Rimmel: Violet Metal and Marine Blue

CVS has a ton of their makeup on clearance. Check out Nouveau Cheap for a list of products. I printed the list and headed to CVS a couple of days ago to get a few things, including four new Rimmel polishes, which were 75% off. I have two to show you today.

Violet Metal is a violet polish with gorgeous blue shimmer. This one kind of snuck up on me. It looked pretty in the bottle, but it's absolutely stunning on the nail. This is three coats, no topcoat:



Closer:


Bottle:


The formula on this one was ok. It was a little patchy, which is why I did three coats, but I probably could have gotten away with two if I'd applied more carefully. This is completely unique to my stash and I'm so glad I picked it up. The pictures really don't do it justice.

Next is Marine Blue. This one is just ok looking. I feel like I've seen this shade a million times. It has a turquoise base with light blue shimmer. Two coats, no topcoat:





The formula on this one was better than Violet Metal, but as I said, it's not at all unique. Still a good buy for the money if you don't have anything like this.

I'll have the other two shades tomorrow.

Happy painting!

Quick NOTD: Kleancolor Purple Crackle

Just a quick NOTD post tonight because I have a ton of stuff to do. This is Kleancolor Purple Crackle over NYX Girls Fierce Purple.




Happy painting!

China Glaze: Sundiver

Today I have China Glaze Sunfire. I have no idea what collection this one was released in. Sunfire is canary yellow with tonal shimmer AND silver glitter. This is two coats, Revlon Colorstay topcoat on top:



As you can see, the silver glitter doesn't show up on the nail, and my camera didn't really pick up the tonal shimmer. What little silver you can see actually just looks grey, but I love it anyway! I love weird, dirty looking polishes and this one fits the bill:



I had to thin this quite a bit, but once thinned and shaken, it applied well, especially for a yellow.

I think this polish is pretty cool. I don't have anything like it and I've never seen anything like it. I do wish the silver glitter actually sparkled on the nail, but oh well.

Happy painting!

Wet N' Wild Bloom Collection: Garden Hose...and layering

Garden Hose is from the new Bloom Collection that's been popping up in drugstores lately. The collection consists of several pretty pastel cremes, but this one jumped out at me as being a must-have. I've been loving the swatches I've seen of OPI Mermaid's Tears from the new Pirates of the Carribean collection, and I think this may be close. I don't think they're dupes, but I'm on a low-buy so Garden Hose will have to do!

This beauty is a seafoam green creme. This is three coats with Revlon Colorstay on top:





The formula wasn't too bad. I had some issues with patchiness so I needed three coats, but I'm sure someone could get away with two coats. The consistency is quite good but the brush is NOT. My brush had a few wayward bristles, and of course, the short thickness is cumbersome.

After I swatched, I decided to layer, which is something I rarely do. I've gotten really into NYX Girls polishes, and I've noticed they have some amazing glitters. I bought a few and decided to try some combos. Here is two coats of NYX Girls Maven over Garden Hose:



Maven has a teal tinted jelly base with teal, silver, and iridescent glitter particles:



Now THIS looks like mermaid tears! :)

Happy painting!

Orly: Secret Admirer and dusty score...

Secret Admirer was released as part of the Orly Love Collection. I would describe this as an orange-leaning pastel peach creme. Bad description, I know. This is four (yes four!) coats, no topcoat:





The formula was sheer and milky, but it applied well. Unfortunately, this shade just isn't worth four coats. I love it and I think the finish is beautiful, but it's just too much trouble to go through. From what I understand, the entire collection was sheer and milky just like this one. Blech.

On another note, I dusty hunted today and scored this:

China Glaze Sundiver


along with OPI At Your Quebec and Call. Not too bad! Posts about these coming soon.

Happy painting!

Holo-y goodness

Today I have China Glaze LOL and DV8 from the OMG Collection. I was just starting my nail polish obsession when these came out so I didn't know how wonderful these polishes really were. I only ordered these two shades from the collection, and now I'm wishing I had gotten all of them. Thankfully, I've seen them at dusties in my neighborhood, so I should be able to get them all at some point.

LOL is purple with rainbow linear holo. DV8 is teal with rainbow linear holo. Both are two coats, no topcoat:

LOL (my favorite from the collection)







DV8






The formula on both was buttery smooth. I've heard that topcoat kills the holo, but I can't say for sure because I haven't done a comparison. These don't need a topcoat because they are awesome without shine.

