Shades of Grey

I went to the store in search of some moisturizer to fend off this winter dryness that was taking over both of our skin. I found what I was looking for, but out of curiosity, wandered into the clearance section to see what they had. I used to venture this beauty store all the time and they would have OPI nail polish on clearance for sometimes more than 50% off retail price.

Sure enough, there was a small selection of OPI available at reasonable prices. One line was a gel lacquer and I was curious to try it out and see how long it would last on my nails. I'm notorious for being careless with my hands and the worst person to get a manicure - I ruin it in less than a week. I've chipped nail polish while cutting vegetables with a kitchen knife, I've chipped it playing piano, I've chipped it working outside in the yard. Yeah, I'm not gentle or kind on my hands at all. But being that I hadn't had a new color of polish in about four years, I was curious to try this new line and try a new color.

At the last minute, I changed my mind and decided I didn't need to spend any money on nail polish, paid for the moisturizer, and left the store.

Well, I kept thinking about this polish and being curious to try it. I kept thinking about it so much that five days later, I decided to go back to the store and get it (if it was still there.) Hubby was with me this time and I told him to help me pick a color he thought would be suitable and nice to try. I showed him the few in the gel lacquer line they had and he approved of the color I wanted.

OPI Infinite Shine 2 Gel Lacquer in "Reach for the Sky"

Once I got home, I was curious to try it and see how the gel lacquer differs from their regular nail lacquer. Overall, my review of the product is probably mediocre.

Ease of application: I felt like this polish is no easier to put on than their regular nail lacquer. For some reason I thought it would be, but I guess that may have been my own misconception.

Appearance: It's a shiny nail polish. If that's the look you want, it definitely meets the criteria.

Likelihood of Chipping: So far, I think this nail polish does hold up better than the regular line. I haven't done anything super hands-on since putting it on, but it's held up to the times I've practiced piano and done chores around the house. I haven't been extra careful or anything and so far there's no chips. I'll have to update this one after a few weeks. 

Now besides the quality of the actual polish, I was quite enamored by this color. Maybe that's why I was willing to drive back five days later to take a chance and see if it was still there. After I painted it on, I instantly liked it. I tend to stick to darker colors because my skin is more tan than fair, and lighter colors make it look even darker, but I really liked this one as a lighter shade of blue grey. 

After putting it on, I also started to see more connections with the color choices around our house.

Our bath rug

Our kitchen backsplash

The bench in my studio

Our wall color

Inadvertently, it even matches the shade of my blog!

The lighting in the pictures don't do all the colors justice, but there's definitely a resemblance to be found around our house. Now, I wouldn't be surprised if a few months from now I completely change my mind because pregnancy tends to change a lot more in women than just their physical appearance. But for now, it's a nice refreshing color to have as a choice. And I might actually choose to take the time and do my nails. ;)