Massive Swatch Spam (10 polishes)-OPI, Zoya, and Essie

Hi there everyone and welcome to Monday.  Ugh, work.  That four day weekend last weekend is sure looking mighty fine right about now.  Two days of break just feels so measly now :)  Yesterday was a pretty weird weather day, it was hot, humid, and we had some really bad storms so most of the day was spent inside.  I did pretty typical things, cleaning, clipped coupons, sat for hours and watched House and The Office on Netflix.  I haven't been sleeping so I wasn't really up for much.  For me, it's hard to believe we are already into June.  I know that everyone says that but it really just blows my mind.  The next few months are going to be super busy including a baby shower, a trip to Iowa, a camping trip, a kayaking trip, and a trip to the lake house in Wisconsin. 

Now that it's gotten warmer, I've definitely moved to some brighter colors, although I feel like I'm not ready to give up my pastels just yet.  Spring was very cold here so I stuck to darker colors but now that it's warm, I want to make up for the lack of pastels.  Below are some swatches of colors that haven't appeared on the blog before.  They could have been used as a base for nail art, simply swatched and then taken off, or polishes that I've worn to work.  You'll definitely see that I've been on a real purple kick lately.  I am very finicky about purples but with all these radiant orchid releases, I feel like I've been wearing purple non-stop.  Let's dive right in.  By the way, all swatches are with topcoat.

First up is Essie Lilacism, a pastel dusty lavender purple cream.  This polish had been on my "to-get" polish list but it never stood out enough that I had to have it right then and there.  I had some Kohls cash to use after buying some baby shower gifts so I picked up this one and Essie Play Date.  I am head over heels for this color!

The formula was more on the sheer side so it did need to be built up in three thin coats, no issues with the actual formula or application though.  When I got it home, I thought this would be a dupe for OPI You're Such a Budapest but this shade is much lighter.  This polish was a big winner for me.

Next up is Zoya Ivanka, which is a polish that I picked up during the Earth Day promotion.  I would describe this one as a very vibrant cool-toned emerald green with tons of glass fleck and shimmer.  I put it on thinking that maybe I could pass it off for Spring but it's definitely a Fall and Christmas time color.  The formula was perfection and I needed two easy coats. 

Third is OPI Taylor Blue, which is a charity polish which supports organ donation awareness.  I only knew that this polish was available through the charity's website, but my OPI swap buddy somehow managed to find it for me.  This polish is a bright teal blue cream and it's just gorgeous.  I wore this as a base for my orange slice mani because of how much it contrasted with the orange.  The formula was smooth and buttery and I used two coats below.

Next up is OPI Suzi Takes the Wheel, which is a warm grey cream, maybe like an elephant or a donkey color haha!  I found this one to be on the sheer side and I think I used three coats to even everything out.  Definitely not my favorite grey but it will come in handy for nail art.

Next up is OPI French Quarter for Your Thoughts.  This is the polish I'm wearing today and I wanted to include it just so you could see the difference between this one and the previous grey.  I picked this one up recently from a blog sale and I just think grey polish is so sophisticated and chic.  My husband told me that this was a manatee grey.  That just lit my little brain up with happiness because manatees are my favorite animal.  Manatees and camels, odd choices right?  The formula on this one was way better and it applied like butter.  I used two easy coats.

Next up is Essie Where's My Chauffeur?, which is a dusty medium aqua.  This polish sat on my lemming list for quite some time until I found a bottle at Nordstrom Rack up near Chicago.  Ugh, the color is so dang beautiful on this one.  I needed two easy coats and there were no formula issues.

Next up is Zoya Aurora which is another polish that I got from the Earth Day Promo.  I've been lemming for this polish ever since I picked up Zoya Storm last year but I could never find it in stores and when I did, I hemmed and hawed about getting it and always would put it back.  This polish is a warm-leaning purple jelly with a ton of holographic particles.  The formula was perfection and I needed two coats.  Don't get me wrong, this color is stunning, but it's one of those finicky purple moments for me because I don't think it's that flattering on my skin tone.

Oh look, another purple. This purple was the base for my banana manicure from last week because I wanted the yellows to really stand out.  This polish is a medium grape purple cream.  I needed two coats and I didn't notice any formula issues.  I can see some less opaque areas on my swatches so next time I will follow up with a thin third coat.  I really enjoyed this color.

Haha, purple extravaganza!  Next up is OPI Flashbulb Fuschia, which is a bright purple pink with subtle shimmer.  The shimmer does show up on the nail and I thought it was really pretty.  This polish was extremely opaque and pigmented.  I ended up using two coats for the photos below.  I did notice that this one dried a little bit dull so topcoat was needed to boost the shine.

Wow, a red, that's a rare sight here :)  I really want to branch out into more reds, mostly because my husband loves every red polish he sees.  I took a risk and wore OPI Cajun Shrimp, which is a vibrant red cream, when we went to Soda Fest on Saturday.  This polish is unique because it almost has a slight pink quality to it and a slight orange quality to it.  I thought it was perfect for the hot weather and I actually enjoyed wearing it.  The formula was great, I used two coats below.

There you have it, what I've recently had on my nails.  Do you own any of these polishes?  Did any just get added to your wish list?  ;)  Have a great Monday everyone!