Mani Monday's: Favorite Nude

It's Monday again and this is fast becoming my favorite day of the week with all the lovely themes and lovely ladies sharing the same passion (or obsession...) for nail polish. This weeks theme is, well, to be honest, totally not my thing: Favorite Nude.

I own just a few polishes (ahum), but not one of them is a nude. Yup, you read right, I do not own one single nude polish! As I told you in my post about Misa Well-Heeled Grey, that's my version of a nude. But let's be honest, that's not a nude at all! I did finally order one, but that hasn't arrived yet and I am planning to use it in nailart, not really on it's own.

I might be the only person on the planet that doesn't appreciate a nice nude polish, but I'm just not feeling it... But since I didn't want to skip this weeks theme, I had a good browse in my stash and I managed to find a nudish polish in my stash that I actually love.

Cuccio Bronzed Goddess is a taupy brown polish with a suede golden glittery finish. Not quit matte, but definitely not shiny either, like the famous and highly coveted OPI Suedes.

Ok, I was supposed to add a bottle shot here, but I totally forgot to take one... will do so later today when I get home and update this post.

The formula is absolutely perfect, it flows on the nail and it's completely opaque in just 1 coat. I actually hesitated to add a second coat, but my OCD kicked in and I just couldn't skip the second coat. It just didn't feel right...

The dry time for this polish was amazing! By the time I finished the last nail on my first coat, I could start over again for the second coat. It dries in seconds and the finish... oh my...

The brush is really nice, wide, but not too wide. Just a little smaller than an OPI brush. The bristles are on the short side, which gives you great control and the handle is rubbery for extra grip. This is my first (and only) Cuccio polish at the moment, but I really want more!

2 coats Bronzed Goddess

This polish is said to be a dupe for a polish that has been on my wishlist for ages, but I can't find it for a reasonable price: OPI You don't know Jacques Suede. I wish I could swatch them side by side to see if they are really dupes or just alike, but unless someone feels the need to send me the OPI polish, I'm afraid it's never going to happen... Looking at pictures, I have to say this is a great alternative though!

I am in love with this polish and can't wait to try more polishes from this brand!
Are you familiar with this brand and if so, what are  your recommendations?

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MAC Ruby Woo with a possible dupe

My first ever MAC purchase was a lipstick and not just any lipstick! It still is my all time favorite lipstick and I wear it all the time. The color is intense, it stays all day (and all night if I don't take it off) and it brings a pop of color to any outfit.

As you could tell from my 2 part Favorite Red post (part 1 and part 2) I love red nails. But my love for red doesn't just involve polish, I also love red lipstick. I'm always looking for a red I don't own yet and I was on the hunt for a great blue toned red that stayed all day. I tried a lot of lipsticks, but they were never quite right. Untill I tried MAC Ruby Woo! It's is a true red matte lipstick with a blue undertone and a cult classic for a reason. In my book this is the perfect red and I compare all red lipsticks to this.

 

Because this is a matte lipstick, it does tend to dry my lips a bit, that is why I always wear a lipbalm underneath. It can be a little difficult to apply and I would advice using a lip pencil to outline your lips and make the lines nice and smooth, but once it's on, it stays on!

Like I said, this lipstick does not come of unless you want it to! I love wearing this when I go out for diner, because I can eat and drink everything I want and this will still be on my lips when I get home. I can even safely kiss my husband and he doesn't have to worry about looking like a clown.

If you don't have a MAC counter near you, I have a drugstore lipstick that looks a lot like Ruby Woo, but is a bit cheaper. Rimmel London lasting finish matte by Kate Moss number 111 is a red matte lipstick with a blue undertone, just like Ruby Woo. But are they dupes?

In the tube they look really close, the Rimmel seems to be a little more shiny, but other than that they seem the same. Let's look at the swatches!

Rimmel

Top: Mac bottom: Rimmel

They are so close that I needed a better view of the two together, so I wore them both at the same time. On the left (with the red dot) is Ruby, on the right is the Rimmel. Can you tell I'm actually wearing two lipsticks?

Ruby does look a little more matte, but after wearing the Rimmel for a while, this dries down matte too. Pretty much the same as Ruby.

Although they are very close, I like Ruby just a little better. It stays a bit longer and the color is just a smidge more intens. Oh, who am I kidding? These are totally dupes, but I just love my Ruby, lol!

Do you own any of these and which one is your favorite?

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China Glaze 108 Degrees

Today I have my number 1 all time favorite polish for you. I think you'll be surprised when I show you which one it is. I'm not a huge fan of pink nails, although I do own a lot of them. They all tend to be the bright neon hot pink kind. I just can't get away with a soft babypink... I wore those a couple of times and I've never gotten so many bad remarks about a polish, lol.

But here you have it, my number one polish! It just doesn't have anything to do with the color, not really. It's the first polish I absolutely fell in love with, I couldn't get enough and I totally blame China Glaze 108 Degrees for my polish addiction. It's the one that started it all!

108 is a hot pink glass fleck jelly polish with a perfect formula. I love the fact that a jelly polish always seems to be a little on the sheer side, but never really is. You only need 2 - 3 coats to get it opaque. It has a very faint blueish purple shimmer to it, which brings this polish to live on the nail. I love everything about it and, as you can tell from my bottle shot, I've worn the hell out of this polish. I think this might be the first polish that I need to rebuy.

108 Degrees was part of the 2011 Island Escape collection, but I think it's part of the core collection now. It's still widely available. I absolutely adore this polish, even though it's not the most unique color. I even have a dupe in my own stash, but I have an emotional connection to this particular polish. It will always be a part of my stash and I will always wear it.

For those of you who are interested, the dupe in my stash is OPI I'm all Ears from the Vintage MinnieMouse Collection released in 2012, not to be confused with the Couture the Minnie collecion, released in 2013.

Pointer and ring: I'm all ears
Middle and pinky: 108 Degrees

What's your favorite polish and why is it your favorite color?
Which polish started your collection?

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