Shades Of Aqua – Blue Nail Polish

Many shades of blue and green nail polish.

Clockwise from top:

  • Love & Beauty (Forever 21) "Turquoise" - A very sheer teal cream. Only good for layering on other colors.
  • BonBons - Shimmery fruit-scented blueberry and lime from a rainbow multi-pack. Average quality, just for fun.
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Green With Envy" - A high quality lime green, not quite neon. Opaque with one stroke, long-lasting (1-2 weeks without any chips). Cream finish.
  • Petites "Tahitian Green" - Petites is an underrated, underpriced drugstore brand. These are only $1.50, and total high quality. Opaque in two coats, ultra-long-lasting (two weeks, no chips). This one is a tropical rainforest green, a mix of teal and emerald. The finish is somewhere between shimmery and cream, exactly like a car's paint--cream from afar but shimmery if you look closely.
  • N.Y.C. "Skin Tight Denim Creme" - Calls itself a creme but is definitely shimmery. A dark navy, opaque in two coats. This is another drugstore brand that is very decent. It is a long-wearing formula but only sometimes makes it to a full week. I'd say more like five days, which is respectable for a $1 nail polish.
  • Essie "Mesmerize" - I'm wearing this on my thumb. A dark cream blue. Essie seems to dry a shade darker than the bottle. Opaque with one stroke, ultra-long-lasting (two weeks, no chips). Somewhat staining.
  • Petites "Dare" - A very beautiful, sheer, glittery blue. The glitter is clear like water bubbles. Beautiful! Opaque in two coats if I remember clearly. I don't wear this nearly enough because glitter nail polish is such a royal pain to remove. Ironically, I do seem to remember this chipping sooner than non-glitter Petites.
  • Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Blue Me Away!" - This isn't photographing quite accurately. It's more vivid than these photos show. I'm wearing it on my index finger. A perfect, bright blue cream--not quite neon, but would pass with other neon colors. Opaque in one stroke, wears for 1-2 weeks without chipping.
  • Essie "Lapis Of Luxury" - A total misnomer for a solid periwinkle. The other Essie I have is more of a lapis. They should have switched the names. I'm wearing this one on my middle finger. It takes three coats to reach opacity, but lasts for two weeks without chipping--maybe even longer. A very pretty, unique color, almost lavender but a little too blue.
  • Petites "Hot Rod" - A favorite of mine. Benjamin and I call it "Dear You Blue," after the Jawbreaker record. A sweet pastel baby blue with a car-paint finish. Opaque in 2-3 coats, wears for two weeks without chipping. I'm wearing it on my pinky.
  • China Glaze "For Audrey" - I just recently got this. It's an exact match for Tiffany's Blue, a gorgeous turquoise blue, in honor of Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly. I L.O.V.E. this because I've spent a decade searching for a true turquoise nail polish. No exaggeration. This comes as close to the stone as anything I've ever found. I'm curious to try Essie's "Turqs And Caicos" but it seems like it might be more of a sea green than a turquoise blue. Opaque in 1-2 coats. Long-wearing, but I've only had it on my toes for two weeks so I can't truly judge yet. No chips on my toes, though. I'm wearing this now on my ring finger.

My position on nail polish: If it doesn't stay on for at least one week (preferably two weeks) without chipping, it's garbage. Can nail polish really last two weeks without chipping? Yes! And on someone who types all day, takes baths, and washes dishes.

I'm wearing five different shades of blue nail polish.
Clockwise from left: Petites "Hot Rod," China Glaze "For Audrey," Essie "Lapis Of Luxury," Sally Hansen Xtreme "Blue Me Away!" (more vivid blue in real life), Essie "Mesmerize" on thumb.

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Which of these colors is your favorite?
Do you have a favorite blue or green nail polish not listed here?

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Filed in: Beauty, Make-Up by Annie Spandex.


50 Responses to “Shades Of Aqua – Blue Nail Polish”

  1. Jemina, on July 10th, 2010 at 9:26 pm Said:

    I am so into OPI the Shrek Collection now, the lime green and the blue (i think it’s called Catelicious) are calling me, but I agree with you on Essie, they (mostly) turn out a shade darker than the colour in the bottle. Wishing you a fabulous weekend Annie, xoxo

  2. Layla, on July 10th, 2010 at 9:43 pm Said:

    I wore Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro in Midnight Blue for the last 3 weeks (I’m lazy about changing colors) and it did chip, but surprisingly, not horribly. I’m a picker, so most of it was my own doing. I loved the color and it has a pro brush.

