I only had a couple of bottles when I was younger but ever since I started collecting a year ago, I have accumulated a couple of nail polishes from various brands. Today, I will be showing you my still growing nail polish collection.
Most of my polishes are not high-end brands, and I am totally fine with that. I do my nails more than once a week so using expensive nail polish is really a waste. I hope you don't mind some of my cheapo nail polish brands, they also work fine and the quality is also great! I suggest you try some of them. :)
Watch the video here (If you don't want to read)
Here's how I like to keep my polishes. I like them secured inside plastic boxes like in the photo. I feel like they dry up quickly when exposed in room temperature. My belief hasn't been broken yet, I have polishes from over a year ago and the consistency is still thin, thanks to these plastic boxes that prevent them from drying and thickening.
Base Coat | Top Coat
It really pays off to invest in good quality base coat and top coat. Base coat protects nails from turning yellowish due to consistent painting. Top coats make the polishes last longer, this is important especially if you want to keep that cute nail art last longer.
I have Sally Hansen, Orly and Seche Clear base coats.
For the top coat, I have Sally Hansen, Orly and Seche Vite.
I like how each bottle is affordable yet the colors are really pigmented. I also like their brush because it makes application easy.
Caress nail polishes may be one of the cheapest in the local market but I really like it. I remember I had more than in the picture but I gave some of them away.
I like the consistency although it's not very pigmented. They have wide range of colors and I go gaga every time I see a Caress nail polish section because they have all the colors you can ever imagine in a nail polish.
It really pays off to invest in good quality base coat and top coat. Base coat protects nails from turning yellowish due to consistent painting. Top coats make the polishes last longer, this is important especially if you want to keep that cute nail art last longer.I have Sally Hansen, Orly and Seche Clear base coats.
For the top coat, I have Sally Hansen, Orly and Seche Vite.
Philippine Brand Polishes
Caronia has been around ever since I became aware that nails grow on my hands. I have seen my grandmothers and aunts and my mom paints their nails using this nail polish brand when I was little. And caronia still exists up to date. I have their Caronia Summer line and some other colors.
I like how each bottle is affordable yet the colors are really pigmented. I also like their brush because it makes application easy.Caress nail polishes may be one of the cheapest in the local market but I really like it. I remember I had more than in the picture but I gave some of them away.
I like the consistency although it's not very pigmented. They have wide range of colors and I go gaga every time I see a Caress nail polish section because they have all the colors you can ever imagine in a nail polish.I also have a couple of Bobbie polishes.
It's okay since it's cheap but the consistency is really thin and not pigmented so you need to apply three coats to get the color, but doing so will make the nail feel thick and bumpy.
And some laBelle polishes.
This brand is not really famous so I'm not sure why I picked them up. I used to have more but then I gave them away since the consistency is not really good.
Last set is these polishes from Klik brand.
Last set is these polishes from Klik brand.
While shopping at Trinoma (my favorite mall), I spotted a counter with a some pretty nail polish colors. When I bought these polishes, crack nail polish was still very popular so I bought 6 colors since they were very cheap. But these days, I don't see crack polishes anymore.
Korean Brand Polishes
I like these nail polishes from Tony Moly!
I love the colors, they are bright and pigmented so they are all perfect for nail art! Each bottle costs P98 which is really not bad considering the great polish inside the bottle. I also like the unique shape of the bottle.Etude House nail polishes are also good but the colors aren't very pigmented.
The big bottles on the left costs P128 each while the Petite Darling nail polishes on the right costs P48 each. I like the packaging and the bottle, very girly and princessy!I have few bottles from Skin Food and from The Face Shop.
Skin Food nail polish is my second favorite. The colors are all pigmented. However, they only come in limited colors. The pink one on the left is PK202 Pink and it's one of my favorite pink polish ever.The Face Shop nail polishes are so-so. The formula is really thin! You need to apply 3 coats to get the desired shade.However, I like the design of the cap because it has the shape of a leaf. Cute! The two bottles with white caps are also form TFS. The brush isn't really a joy to use since the bristles aren't all straight.
American Brand Polishes
I personally don't feel the need to invest in expensive nail polishes because I do and change my nails more than once in a week so it's really just a waste. However, as a nail artist, I must try all brands to gauge which brand is good and which one is not, right?
