En Couleur @ Cal

More than just blue and gold.


Roommates at Berkeley going nuts. Nail polish and all sorts of shenanigans.

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~ Sunday, April 17 ~
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Heather by Zoya Heather is one of those delightfully unobtrusive, barely-there shades that I associate with springtime and skirts. You could probably wear it in even the most conservative environment, as it’s delicate, feminine, and classy. This is a close dupe for OPI’s Panda-monium Pink, although Zoya is no longer much cheaper than OPI. Despite the OPI color’s name, I would classify this shade as lavender, with more purple in it than pink. However, it is a pink-based purple as opposed to say, OPI’s Rumple’s Wiggin’, which may look similar at casual glance but is really a blue-based purple. 

Heather by Zoya

Heather is one of those delightfully unobtrusive, barely-there shades that I associate with springtime and skirts. You could probably wear it in even the most conservative environment, as it’s delicate, feminine, and classy. This is a close dupe for OPI’s Panda-monium Pink, although Zoya is no longer much cheaper than OPI. Despite the OPI color’s name, I would classify this shade as lavender, with more purple in it than pink. However, it is a pink-based purple as opposed to say, OPI’s Rumple’s Wiggin’, which may look similar at casual glance but is really a blue-based purple. 

Tags: nail polish creme lavender zoya
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~ Sunday, March 20 ~
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Make an Entrance by China Glaze

What better way to kick off spring break at En Couleur than with a post about a hot pink polish called “Make an Entrance”? And that’s certainly what you’d do if you walked into any room wearing this eye-catching creme. Probably more summery than spring-like, Make an Entrance is nevertheless an awesome choice for all seasons, because it’s one of those colors that evoke happiness through association with vacation, sunshine, and beaches. And that’s precisely the kind of pick-me-up all of us need at some point or other, especially when the weather is being so foul during spring break.

Tags: china glaze nail polish hot pink creme
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~ Wednesday, March 16 ~
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Sea Spray by China Glaze Reflective of the dreary weather, Sea Spray is a gorgeous piece from China Glaze’s Anchors Away collection. It’s a creme with barely-there shimmer. It’s pale blue and almost dove gray. But what it really is is absolutely lovely. Given my well established delight in delicate pale colors, perhaps my take isn’t such a surprise. Although I would hesitate to wear Sea Spray at a conservative office, it is subtle enough to be paired with virtually any outfit. 

Sea Spray by China Glaze

Reflective of the dreary weather, Sea Spray is a gorgeous piece from China Glaze’s Anchors Away collection. It’s a creme with barely-there shimmer. It’s pale blue and almost dove gray. But what it really is is absolutely lovely. Given my well established delight in delicate pale colors, perhaps my take isn’t such a surprise. Although I would hesitate to wear Sea Spray at a conservative office, it is subtle enough to be paired with virtually any outfit. 

Tags: nail polish blue gray creme china glaze
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~ Sunday, March 6 ~
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Plummy by Revlon Like Frankly Scarlet, time has treated this old bottle of Plummy well. It went on without any problems and just look at that high gloss finish, sans topcoat! I find the name misleading, as this is more of a red-violet than a true plum. Vibrant though it is, I could imagine wearing this creme to work. Plummy is versatile enough to go with most outfits, but I bet it really pops against a darker backdrop; I’d definitely pair it with an LBD.

Plummy by Revlon

Like Frankly Scarlet, time has treated this old bottle of Plummy well. It went on without any problems and just look at that high gloss finish, sans topcoat! I find the name misleading, as this is more of a red-violet than a true plum. Vibrant though it is, I could imagine wearing this creme to work. Plummy is versatile enough to go with most outfits, but I bet it really pops against a darker backdrop; I’d definitely pair it with an LBD.

Tags: creme nail polish revlon red violet
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~ Tuesday, March 1 ~
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Demi by Zoya Despite being a pigeonholed as a fall color, this red-hued purple color has a timeless quality to it. It isn’t so dark that it appears black in low-light environments, but it definitely looks like a true purple in natural light. Flawlessly glossy (evidenced by the reflections on my nails) and opaque on the first coat, there is little fault to be found with Demi. What is interesting about this color is that it brushes the line of work-appropriateness; I wouldn’t recommend it for an interview, but you could probably get away with wearing it in a business casual office.  

