I’ve hoarded/fan girl-ed pastel blue nail polishes ever since Hard Candy Sky burst on the nail scene in the 1990s.
I kid you not — my mind was BLOWN.
For you young’ns out there, this may come as an unfathomable surprise, but the world used to have limited nail polish color options. Yes, there was a time when you couldn’t easily find a bottle of blue polish because it wasn’t a thing yet.
Craziness, I know!
In my case, ever since that fateful bottle of Hard Candy Sky, I’ve been a bonafide creamy pastel blue hoarder. If you love ’em as much as I do, don’t sleep on When in Rome, a pale denim grayish blue by Duri.
A hidden gem ?
Duri is a small, family run under-the-radar brand from New York, but you can find them at nail salons…for whenever we all start going back to them…as well the Duri website, Walmart and Amazon.
Duri carries a full range of nail products at reasonable prices, like When in Rome, which is just eight dollars!
What make it stand out in a sea of baby blues?
When in Rome has a slightly lavender-gray undertone, which gives it a moodiness uncommon to pastel blues, so it’s less like baby blue “It’s a Boy!” baby shower decorations, and more like an expensive pair of light wash denim blue skinny jeans.
Or, imagine the sky on a cool, crisp, clear winter day. That’s When In Rome. It’s moody yet hopeful…which sounds like me in a nutshell, HAHAHA! ?
It’s completely opaque, by the way, so there isn’t any sheerness at all, and it’s durable too! I’m already five days in, and I’ve yet to see a chip or dent.
If you happen to find yourself perusing the Duri website, FYI, the pics for When in Rome look completely different than what I see in real life! I’ve triple-checked my bottle and also searched online, and When In Rome is definitely a pale blue everywhere else. Weird!
Still, I’m lovin’ the shade, and after weeks of naked fingertips, I’m excited to paint my paws again. ?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Tatiana says
Oh my! That color looks completely different than it does on their website. Also Saturday’s photo of Burgundy Charade looks a lot lighter in your photo than it does on their website. I was set to order Burgundy Charade thinking it might be a good dupe for Chanel Rouge Noir. But if it’s as light as in your photo it’s not as dark as I would like.
I totally remember Hard Candy and how all their colors were considered new and unique. Now there are so many indie makers who come up with the most creative colors! Ever since I found Polish Pickup, I haven’t bought a mainstream color.
Karen says
SO DIFFERENT, right?! I’ll be doing Burgundy Charade next. Maybe even tonight, it depends on whether or not Connor wants to paint nails with me, hahaha. I will take pics of it!
BTW guess who asked me last weekend if she could take horseback riding lessons?! I mentioned it to El Hub and he’s hoping it’s a passing phase.
Tatiana says
I’m curious to see how Burgundy Charade looks on your nails.
Hmmm, I don’t know what to tell El Hub about Connor wanting to learn to ride. Some girls ride for a month and give it up. Some a year. Some give it up when they become teenagers and boys show up. Dear Daughter was in college when the mare got caught up in one of the fires north of Napa a number of years ago. After we relocated her I asked Dear Husband if we could stop at the show in Sonoma (off of Lakeville Hwy) and he said no. The conversation came around to “He never thought the riding would go as far as it did” I just looked at him like “Really? You had no clue?” Dear Daughter was 2 1/2 when she started pointing out horses everywhere, would not get off of carousels even after a half a dozen rides, etc. I swear her first word was horse, not Mama or Papa. I think horses helped make my daughter more compassionate, more responsible, more independent.
And some of the biggest smiles from my daughter were when she was on a horse or taking care of a horse.
BTW, this is my favorite video. I can practically smell the sweet, musk horse smell and the sweet grass. And I could practically feel it’s warm breath every time it lifted its head to look at the camera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0UYe-GKu00
Karen says
Also, thank you so much for the long list of things to watch on Netflix!!!
Tatiana says
You’re welcome. I hope you find something you enjoy watching.
L says
Isn’t it great to find something you abs adore?!
Have fun wid it
L
❤️
Karen says
Thanks, L! It’s especially nice when it’s an affordable treat.
Stephanie Smith says
Hard Candy Sky was everything! It’s weird to think that there wasn’t a lot of nail polish variety not that long ago! Lol!
Karen says
It really was. I wore that shade out!!! LOL
Anne says
I remember the days of limited shade ranges all too well – it was an adventure to find anything that was neither red nor pink. I love that it matches your shirt.
Karen says
Thank you!
Kim says
You in a nutshell? OMG, that made me laugh. HAHA! I think there’s a little hyperbole there, but it was still funny. 🙂 My fave part about this post is how you matched your nails and lips to your t-shirt. I really am matchy-matchy at heart.
Karen says
LOL, ya know, so am I! I am tired of fighting it so I’ve decided to just give in. LOL