E.L.F Light Red Nail Polish

Red Nail Polish and Me: I have a confession to make. I have to admit, that when it comes to red nail polish, I am a little bit of a snob.In my honest opinion, it's the colour I wore when I was six years old, and got more of it on my hands than anywhere near my nails. It's the colour I wore with bright blue eyeshadow, bright pink lipstick and bright pink blusher. It's a shade of nail polish that I associate with blonde, not too bright "dolls". It's a colour that I associate with old women.

Hence, it is a nail polish colour that I have avoided like the absolute plague! And in my adult life, I have most definitely never owned one!

So what changed my mind? I'm not really sure. I think when you start writing a beauty blog, you are forced to open up to trying things that you wouldn't normally be interested in, which is fun, because you find that your snobbery towards certain shades and styles are usually unrealistic.

I think that I just realised that the beauty industry has moved on substantially since I was six years old, and I guess I just wanted to see if I could make myself like the colour, I mean, I wear red tops, my winter coat is red and I do infact own a red lipstick (albeit not worn since 2003!!), so why can't I wear a red nail polish?

So, with that in mind, here's my review of E.L.F's Light Red Polish:

Opening it Up: The first thing I noticed when I came to this nail polish, was the huge packaging that encompassed this bottle. For a company that sells their products exclusively online, and not in a shop, I really don't think I understand the purpose of all this fancy packaging? It serves no real purpose as far as I can see, and seems like a complete waste of cardboard and plastic.

I don't think that I have ever come across a nail varnish that came in a box, except when I've bought OPI Mini Sets or similar.

Maybe I've been buying the wrong kinds of polish?

The Bottle: I have to say that I quite like the shape of the bottle, because the "rectangle"-ness of the shape made it easier to grab (sometime my hands get quite oily, and round bottles can slip out of my hands!).

The Brush: Again, I really liked the brush, mainly for the size of it. I'm very fond of nail polishes that have quite large brushes, because it means that you cover your nail in less strokes, and when you're rubbish as applying polish in the first place, less strokes always helps. Admittedly, it isn't quite as wide as the latest generation of Rimmel nail polish brushes, but it still worked a treat.

Application: As I already said, application was quick due to the brush, but I was also impressed with the instant intensity of the colour. With a lot of polishes, I tend to find that you don't really get a good feel for the colour until the second coat (at least), so it was nice not to have to wait to see what the colour was going to be like.

Aaaaand, what did I think about the colour: Hmm, I have to say.....that....I....loved it! I think that out of any shade of red, that I had to try to ween my way back into liking red polish (not that I ever really liked it!), this was the perfect one. Why? Because it isn't that really bright, really glossy kind of red that I often had my snobbery around. Instead, it's a much deeper red, and in some lights it actually looks like a browny-red, which was interesting. I'm really not sure how accurate the name "Light" Red is, but who am I to be picky?

I think that you can just about tell in the picture, but the colour in the bottle does look to be a little lighter than it does on my nails. I definitely feel that the colour is much darker once it has dried.

So, am I now a Red Polish Convert? Weeeell, I still think I'd be a little bit picky if I ever bought another polish, but I could be tempted to buy one, if it's a deeper shade, rather than a bright one.

And on the Record? Yes, okay, I'm a Red Polish Convert! *sigh* Beaten again!