NARS Candy Darling + Lush Lacquer Party Rockin and Flippin Out

Today's post comes to you from a slightly grumpy Lacquer Tracker. The reason why? It's 5:22pm and the last bit of sunlight is disappearing beyond the horizon. In another 20 minutes it'll be pitch black. Ugh. It's not the cold or snow that gets me down about winters here, it's the incredibly short days. And until winter solstice comes around (December 21st), the days will keep getting shorter. Ugh. Okay. End rant. Let's get onto the nails, shall we? 

NARS Candy Darling, a very light and sheer beige; this took 4 coats to reach this level of opacity, and as you can see, it's still a touch sheer. For the first several coats it was streaky as well. Can't say I'm a big fan...

But two coats of glitter should improve this manicure (and hopefully my mood as well). Enter Lush Lacquer!

This is Party Rockin, by itself, over Candy Darling. Pretty!

Even better, here it is with a layer of Flippin' Out as well.

 Well, the sunlight may be gone, but at least my nails are brighter. That helps, right?

Essie Forever Yummy and Essie Ballet Slippers

Today I have Essie Forever Yummy to share with you; Forever Yummy, despite having a name that annoys me, just might be my ideal red polish. It's not too cool or too warm toned, and never leans too much towards a tomato-red nor towards a pink or blue red. It's very vibrant, but isn't over the top. It has a great formula, and this was two easy coats:

I don't often wear red lacquer, but I'm really happy with how this looks. I also feel more comfortable wearing it when my nails are on the shorter side- I just think red polish looks better on shorter nails. What do you think?

Incidentally, I received this polish free with a subscription to Chatelaine magazine... I have to admit, the free lacquer reeled me in on this one- they obviously knew how to get my attention. That and the lure of tasty recipes, of course.

I also have a cameo appearance of my mom wearing Essie Ballet Slippers. Ballet Slippers is a sheer streaky mess milky nude. Honestly, though, the formula on this one was terrible. Extremely streaky and hard to get even. I don't recommend it, even though I've heard it described as a classic and a must-have Essie. Definitely not worth the hassle.

What do you think of these Essies? Which shade would you opt for? Do you have any awesome reds to recommend?