Do you own the OMG collection? What are your favorites?

Happy painting!

Essie: Footloose

I don't know why this was in my untrieds. Footloose is a berry colored creme from the Fall 2005 collection (the one with the feet theme). Two coats, no topcoat:






The color is a bit deeper in real life. There isn't much to say about this polish other than that the formula was perfect. If your application skills are on point, it's definitely a one coater. It went on like butter and it needs no topcoat at all, as you can see.

I don't have many Essies in my stash and I really need to rectify that. I've never had any issues with the brand and I think they make some really lovely shades. Footloose is the perfect spring/summer color.

How do you feel about Essie?

Happy painting!

Dusty Duds

I've been meaning to do this post for awhile but I got sidetracked. I'm a big fan of dustying (or dusty hunting) for old polishes. I've scored some great ones (OPI Black Tie Optional, China Glaze Grape Crush, etc.), and some duds, which I'll show you today.

When I go dustying, I generally have an idea of what I'm looking for, but I always keep my eye out for other shades. For me, it's not about getting a discontinued polish just to have it; I only buy what I like and would actually wear. I've come across countless old shades but I'm very picky so most of them get left on the shelf. If I do like the shade and I know it's discontinued, I will buy it right then because I know I may never see it again.

The last time I went dustying, I found two old China Glaze polishes...That Look and Crocodile Lounge. That Look is a purple shimmer with what looked to me to be scattered holo. Crocodile Lounge looked to be dupe-y to OPI Creme De Menthe, which is on my wishlist. Unfortunately, both ended up being duds.

First up is That Look...this is two coats, no topcoat:



As you can see, not only is it not holo, it's frosty and brushstroke-y. Gross.


Next up is Crocodile Lounge, which has a mint green base with yellow shimmer. Two coats, no topcoat:



Again, not what I expected. This one is also on the frosty and brushstroke-y side. Blech.

These were super thick when I got them home and opened them, so I added several drops of thinner. I can't speak to the quality of the original formulas, but even after thinning, the formulas were still very hard to work with. I'm willing to add more thinner and revisit these in the future, but the day I swatched them I was so disappointed that I threw them in a box and haven't looked at them since.

This is par for the course with dustying; you win some, you lose some. It's also possible that you may think you have a dud, then one day, you realize you have a treasure (i.e. my experience with ChG Nightfall). The bottom line is that the thrill is in the hunt, and you can't let one or two duds discourage you from finding great old shades.

Happy painting!

Essie: After Sex

What a great name for a nail polish lol. As I've said before, I generally don't do reds, but there are some exceptions and this is one of them. After sex is a glowy, shimmery red with pink undertones to it. This is two coats, no topcoat (please excuse the residual glitter from my last mani):








The application on this polish was very good. It went on smooth and was opaque in two coats.

Do you have a favorite red?

Happy painting!

NYX Girls: Cheeky Chic and haul pic

Today I have NYX Girls Cheeky Chic. Cheeky Chic has a pale pink base with loads of glass-flecky shimmer. It's on the sheer side, so I put two coats of it over one coat of Color Club Get a Clue. No topcoat:






Cheeky Chic is so pretty and dainty. The formula is fine, but it's definitely better layered over an opaque color.

This isn't my usual style but it's a nice quick understated mani that still has some sparkle and whimsy.

P.S. Part of my haul the other day was 5 Kleancolor holos. Here's the entire collection:

L to R: Holo Orange, Holo Green, Holo Blue, Holo Yello, Holo Pink, Holo Chrome (could the names be any less original?)

I'll be swatching the rest of these in the next few days if we get some sun.

Happy painting!

NYX Girls: Pop Culture...and Melmer

NYX Pop Culture is bright orange with subtle shimmer. It reminds me of the inside of an orange...very juicy looking! Two coats, no topcoat.






The formula was fine. Not too much to say about this one, other than I love the color and it's cheap!


Also, I finally got my Melmer. I put it together by myself and it only took me about 30 minutes. Unfortunately, it's almost full already, so I'll need another one in the next few months. FAIL.



Bottom drawer (Kleancolor, Orly, Wet 'N Wild, L'Oreal, MAybelline, Revlon, Sally Hansen, Ruby Kisses, Sinfuls)



Middle drawer (Color Club, NYX Girls, Ulta, Zoya, Carolyn New York, Goldie, Mia, Essie)



Top drawer (OPI and China Glaze)



I haven't organized them yet, so that will be next on my list along with updating my spreadsheet. I have way too much free time right now...

