We are quickly closing in on the end of December and the end of the year. This means I am just getting in under the wire with my December birthstone posts. Woot! Go me! I have big plans to do a couple of birthstone posts for December. My intention was to do one at the beginning of the month and one at the end of the month. But we all know how these kinds of “plans” tend to go. Yep! So here I am, rushing into the end of December with both posts. Better late than never, right? Right! (Incidentally, I am beginning to think this saying is becoming my motto for life. Rawr.)
In researching December, I discovered that this month has quite a number of birthstones associated with it. I mostly banged around on the Brilliant Earth website, where I learned that Blue Topaz, Tanzanite, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, and Zircon are all birthstones for December. Turquoise and Lapis Lazuli are the more traditional birthstones, while Zircon, Blue Topaz, and Tanzanite are more modern. I decided to focus on one traditional gemstone and one modern gemstone, so my December posts are going to focus in on Turquoise for the traditional and Zircon for the more modern take. I’ve always loved turquoise, and Zircon has quickly become a favorite colored gemstone for me over the past three to four years.
For today’s post, I have my turquoises to share with all of you! I have always liked turquoise, particularly the sky or baby blue stones with gold or darker veining in them. I am pretty sure, considering my love for this stone emerged in my teenage years, that the turquoise I picture and love is what true aficionados of the stone would consider “generic” turquoise. A little extra sleuthing on the internet led me to the Wind River Trading Company website at https://windriversf.com. On that site, I learned there are more than 30 types of turquoise that are commonly used in Native American jewelry and designs. It was interesting to read about the different varieties, and I urge anyone with even a passing interest in this stone to visit the Wind River Trading Company site.
But this post is mostly about nail polish! Since I am planning to share both my mainstream and indie polishes in this one post, I will have around 17 polishes to share with you. So get ready for a long and photo-heavy post, y’all! Maybe sneak out really quickly for a snack or a glass of tea before we jump feet-first into the world of lovely turquoise nail polishes. OK. Are you ready? Here we go!
MAINSTREAM POLISHES:
For my mainstream turquoise picks, I basically went off of color. We all know mainstream brands tend more toward creme finishes without many of the flakes, glitters, or other fun details we love to see in our indie polishes.
First up is China Glaze, Cuba Diving.
I think this released during the Spring or Summer of 2021. This color, though! It is so bright and lovely. But there is a creamy smoothness to it. That quality, plus the bright blue coloring, makes me think of turquoise.
China Glaze, Rain Dance the Night Away.
This blue is a little more dusty and subdued. But it always makes me think of turquoise when I see this polish in photos and on my nails. This is an older polish in my stash, and I don’t wear it super often. It is so pretty, though!
China Glaze, What I Like About Blue.
This polish is suuuuch a favorite for me. I actually have a couple of bottles of this, as it was the one polish I wanted when the collection released. But it was the hardest one for me to find! I don’t mind having back-ups of this one. This blue speaks to my heart.
OPI, Was it All Just a Dream?.
I don’t remember when this polish released, but it was part of the Grease Collection. This one is more of a green-toned turquoise, but I feel like it still falls into this category. I love the creamy smoothness of this polish, as well as the color. It’s sort of a “minty green” (which I generally do not like), but I feel like it is toned down enough and has enough blue in it to be pleasing.
Zoya, Eleni.
This polish makes my heart so, so happy. It is the most beautiful cloud of color over every nail. I’ve used this polish on its own and in multiple types of nail art. I think it has that turquoise color look to it, although a paler and softer blue than one might think of with the stone.
Zoya, Rocky.
This is another more “green” turquoise, color-wise. But I like the balance of blue in here. This is another polish that always makes me think “turquoise” when I wear it or see photos of it.
INDIE POLISHES:
For my indie polish choices, I was able to consider both base color and the “extras” indies tend to have, like flakies or glitters. I’m sure it’s no big surprise that there are more indies on this list than mainstream polishes!
Bee’s Knees Lacquer, Mushy Snugglebite’s Badonkadonk.
Bazaam, y’all! How is this for a turquoise polish? The color is perfect. The flakes are perfect. Even the different color tones remind me of turquoise. At first, I thought: “OK, it still looks like turquoise, even though there are some pinks and golds in the flakes.” But then, I looked at pictures online, and there are varieties of turquoise that have these colors running throughout.
Colores de Carol, Mae.
This is a triple thermal polish that moves from a dusty purple at its coolest, to a darker blue as it gets warmer, and, finally, to this beautiful turquoise-looking green-blue at its warmest. The combination of the base color and the darker flecks in this warmest color makes me think “turquoise”.
Colores de Carol, Nice with a Touch of Naughty.
This is another polish that, for me, is a perfect turquoise. The base color is such a nice and creamy-looking blue. The flakes just lend to that whole picture for me.
Colores de Carol, Ornament.
Carolina does these beautifully soft, turquoise-y blue polishes so incredibly well. This one is another that makes me think of this beautiful gemstone every time I see it.
Cupcake Polish, Bathhouse.
This polish is absolutely stunning in person. The iridescent flakes, at first, didn’t seem particularly “turquoise-ish” to me, but this one landed on the list because of the base color. I just couldn’t NOT include it, you know? Now, I feel more like these softer colors might show up in a turquoise variety.
Night Owl Lacquer, As You Wish.
I feel like this polish has a great turquoise color that is slightly darker and a little more green. I like how the gold flakes look like gold flecks or veining you may see within certain varieties of turquoise.
Nine Zero Lacquer, Robin’s Egg.
It’s probably obvious why this polish is on the list. It looks very similar to the Colores de Carol polishes that appear earlier in this post. The base color and the flakes are both perfect to me for a turquoise polish!
Pretty Jelly, Breath of the Wild.
This polish is a little darker than the others on this list, although I think it still falls within the gambit of “turquoise blue”. The flakes in this polish are so perfect and beautifully spread out. They make me think of the darker flecking or colors you can sometimes see in a turquoise stone. This polish is one that, as soon as I put it on my nails, I thought: “Oh, yeah! Now THAT is a turquoise stone polish!”
Quixotic Polish, Hoo Hi Wa Hi Wa.
Y’all! I miss Quixotic Polish so, so, so much. This brand quickly became a favorite of mine. I am hoping this brand is just on hiatus and not totally gone for forever. But it has been a while since they released anything new. Anyhow, this polish always says “turquoise” to me because of the base color and because of the bright glow from the flakes.
Quixotic Polish, Summer Blues.
And, finally, I am wrapping up the list with this beauty. This is another polish that quickly captured my heart and has all my love. It’s on this list because of the base color, which always makes me think of turquoise.
THE WRAP-UP:
That’s a “wrap” for my turquoise polishes. What is your favorite “turquoise” in your stash? And do you love this gemstone as much as I do? I would love to hear all about it!
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