Maybelline Cloudy Grey

Here is Maybelline Tenue & Strong nail polish in “Cloudy Grey” or “Gris Nuage” in French. It is a pale grey creme with strong blue undertones. I think this is a great and unique addition to the grey polish trend.

Here are Serena’s nails posing with a French ladybird. I don’t own any other Maybelline lacquers so I was pleasantly surprised that application was really smooth and the formula was thick and pigmented.

Cloudy Grey on toes, iPhone picture

The only strange thing is that when I tried googling for this nail polish, nothing showed up in the search results except for the French Maybelline website, which makes me think that this range is only available in France (where I purchased it). What a shame, because I would have loved to try more colours.

http://www.gemey-maybelline.com

Chanel Cobra

Chanel Cobra is a vampy purple with multi-coloured micro shimmer. These are the kind of colours I find the hardest to admire. It is a near-black, which makes it look like a crappy black most of the time, and the shimmer only shows up under camera flash.

The application is a little on the thick side but nothing serious. I read that it’s supposedly one of those elusive and sought after nail polishes. My advice: don’t bother. Doesn’t it just look like some random gothic nail polish?

China Glaze Recycle

My nails, two coats, sunlight

Cheryl’s nails, two coats, night flash

China Glaze Recycle, from the Spring 2008 Ecollection, is the colour of cement. This is a mid-tone industrial grey that seems rather manly to me. I would love to see this on a boy’s nails.

Very rocker chick, no? It matches my dress. With OPI Get In Lime as the French tips.

I’m in love with OPI’s Get In Lime.

China Glaze Something Sweet

Sacha’s nails, two coats, sunlight

Barbara’s toes, two coats, night flash

Something Sweet, a pale pink with slight lilac undertones, is from China Glaze’s Spring 2010 Up and Away collection. In general i dislike pale pinks, especially those of the sheer variety, but I love the pastel-ness of this polish. It looks equally good on Sacha (blond English girl) and Barbara (dark Chinese girl).

Application was typical of China Glaze pastels ie it was not the easiest thing to apply, but any streakiness was covered by the second coat.

OPI You Don’t Know Jacques

Two coats, sunlight

You Don’t Know Jacques is arguably the most popular lacquer from OPI France collection of Fall 2008. When I first wore it, I thought it was brown. Then an hour later, it looked grey. Coupled with rather strong purple undertones, you can understand why people love this complex colour.

I like it but I would love it more if it were one shade lighter. When I wore this to work, my colleague expressed shock at my “goth nails.” Goth?!?!

Sherinz’s nails, with MAC Originality, white nail striper and Orly Matte top coat

This is what You Don’t Know Jacques looks like mattified. Sherinz thinks that this looks like frozen chocolate.

Three triangles

We call this the “Three triangles” pattern, which consists of three different geometric shapes on a nail and having it all come together with a jewel right smack in the middle of the colours.

Alicia is modelling her own creation here. This is China Glaze For Audrey as the base colour, MAC Blue India as the darker blue triangle and Pop Beauty O Boy as the pink shape.

And here are both hands! I made her pose in this ridiculous manner because she looked unnaturally womanly that day with her maxi dress and satin-like shawl.