurist in the 90s and I would always beg her to put fake nails on me. Remember the gold hoops and metal designs people used to get on their nails? We’ve come a long way!

Every time I make a trip to the drugstore or big box store we all love to hate; I never leave without a new nail color in tow. Now, I am no beauty expert, but I feel through trial and error I have become a self-proclaimed polish expert. Call me crazy, but I’m not crazy about all OPI & Essie nail polishes. Some of them are great, but I find problems with many of them not being opaque enough. (Yes, I know I could always paint my nails white first, but who has that kind of time?) For one, they are a little spendy to pick up every week. Secondly, they always seem to get goopy and thick after a few uses. Lastly, I almost always need 3 coats which makes the drying time even longer. Yawn. Oh, and they chip fast or peel off completely, even when the nail lady does it for me with her fancy top coat. For many years I have noticed that a great nail polish has nothing to do with the cost. In the last year, Wet ‘N Wild Cosmetics has upped their game. Here’s why it is fast becoming one of my go to beauty choices:

·       My favorite thing is definitely the price! Most of them range between $0.99 to $2.99. Much better than the other $8-10 ones! Which means I can fuel my obsession even more.

·       The longevity of the polish. I usually manage 5-7 days of no chips & cracks.

·       Easy application. They have a new improved brush, that I thought would suck… especially with my child size nail beds. However, it went on smoothly and made it so easy!

·       They seem to always be true to color. Rather sheer or opaque.

·       The COLORS. They seem to stay on point with trends and come out with fun colors for a fraction of the caviar nail polishes (i.e. Chanel, Deborah Lippmann, etc.)

This is their new Mega Last nail color. Supposed to last 5 days, I'm on day 6. So far so good! You be the judge. Shade: 218A Need a Refresh-Mint

(*Note: When paired with Rock Top Coat, which can be found at your local Sally Beauty Supply... the results are awesome. It literally ROCKS. It can also be cured in the sunshine or with a high watt lightbulb. It hardens and the shine is by far one of the best of any top coat I've used.)

I’ve noticed my Target and Walmart no longer carry Wet ‘N Wild products. CVS has a small display at the end of the aisle. However, Walgreens seems to always have a plethora of colors and products to choose from. They also have buy one, get one offers a lot. Share your favorites with me. Happy painting y'all!

XO- M