A couple of weeks ago, I was watching a YouTube video from a very sweet blogger/vblogger, Cassie from Southeast By Midwest, who was talking about her 5 favorite nail polishes. I don’t know what came over me, but the minute she showed one of her favorites, TGIF from Formula X, I had to have it. It’s a peachy pink cream shade that I adore. My mother used to call this shade, tangelo. It’s a color that I find myself buying over and over again in everything: nail polish, clothing, makeup, accessories. I’m absolutely drawn to it.
Sadly, Formula X, Sephora’s private label brand of nail polish, was discontinued in 2016, I think. It has a fantastic formula that is not only fast drying but long wearing. Why in heaven’s name did they discontinue it? Why at least didn’t they sell the formula to another brand? The Formula X formula was just too good to disappear.
I decided to track it down, and I found a bottle on Ebay.
Fortunately, Ebay has been having a $5 off promotion these last couple of weeks! The price for the bottle was about $10 with free shipping, and with $5 off, the $5 price tag for the polish delivered seemed like a good deal. I bought it. The person I bought it from wrapped it up very well just about immediately and shipped it off to me. I think I got it two days later.
When I opened the package, I looked at the polish and said to myself, how many times have I bought this shade? I must have about 4 bottles from 4 different brands. Oh well, for $5 it’s OK. And if I scrutinize it, TGIF is a bit different from the others I own. It is more of a neon peachy pink. Actually, it’s a perfect shade to wear in June, July and August. For autumn in New England, not so much.
Nevertheless, I put it on along with a Morgan Taylor React Base Coat and Zoya Armor Topcoat. I’ve been wearing it for 4 days, and not a chip even at the tips. For me, that’s exceedingly rare. I own a couple of other bottles of Formula X that I got in past Sephora Play bags that I believe are wintery colors so I should seek them out. I love a polish that wears like iron!
I was going to say if you’re a fan of this shade, check out Essie Lounge Lover. But it’s gone, too!
What’s on your nails today? And what shade of polish do you find yourself buying over and over again whether you need it or not?
This is a beautiful color polish, and perfect for you, Allison. Yes, to answer your question! I repeatedly purchase taupe eyeshadows, pink/nude lipsticks and lip glosses and pink blushes!
I’m so glad that I’m not the only one with drawers full of just about the same shades, lol. It’s so hard to resist a new favorite!
Hrm… Try Essie Tart Deco (more pink) or On the List (more coral) or if you want to kick it up a couple notches try Cute As A Button. Not dupes by any means, but kinda working in the same wheelhouse.
My forever go-to coral-ish shade is another sadly departed lacquer- Rescue Beauty Lounge’s Starfish Patrick.
Personal nail repeats are mostly purple-taupes like Dior’s Palais Royal and OPI Berlin There Done That. Those two are fairly dupe-tastical for each other, and I probably have 8 or 10 more that are variations of the same. It’s one of my favourite eyeshadow shades too, though I’ve really pared down that collection and only have a couple left. Since I started wearing red lipstick on the regular though….THAT has gotten out of hand, lololololol
I also have a total soft spot for lip shades like Tom Ford Casablanca, Chanel Mademoiselle, and MAC Finally Free. They’re pretty MLBB so I wear them a lot. When I’m not wearing one of the gazillion reds I’ve got now, that is. 😉
Yeah, the “same wheelhouse” is exactly what I meant. In addition to buying peachy pink lipsticks, blushes and nail polish, like you, I am big on taupes, though maybe more pinkish taupes. I’m going to have to take a look not only at the polishes you suggested, but at those luxury lipsticks (except maybe Chanel coz I still don’t like the scent of their lipsticks unless they’ve changed it)!
I do this but to mint green or powder blue nail polish. LOL! Formula X unfortunately don’t last as long on me, I have two or 3 nail polish from the brand and they all chip within a day.
I’m glad to hear that I’m not alone in rebuying the same shade over and over. I love mint green and powder blue, but I was remiss and didn’t wear them this past spring and summer. Hope I won’t have to wait till next year! That’s interesting that you don’t have good luck with Formula X. So far, it’s the only thing that doesn’t chip in a day for me, lol. Guess we’re all different 🙂
I’m a total coral freak, and I LOVE this polish!!
I was disappointed that X Formula was discontinued since it wore so beautifully. This is a beautiful shade and one that I know is perfect for you. I should look in my stash to see what X polishes I still have.
What a pretty polish! My nails are currently NexGen nail powder in C-25 (Charlotte– black cream) tipped with G-2 (glitter red).
I do find myself buying certain colors over and over again across different items: Black, gray, red, hot pink, fuchsia, magenta, purple, and (more with makeup, but clothing and accessories to some extent) coral.
Thanks for the shoutout, that is so sweet of you. I also have so many of this shade as it’s one of my favorite colors BUT this is the one I always pull out just because the formula is that freaking good. The formula not only lasts for ages without chipping, even when I was in Cosmetology school and doing shampoo after shampoo after shampoo, and on top of that the formula is a little…puffy so it gives the nails dimension that other polishes just don’t give. Plus the brush is spectacular. I have no idea why Sephora discontinued Formula X but in my opinion it was a BAD business decision!