opi girls just want to play
opi malaga wine
opi hey vito is my car red-y
rbl glamourpuss
nails inc queenstown road
nails inc st james
nails inc victoria
nails inc victoria & albert
essie e! live from the red carpet
chanel rouge noir
chanel pirate
elizabeth arden chevy chase brick
chanel fire
carolyn hell's kitchen
barry m bright red

all red cremes are created equally? not in my world. they all hold a special place in my heart. classic or ballsy depending on the shade. vampy or bright. they are my go to color when i need something strong but not offensive. i really think it's the most functional color family out there.

rescue beauty lounge under the stars

such a beauty full of potential. while i do notice the teal glitter it's still very subtle. i know this was a let down to a lot of girls. i like it. it remains blackened blue without turning dull and black. you can still tell this is blue in low light. i think the subtle glitter helps. it's somewhere in the cnd blue blood meets nfs range in terms of color.

rescue beauty lounge concrete jungle

gorgeous dove grey. i have to say (most rbl cremes apply like butter but not all) there was absolutely something amazing about concrete jungle. it was so smooth and luscious in 1 coat i was shocked. it had no pooling in the cuticle or pull spots. just smooth and amazing coverage. wow. i wish every creme was like this.

rescue beauty lounge purple haze
i managed to get a decent pic today! i will leave the skittle comparisons up to reference.
the first mani in a long time to actually catch my husbands attention. he normally never even notices my nails. he did however feel the need to let me know that purple haze was a really strange color. gee, thanks hon.
when i asked him if he hated it enough to want me to change it he just shrugged and said 'eh, whatever. you never wear any color for very long anyway'. oops.

not in kansas anymore red *HTF
tucumcari boys n' berry *HTF
sopi meet for drinks
wine not party *HTF
black magic mountain *HTF
malaga wine
mrs. o'leary's bbq
(lpad) lincoln park after dark
(lpam) lincoln park at midnight
pueblo plum *HTF
can you tapas this
sopi i'm with brad
sopi caffeine fix
black cherry chutney
we'll always have paris
So my last mani lasted forever....Mac Dry Martini. I finally just had to take it off because after 4 days, I get grow out and that makes me twitchy!
When I don't feel like anything in particular, one of my comfort zones is Vampy. I thought I would post my favorite selections for the classic Vampy mani. There are so many brands and versions of vampy I'll start with a few of my red family OPI.
*HTF means they are no longer in productions and quite impossible to locate.

RBL no more war

nars mash

mac dry martini
I adore this murky sludge of a color. It's actually very chic. I have had a few good compliments today. I rarely get compliments so I really take it to mean the color has that wow factor. My apologies for the massive shrinkage on my ring and pinky. Such a shame for a beautiful mani to bear that burden.
For reference i put up pictures of NARS mash and RBL No More War. Totally different but it might help you to get perspective.
The one thing I would change is it's name. It's much more of a dirty martini color wouldn't you say?!

KO Black over OPI Yoga-ta Get this Blue

KO Black over Barielle Camo

KO black
Zoya Posh
I still am undecided about how often I will indulge in the Matte trend. I have ridges on my ring fingers and I don't like to overbuff because it can make my nails weak, so wearing a matte requires me to come to terms with them when I usually work to hide them. Also, no matte that I have tried yet has lasted more then 1 day. With or without basecoat.
I do love KO black. It's like a vacuum it's so dark and deep and flatte. It really looks cool with the konad and because it is so opaque in 1 coat it gives great coverage with the pattern.
I like that Zoya seems to still have some sheen even though it's not shiny. It gives the polish a nice depth.
I think the real strong point for mattes would be the quick drying/1 coat factor. They are great for putting on a quick mani for a night out. You can practically put your mani on as you go out the door and it would dry in no time and look fantastic.