Saturday 21 January 2012

Spring Cleaning!

I decided it was time for a bit of a clear out! I have far too many nail varnishes - they are taking up too much room, and a lot of them are never worn. I know a lot of other people who wear nail varnish, and who don't have anywhere near as many as me, so I thought I'd pass some on to other people who might wear them more than I will.

In making my decisions, I decided to go through each colour at a time,and chuck out any duplicates and ones I am unlikely to wear again.

Click to enlarge any of these.

Here are all my golds:


all my golds
L-R: Barry M Gold Foil, Models Own Gold Digger, 25 Carat Gold, Milani Good Morning Sunshine, Max Factor unnamed, OPI Glamour Game, Barry M Gold, China Glaze 2030, Solar Flare, Blonde Bombshell, Golden Enchantment, Sephora I'm a Rich Girl, Sally Hansen Golden Ticket, Rimmel Disco Gold, Chanel Peridot, OPI Designer De Better, Models Own Gold Rush, Deborah Lippmann Diamonds and Pearls. 
 

There are all staying! They're too nice to go.
golds 1 golds 2 golds 3
golds 4 golds 5
I love these 3 glitters! Golden Enchantment doesn't look nearly so orange in real life, I think this must have been the light in the photo today. But as you can see, all three have been used far more than most of my other nail varnishes.

golds 7 golds 8 golds 10

The only gold I can do without is the Milani Good Morning Sunshine. I haven't used it in over a year - if I want a yellowy gold I go for either Models Own Gold Digger or 25 Carat Gold, and if I want a foil I go for either the Barry M foil or the CG 2030, so the Milani is really a bit redundant, even though it's nice and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.

Here are all my oranges:
all my oranges
L-R: OPI Take the Stage, Barry M Coral, Block Orange, Marks & Spencer unnamed, Barry M Tangerine.

I only have these 5. The OPI is gorgeous, and I love all three of the Barry Ms. The tiny one was bought for a pastel skittle look and was worn once, but I can't imagine using it again, so it's going.

Here are all my yellows (yes, ALL!):
all my yellows

Barry M Yellow, Marks and Spencers unnamed.  I'm keeping both of these, as I don't think two is excessive!

Here are all my browns:
all my browns
L-R: Zoya Cheryl, Models Own Pro Kiss My Brass, W7 Roast Chestnut, OPI Tickle My France-y, Barry M Mushroom.

The Zoya and the W7 are very similar, although the Zoya is FAR prettier, lasts better and doesn't have all the nasty chemicals. That's a no brainer - Zoya stays and W7 goes. The OPI and the Barry M are similar, but not quite, and both are nice, and both get used, so they're staying too. And Kiss My Brass is definitely staying, because it's downright gorgeous.

Here are all my blues:

all my blues
L-R: 2True Shade 3, Rimmel Green with Envy, Bourjois Techno Bar a Tokyo, OPI Play Til Midnight, Nails Inc Connaught Square, Calvin Klein blue, M&S unnamed, Barry M Cobalt, Barry M Navy, Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe, Andrea Fulerton Rainfall, Revlon Blue Lagoon, Barry M Blueberry Ice Cream.
blues 1 blues 4
I'm keeping all these! They're pretty!

blues 2

Pastels - I don't need three of these.The Barry M is staying, it's lovely. The other two can both go.

blues 3
The tiny Bourjois one is a waste of time, I've never worn it. It's going. The other two are staying.

Here are all my greens:
all my greens
L-R: China Glaze Emerald Sparkle, OPI Fresh Frog of Bel Air, Barry M Spring Green, Zoya Ivanka, Revlon Minted, Bourjois Lime Catwalk, Barry M Racing Green.

greens 2 greens 1
These are all staying. Seven isn't too many, and I like them all.

Here are all my blacks:
all my blacks
L-R: Illamasqua Scorn, No 7 Beautifully Black, Attitude Mischievous Maven, Orly Goth, Rimmel Black Cab.

blacks 2
These 3 look fairly similar in the bottles. They aren't though - the Attitude one was a cheapy that I bought because it looked like a more glittery version of Orly Goth, but it really isn't! It's a clear base with black and holo glitter, and it looks horrible! Really lumpy and ugly and dirty. That's SO going. The other two are staying, because they are slightly different and do both get worn.

blacks 1
Both of these are essential - a matte black and a glossy black. Both staying.

Here are all my reds:

all my reds
L-R:Deborah Lippmann Since I Fell for You, Zoya Blair, China Glaze Ruby Pumps, Barry M Red Glitter, Revlon All Fired Up, Chanel Rouge Noir, Vera Valente 11, Rimmel Pro Heart on Fire, China Glaze Love Marilyn, OPI DS Bold, Andrea Fulerton Ann. 
bright red comparison
I don't need two bright reds. The Rimmel lasts better, so the Revlon is going.

dark red comparison
These two are very similar, but they are both gorgeous, and there's no way I'm throwing out either a Zoya or a Lippmann, so they're both staying.

red glitters comparison
The glitter on the right looked so cool when I bought it for about 2 Euros on a market in France (it's red stars!) but it's totally rubbish. The base is a weird gloopy orangey colour, and the red glitter stars clump all over the place, so that's out. I might not even give it to anyone else, I think it's only worth the bin to be honest. The other three are staying.

other reds
There's no way these three are leaving me! I wear Ruby Pumps regularly, and the other two are nice.