Demi by Zoya

Despite being a pigeonholed as a fall color, this red-hued purple color has a timeless quality to it. It isn’t so dark that it appears black in low-light environments, but it definitely looks like a true purple in natural light. Flawlessly glossy (evidenced by the reflections on my nails) and opaque on the first coat, there is little fault to be found with Demi. What is interesting about this color is that it brushes the line of work-appropriateness; I wouldn’t recommend it for an interview, but you could probably get away with wearing it in a business casual office.  

Tags: nail polish purple zoya creme
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~ Saturday, February 12 ~
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Sweet Chiffon by L’Oreal

Aptly named, Sweet Chiffon is indeed as dainty and delicate as its name suggests. This peachy-pink nude has a faint shimmer, but appears creamy on the nail for the most part. Although there may be some who would argue that this is a perfect polish for a romantic Valentine’s Day date, I would disagree. I like the color, but it’s almost too saccharine for my taste and it hardly makes my heart flutter. That said, it is cute and appropriately girlishly coy for the holiday if that is indeed your cup of tea. 

Tags: nail polish pink nude creme shimmer l'oreal
~ Friday, February 4 ~
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Barefoot in Barcelona by OPI After N posted Cocoa, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to post about the closely related Barefoot in Barcelona. This is not a dupe however, since it is significantly lighter. I would characterize this as a terra cotta color instead of a nude, since I can’t imagine anyone having this much of a reddish cast to their skin. This is definitely a work-appropriate neutral, but to be honest, I feel like there are more exciting work-safe polishes you could incorporate into your wardrobe.

Barefoot in Barcelona by OPI

After N posted Cocoa, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to post about the closely related Barefoot in Barcelona. This is not a dupe however, since it is significantly lighter. I would characterize this as a terra cotta color instead of a nude, since I can’t imagine anyone having this much of a reddish cast to their skin. This is definitely a work-appropriate neutral, but to be honest, I feel like there are more exciting work-safe polishes you could incorporate into your wardrobe.

Tags: creme nail polish nude opi
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~ Wednesday, February 2 ~
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Cocoa by Love & Beauty

The day I bought Cocoa, the nail polish bins were full of bright, sometimes iridescent colors at Forever 21.  Then I found Cocoa.  I absolutely love this neutral hue.  My fellow EnCouleur reviewers categorized it as a terra cotta, but I don’t think there is enough pink in Cocoa to fit that label.  No matter what you decide to call it, it’s a great color that can pass for office professional, and yet is unique enough to be stylish.  Application was great too.  The first coat was a bit streaky, but it was nothing a second coat couldn’t fix.  And I must mention that it didn’t start to chip until the fourth day! And they were minor chips.

Tags: brown light nails love & beauty creme neutral nude
~ Monday, January 24 ~
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Kelly by Zoya

Kelly is darker than most of the grays I’ve worn in the past (Metro Chic by Sephora by OPI) and has a blue undertone to it.  I was surprised by how many compliments I got on it because people tend to notice more when I wear pastel cremes or intense glitters.  It looks much lighter in the bottle than it does on my nails.  In fact I was worried I had gotten a bad bottle because the color had separated a bit, but after shaking it, the color came out perfectly.  It was fairly opaque after one coat, but the second coat made it look much smoother.  This is one of those colors that I know I’ll be coming back to because it’s neutral enough to match anything I wear yet interesting enough to be noticed.

Tags: nails zoya gray blue creme
~ Saturday, January 22 ~
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Malia by Zoya

I’ve worn Malia several times but held off on reviewing it because I felt my photos hadn’t really captured the color properly.  The pictures here show how different it looks in direct and natural lighting.  It’s a wonderful purple creme, not pastel and darker than a traditional lavender.  Malia is similar to Pokerface by NARS, but too dark to be called a dupe.  Like other Zoyas, this formula applies very nicely, though I’ve noticed Zoya cremes can sometimes apply a bit thick.  It’s not enough to be bothersome though.  

Tags: purple zoya creme nails
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