Rocaille Swatches: 5 Favorite Blue Nail Polishes

Blue has been one of my favorite colors since early teenage years when I had my room decorated in a dusky navy with yellow accents. Even though I don't really enjoy it anymore as part of my interior decor, it's still a hue I go for over and over in my clothing and nail polish choices. Since I've now gathered quite a collection of blue nail polishes, I thought what a better time to share!

Going from lightest to darkest, first up I have Essie Bikini So Teeny to show you. This neutral toned baby blue with subtle silver sparkle was part of their Summer 2012 collection and definitely one of the best selling shades from that release. It's a gorgeous pastel blue that looks smashing against a light tan but compliments my pale skin as well. Application is standard 'good Essie' - two coats for opacity with little dragging or streaking.

Next up, a nail polish I've had in my collection for the longest time out of this bunch: China Glaze Secret Peri-wink-le. Apart from stupid name hyphenation, it's a dusky periwinkle cream with a touch of lavender; it swatched truer to color on my nails than it appears in the close-up shot. Secret Peri-wink-le definitely has a denim feel to it but is more understated elegance than cowgirl chic. Great application with 2 coats, however the polish tends to separate quite a bit in the bottle.

For mid-depth blue, Essie Butler Please from their Holiday 2012 collection is a more recent favorite. Conversely to the previous polish, this is a bit more true in the close-up shot than the nail swatch but brighter, almost a lighter ultramarine with a cream finish. Unfortunately, this formula gave me the most trouble on application; it was gloopy, uneven and chipped within a couple days, which rarely happens on my nails. I don't remember it being this thick when I first got it, so I'm not sure why the consistency changed - well, a gorgeous shade nevertheless.

Getting towards the darker spectrum, a drugstore favorite: Revlon Top Speed nail polish in Royal. This is an amazing, deep royal blue with a high-shine, almost jelly finish. Compared to the recently released OPI Eurso Euro, it's a lot more saturated and a touch lighter; compared to OPI Dating A Royal, it's a lot more vibrant (no white mixed in) and it doesn't lean purple. Application was standard 2 coats, although the formula is a bit thicker and needs to be worked quickly.

 

And lastly, a single (mini) OPI... a metallic sapphire Into The Night from their Amazing Spiderman collection, sadly discontinued shortly thereafter. The coverage on this one is slightly lower with 3 coats necessary for full opacity, however the bright side is the longevity - it wore on me for 6 days with only minimal tip wear. A gorgeous, subtly shimmering summer night sky blue with a hint of purple.

And there you have it! Hopefully this was useful for some like-minded blue polish fanatics; let me know in the comments your favorite shades, I'm always open to recommendations! What is your favorite nail polish color of all time?