Here are all my silvers:

all my silvers
L-R: Vera Valente 10, Claire's unnamed, L'Oreal Chrome Shine, OPI Crown Me Already, Andrea Fulerton Brooke, Barry M Silver Foil, Rimmel Your Majesty, China Glaze Shooting Star, Awaken, Models Own Juicy Jules.
silver chromes
I don't need two such similar ones. The Barry M is excellent, the L'Oreal isn't. Plus I've had the L'Oreal one about six years, and haven't worn it in the last 5.L'Oreal is out.

silvers 2
These are all staying. The China Glaze looks all blue at the top there - very strange, as it really isn't.

silver glitters
The Claire's glitter is rubbish - it smells nasty, and you need about 8 layers before you actually get any glitter onto your nails. The silver hearts was another cheapy from a French market stall, and is practically unusable. Both going, other three staying - the China Glaze is one of my favourites, as you can see from the amount of use.

Here are all my pinks:
Pinks are the biggest part of my collection.
all my pinks
L-R: Zoya Nova, Revlon Effervescent Opal, Deborah Lippmann Candy Shop, Barry M Bright Pink, Raspberry, Pink Iridescent, China Glaze Reggae to Riches, Material Girl, OPI The One That Got Away, I Lily Love You, Be a Dahlia Won't You, W7 Fluorescent Pink, Models Own Pink Fever, Estee Lauder Pink Clouds, Milani Disco Lights, Rimmel Starlet, Shocker, Portobello Pink, Nicole for OPI Step 2 the beat of my Heart.

Staying are:
pinks 1 pinks 2 pinks 3

pinks 4
I don't need 3 pastels. The Barry M is slightly different, so that's staying. The OPI is much better then the Revlon, so OPI stays and Revlon goes.

pinks 5
I don't need two very similar glitters (China Glaze and Milani), so although the Milani is nice, it's going, because the China Glaze is far nicer. There's no question about the OPI, it's stunning and I'm never letting it leave me. I love the idea of the Nicole (Justin Bieber, lol) one, but it's not good, and I've never actually used it. It's one of those where it takes an age to actually get a heart on your nail, and when you do, it falls off ten minutes later. So it's going.

pinks 6
The Rimmels don't get used much, but they are practical, so they're staying. The OPI is lovely. The W7 is cheap and full of chemicals, has only been worn once, and can go.

Here are all my purples (there is some overlap with the pinks and purples I think, but hey...):

all my purples
L-R:Sephora Midnight Coral, Nars (ancient - my mum bought this in the early 90s! there is no name), Models Own Mystic Mauve, Max Factor Fantasy Fire, Rimmel Pompous, 2True Shade 4, Barry M Berry Ice Cream, Revlon Facets of Fuschia, Barry M Vivid Purple, Once Upon a Time, Lavender Hexograms, Sephora Amethyst Stiletto, China Glaze Marry a Millionaire, Barry M Lilac Foil.

I'm keeping:
purples 1 purples 2 purples 4


purples 3
The W7 (like my brown and pink ones) has only been worn once, and isn't that good, so it's out. Everything else is staying.

So, here are the final rejects:

rejects 1

rejects 2

I've got that lovely feeling you have once you've cleared out a load of old unwanted stuff, and made some space on your shelves for NEW things! Hehe.  

(Edit: I do actually have other polishes. I have a whole collection of topcoats and basecoats, and some nail art stuff, and a few multi-coloured glitters that don't fit into any of the colour categories above - Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday, China Glaze Party Hearty, that sort of thing - and which I wasn't even considering clearing out, so these photos aren't quite my entire collection!)

9 comments:

  1. Give them away so they'll go to a good home?

    You have a beautiful Collection - I may have to invest in a couple of Deborah Lippman varnishes :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh they are, don't worry! Apart from the two terrible glitter things I bought on the market in France, they really are stinky and awful.

    Deborah Lippmann polishes are great, you definitely need some!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, that looks like it was an epic task!

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  4. Hehe! Yes, it did take a while. I have nothing else to do on a Saturday though...

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  5. Aw look at the rejects. In the last photo they're all depressed, look. :( Is it just me? It's probably just me.

    Your collection is gorgeous. I need to invest in a black I think, and maybe some of the Barry M chrome types. My fingernail that snapped right off at new year is growing - I reckon 3 more weeks and I can use something other than Nail Envy again (and I'll finally get to try my Christmas polishes!)

    myrtlebaggins

    ReplyDelete
  6. They are depressed! They are crying because they want to live with me and be internet famous (and not as 'rejects', poor things!)

    You do need a black, absolutely. I use them all the time, especially for layering under other things.

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  7. You've done well there, I do try to throw one out when I buy a new one, but it never lasts! :-)

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  8. I know what you mean about the mini Bourjois one. I've got a pinky-reddish one with gold shimmer, and it's so bitty I hardly ever use it. Then I forget why, because it's a lovely colour, go to wear it & remember again.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Flosspots - I've already bought four more new ones this week after getting rid of that lot!

    ReplyDelete

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