Happy painting!

Kleancolor Crack: Blue Crackle

Kleancolor Crack is a new line of crackle polishes. There are six shades in the line, and today I have Blue Crackle to show you. It's a pretty straightforward navy blue creme. One thick coat of blue crackle over NYX Girls Pop Culture (pics of that tomorrow), no topcoat.





The formula was oddly perfect. The consistency and pigmentation were amazing, and if this were a regular creme polish, it would be a buttery one coater. As you can see, it dries to a glossy finish.

It takes awhile for it to crack. I applied it and just kind of sat staring at it, thinking it was a dud. Then it began to slowly crack before my eyes. I was mesmerized. I started blowing on my nails to get it to crack faster, but it just kept doing its thing.

The smell was weird. Kleancolors generally smell like pure evil, but Crack is almost odorless. The faint smell it did have reminded me of wall paint. Very cool.

Something weird happened, though. I still had OPI DS Glamour on my left hand, and I decided to see how Blue Crackle looked over it. It dried, then flaked right off. If you look at the instructions on Kleancolor's site, it suggests applying Crack over cremes, metallics, and shimmers, but it said nothing about holos. Perhaps the two formulas are incompatible. It's also possible that the age of my Glamour mani was a factor. I'll have to give it another try.

Final Verdict: Love. I'm probably going to go back and get the entire collection. OPI Shatter and China Glaze Crackle are cool, but I find the crackle pattern on Kleancolor to be superior, and the ease of application, finish, and price are an added bonus.

These will be available on Kleancolor's webstire for $3.99 (not sure of the official release date). You may be able to find them now in your local beauty supply store for $.99-$1.49.

Happy painting!

Kleancolor: Holo Orange

Today I have Kleancolor Holo Orange. I went to a couple of beauty supply stores looking for the new glitters, but nobody had them so I "settled" for some holos. I did a small haul today and also got my Melmer (pics tomorrow). Holo orange has a tangerine tinted clear base with lots of orange and holo glitter. Three coats, no topcoat:





Formula-wise, this was pretty thick and gloopy, but I didn't mind. I think this polish would look better layered over an orange creme, so I'll be giving that a try soon.

Happy painting!

OPI: It's Not Really a Polish

I graduated from college on Saturday. Yay me! But you know, people graduate from college every day. How many people get to have a graduation cake shaped like a nail polish bottle?!?!



Inside was my favorite...key lime cake. It was soooo moist and delicious!



Look, it has shimmer! And it's pink, which is my favorite color.



And me:


I have the best husband ever. I hate surprises and told him I didn't want him surprising me for graduation, and he agreed but said there was one thing he had to do for me that he knew I would love. He was right! Special thanks to Kevin at Catered Cakes for creating the best cake ever.

Happy painting!

Kleancolor: Holo Chrome

More name weirdness. Holo Chrome isn't chrome at all; the base is purple . But that's neither here nor there. Holo Chrome is hotness. It's loaded with rainbow holo glitter, and who doesn't love that?

Two coats, no topcoat:



Closeup:


Sunlight:



The formula was fine...went on smoothly, dried quickly. Surprisingly, the glitter isn't gritty or bumpy, so unless you need shine, a topcoat isn't needed. One caveat: everything you've heard is true. Kleancolors smell terrible. Even after they're dry, they smell terrible. But you know what they say...polish whores can't be choosers. Or something.

Has anyone gotten their hands on the new Kleancolors yet? My Lucid Bubble has some swatches up. I plan to order soon.

Happy painting!

NYX Girls: Complex Purple

Complex purple. That's an interesting name choice. Presumptuous, maybe. I don't think I'd call this shade complex at all. It's actually pretty simple...and gorgeous. The base is medium purple, but it has this really pretty pale blue shimmer. You can barely see it in the bottle, but it comes alive on the nail. I'm used to the opposite happening.

This is two coats, no topcoat:



You can see the blue tint of the shimmer here if you enlarge (sorry about those white spots. I have no clue where they came from!):



Formula wise, I was pretty impressed. The polish went on smoothly and was perfectly opaque in two coats. I was also impressed by the fact that the shimmer is still visible in normal light. It's not prominent, but it doesn't disappear light most subtle shimmers.

I continue to be impressed by NYX Girls. I found a new beauty supply store from which to buy these, and I will be going back for many, many more in the near future. At $1.49 a pop, how could I not?

Happy painting!