    Right now I’m obsessed with Sinful Colors Professional in Boogie Nights, a very orange-y coral that’s mildly neon. If you can’t tell, I go the cheap route. These were both from Walgreen’s. :)

  3. Melissa-Leigh, on July 10th, 2010 at 10:56 pm Said:

    I have “For Audrey” on my toes right now and I am really loving it :) I love the idea of painting each fingernail a different shade of the same general tone. I might have to try that with reds/pinks!

  4. Grant, on July 11th, 2010 at 6:22 am Said:

    Testament to the power of one Annie Spandex, after reading this post I went out and was wandering around Sydney, when I chanced upon a Japanese costmetics store, and would have purchased six different shades of blue nail polish… Until I realised I’m far too lazy for the up-keep it requires :P

    Of these, the Petites ‘Hot Rod’ is my favourite.

    Xx

  5. McKenzie, on July 11th, 2010 at 7:21 am Said:

    Holy crap! I love it! I’m in love with all of the colors. My absolute favorites were : China Glaze “For Audrey, and ” Essie “Lapis Of Luxury. :)

    I want to bluely rainbow paint my nails now. ;)

  6. Danielle, on July 11th, 2010 at 7:32 am Said:

    I just did a nail post too. Although I must say your application is a lot neater than mine!

    ‘For Audrey’ is definitely my fav. I’ve been curious about trying Sally Hansen Xtremme Wear and Chyna Glaze.

    On your recommendation I will now give them both a try!

  7. Danielle, on July 11th, 2010 at 7:33 am Said:

    Not sure why I spelt China like that.

  8. EmilyKennedy, on July 11th, 2010 at 8:50 am Said:

    Wow. Great tip on the Petites colors. Good to know they’re such a value!

    So my question is, do you do base coat and top coat as well? My girlfriends that are really into their nails swear by Seche Vite top coat, but I swear, doing three to four coats of nail polish is such a time investment!

  9. alix, on July 11th, 2010 at 11:17 am Said:

    I love all of these colors. I painted my nails blue a few weeks back and I never had so many people comment or stare at my nails. I am definitely going to do it again.
    Also I agree nail polish can last up to two weeks and it all depends on how you apply it too.
    Thanks for this!

  10. Minette Soleil, on July 11th, 2010 at 3:40 pm Said:

    blah I have some essie and china glaze but mine never last more than 2 days. Maybe because I work with jewelry. Do you have any application tips to help nail polish last longer?

  11. Annie Spandex, on July 11th, 2010 at 4:59 pm Said:

    Jemina – Those colors are great! I love the Cattitude one. But OPI always chips the next day for me :/

    Layla – I’m lazy too. I just like my nails to be very short so I can’t go two weeks without trimming, which means removing whatever nail polish. Cheap route all the way! Have you tried Sally Hansen Xtreme or Petites, my favorite? I find Petites at Wal-mart. The NYC long-wear are pretty decent too, and only something like $1. There is no reason to spend a lot of money on nail polish when there are such good cheap ones out there.

    Melissa-Leigh – I’ve still got it on my toes, too! We’re twinseys!!

    Grant – Gawd, I wish I could walk past a Japanese cosmetics shop around here. You antipodians and your promiximity to Asia! I’m jealous.

    McKenzie – Those are my two newest. Gorgeous, right? I’ve never seen anything like them.

    Danielle – A q-tip dipped in remover is all you need! I definitely recommend the SHX and CG. LOL @ your spelling. Reminds me of Chynna Phillips. “Hold On” was always playing at the public pool when I was a kid. ;D

    EmilyKennedy – No, I don’t mess with top or bottom coats. The polish I go for is durable enough that it’s not necessary, plus I keep opaque colors on all the time so any staining is no big deal, it just gets covered by another color immediately. I admit it’s not good on my nails to always keep them polished, but they’re pretty strong to begin with and I keep them trim, so it’s not a problem.

    alix – That’s a good point!

    Minette Soleil – Yeah, I can see how tinkering with jewelry could be the issue. As for application start with clean, dry nails, no natural body oils or anything. Rubbing alcohol or remover will help with that. Then apply two thin coats (three if necessary), leaving ample time for the polish to dry between each coat. That should help!

