Friday, February 22, 2013

17-5641

If you haven't heard by now, Pantone's official color of 2013 is Emerald Green - and I am absolutely OBSESSED.

Goodness, it's stunning.


So obsessed in fact, that during my shifts at work I point out all of the items influenced not just by 17-5641, but by the other colors Pantone has designated as colors of the Spring 2013 season. But more on that later.

The purpose of this post is basically to showcase my favorite ways to wear this trend on your nails - I've been searching for the perfect color of green to match the swatch, but depending on the season, there's a few different ways to get in on the emerald action! And these come at all different price points, too. :)

"Henley Regatta", "Tenacious Teal", and "Noir Emerald"
Henley Regatta by butter london is a straight-up glitter polish. It's got a mix of emerald green and a teal/cyan microglitter in a clear base, and is very dense. If you LOVE just glitter, this gets pretty opaque in 2 coats.
Close-up to get the full glittery goodness!
Here, I have 2 layers of Henley Regatta layered over 2 coats of the next polish, "Tenacious Teal" by Maybelline. Like all butter london polishes, this averages about $14-15 a bottle. Lucky me, I got this one for Christmas ;)

Next up is Maybelline's Color Show "Tenacious Teal". This polish is a creme/jelly formula that runs very thin on the first coat, but builds up well. If you look close at the bottle in the above picture, you can see how it doesn't stay very well mixed in the bottle. However, the color is gorgeous, high gloss, and a decent formula on application. Downside - MAJOR shrinkage after applying a coat of Seche Vite - it's only been an hour and I can already see my tips coming through. I'd try using another top coat with this - Sally Hansen Insta-Dri (in the red bottle may work better). I don't know where the name came from, this is clearly a green, and not a teal by any means, in any light. These babies retail for $3 at Target - go get 'em!

"Noir Emerald" and "Tenacious Teal"
Lastly, I give you Avon's "Noir Emerald". This is a dark, dark emerald shimmer that on the first coat did not apply well at ALL. I'm talking about sticky, draggy, uneven polishing. The second coat I did kind of thick to make sure it evened out. I couldn't quite capture the color right, but there is definitely a bluer tint to this, making it an appropriate emerald green by Pantone's standards. The shimmer is great, but the streaky-ness of the formula is unforgiving and very visible once dry. This is 2 coats with a topcoat of SV.

 I do love Avon's Nailwear Pro+ line, they are hard to chip - they promise "12 days of lasting color", but I wouldn't know since I change my polish so often! Avon Nailwear Pro+ retails for $6 a bottle in the catalog, and comes in great colors that are on trend for the season.

Okay, just ONE more.

Which one of these was your favorite? Do you have any green polishes that you love to wear in the spirit of Emerald green? Let me know in the comments below!!

Happy Polishing!
-Maggie