My Top Nine Nail Polishes For Valentine's Day

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, so I’m sharing some of my favourite polishes to wear for this occasion. Pinks, purples, peaches, and reds are the colours that I wear during this time of year. For each polish, I have a review and swatch post that goes into more detail about the shade and formula.

Click the links below for more information.

NOTD: Essie Turn 'N' Pose (Gel Couture)

Today’s NOTD is a little different from my usual posts since the featured polish is not grey or pastel pink. I was in the mood for darker polishes this winter, and Turn ’N’ Pose from Essie’s Gel Couture line has been one of my go-to shades this season.

NOTD: Zoya Dove

I think I’ve mentioned before that grey is one of my favourite colours. It’s the main shade in my home, and I have more grey cardigans than one person could ever need. I also ask for grey at about 90% of my gel polish appointments. It truly goes with everything and it always feels so classy and chic.

NOTD: Julep Jennye

One of my blogging goals for 2018 is to create more Nail Art and NOTD (Nail of the Day) posts. After all, I started Writing Beauty back in 2011 because of my passion for nails. Although I have downsized my polish collection  over the years and have started getting salon gel manicures when life gets busy, nail polish will always be my first beauty love.

Today I want to share my thoughts on one of my favourite polish purchases from 2017: Julep Jennye.
I received this polish in my May 2017 Julep Maven Customized Box. As I was browsing through the site, this polish immediately caught my attention because it reminded me of a periwinkle crayon that was my favourite colouring tool when I was a child.

NOTD: Essie Take Me To Thread (Gel Couture)

Here’s another polish from my Essie Gel Couture Haul. Aside from pastel pink, my favourite nail polish colours are purple and grey. If I can find a shade that’s a combination of the two, I’m eager to give it a try; however, many of these grey-purple polishes are much too brown or warm-toned for my skin. Before placing my polish order, I looked at quite a few swatches and had high hopes for Take Me To Thread since it looked like the perfect shade of greyish purple for cool-toned skin.

NOTD: Essie Spool Me Over (Gel Couture)

Back in December, I wrote about my Essie Gel Couture Haul from Nail Polish Canada. Since then, I’ve been slowly trying out the three colours that I purchased. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you will know that I have a weakness for pastel pink cream finish polishes. When I placed my polish order I couldn’t find a true light pink colour, so I decided to try Spool Me Over since it was the closest Gel Couture shade to what I was looking for.

NOTD: OPI Bogota Blackberry (gel)

Around the winter holidays, I love wearing deeper shades of polish. This year, I have been so busy with baking and cleaning that I haven’t had much time to take care of my nails, so I went to the salon for a gel manicure.

NOTD: China Glaze Fifth Avenue

I can’t believe that this is my first official blog post on China Glaze’s Fifth Avenue. I’ve owned it for many years (as you can see from the condition of the lettering on the bottle), and it has appeared in some of my seasonal favourites posts, but I have never written a full review on it.

NOTD: OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI (Gel)

It’s been a while since my last Nail of the Day (NOTD) post. Due to a busy schedule and some special events, I have been getting gel manicures at a local salon for the past few months. They use OPI Gel polishes, which I am really enjoying. I have tried Shellac in the past and the gel is very similar in that it is long lasting, resistant to wear and tear, and is completely dry within a minute or so under a curing lamp. However, I prefer the gel over Shellac since it doesn’t make my nails feel as thick, and the gel is cured with an LED light rather than a UV light. I also like that I can remove the gel at home without any acetone or chemicals even though it is not recommended. I must confess that I have discovered that after a few weeks of wear, I can peel the gel off in one piece without any issues while in a hot shower. I have not been able to do this with Shellac.

Of all the OPI Gel colours that I have tried, my favourites include Let’s Be Friends! from the Hello Kitty line (a perfect pastel pink for brides) and the one that I’m wearing in the photo above which is called I Cannoli Wear OPI from the fall 2015 Venice line.

NOTD: China Glaze Change Your Altitude

Have I mentioned lately that grey is my favourite colour? I can’t seem to get enough of this versatile shade, so I added another grey polish to my collection. This one is Change your Altitude from China Glaze’s Fall 2015 collection, The Great Outdoors.

NOTD: Essie Peak Show

With winter lingering around for another month or so, I thought it was the perfect time to write a review of one of the polishes released this season.

NOTD: Essie Romper Room

I first posted about Romper Room in my June Nail Polish Haul (check it out HERE). This pastel pink polish is part of Essie’s Spring 2014 Hide & Go Chic Collection.

NOTD: China Glaze Wanderlust

I first posted about Wanderlust in my June Nail Polish Haul (check it out HERE). This pink polish with hints of purple is part of China Glaze’s Spring 2015 Road Trip Collection.

NOTD: Zoya Leslie

I first posted about Leslie in my June Nail Polish Haul (check it out HERE). This pretty polish is part of Zoya’s Spring 2015 Delight Collection.

Review: Born Pretty Store Cat Nail Art Stickers

Over the years, I have noticed that cats get a lot of love from the blogging community. I am quite the cat lover myself, so of course I was very excited to try out these cute Cat Nail Art Stickers* from Born Pretty Store. They have a very classy design and are cute yet adult appropriate. I did not feel childish or embarrassed wearing these stickers in public. In fact, I received compliments on them.

NOTD: China Glaze Light as Air

Light as Air was released with China Glaze’s Spring 2010 Up and Away Collection. This collection is one of my favourites from China Glaze since it includes a good amount of pastel cream-finish polishes. Since Light as Air is one of my favourites in the collection, I thought it was about time that I reviewed it.

NOTD: Julep Fifi

I received Fifi in Julep’s Cupid’s Mystery Clutch that was available around Valentine’s Day. As soon as I opened the package, Fifi is the polish that first caught my eye since I love to wear pastel pink shades on my nails. 

NOTD: Julep Erin

I received Julep Erin in the September 2014 Julep Maven Boho Glam box. It’s described by Julep as an oyster grey crème. I chose this specific box because, on the Julep site, this shade appeared to be a light grey with lilac undertones. In person, Erin is actually very greenish.

NOTD: Essie Topless & Barefoot

During the summer, I usually wear lots of bold pink, pastel purple, or creamy bright peach polishes. Sometimes I get tired of all the colour though and want my nails to look polished but similar to their natural state. 

NOTD: Julep Jeanne + BPS Bow Nail Decals

My May Julep Maven Bogo Glam Box came with a pretty purple polish called Paulette (see swatches HERE) and Jeanne (pictured above).

To be honest, when I first saw Jeanne, I wasn’t sure if it was a polish that I could wear. I’m very partial to nail shades that are light, pastel, and cream finish. After trying Jeanne, I realized that it is very bold but also quite fun for spring and summer.