    EVERYONE – Thanks for your comments! xox

  12. amber, on July 11th, 2010 at 5:45 pm Said:

    I love how you have all these different shades on your nails! I have the For Audrey color…And I wore it to Tiffany’s! Haha those ladies where all over my nails. I told them it was the only Tiffany-like thing I could afford.

    I love the reviews! I have been wanting the Essie shade for a while..

    Amber
    ambersmouthwash

  13. Cara Mia, on July 11th, 2010 at 6:56 pm Said:

    SWEET! :)

  14. Tobey, on July 11th, 2010 at 8:37 pm Said:

    I read your post and headed to CVS after my workday today. I bought the Sally Hansen “Blue Me Away.” I painted my toes with it–you are right. The color is so vibrant. I love it!

  15. Ruta, on July 11th, 2010 at 9:02 pm Said:

    These colours are incredible. I like the turquoise one’s the best.

  16. inge luciana, on July 11th, 2010 at 10:54 pm Said:

    thanks a lot for your sweet comment :)
    wow, love the blue nail polish from NYC, the colour is so cool!
    actually all of the colours are great :D
    Love all of them ^___^

  17. Annie Spandex, on July 12th, 2010 at 1:55 am Said:

    amber – Heh.. Had they not heard about it?

    Tobey – Awesome! I’m glad you’re happy with it. It’s a great color. :)

    I think Jackie Stallone might be modeling the SH “Blue Me Away!” here in this photo:
    Edit: Whoops, I accidentally hotlinked. What was I thinking? Click here for a vision of elegant glamour.

  18. Leia, on July 12th, 2010 at 4:34 am Said:

    These colors are all so pretty!I love the rainbow of blues you painted your nails with! :)

  19. Vint Junky, on July 12th, 2010 at 8:36 am Said:

    I’m a super-shorty too!! I can’t stand my nails being any length.
    Love the different shades of blue xxxx

  20. Nickie Frye, on July 12th, 2010 at 9:53 am Said:

    I just ombre dyed a caftan in a color very close to that Petites Tahitian Green. I’ll be blogging about it later. :)

  21. sara, on July 12th, 2010 at 11:48 am Said:

    I have sally hensen nail polish too and I love it! I have blue on my toenails and it has been there for two weeks without chipping :) Do you use clear coat too? I have to use it for some polish and not others.

  22. nookie, on July 12th, 2010 at 1:24 pm Said:

    the essie memerize one, but love all of them!

  23. isquisofrenia, on July 12th, 2010 at 1:35 pm Said:

    oh wow, all this colors are just pefect
    i want all of them!
    yeah playin drums would be awesome!

  24. Angela See, Angela Blog, on July 12th, 2010 at 8:43 pm Said:

    What a coincodink! I was just considering buying essie “Mesmerize” ! It’s a great colour. I would totally wear nail polish more if we could for school :(

    XXASAB

  25. All Women Stalker, on July 13th, 2010 at 5:01 am Said:

    I am in nail polish heaven! Those are all the shades I LOVE! :)

  26. Diana, on July 13th, 2010 at 10:57 am Said:

    Wow…that is amazing…..I love love love this post and I really need to get a blue nail polish now:) I am in love! Thanks sweetie and have a wonderful Tuesday!
    Muah

  27. chloe, on July 13th, 2010 at 2:58 pm Said:

    oh my, are these all yours!? (just the blue selection?)

    i never manage to wear my nailpolishes enough before they get all clumpy! so ive kinda stopped buying them.. although i did give in to the essie mint candy apple – only worn it once so far, hm…

  28. WendyB, on July 13th, 2010 at 4:34 pm Said:

    Love Hot Rod and the light Essie.

  29. apparellel, on July 13th, 2010 at 5:42 pm Said:

    i absolutely love blue nail polish. my faves right now are this turquoise color i have by opi and a cobalt blue just like the ‘mesmerize’. gorgeous!

    xxxx
    t

  30. Aja, on July 13th, 2010 at 9:30 pm Said:

    Your nails look so awesome. I love the colors. I’m almost inspired to quit nail biting forever . . . but it’s just too entertaining~

  31. Stella, on July 13th, 2010 at 10:17 pm Said:

    Good to know about China Glaze brand. I was curious how it holds up.
    The spectrum of blue looks good on you! I have a rainbow going on now.
    And btw- OPI now makes matte colors (which I’m soooo into), including a Navy Blue matte that is DIVINE.

