I wish that women would remove their nail polish as soon as it starts chipping obviously. I think that leaving cracked and fading nail polish on looks shabby; if you can't maintain it, don't wear it. Just keep your nails au naturale if you don't have time to touch it up!

Hmm, I should make a tutorial on touching up nail polish. For the meantime, I just want to share my current favorite polish eraser: the Etude House Nail Remover #3 Sensitive Nail (P278)!

This is all new to me. It's acetone-free and also supposedly infused with orange oil. It's oily and smells like tangerine, if that's any indication.

Last May I saw Agoo Bengzon (Summit's beauty director) in an Instagram photo wearing gorgeous hot pink nails. I thought, "Damn! I bet that's Chanel or something equally expensive!" The color stuck to my head for a couple of days. On the third day (I kid you not) a box from Korea arrived on my doorstep with almost that exact same nail polish color in it. What a happy coincidence!

The Etude House Dear My Blooming Nails in #3 (P178) is a hot pink shade that sizzles without being neon. It has a very smooth, very glossy finish that's characteristic of Etude House polishes. I can not believe it's only P178; it feels much more expensive than that.

Today I want to talk about the Color Club Professional Nail Laquers (P310). The distributor, Beauty Lane, kindly sent over a couple of nail polishes for me to try. I've been curious about the brand ever since I heard that it's finally available in the Philippines last year, so I'm only too glad to finally get my hands on 'em!

Okay, first off, they're not exactly cheap. They don't look expensive like O.P.I., Orly, or China Glaze but the price is curiously in the same range. What gives?

A good pair of heels can make your legs go a loooong way. The heels don't even have to be particularly high! Here are some visual tricks to make your gams look longer: 

• Wear strappy heels, preferably one that has an ankle strap. This slims your feet and ankles.
• Nude-colored shoes blend with your skin, fooling people that there's more flesh exposed, therefore your legs look leaner.

The Makeup Suite, a local online store that sells UK makeup, recently sent me a package containing some Models Own cosmetics. I've seen Models Own around, but I didn't think much of it. I should have paid more attention though, because I am really liking these products!

Models Own Powder Blusher, Hyperbrite Lipstick, and Nail Polish

First surprise: the packaging looks and feels expensive. The cases are made of glass or thick, sturdy plastic, and has some heft in them. If I didn't know that Model's Own is a drugstore brand in the UK, I wouldn't have guessed that they're are just P350-400! I've tried more expensive products that aren't packaged half as well as these.

But I am getting ahead of myself. I will review everything separately, so for now I'll talk about the Model's Own Nail Polish in Tangerine Queen (P350).

This nail polish looks like sunkissed oranges on my nails, all sweet and loud at the same time. It's very pigmented - two coats and I have an opaque coverage.

We can't all be gods, professional nail artists, or innately ambidextrous when it comes to applying nail polish. I for one have been painting my nails for years now and I still make a mess, depending on my lack of practice! Nonetheless, people always wonder how I paint my nails so neatly. It's simple: I just clean up the mess with an eyeliner brush.

From messy...

To OC!

Yes, a brush! I saw the technique being used in Dashing Diva. The nail attendant used a straight, short-bristled brush to remove excess polish quickly and efficiently. The brush is kinda hard to find, so I used a disposable lip brush and then an old eyeliner brush to see what works best. I now go with the latter since it's bigger, angled, and thus cleans up faster in a more precise manner.

You can do this yourself as easily as I can. All you need are a few basic materials! 

I kinda stoppped wearing nail polishes regularly after I got my dog. Snaps is always running about, so he ends up ruining wet nail polish whenever I bother trying. Hmp! That's not to say that I've sworn off nail polish forever. I sneak in a nail job when he's napping, but I only risk it when I have an important event to go to.

That said, the Revlon Top Speed Fast Dry Nail Enamel (P325) is heaven sent for busy women who can't afford to sit still for long. It gives me glamorous tips in 15 minutes, and that's a guarantee (I counted)! I love that this polish hardens in such a short amount of time.

I've tried other "fast-drying" polishes before but some of them can be misleading. Sure the top layer feels dry, but the lower part is still wet and tacky. Everything WILL fall apart if you happen to bump your nails on something, which totally defeats the purpose.

That's not the case with Revlon Top Speed.

Annika Wester is a famous illustrator who has done work for big names like Vogue, Anna Sui, MAC (to name a few) and has shown her art in galleries all over the world. According to her blog, her "...work presents a various number of characters, silhouettes and items displayed throughout her own stylish way of drawing. The features are softened and the colors often bright, which gives the viewer a feeling of joyful indolence..."

The Etude Girl illustrations by the talented Annika Wester

Cool right? And now, Ms Wester has partnered with Etude House for their Wannabe Collection! It's a rather expansive collection with a face palette, powder, lipsticks, nail polishes, scent and gloss combos, and even falsies all incased in Ms Wester's trademark artwork.

The Etude Girl is, surprise surprise, Sandara Park of 2NE1

Okay, this is a rather long intro, but I am just amazed by Annika Wester and Etude House's awesome idea in partnering with her. Whoever said that art and makeup can never mix is deadly wrong! So! I'll be reviewing some of the Wannabe pieces I have with me.

I loved the concept of the Etude House Party Queen Gradation Nails from the minute I saw it. Frosts and silver glitter, oh, count me in! It's a gorgeous set of matching polishes that'll really draw attention to your hands in any party.

I've had Etude House nail polishes before and really enjoyed using them. They're easy to work with and dry quickly which makes them such a steal at only around P50 each. Please do read the review for a few more details, but the short of it is that these polishes are pretty good considering the price. 

To use this gradation nail set, all you have to do is apply them in three layers, from the lightest to the darkest.

