Today I have for you:
1.) A success! (It's been a while...)
2.) A revelation.
First, the successful red find.
You have no idea how excited I am to report to you that I found a red that works! I was seriously beginning to doubt whether or not I can "do" red. I almost held up the white flag of surrender. While it may not be a bright, light red, it is definitely red in all lights without going burgundy in low lighting like some of those naughty blue-based reds tend to do. (I really, really hate that.)
I give you the one, the only, the utterly fabulous...Essie Rock the Croc:
I can't seem to take pictures of my manicures right away anymore, so these pics are from Day 4...
Pretty right?! In the bottle this looks deceptively brown/yellow - like iodine for cleaning wounds. But on the nail, it is a fabulous, sophisticated deep red that reminds me of luggage. The kind of luggage that a ridiculously elegant woman in the 1940s would take with her when boarding a train to Paris. It's rich, mysterious and vibrant all at the same time, without being too dark or dusty. *sigh of happiness*
The formula on this is quite jelly-like, and has the problem that plagues many dark jellies - that application can be streaky. I just waited a good couple minutes in between coats (just like I would for a streaky pale sheer colour) and had no issues.
The revelation??? There *is* another undertone for red polishes besides blue or orange. I've been futzing about trying to find where I fit in between those two undertones and the answer is...neither. BUT, after this experience with Rock the Croc, I can tell you that red polishes with BROWN undertones work for me! Since my skin tone tends to turn everything bluer, the brown tint somehow seems to counteract that. It truly is amazing how ones colouring can affect a polish - I've seen pictures of this on people where it looks completely different!
Are you ladies proud of me??? Any recommendations for any other reds with some brown undertones?
kittytokaren
