Monthly Manicures - February 2014

For February, I kept my nails pretty simple. The ridiculously cold weather has really done a number on the skin on my hands. I didn't want to change my nail polish too much because nail polish remover really dries out my cuticles.

Manicure #8 Revlon Colorstay Indigo Night

This was another new purchase during the CVS clearance sale. This is a nice royal blue shade. It went completely opaque in one coat, although I did two shades like I almost always do. I wore this shade for six days and I had only tip wear at the end of the six days. I really enjoy the Revlon Colorstay formula in general and find they are long wearing. I think i will get a lot of wear out of this shade as its not too bold, and has a nice deep color to it. Its not too bright, and I do love blue. I have found recently that these are about $4.99 at Target, which seems like such a steal. I might have to check out some more shades.

Manicure #9 Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips Blue Ice

This was my first time trying out nail strips. I think that there is a definite learning curve with these nail strips. In the future I think I will use a base coat. I used a top coat, and I do think this helped with the staying power. I wore the nail polish strips for five days. I found that my left hand wore really well and only had minimal tip wear, but my right hand had chips on the fifth day, which was disappointing. 

The nail strips smell strongly of nail polish when you peel back the plastic covering. I found they were easy enough to position and place on the fingers. I ended up cutting the strips in half and using one packet of the strips, there are two in each packet, for both hands, which is a great way to extend the use of the strips. My real learning curve and issue with the strips was getting the end by the cuticle smoothed down properly. I found that the polish strips would be hardened and sharp to the touch and I found myself picking at the edges of the strip that was closest to my cuticle. I am sure that with practice I will get better. I found some great deals after the holidays and got a set of 3 packets for $2.50, so I have plenty of time to practice. I also have the gel nail strips, which I think are essentially the same strips with a gel top coat, but I am not positive. I want to get more practice before I try using a gel top coat.

Manicure #10 Zoya Renee

My nails needed some Valentine's day appropriate color without out being too cliche, so I chose Zoya Renee. I really love the Zoya nail polish formula, and this color is a great reddened fuchsia with a jelly-like finish. I wore this polish for X days and found it wore well. The one thing about this shade that I am not 100% crazy about is that it dries to an almost matte finish. I always wear a top coat regardless, but I wonder if that makes it wear differently than if it were not a semi-matte finish.


This color is great spring/summer shade, and I also find that it is great for the winter when I need a pick me up. Also, I think its perfect for Valentine's day without being too much so and needing to be changed immediately after the 14th.

This shade really looked neon and it was fun to wear. I am already planning on doing my toes with shade next. I really like how print and cheerful it is.

Manicure #11 OPI Pedal Faster Suzi

I went a couple of days sans polish, and then decided I wanted something light and neutral as I was really digging the bare nail look but wanted to look more polished. I picked up this light sheer baby pink with silver microshimmer in it. This shade is a nice neutral without being boring. I like that the silver microshimmer gives it a glint in normal lighting but really sparkles in the sunlight. I find that this polish i sheer but buildable. In the photos I am wearing 2 coats and you can see the nail line pretty distinctly. I found that this shade lasted very well, I had it on for the last five days of the month and only had minimal tip wear.