My Korean Nails Project: Etude House ‘Dear My Party Nails’ in Evening Dress

Hey everyone!

Today I want to talk about something a little bit (a lot) lighthearted, and that is… nails!

No, I haven’t lost my mind (or brain), I’ve just been slowly absorbed certain Korean mores by osmosis. And the girls here love pretty nails, which isn’t such a bad thing. Don’t hate the playa, nor the game!

Basically, the state of the union is as such: I have never bothered to do my nails, ever. Of course, this hasn’t stopped me from purchasing bottle upon bottle of nail polish, in the hopes that someday I will be motivated to become a Korean doll with perfectly manicured fingernails.

Well, friends, that day has come! This harsh Korean winter has wreaked havoc with my skin, and particularly with the delicate skin around my nails – and I have had enough of it. I have taken it upon myself to use up all of my existing bottles of nail polish (before they separate/go off) and have darling nails round the clock. This is actually quite a commitment for me, so I am hoping by making it public that I will actually stick to it! Time will tell, but I’m thinking yes.

Just as an aside: this resolution may be spurred on by the fact that the kids at my school often have nicer nails than me. Boy or girl, it doesn’t matter, sometimes the kids just have bangin’ manicures. And they know it’s called ‘manicure’, and they will interrupt you mid-lesson to bring their sparkling nails to your attention. Recently, one of my own students had her nails done (“mummy, manicure”) and it just so happened to be a few days after I had painted my nails, so they were in that chipped, ratty looking stage. My kid actually had nicer nails than I did. I’m not going to lie, it was a life changing moment and a big pill to swallow.

So what is the nail polish I have for you today? Have a look!

Pretty, no? This beauty is from Etude House, purchased a little while ago for a few thousand won. I can’t even remember the price, but it was cheap and probably on sale. The name of this colour is Evening Dress, which I deciphered from the Korean on the label (‘이브닝 드레스’) and it is part of the Dear My Party Nails (‘디어 마이 파티 네일즈’) collection. It’s so pretty! I was actually inspired by a friend of mine, Natallia, who had recently put glittery polish on her nails which looked so nice. I feel like there are mini disco balls on the end of my fingers, and that can only be a good thing.

The best thing about this nail polish is that it is so easy to put on. I am not particularly great with manicures (I feel that the time and patience it requires could be spent on more productive things, such as perusing blogs and eating) but with glittery nail polish, that’s fine! The whole idea of this polish is that it is bitty and glittery, so you can’t really see if you missed a small spot or if you made a mistake. In fact, I’ve coined a term for the low-fi, no-frills ‘manicure’ that I am so fond of: the wannicure! This is basically a wannabe manicure that cuts corners but still delivers the goods. Win!

One night I was determined to actually use this one, and I am glad I did. It’s easy, it’s simple and the effects are great! You don’t need to spend much time on your nails because of the glitter, and it dries really quickly. I actually put this on just before bed (without an undercoat, naughty naughty) and it was absolutely fine. I love low maintenance nail polish!

Here are the results (on my slightly less glittery left hand):

This is with two coats but as I said, it was a bit of a rushed job and didn’t get as many sparkles on there as I could have. And you can never have enough sparkles! But overall this is an easy nail polish and I will definitely be using it again.

Oh, and I did feel like a Korean doll for a good 10 minutes 😉 There is something nice about having your nails done, purely because it makes me feel more groomed and orderly and in control of my life. It’s funny how something so small can make a difference, but it does – especially when it involves glitter!

Until next time,

Steph x