True Reds
It seems to be drilled into everybody that as soon as that temperature drops out come those deep ox blood colours. Normally I follow suit but this year I have been leaning toward the real red shades I have in my small army of nail polish. I have gathered my troops together and been testing the waters of what is the best of the true reds and I think I might have a winner.
Lets get the limited edition one out of the way first because it is just cruel to show it off when you can't get your hands on it with ease like the others. This is Essie's 'Snap Happy' an orange based red which was part of the 2012 Christmas collection but I didn't use it till this spring and really fell in love with it. Like all the Essie shades I own it has a creamy finish and stays for a 3-5 days with a layer of Seche Vite over the top. Something in the same vain as Snap Happy is the Rimmel Salon Pro in 'Hip Hop' and this was a huge hit this summer and by far one of favourite formulations. The brush on these polishes make application so easy and much quicker as with a couple of swipes your nail will be completely covered. These polishes can last a good week or more on my nails depending on how much I am putting them through. Whilst these orange based reds are more suitable for the spring and summer there is something about them that look beautiful in the winter too.
Now this is when things get a little more competitive for the number one and it is between Models Own 'Red Alert'* and the Rimmel 60 seconds in 'Central Love Heart'. I have always had a soft spot for Models Own polishes I think for £5 they are great polishes they last a long time and always have a good range of colours. However then the Rimmel 60 second polishes stormed there way into my collection this summer and I now own 8 of them...oops. These reds are true tomato red neither of lean toward the orange side or the pink side they are just red, as both of the colours are beautiful it all came down formulation for me. Models Own has definitely taken the crown this time as the formulation has much better staying power than the Rimmel, whilst I do prefer the Rimmel brush as it is short and fat and the Models Own is long and thin and can be a pain for precision.
What are your favourite true red shades?