As you can see, I am only building my collection of more expensive nail polishes.
Most of you probably don't consider Revlon as expensive but yes, I do. :) The second bottle is a really pretty mint shade, it's one of my favorites in my collection.
I have two China Glazes. They are really expensive (for me) but I really like the consistency of it and the brush is really good. I promise myself to buy a bottle once a month. (lol)
Color Club isn't like it's sister, CG. CC is really thin and the consistency could still be improved. I also find the bottle too bulky.
Orly is the most available here in the Philippines. The colors are nice and I notice that they mostly have pastel shades.
Yes, I don't have Essie, OPI and Butter London just because I can't find a shop here in the PH that sells them. :( Do you guys know where I could get them? Rustan's said they already stopped selling OPI.
I got these NYX polishes online. I fell in love with the colors!
I got each bottle for P99 which was a good deal! The colors are pastel and I love them all. NYX could still improve the consistency and make their nail polishes more pigmented and then they're good to go.
Another blogger mentioned how ELF nail polishes are like the unsung hero of polishes. She was right.
The colors are really pigmented and they last on the nail for quite a long time, too. What I don't like though is that when you put the cap back on, it doesn't fit the shape of the bottle and the corners could be anywhere they want.
LA Colors are fine. Not so much to rave but also not so much to complain about.
I love how the shape of the bottle reminds us of OPI. I like their brush, it makes application easy.
Here are my glitter polishes...
As you can see, I am only building my collection of more expensive nail polishes.
Most of you probably don't consider Revlon as expensive but yes, I do. :) The second bottle is a really pretty mint shade, it's one of my favorites in my collection.I have two China Glazes. They are really expensive (for me) but I really like the consistency of it and the brush is really good. I promise myself to buy a bottle once a month. (lol)
Color Club isn't like it's sister, CG. CC is really thin and the consistency could still be improved. I also find the bottle too bulky.
Orly is the most available here in the Philippines. The colors are nice and I notice that they mostly have pastel shades.
Yes, I don't have Essie, OPI and Butter London just because I can't find a shop here in the PH that sells them. :( Do you guys know where I could get them? Rustan's said they already stopped selling OPI.
I got these NYX polishes online. I fell in love with the colors!
I got each bottle for P99 which was a good deal! The colors are pastel and I love them all. NYX could still improve the consistency and make their nail polishes more pigmented and then they're good to go.Another blogger mentioned how ELF nail polishes are like the unsung hero of polishes. She was right.
The colors are really pigmented and they last on the nail for quite a long time, too. What I don't like though is that when you put the cap back on, it doesn't fit the shape of the bottle and the corners could be anywhere they want.LA Colors are fine. Not so much to rave but also not so much to complain about.
I love how the shape of the bottle reminds us of OPI. I like their brush, it makes application easy.Here are my glitter polishes...
I only have 1 set of nail dotter and 1 set of nail art brushes.
One doesn't really need too many dotters and brushes. Just as long as you have them in good and sturdy quality and you're all set.One of my favorites, IHaveACupcake, often uses acrylic paints. I bought 1 set thinking my designs would be as good as hers when I use acrylic paints-I WAS SO WRONG. I really can't get these paint to work with me,they just won't. The consistency is too think and I always end up with bulky nail so I stopped using them.
The brand is Reeves, I got them from a bookstore. I think I might just use them when I start painting on paper again. :)Yes, you really don't need a lot of dotters and brushes! But, what you really need in bulk are nail art pens! I often get asked about these A LOT.
These are actually pen&brush in one. Open the cap and it works as a pen-it makes dotting and drawing so much easier. Twist the cap and it works as a brush-it makes lining easy. I got some them from an online shop, the rest from Trinoma.* * *
That was quite a long post. :o
I also got tired typing fast because my brain was working faster than my fingers could. lol.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post. I just want to say that you don't really need too much nail polishes. My collection isn't too big but honestly, I haven't even used half of it. Just as long as you have the basic colors then you can create great nail arts. The nail polish is not the limit, it's really the imagination.
Click here if you want to read how to film nail art videos.
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What is your favorite nail polish brand? Let us know!
Thanks for reading!
♥
Kristine