I bought this nail polish maybe two months ago, at the height of my green phase. I was looking for a nice yellow green, specifically! This nail polish called Cutex in Green Tea (P110) looked like the best choice out of all the colors in the mall at that time.

I applied it as soon as I got home but I was disappointed by how sheer it was. As in, it was super sheer. For a P110 nail polish, you'd think it would have more to offer. The drying time was also dismal plus you'll only get 7ml for your trouble.

Yesterday though I was looking for a new color to use, and decided to give Cutex another chance. These are the results, after FOUR layers:

I absolutely love the color on me.

I was specifically looking for robin blue nail polish in the department store, but it seems that I had a misguided notion of what robin blue is. I ended up getting something that's closer to baby blue or even sky blue, but I'm not complaining! The shade looks pretty on my nails.

That does not, however, mean that you won't be seeing a robin blue NOTD one of these days.

The nail polish I used here is from Klik in a shade called Baby Blue. You've probably seen these before - small bottles with a price tag of only P15. It was a bitch to apply since the formula was so streaky and the brush sucked but hey, it's the result that matters right?

This is what my vanity table looks like right now. I know, it's messy! Even though our helper cleans it up immaculately, I always trash it after putting on a full face of makeup. I need more space or I need to get rid of my stuff. Leaning towards the former, I love my stuff!

You can see One Day by David Nicholls there. I read it last Sunday, and all I can say is if you haven't read it yet, you should! It's one of the best books I've had in a while. It's a story about two people's paths crossing in a span of twenty years - like 500 Days of Summer, it's not a love story, but a story about love. The ending is quite painful, but I love how the author made it bittersweet.

So anyway, moving on to the kikay stuff! I did my nails today because I'm going to a dinner tonight. I only intended to wear the NYX Girls nail polish in Pacific Blue, but I suddenly had a brilliant (though not-so-original) idea: what if I do a French tip using another color?

I got this Wet n' Wild Fast Dry Nail Color in Gray's Anatomy (P199) a few months ago at Watsons. I tried it once, but I didn't like how it was so sheer that even three layers weren't enough! This time though I decided to use an opaque base just to make the duochrome effect pop out. I'm glad to report that it worked. :D

This duochrome effect is very similar to Chanel's Peridot polish at only a fraction of the price. Don't be fooled by the bottle though, the effect is not as pronounced when worn. You'll see it only at certain angles.

I know, Tony Moly again! Can't help it, I have quite a number of TM products here. They're too intriguing not to review! This time, I'd like to talk about the Tony Moly Nail Polish in NEO2 (P178), a traffic cone orange that really grabs attention. This is the brand's latest color and will be out later this August.

To be honest with you, I didn't think I'd like it. I've never worn orange on my nails, much less a bright neon one that can go dangerously wrong in so many ways. I was afraid that this kind of orange will look tacky, but surprise surprise, it actually looks quite classy on the nails.

During the SuperSale Bazaar at Rockwell a couple of weeks back, I got a chance to chat with Sol of Digital Traincase about our favorite topics: makeup and nail polish! That aside, I find her to be one of the most inspiring businesswomen in the online beauty niche. Even with a hectic job at an international organization, she managed to start her online store selling NYX cosmetics, a venture which later on proved to be a major success. Even celebs like Pia Magalona buy from her!

So anyway, while I was at her booth at the bazaar, I was browsing for some NYX Girl Nail Polishes to buy. She said that she didn't like these polishes before, but the revamped version, which she has, really impressed her when her supplier offered her to try samples. That coming from a nail polish fanatic who has Dior, Chanel, and other expensive brands in her extensive collection, I was sold.

I got three NYX Girls Nail Polish bottles: Luscious Green, Fire Amber, and Pacific Blue. Did I say these are only P150 a pop? It's pricier than local drugstore brands, but I swear, the quality and finish is similar to high-end polishes! The formula is smooth, easy to apply, extremely pigmented, dries fast and has pretty good staying power. I've been wearing them for the past two weeks so I can say with conviction that they're awesome.

I tried Pacific Blue first.

I saw a swatch of the OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous (P395) polish in a blog somewhere and couldn't stop thinking about it. This particular nail color was from a limited edition collection so I don't know if I can find it again. Good thing that the only OPI collection that Market Market carries is the Swiss Collection for Fall 2010 - the one that has Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous! Ha!

The shade is a gunmetal grey with micro sparkles. It's unexpectedly smooth to the touch once it dries, with a high-shine finish to it.

It was a slow hour at work when I saw the Zoya Mod Matte Mini Trio at Digital Traincase. I didn't really intend to buy anything online, but I have wanted to try Zoya and matte nail polish for some time now. I slept on it for a couple of nights but I decided to get the set anyway since P800 for the set is an ok price plus the colors looked fantastic.

Well I was going to write a few more lines saying how I was so excited about this set, but I'll save myself the trouble and say that I am sorely disappointed by these Zoya matte polishes. They are smooth, pigmented, dries fast and the colors looked even better in person. However, even with a base, these nail polishes will chip within a day. If you carry something heavy, or open something with a planed edge, or if you just happen to wash the dishes, several of the nails will already have big chips. :/

Phoebe, Lolly, Mitzi

An insightful article published on the New York Times posited that nail polishes are the new lipsticks. That, in times of economic stress, nail polishes have replaced lipsticks as our means for instant gratification. The second reason is that, in a celebrity-driven world, nail polishes makes us feel closer to our favorite celebs without actually having to buy their thousand $$$ shoes, bags, and clothes. A Chanel nail polish is still Chanel at the end of the day.

I enjoyed the article, but the comments below it also deserve to be read. This brings me to the question: How do you feel about wild nail polish? By wild we mean bright colors, glitter, shatter, and nail art.

Personally, while I find crazy nails fun, they're not something that are always appropriate.