CND Tutu banishes Monday blues with childhood nostalgia.

I used to own a bunch of tutus. Not the Halloween costume kind, but honest to goodness ones, along with the tights, leotards and ballet whathaveyous. See, my mom had me take up ballet when I was 6 but it was such a demanding activity that my grades started to slip. I enjoyed it, yes. But it got so tiring that when my very concerned parents asked if I still wanted to do it, it was an easy choice.  This is how my weekday schedule looked like: 7:30am - 3:00pm school, 3:00pm - 5:00pm academic extra curricular activities, 5:00pm - 7:30pm, even 8:00pm sometimes, ballet class. Looking back, that does seem like a pretty tough schedule for a 6 year old to keep. So by the time I got home at about 8:00pm, I would be so tired that I'd end up skipping dinner and crawl into bed. Suffice to say that I got no homework done, either. I ended up quitting when I was 10 and one step away from toe shoes level. I would have wanted to keep doing it, if only to finally get toe shoes, but I just wasn't that good (unfortunately, I lacked the flexibility required so no Black Swan here :P) and it was interfering with my academics. Besides, I'd be so tired that the prospect of more sleep seemed a better choice. No regrets, but I would definitely want my future daughter(s) to try their hand at it. Now, continuing in the vein of Valentine-esque colors, I whipped out this soft, pale pink that reminded me so much of the color of my tights:

A soft pretty pink!

The Quick Take

Brand/Name: CND Tutu
Color: Pale pink
Finish: Creme
Price: $8.00 CDN for 9.8mL
Seen at: Nail Polish Canada and wherever CND is sold.
Note(s): I purchased my bottle when it was on sale at Nail Polish Canada for $5.50.


The Fun Facts

From left: Front of the bottle, side of the bottle.

Back of the bottle.

Serial at the base.

Your average CND brush.

Ingredient list.

Sugary sweet pastel pink.

I'm usually not a fan of pastels because I can't stand the chalkiness of the colors. I prefer my colors vivid and deep. Luckily, Tutu doesn't share that same chalkiness. Sure, it's a very pale pink but it doesn't have too much white in that it loses its pinkness. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't feel like it's washed out at all. Instead, the white tones only serve to brighten the pinkness of Tutu without drowning it out. The label at the base sure makes it easy to spot that Tutu leans a cooler pink. It's a lovely opaque creme finish that dries to a rather glossy texture. Top coat might not do much for this lovely other than to protect the finish!
***All nail swatches were done with Orly Bonder Base Coat and two coats of  CND Tutu unless stated.

Natural light/No top coat/No flash

Shiny, no?

Natural light/No top coat/Flash

Even with flash, it's still very much pink.

Sunlight/No top coat/No flash

Love how dainty it looks in the sunlight!

I've become a huge fan of CND. The first time I used this brand was when I donned Scarlet Letter, but even then, it was already clear to me that there's good reason that CND dominates on the fashion runways. The formula is stellar; just the right amount of viscosity for a good flowing polish. Most of the darker shades are opaque in one coat while the paler shades require two (maybe even just one if you use a thick coat). The brush has a rubberized handle which makes for an easy grip with just the right width of bristles to allow for getting into the nooks and crannies without sacrificing the ability to fan out the brush to get a smaller nail covered in one stroke (I can do it with my pinky). Because of the lesser number of coats/need for thick layers, dry time is inordinately fast. It's dry to the touch after you've finished application on one hand.

Natural light/Top coat/No flash

It looks strangely warmer here.

Natural light/Top coat/Flash

Hammie says: Ooooh. Preeettty.

Sunlight/Top coat/No Flash

Hammie says: Are you sure you put top coat here?

While top coat usually amps up the shine, Tutu is glossy enough by itself that top coat only looks moot with it.


The Lowdown

This is another of those colors where it's hard to find dupes. I'm starting to think that because pinks are some of the more prolific colors (heck, every brand out there has at least one pink!), chances are there will be dupes out there. But because there's so much of them, it's almost like looking for a needle in a haystack. In my collection, the only one that comes close to being a match is A England Iseult. Both share the same base color although Iseult is a few shades lighter and has a hint of shimmer. The closest I could find (basing it on just photos as I don't own the color) is OPI Mod About You. Unless I can compare them in person, I can't really say they're exact matches. Though I have to admit, they do look pretty darn close.

CND isn't the cheapest brand out there. Barely 10mL and retailing for $8.00 or so means you're paying 80 cents for each mL you get. That's easily double of what you'd be paying for an Orly polish (assuming you buy it for $7.00)! But while it is on the higher end of the scale, it's nothing like paying premium for a Chanel or Dior polish. I'd say for the great quality you get, it's money well spent. (Hammie says I'm biased because it falls well below my imposed $10 limit. Maybe I am.)

Hammie says he was surprised to like Tutu so much as he shares my aversion to pale shades. He says it looks so feminine and dainty that it's really hard not to like. The wonderful opacity of the formula adds to his fondness, but this frugal hamster takes issue with the price and amount of polish you get. He's not too happy about how it makes my hands look strangely dark either so he scores Tutu:

8 Hammie Points!

Happy Monday! We hope this week brings lots of good things for you! What did you do for extracurricular activities when you were younger? Do you like to dance? What's one color that you love but can't seem to pull off?