  32. Eli, on July 14th, 2010 at 12:06 am Said:

    ha I saw when you posted this on twitter! you werent joking!!

  33. Sahara, on July 14th, 2010 at 1:36 pm Said:

    love the essie ones and the Sally Hanson one.
    lovely lovely colours

    XO

  34. Annie Spandex, on July 14th, 2010 at 7:33 pm Said:

    Nickie Frye – That sounds awesome! I’ll go check it out.

    sara – It’s so great, isn’t it? When I saw those new colors I about flipped. I also have the yellow and white. I don’t use clear coat.

    Angela Blog – Beware that it’s darker than the bottle. It looks cobalt in the bottle but it’s really more of midnight blue. Wear it on your toes! :)

    chloe – Yep, they’re mine all mine! And yeah, this is just the blue/green section. Most of them were less than $2 a pop, so it was pretty painless to get this many.

    apparellel – OPI has great colors but it always chips the next day on me! Can’t handle it.

    Stella – I give it two thumbs up! Essie has a clear Matte that I’ve had my eye on. I think these blues would look that much better if they were matte.

    Eli – Heck yeah, I was serious!

    EVERYONE – Thanks for your comments! xoxxx

  35. Kristin, on July 14th, 2010 at 8:53 pm Said:

    Totally diggin’ the china glaze color!

  36. TheAL, on July 15th, 2010 at 10:01 am Said:

    I really like blue nail polish. I just got my first bottle recently, it”s called “yummy” by Zoya.com and it”s scrumptiously bright shade!

  37. girl nextdoor, on July 18th, 2010 at 10:21 pm Said:

    Being a blogger is like being in charge of your own personal insane asylum.

    Sent from my Android phone

  38. Amanda, on July 23rd, 2010 at 7:25 pm Said:

    Constantly stealing ideas from others. What a shame.

  39. Annie Spandex, on July 24th, 2010 at 2:08 am Said:

    TheAL – That does sound yummy! Figuratively speaking, of course. ;)

    Amanda – Bullshit. I don’t copy anyone without giving credit. Example. (Oh look, I’m also wearing blue nail polish in that post. Petites Hot Rod. :) ) You’re officially a troll, and you’re not as anonymous as you think. You used to leave me nice comments (under a different name, of course). Why are you so bitter now? Cheer up! I still like your lip balms, even though you’re totally trolling me. xx

  40. Islandia, on July 26th, 2010 at 12:33 pm Said:

    totally love all the shades of blues and greens together!

  41. Eirryn, on July 30th, 2010 at 6:23 pm Said:

    Aww thank you! You”re blog is pretty great too!

    I LOVE these blues together, it looks really good! I might have to try something like this!! x

  42. Louis Vuitton handbags, on August 4th, 2010 at 8:59 am Said:

    aaaaw!
    loving the shades of blue!
    thanks for sharing, now i have a new trick on nail polish…Ive never thought of this before…wow i love it =)

  43. kimmie, on August 5th, 2010 at 12:59 am Said:

    OMG, thank YOU for this post. I”ve been on the hunt for some nice blues but am always intimidated by the selection and worry about durability (don”t want chipping when I have a 14 month old who likes to chew my fingers)

    I am going to have to hunt down petites! I never go to my local wal-mart- know of any other places that sell it?

  44. Bella, on October 4th, 2010 at 3:58 am Said:

    hey i found this page through google images
    i love the picture you took with your nails painted in all the different colours, but that picture doesn”t exist anymore apparently.
    would you mind re-uploading it and putting the link in my tumblr ask box. i will source your blog when i put it on my blog.
    it would be great if you could.
    thanks :)

  45. Bella, on October 4th, 2010 at 3:59 am Said:

    never mind the last comment the image is appearing now

  46. mari, on January 19th, 2011 at 7:25 am Said:

    I love those shades of blue on my nails.

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    Amazing post, honest!

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  49. Lyndon Taula, on April 22nd, 2011 at 2:14 pm Said:

    Hello this is amazing site! really cool and it will be a new inspirations for me

  50. Dillon Michaels, on April 24th, 2011 at 8:54 pm Said:

    Tell me whos your friend and Ill tell you who you are.

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